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Mobile Gaming

Tacticus

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date September 4, 2025

Unlocked Exorcist, another support:

Unlocked Ancient Thoread by grinding his campaign node. This unlocks last mirror campaign.

Unlocked Atlacoya with her event. Missed the unlock screen:

Unlocked Volk by grinding his node:

Unlocked Shiron with its (?) event:

Unlocked Hollan from Guild Raid shop. This one, like Atlacoya, hang the app on me, so I missed the unlock screen.

Last one is the first sign of a shift to how unlocks work.
Previously, you always had 3 characters to grind through Guild Raid shop: Eldryon, Archimatos, Boss Gulgortz. Great characters, same all the time.
Now you have 3 more mid-cost characters available each day. Which probably keep me in the game for a bit longer.

Tags Tacticus

Nintendo Switch

Diablo 3

Am I playing Diablo 3 again? Yes, I’m playing Diablo 3 again.
Thinking that all classes are born equal, I picked a Monk. Was I wrong. With Necromancer, I am on 400% difficulty. With a monk, I can’t handle 75%. It improved after reaching level 20 or so, after death of Decard Cain, but still, not the best class either survivability or damage.

Got myself orange boots that boost Mystic Ally. I didn’t intend to play summon monk, but here I am.
Then I tried Wizard(ress), the class I played the least in any Diablo. I expected a “glass cannon”, and she even has a passive called Glass Cannon. What I didn’t expect is that it’s a Laser Cannon, not an AoE Blizzard cannon. You’ve got Ray of Frost and Disintegrate that work almost the same, then the secondary attack on Arcon (the Form skill almost every Diablo 3 character has) as well.

One weird equipment quirk that I remember from back in the days: sometimes the best DPS comes from wielding a two handed sword. As a wizard.

Also, first time I notice there’s a lovecraftian easter egg in the Wizard intro:

Tags Diablo

Hardware

LG 32GS95UV-B monitor

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date September 4, 2025

When I was picking my TV a couple of years ago, I settled on Samsung QLED, because I was worried for response times and burn-in. But since then, I got deeper into retrogaming on original hardware, and we also are watching less movies in general.
And the standard in the retrogaming community are OLED TVs. Everyone bangs about how blacks are deeper and all that.
I was quite happy with my LG 32GK850G. Good colors, good refresh rate, no issues over 7 years I owned it. But I decided it’s time to upgrade.
Since I wanted to experience OLED and had a good experience with LG, picking it again was a no-brainer. And once you know what you want (OLED, at least 32″, 240Hz refresh rate) there’s actually just a single model that fits the bill. And Amazon had a really good deal on it too.
Once I’ve had it for a couple of days, here are a few thoughts:
The blacks are amazing. In general, the contrast is incredible. It’s like getting a laser surgery all over again. 240fps – I don’t feel it. Maybe I could have felt 60fps -> 120fps. But I’ve yet to see any difference above that.
Also, there’s some kind of dynamic color correction going on. If you look at the same picture, the colors will shift for a few seconds, before stabilizing. I haven’t found yet what that stuff is.

Tags LG

*.BAK

Scotch Malt Whiskey Society

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date September 4, 2025

For a couple of years I’ve been told that if I like whiskey, I should become a member of Scotch Malt Whiskey Society. After my visit to Newcastle, I finally decided that it’s now or never.
The idea is that they buy whole casks from distilleries, then bottle them under names such as “Dark Fruit Feedback Loop” from Distillery 48. They still have the important stuff like age statemen and ABV, and even processing. The aforementioned bottle they’ve sent as a welcoming gift was fantastic, 17 years old, Oloroso matured. I would happily pay the membership of 100GBP just for that bottle alone.

