Wes's recent activity
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Comment on Wyldheart | Official reveal trailer in ~games
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Comment on CGA-2026-03 🕹️🐸🕌🔔 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) in ~games
Wes Link ParentI'm glad you mentioned the closing line, because I was confused by that too. The translated quote in English was: It was seemingly played as a joke, but I definitely whooshed on it. I like your...I'm glad you mentioned the closing line, because I was confused by that too. The translated quote in English was:
"Sir Polnareff, I have a question...
Tiramisu was in disguise as Mandola, so she's the opposite of her in every way, right?"
"Hahaha...
Prince Frog, what you're thinking of will be the - SAME! - no matter what form she's in!"It was seemingly played as a joke, but I definitely whooshed on it. I like your interpretation.
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Comment on CGA-2026-03 🕹️🐸🕌🔔 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) in ~games
Wes LinkWell that was a cute little adventure. It was different than I was expecting. I knew The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls was a shorter title, but I think I was expecting a more traditional RPG....Well that was a cute little adventure.
It was different than I was expecting. I knew The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls was a shorter title, but I think I was expecting a more traditional RPG. Instead, it was a quirky, almost deconstructive game, where it felt like the developers were largely just having fun with it. I'm fine with that! The levity really shined through in all aspects of the design, and made for a light-hearted adventure.
Mostly, I really enjoyed the dialogue. I'd obviously have been completely lost if it wasn't translated, but the writing was hilarious and kept defying my expectations. That's actually pretty impressive for a Game Boy game from 1992.
One of the biggest departures from other RPGS of the era is the combat system. It was largely deterministic, and entirely stat-based. This put most of the game's progression on exploration and discovery rather than player skill. Definitely a unique system, and I enjoyed hunting for and opening chests. If I couldn't beat a boss, I knew immediately I was missing something. It never felt unfair, like having a hidden chest three towns back that would prevent your progress.
I really enjoyed the final boss sequence. My favourite moment was when Richard employed the "Zapp Brannigan" strategy of sending all of his frogs at the enemy, one by one, to be eaten. That kind of forward-thinking strategy is why he's the commander.
The game's puzzles were not heavy-handed, and mostly served as minor road bumps. For example, the famous "Lost Woods" trope was there, but with a literal sign post that told you where to go. The jungle also had a maze-based design, though as far as I could tell, was just trial by error.
I did enjoy a number of the transformation-based puzzles, where swapping between the three forms was required to progress through a room. At times though, it could get a little repetitive, with the solution sometimes being obvious but the game still requiring you to go through the motions. This was especially annoying when running through an area for the second or third time.
On that note, some of the instant deaths felt a little unfair. While a lot of the enemy interactions were obvious or explained, like frogs being able to eat bugs, there were times that it was not so obvious. You'd need to learn by doing, then remember next time that if a frog so much as grazes a bat, it's game over for you. That could be particularly rough when deep into a dungeon, and for that reason I started using save states about midway through the game.
I was glad that the transformation items were so cheap. It made it feels less punishing to lose progress. Money was actually a bit silly in this game, and another way that the developers had fun with the player. Those billions of
coinsnuts were easy-come, easy-go. Even during regular gameplay, it seemed like I was only ever notoriously rich or in the poor house, with no in-between.I enjoyed the game! It feels like a cult classic that I didn't know existed. That makes it an excellent CGA pick in my book.
I also didn't realize just how nostalgic I was for the Nantendo Game Boy. The big pixels, limited colour palette, and chirpy sound effects all took me back. The only thing missing was a contrast slider! It made for a cozy experience, and had me wanting to dust off Pokemon Blue or Link's Awakening again.
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Comment on Google’s TurboQuant AI-compression algorithm can reduce LLM memory usage by 6x in ~tech
Wes Link ParentWhile I only follow along as a layman, I've seen some interesting discussion in the mathematics community about LLMs helping to find lemmas. Donald Knuth also recently wrote about Claude helping...While I only follow along as a layman, I've seen some interesting discussion in the mathematics community about LLMs helping to find lemmas. Donald Knuth also recently wrote about Claude helping him solve a problem.
It does seem like there is some genuine value in frontier mathematics.
