Wes's recent activity
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Comment on Silksong should’ve came with a guide from developers in ~games
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Comment on Silksong should’ve came with a guide from developers in ~games
Wes Link ParentFirst, it felt very sudden to me. Acts 1 and 2 weren't exactly short, but the ending seemed to come out of nowhere. It was a very easy boss, and there was no real build up or denouement to that...First, it felt very sudden to me. Acts 1 and 2 weren't exactly short, but the ending seemed to come out of nowhere. It was a very easy boss, and there was no real build up or denouement to that point. My actual spoken reaction was "Wait, what?" when the credits rolled.
Second, the ending itself felt like a "bad ending". Hornet absorbs the Grand Mother's power and starts to transform. Your masks in the HUD turn into 6-eyed masks, and Hornet absorbs an ungodly amount of silk. In the next scene, she's shown insulated inside a cocoon, and begins to painfully grow limbs. It didn't seem right.
I had the feeling there was more, so I went to the usual haunts (Bone Bottom, Bellhart, Songclave) and asked around. One of the NPCs had some unique dialogue which then pointed me in the right direction.
Don't get me wrong, I still had some cleanup to do once I finished Act 3. I missed three bosses and an entire area. There's plenty of secrets buried deep! Thankfully, very little of the content is fully missable, so I was still able to max out my upgrades and such afterwards.
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Comment on Silksong should’ve came with a guide from developers in ~games
Wes LinkI also just played through Silksong and loved it. It took me about 70 hours to get 100% and all collectables. The Bilewater bench you mentioned was the one and only time I broke my own rule about...I also just played through Silksong and loved it. It took me about 70 hours to get 100% and all collectables.
The Bilewater bench you mentioned was the one and only time I broke my own rule about spoilers and looked it up. I searched long and hard for the shortcut/bench, knowing there must be one, and was getting way too frustrated with the area.
Later I kicked myself, because I'd been over that breakable wall 2 or 3 times without seeing it, but I agree it was very well hidden.
Beyond that though, I thought everything was pretty discoverable. I'll not go into any details because I don't know where you are now, but Act 3 feels pretty signposted posted once you finish Act 2. It took a little experimentation to figure out where to go exactly, but I feel there's enough hints to point you in the right direction. The Act 2 ending feels rather incomplete otherwise.
Similarly with backtracking, the game does provide map markers for points of interest that you run into along the way. My map was bespeckled with them by the end. I think that mostly eliminates the need for a notebook (though Steam's Notes feature is still very convenient for metroidvanias).
I hope you're able to enjoy the rest of the game even with these frustrations!
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Comment on Tildes Book Club Discussion - September 2025 - Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang in ~books
Wes LinkThis is one of the better story collections I've read. It had a lot of diversity, with each story feeling unique and yet additive to a greater whole. It touched on themes of searching for meaning,...This is one of the better story collections I've read. It had a lot of diversity, with each story feeling unique and yet additive to a greater whole. It touched on themes of searching for meaning, human strife, and eventual transcendence.
I'll share my thoughts on each story.
- Tower of Babylon: I thought this was a good opener. A bit of a plodding pace at times, but that feeling matched the progression of the climb. I enjoyed the idea of telling a biblical story as if it were real, and exploring the ramifications of that. What would society look like if the tower were real?
- Understand: I had a little trouble getting into this one. It was an interesting way of trying to interpret super-intelligence, which seems by its nature difficult to describe. I have to admit that I kept expecting the main character to actually be paranoid/delusional, with everything being in their head; particularly when he decides that he must have a super-intelligent nemesis because a few stock tickers went down marginally. The concept reminded me of a Blake Crouch novel, where an interesting sci-fi premise is taken to its logical extreme.
- Division by Zero: This was definitely the most difficult story. It touches on real themes of hopelessness, and the language used throughout was very personal despite the premise being so abstract. Being unable to explain why you feel so miserable because you just don't have the words is something a lot of people can likely relate to.
- Story of Your Life: This was my favourite story by a large margin. I find linguistics quite interesting, so the premise of establishing a basic grammar with a responsive but completely unfamiliar species was fascinating to me. I really like how the B-story is told out of sequence, since it blends with the A-story as we learn more about hexopods. The personal tragedy told through the daughter's future history enriches this one further, and really humanizes what was ostensibly a story about aliens. Loved it.
- Seventy-Two Letters: I liked this one a lot too. The steampunk and old-timey universe was a good break from some of the future stories. The story overall reminded me a lot of Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker, both with the concept of imbuing life into material objects, and by having strict rules behind such a "magic system". The story itself wasn't the most engaging, but I liked the world building and originality. The argument over dextrous automatons taking jobs also felt oddly reminiscent of modern AI arguments, though was perhaps more directly aimed at the industrial revolution.
