It’s no secret that lots of fans, in fact I believe the majority, think that GW removing the FTL for the Tau sometime after the 3rd edition was a dumb move, since, to be simple, you aint making a multi system empire without FTL travel, as well it makes things like the Damocles Crusade have a huge plot hole in that the Tau somehow win through reinforcements coming from their entire empire, despite lacking FTL.
The user Connor McLeod on Spacebattles made a detailed analysis on how the Tau FTL worked through editions, this is a simplified version, for the quotes he used are too big for a single reddit post.

The original theory (what may or may not be the ether drive, or also known as 'warp dives') came from Battelfleet Gothic - originally in BFG Magazines (I took mine from bFG Magazine 19) but got reiterated in BFG Armada:
BFG magazine 19 said:
The Tau were able to duplicate the warp drive of the alien ship but the initial test flights were disastrous. Achieving transition to the Warp required more than technology, it required psychically attuned minds and the Tau race boasted no psykers. Without them to guide the transition no amount of power could breach the dimensional barriers. The best the Tau could do was make a partial translation, forcing themselves into the void that separated Warpspace and realspace before they were hurled out again like a ball held under water then released.
..
The Water caste scientists made the observation that the boundary between real space and warp space was not a neat line. It was closer to being a turbulent ocean fomented by the tempestuous warp tides below. By carefully angling their descent toward the Warp and extending the field generated by the gravitic drive into a wing shaped to hold the vessel down, a Tau vessel could extend the duration of the dive considerably. The speeds achieved in the ascent back to real space were staggering and coupled with the effect of the Warp on time and space ensured that the real distance covered by the dive was immense. Early tests lost several drone ships because they inadvertently passed far beyond the sensor range of the recovery vessels.
...
There was still a major constraint, only the most powerful (and bulky) drives could sustain the gravitic wing throughout the dive and the power drain meant that considerable recharge time was needed between dives. Also by comparison to actually navigating the warp the pace was still very slow. Taking typical Imperial Warp speeds the Tau drive was slower by a factor of five. The speed was consistent though, did not expose the Tau to the perils of the Warp and enabled the Tau to expand beyond their home star for the first time.
This should be well established by know, and it's pretty self explanatory. But its worth revisiting for tying everything together because in many ways the FTL system incorporates multiple parts. One part was the Tau gravity drive. Another part was the ability to 'partially' enter the warp for the dive and maintaining that dive as long as possible. And its a process they kept improving on. On the surface of this the implication is that around or even before First Sphere they had FTL, whereas the earliest you could plausibly argue they MIGHT achieve warp diving in current fluff is by third sphere. At least, in widespread usage. You could certainly have the Tau experimenting with FTL (they experimented with Imperium warp drives in Crisis of Faith after all) and that goes back to previous spheres. We could in that respect view Tau propulsion advances to be incremental steps along that path to achieving true Warp drive (or something close to it - which may be what Fourth Sphere's slipstream is/was.) I'll touch more on that 'incremental' development' later.
BFG Magazine 19 said:
Waystations are distributed throughout the Tau Empire. They mark out the main routes between Tau septs and are used to speed communications between outposts.
This has nothing directly to do with FTL travel, except to mark/identify routes they use (and maybe facilitate those routes somehow) but it does mention that they have a role in communication. I'll touch on that after the FTL stuff, although it centers almost entirely around the Shadowsun novella.
BFG Magazine 19 said:
Unlike the Tau the Kroot are capable of true Warp travel but the exact method has been kept secret from their employers. To the Kroot, warp travel is almost migratory and they seem incapable of navigating anywhere other than systems with habitable worlds. It appears they are drawn to functioning ecosystems.
In alot of ways its belief-shaped (mass belief) and not unlike Orks and the way space hulks operated. It might explain why the Tau never found the Kroot's use of warp travel all that useful, since it seems like it would be potentially erratic or less precise than warp dives. Still, it makes no fucking sense for Kroot, Demiurg or other warp sensitive allies of the Tau to have FTL but the Tau don't, especially since many factions (including Kroot and Demiurg) contribute ships to Tau fleets!
Other later sources like Deathwatch Achius Assault carried that FTL over, and even suggested it was route based (or may have had an even longer rnaged, route based variation on the 'warp dive' that allowed Vellk'han sept to reach Jericho Reach:
Deathwatch Achilus Assault said:
The humans are not the only ones to explore the Black Reef and the Tau too have been sending scouts into its gravity ravaged depths. Less willing to needlessly sacrifice their warriors, the Tau have employed those aliens from their empire with an affinity for the void and a skill at space faring, such as the ethereal Ji'atrix and the void-dwelling Nicassar. More successfully than the Imperium, the Tau have mapped
a number of routes through the edges of the Reef, at least on their side of the anomaly, allowing their ships more tactical flexibility than those of their enemies and also allowing them to lay deadly ambushes within the edge of the Stygian Break.
The Tau also enjoy a rare speed advantage over the Imperium within the Black Reef as their unusual method of near-Warp travel works more effectively than completely entering the Warp and is less prone to disruption by the gravity storm.
I mentioned the White Dwarf's circa 6th edition which alluded to it, but you also had Storm of Damocles which also seems to reference Warp dives:
Storm of Damocles said:
LOCATION: CANNIS GAS CLOUD,
DAMOCLES GULF, 999.M41
Without psykers, the tau could not make translations into the warp, but they had learnt to make short hops through the edge of the immaterial and real space, sticking to pre-ordained 'stepping stones'. This particular transit point, deep in the Cannis gas cloud, was known to connect to the Sexton Sector. It was what the tau thought was a safe transit route, but its location had been known to the Deathwatch for some time.
