kfwyre's recent activity

  1. Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games

    kfwyre
    (edited )
    Link
    We are two weeks in, and I'll have everyone know that I haven't deleted my card or had to reinstall Linux even once! This is a personal triumph. My dog also didn't eat my writeups this time. I did...

    We are two weeks in, and I'll have everyone know that I haven't deleted my card or had to reinstall Linux even once! This is a personal triumph.

    My dog also didn't eat my writeups this time. I did type them in my notes app rather than the web browser this time, so even if he did jump on the computer again they would have been okay. But, as is the case with backups, issues like that will only happen when you don't have recovery set up. When you do? It's like the universe knows and leaves you alone.

    General life things have kept me quite busy and, correspondingly, have kept me from being as present in the comments of this event as I'd like to be, but know that I'm thrilled with all of the great writeups everyone is doing. The true fun of Backlog Burner for me isn't just in playing my own games, it's in hearing what everyone else has to say about theirs too! So, big thanks to everyone for being so thoughtful and forthcoming in talking about what you've been playing.

    Mode: Custom Bingo! Finished 10/25
    Distribution
    ✅ Pepsiman    		 Order Calm Simple
    ✅ Rocket Skates VR    		 Verticality
    ✅ ROTA
    Fragmentation Annihilation
    ✅ Cozy Space Survivors    		 Collaboration Creativity Rebirth
    Style Emergence ★ Wildcard Peace
    ✅ Vib-Ribbon    		 Deception
    Open
    ✅ Midtown Madness    		 Discovery Swift
    ✅ Skator Gator    		 Abundance Isolation
    ✅ Firestarter
    Repetition
    ✅ Mask of Mists    		 Sound
    ✅ Paradise Marsh    		 Destruction Maneuver Comfortable

    Midtown Madness

    This is a racing game from 1999 that looked SO cool to young me but that I never was able to actually get my hands on. We're spoiled these days with availability. If a game wasn't in my local stores back then, I never even had a chance to play it. As such, this is one of those games that I've always been interested in but never actually scratched the itch to pick up and play.

    The game is noteworthy for having an open world back when that was novel and exciting. For example: I played hours and hours of Carmageddon back in the day not because I liked its over-the-top violence (it actually put me off a lot) but because you could drive anywhere and that was SO COOL! Midtown Madness does the same thing minus the violence, with its map being a facsimile of downtown Chicago.

    I streamed the game from my Windows PC to my Deck, and set up a Steam Input profile to play the game with a controller which works better than it has any right to. It's inevitably clunky, especially in menus, but being able to stream a game to my handheld gaming device and use a control scheme it was never intended for is one of those reminders that I am living in the future. The me from 1999 never could have imagined such a thing!

    Anyway, in terms of racing, the game is pretty standard. No rubber-banding, which is nice, and it's got various adjustable settings like time of day and traffic and "physics realism" (whatever that means). I turned the "realism" slider almost all the way down, and my car rolled when I went around a corner, which was unexpected and kind of fun?

    In the middle of the map are these big drawbridges that open and close, so of course you can hit them while the sides are up for a perfect ramp that gets you massive air. It's a little quaint by modern standards, but I can assure you that it was undoubtedly breathtakingly cool back at the turn of the millennium.

    I can't really say I recommend the game outside of a novel curiosity these days. As much as I love retro racing games, I also think they're one of the genres that ages the poorest. I don't know that the game has a lot to offer unless you're looking to relive your own nostalgia for it or, like me, scratch a decades-long itch.

    If anyone is wanting to visit it, an abandonware download of it is really your only option. This is one of those games that will never see re-release due to its use of actual licensed cars (a problem that is still a death knell for most racing games in terms of long-term availability -- even the Forza games can't stay available for more than a few years!).

    Firestarter

    This one does have a modern re-release, being, from what I can tell, a GOG Exclusive.

    It's from the same developer that did the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, though it was put out several years before the first of those games.

