kfwyre's recent activity

  1. Comment on People who have run events on Tildes or maintaining long running series of posts, any lessons or advices? in ~tildes

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    Oh, I definitely have way more that didn’t pan out too! There was a time where I tried to get people in a Steam group so we could use steamgifts.com as the platform for game key raffles. In my...

    Oh, I definitely have way more that didn’t pan out too!

    There was a time where I tried to get people in a Steam group so we could use steamgifts.com as the platform for game key raffles. In my mind, it was perfect: everybody would join, people could add new games up for grabs as needed, and that site handles the raffle entries, selection, and distribution, all limited to the members of our Steam group. Perfect! So easy!

    Except: I vastly underestimated how much people were skeeved out by linking their Steam account to a third-party site. It’s something that a normal person would raise an eyebrow at, but it’s essentially a complete non-starter for the hyper-privacy-conscious crowd that this site tends to attract.

    I can attest that the site is legit. I’ve used it for years and given away literally over a thousand games there. It is genuinely an excellent way to get rid of unwanted game keys fairly.

    But my attempt to get it going here went over like a lead balloon. 😂

    So I stuck with the more traditional and less frightening method of on-site PMs for our game giveaways. It’s a bit more legwork for me, but it also gets a lot more participation.

    I also genuinely feel bad about AlbumLove. I think there was a good idea there, and a few people seemed to REALLY love it, but I didn’t put in enough effort to give it the momentum it needed. I also thing, if I remember correctly, I was also a bit overextended at the time anyway so it felt better to let it go than try to make it work.

    4 votes

  2. Comment on People who have run events on Tildes or maintaining long running series of posts, any lessons or advices? in ~tildes

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    I do always wonder how many people we have passively participating by reading the comments rather than playing their own games. It’s hard to get a pulse on that, especially on a privacy-conscious...

    I do always wonder how many people we have passively participating by reading the comments rather than playing their own games. It’s hard to get a pulse on that, especially on a privacy-conscious site like Tildes, so your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you!

    Also you’re always welcome to join again as an active participant whenever you like! 😁

    5 votes

  3. Comment on People who have run events on Tildes or maintaining long running series of posts, any lessons or advices? in ~tildes

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    I’m 100% down to run it again if people are interested. Quick poll to gauge interest: if a Screenless Day event sounds like something you’d be interested in, please vote on this comment or reply...

    I’m 100% down to run it again if people are interested.

    Quick poll to gauge interest: if a Screenless Day event sounds like something you’d be interested in, please vote on this comment or reply to it.

    (Not intending this to be a fully formal poll by the way, just a quick temperature check on the idea)

    5 votes

  4. Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of August 2 in ~games

    kfwyre
    (edited )
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    Distance is 90% off on Steam, which is a historical low. I recommend paying the extra pennies for the Deluxe Edition, which includes the game’s excellent soundtrack (seriously, it’s really good)....

    Distance is 90% off on Steam, which is a historical low. I recommend paying the extra pennies for the Deluxe Edition, which includes the game’s excellent soundtrack (seriously, it’s really good).

    For the unfamiliar, Distance is the commercial follow-up from the devs who made the free student project Nitronic Rush (which also kicks ass).

    It’s a futuristic sci-fi arcade racing carkour game where you go fast but also have to navigate the levels’ tricky wallrides, aerial sequences, and hazards. Boosting builds up heat which will eventually explode your car, but you can cool it down by performing tricks. So, if you want to go REALLY fast, you have to get good at jumping, flipping, etc.

    Luckily, the gamefeel is amazing, so pulling off stunts and nailing wallrides is immensely satisfying.

    The game features a full single player campaign that’s genuinely a cut above the campaigns of nearly every other racing game out there. It’s got survival horror/escape vibes and is uniquely thrilling.

    Multiplayer is also available in the game, but I have no idea how many people are left playing it.

    The game also features a TON of user-generated tracks, many of which are of outstandingly high quality.

