atomicpoet

atomicpoet, 5 days ago to random

Truth be told, I’m only interested in PC hardware to a point: being able to give me the performance I want.

Once I have the hardware, I don’t give a damn about tweaks or overclocks.

All I want is the ability to play whatever games in my library.

atomicpoet, 5 days ago to random

It’s kind of unfair to call the Mac a platform when, in fact, it’s a collection of platforms.

We can divide Macs into four CPU eras:

1. 68K
2. PowerPC
3. x86
4. ARM

And, of course, there’s two OS eras: classic Mac and OS X.

atomicpoet, 5 days ago to random

In the 90s, movies still featured people speaking with Transatlantic accents.

It’s funny, though. I’ve never met anyone who, in real life, who spoke with one. Not even rich people.

atomicpoet, 5 days ago to random

My kid is watching Jurassic Park: The Lost World on VHS with a CRT.

She saw the original Jurassic Park and loved it, so she is pumped to see the sequel.

atomicpoet, 5 days ago (edited 5 days ago) to random

Conversations about video games befuddle me.

For example, why does no one talk about Timberman?

Originally released in 2014, this is an extremely successful game that started life on mobile platforms, found its way to PC, and eventually the arcade. I’ve seen this game everywhere.

Not only that, almost everyone who’s played it loves it. On Steam, it ha a 93% positive rating. Critics – the type who actually pay attention to games like this – heap praise upon it.

At one time, Tech Crunch even said, “Timberman is the new Flappy Bird!”

I have a funny feeling why this game tends to fall through the cracks – at least as far video game tastemakers are concerned: this started life as a “simple” mobile game.

And the tastemakers don’t like mobile games. They’re not “real” games, they say.

Yet, all these tastemakers agree that arcade games – the type released in the 70s and 80s – are “real” games. Yeah, they’ll wax poetic about Pac-Man, Tapper, Mappy. They praise those games as classics.

Well, never mind where Timberman originated, it’s an arcade game. It is easy to pick up and play, but hard to master. All you’re doing is chopping wood. But believe me, getting a high score gives a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.

This game has been so damn successful it’s spurred lots of sequels. We got Timberman VS, which emphasized multiplayer. There’s even Timberman VR, which (your guessed it) brings Timberman to a virtual reality environment. And last year, we got Timberman: The Big Adventure, which was a 2D platformer with 16-bit pixel art.

Timberman is well-loved. It deserves to be remembered. If you haven’t played Timberman, and you love old arcade games, then you should probably try it out.

This is one of those games that deserves a retrospective. At the very least, it deserves a conversation.

atomicpoet, 5 days ago to random

Yeah, I get it. I get that when Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins came out in 1994, it was a big deal.

For the time, this game was a technical marvel. It was an interactive first person adventure. There was CGI animation at a time when this sort of thing was in its infancy, along with CD-quality sound.

Dragon Lore showed the capabilities of PC gaming. Few consoles could even dream of rendering this game. No wonder it was bundled with so many multimedia kits. It was a commercial success too.

Thing is, I don’t find it fun.

If I had to choose between Dragon Lore and Final Fantasy III – which came out during the same year – I’d pick Final Fantasy III any day of the week.

For one thing, doing everything with a mouse is brutal. What’s worse is that there’s no on-screen hints on what to do. There is a manual. Yes, I’ve read it, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

Graphically, it sucks that there’s no animation to move forward or backwards. All you can do is click your mouse to go forward and you move another tile. The problem is, you don’t know which place is allowable to go and which ones aren’t. So you end up clicking all over the screen just for the hope you can move.

I understand that this was par for the course for point-and-click adventures back in the day, but at least with those games, the mouse gave hints.

The other thing is, this was the age of Doom. We had first person games that allowed for smooth movement forward, backward, even side-to-side. Even The Elder Scrolls: Arena – which again came out during the same year – was better in this regard.

In some respects, I understand what Dragon Lore was going for. This is less a traditional game and more an interactive movie. But when controls get in the way of the movie, that is a problem.

I meet a lot of people who tell me, “Retro games are better than modern games.”

