T-Bo's blog

Finally done.

Access the file at http://www.zachwhalen.net/s08/richard/gamestuff.zip .

First, create a target folder and extract gamestuff.zip into it.
Next, install the MSGothic font. For Windows users, open Fonts in (Classic View) Control Panel, and copy/paste the font into it. It will install automatically.

Next, run Setup.exe and pick the target folder. Click the left button, and it will install to that directory.

Finally, run RPG_RT.exe. Have fun!

Instructions: You can open the menu in any free-moving non-combat scene by pressing Esc. Esc will also work as your cancellation key.
Use the arrow keys or numpad keys to move Kurtis,switch between menu options, or choose which enemy to attack in combat.
Use Enter/Return or the Spacebar as your activate event/talk/confirm command button.
You can save your game at any time on the World Map by opening the menu with Esc and selecting Save, then choosing savegame slot.

Note: this game is a parody of standard turn-based RPGs and contains crude humor and foul language. If any of these elements offend you, I advise that you stop taking life so seriously.  read more »

Will upload instructions later. Use a .zip extractor to unzip the files.

Been awhile, huh? That is, if you pay attention to how frequently I post. Just in case any of you are interested, unfortunately my final project (a parody RPG made using RPG Maker 2003) will not be presentable by tomorrow--I have a lot of upcoming academic obligations to finish, and this one is due last. However, if any of you do want to play it, I will try to upload the file to this forum when I'm finished.
A prior warning - I've never used a Mac, so I don't know if the game will run or, if it does, whether or not you can install a Microsoft font. Hopefully things will work in that regard, because the default font is very hard to read. If anyone knows how to install fonts on a Mac, please upload some instructions for those people who want to play my game.

That's all for now.

I just finished looking at the "camera in the woods" thread on the random forum, and I agree with most of the comments there. Even before I read that person's post, the first thing that came to my mind when I looked at them was "gee, these look like they're out of one of the MYST games." The pictures, while (perhaps?)limited in their storytelling ability as of themselves, when strung together might be fashioned into a narrative of some sort or, as one of the forum members said, used as raw materials for development of a game of some sort. In any case, I found the pictures to evoke a strong sense of immersion when looking at them - probably from the dynamic poses from which the photos were shot. Each image had a rather comprehensive view of the surrounding atmosphere, views that, like in MYST, seem to transport you to the world which they depict (though perhaps not as literally as in MYST itself with the linking-books). In any case, I feel that, if these images were paired with a story of some sort, they would greatly help the reader to transport his/her mind to the world and within the events taking place there.  read more »

My feelings on my Façade experience were mixed, to be honest. I enjoyed the deep narrative and interactions produced (especially the fact that most of what I said was answered in a way that made sense), but it frustrated me when I couldn't end up helping the couple. I'm mostly a listener, and I tried to play mediator between Trip and Grace, but Trip ended up leaving after explaining something about himself that SHOULD have come out BEFORE the marriage. Personally, I thought that getting something like that out in the open would have strengthened the relationship, but apparently not. I was just trying to get at the meat of the problem by asking what each of them wanted, but maybe that wasn't the strategy to go for.
Hopefully somebody had more luck than me, since there's supposed to be other outcomes from acting differently. I just hope me trying to mediate wouldn't end so miserably in real life.

When we talked today about Ryan's discussion of belief versus make-believe within Avatars of Story, the concept of the "Megaverse" was brought up, the concept of parallel (perhaps infinite parallel) universes existing alongside our own. I also brought up an anecdotal experience concerning fiction, made by a clairvoyant (a guest speaker in an Honors Magick and Witchcraft course). While her beliefs are a bit difficult to wrap one's head around, I consider them incredibly interesting once deciphered.
This clairvoyant expressed a personal belief in the concept of the Megaverse, and stated a theory that the soul is tied to the consciousness. Basically, when one's consciousness creates something imaginative, whether it be a perception of a scene in a story, the playing-out of a potential outcome of an uncertain situation, or merely a dream, the consciousness has traveled there to experience it. In essence, when "your mind wanders", it LITERALLY wanders.  read more »

A quote on the Photopia website said, "I feel like I've just waded through sewage and it won't wash off."

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Jebus, Photopia was unnerving. BRILLIANT, but unnerving. It was mind-numbingly clever and just downright creepy how the colors linked the stories together, and the interconnections that revealed themselves as the story progressed were nothing short of narrative genius. I've never seen such an innovative transition in any narrative in my entire life. You would've thought they were all different worlds--and in essence they are, as they're from different people's perspectives. Incredibly imaginative, powerful, influential, and innovative. Literature at its finest. I can't say anything else. It has to be experienced--words won't do justice.

