https://steam.cryotank.net/wp-content/gallery/slaythespire/Slay-the-Spire-01-HD.png
Slay the Spire (StS) has finally arrived to Android! For two years many of us dreamed for this legendary game to be accessible on their mobile devices, and finally the day has come. No need to talk about how awesome this game is, how it basically started a new genre of card-based dungeon crawlers (UPD: or roguelike deck-builders, if you prefer the term), and even about how well or poor it works on Android hardware in its current state (there will be lots of these posts during the days to come). What I wanted to talk about is the impact this game had on (specifically) mobile industry and how other developers were able to utilize this innovative formula in their own products.
Personally, I am somewhat glad that StS release was delayed that much. This allowed a lot of "clones" to be spawned, many of which I enjoyed playing. Some of them appear to be straight rip-offs, but others introduced many fresh ideas of their own, some even surpassing the predecessor's greatness. What the heck am I talking about and how is this even possible will be revealed to you, should you decide to stay on a bit and read through the article below.

General info

First and foremost, let's clarify the important thing: card based dungeon crawlers are not Collectible Card Games (CCGs). Even though they share the same ideas, and some of them (StS included) even have a feature to permanently improve starting cards, or a mode to play with pre-constructed decks, this is not the case for the genre in general. There is no place for multiplayer and PvP battles here: a turn-down for the most, but an undeniable advantage for the rest - only though-out puzzle-like single-player experience which we can pause at any moment and continue when the time is appropriate. Thus, there will never be troubles with downtime, matchmaking, ratings, overpowered builds and other PvP stuff, as there will never be a satisfaction of crushing your opponents with the power of your mighty intellect... The fun of discovering interesting synergies between various card combinations is still present, though.
With this being said, let's quickly look through the core features of the genre, which will be relevant for almost every game we review below: - we must explore a dungeon, which (usually, but not necessarily) consists of three floors with increasing difficulty; - we have limited control over the order in which to face the challenges; - there is a powerful boss in the end of each floor; - we battle using deck of cards, usually drawing new cards from deck to hand each turn; - there is a limitation on how many cards we can play during our turn; - we start with a weak basic deck, but get new cards as rewards for fighting enemies; - there is a possibility to permanently remove (weak) cards from the deck; - successful gameplay strategies revolve around utilizing the synergies between different cards; - there are several character classes, each with their own cards and tactics; - there are often additional items to acquire in the dungeon, providing bonuses and emphasizing specific types of play;
Before Slay the Spire (StS) came out, there was another card-based dungeon crawler called Dream Quest (DQ), which considered by many to be the first game of the genre (at least the first one to make a significant impact). Not sure if the former drew inspiration from the latter, but certain parallels can easily be drawn: in fact, all of the features mentioned in the list above are valid for DQ the same way as it is for StS. The rich plethora of card based dungeon crawlers (both PC/Console and mobile) originated from some combination of the two.
StS, however, can not be considered a clone of DQ, as it introduced a lot of original ideas and spawned its own line of descendants. It is always interesting to analyze each new title to see which of two games was the biggest inspiration, and to group them accordingly. For me the main criteria lies in the core difference in battle system: - in StS, enemies (usually multiple) show their intentions at the beginning of each turn, so we know what to expect and what to play against; - in DQ, the enemy (usually single) draws and plays cards the same way as we do, often using the same abilities and synergies we ourselves can use.
Introductions aside, let's finally get to the interesting part - the games! (Note: Games are listed in alphabetical order to not give any privileges to one over another. For my personal preferences see the comment section).

Dream Quest clones

Call of Lophis takes us on a grim journey through infested lands full of deadly monsters, dangerous traps, and one of the most ridiculous card art I have ever seen. It's surprising to see how dark fantasy elements combine with the humor and gags this game presents. From the gameplay point of view, there is enough card variety and interesting synergies, but it will take a long time to reach the interesting parts. Really: this game just does not know when to end, forcing new and new dungeon locations onto us with basically the same monsters and same approaches to dealing with them over and over. Its the boss battles which crank the difficulty up to over 9000, and if we don't have the right deck by the time we reach them, there is nothing we can do to pull it off. Plus there is some shady business going on with monetization schemes, where even paid version of the game makes us spend money to unlock additional classes and grind a lot to buy permanent improvements. Only truly dedicated players will be interested in dealing with all this nonsense. [...] UPD: Haven't checked on it for a long time - maybe the situation improved somehow.
Crimson Deep is still in early alpha and was not updated for a long time. But the development hasn't stopped, and there is a new major release approaching in the nearest future. It makes no sense to talk about the game till then: the version in the store is too raw to provide any significant gameplay experience, but it would be interesting to see where it goes in the end.
Dimension of Dream is probably the only game that has the same grid-based dungeon layout as DQ itself. This time with full 3D and a possibility to fight only limited set of enemies before facing the final boss (which allows to moderate difficulty as we go, either defeating tougher enemies with better rewards, or to save HP and fight only the easy ones). This game has one of the most interesting battle systems and 6 truly unique classes with deep complex strategies unlike anything we have ever seen (not only the cards themselves, but the order in which we play them greatly affects the outcome). Unfortunately, the English version was pulled from Google Play, leaving only Chinese version for Asian people to enjoy. UPD: Apparently, the game was re-released under different publisher with the title Dreaming Dimension, so there you have it. [...]
Meteorfall: Journeys offers the streamlined approach to dungeon crawling, where all our decisions boil down to Reigns-like "swipe left / swipe right" operation: picking the path, encounter resolutions, and even battles are simplified to utilize this binary choice mechanic. But don't worry: these specifics do not affect the gameplay, still providing enough strategic depth to appeal even to hardcore players. Add here a neat visual style, lots of character classes and their variations, cool card combos, and you get a true masterpiece, which is Meteorfall. [...]
Night of the Full Moon offers a fresh take on a fairy tale of Red Riding Hood, but adding darker elements to it (including werewolves, zombies, mad scientists and cursed cultists). It demonstrates an amazing production quality with top-tier art, beautiful audio support, and intriguing storytelling. Gameplay wise, we have the closest thing to DQ, safe for the grid-based dungeon maps, which were changed to just picking the encounter out of available three. Some people may argue that the game does not offer enough strategic variety, only suggesting a single best build for each class, but you will still get different runs due to the randomness of card and power-up drops. Another argument of it being too easy is completely nullified on higher difficulty levels. Wish the story would develop in a different direction, though. [...]
Spellsword Cards: Origins provides the gameplay similar to the Night of the Full moon, but focuses more on role-playing character development part. Aside from choosing a class, we also get to pick race with unique traits, and a school of magic, greatly affecting which cards will be available to us during the run. The problem here, though, is that monster encounters do not demonstrate a lot of variety, forcing us to fight the same enemies over and over, and the difficulty is rather high, with starting cards doing almost nothing and enemies quickly run out of hand with their devastating attacks, whereas good cards are hard to come by, and even then you will still be devastated on later stages. [...] UPD: Or maybe I am just bad at this game (welcome to comment section for valid strategy suggestions).

Slay the Spire clones

Blood Card offers a unique possibility to construct the dungeon ourselves, providing a pool of encounters of different types: regular monsters, elite monsters, events and shops. We pick a desired encounter from the pool, deal with it and then move on to the next one. Another interesting feature is that our health is defined by the number of cards in draw pile, which limits our tactical possibilities, but is compensated by the fact that we get multiple copies of cards as rewards for fighting enemies. There are a lot of interesting mechanics related to moving cards between various piles, as well as other neat features (like: the Death inevitably arrives in three turns and starts whacking everyone on the field with increasing persistence), but I'll leave them for you to discover on your own.
Card Crusade seemed like a cool idea of mixing classic "roguelike" dungeon crawling with its "deck-based" counterpart, where we explore the dungeon the same way as we do it in Hack, Angband, Pixel Dungeon and other similar games, but use cards to fight actual enemies. In reality though, this implementation just adds a useless abstraction, as the adventuring does not provide any tactical benefits and is only there to inter-connect battle sequences (heck, even breaking pots and chests does not give us any coin, of which developers themselves warn us at the very beginning!). The cards are not very interesting, with next to none cool synergies, and new classes (which should be unlocked by performing specific actions on previous runs) do not provide any major difference. [...]
Card Quest takes us on an epic journey through fantasy lands, where we will perform great deeds as one of the classic RPG hero classes (fighter, wizard, rogue, ranger), each with their own equipment and fighting disciplines. The interesting part is that the cards we use during runs are defined by said equipment, and if we find some new pieces during our adventure, we get to keep them for further runs. Also worth noting that defense cards are played not during our turn, but during enemy turn, which requires us to plan ahead a bit. This being said, the game is extremely hard - it will take a lot of unsuccessful tries to finally reach the end. But the variety of dungeons and possible builds will keep us occupied for long.
Dungeon Tales for a long time was the closest, yet simplified copy of StS mechanics (up to similar cards and gaming strategies), but without certain elaborate features, like upgrading cards or using potions. The basics are left intact though: we still build our deck along the way and face the powerful boss in the end. There are only two characters available yet, but each has a couple of viable builds, so it can keep us invested for quite some time. [...]
Endless Abyss is a close StS clone with very similar character classes (only two so far) and a lot of cards with exactly the same effects. Graphically the game looks very good, but angry monetization, lots of grinding, and forced ads make it almost impossible to fully enjoy. [...]
Heroes of Abyss is a predecessor to Endless Abyss with basically the same core gameplay, but very simplified dungeon crawling part. There is no floor map with choosing our path, nor there are elaborate adventure events: just a series of battles with the boss in the end. The spoils we get after each battle go into improving our starting deck and unlocking new difficulty modes with higher rewards. What makes the game unusual, is that we chose the preferred build right from the beginning with appropriate set of starting cards, without the need to rely on the randomness of card drops. It may be interesting to unlock and compare all the 6 available builds, but once the task is done, there is almost no reason to play the game further.
Heroes Journey provides a different setting for a change: this time we will play as space explorers, who crash landed on an alien planet. Thus, instead of familiar swords and bows, we will be wielding blasters and energy shields: the rest remains the same, up to the majority of cards straight up copied from StS. Unfortunately, this innovative idea was completely ruined by repetitive grinding and angry monetization, forcing player to make dozens of identical runs with the same small card pool, until something adequate is unlocked. Oh, and the game is long abandoned by the developers.
Pirates Outlaws is an amazing rework of original StS ideas in a pirate setting with some changes to gameplay mechanics, such as introducing persistent charges needed to play certain cards, and different buff/debuff statuses that replace each other. There are also some questionable features, such as ship stamina that deteriorates over the course of the journey and leads to game over if not repaired in time, or a quest system, where quests can not be completed in parallel, but instead picking the new quest resets your progress in the current one. Some may also argue that new classes take long to grind for, or expensive to pay for, but with permanent booster pack this should not be a problem. Anyway, the game is highly recommended for any StS fan. [...]
Rogue Adventure offers a twist to usual mechanic: our hand is limited by 4 cards, but each time we use one of them, a new card is immediately drawn to its place, thus we never run out of cards to play. Non-starting cards are common for all classes, but are grouped by type (or race), giving huge synergies depending on how many similar cards we have. Aside from this, the game offers diverse gameplay by providing a lot of different classes, each with its own unique strategies and dynamics, and some interesting items to work around. The developers constantly provide updates with bug fixes and new content, but be warned that new mechanics may break what you are already accustomed for.
Royal Booty Quest started as a straight rip-off from StS with the same classes and abilities, and even cards having the same names. And absolutely atrocious pixelated visuals, which were not possible to look at without eyes bleeding out. Over time, though, it developed its own unique mechanics and interesting card combinations, but the art style did not get any better. However, if this is not a problem, the game is enjoyable to an extent, but since it was not updated for a long time, I doubt it will keeps anyone's interest for long. [...]
Tavern Rumble adds an unusual strategic element - a 3x3 grid, on each units and enemies are placed. The core gameplay remains the same (we still see what opponents are planning to do each turn and adjust our own strategy accordingly), but the addition of the grid introduces another tactical layer: not only we should maximize the damage output, but also plan the layout for our troops to provide the effective delivery of said output, while at the same time establish enough defense to minimize the damage to ourselves. There are a lot of cards and classes to play around, different play modes and a lot of features that are still being constantly added to the game. Some may argue about simplistic pixel graphics or long repetitive grinding, but it is easy to unlock everything within reasonable amount of time, even without paying. [...]