    It's an arena horde shooter with quite possibly the worst onboarding I've had in recent memory. Instead of spawning hordes of enemies, the tutorial levels of the game laboriously and slowly spawn enemies in isolation, one-by-one, complete with multi-second cutaways to introduce each new enemy and weapon. Once you get past this the game gets more interesting, picking up in both pacing and difficulty.

    The game does have a lot of cool ideas. There are different classes with different stats, and as you advance through the game you choose from among different boosts to your character in the now-familiar pattern of a modern-day roguelike.

    The game is something that I would have enjoyed keeping up with, but unfortunately it was marred by some bugs that I have to assume are the product of running a 2003 game on 2025 hardware. I died for no reason at multiple points on multiple levels. In starting the game I had to adjust Windows settings to make my mouse not be stuttery in-game and finally got that working, only to have the stutter return when I used the first ability I unlocked (time slow).

    Enough of these little issues accumulated that they would have made the game frustrating to continue, so I decided to shelve the game. I was glad that I was able to play enough to get a feel and an appreciation for it though.

    Pepsiman

    You are Pepsiman, a distribution superhero bringing Pepsi to people in need.

    A few scattered thoughts:

    • It is remarkably not terrible, which is high praise for a licensed game.
    • It was a runner game long before the runner game genre was standard (my mind wants to say Canabalt from 2009 was one of the first major games to be identified with the genre)
    • The recurring "PEPSIMAAAAAAN" vocals in the soundtrack are hilarious...
    • ...at first. By the end of the game I found them kind of grating.
    • The cutscenes were entertaining in a deliberately bad sort of way.

    This game is a perfect example of what I will henceforth call "The @vili Principle:"

    Nowadays, a game often contains 100 hours of content, of which you play 50. Back in the day, games contained 2 hours of content, of which you also played 50.

    The game is short. I probably beat it in about an hour or so?

    But that's only because I abused the crap out of save states.

    If I hadn't, it would have taken me hours, maybe dozens of them, to see the game all the way through. It relies on you learning its patterns and cycles through repetition so that you can avoid them. The game has a lot of cheap deaths or obstacles. If you don't collect enough Pepsi cans you can run out of lives and have to start all the way over. It's a bit unfair by modern standards to the point of potentially being unfun by modern standards as well.

    That said, this isn't exactly a criticism. Back in the day, I was the kind of gamer that would have eagerly put those dozens of hours into this game. It was just how we played back then. I'm glad I was able to try out the game, and it was genuinely enjoyable playing it with save states. Without them, however, I think I would have hit a frustration wall pretty early on.

    Vib-Ribbon

    Similar to Midtown Madness, this is another 1999 game that always interested me but that was completely inaccessible to me as a kid (it never came out in North America).

    I don't think I even knew about the game in 1999. Instead, what put it on my radar was when I started making my own custom DDR stepfiles for Dance With Intensity (anyone else remember that?). I embedded myself into several online stepfile communities, including one that had a custom map for the track "Laugh & Peace" from this game.

    I was entranced by the song. It was odd. Quirky. It had drastic tempo changes and memorable lines. It feels like something that would fit right in on the amazing Katamari Damacy soundtrack.

    My knowledge of and interest in the game stopped there for decades, until I finally picked the game up for CGA.

    The game is a delight. Full of personality and charm. Its minimalistic, monochromatic graphics punch well above their weight in making the game feel lively, exciting, dynamic, and cute. Vibri is adorable.

    The soundtrack is also excellent. I have since acquired a copy of it and uploaded it to my Apple Music account, so that I can listen to the tracks from the game whenever I want.

    The gameplay is, well, there.

    Unfortunately, for a rhythm game, Vib-Ribbon has some timing issues. I suspect even the built-in tracks for the game were procedurally generated rather than hardcoded in, because there are obstacles that do not follow the song's beats correctly. I took to watching Vibri's footfalls to know when to press buttons, rather than going with the "feel" of the song, which takes a lot of the fun out of it.

