iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences @official-aias.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

We're excited to share our 5th annual Game Maker's Sketchbook art selections! Congratulations to all of our winners! View here: www.gamemakerssketchbook.com/2026-winners/ Selections now available to view online and will be in-person at Summer Game Fest: Play Days (Jun 6-8) for those in attendance.

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Thew @amazingthew.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

i can't believe ai bros took games that suck away from me. you assholes ruined games that suck!! how the fuck was that even be possible

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Xalavier Nelson Jr. @writnelson.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

I'm furious I only started playing this after setting up my GOTY lists for the year. It's the ultimate sicko game. It is a perfect machine for both being a genius and God's most hated jester. It's incredible.

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Chris Gardiner @chrisgardiner.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Essentially, I think that LLM-generated dialogue only makes sense if you believe that the product of writing is words. But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

I recently setup an Unraid NAS on a $20 eBay 4th-gen intel lenovo mini PC. It has USB drives attached for storage. It cant transcode (Couldn't get GPU acceleration working and the CPU is too weak) but it can direct play 4k video and music to all my devices since they all support the codecs natively

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Also, quietly breezing past the bombshell that flatscreen games will play on the Frame through a "SteamOS on ARM" compatibility thingy is wild. Like if we can actually get a smooth painless Windows-on-ARM gaming experience, small-size handhelds are going to become my endgame console

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

I don't exactly love how Valve has gained this messianic reputation among Gamers™ but goddamn this is the most excited I've felt about gaming hardware in years

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

It also has extra community plugins for making things a bit more robust. But I think you're just seeking the vanilla simplicity? I use the Tasks and Dataview plugins for extra things like multi-file task aggregation/filtering, and auto timestamping with completion dates.

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

I use Obsidian almost exclusively like this. It technically supports a whole bunch of extra nonsense but I just use it for notes and checklists. Plus it saves everything as markdown instead of some useless proprietary database file.

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Rachel Watts @rachelwatts.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Cipher Zero is great because for me anyway I either solve a puzzle in like 10 seconds or spend 20 mins agonising over it theres no in between

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CIPHER ZERO @cipherzerogame.com · 05/08/2025

Join Annie (@nyanfood.bsky.social) and Saul (@saulamander.bsky.social) in how they brought the moon — a constant, ever-shifting presence during your journey — to life in the sky above CIPHER ZERO's worlds. notes.cipherzerogame.com/posts/05-fra... #GameDev #IndieDev #SolveForX #DevLog

A cropped screenshot from CIPHER ZERO's Suburb's level, done in minimalist designs, soft colors, and paper-like textures.

An elevated, covered train track runs across the bottom, a couple of squared off tree tops in front, various shades of green. The sky is a smattering of green, blue, pink, orange, and golds. A waxing moon is in the center of the sky, a geometric glitch haze around it.

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/noclip @noclipvideo.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

On this week's Crewcast, a slew of small indies get a shoutout, Danny races downhill in MAVRIX by Matt Jones, Frank recounts time with Anamanaguchi, and the crew discuss the case of censorship and payment processors on Steam and itch.io. youtu.be/x9SJTqFdFj4

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CIPHER ZERO @cipherzerogame.com · 30/07/2025

A huge thanks to everyone who’s taken the time to leave a review for CIPHER ZERO! We're sitting at Very Positive on Steam thanks to you! If you’ve played but haven’t left a review yet, we’d love to know what you thought! zpdt.co/playcz #CipherZero #IndieGameDev #IndieDev #SolveForX

A yellow fire hydrant in the middle of a grey, rocky, barren area, with tiny star flower plants nearby it. A dark starry sky is seen in the back, the sides are littered with glowing thumbs up, and across the top center says "THANK YOU!"

