Recent reviews by Mystix

Nice utility. I make 3D artworks, usually in 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) for great quality and details. But alas, the resulting file-size can tend to be up to several MB in size.

Using the Image Compressor utility, I still wanted my images to maintain a great looking quality but hopefully to reduce the file size to be more manageable for uploading / sharing online.

After a few tests, and comparing the original image to the compressed image, I settled with 80% Image Quality on the slider, and the resulting compressed image still looks great, with the quality looking about the same to me, and while reducing the file size to around a bit less than half.

Other various image editing / conversion type software I've used over the years doesn't do as good of a job, so I'm pleased with the results of this Image Compressor utility. Yay! :D

For those who want to keep images in quality about the same of the original (though it it could take a bit of experimenting with how much one adjust the Image Quality slider) while reducing the overall file-size, I definitely recommend this handy utility. And hey, I think it's a good bargain at the low price. Cheers!

PS: Thanks Developer(s). Kudos to you, a job well done.

One of the activities I enjoy doing for several years now is creating 3D artworks and graphics. Also, via the internet, I enjoy collecting various artworks and photos I like (but sometimes the quality for an image I find online isn't so good, or it could be of a small resolution size that I would like it to be bigger and to have good visual quality).

Browsing through Steam's software selection via the Store, PhotoZoom Classic 6 looked interesting to me and I thought that if it worked well in resizing some images while retaining a good quality, or perhaps to just help in improving the quality of some images, that it could be quite useful to me.

Anyways, I grabbed this software during a sale.
I've tried re-sizing (both up-sizing and down-sizing) a few images as a bit of a test, and after experimenting with some of the settings per an image, I was usually pleased with how good of a job it did with the re-sized images still retaining a high-quality.

Of course results can differ depending on various factors like the quality of the original image, how much of a re-size is being done, what settings are being used and such. That being said, in most cases where I tested it with images of a somewhat lower quality, it was able to help clean-up and sharpen the image to where there was a good noticable improvment.

Overall I like this software and am usually pleased with the results it gives.

Seeing the game's trailer, screenshots and description caught my interest and I grabbed this game quite cheap during sales. I found this game to be a somewhat unique and atmospheric in-the-dark visualized-sound puzzle type of game.

The first few levels are easy enough (which I guess they are more like introductory or tutorial type of levels), but a few levels in I soon discovered that there were lurking dangers in the dark (some which would chase me) and the game suddenly became a lot more challenging (and even a bit scary at times).

The graphics are simplistic, but suit this type of game well as what you see is "sound feedback" from your surroundings. It's suggested to wear headphones to be more immersed in the atmosphere and better hear the sounds or in what direction something might be at.

Overall I do like what I've played of this game so far and I could recommend it to anyone who may be considering getting it. Cheers! :)

PS: Here's a video of my first play of this game:
http://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=590515749

I’ve enjoyed playing Reveal the Deep so far which seems to be somewhat of an exploration, platformer and puzzle type of game.

There’s a pixely / retro style to the graphics which I think looks nice. In general I felt the game has an atmospheric underwater setting with nice lighting effects and ambient sounds.

Controlling the diver character is easy enough (with use of arrow-keys and a couple other keys for interaction and toggling a light), though I found it can sometimes be a little fussy with jumps in some spots.

The shipwreck seems quite large and I like exploring it. There's a bit of a story that is reveled by finding the occasional letter or note. So far the puzzles I’ve encountered have usually been easy enough to solve with a bit of experimenting and exploring.

One weak point I may mention (as I write this review) is a lack of an option to save the game. This can mean that if one had to or wanted to close the game for whatever reason, then progress in a level would be lost, requiring that the whole level would need to be started from the beginning again when next playing. Hopefully the Developer will consider to add in a save option (or at least make some regular checkpoints).

Despite some shortcomings with the game, overall, and considering the rather low-price, I think it’s a fun little game. If this type of game interests you and you’re considering to get it, then I would recommended it.

Here’s a video of my first look at Reveal the Deep:
http://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=571995189

Though I was hoping this utility would be something useful for me, in my experience with it I can not recommend it. *Update: See the *Edit note towards bottom. At one point I was supportive of the Developer of this software, but now I certainly won't want to support a Developer who blames the Users for their defective / buggy software. So, WARNING, stay well clear of this software and don't support Devs who blame the Users for bugs and issues with their software.

* It doesn’t list all of my installed games - as I write this review, I have 449 games / programs installed via Steam, but DimmDrive is only listing 394 of them. That’s a big chunk of games (55 of them) that I’m unable to access with DimmDrive.

* Many of my games I've tried simply do not work (won't load or crash-on-loading) with DimmDrive, or some games may seem to work at first but then crash. Without using DimmDrive, those same games will work fine.