    I did still enjoy it, particularly the wrinkle the game throws at you in the final Hard stage. I also haven't played any custom tracks yet, but I plan to try to get a custom disc going with my emulator. Despite what I see as an unignorable issue with the game's obstacle timings, I was ultimately won over by the game's irrepressible charm. It's got a personality all its own, buoyed by a bright, endearing, wacky cuteness.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion in ~games

    kfwyre
    Link
    Pinging all Backlog Burner participants/conversationalists: here's the new topic for the week! Notification List @aphoenix @1338 @BeardyHat @CannibalisticApple @dannydotcafe @deathinactthree...

    Pinging all Backlog Burner participants/conversationalists: here's the new topic for the week!

    Notification List

    @aphoenix
    @1338
    @BeardyHat
    @CannibalisticApple
    @dannydotcafe
    @deathinactthree
    @Durinthal
    @Eidolon
    @J-Chiptunator
    @JCPhoenix
    @knocklessmonster
    @Pistos
    @sotix
    @sparksbet
    @Wes
    @ZeroGee

    If you would like to be removed from/added to the list, let me know either here or by PM.

    4 votes

  3. November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion

    ~games Text 352 words
    Week 3 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Weeks 1-2 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

    Week 3 has begun!

    Post your current bingo cards.
    Continue updating us on your games!

    If you did not participate in Weeks 1-2 but want to start this week, that's fine!
    Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

    Quick links:

    Week 2 Recap

    10 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 42 games out of their backlogs!

    There were 2 bingo wins. Congrats to u/Wes and u/J-Chiptunator! 🎉

    Also, in my rush last week to get the recap up, I forgot to celebrate u/Wes's win from Week 1. So, additional congratulations!

    • Only 1 game this time had an ALL CAPS TITLE, but 9 games had PARTIAL CAps titles.
    • The shortest title was 5 characters: Venba
    • The longest title was 12 words: Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch (The witch of the Ihanashi)
    • We had the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, and 7 represented. Half of the digits!
      (Note that this only works if I read "I Expect You to Die" as "One: Expect You to Die", which I do)

    Game list:

    Week 1 Game List
    5 votes

  4. Comment on NATO alphabet in ~talk

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    Utterly (udderly?) adorable.

    Utterly (udderly?) adorable.

    4 votes

  5. Comment on NATO alphabet in ~talk

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    The herd is growing! Love it. 🥰

    The herd is growing! Love it. 🥰

    4 votes

  6. Comment on NATO alphabet in ~talk

    kfwyre
    Link
    B as in Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

    B as in Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

    6 votes

  7. Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of November 9 in ~games

    kfwyre
    Link
    The base game for Immortals Fenyx Rising is free on Ubisoft Connect. I thoroughly enjoyed the game. It's clearly inspired by Breath of the Wild but has its own identity. The game's got lots to do...

    The base game for Immortals Fenyx Rising is free on Ubisoft Connect.

    I thoroughly enjoyed the game. It's clearly inspired by Breath of the Wild but has its own identity. The game's got lots to do (in typical Ubisoft fashion), but a lot of it feels worthwhile. There are tons of different puzzle/challenge vaults you can enter, as well as in-world quests and whatnot to complete. I spent around 70 hours with the base game to 100% it (never touched the DLC). I think it's worth picking up at cost, but for free it's a steal.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Valve announces new hardware: Steam Frame, Steam Controller, and Steam Machine in ~games

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    One of my friends called it a “legally distinct GameCube” and I guffawed.

    One of my friends called it a “legally distinct GameCube” and I guffawed.

    4 votes

  9. Comment on Valve announces new hardware: Steam Frame, Steam Controller, and Steam Machine in ~games

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    They’re good, but not great. I would recommend buying something better than the regular Airs, but I haven’t used any others so I don’t know which model to recommend. Things I like about the Airs:...