Such people are clearly wearing rose-coloured glasses because if Dragon Lore came out today, everyone would be crying bloody murder. No one would put up with Dragon Lore’s controls now.

PC games, in particular, have become more refined. They’re easier to control. We have multitudes of input options, and they’re almost always easy to pick up and play.

We’ve all benefitted from decades of refinement. I don’t just mean in the graphics and sound department, but also tutorials and controls. Compared to the 80s and 90s, PC gaming is that much more accessible.

I’d really only recommend playing Dragon Lore now if you played it back in the day and have nostalgia for it. Everyone else should probably stay away.

Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins screenshot (RTX 3080 Ti)
Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins screenshot (RTX 3080 Ti)
Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins screenshot (RTX 3080 Ti)

atomicpoet, 5 days ago to random

Today, 59 games were released on Steam. These are the ones I found interesting.

Shadow of the School

• a hidden object paranormal adventure with exploration elements
• price: C$1.29, but currently -30% off selling at C$0.90

Goblin Kart Rescue

• a top-down racing game with 24 tracks, featuring 8-bit style pixel art graphics
• gamepad supported
• Linux port available
• price: FREE!

Knockout City - Private Server Edition

• a 3D dodgeball game
• gamepad supported
• online and LAN PvP
• price: FREE!

Bumpy Grumpy

• a car-themed early 80s arcade game with pixel art graphics
• gamepad supported
• demo download available
• price: C$6.49

Starstruck Vagabond

• a story-driven work/life simulator about a space captain who froze his crew for 2,000 years, and found themselves in an unfamiliar galazy
• gamepad supported
• price: C$32.50, but currently -20% off selling at C$26.00

TP Bullet

• a pistol-shooting portal puzzle platforming game with 16-bit style pixel art graphics
• gamepad supported
• price: C$6.49, but currently -20% off selling at C$5.19

Antiquarium

• a hidden object adventure games about discovering hidden artifact in an antiquarium
• price: C$8.99, but currently -15% off selling at C$7.64

Armless Samurai

• a 3D platformer with parkour elements about a samurai with no legs, who must use his legs as his sword and shield, featuring low poly graphics
• gamepad supported
• price: FREE!*

atomicpoet, 5 days ago to random

Cats in Time is a hidden object game where the goal is to find time-travelling cats that are in different time periods.

I don’t know why it’s so important to find time-travelling cats. Will these cats somehow affect the future of felinedom? Whatever the case, you must find them – and that means solving puzzles to find their hidden spots.

Got to say, I’m glad these are lazy cats. They don’t run. They don’t cause havoc. They stay in one spot.

Generally speaking, I prefer the detective hidden object games. I’m more of an adventure guy, after all. But Cats in Time must have done something right because I’ve played this game for hours.

It’s a credit to the puzzles. But also the cuteness of the cats themselves.

I can tell this game originated as a mobile game because it’s got that general look. The graphics aren’t too complex. You don’t need powerful hardware to run it either.

That said, though this game has support for controllers, it’s not a pleasant experience. A joystick can’t really replace a mouse. I thought about configuring the controls so I could use the trackpad as my pointer instead, but I was too lazy to do configuring.

Pine Studio, the developers of this game, are most well-known for the Faraway series. It must have been a big hit because there’s six games in the series.

They did all right with Cats in Time. It has a 97% positive rating on Steam, which puts this is rarified territory. And I have to admit, it is enjoyable.

Cats in Time screenshot (Steam Deck)
Cats in Time screenshot (Steam Deck)
Cats in Time screenshot (Steam Deck)

atomicpoet, 6 days ago to random

Hypothetically, someone could sell boxed copies of Steam Deck games by offering a micro-SD card in a fancy case.

atomicpoet, 6 days ago to random

YEAH! I got the PICO-8 version of Celeste to run on Steam Deck! And it looks amazing!

atomicpoet, 6 days ago to random

Just discovered a PICO-8 emulator on Steam, so I’m going to see how well it runs on Steam Deck.

Can’t wait to try out the many great classic games that were made for PICO-8!