    If you’re into racing, I consider this a must buy. If you’re not into racing, then I still strongly recommend it because I think it’s so good at what it does that its appeal reaches well beyond the limitations of its genre. It is one of my top racing games of all time and I say that as someone who plays a lot of racing games. In fact, writing this right now makes me want to go back and play it again right now.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on Humble Choice - August 2026 in ~games

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    You’re welcome to my copy of Dead Cells if you don’t want to buy the whole month. I’ve already got it, and I can confirm that it is, in fact, excellent.

    You’re welcome to my copy of Dead Cells if you don’t want to buy the whole month.

    I’ve already got it, and I can confirm that it is, in fact, excellent.

  6. Comment on Why does Opera GX rarely come up in browser discussions? in ~tech

    kfwyre
    Link
    Their privacy policy says the following, emphasis mine: Which sounds great, except they also say this:

    Their privacy policy says the following, emphasis mine:

    Nearly all of our Applications are free to download and use. Therefore we monetize our products in various ways, primarily by selling advertising within the Applications themselves. The money we make helps us keep the lights on, pay the salaries of our staff, and continue developing the most innovative, independent browsers on the market. We do not sell users’ personal data to anyone, either to monetize or to provide advertising.

    Which sounds great, except they also say this:

    As noted above, in different contexts we may share or make data available (including personal data) to other members of the Opera Group, and in some cases, with third-parties such as our marketing and monetization partners.

    8 votes

  7. Comment on People who have run events on Tildes or maintaining long running series of posts, any lessons or advices? in ~tildes

    kfwyre
    (edited )
    Link
    Create a notification list that you ping whenever a topic goes live. Example This is the most important step by far. Without notification pings, people who are interested in your topics WILL miss...
    • Exemplary
    1. Create a notification list that you ping whenever a topic goes live. Example

    This is the most important step by far. Without notification pings, people who are interested in your topics WILL miss posts.

    1. Expect a small number of participants.

    Most of the stuff I run gets anywhere from 5 to 15 people for any particular event. If you evaluate that in terms of "internet numbers" where people measure engagement and followers in the thousands and millions, it can feel disappointingly low.

    On the other hand, if you look at it through the human lens of "ten people took the time and effort to participate", it feels a thousand or million times better. The events I run and participate in here have a small, cozy, intimate feeling, which I've come to love.

    1. Expect participants to come and go.

    Not everyone will be up for every event all the time. Some people will commit but then not be able to follow through. It's simply the way of the world. Don't take it personally.

    1. Get feedback, but be decisive.

    A number of events here have changed and iterated over time due to feedback, but it's good to remember that if you're running the event, then you have to be the one to make the final calls on how things go. This can be difficult if you're getting feedback that's in conflict (e.g. someone saying we should do something more often, and someone else saying we should do it less frequently).

    If you're the one coordinating, then make the judgment calls and move forward, even if it doesnt necessarily please everyone. An event that actually runs is better than one that gets bogged down with meta-discussion about how it could hypothetically be better.

    1. Get wacky.

    Try stuff out! Be creative! For every event I've had that sticks, I've also had ones that havent really worked (anyone remember Screenless Days?). It's hard to know what the community will click with, so try out whatever you're feeling and see how they respond. The worst thing that can happen is the topic just sort of falls off the front page with no discussion, so there's no harm in trying ANYTHING out and seeing how it goes.

    1. Build an FAQ/guide as you go. Example

    You'll have some people who will join on in the beginning and "get" how whatever it is you're doing works, but as the event continues, you'll likely have new joiners who don't necessarily know the lay of the land. Having easily accessible onboarding info helps them jump in easily.

    1. Use the tag system as an aggregator/organizer.

    Giving your posts a unique tag means that people can see all of them at once. For example: here are all the CGA posts we've had. This helps keep all your posts "under one roof" so to speak. It also means that people can filter them out if they wish. When I started the Save Point topics, I knew that some people wouldn't want to see advertising-adjacent content in their feed, so the unique name and tag lets people avoid it.

    1. Ask for help if you need it.

    I run the Backlog Burners, but they wouldn't be nearly as great as they are without @Wes who stepped in to help me out with a zany bingo card idea I had. For CGA, we have a rotating set of hosts that makes the event way better and more dynamic than if it were just me posting every month. This site is full of great people with a variety of skillsets, so don't hesitate to ask for assistance with any ideas (like you're doing right now!).

