vili's recent activity
-
Comment on Wikipedia's list of the best video games: how many have you played, and what's missing? in ~games
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 voting topic in ~games
vili LinkMother 3 (5) Wizball (5) Spooky Mansion Adventures (3) The Grue That Binds (3) Another World (1) Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (1) Ratchet & Clank (1) Ys Origin (1)Mother 3 (5)
Wizball (5)
Spooky Mansion Adventures (3)
The Grue That Binds (3)
Another World (1)
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (1)
Ratchet & Clank (1)
Ys Origin (1) -
Comment on How CDs are physically made in ~music
vili LinkI didn’t realise there were so many steps involved in manufacturing a CD. The video is a bit of promotion for both the artist’s own album and I guess the factory that pressed it, but it’s also a...I didn’t realise there were so many steps involved in manufacturing a CD. The video is a bit of promotion for both the artist’s own album and I guess the factory that pressed it, but it’s also a fascinating and highly informative description of the process of making a CD.
-
How CDs are physically made
13 votes -
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 lobbying topic in ~games
vili Link ParentI think something like Tetris could offer a slightly different approach to CGA than what we have had until now. So far, discussion in the club has largely focused on personal reactions to the...I think something like Tetris could offer a slightly different approach to CGA than what we have had until now. So far, discussion in the club has largely focused on personal reactions to the games we have played, both past and present. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I love reading about people's recollections and reactions to what we are playing. And in many ways it's understandable that discussion focuses on this when the games we have played take longer to get through.
But shorter titles like Tetris, which you either already know or can get a feel for in a matter of an hour or two, might offer more time for people to explore broader topics related to the game. Tetris, for instance, would be a brilliant starting point to explore and discuss games developed in Soviet countries, how games travelled across the iron curtain (in both directions), the "Tetris effect" in psychology, competitive Tetris and e-sports, the lineage of Tetris clones and Tetris likes, or just Alexey Pajitnov's other games. There are also plenty of documentaries, and a fairly recent feature film, that we could watch. In other words: less time spent playing the game itself, more time spent exploring, researching and reporting your findings.
Before we started CGA, I somehow expected there to be more of this kind of discussion, but for whatever reason, it hasn't really happened. And it could of course be just me who would be interested in something like it.
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 lobbying topic in ~games
vili LinkWizball Quoting from the Commodore 64 gaming magazine Zzap64!, page 106 of issue 043, November 1988:Wizball
Quoting from the Commodore 64 gaming magazine Zzap64!, page 106 of issue 043, November 1988:
(Paul) Not to put too fine a point on it, Wizball is nothing short of being a work of mad genius! The amount of thought put into this game is exemplary, with a marvellous plot, so many neat control touches, terrifyingly addictive play, beautiful graphic design and some of the best music you'll ever hear from a Commodore. Apart from the addition of more levels, there are no improvements which could be made to this game -- everything you could possibly want from a piece of computer entertainment is in there and nothing has been compromised. I don't know how it missed out on a Gold Medal back in Issue 27, but hopefully the DEF award [for the greatest game in its genre] will go some way to reconciling that small misdemeanor.
(Gordon) There's not much I can add to that: for me, it's a toss up between this and Dropzone, with this winning by virtue of its originality. The only fault I found with it was the initial difficulty, but the subsequent gameplay makes up for that by about a millionfold. It's crammed with cute touches (not something you normally find in a shoot 'em up) and is almost totally unique. I've played it and completed it, and I still play it -- if you ever see it lying around, snap it up, because it's not only the best shoot 'em up around, it's one of the best games of all time.
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 lobbying topic in ~games
vili Link ParentThese days continuing as Fully Ramblomatic under the employee-owned Second Wind channel, which was founded by former team members from The Escapist who resigned in protest to the firing of their...Zero Punctuation
These days continuing as Fully Ramblomatic under the employee-owned Second Wind channel, which was founded by former team members from The Escapist who resigned in protest to the firing of their editor-in-chief soon after (you guessed it) The Escapist was acquired by a larger media group company.
-
Comment on CGA-2026-09 🕹️🙎♂️🛹 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 in ~games
vili LinkI went into this game pretty blind. I had never played it. I had never even heard of it until CGA. I haven't really played any PS1 games at all. I know nothing about skateboarding. I had to do a...I went into this game pretty blind. I had never played it. I had never even heard of it until CGA. I haven't really played any PS1 games at all. I know nothing about skateboarding. I had to do a web search to find out who this Tony Hawk person is.
