vili's recent activity
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Comment on CGA-2026-07 🕹️🔥⚔️ INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals in ~games
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Comment on CGA-2026-06 🦇🧛♀️🔥 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow in ~games
vili LinkI had some challenges getting into this one, but those had nothing to do with the game as it was originally released. Rather they came from the Steam version, my bone-headedness, and what turned...I had some challenges getting into this one, but those had nothing to do with the game as it was originally released. Rather they came from the Steam version, my bone-headedness, and what turned out to be a faulty controller.
Once I got things working, I fell in love with the music. Occasionally, it reminded me of Chrono Trigger's soundtrack. I could also appreciate the graphics, although they probably work much better on GBA than a TV.
As for the gameplay itself, I think it's a very well made metroidvania, but it doesn't seem to take many risks. I didn't come across anything out of the ordinary, particularly inventive, or downright crazy. The level design was polished, but a little forgettable. It also felt quite easy, especially the further I progressed. The story and characters were similarly passable, but not particularly memorable.
The enemy absorbing mechanic is interesting, but I'm also one of those players who dislikes micromanaging gear to a point where I often play games without really changing my starting setup. (Most crafting, base building and party management systems are similarly beyond my patience.) So, the main aspect that makes Aria of Sorrow unique happened to be something that I don't really care for that much. Again, definitely not the game's fault.
So, I would call this a very well made game, just not something that I will remember all that fondly. Except for that music! Oh boy was that good.
Since this is CGA's first metroidvania title, I'd love to hear what everyone's favourite games in the genre are. Do you gravitate more towards the minimalism of Metroid or the complexity of Castlevania? Do you prefer the challenge of something like Silksong or the relative chill of the Ori series?
My own favourites are probably Super Metroid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (a boring start, I know), Shadow Complex, Axiom Verge and Yoku's Island Express. I might also argue that Sekiro is something of a metroidvania and as such belongs to that list.
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Comment on Are there any video games that are/were popular in your country, that the rest of the world hardly knows about? in ~games
vili LinkI grew up in Finland and the oldest popular domestic game that I can remember is 1986's Uuno Turhapuro muuttaa maalle (lit. "Uuno Turhapuro Moves to the Countryside"), which Wikipedia describes as...I grew up in Finland and the oldest popular domestic game that I can remember is 1986's Uuno Turhapuro muuttaa maalle (lit. "Uuno Turhapuro Moves to the Countryside"), which Wikipedia describes as "the first commercially successful Finnish video game". It was based on a popular film of the same name and apparently sold a whopping 2,000 copies, which would have been a lot at the time. The game is a fairly simple but incredibly tough 2D side scroller. I probably never made it past the second stage. The graphics are pretty impressive for the time.
Nero 2000 (1987, lit. "Genius 2000") is a pretty straightforward quiz game that my parents would occasionally play with their friends. I wasn't allowed to join because I had played it so much on my own that I knew all the answers by heart. I had the same situation with the board game Trivial Pursuit. I grew up in a tiny village and there wasn't much to do.
But those were early, scattered titles. This suddenly changed in the early 1990s, when a thriving demo scene formed, giving birth to a new wave of Finnish video games. Many of these were multi-player single-screen shareware titles, and many a school break was spent hunched over a PC, whether playing or watching other people play. Most of these multi-player titles were played over a single keyboard, resulting in an intense, close-quarters experience.
Turboraketti (1992, lit. "Turbo Rocket") kicked off a genre that became quite popular throughout the decade: cave flying. Think of multiplayer Spacewar, Asteroids, or Star Control's Melee, but with the game set in a cave system. To win, you need to shoot the other player(s) down. Other notable games in the genre include AUTS (1995) and Wings (1996). The more recent (and more internationally popular) Finnish indie game Noita (2020) seems to partly come from this lineage of games.
UnReal World (1992, still in active development and nothing to do with Epic's later Unreal or its engine) is sometimes called the first ever survival game, and therefore influential on games like Minecraft, DayZ and Don't Starve. It is also often included in lists of the best roleplaying games ever made, so I assume it's not entirely unknown outside of the country. Still, it's quite Finnish, as you try to stay alive in iron age Finland. The world, rich in lore, is based on Finnish mythology and plays much like a roguelike title.
Slicks 'n' Slide (1993) is a top-down racing game that features multiple cars and a track editor. It influenced Death Rally (1996), which I believe did break the international market and was the first game by Remedy Entertainment, the Finnish company that would later go on to develop titles like Max Payne, Alan Wake and Control.
