iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

This is me with any sort of snack food. "I'll just buy it, and we'll have one packet/piece/slice a day after lunch or dinner, and that'll be a nice treat. We will not eat the entire bag/tray/box/cake in a single sitting. Not this time."

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

You and me both buddy, you and me both. 35 is when you really get going. Though I'll be 36 when it comes out, I'm still counting it.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Hey @cruxgames.bsky.social can you please put the Combolands soundtrack somewhere I can buy it or put it on streaming services? (Or if it already is somewhere other than youtube, let me know!) Having an excellent time with the game so far btw, good job!

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This frustrates me, because the bar shouldn't be near there. Seeing the pores on someone's left testicle is the least important thing I can possibly imagine for game dev. Yet here we are, games taking 10 extra years for scrote crunch, never making the money back, and devs taking the brunt of it.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

And that's absolutely fair, but does at least somewhat speak to my original point (before the Elden Ring entered the chat) that you simply cannot account for every single thought process/inattentiveness/concern of every player, without either yellow painting or forcing a tutorial (genre dependent)

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I don't get the logic of the second part at all, respectfully. You've just started, and have nothing to lose. If you fall and die, you respawn 10 feet back and nothing has changed.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

You've conveniently left out the important part: "Of learning, and remembrance. Recall the arts of war. And your warrior's blood" which sounds far more like a tutorial than an extra challenge 3 seconds into the game proper.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Memories I didn't even know I had have just come flooding back to me with this single image. Absolutely no idea where I played this, but I played it a LOT.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Yeah I really cannot imagine the thought process. You have real, fantastic food right there, every day. Why would you need to advertise chow mein that look upside down or levitating?

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I would probably tell them, and see if I can get them to understand. Then just very sadly change my go-to Chinese place... 😭

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

You haven't lived until you've played their mathematics mini game: "Big Kahuna Burger"

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Oh and also this one, in a different area of the game

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I remember very clearly a PC game called "MindGym" that had this as the menu. Each object in the room took you to a different area of the "gym".

A chaotic playroom with a checkerboard floor, a retro 70s TV kind of reminiscent of the Jetsons, a lego chair, and a fortune telling machine in the background containing a character dressed as a sailor.

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Reposted by Tim

autumn coded @hoovybaby.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Just talk to another human already jesus fucking christ

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

...and valid, but you can't always save people from themselves. Hell, there's plenty of games out there with a dedicated Tutorial button on the main menu that goes unclicked by large numbers of people.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

For sure, but that's what I mean. Accounting for every little inattention of players is impossible, as even the pop-up didn't resolve the issue entirely. Some people just have absolutely no interest in paying attention, and of course, discussing tutorialisation techniques is good...

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

And with player left messages, the worst you can get is "secret wall ahead" when there isn't, in fact, a secret wall. Becoming suspicious of an in-game direction at the very start where one should expect a tutorial, based on a preconception about the developers, isn't something you can account for.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

This is the misunderstanding I'm talking about. Traps, yes, but never something that is communicated from the game to the player directly that is misleading. The NPCs, such as Patches, have always actually led you to new places or things with their "traps", rather than screw you over.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It was yes, and people still missed it. Same thing happened in the DLC, there was a big popup explaining how the levelling system worked, and it was summarily ignored by many players.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Oh also I disagree that the ER tutorial is "out of the way" when it's directly in front of you when you get through the opening section, with a shining ghost that you can talk to which tells you "hey go down there to learn some shit"

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

There were also a significant number who deliberately avoided it, because in their minds "FromSoft always tries to trick you" which has never been true, and tried to "outsmart" the game by not jumping down. Trying to not do what a game is suggesting you do is always a bizarre mentality to me.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Elden Ring in particular did a lot of things to try and make the tutorial obvious to people, but even with an NPC telling you to go, and a giant popup telling you to go that you had to manually dismiss, people still just didn't bother.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Personally I think it's because you can't account for the particular inattention of every single player. If you do, you end up with yellow paint fiascos that work well enough, but garner complaints from the people who don't want to be led by the hand.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Everywhere else looks at the brown cheese and goes "There's something wrong with that" but they just don't understand. I assume things have changed though, because I used to get a nice thick slab of white goat cheese for like 25NOK at Meny back in the day...

