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Monday, November 1, 2021

KoopaTV's October 2021 Review Newsletter

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Now with a different complaint at the top!

Welcome to November. Only two months left in the year. Let's kick it off by reviewing how our October 2021 did!

We'll write about the October's articles, your comments, updates on the KoopaTV Loyalty Rewards Program... and to start, a complaint that has a big impact on KoopaTV:

Google is screwing over KoopaTV's image searchability


For the past several months, I've had my Google grievance at the top of the newsletter be that they promised to murder the FeedBurner RSS to email subscription thing a while ago now, yet it's still going long after their drop-dead timeline. There's been no communication, so as far as I know, Google just isn't aware that they never turned it off.

But my problem now with Google is significantly more important: They basically ruined how images are uploaded and stored with their Blogger content management system that KoopaTV uses. Starting after late September 2021, they went from uploaded images retaining their file name stored to https://1.bp.blogspot.com to being some gibberish that doesn't even end in .png or .jpg or .gif or anything stored to https://blogger.googleusercontent.com. This isn't just a KoopaTV thing but has impacted everyone who uses their content management system. There are a couple of threads on the Google Product Support community about it. As I noted there, Google's own Best Practices guide notes that their bot helps judge images by their file name, and so my-new-black-kitten.jpg is better than gibberish like IMG00023.JPG. (It's not the only factor, but it is important enough to have been noted.) And yet that's what KoopaTV is stuck with throughout October and beyond.

There are actual implications to being sub-optimal. According to Google Search Console, we had several articles published in September 2021 with thousands of impressions when people do Google Images searches. But when I looked for Images-based impressions for articles published in October 2021, nothing even shows up. For normal Search-based impressions, yeah, there isn't a change there because that's looking at text on the page. But Images published under Google's new system have been dealt a bad hand. Imagery has been an area that KoopaTV has actually excelled in (ironically, I'm not putting any images in this newsletter), so this is a very bad, ominous thing. Like, enough for me to say screw Google and move to WordPress or something like the rest of the world.

Top Five Recommended Experiences of October 2021


KoopaTV articles definitely deserve to be widely found by people. As evidence, here are my top five recommended KoopaTV experiences published in October 2021. Consider these the “must-reads”, presented in chronological order:
  1. Dragon Quest Composer Koichi Sugiyama Dies of Septic Shock — I've been playing some more Dragon Quest XI S since I published this article, which recognises the life of Koichi Sugiyama now that he's no longer around to live it.
  2. Kotaku Promoting Piracy of Just-Released Metroid Dread—and doubled down on it — Gamers (and KoopaTV) agree: Kotaku is a bottom-tier trash outlet.
  3. Pokémon Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond Casualised “Quality of Life” Changes — Nintendo distributed Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl out to gaming outlets for previews (not KoopaTV), but we can still analyse the game design implications of the changes the outlets reported.
  4. Liberal Gaming Forum ResetEra Bought by MOBA Network — The highlight of the article is the table I constructed of the differences between KoopaTV and ResetEra—a forum that will likely disintegrate with its new corporate ownership.
  5. Will KoopaTV's Family Group Upgrade to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack? — The answer to the article's question is “no,” but how we arrived at that answer—and what might change our mind—is worth your read.

But for all of the other articles not on the above list, those are... “should-reads”, because everything on KoopaTV is worth reading. I definitely left some things I was fond of off of the list!

Best Three Comments and One Worst Comment of October 2021


Speaking of lists, here's another list: KoopaTV readers’ three best (and one worst) comments from October 2021. Some of these are also a little lengthy, which is fine and more good content:
  1. “I didn’t know people still played Super Kirby clash online, but that makes me happy as I predict I may just be able to win this current loyalty round and get online for the first time! I hardly play anything multiplayer so I didn’t really need it, but I’ve got quests in Kirby and smash that require online modes so maybe it’ll come in handy.

