tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78578029299401781582024-03-08T23:26:09.442+00:00PhreniciaLife is but a game: Entertainment, riddles, puzzles and the lighter side.Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-80227242869590567492007-12-05T17:23:00.000+00:002007-12-05T17:23:16.896+00:00Mini-Review: Dream Chronicles click funJust spent a leisurely-yet-fun last hour playing through the demo of <a href="http://www.playfirst.com/game/dreamchronicles">Dream Chronicles</a> by PlayFirst. (N.B. The demo from the link says it's half an hour - I downloaded the one <a href="http://www.macgamestore.com/detail.php?ProductID=796">over at macGamesStore</a>.) Looks like it's a Mac game, but there are options to play on-line and something about a PC version at that first link. (What did you expect, me to go and find out or something? ;)<br /><br />The story: an evil fairy queen (or someone) has cast some kind of sleeping spell to put everyone to sleep. You're in a weird dreamland chasing clues left by your husband, to get to the Queen and break the spell.<br /><br />In terms of style and interaction, the game is very reminiscent of <i>Myst</i> and its brethren, with some other nods to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_the_room">Escape the Room</a> type games. That's to say, the artwork is pretty nice, and there's a generally nicely-done fairyesque feel to the whole thing. The music <i>definitely</i> reminded me of Myst, in a good way. <br /><br />The puzzles are obviously the main thing here though. The game is played as a series of "Chapters", or screens within which certain activities have to be completed. These start out fairly easily - find item X, apply it to Y to open the door and move on. Expect lots of clicking to pick up objects and use them - some of it is a little random at times, but for the most part it's fairly quick to advance. If you're really stuck, keep an eye out for "twinkles" on the screen that guide you towards needed items. <br /><br />A few screens in, the puzzles are more drawn out, more complicated, and quite possibly more surreal too. It's usually quite clear what you need to do (even if it wouldn't necessarily make sense in a non-dreamworld). This is probably a good thing for a quick-delve type game, but does mean the majority of what you're up to is clicking stuff to find it, or putting items down in the right place. Still, each level/screen is different enough to keep the interest going.<br /><br />Kind of a random review, this one, but having spent a little while being amused by it, I thought I'd throw it out there in case others fancied a look.<br /><br />The full version of Dream Chronicles seems to be $19.95 from the main site, or $14.95 from the MacGamesStore. (See links above.) Maybe the latter is out of date.Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-48633762518813699102007-12-03T09:47:00.001+00:002007-12-03T09:47:20.986+00:00Puzzle Balance: From Smithy to Santa<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>I'm sad to see that it looks like the <a href='http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=427874#427874'>smithy111110 arg trail</a> may be over, for now at least. It was great fun with some nice little (not too easy, not to difficult) puzzles in it, an interesting mix of topics (UFOs, the occult, Lovecraft) and some fun voice acting. Maybe (hopefully?) I'm jumping to wrong conclusions, but the <a href='http://www.mindspring.com/%7Esmithy111110/THANKYOU.htm'>thank you message</a> seems to wrap everything up like the end of a Scooby Doo cartoon.<br /><br />Fortunately, perhaps through some divine providence for puzzle balance, the <a href='http://welovepuzzles.com/jforum/posts/list/613.page'>We Love Puzzles Christmas Conundrums Competition</a> is on instead. Just over 3 weeks to come up with some fun - no prize, of course, but such motivation should never be needed - <i>especially</i> over the festive season...<br /><br />Of course, that'll have to wait until I've concocted something suitable for visiting <a href='http://jeanthomas.maillioux.free.fr/babylonblues/'>Bookmore</a> with. Muahaha.</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-59743858341470715102007-11-13T15:22:00.001+00:002007-11-13T15:22:16.827+00:00Currently playing...<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://www.guinness.com/gb_en/tipping'>Guinness' Tipping Point</a> - a Flash-based code-hunt to tie in with their <a href='http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/08/nadvert108.xml'>new advert</a>. A nice mix of searching through video, Googling, and random puzzles (some are easy, some difficult, some just hidden), although Flash does annoy me at the best of times. Still, there's prizes being given away, so don't forget to register (or "join") if you're playing along in the UK.<br/><br/>Also been pointed at <a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/19937708@N03/'>smithy111110's photos</a> today by <a href='http://jeanthomas.maillioux.free.fr/babylonblues/?lan=english'>Bookmore</a>. Not sure how deep this rabbit hole goes yet, but managed to get an early (and bunny-eared) <a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/19937708@N03/2001566727/'>name check</a> already ;) So far, conversation is happening (albeit slowly - which is never a bad thing) <a href='http://welovepuzzles.com/jforum/posts/list/602.page'>over at We Love Puzzles</a> and <a href='http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=415546'>on the Unfiction forum</a>.