I'm not a big fan of text adventures, mainly because they're somewhat archaic with respect to current technology, but I actually a better time with Zork than I thought I would. Despite the irritation of looping in place several times, I did notice a sense of immersion, much like Janet Murray was speaking of. The game was much more descriptive than the other text adventures I had played so far (every item in the room and object you can interact with is illustrated in fine detail, such as the bag of food being "a brown cloth sack smelling of hot peppers"), and I especially liked the descriptions of the battles and of each individual action that you and your opponent take (e.g. the thief delivers a swift thrust, but you gracefully dodge to one side, etc). The diction used to tell you about each location and event paints (at least in my mind) a vivid picture, and I did seem to get a sense of spatial awareness in each room and during each battle (how can you dodge around if there's no space around you?). Zork is, in my opinion, far superior to Adventure, mainly because the parser is more intelligent and the gameplay is more interesting.  read more »

I found it really interesting how some users of ELIZA actually believed it to be a real person, despite the technological limitations of its programming and the fact that its users were INFORMED of the fact of its artificiality. I remember using ELIZA one time in the Orlando Science Center, and I found it comprehensively limited (and pretty funny as well). I've heard that there are additional, more sophisticated interpreters exist currently, but I haven't tried them myself. In any case, the fact that the creator eventually defected to the cause of warning against artificial intelligence is a very intriguing concept--a concept that brings to mind ideas of old science fiction movies, such as "The Terminator", "A.I.", and "2001: A Space Odyssey". I, however, personally consider it impossible for artificial intelligence to reach the complexities of the human psyche, as it would be impossible to engineer a program to produce such emulation without an adequate understanding of the inner workings of the human brain.  read more »

When I read through Crawford's article, I instantly had a better appreciation of how far video games have come (and in such a short time!  read more »

Originally I was going to comment on typography as it relates to Bringhurst and also to speech balloons in comics, but it looks like notmyrealname has beaten me to it...so I guess I'll comment on something else.  read more »

When I read through Chatman's discussion of stream of consciousness and interior monologue in the last chapter, it really got me thinking. I rarely see interior monologue in literature and I'm not sure if I've ever seen stream of consciousness anywhere, though I've definitely heard about it from my English classes in IB at home. There are some pieces of dialogue in games and stories that I've read that could be incorporated as interior monologue, but since there are usually people around when they're doing their soul-searching, it can't really be called "interior" (an obscure example being Magnus' countless expressions of his own self doubt throughout the campaign of Ogre Battle 64).  read more »

Upon reading the third chapter of Story and Discourse and reviewing Chatman's descriptions of characters through traits, I understood why certain characters stand out amidst others who are lost to the realms of the forgotten. It is, as Chatman states, the traits that define a character, and thus his/her memorability. In my experiences with stories through books, comics, and games, if the character is one-dimensional, "flat" as Chatman refers to it, s/he is often seen as boring or incredulous. A character who is inexplicably cheerful or evil simply for evil's sake does not make a believable or memorable figure, and the author or work may be criticized as comparably unilateral. It is the blending of several unique traits, often traits which may at times war with each other, that makes the character believable; are we not similarly constructed--complex, flawed, at times unpredictable? The fact that we can empathize with these constructed entities is what makes them come alive not only in the story, but also surfacing in our acquaintances or even ourselves.  read more »

I just recently got back into playing this game, and I remembered how brilliant it is. Eternal Darkness is one of the best examples of specific Chatman-discussed narrative devices that can be found in game form.

For those of you who don't know but are willing to listen:

As Alexandra Roivas (the main character) reads each chapter of the story, she feels and experiences (i.e. you play) the encounters of each of the story's characters with a fearsome evil that she finds has spanned over two millennia. Though each character has his or her own dealings with the foul creatures and the greater malevolence which they represent, apart from the invisible plague there is one sole link that ties them together.

Their stories all begin with, and are chronicled within, the Tome of Eternal Darkness.

In addition to the book itself, each of the locations in which the chapters span are all traversed by at least two characters, and thus the locations act as a certain link between them as well. At the end of the story, all of the people, events, and items encountered within the Tome eventually make ties back to Alex, as she is the next in line who must fight this unseen evil.  read more »

So I'm not the only one that watches Zero Punctuation reviews! That's cool. Yahtzee has the gift of gab with respect to pumping out hilariously brutal reviews, and he's fair to balance it out.
Favorite ones: Medal Of Honor Airborne and BioShock.

So as to make this at least SOMEWHAT academically related...mmm, yes....Chatman.  read more »