Tags whiskey

Emulation PSX Sony

Ace Combat 3

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date September 4, 2025

Technically, “Fragile Cargo” will be repeated by Ace Combat 5, where you need to destroy antenas on the way of the landing aircraft. Here, you need to destroy chimneys on the way of zeppelin. But the way they errupt fire as if it’s Blade Runner is super impressive, considering it’s PSX.
This is the only Ace Combat game I remember that lets you choose between different machine guns. Also, the choice between missiles is much more interesting. In most Ace Combat games, you always fire two missiles. Here, you also have the ability to fire 4 missiles, but with a shorter range.

The approach to aircraft is what I call in shooters “M4 with neon lights”. Those are “futuristic” versions of modern aircraft. So we’ve got F/18U HornetAdv (real aircraft is called F/18 Hornet).
Ravine mission here is interesting for two reasons. First, it’s more of a maze, where you need to follow F117. And second, they created a reflection for F117 in the water. Impressive.

Tags Ace Combat

*.AVI

Takopi’s Original Sin

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date September 4, 2025

Finished Takopi’s Original Sin.
5th episode is a flashback to timeline when Takopi met older Marina instead of Shizuka, and Shizuka is alive, despite attempted suicide in 4th grade.
Marina’s mother is a violent alcoholic. In one of her fits she attempts to stab Marina, and she kills her in self defence. Marina still blames all her troubles on Shizuka, so Takopi decided to travel back in time and kill Shizuka. That’s what we see in the first episode. Both time travel and time loop in the same story.
I can see where all the praise comes from. It discusses topics which are rare for anime: depression, suicide, alcoholism, child abuse.
Even though the resolution seems a bit force (Shizuka and Marina become unlikely friends after Takopi’s sacrifice), it is still at least something different to the regular slop.

Tags Takopi's Original Sin

PSX Sony

Ace Combat 3

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 27, 2025

One thing I never had trouble with before are the controlls being slugish. But here, I have to pull very hard in order for my aircraft to do anything. Ironic, considering that the machinegun mechanic feels much more lenient, after nightmarish machine gun mission from Ace Combat 2. Hitting even multiple targets with a machinegun is no big problem. But turning your aircraft is.

Ace combat 3 Controls vs Ace combat 2 Controls
byu/gsifdgs inacecombat

I thought that only Fat PS2 could play PS1 games, but then I learned that my PS2 Slim could do that as well. So I gave it a try. Even on original PS2 analog gamepad, the game still controls differently than any other before or after. And it hangs on a second mission. Not sure if it’s because of my disc, or playing on Slim instead of Fat, or the game in general.

Tags Ace Combat

*.AVI

Takopi’s Original Sin

An anime that is based on subverting expectations. It’s a depressing school drama wrapped in a comedy anime about a 4th grader, Shizuka, that meets always optimistic alien, Takopi.

The 4th grader, in contrast, is depressed, suicidal. Her father absent, her mother is an escort (in other words, prostitute) and she’s bullied at school. The only positive part of her life is the dog that’s left from her father.

It quickly turns out into a “Groundhog Day” time loop story, where Takopi tries to prevent Shizuka from killing herself by unraveling the cause in an naive, alien way. Until it doesn’t.

Tags Takopi's Original Sin

*.BAK

Soldering

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 24, 2025

As a kid, I had to do some soldering, and I hated it. But people change, purposes change, and technology changes as well. Now we have cordless USB-C charged soldering irons.
My ultimate project is to resolder a SATA connector that is broken on my laptop motherboard. Not that I need the laptop, but it’s a goal.
But in the meantime, I got myself a practice project:

I don’t plan to solder all of the components, but it’s a good practice. Also, helps discover stuff that you’re missing. Like the flux that came with the solder is completely crystalized, and not very useful. Same goes for the wire.
I now also understand why people pay 70GBP for a soldering iron, and not 20GBP. While my soldering iron shows temperature, it’s the target temperature, not the current temperature. And it cools very quickly once you start soldering.

PC Gaming

Hexen

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 22, 2025

There is a remaster of Hexen that came out this month, and I remember that I completed it, but didn’t remember when, so I checked my notes, and turns out it was 21 years ago.