    I consider myself a beam mage main, why would you play as anyone else? Occasionally I’ll play as doctor because I can’t stand the AI, But I didn’t know the doctor gets invincible revives so thanks for that tip. Hammer lord is too slow for me. Sword hero just seems boring, If I do use sword I like to get the enemy in the corner and just bounce on the enemy with that one sword attack that lets you bounce infinity. Or at least until they move.

    On sword hero, it’s pretty clear that sword hero is the equivalent of Mario in Mario2/3D world. The average fighter with no real special features. So I’m glad team Kirby clash added the big barrier as something to make it more than just the average role. Does anyone ever actually want to play as Mario in any of his games?

    I appreciate this guide, now I will know the best way to play and what to look out for. Glad to know my initial perception of beam mage being the best is pretty much 100% correct. I always have the most fun in all beam mage matches.” — Captain Stitch
  2. “"Sora has a lot of these very spammy auto-combo options, which fits his button-mashy fighting style in games like Kingdom Hearts II where you can just press X repeatedly to win." Did you play the game for yourself to know that or you relied on what I said? I was thinking more about how you can mash the triangle button which is the unique special you can do for a specific boss which usually only comes up in certain times but the button can be mashed without penalty until the command actually shows up and deals a lot of damage. But I think X mashing also works as a description too. The only nonSephiroth bosses I can think of in KH2 (not final mix) that actually requires some thought to defeat the bosses is Demyx and Xigbar. The former has basically the personality of Herlock Sholmes but you can't actually mash your way out of this boss. The first game in comparison has even the Disney bosses not fall that easily to mashing but maybe I am misremembering and that is my nostalgia talking. I will never get why people praise KH2's battle system so much if most bosses fall so easily to mashing.” — ShinyGirafarig
  3. “This game was a blast! I beat it 100% on my first try and decided to play it without power-ups or rescuing anyone, which took a couple of tries to beat Lincoln because I died when he was at 1 HP in the final phase.” — Unknown
I'm happy to see that the Super Kirby Clash guest post is getting attention. (The author of it tells me, “Based i love this comment 🥺💖”) And I gotta acknowledge the dig against that plumber there. (Especially since it's true.) As for Sora and Kingdom Hearts II, I do admit I took some inspiration for my commentary from my readers, though not entirely. Sadly, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has reduced the Sora-Sephiroth match-up to button mashing (on Sora's part; Sephiroth definitely cannot button mash and win) compared to their more complicated fight in Kingdom Hearts II, which may be a case of Flanderization or Character Exaggeration, depending on how you feel about the first Kingdom Hearts.

I'm super happy that KoopaTV's 2015 videogame, Capture the Confederate Flag, is still occasionally getting attention from people. And it's very timely, too, with all that's going on in the United States regarding that flag and diminishing the heritage it represents. And it's a great videogame, too. I haven't played it recently, and I heard that it gives a lot of people performance issues, but back in 2015 as I was developing and playtesting I thought it was very impressive. Even now, I'm impressed with myself for developing it. You know, the fact that you can approach Capture the Confederate Flag non-linearly and with 0% challenge runs or 100% runs is pretty cool and not something I did with the other videogames I've developed for KoopaTV. ...Writing about this makes me want to go back into game development. I have plenty of ideas. I just don't really have the time for it, since it'd be on top of the normal content creation for KoopaTV, which already crowds out doing things like actually playing videogames.

As for the worst comment of October 2021...
  1. “What is this random non-canon nonsense?” — Dimentio
Funny that Dimentio is questioning Kamek's personal life. First of all, shouldn't you be... I dunno... beyond dead, Dimentio? That's your canon outcome. What are you doing in KoopaTV's comments section, hm?