Do any of you have any great PICO-8 memories?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1494910/pemsa/

atomicpoet, 6 days ago to random

A new Linux-based Steam Deck competitor is arriving! And it has dual trackpad!

The Orange Pi Neo will run Manjaro. And it looks slick!

https://neo.manjaro.org/

atomicpoet, 6 days ago to random

It pains me to say this, but after owning Vegas: Make It Big (a.k.a., Vegas Tycoon) for eight solid years, I had yet to play it.

It’s been haunting my Steam library for a long, long time. And the longer I put it off, the more it became a spectre. There it was staring back at me as I went through everything else.

But I finally bit the bullet today and gave it a shot.

The best way to describe this game is that it’s SimCity set in Las Vegas. Except, the emphasis here is on lots. You buy them up, put up hotels, casinos, cinemas – that kind of deal – and then you tailor your facilities to your customers needs and wants.

If an old man wants a chair, you better give him a place to sit. If a whale finds your casino too noisy, find a way to quiet it down.

Vegas has all the charm of an early 2000s era PC sim. It’s funny to see this game advertise itself with “amazing real-time 3D graphics”. Yeah, this was considered “realistic” back then.

Today, though, this is considered to be “low poly”. And I feel that PC games back then had a different low poly aesthetics than was current on consoles. Check out those menus and icons to see what I mean!

I really enjoy the cool jazz soundtrack. It’s quite Vegas-like. But if the music were removed from the game, I’d probably listen to it because it’s got that martini and cigarette smoke vibe that I love with cool jazz.

The controls are pretty straightforward, but my god, does the tutorial take a really long time. And when you’re in the midst of the tutorial, you can’t really do anything else but follow along. Thankfully, you can just jump into things by going into sandbox mode, which I think most people would prefer anyway.

If there’s one thing I wish this game had it’s an “undo” button. All the many time I click the mouse button by mistake only to have a building placed in the wrong spot on my lot. That one feature would have made this game that much more playable.

DR Studios developed Vegas: Make It Big. They’re the same folks who later made Hospital Tycoon. And yeah, that totally makes sense since there’s broad similarities.

Am I glad that I finally played this game? Yeah, it’s a largely relaxing affair. Kids nowadays might call it “cozy”.

Vegas: Make It Big screenshot (RTX 3080 Ti)
Vegas: Make It Big screenshot (RTX 3080 Ti)
Vegas: Make It Big screenshot (RTX 3080 Ti)

atomicpoet, 6 days ago to random

Outbuddies DX is probably the closest game I’ve played to Metroid without being Metroid.

To me, it feels like the old 8-bit Metroids. You know, the ones that came out on NES and Game Boy. It does, however, have the addition of a scanning ability which was clearly inspired by Metroid Prime.

Because this is a PC game, though, I really wish I didn’t depend on the keyboard so much for all my controls. It would have been a lot easier if I shot and aimed with my mouse. Instead, you shoot with the “J” button, and aim with WASD – which also doubles for movement.

That said, I did get used to the controls and it was fine. And in fairness to the developer, I did have the option to play with a gamepad.

But really, if the goal is to play Metroid without playing Metroid – and if you’re not using Nintendo hardware, that just the (legal) reality – then mission accomplished. Outbuddies is your (not) Metroid.

The art style is really appealing. Strictly speaking, this is better than anything possible on a Nintendo 8-bit system. But the sprites and environments are fantastic to look at if you’re a fan of pixel art graphics.

The sound is even more impressive. The soundtrack has a chill synth vibe going on. The sound effects are vivid. But what I really love is all that ambient noise in the background. It’s like taking a mental shower.

It’s really impressive that one dude, Julian Laufer, programmed this whole game. He did, though, get a some help with graphics and music. All the artists that came together for this made something truly unique.

One thing I did notice is that reviews on GOG.com are different from Steam. Folks on Steam largely complain that this game is too hard. Yet people who bought the game on GOG.com are largely enthusiastic about Outbuddies. I suspect that this is because folks on GOG.com skew older and appreciate retro games much more than those on Steam.

What it really comes down to is that if you’re an older gamer who love 8-bit style Metroid, then you’ll probably enjoy Outbuddies. Yet if you’re someone who prefers more modern comforts and amenities, this will probably not be for you.

