Jolt Country

Hey, Robb.

It's Robbie, your collaborator for Revenger II, et al. I think your email is currently broken, or else I have been relegated to the spam box.

I also never got your (generously offered) CZK CD in the mail.

Anyway, I haven't been online much lately, and wasn't sure of the best way to get ahold of you. I was sitting up late one night and messing around, and finally decided to finish ND, on my new computer, sans my original save files.

I still love this game, and I still think it's some of your best work-- if not the best. I really identify with the main character. Hell, I *was* that guy, a few years ago. I was a little disappointed with the ending, though. I kept wondering what that Finnish guy on R*IF was ranting about. I figured that maybe you killed off all the characters at the end anyway, like a classic horror film, or something. But, you maintained the classic adventure game trope of allowing everybody to survive so long as the user makes the right choices, so I was pleased with that part.

Then, you went and turned a perfect horror/adventure plot into a tear-jerker at the end. I have to admit, I saw this one coming, but I still wasn't quite emotionally prepared for it when it happened. I went back and played the last part over a couple of times, until I got a perfect score, hoping thereby to avoid the soul-sucking event at the end. I thought maybe all the "My hero" stuff and seeing the main character in his element would cause his girlfriend to have some more respect for him, and allow him to focus and turn his life around. I figured that would be the pivotal event that did it. I didn't expect him to drift back into his old habits. I *really* didn't expect them all to avoid each other after it was over. Who ignores somebody that saves his/her life?

Let me re-iterate... I got a perfect score (601), and still found the ending depressing... you know, after his couple happy moments of glory, there.

I'd have to say that the gameplay moment that annoyed me most had to do with the Revenant, though. Robb, here you have a powerful monster that you don't have to kill, you don't have to do anything useful with, and whatever you say or do with it does not increase your score. What really got me though... was your mention of a powerful item possessed by this creature, the "nightblade", a sword which emitted smoke and flame or whatever, and the player can't possess it. All I got from the parser was: "This game does not understand the word 'nightblade'." Same result for "sword." Come on, Robb, that is like TORTURE to an adventure gamer. I went so far as to dance back and forth to the fountain, to give myself the stamina to defeat the Revenant near the end, with time running out, and searching his body revealed nothing. I thought that I'd at least get to ditch a couple of the suckier weapons for the sword, wail on a couple of undead for an inflated score, and have an immense feeling of satisfaction afterward. Major bell and whistle missing, there. Also, he had a cool robe apparently, according to the description. Wearing that would have been nice.

In addition, I intuitively got that the Spectre kept the blood cold for you, but that could have been explained better. I mean, I tried an alternate ending where I just ran outside with it. It can't have spoiled *that* quickly, can it?

In unrelated news, I think that I asked you to introduce me to Tammy Bancroft, one time. It turns out that I got confused by reading the credits for FoD and ND, and assuming which actress was which. In reality, Jamie Byrnes is the one that I was hot for... I really hope you have her on speed dial. I know you're engaged now and all, but come on.

Revenger II is coming along... in theory... along with everything else that I am writing, including a screenplay at the moment. I am really more enthused about my ideas for Revenger III-- knowing full well that I will have to write Revenger II first, in order to set it up properly, assuming I ever bother to learn HUGO. Expect me to send you an abstract sometime soon, if you get this.

Fort Collins is looking better all the time.

Stay warm, buddy.

--RB

Erebor wrote:I know you're engaged now and all

OOOooooooo...

Hey, I will write a longer reply later, but can you write me an email with your address? If I get home before you see this I'll just write you directly. I didn't get the one on where to ship CZK, but I'll go ahead and do that.

Thanks a lot for the thoughts on Necrotic Drift - I really appreciate it.

Heading home in a bit, let's bump up this thread!!

Erebor wrote:I thought maybe all the "My hero" stuff and seeing the main character in his element would cause his girlfriend to have some more respect for him, and allow him to focus and turn his life around. I figured that would be the pivotal event that did it. I didn't expect him to drift back into his old habits. I *really* didn't expect them all to avoid each other after it was over. Who ignores somebody that saves his/her life?

I know ten years ago (even more, since I started working on it in 2001) I felt that way. I kind of still do.

was your mention of a powerful item possessed by this creature, the "nightblade", a sword which emitted smoke and flame or whatever, and the player can't possess it. All I got from the parser was: "This game does not understand the word 'nightblade'." Same result for "sword."

A lot of times when people say they found a game buggy, I really have no idea what they are talking about - but there's definitely a lot of unimplemented scenery in Necrotic Drift and Fallacy of Dawn. It sucks: I wanted the revenant tohave lots of flavor, but I didn't want the player to be able to solve things with a giant sword from then on, either. :(

In addition, I intuitively got that the Spectre kept the blood cold for you, but that could have been explained better. I mean, I tried an alternate ending where I just ran outside with it. It can't have spoiled *that* quickly, can it?