Liero (1998, lit. "Earthworm") is something of a real time Worms game where two players control earthworms that dig underground while trying to kill each other with guns. It was incredibly popular for a couple of years.
Me, I always preferred Mine Bombers (1995) as it was the "thinking man's Liero". In more slow-paced gameplay, two or more players dig caves underground and try to kill each other with bombs, guns and other items they either purchase or find. It's something of a Bomberman clone, I suppose.
Pizza Worm (1994) is a delicious snake style game with more freedom of movement than is typical in the genre. While Nokia's Snake (1998) may be the best known Finnish snake game both domestically and internationally, Pizza Worm has the best sound design. Namnam.
Towards the late 90s, the demo scene had matured and individual developers had began to set up companies. I already mentioned Remedy as an example, but also companies like Bugbear (the FlatOut series), Housemarque (Stardust, Returnal, Saros) and Futuremark (benchmarking tool 3DMark) had their origins in the 1990s demo scene in Finland. Rovio (of Angry Birds) came just a few years later, also initially making their name through the thriving demo scene.
But as this was happening, life took me elsewhere and I stopped playing video games for about a decade, so I don't really know what happened from 1999 onwards. Still, in my memories at least, the 1990s certainly were an exciting time to be a gamer in Finland.
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Comment on Commodore Callback flip phone in ~tech
vili Link ParentCommodore was acquired last year by a group led by Christian Simpson, best known as Peri Fractic of the YouTube channel Retro Recipes (but he's done more of course). In addition to working with...Commodore was acquired last year by a group led by Christian Simpson, best known as Peri Fractic of the YouTube channel Retro Recipes (but he's done more of course). In addition to working with several tech and financial experts, he has built an advisory team of something like a dozen people who worked at Commodore back in the 80s and 90s, some of who in very key roles. They also include the son of Commodore's founder Jack Tramiel. In that sense, this seems to me like the first time in three decades that the Commodore brand is again legitimately "Commodore", and not just a logo that someone is using to sell stuff to people.
The direction that the new Commodore seems to be attempting is something like "the future that we were promised", an approach that many of us expected tech to take in the late 80s or early 90s, before things took a different turn. One where devices, software and services function to make our lives better and easier, not to just sell us things or to sell us to things. They also seem to lean fairly heavily on the concept of digital minimalism which Simpson has made multiple videos about in recent years.
Personally, I think the Callback phone is a fun idea, but I wonder if there really is a market for it. The challenge, as far as I see it, is that while people often have several computers in use at the same time, leaving room for "hobby PCs," fewer people use multiple phones simultaneously. And these days, in my experience at least, a phone pretty much has to support banking apps, government services, travel applications and other similar systems, or it becomes difficult to function in society. Since this likely doesn't support any of those, I at least would find it very hard to use this phone in my day-to-day life.
Also, I'm not entirely sure I understand the "no social media" argument. I have an iPhone and I have no social media apps in it. Surely it's not that hard. Phones also have fairly robust notification and permissions settings, so attaining at least some level of "digital minimalism" isn't really that challenging, either.
That said, I hope they find customers and the brand thrives! I do like what they are doing, even if I haven't yet seen a product from them that I would buy.
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Comment on What is your eleventh favorite video game? in ~games
vili Link ParentThe first demo of the game is also currently available to play for free until next Monday as part of Steam’s Next Fest. They say it features over a hundred puzzles and dozens of hours of playtime....Their next game comes out later this year.
The first demo of the game is also currently available to play for free until next Monday as part of Steam’s Next Fest. They say it features over a hundred puzzles and dozens of hours of playtime. The save file should carry over to the full release. I spent about an hour with it yesterday and enjoyed the experience.
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Comment on What are people's experiences with using Kagi? in ~tech
vili LinkI’ve been using Kagi since 2022 and as I have had no need to look elsewhere in that time, I don’t really know how it compares to other search products these days. But it also means that I haven’t...I’ve been using Kagi since 2022 and as I have had no need to look elsewhere in that time, I don’t really know how it compares to other search products these days. But it also means that I haven’t felt the need to look elsewhere. For me personally, Kagi has been one of the best things to come out of the modern internet.
I primarily use two features: the search and the translator. The search is very good, although also their search results often contain AI written websites, but sadly that’s the internet these days. The translator is excellent, I think the best I have used, and comes with lots of settings to tweak not only the meaning but also the style of the output.