Other Games

Of course, my criteria does not work 100% of the time, as some games are way too different from anything else to confidently enroll them into one of the categories. They either demonstrate traits of both, or implement entirely unique mechanics of their own (which I like the most), while still maintaining the basic dungeon crawling ideas (so a lot of the games you might think of will not end up in the list). What I have in mind is the following:
Dungeon Reels removes the cards from card-based dungeon crawler - why bother, right? Instead, it provides some kind of a slot machine, where each turn three rows spin independently to pick available actions based on what slots we have in our reel. Winning battles awards us with new, better slots to add, each with their own specifics and synergies. Enemies also randomize their moves with slots of their own, but the most satisfying mechanic is the possibility to spin a jackpot with three identical slots for some powerful effect. It is interesting to see this concept developed further, but the game has not been updated for a long time.
Iris and the Giant takes us on journey through imaginary world, inspired by Ancient Greek mythology. Each battle takes place on a grid, where various enemies advance in huge numbers. We play a card from our hand, usually dealing damage to nearest enemy, and then everyone who is still standing and can reach us deals damage in return. There are cards that target multiple enemies at once, as well as ways to play more than one card during our turn, so most of the time we will be deciding which card to play at which moment. The deck has limited size, and if it becomes empty we lose, so new cards should be constantly acquired. There are a lot of interesting mechanics to discover, but the game is very hard and luck based, requiring a lot of trial-and-error to finally reach the end. [...]
Phantom Rose Scarlet has the same basic core, but with completely innovative battle system, not seen in any other game. On each turn there are four positions for cards to be played in strict order, where two of them are randomly filled with opponent's cards, and the remaining two are left for us to fill. Instead of drawing the hand, we have our entire deck available right away, but playing cards puts them on a cooldown, which does not reset between battles, so we constantly face the strategic choice of playing our best cards right away or keep them for later. The game is in active development, providing new mechanics and further developing the story, which is quite captivating here. [...]
Void Tyrant is a bit of a stretch, but still a "card based dungeon crawler", in which we basically play BlackJack against our enemies by dealing card with numbers from 1 to 6 one-by-one from our deck until we stand or bust. Whoever has the highest value wins and deals damage to the loser. There are various supporting cards on top of this mechanic, allowing us to either jinx the outcome in our favor, or to perform various other metagame manipulations. The only downside of the game is the lack of content, as it quickly runs out of interesting things, and since it was not updated for a long time, it is unlikely that anything new will be added in the future. [...]

Conclusion

As you see, there is a lot to play besides StS, so even if you are not hyped by its long-awaited Android release, but appreciate a good intellectual dungeon crawler, you will find something to suit your needs. I hope, even with StS release, new games of the genre will continue appearing on mobile phones, and I will gladly review them and add to the list. If you know any hidden gems (or even trash) that was not highlighted in this article, please share the names and/or links in the comments. I am also open to any discussions on the topic, as I am obviously able to talk a lot about my favorite genre.
Good luck to everyone in all your endeavors.
P.S. I am well aware of games like Dungeon Cards, Card Adventure, Dungeon Faster, Meteorfall: Krumitz Tale, Card Thief, Maze Machina, Cube Card, Card Hog, Fisherman, Relics of the Fallen and other "grid-based puzzles", but do not consider them to be a part of the "family".

Hey guys. So as we are slowly edging closer to release and the demo, in my boredom I've decided to create a simple FAQ as I find myself answering a lot of the same questions.
Some of these answers are lifted directly from PCF, some are just info I'm aware of myself. I will try to keep it updated with any questions asked in the comments.
Included are General questions, Demo info, Gameplay info, QOL info, and Crossplay/Multiplayer info.
EDIT: All updated now, if I have missed anything obvious I'll update this when I'm made aware.. thearcan feel free to do with this thread as you see fit
 

GENERAL

 

- When will Outriders be released?

01 April 2021

- What Platforms will Outriders release on?

Outriders will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC (Steam & Epic). Outriders will be released on Stadia at a later date.

- What kind of game is Outriders?

Outriders is a 1 to 3 player, drop-in-drop-out co-op, third-person-perspective shooter set in an original dark and desperate sci-fi universe.

- Where can I watch the Outriders reveal trailer?

Right here. This is also on their official channel with plenty more in depth info on the game.

- Is there an official discord?

Yes here

- Is Outriders a Free-to-Play game?

No. Outriders will only require a one-off purchase of the game.

- Is Outriders a Games-As-A-Service?

No - Outriders will be a complete experience out of the box.

- Will Outriders feature Micro-transactions?

No. However the pre order bonus will be able to be purchased separately afaik.

- Will Outriders support Smart Delivery on Xbox? Will we get a free upgrade to PlayStation 5?

Yes. Anyone who purchases the game for Xbox One or PlayStation 4, will get a free upgrade to Xbox One X, Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5 respectively.

- Will Outriders support Cross-Play?

Yes. Outriders will Fully support cross-play, meaning you will be able to explore Enoch with any of your friends on any other platform. You can play Outriders from start to finish with your friends regardless of what system they own.

- Will there be DLC?

At this time we don't know, if the game does well, hopefully we will see more of Enoch.

- Will my PC be able to handle Outriders?

See here

- Why was the game delayed?

See the official response here
 

DEMO

 

- When does the Demo release?

25th February 2021

- What will the demo include?

Final details have not been announced yet. But we know it will be the first few hours of the game.

- Will my demo progress carry over to the full game?

Yes - but there will be progress caps in place. At this moment in time we know there will be a level cap, world tier cap and story progress will be capped.

- Will the demo feature crossplay?

Yes
 

GAMEPLAY

 

- Can I play all classes?

Yes, you should have 6 character slots available.

- Will I have to replay the story for each class?

Yes, as far as we know.

- Does each class have multiple skills/powers?

Yes each class has 8 skills total. Only 3 can be equipped at one time.

- Why can we only play in groups of 3?

PCF found that groups of 3 hit the sweet spot for balancing, optimisation and visibility, especially with some much going on in battle.

- How does difficulty scaling work?

The game utilises a world tier system. There are a total of 15 World tiers. In essence the more you kill, the longer you survive, the higher the world tier you unlock. Each world tier increases difficulty, but also your rewards. This can be adjusted up (to the max you have unlocked) and down at any point.

- How does endgame work?

Endgame consists of 14 expeditions, all fresh content. In essence, get to the end as fast as you can on the highest difficulty you can for the most rewards. See more here

- What if I miss a loot drop?

There is an auto loot feature in game.

- Why don't enemies drop loot in expeditions?

They do. It all just goes to the chest at the end. See clarification here

- Does that mean if I fail an expedition I don't get any loot?

No, as per the previous linked comment, you still get this loot even if you fail.

- Can I transfer loot to another character?

Yes, there is a stash system.

- How does crating and mods work?

See Here Approx 16 mins in.

- Is there an in game achievement system?

The game will feature accolade system which is something in between achievements and battle pass. It will reward you for doing actions you would normally do in gameplay with small cosmetic rewards so if you need extra motivation to repeat few side quests and spend more time in the game here it is. The system will give only cosmetic rewards and there is no way to buy your progress, it is also completely optional but completionists can have nice fun with it.

- How do armour stats work?

See an official breakdown here

- What weapons can we use?

From what we have seen you have Pistol side arms, and equip 2 primary weapons. So far we have seen Assault rifles, LMG's, Shotguns, Sub Machine guns and a variety of rifles including Snipers.

- Can I play the whole game solo?

Yes, the number of enemies etc scale depending on how many people are in your party. Expeditions are designed for 3 players, but should still be doable solo. See clarification here

- Is there PVP?

No.
 

QUALITY OF LIFE

 

- Will there be in game comms?

No - at this time there is no in built chat or ping system. See further explanation as to why this is here

- Will there be loadouts?

No, not at this time.

- Will there be a transmog system?

No, not at this time.

- Are there colourblind settings?

Yes, I believe so.

- What are the next gen upgrades for Xbox Series X and PS5?

Nothing has been confirmed yet, but we can expect some optimisation benefits etc. Suggestions that we should know for certain by the release of the demo.

- Do I have to be online to play?

Unless something has changed recently, I believe you have to be online to play.

- Is there a mass dismantle system in game?

Yes

- Is there an item protection system in game, such as item locking?

No.

- Will players be able to mod/hack their saves etc?

Alls saves are server side, so this shouldn't be theoretically possible.
 

CROSSPLAY/MULTIPLAYER

 

- Can I turn crossplay off?

Yes

- Is there a social hub?

There are hubs in game. However they will only be accessed by yourself and those within your matchmaking party.

-How does joining a friend work?

The game operates on a host based system. You join and play in the hosts world. Host migration systems should be in place if the host dc's. You can join any friend at any point once the prologue is complete.

- How does scaling work when I join a friend?

As you are in the hosts game, you play at the level and world tier setting they are at. So you will either feel OP or under geared if you join low/high level friends retrospectively. See more here

- How does loot work in a friends game?

Loot is instance based for each player. Loot drops depending on enemy level, which is in turn based on world tier. So if you are joining friends playing on substantially lower or higher world tiers. Loot drops in essence won't be much use to you.

