iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 09/09/2026

New to #MecchaChameleon and interested in trying it on Switch 2? Here are the basic controls when playing with Joycons (no mouse) or a Pro Controller to get you started.

A plain text list of controls. It reads:

BASIC MOVEMENT CONTROLS
Move - Left Stick
Camera - Right Stick
Run - L
Jump - B
Start Climbing - B (hold)
Taunt - D-Pad Up
Poses Radial - D-Pad Down (hold)

ADVANCED MOVEMENT CONTROLS
Create Fakes - R
Remove Fakes - Right Stick (click)
Strafe - ZL (hold) + Left Stick
Turn on spot - ZR (hold) + Left Stick

CLIMBING CONTROLS
Move - Left Stick
Ascend - B
Descend - A
Detach - L

PAINTING CONTROLS
Enter/Exit Paint Mode - Y
Move Brush - Left Stick
Camera - Right Stick
Paint - ZR
Zoom In/Out - R (hold) + Right Stick Up/Down
Select Paint Slider - D-Pad Up/Down
Adjust Paint Slider - D-Pad Left/Right
3D Eyedropper Tool - B
Change brush size - ZL (hold) + Left Stick

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 06/09/2026

An unexpected use for Tails, Destroyer of Worlds.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 06/09/2026

It still feels like unbridled sorcery to be able to boot up an official game in 2026 and go "Yes, I would like to play as Amy in Sonic 1 with Tails as my buddy while we go on a quest for all seven Chaos Emeralds, thanks. Oh, and I'll have that bubble shield too."

Marble Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 1. Amy, a pink hedgehog, and Tails, an orange irritant shaped like a two-tailed fox, are walking across purple bricks topped with green grass floating atop lava.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 04/09/2026

Oh, yeah, from that time I thought "you know, what Duke3D really needs to be a contender is a map based on Mario Kart 64's "Block Fort".

A Duke Nukem 3D multiplayer map that has the same basic layout as Mario Kart 64's Block Fort. Four identical structures in red, blue, yellow and green are linked by grey stone bridges.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 31/08/2026

Was looking forward to Whisper of the House and its strong Unpacking vibes, but sadly, the text is miniscule. And you need to read the prompts to work out what item you're holding.

An isometric pixel art apartment with a mezzanine bedroom. A tiny text prompt over a yellow rug reads "Warm, bright, and full of energy."

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 26/08/2026

I don't know why but I saw this and immediately had to freehand-mouse draw it. I think it's the way his pupil exists in 3D space.

A bad sketch of Bart Simpson from the Tracey Ullman era, having eaten all of the cookies.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 15/08/2026

Last one, I promise, but when you get to the likes of Super Mario Odyssey and Bowser’s Fury, Mario’s shadow is still always under him but can now deform to run up the wall when he’s partially over a ledge, like it’s a goop-monster chasing him. A useful visual aid that’s kinda creepy in retrospect!

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 15/08/2026

Super Mario Galaxy has the same shadow but not the same problems. The camera frames jumps from the side to help you get a better sense of Mario’s elevation, his spin drags you towards anything you’re close to, and look at the crazy level of ‘snap’, ensuring the player can get onto this swing.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 15/08/2026

Spatial awareness, especially in bonus stages, has always been my bugbear in Super Mario Sunshine and I think it’s his shadow’s fault. It’s always directly below him and barely changes size, making it really hard to tell how high above the ground you are. Like, that ledge grab totally surprised me.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 09/08/2026

One of my more successful Balatro runs...

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 08/08/2026

One of my favourite little "not-Mario" design differences in Wario Land is that you don't escape a level by pressing Start and Select. Rather, there's a door that Wario enters each stage through. If you want to leave again, use it. It's so elegant.

Wario Land on the Game Boy. Wario, wearing a Jet Cap, looks left at an open doorway. A Brown Sugar Pirate with a spear patrols nearby.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 26/07/2026

I call this "Pauline's Shoe Song":

Black text on a white background, which reads:

This strange world of Banandium Root
How I wish Grandma bought me boots
Unaware, ill-informed
Kidnapped and transformed
So up onto your back, I'll scoot...

I'm staying up, off of the floor
Not touching dirt, not any more
Some things are sharp, some things are round
There's no damn way my feet will touch that ground
It's so gross (when walking outside)
All icky with ooze
So just agree, to carry me
Until we find a pair of decent shoes!

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 23/07/2026

This is my new favourite thing.

Inside a dimly-lit tavern, a green lizard sits on the bar, being observed by a woman in red.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 23/07/2026

Larinna deserves an award for her masterful mango acting, and finally she can have one!

A dark-haired female pirate leaning against a wall stands next to a lamp and a barrel (with some rope and an award statue on it) against a blue sky. A ship is visible behind her.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 17/07/2026

I've been giving Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown a try. It's very compelling, but the writing can be all over the place. They've got Tuvok down, same with Neelix, and then you get someone like B'Elanna who sounds like she's from the TOS Gangster Planet.