...
As he spoke, the first of the tau ships seemed to pulse as it skimmed into the immaterium. In ten minutes they were all gone, and the space before them was empty once more, except for the light of distant stars.
This meant that -at least in certain incarnations - warp dives relied on certain routes/paths/points to travel along (adding a certain degree of predictability, not unlike the warp routes between star systems in BFG) - it can be thought that BFG might have applied those same limitations to other factions and their FTL (Necron inertialess drive, Tau Warp Dive/Ether drives) so this was always an 'intended' trait. It also makes it clear its far from instantaneous - it takes minutes to achieve the 'skip' and unlike 'true' warp translation there is no rift. Presumably the rift only occurs if you actually punch the hole through into the Warp - the 'interstitial' medium the Tau travel through might simply be thought of as temporal/spatial distortions (we know warp rifts can be temporal/spatial distortions too - one reason that translations to/from warp space can be so highly distorted by gravity and one reason why translations in-system close to planetary bodies are so hazardous)
Storm of Damocles said:
It was a week's journey back through the warp to Picket's Watch. A team of servitors re-established power for the databanks, repairing broken cables and then coaxing out the reams of tau information.
The Space Marines had little need for sleep. They worked constantly, comparing Imperial star charts to those of the tau, finding known points of reference, and slowly piecing together a picture of tau movements to and from the Agrellan Warzone.
..
When they had inputted it all, the holo-charts glowed with criss-crossing web-lines of xenos activity. Its scale and sophistication repelled them all. Supply hubs, refuelling stations, convoy protection teams, automated drone sentries, human worlds secretly compliant, all enabling the massive movement of the invasion fleet that had smashed through to Agrellan. Konrad located two new routes that had appeared only a Terran week before the appearance of the Stormsurges.
'This is how they are transporting their new battlesuits,' he said with grim conviction.
Again note that the use of routes and mapping is important for Tau Warp Dives circa 3rd sphere (Agrellan) and they are clearly covering many tens of light years in months at most. Indeed some 'routes' seem to involve a bare week difference implying transit speeds of many hundreds of c at a bare minimum. There's literally no way third sphere could play out as it did without FTL, so this is beyond dispute.
All the same, some materials try to dispute it. While the Codexes since 6th haven't explicitly forbidden FTL, the rulebooks were something of another matter. At least in 8th edition:
8th Edition Rulebook said:
Being a non-psychic race, the T'au have no understanding of the warp, so their star fleets travel at sub-light speeds. New technological innovations have steadily increased their range, allowing them to press ever further into the galaxy. Their Second and Third Spheres of Expansion were halted only due to the barrier of the Damocles Gulf and increased resistance from the Imperium of Mankind.
Making it a bit of a headache to tie together, but not impossible since there's no real context or detail attached to the comment.
Codex tau 8th said:
In order to reach those more distant systems earmarked as desirable by advanced scouts, the vast armadas of T'au spacecraft had been outfitted with the latest Earth caste modifications. The ships' propulsion systems were upgraded so that when magnified by impulse reactors, the engines could obtain faster speeds, propelling ships forwards at hitherto unthinkable velocities. To further lessen the burden on those space-faring craft with the longest journeys, the Earth caste had outfitted transport vessels with large stasis chambers, allowing Hunter Cadres or whole commands to shift to far distant battle zones months or years away without actually aging a day in the process.
This quote cropped up in 6th too, and it was hilarious then. The 'third' iteration with the impulse reactors boosting previous drive advances (namely, the horizon drive) sound hilarious. Impulse reactors push ships to 'unthinkable velocities' yet we already knew the supposedly 'sublight' Tau already achieved near-lightspeed. Getting nearer to lightspeed might provide some more relativistic effects to protect the crew a bit from the duration, but its not going to add jack shit to speed... unless you exceed the speed of light.
In keeping with that hilarious inconsistency, the Tau in fact do this multiple times since 6th. To wit:
Tyranid 6th said:
FLIGHT TO KE'LSHAN
Though the Tau fleet was pursued by dozens of bio-ships, only a handful of cadre vessels were boarded and destroyed before the Tau successfully punched through the Tyranid blockade. Unaffected by the Shadow in the Warp, the Tau's ZFR Horizon drives propelled their ships at near light speed through realspace, and arrived safely at Ke'lshan. It took the Tyranids many days to traverse the same span of space, and for the first time in months, the Tau hoped to have a chance to catch their breath and recuperate.
Yes. Their magical horizon drives actually allowed the Tau to [i[Outrun the Tyranids[/i] Now remember that while the Tyranids having warp drive post 5th was up for debate, they still had Narvahls so its baffling that the 'sublight' Tau could outrace an explicitly FTL race. Compoudning that hilarity is the timeframe - Hive Fleet
Warzone Damocles said:
Propelled at ever greater speeds by the latest Earth Caste impulse reactors, the vast armada of Aun'Va's Tau Coalition powered across the Damocles Gulf and into Imperial Space. The expeditionary force met little in the way of significant opposition, even from the Imperial worlds that rejected the offers of the Water caste's ambassadors.
This repeats the codex bits on impulse reactors, and as I said for Third Sphere and War Zone Damocles you pretty much need to be crossing tens or hundreds of light years in weeks or months... there's no way around it being FTL. The only speeds greater than near-c are going to be many time greater than c.
Given that we can speculate on a Tau drive (and FTL) progression that follows this pattern:
Tau FTL model