- How will I invite cross play friends?

They have said they will utilise a friend code system.

- Is there a cross save system?

Only between similar systems - eg Xbox one to Xbox series x, or PS4 to PS5. You will not be able to cross save between platforms, eg from Xbox to PC, or Xbox to PS.

This section contains tier lists, infographics, and other useful resources. For various early game guides and event guides, click HERE.

Calendar

• 2020 Events (u/Reliiq)

Tier Lists

• [Dec 2020] PvP Simulator Tier List (u/VincitEgo)
• [Dec 2020] MKxJump's PvP Tier List (u/MKxJump)
• [Sep 2020] GDP's ToC Tier List (u/Geedeepee91)
• [Aug 2020] Geedeepee's PvE Tier List (u/Geedeepee91)
• [Aug 2020] MKxJump's PvE Tier List (u/MKxJump)
• [June 2020] Endgame Tier List (u/waka9929)

Infographics

• [Jan 2021] Starspawn Stats (u/bigfatbaldguy)
• [Dec 2020] Hero Speed Chart (u/ibex_sm)
• [Dec 2020] IH Retro: Hero Release (u/Reliiq)
• [Nov 2020] Hero Artifacts - Post (u/ibex_sm)
• [Nov 2020] Hero Leveling Guide - Post (u/ibex_sm)
• [Nov 2020] Hero Ability Chart - Post (u/ibex_sm)
• [Oct 2020] Hero Cards - find more at Ibex's Discord (u/ibex_sm)
• [Oct 2020] Avatar Frames - Post (u/ibex_sm)
• [Sep 2020] Hero Skins - Post (u/ibex_sm)
• [Sept 2020] IH Retro: Campaign (u/Reliiq)
• [June 2020] IH Retro: All Past Event Rewards (u/Reliiq)
• [Nov 2019] Hero Stones (Arc)
• [Nov 2019] Regression Chart (u/Reliiq)
• [Sep 2019] Hero Gear Combinations (u/ibex_sm)
• [Aug 2019] Guild Tech First Page Upgrade Costs - Corrected Image (u/)
• [July 2019] VIP Costs (u/ibex_sm)
• [July 2019] Pet Stats (u/ibex_sm)

Resources

• [Feb 2021] Void Ark Income Calculator (u/Alkis3)
• [Jan 2021] Stellar Shard Calculator (u/SavageCorgi)
• [Jan 2021] Budget Tool (u/Skarlowy and u/Maballsies)
• [Sep 2020] Summon Simulator (v2.2) - Post (u/MushroomGecko)
• [Aug 2020] Aspen Dungeon Smash Rewards (u/YouCanCallMeNorbi)
• [July 2020] Imp's Adventure Android App (u/omv88)
• [Jan 2020] Damage Calculator Spreadsheet (u/eDOTiQ)
• [Sep 2019] Campaign Event Drop Calculator - Post (u/jillajilla)
• [Aug 2019] Scroll and Orb Calculator - Post (u/iamzedero and u/Reliiq)

Information

• [Jan 2021] Void Ark Central Hall (u/StoneRox11)
• [Jan 2021] Protoss Stats (u/Windforce8)
• [Dec 2020] Gem Cards ($) (u/redplanet00)
• [Sep 2020] Samogot's Data Mining - Post (u/samogot)
• [Aug 2020] How Much Do You Actually Have to Pay for All Events? ($) (u/Cataras87)
• [Aug 2020] Hero Encyclopedia (u/Og-tinpot)
• [July 2020] Max Avatar Frame Stats (u/YouCanCallMeNorbi)
• [July 2020] Value Analysis of Everything You Can Buy ($) - Post (u/MelkStehul)
• [May 2020] Elite Artifact Essence Exchange Rates - Post (u/GuyFromEuropeReddit)
• [May 2020] Value of Resources (u/Dr_NospeR)
• [Jan 2020] Value of Universal Crystals (u/JConqistador)
• [July 2019] Advanced Guild Tech Upgrade Costs (u/overon)
• [Feb 2019] IH Acronyms and Slangs (u/lemmingllama)

Socials

DISCORD

• IH Discussion Discord
• Ibex's Discord
• MKxJump's Discord

YOUTUBE

• Barry Gaming
• Geedeepee
• IdleDoyler
• JimmyBeh
• Joon
• MKxJump

TWITCH

• Barry Gaming
• Geedeepee
• IdleDoyler
• Joon
• MKxJump

WIKI

• IH Wiki

The only thing different is the format... also a lot more.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the links and ideas, even if some came from me. Me just compiler no @.
Blackkat FAQ. Seems too aged to work now.
DMesse FAQ. Still seems useful... maybe.

Newbie Guide

GFL Corner	Matsuda	GFC	Gamepress	GFWiki
G-Doc #1	G-Doc #2	G-Doc #3	"Official" Vid	Prio Guide
1st Ech

I've heard things about Newbie Career Quests. What is it and how do I get it?

Things that newbie commanders can use to boost their early game.
Available in Quests button>Career Quests tab.

I think I drove myself into a wall not doing things efficiently. Do I have to restart my account to progress better?

Nah. You'll be just fine continuing. Just do things better from now on.

How do I level my girls? And I heard about corpse dragging, What is it?

First is grinding them on leveling maps. Corpse dragging is a resource efficient way to grind XP. The where and how. Dragging 0-2.
Second is using Combat Reports. You can get them in the Forward Basecamp or through the Data Room. You can give them by going to the Dorm>Warehouse>Gift tab or going to your owned doll profile and tapping the + button by the EXP bar. Note that they are not affected by dummy link EXP multiplier. They give 3000 fixed EXP per report.
Last one is the EXP mode combat sim. Total EXP per run is divided equally between all dolls present.

Is GFL being phased out/abandoned?

NO.

Not anytime soon, at the very least.

When do I do night campaigns?

Best metric would be when career quests send you there. Unlock them by completing the next chapter's emergency map (i.e. 11-4e unlocks 10-1n). Remember to equip PEQs to negate the accuracy penalty and bring HGs for map vision.

Is it worth to reroll in this game?

Depends on what you value more. If you want a pretty easy time until endgame, no need. Game gives you free strong dolls. Endgame? Mostly not, since this is a game of accumulation instead of meta characters.

What teams should I build?

ARSMG first, then whichever second ARSMG or RFHG you need more, then the other one you haven't made yet, then MGSG if you want.

Technical Help

Resupply/Costumes/Furnitures

Field Map

My team says Ammo/Ration depleted.

Move them to helipad. Double-tap them. Resupply is yellow button.

I just had a skirmish and saw that my team isn't in proper formation. Can I fix it without quitting the map?

me not caring enough to paraphrase it

How do I get the gold medals in maps?

• Read the Gold Medal description in the combat summary.
  
• Never retreat your team from the field map either by losing skirmishes (losses) or manual retreating (withdrawing).
  
• Never repair fielded teams (red warning at the bottom left tells you this, don't miss it).
  
• Retreating a doll from the battle phase/skirmish is fine. Really, anything that you SHOULD DO/ SHOULD NOT DO are already listed.
  

*Retreating Support Echelons does not prevent you from gold medals, nor does support kills (shown in green +#) count towards.

Do I keep the drops if I terminate/restart?

"Recently acquired" option in the armory says yes.

Why do I get the lack of ammo/ration warning and sometimes not?

You'll get the warning when you lack either of them and when you can see the enemy.

Combat/Battle/Skirmish

Story

I missed a major event, will it come back?

6mos. after their release they get added to the Campaign tab. For collabs... hope for the best.

What's the sequence of the stories?

Just the overview.

How to read the story again? It's not available in the story playback in Index.

Settings>Game>Story Playback then play the stage again. Or just Youtube it.

Where can I read the MOD, costume, event stories etc?

Every story and details should be included here.
Cafe stories.
MOD stories.

I want to read the GFL lore. Is there any summary out there?

Video format.

Commander Wardrobe

How do I change my commander's gender so I can change their dirty clothes?

Change gender in the commander's wardrobe, which can be visited by tapping the arrow below then tapping WARDROBE, or tapping your commander name then tapping on the avatar.

What does Infinite Surprise Dyes do?

Changes the appearance of your commander's clothes, IF they can be changed, that is.

What commander costume sets do the older servers have right now?

So far, nothing that the EN version doesn't have.

I saw that commander costumes have skills. How do I level it up?

Get another costume set with the same skill.

Expedition/Forward Basecamp

What should I buy from the black market?

Consumables first.

Which dolls should I use for expedition?

Maybe not Everything related to Forward Basecamp included. GFC Guide. ATM says CLv. 20 required.

Can I deploy two or three of the same pets in expedition?

Actually, that is the method used by min-maxers regarding advantaged pets.

Can the basecamp not give expedition loots?

Only if you didn't do one. If you did and no visible loot, restart app.

Which pet corresponds to which exploration material?

Cat - Bricks/City; Dog - Buttstock/Snowfield; Bird - Acorn/Forest; Misc - Fluid/Wasteland
Then use the corresponding food that gives higher chance to visit a locale for a near 100% visit.

If advantaged dolls change mid-expedition, which one determined your rewards, the advantaged on the start of exploration or at the end?

The start of the expedition.

Heavy Ordnance Corps

How to HOC?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

How high should my Reload stat be to have an effect in attack speed?

CC guide.

Which HOC chips should I use?

Your local reddit guide. Another guide. Gampress guide.The Android version.
Found another one.

Which HOCs should I iterate first?

AGS>2B/M2>AT4>BGM. No quoting.

When do I get to unlock the whole HOC grid/matrix/board?

At full promotion. The yellow ★★★★★ one.

Which HOC can destroy buildings?

All of them. Building attack damage uses the Pierce stat.

How can I get Data Patches?

Either from the Code Refactoring menu in the Garage or getting a 5★'d HOC's Core Data.

What are Data Patches used for?

For Iterating FSTs beyond yellow 5★. They have to be level 100 and at 5★ for Iteration to be available.

Factory Production

Is there a voodoo recipe for *insert pennies here*?

Freedom of information, just add net connection.

When should I do T-Doll Heavy Production?

Preferrably during rate-ups. Low priority otherwise.

Resource Management

Theater

Theater tips?

Theater tips. Theater tips. Theater tips. Theater tips.

Do I have to save HOC charges and Fairy points for the boss?

Nope. Joins boss battle regardless of charges. Replenishes on next raid. Go ham.

What does "Settle Reward" do? It sounds ominous.

More like "Settlement Reward". Just shows you things you'll get once Theater ends.

How much CE do I need for a good score?

Just put your best stacks in your unused slots, especially in boss nodes.

I can't beat the current stage. Is this it for me?

Nope. Just fall back to the last boss node you can handle. These nodes can mitigate the "beaten stage" penalty so it's worth more than non-boss higher node.