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Comment on Rigging bingo: Creating seeded randoms in JavaScript in ~comp
Wes (edited )LinkSome among you may be familiar with the Tildes Backlog Burner event that myself and @kfwyre put on twice annually. The goal is to encourage playing backlogged games from our libraries, and chat...Some among you may be familiar with the Tildes Backlog Burner event that myself and @kfwyre put on twice annually. The goal is to encourage playing backlogged games from our libraries, and chat about them while doing so.
One of the optional features of the event is a bingo card system. You can generate a personalized card in your preferred style as a sort of meta-game. Categories are selected at random to help guide your selection of games.
During the last event, we added a new feature to create seeded cards. This lets you and a friend create the same card by sharing a common text string. However, since JavaScript doesn't actually let you seed the random number generator, I needed to dive into custom PRNGs and hashing functions. I finally got around to writing about it now.
Curiously, in a post where I mention hash collisions, I find my own blog has a tag collision with an unrelated site.
edit: It seems the tag collision has been resolved.
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Rigging bingo: Creating seeded randoms in JavaScript
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Comment on Venture underground to discover the new sulfur cube and the sulfur caves in Minecraft in ~games
Wes LinkRed and yellow blocks? Finally, I can build my house in the style of the Windows 95 Hotdog Stand theme. The new mob certainly seems designed for minigames. I'm not sure of a practical use in...Red and yellow blocks? Finally, I can build my house in the style of the Windows 95 Hotdog Stand theme.
The new mob certainly seems designed for minigames. I'm not sure of a practical use in survival gameplay, but that's fine. I expect to see a lot of creativity as people find new uses for them. I'm also curious to see how mods create custom interactions, which might lead to more novel gameplay.
Speaking of modded, a number of mods will need to rework their progression since sulfur and cinnabar are now included in the vanilla game. Hopefully that doesn't impact the ongoing Thaumcraft rewrite!
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Comment on 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' to end with Season 2 in ~tv
Wes Link ParentHave you tried Prodigy? The story takes place largely outside of Federation space, and the main crew is composed entirely of alien species. It's animated and aimed at young adults, but it's not...Have you tried Prodigy? The story takes place largely outside of Federation space, and the main crew is composed entirely of alien species. It's animated and aimed at young adults, but it's not half bad.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2026 - The Metamorphosis by Kafka in ~books
Wes Link ParentI thought it was interesting that, although Gregor transformed instantly, his mind seemed to transform more slowly. He was still very much in a human mindset initially, worried about returning to...I thought it was interesting that, although Gregor transformed instantly, his mind seemed to transform more slowly. He was still very much in a human mindset initially, worried about returning to work and explaining away his situation. Over time, his mind adapted to that of the creature. He became afraid of people, preferring to scurry under the couch. His instincts seemed to become more primal. Toward the end, he was able to explore more of his feelings and senses, by forgetting the duties of his old life. In some ways, the metamorphosis helped humanize him.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - March 2026 - The Metamorphosis by Kafka in ~books
Wes Link ParentI first read this one about 15 years ago. I stumbled across a PDF online, and thought, "Why not?". I completed it in one sitting. Knowing my memory would not be up to the task though, I decided to...I first read this one about 15 years ago. I stumbled across a PDF online, and thought, "Why not?". I completed it in one sitting.
Knowing my memory would not be up to the task though, I decided to give this one a re-read for this discussion. This time I listened by audiobook. I normally would go with an established narrator, but I tried a random recording from YouTube and the quality was not half bad.
Being a re-read, I wouldn't say that anything surprised me. Though there are parts that I either missed before, or simply forgot about. For example, the sister undergoes a rapid loss of innocence throughout the story which I wasn't expecting.
She starts naive and optimistic, assigning herself the role of Gregor's keeper. Over time, she is worn down by this burden, receiving little help or appreciation. She then needs to start a real job to help support the family's finances. By the end of the story, her only perceived value is her looks and potential for a husband. Not her musical ambitions or kindness -- those have eroded. Much like Gregor, she is measured only by her usefulness now.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft PVP event in ~games
Wes LinkThat was fun. It was my first time doing any PvP in Minecraft. Thanks all for participating, and @Bront for hosting.That was fun. It was my first time doing any PvP in Minecraft. Thanks all for participating, and @Bront for hosting.