    They’re good, but not great. I would recommend buying something better than the regular Airs, but I haven’t used any others so I don’t know which model to recommend.

    Things I like about the Airs:

    • The aforementioned ergonomic benefits.

    • You can buy prescription lens inserts for them since you can’t wear glasses with them on.

    • My little dog can snuggle up on my chest while I play my Deck lying down. This is priceless to me. 🥰

    Things I don’t like about the Airs:

    • Unavoidably, it adds a cord to an otherwise cordless setup when I use it with my Deck. Not a huge issue, but worth noting.

    • I can’t quite get the full frame in focus. There is always some edge that is a little blurry. If I bring the glasses further onto my face to alleviate that, my eyelashes hit the lenses, which is a non-starter. I just choose to play games on it where the edges of the screen are unimportant. I guess I could also trim my eyelashes? Probably not going to do that though.

    • The movement that @gary mentioned can be off-putting. I’ve gotten used to it so it doesn’t bother me anymore, but I can definitely see how it would cause issues for people.

    • Image clarity feels a little on the low side. I’m not sure if this is because of the resolution it runs at or some other aspect of design, but I’m assuming better models would alleviate this. The games I play on it are mostly chunky pixel art games anyway, so it’s not really an issue for me. That said, the newer models might run at significantly higher resolutions that could exceed the Deck’s hardware capabilities, so there’s probably a balance to be found.

    The marketing for these devices makes it sound like you’ll have the equivalent of a giant TV in front of you. In my experience, it’s more like if I held my Deck screen closer to my face. The intended illusion doesn’t come through for me, but I don’t need that to work. Instead, I’m happy just having an easy external monitor for my Deck that I can use while lying in bed.

    I haven’t used them on a plane flight yet, but I also think they would be great for that (if you don’t mind looking a little odd to the other passengers). I love playing my Deck on flights, but the cramped space of an airline seat means my neck is in an even worse position than normal. This would let me keep my head up instead of craned down.

    They are definitely a “nice to have” rather than a “must have” IMO, and I think the Airs I have are likely the entry level hardware that have some tradeoffs for their cheap cost. If you already are on board with the concept and know they’ll work for you, I’d recommend paying more for a better model to sand away some of the rough edges.

    9 votes

  10. Comment on Humble Bundle: Modern Sci-Fi Classics (Charles Soule, Joseph Fink, Hugh Howey, and Neal Stephenson) in ~books

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    I appreciate the feedback. I always try to avoid furthering the “default American” trope here — you know, where people from the US post things online as if they’re applicable to everyone...

    I appreciate the feedback.

    I always try to avoid furthering the “default American” trope here — you know, where people from the US post things online as if they’re applicable to everyone everywhere. It’s always felt a little self-centered to me, and I, selfishly, want to be the kind of American online that the rest of the world likes, rather than one they find inconsiderate.

    Also, I only rarely post Humble’s book deals because I try to be highly selective about the ones that I think are “worth” it. Tildes is one of the few places people can go online and escape advertising, so I want to honor that as much as possible. This bundle felt like it was one of the ones that crossed that threshold because it was so relevant to our audience here, but that was before I knew it was available to so few of us. That changes my personal calculus.

    Thirdly, I was excited to post it for everyone, but then sad to then find out that many people in our community can’t access it. That makes me feel like I disappointed more people than I helped.

    I think if I’d known up front about the lock and had been able to include that information in the tags and/or my introductory comment, then I wouldn’t feel as bad. Humble isn’t upfront about that information on the bundle (at least, nothing I could find), so I think when I post one of these again I’ll give a clear region warning, even if I’m not sure what specific regions it’s valid in.

    Hopefully they’ll just keep doing their regular DRM-free bundles though, as it seems like those are unrestricted.

    3 votes

  11. Comment on New York school phone ban has made lunch loud again in ~tech

    kfwyre
    Link
    Every year my school does a fun field day field trip with the students. It’s basically a semi-structured full day of recess. We do not allow phones. The students HATE this rule and complain about...

    Every year my school does a fun field day field trip with the students. It’s basically a semi-structured full day of recess. We do not allow phones.

    The students HATE this rule and complain about it.

    Once we get there, and they start the activities, they forget all about their phones. We see them running around, playing games, talking to each other, having fun. One of the other teachers last year phrased it perfectly: “it’s so nice to see them being kids.”

    32 votes

  12. Comment on Timasomo 2025: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    This looks really cool — like something you’d see in a futuristic sci-fi movie. Now, is dust buildup going to be an actual issue with it? I can see how it being open means it’ll get more than it...

    This looks really cool — like something you’d see in a futuristic sci-fi movie.

    Now, is dust buildup going to be an actual issue with it? I can see how it being open means it’ll get more than it would in a case, but I can also see how it would be much easier to keep clean. It seems like you could do more frequent maintenance dustings which would be super easy given that you don’t have the hassle of removing the case (or trying to get in all those tiny nooks and crannies between components).

    Also, with regards to heat, would this be easier to cool? I know you said water cooling isn’t an option, but does it get any benefit from being out in the open? Could you just point a regular house fan at it to cool it off?

    Sorry for barraging you with questions, but this is such a fascinating concept to me. I also love the ease with which you could replace components if needed. I currently have a PC hooked up to my TV that is in such a small case that replacing anything would be nearly impossible (I don’t think I’d be able to get everything back in if I took anything out). This, meanwhile, seems so easily serviceable.

    Great project, Pavouk. And I love that you uploaded the files so that other people can do their own builds too. Very thoughtful.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on PIGS, an opinionated unmarketable personal calculator in ~creative

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    Convert them to any base besides 2 to make them non-binary.

    Convert them to any base besides 2 to make them non-binary.

    11 votes

  14. Comment on PIGS, an opinionated unmarketable personal calculator in ~creative

    kfwyre
    Link
    Sorry for the delay in my feedback! I finally had time to sit down and watch this. First off: hilarious. I wasn’t expecting to be thoroughly entertained by a calculator video but you kept it...

    Sorry for the delay in my feedback! I finally had time to sit down and watch this.

    First off: hilarious. I wasn’t expecting to be thoroughly entertained by a calculator video but you kept it lively and funny all the way through.

    Second off: WOW. I am so impressed! I’d seen your updates and knew how it was shaping up, but I was starstruck by the final product. It looks great, works great, and sounds amazing with those wonderfully satisfying clacks. I would use it for simple arithmetic I could do in my head just for that wonderful sound and feel.

    I’ll also echo that your percentage calculator is brilliant. If I had to guess why we haven’t seen it, it’s probably because knobs are pretty uncommon as input devices, and that’s what makes your implementation so elegant. I also love that you have the unit conversions built in. That’s equally elegant, especially with how you can push them to the stack.

    Also, who knew there were so many different paper sizes? (You, obviously, but definitely not me!)

    Absolutely phenomenal job on your project, delphi. I hope you get a ton of use out of your opinionated calculator, and I wish you all the best with your incoming lawsuit from Teenage Engineering. 😂

    7 votes

  15. Comment on Valve announces new hardware: Steam Frame, Steam Controller, and Steam Machine in ~games

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    I got home, booted up SteamVR on my Index, played some Synth Riders, and had a great time. I did this because, after longingly looking at the Steam Frame, I was feeling my fidelity falter and...

    I got home, booted up SteamVR on my Index, played some Synth Riders, and had a great time. I did this because, after longingly looking at the Steam Frame, I was feeling my fidelity falter and needed a reminder to love the one I’m with.

    Thankfully, the Index is still a fantastic headset that more than meets my needs. So, I’m going to stick with it, as it’s done right by me so far.