I wasn't able to place high enough to 5★ the reward HOC. Is there another way to get their central data?

Wait for the next theater and they'll join the HOC gacha.

I'm thinking of using Landmine Fairy. Will they work?

Well yes... as a stat stick. Can't use a Strategy Fairy skill in theater mostly because you can't tap a node to activate it in the first place. Stick to Combat Fairies if you want to use skills.

Tactical Dolls

Neural Upgrade/MOD

How do Neural Upgrades work?

Gamepress. ATM. GFLCorner.

What's the Fire Control Core for?

Necessary for modding 5★ dolls.

What's the time frame for modding dolls?

From their release 'til forever.

Which dolls have a Mod in the older servers?

Unupdated as of now.

If I Mod my T-doll, is Level 100 still considered max level?

Thankfully, this is where common sense wins. In short, NO.

Where can I Mod my dolls?

Research>Neural Upgrade tab at the left.

Who should I MOD first?

Gamepress version.

Can I use duplicates to raise my doll's MOD level?

Yes, unless you're modding 2★ dolls. First, go to factory then dismantle all dupes. When you get enough cores, you can use them to raise MOD levels.

Events

Why didn't I complete "Consume 100 batteries" for the bingo mission when I EXP trained my HOCs?

Because you can get them back, that's what. It only counts when the training is finished, meaning there's no way to take it back.

Do auto-battles count for "Defeat Enemies"?

No.

What do I do with unused Keycards during the bingo event?

Keep them. You'll get 5 Calibration Tickets per 1 Unused Keycard. Points go to trash. Source: Game info tab.

Will the current event currency carry over to the next event?

No. Event currencies are for the current ones only.

When will my event medals expire?

One week after the end of said event.

Will the *insert ranking reward here* be available in the future?

Only if they rerun ranking maps.

Where can I see rankings?

Tap the bottom-right arrow at the main screen.

I wasn't able to clear the event. Will I still get the clear rewards when they get added to Campaign?

Nope. Gutted rewards compared to original. Free shit is free shit, and doll rewards gets cycled to Limited Dolls.

What's the optimal way of clearing Bingo Key Card Events?

Using the Targeted Draws to fully clear the board in one go.

Fairies

What are fairies?

ATM Guide.

How do fairies work?

GFC.

Does the Fervor talent give a 10% boost at the beginning of the battle?

0s, 8s, 16s. So yes.

Can fairies be recovered from Index?

No, unfortunately.

Third Party

I've heard of GFAlarm. Is it safe to use?

It's not modifying anything that can affect their income nor does it modify gameplay elements that would necessitate a ban. Should be fine.

Is it fine to use GFCalc?

Recommended more like.

Are keybinds bannable?

"Officially" recommended not to use keybinds. If you're willing to take the risk, go for it. Macros ARE a bannable offense, full stop.

Which emulators are good for GFL?

Mumu is the most recommended. There's also Nox, Memu, LDPlayer... Bluestacks seems to get shat though.

Any substitute for brainlets damage sim?

Github version and non-English version for starters. ATM has one too. Hycdes.

Auto-battles

Auto-battles?

Saves your sanity from painful-AF-to-grind-for-drops maps for starters.

Which map is best for auto-battles?

List of auto-battle statistics. Commentary.

What does total exp in the auto-battle completion mean?

...Not sure.

I can't do auto-battle even though I met the required CE. What happened?

Is it a night map? If it is, refer to night CE. If it still doesn't let you, increase CE, some required CE are listed wrong.

Can I get SPEQs/Limited dolls from auto-battles?

Yes, you can.

Support Echelons

Do support echelons use equipments?

Equipments, formation, and apparently costumes too are saved instances. Doll levels, equipment levels, skill levels, and chibi aren't.

I can't deploy a friend echelon. What do I do?

"Unable to deploy Support Echelon before the mission starts!". Maybe it's possible to set support echelon after starting the mission". If it's still a no, restart or check how many are allowed.

Dormitories

How do friend batteries work?

From QnA.

Why aren't my dorm batteries appearing?

Either it's because it's not their time yet or that you should check your surplus batteries.

Which dolls appear in which dorms?

Echelon position corresponds to dorm positione i.e. Echelon 1 in Dorm 1, Echelon 2 in Dorm 2, etc.

What are all the available pets right now?

If the pet you're looking for isn't here, it might be a Cafe Costume Story reward.

Others

I didn't get *insert reward here*. I checked my inventory but they're not there. How do I get them?

Have you checked the quests? What about the mail? If you did and they're still not there, either restart or wait for a few days.

How do I get a higher success rate for logistics?

Levels.

Would the equipment I'm enhancing get bonus points if I used an enhanced fodder?

Apparently no.

Which SF units are considered dolls/machines/armored/unarmored?

Note that Jupiter Cannons count as unarmored machine type.

Will there be problems with switching between two devices regularly?

Only if you think that manually logging in is a problem.

What's the Double Jupiter formation?

M4 MOD II + self-buff RF (usually IWS) + 3 HG (usually ROF buffers).

I can't access the new map even though I already cleared the prerequisite map.

Beat it again.

When will dorm battery, daily gift, friend battery reset?

Clock for your every need. And ranking updates one hour after Kalina's Daily Gift.

How can I play GFL if Apple Store doesn't have it?

Use Android, use emulator, use VPN, use jailbreak.

How does the rescue station work?

I claim no ownership.

What're the rewards for the Defense Drill?

Also includes the things you'll fight.

When is the anniversary?

May.

What does the Download Data button in the settings do?

Basically fairy and equipment texture, and dorm-related stuff.

How do I bind my account?

Settings>Manage Account>Bind to your preferred account.

How do I kite using an emulator?

Keybinds are favored.

Is it fine to use green equips?

Advised to use if lack gold ones. Do calibration only on gold ones for efficiency. Otherwise, fine to level them up.

How do I fill up the Enemy Index?

Just fight them. Win or lose, we get them.

Where can I get doll/fairy costume art?

Updated to CN servers.

How do I remove HOCs from Target Practice?

Tap on them again.

What does "Event" mean on the left side of the mission select screen?

Combat Missions: If there is a new night map, SPEQ rate up for X-4n.
Combat/Campaign: 1.5x EXP
Logistics: Great Success Rate Up
Combat sim: All simulations unlocked.

Which should I prioritizein the Data Room, Combat Reports or Special Combat Reports?

SCRs primarily because you can just EXP sim, corpse drag, and auto-battle the dolls, and also because basecamp sells far more CR than SCR. Note that you'd need 5000 SCRs to fully level a fresh HOC.

How do I maximize the efficiency of my RFHG echelon's ROF?

...I'll just leave it here.

What do advantaged dolls in combat map mean?

20% FP boost for AR, RF, MG. 20% EVA boost for SMG, HG, SG.

Limited-only Dolls

★★★★★

DSR-50	Five-Seven	TAC-50	OTs-14	CZ-75
AK-74u	AUG	Ballista	R93	JS 9
Lewis	HS2000	M82A1	Desert Eagle

★★★★

KLIN	UMP40	Honey Badger	Cx4 Storm	PP-19
KSVK	M1895 CB

★★★
Arctic Warfare

Type81R	RPD	Super SASS	MT-9	Ots-44
Type59

Operation Cube

Z-62	6P62	62 Shiki	ASh-12.7	ARX-160

Deep Dive

AR70	SSG 69	F1	EVO 3	HK45

For more info...

Nice Things To Have

Vertical Messages on Dorms and Chat.
CE Fromula.
Chibi Rips and Character Arts. And the how to's.
GFL Loading Screen Splash Arts.
Pre-mission flavor text.
tehcavy rips of Division CGs and art.

Unobtainable

Anything collab.
Some Kalina costumes.

• Gems and Fireworks

Some doll costumes.

• UMP45 Griffin jacket.
  
• M1895 KFC.
  

I spent the last weeks downloading every single app offer on Swagbucks UK to sort through the ones that are, and are not, worth doing. These are all available on Swagbucks 'Discover' page.
If this list helps, and you are not on swagbucks already please consider joining using my referral link here for an extra 300SB when you make your first earnings, worth £3ish, (non ref, no bonus ). If there's anything I've missed please comment!

• Board Kings Android lvl11 - took 1 week, add the max friends, check the Boardkings subreddit for help adding friends
• TikTok - SB for downloading tiktok, joining, and keeping on your phone for 2 days. Easy.
• Elvenar Academy, reach Magical Academy - took 3 days with active gameplay, however can be done 99% passively with very little gameplay whatsoever, as you just need to wait until you have enough books to upgrade the research tree to magical academy.
• Lords Mobile: Kingdom Wars - took about a week to upgrade to 14, active gameplay and regular checking in..
• Club Vegas: Online Slot Machines with Bonus - about 3 days, leave on minimum spins and leave your phone running. Semi-passive.
• Pop! Slots Level 26 - about 5 days, leave on minimum spins and leave your phone running. Semi-passive.
• King of Avalon - about 1 week, join a powerful guild.
• Harvest Land: Farm and City Building - About a week of active gameplay. I'd only advise this if you actually somewhat enjoy the game, as this one can be a slog if you're not enjoying it
• Star Slots - Lvl 110 - this one was long, required leaving phone running spins overnight, unsure if worth the time/effort.

For each of these games there are usually free coin link aggregate websites, or links on the apps official Facebook group - Just google '[Game Name] free credit/coins'. You will find this for many of these games, and it will level you up faster. It is also worth checking any subreddits dedicated to the games, as there are usually helpful redditors about.

• The Walking Dead: Road to Survival (requires 99p spend, but conversion is worth over £2 in Amazon vouchers). I used free Google Play credit I made from Google Opinions app for this. (these 'purchase required' offers are actually a good way to convert your unwanted Google Play credit into over double their value in Amazon vouchers).

Avoid: Trumps Empire (worst game ever, took too long), King's Throne Game of Lust (took too long, and was gross), Game of Kings: Blood Throne lvl22 (almost impossible without purchases, level 20-21 takes 6 months without power-ups apparently), War Games: Commander lvl21 (seems easy enough at the beginning, but then becomes almost impossible without purchases, you won't find out until it's too late)
Note: Make sure to compare between: ayeT, OfferToro, Revenue Universe etc. as some of Swagbucks Partners offer more SB than others for these apps and it changes constantly. Offers come and go, and fluctuate in value all the time. 130SB=£1 in Amazon vouchers at the best conversion rate (converting to £10 vouchers). So figure out if something is actually worth your time.
When you reach the required level: Take a screenshot as proof, close and reopen the game (I read this updates your progress on their servers), and wait 1 week for SB to credit, do not delete the app right away, wait until credited. If no credit after 1 week, contact SB support with the screenshot. Have never failed to be credited, but have had to chase up a couple of times.

