• Mostly silliness

    From rms@rmsmoo@moomoo.net to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Wed Feb 11 17:54:43 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    Yhqhf UXO66-KZ8Q3-YYCMX

    rms
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  • From Dimensional Traveler@dtravel@sonic.net to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Wed Feb 11 17:45:39 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    On 2/11/2026 4:54 PM, rms wrote:
    Yhqhf  UXO66-KZ8Q3-YYCMX

    Huh, it still didn't look like English after I de-rotted it.
    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.
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  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Thu Feb 12 10:06:56 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    On Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:45:39 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
    <dtravel@sonic.net> said this thing:

    On 2/11/2026 4:54 PM, rms wrote:
    Yhqhf  UXO66-KZ8Q3-YYCMX

    Huh, it still didn't look like English after I de-rotted it.


    I'm guessing it's this game:
    Ludus https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200230/Ludus/

    which looks like a not-entirely asset-flipped roman gladiator
    simulator.

    It's not clear what service the key is for either, although I guess
    you could just try all of them until it works.

    Dunno where DT got it from, but I think they're welcome to keep it ;-)

    (j/k, DT. It's a nice offer and I'm sure somebody will take it. God
    knows I've given away worse games ;-)



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  • From Dimensional Traveler@dtravel@sonic.net to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Thu Feb 12 17:13:16 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    On 2/12/2026 7:06 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
    On Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:45:39 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
    <dtravel@sonic.net> said this thing:

    On 2/11/2026 4:54 PM, rms wrote:
    Yhqhf  UXO66-KZ8Q3-YYCMX

    Huh, it still didn't look like English after I de-rotted it.


    I'm guessing it's this game:
    Ludus https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200230/Ludus/

    which looks like a not-entirely asset-flipped roman gladiator
    simulator.

    It's not clear what service the key is for either, although I guess
    you could just try all of them until it works.

    Dunno where DT got it from, but I think they're welcome to keep it ;-)

    (j/k, DT. It's a nice offer and I'm sure somebody will take it. God
    knows I've given away worse games ;-)

    Wasn't me offering it. Check the attributions, its rms' fault!
    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.
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  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Fri Feb 13 10:31:06 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    On Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:13:16 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
    <dtravel@sonic.net> said this thing:
    On 2/12/2026 7:06 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:


    (j/k, DT. It's a nice offer and I'm sure somebody will take it. God
    knows I've given away worse games ;-)


    Wasn't me offering it. Check the attributions, its rms' fault!


    Apologies. The attributions got all a'tangled and messed with me
    little head. But hey, let's give you the credit for the offer, and rms
    the blame for the choice of game. That's fair and I'm sure rms won't
    mind! ;-)


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  • From Justisaur@justisaur@yahoo.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Fri Feb 13 07:33:36 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    On 2/11/2026 4:54 PM, rms wrote:
    Yhqhf  UXO66-KZ8Q3-YYCMX

    rms

    Looks up my alley, I took it. Thanks rms (I did check Amazon in case it
    was a giveaway there first so I'm not taking something that I can
    already get. It wasn't there.)
    --
    -Justisaur

    ø-ø
    (\_/)\
    `-'\ `--.___,
    ¶¬'\( ,_.-'
    \\
    ^'
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  • From Justisaur@justisaur@yahoo.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Wed Feb 18 06:53:03 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    On 2/13/2026 7:33 AM, Justisaur wrote:
    On 2/11/2026 4:54 PM, rms wrote:
    Yhqhf  UXO66-KZ8Q3-YYCMX

    rms

    Looks up my alley, I took it.  Thanks rms (I did check Amazon in case it was a giveaway there first so I'm not taking something that I can
    already get.  It wasn't there.)


    Ludus
    Well it's not what it appeared to be. reviews mentioned soulslike and gladiator. I tried playing it. It seems to be a gladiator manager
    builder game.

    You have to go to sleep for the first 'quest' but you can't do that
    until 20 minutes have passed. I already hired, bought and built
    everything I could on the first day. No thank you for waiting another 8 minutes just to continue something I'm already not enjoying.
    --
    -Justisaur

    ø-ø
    (\_/)\
    `-'\ `--.___,
    ¶¬'\( ,_.-'
    \\
    ^'
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  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Sun Feb 22 14:58:39 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:53:03 -0800, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
    said this thing:

    On 2/13/2026 7:33 AM, Justisaur wrote:
    On 2/11/2026 4:54 PM, rms wrote:
    Yhqhf  UXO66-KZ8Q3-YYCMX

    rms

    Looks up my alley, I took it.  Thanks rms (I did check Amazon in case it
    was a giveaway there first so I'm not taking something that I can
    already get.  It wasn't there.)


