#CREATING ADVENTURE PROGRAMS ON YOUR COMPUTER | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ndconceptarchive · 2 months

Text

Interview with Creators of the original Secrets Can Kill game

It's honestly a very interesting interview about the early days of HI and it includes some foreshadowing to Alibi in Ashes, Tomb of the Lost Queen, and Labyrinth of Lies. (There was also a mention of possibly remastering Message in a Haunted Mansion! Although that likely wasn't in development.)

The following is a transcript from a video titled, Interview with Creators of the original Secrets Can Kill game | Nancy Drew Games | HeR Interactive. Published Aug 20, 2010. It was created in promotion for Secrets Can Kill Remastered, as seen in the video description:

"We interview Megan, Kris, Robert, and Tim about their experiences making the original version of Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill from 12 years ago! They share funny stories and give a few little known clues about the game. It's a look back at how far Her Interactive has come and where it's going with the upcoming release of Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill REMASTERED (PC/Mac, available on August 24)."

Interviewer: Hello, so we are here today, with four of the original people who worked on the very first Secrets Can Kill game:

Megan, our CEO, what were you back when we made Secrets Can Kill?

Megan: I was the Creative Director when I got hired in 1997, and then Robert was…

Robert: The Program Manager. I had been recruited from the accounting department in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Kris: I’m Kris, I was hired as a 2D artist and I came in to work with Tim…

Tim: who was also a contract artist and then, I kind of took over the 3D part at the very tail end of the project.

Interviewer: Did you know anything about creating games when you first started on Secrets Kill?

Robert: I did a little. I made games when I was a kid. When I got my first computer, all I did was make games for it, especially adventure-type of text-based games, so I knew just a little, but definitely not enough. I was really surprised and overwhelmed by the amount of work that it took to make a computer game.

Kris: I used to do computer day camps with my father who taught us to to program to program games in BASIC. But beyond, that no.

Tim: Oh I played a lot of computer games, but mainly board games was my big thing. I had a little board gaming group that would just play tons of a lot of German board games. And I think that helped because a lot of those mechanics and bargains translate over into, you know, mini games and puzzles and stuff. So that was fun, but I had no design experience or [anything] at that point.

Interviewer: So what is the biggest challenge that you guys had to face when you were making Secrets Can Kill?

Megan: Well, first, we were a new team and half the team was in Albuquerque. Then it shifted and I guess everyone moved to Bellevue by the end of the game, really, we were all learning how to work as a team and to kind of create this game around Nancy Drew. So communication I think was probably the hardest.

Robert: yeah, because there there was a lot of assets, but not a lot of documentation to go with.

Megan: No documentation.

Robert: Yeah, I remember you, you brought down your, the art director at that time, Laura Henion, to Albuquerque so we could all meet.

Tim: I think the hardest part was just finishing it. It went really long, much longer than we have [now]. I mean, we got it down to a science now.

I remember [that] I would take my work home. [I would] then get up at like 3:00 in the morning and start another render on the computer, then go back to bed and get up another half hour and check it and make some tweaks and keep running. I was doing that almost every night it seems for a while there just to get it done.

Kris: That's really true. There were three of us in the art department at that time- counting Laura the art director. So it was a big push at the end to get work finished. That was a challenge.

Megan: I think you know, communication was the biggest challenge, but the good part was that everybody was so excited and enthusiastic and passionate. It didn't seem to matter what obstacle came up, because we just figured out a way to overcome it. So there's a lot of trial and error in the first game.

Interviewer: What is something funny or memorable that you remember from the process when you made that first game?

Robert: So remember we just had a recorder, a voice recorder. So we thought, let's make silly, silly voicemail messages when you would call different places like Maxines or Aunt Eloise. So we all gathered around the microphone and and just add libbed and it was really funny.

Tim: When I was just basically just kind of an art assitant and helping Laura, the art director, and I just came in and sat down and started doing some work and I heard some rough rustling going on. What's going on? And I looked behind me and Glenn, who was our contract 3D artist at the time (three years at the time) came out of a sleeping bag from underneath his desk.

Interviewer: Kris, do you have any memories?

Kris: I remember the marketing at the end. When we finished the game, Megan gave me a huge stack of cell sheets to take with me to spread around town. And I remember I was going to visit my family back east, so I was supposed to take them across the country and spread them around.

And so there was really some guerrilla marketing that went on at that point.

Interviewer: Come a long way for sure. Say, what do you think of the original Secrets Can Kill now that's been 12 years since you've made it?

Robert: It's always, it was, it's very, it was very surprising to replay it when we're when we're looking at it to remaster Master. I mean, it's just it's so much more different. It was shorter. The storyline wasn’t as as intricate as our current ones. The puzzles were pretty primitive and I think there was only like. I don't know, like 7 inventory objects. Now we have at least 30.

Tim: We also kind of approach it little differently. It was I think the only game where we hid these hidden messages all throughout the game that had really. That we're really outside of Nancy's world and universe. It was just like like the designer hitting hiding messages in there maybe about the game.

But it was, you know, if you look at different book spine titles in the library, you could actually, spell out a sentence or something that that might say something, mysterious.

Megan: Meaningful? Tim: But it was like, if you were actually a player in the world, you’d be like, “where did that come from?” So we kind of changed our design tactic on that later on, but that was the one game where we did kind of funny things like that.

Kris: A player wouldn’t notice, but a lot of the articles were written by our family members. Or you know, some of the photos in the game, like for example, in the student dome where Hal Tanaka sits, there's the bulletin board for student of the Month.

Tim: That's where Connie was at.

Kris: Oh, it’s where Connie is. And so that's, you know, pictures of ourselves and our friends and family.

Interviewer: What kind of other things did you put in there that you don't think our fans would necessarily have picked up on playing through the games that you guys hid in there?

Robert: Ohh, I remember in the opening cinematic Darrell does that, [pulls his ear] which is an old Carol Burnett move to say “hi Mom!”.

Tim: My son Sam is in the teacher's lounge, he’s in a photo, and he was like a year or two years old and now he's like a grown man, you know, it feels like (he's like 13 now).

Megan: So I can't remember if that's the one my nieces were in, but when I told them [that they were in a game] they said, “do we talk when you press on us?” And I said “no, maybe in the next game.”

So what was really neat was when we got together with girls to have them play games at that time to see what they thought about Nancy Drew and games in general.

And girls didn't really play games back then. And so their feedback actually helped us to improve on existing gameplay rather than just perpetuate stereotypes.

They would say, when they're playing a shooter, “you know, we don't mind shooting, however, we prefer a reason before we shoot. Like if they were beating up my little sister, I'd be all over them.” So they really helped us with their input in terms of making the games, that that they wanted.

Interviewer: What are some of the changes that you think have made the biggest impact in the newer games versus the original one?

Tim: I think the design, the tighter design, kind of the overarching puzzle that is woven into the game is very compelling and interesting to follow for this new game. I think.

The old game was much more open and just kind of, I mean, you could explore, but. There was a little bit more wandering and trying to piece together what was going on. This one, it's just more cleverly put together. Also the graphics. I think make a big difference with the new lighting and just a little bit updated the 3D characters definitely is a huge difference.

Robert: Something the players won’t notice is that we now use Lua rather than our proprietary scripting language. It was horrendous. Very 20th century, so even though that doesn't affect the players, it really affected us and made it much more easy to put the the games together.

Kris: I feel really nostalgic playing this game going back but as far as the fun factor is concerned, I really liked that the arcade-style mini-games are now included

Interviewer: Barnacle Blast!

Kris: Yeah.

Megan: I remember when we were on our first or second game people would say so what are you gonna do after that i mean nobody's gonna play a third Nancy Drew game.

Interviewer: Did you imagine that you guys would be still making these games 23 games later?

Everyone: No [visibly shaking heads]

Tim: It’s pretty incredible just to think about. Every once in a while I’ll just pull up the codes and stuff because I can’t keep track of which games are in what order anymore. I’ll just look through this list and think “I’ve been here for all of these.” It’s crazy. I mean, it’s something I’m really prud of, that we’ve been able to last that long and create just this wonderful collection.

Megan: I think there’s just the team that you know, that we had all these years. Everyone is so talented and creative. There’s this creative collaboration from the beginning where everybody feels comfortable to add their ideas to the mix.

Robert: The sky’s the limit for Nancy Drew. There’s so many stories you can tell, so many places you can go, so many people you can meet. It’s fun reinventing Nancy Drew for other platforms as well.

Tim: We get feedback all the time from players who are like “I really wanna see Nancy go to Egypt or to Greece” and we

Megan: We’re all storytellers. We all come from very different backgrounds. Math, architecture, film, art, but we all love to tell a story. And in these Nancy Drew games, there’s a weave of fact and fiction. And it’s a lot of meaningful content. Historical references and characters, cultural discovery, you learn about the folklore. You learn, but you’re having so much fun you don’t even realize.

Interviewer: What mystery would you like to see Nancy Drew solve in the future now that we’re talking about how the sky’s the limit? Robert: I actually liked going back to Secrets Can Kill. And I kind of wanna do some retro stuff. So I wouldn't mind going back to like Haunted Mansion and maybe something was left unfound.

Kris: I might like to see Nancy go to Thailand so we could showcase the architecture of Thailand.

Tim: So many great characters. some of these secondary characters that you never see like Krolmeister and Sonny Joon and all these people that have kind of built up this universe. It's it's great to be able to go back and and draw from some of that and create more content from that.

Megan: Traveling just to different countries. I think that's so interesting. Egypt would be fascinating.

Robert: I think it'd be also fun to take her back home. You know, we we haven't explored River Heights and there's just so much there too and this just wide geography of River Heights. It would be fun to look at.

Interviewer: Do you guys have anything else that you'd like our fans to know about the new version of Secrets Can Kill Remastered?

Robert: There's clues everywhere so…

[laughter from everyone]

Megan: What made you give that away!

Interviewer: We hope to see a lot more games from you guys. Megan & the others: thank you, Thank you! We hope you enjoyed this.

