kitsunebi

3 minutes ago, StrykerOfEnyo said:

I thank you for your very impressive list of magazines you worked on for archive.org. Do you have a location for a complete list?

Archive.org is a secondary host for my files, much like here.  They don't have all of my files because some of them have been removed and some I never uploaded.  Retromags doesn't have all of my files because some of them are slightly beyond the cutoff date and a whole bunch of others I just haven't had time to upload yet LOL.  The only place with all of my scans is OldGameMags which is my home base, if you will.  Of all the sites scanning gaming mags, it's probably the largest collection of original scans out there (currently over 12,000) but it's a very small community (around 300 members) with only a handful of people interested in the Japanese stuff I scan, which is why I mirror it elsewhere so it can reach more people.

Most people like whatever they get comfortable using, so I imagine that was the appeal of Sumatra to whoever chose to recommend it here.  They were probably already very familiar with PDF readers and wanted something that behaved identically.  I don't know what's best for everyone, the only way to know is to try different software and see what you prefer.  But there are some functional differences in PDF readers that make them less desirable for files which have been created specifically with CBR in mind which I will discuss later

I've been using CDisplay for over 15 years.  Unfortunately, I don't know where you can get it anymore.  The developer died a long time ago, so the software hasn't changed in ages, but it was always available at www.cdisplay.me  but recently that site has gone dead.  It has some drawbacks (probably because it's so old, it's one of the only CBR readers that can't open PDFs as well), but I'm so comfortable with it, it's hard for me to adjust to anything else.  It's got to be available someplace though...this is the Internet, right?

I think a lot of people use CDisplayEX now.  What I don't like about it is that (on my computer) there are load times, especially on big files like magazines.  I like to click on a mag/comic and have it open instantly, which is one reason I preferred the older software.  Depending on what reader you use, it might be worth installing CDisplayEX anyway, even if you don't use it, as just having it installed on your system will ensure that all cbr/cbz files have shell integration so you can see a thumbnail of their cover in Windows Explorer.  (Possibly other readers have this as well, I'm not sure).

I've heard recommendations for YACreader, and it doesn't have load times. It seems decent, if perhaps not as robust as CDisplayEX, and the image is actually a bit sharper than the reader I use, but there are other things I miss, so like I said, it's hard for me to change to anything else.

Here's something to keep an eye out for (you're unlikely to see this in any CBR readers, but this is what you'll get from a PDF reader like Sumatra):

Comics are meant to be a mix of single and double-page spreads.  Because the text on a two-page spread crosses from the left page to the right and then back again, these pages must be saved as a single wide image.  A CBR reader knows to expect this, and makes the reading experience seamless regardless of whether you're using single or two-page viewing mode.  A PDF reader expects all pages to be more or less the same size within a single document, so two-page viewing mode in particular can get really screwed up when it encounters wide images, such as you get when two pages are saved as a single image.

For example, using this issue (Games for Windows #9), at the beginning of the issue there is a foldout ad.  Here it is in a CBR reader, using two-page/book mode (set to fit-to-page/fit width):

And here's a PDF reader like Sumatra in two-page/book mode:

CBR readers dynamically shift between single and double pages all the time, so if you're in book mode and have two single pages, they will be displayed side by side, but if you encounter a joined image, it will understand that this is actually two pages already, and display just a single joined image, even when in two-page mode.  PDF readers aren't expecting this, so their "two-page" mode will display two files side by side, no matter how big they are (in this case, it ends up displaying FIVE pages all at once.)

And joins aside, let's say you're looking at a two page ad that has been saved as two separate pages (which unlike comic scans, is how magazine scans are usually handled).  A CBR reader set to two-page mode shows this:

While Sumatra shows this:

Any reader that inserts a space between pages I've painstakingly edited to be a seamless join is unappealing to me (though I can see how it's a welcome obfuscation for anyone who doesn't bother to edit their mags as carefully).

5 minutes ago, StrykerOfEnyo said:

This is impressive, I hope you have a job that lets you put these talents to work professionally. You should be showered with money with these skills. Thanks for the mag rundown again -- I can't remember the original forum post where you mentioned this.