I'm playing the PS1 version. I have no idea what I'm doing. I get the physics and that I can do tricks with button + stick combos. But at this point, I'm playing it the same way I play fighting games like Soul Calibur and Street Fighter. Button mashing. I recognise that it's probably not the most productive way to progress. I'm still in the hangar.
I thought the manual could help me. But it's like starting to read a science fiction series from the second book, with heavy in-universe terminology. The manual tells me that some buttons do ollies and others do nollies but I feel all I manage are rollies, hollies and follies. Oh gollies.
The music takes me back. As does the fashion. So, I'm not totally disconnected from the game. I'm with you cool kids. Maybe some safe distance away. And maybe you don't notice me. But I'm here. In the general vicinity of cool kids. (Although only until 9pm, as that's my bedtime.)
I have made peace with the fact that I might never get out of that hangar, but I've enjoyed the couple of evenings that I've been there. I got all the barrels and fighter wings already. I almost made it to 10,000 points once. And I will go back. I'm prone to motion sickness, especially from games of this era, but the 3D engine hasn't made me sick yet, which is a testament to how well this PS1 game runs and was designed.
Based on my personal experiences so far, if I could add a song from the era to the game's soundtrack, it would be Chumbawamba's Tubthumping.
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 nominations topic in ~games
vili Link ParentFriday the 13th, Castle of Terror, Project Firestart and The Rocky Horror Show are all, like Maniac Mansion, spooky or horror themed Commodore 64 games set (at least to some extent) in a large...Friday the 13th, Castle of Terror, Project Firestart and The Rocky Horror Show are all, like Maniac Mansion, spooky or horror themed Commodore 64 games set (at least to some extent) in a large building.
Or, if you wanted to go with horror themed adventure games, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Phantasmagoria and the already mentioned The 7th Guest and 5 Days a Stranger come to my mind first. But I feel each of these (including Maniac Mansion) would be long enough to carry a month on their own.
-
Comment on Colossal Game Adventure: September 2026 nominations topic in ~games
vili LinkNomination: Wizball One of Commodore 64’s most inventive games, a surrealist blend of bouncy movement, a scrolling shooter, exploration, resource collection and upgrades management. The once...Nomination: Wizball
One of Commodore 64’s most inventive games, a surrealist blend of bouncy movement, a scrolling shooter, exploration, resource collection and upgrades management. The once vibrant Wizworld has turned dull and monochrome after the evil forces of Zark sucked out all of its colour. In this game, which I can only describe as the most prog rock game made for the C64, it is up to you (a wizard who has turned into a green ball) to bring colour back to the world. Both utterly baffling and joyfully brilliant in equal measure.
-
Comment on Why Germany's favorite soda comes in a beer bottle in ~food
vili Link ParentI do like Kofola! We actually sometimes find it in stores also here in Hungary. A couple of weeks ago, the local Lidl had a stack of them so I picked a bottle, only to be informed by the cashier...I do like Kofola! We actually sometimes find it in stores also here in Hungary. A couple of weeks ago, the local Lidl had a stack of them so I picked a bottle, only to be informed by the cashier that they will only start selling it the day after. Which felt bizarre to my Nordic brain (why do you have items in the store floor that you are not actually selling?). The next time I visited, all bottles had been sold. So no Kofola for me this summer, it seems.
We also have Almdudler and San Pellegrinos here. It's nice that shops at least carry some variety, even if restaurants pretty much only have products from the two major global manufacturers.
I don't believe I've come across mate flavoured soft drinks, though. I'll need to keep an eye out! I do like mate, and I love cold tea (not the sugary "ice tea" drink, but just chilled green tea -- slightly carbonated also works well). I wonder if I could actually put some mate into a homemade kombucha for flavour. Will have to try!
-
Comment on Why Germany's favorite soda comes in a beer bottle in ~food
vili Link ParentEuropean Sprite has gone through multiple formula changes in the past 15 years and it seems like manufacturers in different parts of the continent use slightly different recipes. Also, if you are...The other problem in Germany, though, is that the Sprite (and I assume European Sprite in general) isn't as "bright" tasting.
European Sprite has gone through multiple formula changes in the past 15 years and it seems like manufacturers in different parts of the continent use slightly different recipes.