Almost a reason to complete it again, as I don’t even remember if I played Warrior or Priest.

On the wave of the remaster there are also some new videos dedicated to it, and I didn’t know that Warrior gauntlets had a combo system (3rd attack is much more powerful than the first two):

Tags Hexen

XBOX

XBLA: Soulcalibur, Virtua Figher 2

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 21, 2025
2 Comments on XBLA: Soulcalibur, Virtua Figher 2

I’ve been going through some games available on Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade.
One interesting sample is Soulcalibur. As far as I know that’s the only version available on consoles beside the original Dreamcast one. It is decent. All characters are unlocked from the start, and it seems that the internal resolution is a bit higher. It runs in this strange letterbox, though, maybe to preserve some original aspect ratio or integer scale.

Dreamcast with RetroTink 4K:

Xbox 360:

Dreamcast:

Xbox 360:

Then there’s Virtua Figher 2. As I wrote some time ago, PS3 and Xbox 360 got the superior arcade version instead of a meager port from Saturn. And it’s so good I even spent an evening beating the entire game with Sarah. Ok, not Dural, that’s a bit too much to ask from a first playthrough.

Tags Soulcalibur, Virtua Figher

Emulation PSX Sony

Ace Combat 3

Everyone should know this story by now, but still. English version of Ace Combat 3 should be the definition of “self fulfilling curse”. Namco developed this insanely ambitious arcade flight sim only to get scared that it won’t sell well in the west, so they literaly cut more than half of the game for the English release, and after that, it obviously didn’t sell well.

I decided that I’ll start with the English version first, and then compare it to the fan translation. And what a strange experience that is.

Maybe it’s because the Japanese version comes on two CDs, and English just on one, but there is no intro, at all. After you start your first mission, you get a bit of text on a black screen telling you that you are UPEO pilot protecting General Resource corp from Neuwork corp. There is no voiceover. It all feels like I’m playing a ripped version in the 90s.

Speaking of the game itself, though, the visual jump is incredible, considering there was one already between Ace Combat and Ace Combat 2. But now the land textures are even more detailed, sun is reflecting on the water, there are lens flares, and clouds, and explosion waves (something I don’t remember even in PS2 titles). The first mission is such a power move overall.

Tags Ace Combat

*.DOC

Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 19, 2025

I’m amazed how uninventive this fantasy book is. Guildstraat? Joost? Canals? What could “Ketterdam” stand for, out of all things, I wonder?
Also, it’s annoying that all POV characters are exactly 17 years old. What are the chances.
It’s an easy read overall. My two main gripes are with Kaz and Inej, as it’s not clear how one seventeen year old becomes a criminal mastermind and why an acrobat girl makes a good assassin.
Also, the entire backstory of Kaz is so overcomplicated. He comes to the Big City with money from selling his farm. Nobody is willing to employ him, but then a boy on the corner tells him about a broker that is looking for a messenger boy. And that broker becomes a fatherly figure for Kaz, and even invites him to his mansion and introduces Kaz to his family. And then the broker gives investment advice to Kaz (who’s a messenger boy, remember?), and this works out, so when he gives another advice, Kaz puts the money from selling his family’s farm into the enterprise. Only the broker disappears, and turns out the mansion was rented, and all the family was paid actors…
I mean, all that hard work for what, to steal money from selling a farm?!
Obviously the author tries to demonstrate how Ketterdam is the city of heist, but she tries a bit too hard.

Tags Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

*.AVI

Nosferatu (2024)

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 19, 2025

I haven’t seen anything as visually impeccable since forever. Or at least since Ripley.

Almost every frame is like a wallpaper. Partially due to very classical approach: perfect symmetry, frame-within-frame, linear camera movement, 180 degree turns and L-shaped pans. It’s like a forgotten art.