First sphere has them evolving the gravity drive as per BFG. This may or may not also result in the modifications that allow (retroactively) to swiftly colonize their immediate surroundings for the First sphere expansion due to weird properties (time/space dilation) and closely placed star systems
Gravity drive (first sphere). This could still result in the discovery of a crashed alien ship and its warp drive (and experiments into that technology) but nothing definite or widespread yet.
Second Sphere is where things start to get interesting. They expand further by charting routes through dangerous parts of their space (including the Damocles gulf) through trial and error. This could be the point where we actually get navigation into and out of warp rifts in some cases, and with others you simply have warped distances/pathways to travel along. This still allows them to be 'sublight' but achieve travel that doesn't take years or decades like it should.
Second sphere, however is where they start meeting the Orks and eventually the Imperium. They learn more about FTL drives (from Ork and Imperial vessels) and they perhaps begin to study the routes that permitted their swift journeys as well. Second sphere stretches out for some time and even the end is some distance into the future, so there is lots of time for additional advances. The Horizon drive would maximize their travel speeds - travelling as close to the speed of lgiht as efficiently possible means making the most out of not only navigating warp rifts but the routes as well. Other examples of this in action would be the Black Reef/Hadex anomaly from Deathwatch
Eventually they start tinkering with their drive system in other ways to achieve other effects. We can presume the grav drive is a factor in protecting them from the effects of the warp minus a gellar field (in conjunction with their low/nearly nonexistent warp souls) but the grav drive configurations may enable them to more effectively harness and shape the routes they take, and we get into the first steps of warp dives. They start out slow and less efficient at first, but over time they continue refining the process and making improvements (being able to maintain the dive for longer (Velk'Han and Deathwatch come in here.)
Eventually, they learn to artificially replicate the Warp Dive without being confined to routes - they still can't enter the warp and it may be slower than 'in-route' travel, but this allows them much more flexibility in expanding than they had. This may or may not be the 'impulse reactors' of third sphere - we might surmise these are sort of a weaker version of slipstream drive that only achieves the 'partial' translations. We might consider this the ether drive - the logical conclusion of their pre-Warp drive travel. Speeds may get closer to equalling 'average' warp travel (non Navigator) but its still potentially much slower than true warp drive even if they could maintain the dive indefinitely (which at that point, they might on at least some ships or in some locations) Smaller ships like the Manta can also be equipped with FTL drives now.
Third sphere ends with the conflagration fo the Damocles Gulf and the Tau can no longer bypass it effectively (We could surmise that any 'artificial' dives are too short ranged or slow to make this practical over reasonable timescales for the Tau to wage war. The fastest longest-ranged routes for warp-diving would be through the Gulf, much as travelling to Jericho Reach meant the Hadex anomaly and black Reef. The Tau cannot continue their progress until the creation of slipstream drive (the final evolution of the impulse reactors to emulate Warp drive without psykers or navigators) and that brings us to 8th and eventually 9th with the fifth sphere and the Startide Nexus.
And 9th edition brings us the promise of a sixth sphere expansion... courtesy of the slipstream drive:
Codex Tau 9th said:
"Or do we exercise our new-found reach to once again push beyond what the Gue'la call the Damocles Gulf, to reclaim the septs that were lost and drive deeper than ever into the western galactic reaches? Understand my guests,this is not some mere dream. Fio'vre Ka'buto and his scientists assure me that the modifications they have made to their original designs render the Slipstream module safer and more stable than ever before when deployed en masse. With such a device at our disposal, the stars are closer than ever, and oru duty to reach them clearer.'
El'Umeh couldn't believe what she was hearing.
The Sixth Sphere Expansion, she thought, light-headed with amazement. The Ethereal Supreme is considering the commencement of the Sixth Sphere Expansion, and he is asking for my Commander's thoughts on where it should occur.
Such a thing was unheard of. The battles of the Fith Sphere Expansion still raged beyond the Zone of Silence. O'Shaserra herself led the push to colonise new worlds and raise new septs beyond the fabled wormhole. El'Umeh was hardly in possession of all the data, yet she had the impression that the empire had expended vast resources already on gathering and launching that fleet. To think that it could muster a sixth expansion even while the fifth was still underway... had the scope and scale of T'au space truly grown so vast?
Setting aside the implication that the Tau are vast enough in terms of territory and industry to sustain two Spheres of expansion so closely together, we're told that they can now safely engage in large scale use of slipstream and derive the benefits of its speed in their expansion. No more limits to warp dives or ether drive. They could achieve something that matches at least some kinds of Warp travel.
This also makes clear that the Tau not only didn't lose slipstream travel with fourth sphere. It was simply limited in its scale of application. Single ships (or small numbers) might be able to harness it effectively and without danger - but large fleets (scores or hundreds) were dangerous. Now, that may no longer be so true, and that is a HUGE game changer for the Tau.
Another thing to consider is - as I said before - in many ways the 'Ether drive/warp dive' feature is describing the same essential capability, it just evolves incrementally with each step or including a new wrinkle. First you have the grav drive - which plays a role in maintaining the warp dive once they develop that technology and presumably protecting the craft and permitting some degree of navigating the charted routes in their domain. Then as per 6th you have the 'Horizon' drive which allows for rapid and effective near-lightspeed travel. If the routes allow for the warp to amplify sublight speeds into translight speeds, then maximizing your realspace speed would be the best way to optimize travel time.