Second and more important, how would you know what's going on with Kamek when he isn't acting in his capacity as Koopa Kingdom advisor and family caretaker? He has a complicated and multi-dimensional (something you wouldn't know about, as a paper-thin person) life. KoopaTV can offer glimpses into that life that you wouldn't see otherwise through those very narrow videogames. I highly doubt you have spies and stuff infiltrated into every nook and cranny of Koopa Kingdom and Lord Bowser's castle, so... you wouldn't know.

KoopaTV Loyalty Rewards Program Round 40 RESULTS!


Will Kody B. maintain his several-year record hold of being on KoopaTV's Nintendo Switch Online Family Group? ...Nah, he didn't even try this time:
  1. Captain Stitch — 57 points — One-year membership to KoopaTV's Nintendo Switch Online Family Group
  2. Lheticus Videre — 30 points
  3. summoner sky — 15 points
  4. Kody B. — 11 points
One of the reasons that the KoopaTV article about the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack is in the top 5 recommended list is to explain why the KoopaTV Nintendo Switch Online Family Group currently only has the basic plan. I hope Captain Stitch is cool with that! (And I'll need to know the email address associated with his Nintendo Account to actually add him to it.) Anyway, congratulations to him. Here's what's coming next:

Announcing KoopaTV Loyalty Rewards Program Round 41!


This will be the last round this year where Kamek is funding all of the prizes. He's agreed to fund the following prizes for Round 41 of the KoopaTV Loyalty Rewards Program:

  1. $25 Amazon gift code
  2. $20 worth of Nintendo eShop gift card codes
  3. $10 Amazon gift code


In addition, there will be a random drawing for an additional $10 Nintendo eShop gift card code that anyone can win. You can read the details of how that works on our dedicated KoopaTV Loyalty Rewards Program page!

Round 41 will last from November 1 (today) to the end of December 31, 2021. Though the results will be announced on Monday, January 3, 2022.


KoopaTV Feedback Form Part XXXIII and KoopaTV Quiz Part XXXIII Now Available!


There haven't been six Roman numerals on these since the 28th Feedback Form and Quiz, and this is the only time there's been two triple threats. That's scary and has to mean something, right? Anyway, please fill out the new fun form-based content here. You can also see the whole archive of those. You'll get points in the KoopaTV Loyalty Rewards Program for filling out the latest ones, but I'll still read and appreciate your responses to the older ones if you fill those out, too.


Corrections Corner; October 2021


There were no on-site corrections for KoopaTV.org content. We're good with the truth!


Since KoopaTV will be seen less on search engines in the current state, it's important for you to hear directly from the site so you don't miss out. You can subscribe to KoopaTV articles directly to your email address, or encounter KoopaTV articles via several other methods.


You can read KoopaTV's fabulous September 2021 newsletter here.
KoopaTV's also-fabulous November 2021 newsletter is here. See the Round 41 progress!
Last year's October 2020 newsletter had a much more anxious tone, because of an election event that happened shortly after publishing it.
Click here for the October 2022 newsletter!
Google finally addressed the image URL issue in March 2022.

6 comments :

  1. "THE BABY!" comment did not even get the worst comment award. I am sad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You were very upset with me before when one of your other comments DID get worst comment that you stopped commenting altogether.
      Now you're upset that someone made an even worse comment!

      I just don't get you. >.>

      Delete
    2. I am capable of changing myself. Did I react to the "salsa" comment being the worst last time?

      Delete
    3. So you're saying... CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

      Alright, then I'll think of you as a masochist from now on.

      Delete
  2. Yay! I’m thrilled! Thank you!

    SNES Online doesn’t have as many good games as I thought it did. I tried starfox 1 but it was wayyyyy too hard. I’m Don’t just give up at difficulty spikes or learning curves, but this is just ridiculous . It’s a shooter where you have no idea where your actually going to shoot. No thanks

    Anyway, here’s to another great month of KoopaTV, and I suppose this is around my 1st year of being here. Huzzah!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's a lot of things I've never touched, Starfox 1 being one of them.

      My 75 hours on the SNES Online is almost entirely from Picross.

      Delete

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