<br/></div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-38247798983016937192007-11-09T18:04:00.001+00:002007-11-09T18:04:42.094+00:00Ideas: Gaming in a Web 2-point-O Land<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>I mostly hate the term "web 2.0" as I think it tries to encapsulate something - an idea, a trend - when all the best ideas come out of <i>not</i> being constrained in such ways. Still, it has some merit, so I continue to use it to refer to "modern" web services that focus less on web<i>sites</i> and more on <i>content</i>: information, users.<br /><br />With that in mind, and knowing that the likelihood of me actually getting round to doing either of the following for a while, here's 2 suggestions for stirring things up a little in modern "games":<br /><br />1. An API for <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mii'>Wii Miis</a>. Currently you can create your own Mii - an avatar for yourself, as a player - using a Wii, and then use that avatar in games that support it. You can also <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiiConnect24'>travel around via the Internet</a>, or via a Wiimote, to other people's Wiis. Looks like you can also <a href='http://www.miieditor.com/'>edit Miis on the web</a> by loading and saving extracted binary files.<br /><br />Why not skip this middle man (XML files and Flash editors), and open up Mii characters to all kinds of services via a standard API? In the beginning, it may make sense to limit it to read-only, but all of a sudden the Mii becomes not just a Wii thing, but an avatar for all occasions.<br /><br />2. <a href='http://www.twitter.com/'>Twitter</a>-based gaming. Hey, it's being used to keep track of <a href='http://foamee.com/'>who owes who beer</a>, as well as for <a href='http://www.orbific.com/weblog/archives/2007/10/07/index.html'>storytelling</a>, so why not some simple games that are less "intrusive" (e.g. do one thing per hour, or per day, by sending a text) or take mobile interactivity into account (e.g. enter the code at a certain place).<br /><br />This was kind of inspired by news of <a href='http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2007/11/the-mobile-gami.html'>mobile gaming in the West taking a beating</a>. Video is touted as what people really want, but if you look at it, people are quite happy with voice and texts. Twitter does texts for free, and provides a handy API for tying it into lots of lovely custom functionality, so why not use that as a platform for entertainment? (See also <a href='http://www.boxr.org/'>Boxr</a> (and <a href='http://phrenicia.blogspot.com/2007/06/so-you-wanna-be-boxr.html'>previous post on it</a>) which seems to have its own <a href='http://twitter.com/boxrtakes'>own Twitter feed</a> too.)<br /><br />So there you go, 2 things that could be fun. Make it so.</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-80496466892842625582007-11-09T11:30:00.001+00:002007-11-09T11:30:57.519+00:00Gamasutra at Essen<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Not too much detail going on, but Gamasutra has a small report <a href='http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2007/four_days_in_the_center_of_the_.php'>from the recent Essen board game show</a>, including a mini-look at Eurogames such as <a href='http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/28891'>Kingsburg</a>, and some different concepts such as <a href='http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/28891'>Seigo</a>, which ties together Japanese characters with territory.</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-44880890398015233532007-11-01T10:28:00.001+00:002007-11-01T10:28:23.677+00:00Perplexorum Looks to the Big Sleep<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Today's downer news (well, Monday's - I've been busy) is that the <a href='http://perplexorum.com/'>Perplexorum</a> forum will be <a href='http://perplexorum.com/showthread.php?t=2102'>going into suspended animation on Nov 11th</a>. The site will be kept up for reference, but no new posts will be allowed. The Perplex City chat has obviously been minimal since the game was put on hold. Since then, the forums have been buoyed by discussion around the <a href='http://www.goldenjigsaw.com/'>Golden Jigsaw</a> and <a href='http://www.aliceislost.com/'>Alice is Lost</a> games, both of which are now "over", one way or another.<br /><br />There's still the <a href='http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/'>unforums</a> and the <a href='http://welovepuzzles.com/jforum/forums/list.page'>We Love Puzzles forum</a> (for the time being ;) for all your ARG and puzzling needs, but hearty thanks go out to the Perplexorum team for doing a great job. Maybe we'll see them again next year if Perplex City gets going again... Watch this space?