Also, if you are comparing the taste of non-sugar-free European soft drinks with their American counterparts, I believe there is a major difference in the sweetener used: the majority of American drinks use corn syrup, while hardly any do in Europe, and even when they do, it's a mixture of maize and wheat, rather than purely corn based as in the US.
-
Comment on Why Germany's favorite soda comes in a beer bottle in ~food
vili LinkInteresting. I don't think I have ever had Spezi or Paulaner Spezi, but for as long as I can remember, I have been mixing cola and orange soft drinks. Not that I drink a lot of soft drinks, but...Interesting. I don't think I have ever had Spezi or Paulaner Spezi, but for as long as I can remember, I have been mixing cola and orange soft drinks. Not that I drink a lot of soft drinks, but when I do, that's what I want to drink.
I was excited when I discovered that I can actually buy something called "Schwip Schwap" in syrup form and make it with my soda machine. I didn't need to mix it manually any more. Now I see that Schwip Schwap is pretty much PepsiCo's Spezi.
Pro-tip: add a dash of apple cider vinegar or a similar milder vinegar into yours. It makes it even better.
I miss that back in the 1980s and 90s, every country still seemed to have its own local soft drinks. Nowadays, it's just the same boring Coca Cola and Pepsi products almost everywhere.
There are exceptions, of course. I was in Malta some years back and got really hooked on Kinnie. Another highlight discovery in recent years has been Cockta in Slovenia. And Irn-Bru in Scotland. Oh, and the Greek Epsa.
Come to think of it, I seem to know far too much about soft drinks for someone who started this comment by saying that they don't really drink soft drinks.
-
Comment on Sleep struggles: how do I get better sleep quality? in ~life
vili LinkThis sounds very familiar. The following is not medical advice, but for me, this pattern ended when I started to take probiotics. Not just yogurts or sauerkraut or such, but higher dozes in over...I find myself awake at 2/3am without fail and just toss and turn until either I eke out a half hour of sleep before my alarm at 5am or just give up and get up. Of course those hours I spend lying awake in bed are the perfect time for my mind to turn to dark and terrible thoughts as well.
This sounds very familiar. The following is not medical advice, but for me, this pattern ended when I started to take probiotics. Not just yogurts or sauerkraut or such, but higher dozes in over the counter pill form. I had tried all sorts of things to manage my sleep, but it turns out sleep wasn't the problem, my digestive system was.
My theory is that what woke me up was the gut not working properly. And my brain interpreted that feeling in the gut literally as a "gut feeling", that something wasn't right, and then proceeded to invent things that I could be stressed about, leading to that endless spiral of nighttime thoughts. Again, this is not medical advice or robust science, but for me probiotics changed my sleep, and in many ways my life.
It might also be a good idea to keep a diary of things that you do, eat and experience during the day and track the quality of your sleep, either manually or with an app or a sleep tracker. I did that for a year or so and learnt a lot about what seems to affect my sleep both positively and negatively. Some findings were quite understandable, others surprising. Knowing what seems to affect my sleep has been very helpful.
As for dealing with those nights of tossing and turning, just like some others here have already suggested, for me the best way to go back to sleep was to move to another place to sleep, and then put on something that I could listen to which was interesting enough to maintain my focus, but soothing enough to put my brain to sleep. For me, it was the YouTube channel Cracking the Cryptic (they do sudoku and cryptic crossword solves), and Simon's videos in particular.
-
Comment on The tantalizing possibility of locating consciousness in the brain in ~science
vili LinkThis is a general, pop science type overview of some of the things that are happening in the study of consciousness. Nothing too deep or academic, but I thought a pleasant enough read worth...This is a general, pop science type overview of some of the things that are happening in the study of consciousness. Nothing too deep or academic, but I thought a pleasant enough read worth sharing nonetheless.
-
The tantalizing possibility of locating consciousness in the brain
18 votes -
Comment on Neuroscientists find logical reasoning does not involve language-processing parts of the brain in ~science
vili LinkIt’s an interesting study, although for me the result sounds very natural, as I don’t generally use language for thought, let alone reasoning. For me, language is primarily a tool for communication.It’s an interesting study, although for me the result sounds very natural, as I don’t generally use language for thought, let alone reasoning. For me, language is primarily a tool for communication.
-
Neuroscientists find logical reasoning does not involve language-processing parts of the brain
32 votes -
Comment on CGA-2026-07 🕹️🔥⚔️ REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals in ~games
vili LinkI drifted away from Lufia II pretty early on. I think I played for about 6-7 hours. Some of it was backtracking and a part of it was grinding early on to be able to beat the fish in the cave. I...I drifted away from Lufia II pretty early on. I think I played for about 6-7 hours. Some of it was backtracking and a part of it was grinding early on to be able to beat the fish in the cave.