* DimmDrive does not properly name / list several of my games. For example; Installed via Steam and in my Steam library I have a game named “Next Car Game: Wreckfest”. However, it doesn’t show anywhere on the games list in DimmDrive, either alphabetically or by trying to type in a word search in the filter. However, scrolling through the list of games on DimmDrive, by chance I happened to notice the tiny game’s avatar-image of a car. But the game is listed as “Bugbear Entertainment”. WTF? How would I know that DimmDrive would so horribly misname that game? It was only by pure luck I noticed the tiny graphic that I realized it’s for the “Next Car Game: Wreckfest” game. I have the same problem with several other games too, which makes it rather difficult to find them.

* The DimmDrive window is soooo small and there doesn't appear to be a way to re-size or enlarge it or to enlarge the games-avatars or the size of the text. Be prepared to lean in close to your monitor to see things in the DimmDrive window and to do a lot of scrolling. :p

* I had to jump through hoops, doing several restarts of my computer, then finally manually going into the Windows Services to fiddle around with DimmDrive’s settings there to get the utility to launch (as it was often giving me error upon starting Windows, or I had to manually go into Windows Services to start, or restart, the DimmDrive Helper to be able to launch DimmDrive).

* DimmDrive outright broke some games I tried with it (which makes me rather nervous to continue to try it with more games). Basically what seems to happen was in those cases was most of the game files did not properly sync back to their standard folders when either DimmDrive crashed (or caused the game to crash) or when simply closing the game and closing DimmDrive. Luckily I’m fairly computer savvy and was able to manually fix those games on my own, but it was quite a hassle and shouldn't have happened to begin with.

* DimmDrive's "real-time sync" simply didn't seem to work properly with some games I tried it with, resulting in game-progress not being saved, this meaning the next time I went to run that game, I needed to re-do / re-play a big portion of the game I had already played to get back to the same point. When running the same games without DimmDrive, I could save my progress for those games fine.

* Of the several games I did happen to get working with DimmDrive, in most cases there was no (or very little / miniscule) noticeable increase in loading speed.

* In some cases where I’ve tried using DimmDrive with a game, and it seemed things worked ok, and I wanted to do some recording of my game-play, my recording software would tend to crash (or not even load in). However, if I ran the game without using DimmDrive, I was able to use my recording software fine.