Their other offerings have been a bit less successful in my use. Their assistant, which gives access to various LLM models, just doesn’t work as well as when I use models like GPT and Gemini directly. Although I do use paid/pro versions of those while I don’t pay for the ultimate version of Kagi which includes the best models, so the comparison isn’t entirely fair.
Their news service is an interesting concept, but whenever I have checked it out, it’s just felt too AI driven. I still want my news to be filtered through a journalist and an editor, because then I sort of know what biases to expect. An entirely (?) AI written news digest from a company with no journalistic background just doesn’t feel like something I would like to have as my source of information about the world. No matter how much I like Kagi.
And I do love Kagi. I like their philosophy and approach to things. I trust their privacy promises. Their support is quick and friendly, and their public communication doesn’t feel like corporate PR talk. They sometimes stumble and they are open about it. They do an impressive amount of things for a small company but every now and then you are reminded of their smallness, such as when their service was once down for several hours for planned database migration, which I thought was charming. There are some things I don’t see eye to eye with them, like using (and paying for) the Russian government linked Yandex as part of their search arsenal, but I usually accept their reasons.
I have recommended Kagi to friends and coworkers. Some have stayed, while others haven’t found it useful enough to pay for the service. Whether it’s worth the money depends on the individual. For me personally, it’s one of my favourite subscriptions.
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Comment on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past announced in ~games
vili Link ParentIndeed, you are absolutely right. Make that two feet in mouths.he's one of the major shareholders of CDPR (second biggest IIRC), so he has some control over CDPR.
Indeed, you are absolutely right. Make that two feet in mouths.
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Comment on CGA-2026-05 🕹️⛵🦜 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Sid Meier's Pirates! in ~games
vili LinkCGA Announcement: We have officially ejected the cartridge for Sid Meier's Pirates!. No worries if you're not done -- there is still plenty of time left in the month to play! This topic is for...CGA Announcement: We have officially ejected the cartridge for Sid Meier's Pirates!. No worries if you're not done -- there is still plenty of time left in the month to play!
This topic is for people to share their parting thoughts and experiences. Spoilers are NOT required to be hidden for this topic, so if you're reading this before you've finished, be careful about reading any comments here.
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CGA-2026-05 🕹️⛵🦜 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Sid Meier's Pirates!
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
Ahoy there cap'n, and welcome to Puerto Retiro! Once you have docked your ship, head over to the town's best (and only) tavern, La Aventura Colosal, to rest your peg leg, sip a glass of rum, and exchange tales of your exploits with other well-salted seadogs.
How was your time with Sid Meier's Pirates!, our CGA title for May? Which version did you play? How did it meet your expectations? What worked for you and what perhaps didn't? Did you read the manual?
Don’t get too comfy though! In just a couple of days, u/Lapbunny will be booting up Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow for us, which based on the title I assume is a karaoke game for melancholy songs. I for one have been practising my rendition of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" for weeks in anticipation!
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Comment on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past announced in ~games
vili Link ParentCDProjekt sold GOG to one of its founders back in December and as I understand it no longer has any control over the store. Are you perhaps referring to the new owner of GOG who has indeed been...the new boss of CDProjekt has been talking about how he wants to make GOG work natively on Linux
CDProjekt sold GOG to one of its founders back in December and as I understand it no longer has any control over the store.
Are you perhaps referring to the new owner of GOG who has indeed been quite vocal about his dislike of Windows (but has no control over what CDProjekt does)?
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Comment on There's a hundred illegal erections in the hills behind my parents' house in ~hobbies
vili Link ParentThanks! I’ve hiked in the Slovakian Tatras a couple of times (just day hikes though) and seen some stunning places, but never yet been hiking in Czechia. Maybe one day! There definitely is a...Thanks! I’ve hiked in the Slovakian Tatras a couple of times (just day hikes though) and seen some stunning places, but never yet been hiking in Czechia. Maybe one day!
There definitely is a difference between Central Europe and the Nordics in terms of population density. I’m based in Hungary and you never really are more than a stone’s throw from a busy road, a farmer’s field or a settlement.
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Comment on There's a hundred illegal erections in the hills behind my parents' house in ~hobbies
vili LinkThis was a really interesting read, and the song is lovely, too. Thank you for sharing! One thing I love about hiking in the Nordics is that national parks often have free-to-use huts and lean-to...This was a really interesting read, and the song is lovely, too. Thank you for sharing!