I wholeheartedly agree.  I scrub and I scrub, but only a shower of money is ever gonna get me clean.  Anyone who'd like to help can hit me up via PayPal at gimmeallyourmoney@icandream.com.

Yep, Doomguy2000 pulled through and promptly uploaded YET ANOTHER copy of this file.  

A lot of people who reupload our files elsewhere without giving any sort of acknowledgement of where they come from pretend that they're simply helping out by ensuring that the file is mirrored in multiple places.  That argument doesn't hold water when you're uploading it to your own account at the exact same site that the creator of the file has already uploaded it. 

How sad that some people can only find self-worth by falsely laying claim to the efforts of others.  But what do I know, maybe this guy has a really terrible life, and the artificial sense of pride he gets from seeing that someone has downloaded a file he copy/pasted is the only thing keeping him from sucking on the end of a shotgun.  Who am I to take that away from him?  So run and be free, Doomguy.  I won't bother you again, and I hope you find a way to climb out of the rut your life has taken and find joy in something that you can claim as your own someday.

1 hour ago, StrykerOfEnyo said:

wow, is this one of the earliest publications for this group (April 1989)? I don't remember anything before this, besides some code or strategy collections. Another coveted number 1. Thanks for finding these. They are fascinating to look through, even though the content itself hasn't aged well.

Before this would have been (at the very least)

• Game Player's Nintendo Buyer's Guide (Vol.1 No.1)
• The Game Player's Guide to MS-DOS Computer Games (Vol.1 No.2)
• Game Player's Nintendo Strategy Guide (Vol.1 No.3)
• Game Player's MS-DOS Strategy Guide (Vol.1. No.4)

None of these are dated, but the first two were definitely released in 1988, and the Vol.1 No.4 issue has a "display until March 11, 1989" on the cover, so it would have been released before April, obviously.

The two Nintendo issues are already available here.  I'll be uploading the other two.

5 minutes ago, ml0045 said:

I was jokingly referring to your reviews of Famitsu and such where you point out some stuff and it critique it.

I usually try to say SOMETHING about the issues I upload.  Since I don't actually read video game magazines, this usually entails simply flipping through the issue and looking for a picture that catches my eye.  But I uploaded this right before going to bed and didn't have time to find something to comment on, and I already had the disc to point out, so it wasn't like I left the description field blank like most people do.

I'll try to find something to rant about next time.

1 hour ago, ml0045 said:

Kind of half-disappointed there's no rant.

Dunno what you mean about a rant.  If you're talking about the previous file I uploaded warning doomguy2000 that there was no need for him to upload a copy to his Internet Archive account, there was no point saying it again because

a) doomguy2000 can't read and immediately posted a copy of that file anyway

b) I uploaded this issue of Comptiq to the Internet Archive over a year ago, so anyone who wanted to pretend like it was their scan and copy it to their account has already had ample time to do so

c) doomguy2000 doesn't appear to be interested in any non-English mags, so this issue isn't on his radar.

5 hours ago, Areala said:

In case anyone is curious, the answers to the quiz on page 54 are:

I don't know any of those quotes offhand, but I made a couple of assumptions at the start that made me give up.

1: As you say, Data doesn't use contractions, so he couldn't be either the 1st, 3rd, or 4th quote.

2: Quark must be the one talking about Bajor, because who ever talks about Bajor except on DS9?

That left zero options for Data.

>>>DOES NOT COMPUTE>>>

11 minutes ago, MigJmz said:

I messaged him on Internet Archive years ago and he's ok with having his scans on here. Sucks i couldn't save all those UK PCG's that got deleted but oh well.

OGM has every single issue of UK PCG archived from #1-206, so no worries on that front (they have most of the USA issues as well).

We need to get this guy to register here, even if he never logs in, just so he can be credited properly in line with the rules.  I can try reaching out through his account at OGM.

8 minutes ago, MigJmz said:

not a member here.