- Evolution of Human Science: This one was definitely short. It felt more like a premise for a sci-fi world than a story itself. The author once again plays with the idea that complex concepts require a unique language to describe them. I like that consideration is given to the societal impact of sudden and advanced technology, and asks what kinds of divisions that might create.
- Hell Is the Absence of God: I enjoyed how this one starts as a normal-seeming story until you've suddenly got angels running amok. It's a great shift of the universal question from "Does God exist?", to "Should I love a God that obviously exists?". Faith is meaningless in this universe. With the ending, I was reminded a little of the Scholar's Tale from Hyperion: is a God that can be so cruel still a God worth loving?
- Liking What You See: A Documentary: A strong closing story. Judging others on their appearance ("lookism") is of course a real phenomenon, but it's not something we currently consider a form of discrimination. Maybe we should? This story explores that idea from both sides, and I thought made some good arguments both for and against. The framing as an impartial third-party worked really well to that end. I think most people would be turned off by the idea of calli since it's described as a "lesion on your brain". But honestly, would that be a show stopper for parents if it produced better-adjusted children? Right now, over 70% of boys born in the United States are circumcised, undergoing an irreversible surgery in their first months of life. At least with calli, it can be undone in just a few minutes using a techno-helmet. I enjoyed this story, and thought it explored well a major aspect of inequality that our society current just accepts as a given.
I think I'll be taking October off to return to my own reading for a while, but will return in November for Bob if I can find a copy somewhere (do your thing, sale-posting people!).
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Comment on Former FBI director James Comey indicted for making false statement to US Congress and obstruction of justice in ~society
Wes LinkSee previous discussion.See previous discussion.
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Comment on My take on Apple's Liquid Glass in ~tech
Wes Link ParentYes, I strongly suggest just using prefers-color-scheme or light-dark() and foregoing the JS switcher. Fetching the theme preference via localStorage takes too long, and the page has already...Yes, I strongly suggest just using
prefers-color-schemeorlight-dark()and foregoing the JS switcher. Fetching the theme preference via localStorage takes too long, and the page has already rendered by that point (resulting in a flash).It's likely possible to delay the paint, but it's much easier to just follow the system's color preference.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Wes Link ParentNot quite, but close. I completely missed the Dragon Priestess questline. I simply took a left instead of a right, and so never encountered her before fighting Bayle. I didn't even realize there...Not quite, but close. I completely missed the Dragon Priestess questline. I simply took a left instead of a right, and so never encountered her before fighting Bayle. I didn't even realize there was a questline until after I'd finished and checked the wiki.
Igon was a great character. I'd have been devastated if I missed his battle cry. FromSoft always have some incredible voice acting, and Elden Ring in particular has so much emotion put into many voice lines.
Arise now, ye Tarnished. Ye dead, who yet live. The call of long-lost grace speaks to us all.
Sekiro also deserves mention here, with the first and final bosses having some incredible deliveries.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Wes LinkAfter three and a half years, I finally went back to Elden Ring and finished the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. I bought the DLC when it first released, but found I was still too burnt out to actually...After three and a half years, I finally went back to Elden Ring and finished the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
I bought the DLC when it first released, but found I was still too burnt out to actually play. Since then, I've been trying to dodge DLC spoilers while telling myself I'd definitely get back to it soon.
Elden Ring is a big game. On my first playthrough, I spent some 250 hours just exploring every nook and cranny, and testing out different weapons and builds. I also spent an inordinate amount of time piecing together the story. This was before wikis and "loretubers" had it all figured out, so I read every item description myself to put together a timeline of events. This was rewarding, but also exhausting.
My original goal was to collect every item. Doing so required a NG+ run to collect all boss weapons, and to also redo the quest lines I messed up the first time. Quests in Souls games can be quite cryptic, so this is expected. I had started the NG+ run, but quickly found I just didn't have the energy to play through the game again. So I put it down, and didn't pick it up again for over three years.
The impetus for finally doing so was the recent release of Nightreign. The game plays a lot like Elden Ring, but faster and in a roguelike format. I picked it up with some friends, and it rekindled my interest enough to dust off the normal Elden Ring again.
Thankfully, I found the game considerably faster the second time around. You can really move in NG+. Though even overleveled, there's still an absurd amount of content. It doesn't help that I completed every cave and side dungeon again.
