I'm replaying HL2 because I want to hear the developer commentaries. When the RTX version makes it out I'll do another replay because I want to see all the visuals. Those two things make enough of a difference that I doubt I'll feel like I've overdone HL2.

I might switch the RTX version down to easy mode just so that I can be more of a tourist on the second recent go-around. It's not like I haven't played and replayed HL2 many times over.

I still use a Creative sound card as I find it gives me better sound quality when I'm using my headphones. I suspect I'm a niche case, though, as I need to use hearing aids due to tinnitus. Then again, it could be a matter of confirmation bias, but hey as long as I'm happy with my purchase what does it matter? ^_^

I also have the external USB Blueray drive for my small collection of shows on CD-ROMs and DVDs. I figure if I ever get a Blueray disc I'll be covered, but these days I would likely only buy physical media if that was the only option. The convenience of streaming or digital downloads long ago won that battle in my life.

Oh, and I know I'm old as my first computer ran on CP/M...

I tend to use the singular for my self-built computer since it doesn't have integrated graphics, but I do tend to use the plural for laptops and those desktops with integrated graphics. That said, I remember the days of 3dfx cards and having multiple graphics cards in my computer so that could be where the use of the plural started. On the gripping hand, since "graphics: ends in an "s", it wouldn't surprise me people "drivers" because that simply sounds appropriate.

Ah fusion, the grand energy source that is always 20 years away from being realized.

If we don't get a 'Frog Blast the Vent Core" in some trailer or in the game I will be very disappointed. ^_^

The dung beetle (or scarab) is a religious symbol of Ancient Egypt, It was seen as an avatar of the sun god Khepri. That name was used as part of the royal names of the Kings of Egypt (well, Pharaoh at this point in time). I was actually excited to see the scarab beetle because that give me some hope they'll use some actual history in the game.

Yeah, I know, pyramids in the background. Unless you're Napoleon that's not historical, but for the average person so instantly get this is Egypt pyramids are the default choice of background.

The iMac was released in 1998 so it is the 25th anniversary. It has been able to buy a beer for a few years now.

I got the Microsoft/Timex Datalink watch as a gift. It was a nifty idea, but trying to use it showed that it wasn't ready for primetime. It took a couple of decades before practical smartwatches made the concept worth trying. I don't think even Bill Gates used his Datalink consistently. (I remember a story where the PR people had to keep reminding him to wear it at PR events.)

In my retro-computing phase I did have Microsoft CP/M Softcard for an Apple II. It was kind of fun to play with, but I was more into running my old Apple II games on real hardware. Eventually though I got rid of all the hardware when emulation became 'good enough' for my needs. I do kind of wish I had kept some of that Apple II hardware, but I also like having less physical clutter around me, as well.

My wife had the issue where the Social Security Administration had transposed two digits of her Social Security Number. We couldn't file our income tax return electronically because of that. At first we thought it was identity theft so we tried to get the PIN from the IRS, but they never responded to the request. So paper it was for a few years until one day we had problems at the oncologist's office when Medicare was refusing her paperwork. Luckily the receptionist told us that the digits were transposed in the Medicare system. Once we made a trip to the SSA office with the appropriate documents we were able to get her SSN corrected. We've been able to file our taxes electronically ever since.

Yeah, I disagree with "Mistake 2". Turning off a security feature isn't a good idea in today's world. I know security is always a trade-off between protection and convenience, but I'll take a tiny hit to performance (5%) to have more peace of mind. It would be different if the security hit to game performance was 50% or 25%, but I can live with 5% (or even 10% in some games). YMMV, of course.

WaltSee wrote on Oct 2, 2022, 12:53:
http://nolfrevival.tk/

I've had these installed for awhile--they run fine in Win10/11. I haven't seen anything fishy about them, yet...seem fine. the site has been up for years, so apparently no one is claiming copyright.