    Ludus
    Well it's not what it appeared to be. reviews mentioned soulslike and >gladiator. I tried playing it. It seems to be a gladiator manager
    builder game.


    Wasn't that the initial concept behind the first "Elder Scrolls:
    Arena" (the first one), before they completely revamped it into a more traditional CRPG following the success of "Ultima Underworld"? I mean,
    I know arena-fighting was the core conceit, but I think gladiator
    management was also part of the idea.

    It sounds like Bethesda had the right idea when they scrapped it and
    went back to dungeon-crawling.

    You have to go to sleep for the first 'quest' but you can't do that
    until 20 minutes have passed. I already hired, bought and built
    everything I could on the first day. No thank you for waiting another 8 >minutes just to continue something I'm already not enjoying.

    The way you portray it makes the game sound a lot like the glut of workspace-sims (e.g. "Supermarket Manager" or "Tavern Manager"), where
    you only get a limited time to do things before you have to end the
    day to begin the next one and repeat the process. Those are nothing
    but asset-flipped games too.

    I can't speak for "Ludus" but those other games seem made entirely to
    attract streamers who then laugh at how janky and awful it is.


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  • From phoenix@j63840576@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Sun Feb 22 16:20:11 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
    On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:53:03 -0800, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
    said this thing:

    On 2/13/2026 7:33 AM, Justisaur wrote:
    On 2/11/2026 4:54 PM, rms wrote:
    Yhqhf  UXO66-KZ8Q3-YYCMX

    rms

    Looks up my alley, I took it.  Thanks rms (I did check Amazon in case it >>> was a giveaway there first so I'm not taking something that I can
    already get.  It wasn't there.)


    Ludus
    Well it's not what it appeared to be. reviews mentioned soulslike and
    gladiator. I tried playing it. It seems to be a gladiator manager
    builder game.


    Wasn't that the initial concept behind the first "Elder Scrolls:
    Arena" (the first one), before they completely revamped it into a more traditional CRPG following the success of "Ultima Underworld"? I mean,
    I know arena-fighting was the core conceit, but I think gladiator
    management was also part of the idea.

    It sounds like Bethesda had the right idea when they scrapped it and
    went back to dungeon-crawling.

    I don't get your anti-Arena position. That game was magickal and great.
    Ultima Underworld is the right analogy because it allowed players to be
    both good or evil. Freedom!

    Daggerfall was a lumpy piece of shit that I played for 20 minutes in my
    entire career.
    --
    Through you we push down our foes;
    through your name we tread down
    those who rise up
    against us.
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  • From Xocyll@Xocyll@gmx.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Sun Feb 22 18:12:06 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
    say:

    On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:53:03 -0800, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
    said this thing:

    On 2/13/2026 7:33 AM, Justisaur wrote:
    On 2/11/2026 4:54 PM, rms wrote:
    Yhqhf  UXO66-KZ8Q3-YYCMX

    rms

    Looks up my alley, I took it.  Thanks rms (I did check Amazon in case it >>> was a giveaway there first so I'm not taking something that I can
    already get.  It wasn't there.)


    Ludus
    Well it's not what it appeared to be. reviews mentioned soulslike and >>gladiator. I tried playing it. It seems to be a gladiator manager >>builder game.


    Wasn't that the initial concept behind the first "Elder Scrolls:
    Arena" (the first one), before they completely revamped it into a more >traditional CRPG following the success of "Ultima Underworld"? I mean,
    I know arena-fighting was the core conceit, but I think gladiator
    management was also part of the idea.

    It sounds like Bethesda had the right idea when they scrapped it and
    went back to dungeon-crawling.

    You have to go to sleep for the first 'quest' but you can't do that
    until 20 minutes have passed. I already hired, bought and built >>everything I could on the first day. No thank you for waiting another 8 >>minutes just to continue something I'm already not enjoying.

    The way you portray it makes the game sound a lot like the glut of >workspace-sims (e.g. "Supermarket Manager" or "Tavern Manager"), where
    you only get a limited time to do things before you have to end the
    day to begin the next one and repeat the process. Those are nothing
    but asset-flipped games too.

    I can't speak for "Ludus" but those other games seem made entirely to
    attract streamers who then laugh at how janky and awful it is.

    They really need to do one of these manager games like dungeon keeper.