I can’t say I managed to watch the original Nosferatu from 1922. It’s a silent film, after all. But I skimmed through it to understand were the 2024 story and tone comes from. And it is pretty accurate, taking into account 100 years difference. The trip to Transilvania, the escape, the ship and the plague. My impression is that the Madman had an even larger role in the original film. And there was no Hardings hosting family storyline, which means no necrophilia either.

I’m not sure what to make of the sexual scenes, the ecstacy of your blood being sucked. Maybe it is just for the shock value.
If Witch had The Goat and Lighthouse The Seagulls, Nosferatu has The Rats. I had to check that those were real, and not some very impressive CGI. And no, they had 2000-5000 rat actors.

Emulation

RetroArch Shaders

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 19, 2025

Interesting read on CRT shaders in RetroArch:

Discovering Sonkun’s crt-guest-advanced-ntsc Slot Mask presets

And another one:

Showcase for RetroArch Shaders 2024

Here, it’s clear that not all shaders are actually good for your health. Some produce nasty artifacts.

Tags RetroArch

*.BAK

Horticulus Slimux

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 19, 2025

I model I was planning to paint for a few months, so I bought it as soon as it was back in stock.
It’s again a step up from the previous model in terms of complexity, 30 parts. But assemling it is slightly easier, because they added groves and indents on the parts you need to join.
Drybrushing it was still tiresome. I think it took me an hour just to do a layer of Dawnstone.
The amount of detail on this model is incredible. Someoen went wild. I had to create a list just to keep up with my plans for all the “characters”.

Tags Warhammer

Dreamcast Sega

Soulcalibur

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 18, 2025

Soulcalibur was one of the first games I managed to emulate on Demul, back in 2007, and I’ve been playing it ever since ocassionally.
But I never knew that the arcade version was actually inferior to the Dreamcast one, which almost never happens:

Also, I was under the impression that every time you completed Story mode for a character, you unlocked their “twin”. Mostly those were reskins, but some of them would grow into distinct characters later. Turns out that’s incorrect. You open charactacters based on how many times you finish the arcade with distinct characters, not with which character you finish it. Yoshimitsu always opens after 2nd completion, while Cervantes requires 10.

Tags Soulcalibur

Emulation

Black Frame Insertion

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 18, 2025

There are different techniques to make old games look better or more authentic on modern displays. Upscaling, filters, scanlines. Idea of the BFI is that CRTs didn’t output a frame, but a line of pixels, in a snake-like pattern. So every frame was completely erased before the next started. LCDs work in a different way: one static picture is replaced by another. Which suppossedly creates some kind of a blur.
The idea of BFI is that if we take 60 frames, and add a black frame after each image, we will reproduce the fidelity of a CRT on 120Hz monitors.
The problem is, it doesn’t work for me.
I started with RetroArch. You need to set monitor to 120Hz, even if it supports 144Hz, because the technique works only with whole numbers, otherwise you’ll get flicker. It works, but the picture is twice as dark, and I don’t see any improvement in motion clarity.
Then I tried RetroTink 4K on my Samsung QLED. This was a disaster, as the best I could get was a slightly flickering image with colors that are way off. Not as dark as on a monitor, but I also didn’t enjoy the results at all.

XBOX

Original Xbox

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 18, 2025

It’s ironic that the original Xbox now sells for more than Xbox 360 or Xbox One. Maybe has to do with original Xbox selling 24M copies, while Xbox 360 sold 85M, so it’s much more available.

*.BAK

Rince Cochon Blonde

Post author By TheAleosha
Post date August 18, 2025

I know I’ve been complaining about Belgian beers a lot lately. But this blonde beer is honestly very good. Feels stronger and sweeter than stated 8.5%, and doesn’t leave any heaviness behind. The closest I could think of is Delirium Tremens, and that’s a high praise from me. I wanted to stay that still, I don’t plan to buy this beer in the future, but actually, I’d buy their Triple

Tags beer