I find myself in the former camp, not the latter. Outbuddies is my cup of tea.

Outbuddies SX screenshot (RTX 3080 Ti)
Outbuddies SX screenshot (RTX 3080 Ti)
Outbuddies SX screenshot (RTX 3080 Ti)

atomicpoet, 6 days ago to random

Today, 65 games were released on Steam. These are the ones I found interesting.

WARNO

• a World War III RTS that’s set in the 80s
• online PvP and co-op
• lots of DLC
• price: C$54.99

OVRDARK: a Do Not Open story

• a survival horror game with puzzle elements where you explore a mansion, and the sequel to Do Not Open
• VR only
• demo download available
• price: C$38.99

Rocket Rumble

• a racing brawling with procedurally generated obstacles in every track
• gamepad supported
• online and shared/split screen PvP
• demo download available
• price: C$32.50

The Tribe Must Survive

• a survival base builder strategy game set in a Lovecraftian stone age
• soundtrack and artwork available as DLC
• Mac port available
• price: C$34.99, but currently has a -20% discount selling at C$27.99

Star Trek: Resurgence

• a Star Trek choose-your-own-adventure game from former members of Telltale Games
• gamepad supported
• demo download available
• price: C$32.50, but currently has a -20% discount selling at C$26.00

Galacticare

• a silly intergalactic hospital simulator where you care for sick aliens
• gamepad supported
• supporter pack available as DLC
• price: C$38.99, but currently has a -10% discount selling at C$35.09

Venture’s Gauntlet VR

• an action-adventure set in the Adam Venture universe
• VR only
• price: C$12.99, but currently has a -15% discount selling at C$11.04

Zet Zillions

• a rogue-like deckbuilder where the goal is to explode planets
• price: C$12.99, but currently has a -10% discount selling at C$11.69

Pine Hearts

• a cosy metroidvania focused on exploration set inside a park
• gamepad supported
• soundtrack and artwork available as DLC
• price: C$25.99, but currently has a -10% discount selling at C$23.39

DEVIL BLADE REBOOT

• a pseudo-3D shoot ‘em up with pixel art graphics
• gamepad supported
• price: C$20.79, but currently has a -15% discount selling at C$17.67

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami

• a crime-themed adventure game featuring anthropomorphic animals with paper-like graphics
• gamepad supported
• soundtrack and artwork available as DLC
• Mac and Linux ports available
• price: C$12.99, but currently has a -10% discount selling at C$11.69

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

• a full 3D remake of the first game in the Wizardry RPG series, made by Digital Eclipse
• gamepad supported
• playable on Steam Deck
• price: C$44.99

Hauntii

• an action-adventure with exploration elements about a ghost, featuring a unique hand-drawn art
• gamepad supported
• soundtrack and artwork available as DLC
• price: C$25.99, but currently has a -20% discount selling at C$20.79

Crown Wars: The Black Prince

• a turn-based strategy, similar to XCOM, with a medieval setting
• gamepad supported
• soundtrack, artwork and more available as DLC
• price: C$51.99

atomicpoet, 6 days ago to random

“Bennie and the Jets” is my favourite Elton John song, and I love his live improvisations.

I wish I could find more songs with that kind of groove.

https://youtu.be/Hhyzy6yU6TU

atomicpoet, 6 days ago to random

I don’t know, maybe I’m weird, but I feel someone needs to document all this art that’s out there in the wild.

But why do it? Well, the simple answer is that I enjoy myself and I wish other people had the same opportunity to discover all this great stuff.

In many ways, we live in a world of plenty. It’s easier than ever to find something unique, and feel that joy of discovery. But the other side of the coin is that gatekeepers exist. Whatever isn’t theirs, they want to obscure. And I don’t think that’s right.

I like Tyrant’s Blessing. It’s cozy tactical RPG played on square tiles. It’s got 16-bit style pixel art graphics with cute sprites.

Placing my party on tiles and then doing battle, that is a fun time for me. Especially when I’m on my Steam Deck, hanging out in my backyard, Corona Sunbrew in hand. This is the good life.

