vga256

indigenous canadian, recovering academic → game dev & interactive media artist with a penchant for dial-up modems, the 4o3 bbs scene, 1-bit art, trackers/mods, classic macs, and 80s and 90s gaming. curator of internet, canadian & gaming obscura.

game development: tomodashi studio
https://tomodashi.com

current major project: tomo, a decentralized discussion group network that's better than reddit https://tomo.city

🇨🇦
#nobot #nobots #noindex
(profile pic: a 1988 red fox 6¢ canada stamp)

my home page: http://www.dialup.cafe/~vga256
tomodashi studio: https://tomodashi.com
tomo: https://tomo.city
multimedia hyperguide retrocomputing podcast: https://podcast.vga256.com

Public Key

npub1yqwma5z0g73y9gvf0smayl9gfzakj7et7ldhc8km89gjs6vsgczqayywz8

NIP-05 Address

vga256_at_dialup.cafe@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqszq8d76p850gjz5xyhcd7j0j5y3wmf0v4l0kmurmdnj5fgdxgyvpq9uwhl3

Author Public Key

npub1yqwma5z0g73y9gvf0smayl9gfzakj7et7ldhc8km89gjs6vsgczqayywz8

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Last Notes

2025-03-31 20:16:52

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i believe it. with that many students needing extra help, it's overwhelming. i guess that's a judgment call in terms of time management at this point. if it were me, i'd see if (free) tutoring was available through one of the existing university services like student disabilities.
failing that? triage. help the ones you can, and be honest with the folks beyond resuscitation that they might consider dropping the course. it is an awful place to be, but there are limits to what we can do as instructors :\

2025-03-31 20:12:02

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ha, if you can believe it - this crappy website has a copy of the official drivers:
https://www.helpdrivers.com/sound/BTC/185x/

2025-03-31 20:06:43

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nothing to lose! give it a shot.
fwiw, BTC *did* have specific drivers for that card, unfortunately waybackmachine did not store the drivers when it archived it. it may prove useful to ask around for specific drivers for it on vogons

2025-03-31 19:54:03

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now you can sort dvd's too

2025-03-31 19:46:39

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so, most importantly, identification: card is a Behaviour Tech Computer BTC-1853L - the sticker is on the backside of the card.
specs here:
https://theretroweb.com/expansioncards/s/behavior-tech-btc-1853l
manual:
https://theretroweb.com/expansioncard/documentation/1853l-1857l-quick-install-guide-668438aec2362440771343.pdf
i'm going to assume that you've double-checked that it is plugged into the (correct) Speaker port. i noticed that there is a jumper JP4 *specifically* for switching between speaker and line out modes.
i also noticed that JP3 mute/unmutes the entire card.

2025-03-31 19:28:42

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i assume you've asked these students what they're struggling with. what are they saying?

2025-03-31 18:47:51

sick days are henry’s favourite
#catstodon
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/114/258/530/422/964/994/original/078f382f549ef4f4.jpeg

2025-03-30 21:30:53

“today, robbie from the menswear dept thought: today is the day i finally tackle that dvd rack”
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/114/253/510/667/786/413/original/d5482d27f6a525b6.jpeg

2025-03-28 18:18:01

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🥂 1995 was truly a fine vintage for irc dating on efnet and beyondirc

2025-03-28 17:35:54

@npub13ll…zf8m I forgot to thank you for writing the VAX/Sweden article yesterday. it was a real joy to read your account of meeting your (ex) through MUD.
I’ve grown to appreciate that the vast majority of people (okay, 99.9999%) have never experienced the turbulence and joy of falling in love over a text interface, and they understandably find it weird that anyone could or would. Somehow the distance and terseness of the command line creates a sense of intimacy I have rarely seen elsewhere, except perhaps in handwritten letters. It is truly a special kind of experience.

2025-03-28 17:21:28

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i can only imagine what the electricity costs are like in your area. i guess this might open up some options for self generation for both of you at some point.