The bridge of Voyager, mostly brown and grey, with several bright schematics of the ship visible behind Tom Paris, Kathryn Janeway and B'Elanna Torres.

A text box from B'Elanna reads: "You managed to get something. You Starfleet don't know how to fight, but you sure talk good."

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 14/07/2026

A bonus for #DrawMerryDay as I finally force myself to learn how Photoshop's pen tool works. I even took notes! Will that help future-me? No. Anyway, here's Merry as jittery jester Pomni from The Amazing Digital Circus.

A frightened young woman in a jester costume. She has green eyes, a purple bow, and a blue and red costume with yellow trim. Based on Merry from Merry Hell, and Pomni from The Amazing Digital Circus.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 14/07/2026

For @stuartgipp.bsky.social's #DrawMerryDay I decided to think outside the box and inside the blocks... #Minecraft

A map on a wall in Minecraft showing an image of Merry, a brown-haired girl with a purple bow, red top and blue jeans. There is red kanji to her right roughly translating to "cheerful person".

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 04/07/2026

I see what you're doing here, Minishoot Adventures...

A top-down view of a small spaceship, at a junction with a cave in the top-left corner and three paths to the north, east and west. The spaceship has three hearts.

It looks like it would be dangerous to go alone.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 28/06/2026

Me, twenty minutes after Caine appeared and asked "Who's ready to go on an ADVENTURE?!"

A Sea of Thieves pirate stands morosely in a hot tub, surrounded by stools, gunpowder and a maelstrom of dead, flying Splashtails.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 25/06/2026

Today is apparently #makeaterriblecomicday, so here's one I made earlier:

A two panel comic. In the first, Agnes, a pig in a green dress from Animal Crossing, tells the player "Surprise gift exchange! Here, take Aran-knit cardigan!"

In the second, Samus Aran, in her trademark red helmet and orange combat suit, struggles with knitting.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 19/06/2026

Sega launch sonic-me.com, delivering a (human-only) avatar editor with customisation options that can charitably be described as "minimalist" and more accurately described as "shite". If the background wasn't Green Hill Zone, I'd have assumed this was the opening titles of a C4 sitcom about gamers.

A pixelated homunculus wielding a gigantic mug stands defiantly, resisting the innate pointlessness of its own existence.

It has unkempt brown hair and a goatee, glasses, a red T-shirt with Knuckles on it, black trousers and shoes. The background is Green Hill Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog with blue skies, green hills, palm trees and lush grass.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 18/06/2026

My #FFVFJF line-up for this year: White Mage! Time Mage. Bard!! Chemist!!! Me entering any battle:

An image of the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who, floating surrounded by a field of pure magical energy, unleashing a beam of energy from his hand.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 16/06/2026

I broke the habit of a lifetime and got really *nerdy* earlier, because I wanted to check something. There's every chance that 2028/29 will be the first year that we haven't had one of either Star Trek and/or Doctor Who on TV/movie screens in some form... since 1963. Yikes. (Stargate for flavour.)

A timeline showing Doctor Who, its spin-offs and movies, next to Star Trek, its spin-offs and movies, and Stargate just for funsies. It stretches from 1963 to 2026.

Yes, I know I forgot the two made-for-TV Stargate movies. I think most people did.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 13/06/2026

Dug up the Super Play issue cited, with Ted Woolsey:

An interview with Ted Woolsey. Of particular interest is the right-most column where he's asked about Final Fantasy V, which reads:

Q) Final Fantasy VI is going to be released as Final Fantasy III in the US, with FFVI being held over 'till 1995 to be released as a separate game. Could you explain this decision, and tell us about the games themselves?

A) The Final Fantasy series basically has two separate tracks: the odd series (FFI, FFIII and FFV) are controller command drive games, whereas the even series are more story line driven games. As for FFV though, well although we're sure it's a great title it hasn't been a hit with too many people in our focus grousp, although experienced gamers loved the complex character building - it's just not accessible enough to the average gamer. But, we're determined we want to release it so we're going to wait and introduce it once there's a larger audience for its particular style. Hence the wait.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 11/06/2026

It's taken me this long to realise why I found the #OoT Remake model so off-putting and yet slightly familiar...

Link, asleep on his bed in Ocarina of Time.

An uncanny shell of Link, formed by playing the Elegy of Emptiness in Majora's Mask.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 06/06/2026

Well... I took some comparison footage but it turns out -- surprise! -- there's no Disney+ account on BlueSky. For me this is inconvenient, for others it could render the service useless. So while I chase, enjoy these shots: the largest I can make it on my PC, and the only option on my TV via Xbox.

A King of the Hill screenshot from the Disney+ app.

A photo of a camera showing the Disney+ app on Xbox.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 04/06/2026

Still very much a #Minecraft work-in-progress but this is the Nether Hub entrance to what'll be my cyberpunk city and building something this dense is *exhausting*.

