mkapolka

I like that the player is choosing the descriptions of the artistic process as if they were the next sentences in the story. There's a confusion between the process of creation, the creation itself, and the result of the creation that really captures that sort of ensnaring narcissistic fantasy where everything is framed in terms of what the art will do rather than what it will be, specifically. The structure of Perfection reminds me of a combo system. You've got to keep moving forward, stay in that creative zone in order to keep the work moving. Any kind of reflection or slowing down stops the combo and you die.

Clyde: Thanks so much for engaging with Rehgehstoy so deeply! I was too intimidated to respond, I'm sorry! I'm glad that you got something out of the indirectness of moving between words and worlds and back, and that you picked up on the D'ni proclivity to precision in their language, and I liked how much you imagined the history of the past D'ni book writers. The books on the bookshelf are actually networked, and anyone can edit them, which is why they stay the same between resets and also why they're so screwed up. Julk: Thanks for playing as well! I'm glad you thought it was a joy to discover and it kept you engaged. I feel like it could stand to be more intuitive in how you actually use it, as evidenced by Clyde's difficulty in finding a book to actually write in. I'm also really glad that you picked up on the little implied narrative that the bookshelf gives off. Racarate: For the first thirty seconds of this game, I absolutely loathed it. After my first cycle I liked it, then after my second cycle I loved it. The incessant flashing that makes it horrible to look at also gives it a sort of transcendental, divine feeling once you understand what's going on. It reminds me of that Borges story, The Aleph, as if it's trying to show all these stories at the same time, overlapping. It's too much for human eyes to take. You could soften the blow by changing the lighter scenes to earth tones, and I wonder if it might be possible to change the pattern of the flicking? Like if instead of going 1-2-3-4-5 you went 1-2-1-2-1-2-3-2-3-2-3-2-3 or something. When two stories are flicking at 60hz it's not so bad, but when you have 10 stories flicking at 6hz each it's horrible. Definitely 100% for sure add an epilepsy warning, though. Even if you don't suffer from that condition it's nice to have the opportunity to steel yourself before you plunge in.

in this thread please!

The game I submitted is Rehgehstoy. It's a tool-game for creating islands, inspired by the Myst mythos. It uses a little bit of the language from the Myst games, D'ni, but don't let that scare you off. I don't expect you to know or learn any of it. Let me know if you have any trouble playing it, I know the interface is a little bit obtuse. Enjoy!