</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-307551798191300552007-10-24T14:58:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:39:44.476+00:00Phurther Fantom Phlummoxing<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div style='float: right; padding: 0 0 10px 10px;'><a href='http://www.welovepuzzles.com/permalink/puzzle/8654/'><img style='width: 100px;' title='Ouijaknowit?' src='http://images.perplexcity.com/e7d7da46c11f478bb88e8fe831f8a7b6.jpeg'/></a></div>Added another Halloween-themed puzzle last night: <a href='http://www.welovepuzzles.com/permalink/puzzle/8654/'>Ghostly Presents</a>. Funny how you can spend ages trying to mull over a new idea, but then a completely different one just pops into your head, ready to go. I call this "the voice of the hidden setter" and am off to Tikitiki to track it down and bottle it.<br /><div style="clear: right;"> </div><br /></div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-43969472859208586302007-10-19T13:39:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:40:14.349+00:00New puzzle: The Monstrous Magic Square<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>With the demise of Perplex City and Alice is Lost, I've been a little detached from on-line puzzlers recently. So I was delighted when the esteemed <a href='http://jeanthomas.maillioux.free.fr/babylonblues/'>Bookmore</a> pointed me to the We Love Puzzles <a href='http://welovepuzzles.com/jforum/posts/list/589.page'>Halloween Haywire Puzzle Competition</a>. (WLP is what remains of PXC for those not in "the know".)<br /><br />There are some great little puzzles already submitted which I'm looking forward to going through at some point. I got back to grips with the temperamental WLP puzzle-creation system to come up with "<a href='http://welovepuzzles.com/permalink/puzzle/8649/'>Monstrous Magic Square</a>".<br /><br />Even though it's Halloween, I didn't feel like being too demonic, so this one's more treat than tricky. Enjoy!</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-59535873386344636812007-10-02T08:09:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:43:11.333+00:00Alice: 1 ARG enters, another ARG leaves<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>And <i>bah</i>, just <a href='http://perplexorum.com/showthread.php?p=30991'>read</a> that <a href='http://aliceislost.com/'>Alice is Lost</a> is Dead. Bum. Maybe we'll get some reasons at some point.</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-910783414603554172007-10-02T08:00:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:47:18.294+00:00Design an ARG for Cancer Research<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>This has big, big potential: Adrian Hon <a href='http://mssv.net/2007/10/01/lets-change-the-game/'>launches a new project</a> together with <a href='http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/'>Cancer Research UK</a>: And <b><a href='http://www.letschangethegame.org/'>Let's Change the Game</a></b> is exciting on 2 levels. Firstly, the main goal is to employ an immersive game to encourage awareness of cancer research. Secondly, the competition, or challenge, perhaps, is to <i>design this game</i>.<br /><br />On the whole, I think, using games for "serious purposes" is probably a good thing, even if it highlights the notion that it's difficult to take things seriously in modern culture. People put way more effort into games and communities than into, say, politics which they feel disengaged from. Adrian says the main challenge of designing the ARG will be to raise funds. In a way, this isn't so different from what PXC was doing - at the end of the day, the ARG relied on a private company which relied on cash income, so generating revenue from interest (and intrigue) basically = success! It's not hard, then, to look at the success/failure of PXC and take some lessons from it.<br /><br />If I were designing an ARG for this (which, hey, I might well do yet ;), I'd be looking at ways to piggyback these ideas - interest and funding - on to the back of something which people can a) get into quickly/"loosely" and b) enjoy without feeling it's "for a cause". If you <i>know</i> you're involved in something primarily because they want your cash, you're more likely to not do it in the first place, no matter how good the story is.<br /><br />So storytelling is an imperative, and if we go down that route then having some kind of personal run-in with cancer will be a huge advantage. ARGs rely on building emotions, and being able to draw on real ones is a big boon. Any team designing something should make sure they have at least 1 such person on board.<br /><br />The interesting question, for me, in this is: how much emphasis on building a community should there be? Community breeds "stickiness" and - as Adrian says in his post - opens up huge new opportunities for what challenges can be set. But it can also act to put people off, as with big communities come big social investments - either you have both feet in, so to speak, or none at all. (That's not to say a multi-tiered approach isn't possible, but it does contribute to more work, and work which is nothing to do with planning the story such as possible community resources and moderation.)