A cyberpunk skyscraper in Minecraft made of grey stone with a black connecting sky tunnel and lots of neon lights.

A cyberpunk skyscraper in Minecraft made of grey stone with a black connecting sky tunnel and lots of neon lights. Two big billboards are visible.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 28/05/2026

I remember once having a long conversation with DK64 software engineer Simon about the various text formatting options he'd put into the code. The English script hardly made use of them but the Japanese localisers created what he described as "a rainbow of text". Some examples clipped from YouTube:

Squawks talks to Donkey Kong outside of his treehouse. All of the text is purple.

Squawks talks to Donkey Kong outside of his treehouse. Most of the text is purple but a couple of words are red.

In his lab, Cranky berates DK. All of the text is purple.

In his lab, Cranky berates DK. Most of the text is purple but some is a vibrant green.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 22/05/2026

Okay, Yoshi and the Amazing book, everyone says you’re for kids but maybe you’ll—

An image of Yoshi and the Amazing Book. Three plants have cleavage.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 22/05/2026

It's MAY, for fuck's sake. At least we doubled-down on green energy sources to provide-- oh. Well at least there isn't an-- oh. Oh.

A temperature graph for the next week reading predicted temperatures, in Celsius, of 27, 24, 27, 30, 30, 28 and 27.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 18/05/2026

Presenting the first in my experimental new series, SHATFACTS! #SHATFACT #001: William Shatner portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in the American sci-fi series, 'Star Trek'. Be sure to follow and subscribe so as never to miss a #SHATFACT. Cheers!

Canadian actor William Shatner, on set as Captain James T. Kirk in cult sci-fi failure, Star Trek.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 14/05/2026

And with this bizarre setup I do dub thee, #Balatro, beaten with every deck on Gold Stake. Arise, Sir Completionist+.

A Balatro game showing various cards and jokers against a red swirling background. A flush is selected.

A Balatro game showing a very unbalanced deck of cards, there are 51 hearts and only 22 other suits.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 12/05/2026

I've been going hands-on with upcoming features in Insiders today, so that I can write about the details with confidence. But hey, the NDA's gone, so let's all enjoy this ethereal emerald escort from an angle you might not have seen it before!

The Ferry of the Damned from Sea of THieves. A battered galleon bathed in glowing green light rests upon a ghoulish sea of mist. The Sea of Thieves Insider watermark is visible in the top-centre of the image.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 10/05/2026

A man trying to complete the final Gold Stake deck in #Balatro will do some very silly things. (Oh, look, the Boss Blind is "all Spade Cards debuffed"...)

A deck of cards in Balatro, in which over 40 are the Spades suit.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 09/05/2026

I can have some Dizzy, as a treat.

A small box with a number of games pictured on it, and Dizzy the egg sitting on an Evercade.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 07/05/2026

Five years ago in #Minecraft, I made a quick lava farm using dripstone (as well as a basalt generator) in a cave deep beneath my megabase. Tonight, I've finally gotten around to giving it a quick glow-u! (Fitting for the glow squid farm I want in the next room...)

A Minecraft cave of gray stone bricks. A brown pointed dripstock stalactite is dripping red lava into a cauldron. It's a mess.

A Minecraft cave of gray stone and tuff bricks. A grey central pillar is surrounded by workstations and a large foundry, complete with multiple lava cauldrons.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 05/05/2026

Another clean-up #Minecraft project from the Bank Holiday, this makes an amethyst geode a lot easier to AFK at and mine. Also it's purdy.

A Minecraft screenshot. Pink and magenta glass blocks surround pinkish amethyst clusters growing out of purple amethyst buds in all directions. Beyond the glass is darkness.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 02/05/2026

Using the power of audiobooks to finish the most stupidly detailed connecting corridor of my life. #Minecraft

A small, brown muddy cave with a natural waterfall separates two, grey stone corridors in Minecraft.

A dilapidated grey stone corridor in Minecraft. Parts have collapsed and there are patches of moss.

A ninety degree turn in Minecraft, with a collapsed corridor of grey stone.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 18/04/2026

Andy Mycock, mate, I am in a uniquely privileged position to say that I don't believe that subheader for an instant.

A man stands with his foot up on a street sign reading "Mycock Lane".

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 18/04/2026

Just got my first new Crackdown achievement in 19 years! It requires pulling 100 gang members out of moving cars, so I can see why I missed it. Even so, I'd like to thank the proliferation of the modern podcast industry for entertaining me while I rampaged back and forth on a freeway overpass.

The Xbox UI showing two achievements, one unlocked on April 18th, 2026, the other on May 30th, 2007.

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Chris Allcock @taskbaarchitect.com · 16/04/2026

Oh, never mind, one of their Latin rulers is broken. (Good to know they'll embrace Claude but shun the humble spellchecker.)

A message on the Bluesky status page declaring that "We are investigating an incident with service in one of our reginos."

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