Eventually late second/early third you're getting into the true Ether Drive/Warp Dives as outlined in BFG and the impulse reactor upgrade allows for that push for 'artificially' created routes/dives (and possibly leads to the truly long-distance travel like allowing Kel'Shan to reach Jericho Reach sector despite being potentially hundreds of light years away) - the grav drive helps to maintain the dive, the Horizon engines keep speed maximized during that dive. Despite being from different, unconnected sources, you can clearly treat each iteration as being an improvement of each technology, allowing the Tau to move that much faster until they reach the presumable endpoint (currently) with a fully fledged and potentially workable slipstream drive that can be utilized for large fleets - leading to Sixth Sphere.
****
Now we get to FTL comms courtesy of Shadowsun, last of Kiru's line:
Shadowsun last of Kiru's Line said:
'It is agreeable to see you, Shas'la,' she said. 'What is the status of our communications?'
Sabu'ro glanced at Kou'to before answering. The veteran's nod told him that it was all right to address Shadowsun directly.
'Commander,' he said proudly, 'we are fully capable. Local tightbeam and interplanetary tachyon arrays are both at one hundred per cent.'
'Are you able to contact the rest of the fleet?'
'It has already been done. All ships are holding at station-keeping eight light-minutes beyond il'Wolaho's moon, as per your previous instructions. Command of the armada has passed to Kor'el Kenhi'ta, who relayed the news of what transpired today to T'au via graviton data packet.' He smiled. 'After you last spoke to me, I made all vessels aware of your survival.'
'Was that news also relayed to T'au?'
Young Sabu'ro seemed confused by the question. 'Why would it not be?'
Shadowsun nodded, imagining what the reaction must have been back on the home world. First, news that a powerful warship had been destroyed with all hands lost. Then, later on, a second bulletin informing everyone that she and a handful of others were alive, but for the moment, non-recoverable. Shock, followed by sadness, followed by joy, followed by concern. The halls of the Aun't'au'retha, the supreme council of Ethereals who presided over the Empire, must have been uncharacteristically lively this day. Once again, she blamed herself.
...
'Commander, there's an incoming data packet addressed to you.' He passed the flex-screen to Shadowsun. 'A pre-recorded message of some kind, relayed through the fleet position.'
Il'Walaho was nearly one hundred and fifty light-years away from the heart of the Empire. Real-time communication over such distances was impossible, even for a race as technologically advanced as the tau. Shadowsun took note of the time stamp as the bundle of words and decompiled themselves; whatever the nature of this message, it had been sent while her fleet was in translation from T'au.
'It says here that this was made and received some time ago. Why am I only seeing it now?'
Sabu'ro shook his head as the recording began.
'O'Shaserra,' it said slowly and clearly, 'This is Aun'va speaking. As leader of the Aun't'au'retha, may I say that it brings great relief to all to hear that you have survived the destruction of your command vessel.'
We get reference to 'tachyon' communications (presumably the short-range/in system stuff) and the 'grav-wave' data packets. There are two distinct kinds of communication and calcs here but I'll indulge in a little speculation relating to Eye of Terror. A numbe rof sources (Eye of Terror website back in 3rd edition, the Deathwatch RPG) mention tachyonic bullshit, and its often tied to Warp phenomena (as is 'subspace' bullshit in the Hoare novels.) We also know that gravity and spatial distortions are closely related to warp phenomena as well. And as mentioned before, Eye of Terror indicated that in a warp-realspace interface 'lightspeed' signals (like photons/light) could be effectively translight. In that sense, we might consider 'tachyons' to be matter subjected to the translight properties of the warp, wheras grav packets might be some sort of weird modulated grave pulses that create a sort of warp 'dive' signal to relay data back to the destination (unless of course its a physical vessel. That's not clear.) It may even be that its a tachyonic signal that is manipulated the same way the grav drive helps maintain a warp dive.
Anyhow, bullshit speculatin over nature done, we go to the calcs. The first is for the ship-to ground communications which are almost or effectively instantaneous over an eight light minute distance (this will get reiterated later) and that plays out to around at least FTL communications speed of tens of c (call it 50c or so.)
The grav-packet takes longer, but it occurs well within the space of a day (twelve hours) and possibly as little as four to six hours (remember it started during morning, and now its afternoon to evening here.) so its clearly a matter of hours top, and less than a day at worst. For the message to cover 150 LY in one day (12 hours to 24) you get between 54,000-109,000c roughly. In 4-6 hours it would be more like 220,000-330,000c. That's slow compared to some and not suitable for FTL travel (even commercial astrotelepathy can cross 10-20 LY in around 11 minutes as per Eisenhorn, whereas others have realtime communication between two nearby systems and multiple light years. 1st edition has Astrotelepathy crossing 50,000 LY in seconds or minutes even, albeit with ten words or less.) But for the Tau? That's quite fast, esp considering their FTL (such as it is) would be orders of magnitude slower. Many times throughout her career, she had pictured the memorial they would erect of her on T'au following her death. It would be placed before the Mont'yr Battle Dome, of course, where it would stand among the other heroes of her people, immortalised in six-metre-high white marble. Along the base would read her accolades – Shadowsun, daughter of Kiru, hero of the K'resh Expansion War, scourge of the greenskin barbarians, bulwark against the hive fleets.
The K'Resh Expansion War was part of the Great War of Confederation which took place in 975.M41 and lasted a dozen years, meaning this is between the end of that (12 years later, or in 987.M41) and the start of 3rd sphere in 997.M41 - no more than a decade difference. Given that Third Sphere involved Aun'Va accompanying Shadowsun personally (As 6th edition outlines) from the Tau homeworld, that means Shadowsun made a round trip from the edge of the empire and back to pick up the Supreme leader (5 years both ways).

