Mildly troubled by the fact that your Steam library doesn’t contain games beginning with all 26 letters of the alphabet? The following list of top-notch time-killers is designed to help completists fill gaps wisely. In its original form THC’s Steam Alphabet only reflects the preferences of two people: me and Roman. However, with your help it could morph into something broader over coming weeks.
Every Friday, Tally-Ho Corner’s cleverest clogs come together to solve a ‘foxer’ handcrafted by my sadistic chum and colleague, Roman. A complete ‘defoxing’ sometimes takes several days and usually involves the little grey cells of many readers. All are welcome to participate.
My vast Steam library finally includes a game beginning with the letter Y! It was a tough choice, but after pondering your suggestions and perusing the relevant shelves in the world’s largest video game emporium, I eventually managed to turn a three-game shortlist into a decision. Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be Jonathan Hunt, a Hungarian-American author who’s returned to the land of his ancestors in search of inspiration, adventure, and answers.
V is for Vernal vanguard. For many, the highlight of Steam’s week-long ‘Wargaming Fest’ is sure to be the release of the Strategos demo. Trialists get the chance to road-test three quite different factions – the versatile Late Carthaginians, the punchy Polybian Romans, and the piketastic Pyrrhics – on two maps, and experience first-hand the myriad AI and UI improvements Gabe has implemented since releasing Strategos forerunner ‘Formation Tactics Game’ on itch.io in early 2024.
Q is for Quick tea card. For a spell in 1962, boxes of Brooke Bond tea contained colourful portraits of ‘Asian Wildlife’. Illustrated and written by well-known nature artist Charles Tunnicliffe, the 50-card set included this striking image of Pakistan’s national animal, the markhor. Today, outside of zoos and ranches, the ‘snake eater’ is only found in a scatter of small, mountainous areas in Central and Southern Asia. Its magnificent headgear and remarkable agility afford it some protection against predators like snow leopards, but are of little use in ‘contests’ with trophy hunters.
Using the following clues (the map above is purely decorative) in combination with Street View, work out my location.
L is for “Less of a sphere, more of a potato”. The Tacview sequel currently under development will be able to do a lot of things its predecessor can’t. For example, because it models the Earth as an oblate spheroid not a perfect sphere, and features a new telemetry engine, its calculations and visualisations will be more accurate. More efficient code and a modernised rendering engine, means vehicle textures, lighting, and details will be possible, along with multiple 3D views. Improved data exporters for sims such as DCS could even mean structures such as buildings and bridges appear in replays.
Every Friday, Tally-Ho Corner’s cleverest clogs come together to solve a ‘foxer’ handcrafted by my sadistic chum and colleague, Roman. A complete ‘defoxing’ sometimes takes several days and usually involves the little grey cells of many readers. All are welcome to participate.