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CIPHER ZERO @cipherzerogame.com · 24/07/2025

CIPHER ZERO is now Steam Deck Verified ✅ Take your logic puzzles on the go! No settings to tweak, just pure brain-bending bliss. 🎮 zpdt.co/playcz #SolveForX #GameDev #IndieGameDev #IndieDev

Screenshot of Steam Deck email:

Deck Compatibility status: Verified

Four icons are below with labels:
A dotted circle with a questions mark labeled Unknown
A grey circle with a line through it labeled Unsupported
A yellow circle with an i in it labeled Playable
A green circle with a checkmark in it labeled Verified

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nyanfood @nyanfood.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

HE WORKED ON THIS AND DID A REALLY GOOD JOB I WAS THERE Please buy it so we can make more cool stuff together

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nyanfood @nyanfood.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

It's out! It's live! Please play~

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michael carriere @michael.carriere.org · 22/07/2025

Let's do this. :)

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Rose Whitcomb @gamingmistress.com · 22/07/2025

This is why my imposter syndrome is going into that kiln. No one can say anything to me anymore.

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

I WORKED ON THIS IT'S VERY COOL PLEASE BUY IT SO I CAN MAKE MORE COOL STUFF

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CIPHER ZERO @cipherzerogame.com · 22/07/2025

A minimalist logic game. Can you solve for 𝒙? ❓ Infer the rules of each glyph without hints 🧠 Over 300 handcrafted across evolving lands 🎶 Chill, reactive soundtrack as you play CIPHER ZERO. Out Now. zpdt.co/playcz #PlayCipherZero #GameDev #IndieGameDev #IndieDev #SolveForX

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CIPHER ZERO @cipherzerogame.com · 17/07/2025

We're going to be sharing stories and techniques over the next coming weeks to give you a peek into the development of CIPHER ZERO! First up: an interview with our designers! How DO you design over 300+ puzzles? notes.cipherzerogame.com/posts/00-sta... #GameDev #IndieDev #SolveForX #DevLog

A screenshot from CIPHER ZERO, done in black and white with shades of grey.

A 2x3 square grid puzzle is shown, a filled in diamond in the upper left square, while an empty diamond is in the lower right. A single mark sits above the upper right square. In the background, the upside image of a lake is shown, squared off rocks jutting out of the water.

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METR @metr.org · 10/07/2025

We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers. The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

Same. I've been meaning to 3D print my own but havent gotten around to it. Better a clock than a paperweight, right? I still think one of the coolest things about the design is that you can charge it just by running 5V across two of the corner rivets www.reddit.com/r/PlaydateCo...

reddit.com

Charging Dock Prototype

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

This one is pretty by-the-books but still super well executed. It has a neat assist combo feature that spices combat up a bit. Incredible rendering style too store.steampowered.com/app/3525540/...

store.steampowered.com

Lunarium Demo on Steam

Lunarium is an atmospheric fantasy A-RPG. Play as Ave, a light-armored knight, who teams up with Lune, a mysterious Starfarer. Together, they journey to save a dying world, engaging in challenging bat...

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CIPHER ZERO @cipherzerogame.com · 29/05/2025

A minimalist logic game. Can you solve for 𝒙? zpdt.co/playcz CIPHER ZERO. July 22, 2025. Wishlist now. #PlayCipherZero #GameDev #IndieGameDev #IndieDev #SolveForX

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Thinky Games @thinkygames.com · 20/05/2025

🎉 We're excited to announce our very first Thinky Direct! Yep, we'll be sharing brand new trailers and exclusive reveals for lots of exciting thinky games! 📺 Watch live on Thursday, May 29! 👉 thinkygames.com/direct/

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CIPHER ZERO @cipherzerogame.com · 26/05/2025

Join us as CIPHER ZERO heads to the #CerebralPuzzleShowcase this Thursday, May 29th at 6pm BST/10am PDT/1pm EDT. It kicks off with the first ever #ThinkyDirect, with news and announcements! www.youtube.com/watch... #PlayCipherZero #IndieGameDev #IndieDev #SolveForX

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CIPHER ZERO @cipherzerogame.com · 21/05/2025

We're thrilled to be part of the Thinky Direct next week! We can't wait to show you what we've been working on. Stay tuned for updates! #PlayCipherZero #IndieGameDev #IndieDev #SolveForX

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Rose Whitcomb @gamingmistress.com · 11/05/2025

Hey! Do you like... • Puzzle games? • Chill music? • Minimalistic art? Drop me a reply, a DM, or tag someone you know who would love to play @cipherzerogame.com! You can check out the demo now on Steam: zpdt.co/playcz #indiedev #indiegame

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Does this work with Vol. 2 pre-orders?