​

"Batman: Return of the Joker" won last week's poll, in a close 2-way race, and becomes the 63rd NES game to join the list!

The Best Games of the NES/Master System Era Voted in So Far:

1. Super Mario Bros. 3
2. Contra
3. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
4. Ninja Gaiden
5. Bubble Bobble
6. Mega Man 3
7. Phantasy Star
8. Final Fantasy
9. Battletoads
10. Batman: The Video Game
11. Blaster Master
12. Shinobi
13. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
14. Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation / Dragon Warrior III
15. Tecmo Super Bowl
16. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
17. Rygar
18. Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
19. Dr. Mario
20. Mother / EarthBound Beginnings
21. Journey to Silius
22. Metroid
23. Super Mario Bros. 2 / Super Mario USA
24. Space Harrier
25. The Legend of Zelda
26. River City Ransom / Street Gangs
27. Jackal / Top Gunner
28. Rampage
29. Super Spike V'Ball / U.S. Championship V'Ball
30. Little Samson
31. The Guardian Legend
32. Gargoyle's Quest II
33. Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
34. Sid Meier's Pirates!
35. DuckTales
36. California Games
37. Alex Kidd in Miracle World
38. Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars
39. Jaws
40. Gun-Nac
41. OutRun
42. Mega Man 2
43. Kid Icarus
44. R.C. Pro-Am
45. Faxanadu
46. Double Dragon II: The Revenge
47. Kirby's Adventure
48. Snake Rattle 'n' Roll
49. The Battle of Olympus
50. R-Type
51. Maniac Mansion
52. Kid Niki: Radical Ninja
53. Golden Axe Warrior
54. Psycho Fox
55. Crystalis
56. Gimmick! / Mr. Gimmick
57. Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team
58. Dragon Quest / Dragon Warrior
59. Bionic Commando
60. Gain Ground
61. Conquest of the Crystal Palace
62. Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
63. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project
64. Excitebike
65. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
66. Captain Skyhawk
67. Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
68. Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
69. Zanac
70. Black Tiger / Black Dragon
71. NES Open Tournament Golf
72. Golvellius: Valley of Doom
73. Bucky O'Hare (NES)
74. International Karate + / IK+ / Chop N' Drop
75. Ghosts 'n Goblins
76. Rolling Thunder
77. Renegade / Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun
78. Rambo: First Blood Part II (SMS) / Secret Command
79. Baseball Stars
80. P.O.W.: Prisoners of War
81. Blades of Steel
82. Ice Hockey
83. Fantasy Zone
84. Micro Machines
85. Super Mario Bros.
86. Castlevania
87. 1943: The Battle of Midway
88. Vice: Project Doom
89. The NewZealand Story / Kiwi Kraze
90. Mega Man 4
91. StarTropics
92. Paperboy
93. Gradius / Nemesis
94. Formula One: Built to Win
95. Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen / Dragon Warrior IV
96. Super Sprint
97. Mega Man
98. Ys: The Vanished Omens / Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished
99. Batman: Return of the Joker

The 50 Best Video Games of the Atari Era

Want to see the best games before this era? Check out this list which was compiled by Reddit users' nominations and votes over an entire year:
https://www.reddit.com/retrogaming/comments/o4drau/best_video_games_of_the_atari_era_poll_final/

What You Can Do:

1. Vote in the poll to determine the 100th best NES/Master System Era game!
2. That's it! No nominations in the comments section, as this is the last round.

What You Can Nominate:

• Any Arcade coin-op game from 1985-1988.
• Any Computer game (any PC system) from 1985-1988.
• Any Home Console game from the 3rd Generation (regardless of year published unless it is a port): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_generation_of_video_game_consoles
• NO SNES games, NO Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games. Those systems aren't retro enough for this poll.
• NO Sonic. NO Streets of Rage, NO A Link to the Past, NO Super Mario World. Those games aren't retro enough for this poll.