One thing I love about hiking in the Nordics is that national parks often have free-to-use huts and lean-to shelters, and other fairly well maintained amenities that look a bit like the ones in your pictures. I'm actually heading to the Arctic Circle this weekend for a five-day hike, and although I will be sleeping in a tent, I still appreciate the availability of firewood and composting toilets along the trail.
You wrote that in Czechia and Slovakia "when you want to sleep in the forest, you can of course just use a tarp and a sleeping bag anywhere". I'm surprised (and a little excited) to hear this, as I was under the impression that wild camping is illegal in the two countries, like it is in most countries in the area. But am I mistaken here? Am I a fool to travel to the other side of the continent to get my yearly tramping fix?
Also, I think in New Zealand, they also use the word "tramping" to refer to hiking.
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Comment on Is there a "Razor" for the idea that "If a Billionaire is against it, I'm for it?" in ~finance
vili LinkNot quite a "razor", but the process itself sounds like reactive devaluation. Or possibly genetic fallacy. So, how about the "bulverist's razor"? I for sure have wielded that blade more often than...Not quite a "razor", but the process itself sounds like reactive devaluation. Or possibly genetic fallacy.
So, how about the "bulverist's razor"? I for sure have wielded that blade more often than I care to admit.
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Comment on All the Eurovision songs are out. Let's talk about them! in ~music
vili Link ParentI was a little disappointed about San Marino not making it to the final. Especially as this has felt like the weakest Eurovision lineup that I can remember. There aren't (m?)any stinkers, but...I was a little disappointed about San Marino not making it to the final. Especially as this has felt like the weakest Eurovision lineup that I can remember. There aren't (m?)any stinkers, but there also was only one song that I genuinely liked in the semi-finals, Norway.
That said, it wouldn't be the first year when songs that did nothing for me in the semi-finals suddenly sound much better in the final. Here’s hoping that happens again!!
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Comment on CGA-2026-05 🕹️⛵🦜 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Sid Meier's Pirates! in ~games
vili Link ParentAnd it's good that you did, because I was fast asleep below the deck and wouldn't have realised that I needed to post something today, had it not been for your post! For some reason, my task list...Like a scallywag I jumped the cannons and posted the Arrria of Sorrow post a month early.
And it's good that you did, because I was fast asleep below the deck and wouldn't have realised that I needed to post something today, had it not been for your post! For some reason, my task list had the posting marked for tomorrow. So, good team work there! I'm sure captain @kfwyre is proud of us.
I'm surprised they fit Pirates! Gold on the Sega Genesis?
I was debating whether to talk about this in the introduction, but because it was already so wordy, I didn't. But, here we go: While I mentioned that there are roughly five different versions of Pirates!, those versions subdivide into sub-versions, as each system had its own port, some of which are more unique than others. And even the subversions themselves divide into sub-sub-versions: already with the original Commodore 64 release, the cassette version and the disk version of the game were subtly different.
The Sega Genesis version in particular is rather unique in some ways, and I have heard it claimed that it's actually the best version of the game (but then again, I think I have heard this said about every version of the game). I've never played it myself, but I'm tempted to focus on that version this month. Not that I own a Sega Genesis, or a Sega Genesis copy of the game, but I count that I have bought the game at least nine times in the past thirty years, so I feel I might be allowed to borrow an additional copy for research purposes.
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Comment on CGA-2026-05 🕹️⛵🦜 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Sid Meier's Pirates! in ~games
vili LinkCGA Announcement: We have officially inserted the cartridge for Sid Meier's Pirates!. Use this topic to get set up for the month, help other people get set up for the month, and start playing! If...CGA Announcement: We have officially inserted the cartridge for Sid Meier's Pirates!. Use this topic to get set up for the month, help other people get set up for the month, and start playing!
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CGA-2026-05 🕹️⛵🦜 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Sid Meier's Pirates!
Introduction I consider myself an author. Not that I have ever published anything that I have written. If I'm not mixing up my timelines, Sid Meier's Pirates! was the basis of my second unfinished...
Introduction
I consider myself an author. Not that I have ever published anything that I have written.
If I'm not mixing up my timelines, Sid Meier's Pirates! was the basis of my second unfinished novel. It was the story of a 17th century French sailor, thrust into the world of piracy as he searched for his long-lost family while trying to acquire a new one by courting the beautiful daughter of the mayor of Caracas. In the end, the only family that he managed to find was the band of rowdy pirates that he captained across the Caribbean.