2025-03-28 17:19:05

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this is the first i’ve heard of the project and it is incredibly impressive archival work. i can’t wait to start digging through it all

2025-03-23 12:53:09

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😆 yeah, i haven't modded my nginx server config for that yet. it's soooo easy to do in apache, and such a nightmare with nginx

2025-03-20 19:06:57

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👏 i'm always amazed at how ahead of the game uvic was with tech/IT, even back then.

2025-02-14 18:27:29

so has anyone done a bnc terminated coax network yet 😆
i'm trying to think of the most vile experiments for my tiny collection of 68k macs, and bnc/coax is now on the list
#macintosh #vintageApple #marchintosh

2025-01-11 17:01:13

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it’s an interesting problem. we often mistake interactivity with mechanical response, and end up with the urban equivalent of baby activity boxes. i’ve been thinking about what interactivity means (in the context of game design), and have turned to the architectural theories of christopher alexander. the theoretical frameworks in gaming are almost all mechanico-cognition, and have no real understanding of human joy in spaces

2024-11-25 19:31:01

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How about Plex? Supports lossless, and has exceptional app support for most client devices.

2024-10-27 19:48:27

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😆

2024-10-18 15:11:09

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i wouldn't hold your breath. GOG has been a mess for years, especially since CDPR went nuts with 2077. it is run by a bare skeleton crew now, so none of the games get fixes/updates.
my personal favourite: every single mac gog release inexplicably has a copy of the Harvester manual pdf in the Extras folder 😆 it has been like that for over 10 years
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/329/061/412/539/854/original/932a26b0a78531e6.png

2024-10-17 12:47:57

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😆 good idea

2024-10-14 17:11:45

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😩 it is terrifying that this appears to be an automated/boilerplate sentence used 100 times a day.

2024-10-12 11:38:10

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damn. guess it's toast.
that's exactly what i was trying to remember! type com1 - I had completely forgotten the syntax. if you can get it eating files over serial, that would be amazing

2024-10-12 11:08:11

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Doh!! I totally missed that on the original pic. Yes, I've got the SX.
you're absolutely right then - an XT-IDE ISA card is your best bet. MFM is such a weird standard.
does your 3200 have the floppy switch PRN-A-B on the side? i thought my floppy drive was dead too, but it turned out someone had flipped the switch to the wrong setting and the internal drive was ignored.

2024-10-06 23:17:11

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may have you covered:
https://archive.org/details/ftp.epson.com_199706
filename is AN500C.EXE
suspect it's the utilities disk, but unsure if the vga utility is on it

2024-10-02 22:52:47

i haven’t found good PS1 games in the wild in nearly 20 years
today i scored for $3 each!
#retrogaming #playstation #psx
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/240/277/731/505/685/original/3c5e1f3ee2b5982e.jpeg

2024-10-02 03:56:17

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that's the real attraction to making puzzles for games i think. we experience something really satisfying in the act of making a game by solving problems. infocom games pull that off really well.

2024-10-02 03:51:58

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isn't it great when you can work with abstract concepts on a very practical level? they suddenly make a lot of sense. i was so mad when i understood what cos/sine/tan actually were.

2024-09-20 14:09:54

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i consider that a "throw game box in fire" level puzzle

2024-09-20 14:07:07

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😑

2024-09-19 18:16:38

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THIS is exactly the kind of rogue imprinting that spells doom!

2024-09-19 18:14:44

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i love that they'll grow a little bigger but stay exactly as smart as they were on day 2

2024-09-19 17:29:57

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heartily recommend dosgame.club for all things old and mstdn.games for all things new

2024-09-19 13:05:11

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it was a nice surprise. i hadn't seen that myself before.

2024-09-19 06:28:09

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i somehow managed to mentally block out that it got a sequel until i saw the guy's pic of it this evening.
i took phantasmagoria instead. it's hard to imagine that being a lesser evil to anything, and yet, here we are

2024-09-19 06:03:36

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it is hard to believe that copies of the Dig still exist out there.
... he also had Outpost 1 and Outpost 2...
... I did not give in.

2024-09-19 06:01:34

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🙌 i waited 25 years to finally get a copy!