<br /><br />I don't gots an answer to that one right now, and I'm not sure there's a particularly 'right' one anyway. Getting people hooked is important in this case, and it may be better to go down a more loosely-connected path. Or it may be better to get a viral campaign going and get more people hooked without necessarily spending your own marketing budget. One thing's for sure - the judges will be wanting to see some fresh ideas.<br /><br /><b>Addendum:</b> CRUK have some useful pages on <a href="http://www.letschangethegame.org/what-we-want">what they want/inspiration</a>, an <a href="http://www.letschangethegame.org/example">example submission</a>, and their own <a href="http://www.letschangethegame.org/forums">forum</a>.<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> The Guardian have an <a href="http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/02/build_a_game_save_the_world.html">interview with Adrian</a> who has more advice for those entering. Some useful tips, including greater emphasis on what people will be doing, rather than just what the story is. Sounds like researching both cancer and CRUK, and merging that into everything, may be a good ploy.<br /><br /></div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-92104665363378390162007-10-01T21:10:00.001+00:002007-10-02T08:16:15.318+00:00Stone Heads Appear in Yorkshire<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>ARG or Art? <a href='http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7022091.stm'>12 Stone heads "pop up" in Yorkshire</a>.<blockquote><i>Each of the heads, which are up to a foot tall, looks different but all feature the same carving - which appears to spell out the word "paradox" - and a note bearing the riddle: "Twinkle twinkle like a star, does love blaze less from afar?"</i></blockquote><b>Update:</b> <a href="http://www.paradox-carving.co.uk/">paradox-carving.co.uk</a>, created by <a href="http://www.onetooneproductions.com/">One to One Productions</a>, looks like the "answer". Linky props to them for generating such huge publicity...<br /></div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-8690754202871494722007-09-26T09:11:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:42:26.205+00:00Image Puzzle over at Ironic Sans<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Hmm, so it's been a while since I posted here. With PXC out of the picture, I've been less active on the puzzling front. Still need to catch up with the last couple of episodes of Alice is Lost, in fact. Maybe that's just Summer for you.<br /><br />Fans of hiding-stuff-in-images might like <a href='http://www.ironicsans.com/2007/09/puzzle_find_the_hidden_picture.html'>Ironic Sans' Puzzle</a>. There are spoilers in the comments, but my only hint is that it reminds me of a puzzle from the NIN ARG. (Is that still going?) That shouldn't help too much...<br /></div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-33079355444500072522007-06-28T10:57:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:43:53.586+00:006op wiki brings you saviour from ugglebrain<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Instead of a summary of what's been happening in 6op 1 libra, here's a link to <a href='http://www.exmosis.net/6op1wiki/'>the wiki we've started on it</a> - there's even the start of a <a href='http://www.exmosis.net/6op1wiki/index.php?title=TimeLine'>timeline</a> as a way of introduction. I might still do a quick summary here at some point though, if I get time.<br /><br />Why am I so interested in it? It's not like it's the only ARG out there, after all. I guess because a) there are only a few of us working on it at the moment, which is always nice, and b) the game seemed to "follow" me (or "stalk" perhaps) for a while. Soon after the initial sites were found and e-mail contact was made, a link to <a href='http://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics'>Sussex Uni's Informatics dept</a> came up, followed by the phone number for <a href='http://magpie.net/'>Magpie</a>. Having been a part of both these places in the last few years, it was only natural to be intrigued.<br /><br />A couple of people I know have been "implicated" as part of the plot, although I'm still uncertain just how much they're involved. Still, the experience <a href='http://www.gatethreeincident.com/'>goes on</a>.<br /></div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-77896596629090994232007-06-23T10:11:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:43:26.238+00:00Quickfire Post - 6op 1 Libra<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>If you're looking for something to do over the weekend, why not catch up with <a href='http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=19700'>this thread on unfiction</a>, and help us work out what the frooping hull <a href='http://www.6op1libra.com'>6op 1 Libra</a> is all about. It's been a pretty odd few days - I'll write it up in a few days...<br></br></div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-66585977758771514852007-06-18T09:00:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:44:37.576+00:00So you wanna be a Boxr?