This might sound like a good story, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't. I would have been ten, maybe nine years old at the time. I knew very little about family dysfunction, romantic love, or the age of piracy. I understood next to nothing about the demands of narrative style or structure. I simply played the game on my Commodore 64 and wrote down what was happening to me.
A detour
Some of the fighting bits were pretty good, though. If I recall correctly, later that year I repurposed bits of them for a novella that I wrote for a school assignment. It was called Knights of the Square Table and featured four French musketeers. I would like to claim that this was a brilliant post-modern blending of Arthurian legend and Alexandre Dumas, but I'm pretty sure I was just quite confused about some of the classics that I had been reading.
Not that mine wasn't an impactful piece of literature. It made our teacher create a new rule: from then on, there would be a strict upper limit to the length of stories that we could give him.
I sometimes wonder if you guys feel like my teacher.
A detour within a detour
Despite his new rule, later that semester our teacher nonetheless accepted an even longer story where I riffed on the ending of So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams. He really liked it. He was a great teacher.
So, Sid Meier's Pirates! has been a fairly big part of my life. I have not only played the game (many times), but I have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about it. I could even say that, through the act of creative imagination, I have lived it. It is certainly part of my identity.
And yet, I have never finished the game. Just like my early novel's fictional French captain, I have never found all of the missing family members. And while I have retired many of my characters, I have never been hugely successful in the outcome. I have never reached an ending that I would consider definitive.
Just like I have never published anything that I have written.
And this is exactly the type of game that Pirates! is. It is an open world game in the truest sense of the word: it gives you a world to live in, to sail in, to plunder and fight in, to look for treasure and lost family members in, to court beautiful daughters in and to change the course of colonial history in. But it doesn't give you any definitive goal. The journey in Pirates! matters far more than the destination. Because there really is no destination.
Just like in my writing.
Or perhaps also in life, you could say?
The Gameplay Loop
Sid Meier's Pirates! is a collection of systems that harmonise rather beautifully. It is one of my favourite game designs.
You start by selecting the era in which you want to play, a choice that determines what the world looks like and how it behaves, and some details about your character. You are then given a ship and a crew, and off you go. You can read the incredibly detailed manual, and you really should because it's wonderful, but you don't have to. It's quite an intuitive game.
Your crew expects you to provide for them. Their loyalty is for the plunder and the plunder alone, and it is up to you to make them rich. If you don't have enough gold for them, they will begin to mutiny. The bigger your crew is the easier it is for you to plunder, but the more of them there are, the smaller each individual member's cut is, and therefore the unhappier they are. And the longer you wait until you divide the gold with them, the less happy they will be with you. There is this constant push and pull, which is at the heart of many of the game's systems.
And here is the catch: every time you divide the plunder, time progresses. The game gets more difficult, not only because you can change your difficulty level at this juncture, and not just because you lose much of your crew and fleet, but because your characters ages. And the older you are, the more difficult fighting becomes. Them old bones won't be so flexible.
You cannot die, though. If you are captured at any point, you go to the gallows. It's not game over, but you lose possessions and time, as you age in prison.
And at some point, you will just be too old. Continuing the life of a pirate makes sense no more. Age has defeated you. Piracy is a young man's game and it is time for you to retire. And when that happens, the game looks at your possessions and other accomplishments, and tells you what your character's life in retirement will look like.
Within this overall frame, the game loop itself is basically a collection of mini-games: navigating the Caribbean winds, making decisions in towns, arcade-style ship combat, a light strategy game for land battles, a fighting game for sword fights. And, in a later edition, a rhythm game for dancing that many didn't warm to. You can look at maps and search for lost treasures, hunt for other pirates, do heists on silver trains (for some reason removed from later editions), build your reputation, court governors' daughters, conquer cities, trade goods, micro-manage your fleet and crew, and so on.
Underneath it all, most events are random, which makes each time you play the game unique. This includes everything from smaller details to the larger geopolitical reality that is happening around you in the Caribbean. Nations go to war, make peace with each other, cities change hands, all without caring one bit about your plans or needs.
It really is as close to a perfect game that I can think of.