2024-09-19 03:11:55

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😅

2024-09-19 03:11:34

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😂

2024-09-19 02:47:50

did i just drive 300 km one way in the middle of the night to pick up fifteen big box games.
yes.
yes i did.
#bigboxgames #retrogaming
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/161/928/047/459/456/original/37205507693544f8.jpeg

2024-09-19 02:42:01

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totally agree!

2024-09-18 21:12:53

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happily, i began writing letters by hand about 10 years ago, and my handwriting returned after 20 years of looking like bad printing (at best). after that, all of my notebooks are full of handwriting and i cannot go back to printing - it's too slow!

2024-09-18 21:02:59

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i fear that most of the civilized world has forgotten too. i found them dirt cheap at thrift shops. i doubt they're still in print, but thankfully they are *dirt cheap* from used book sellers

2024-09-18 20:49:46

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it's funny that in ~2000 when I first heard about avernum and spiderweb, i *knew* the artwork sucked but I couldn't have cared less. i was *so* into the world in the first 5 minutes of the game, wandering around unlocking doors and greeting strangers. the portrait artwork grew on me very quickly, and became familiar like an old sock with a hole in the heel

2024-09-18 20:28:19

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i shared the same feelings, honestly. it brought a kind of blandness to the world that made the ah, charming... art... of the earlier games visually enjoyable. they were never beautiful, but they were never boring either.
truth be told, my favourite art is from the first Avernum with the terrible avatar drawings. i love them.

2024-09-18 20:08:28

re: my last post - if you didn't already know, Stephen Biesty has the most beautifully animated and hilariously voiced multimedia version of Incredible Cross-Sections, called: Stowaway!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9jKE6Y7vJQ
#retroGaming #windows311

2024-09-18 19:34:48

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whaaaat. i think i’ll back this!

2024-09-18 19:25:03

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how could i forget these two absolutely hilarious and informative illustrated texts on medieval and 18th century life.
i’ve had them sitting on the shelves for years, and realized they make a compelling visual reference
#bookstodon #illustration #books
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/160/180/724/186/161/original/925601e6e7ad6ac5.jpeg
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/160/181/302/073/672/original/4ee60c57c419aff2.jpeg
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/160/181/381/700/993/original/d03317bc8fd69764.jpeg

2024-09-18 17:52:30

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although they are often buried in obscure locations, there are three used bookstores that still feel like old bookstores:
(for more academic/historical/reference books)
- Alhambra Books
- The Book Seller
- The Edmonton Book Store
(for more popular books)
- Wee Book Inn

2024-09-18 17:45:36

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fantastic - thank you for the reference!

2024-09-18 03:10:54

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it’s no carrot river

2024-09-17 23:31:58

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there’s a lot more scientific thought in the book which i appreciate. it does turn into an action novel about halfway through which is what the film really modelled itself after. the best part for me is what an asshole Hammond is instead of dear ol grandpa

2024-09-17 23:29:00

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adding to the aforementioned bibliography of books concerning the intersection of the 15th-19th centuries and technological change. found them at a local used bookstore.
web searches for broad topics like this are often fruitless. a good library or academic bookstore already has this presorted by topic.
#bookstodon #books
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/155/484/494/660/641/original/70c34ba317a7596c.jpeg

2024-09-17 20:17:44

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if you use your 3GS as your daily driver with your SIM card, it is not capable to forwarding iMessages to other devices because that option was added in later versions of iOS

2024-09-17 18:04:32

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if you ever figure out a workaround that would allow iMessage forwarding to other devices with a 3GS, i'm all ears.

2024-09-17 17:37:18

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fantastic! mine was still working as of 6 months ago as well

2024-09-17 14:45:28

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i'm fascinated that the Pleasure Dome shares the same name as an austrian hacker board which was famous as well https://demozoo.org/bbs/2949/

2024-09-17 02:26:06

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interesting - i missed that!