Has RM gotten their permission to upload their mags here?  I thought membership was one of the requirements.  If we've been in contact with them to get permission, we might as well ask them to register here so they can get credited on the up and up.

Quote

Scanned By: Delphinus48

Are they not a member of Retromags?  I know they upload all of their stuff to Archive and also to OGM (under a different username), but no one by either of those names is a member here.

Who's the scanner?

5 hours ago, TresHombres said:

The quality of these scans are phenomenal, HardcoreHubz and Kitsunebi 

Thanks.  I'm about to dump some heavy info on y'all, so TLDR: Thanks again.

There are a number of reasons for the quality of this scan, but the main one is: the magazine itself.

The Japanese book/manga/magazine industry is important on a level of magnitude higher than it is in the USA.  When I visit America, I hardly ever see any bookstores anymore, and it seems the only reason people go to a Barnes & Noble is to relax in its mostly empty peace and quiet while having some Starbucks.  Meanwhile, there's a 3 story bookstore a couple of blocks from my home that is always so packed it has to have 2 parking lot attendants directing the traffic which is always backed up so far it spills into the street.  People still love printed media here.  Back in the 80s when these mags were published, it was probably even moreso. 

But what really helps us out, when it comes to scanning mags, is that Japan has MUCH MUCH higher standards of printing than the USA/UK.  USA/UK mags are almost always printed on very low-quality paper.  USA/UK paper is thin (the loose pages would probably fly away if I sneezed on them), and it's never WHITE WHITE to begin with, let alone after 30 years, when it turns into a lovely shade of splotchy brownish yellow.  Japanese mags, on the other hand, especially older ones, are printed on paper that we Americans would think of as "coffee-table book quality."  It's thick (not much danger of bleed-through when scanning), and it is WHITE.  And more importantly, 30 years later, it's still WHITE.

Now, don't get me wrong, a Japanese mag stored in a shed outside for 30 years isn't going to be immune to the elements, and some mags are printed on better paper than others.  Family Computer Magazine is a much higher quality mag than Famitsu, for example. And for that matter, any given issue of a Japanese mag may have several different paper stocks used - older Famitsu's have 3 different types of paper used in every issue, some of which age well, and others that don't.  But I can always tell when I get mags that have been taken care of over the years, since they look brand new, no matter how old they are.  I've got an issue of Family Computer Magazine from 1990 I haven't scanned yet, and its pages COULD NOT BE MORE WHITE.  It's pristine.  I dare you to find a gaming mag from 1990 printed in the USA/UK in such a state.  Even sealed in a vacuum, they simply never looked that good hot off the press.

So I'd say Japanese printing deserves the lion-share of the praise for the actual SCAN quality, since what does the best scan do if not capture the source accurately?  An excellent-looking source = an excellent looking scan.  That said, harcorehubz creates just about the best scans possible and his efforts are certainly vital to the final result.  First of all, he uses a Fujitsu fi-7460, which is an A3 scanner that currently costs $2500 on Amazon.  That's like 6 times the price of the scanner most of the rest of us are using.  It allows him to remove the staples and scan the pages without separating them.  While this isn't strictly necessary for getting a perfect scan, it IS important in one crucial way - the entire page is getting scanned.  I have to use a heat gun or scissors to debind my mags in order to fit into an A4 scanner.  Many of the scanners at Retromags, however, use a guillotine cutter to debind their mags, which slices away a small amount of the image on the gutter side of every single page.  If you ever switch to two page mode and wonder why a double page ad doesn't match up on one of those scans, that's why - part of the ad got cut away before it ever even went through the scanner.  I very rarely edit other people's scans, and one reason for that is that I refuse to edit mags that have been cut with a guillotine cutter, since creating a perfect edit from such scans is impossible.