At this point, I was finally ready to jump into the DLC. And let me say, it completely exceeded my expectations. The overworld map is so layered and deceptively large. The dungeons each feel unique and interesting to explore. The bosses are also a high point. There was far less boss reuse than in the base game, and they're each brilliant in their own way. The new musical themes were also very good. This is a true and proper expansion pack.
I did find I was quite overleveled at the start, unfortunately, so I abstained from using the scadutree blessings for most of the game. I finished the final boss fight at blessing level 3, which was fun but challenging.
Being that this was a blind playthrough of the DLC, I of course messed up a quest line. So one day I might need to revisit with a NG+2 playthrough to fix those mistakes. That day can wait. For now, I'm happy to close the book on Elden Ring and call it finished.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Last Express in ~games
Wes Link ParentThis 100% happened to me. It was a little sad to watch the game rewind half the train route to fix my mistake, but the matter-of-factness of it was funny. "Did you forget the Firebird?". Why yes,...Not only can you lose it to Kahina stealing it, you also lose it if you unhitch the cars and it's still in your compartment.
This 100% happened to me. It was a little sad to watch the game rewind half the train route to fix my mistake, but the matter-of-factness of it was funny. "Did you forget the Firebird?". Why yes, yes I did.
I found you can actually place the egg in both the carrying case in your compartment, or hide it under your bathroom sink. Both result in the egg being stolen, but it's interesting that the game actually gives you those options. It makes it feel like you have a little more autonomy.
I do agree that the notch in the kennel felt a little cheap. I will say that it helped draw my attention to it, so I was able to guess it was a hiding spot without having to try any Monkey Island-style logic. But there likely could've been a more subtle way of pulling that off. Maybe to give the cage an open back, and push it against a natural wall with a deformation. Or even something a little silly like having a water bowl that happens to be in the shape of an egg pedestal.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Last Express in ~games
Wes Link ParentThanks for sharing a very heartfelt comment, and for kicking off this whole thing to begin with. First, I love that quote by @vili. It really illustrates just how differently we view games today....Thanks for sharing a very heartfelt comment, and for kicking off this whole thing to begin with.
First, I love that quote by @vili. It really illustrates just how differently we view games today. There is now a glut of new titles which constantly vie for our attention. Gone are the days where scarcity drove us to explore an individual game so deeply that we knew its every detail. The variety is great, and I don't think I'd want to go back, but it does feel that we've lost some personal connection to these games, as you've expressed so well above.
To your comments on the game, I also noticed the lesbian relationship in the journal entries, and thought that was quite forward for the time. Obviously the game takes place in the 1910s, but even during the game's release in the 1990s, gay relationships were still not that openly discussed (and were more often used as a punchline in media). So it's nice to see some positive representation.
Putting that information in a journal was an interesting way of making the relationship explicit, while also sidestepping the use of gay tropes or being overly-blunt about it. They're just a normal, happy couple, and it's only by digging through their personal things that you learn of their relationship. In that context, it makes you feel like you're the odd one for snooping, and they're just regular people going on a trip. Indeed, Sophie and Rebecca seem like the only two regular people on the train, while everybody else is either an assassin, spy, or some other player with their own agenda.
On "unintentional comedy", I felt like the conductor must have been barely keeping his cool as he reminded me for the 30th time that "This is not your compartment, sir". I apologize as I move one step forward and try the next door.
On "weird plot point 3", I noticed that Max disappeared for the last chapter too, only to reappear in the final cutscene. I looked for him a couple times after disconnecting the sleeper cars, but decided he must have been left behind. It might've been a nice detail if they'd shown him hanging out in the kennel, even if his "plot relevance" had ended by that point.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Last Express in ~games
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Last Express in ~games
Wes Link ParentA little bit, yes. In the beginning, you're put in a bad situation and need to take action by dumping the body of your friend. It's heartless, but necessary. Later, stealing the gold and working...Did "being" Cath bother you at all?
A little bit, yes. In the beginning, you're put in a bad situation and need to take action by dumping the body of your friend. It's heartless, but necessary. Later, stealing the gold and working with an arms dealer also feel like unavoidable steps in the moment.
However, towards the end of the game, you are finally in control. You direct the survivors to safety, and set the course for the train. Instead of choosing to de-escalate the situation and defer to authorities, you still choose to continue on to Constantinople and reach the final confrontation. It suggests that Cath isn't just being blindsided by all this, but is an active player and wants to win the game.
That said, I don't think Cath is all bad. I'd believe that his trouble with the police may have really been a misunderstanding. But he's clearly no stranger to being on the wrong side of the law, and seemed familiar with both manipulation and taking what he wanted.