* After un-installing DimmDrive, one day when looking at running services via Windows Task Manager, I noticed that a DimmDrive Helper service was forcing itself to run with Windows and running in the background. The only way I could find to stop this was to go into Windows Services and set the DimmDrive Helper service to Disabled. There doesn't seem to be a simple way to fully remove this service and it should NOT be there after uninstalling DimmDrive, so this is yet another bug and problem with the DimmDrive utility.
~~~~~~~~~~~

Overall, for the rather high price, the various issues I’ve had with DimmDrive and that the games I was able to manage to get DimmDrive to work with in most cases there wasn’t any noticeable difference in loading speeds, for me it’s not really worth it.

So, unfortunately I can’t recommend DimmDrive.

Sorry DimmDrive Dev. I’m just being honest with my experience of DimmDrive. I know that you have made some fixes & improvements since you originally release it on Steam, but I still have several issues with it.

*Edit: Quote from StartupTim [developer]"... everything you mentioned is more an issue of user intervention than an issue with the program..."

I really don't appreciate the Developer trying to blame the Users for the problems the software causes or its bugs. And no, it's not MY fault that DimmDrive is buggy or causes the problems it does. And I've already wasted too much of my time to bother any more with this defective software.

I think VoiceBot is a really nifty utility and may help add a new level of playability with some games and could also be helpful with a variety of software.

If deciding to get VoiceBot, as it works with using the Windows Speech Recognition feature, I would suggest to first go into the settings, click on the Speech Setup button then go through wizards for “Set up microphone” then “Train your computer to better understand you”. This can take a few minutes to do, but it can help to ensure that VoiceBot will better be able to understand your spoken voice commands.

I grabbed VoiceBot recently and so far (as I post this review) I’ve only yet made profiles to work with a couple of programs (such as my FireFox Browser and a media-player) along with trying it with a couple of games.

There is a slight delay when speaking a voice-commands and when the command is performed, but I think that VoiceBot could work great with some games or simulators (perhaps games or sims that are more slower paced, casual or turn-based) that may have a lot of key-commands and don’t require very quick reactions of pressing of keys.

And though VoiceBot can also be set-up to do mouse-actions (mouse-button clicks and mouse-movements), if a game requires quick and precise use of the mouse then I think it may be better control the mouse with your hand instead in that case.

Overall, I’m quite impressed with VoiceBot, it's been working good for me so far and I think I will be using it often for helping me to use or play some software and games. I think it's really cool and fun to use! :D

PS: Below is a video I made of me playing the Legend of Grimrock game and using VoiceBot to recognize my voice-commands to perform the various game controls (with the exception of the mouse controls):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlLJnOsUz-w

I found this to be a somewhat unique little game. In some ways I consider it a combination of a sci-fi / puzzle / horror type of game.

Watching a wavy radar-monitor screen while piloting something like an underwater mini submarine, or "Capsule", and there is an almost constant sense of tension as air and power can quickly deplete along with other lurking dangers hiding in the murky depths.

You’re kind of dumped into the game and left to figure out what to do or what the heck is going on, but I think that’s part of the enjoyment of it.

The atmosphere of the game is well done. Sounds are good and an important part of the game. Graphics are minimalistic, but for this type of game it works really well.

To best experience this game I suggest to play with a headset, turn up the sound a bit, turn down the room lights, let yourself be immersed; Put yourself into a frame of mind that you're piloting a leaky cramped mini-submarine, or “Capsule”, with only an old flickering radar monitor screen for visual feedback, and your ears listening carefully for sounds, to help let you know what might be out there around you.

Hearing the last gasps of breath as you desperately search for a much needed air-pocket, then at the last moment you find one, you’ll be taking a big gulp of air and have a brief sigh of relief and you contiue to limp your way to your destination while always on the lookout for sources of air and power to keep you going. But, oh noooes! *Shhhriiieeeak!*. What was that aweful noise? Something's coming in... fast! Com' on, move faster you leaky tin can. Don't let me die here. I'm so close to the next base... So close!

Overall; I think it's quite a good game with a well done atmosphere and I felt well worth the few dollars I spent to buy it.

Below is a little game-play video of me playing Capsule.
Cheers! :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Z8ebDSWro

I like it. I found it nice and relaxing to take a little break to watch the colorful fish (which I think looks fairly realistic) swim around in the scenic underwater ocean areas (I hope the Developer may add in more though). I can enjoy listening to the water sound and/or I can also choose to play some soothing music to it as well. :)

If so inclined, there's some interactions like feeding the fish, tickling the fish or sending in a shark to startle the fish.

I think the full price is a bit steep for what this is, but if a program like this seems of interest to you then I could recommend to grab it when it's on sale (like I did).

Here's a video I did of it and playing one of my own orchestral-styled music I've composed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btbHKhFyyvI

From what I've played of it so far (as I make this post I haven't fully played through the game yet), I found Tengami to be a nice relaxing, serene and thoughtful puzzle-adventure type of game. It's a treat for the eyes and ears with beautiful Japanese-style art and music.

This is the first game I've played in a "pop-up book" style, which for me was rather unique to see and interact with. I enjoyed solving the various puzzles (which usually were easy enough to solve) and exploring the various locations. Overall, I really have enjoyed playing this charming game and would recommend it to those who enjoy and appreciate playing relaxing puzzle-adventure type of games.

To see my first play of this game (which I think covers the first chapter / part of the story) and for an idea of how the game-play is and what the game looks & sounds like, you can check out my video below (*Note: If you haven't yet played this game, then the video contain some spoilers):
http://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=433871207

Hi all.
I had this software on my wishlist for a while and I just grabbed Open Canvas 6 (OC6) during the 2014 Christmas sales on Steam.

I've been dabbling with it, experimenting and teaching myself how to use it.
Before I mainly used GIMP for doing graphic-editing (using GIMP feels more like work, but using OC6 I find is fun), so jumping into Open Canvas was fairly easy and intuitive to become familiar with it (though I'm still learning lots as I go).
Overall I'm quite impressed with OC6, it's many features and ease of use.

Checking out the main website at http://www.portalgraphics.net/en/ , and the Community section, I was quite impressed with some of the beautiful works-of-art I seen posted by some of the Artists there. Really, there's some great stuff there, and in part looking over the various art there inspired me to get OC6.

One of the features I also really liked is that for some art pieces there (in the PGN Community), that the event-file can be downloaded, open and played within OC6, so I can actually have a good idea of how some Artists approached and created their art, which can give me some new ideas and inspirations in making my own art-pieces too.

I look forward to being part of the Open Canvas Community.

* Dec.31.2014, a little update:
Just thought I'd mention that yesterday I picked up a Wacom drawing-tablet. Though it will take me more practice to become better and more comfortable at using it, I've been playing around with it for a while and so far it seems to work really good and responsive with Open Canvas.

If interested, you can take a look at a video I made of drawing in OC6 and of my first art-piece I did using a drawing-tablet (with my own music I composed playing in the background too): http://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=367874303
I also like that the tablet is pressure-sensitive and that OC recognizes that as well so my pen-strokes also draw with a lighter or heavier line accordingly. I have a much finer level of control now (compared to using a mouse for drawing) and In a lot of ways it almost now feels like 'real' sketching or painting. I think having the drawing-tablet and using it with Open Canvas will help to more bring out my 'inner artist'. Cheers! :)