That little moment where my dog rescues me from the undead’s cluthes, and then I call a dragon to breathe fire on my enemies. That’s a classic moment. It’s time well spent.

And hearing that soundtrack, that builds the magic. Perhaps the only other time I’d naturally hear this kind of music is if I were at a renaissance fair. I’m actually tempted to buy the soundtrack just so I can hear it when I’m not playing Tyrant’s Blessing.

A wish I knew more about this game. All I know is that indie developer Mercury Game Studio funded it on Kickstarter. To date, this is their lone game. Tyrant’s Blessing was someone’s dream, and I’m glad I got to experience it.

For me, Tyrant’s Blessing was a moment. A great moment at that.

Tyrant's Blessing screenshot (Steam Deck)
Tyrant's Blessing screenshot (Steam Deck)
Tyrant's Blessing screenshot (Steam Deck)

atomicpoet, 6 days ago (edited 6 days ago) to random

Tomb Raider II is not for everyone.

Many Tomb Raider oldheads may disagree. But look, Lara Croft is a cruel mistress. She is not forgiving of mistakes. If you make even a slight error, she will punish you.

There is no auto-save. It is easy to die. Moving Lara is tantamount to moving a tank. These are all the reasons Tomb Raider II may not be for everyone.

And yet, Tomb Raider II is so much better than the original Tomb Raider. This is especially true for modern PCs.

For one thing, no DOSBox emulator is needed for Tomb Raider II. It supports modern 3D hardware acceleration. I was even able to natively run it at 1920x1200 with a 16:10 aspect ratio.

Not even modern games support my resolution. Yet Tomb Raider II, a game that came out in 1997, easily does it! And take a look for yourself – Tomb Raider II looks pretty darn good!

The default controls are not fun, though. I respect that, back in 1997, arrow keys were the default for movement. The trouble, though, with making ctrl for action and alt for jump is that the Windows key is nestled between them – which will cause you to jump out of the game. Thankfully, you can re-assign the button mapping to something more modern, and I have done exactly that.

What should be re-emphasized once again is that Tomb Raider II doesn’t hold your hand. In many ways it’s much, much harder than the original game. This is because you’ll be dealing more slopes, you can’t assume most tiles will be flat, and you’ll have to learn many of Lara’s more expanded abilities.

Everything wants to kill you. If it moves, you need to shoot it. Traps abound. Lara is not the invulnerable bullet sponge of later games – she is more like your average woman when it comes to taking damage.

And this makes her even more badass because for her to survive these trials, it takes incredible skill. This is the component of old Tomb Raider that I genuinely miss.

Lara Croft was originally developed to be eye candy for men. Yet, through time, women have really embraced her. And I think the reason for this is that just playing Lara, she demands respect. To be Lara, you need ambition, tenacity, and chutzpah.

Not everyone can play this game. Yet if you do play this game, and continue with it, you are a genuine badass – just like Lara.

atomicpoet, 2 months ago to fediversenews

Since Mangane is unknown to most of you here’s an explainer.

There are three main microblogging flavours of the Fediverse:

1. Mastodon, Glitch, Hometown, etc.
2. Misskey, Firefish, Sharkey, etc.
3. Pleroma, Akkoma, etc.

For atomicpoet.org. I used to use Pleroma but I’ve migrated to Akkoma. The Pleroma/Akkoma flavour is quite unique in that, not only is it perhaps the most resource efficient—it allows you to use different front-ends.

This is where Mangane becomes interesting because it is an incredibly user-friendly and attractive front-end developed by @clovis. And, in fact, I think it provides the most user-friendly and attractive UI/UX on the Fediverse.

Three servers that use Mangane are:

• bdx.town
• social.wedistribute.org
• atomicpoet.org (this one)

Why am I so enthusiastic about Mangane? Because not only is it good-looking and user-friendly, it provides excellent rendering for text-formatting. And its management of reposts (both regular and quoted) is spectacular.

Anyway, I’ve been testing Mangane for months. I’ve been using it on a live server for two weeks. I’m pleased with the results.

@fediversenews