Last weekend we did a trip down memory lane; a LAN party using period correct Windows 98 hardware and four old (also) period correct friends. I played a ton of LAN parties back in the day and was often the organizer of large ones, sometimes up to about 20 people. Then there was a big gap when everyone was busy building families and careers for a decade or two. But rest assured, it is still just as fun today as back then. It might be even more fun today, because grumpy old men like us have now learned to value time in a completely different way. I am hard pressed to come up with any better way to spend time than an event such as this.

Computer, DiaryRikard ÖqvistAugust 2, 2024friends, retro computers, gaming, tinkering, cultureComment

Revisiting Minecraft with my son

I will never forget my first night in Minecraft. It is one of the defining moments in video game history. The sheer terror of trying to find a source of light and a roof over your head before the sun sets was epic. I didn’t succeed at first so I just dug a 1x1 hole in the dirt and hid inside it so the monsters couldn’t spawn with me or hurt me. That was when the game was still in alpha version. A lot has happened since then. But the game is still just as epic today, as those first days back in 2010.

Computer, ParentingRikard ÖqvistJuly 11, 2024minecraft, parenting, father, gamingComment

A grumpy old gamer

I have been playing a lot of Diablo 4 these past months. Overall, it is a very impressing game, especially with regards to the production value. I don’t think I have seen anything like it before. The graphics, artwork, audio, cutscenes, atmosphere, mechanics, story, music… the list goes on and on. However, there is one thing that annoys me more than anything. The difficulty level. Why on Earth is the game so extremely easy? There is no challenge whatsoever and it is almost impossible to die, and I can dispose of most enemies, including bosses with one or a couple of actions. It becomes rather boring after a while.I have been playing a lot of Diablo 4 these past months. Overall, it is a very impressing game, especially with regards to the production value. I don’t think I have seen anything like it before. The graphics, artwork, audio, cutscenes, atmosphere, mechanics, story, music… the list goes on and on. However, there is one thing that annoys me more than anything. The difficulty level. Why on Earth is the game so extremely easy? There is no challenge whatsoever and it is almost impossible to die, and I can dispose of most enemies, including bosses with one or a couple of actions. It becomes rather boring after a while.

ComputerRikard ÖqvistJune 6, 2024gaming, blizzard, challengeComment

Retro gaming on period-correct or modern systems

EA had a big sale recently on Steam where they released the whole original Command and Conquer series. All the old original games, no remastered editions. I really enjoy these old gems for nostalgia and the occasional retro LAN party, and getting them on Steam helps a lot, because it has been difficult or even impossible to play them for a long time. A Steam release is thus perfect for simplicity. I messaged my retro pals and gave them a tip on the sale. In the conversation I jokingly said that the best way to enjoy the original games is on proper Retro hardware with spinning discs. Surprisingly, my joke turned out to be the truth.

ComputerRikard ÖqvistMarch 15, 2024retro, gaming, pcComment

Tech-savvy kids

This weekend I had a big wow experience. I introduced my five-year-old son to Minecraft. I just put a gamepad in his hands, and a short time later, I glanced at the screen and stopped in my tracks. He had just built a little house with a kitchen and a library, with an additional lookout tower complete with an internal ladder to get to the top. To keep the monsters away, there were some bonfires and torches. The learning curve will never cease to amaze me. It is not too long ago that he was pushing the go pedal in Mario Kart straight into a wall. Fast-forward 1-2 years and he beats me. And now he’s creating things in Minecraft. Playing a first- or third-person game is more challenging than understanding a racing game. It is mind-boggling how fast it happened.

Computer, Diary, ParentingRikard ÖqvistFebruary 29, 2024minecraft, computer, gaming, parentingComment

Couch gaming

I noted the other day that me and my wife had been getting along better than average, for a couple of weeks. That is something you seriously should pay attention to and figure out exactly why. Happy wife, happy life, as the saying goes. She had made the same observation, and after some soul-searching we came to the same conclusion: Couch gaming.

FamilyRikard ÖqvistFebruary 4, 2024gaming, pc, nintendo, family, marriage, kids, relationshipComment

Retro LAN party

“Error: Keyboard not detected. Press F1 to continue or DEL to enter setup”. This is not a joke. It is a brilliant real-world error message that I got this Saturday during our retro-LAN while running four Windows 98-powered battle stations. What a magnificent weekend, to meet up with four very old friends for a trip down memory lane. Gaming together on period correct hardware in a single room. Easily one of the funniest things I have done in about two decades.

Computer, DiaryRikard ÖqvistAugust 22, 2023gaming, pcmr, retro, friends, friendshipComment

Why did I stop listening to music?

I remember driving in the early noughties. The first thing I did after I got my driver’s license was to install a nice car stereo and a 12” subwoofer in the trunk. I always listened to music. I could figure out excuses to go for a drive just so that I could listen to more music. And I listened to music constantly when I was not driving too. Nowadays my music consumption isn’t even close, and it has to a large degree been replaced by audiobooks and podcasts. Why is this?

Diary, Philosophy, Computer, MusicRikard ÖqvistFebruary 21, 2023music, culture, movies, gaming, pc, audiobook, podcastComment

System updates and glitches

My favorite system update with bad timing was last year when I had scheduled an online tutoring activity on Zoom with about 40 students. I made sure to test and connect every piece of equipment the night before and it worked like a charm. The next day, I was almost an hour ahead of schedule and fired up my system to make sure there would be no issues. Then, my HP Elite X2 decided it was time to conduct a major system update with BIOS flash. You cannot skip it; it just begins the update process when it feels like it. Even if you are standing in front of an audience. And this is a time-consuming process. I didn’t know whether I should laugh or cry as I watched the counters on the clock come closer and closer to 13:00 when the lecture starts.

ComputerRikard ÖqvistNovember 1, 2021windows, gaming, IT, technologyComment

Epic video gaming moments

What Microsoft has done with Flight Simulator 2020 is nothing but mind blowing. They have digitalized the entire world for us to fly around in. They have used map data with height geometry and flight and satellite photos from Bing and combined it with AI magic that have generated buildings and trees with image recognition technology. The weather is rendered in real time, so if you look outside and it’s a rainy sunset in Umeå, that is precisely what you will experience if you fire up the simulator and take off from Umeå Airport. If you go low enough, you can even see cars driving on the roads. The graphics are nothing short of stunning. It is by far the most beautiful video game I have seen. However, that last sentence will probably age poorly, because I have said the same thing about Super Mario on the NES.