#sck #secrets can kill #sckr #secrets can kill remastered #interview #her interactive #behind the scenes

30 notes · View notes

thedrowsydoormouse · 4 months

Text

Ok I don't know if I'm sleep deprived or if this actually makes sense but bear with me because I think I've figured out the backstory for Finetime! Spoilers for Dot and Bubble below the cut.

Ok so what do we KNOW about Finetime?

It's on a different planet than the Home World

It is literally in a bubble that is cut off from the outside world

Everyone there is between the ages of 17-27

It's filled with all the rich (racist) kids who could afford to go there

They "work" for two hours each day

The weather is controlled by a satelite

The home world was also overrun by the slugs

So what can we hypothesize from that information? (Side note, anything you are about to read that is racist, classist, or both are not my actual words but what I would assume someone from that society would think or say. I do not hold those beliefs and I do not wish to associate with anyone who does.)

The grown ups back on the Home World (an already racist, classist society) had already started to drive their Dots insane and they knew their days were numbered. So they gathered up a bunch of their "least valuable" (to them) citizens to Boldy Go and find a new planet that won't immediately kill them and build a new settlement, not really caring how many of them make it back, if any, because again, racist and classist.

While the new settlement is being discovered and built, the people back on the Home World got to work planning. They knew there would only be so many spots available in the new community (think like lifeboats on the Titanic) so the easiest way they could think to secure those spots is to have people pay for them and they needed to make sure every person going could fend for themself (more or less) and was within reproductive age, thus the 17-27 year age limit. But that creates a problem. If your entire population is made up of a bunch of rich 20 somethings who have no marketable skills, how will society continue to function? So they automate everything with computer programs and AI to handle the nitty gritty and the 2 hours of "work" are basically games that keep the AI running smoothly. Then construction of Finetime is complete, the "undesirables" leave the bubble and move out into the jungle (I'm assuming. We never really find out what happened to the people who built everything because the only person we meet who would know is Ricky and well ...........), the bubble is sterilized because poor people cooties, and the stage is set for our "adventure".

So off they go, a rocket full of Rich White kids who, if they were told they were going to be the last of their kind, they either weren't paying attention or didn't care. They assume it's going to be a long holiday and once they turn 27 they'll all head back to the Home World and back to Mummy and Daddy. So they continue on, business as usual. They play their little games for two hours every day to maintain the status quo then spend the rest of their time living like rich kids on vacation. All the while their Dots are plotting to wipe out all of them the same way they started (and eventually finished) back on the Home World because nothing has fundamentally changed. The problem is the computers that run everything need above a certain population to continue functioning normally, so the first few slug victims (#allhailthegloriousslugs) didn't really make that much of a difference. But as more and more of them get eaten, the computers start to struggle to keep up and things start to go a bit haywire, like the weather satellites having issues (I know that was a real world issue and not meant to be part of the plot but it works so well in my backstory theory that I'm going with it).

TLDR: a bunch of rich, racist assholes did what rich, racist assholes do and basically destroyed their planet, used a bunch of working class people and people of color to find and build a new society on a new planet, sent their obnoxious, self absorbed trust fund babies to go live in that society, and the the completely expected thing happens when the problems continue in the new community because nothing about the society itself fundamentally changed. Any of the people who managed to escape Finetime who also manage to not drown when the boat their on inevitably runs aground (because they can't even walk without arrows, no way in hell they'll know how to drive a boat) are either going to starve to death or have to contend with countless wild animals and potentially even the people who built the bubble city in the first place. Not a single person on that boat will live longer than a week.

#doctor who #dw spoilers #doctor who spoilers #dot and bubble #finetime #i normally have a way longer set of tags for my doctor who stuff #its weird only having a couple that actually apply #i feel like i should be adding more tags but idk which ones to add #this is just kind of a long waffle because i havent slept oroperly in over a week #i am very veyr tired #please help me

20 notes · View notes

transgenderastarion · 1 year

Text

hello baldurs gate 3 community again: This time im talking about modding!

hello adventurers and shifty-eyed people, I bring to you some important stuff. Mod compilations! Below the cut, if you are interested, I have compiled a few things for what I think the bg3 tumblr modding community wants (based on me being in the tag for a month straight). Things I have compiled include: - Super basic install of baldur's gate 3 mod manager (and a bit of vortex) (9 Easy Steps!) - My OWN special "Computer helper" mod bundle with super easy installations (helps it run on my piece of crap laptop who hates me so much but I love her <3) - Companion and player mods (visuals only, and like de-ab-ing and stuff, I'm not going around adding all the extra eye colour mods) INCLUDING TRANS TOP SCARS AND DADBOD MODS + MORE - Some personal favourite mods that really helped enhance my experience. Enjoy! (if you enjoy bg3 modding, please consider reblogging because I think posts with links are still shadowbanned in the tag lol)

HOW TO GET THE MOD LOADER FOR BG3 IN 3 EASY STEPS

go to the github download page and scroll down until you see the first downloadable file that reads "BG3ModManager_Lastest.zip"

extract the file into an accessible area (your downloads folder should work fine, I just put it on my desktop) (just anything that won't require you to give admin permissions to download it. I would also keep this off Local Disc (C:) for convenience) You can use any free extractor program, 7zip works, i used to use Peazip and now I use Breezip and that works well.

Tada! You should have an open folder in your extracted location. 2 things may happen here: You will get the extracted folder with the other documents inside. Congrats, you're done! If you have an extracted folder with ONLY the .exe file in it, go back into the zip file and drag the other files into the folder. This should fix the problem, all files from the zip need to be there to work.

(OPTIONAL) you CAN use Vortex mod manager to manage your bg3 mods on there, in which case any nexusmods mod will have a direct download button for you. Personally I have my subnautica mods loaded from there so bg3 is unavailable.

HOW TO MOD BALDURS GATE 6 IN EASY STEPS + SCRIPT EXTENDER

Make sure you have Baldur's Gate 3 Installed. I have it on steam, I don't know how to help with EA, sorry.

open your file explorer/documents. Go to Admin -> AppData -> Local -> Larian Studios* -> Baldur's Gate 3 (leave launcher alone). Create a mods folder if you don't already have one, but one should have been created on your first bootup. DO NOT CLOSE THIS TAB. THIS TAB STAYS OPEN UNTIL YOU ARE DONE MODDING. * I also just search Larian Studios in Local Disc (C:) but that does take some time to load

Congrats, you're ready to mod! Now, most good mods will need something called the Baldur's Gate 3 Script Extender. You can find the download page here, and this time you're going to hit the green "code" button. Ignore everything else. Hit download zip

Extract the file again, but this time into Local Disc (C:) -> Program Files (86x) -> Steam -> Steamapps -> common -> Baldur's Gate 3 -> bin* ** * MAKE SURE to extract it to the bin folder. Some other mesh and texture mods use the data bin, so confusing them is bad. ** you CAN directly extract the folder to the bin, but I personally find it easier to extract the zip back into downloads, then open my other file explorer and click and drag the whole extracted file into the bin folder

The fun part begins! Go find some mods you like (nexusmods mostly, gamebanana MAY have some). Extract folder to your mods folder in larian studios -> baldur's gate 3 -> mods. ONLY DRAG THE .PCK FILE. YOU DO NOT NEED ANY OTHER FILES UNLESS THE MOD MAKER SAYS SO.

USING THE MOD LOADER: you are done with file explorers! Go ahead and boot up the bg3modmanager.exe file from earlier. Any INACTIVE MODS must be CLICKED AND DRAGGED over to the ACTIVE MODS side. If you don't see any mods, hit the blue circle refresh button. After that, hit the "export order to game" button right beside "export". If you see a green popup at the bottom, you are good to go!

All done! You are now on your modding journey! (if you have any outlying problems, my dms are open and there is a whole host of modders out there with answers!)

NOW TO THE FUN PART: MOD PACKS!

My own Game Optimizer Pack (basic): includes General Fixes (general bug fixes), Improved UI & Improved UI Assets (necessary for customization mods), and Mod Fixer (necessary for mods to work) *you CAN download all of these files individually from https://www.nexusmods.com but this is basically. a short version of that.

My own Game Optimizer Pack (deluxe): includes all previous mods as well as 5e Spells (spell fixer), Additional Backgrounds, Customizer Compendium, Show approval ratings in dialogue, Purchase camp clothes from merchants, Tav's hairpack

COMPANION MODS:

No Abs for companions/pcs

"oops all futas" (all female companions have penises, if you want like an all transfem run or something)

Customizable Origins (lets you customize if you play as an origin character)

Astarion:

Astarion Moles and blemishes mod

Vampire Ascendant (ability fixer mod)

TAV MODS:

Freckles and Moles as Tattoo replacers

Trip's Accessory Collection (has glasses & monacles)

Ophelia's Body Shop (top heavy/bottom heavy/chubby body alternatives)

Stronger Tav - Muscular Upper Body Mod

Top Surgery Scars

Alternate Top Surgery Scars mod for bodys 1 and 3

Strongfat body - humans and half orcs

Tav's Dadbod Mod

Softie Body - Tiefling 2

New Eye Colours and Blindess for all eyes

Transmasc Clothing options

Actually feminine and lore friendly dragonborn legs

Femme obese dragonborn body (no clothing options developed yet)

Chubby/thick/bbw body mods and clothes

Big gut dragonborn (male)

Female muscle mod

Less defined abs for male bodies

Game Enhancing Mods that I recommend! (if I have one marked starting spoiler! just. just download it and ad it just trust me dont look to far into it I promise it will be good. If I have one marked late spoiler! you can look at it and decide if you want it or later)

Faithful & Faithless - no mandatory choice of god

Mundane Blindfold (one eye cover)

No Romance Limit (polyamory mod)

highlight everything tooltip

Party Limit begone

No more spiders (all spider models replaced with dogs)

Ritual spells for rp fun

Colourblind friendly spell slots

Camp event notifications

Autosaver/Save timer (GET THIS IT SAVED MY LIFE SO MUCH)

Histories & Occupations - new backgrounds

Scratch colour variety (late spoiler!/not spoiler heavy)

Just Story (for those who just want the story. every enemy has 1 hp)

Wyll's Devil Form (starting spoiler!)

