iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 29/09/2026

Finally got my P45. I guess it's now double-official that I am a Gentleman of Leisure.

Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 28/09/2026

I am beginning to think that the quality of a game's creature design is inversely proportional to how good the actual game is. It's not universally true, but I keep stumbling into games that are full of whacked-out cool creatures but are... quite bad.

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Game Dev Edinburgh @gamedeved.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

TOMORROW from 6pm until late is GameDevEd! Join us at Ox184 for your regularly scheduled gamedev social spectacular :) #scotgamedev

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 28/09/2026

The actual problem with transferring my entire music collection to a new microSD card is that my Digital Media Player now needs to rescan all 4177 tracks to assess them for which SensMe™ randomised mood playlists they fit into.

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 28/09/2026

Oooh, new Erasure song. 👀

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 27/09/2026

I enjoyed King's Bounty: The Legend a while back, so I figured I'd try the sequel sooner or later. Unfortunately, "more of the same" is a very double-edged sword.

raodaozao.net

Blog 1036: King’s Bounty: Armored Princess

It's not the King's bounty, it's mine.

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 26/09/2026

Maybe I shouldn't have my scanner's default settings be "take two minutes to create an image that is 10200x14031", an image so large that Paint Shop Pro 7 cannot even comprehend it.

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 25/09/2026

Feels weird to encounter a game that is determined to run in a fixed-sized window rather than full-screen. Usually it's people complaining they can't run full-screen stuff in a window!

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 25/09/2026

Actually it's cool that my "age group" is "unconfirmed", this is equivalent to still getting ID'd at a bar. Discord thinks I might be young! Clearly still lookin' good for my age. 😌 ☺️

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 24/09/2026

That thing where you've been re-ripping all your CDs as FLAC with cover images and correct tagging and... uh... run out of space on your Digital Media Player... 😰

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 24/09/2026

You know, ever since Absolute 80s stopped broadcasting in mono and therefore can no longer be recieved by 50% of the radios in my flat... I haven't heard 19 by Paul Hardcastle in _ages_. 🤔

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 21/09/2026

I just discovered this today and I am honour-bound to share it with you. www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_vP...

youtube.com

Take on PINGAS

YouTube video by Twash Man

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 17/09/2026

If You Were Here has always been one of my favourite Thompson Twins songs, but the live version Tom Bailey's been doing on his solo tours is truly sublime.

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Game Dev Edinburgh @gamedeved.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

TONIGHT from 6pm until late (that's less than an hour from now!) is GameDevEd! Come hang out with Game Developers from In And Around Edinburgh discursing and discussing and discoursing until the wee hours of probably 10pm-ish #scotgamedev

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Game Dev Edinburgh @gamedeved.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

TOMORROW, from 6PM until late at OX184 is GameDevEd! We will be chatting, as always, about game development and our lives around it :) come get your fortnightly round of camraderie and chatter from game developers from in and around Edinburgh #scotgamedev

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 13/09/2026

As if blowing up my level editor and pathfinding systems wasn't enough, I've now decided to blow up the way I fundamentally store and retrieve game data. It's all related, I swear!

raodaozao.net

Blog 1034: Tables

Sylky smooth.

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 13/09/2026

I'm always surprised when I go past Torness and remember that it's a nuclear power station. It's so teeny! I feel like nuclear power should be... bigger. ☢️

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 13/09/2026

Now, I just have to hope that my post-dancing, post-holiday aching feet and muscles can recover in time for my next concert -- Tom Bailey (of the Thompson Twins) on Wednesday. 💪

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 12/09/2026

Not only a personal shout-out to thank me for coming all this way 😊, but pulled up on stage to dance as well. 😄😳 I think I might be part of the crew at this point. 😅

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 12/09/2026

If London has any saving grace at all, it's definitely the parakeets. 🦜

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 11/09/2026

For the first time in ages, I have been given a hotel room... with a bath. Awooooooooooga! 🛀

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 11/09/2026

Trying to train myself to "just write stuff" and stop worrying about consistency and continuity until afterwards, but it's hard work. I don't like it when things don't immediately line up! I might have to -- gasp -- discard bits later! 😓

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 10/09/2026

Going to London tomorrow, so I am honour-bound to share this video. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P0v...

youtube.com

London?

YouTube video by The Talk of the Street Podcast

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 09/09/2026

Phew, that's Babylon 5 series 3 done. Not sure I'm convinced by the stated aims of the Shadows, but it could be another layer of misdirection. Still hooked, tho. Series 4 starts tonight -- awooooga!

