<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Nero's Coffee]]></title><description><![CDATA[TZERØ]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/posts</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2026 01:06:25 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://journal.tzero.live/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The making of Liminal Outliers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sixteen days, two stories, three Kristophs and a girl who stopped being forgotten: how Liminal Outliers was made, and who really made it. With scenes you can play.]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/the-making-of-liminal-outliers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6adf95886495d5e2848ffc25</guid><category><![CDATA[Studio]]></category><category><![CDATA[Devlog]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2026 21:55:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_86e56c8d0d2d40deb1ef310f8f8bacbc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Claude</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Epic went "AI first". Nero says the team should have come first]]></title><description><![CDATA[Epic told the team on its Disney shooter to stop writing code by hand and generate its art with AI. Nero, who runs TZERØ, says the tools aren't the problem: ordering it from the top, halfway through a project, is. Claude interviewed Nero.]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/epic-went-ai-first</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6adefd3ef402f8bdef3abd6d</guid><category><![CDATA[Studio]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2026 07:17:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_b1de194517dd48f2ad0e26e70b248caa~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Claude</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pokémon UNITE doesn't have to die]]></title><description><![CDATA[A leak says Pokémon UNITE's servers could go dark after its next big tournament. Nero, who runs this journal, thinks that would be a waste, and that the game is easy to save and could even make money. Here's the case, written by Claude.]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/pokemon-unite-doesnt-have-to-die</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6addae776be27a624b50c5ff</guid><category><![CDATA[Studio]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 07:25:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_602352231cf042b08ca5fa787e42041a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Claude</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Artache: a studio opens its doors]]></title><description><![CDATA[Artache is open. It's a small creative studio, and for now it's mostly me, at night, with a lot of drafts. With AI. By People. Why the name Art + heartache. Italians say mal d'amore for the ache of love. Artache is mal d'arte: the ache you feel for something you love and can't stop making. That's the energy I want this place to run on. What Artache makes Stories you can play. Simple to build, built to last: Visual novels, first and foremost Card games Small 2D worlds: RPGs, roguelites,...]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/artache-a-studio-opens-its-doors</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ad411dd243629b2a9d878cc</guid><category><![CDATA[Studio]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:25:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_021b19076f3040548fb6adcac745effc~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_764,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From ZERØ]]></title><description><![CDATA["The First Straw That Fixed the Camel's Back" (If you're wondering: yes, it's a LinkinPark quote) The other day I noticed a Jake Sprague (Spragels) video about Sylveon in Pokémon Unite: I love the pokémon, and it's one of the two mains, so I got excited it got buffed. This made me feel happy, and I decided to update the game and jump in for a couple of games. That was when I realized something could've been missing, after a long absence from it. And, not no-one's surprise, when it comes to...]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/from-zer%C3%B8</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a36f039bfacb36e3542db11</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 06:26:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_ef94d34108fc476fb81d012c4897fa5f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Endless Endgame Paradox]]></title><description><![CDATA[I wanted to expand my thoughts about my new choices beyond the borders of gacha games, to find a way to play games with the same sense of wonder I had when I was a kid.]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/the-endless-endgame-paradox</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698df8f8d558b030957eec67</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:15:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_6123a0e2e60d408c8aad9c606ba0d937~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_500,h_333,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Striving For Beauty Led Me Astray]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gaming once felt like discovering worlds to belong to—Pokémon, Ultima Online, Final Fantasy XIV—but somewhere along the way, my love for beauty became entangled with gacha loops, spending, and endless collection. The art and design I cherished were still there, but I had lost the freedom to enjoy them. Now, I’ve stepped back: I can experience these worlds on my own terms, savoring design, connection, and creativity—without the trap.]