Eyes of the beholder (eye alts + scleras)

#lying flat on my back after typing this i think it took like 3 hours to compile everything #my neck hurts OTL #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #bg3 mod #bg3 mods #baldurs gate 3 mods #modding #mods #modblr

62 notes · View notes

graciedragonet23 · 1 year

Text

Hola Hola todos!! Gracie here again! In a random burst of motivation, I thought what would Lightning McQueen look like if he was in FNAF and boom this was created! I based Lightning's designs on the IRL Lightning McQueen animatronic from Disney world in Hollywood Studios and the withered animatronics from FNAF 2 and Security Breach Ruin.

I made two designs for Lightning, the first one being if he was in proper working condition and the second being if he was left to rot and withered for many years. You guys could let me know which one is your favorite!

Little lore about FNAF universe Lightning:

* Lightning McQueen is an animatronic race car who loves children.

* He is located in Disneyland California Adventure in Cars Land along with his best friend Tow Mater and his protege Cruz Ramirez.

* He is known to do meet-and-greets in front of his girlfriend's office at the Cozy Cone Motel.

* He tends to take children on little joyrides around a small race track where other children and guests can race him in their own go-karts. Of course, he doesn't go to his full max speed for safety regulations, but he still loves the thrill and the screams of joy of his guests.

* Lightning is equipped with a real V8 hybrid engine and has the ability to drive around on his own. And he can talk with a voice box built inside. He also has a jaw and teeth to properly speak. Lightning instead of needing to drink gas like in his movies, he instead is electric. He has an electric station for him to be charged at night when the park closes. He regularly gets maintenance checkups and paint job touches. Around holidays or special occasions, Disney's cast members give him and Mater new paint jobs. His eyes is a computer windshield with cameras that give Lightning the ability to see like in the films.

Lore about Withered Lightning:

* After many years without incidents, Lightning slowly becomes unnaturally aggressive and easily angry with guests. To the point, where cast members have to constantly supervise him, in case he becomes aggressive and has to be contained.

* Unfortunately, there have been incidents where Lightning has stepped on a father's feet intentionally after the father disregarded him and disrespected his son. The cast members have become concerned that Lightning might react worse and intentionally try to run someone over. They knew that it was unnatural for Lightning, since Lightning was programmed to be cool and relaxed.

* Several technicians had to come and check on Lightning, in hopes of finding out what was causing Lightning's radical behavior. But unfortunately, they couldn't find an answer or reason.

* After much debate, the Disney higher-ups decided to take Lightning away from the public eye and to be replaced by a remote controlled drive-around life-sized robot version of Lightning. When Lightning found out, he was furious. He nearly attacked a nearby cast member before he was shut down. Lightning was unfortunately scraped and taken apart for parts to be put on a newer animatronic version of Lightning.

* Lightning was locked away in a Disney parts warehouse far away from the parks where other animatronics don't work anymore. He hasn't been turned on, since...until now...

And that is it so far, I haven't really come up with Lightning's full fnaf lore, because I don't want to imagine him attacking and unliving security guards... I will leave it up to the audience to see what could be the reason why Lightning became aggressive in the first place! But that is all for now and I'll see y'all later! Adios!

#cars fandom #lightning mcqueen #pixar cars #disney cars #disney pixar #cars fanart #pixar fanart #fnaf #fnaf security breach #fnaf fanart #fnaf crossover #pixar #radiator springs #cars #cars 1 #cars movie

53 notes · View notes

captmickey · 5 months

Note

Shoppy talky, feel free to do all or none: where do you get your cute ideas, how long does it take to make something on average, what program and pens are you using when you go digital, do you color drop or eyeball it, what makes you happy and what's kinda flustering about the hobby in general, who do you love drawing most and from which angle~.

I could (and did) read this in Graham's voice haaaaaa~

1 - where do you get your cute ideas It depends? Comedy-wise, it almost always stems from either a- A conversation that was between me and someone else laugh or b- it made ME laugh. I ah... I have a weird rule where if it doesn't make me laugh, I don't make it. However, the cute ideas? It's usually inspired by seeing prompts or thinking of situations that has me kicking my feet, something that makes chest feel all warm like a big ol' hug and a comfort I desperately want to give the character. (Sorry if I'm vague... even I'm trying to think where I get it from.) 2 - how long does it take to make something on average Haaaaaa that one is tricky if only because it depends on the work? Like, okay... drabbles and quick prompts is no more than a few days (rarely, but sometimes, its on the spot), but a comic page, colored doodle or a longer fic takes easily a week at the shortest and a few at the longest. Sea of Adventurers and 3adv as a whole can easily take a few months if only because I'm a perfectionist and tend to revise. A lot... act 8 has been in the works since like, September? And as I write this have only finished chapter 2 of Sea of Adventurers. Out of three.

3 - what program and pens are you using when you go digital So for my basic drawings, I use Clip Studio Paint and honestly I use the generic g-pen or texture pen (depending on I guess the theme? Like the anniversary page was g-pen, but my recent KQ comic was texture pen). However! When I do a comic page, I use both CSP and Medibang.... I prefer the comic font/texture Medibang has but I looooooooove the cleanliness of CSP so I do all my roughs/lineart on CSP (sometimes even color on it) but I transfer it to Medibang for that grayscale coloring/texture.

4 - do you color drop or eyeball it Both! Like, for characters that pre-exist I've color in the past (e.g. Guybrush, Graham or Neese), then I'll pull up either their original source material and color drop. However, if it's one that never existed (e.g. 3adv!Zelda or Mako) then I eyeball the colors until it's appealing to me. However, once it's set and I'm repeating them several times.... color drop~

5 - what makes you happy and what's kinda flustering about the hobby in general What makes me happy is really having the ability TO create? I know it'll sound vain but honestly, there's nothing that delights me more than knowing if there's something I want to see, and I'm not seeing it, I can pull up a computer or sketchbook and get to making what I want (that was literally what stemmed 3adv haaa). I also love seeing how people react to my artwork as a whole... sometimes I'll get comments about it that makes me really sit and go "wow, people like my stuff" and it makes me happy. But on the other side of the coin, the flustering part about it... there is a few things, but it boils down ti having the time and energy and motivation to create. Like, sometimes I want somebody else to come up with the idea and the drawing and so on and so forth. Sometimes my bouts with depression gets the better of me and I can't bring myself to create. Sometimes I find myself with an idea that looks so cool in my head but when I try drawing/writing it, it's just... garbage. And it's frustrating. (And then I boot up Final Fantasy when I grumble how I should be working on making it work). And sometimes it clicks for me at 2 in the freaking morning and I forget to write it down and poof! Gone it goes. Like my sleep.

6 - who do you love drawing most and from which angle~ Hmm... while I do love drawing Link (especially in action shots) and Graham without his hat, I have to say it's my two favorite captains: Guybrush and Number One. Especially from like... the 3/4 angles because of how their hair is floop.

Also Guybrush lowkey became ten times more tolerable to draw once I fixed his hair for 3adv and I really really really really love drawing No1's stache.

#kings quest #monkey island #the three adventurers #mickey squiggles

7 notes · View notes

vimberries · 15 days

Text

Tarot Legacy Challenge

Are you ready to infuse your Sims gameplay with a touch of mysticism and destiny? If you love the idea of exploring new aspects of The Sims while embracing the rich symbolism of tarot, the Tarot Legacy Challenge is just for you!

Welcome to the Tarot Legacy Challenge, where each generation of your Sims’ family is guided by one of the Major Arcana cards of the tarot deck. This twenty-two generation legacy challenge invites you to harness the power of tarot to shape your Sims’ lives in ways you’ve never imagined. Each card represents a unique theme and set of rules that will influence the objectives, aspirations, and experiences of the current generation.

The Tarot Legacy Challenge offers an exciting opportunity to explore new gameplay elements and storytelling possibilities while creating a vibrant and dynamic family legacy. Embrace the journey, let the tarot cards reveal their secrets, and watch as your Sims’ lives unfold in magical and unexpected ways.

Basic Rules:

Each heir must complete their aspiration, master their career and master three skills

Optionally, each heir must represent the colour of the generation both with their genetics and the furnishings of their home

Each heir can move into any home they wish (freerealestate on) but must choose to have the home unfurnished

Thanks to major arcana cards, you will receive a bequest of §22,000 to help furnish your home (money 42000)

Have either normal or long lifespan

If you play this challenge, use the #tarotlegacychallenge or #tarotlc if you want me to see

Generation 0. The Fool (Yellow)

They are a whimsical comedian with a heart full of cheer and a playful spirit. Embracing a carefree, noncommittal lifestyle, they find joy in making others laugh and often indulge in spontaneous adventures. Their childish enthusiasm and love for singing add a vibrant, light-hearted flair to their everyday life.

Traits: Cheerful, Childish, Noncommittal Aspiration: Party Animal Career: Entertainer (Comedian) Skills: Comedy, Charisma, Guitar

Master Comedian career

Complete Party Animal aspiration

Master the Comedy, Charisma and Guitar skills

Have 4 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-4 children

Visit the lounge and perform comedy routines once a week

Generation 1. The Magician (Red)

They are a brilliant entrepreneur with a magnetic charisma and a keen intellect, always seeking innovative ways to achieve success. Driven by a desire for wealth and recognition, they channel their genius into building their own ventures while exuding confidence and ambition. Despite their materialistic pursuits, they are deeply committed to providing a loving and supportive environment for their future family.

Traits: Genius, Self-Assured, Erratic Aspiration: Computer Whiz Career: Tech Guru (Start-up Entrepreneur) Skills: Programming, Video Gaming, Charisma

Master Start-up Entrepreneur career

Complete Computer Whiz aspiration

Master the Programming, Video Gaming and Charisma skills

Have 3 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-5 children

Visit the library and do programming once a week

Generation 2. The High Priestess (Blue)

They are a mysterious and creative diamond agent, adept at navigating the shadows while keeping their true identity hidden. A bookworm at heart, they find solace and inspiration in the written word, often retreating into their private world for moments of reflection and strategy. Their solitary nature and inventive mindset fuel their success in covert operations, all while nurturing a deep-seated desire to build a close-knit family of their own.