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 08/09/2026

I think the main thing I miss about having a job is that there's now nobody to notice that I've had a haircut. 😔

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 08/09/2026

Damn it I need to stop putting dates in my file names. "Buildings 2023" NO.

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 06/09/2026

It seems like 2026 has been the year of the bite-sized action game for me. MDK is another high-intensity palate-cleaner that's about five minutes long, but does adding a sniper rifle to a run-'n'-gun funhouse really work?

raodaozao.net

Blog 1033: MDK

Sniper? I 'ardly know 'er!

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 06/09/2026

I am currently reading a fantasy novel where the author italicises every use of every made-up word and it is extremely irritating. Mate, I'm capable of learning and understanding new terms, you don't have to make such a fucking meal of it. Other authors have done this before.

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 05/09/2026

Can't believe that the temperature is falling here and I can finally consider rolling out the autumn wardrobe, only for my London trip next weekend to take me back to temperatures of 22+. 🥵

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 05/09/2026

Gotta love doing days of work to make the game look exactly the same as it did before. 😌

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 05/09/2026

That thing where you make enemies cast spells a bit less/more randomly and it totally destroys your multi-hour RPG's balance curve. 😩 Time to add back all those hit points I'd been trimming!

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 04/09/2026

That thing where you spend ages tearing your hair out at the simple TGA texture loader that everyone swears works perfectly, only to discover it only loads uncompressed TGAs and, of course, Paint Shop Pro 7 likes to save compressed ones. 😌

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 03/09/2026

Can't believe I've been up Calton Hill several thousand times in my 12ish years of living in Edinburgh, and it's only today that I finally went into the observatory bit. It's got a cute art gallery! A cute shop! A whole café!

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Game Dev Edinburgh @gamedeved.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

TONIGHT from 6pm until late at OX184 is GameDevEd! The finest fortnightly gamedev event of comraderie on cowgate ;) #scotgamedev

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Game Dev Edinburgh @gamedeved.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

TOMORROW from 6pm until late at OX184 is GameDevEd! We're out of the fringe and we're entering the calendar Autumn :) Come hang out with other game developers in and around Edinburgh and chat about gamedev and other such things #scotgamedev

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 31/08/2026

I have many regrets in life, but I think my open world design philosophy of "actually you should be able to complete this quest of your own accord before anybody actually gives it to you because that's Reasonable" is probably my biggest.

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 30/08/2026

I'm really sorry, but I need to dedicate a couple of thousand words to trying to express why Daikatana is really good, actually. Despite all of its undeniable problems.

raodaozao.net

Blog 1032: Daikatana

I can’t leave without my buddy Superfly!

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 26/08/2026

Can't believe Daikatana has a really lovely credits map, but it's just a cinematic flyby rather than a fun playable obstacle course. 😞

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 22/08/2026

It's funny how many websites are disintegrating on Firefox Extended Support Release nowadays. I find it hard to believe that HTML/CSS/javascript fundamentals have changed _so much_ in the last couple of years that graceful degradation is just completely off the cards.

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 19/08/2026

That thing where you wake up in the morning to discover that Evri apparently delivered a parcel yesterday, but you definitely did not walk past it on your doorstep on the way out. 😬

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Game Dev Edinburgh @gamedeved.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

You look like you enjoy improv conversation about video game development and related topics! Take a flyer, it starts in just over 8 hours! That's right TONIGHT from 6pm until late is GameDevEd at OX184, come hang out with Game Developers from in and around Edinburgh as usual :) #scotgamedev

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 16/08/2026

Obviously GOG had to wait until a mere 2 months after I'd tracked down an original box to pick up Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc. Mind you, if they've patched up the mouse input issues I had, I won't rule out re-buying their version.

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 16/08/2026

It has taken me almost two decades since its release for me to finally get around to playing Jade Empire, despite its BioWare lineage. This might be an omen.

raodaozao.net

Blog 1030: Jade Empire

Legally Distinct Fantasy China.

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 12/08/2026

The other thing I'm currently loving about Daikatana is that, now I've upgraded my legs, jumping makes the Six Million Dollar Man bionic-usage jingle noise. 🦿

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 11/08/2026

"I can't leave without my buddy Superfly!" is the new "You must gather your party before venturing forth."

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 11/08/2026

Wow, Mass Effect really not beating those "got the other half of my ideas from Babylon 5" accusations with the start of series 3. 😄

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Rao Dao Zao @raodaozao.net · 10/08/2026

Started replaying Daikatana and yep, John Romero is already making me his bitch. (But mainly cos the movement is super-slippery and also the mouse sensitivity still feels off even though I've disabled smoothing.)

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