I can definitely understand why some people love the game so much, but I can also see why it isn't more popular. Personally, I found it (well, the beginning of it) interesting in its unevenness. The highs were quite high, but there were also many aspects that annoyed me. Ultimately, it was the repetition, both in the gameplay and the music, that made me stop playing.
The music in particular. While some of the soundtrack is excellent, there were bits that I developed a very visceral negative reaction to. And unfortunately, they were the tunes that I kept hearing the most: the dungeon music and the battle music. For some reason, the repetition in the dungeon theme in particular drove me absolutely nuts.
But Lufia II got me thinking about jrpgs again, a genre that I have never been all that comfortable with. And through that process, it accomplished something that no other title has: I finally booted up Final Fantasy VII. A game that I have heard so much about over the years, but which I had never tried. I thought it could help me understand why my relationship with jrpgs is what it is.
I didn't find the beginning of FF7 much more interesting than Lufia II. As with Lufia II, I felt I was being pushed forward in a pre-determined story, with game mechanics little more than an excuse to tell that story, rather than the story serving the game experience. And while there is nothing objectively wrong with that, it's just not all that enjoyable for me as I rarely find video game stories interesting. They just aren't the kind of stories I would seek in other forms of narrative media. And neither are they typically told in ways that I would find very exciting. For some reason, most games just try to be films or books, but films and books are so much better at being films and books.
I then remembered that FF7 is currently being remade into a trilogy games. And since I had just reached the point in Final Fantasy VII where the first Final Fantasy VII Remake ends, I decided to continue the story in the new trilogy's second part, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which came out a couple of years ago.
This was an interesting experience because it made me appreciate both the original Final Fantasy VII and Lufia II more. Not that there is anything objectively wrong with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. By all accounts, it is a very well made game, at least based on what I have played. But it doesn't solve the main issue that I have with these games: the feeling that I'm just being pushed around in a theme-park ride through a pre-determined story that doesn't quite interest me, with none of the interactive bits (what I would call the "game") really mattering all that much.
In fact, the new game makes it worse. The way Final Fantasy VII Rebirth tells its story engages me less than what I experienced in the original Final Fantasy VII, or Lufia II for that matter. This puzzled me for a while, but then I realised that it's likely because of the new game's heightened presentational realism.
In the early 1980s, text adventure company Infocom ran an ad claiming that they utilise the world's most powerful graphics technology. In that ad, they pointed out:
You'll never see Infocom's graphics on any computer screen. Because there's never been a computer built by man that could handle the images we produce. And there never will be. We draw our graphics from the limitless imagery of your imagination -— a technology so powerful, it makes every picture that's ever come out of a screen look like graffiti by comparison. And nobody knows how to unleash your imagination like Infocom.
And I don't think it's just graphics. In all sorts of ways, technological limitations that older games faced left more gaps in the end product that my own imagination needs, nay, gets to fill. When I play the original Final Fantasy VII, I imagine it as a grittier, more grown up world than what Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gives me. Text based dialogue always sounds better in my head than what voice actors can produce. Symbolic representation is more meaningful than realism to me. In other words, even if the main story-beats are largely the same, in the original game I have to supply a lot of my own interpretation to join the dots and colour between the lines. Rebirth is of course very likely closer to the original creators' intentions, but I do like my version better.
Like I said, I only played Lufia II for about 6-7 hours. But it actually felt a lot longer. So much seemed to happen. The same is true of the opening section of the original Final Fantasy VII. In roughly seven hours, it had me play an eco-terrorist responsible for untold death and destruction, before plunging me into a world full of sex trafficking, slavery, corporate power dynamics and something of a eugenics program. That's fairly much.
In contrast, I have now played Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for about the same length of time and time seems to have flown much quicker. But not in a good way. It feels like neither the story nor the gameplay has really moved forward. This is partly because of the way Rebirth structures its narration, and also because they have really stretched out the story, but I think also because of what playing these games requires of me. In older games, I am a much more active participant than in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, where much of the time I feel like a passive observer. Fewer things seem to happen to me, fewer memories are generated, and that I guess makes subjective time pass faster. I feel like I'm getting far less out of the remake than I did from the original.