“Are you absolutely sure about this, sir?” Aida, the Fluffy Mart attendant, paused for an answer. One click of a button would be all it took to bring an end to this mess.
I looked down at the crate in my hands. A pair of large, light-green orbs peeked from within the shadows. Eyes welled with tears, brought on by fear, shame, regret. My brow furrowed, and I buried my face in my hand.
“You know what? I’m--”
Five years, Three months, and One week ago…
I walked my usual route. A chill wind froze all moisture in my nose. The hairs became stiff, and created an uncomfortable sensation. Like, wanting to sneeze, or an itch that couldn’t be scratched. I inhaled deeply to distract myself from the irritation.
Life felt lonelier now that I was away from home. I’d moved out a half a year back, got a place of my own. Paid for by a job that sucked all the cheer and motivation out of me. I thought becoming independent would be easier than living with mom and dad.
Instead I was in a stranger’s basement, feeling alone and unloved.
Maybe that’s why I found myself drawn to that place, that machine. I stared hard at the refurbished vending machine in front of me. It was neatly placed right outside a local variety shop. The thing dimly glowed with colourful lights. Each button nestled below a thick plastic window.
Inside the machine were dozens of little, fuzzy critters. No bigger than a hamster, with teeny tiny little tubes in their butts. Some slept on a warm pad, others suckled from a rubber nipple. And others peeped and cheeped as they crawled along their tiny compartment.
My eyes settled on one with deep black fluff. The microscopic, equine-like baby was sleeping softly. With every breath his little body inflated. Slowly, he deflated as he exhaled. He looked like a fuzzy black bean.
I chuckled at the thought.
His button read $15 dollars. A bit high for a Foal-In-A-Can, but not out of the ordinary. Black foals were a rare find, and though their kind found them to be repugnant, humans adored their shades. In the wild, they would never live a very good life amongst the herd but they had a natural advantage that their pastel and neon coloured companions lacked. By the virtue of their very fluff, brown, dark and grey foals had an easier time of remaining hidden.
I debated with buying the little guy for a moment. There was no rule against pets set by my landlord. And as far as I could tell, he didn’t detest fluffies. Actually, he had a mated pair of his own. Still, a fluffy, if not properly trained, could be a hassle. If I pressed this button, I was taking a gamble for my future, based on the fluffy’s personality. Could I handle this?
The machine dinged and beeped when I tapped my debit card to the payment module. I reached for, and pressed on the black foal’s button. With nary a sound, the machine transferred the foal to the delivery slot. The Foal didn’t hear, or feel, a thing until I plucked out his can.
He began to squirm as I carried him home. The sudden movement scared him, he began to cheep loudly.
“Hey, now. It’s OK buddy. Daddy’s going to take you home.” Those magic words instantly calmed the foal. Suddenly, the most terrifying moment of his little life- after being delivered to the machine for the first time, had become his happiest.
I set the Foal’s can on the table. My only table. At times the place I ate dinner, other times my work desk. I was careful to draw out the can’s built-in legs. With them in place the Foal’s capsule would not roll away. Instead it remained stationary, effectively transforming the can into a cradle with minimal effort.
I’d been smiling the entire time since returning home. The foal hadn’t cheeped or peeped since the previous incident. Something about bringing him home, and the formative developments to come brought out a side of me I’d never known was there.
The next four days were spent closely monitoring the foal, and ordering all the items and tools we’d need when he was out. I did some research into Fluffy growth and development. Canned Foals were easier to train in comparison to previous generations of fluffies. As his owner, the foal would recognize me as his parent. No competing with Mummahs or siblings.
And without any predisposition to other fluffies, I was effectively his whole world. The only authoritative figure in his life. In any other situation, that would be predatory or even abusive. But in this case it meant that training would be easier.
Introducing him to new stimuli, people, and stressors could be done at my discretion. Maybe it’s because I had such a controlling personality that this felt so easy. I had always been like that. I needed to control everything. Maybe that’s why I was always so lonely. I couldn’t let anyone else take the reins of control.
By the second day, the foal had doubled in size, and by the third, he was about ready to exit his Can. On the fourth day, the long awaited event came. A small, red light on the can flicked to life. The Milk was fully depleted, and the foal was ready for extraction.
I followed the release instructions to the letter, and gently encouraged the foal to slide out of the Can. He wiggled and squirmed as he vacated his home. The Tube in his butt hole naturally slid out, while a small catheter remained attached. A pseudo-umbilical cord.
The Foal crawled into my hand. He let out precious cheeps and peeps, happy to finally feel daddy’s warmth for himself. I sang to him, nuzzled him, and caressed him. All the while my other hand gently massaged the remaining tube out of his penis. He barely felt a thing, just barely.
Caught up in all the excitement, he would have cried if he wasn’t feeling happy to be held by daddy. If only he could know more about his daddy. If only he could see his daddy. And that’s exactly when it happened.
The black foal’s eyes fluttered open. He blinked, blinded by the sudden introduction of light, and colour, and shapes, and blurs. In one magical moment, everything came into being. The miracle blinded him, but only momentarily.
I felt my own heart begin to race, just as the foal’s did. Our heartbeats synchronized, this was the real moment I’d been waiting for. Almost immediately, the foal, who had known only my voice, looked up at my face and imprinted upon me. The vision of his father would be forever recorded into his mind.
“Hey there, little guy. It’s me! I’m your daddy.” The Foal’s green eyes grew wide for the first time. It was expected, Fluffies were made to love humans.
“Daddeh! Babbeh wub daddeh!” The foal squeezed my nearest finger, hugging me with all the love he could give.
We were both so happy in that moment. And in the months, years to come, we’d continue to be happy.
We’d be happy together for 5 years, 2 months, and 3 weeks. Jack, as I would eventually name him, would see me through my happiest, saddest, and darkest moments. With every anniversary, new partner, and countless jobs, Jack would be my rock. My dearest companion, best friend, and treasured confidant. Jack was, and continues to be, the keystone in the foundations of my adult life.
So, last week, when the doctor told us there were unusual growths within his legs, it nearly broke us. Jack had grown tired, unable to stay standing for longer than ten minutes, at most. Which is to say nothing of walking.
My current job required me to be out of the house for most daylight hours. Hours which Jack would spend alone, suffering without complaint. He’d lay next to the litter box, passively watching his favourite TV shows until it was time to poop or pee.
The Kibble bowl and a fluffy-safe water bottle had been uprooted from their place, next to the dining table, to Jack’s new spot. His basic needs were met and accounted for.
In the mornings, I’d place Jack in his “nest” and fill his food & water for the day. I’d feed him a sketti treat as I left for work, and turned the TV on.
When I got home, I would always find Jack resting, eyes puffy from crying. But he’d always tell me he was happy to see me. He’d lie, and say he wasn’t sad. The signs were obvious.
We’d spend the rest of the evening eating dinner together, and then putting a movie on, or reading a story together. Jack loved action movies. He said he liked how the people in them were always running to save the day.
I’d clean out his litter box, always taking time to praise Jack for being such a good boy and brave little fluffy. Finally, we’d go to bed together, sleeping until the alarm rang.
Today was a little different though. Today was a Saturday. No work, no obligations.
I set Jack in his nest, he assumed the usual position, and waved me off.
“I’ll be back soon buddy. I’m going to the store to get you something.”
“Otay Daddeh. Pwease be safe!”
I drove to the local fluffy mart. It had been a long time since I’d been to one. The last time I was here, it was to pick up a special order of Sketti-flavoured kibble. That was almost a year ago now. Jack had begged me for some when he heard about it from my Ex.
He’d always been a good boy, so I made him a deal. If he could find the six things I hid around the apartment, I’d buy him the sketti kibble. It was a long hunt for those things. I can’t even remember what they were now. Painted rocks, maybe?
I do know that it took Jack about three days to find them all. I’d hidden them all over, and in out-of-the-way places. It was a routine of ours, a test to keep his mind sharp. For an Earthy fluffy, Jack had become fairly smart.
He could read a little, at a first grade level. And I’d taught him how to read the clock. It was digital, so that was easy. He even learned the basics of addition and subtraction. Though any numbers bigger than nine always made his brain melt.
Jack was my everything. He was my son. To see him suffer, alone, and in silence, cut deeper than a knife.
I walked with purpose, my eyes scanning the aisle numbers, looking for exactly the right place. Four, Five, Six… All things a fluffy could need or want. Toys, leashes, collars, food, fixtures, etc.
At last, my eyes found the aisle I sought. The In-Store Adoption Centre.
It was a large area, filled with Fluffies in cages and pens. Newborns were kept with their mothers, in special shelves. Seeing Foals and Talky foals were kept in conjoined pens, fed by rubber milking nipples that aligned the walls. Walking foals all played in their own specialized pen. It was larger than the others.
Inside, the parade of technicolor fluffy foals played games like Huggy Tag, or Hide and Hug. Others pushed balls around, and some were stacking blocks. The bad eggs, the bullies and misbehaving foals would be forcibly removed and placed into a sorry box. Said box would be placed on a special “Bad Baby” shelf. Eventually, they’d either behave well enough to be reunited with the others, left up there permanently, or bought by someone who had bigger things in mind for them.
But Mummahs and Foals weren’t what I was looking for. Jack had a special friend once, I’d introduced him to a friend who had a mare that desperately wanted babies. She’d taken to Jack quickly, eagerly courting, and seducing him. Jack, who had seen all the men, women, and other folk I’d brought home had learned a very important lesson from all my mistakes. If someone came on too strongly, they were either desperate, or in desperate need of a visit to a therapist.
It was only after he and I had a long talk about his “special friend” that we all agreed it was safe for him to breed with her. He was actually really mature about it. He knew what he wanted, recognized the warning signs, and expressed his wants and fears to me.
When he learned the full scope of the relationship, to give my friend’s mare some foals, he happily agreed to give her special huggies. They actually sired around three broods in all their time together. Every time it was a transactional exchange. She’d want his babies, He’d impregnate her, and then he’d help her raise them for a while until they were weaned.
After Jack’s last brood, I asked him if he wanted any more kids. He said to me, “Nu, Daddeh, das enuff. Jak nu wan mowe babbehs.”
With that, I explained to Jack the concept of neutering. At first he thought I was punishing him by taking away his “speshul wumps”, but after the fourth time, he began to understand. I wasn’t punishing him. I wanted to make sure he wouldn’t have to suffer after choosing to stop making babies. Without them, he’d still be able to be a regular fluffy, it just meant no more babies. And for me, it meant not having him suffer from possible testicular cancer.
I wandered toward the stallion pens. They were organized by Breeders, and Steers, and further sub-categorized by Fluffy type, colour, and “smarty potential”. The sheer number of unicorns in that last column was staggering. Out of the six “smarties” five were unicorns. The last was a Pegasus.
The one and only Alicorn in the store was in the Breeders pen, and had a price tag to match. He was beautiful. A light blue coat, with a white mane. When I approached, he was as eager to play as the rest of them, but he had this tempered calmness to him. Like he’d learned to hold back, just enough to stand out amongst his peers. If I was looking to breed some fluffies, I would have bought him right then and there.
I settled on another Earthy, like Jack. This one was a steer. Chemically castrated, so that he’d retain his testes, but would never be able to use them. He’d probably been too old to safely neuter before coming here. Maybe he’d been a poor quality breeder, or was a feral taken in and cared for by the store.
“Roger” read his name tag. The stallion wasn’t very impressive in the looks department. A very basic yellow, with jade-coloured eyes. His mane was orange, making him stand out just enough. When I picked him up, he examined my face. It was like being evaluated for a job interview. Cold, distant, and full of judgment. I had half a mind to drop him then and there.
Eventually, a smile grew across Roger’s muzzle.
“Nyu daddeh? Take Wogew tu nyu housie, an gib nummies? An toysies, an wub?” The stallion machine-gunned me with all the usual questions. If I’d ever adopted a fluffy before, maybe I would have developed a sense for this sort of thing. But all I could think about was Jack, and how happy he’d be to have a new friend.
I brought Roger to the checkout register, along with a new bag of kibble. The cashier went through the whole checklist with me. Did I have the right amount of food? And bowls? And Toys, and a safe room, and this and that? Was I ready to take a fluffy at home?
I squinted at her name tag. She was about my height, short dark hair, with tattoos on her arms. One of them looked like a Spider, another had a big heart with the word “Fluffies” in the middle.
“I have it all. Thanks for the help, uhh, Aida.”
The drive home was with filled with scared cries from Roger. He was in a carrier box, probably for the first time in his life. The movement of the car, combined with the unfamiliar sound of the engine spooked him mightily.
“Wogew nu wike sowwy boxie! Nu wike meanie munstah tingy! Daddeh, hewp fwuffy! Wan out.”
I did my best to reassure him, to calm him down. The effort fell on deaf ears. He was scared, and that’s all that mattered. Apparently, he was so scared he shat and pissed in the carrier. I groaned. That was going to take a while to clean up, and the smell would linger in the car if I didn’t perform an adequate job of it.
The eventual arrival home felt like an eternity had passed. I swore it must have taken half the day to get back. In truth, it was only Noon.
Jack nearly leapt out of his nest to greet me, if he could have. Instead he stood on his hooves, and slowly waddled over to me. Each step was carefully taken to minimize pain from the growths.
“Daddeh came back! Su happies. Jak was gud fwuffy, daddeh!”
I knelt down and stroked Jack’s fluff. He nuzzled his head into my hand almost immediately. He let out a satisfied coo when I started to scritch behind his ears.
“I have something for you, Jack. Or, should I say, someone!” I set the crate down next to Jack. I’d taken the time to clean up while I was outside, using some wet-wipes on Roger, and some handy emergency towels to get rid of his mess.
Roger felt the carrier set down on the floor. He could smell his new daddy’s scent all over his new housie. But he also smelled another fluffy! Unfortunately, it didn’t smell like a mare, but another stallion. Well, at least he wouldn’t be too bored.
The gate to the carrier opened, and Roger surged forth, escaping its confines. He took in the sight around him. He was finally in a human housie! It had a couch, where his new daddy would watch TV with him, and a table where his daddy would feed him sketties every day, and even another fluffy for Roger to play with. Except, the fluffy looked older, tired.
“Hewwo, nyu fwend,” Jack waddled over to the young, yellow stallion. “Fwuffy namsie am Jak, wut ‘ou namsies?”
“Fwuffy am Wogew! ‘Ou be nyu fwend? Wan pway? Wets pway!” Almost immediately, Jack’s face lit up. Roger hopped and skipped around him, eager to start playing.
I stood back up and watched the two fluffies take off. Jack moved cautiously, with practised steps. Roger, meanwhile, galloped across the room, and back again in the time it took Jack to catch up.
Jack gave Roger a tour of the apartment. The older fluffy showed Roger where it was safe to play, and which places to avoid. Jack had the wisdom of five years on his side, and an authoritative tone to match. But as Roger took in every word, he began to question Jack.
“Wai nu can go dewe?” Roger pointed to a closet.
“Coz, Daddeh keep shuuz dewe.” Jack replied.
“Wai nu can pway in dewe?” Roger pointed to the washroom this time.
“Baffwoom onwy for baff times, Wogew. Daddeh say nu pway in dere. Onwy when baff time.” Jack stated.
I backed him up every time he answered correctly, and offered an explanation when Jack fell short. Roger began to understand how things worked in this housie.
And he didn’t like it.
Daddeh was daddeh, so he made the rules. But Jack is only a little, itty bitty, teeny tiny, bit older than Roger. He couldn’t know better than him, right? They were both fluffies, and Roger wasn’t going to let another fluffy boss him around. Not anymore, never again.
// AN: This came out a lot longer than intended, so I split it into two chapters. Translating "Roger" into Fluffy Speak was more annoying than expected. To be honest, I'm not fully satisfied with it either.
See you in Part 2!