Ha, good point. Well, for what it is worth, I am keeping track of time in the next game in a better way, so I can react to such things.

Um, thanks for the vote of confidence, Pinback. Or whatever that was. I don't know that many girls that are interested in unpublished writers. Then again, I don't know that many girls who would ever agree to pose for pictures that would be used in a text adventure. So, that cancels out my previous pessimism, and I feel lukewarm about my chances.

Exactly what voodoo do you use to get them to agree to do that, Robb? I've been meaning to ask.

Btw, Robb, I'm just going completely from memory, and thinking that you announced your engagement in a previous JC post. I'm a little behind on my Jolt Country reading, though, and my memory is a little suspect considering that I have very recently become old. So, sorry if I figuratively slapped the shackle on your wrist before your time, there.

The weird thing is (and I mean "twilight zone" kind of weird) that I've had 2 cousins move to the Ft. Collins area recently, like in the past 2 or 3 years or so, I think. Practically on your back doorstep. So, the likelihood of my paying you a visit someday has gone from out of the ballpark, to within the realm of the possible.

Forgive the meandering of topics, and such, and maybe this is a little Zorkian of me, but don't you think that maybe the ending to ND could change based on your score, at least? Maybe reward a perfect score with something like a few different lines of dialogue. Although, I get where you were going with with the story, I really do. The character was in the "Necrotic Drift" the entire time and never got out of it, either pre- or post- demon summoning. That way was more artistic of you, for sure. The title reference was good, as always.

And by the way, screw whoever said that the "Fallacy of Dawn" reference in FoD was obvious or misplaced or whatever. I thought that it was cool, and the height of symbolism on your part.

[Of course, I liked the "Fight the Future" reference in the first X-Files movie, too, so I may not be the most objective audience.]

At the risk of incurring loads of spam, I am going to post my email here... also because I haven't had a lot to read lately and think that your website may have a more discerning viewership than most... but mainly because I have no idea how our last few emails got lost in cyberspace in the first place and I lost touch with you. I'm not filled with confidence in Yahoo, atm, as a means of communication. If you think that's an error in judgment, maybe one of your kind moderators can edit that out later, or something.

Anyway, this is me: rcb_001@yahoo.com


Also, I'm going to forward you the email that I sent back in March, which coincidentally contains my address.

Keep me up to date on your latest project.
Happy coding.

--Robbie

Erebor wrote:Um, thanks for the vote of confidence, Pinback. Or whatever that was.

Pinback is a hater, and haters gone hate.

Exactly what voodoo do you use to get them to agree to do that, Robb? I've been meaning to ask.

Well, lately I have been paying them $50 an hour. Even then, I had two or three models bail on showing up to the haunted house in October.

Btw, Robb, I'm just going completely from memory, and thinking that you announced your engagement in a previous JC post. I'm a little behind on my Jolt Country reading, though, and my memory is a little suspect considering that I have very recently become old. So, sorry if I figuratively slapped the shackle on your wrist before your time, there.

No, not at all! The engagement went like how Necrotic Drift ended, minus any babies.

Forgive the meandering of topics, and such, and maybe this is a little Zorkian of me, but don't you think that maybe the ending to ND could change based on your score, at least?

I don't think I've ever changed the endings based on score. You can get one of ... four or five endings in A Crimson Spring based on decisions you made, and you can get one of four endings in Cryptozookeeper based on decisions you made, and how kick-ass your army is. (There's more to that, but I don't want to spoil it for Pinback, who is playing it at the moment.)

I think with Necrotic Drift, though, that is the one game I wouldn't want to modify the ending to. I want everyone who completes it to get the same conclusion to the story. (And of all the games I've made, that's the one I would never return to. I mean, I doubt I'll actually make a sequel to any of them, but definitely not that one.)

And by the way, screw whoever said that the "Fallacy of Dawn" reference in FoD was obvious or misplaced or whatever. I thought that it was cool, and the height of symbolism on your part.

Thanks. :)

Wait - there weren't any alternate endings in ND? I assumed the ending where Duffy's life falls part was the bad "You've scored under 1,000!" ending.

The only thing in the ending that you can fix is whether or not you save Casey. Yeah, the rest of it is immutable.

At the risk of asking you a horribly personal question, Robb, did you mean that your engagement went like ND, in that you chased her across several states and ended up happily falling into each other's arms, or that everybody ignored each other and ended up feeling miserable?

That was a bit ambiguous of you. I mean, I assume your personal life is okay. I read the JC post about you and your girl holding hands and checking out animals at the zoo.

Anyway, best of luck.

I just can't help gawking in disbelief at the existence of the stable long-term relationship, I suppose. I mean, I know it exists in theory, I've just never seen one.

Btw, did your girl play Deanna in CZK?

Sorry, man. Just ignore that. I just read your "Resolutions" post. I really should start reading the most recent posts, first, and not go with the months old posts that catch my eye.

Didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject.