kfwyre's recent activity
-
Comment on Here are your choices for a self-hosted ebook server in ~books
-
Comment on She graduated from high school with honors but can’t read or write. Now she’s suing. in ~society
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentAh, good catch! Thanks. I must have whiffed that one when making the new table. It's now updated.Ah, good catch! Thanks. I must have whiffed that one when making the new table. It's now updated.
-
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of February 15 in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentAbsolutely not! Keep ‘em coming! Also I went to buy this before the delisting and it turns out I already own it somehow. 😆Absolutely not! Keep ‘em coming!
Also I went to buy this before the delisting and it turns out I already own it somehow. 😆
-
Comment on CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Racing Lagoon in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentDefinitely agreed! I recently emulated Burnout 2 and it was still great. It's really the racing games from the mid-90s and before that are more miss than hit when returned to. Like, just look at...Definitely agreed! I recently emulated Burnout 2 and it was still great. It's really the racing games from the mid-90s and before that are more miss than hit when returned to. Like, just look at this draw distance in Test Drive Off-Road.
There are outliers though: Daytona USA and Screamer 2 still hold up pretty well IMO. I never played Outrun 2 but now you're making me want to give it a try!
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic in ~games
kfwyre LinkBoost: The Grue That Binds A lot of our games from the last batch were on the more modern side of "retro", so I like the idea of going in the opposite direction and getting REALLY retro with some...Boost: The Grue That Binds
A lot of our games from the last batch were on the more modern side of "retro", so I like the idea of going in the opposite direction and getting REALLY retro with some text-based titles.
-
Comment on Slay the Spire 2 | Early Access trailer in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentNo idea! I just saw it in the trailer and think it's a great idea. I didn't even know there were co-op mods for StS1 until very recently.No idea! I just saw it in the trailer and think it's a great idea.
I didn't even know there were co-op mods for StS1 until very recently.
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentIdeally, people would nominate their own Arcade Specials (like @J-Chiptunator just did!). I didn't intend for them to be something that we put together after the fact, but it ended up being a...Ideally, people would nominate their own Arcade Specials (like @J-Chiptunator just did!).
I didn't intend for them to be something that we put together after the fact, but it ended up being a necessity during the last round because I got FAR more nominations than I was expecting. Creating ad-hoc Arcade Specials was a way of paring down the list. I actually felt quite bad about doing this, because I feel like I "buried" some nominations that people were eager about by pairing them up with other games.
I used HLTB times to make Arcade Specials, but there's a definite flaw in that methodology, pointed out by fount of retro knowledge and wisdom @vili here:
I would say that HowLongToBeat is not always a very good source for older games. Sure, you can probably play Zork through in 2.5 hours, if you know what you are doing or just follow a walkthrough. But if left to your own devices, it will probably take weeks. And may well be impossible without a hint book.
Note that the website also says that you can beat Super Mario Bros in 2 hours. I challenge anyone to do that going in cold and without using save states! This is one of the major changes in how games function now compared to how they did 30-40 years ago. 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.
A lot of older games are relatively quick when played with a guide/save states, but a casual, non-directed playthrough might take, say, ten times that. I'm someone who would just use a guide for the convenience, but I know there are people participating that want that more time-intensive retro experience as well.
With regards to February, you're absolutely right that I made the wrong call. We'll get it right next time!
In all honesty, placing Racing Lagoon and Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru last was a bit of a hedge on my part. I wasn't sure whether CGA would actually keep going or kind of fizzle out over time, so I put the more "difficult" to acquire/play games on the back end. I liked the idea of the opening months being more accessible in hopes of building momentum.
I like the idea of having designated "revisits", but I'm thinking limiting it to a specific game is too narrow? Maybe in months where a very short game is picked, we have a "catch up" month where people can play an older game they didn't get a chance to? Or maybe we just schedule one month each year for that with no new game?
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentYeah, I'm not sure if the lobbying round will change anything. The reason I wanted to do it was that there was a big friction point last time: for the voting round, people could lobby under their...Yeah, I'm not sure if the lobbying round will change anything.
The reason I wanted to do it was that there was a big friction point last time: for the voting round, people could lobby under their own ballot, but that meant that comments were scattered around under different parent comments, instead of being grouped by game. My vision for the lobbying topic is that someone can really sell everyone on a game and generate a discussion about it prior to the voting.
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentFebruary's being on the 25th makes sense. I liked the simplicity of having it be the same day every month, but one outlier is easy enough to manage.February's being on the 25th makes sense. I liked the simplicity of having it be the same day every month, but one outlier is easy enough to manage.
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI often forget that not everyone lives here like I do. 😅 I'll extend them, especially because, unlike last time, I'm not getting inundated with nominations. That was also part of the reason I gave...I often forget that not everyone lives here like I do. 😅
I'll extend them, especially because, unlike last time, I'm not getting inundated with nominations. That was also part of the reason I gave a shorter window -- to have a definitive cutoff if we were getting too many.
We're not under a time crunch since we still have March queued up, so I'll double everything:
- Nominations (96 hours)
- Lobbying (48 hours)
- Voting (96 hours)
-
Comment on Nine dead after shooter opens fire at Canadian high school in ~news
kfwyre LinkChatGPT-maker OpenAI considered alerting Canadian police about school shooting suspect months agoChatGPT-maker OpenAI considered alerting Canadian police about school shooting suspect months ago
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI said Friday it considered last year alerting Canadian police about the activities of a person who months later committed one of the worst school shootings in the country’s history.
OpenAI said last June the company identified the account of Jesse Van Rootselaar via abuse detection efforts for “furtherance of violent activities.”
The San Francisco tech company said it considered whether to refer the account the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but determined at the time that the account activity did not meet a threshold for referral to law enforcement. OpenAI banned the account in June 2025 for violating its usage policy.
-
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of February 15 in ~games
kfwyre (edited )LinkHumble 15 Time Capsule It's the 15th anniversary of Humble Bundle! Do you feel old? I feel old. Anyway, this has some old throwback games for anyone who remembers the OG bundles (back when every...It's the 15th anniversary of Humble Bundle!
Do you feel old? I feel old.
Anyway, this has some old throwback games for anyone who remembers the OG bundles (back when every game they offered had DRM-free options and Linux support -- remember then?). It's been a LONG time since I've thought of Osmos or And Yet It Moves
The standout of this bundle is, IMO, Inkbound. Think Slay the Spire meets Diablo with color. It hooked me during the last Backlog Burner and I couldn't stop playing it.
-
Comment on CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Racing Lagoon in ~games
kfwyre LinkThis is the first fan translation game I've ever played, and I'm honestly amazed at how great of a job the translator(s) did. Obviously I can't judge the text compared to the original or anything,...This is the first fan translation game I've ever played, and I'm honestly amazed at how great of a job the translator(s) did.
Obviously I can't judge the text compared to the original or anything, but the game felt exactly, 100%, like the PSX games I played back in the day. On a technical level, I was impressed at how integrated all the translations were. I was expecting something slightly jankier (like, translated overlays or the translation being subtitles on the bottom of the screen or something). Instead, this really does feel like an official English release of the game. If I picked it up without knowing it was an unofficial fan translation, I never would have guessed.
I think it's unbelievably awesome that things like this are possible these days, by the way. I played a nearly 30-year-old PlayStation game in a language it wasn't released in on my handheld Linux computer. WILD.
In terms of the game, I, like many others, didn't finish it and don't intend to. That's not to say I didn't like the game. In fact, on its own terms, I think it's pretty awesome.
If I had played this game as a kid, it would have absolutely enthralled me. It would have been the kind of game that would make me watch the clock at school, anxiously waiting through every passing minute, so I could get back and continue playing.
How do I know this? Because that's exactly what I did with Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2! This game reminds me a lot of that one, and it has bumped the recent remake up my to-play list quite significantly.
With modern eyes, though Racing Lagoon has some rougher spots: the framerate in the city shots, the handling, screen readability in general, the grind. It also takes a bit of time for the plot and characters to develop, so while I loved the aesthetic of the game (so good!), I found myself rolling my eyes a bit at the "RACING IS LIFE" and "I'M MARRIED TO MY CAR/THE STREETS" at the beginning.
I like that the game isn't afraid to get meditative and existential. The way it kind of deeply contemplates life or highlights yearnings, paired with its aesthetics, made it capture the essence of r/TheNightFeeling quite well. Sometimes it felt like the game was laying it on a little thick, but at other times it landed exactly the way that it needed to.
I ended up reading through much of this fantastic GameFAQs guide to get a feel for the rest of the game. It, of course, hits the main points as a guide should, but it's naturally missing all of the context and panache that the game's delivery has, so it was a little underwhelming as an attempt to get myself closure. Like most SquareSoft games, the ambiance and general vibe of the game are fantastic and do so much to elevate things.
Anyway, I'm really glad I tried out Racing Lagoon and I legitimately enjoyed the several hours I did end up playing it. I also think it's genuinely magical that there are skilled and passionate people out there who do things to keep old games like this alive and reaching new audiences.
-
Comment on CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Racing Lagoon in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentOoh, two and a half hours?! I'm going to have to find time for this.Ooh, two and a half hours?! I'm going to have to find time for this.
-
Comment on CGA-2026-02 🕹️🚗 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Racing Lagoon in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI'm normally a fan of playing with the original resolution and graphics (everyone conveniently ignore the fact that I played Wind Waker with an HD texture pack please), but for this one I felt...graphics that were just too muddy to accurately assess turns and twists in tracks
I'm normally a fan of playing with the original resolution and graphics (everyone conveniently ignore the fact that I played Wind Waker with an HD texture pack please), but for this one I felt exactly the same as you. After struggling through the first few races, I increased the internal resolution and turned on anti-aliasing and PGXP (perspective correction). It made the screen MUCH more readable for me.
Ditto on the handling too.
I'm actually of the opinion that most racing games age rather poorly, because so many of them were limited by what was capable at the time. It's hard to go back to a lot of them because the jank that we would have overlooked at the time was just, you know, part of how things were.
Like, I put innumerable hours into Ridge Racer and its handling is... unique. I don't think I could go back to that today.
This game definitely suffers from the same phenomenon a bit.
-
Comment on Slay the Spire 2 | Early Access trailer in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentI like that the game has several different clans that you get to mix and match. Each one has their own unique "spin" on things, so there's a lot of different variety in how you play and what you...I like that the game has several different clans that you get to mix and match. Each one has their own unique "spin" on things, so there's a lot of different variety in how you play and what you combine. I also like its more tower-defense-style setup. It scratches a similar itch to StS for me, but it's different enough that I don't feel like I'm just playing that again.
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic in ~games
kfwyre Link ParentThanks! Also, the tl;dr for this topic is: Either add 3 points to a game already on the list. Or nominate something new. That's it!Thanks!
Also, the tl;dr for this topic is:
-
Either add 3 points to a game already on the list.
-
Or nominate something new.
That's it!
-
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic in ~games
kfwyre (edited )LinkCGA Announcement: The nominations topic for the next 6 months is now up. Please read the topic text to see how it will work. I specifically limited options this time around because I feel like...CGA Announcement: The nominations topic for the next 6 months is now up. Please read the topic text to see how it will work.
I specifically limited options this time around because I feel like last time we got a little flooded. I think focusing our efforts a bit more is a step in the right direction. Hopefully this isn't TOO limiting, but if it turns out that it is, we can always swing the pendulum back in the other direction.
I'm also going to use this topic to talk about some potential changes I'd like feedback on. Let me know your thoughts.
Change #1: Moving the Remove Cartridge topic from the 20th to the 28th.
The 20th has felt pretty early to me, month after month. I originally set that date to give a longer runway for conversation and to separate it a bit from the Tildes Book Club discussions.
There's not a lot of overlap in participation between CGA and Book Club, so the latter feels like a non-issue. Also, 10-11 days (for most months) feels like TOO much runway for discussion. I'm thinking it's better if we push it back.
The only month this really crunches is February. I originally didn't want the Remove Cartridge topic to step on the next month's Insert Cartridge topic, but now that we've done several months of this, I feel like the two can coexist pretty easily.
Change #2: Adding a "Lobbying" topic prior to voting.
Once all the nominations are available and boosted points have been tallied, I think it would be a good idea to have a short topic where people can really sell other people on choices and lobby for their favorites.
It doesn't work well in the voting topic itself because comments like that get relegated to replies (because we have to keep the top level comments clean for the script). Also, doing full lobbying within the nominations topic can feel a little early since it's not entirely clear what all the choices would be.
I know I personally edited my final vote probably five or six times last time simply because I kept getting swayed by other people, so I think having a designated space to talk it out beforehand is good. I also think this gives a better chance to smaller, lesser known games. Someone passionate about one can really sell everyone on it.
My current thought on the rotation would be:
- Nominations (48 hours)
- Lobbying (24 hours)
- Voting (48 hours)
Anyway, let me know if you have strong feelings on these. Also, feel free to use this comment as a place for any meta discussion about CGA itself: feedback, ideals, celebrations, frustrations, etc.