I've got boxed versions of both games (and of Contract J.A.C.K.), so I'm good there. I use both Modernizer patches and DGVoodoo2 to handle graphics issues, so I've had no problems with the games or being able to jump into multiplayer games.

My main thing is that having a version of each game available on GOG would make it easier to have it more widely known and promoted.

Ah, the No One Lives Forever series. Two games I wish someone could untangle the rights mess to, so that they could either end up on GoG or get a modernized version a la Nightdive. I may need to go replay them now. Thanks for the nostalgia hit!

That Lego Atari 2600 kit is tempting, but the price is a bit much for me at the moment.

Wrong creator of Colossal Cave. Will Crowther created the original version on a PDP-10, which was expanded in 1977 by Don Woods to become the version most of us played.

Roberta William's first game was the 1980 Mystery House for the Apple II.

I loved the early Ultimas (and have physical copies), but Richard Garriott hasn't been a solid game designer or developer since Ultima 8. Ultima 9, Tabula Rasa, Shroud of the Avatar have all been disappointing. I suspect this game company will just be more of the same. Blockchain and NFT are just this month's flavor of sucking away venture capitalist money.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see RG release another impactful game series, but unless you're a Steve Jobs, impactful products are once-in-a-lifetime things. He'd be better off just staying retired as a game designer than constantly reminding people he once had a massive impact on the game industry.

Kxmode wrote on Jan 18, 2022, 21:26:
ATVI traded at 65 a share before the announcement (down from the all-time peak of 103.81 on 2/12/21). Even after the announcement, it peaked at 86. But it nowhere got to 95 a share. I guess Microsoft sees something we don't.

I suspect it is more that offering a premium smooths the way for the acquisition. Knowing you're getting a good deal given ATVI's current stock price makes it much easier for shareholders to vote for the sale. The board is also more likely to vote in favor of the sale as they stand to make more money this way. (It also helps to get them away from the current ugliness with ATVI's corporate culture since the board is very chummy with Kotick.)

I enjoyed the game while I was playing it. There's a sort of zen, this-is-soothingly-familiar about the gameplay loops. My problem is that once I'm out of the game I have no urge, no compelling reason to log back in and continue playing. I'll probably pick up the free goodies, but other than that I suspect the game will just sit on my drives waiting for bit-rot to set in.

As I wrote elsewhere, I'm not surprised at the cancellation. Trying to have multiple big announcements on a yearly basis isn't easy for Blizzard, historically. They are lucky they have one good, big announcement a year. From a PR perspective it is better to announce things when they get the biggest hit instead of trying the 'annual results' method.

Another thing, Blizzcon seemed to be more of an ego-boost for the developers than necessarily a fan outreach/appreciation event. Given all that has come out, it's better from a PR perspective to not put the devs under that microscope. Any mistake or non-mistake-that-gets-blown-out-of-shape would be a PR disaster. Blizzard already has enough self-inflicted wounds. They don't need to potentially add more.

That was an interesting video on the Mass Effect 3 ending. While I was angry at the ME3 ending at the time, my view of the ending has settled to more of a shake of the head disappointment about the ending. The bulk of my problem with the ending is that I wanted to feel like I won against the Reapers, but none of the endings gave me that satisfaction as a feeling. (Your mileage may vary, of course.) Some of the developers comments about being artists make me roll my eyes as their 'artistic efforts' were ham fisted. The use of the little boy was so blatantly obvious I couldn't believe they were using that trope. It wasn't that they tried something subtle or different and it didn't work. It's that they thought we'd buy something so in your face we'd think it was artistic.



All this said, I still enjoy the rest of the games. I even bought the Legendary Edition and have enjoyed most of that. Here's to the new teams at Bioware making games that excite me as much as their older ones. I hope the corporate environment lets them learn from the mistakes of the past and avoid recreating them.

I swear, I keep thinking the governor of this state can't make himself (and my state) look more stupid, but he keeps finding a new way.

Oh cool, SCUMMVM can play The Longest Journey now. Time to update my copy and see how it handles one of my favorite Adventure games.