    1. Make reusable templates.

    A lot of stuff is reusable from one event to the next. Timasomo is almost entirely a copy/paste job each year, for example, which makes running it go a lot more smoothly and take a lot less time.

    1. Every comment bumps your topic.

    If you're finding that your topic is getting low engagement, it could simply be the fact that it's not sitting near the top of the site. I don't recommend spamming or anything, but taking on an "emcee" role where you respond to people, ask questions, or update on your own progress helps keep the topic "alive" and more likely to be seen by others.

    1. Stick with it.

    It might take a few tries before the event really gains traction. The first week of the original Backlog Burner had 9 comments, 3 of which were mine. Contrast that with the first week of our most recent one which had 88 comments. Also the current BB looks COMPLETELY different than the original one because we’ve changed so much since then. Building something regular can take time.

    1. Just go for it!

    An actual attempt at starting something is better than a hypothetical one that never happens. If you’ve got cool ideas, it’s better to get them out there rather than trying to perfect them first. Don’t stall out in the planning — just go for the post and fix/build things over time.

    That's all I've got for now off the top of my head, but if anything more comes to me I'll add it.

    Also, feel free to ask about anything specific and I'm happy to help in whatever way I can.

    29 votes

  8. Comment on American Red Cross declares second-ever national blood supply crisis, urges immediate blood donations in ~health

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    That’s unfortunate. I always take them at home before I go, but the site I donate at has got a bottle at check-in for anyone who forgets. Also, as part of the intake they always ask if I’ve taken...

    That’s unfortunate. I always take them at home before I go, but the site I donate at has got a bottle at check-in for anyone who forgets. Also, as part of the intake they always ask if I’ve taken them. I’m really surprised they didn’t say anything to you.

    4 votes

  9. Comment on American Red Cross declares second-ever national blood supply crisis, urges immediate blood donations in ~health

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    So sorry it went badly for you, but I’m glad you’re okay. Did they have you eat Tums beforehand? They have me do it each time I donate platelets.

    So sorry it went badly for you, but I’m glad you’re okay.

    Did they have you eat Tums beforehand? They have me do it each time I donate platelets.

    5 votes

  10. Humble Choice - August 2026

    ~games Text 123 words
    August 2026's Humble Choice is now available with the following eight Steam games. Steam Page OpenCritic Steam Recent/All Operating Systems Steam Deck ProtonDB Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth 90 88...

    August 2026's Humble Choice is now available with the following eight Steam games.

    Steam Page OpenCritic Steam Recent/All Operating Systems Steam Deck ProtonDB
    Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth 90 88 / 91 Win ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum
    Dead Cells + The Bad Seed DLC 89 95 / 96 Win, Mac, Linux ✅ Verified ✅ Native
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Ultimate Edition 87 89 / 96 Win, Linux ✅ Verified ✅ Native
    Decktamer -- 88 / 85 Win 🟨 Playable ⬜ Silver
    Conquest Dark -- 78 / 90 Win 🟨 Playable 🎖️ Platinum
    Gatekeeper -- 78 / 85 Win ✅ Verified 🎖️ Platinum
    Pile Up! -- -- / 74 Win 🟨 Playable 🎖️ Platinum
    Dark Envoy 65 -- / 69 Win ✅ Verified ⬜ Silver

    Does anyone have experience with any of the games and, if so, would you recommend them? Is there anything in here that you're particularly excited to play?

    11 votes

  11. Comment on End of Series - Tildes Book Club discussion - July 2026 - A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers in ~books

    kfwyre
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Adding another thanks to the pile, @boxer_dogs_dance. Even though I've missed the past several due to IRL stuff getting in the way, I've loved participating in this book club and you've done a...

    Adding another thanks to the pile, @boxer_dogs_dance. Even though I've missed the past several due to IRL stuff getting in the way, I've loved participating in this book club and you've done a fantastic job of coordinating it.

    I know a little bit about running an event on Tildes, so I know how much time and prep work it takes that people don't see. So, genuinely, thank you for everything you put into this group. I've read some really memorable books that I wouldn't have read otherwise, and I've loved getting to hear other people's thoughts on them (including yours!) as well.