<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Quick first-liner: <a href='http://www.aliceislost.com'>Alice is Lost!</a> has been updated with a second "intro-chapter", and accompanying hidden puzzle. Onwards...<br></br><br></br>An interesting game concept comes flying out of London's <a href='http://www.hackday.org/'>Hackday</a> at the weekend: <a href='http://www.boxr.org/'>Boxr</a>. (Shouldn't that be "Boxer?" <i>"No." - web2.0 ed</i>) The idea is basically a "capture the zone" run where teams compete to "tag" an area and then hold on to it (along with as many others as they can) for as long as possible. Each minute an area is owned, you get a point - simple. The fun bit is that each "zone" is a telephone box within a specific area, so running from phone to phone is the order of the day. Get to a phone, ring a number and dial in your ID to Pwn Dat Box!<br></br><br></br>Fun must ensue when you realise someone's making a call on the box you really need in order to win the game. Can violence be too far away? (<i>"Peg off, Granny. Team 1337ZR needs to make a phone call..."</i>) And the game should progress faster and faster as players become increasingly less encumbered by carrying round a huge bag of 10 pence pieces in their pocket/on their back/in a trolley. (Do they still sell phone cards?)<br></br><br></br>Maybe something like the <a href='http://www.payphone-directory.org/'>Payphone Directory</a> could help in terms of getting a list of numbers together... Or maybe you actually only need, say, 5 phone boxes so long as other goals are introduced which force you away from the boxes regularly. Or something.<br></br><br></br>I guess it'd be easy enough to port the game over to other places - perhaps once the rain clears up, a match in Brighton should be arranged (although satellite images, on Google Maps at least, are a little poor).<br></br><br></br>(Via <a href='http://www.vexappeal.com/2007/06/boxr.html'>Vex Appeal</a>.)</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-16811226248561949162007-06-10T20:38:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:45:15.337+00:00Scott Reviews, Alice *still* Lost<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>If you look over on the left, you'll see a couple of links added. First up, I discovered <a href='http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/'>Board Games with Scott</a>, wherein Scott provides a cornucopia of videos reviewing various board games. I like his style, and am now seriously thinking of ordering a copy of <a href='http://boardgamegeek.com/game/24480'>The Pillars of the Earth</a>. Still plenty of episodes to get through though, so maybe something else will swing my cash.<br /><br />Secondly, I've stuck an extra, pictoral link into Eric Harshbarger's <a href='http://www.aliceislost.com/'>Alice is Lost!</a>, just to show how excited about this one I am. If you haven't checked it out since last time I posted it, you may want to head over and have a look at the <a href='http://www.aliceislost.com/prologue_01.html'>prologue</a>. Various groups are also mobilising into action around it as well - continue perusing the site for links. Many thanks to Eric for letting me use the image, too.<br /><br />This weekend I have mostly been playing Poker.<br /></div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-24447652962659616752007-06-04T12:04:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:45:48.991+00:00Perplex City: We hardly knew thee?<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Not got much time to blog at the moment, but the big news of the weekend was that the second season of Perplex City <a href='http://perplexcitystories.com/'>has been postponed indefinitely</a>, with the story team laid off. Having worked on coding projects in the past, I guess I have my own speculations about why this is, but they're probably wrong, and mostly unimportant anyway. For more information, speculation, and links to blogs (both in-game and out-of-game), have a read through the <a href='http://perplexorum.com/showthread.php?t=1647'>Perplexorum thread</a>.<br /><br />Still, sometimes there's a silver lining hidden round the bend. Eric Harshbarger of Mind Candy has announced his "side-project" called <a href='http://www.aliceislost.com/'>Alice is Lost!</a>. Set to launch in Autumn, an Alice-themed ARG was always going to be inevitable. Personally, I can't wait...</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-88471444112946888902007-05-10T15:13:00.001+00:002007-10-26T10:46:23.024+00:00Competition: They think it's all over... It is now!<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Well, it looks like my last <a href='http://phrenicia.blogspot.com/2007/05/blatant-clue-blatant-competition-time.html'>round of hints</a> did the job - we have a <a href='http://phrenicia.blogspot.com/2007/03/competition-time-win-pxc-key-and-other.html'>competition</a> winner! The first to figure out what convoluted contortions to go through was <b><a href='http://perplexcity.com/profile/lysithea'>Lysithea</a></b>, so big congrats, global parcel delivery and a strange, monochrome photo to her...