    But if it breaks I am SO getting a Frame. 😂

    I will add that I’m excited about this making VR gaming more accessible to people. I know it’s still a niche interest, but it’s something I genuinely love. I have put hundreds of hours into Beat Saber and Synth Riders alone. I genuinely consider my Index fitness equipment for how I can get my heart rate up and have so much fun at the same time.

    I hope the Frame enables more people to discover what I love about VR gaming — that moving your whole body inside a game world can be awesome.

    Also, I have a set of XReal Air glasses that I sometimes use with my Steam Deck. You put them on, and you have a virtual screen in front of your face. I find this much more ergonomic for the Deck. If I’m sitting up, I don’t have to tilt my head down. If I’m lying down, I don’t have to hold the Deck up (and have my arms fall asleep in the process).

    Again, already having those glasses means that I have even less of a reason to get a Frame, but, just like I’m excited that VR gaming will be more accessible, I’m also excited that pancake games are getting a proper first-party headset treatment too. It really is a nice way to play regular games.

    14 votes

  16. Comment on US Supreme Court denies Kim Davis' petition to revisit same-sex marriage ruling in ~lgbt

    kfwyre
    Link Parent
    Defenses of our rights aren’t old news — they’re timeless. Also, being out of the loop these days is honestly a great thing. I wish I could do it more.

    Defenses of our rights aren’t old news — they’re timeless.

    Also, being out of the loop these days is honestly a great thing. I wish I could do it more.

    14 votes

  17. Comment on Mozilla Firefox gets new anti-fingerprinting defenses in ~tech

    kfwyre
    Link
    I feel like Firefox has been on a good run lately: better privacy, vertical tabs, a cute fox image you can have on your new tab page. I’ve always been a Firefox devotee, but I feel like they’re...

    I feel like Firefox has been on a good run lately: better privacy, vertical tabs, a cute fox image you can have on your new tab page. I’ve always been a Firefox devotee, but I feel like they’re crushing it in particular right now.

    Also, in the same way that Linux recently got a lot of interest from disgruntled Windows users, Firefox seems to have gotten a bit more shine to it for its adblocking capabilities in light of Chrome trying to tamp down on that.

    33 votes

  18. Comment on US Supreme Court denies Kim Davis' petition to revisit same-sex marriage ruling in ~lgbt

    kfwyre
    Link
    I celebrated with my husband when we saw this on Monday. Feels nice to get a rare glimmer of good news these days.

    I celebrated with my husband when we saw this on Monday.

    Feels nice to get a rare glimmer of good news these days.

    20 votes

  19. Comment on Valve announces new hardware: Steam Frame, Steam Controller, and Steam Machine in ~games

    kfwyre
    Link
    My brain is fully aware of the fact that I don’t need any of these, but I am staring at them with lust in my heart just the same. I will also put myself on record as someone who didn’t like the...

    My brain is fully aware of the fact that I don’t need any of these, but I am staring at them with lust in my heart just the same.

    I will also put myself on record as someone who didn’t like the original Steam Controller on account of its lack of a d-pad and second stick. The touchpads were cool and did enable some unique and intuitive uses, but I thought those came at the expense of some basic functionality.

    They fixed that with the Steam Deck and now this new controller. Adding trackpads without taking away the other components only helps. I don’t use my trackpads a whole lot, but whenever I do, I’m glad they’re there.

    62 votes

  20. Comment on Humble Bundle: Modern Sci-Fi Classics (Charles Soule, Joseph Fink, Hugh Howey, and Neal Stephenson) in ~books

    kfwyre
    Link
    Can anyone outside the US confirm for me if you’ve been able to buy Humble’s DRM-free book bundles in the past? I suspect the region lock on this bundle is due to their use of Kobo to redeem the...

    Can anyone outside the US confirm for me if you’ve been able to buy Humble’s DRM-free book bundles in the past?

    I suspect the region lock on this bundle is due to their use of Kobo to redeem the books, but I’d like to verify that if possible.

    3 votes