    EDIT: Just saw you put a spot for this further down the topic. Whoops!

    5 votes

  12. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    kfwyre
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    It seems quaint by modern standards, but back in the day this game immersed me like no other. I'd played plenty of DOOM, but its alien environments and demons felt otherworldly. I was disconnected...

    It seems quaint by modern standards, but back in the day this game immersed me like no other.

    I'd played plenty of DOOM, but its alien environments and demons felt otherworldly. I was disconnected from being the character of Doomguy -- I was simply playing as him.

    Not so with Outlaws. In that game, I was just a guy shooting at and being shot by other guys. The setting was the real world, if Wild West stereotypes can be considered "real world". I was highly vulnerable -- which I'm assuming means I played it on at least "Bad" difficulty -- so my playthroughs were filled with a marked tension as I slowly explored things and meticulously made my way through the levels. Very different from how I played DOOM.

    DOOM was famous for its "monster closets" where it would suddenly unleash a whole lot of enemies on you at once, but I was so powerful in that game that they never really frightened me. In Outlaws, however, a single surprise enemy could fully jumpscare me. I recall the game feeling almost like a survival horror game, even though it wasn't going for "horror" at all. I think some of that could be that some of the game ends up having what we could call today a very "liminal" feeling -- a concept and language that I didn't have at the time.

    I recently went back and tried to play the game again with fresh eyes (the original like you played, not the remaster), and, unfortunately, all I could see was its age. I didn't make it very far before I stopped playing, because I wanted to keep my (fading) memory of the original intact.

    I think it's hard to capture just how engrossing and immersive those original 3D games felt. They had an effect similar to what people feel when they try VR for the first time. Being enveloped in a fully 3D digital world was completely novel and thrilling, whereas today it's just an invisible given -- the bottom-level foundation that so many games build off of.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    kfwyre
    (edited )
    Link
    Dunkadillo I saw the GDQ run of this game a few weeks ago and bought it on sight. Just got around to playing it now. It's a super cute platformer where you're an armadillo that's also a...

    Dunkadillo

    I saw the GDQ run of this game a few weeks ago and bought it on sight. Just got around to playing it now.

    It's a super cute platformer where you're an armadillo that's also a basketball, so you're constantly bouncing. Levels are short, but you die with a single hit, so it's all about timing your bounces past enemies, finding your way through the levels, and picking up the optional card collectibles along the way.

    The game has a ton of charm. It's got a bright, vibrant color palette, adorable characters and animations, and just overall amazingly good vibes. Each of the collectible cards you pick up has a character on it with cute little names, and it wasn't until the credits rolled that I found out that the names were created by the dev's 4-year-old child. My favorite was "Burgurgular".

    The default price is a little steep given that the game is quite short. Admittedly though, I think the game is intended for younger kids. It took me just over an hour to 100% it, but I imagine they would get more time out of it. That said, it's still great fun even for adults, and doesn't overstay its welcome. I had some friends over this past weekend and we ended up hot-seating our way through most of the game again.

    If this goes on sale, and you're a platformer fan, I highly recommend picking this up. I'd consider it a bona fide hidden gem given that it currently only has 19 reviews on Steam.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on Mullvad CEO gives ≈€452,000 to the Örebro Party in ~society

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    I appreciate you letting me know that wasn't the case for you, as it spurred me to search around to see if this was a common problem or if something was wrong with my device. Turns out it's not...

    I appreciate you letting me know that wasn't the case for you, as it spurred me to search around to see if this was a common problem or if something was wrong with my device.

    Turns out it's not common, but I found instructions to reset my network settings and did that and I'm happy to report that it's now working as intended. The sad thing is that the issue persisted for YEARS with me, across multiple devices, so it must have been something account-linked that got carried over when I got a new phone.

    I had no idea a fix was that simple. Thanks for being the impetus for that.

    2 votes

  15. Comment on CGA-2026-08 🗡️🛡️❤️🔺 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in ~games

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    The recomp is available on Flathub, and I'm happy to report that it works on the Steam Deck! You have to bring your own ROM, of course, and if you want to change any of the default settings you...