History, Versions & Availability
Sid Meier's Pirates! was designed and programmed by the industry legend that is Sid Meier. Although Meier was a co-founder of MicroProse and had already created around twenty games, Pirates! was the first game to feature his name in the title; something that comedian Robin Williams had apparently suggested that they should do. Or alternatively, as Meier himself remembers, the marketing department came up with the idea to try to get people who loved Meier's flight simulators to give a chance for this otherwise impossible-to-sell pirate game that Meier had insisted on creating. Whatever the reason, it started a trend. Later on, we would get titles like Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon, Sid Meier's Gettysburg!, Sid Meier's SimGolf, Sid Meier's Starships, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Sid Meier's Colonization and, most famously, a game and series called Sid Meier's Civilization. Not all of them always led by Meier, but always given his stamp of approval.
The game was something of a departure for the designer, as he had mainly worked on flight simulators and other war games until then. Interestingly, Meier programmed most of the game in BASIC, which means that a lot of the code for the original Commodore 64 version is openly readable. If you'd like to learn more, this 8-Bit Show And Tell video is a really interesting dive into the code.
Platforms & Versions:
Sid Meier's Pirates! has had a long history after its initial Commodore 64 release. I personally count five major versions and say that you can decide which one you want to play based on which version of our previous pirate game, The Secret of Monkey Island, you preferred:
- Sid Meier's Pirates! (1987, Commodore 64 and others, sailing screenshot, governor screenhot, duelling screenshot): This is the original game and, for me, the "authentic" Pirates! experience, if played on the C64. But of course it is, because this is the version I grew up with. The art design is minimalistic, clean and crisp. It is also the blockiest of the versions. Choose this if you, like me, insisted on the original EGA (or CGA!) version of The Secret of Monkey Island without voice acting. A DOS port of this is included in the Pirates! Gold Plus release, where you will probably want to choose EGA graphics, even if the loading screen is in CGA. Make also note of the "Pirates! Cheat Sheet" pdf file in your game's bonus content directory, as you'll need those dates to answer the copy protection question correctly.
- Pirates! (1990, Amiga and others, sailing screenshot, governor screenshot, duelling screenshot): This isn't really a different version as much as a port. I don't think Meier had much personal input on this one. It's quite similar to the original but with softer graphics designed for more developed systems. Some like them, I'm sort of ok with them. Consider this if you chose the updated VGA version of The Secret of Monkey Island without voice acting. Although I don't think this one is on sale anywhere.
- Pirates! Gold (1993, DOS and others, sailing screenshot, governor screenshot, duelling screenshot: This is a full remake with improved graphics and tweaked gameplay, again without Sid Meier leading the development. Play this if you went through The Secret of Monkey Island with the VGA graphics and voice acting. Many seem to consider this the definite experience, but I don't quite see the allure myself as in many ways it sits a little uncomfortably between the purity of the original and the modernisation of the 2004 remake. This is inluced in the Pirates! Gold Plus release.
- Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004, Windows and consoles, sailing screenshot, governor screenshot, duelling screenshot): Subtitled Live the Life, this is a full Sid Meier helmed remake (notice that his name is again part of the title) that streamlined the game, made it more modern, switched to 3D rendered graphics, added some story bits, and notoriously introduced a dancing mini game. I think it's ok, although I feel some of the identity and charm was lost with the newer cartoony graphics and sounds. In this one, I sadly don't taste the saltiness of the sea anymore. It feels more like a game. But you may want to choose this if you were happy to play the remastered edition of The Secret of Monkey Island with its new graphical style and streamlined user interface.
- Sid Meier's Pirates! Mobile (2008, mobiles): This is a mobile port that I don't think is available any more and that I have never played. I think it's largely based on the 2004 remake?
Genre(s):
Open world, action-adventure, strategy, Sid Meier
Links:
- Moby Games (1987 version)
- Moby Games (1993 version)
- Moby Games (2004 version)
- Wikipedia (1987 version)
- Wikipedia (1993 version)
- Wikipedia (2004 version)
Stores:
- Steam - Pirates! Gold Plus (1987 & 1993) (on sale until May 3rd!)
- Steam - Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004)
- GOG - Pirates! Gold Plus (1987 & 1993)
- GOG - Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004)
Game Setup
The main purpose of this topic is to get people up and running with the game. As such, it's recommended that you:
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Share which version of the game you're playing
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Share what hardware you're playing it on
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Share if there are any tools/mods that you recommend
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Share anything you think is important for people to know before they start the game
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Ask questions if you need help
Another purpose of this topic is to revisit the game and its time period:
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Do you have any memories or associations with this game itself?