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Comment on LLMs can unmask pseudonymous users at scale with surprising accuracy in ~tech
Wes Link ParentI appreciate that people should maintain ownership over their content, including comments, but I don't like what mass deleting them does to conversations. Reading threads where one or more...I appreciate that people should maintain ownership over their content, including comments, but I don't like what mass deleting them does to conversations. Reading threads where one or more commenters have removed all of their replies feels jarring and unhelpful, as much of the context is lost and it becomes hard to follow. It's even worse when people delete topics, as that can hide dozens of other people's comments without their consent.
Another consideration is that conversations tend to have longer lifespans on Tildes. We sometimes see new comments in the Book Club months after the discussion has concluded, but the new comments spurs new discussion and the thread takes off again. Those conversations end up being very high quality, and I sometimes find myself re-reading them months later.
I feel that even as an opt-in, adding an auto-deletion feature would make Tildes less pleasant to read. However, as a compromise, I think it would be reasonable to add something that anonymizes the username of the commenter while preserving their content. Perhaps by assigning a name that's unique per-thread, to keep the flow of conversation easier to follow.
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Comment on CGA-2026-03 🕹️🐸🕌🔔 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls) in ~games
Wes LinkIncredible opening post, J-Chip. I love how you flowed between games we've already played, and added so much context to this intriguing little title. Also, as a huge Link's Awakening fan, I loved...Incredible opening post, J-Chip. I love how you flowed between games we've already played, and added so much context to this intriguing little title. Also, as a huge Link's Awakening fan, I loved the backstory about Richard. I always wondered what was up with that guy.
My gaming ability has been severely diminished as of late, but I've been so inspired by this post that I'd like to at least try getting the game set up. Thanks for including all the relevant instructions, and links to the translation patch and relevant tools. That patching web app looks phenomenal.
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Comment on New accounts on Hacker News ten times more likely to use em-dashes in ~tech
Wes Link ParentYou might already know this, but I thought I'd add some context. Both symbols are technically the same character, but the second example has a variation selector (VS) attached. It's an invisible...You might already know this, but I thought I'd add some context. Both symbols are technically the same character, but the second example has a variation selector (VS) attached. It's an invisible codepoint that follows the character to indicate its rendering style.
'™'.length // 1 '™️'.length // 2There's a selector for both variants. Plain text uses VS15, and emoji uses VS16. Here's an example with each VS used.
U+260E + U+FE0E = ☎︎ U+260E + U+FE0F = ☎️If you didn't include the variation selector (just
U+260E), it would be up to the software to decide how to render it.Unfortunately, a lot of software ignores provided variation selectors. This makes Unicode unreliable in certain areas like web design. Only the textual variants will nicely inherit font-size, text colour, etc. Apple is particularly bad about this.
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Comment on goggle: A GoG Download CLI in ~games
Wes Link ParentThis is how the offline installer link looks, at least on Windows. Maybe it doesn't show up elsewhere? The installers should include the full data for the games themselves. Of course, a tool to...This is how the offline installer link looks, at least on Windows. Maybe it doesn't show up elsewhere? The installers should include the full data for the games themselves.
Of course, a tool to automate it will still be useful, especially if you're archiving your entire library.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - February 2026 - The Truth by Terry Pratchett in ~books
Wes (edited )Link ParentI wouldn't call it philosophical, but this conversation near the beginning had me cackling: This bit was narrated perfectly in the audiobook, where the retort came out more like "Wot wot?". The...I wouldn't call it philosophical, but this conversation near the beginning had me cackling:
"Are you invading the city or what?"
There was another pause. Then:
"What?"
"What what?" said Colon, raising the stakes.
"What were the other options?"
"Don't mess me about . . . Are you, down there in the boat, invading this city?"
"No."
"Fair enough", said Colon, who on a night like this would happily take someone's word for it. "Get a move on, then, 'cos we're going to drop the gate."
After a while the splash of the oars resumed and disappeared downriver.
"You reckon that was enough, just askin' 'em?" said Nobby.
"Well, they ought to know", said Colon.This bit was narrated perfectly in the audiobook, where the retort came out more like "Wot wot?". The phrasing "raising the stakes" also really tickled me, for some reason.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - February 2026 - The Truth by Terry Pratchett in ~books
Wes (edited )LinkSo this was my first Pratchett book. Somehow, it was everything I hoped it would be. I don't always jibe with British humor, but this worked for me. Pratchett clearly liked to play with the...So this was my first Pratchett book. Somehow, it was everything I hoped it would be.