    The recomp is available on Flathub, and I'm happy to report that it works on the Steam Deck!

    You have to bring your own ROM, of course, and if you want to change any of the default settings you have to edit the .ini file (which is easy enough to do in desktop mode).

    4 votes

  16. Comment on Mullvad CEO gives ≈€452,000 to the Örebro Party in ~society

    kfwyre
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Bumping this to say that I finished out my month with Windscribe and did not continue with them. The VPN itself worked fine, but I still left for the aforementioned reasons. I then bought a month...

    Bumping this to say that I finished out my month with Windscribe and did not continue with them. The VPN itself worked fine, but I still left for the aforementioned reasons.

    I then bought a month of IVPN to try that out, and, while I'm still at the beginning of it (I've only had it for a few days), it'll probably be where I land. Their presentation is much more professional than Windscribe, they're open source and audited, they're endorsed by Privacy Guides, and their apps work well.

    Only downside is a 5 device limit (I'd really like something closer to 10 to cover my whole household), but that was the same with Mozilla (Mullvad) VPN so I'm not really losing anything by switching to them. I don't REALLY need a VPN for, say, the tablet that I read my comics on, or my Steam Deck, but it would be nice to have the option without taking up valuable slots. Between my husband and I, our phones and PCs already take up 4 of the 5.

    That said, is it just me or does every VPN suck on iOS? Of the four that I've tried: Mullvad (as is), Mozilla (which is just Mullvad but with a separate app), Windscribe, and IVPN; all of them just sort of quietly lose connection while my phone is asleep. I'll pull it out of my pocket, try to go to a website, nothing will happen, and I'll have to reconnect the VPN to get internet back. Is this some sort of limitation Apple imposes on its hardware?

    6 votes

  17. Comment on CGA-2026-08 🗡️🛡️❤️🔺 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in ~games

    kfwyre
    Link
    CGA Announcement: We have officially inserted the cartridge for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Use this topic to get set up for the month, help other people get set up for the month, and...

    CGA Announcement: We have officially inserted the cartridge for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Use this topic to get set up for the month, help other people get set up for the month, and start playing!

    If you would like to be added or removed from the Notification List, please PM u/kfwyre.

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    11 votes

  18. Comment on Women should be able to open things in ~life.women

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    Big and tall guy here too, so I feel your pain, but the issue isn’t that we can’t accommodate everybody everywhere, it’s that in WAY too many instances of design, testing, and implementation,...
    • Exemplary

    Big and tall guy here too, so I feel your pain, but the issue isn’t that we can’t accommodate everybody everywhere, it’s that in WAY too many instances of design, testing, and implementation, women haven’t even been considered.

    I highly recommend Caroline Criado Perez’s book Invisible Women for a data-driven look into the issue at large.

    One thing that stuck out to me from it was that female crash test dummies weren’t used until the 2010s(!) in the US, and when they finally were implemented, safety scores for cars plummeted. It highlighted a significant safety issue for women that was previously unknown because nobody was testing for it.

    The book is very illuminating and I highly recommend it. This issue is so much deeper than “not everybody fits the average.”

    71 votes

  19. Comment on Canadian Blood Services calling for donors amid serious drop in supply in ~health

    kfwyre
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Ah, that makes sense. I’d definitely recommend starting with the easiest (whole blood) before trying plasma/platelets. Good luck with the appointment! Let us know how it goes. I think you’re doing...

    Ah, that makes sense. I’d definitely recommend starting with the easiest (whole blood) before trying plasma/platelets.

    Good luck with the appointment! Let us know how it goes. I think you’re doing an awesome thing.

    4 votes

  20. Comment on Canadian Blood Services calling for donors amid serious drop in supply in ~health

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    I hear that. My left arm is worse for sticks than my right, so it'll occasionally (not often) take two or three different attempts in different locations for them to get one that works. I've...

    I hear that. My left arm is worse for sticks than my right, so it'll occasionally (not often) take two or three different attempts in different locations for them to get one that works. I've gotten used to it now, but do I keep hoping that my site will change over to single-arm. When I get an itch, or when my glasses slide a little bit down my nose, and I just have to sit there without being able to do anything about it, it can get a little maddening.

    2 votes