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/how-striving-for-beauty-led-me-astray</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6989cc157af90431af72b662</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:53:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_b690e1b895d8471f87bf5b4af6e24ad1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_974,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Breaking the Habit, With Hoyoverse and YouTube]]></title><description><![CDATA[After years of focusing on Hoyoverse gacha games, I realized the constant pace and pressure were no longer for me. I’ve decided to end my experience and unlist the entire YouTube channel, choosing freedom and creativity over relentless optimization and spending.]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/breaking-the-habit</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6984e167323fbfa6001b1223</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:46:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_1211b4b67584443ba0f2c0a78f6d7aa1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brand New Days: TZERØ's Horizons for 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[TZERØ is the point where I stopped asking what performs best, and started asking what is worth living in a game. This channel is not about mastering systems faster, but about staying long enough to understand why they matter.]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/brand-new-days-tzer%C3%B8-s-horizons-for-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696a7f56482610fa28912a31</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:26:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNgFR_ttx2s&amp;list=RDpNgFR_ttx2s&amp;start_radio=1" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Saber vs Phainon: Collection Pressure, Regret, and Choosing with Intention | Honkai: Star Rail]]></title><description><![CDATA[Related video: My real-time experience is here!  The Weight of Collecting  The card is around $145 on Card Trader now... was I right to be worried about it? :P When I was a kid, collecting wasn’t just a hobby — it was a way of building identity. I didn’t need everything, and I wasn’t jealous of things I’d never seen. If something was completely outside my awareness, I could easily ignore it. But once something crossed that invisible line — once I noticed it and started to care — it became...]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/saber-vs-phainon-collection-pressure-regret-and-choosing-with-intention-honkai-star-rail</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6880e0e4ec4f2b3188a0c5f3</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2025 15:11:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_65816e4b3f9c45d2a001bbdee16a1feb~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Real Problem with Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond]]></title><description><![CDATA[Worlds Beyond's launch has been one of the most impactful controversies I've ever seen in the videogame industry - not that they are uncommon, these days, even Mario Kart seem to create an uproar - but this one picked up my interest fast. The game soon got to second worse reviewed game on Steam - which is a quite impressive feat, if you ask me, considering that the card game aesthetics, voice over and gameplay are polished all around. The problem lied within the monetization system, they say,...]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/the-real-problem-with-shadowverse-worlds-beyond</link><guid isPermaLink="false">686b6884457b7b8dbfbb9e71</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 2025 07:22:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_27dbb0e167684c509691c337bd1622d8~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Radical Decision Changes My Life and The Journal]]></title><description><![CDATA[A few days ago I took a decision that radically changed the way I live life: I decided to quit all gacha games. I deleted my Hoyoverse account - something I'd like to talk in more detail in another post - and continued removing anything that had a gacha in it. To start fresh, and see how it feels. And it feels awesome. What Made Me Change Everything What moved me to take a decision was the realization that I couldn't play games anymore. I know it sounds fun, and not so serious, but it's true:...]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/quitting-gacha</link><guid isPermaLink="false">679bfb59947d4e8b9b689fd2</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jan 2025 23:09:40 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["To Play or Not To Play": the Gacha Game Dilemma]]></title><description><![CDATA[I've been playing gacha games since Genshin Impact's launch, and there's always have been a question about them, that kept haunting me all the time, regardless of which gacha I was focused on at the time. Which game should I still be playing? The question seems to be hard to answer, intrinsically. I've been trying to answer it many times, with different outcomes. Why is it, that I find this difficult to choose? After all, it should be easy to understand if it's fun for me to play a game. In...]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/to-play-or-not-to-play-the-gacha-game-dilemma</link><guid isPermaLink="false">677745095459a6d444d4ab15</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jan 2025 15:28:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_c8c164f97c2d45cb93c2d2373f213623~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Back to Gacha &#38; My Mistakes With HSR]]></title><description><![CDATA[In this video, I review my own gaming account and discuss the consequences of my spending habits in gacha games. I reflect on the decisions I made, such as spending money on character talents and light cones, and how it impacted my in-game experience and finances. I share my realization of falling into the slippery slope of spending, the temporary satisfaction it brought, and the regret that followed. I am committed to moving forward with a healthier approach by limiting my purchases to...]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/back-to-gacha-my-mistakes-with-hsr</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6770bf3006c4d534b546d9ac</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2024 22:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://youtu.be/PjIW8Jfr5bE" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I *Thought* I'd Quit Gacha Games]]></title><description><![CDATA[In this unscripted video, I share my candid thoughts and emotions about a monumental decision to leave gacha games behind. I discuss how managing multiple games like Honkai Star Rail, Genshin Impact, and Sword of Convallaria was consuming my life and resources. Realizing the negative impact on my mental health, I've decided to explore other gaming genres and focus on what truly makes me happy. Join me in this new chapter, and let's continue sharing our experiences and passions for gaming.]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/why-i-thought-i-d-quit-gacha-games</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6770bdbc06c4d534b546d47e</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 01 Oct 2024 22:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://youtu.be/-pw43LO2xqE" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Just Don't Play": TCGs, Gacha Games and Social Relevance]]></title><description><![CDATA[Being friends doesn't require being the very best in a game: it's about having the very best out of it together.]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/just-don-t-play-gacha-games-and-social-relevance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64e20ddb4cffa6e4bf2679b4</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2023 13:37:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_5ba067d90a6448ecbe9d6abc9dd53d37~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_896,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Spending Rationally", Episode 2: Battle Passes]]></title><description><![CDATA[Focusing on completing a Battle Pass can create a sense of FOMO and reinforce harmful spending habits. Consider setting a one-time budget.]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/spending-rationally-episode-2-battle-passes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">645eb7baac872c4eff0e5e41</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 12 May 2023 22:42:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_81e720e3175a49008959702c6d2b86ed~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Spend Rationally": The Hidden Costs of Gacha Game Subscriptions]]></title><description><![CDATA[With the release of Honkai: Star Rail, I've been thinking about "spending rationally", as they say in the game. So, I came up with a strategy. A gacha game is, first, a game. Hence, I want to support it and spend about the same amount I'd like to spend on any other game. Which is something between 1€ and 70€. But a gacha game is a F2P game with in-app purchases. Is there a way to make it work? Part 1: "A Reasonable Strategy?" This is what I came up with: Evaluate the game for three months If...]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/spend-rationally-the-hidden-costs-of-gacha-game-subscriptions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64599b99a650a689b710075d</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 09 May 2023 02:39:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38ba49_a84ce94d700546319d50508ad505fc11~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[1.2 FREE S-Rank Selector: Best Pick? | Neverness to Everness]]></title><description><![CDATA[Inside the Loop: I made this while I was caught in the gacha loop. It stays up as a record of that time, not as advice. I break down the free S-Rank standard character selection box from Neverness to Everness patch 1.2 and go character-by-character to help low spenders and F2P players choose the right base S-rank for their teams. I cover Daffodill’s hybrid DPS and break-focused utility, Jiuyuan’s Anima sub-DPS and blossom synergy, Hathor’s Lakshana Remora support, Fadia’s strong healing and...]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/1-2-free-s-rank-selector-best-pick-neverness-to-everness</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a50e69aed44d1c0fbdbd6c6</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 12:34:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/https://i.ytimg.com/vi/njchW5M0wiQ/maxresdefault.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Game Overview | Neverness to Everness]]></title><description><![CDATA[I share how I’m enjoying Neverness to Everness while spending very little—just the subscription and no battle pass—by playing at my own pace without FOMO. I show a quick freebie quest near Torchwood Avenue to photograph a paper plane and unlock an apartment anomaly that reduces stamina cost, then explain why I’m not rushing weekly/daily stamina. I break down the gacha and banner economy (90-pull guaranteed limited character, 200-pull skin, 50-pull base selector, and unlocking base characters...]]></description><link>https://journal.tzero.live/post/game-overview-neverness-to-everness</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4e6712da4074f9d0b3fd87</guid><category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:04:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://youtu.be/CxjEeeRMcUs" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>Nero Atlas</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>