Traits: Bookworm, Creative, Loner Aspiration: Freelance Botanist Career: Secret Agent (Diamond Agent) Skills: Logic, Charisma, Gardening

Master Diamond Agent career

Complete Freelance Botanist aspiration

Master the Logic, Charisma and Gardening skills

Have 2 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-4 children

Visit the library or park and play chess once a week

Generation 3. The Empress (Green)

They are a warm-hearted chef with a deep passion for creating delicious meals and nurturing those around them. Their romantic and family-oriented nature shines through in their love for hosting gatherings and cherishing moments with loved ones. Despite their culinary talent, their endearing clumsiness often leads to amusing kitchen mishaps, adding a touch of charm to their home life.

Traits: Romantic, Family-Oriented, Clumsy Aspiration: Big Happy Family Career: Culinary (Chef) Skills: Cooking, Gourmet Cooking, Piano

Master Chef career

Complete Big Happy Family aspiration

Master the Cooking, Gourmet Cooking and Piano skills

Have 4 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 3-6 children

Visit the lounge and play the piano once a week

Generation 4. The Emperor (Brown)

They are a commanding business manager with an ambitious drive and an unwavering self-assurance. Their materialistic tendencies push them to climb the corporate ladder and achieve financial success, all while maintaining a meticulous and strategic approach to their work. Despite their focus on wealth and power, they are determined to provide a stable and supportive environment for their future family.

Traits: Ambitious, Self-Assured, Materialistic Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy Career: Business (Management) Skills: Charisma, Logic, Handiness

Master Management career

Complete Fabulously Wealthy aspiration

Master the Charisma, Logic and Handiness skills

Have 2 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-5 children

Visit the library or park and play chess once a week

Generation 5. The Hierophant (White)

They are a dedicated musician with a deep love for both their craft and the written word, finding inspiration in the pages of their favourite books. Their family-oriented and loyal nature drives them to create a nurturing and supportive environment for their loved ones. Embracing traditional values and a strong sense of duty, they balance their artistic passions with a commitment to being present for their family.

Traits: Bookworm, Family-Oriented, Loyal Aspiration: Renaissance Sim Career: Entertainer (Musician) Skills: Guitar, Piano, Violin

Master Musician career

Complete Renaissance Sim aspiration

Master the Guitar, Piano and Violin skills

Have 2 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-4 children

Visit the lounge and play the piano once a week

Generation 6. The Lovers (Pink)

They are a talented professional painter whose romantic and compassionate nature infuses their artwork with deep emotional resonance. They cherish their close-knit family, using their creativity to create a warm and loving home environment. Their genuine kindness and dedication to both their art and their loved ones make them a harmonious and devoted presence in their family life.

Traits: Romantic, Family-Oriented, Good Aspiration: Soulmate Career: Painter (Patreon of the Arts) Skills: Painting, Charisma, Cooking

Master Patreon of the Arts career

Complete Soulmate aspiration

Master the Painting, Charisma and Cooking skills

Have 5 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-3 children

Visit the museum and paint once a week

Generation 7. The Chariot (Black)

They are a driven eSports gamer with an unyielding ambition and a competitive spirit that fuels their quest for victory. Their active lifestyle extends beyond the gaming world, as they channel their energy into intense training and unexpected adventures. Known for their erratic yet exhilarating approach, they balance their gaming career with a passionate desire to be a present and supportive figure for their future family.

Traits: Ambitious, Active, Erratic Aspiration: Chief of Mischief Career: Tech Guru (eSport Gamer) Skills: Programming, Video Gaming, Fitness

Master eSport Gamer career

Complete Chief of Mischief aspiration

Master the Programming, Video Gaming and Fitness skills

Have 3 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-4 children

Visit the park and perform mischief interactions once a week

Generation 8. Strength (Orange)

They are a formidable professional bodybuilder, channelling their boundless energy and self-assured demeanour into sculpting an impressive physique. Their active lifestyle and hot-headed temperament drive them to push their limits and excel in their field. Despite their intense focus on fitness and competition, they are deeply committed to being a strong, supportive presence for their future family.

Traits: Self-Assured, Active, Hot-Headed Aspiration: Bodybuilder Career: Athlete (Bodybuilder) Skills: Fitness, Charisma, Handiness

Master Bodybuilder career

Complete Bodybuilder aspiration

Master the Fitness, Charisma and Handiness skills

Have 3 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-4 children

Visit the gym and work out once a week

Generation 9. The Hermit (Grey)

They are a reclusive author who finds solace in the quiet of their own company, preferring the comfort of solitude to social interactions. Their passion for writing is fueled by a deep love for books and a penchant for introspection. Though they may be lazy at times, their reflective nature and dedication to their craft are balanced by a genuine desire to create a nurturing environment for their future family.

Traits: Loner, Bookworm, Lazy Aspiration: Nerd Brain Career: Writer (Author) Skills: Writing, Logic, Gardening

Master Author career

Complete Nerd Brain aspiration

Master the Writing, Logic and Gardening skills

Have 2 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-3 children

Visit the library and write a book once a week

Generation 10. Wheel of Fortune (Purple)

They are a daring interstellar smuggler astronaut who navigates the cosmos with a blend of creativity and a good-hearted nature. Their adventurous spirit and knack for improvisation often lead to unexpected and amusing mishaps in their smuggling operations. Despite their clumsiness, they remain dedicated to their work and are determined to provide a loving and supportive environment for their future family.

Traits: Creative, Good, Clumsy Aspiration: Friend of the World Career: Astronaut (Interstellar Smuggler) Skills: Rocket Science, Fitness, Charisma

Master Interstellar Smuggler career

Complete Friend of the World aspiration

Master the Rocket Science, Fitness and Charisma skills

Have 4 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-5 children

Visit the gym and work out once a week

Generation 11. Justice (Blue)

They are a dedicated journalist with a perfectionist’s eye for detail, driven by a passion for uncovering the truth and delivering accurate, impactful stories. Their deep sense of justice fuels their commitment to fairness and integrity in their reporting. Loyal and good-hearted, they balance their demanding career with a strong desire to be a supportive and present figure for their future family.

Traits: Perfectionist, Good, Loyal Aspiration: Bestselling Author Career: Writer (Journalist) Skills: Writing, Charisma, Logic

Master Journalist career

Complete Bestselling Author aspiration

Master the Writing, Charisma and Logic skills

Have 3 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-4 children

Visit the library and write a book once a week

Generation 12. The Hanged Man (Green)

They are an enigmatic criminal oracle who navigates the shadows with an unconventional approach and a unique perspective on the underworld. Their solitary nature and erratic behaviour reflect their noncommittal attitude, as they often drift between alliances and plans with unpredictable flair. Despite their elusive lifestyle, they harbour a deep-seated desire to provide for and connect with their future family in meaningful ways.

Traits: Loner, Noncommittal, Erratic Aspiration: The Curator Career: Criminal (Oracle) Skills: Mischief, Programming, Handiness

Master Oracle career

Complete The Curator aspiration

Master the Mischief, Programming and Handiness skills

Have 3 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-3 children

Visit the park and perform mischief interactions once a week

Generation 13. Death (Black)

They are a professional painter with a sombre and introspective demeanour, channelling their creativity into art that reflects a deep sense of melancholy. Their gloomy outlook is contrasted by their innovative spirit and a unique ability to capture profound emotions on canvas. Despite their artistic talent, their clumsiness often leads to unexpected messes, adding an endearing charm to their creative process.

Traits: Gloomy, Creative, Clumsy Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire Career: Painter (Master of the Real) Skills: Painting, Logic, Writing

Master Master of the Real career

Complete Painter Extraordinaire aspiration

Master the Painting, Logic and Writing skills

Have 4 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-3 children

Visit the museum and paint once a week

Generation 14. Temperance (Yellow)

They are a skilled mixologist with a knack for creating perfectly balanced cocktails, reflecting their meticulous and neat nature. Their dedication to crafting exceptional drinks is matched by a genuine kindness and a desire to bring joy to others. Though they may be inclined to take it easy when not behind the bar, they are committed to maintaining a harmonious and supportive environment for their future family.

Traits: Neat, Good, Lazy Aspiration: Master Chef Career: Culinary (Mixologist) Skills: Mixology, Cooking, Charisma

Master Mixologist career

Complete Master Chef aspiration

Master the Mixology, Cooking and Charisma skills

Have 3 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-4 children

Visit the bar and make drinks once a week

Generation 15. The Devil (Red)

They are a formidable criminal boss with a hot-headed demeanour and a relentless drive for power and wealth. Their materialistic ambitions fuel their ruthless, evil strategies as they manipulate and control their empire with a strict hand. Despite their dark pursuits, they are determined to use their ill-gotten success to secure a lavish and influential future for their family.

Traits: Hot-Headed, Materialistic, Evil Aspiration: Public Enemy Career: Criminal (Boss) Skills: Mischief, Handiness, Video Gaming

Master Boss career

Complete Public Enemy aspiration

Master the Mischief, Handiness and Video Gaming skills

Have 5 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-4 children

Visit the park and perform mischief interactions once a week

Generation 16. The Tower (Grey)

They are a secret agent villain whose erratic behaviour and intense activity are matched by a perpetually gloomy outlook on life. Their covert operations are characterised by sudden, dramatic actions and a penchant for creating chaos. Despite their dark and unpredictable nature, they remain fiercely determined to achieve their personal goals and to influence their future family in profound ways.

Traits: Erratic, Gloomy, Active Aspiration: Chief of Mischief Career: Secret Agent (Villain) Skills: Logic, Charisma, Mischief

Master Villain career

Complete Chief of Mischief aspiration

Master the Logic, Charisma and Mischief skills

Have 4 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-3 children

Visit the park and perform mischief interactions once a week

Generation 17. The Star (Pink)

They are a radiant space ranger astronaut who brings a cheerful and optimistic energy to their interstellar adventures. Their romantic and outgoing personality shines through in their interactions with both alien cultures and fellow astronauts, spreading positivity wherever they go. Driven by a desire to explore the cosmos, they are equally committed to creating a loving and vibrant future for their family.