    You run a supermarket or whatever, and then the attacks, shoplifters,
    KARENs, etc, like the Heroes who would attack your dungeons in DK.

    It *might* make the manager type game more interesting to non-Germans.

    Xocyll
    --
    I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
    a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
    Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
    FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
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  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Mon Feb 23 09:58:34 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    On Sun, 22 Feb 2026 18:12:06 -0500, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> said this
    thing:


    They really need to do one of these manager games like dungeon keeper.
    You run a supermarket or whatever, and then the attacks, shoplifters,
    KARENs, etc, like the Heroes who would attack your dungeons in DK.

    I think they did.

    Or rather, I seem to recall something along those lines. I can't find
    trace of it now. It was a supermarket business managemeent game with a
    top-down interface.* It was more akin to "Theme Park" than "Dungeon
    Keeper".


    It *might* make the manager type game more interesting to non-Germans.


    Oh no. No, no. no. You /want/ to keep the Germans occupied. Otherwise
    they get up to... mischief.**










    ----
    * either that or a fever dream
    ** like winning the World Cup again. Why what did you think I was
    referring to? ;-)
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  • From Xocyll@Xocyll@gmx.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Tue Feb 24 08:45:26 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
    say:

    On Sun, 22 Feb 2026 18:12:06 -0500, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> said this
    thing:


    They really need to do one of these manager games like dungeon keeper.
    You run a supermarket or whatever, and then the attacks, shoplifters, >>KARENs, etc, like the Heroes who would attack your dungeons in DK.

    I think they did.

    Or rather, I seem to recall something along those lines. I can't find
    trace of it now. It was a supermarket business managemeent game with a >top-down interface.* It was more akin to "Theme Park" than "Dungeon
    Keeper".


    It *might* make the manager type game more interesting to non-Germans.


    Oh no. No, no. no. You /want/ to keep the Germans occupied. Otherwise
    they get up to... mischief.**

    I didn't say make it less appealing to Germans, just make it more
    appealing to non-Germans.

    ----
    * either that or a fever dream
    ** like winning the World Cup again. Why what did you think I was
    referring to? ;-)


    Xocyll
    --
    I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
    a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
    Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
    FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
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  • From phoenix@j63840576@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,alt.checkmate on Tue Feb 24 09:38:26 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    Xocyll wrote:
    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
    say:

    On Sun, 22 Feb 2026 18:12:06 -0500, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> said this
    thing:


    They really need to do one of these manager games like dungeon keeper.
    You run a supermarket or whatever, and then the attacks, shoplifters,
    KARENs, etc, like the Heroes who would attack your dungeons in DK.

    I think they did.

    Or rather, I seem to recall something along those lines. I can't find
    trace of it now. It was a supermarket business managemeent game with a
    top-down interface.* It was more akin to "Theme Park" than "Dungeon
    Keeper".


    It *might* make the manager type game more interesting to non-Germans.


    Oh no. No, no. no. You /want/ to keep the Germans occupied. Otherwise
    they get up to... mischief.**

    I didn't say make it less appealing to Germans, just make it more
    appealing to non-Germans.

    What is that?
    --
    Through you we push down our foes;
    through your name we tread down
    those who rise up
    against us.
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Fri Feb 27 14:22:23 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 09:58:34 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> said this thing:
    On Sun, 22 Feb 2026 18:12:06 -0500, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> said this
    thing:


    They really need to do one of these manager games like dungeon keeper.
    You run a supermarket or whatever, and then the attacks, shoplifters, >>KARENs, etc, like the Heroes who would attack your dungeons in DK.


    I think they did.
    Or rather, I seem to recall something along those lines. I can't find
    trace of it now. It was a supermarket business managemeent game with a >top-down interface.* It was more akin to "Theme Park" than "Dungeon
    Keeper".


    Aha! I think I found it!

    Well, sort of. I found the game I think I was remembering. It was,
    however, not a dedicated 'supermarket simulator'. Rather, it was a
    "mall simulator".

    "Shopping Center Tycoon" released in 2005 and, as you can imagine, let
    you build your own 'shopping center' (mall) using a top-down
    viewpoint. A business management game, it was all the excitement of
    games like "Rollercoaster Tycoon" without any of the fun.

    I think I played this game for all of five minutes before quitting it
    in boredom. Whether it let you boot Karens and shoplifters, I couldn't
    tell you. But at least the game existed! I'm not going crazy after all
    (or at least, my memories of this game aren't proof of that fact!)

    More info here:
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/43047/shopping-centre-tycoon/




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