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What about its system or era?
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What aspects of retro gaming were common at the time?
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What other games from the same time period are you familiar with?
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What are you expecting from this game in particular?
Finally, this topic is the beginning discussion for people starting to play it:
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Post updates sharing your thoughts as you play.
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Ask for help if you get stuck.
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Offer help to others.
It is recommended that you reply to your own posts if you are making consecutive updates so that they are in the same thread.
Important
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Any links to the game should be legal distributions of the game only. Please do NOT link to any unauthorized copies.
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Put any spoilers in a dropdown block. Copy/paste the block below if needed.
<details> <summary>Spoilers</summary> Spoiler text goes here. </details>
FAQ
What is CGA?
Colossal Game Adventure (CGA) is Tildes' retro video game club.
Each month we will play a different retro game/games, discuss our thoughts, and bask in the glorious digital experiences of yesteryear!
Colossal Game Adventure is a reference to Colossal Cave Adventure. It's one of the most influential games of all time, one of the first text-based interactive games, and one of the first games to be shared online.
What do we want to do with this group? Play influential games; interact with each other through text; and share the love for retro games online!
It also abbreviates to CGA (because we love chunky pixel art), and its name communicates the Colossal amount of fun and excitement that we have with retro video Games in our shared Adventure of playing them together.
Do I have to sign up?
No. Participation is open to all.
There is a Notification List that will get pinged each time a new topic goes up. If you would like to join that list, please PM u/kfwyre.
Are there restrictions on what/how to play?
Each month will have a focus game or games that will guide our discussions. Beyond that, there are no restrictions. The philosophy of CGA is to play in a way that works for you!
This means:
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Choose whichever version of the game you want.
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You can use cheats, save states, mods, etc.
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You can watch a streamer or longplay instead of playing it.
If you have already played a game and want a different experience:
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Try a randomizer or challenge run.
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Play a different version of it.
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Play a related game (sequel, spiritual successor, something inspired by it, etc.)
There is no wrong way to participate in CGA, and every different way someone participates will make for more interesting discussions.
What is the schedule?
Each month the Insert Cartidge topic will be posted on the 1st, while the Remove Cartridge topic will be posted on the 28th (25th for February).
Nomination and voting topics will happen in March and September (every 6 months).
Schedules are also posted then.
All CGA topics are available using the
colossal game adventuretag.What do Insert and Remove Cartridge mean?
Inserting and removing cartridges are our retro metaphor for starting and stopping a given game or games.
The Insert Cartridge topic happens at the beginning of the month and is primarily about getting the game up and running.
The Remove Cartridge topic happens toward the end of the month and is primarily about people reflecting on the game now that they've played it.
There are no hard restrictions on what has to go in either topic, and each can be used to discuss the game, post updates, ask questions, etc.
12 votes -
Comment on CGA-2026-04 🕹️🚀🧑🚀 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Space Rogue in ~games
vili Link ParentI'm jealous. I too was planning to play Space Rogue and Pirates! on my C64(s), but alas, both my tape deck AND my disk drive have developed some issues. As it stands, I'm left with four C64s and...I played the C64 version
I'm jealous. I too was planning to play Space Rogue and Pirates! on my C64(s), but alas, both my tape deck AND my disk drive have developed some issues. As it stands, I'm left with four C64s and no way to load anything.
Which might actually be good, as I really should start by upgrading the power supplies. Using 40-year-old PSUs is a one-way ticket to a disaster, or so I hear. I just haven't felt like doing anything about it, because every time I start to think about it, I end up dreaming about a mod that could add an SD card reader, then realise that I could just buy a new C64 instead (like the recently released Ultimate), then remember that I don't have a suitable monitor or CRT TV to really get the authentic experience, then realise that if I were to buy one I'd have to find a place for it, then end up planning a total house renovation. And I'm not sure my wife would approve.
I bought a strange item, some sort of contact lens set, from an alien. It cost 250 cr and had no effect at all.
It's actually a quest item that I think is needed at one point to proceed in the story. But you of course couldn't have known at that point in the game.
Maybe I was doing it wrong, but the only way to see where your enemies are is to turn on the tracking feature, but if you do that, you can no longer shoot lasers!
Yeah, it can be a bit confusing.