Traits: Cheerful, Romantic, Outgoing Aspiration: Joke Star Career: Astronaut (Space Ranger) Skills: Rocket Science, Comedy, Charisma

Master Space Ranger career

Complete Joke Star aspiration

Master the Rocket Science, Comedy and Charisma skills

Have 3 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-5 children

Visit the lounge and perform comedy routines once a week

Generation 18. The Moon (Purple)

They are a professional painter whose work is deeply influenced by their erratic moods and a naturally gloomy disposition. Their creativity flows through their art, producing pieces that capture the mysterious and introspective aspects of the human experience. Despite their unpredictable nature, they are dedicated to using their artistic talents to create a meaningful and supportive environment for their future family.

Traits: Erratic, Gloomy, Creative Aspiration: Serial Romantic Career: Painter (Patron of the Arts) Skills: Painting, Charisma, Cooking

Master Patron of the Arts career

Complete Serial Romantic aspiration

Master the Painting, Charisma and Cooking skills

Have 3 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-3 children

Visit the museum and paint once a week

Generation 19. The Sun (Orange)

They are a dynamic professional athlete whose infectious cheerfulness and outgoing nature light up every game and practice. Their active lifestyle is driven by a passion for sports and a commitment to staying fit, which they balance with a joyful enthusiasm for life. Dedicated to being a positive and engaging presence, they strive to create a supportive and energetic environment for their future family.

Traits: Cheerful, Outgoing, Active Aspiration: Angling Ace Career: Athlete (Professional Athlete) Skills: Fitness, Charisma, Fishing

Master Professional Athlete career

Complete Angling Ace aspiration

Master the Fitness, Charisma and Fishing skills

Have 4 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-6 children

Visit the gym and work out once a week

Generation 20. Judgement (White)

They are a confident and self-assured diamond agent who excels in their covert operations with a strong moral compass. Their good-hearted nature drives them to make ethical choices even in the most clandestine situations. Despite their dedication to their high-stakes work, they maintain a noncommittal stance in their personal life, balancing their professional responsibilities with a desire to remain adaptable and unbound.

Traits: Self-Assured, Good, Noncommittal Aspiration: Successful Lineage Career: Secret Agent (Diamond Agent) Skills: Logic, Charisma, Handiness

Master Diamond Agent career

Complete Successful Lineage aspiration

Master the Logic, Charisma and Handiness skills

Have 4 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-4 children

Visit the library or park and play chess once a week

Generation 21. The World (Brown)

They are a dynamic and self-assured individual with a boundless drive for success and a zest for life. Their ambition propels them to excel in every endeavour, while their active lifestyle ensures they stay at the top of their game both physically and mentally. Embracing the world with confidence and determination, they are committed to achieving their dreams while also providing a nurturing and supportive environment for their future family.

Traits: Self-Assured, Ambitious, Active Aspiration: Mansion Baron Career: Business (Investor) Skills: Charisma, Logic, Fitness

Master Investor career

Complete Mansion Baron aspiration

Master the Charisma, Logic and Fitness skills

Have 3 romantic partners before settling down

Have between 2-5 children

Visit the gym and work out once a week

#the sims 4 #sims 4 #ts4 #sims 4 legacy #legacy challenge #tarot legacy challenge #tarotlegacychallenge #tarotlc

6 notes · View notes

ljones41 · 9 months

Text

"STAR TREK VOYAGER" Retrospective: (5.12) "Bride of Chaotica!"

One of the aspects of "STAR TREK VOYAGER" that I have truly enjoyed over the other TREK shows were the holo programs featured or the episodes centered in the two Holodecks. One such holo program was "The Adventures of Captain Proton" stories created by Voyager’s Chief Pilot, Tom Paris. Captain Proton was featured in at least four episodes – three in Season Five and one in Season Seven. But without a doubt, my favorite happened to be the third Proton story titled, (5.12) "Bride of Chaotica!".

In short, "Bride of Chaotica!" began when Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeil) and Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) are enjoying the latest chapter of his Captain Proton program in one of the Holodecks. They are forced to leave it running when spatial distortions trap the ship and disrupt their control over the computer. Voyager’s command staff attempted to discover a way to free the ship from the spatial distortions. Unfortunately, extra-dimensional aliens that exist in a photonic state cross over from their own dimension through a distortion located in the holodeck. They are detected and attacked by Proton’s archenemy, Dr. Chaotica (Martin Rayner), who believes them to be from the Fifth Dimension, and whose holographic (photonic) weaponry - though harmless to humans - is deadly to the aliens. Eventually, the crew discover the war being waged between Chaotica and the Fifth Dimension and must defeat him by playing out their roles as the fictional Captain Proton (played by Tom Paris), his sidekick Buster Kincaid (Harry Kim), and Arachnia, Queen of the Spider People. Paris convinced Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) to take on the latter role.

I might as well be frank. I LOVE "Bride of Chaotica!". I adore it. It is one of my favorite TREK episodes of all time. What am I saying? It is my favoriteTREK episode of all time. Screenwriters Bryan Fuller (creator of "DEAD LIKE ME" and "PUSHING DAISIES") and Michael Taylor created a first-rate episode filled with imagination, action and humor. Having the characters of Tom Paris’ Captain Proton holoprogram get drawn into a galactic war with an actual group of actual aliens that are photonic was a stroke of genius. And Fuller and Taylor, along with director Allan Kroeker, did an excellent job combining an original story with great characterization.

The cast was excellent, as always. Robbie McNeill and Garrett Wang revived their old magic as Tom and Harry – the two crewmembers who got more out of the Captain Proton holoprogram than anyone. Come to think of it, McNeill also managed to generate strong chemistry with Tim Russ (Lieutenant-Commander Tuvok) and Kate Mulgrew. The latter was superb as Queen Arachnia, although I think she may have been a little guilty of too much mugging, while expressing Janeway’s disregard for the Proton holoprogram. However, I loved her scene with Neelix (Ethan Phillips) that showcased Janeway’s caffine addiction. With that scene, she may have truly earned the nickname - Queen of the Delta Quadrant:

JANEWAY: "Coffee, black." NEELIX: "I'm sorry, Captain. We've lost another two replicators –" JANEWAY: "Listen to me very carefully because I'm only going to say this once. Coffee – black." NEELIX: (To replicator)"Coffee, black. While I've got your attention there are –" JANEWAY: (Holds up hand)"Coffee first."(drinks/inhales)"...Now, what's the problem?"

And then there is Dr. Chaotica, portrayed with great relish by Martin Rayner. The promise he had shown as a rich and over-the-top character in the Season Five premiere, (5.01) "Night" was fulfilled in this episode. The late Nicholas Worth ably supported both Mulgrew and Rayner as Chaotica’s ruthless, obsequious henchman, Lonzak.

As much as I love "Bride of Chaotica!", there is one aspect about it that disturbed me – namely the crew’s reaction to the Captain Proton hologram. It is quite apparent that they view it as nothing more than a childish piece of fiction for those of the immature mind. And it is quite apparent that they also view Tom Paris’ participation in it as childish. And they are not the only ones. I have read some reviews of the episodes. While most tend to sneer at it, along with anything else labeled "STAR TREK VOYAGER", at least two of them did not. Julia Houston seemed to view the holo program not only as Tom Paris’ personal fantasy, but also as an example of his imagination. Like me, she seemed annoyed by the inability of others to appreciate Paris' imagination . . . and his right to his own fantasy. Now Jim Wright did seem to enjoy the holo program and appreciate its uniqueness. But it also seemed that he viewed it as a sign of Paris’ immaturity . . . and as something that the Chief Pilot would have to give up in order to develop as an adult and ideal Starfleet officer.

Quite frankly, I agree with Julia Houston. I was very annoyed by the other Voyager crewmen’s snobbish reaction to Captain Proton. Okay, perhaps they did not care for it very much. But was there really any need for them to openly sneer at what he considered recreation and fantasy? What law was there that Tom’s pursuit of recreation had to be culturally high-brow or meaningful? Janeway, of all people, had no business to sneer. This is a woman who had spent two seasons indulging in her Lambada One holo program – a "Jane Eyre"/"Rebecca" Gothic romance. I must also admit that I was a little put-off by Jim Wright's assumption that Tom needed to give up the Proton program in order to become more mature as an adult. To me, this attitude seemed like a clear lack of appreciation for Tom’s vivid imagination. Perhaps it was more important to him and other "VOYAGER” fans that Tom become the stand-up Starfleet officer that Owen Paris and Janeway wanted him to be. Happily, Tom never stuck to his declaration of giving up the Proton program. He and Harry were still using it in the early Season Six episode called (6.05) "Alice". And a late Season Seven episode called (7.23) "Homestead" revealed that Tom had created another B-movie style program called "Invaders from the Ninth Dimension".

Personally, I like the idea that Tom Paris would eventually become that successful holonovelist sometime in his future. But in the VOYAGER relaunch novels, he became a permanent Starfleet officer, achieving the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and Voyager’s new first officer. Ugh. What a waste of a vivid imagination that created the likes of the Proton holoprograms. In real life, I would compare Tom to the likes of George Lucas, Gene Roddenberry, J. Michael Stracynski and the two writers who had created this wonderfully imaginative episode – Fuller and Taylor. A girl can imagine - can't she?

7 notes · View notes

theresattrpgforthat · 1 year

Note

Hello, I would love some recommendations for a game about being a team of powerful immortal researchers discovering the nature of the universe and magic. Especially with focus on interpersonal relationships. Idk if that is too specific but thank you!

THEME: Immortal (Magical) Researchers.