He struck me as a flawed character with a mix of scruples and avarice.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏️ The Last Express in ~games
Wes LinkI found this game very charming. This was the first real time adventure title I've played, so I found it quite novel in execution. I played the Gold Edition on Steam, and spent 14 hours with it. I...I found this game very charming. This was the first real time adventure title I've played, so I found it quite novel in execution. I played the Gold Edition on Steam, and spent 14 hours with it.
I both liked and disliked the tension that real time added. It makes you feel like you should always be doing something, and that keeps you moving. I'd often "do the rounds" and check each car to see what was going on. Often though, I'd replay a section and find something I'd completely missed just because I wasn't there to see it the first time.
Occasionally, there were periods of dead time where I needed to wait. Usually this happened when I'd already reached a fail state, rewinded, and needed to wait to try a different approach. As far as I could tell, there is no way to accelerate time.
I found the game a little challenging, mostly around Vienna (chapter 5). That was the only time I had to seek external help. I'd completely missed the secret compartment in the jewelry box which granted the master key. I also thought I was supposed to swap the egg for the gold, and it took me way too long to cop on that I could steal the gold myself.
Otherwise, I used the in-game hint system on just a couple occasions. At one point, I missed a hidden button on Kronos' painting, and later used a hint to learn that you needed paper to defuse the bomb. Everything else I managed to work out through trial and error.
One example of this is when Kronos' goon kept stealing the egg. After realizing it wasn't a mutual "swap" like I thought, I'd tried multiple hiding spots, as well as locking my compartment, before determining that I really needed to use the dog kennel. I knew that was an option early on, but avoided it because it was often difficult to access. Sidenote: is there a way to distract the trainmaster? I started writing down his schedule just to keep on top of it.
Later, when Alexei was killed, I tried a bunch of different things to save him. I tried warding him off, waiting in the room, and distracting Tatiana, but it seemed destined. So long, Alexei. At least he had some pretty badass dying words: Long live anarchy!
Overall, I thought the story was great. It was packed full for its runtime, and offered enough hints and foreshadowing that you could pick up on story threads even early on. I spotted Alexei building his bomb on day 1, and kept checking up on him as a result. I thought I was being clever when I stole the detonator from him, but the cheeky bugger just found a different clock to use. It led to this hilarious dialogue:
"Good job, old boy. Speaking of which, you didn't happen to find the dynamite, did you?"
"Dynamite? What dynamite?"
-cuts to train exploding-The characters felt rich, and they interacted wonderfully. Everybody had a role to play in the end, and even unimportant characters got some backstory. I love the conductor that draws what he sees, including this loveable scamp.
I wasn't sure how to feel about the art style at first. In some ways it felt a little crude and stuttery, and yet totally unique and authentic. I gave it a chance and found that it quickly won me over. The low framerate makes a lot of sense if every frame needs to be drawn (or at least arranged) by hand. It also had some lovely environmental art, such as when you're outside of the train. Though I would have preferred if those scenes showed a little more motion, as it wasn't always clear when the train was actually moving.
Probably my biggest hang-up was the controls. I struggled with them from beginning to end. Eventually I got a handle on what the icons mean and where to click, but even after 5 hours I found myself getting turned around. I liked that you could double click to speed through a compartment, but I seemed to have a bug where this would sometimes activate with even a single click. As a result, I kept accidentally shooting out of the car when trying to move just one or two positions. A very frustrating bug!
The combat added another layer of challenge -- especially when it picked up around chapter 6. I must failed that final sword fight a dozen times. It never felt unfair though, and I liked that combat gained depth and additional challenge in the later chapters.
I finished the game, and got a rather bittersweet ending. We survived, but Anna left as WW1 kicked off around us. Tatiana, embittered and still in shock, destroyed the train with the guns and herself inside. I suppose there never was a happy ending here.
I had a good time with this game, which surprised me a little. I really don't have a lot of experience playing point-and-click or adventure titles. I find the genre is often quite frustrating, at least until you crack your current puzzle and feel a sense of exhilaration with the "a-ha!" moment.
I was glad this one wasn't heavy on "pixel hunting", and most of the click zones were quite large. Instead it was more about observation and knowledge gathering. Though there were a few specific clicks needed, like in the case of the jewelry box. I did at least disconnect the train completely by accident in chapter 6, so that was a freebie.
This game was a great nomination and pick. I enjoyed the deductive-style gameplay, and hope everyone else had fun too.