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

I've found Zoh Shia pretty comfortable to farm with a pierce LBG and an AI hunter. They can't cart and they (and Palicos) can draw agro and heal. Makes it less relentless than solo while also keeping the risk solely on your play instead of strangers

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Please do! It should be pretty easy to find in the router's dashboard but it might be under a different name I think I set mine up as a parental control on myself lol. It let me target specific devices, time-frames, and time budgets without impacting other people on my network

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Maybe consider Router-level website bans? I've done that for a few things to break habits and it's enough of a hassle that I haven't gone in to undo it. Much more effective than OS bans with "lol nvm" buttons on the lock modals Not the same as being ALWAYS offline but it might get you mostly there

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Play Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance on Nintendo GameCube: Nintendo Classics for Nintendo Online plus Expansion Pack with my Nintendo Switch 2

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

I'm so mad I wasn't able to get this before it sold out. Fingers crossed for a reprint eventually

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Brandon Sheffield @brandon.insertcredit.com · 20/03/2025

The (low) number of people in the game industry that have played INDIKA is very apparent in all the awards shows I have been to this year. What the heck y'all

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Thew @amazingthew.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

oh hey Final Fantasy XIII is 15 years old as of yesterday If you ever wondered how the hell that game looked so good, here's a thread where I spent like two weeks going through it in renderdoc figuring out how the renderer works: twarchive.thew.nu/threads/Fina...

twarchive.thew.nu

Final Fantasy XIII

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

I don't think these are what you're looking for; they're not as narratively driven (& you've probably played them). But they could help narrow down the type of hub you're seeking Monster Hunter (any), Borderlands 2 or Pre-Sequel, Nobody Wants to Die, Midnight Suns, Saints Row 3/4, Dark Souls

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Do any phones still let you use your wired headphones as an FM antenna? That was always such a cool piece of tech

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

I keep telling myself that I'm going to try gunlance this time but the pull of hammer is so strong

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Genuinely wish PhysX still meant GPU-obliterating goo simulations like in Borderlands 2

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

wait, wtf... why is Rise titled in all caps?

Steam store search for "monster hunt", showing "Monster Hunter Wilds", "Monster Hunter: World", and "MONSTER HUNTER RISE"

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Monster Hunter can never be game of the year as long as the colon is missing

"Monster Hunter: World" and "Monster Hunter Wilds" displayed in a steam library.

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

I totally agree. Ive looked into flip phones before but I still rely on some modern inventions like web search and gps maps I think my perfect phone might exist the next time Im looking for an upgrade (4-6 years from now) But for now I'm doing what I can to make my phone as utilitarian as possible

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

I was gonna test run using my PSP as one on my next trip. It has surprisingly robust music features, I'm just worried about battery life

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

Avowed is great! For me, the star of the show is this little low-poly rat i love him

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

I've been loving the betas! Extremely stoked for the full release. Do you main gunlance? I was thinking of trying it for this game ...the problem is that hammer is always so tempting

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

It's all subjective in the end! I'll concede to Godot's UI being ahead I personally find Godot's C# flow clunky(but usable!) The use of partial classes, glue generation, strings,and GDscript inter-op are not as clean as Unity's Compute shaders are new and lack support for features that Freya uses

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

I'm rooting for Godot to catch up, but I'm not sure folks realize how well made Unity is. Godot is still an engine best suited for people who take sick pleasure in pouring through docs and GitHub threads for answers. It's a fun challenge for me, but I still wouldn't recommend it for any pro work

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Saul @saulamander.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

I would say Godot is worse for all those compared to Unity. They've made big improvements in the past year and I enjoy making solo-dev games on it but Unity is absolutely better suited for anything more involved than that.

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