Exceptions:

In general, the original year published takes precedence. No games that played betteare more iconic/are more remembered in an earlier or later era.
"Sonic the Hedgehog" was released for Sega Master System, but as a port, it was made for the Sega Genesis, so it is not eligible for this poll.
"Tetris" made its biggest impact with 35 million copies sold for the Game Boy, in the next era, so it is not eligible for this poll.
Arcade ports like the original "Mario Bros.", which hit arcades in 1983 are not eligible for this poll, even though they were ported to home consoles from the next generation.
1984's coin-op “Punch-Out!!”, was more iconic/more remembered as 1987's “Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!” on the NES, which is now eligible for this poll.
Instances like this can be debated. I think it's best to allow all games from a console to be designated to one era, and for games to appear in one era poll only.

Other Nominated Games From Last Round:

• None

Last round 53 people voted in the poll and 1 new games were nominated in the comments section.

The Idea:

Comparing, say, Pong and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, is not useful. It's like arguing which is better: the Ford Model T or the Space Shuttle? But comparing games of their era is interesting and fun! Usually, best game polls are limited to a single system. This poll is unique because it includes all platforms from the era together. How will the best arcade, computer and Master System games compete with the best that Nintendo had to offer? It will be interesting!

Why Only Arcade and Computer Games from 1985-1988?

The 3rd Generation of home consoles launched in the West with the NES in 1985 and changed everything. The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive launched in 1989, began the 4th generation of home consoles which will begin the era for the next series of polls after this concludes.

The Criteria:

I'll leave it up to the individual to decide. Innovation, quality, influence, iconic status, how much fun it was then, how it holds up today, are all valid. Whatever games you love, whatever games you want to see named as the greatest of the era.

What Happens Next:

After the poll closes in a week, the winner of the poll will be named the 100th best video game of the NES/Master System Era. At that point I would like to continue from the NES/Master System Era to the SNES/Genesis/TG-16 Era, for a new set of polls.
This will be a poll I hope to hold every week for a long time! Have fun everyone!
View Poll

Heya everyone!
I’ve got a rooted v1 Switch that I’d like to send off to repair. I had someone attempt to fix it. He determined that the processor got damaged from overheating. Does anyone know of any US based services that I can send my Switch off to get fixed or is it a lost cause? At this point I don’t know if it’s cheaper to try another jailbroken model or if it’s too costly to fix it. I know micro board/soldering is pricy so I’m trying to weigh my options.
Thank you!

Hi, I have this One plus 5 model which is like (I guess) beyond repair. Screen is gone and the charging point is gone since last 2 years. Is there anyway to recover the lost data?
Thanks in advance

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/MQ95Gcp
P320 M17 Xchange Kit - Slide assembly and grip module: $290 -- ~50 rounds on grip module, ~125 on slide assembly. Basically new condition.-- Got a pro-cut slide instead, so this one goes
NIB Trijicon MRO Green Dot: $380 -- Mounted once, zero rounds, turns out I don't see green as well as red.
Lage Manufacturing Stock for 1913 Rail (Sig MPX): $70 -- LOP is too short for me-- Mfr's listing here for reference (https://www.max-11.com/340.php)
5x New Riveted G17/34 Mags: $65-- Some were loaded once, never actually used-- 10/17 Riveted as pictured
3x NIB 10 round G17/34 Mags: $35-- NIB
1x New Riveted 30 round G17/34 Mag: $15 (must purchase with something else, won't ship alone)-- New, never loaded, never used-- 10/30 Riveted as pictured
*** NOTE: riveted mags are NOT epoxied. If you need them to be for your state, just lmk and I'll do it for you.
----------------------------
Thanks for looking!
Paypal G&S Only, fees included in price. Shipping included in price to lower 48 only.
Feel free to verbally abuse me if my prices are off :)
Selling the mags as sets b/c shipping would kill me if I sold 'em individually. If they don't sell in a decent amount of time, I'll revise.
Dibs then PM takes it for list price. If you want to haggle just send me a PM - worst I can do is say no.
No Chat, PM only pls.