This is one of harcorehubz's RAW scans.  Completely untouched by any editing software (other than shrinking it so it can be inserted into this post).  As you can see, the entire page has been scanned, and the pages themselves are already looking quite good on bright white paper:

Which leads to the final step in creating quality scans - editing.  harcorehubz has given me complete pages to work with, but on a stapled mag, aside from the very center page, facing pages are still completely separate elements from each other (the above sheet of paper is pages 4 and 112, for example.)  Most people tend to edit pages one at a time.  What I do is, any time there are pictures or text crossing both facing pages, I take both pages and edit them together as a single image.  Once they have been joined as best as I can, I separate them into two files again to save in the CBR.  If it's necessary for the reader's eye to cross from the left page to the right and then back again over and over to accurately read the information, I'll leave the pages joined.  But otherwise, if people want to see the images joined, they simply need to switch to two page mode (preferably not Sumatra PDF or some other crap reader that puts a gap between the pages.)  I sometimes don't bother when the only background element crossing both pages is something unimportant, like a page border.  And other times, I make sure those match up as well - it just depends on my mood, I guess.  Though since these are someone else's scans, I tend to err on doing everything to the best of my abilities.

As an aside, the previous 4 issues of harcorehubz's Famimaga I edited weren't in the great condition this one was.  On this one, all of the editing was in straightening, merging images, and repairing minor damage.  The colors were pretty much good to go.  The previous issues were either printed on different paper or had been stored/aged poorly.  The beginning (and ending) 20-30 pages or so suffered from severe yellowing around the edges of the pages, while the pages towards the center of the mag suffered less so.  I did the best I could to remove the yellowing without damaging the images/text, which is what would happen if you were to simply crank up the white levels (I actually never even touch the "levels" adjustment anymore, and work mostly with "curves.")  But if you look closely, there's still a big difference between issues 6-9 and issue 10, and it's all down to the quality of the source - the magazine itself.

(Here's a raw from issue 6 next to my edit:)

And now we've come full circle. 

Whew.

Did anybody actually read all that?

5 hours ago, Areala said:

I'm sorry, this still cracks me up even twenty-two years later. 

H..hey now.  They're...they're laughing WITH the Xbox, not at it.

Sh shut up, you weren't there. The Xbox just told a funny joke.

Honest.

I don't think I've ever played a game with achievements/trophies (oops, n/m - Goldeneye), but although they might add to the replayability of a game, they just don't seem as magical/secret/forbidden as a cheat code discovered in the wild (i.e. before GameFAQs).  Like the excitement of catching sight of a boob while watching a late night movie on the free weekend preview of Cinemax back in the day, versus having all the hardcore shenanigans you could ever imagine at your beck and call with the Internet.  The thrill is gone.

I haven't bought a game in the last 20 years, but do they even have cheat codes anymore?  It seems like they would have lost their mystique now that everything's a google search away.  What made them cool back in the day was that they'd show up once in whatever your favorite mag was as a kid.  If you missed that issue, which was entirely possible because you spent your allowance on comic books that month, you'd never even know the code existed, unless maybe one of your friends got the code from another mag and you could excitedly scribble it down while passing the mag around after school.  It was their relative UNavailability that made them interesting.

5 hours ago, Areala said:

Wasn't that Miyamoto guy the one who created Sonic the Hedgehog for the TurboGrafx-16 and saved Squaresoft from bankruptcy by programming Streets of Rage in a single, epic, 48-hour binge? Yeah, he's probably doing just fine right now. Better than the poor tosser who invented Donkey Kong, that's for sure.

I hear these days he's been trying to break into movies.  Shyeah, good luck with that, bud.  Like anyone would ever go see a film based on The Legend of Plumber Guy or whatever.

15 minutes ago, Areala said:

I just do what I can to be a friendly face.

If anyone is the "friendly face" of Retromags, encouraging newbies and vets alike, it's you. You should do away with that whole "curator" bag. 

Ambassador Areala. 

How do you like the sound of that?

6 hours ago, Areala said:

I really can't thank you enough for all the work you do with these Japanese magazines.

And I really can't thank you enough for being the one person I can count on to throw a bit of appreciation my way every single time without fail.  I don't know if you're actually downloading and reading everything or not, but I don't really care, since that's not how I interpret the thanks/like buttons, anyway.  I see them more as an appreciation of the time/effort expended, especially when coming from "senior staff" as it were, who have experience scanning/editing and know what's involved. 

