clyde

Day 4: I decided to take the road South, back to Santo Domingo, after all, this is where the pagans are causing trouble, so it seemed likely to find them there. The Governor has marked on my map an area to the East of this road, where he suspected that the pagans had an encampment or village. As we traveled, I looked for entrances through the jungle into the East, but found none. When we settled in for the night, I spoke with Adriana Cervera who was practicing with her bow. She is possibly the most skilled archer I have ever seen. I told her that I was grateful that she was with us on this dangerous adventure.

Day 3: We arrived in the fishing village of San Tiago before dusk. The small size of the village allowed us to find the recipient of the bibles very quickly. He gave us 1500 in valuables as payment. I explained that we were happy to do God's work, but he insisted that we take payment. Just as we accept the difficulties of God's tasks, we must also accept his rewards. It's possible that we will need these valuables to carry out his plans across this island. Before we set up camp for the evening, we discovered a fisherman creating nets of great strength. Sister Blanca reminded us all that many of Jesus's disciples were fishermen. When I introduced our party of missionaries to the fisherman, there was some confusion in our communication. Someone made a reference to Jesus being a fisher of men, and he told us that we could literally net men with these nets. Pascual was impressed with the possibilities in battle, and so we ordered two nets to be picked up before we leave to explore for the pagan tribe. It is as if our Lord has a sense of humor, giving us nets from a fishermen to catch men. Fishers of men indeed!

This is so interesting to me. Is this rooted in a repulsion to eugenics? What gets me about this (in the context of what I imagine Massive Chalice will be) is that you may be more capable of getting something out of it because the game relies on a perspective you despise. If I was to play it, I would enjoy turning romantic relationships into efficient systems for my power goals. It's enjoyable enough getting to betroth loveless marriages and insisting on the importance of legacy and tradition. But you would get to play knowing in your heart that it is the wrong thing to do, complemented by having to survive while maintaining your ethical identity.

I really appreciate the clarification Rodi. I hope it's not too late to post this though. The conversation reminded me of this factoid about Avida Dollars: http://everything2.com/title/Avida+Dollars

This is one of the more intelligent discussions that I have seen about fart&poop jokes. Now I'm wondering if there is some forgotten strategy of fart&poop jokes that involves a vulnerability in the speaker. That would explain why you feel so sensitive after it didn't go over. But what I'm really excited about is being able to post this video and it being somewhat relevant:

Day 1: Upon arrival at the port of Santo Domingo, Sister Blanca Alegria joined our party immediately. But our elation was quickly curtailed by the seizure of our boat and supplies in the name of Santo Domingo's Governor. I requested audience with him to clear up the misunderstanding, but he was not sympathetic to our cause. Governor Manzanedo not only seized all of our possessions, but also declared authority over our entire party, claiming that Santo Domingo required all this for its preservation against oncoming attacks by the natives. In this moment, I felt much like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ must have felt in audience of Pontius Pilot. Our purity in motive would not move the State away from its worldly worries of bodily harm or loss of wealth. I managed to negotiate repossession of our supplies and leadership of the pilgrims. The cost of this just reallocation was agreeing to a performance of a martial exercise. The governor also coerced an agreement from us to investigate a group of pagans who are causing disturbances on the road between Santo Domingo and San Tiago. As I wondered why this wicked place was not stricken from the Earth like Sodom and Gomorrah, I was answered by the hospitality of the citizens of Santo Domingo. A young lady named Isabela Yruenes was so struck by our sense of purpose, that she asked to join our party of missionaries. She claims native knowledge of Hispanola and it's inhabitants. Her abilities will no doubt be needed in communicating the Good Word to the uneducated savages of this land. I can not ignore God's blessings when they are sent upon me from the Heavens and so we accepted her into our fold. Before leaving town, we had communion in the Catedral Santa Maria La Menor to receive the blessing of Jesus Christ by the hands of his servant, Hermano Cora who delivered the body and blood of our Lord and Savior to our mouths. It was during Brother Cora's sermon that I truly saw that the obstacles we had been accosted with upon arrival on this island were just the the beginning of the tests that will expose our faith, deeds, and capabilities. The Lord shows himself in times of struggle and our struggle was just beginning. After communion, Brother Cora took me aside to ask if I would deliver a shipment of bibles to San Tiago. Truly this was the cloth of the Lord being woven before our eyes! I agreed to take the shipment, knowing that God was showing us the way. After hiring some servants to push our carts, we left town by the North Gate and began our journey into the New World. We camped not far from Santo Domingo on our first night. Though we had discussed it on the ship, I explained the leadership and assignments to the pilgrims. Each of us must do our jobs in order to protect and spread God's word in such a hostile place. All the soldiers were placed on guard, while our hunters and scholars searched for game, and our scouts went on a patrol to find anything of interest. Tomorrow we continue our journey to San Tiago. May God protect us in this dark jungle. -Gustav Abalone

