# Games, change from geminid to vger, grandfather

2022-03-11

Recently I've been playing more video/computer games on my PC. I tend to
get into periods of intense gaming, but usually it's when I find
something special to play. One such title that recently caught my eye is
the "Ashes Afterglow" and it's prequel "Ashes 2063". It's a
zdoom-compatible total conversion for Doom II, and it is set in a
post-apocalyptic Atlanta and the surrounding area. They have introduced
a lot of RPG-elements like trading and weapon-upgrading, as well as very
detailed environments that reminds you a lot about old Build-engine
games like Blood or Duke3d. It also contains tons of references to
popular culture and games. I've sunk many hours into these games, and so
far I'm amazed.  There are a lot of exploration involved and
secret-hunting is very rewarding. It seems to have Stalker, Half-life,
Fallout and many other popular post-apocalyptic franchises as
inspiration.

I've also re-played an old favorite of mine, Silent Hill 2 for the
Playstation 2. The emulator PCSX2 is very good these days, and I usually
play with a controller from my PS4 plugged in to the PC via USB. Rumble
and everything works this way, and buttons are mapped correctly from the
beginning. I am far from the only person that likes this franchise, but
I have been re-playing it annually since I got it. I think what interest
me the most is the atmosphere in the game. The music, together with
exploring the town and various locations have always tickled my
imagination. The story may be a bit cheesy and the voice-acting is okay,
but nothing extraordinary by any means. I still love it, and even if I
know the puzzles and can navigate the environments by memory, I keep
coming back. I attached two screenshots to this post below.

gopher://vignette.kalasarn.se:70/I/files/images/sh2hospital.png
gopher://vignette.kalasarn.se:70/I/files/images/sh2backrooms_hotel.png

I took the time to migrate away from geminid to vger. I have been
satisfied with geminid, but vger appealed to me since it is available
from ports in openbsd, can use relayd from the base system, and is over
all more well integrated with the openbsd ecosystem. So far it's been
running great.

Yesterday we had a memorial service for my grandfather, who passed away
a few weeks ago. He had left very specific instructions of how he wanted
it to be conducted. His ashes was to be buried in his family grave,
located in a nice and quiet forest cemetery. He also didn't want to have
any religious ceremony at all.  No priest, no church, no organ or
psalms. We met at a restaurant by the lake, had a simple lunch and
listened to some music that he had chosen. Mostly it was very cheerful,
and more of a happy remembrance-ceremony than tearful goodbye. Around
the room where we ate were pictures of him from different times in his
life. His graduation.  His wedding. One of his later birthdays. I
remember him very fondly, and I am really glad that I had a walk with
him in his last few days alive. I drove his wheelchair through the
spring-weather. The sun was shining and we talked about various things
in a light mood. It was a nice moment that I think we both enjoyed very
much.

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