2024-09-17 02:22:28

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😎

2024-09-17 02:12:55

wondrous Boardwatch BBS magazine "top 100" boards in the united states from 1994. this was based on a reader's choice vote-in.
the first two boards are (respectively) the homes of Apogee software and Epic MegaGames shareware publishers.
now just guess how many of the remaining 98 are porn boards!
credit: @fearfair on /r/bbs: https://i.redd.it/5pb1m577m9pd1.jpeg
#shareware #bbs #retroGaming
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/150/451/506/438/249/original/f00e63a537f0dfa2.jpeg

2024-09-17 01:49:07

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2 was a travesty. iirc, it was developed by a third party company. most of the game was completing "missions" and it completely lost the joy of just building on the landscape

2024-09-16 22:17:52

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https://dialup.cafe/@vga256/112877515963134586
link to original .htaccess/apache version is at the top of the linked page

2024-09-16 21:42:19

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answering my own question yesterday re: heideggerian technological change and the first industrial revolution:
there does not seem to be any specific agreed upon text that covers the above historical question - however, i've cobbled together a patchwork of related readings:
Miller, Adam. (Dissertation). Enframing and Enlightenment:
A Phenomenological History of Eighteenth-Century British Science, Technology, and Literature. https://ir.vanderbilt.edu/bitstream/handle/1803/13807/miller_adam.pdf?sequence=1
Landes, David S. The Unbound Prometheus: Technological Change and Industrial Development in Western Europe from 1750 to the Present.
Mantoux, Paul. The Industrial Revolution in the Eighteenth Century.
McNeil, Ian. An Encyclopaedia of the history of technolology.
#academicMastodon #history

2024-09-16 21:32:07

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if by decorative you mean knows how to spread everything around on the floor and bite it, then yes!

2024-09-16 20:55:39

my wife is decorating the house for autumn and ms badgirl had to help out
#catsofmastodon
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/149/222/064/406/525/original/6bdd92c746ee2af4.jpeg

2024-09-16 20:21:29

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https://dialup.cafe/@vga256/112131600671039083

2024-09-16 17:54:39

you... you included regina, but edmonton didn't make the cut?
😭
#RetroGaming #canada #yeg
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/148/504/326/320/765/original/25448954c153be59.jpg
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/148/510/070/002/689/original/b9003b8eef6121f2.png

2024-09-16 17:34:31

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there are few modern joys like carrying home an old pc that someone has discarded at the road or in a dumpster.

2024-09-16 02:39:30

i found this 2009 macbook air for sale locally today, and i smirked "ha, an obvious fake. look at the exposed hinges! and vents underneath!"
........ it's genuine 😱
i don't even know what to call this freak of nature. it's like a TiBook banged a macbook pro and they kept the bastard offspring a secret
#vintageApple #apple
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/144/901/610/759/082/original/59d2b5e22d983ef8.jpg
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/144/901/706/094/683/original/25338293acbf3e2b.jpg

2024-09-15 15:21:04

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oh neat. and that totally could have been the case in Trinity too - i only got 1/3 through when the puzzle difficulty went insane

2024-09-15 15:13:45

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that's interesting. i didn't see that style of writing in Trinity - it was mostly descriptive text.

2024-09-15 15:03:38

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😆 that's such a missed opportunity. "HINTS OFF" would have been such a straightforward thing to add.

2024-09-15 14:35:34

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wow! i had no idea they implemented an in-game sonar. that's surprisingly un-infocom, and i love it.

2024-09-14 16:41:26

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🤣 this is an era of pinball i have zero experience with. i find it truly deplorable and hilarious

2024-09-14 16:32:28

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Lol! that is so vile. i had no idea they pulled these kinds of pricing stunts.

2024-09-14 16:31:47

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it’s always a tough call to make. we tend to ignore the effects it has on our home value and focus on the lifestyle improvements instead. eg. changing our old windows to new triple pane ones. we had no idea how much more livable it made our home.

2024-09-14 16:29:56

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oh boy. haha it ends very differently.

2024-09-14 14:37:15

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i played and finished Cutthroats years ago, and I count it as one of the most enjoyable adventure games I've ever played.