Source | Previous table
Note: Some of the question-taker's answers were also removed along with corresponding questions, and they have not been recovered below.

Questions	Answers
What is a typical day in your life like?	I get up at 4:30. I watch some YouTube, do some email, work on my writing or similar. I head to the gym at 7, shower and start my day around 8. I work in my home office or shop/lab, code and work on stuff, throughout the day. I could be busy all the way through to 8-9PM if I'm wrapped up in something, but not usually that busy.
the below is a reply to the above
You get up at 4:30 AM? Wow. Have you always been a morning person? Are other people on your team morning people so you decided to start early? I’m asking this because it seems like a lot of successful people wake up very early and work out before starting their workday.	No, I never was until my neck injury. While recovering I couldn't sleep more than about 4-5 hours max and just got into the habit. Since it was so productive for me, I just kept it up!
the below is a reply to the above
Thanks for sharing. I wish you good health.	Thanks!
Did you create Robocopy, or know who did? I use that very regularly and much more efficient than using the GUI.	The secret dirt is that Robocopy was first written by MS colleague Kevin Allen, and he started sharing copies around in 1994ish. From there, and after many iterations and heavy-duty real-world feedback, robocopy ended up in the Windows Resource Kit, and then later merged into the core Windows package. In the beginning, Kevin was a very experienced programmer, but new to the Win32 API; so robocopy was one of his projects to educate himself about Windows programming. Later on, ITG used robocopy to routinely transfer many gigabytes of data around MS global offices, every night; it became very robust and battle-hardened. It is a long time now since Kevin was involved in the robocopy source code at all; it is maintained by the Windows team.
Did you create Microsoft Clippy? Will Clippy ever make a come back?	Noooo... but I was around at the time. We have Clippy now in the form of Siri and Google Assistant and Cortana, but there's no picture. That's all it was though, an early digital assistant.
I read on a Microsoft devblog that when windows got ported to 64bit pinball 3d was not ported because of bugs and the developers not being able to understand the code/not having enough time. It's a shame, because it was such an awesome game and I spent many hours playing it as a kid. Was the code messy due to being ported from Sam and do you think it could have been ported given enough time and expertise?	Basically what I did when I ported it was to maintain the central code "logic" loop of the game unchanged so that it would play just as it did on other platforms, and then "hooked" functionality coming out of it and going into it. So I rewrote the drawing code that did the actual drawing, but not he original code that wanted to do the drawing, if that makes sense. I changed the how, not why.
	That meant, though, that at the very core of the game was a big bunch of code that we didn't touch or monkey with, because it 'just worked'. Apparently sometime after Vista, in 64-bit, there was a collision detection bug in Pinball.
	From what I read, Raymond Chen looked at it and got the general idea of what was wrong but didn't want to touch the fragile old code. Raymond's one of the best debuggers I've met, so it wasn't a question of expertise but of time and resources.
	Anyone on the team could have trivially fixed it I'm sure, but it sounds like no one "owned" the game anymore after I left, and it was more than just a random little bug to fix, it would have required a dev to be assigned to it, and there likely was no one free.
What is your favourite colour please?	Well, I have four cars with blue interiors and I'm wearing a blue shirt and a blue watch and blue jeans. So probably blue.
If my son expresses interest in serious computer programming, where is a good place to start? C for Dummies? (I'm joking and I know terribly little about the topic, only enough to know backend is where it's at)	Python, then Javascript. Build a website!
Hi! Just wanted to say, I still use MS-DOS regularly, on many of my older machines in my collection. Also Win3.x, Win9x etc How do you feel about computers becoming extremely dependent on 'cloud' services? I can still set up an old machine, install an old OS, install old software and have it all up and running within an hour or so, while modern software essentially requires cloud services for literally everything. What happens to that software once some random person out there decides that they don't want to support it anymore? Those cloud services go away? Are you concerned that future generations will not be able to experience anything from this era of computing? Considering computers were designed to be able to continually run the same software over and over as necessary, how can that apply if the bulk of this is lost when the cloud disappears? Or maybe this isn't a concern at all, and I'm just crazy...?	I already have hardware that refused to work because the cloud service that backs it has been abandoned or the company has gone out of business.
	I worry that things become dependent on externals that aren't reliable long term, and I know what you mean... but fortunately Windows, once activated, runs perfectly well offline forever, really.
I'm a fresh graduate with some experience and reading the knowledge you all have in the comments has made me feel very inferior. I only started coding in my university and I don't do it in my past time. Am I doing something wrong? I do enjoy programming but I try to keep a work life balance. Is that a thing in software development? Also did you ever approve a pull request by Bill?	No, as long as you DO enjoy it when you're doing it, you're fine. There's an entire "spectrum" of people in the world and some of us have "special interests" with which we're a little obsessed, and tend to "hyperfocus". I'm one of those people but it's by no means the only way to do it!
	I knew many great programmers who (a) didn't program in their spare time at home and (b) didn't continue to program recreationally after leaving it as a job.
	If you can work regular 40 hours a week as a productive programmer, you'll be set!
the below is a reply to the above
Thank you so much for this! Are there any tips you'd like to give to fresh graduates like me?	If you get a job at a large company like Microsoft, and decide you're not happy, try moving INTERNALLY before looking for another job. You could work for 5 different companies over your career and they could all be Google, for example. Culture goes through and through, but every team has its own.
the following is a later reply	If you can put in a 35-40 hour week of solid work, you'll be fine. There are three buckets: the obsessives, like myself, who work as much as they can. Then the solid pros, who can turn out a ton of quality stuff in 40 hours. And then you have the slackers who surf Facebook at work and read reddit when they should be coding. As long as you're not in that group you're fine, and a balance is important. It is indeed a thing the successful people achieve it. It's not about how much code you write, it's about how much MORE time you spend coding than you want to, and that should be zero!
	Lots of people are in careers they don't practice in their free time, in fact most. So it's a bonus if you're that way, but most people are NOT, so don't despair! You're normal!
If you're still answering, how much of the original Task Manager still lives in the modern Task Manager? Anyway, thanks for the AMA! You're a legend!	I don't know for sure, but from looking at the app, and not the code, I'd expect about 60-70% of it?
Hopefully you’re still taking questions. I get a lot of crap by my peers about command line. Power shell is badass but I’m a cmd guy myself. I know we can do pretty much everything that cmd does in powershell and more, but idk. I like what I like, you know? Where do you stand on this?	Honestly I'd be a CMD guy as well, but I'm really starting to lean towards using bash under WSL.
	Have you ever looked the help for SET and FOR under CMD? It's where we put every piece of extra functionality, since you can't add keywords that might collide with people's script names, etc...
I didn’t use windows after windows 7 for about 5 years. Back in august 2019 I finally rebuilt and upgraded my old PC and installed windows 10. The task manager in windows 10 is so amazing and powerful. I would imagine it’s something you wanted to implement in the 90s but didn’t have the tools or time. Right?	Indeed, I'm a big fan of the current task manager and what they've done with it! I wish there was a Dark mode, I wish it handled file lock tracking, and I've always got wish lists, but they've done a great job with it!
CIA_grade_LSD: Why does the file transfer time remaining progress bar start at like 15 hours and then drop to two minutes and then stick at 99% for five minutes? (An exaggeration I admit. I know you and your colleagues do your best, but I am curious why this hasnt gotten much more accurate over the years.) androidethic: Yes, we need a justification as to why the windows file operation estimations are so random/inaccurate!	They're the worst estimate out there, except for all the others.
	Mac is just as bad. It's a hard problem. I worked on it briefly, and to help solve it I kept track of the average time it had taken for a whole range of operations, like creating, moving, deleting, renaming a file, or moving a block of N bytes, etc. Then multiply by the number of those operations that remain. But even that can be wildly off in degenerate cases.
Do you ever get laid?	Not since your Mom kicked me out.
Why has windows task manager never had a true force quit?	End Process is a true force quit.
What was your team's opinion on linux at the time? And what's yours opinion too?	I like it a lot, I was an early adopter back in 1993-1994 and tried to contribute some code for parsing IIDs, though I don't know if it's still in there. I hope it is, becaue then I'd have code in Windows, Mac Office, and Linux. I'd be everywhere :-)
	Now that we have WSL 2, though, I do most of my Linux work under Windows!
How much of the original DOS code is still in modern OSs?	None whatsoever. In fact, the only commonality at all would likely be the PGM header on disk still traces its original layout to MS-DOS.
	But rest assured there's NO code from MS-DOS inside NT, for example. It was a complete clean-slate design.
Was it you responsible for the atrocious naming conventions in WIN32?	Your username is dhbt12 :-)
What current developments in the world of operating systems are you watching with eager anticipation? File systems and LLVM seem to be the rage right now, at least from where I sit.	Containers are cool to me, like Docker! That's really the biggest development of recent years I think!
the below has been split into two
* What's your compensation?	- Zero, since I'm retired and there's no pension.
* Have you met Bill Gates?	- Yes, a number of times. When I was first hired he had me and a few other recent hires over to his house for burgers and beer and it was quite nice!
What's your opinion of free and open-source software? Broad, I know. I saw your response about WinRAR saying you like to license your software, but do you hold a similar sentiment in tossing a coin to the devs of foss software you might use?	I love it, I just don't have any illusions that making a piece of code open-source somehow leads to higher quality. It makes it more available to me, which is great, but in reality, on a typical project there are going to be 1-5 people who really look at the code and then a dozen the sort of know it to make changes, and then consumers of the code who just call it. I don't see that those 1-5 people are any brighter than the people who'd be responsible for a product in a proprietary environment.
	Now at a certain scale, like the Linux kernel maybe, you've got enough eyeballs looking at it that it makes a difference... that I could see!
What's the idea behind SYSKEY?	As I understand it, its function is to encrypt something called the SAM (Security Account Manager) database. This database stores hashes of user passwords, and is used to authenticate users when they supply their password.
Hey Dave, what do you think the future of the windows OS will be? Is a cloud-based OS possible, potentially limiting computer hardware?	As a total guess, I imagine our experience will eventually be just a UI device locally and everything else happens in the cloud on server hardware. So as you say, at some point your client hardware is "good enough" and then companies compete on the merits of their back-end services.
Do you know Mike Toutonghi? , he used to work at Microsoft, now he started a new blockchain project called The Verus project.	By name and email but not well enough to recognize him at the mall today, I'd say!
If you had to redo windows, what would you most like to change? What do you regret most? What do you like most?	The Format dialog needs to be redone! And Task Manager is likely my favorite...
Android or iPhone? Beer or wine? Ginger or Mary Ann?	iPhone. Beer. Can't it be both? It's an island, after all.
the below is a reply to the above