Hi. Before we start, specs:
OS: Win 11 Home 22H2 (22621.1702). My current OS is installed from the Windows 11 Installation Media on a USB
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 620 (Internal) + Nvidia GTX 1660Ti (External, the cause of the issues)
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10750H CPU @ 2.60GHz
Memory: 512 SSD + 2TB HDD (exact drive type unknown, factory drives, I can find out if need be)
RAM: 16Gb (exact brand unknown, factory RAM)
BIOS Version: Insyde Corp. V2.06, 19/08/2021
Model: Acer Nitro AN515-55
Please let me know if more information is required, I will do my best to provide it.
In early May, my laptop blackscreened without notice, and I took it to a repair shop for repairs. After the repairs were complete (which involved replacing a burned chip, whose purpose I had sadly forgotten and the repair guy said was unrelated to the GPU), I tested the laptop and saw my GPU was missing in the Task Manager. (It still is)
https://imgur.com/a/553HkUY
I looked at the Device Manager and I saw this issue: Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)
https://imgur.com/a/nwDcn1S
I disabled and re-enabled the device, and I saw this: This device is working properly.
The GPU still did not exist on the Task Manager Performance list, so I restarted the laptop. After restarting, I rechecked the Device Manager and saw the Code 43 had persisted. I attempted to open Nvidia Control Panel. I received no response from the Control Panel. I tried everything in this link (run in admin, End NVIDIA Background Processes, Restart NVIDIA Display Container Service, Repair & Reset the NVIDIA Control Panel App, Update Nvidia Drivers) to no success of reopening the Nvidia Control Panel, though I was successful in opening the software license agreement for the Control Panel.
I also uninstalled and reinstalled the latest version of my GPU's driver, both from GeForce Experience and Nvidia directly, both with an express download and a custom download where I used a clean install to clean previous drivers. All download attempts were successful, with the installer not reporting any issues.
On GeForce Experience, I also encountered this screen, stating that "No driver found: Click continue to install the latest Game Ready driver or Studio driver".
https://imgur.com/a/EEyR1dp
I attempted to reset my laptop, first with the internal "reset PC" function with the documents retained. Then I attempted to reset with the documents deleted.
https://imgur.com/a/q87r9AX
It did not help.
My final attempt involves downloading the Windows 11 Installation Media on a USB and clean installing Windows from there. I followed this guide for my clean installation, with the only deviation being that instead of clearing the partition of only the system hard drive, I also cleared the partition of the external HDD.
It also did not help and I had to re-partition the external HDD. I restarted the laptop and there was no improvement.
Please let me know if more information is required to resolve this issue.

My stats: 39 y.o M. 5’11”, 170lbs. Weekly km: 80-110 for now. Size:9
Got back into running this year. Completed a 5k end of April in 17:55. Several more races this summer, marathon in November.
After scouring the internet over good race shoes I’ve purchased several over the course of this year… Hoka rocket x v1, Nike vaporfly v2, adidas takumi sen 9, and most recently the adidas adios pro 3.
I initially wanted to race my 5k in the Takumis but chose the vaporfly instead. Regret that decision as I have beaten that race time in subsequent training runs using the Takumis…
Soooo, after always being a “Nike guy” I am converting to an adidas guy. I use the Boston 11 as my long run/daily, Takumis as speed shoe/race pace up to 10k trainer, and most recently have laced up the adios pro 3…..
The AP3 was a shoe I became more intrigued by over the last few weeks… after reading and watching every review (with mixed reviews) I decided to purchase. Got the solar red and white colour way. Size 9. They look dope.
Initial unboxing: the big negatives on most reviews was concerning the upper and lacing system. I experienced no upper discomfort, used a runners loop when lacing to lock heel in place. No looseness, no slip, no hotspots on casual wear. Adidas size 9 was true and fits my foot perfectly (on other adidas models mentioned as well.)
First run was a steady 15km at 4:30/K pace. Midsole feels like a thicker Takumi, firm but not harsh, excellent energy return, doesn’t jar the body. My heart rate was about 10bpm lower at that pace compared to Pegasus 39 or Boston 11…. Found that intriguing. Post run, no soreness or hotspots.
Yesterday I took the AP3 out for a HM test holding steady at 4:00/K pace (never done a HM at that pace.) Me and the shoe handled it no problem. In hindsight I think I could have dropped it to 3:55 pace and held on… next time.
Light strike foam seems to agree with me. While I do like the Vaporflys, the zoom X feels a bit squishy to me and the VF doesn’t feel natural at slower paces. The AP3 feels good at any pace….
Outsole of AP3 has shown no signs of wear after 50km of total use so far… the VF 2 have 70k and have wearing of the rubber and mild wear on exposed foam.
Soooo going forward in this years racing I will be using the TS9 for 5-10k races, and AP3 for everything longer. These two shoes are the best I’ve ever worn. Will purchase again.

I just left the service center where I’m taking delivery of my car next Friday and while I was there I asked the SA to look up my car and check. First he said the typical “it’s only model s and x” answer. So I pushed and said do me a favor and check mine for me.
He looked it up and said “oh shoot look at that you have hardware 4.0”
My car is MYP, Fremont build, OD 05/3, VIN assigned in 05/17.
VIN: PF786xxx
So there goes the vin theory… 🤷🏻‍♂️

I am running on Debian 11 with Scrypted in Docker as described in the setup instructions. I believe I have everything setup as required, however I don't get any motion, person, or car events in Homekit.
I can add the camera in homekit and can see the feed just fine. I have enabled all the detections (Smart AI) in Unifi Protect. I have also set the Scrypted "Object Detection Sensors" options to "person" and "vehicle". I have tried all 3 activity options in the iOS home configuration "A clips is record" , "any motion is detected", and "specific motion is detected". But nothing.
If I look at the Scrypted unifi protect plugin console, I can see messages like:

event { type: 'smartDetectZone', start: 1685297052243, score: 92, smartDetectTypes: [ 'person' ], smartDetectEvents: [], metadata: {}, camera: '646fe5390072a903e40003ed', partition: null, user: null, id: '6473979f0206a903e40017b4', modelKey: 'event' } event { type: 'motion', start: 1685297052978, score: 0, smartDetectTypes: [], smartDetectEvents: [], metadata: {}, camera: '646fe5390072a903e40003ed', partition: null, user: null, id: '647397a0012ba903e40017b5', modelKey: 'event' } 