<br></br><br></br>Rather than posting the answer here, I've decided to put up a <a href='http://www.exmosis.net/puzzles/ivegotthekey_solve.html'>separate page</a> with details of how to solve it. If you don't want to know, then look away now.<br></br><br></br>Big thanks to all who entered, and anyone that even had a look at it. Hopefully there'll be another giveaway (less PXC related) some time in the future...<br></br></div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-1546916859858009102007-05-08T11:08:00.001+00:002007-05-08T11:11:15.818+00:00Blatant Clue, Blatant. (Competition Time again)<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>So it looks like <a href='http://phrenicia.blogspot.com/2007/04/competition-extension-and-some-help.html'>my previous assistance</a> didn't help too much. The competition is still on, and sounds like some of you are getting a little desparate now ;)<br /><br />Firstly, gargantuan sorries for not updating it sooner - those of you running on term times will know how frantic it gets around this time of year. Still, that's no excuse. (Really I've just been playing Super Monkey Ball, but shhhh.)<br /><br />Secondly, it's time to start giving the game away some more. Reminder: first one to mail me the correct answer (brute forcing it won't count) gets <a href='http://phrenicia.blogspot.com/2007/03/competition-time-win-pxc-key-and-other.html'>the goodies as promised</a>. Now, I'm not sure which part people are stuck on, so here's a handful of hints: Key order is key. If your collection isn't up to scratch, <a href='http://perplexcitycardcatalogue.com/2/'>this site may help</a>. Ignore the middle ground - the edge cases will give you the 'initial' clue, but you may need to fill in the gaps a little.<br /><br />Practically speaking, if you're not adept with photoshop or <a href='http://www.gimp.org/'>the gimp</a>, there's nothing wrong with a little paperwork to get things in line.<br /><br />Tick-tock...</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-18434354577617754652007-05-04T14:23:00.001+00:002007-05-08T11:12:01.809+00:00Violet Underground (PXC S2 preview)<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://www.violetunderground.com/'>Violet Undergound</a> is go, for all you perplexers.</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-52684839176618956962007-05-03T07:42:00.001+00:002007-05-03T07:44:24.940+00:00PXC S2 Preview Tomorrow<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Following on from the "<a href='http://blog.perplexcitystories.com/2007/05/keep_your_eyes_.html'>official announce</a>", ARGNet reports that a <a href='http://www.argn.com/archive/000592perplex_city_season_2_preview_episode_goes_live.php'>Perplex City "preview episode"</a> will hit the web on Friday (tomorrow, at time of writing). Sounds like it might be a way to keep old players ticking over til June, plus a nice introduction to things for newbies.<br /><br />As details on the way season 2 will work are still pretty scant, this should be interesting to see. Video, I guess, will be used, but the interactive part remains a mystery. In particular, how will it balance individuals vs groupwork? I have much work to do, but will be keeping an eye out tomorrow for sure...</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-17433322959097872262007-04-11T12:23:00.001+00:002007-05-08T11:11:51.287+00:00First come, first served.<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>It's Wednesday, I haven't seen any correct answers, so first one to get it right gets the stuff from now on. I'll post a hint later - probably tomorrow as I have no net access at home at the moment :( I'll probably also add a card or two to the stash.<br /><br />In the meantime, enjoy <a href='http://xkcd.com/c246.html'>xkcd's Labyrinth Puzzle</a>.</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-72735820528379405082007-04-05T09:13:00.001+00:002007-04-05T09:14:48.598+00:00Take your time, don't hurry... Loser!<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Apparently American boardgame makers are <a href='http://ibtimes.com/apnews/20070329/speedy-games.htm'>making games faster to play</a>, so people can cram them into their busy schedules. The article mentions a lot of examples, which I think can be split into two kinds of "speedplay".<br /><br />First up, there's the games that have been designed or re-designed for the IMPATIENT. Like Monopoly/Scrabble express. I'm not vehemently anti-these, but they <i>do</i> seem to just "cash in" on the <i>idea</i> of playing a game. "Ooh, let's play Monopoly, only not." ish. I don't wish to be militant about it, I just think we should remember that playing a game <i>in itself</i> is something to do, not just a time-filler. Maybe the fact that we're <i>still</i> talking about Scrabble and Monopoly - classics though they are - just proves how "uninnovative" the US/Brit games industry is. Apparently the best way forward is to just churn out sponsored/tie-in versions of these, as seen with the move towards Visa [TM] cashcards instead of paper money, and a hundred bazillion versions of both Monopoly (including <a href='http://www.boardgames.com/makyourownmo.html'>making your own</a>, for endless enjoyment) and <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_(game)#Official_board_games'>Risk</a> (hi, PXC players ;)<br /><br />Compare them to, say, Settlers of Catan or Carcassonne (of course) and it makes you wonder where all the <i>new</i> "classics" are - the ones that you really don't mind spending an hour or two with, because they're fun <i>and</i> novel.