I figured the iPhone since you have Mac's in the lab. I figured beer also since you can't shift a 4 speed with a glass off wine between your legs. Nice garage BTW. However i wasnt ready for both, it's an island after all. Touche. I tired to compile my first bit of code from GitHub today. I failed miserably. It would install but wouldn't run. I'll keep at it.	Make sure you're in a clean empty folder. Try the code from Episode 11, I just used it so I know that works! Clone it and build it in PlatformIO with no changes, and that'll tell you if your dev environment is set up and working properly.
I cant connect to my cloud, can you download it for me?	I'd love to, but I'm out of paper. Can you fax me some?
What amazes you the most when you compare technology from the 90's to now?	GPUs!
Is it wrong of me to only ever end task manager with itself?	Software Seppuku.
Probably too many comments and very late to the game, but here it goes! I teach Comp Sci at an international school. Would you be willing to give a small webinar talk to my students? They would just be so happy to hear from you as would I! Anyway, regardless, thanks for the many, many hours of enjoyment!	Maybe after Covid, but I'm not a big fan of Zoom lectures! I just did one for the U of R, though, and if you check my channel there are two that I have done for the University of Regina that you might find useful for your students...
	You can email me at [email protected] with info about the school and what topic you would like, etc, and I can see if it's a good fit for schedule and topic!
What computers do you personally at home? Windows? Linux? Mac?	All three!
Why are processes able to hang to the point that task manager is unable to kill them?	At that point there must be kernel corruption or something going on in a driver or well below the surface, I guess. If TM can't kill it, no one can, and it's truly hung.
Did you ever meet the genius who wrote the Space Cadet Pinball theme song?	No, who wrote it? Matt Ridgeway?
Hi Dave, loved the videos on task manager Do you have any thoughts on modern C / C++ replacements like Zig and Rust (respectively)?	I think its cool if memory access is indeed provably safe but you get code nearly as optimal as C, but I've got to learn more about them!
Did you like the windows phone?	Never had one, started after I left, but I heard nice things about the very last one before it went away...
Hi Dave, Why doesn’t File Explorer automatically refresh to show new files in a folder, such as downloads? Seems such an obvious glitch! Also, how do I get the login screen on Windows 10? I push space, esc, mouse clicks, enters... and nothing happens. Then poof, it shows up. Why is this so unresponsive?	It does.
	In fact I know it does, because I have a patent on some of it!
	Not sure why yours wound't be working, your system might have a third party piece of software that has broken File System Change notifications.
Was the time on Microsoft fun?	It really was. I miss the people and the environment, and I especially miss lunch!
i’ve found 15+ 0-days in the shell32 API when doing a vuln analysis of explorer.exe. You can read my work at https://hyp3ri0n-ng.github.io! What’s it like to write really buggy code :P?	I sense that high school was hard for you socially.
I’m sure I remember owning the pinball game as a separate standalone title before it was in windows? Can you explain the deal with that? Or am I misremembering	Plus Pack!
You're a legend, can't believe I missed this. I'll post this here, if you don't answer it I'll have a good copy/paste for later. What are your thoughts on the sethc.exe / accessibility exploit? It's worked as far back as XP, and still works today in Windows 10, last time I checked. Windows Server 2003 and 2008 as well. Is checking the integrity of OS files before they're executed just not a priority?	https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/222193/description-of-the-windows-file-protection-feature
Why ctl+alt+delete?	An IBM engineer (David Bradley, I think) picked that combination to serve as a hardware reset. You can't fake it, you can't get around it. The PC knows it's really C_A_D when you do it.
	Why that particular combination, you'd have to ask him!
What's the furthest you've gotten into a project that ended up not panning out? Was it something you really wanted to get working or were you relieved to move on? I'm a student studying engineering right now and reading these answers is extremely motivational; your passion for computers is awesome! Thanks for doing this.	I spent about a year on an early prototype of Media Center that I was attached to but got killed. They did do a Media Center later, of course, but I had started 2-3 years ahead, but couldn't get funding.
Why has the Windows she'll been so bad for so long?	I don't know, but I'll see you in he'll.
Do you still work at Microsoft? Do you still use only Microsoft stuff?	No retired in 2003. I use a lot of MS stuff, but my main laptop is a MacBook and I use a Mac for video.
Do you own any Apple products or use them for work?	I own all the Apple products except the new headphones, pretty much! I'm retired now though!
Is the workculture of Microsoft at the time very different than now? How much does Bill Gates' leadership impact the company? What changes had his departure bring?	It is indeed very different under Satya than Bill, and the changes are widespread. But I left before Satya started, so I'm not really qualified to speak on them!
What are your thoughts on the age old trick of "Opening Task Manager to stop programs from freezing or being slow", is there some merit to doing that or is it just a simple coincidence?	Total coincidence, honest! Task Manager, at that level, is just a windows app with a message pump. It's existence doesn't do anything that solitaire or paint would not also!
	No, but there's a great meme with the Star Wars general about how apps work better with Task Manager open because "fear will keep them in line".
	It's purely psychological, though. TM doesn't do anything by running the calc or paint wouldn't also provide!
Did you work on Windows ME? If so.. What the hell happened to that OS that made it so terrible? I had kernal errors every week.	Nope! My work on the shell would have been backported to it, but I didn't work directly on 98 or M3, other than they used our NT version of the shell code by then I think.
Did you make any contingency for when Task Manager stops responding?	Yes, lots! Check the video the "Secret Life of Task Manager" for more dirt, but there are MANY things it does to help prevent you ever being stuck with no task manager:
	https://youtu.be/f8VBOiPV-_M
If not asked yet If this is correct, as posted in Regina awhile ago iirc I saw a post saying you’re from Regina, Canada Is that true? If so that’s awesome to hear that someone from my local area made one of my favourite no internet game and the basic fundamentals of the most used OS for computers	Yes indeed, that's me!
Why is the documentation for WPA so bad and scarce? I have to refer to Bruce Dawson's years old blog to decipher some of the columns names. Are there any plans to add a comprehensive manual for it?	Windows Product Activation? Columns? Sorry, are you using WPA for something else?
Can I intern for you?	If you know how to write a Material-themed admin-style Dashboard in React, can consume a REST api in doing so, and have some experience with iPhone apps an Unity, then maybe yes!
	I was actually looking for an intern this past summer to write a phone and web app...
how did you assured code quality and readability? did you use static analyzers/ unit tests or what?	Check out the "Secret History of Task Manager" video for a description of "NTStress" and how we nightly tested, but there were professional testers, every line of code was code-reviewed, and so on.
	My understanding is it's quite different now, though!
When you say you worked on Windows activation, was it for more than a day?	That's an odd question. Can I ask why you think it might have just been for a day? Clue me in to what you're hinting at and I'll fill you in on the rest!
Why do I need to press 3 buttons and 1 click to open task manager?	Because you choose to fail!
	You can do it with two clicks or one simultaneous multikey press!
Do you think WPA was a success?	I think so! It helped stem casual piracy, wasn't "cracked" for at least 18 months after we released it, and didn't unduly inconvenience users too often, I hope.
	We were really aiming for the 95% case. Trying to catch the 95% of piracy that is people sharing keys, reusing their own keys on too many machines, getting keys off the web, that sort of thing. I think it accomplished that.
How did you feel about windows 8?	Same way you do.
Who invented the blue screen of death?	John Vert. He said:
	"Back in 1991 I wrote the original code for Windows NT 3.1 that put the video screen back into text mode and the routines to put text on it (and a truly gnarly bit of code it was!). I used the white on blue colors for two reasons.
	* The MIPS workstations we were using for the MIPS port had firmware that presented a boot option screen in white on blue, so it made sense that the bugcheck screen would match.
	* I (and many others) were using SlickEdit as our text editor and at the time its default color scheme was also white on blue.
	I believe Mark Lucovsky wrote the original code that dumped a bunch of text to the screen. This was a bugcode and a stack dump, resulting in a bunch of useless hex numbers which product support would occasionally dutifully transcribe from the customers and include in the bug report.
	There was no "typesetting" as we used standard VGA text mode on PCs.
	I don't know the history of the Win3.1/Win9x blue screens, I think the fact they were the same color is just coincidence."
But can you make sick stick figure death match animations in QBASIC?	No, but I do a mean Bill the Cat ascii art!
How could you?	Sometimes you just gotta say WTF.
	https://youtu.be/a0p7rJsYisw
What are you working on these days?	Mostly on programming tutorials and nostalgic "Windows War Stories" on my youtube channel:
	http://www.youtube.com/c/davesgarage
[removed]	That's me! Went to Miller high, worked at ISM and SaskTel during college, etc!
Here is my question. Im a cuban teenager (17) and my dream is work is be a developer. What kind of mini works i can do for learn programation before University?	Do as many little program tasks as you can, and make sure you complete them, and SAVE them for the future so you can look back!
	Try writing a little program to convert back and forth between roman numbers and regular numbers. Or fund the next highest multiple of 32, or count the number of it bits set in a byte. Or the real difference in seconds between two dates, that sort of thing. Real problems that you have to solve will help a great deal as they act as sort of a "forcing function" to make you get to the very end.
Do you like macaroni & cheese?	Kraft Dinner all the way. And I eat with little packets of designer ketchup.
Wait...you didn't built paint? I'm out.	Nope, sorry. But I owned calc for a while, back when we were adding infinite precision math to it!
Hi, If Microsoft wanted to, they could make it impossible to activate a pirated copy of windows using 3rd party software. So why aren't they making it impossible?	Not sure what you meant by 3rd party software. Are you saying Windows can actually be activated even if pirated? That'd be news to me, but anything's possible.
What was the criteria for “tilt” on space cadet pinball? I played that game for hours as a kid.	Spacebar would add a little "action" to the table, if I recall, and you could strike a balance of adding so much so often... but too much (ie: smash space too much) and it'll tilt.
Did you ever have to interview anybody at Microsoft? If so, what types of questions would you ask back then? What was your interview like going into Microsoft?	Oh yeah, I've interviewed dozens or hundreds I'd bet. I'd like to ask "calibrating questons" like "Give me a funtion that takes a number and returns the next highest multiple of 32" or "count the number of bits that are set in it" to see how their basic coding skills were.
	Then I usually liked to give a problem I was working on to see what it'd be like to actually work with the person.
	I interviewed three times, once as an intern, once as full time, and then once to move to the Shell group. Each as an all-day affair, and very arduous. You have 2-3 hour long interviews in the AM, then a lunch interview, then 2-3 more hour long interviews in the PM, then a supper thing, etc... it's a long day!
ImRandyRU: What have you done for me lately? Edit: it was a joke... dabigchina: NT is the foundation that all modern windows OS's build on, so a lot. Zeusifer: I guarantee some of OP's code still exists in Windows 10.	Most of it, to be honest. As a guess I'd say 75% still there.
Hey man, I had a wicked dump this morning and now my toilet is blocked. Any idea's?	More roughage in your diet.
It was so satisfying to push the 3x5 disks into the slot and have the button pop out, and make a vroom vroom sound. Ah, the old days. What's your favorite MS-Dos game from the 90s?	I actually came to the PC after MS-DOS, so I wasn't a DOS gamer... I suppose in those days it was primarily C64 and Amiga games. I do remember being fond of Sim City, like everyone, but also of a game called "Seven Cities of Gold"...