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Haha yeah, the German kebabs are fine, but there's just something about the absolute pile of weird meat adjacent chunks you get in the Norwegian ones that really speak to me. Cannot rationally explain it. And that's very fair! But just hand them a brown cheese & jam waffle and they'll understand.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Oh dw I know! But the lack of good Dutch food on the scale of its neighbours is always something that's baffled me 😂 You're right though, one of the things I miss about Norway is the Narvesen pølser, in addition to, weirdly, the kebabs.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Ah yeah I lived in Norway for a while, and that's another one with a lot of rough traditional foods (looking at you, Lutefisk) but as you say a lot of good imported cuisine. And it was Norway that convinced Japan to start putting salmon in sushi, so you've got that to claim!

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I honestly don't know why The Netherlands got the short end of the stick when it comes to European cuisine. Everyone around you has great stuff, and while I love bitterballen, poffertjes, stroopwafels and oliebollen, there's just not much else going (other than foods from colonial ties ofc)

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Thanks! I'll look into it! Best of luck with the launch, the book looks fantastic!

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I realise this is aaaabsolutely not your responsibility, but any idea why the audiobook is unavailable in the UK?

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

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Reposted by Tim

Amicable Animal - New CRT7 demo OUT NOW! 🦝🏳️‍🌈 @amicableanimal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Lovely news to start the week: SOLAS 128, my game about redirecting rhythmic pulses of light, is in a Programming Puzzles Bundle alongside 6 other awesome programming-esque puzzle games. I'm a huge fan of The Signal State and Retro Gadgets looks really cool 💜 www.humblebundle.com/games/progra...

humblebundle.com

Programing Puzzles Bundle

Test your skills with this bundle of programming puzzle games! Pay what you want and support the Electronic Frontier Foundation!

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

But as a more serious recommendation, there's something very unique about the original Pokemon Snap, just as a genre and especially within the Pokemon IP.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

If you want to have an entirely terrible time you could fire up Conker's Bad Fury day and experience the horror of "The Great and Mighty Poo" singing at you.

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Reposted by Tim

Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Not a day goes by when I don't get at least a little annoyed by GenAI. Never prayed for the downfall of anything quite as hard as this nonsense.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Not a day goes by when I don't get at least a little annoyed by GenAI. Never prayed for the downfall of anything quite as hard as this nonsense.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

You've broken containment, I'm so sorry

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Squash and racquetball are actually two similar but different sports! It's like tennis and padel. RB balls are much bigger and bounce wayyy more. Racquets themselves are shorter and wider, closer to tennis racquets, court is a different size, and the ceiling and walls are entirely in play in RB!

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

This has happened to me a few times too. I see a game, looks cool, get excited, share it, then go back to check aaaaaand there's an AI disclosure and I'm immediately sad. It's a really frustrating time.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

100%, it's just the attempt at whitewashing I find even more unpalatable. Same as when people write "I'm just a poor solo dev! I had to use the AI!", like dude, so am I, and I ain't touching that shit.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

So, any AI disclosure is an instant no from me, but my god do I hate it when they do the slimy "we refined it afterwards guys! It was human reviewed! It aligns with our overall vision!!" If I were on the fence, that shit would 100% ensure I never touched the game.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Tbf that's only like 6 meals

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I mean, I'm sure there were bosses just like "hey Johnny, just take a quick sniff of this and your productivity will be through the R-"... oh wait... oh fuck.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Man I wish people were abusing cocaine instead of AI, at least then they wouldn't be shoving it in my face.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Yep. The drive to eliminate the cost of employees is just too tempting for C-suiters to pass up on. Nothing else could attract the trillions in investment being pour in that black hole.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Just further shows the brainrot levels that capitalism takes you to, tbh. "We're making money, yes, but are we making ENOUGH money?" is such a bizarre outlook to me.

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Tim @redsquirreltim.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

You should celebrate by buying your good friend (me) a copy 😁

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Reposted by Tim

Amicable Animal - New CRT7 demo OUT NOW! 🦝🏳️‍🌈 @amicableanimal.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Removing credits like this is childish behaviour. Worse still, it's punching down rather than lifting up other creators and designers. I have huge respect for Alan's response, and the New Voices grant is such a cool thing! Still, maybe consider picking up a different puzzle game instead?

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