I used to only thank or "like" releases that I personally had an interest in and downloaded, but since returning I've tried to model kitsunebi 2.0 after YOU, I make sure to thank/like every new release, even if it doesn't personally interest me, because I can at least appreciate the effort the people involved went to bringing the scan to us, and I want to encourage them to continue doing so.  I would think that anyone with an interest in seeing this site grow would have reason to do the same, but it doesn't seem to work out that way.  Indeed, to the best of my recollection, there's one person in particular I've never received a single like on any of my downloads from, but if it ever happens, hoo-boy, I might have to take a picture and frame it on my wall, maybe retire from the hobby altogether, since what more would there to be to look forward to after that LOL.

What is life, really, but one big eroge?  Making decisions of what to do and what to say in order to get laid?

7 hours ago, Areala said:

But would you truly be happy uploading files that small, instead of ones that are nearly a gigabyte in size?

Unlike real life, no one cares about size.  Would I be happier completing 4 files instead of one?  Yes.  Are people downloading the larger mag 4 times as grateful? No.  It's just math - 4 is always better than 1.

And as you know, the one thing a scanner needs more than anything is motivation.  When you've got 300+ unedited pages sitting in front of you, it's more difficult to even feel like starting, since you know you're not going to finish in a single sitting.  Once I get to under 100 pages, I feel relief that I'm in the homestretch and just power through to the end.  Imagine if every mag I scanned started in the homestretch?  I can only dream.

15 minutes ago, JimJam78 said:

I guess if your magazines are already remarkably horny compared to the west, Lara Croft wasn't that much of a novelty.

*(covers Areala's ears)*

They just don't find her character design attractive.  For the most part, Japan has a monogamous love of the anime style.  It's hard to get them interested in anything else, but one aesthetic they like in real life is something they call a "small face."  The entire point of Japanese girls flashing those peace signs where they hold their fingers right up to their face is that by obscuring part of their face, they make it appear smaller, and thus more attractive.

Classic design Lara has many things, but a small face is not one of them.  You're right about one thing, though.  In the West there seemed to be a lot of attention paid to parts of her body other than her face, but in Japan, that alone wouldn't be enough to make a game character stand out from the pack.

I'm not sure how well the games themselves were received, but as a pop culture icon, she was definitely a bit of a dud in Japan.

3 minutes ago, Areala said:

You're in luck! This book contains a complete walkthru for Sierra's Softporn Adventure, so you can finally scratch that off your backlist.  

I said I never played text adventures as a kid.

(checks Excel spreadsheet)

I finished that game on January 13, 2001. 

What's amazing is to think of what changes had happened in games between the time that game released in '81 and twenty years later when I beat it.  We went from text adventures to Halo in less time than from Halo to now.

I never played text adventures as a kid but I did play some of the earliest "graphic adventures," which were just text adventures stripped of 98% of the writing with some static pictures thrown in.

Big's game is almost too fancy to be real...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysvNjGyqsxY

My first PC game (well, Tandy) was Space Quest I, so it's the 3D graphic adventure genre that shaped my childhood.  Back then, for me there were no "adventure games" or "action games" or "puzzle games" or what have you.  There were only "Sierra games."

Though if I'd owned cluebooks to all of them, it would have robbed them of their magic, since I wouldn't have been able to resist looking up the solution every time I got stuck.  Pounding your head against the wall for months or years trying to figure out what to do was part of their charm.

I don't have that kind of patience anymore, though.  BRING ON THE HINT BOOKS!

5 hours ago, Areala said:

Hey! You! Stop slandering my waifu.

No no no, I wasn't casting aspersions in the inimitable Ms. Croft - it was simply a slip of the tongue referring to the way, during the late 90s and early 00s, mags with her on the cover spread like a burning sensation across the newsstands of the world outside of Japan.  ...dammit...wildfire.   Meant to say spread like wildfire.

Keep a lookout for her first (only?) full-sized Japanese cover appearance, coming soon.