I don't always jibe with British humor, but this worked for me. Pratchett clearly liked to play with the English language, and I found the novel charming and full of pith. There was so much clever wordplay, yet he never tarried or drew attention to it. He kept the story flowing while maintaining a steady supply of witticisms and quips.
The characters all felt unique and established. While some of them felt story-specific, I can almost guarantee that a few were recurring, such as Mr. Dibbler. He simply felt too fleshed out for a side character to be anything but.
Of the main cast, Otto was my favorite with his torturous love of
photographyiconography. Most folk had a silly air about them, though I was surprised that some of the bad dudes really were bad dudes. To throw a sack full of doggies into a river? Heavens, that's --ing mental.I'm not sure how to take the general commentary on journalism. That it's important, even if people don't care? Or that the position can be misused? Maybe there was no strong commentary at all, and it was more about exploring the role. In any case, it felt like stronger comments were directed at policemen and lawyers, who did not get off so easy.
I had a little trouble sourcing this book. I'd originally requested an audiobook from the library, but noticed too late it was an abridged copy. I found an older unabridged copy read by Stephen Briggs, but the quality was very poor. Thankfully, I was able to clean it up in Audacity using the DeepFilterNet plugin, then set up a macro to process and export all files. That worked a treat, and I was able to get a crisp, unabridged narration, which was excellent.
I've always put off starting Discworld because it's such a massive series, but now I've officially broken in. While I don't think I'll binge them - I might become a sarcastic bastard if I do - they do seem like a great interlude for when I need something lighter.
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Comment on Babylon 5 S01E01: "The Gathering" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
Wes Link ParentThe CGI in Babylon 5 is extremely early. So early they were using a bunch of Amiga 2000's networked together to render them. Some of the effects have been particularly tortured as well, as they...The CGI in Babylon 5 is extremely early. So early they were using a bunch of Amiga 2000's networked together to render them.
The FX for the pilot movie, "The Gathering", were rendered by eight networked accelerated Amiga 2000’s, with Video Toaster boards holding lightwave, and 2 meg of memory. A 486 (DX presumably) with dual hard drives and 8 gig on board acted as the novell server, as well as the central store for all the 3D assets.
Some of the effects have been particularly tortured as well, as they have been converted between letterbox and widescreen. Instead of redoing them, the effects were cropped and stretched for the new form factor.
So yeah, it definitely does not look good by today's standards. It does get better in season two, but it's still very much a time capsule of early computer rendering.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
Wes Link ParentWhat I meant is that when combining two items in an anvil, the prior work cost assigned to the new item is equal to the higher existing work cost of the two items, plus 1. So the order of those...What I meant is that when combining two items in an anvil, the prior work cost assigned to the new item is equal to the higher existing work cost of the two items, plus 1. So the order of those two items (left or right) doesn't actually matter, but the XP cost still fluctuates. My suggestion was that the game calculate the lesser of the two costs for you, as a matter of convenience.
But yeah, the order in which you combine items over multiple steps absolutely does matter. I haven't used the calculator yet, but generally you want to use a "pyramid" approach to build up towards your final tool, avoiding working the same piece as much as possible. And since there's no in-game display of prior work, you need to just remember the value for each item.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games
Wes Link ParentI've never been a huge fan of how the "prior work penalty" works. It's way too technical for how vanilla Minecraft should feel, and has a real impact on creating gear. Yet few people seem aware of...I've never been a huge fan of how the "prior work penalty" works. It's way too technical for how vanilla Minecraft should feel, and has a real impact on creating gear. Yet few people seem aware of how it works.
At the very least, I feel the prior work count of gear and enchanted books should be visible somehow, even if it requires advanced tooltips to be turned on. There's no indication right now if something has been worked before, potentially screwing up the math and "bricking" a tool. You can at best make an educated guess from the total cost of combining items in an anvil.
Which is another weird thing. I don't see why Minecraft doesn't calculate the cheapest XP cost for you, instead of requiring you to test swapping the order of items in the anvil. The work cost comes out the same either way, if I'm not mistaken.
Looks fun. Co-op ARPGs seem like a really good genre for my gaming group, so I'm always interested in seeing more.
I'm not sure on the name, though... Between WILD HEARTS and Sayonara Wild Hearts, I think this name may be overdone already.