So I believe the detections are being received by Scrypted. I never see :

[HomeKit]: Camera recording session starting 

Cameras are on the same subnet as home hubs. Home hubs restarted and I tried signing in and out of icloud again as instructed in the trouble shooting.
When I go to the device page for the G5 camera, and look at the console I do see a message: "[HomeKit]: Will wait for initial RTCP packet. { isHomeHub: false, isLowBandwidth: false, hasHomeHub: false }" - However I have many home hubs. I wasn't sure if this was relevant information or indicative problem where Scrypted doesn't detect my home hub.

Hey all! I used this LLO template when creating my load order but I don't feel confident with it. Does my LO below seem correct for Fallout? Should I use a LO template like this - see comments?
Load order:
Creation Club Content
Master Files * Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch [UFO4P] [XB1]
Fast Starts and Frameworks * SKK Combat Stalkers (Hostile Spawns)
Faction and AI Overhauls * Militarized Minutemen (Green Uniform - Leveled Lists) * Gunner Armor Expansion * Gunner Militia
New Landmasses
New Factions
Vanilla Quest Modifications
Settlement and Workshop Menu Items
Settlement and Workshop Menu Items (Scripted)
Settlement and Workshop Menu Overhauls
Game-Play Changes and Tweaks * Fast Corpse Despawn * 60 FPS Series X Ultra+ Settings * Ferals Can't Open Doors! * Search And Destroy - Extended Combat Range And Stealth Searches * S.B.S.(Simply Better Sneaking) * Companions Can Sneak * Dismemberment Overhaul (Original) * Arbitration - A Gameplay Overhaul * Arbitration - Automatron AI Addon
New Companions
NPC and Companion Changes
Radio and Audio Additions, Tweaks
Visual, Texture, Atmospheric Improvements * Remove Ugly Flat Trash * Remove Grassphalts * Extreme Particles Overhaul [XB1] * Spitfire (Enhanced Muzzle FX) * Blood Mist Overhaul * Enhanced Blood Textures - Darker (1K) * Optimized Vanilla Textures - Main * FAR - Faraway Area Reform * Calamity Weathers * Calamity Weathers - Nuka World * Calamity Weathers - Far Harbor * Mist Addon
Grass / Foilage / Trees * Grasslands - A Fallout 4 Grass Overhaul - Healthy Edition * Less Grass 40 version
Lighting and Water Changes * Calamity Weathers - Interiors * Smoother Sun Shadow * Shadow Resolution 2048 > 512
Vanilla Settlement Changes and Tweaks
Sorting Mods * Equipment And Crafting Overhaul (ECO)
HUD and DEF_UI
Pip-boy and Map Mods * [XB1]Tactical Tablet 2.1 * [XB1] Pip-Boy Flashlight - Large * [XB1] Tactical Tablet V2.0 Pip-Boy Flashlight Patch * Pip-Boy Dual Colors - Orange Mojave [XB1]
Character Model Replacers, Enhancers / Animations * Quick Step * ADS Lean Patch * Swimming Animations
New Weapons, Armor, Clothing, Gear * Modern Firearms - V2.6.9 Official * Loot Realism Collection
Craft Your Own
New Settlements, World Edits * Boston - Less Enemies * Dead Financial District * [XSX] Escape From Boston - Landscapes And Interiors * EFB Marshlands * Commonwealth Wilderness Overhaul
New Quests
Weapon and Armor Modifications * See Through Scopes - GOTY
Scrapping, Previs, Precombines * Insignificant Object Remover
Framework Bottom * Previsibines Repair Pack (PRP) - Boston Commons [XB1] * Enhanced Decal Draw Distance - Ultra Version * Water LOD Fix * Place Anywhere * [XB1] [English] Full Dialogue Interface (NewDialog English Translation/Port) * LOOKUP FAILED - Creation Club - Full Dialogue Interface Fix (English) [XB1]

Hey guys, as the title says my AEG has stopped working. I recently swapped from a nimh 8.4v to a lipo 7.4v (because the nimh died) and my gun stopped firing after 1 trigger pull. After connecting the battery and pulling the trigger, the only sound is the motor moving and a tick. The battery and mosfet (I think), were hot. I’ve tried the battery on a friends gun and it works fine, tried another lipo on mine and does the same thing. I know it’s not a lot of infos to work with but I would like to know what could cause this if possible. I’ll be taking it to repair soon. Model: Classic Army CA4KM10 “NF003P”

I fixed some small scratches with a turtle wax scratch repair kit. I put on the clear coat that comes in the kit and now I’m left with the images I put above. I did wait 24 hours to dry and got a car wash. What do I do?

I was wondering wheter I should get the 15,6" or 17,3" model. Disclaimer: They are the same specs and same price Specs: CPU: Ryzen 7 7735HS GPU: 4060 8GB 140W RAM: 16GB DDR5 4800Mhz Size doesn't really matter for me, and I'll be using the laptop without an external monitor