Hello friend, I wasn't able to find something that ticks all of your boxes, so I decided to pick apart some of the elements of your request here, in hopes of pointing you in the direction of a few games to play around with. When it comes to interpersonal relationships, many of the games I looked at didn’t have dedicated mechanics to relationships, so I decided to include some games that focus on interpersonal relations that could be played alongside them.

Superfantasy, by matera.

Superfantasy is a tabletop roleplaying game about fantasy superheroes in a world on the brink of devastation. The heroes are powerful, but the world is beset by an implacable Doom which only they can face.

I can see this game holding some potential for immortality and power. This is in some ways a standard fantasy game, but the game also comes with intrigue rules, so it looks like you don’t necessarily have to meet each obstacle with combat. The game itself is designed off of Empower, a system-agnostic ruleset that you can use to modify the way your characters use their powers. If you want a game that gives your characters epic-scale abilities and allows them to use those abilities in creative ways to stop something world-ending, this game looks like a good fit!

Shadows of the Ages, by Loreshaper Games.

Shadows of the Ages is an action-adventure story-first Breathless game that lets players take on the role of hosts for ancient beings that seek to guide humanity away from their own destructive paths.

Built around the Breathless SRD, it has a "create-while-you-play" mechanic. As characters recover their ancestral memories or have visions of the future, they increase their baseline abilities.

This game has immortality of a form - Scions are souls that pass down into new vessels, their memories existing through the ages while their hosts live and die over time. However, Shadows of the Ages presents you with limited resources; Memories can increase your abilities, and your abilities decrease over time. I think the use of memories to understand the past and the future connects very well to the researcher idea that you’re looking for, although Breathless games usually put a lot of stress on your characters by constantly wearing you down.

Genius: The Transgression, by Kyle Marquis.

"They all laughed at my theories! They called me mad! But now I'll have my revenge!"If only it were so simple. They laughed because you WERE mad.

They laughed because your inventions crumbled when unveiled and your theories turned to gibberish. You wept when you saw your equations riddled with childish errors. But you know what you accomplished: you broke gravity's spell; you programmed a computer to dream; you banished death! These weren't delusions or lies! Maybe they were right. Or maybe just one more experiment will show you the truth. You can do everything you said.

There's a price to pay, but you can do it. And you're not mad. The things you do…maybe they're not right. Maybe your peers would recoil in horror. But you're not mad. And you'll show them all.

Genius: The Transgression is a fan-made role-playing game for the New World of Darkness. In it, players take on the roles of mad scientists and wonder-workers, driven to the brink of insanity by the secrets they have uncovered.

This game definitely has immortality as a goal, and as research is very well baked into the World of Darkness systems, you can expect your characters to be able to do a lot of that in this game. Genius: The Transgression is a fan-made game, which means that tracking it down requires some looking through forums and wikis. It’s also got multiple creators for first and second edition, so you might have to do some reading to see what version you like. However, if you like the idea of following a character in a downward spiral in the search for power and knowledge, and if you really like rolling handfuls of d10’s, this game is free to check out!

(If you want an official game in a similar vein, Mage the Ascension is about wizards and power.)

And So We Live On, by Theta Chun.

This is a game about two immortal warriors coming together the night before a battle against an Army to reminisce about the life they've lived, and the mistakes they've made.

This is a 2 player GMless game that takes inspiration from Descended from the Queen Games, and the Old Guard. It's primary engine is built around row reducing a matrix, and asking questions at certain landmarks.

If you want to focus on the relationship between two specific characters, especially characters that have a complicated history, this game looks like it has a lot of potential. This game incorporates an interesting math component, which is interesting considering that it also cites Descended from the Queen as one of its inspirations, as I understand Descended from the Queen games to be very prompt-based. Playing this game at a moment of heightened tension right before a climactic battle may lend emotional weight to your characters’ actions in the final game - all in all a lot of potential!

TimeTested, by Drazillion.

TimeTested is a one to four player card-based TTRPG about four friends, and how their relationships with each other change throughout their lives. Can their friendships withstand the test of time or do they go their separate ways?

For a larger game group that wants to explore relationships, Time Tested is pretty genre-agnostic, and allows for a flexible definition of time periods. This means that you could have each time period represent a different age. As this is a card-based game, you’ll be answering prompts about different events and life changes.

You could use this as a set-up game before focusing on a story about a party of friends who have already lived through many ages, and are carrying those experiences into a detailed adventure in a time period of your choice - and thus skip the awkward getting-to-know each-other encounter at the beginning of many a fantasy campaign.

#dnd #asks #game recommendations #indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #immortality #fantasy #magic

22 notes · View notes

eldritch-muppetshow · 10 months

Note

[Slides on in] Heya, so I have just discovered ya via TADC and looked at your TADC stuff and was wondering if ya had any other lore bits ya feel like you could share?

sure thing! i actually have two tadc aus/stories rn, so i’ll just post some lore for both

sexyman descendants

all three of them are unfinished npcs created by caine, planned to be used in adventures (maybe as a ‘taking care of a fake baby’ exercise of some kind?), but he scrapped the idea of using them. instead, he placed them into a deep sleep and stored them away in one of the areas of the circus that would be inaccessible to the performers.

the three of them ended up waking up from that sleep too early though, and spent the rest of their time trying to escape from “the storage room” and (believing themselves to be performers) practicing their performances.

they eventually escaped storage, and briefly lived with the rest of the performers. it wasn’t a great arrangement, though— because jax and poppi had no idea how to raise the kids that were basically just dropped in their laps, and abel was too similar to caine, seeing him as competition for the role of ringmaster.

abel eventually led poppi and jj out on an “adventure” of their own, seeking to prove to cain that they deserve to be ringmaster more than he does— only for their unfinished programming to cause them to noclip out of the circus and into tumblr high.

they now basically live at school, trying wacky schemes to return to the digital world and doing their best to adjust to their new environment.

jj is regularly on the receiving end of slapstick, especially within abel’s performances. he always bounces back right after, but he quickly learned to hate the life of a performer and is enjoying/adjusting to the real world far more than the other two.

poppi has basically zero concept of personal space, and will physically cling to people if she’s excited/scared/upset— which does not mesh well with pomni.

abel takes school talent shows very seriously, seeing them as their chance to prove themself/their troupe as performers. it’s gotten to the point where poppi and jj actively hide when tryouts for talent shows start.

untitled pomni escapes au

i’m thinking this au takes place in the 90s, since that would match up with the model of computer monitor shown in the pilot (and tadc is based on 90s kid’s games).

i haven’t fully decided how she manages to escape tbh? i’m leaning toward the idea of it being a lucky accident/pure chance though, since it adds more dramatic tension when it comes to the question of “should she try and go back for the others”

the other performers/npcs are still in the circus! from their perspective, pomni didn’t show up for an adventure one day, leading to caine making “find pomni” the new adventure for the day… but when none of the performers could find her and caine (secretly) checked the void/the areas inaccessible to the performers and still didn’t find her, that’s when everyone freaked out

caine’s pretty upset over pomni’s disappearance, not only because he’s worried she got hurt/lost outside of the circus, but also because he genuinely doesn’t understand why she’d want to leave. the other performer’s reactions range from worrying abt her to just being angry that she didn’t take anyone with her and seemingly isn’t coming back for them.

on pomni’s side of things, she’s just trying to adjust to life outside the circus the best she can. it’s a pretty difficult task though, and she regularly struggles with the trauma/feelings of survivor’s guilt from her time in the circus.

she’s very conflicted on if she should try and go back to save the other performers. because yeah, it’s the morally right thing to do and they don’t deserve to be trapped there, but she’d really rather forget about the circus forever and there’s no guarantee that she’d be able to recreate the circumstances that let her escape for all of them (plus there’s always the risk that she’ll just get stuck there again).

aside from job-hunting, she’s been keeping tabs in news about the c&a company to try and find her human identity— specifically after finding news about a string of employee disappearances. she hasn’t been able to find much yet because of the legal red tape surrounding the case, though.

#tadc #tadc au #sexyman descendants #the amazing digital circus #asks #pomni escapes au

18 notes · View notes

trialbymagicks · 2 months

Text

Revisiting Hidden Expedition: Everest (2007) [PC, Steam]

In honor of the 70 years since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first known people to reach Mt. Everest's summit, let's embark on another Hidden Expedition with the second game in the series. Hidden Expedition: Everest, here we come! 🏔️

Plot

The Hidden Expedition Club sends you, their best thrill-seeking explorer fresh from the depths of the Titanic wreckage, to race to the top of Mount Everest. Armed with a keen eye and the advice of “expert Everest climber” Ed Viesturs, you have all the information you need to beat the competition – two spry old ladies and their bereaved ferret, a couple of bookworms, and a group of Big Fish Games fans – never mind the fact that you presumably have no prior training for such a feat. But first, you must track an eccentric mountain climber across three continents to discover what he knows about a secret passageway through Mount Everest before you challenge the mountain yourself.

Introduction

For the second game in the series, Big Fish Games partnered with National Geographic Ventures and Ed Viesturs to create Hidden Expedition: Everest, which took the casual game market by storm upon its release on June 1, 2007. In fact, it was so successful that it was the first game in the series to get the iOS treatment, subsequently proving to the company that the mobile market was also a profitable one.

While Titanic’s set dressing tapped into the world’s curiosity and fascination regarding the famous sunken wreck, Everest’s mission was to inspire in its players a sense of adventure and love for the world we live in. Boasting more than 30 scenes from around the world and exclusive footage from Ed Viesturs’ travels, this game certainly makes an effort to shove as much as it can into a small package. Unfortunately, some scenes may not be as sensitively or accurately depicted as they could have been. Some of this can be blamed on the lack of theme in the randomized hidden object lists, but certain aspects do fall victim to the tendency to generalize entire cultures.

Everest At A Glance

The start menu is a fantastic display of this game’s improved quality. Epic music immediately puts you in the mood for a high stakes international expedition, which the soundtrack continues to deliver on throughout the game, and the scenery already lets you know that you’re going to be treated to some beautiful sites.

The most interesting new feature, a black book, sits in the bottom left corner and there is now a high score section for cataloguing your completion time. Upon pressing play at the start of a new game, the National Geographic documentary footage rolls and we are treated to an early example of how cutscenes would eventually become a selling point of the genre.