Notification List
@1338
@Akir
@ali
@arctanh
@AriMaeda
@atomicshoreline
@avirse
@balooga
@BeardyHat
@Boojum
@Bwerf
@CannibalisticApple
@chocobean
@clayh
@datavoid
@Debook
@DistractionRectangle
@dotsforeyes
@dozens
@Dr_Amazing
@granfdad
@Gummy
@hamstergeddon
@IsildursBane
@J-Chiptunator
@JCPhoenix
@jmpavlec
@joshbuddy
@kaiomai
@Kawa
@kej
@kfwyre
@kingofsnake
@Kirisame
@Lapbunny
@mayonuki
@Mendanbar
@mysterylevel
@PancakeCats
@Pavouk106
@PetitPrince
@Plattypus
@polle
@preposterous
@psi
@rosco
@rubix
@Rudism
@SloMoMonday
@Sodliddesu
@Soggy
@sotix
@Spore_Prince
@SpruceWillis
@squidwiz
@talklittle
@ThatMartinFellow
@tildes-user-101
@Timwi
@tomorrow-never-knows
@Trobador
@Venko
@vili
@Weldawadyathink
@xk3
@zod000If you would like to be added or removed from the Notification List, please PM u/kfwyre.
-
Colossal Game Adventure: February 2026 Nominations Topic
We are up for another round of nominations for Colossal Game Adventure, Tildes' very own retro video game club! These nominations will form the ballot for the next round of voting, in which will...
We are up for another round of nominations for Colossal Game Adventure, Tildes' very own retro video game club!
These nominations will form the ballot for the next round of voting, in which will we choose the next SIX games to play after March's Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls).
Nominations for CGA do not start fresh each time. We rollover the top 50% of nominations from the previous round, and we decay their vote totals by 30%. So, many of the previously nominated games are still eligible to win in the upcoming voting.
Procedural Details
Nominations will be open for 96 hours (4 days) from the time of this posting.
Anyone can nominate. You do not have to have previously taken part in CGA in order to participate.
Anyone nominating in this topic will be added to the CGA notification list if they're not already on there (unless you request otherwise).
There is no hard definition for "retro." Choose whatever you feel fits that label.
Games that have been nominated in the past but were cut are still eligible for nomination again. They do not get "locked out" of CGA.
Voting will follow in a separate topic, and I will also be trying out a "lobbying" topic this time around to see how that goes. More on that in the comments.
Nomination Process
Everyone has the ability to take one (and ONLY one) official action for the nominations topic.
EITHER: Boost a rolled-over title.
This will add 3 points to the title's rollover points from the previous round.
You will also be able to add points to the game during the voting round.
The purpose of this is to limit new nominations if there are games already in the list that strongly interest you.OR: Nominate a new title.
This will add a new game/arcade special to the ballot.
An arcade special is a group of shorter/smaller games meant to be played together.
Any new title starts at 0 points.
Nomination Formatting
Please do the following:
Bold your action (boosting/nominating).
If nominating, please link to your title on MobyGames. (You do not need to do this for boosting since the links are already in the list.)
Examples:
Boosting a game:
- Boost: Lode Runner
Nominating a game:
- Nomination: Portal 2
Nominating an Arcade Special:
- Nomination: Windows in the 90s
Minesweeper
Chip's Challenge
JezzBall
It is recommended (but not required) that you share why you are nominating/boosting a particular game as well.
Rollover Titles
Game Rollover Votes Arcade Special: Back in a Flash
Bloons Tower Defense
Line Rider
Motherload
QWOP
Stick RPG22 Sid Meier’s Pirates 21 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow 20 Another World 19 Metroid Prime 19 Descent 18 Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 17 StarTropics 15 Arcade Special: Behind the Wheel
Lego Island
Rally-X
Sega Rally Championship15 Crystalis 15 The Colonel’s Bequest 15 Threads of Fate 15 Beneath a Steel Sky 15 Metroid 14 Arcade Special: Scroll Lock-on
Einhander
Ikaruga
Paradroid
Raid on Bungeling Bay
Thunder Force IV14 Tetris 13 Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist 13 Tony Hawk’s Pro-Skater 2 13 JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future 12 Lode Runner 12 Arcade Special: The Grue That Binds
Border Zone
Twisted!
Zork12 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 12 11 votes
It’s not self-hosted or open source, but BookFusion might be a good replacement for you. It has all the features you mention and works cross-device. I frequently read on my PC, phone, and ereader, and it works across all of them swimmingly.
The only caveats I have for it are:
The TTS voices aren’t up to par. It uses the built-in Apple ones on my iPhone, so this might not be BookFusion’s fault, but none of them come close to a natural-sounding voice.
If you want it on an ereader, currently you have to get an Android-capable one (I use Boox devices). KOReader integration is on their roadmap, but it’s not yet implemented.
Beyond those minor sticking points though, I absolutely love the platform. It now houses my full ebook collection (literally THOUSANDS of books). They have a Calibre plugin, so I do all of my staging of the files on my computer then use the plugin to sync it to their servers.
If you have any questions about it, let me know. I’m a very happy subscriber.