Page 19 of the manual says this about the tracking feature (Target Acquisition Computer): "For beam weapons, the TAC checks for a clear, line-of-sight path to your target. If the target lies out of the path, is too far away, or is blocked by another object, your TAC will stop the beam weapon from firing. This prevents needless discharging of the beam weapon's batteries (and embarrassing attacks on friendly ships that fly unexpectedly in your path)."
I tried going through the wormhole near the starting point too, but after a few attempts falling back out I was unable to progress there. I managed to stay on track until near the end once, but my ship's hull didn't last the journey and I got a game over with the end in sight. There is probably some trick to it. Maybe I need more practice, or better shields.
Perhaps you were moving too slowly? Page 25 of the manual: "Move through the wormhole as quickly as possible. Corrosive gases within the hole damage all known classes of hull armor." It also makes a note that there is a null damper to counter this effect, with the previous owner of the ship having added the helpful words "the black market" in the margins.
It feels very grindy.
I agree, it felt more grindy than I remembered. I wonder how much of this feeling came from "having to" play through the game in a month. Normally, I would take several months to get through a game like this, with long breaks in between gaming sessions. Or, alternatively, sometimes I can just get "in the zone" for general grinding in games that I love, and can spend a couple of evenings just doing repetitive tasks and really enjoying it. I didn't get there with Space Rogue this time around. I think the last game that really activated that desire in me was Sekiro. I don't really remember what I was trying to achieve, but I remember spending hours and hours just running the same loop in that game. Probably chasing some achievement or item or both.
I'd also like free ship repair early on
Early on this month I was considered creating a web based good samaritan service, where any Space Rogue player could upload their save file and the system would repair their ship (modify the save file). But as there wasn't much activity in the insert cartridge topic, I thought no one was likely interested in the game, so there would be no point.
And it wouldn't of course have helped you if you played on a C64 like a real pro!
So yeah, I used to really like this game in my memories, but I don't think it has aged very well.
Since you mentioned the Ultima series, do you think that it has aged better? And which entry in the series do you think has best stood the test of time? I've actually been quite surprised that no one has (I think?) so far nominated any Ultima game for CGA.
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Comment on CGA-2026-04 🕹️🚀🧑🚀 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Space Rogue in ~games
vili Link ParentI would say this series of videos is probably the best out there.if anybody has any suggestions of Let's Plays or similar, I'd be interested in checking them out
I would say this series of videos is probably the best out there.
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Comment on CGA-2026-04 🕹️🚀🧑🚀 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Space Rogue in ~games
vili (edited )LinkIn the insert cartridge topic, I defended Space Rogue for design decisions which might feel outdated now but which, I argued, were perfectly fine back when the game was first released. But there...In the insert cartridge topic, I defended Space Rogue for design decisions which might feel outdated now but which, I argued, were perfectly fine back when the game was first released. But there is one feature which I very much grew to dislike.
When you die, the game just quits. No menu, no option to load a save file. Not even enough time to read the fluff text. Just a quick slap in the face and goodbye.
It feels needlessly harsh. Especially when you didn't die in space combat, but because you tried to talk to the wrong person at the wrong time, or just walked into the wrong room. Unpredictable instakills are not fun, especially if they throw you out of the game. It was way too tempting to stop playing whenever I was kicked out, rather than going through the hassle of booting up the game again.
I had less free time this month than I had hoped, so I admit to making the game a little easier for myself. Not only did I use a copy of the trading table found in this Space Rogue walkthrough, but I also made use of a hex editor and this save file editing guide when I got stuck with almost no shields left, my weapons damaged, and no way to get them repaired. And while at it, I also added a couple of thousand credits to my account, as I was tired of repetitive merchant life and wanted to proceed with the story.
I think the game might have been easier if I had a mouse. I never learnt to control the ship with my trackball, so I was left performing space flight manoeuvres with a keyboard. Every encounter with an enemy was an exercise in finger dexterity.
And yet, the game still instils awe in me. I know the 3D simulation is crude and the plot a little plain at times, but each successful docking and deep space jump still feels like a religious experience to me, and the game does feature a bunch of wonderfully diverse characters and situations. It's all really well written, occasional typos and all, making it feel like a living universe to me.
It'll be fun to contrast Space Rogue with Sid Meier's Pirates!. The game design ideas are in many ways very similar. But there is a clear difference in focus and execution.
The exclamation points and the repeated use of the word "puzzles" —sometimes combined together — very much sold this for me. I look forward to diving in!