Unfortunately, it becomes evident right away that the clarity of the Steam port’s hidden object scenes is lacking compared to its predecessor. The images appear fuzzier and objects blend in almost seamlessly with the scenery. This appears to have been an intentional part of the gameplay designed to raise the difficulty level and encourage players to use some of the new features – such as a more effective pause option and the hourglass – to help them on their quest. Objects can take a lot longer to find as a result, though thankfully some scenes cause less eye strain than others and the game isn’t unplayable by any means.

Once again, Steam reviews on the store page reported concerns about the game not opening to full screen or being too clunky on a higher end PC. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I did not have either problem – even running it on a Windows 10 system!

Fair warning: Just like with Hidden Expedition: Titanic, you are required to grant the program permission to make changes to your computer upon first startup. This appears to be what allows the game to automatically change its resolution and open to full screen in order to accommodate for its original smaller size… which I suspect may be a contributing factor to the fuzzy image quality, but I’m no expert. If this makes you feel uncomfortable, you may want to pass on picking it up because the game will not run if you don’t give it permission. You can, of course, choose to play the game in windowed mode later on if that is a more comfortable fit for you.

But fear not, the screen resolution is immediately restored to your previous setting once the game is closed! During my multiple replays, there was only one instance where I had to manually reset the resolution for my screen after closing the game. Admittedly, the main difference between Titanic and Everest is that the former is way less clunky about the resolution difference and doesn’t hinder me from using the Windows Start button to return to my default resolution desktop without quitting.

Regardless, I am happy to finally be able to experience the game in full after so many years of burning curiosity!

How To Play

Although Hidden Expedition: Everest kicks the difficulty level up a notch, the gameplay remains just as intuitive as its predecessor and the rules are also simple to grasp:

Complete all scenes (plus bonus round) in each level to move on to the next level.

Each level is timed, allotting a certain number of minutes to complete.

Find all hidden objects in each scene before the timer runs out.

Clicking on the wrong object too quickly or too often negatively impacts your position in the race.

A short amount of time can be gained by finding the hidden hourglass in each scene.

Finding all 5 gems in each scene grants you an extra hint for the level.

There are 4 zones you must navigate throughout this game, but don’t let the small number fool you! Somewhat like a nesting doll, each zone consists of multiple levels inside which are two or three locations you must visit and complete the hidden object scenes within before you can move on to the next stretch of this grand adventure.

If you thought the time limit for each Titanic dive was stressful, Everest raises the bar even higher. This time, instead of racing against your dwindling oxygen supply, you’re racing against three competing AI teams who move at randomized speeds to keep you on your toes. Your goal is to gain and maintain the lead by completing each level before the AI teams do.

For every item you find, your marker – a white arrow located along the bottom of the item list in every hidden object scene – is moved forward in the race. Unfortunately, if you misclick too many times on the screen, you will be penalized and the AI teams’ markers will be moved forward, which can potentially cost you your lead. But because fortune favors those with good eyesight, if you find the hourglass hidden in the scene, time will stop and the AI teams will be frozen in place just long enough for you to catch up and scoot ahead. (We don’t need to address the fact that this implies some type of time-bending magic in the Hidden Expedition universe, but do keep that tidbit of knowledge in your back pocket for later.)

At the end of each level, the game will show you the current times and ranking for each team. It should be fairly easy to finish in first place, but just in case you somehow didn’t, this screen is your chance to return to the level and replay it for another shot at the lead! This is something you probably will want to do if you happen to be a completionist.

Collecting all 5 gems in a scene grants you one extra hint, which is difficult to do because the gems are blurry and hard to pinpoint in some scenes due to the game’s odd resolution. Take note that each level grants you 3 hints and you have the opportunity to earn 2 or 3 extra hints if you find all of the gems in the level. While your stash of 3 to 6 hints do carry over between scenes in the level you find them in, they do not carry over between levels or zones. So, strategize your use of them wisely before you lose them!

After all hidden object scenes in a level have been cleared, you will be presented with a minigame. This will either be an extra hidden object scene or a puzzle where you must piece together some type of map or artifact that is vaguely connected to the plot. Complete the challenge before time runs out and the mission will reward you with the next clue to the whereabouts of the mysterious expert adventurer that you’ve been tailing, propelling you forward in your brazen attempt to discover his secrets.

On the plus side, due to the added length of the game, you can now return to the start menu or quit the game in the middle of a level without fear of the level resetting on you like the dives in the Titanic game would. You can even return to the map during your exploration of a hidden object scene and jump around to the other available scenes without losing your progress. The number on the red location markers will remind you of how many items you have left to find in each scene.

As usual, you will be asked to complete one final (rather intuitive) puzzle upon reaching the summit to claim your victory! Despite its intimidating appearance, this one is very forgiving and does not appear to be timed, so don’t sweat the small stuff here.

How very “aliens built the secret tunnel” of you, Big Fish Games.

First Time Features

In keeping with the Hidden Expedition series’ educational format, “world-famous mountaineer and Mount Everest climber” Ed Viesturs keeps butting in to narrate fun facts or “helpful advice” about his knowledge and every time he does I feel like I’m back in a lecture hall politely waiting for the teacher to stop talking so I can leave. His line delivery is so stiff it’s clear that he’s reading from a script, but given that this is the first time voiceovers were introduced to the Hidden Expedition series I can’t help but find it charming.

This is also the first Hidden Expedition to include a journal feature for storing educational trivia gathered throughout the adventure.

Here, it takes the form of Ed Viesturs’ photo album where you can view photographs and videos from his travels (which he dutifully narrates over, making him seem even more like a world history professor flexing on his students with his vacation photos) alongside his personal biography. Click on his face and he’ll even recite one of a handful of prerecorded lines from his motivational speeches! New photos and voiceovers unlock as you clear zones in first place, and he’ll certainly make sure to inform you that new content is available as you proceed. You can return to the start menu to check out his travel logs anytime.

Similarly, this game introduces the next new feature – a collection of secret items (like a pumpkin) that you can find in hidden object scenes!

This seems to be the predecessor of the admittedly more straightforward “morphing items” feature in later games. The “secret” in the name is the key word here because the game will not tell you about their existence until you happen to click on one either by accident or out of curiosity to see if that object will match a description on your item list.

This feels a little backwards, considering the game makes a point of punishing players for misclicking and doesn’t exactly encourage exploration. But since Ed Viesturs keeps reminding us that climbing Everest is a challenge, I suppose it only makes sense that this game should be filled with unforeseen challenges too!

The Story So Far...

When we last saw our intrepid adventurer, Eris was hanging out in the remains of a deep-sea death trap, aka: the wreckage of the RMS Titanic. But diving – yes, diving – 12,600 feet below sea level was the equivalent of a nice vacation for this adrenaline junkie because they are fresh off the dive and raring to ascend more than 29,000 feet above sea level to the summit of Mt. Everest!

For some undisclosed reason – most likely related to the suspicious disappearance of a mysterious mountain climber in Kathmandu who was rambling about a secret tunnel through the mountain – the Hidden Expedition Team has chosen Eris (who quickly teams up with professional mountaineer Ed Viesturs) to represent them in a race against the public to reach the summit.

But of course not all is what it seems and who – or what exactly – should they discover along the way? Well…

Catch the full story as soon as I finish wrapping my head around the conspiracy board I've accidentally created.

Resources

For more information on the series, check out the Hidden Expedition Wikipedia page, the Big Fish Games Hidden Expedition Website, and the Hidden Expedition TV Tropes page.

If you’re curious to read more about the National Geographic partnership with Big Fish Games, you can check out this Information Week article.

In a shocking twist that surprised absolutely no one, National Geographic christened Ed Viesturs with the title of Adventurer of the Year in 2005 upon the completion of his 18-year mission to reach the summits of all fourteen of the world’s 8000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. After all these years, you can still keep up with what he’s doing at his website, many passages from which are used verbatim in the game.

Note: This article was originally posted on WordPress on May 29, 2023.

#Hidden Expedition #Hidden Expedition Everest #Big Fish Games #hidden object games #games #posts on trial

2 notes · View notes

monisha1199 · 1 year

Text

Elevate Your Career With AWS: A In-depth Guide to Becoming an AWS Expert

In the fast-paced and ever-evolving realm of modern technology, proficiency in Amazon Web Services (AWS) has emerged as an invaluable asset, a passport to the boundless opportunities of the digital age. AWS, the colossal titan of cloud computing, offers an extensive array of services that have revolutionized the way businesses operate, innovate, and scale in today's interconnected world. However, mastering AWS is not a mere task; it is a journey that calls for a structured approach, hands-on experience, and access to a treasure trove of reputable learning resources.

Welcome to the world of AWS mastery, where innovation knows no bounds, where your skills become the catalyst for transformative change. Your journey begins now, as we set sail into the horizon of AWS excellence, ready to explore the limitless possibilities that await in the cloud.

Step 1: Setting Sail - Sign Up for AWS

Your AWS voyage begins with a simple yet crucial step - signing up for an AWS account. Fortunately, AWS offers the Free Tier, a generous offering that grants limited free access to many AWS services for the first 12 months. This enables you to explore AWS, experiment with its services, and learn without incurring costs.

Step 2: Unveiling the Map - Official AWS Documentation

Before you embark on your AWS adventure, it's essential to understand the lay of the land. AWS provides extensive documentation for all its services. This documentation is a treasure of knowledge, offering insights into each service, its use cases, and comprehensive guides on how to configure and utilize them. It's a valuable resource that is regularly updated to keep you informed about the latest developments.

Step 3: Guided Tours - Online Courses and Tutorials

While solo exploration is commendable, guided tours can significantly enhance your learning experience. Enroll in online courses and tutorials offered by reputable platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, ACTE, or AWS Training and Certification. These courses often include video lectures, hands-on labs, and quizzes to reinforce your understanding. Consider specialized AWS training programs like those offered by ACTE Technologies, where expert-led courses can take your AWS skills to the next level.