Going forward: I don't know if I'll consider myself a member of the CGA Club exactly, since this was all a bit impromptu, but I'm certainly going to take a look at future picks and see what else strikes my fancy. You did a great write-up as our very first hostess, @CannibalisticApple.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Last Express in ~games
Wes LinkIf you missed the Steam sale like I did, the game is currently discounted at Fanatical for 80% off. They provide a Steam key for the gold edition....If you missed the Steam sale like I did, the game is currently discounted at Fanatical for 80% off. They provide a Steam key for the gold edition.
https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-last-express-gold-edition
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Comment on Blizzard shuts down Project Epoch, another WoW private server in ~games
Wes Link ParentEven if the client is free to download, only Blizzard would have the right to distribute that software and all the assets alongside it. For that reason, it would be better to let people download...Even if the client is free to download, only Blizzard would have the right to distribute that software and all the assets alongside it. For that reason, it would be better to let people download the regular client from Blizzard, and then patch it to make any necessary changes. This is also how romhacks operate today – by patching an existing rom, rather than distributing copyrighted assets.
It's true that a lawsuit from a large company would make anyone buckle. However, I think the idea is that it's far less likely that they would file a suit if there's no legal basis for doing so. Clean-room reverse engineering is legal, and has a number of historical examples such as Wine, ReactOS, and ScummVM.
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Comment on Blizzard shuts down Project Epoch, another WoW private server in ~games
Wes Link ParentAh, that would definitely be a no-go then. I was expecting that users just updated their hosts file to point at another server, or that some software ran in front which bootstraps the change. So...Ah, that would definitely be a no-go then. I was expecting that users just updated their
hostsfile to point at another server, or that some software ran in front which bootstraps the change.So presumably private servers could exist, but they'd need to be built in a more legal way.
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Comment on Blizzard shuts down Project Epoch, another WoW private server in ~games
Wes LinkWere the private servers built in a clean-room environment using reverse-engineering, or are they based on leaked or copyrighted code? I'm curious to understand what right Blizzard has in taking...Were the private servers built in a clean-room environment using reverse-engineering, or are they based on leaked or copyrighted code? I'm curious to understand what right Blizzard has in taking these projects down.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club - Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang - How is it going? in ~books
Wes LinkI'm on the fifth story now, Seventy-Two Letters. I've enjoyed everything so far, but some more than others. As @tanglisha said, there's a lot of variety and tonal changes between stories. Some are...I'm on the fifth story now, Seventy-Two Letters. I've enjoyed everything so far, but some more than others. As @tanglisha said, there's a lot of variety and tonal changes between stories. Some are very nerdy, while others are emotional and somber.
Since it's a short story collection, it's tough to give "thoughts so far" without giving anything away on earlier stories, so I'll keep mum and wait for the discussion thread proper.
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Comment on Has anyone else run up against higher costs due to the US tariffs? in ~society
Wes Link ParentTariffs are probably not being folded into the base item price, because that then increases the amount of the tariff itself, which then means you need to increase the price further to cover the...I haven’t encountered the “tariff” line item on any online purchases, but I am sure that I’m paying for them in the list price.
Tariffs are probably not being folded into the base item price, because that then increases the amount of the tariff itself, which then means you need to increase the price further to cover the higher tariff, and so on. It's more likely being folded into the shipping, or added as a surcharge.
I recently worked with a business to increase prices after the de minimis exemption was lifted. We briefly tried putting tariffs in as a line item, but quickly found it upset customers who either felt they were being robbed, or believed it was some kind of conspiracy and that "the other country should pay for it". So we moved it into the shipping price instead and it's been smoother ever since.
I wouldn't be surprised if other businesses have come to the same conclusion. I would expect shipping costs to be considerably higher when crossing the border now.
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Comment on The case for cultured meat has changed in ~food
Wes Link Parent"Greedflation" as a concept is ascribing intent to market forces, and doesn't really exist. Corporations have always set the price as high as the market could bear (ie. "greed"). That didn't..."Greedflation" as a concept is ascribing intent to market forces, and doesn't really exist. Corporations have always set the price as high as the market could bear (ie. "greed"). That didn't change under covid. What did change was the sudden injection of new money, the disruption to existing supply lines, and the resulting global inflation. Each of these factors created new market thresholds, which resulted in globally higher prices.
The variables changed, but the formula has stayed the same.
I missed your items 2 and 3 as well. Thankfully, they're not required for 100% completion.
On your fourth item, I don't believe that is missable. The original enemy is still available in Act 3 (try deeper).
I found this save game analyzer that made it a lot easier to finish up my bestiary. It includes links to a Map Genie site that shows where each enemy can be found. It doesn't cover every category of collectable yet, but gets you most of the way there.