2024-09-13 15:08:21

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some kid's christmas ruined in 2000

2024-09-13 14:47:25

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😭

2024-09-13 14:44:59

grandma & grandpa: the person at EB said the PSone was their most popular console, but i found it at KMart for 70% off! and it came with a bunch of games too!
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/130/768/383/859/659/original/354c12bf9017f35e.jpg
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/130/768/475/291/303/original/a974a33396b23167.jpg
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/130/768/557/021/395/original/a25ed8810476d1eb.jpg

2024-09-13 14:18:38

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completely agree!

2024-09-13 04:40:18

so we've had our fun with Local/globalTalk on our macs earlier this year
now i'd like to know: why haven't we set up a WinPopUp + NetBEUI global network 🤔
#retroComputing
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/128/398/107/656/266/original/a50edbd53d776bc0.gif

2024-09-13 04:27:42

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no joke: just today i was listening to a podcast about the garbage maze in Hugo's House of Horrors, and wondered to myself if you'd enjoy that piece of shit

2024-09-13 04:15:00

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it's such a small detail but jesus it's annoying

2024-09-13 04:12:18

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i think i know what you mean. in Lure (and in BASS) there's this feeling that you're stepping around a bunch of robots and automatons, and not really characters. i wish it felt more organic

2024-09-13 04:08:01

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totally. i remember how i'd hunt around for pan sometimes because he wouldn't always be in the same place.

2024-09-13 04:01:11

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that reminds me of something no one really talks about: KQ4 has a much more reactive, dynamic world than SQ3. SQ is pretty and fun, but it never quite feels like a place. KQ4 really nails it with the day/night cycles

2024-09-13 03:38:02

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oh interesting! so there IS a hint/description available. i've never seen that prompt before. i never thought to stand closer to the boat to do it.

2024-09-13 03:30:09

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as far as I know, there is no way of knowing there is a bridle hidden behind the wrecked boat on the desert island. i've never understood that puzzle at all.

2024-09-13 03:05:49

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that's a tough one. I think for me, it's going to be SQ3 - if only because it has some of the most beautiful EGA art and MT32 music in all of sierra's work. but puzzles-wise, both are honestly pretty goofy - KQ4 definitely has some of the most frustratingly unfair puzzles i've ever dealt with.

2024-09-13 00:19:41

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🤣

2024-09-12 20:48:06

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last week i remembered that when my sister and i were 10, we named our new kitten Sierra. literally because the only thing we could agree upon was that KQ4 and SQ3 were perfect

2024-09-12 20:44:54

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if i think back to being a kid in the early 90s, the only games i cared about were sierra titles. i barely even knew lucasarts existed (aside from TF/XW). my first infocom game was return to zork heh

2024-09-12 20:38:44

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that would make sense. i think trinity tanked. and looking at his game chronology it's hilarious to me that he got "worse" over time with difficulty: wishbringer was his first title!

2024-09-12 20:36:13

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me too. i was such a sucker for compilation packs as a kid. that's why i grabbed this one for you the second i saw it haha - i think i've only ever found two different infocom boxes locally in 30 years

2024-09-12 20:19:54

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your notes are far nicer than the hastily xeroxed manuals in that book

2024-09-12 20:18:49

one of the small pleasures i've held on to from half a lifetime in education systems: every september, i go to the university bookstore and pick up new stationery for the "school year"
this year's unexpected surprise were these beautiful stamps featuring canadian comic book authors (from top left, clockwise): chester brown, michel rabagliati, jillian tamaki, seth
#fountainpens #philately
https://dialup.cafe/system/media_attachments/files/113/126/417/424/474/513/original/f2f2e8c3cce4e42e.jpeg

2024-09-12 20:14:54

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haha i think that's probably VERY accurate. his titles were famous for selling very poorly.

2024-09-12 16:54:47

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wow! there are not very many of those beginner-level infocom games - especially from moriarty. i'm looking forward to giving it a try. one thing i really like about his writing style is that it's witty without being overtly comedic.

2024-09-12 16:27:42

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oh interesting. this is one of those infocom titles i haven't gotten around to trying yet. i tried his Trinity several times, but bounced off after the viciously difficult puzzles (which it is known for)