<br /><br />Having said that, there are certainly some games out there that could benefit from some streamlining. Trivial Pursuit often drags on a bit (as does its "sibling", the Perplex City boardgame), and I've even played some games of Cranium that were getting a bit tedious by the end. Good game design is tricky to get spot on.<br /><br />Second, there's the games that get their <i>fun</i> from the speed. The article mentions "grab scrabble", which I've played variations on, in which spotting things first is of the essence. <a href='http://www.setgame.com/'>Set</a> is another example of how speed maketh the game, although <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spit_(card_game)'>Slam/Spit</a> has to be the greatest. <br /><br />These are a different breed though, and one of the attractions is that you can play a <i>few</i> games, and people have a greater chance of winning at least once. The race aspect gets the adrenaline going - something which merely replacing paper with plastic doesn't aim for.<br /><br />Despite all this, I know it's always horses for courses (or courses for horses, I can never remember which way round it goes). I like to take an evening to play a game or two, relax into it like Poker. But do you find yourself playing more speedy games, and leaving the "big, proper" ones on the shelf? Do we need to <i>make</i> time to play games more these days? Or is it just the Americans? ;)</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-5792656449187017442007-04-03T14:17:00.001+00:002007-04-05T09:15:55.315+00:00Competition: Extension. And Some Help.<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>It's time - high time - for an update on the <a href='http://phrenicia.blogspot.com/2007/03/competition-time-win-pxc-key-and-other.html'>PXC competition</a> from last week. Tomorrow's the ultimate deadline, and a few entries have been winging in, but alas either I've made a mistake, or you've all been guessing.<br /><br />So as nobody's got the correct answer yet, I'll offer some hints. "Fortunately" (for some), the <a href='http://www.perplexcitystories.com/'>PXC Stories</a> site has been delayed until June, so the urgency of sending out keys doesn't have quite the same.. um... urgency. As a result, I'll keep the competition open for another week and a half before turning it into a "first correct solve wins" effort. That means the deadline is now <b>Sunday 15th April</b>, giving you Easter and a weekend.<br /><br />A hint then? Hmm, ok. Well, the puzzle's a 2-parter (as I hope some of you have worked out...), and some graph paper may help you to expand upon the 2nd part. On one level, you will need to ignore what you see. Finally, if you're new to PXC, the <a href='http://www.perplexcitywiki.com/'>wiki</a> may be of use for identifying characters...<br /><br />I'm far too kind. Go forth and solve.</div>Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857802929940178158.post-54178217382736393222007-03-28T17:07:00.000+00:002007-03-28T17:08:12.142+00:00New ARG-centric t-shirt designs availablePretty quiet day, so I've added a few designs to the <a href="http://scribewear.spreadshirt.net/">Scribewear</a> shop. First up, there's the <b>tinag-eye</b> designs - <a href="http://www.spreadshirt.net/shop.php?op=articles&design_id=3252959">with</a> and <a href="http://www.spreadshirt.net/shop.php?op=articles&design_id=3252951">without</a> teardrop in case you want to choose between showing off your manliness, and proudly displaying your sentimental affinity with nu-literature...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.spreadshirt.net/shop.php?op=articles&design_id=3252959"><img src="http://cache4.spreadshirt.net/users/843000/842418/products/842418_5196609_1_big.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.spreadshirt.net/shop.php?op=articles&design_id=3252951"><img src="http://cache4.spreadshirt.net/users/843000/842418/products/842418_5196561_1_big.jpg" /></a><br /><br />These are both available as normal shirts, cheap shirts (no idea what the quality is like on those...) and ladies' tops.<br /><br />Then there's the equally-obscure <b>[SPOILER]</b> design on dark blue, available with an <a href="http://www.spreadshirt.net/shop.php?op=article&article_id=4609868">opening tag only</a>, or complete with <a href="http://www.spreadshirt.net/shop.php?op=article&article_id=4609872">closing tag on back</a>...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.spreadshirt.net/shop.php?op=article&article_id=4609868"><img src="http://cache4.spreadshirt.net/users/843000/842418/products/842418_5195345_1_big.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Maybe they'll hope to mop up the news that PXC stories has been <a href="http://blog.perplexcitystories.com/2007/03/yes_its_june.html">delayed til June</a>...Scribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.com0