I suspect this is the main reason why I generally find stories told by older video games if not better, at least more memorable than those found in newer titles. In older games, I am a more active participant in the interpretation of what is going on, almost a co-creator, and therefore their stories, or at least the style in which those stories are told and the thoughts that they generate in my brain, are more to my liking.
Having said all that, the Final Fantasy VII remake series seems to be attempting something interesting when it comes to narration, storytelling and the game's relationship with the original game. Or at least there appears to be a level of self-awareness in it of being a remake, baked right into its narration. Whether it develops anywhere interesting, I don't know, as I'm still at the beginning of that second game. But I'm mildly curious to see where it all leads.
I'm sorry I can't really say much more about Lufia II, the game I was supposed to play. But it did lead me to some useful reflections and gave me a better understanding of some things, which I consider a definite win.
-
Comment on You can vote on the design of the next Euro banknotes! in ~design
vili Link ParentI was curious why they selected these specific birds. While many have argued that the group of people featured in the "European culture" set of notes is elitist, or favours some aspects of Europe...- Exemplary
I was curious why they selected these specific birds. While many have argued that the group of people featured in the "European culture" set of notes is elitist, or favours some aspects of Europe more than others, I actually feel the same about these birds.
Some of these birds only appear in very limited areas in Europe, and there are areas of Europe where I believe none of these birds are ever seen in the wild. So, why not feature something like robins, sparrows, siskins, goldfinches, ravens and other common birds that are more widely present in Europe? Why the white stork and not a crane for a truly European migratory bird? Why no swans, which are important in so many European mythological traditions?
This bothered me, so I tried to find some answers. Fortunately, the Report by the Motifs Advisory Group tells us this about the selection process:
In the case of “Rivers and birds”, after defining the stages of a river (river or sea landscapes), the group made thoroughly assessed each proposed bird species. The group considered each species’ habitat and how it fits together with the stages of the river, their visual attractiveness, migratory status, Europeanness (i.e. occurrence in multiple European countries) and whether the EU laws and measures taken to protect them have had an effect on their populations. They also discussed and conducted background checks on how each bird species is perceived in different parts of Europe (positive/negative) and what kind of folkloristic characteristics it has been assigned. Lastly, the group wanted to make sure that each bird would be depicted in its natural habitat for each denomination.
While my personal list of European birds would still be very different, I can certainly accept their selection criteria. And if they have done their homework properly based on those criteria, then I can also accept the results.
The report also tells us about design ideas that have since been rejected. In the Rivers and birds section, a table under "Nature as culture" presents an idea that I'm a little disappointed wasn't actually implemented. There probably is a little too much going on here for a set of bank notes, but still, this could have been gorgeous:
Nature as Culture Period of European culture: pre-classical antiquity €5 front
Representation of a spring and a Wallcreeper in a style inspired by ancient art.€5 reverse
Inspired by ancient pottery vessels imprinted with a pattern of spirals representing waves, like those found throughout pre-classical antiquity.Period of European culture: Graeco-Roman €10 front
Representation of a Kingfisher and mountain stream as imagined in classical art.€10 reverse
Inspired by classical fountains and (humorous) waterspouts, such as those depicted in mosaics from Pompeii and surviving spouts in classical cities.Period of European culture: medieval and early modern (up to the 17th century) €20 front
A representation of a Bee-eater in a confined river valley as imagined through medieval art and printing.€20 reverse
Inspired by medieval manuscripts and their playful and fantastical images of birds, alongside examples from the printing press, creating an interesting interplay between the two media.Period of European culture: 18th century to mid-19th century €50 front
Representation of a White Stork and a series of bends in a river (a meander) as imagined or depicted in the style of 18th century scientific topography.€50 reverse
Inspired by scientific taxonomy and naturalistic observations of birds.Period of European culture: 19th century to mid-20th century €100 front
Representation of a river mouth and an Avocet sweeping over the surface of a mud flat as imagined in the style of Romanticism.€100 reverse
Inspired by representations of a harbour, steamboats, riverscapes and the human activities that go on in such places.Period of European culture: contemporary/the future €200 front
Representation of an Osprey and a seacoast as imagined through contemporary/futuristic style.€200 reverse
Waves as metaphors for the digital and quantum universes inspired by postmodern art, visually linking back to the spiral patterns of antiquity.
This is why I had to stop using the Bubble Bobble theme as my ringtone in the early 2000s. I was just constantly humming the tune AND happy whenever someone called me. Those were different times.