We are on a mission from God. He has asked us, in his infinite compassion and glory, to bring His word and His salvation to the savage island of Hispanola. It is through his word, that our deeds may save a thousand souls. After receiving correspondence from Sister Blanca Alegria about her successes in establishing a church on the Northern Coast, we have decided to gather a party from the hermandad and join her on her mission. I can think of no better opportunity to use the fortune which the Abalone name has accrued than to partake in these deeds and this purpose. This group of pilgrims have already proved themselves capable in bringing security and righteousness to our town here in Spain, and now that we lack challenge for our skills, the opportunity that Sister Alegria has provided us is undeniable. Through battle at home, we have become brothers and sisters in war. And now, by traveling across the ocean into an unknown land, to spread the Faith, we will be brothers and sisters in Christ. Sergeant Guillermo Pascual will lead us in instances of battle. He has more than proven his worth in the hermandad, and with his tactical knowledge, God's word will be protected and seeded within the most inhospitable of lands. Sergeant Pascual has assigned Bernardo Trevino as a second. Pascual's opinion of the man is more than enough for me to trust his capabilities. Pascual has also recruited his best archer, Adriana Cervera; his best scout, Raina Portaneres; and of course, Sierra Barreiro, a soldier who we have all seen show her heroics on the battle field. I have discussed our mission with the hermandad and recruited some individuals myself. I cannot imagine going on such an adventure without my sister, (though not a sister in blood) Rita Martinez. It was largely through our conversations that this pilgrimage was initiated and executed. Daniela Hernandez has become an impressive scout after her husband was murdered 8 years ago. Perhaps the tragedy was God's impetus for her to come to us 7 years ago in preparation for this purpose. Teresa Sanchez will be our accompanying doctor. Though she is not incredibly pious, her deeds within the hermandad and work with the poor has shown that God can work through her hands. I would have liked to bring an additional doctor, but the profession is amok with humanist heathens who typically ignore the sanctity of the body. We will also be joined by Raul Carillo, a hunter who recently came into our town. He is new to us, but his eagerness to go on this pilgrimage shows that he understands the importance of proselytizing Hispanola. The excitement in the party is palatable. We have been voyaging for five weeks in tight quarters. Such tight space has allowed us to raise our solidarity as messengers of God. This morning we spotted the port of Santo Domingo on the southern coast. What wonders God must have in store for us. We dock soon. -Gustav Abalone

I can not and will not play point-and-click adventure games, but I loved Stacking. I think Stacking is a great example of a way to bring new audiences in while still offering what the studio is known for. It's a point-and-click adventure that requires no pointing and clicking.

Role-playing as a racist is an odd experience. Especially when I write about my experience on internet forums. When I write about my game experiences, I get a lot of humor and joy out of including some role-play perspective in it. But at no point do I want to be misunderstood as glorifying what was possibly the most horrendous genocide in human history. If anyone is has a problem with my use of the word "savages" or any other racist speech, feel free to bring it up here or private message me if you are concerned about having to argue about what racism is with the rest of the internet. I would be interested in hearing your perspectives and concerns. Yesterday was brutal. I plan to write out what happened when I get to work today. One thing this game should be applauded for is writing in fail-state text for every retreat. It's one of the things that makes being horrible at this game so much fun. I'm not sure what happens if you fight to the death, but I've been retreating from nearly every battle since things went from bad to worse, and it actually increases my suspension of disbelief. This is in comparison to having to reload and fight the same battle again with the advantage of retrospection (that always takes me out of the game).

I wonder what the mechanics of a game would be if it was in the style of 90's Richard Linklater films. I've only seen Slacker, Dazed and Confused, and Waking Life. The unifying quality of those films is what I am referring to. I think the biggest challenge that this hypothetical game would have would be giving the player a reason to actually care about what all the NPC's were going on about. It's hard enough in the films. If every NPC I ran into started talking about how Sartre was just thinking about the tip of the iceberg, I would run around the room and break all the crates to kill time. Maybe stand really super close to the NPC's face to see the inside of her head while she talked. But I'm hoping that the game designers would go beyond giving me a reason to stand there patiently while I hear about crossword puzzles being completed more quickly two days after they appear in the New York Times. I would hope that the lab results being described would be repeatable enough that I would be presented with an instance of Wordament that I could play while the taxi driver colors my game with his discourse. And then when we have arrived at my destination, he implies that the game I just played with agency, could be taken as evidence of the point he had been making. I would prefer the game to take on the style of Dazed and Confused for it's larger narrative arch. Make me feel like I came into the game as a novice and I'm leaving as an enlightened being. I think Dazed and Confused does a wonderful job of communicating the nostalgic value of strife. I suppose that the video game equivalent of this is something like Super Meat Boy or Demon's Souls where you are presented with a challenge from an earlier stage that you can easily overcome, now that you have operable knowledge. But I'm hoping for something more akin to Bully, where you share the player character's motivations but simultaneously belittle his concerns because his circumstance is symbolic of a rite of passage, you have already passed beyond. When I watch the Linklater movies, I'm reminded that in the most banal circumstances, you can find perspectives that can change the way you see the world by engaging in philosophical discussion with strangers. I'd be interested to see how a game can successfully do that DURING GAMEPLAY, not in discussion afterward.

Here are some useful tips: 1.You can't traverse thick jungle. Sometimes you see what looks like an opening in the trees, but when you point just beyond it your cursor turns red. Save yourself the rations, you can't go there. 2.The other thing is that I've never played a game where ranged combat has such horrible percentages to hit. I may be doing something wrong. I look forward to your impressions. I trying to relax after a failed attempt to get to the North West portion of the island. I used all my medicine and rations. What am I talking about? I should be grateful I'm still alive. When things went from bad to worse to worst, I lost five of my party members. This must be what survivor's guilt is like. I was doing so well.

I'm glad we are talking about this. Your observation here is something I can chew on for a while.

I am really enjoying this game. I'm playing at the second to hardest difficulty. I've completed probably four or five main quests and I was starting to think that I should have played on the most difficult setting. But. . .uh. . .some shit went down and then. . . more shit, further down. This game definitely has an FTL quality though it took me seven hours to get to it. I've been trying to stop the bleeding for the last hour. I've lost my first party member and . . .wait for it. . .it was the doctor. The only doctor. I brought one doctor, she's dead. This is not good considering that half of my party is critically wounded. And the savages keep attacking my camp because apparently sick and injured people are not good at guarding camp. Things were going so well. I have doubts that we will survive through this. The writing is really well done in my opinion. When I was reading people's praises of the writing before I played the game, I thought they were saying that the main narrative is incredibly poignant. Now that I'm playing, I am also praising the writing, but not for the reasons I thought I would. When I am reading the text, I feel like I am reading for pleasure. I don't know how to describe the quality of the writing, it's subtle and doesn't seem like it's trying to do anything. I like it.

It never occurred to my until this moment that developers can use game metrics to diagnose bugs.

I didn't know what the difference was either until you asked. In my Mass Effect examples, what I should have done was explain that its fiction does a good job of having plot twists that would give other characters in the game vastly different perspectives than your own. They are different ways of seeing the situation rather than surprising external events occurring. You play the game for a while to develop base assumptions and then through conversation, you discover that the situation can be seen through a completely different lens. Once you know that the lens exists, you can retrospectively look at everything you have discovered thus far, through it. By doing so your world changes. I think that this type of narrative tool is nearly synonymous with "plot twist" because the most surprising plot twists have this Söze quality. The plot twists that would be excluded from this categorization would be actual events rather than information that forces reevaluation of the past. In order to really channel Waking Life, the base assumptions, the default perspective of the player, should be the average perspective that we have in our lives. This would allow many different subjects to be given the new lens treatment. Linklater relies on what we already know when we come to the movie than what he shows us during it. I don't think Dazed and Confused does this especially well, but Slacker and Waking Life have a Wikipedia feel where you are just jumping around and finding out interesting things about each stranger's specialization.

It would have been so great if the bot had amalgumated from articles about the history of wargamming. Hey bot, keep your shit relevant to the thread! or no one will ever care if you are sentient or not.

Yeah, neither do I. Let's figure it out. Mass Effect 1 and 2 spoilers: For me, there is a comparison to be made between discovering the details and logical results of a coherent and consistent fictional culture and discovering perspectives that can change the way you look at the world. I suppose I have gotten a similar feeling from game mechanics, when I've realized that I could use the game's logic in a way I hadn't considered, but it doesn't have the Waking Life feel to me unless an NPC is delivering the info.

"Try to reinstall again."

I just spent 3 hours playing it and I'm really enjoying it so far. I took me a while to understand that I couldn't just shortcut through thick jungle. I hope the frequency and quality of events within your party maintains. I think its a neat game.

You are on to something. I love the concept of a game where you are the coach of some little-league team. You level them up (by allocating them to training excercises), give them fund raising assignments (whose funds you can spend on fresh uniforms or pizza parties for morale). You have to balance parent's expectations, individual skills, and relationships between players; when assigning positions. Each player would have a Mass Effect 2 style loyalty mission. That would be awesome. Little Bobby is having a hard time with his parent's divorce, he's taking it out on the other kids but if you play it right, you can convince him that he might be able to get them back together by winning the tournament.

Well if you decide to watch them, be prepared for a slow pace and a lot of monologues. Sometimes I'm in the mood for that stuff, other times. . .not so much.

Is it because you haven't seen those movies that you don't know what I mean? I wouldn't know what I meant if I hadn't seen those movies.

"like"

I know it's probably an unpopular idea, but I wish there was a "like" button on this forum.

The twist is that BonnieDowling is actually Nick's throw-away account. He's trying to sow dissent in preparation of their next round of Risk Legacy.