Prepare for an undertaking on the high oceans as our Captain's Booty slot survey takes you on an experience. This privateer themed slot comes from MEGA888, who have positively invested more energy into boosting the visual nature of their games. Beforehand MEGA888 Casino 2021 had gained notoriety for genuinely basic plan highlights. The Captain's Booty slot machine will help destroy this standing, for certain profoundly practical images and lovely itemizing to the game's environmental factors. This three-reel, five-payline slot additionally offers overall quite straightforward interactivity that is appropriate for players, all things considered. Our analysts found that the Captain's Booty slot machine has ongoing interaction that will in general prompt continuous winning twists. Up to 60,000 coins can be ravaged from gambling clubs in this game, so we should head out, Me Hearties!

Appreciate an Atmospheric Adventure

In the event that you've seen the Pirates of the Caribbean motion pictures, the subject of the Captain's Booty slots game could give you a feeling of history repeating itself. Friend through the straightforward reels and you'll see a privateer transport heading towards a puzzling island where lightning jolts move quickly over the skies, and an antiquated fortification ascents facing the bluffs. It's climatic and as our analysts have said, the Captain's Booty slot takes the plan norms of the MEGA888 club games engineer higher than ever. The solitary negative we need to make reference to is the utilization of a conventional soundtrack. It has nothing at all to do with privateers and might have come from any exemplary slot machine. This versatile improved game looks awesome on any gadget, regardless of whether you decide to play it on your work area, iPhone, iPad or Android cell phone.

Set the Coordinates for Piratey Payouts

Take the reels of the Pirate's Booty slots game for a turn, and you'll see four bright, shimmering gemstones making up the lower-esteem winning blends. Higher pays come from handling a compass, crossed guns, the parrot and a youthful privateer lady. The chief is certifiably not a one-peered toward, unshaven marauder, yet rather is another alluring lady, unwinding on deck with her arms behind her head and looking exceptionally quiet. Every diamond is worth 40x the per line wager, the compass and parrot are each esteemed at 80x, while the crossed guns pack a 100x prize. The youngster privateer pays 200x and the Captain herself is worth 300x your line wager when she crosses a payline. Stakes on the Captain's Booty slots game can be changed from a low constraint of 0.40 per turn, straight up to the limit of 40.00, which will suit most players. The standard MEGA888 order catches are utilized, which gives you the alternative to auto-turn the reels, in spite of the fact that you won't have the option to set win or misfortune limits prior to enacting auto mode. Our Captain's Booty slot commentators say that you can gather wins often, albeit the normal size of the prizes might be somewhat low contrasted for certain games.
Discussing midpoints, it would have been decent if MEGA888 had distributed subtleties of the re-visitation of player rate for the Captain's Booty slot machine, yet this data hasn't been made accessible. The entirety of their games are authorized and guaranteed for reasonable play however, so we would anticipate that the RTP should be around the 95% level.

The name ethroll casino is already somewhat connected to the Internet's most famous slot machine. When the game was introduced, there weren't too many options for players to choose from, but when the games became popular, the name "ETH Roll" was suggested by the players themselves to signify that this is a game in which money can be won. This is true because the main aim of the game is to earn as much money as possible. The players will roll the card with the coins, hoping that they will land on an "X" or an "X-shaped" star. If the player gets five points, they win one unit of currency.
In order to play the game, the player will have to download an iPhone or Android app onto their mobile devices. This is because they need to log into the casino's website, where they will see their current position and the amount of coins that they need to hit the jackpot. Once they get into the game, they will notice that there are several slots on the screen, and the icons representing the different games are located on the lower right corner of the screen. A player can try to win the jackpot through any of these virtual slots, and winning requires hitting the right icon on the corresponding game.
It is important to note that there are different kinds of icons for each game, and the position of each icon is pre-determined by the rules of the particular slot machine that the player is playing on. This means that if the player wishes to change the icons, they have to perform some real-life strategies to ensure that they are playing according to the rules of the game. This is especially important when a player wins a jackpot that is much bigger than what the player has spent on the virtual slot machine. Because of this, it is advisable for players to read the rules of the game and learn how to play before they actually start using their money. This is also important in case a player wants to withdraw cash from their account without getting into trouble with the casino's staff.
Another important thing to note is that there is a maximum amount that each player can bet on each of the slot machines inside the Ethroll casino. In addition, there is also a minimum amount that all players have to spend on their bankrolls before they can play for longer hours. If a player reaches the required number of coins, they can withdraw the amount that they have placed as a maximum bet. However, they are not allowed to change the amount that they have placed as a minimum bet until the end of the game. If they want to play longer games, they can increase the amount they have placed as a maximum bet again.
Aside from these features, the Ethroll casino also offers a variety of other features for players to enjoy. It has a large casino floor so that players can enjoy their game in style. There are also many tables arranged in groups of two across the casino to accommodate larger crowds. Players can play their game for fun or for real money. There are also several tables that offer special bonuses during the actual game. Some of these include special jackpot amounts, free spins with bonus coins and free slot machines.
During their games, players have the option of betting with their winnings or just with their credit cards. This is because the payouts at the Ethroll Casino are in accordance with the rules of the slot machines inside the casino. The jackpots are set based on a specific random number generator. Each time a player wins, the bonus money that they receive will be doubled up. Thus, winning at the Ethroll slot machine can actually be very profitable especially for those who place high bets.