Step 4: Raising the Flag - AWS Certification

Achieving AWS certification is akin to hoisting your flag of expertise in the AWS realm. AWS offers a range of certifications that validate your proficiency in specific AWS areas, including Solutions Architect, Developer, SysOps Administrator, and more. Preparing for these certifications provides in-depth knowledge, and there are study guides and practice exams available to aid your preparation.

Step 5: Hands-on Deck - Practical Experience

In the world of AWS, knowledge is best acquired through hands-on experience. Create AWS accounts designated for practice purposes, set up virtual machines (EC2 instances), configure storage (S3), and experiment with various AWS services. Building real projects is an effective way to solidify your understanding and showcase your skills.

Step 6: Navigating the AWS Console and CLI

As you progress, it's essential to be fluent in navigating AWS. Familiarize yourself with the AWS Management Console, a web-based interface for managing AWS resources. Additionally, learn to wield the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI), a powerful tool for scripting and automating tasks, giving you the agility to manage AWS resources efficiently.

Step 7: Joining the Crew - Community Engagement

Learning is often more enriching when you're part of a community. Join AWS-related forums and communities, such as the AWS subreddit and AWS Developer Forums. Engaging with others who are on their own AWS learning journeys can help you get answers to your questions, share experiences, and gain valuable insights.

Step 8: Gathering Wisdom - Blogs and YouTube Channels

Stay updated with the latest trends and insights in the AWS ecosystem by following AWS blogs and YouTube channels. These platforms provide tutorials, case studies, and deep dives into AWS services. Don't miss out on AWS re:Invent sessions, available on YouTube, which offer in-depth explorations of AWS services and solutions.

Step 9: Real-World Adventures - Projects

Application of your AWS knowledge to practical projects is where your skills truly shine. Whether it's setting up a website, creating a scalable application, or orchestrating a complex migration to AWS, hands-on experience is invaluable. Real-world projects not only demonstrate your capabilities but also prepare you for the challenges you might encounter in a professional setting.

Step 10: Staying on Course - Continuous Learning

The AWS landscape is ever-evolving, with new services and features being introduced regularly. Stay informed by following AWS news, subscribing to newsletters, and attending AWS events and webinars. Continuous learning is the compass that keeps you on course in the dynamic world of AWS.

Step 11: Guiding Lights - Mentorship

If possible, seek out a mentor with AWS experience. Mentorship provides valuable guidance and insights as you learn. Learning from someone who has navigated the AWS waters can accelerate your progress and help you avoid common pitfalls.

Mastering AWS is not a destination; it's a continuous journey. As you gain proficiency, you can delve into advanced topics and specialize in areas that align with your career goals. The key to mastering AWS lies in a combination of self-study, hands-on practice, and access to reliable learning resources.

In conclusion, ACTE Technologies emerges as a trusted provider of IT training and certification programs, including specialized AWS training. Their expert-led courses and comprehensive curriculum make them an excellent choice for those looking to enhance their AWS skills. Whether you aim to propel your career or embark on a thrilling journey into the world of cloud computing, ACTE Technologies can be your steadfast partner on the path to AWS expertise.

AWS isn't just a skill; it's a transformative force in the world of technology. It's the catalyst for innovation, scalability, and boundless possibilities. So, set sail on your AWS journey, armed with knowledge, practice, and the determination to conquer the cloud. The world of AWS awaits your exploration.

#aws #aws course #aws training #tech

9 notes · View notes

capucapo · 1 year

Text

Legendary Heroes: The Tutorial (part 1)

( chatlog from my discord RP with @nameless-brand, based on the alternate version of the Legendary Heroes VR game created by the Kaiba Corporation in Sato, Lev, and Chi's current universe. )

It doesn't feel good, keeping secrets from his brother. But while the subtleties of Kaiba Seto's emotions usually go unnoticed by most, Mokuba's noticed his brother's spirits seem brighter. Maybe it was destroying Alcatraz, maybe it was their overseas adventure, maybe it was the beach trip. But recently, Seto seemed happier. Maybe when he'd achieved his dream of destroying the past, Mokuba's dream of seeing his brother smile again had come true as well.

Which is exactly why he can't drag Seto back into that past again.

So instead, he finishes up some final tasks and logs out of his computer before retrieving the helmets that Sato had sent over from where he'd stashed them inside his filing cabinet. The devices would hardly fit into his messenger bag, but luckily he doesn't exactly need to use the front door. A few button presses on his watch, and the office around him is instantly replaced by his bedroom at home.

Now, he can finally get to work.

He locks the heavy double doors to his massive bedroom, not that his brother or any staff would dare to open them without knocking anyway. Then he moves to his desk. The large L-shaped desk is mostly occupied with a multi-monitor gaming setup. He unplugs one monitor, moving it to the floor to make room for dismantling the damaged helmet. Moves aside his keyboard to set up an older, cheaper laptop in front of his main monitor. Once the computer finishes its start up, he plops himself into his gaming chair.

First, he plugs the USB into the laptop. He keeps it around just for times like these, testing mystery thumb drives, viruses, and exploring less trustworthy websites. A familiar box pops up, indicating the program attempting to run requires administrator permission, and Mokuba clicks okay with only a little hesitation.

He can work on taking the helmet apart while the intaller runs, he figures.

>> Installing ALTIMIT OS. Please do not shut down your computer.

As the install begins, Mokuba turns to the helmet on the other half of his desk. A few minutes is a long time for this boy to sit still, after all. He clicks on a task light, adjusting the beam to shine directly upon the task at hand. Produces a set of small tools from a drawer in the desk, and starts the delicate task of disassembling the device, making careful mental note of where each piece goes.

It only takes a few minutes to install the new operating system, and it immediately booted up upon running.

He doesn't get very far before the laptop to his side reboots, marking the end of the new OS's installation. He swivels his chair back to that side of the desk to examine this new system.

The reason for the near instant boot-up and quick install became evident. The ALTIMIT OS design was almost pathetically simple to the modern day computers.

All there was was "The World", "Mailer" "News", "Accessory", "Audio", and "Data" on the left side of the screen, their icons spinning slowly - and nothing else.

He'll start by poking around the surface first. The World must be a euphemism for the Internet, he assumes as he moves his cursor to double tap the icon, only to be presented with an error message. He frowns, and moves on to the next two icons with similar, disappointing results.

The World, Mailer, and News icons do not work, simply displaying a "Failed To Connect. Please check if you have a KC@Home Account." Accessory seemed solely dedicated for desktop wallpapers and nothing else. Audio naturally had the music files in a list with multiple folders for sorting and grouping.

The next two icons at least work, opening their respective windows, but they're hardly helpful. He changes the desktop wallpaper to one of the defaults offered, clicks a few audio files, then quickly moves on.

Data however is where things get interesting. The interface is similar to Windows Explorer, and the files previously presented on the Computer are listed as normal. However, attempts to load an executable program that isn't standard Windows, Apple, or Linux suite will display an "Incompatibility Error." Running viruses and malware directly from Data will also immediately fail, though part of that may simply be that the virus / malware is incompatible with the OS.

Loading an anti-virus or anti-malware program will prompt the following: "ALTIMIT OS does not require anti-virus or anti-malware due to its secure design and is incompatible with such programs. It is recommended you seek a refund of your anti-virus program."

There he finds familiar files from the laptop's last experiments, as well as some select media he'd wanted to save with a bit more privacy. Everything seems normal there. He tries to open a couple programs, with mixed success. Beyond the standard programs, nothing previously installed seems to run. Not surprising, they weren't coded with this third-party OS in mind. This does, however, prevent him from utilizing the sandboxing program he would typically use when testing potentially harmful programs.

Which could have been a real issue when he decides to test a malicious string of code.

The attempt at running malicious code within the OS does trigger something. A small packet is silently sent to a server KCAltimit ***.**.***.*** containing the following code XH1930ACD-0 despite firewall protections. and only detectable if one was watching closely.

Oh, now that's interesting. This being Mokuba's natural environment, of course he notices that, if there's a way to. However, for now there's little he can do with the information.

He spends a few more minutes poking around, attempting to explore any hidden or administrative files or folders before returning his attention to the helmets.

The OS is incredibly simple for an operating system, though that can be seen from the desktop display. No hidden or administrative files could be found in the clean install. Even at a glance, it was a very tight OS - one could say there's no room to inject bad code into the core components. Though the OS does display its files openly in the Data Explorer under the ALTIMIT folder, they do not open.

The attempts at poking around in the core files does send another packet to the KCAltimit server, except now the content is XH1930ACD-1.

Hm.

He's still in the process of dismantling the broken one. But as for the intact one.... He picks it up from its spot on the carpet beside his desk. Even with the operating system, would it even work without a KC@Home Account? Either way, he's not exactly eager about putting this thing on. His experiences with Virtual Reality haven't exactly been positive.

He turns the helmet over in his hands, brows knit as he tries to figure out how to activate the device, how to connect it with the system.

Simply palming the functional egg-shaped helmet and putting it near the laptop would cause the laptop to display a new window.

>> Genuine KaibaCorp NetGear Deep Immersion device detected. Would you like to Sync the NetGear to the ALTIMIT OS and start Calibration? Please note that playing Legendary Heroes requires a KC@Home account, and you will be able to make an account after calibration.

Faint cyan lines on the egg-shaped helmet glow like a futuristic helmet as if inviting the user to wear it.

He notices the new pop-up that appears as he holds the helmet, taking a second to read the text-- and to ignore the way those cyan lights make his stomach turn. It quickly becomes clear that the process can't continue unworn, either, and Mokuba's stomach sinks further.

He stares at the glowing helmet apprehensively. Gives the half dismantled one a glance. Maybe he should wait. Maybe he should finish poking around, get a better understanding of the tech before he dives right in.

Maybe he's in over his head.

He remembers his last two Virtual Reality experiences. Remembers the illusory egg-shaped capsule that Other Yugi had trapped him within, and the aversion to compact places he'd been left with.

Maybe he should just get his brother.

He remembers the last text conversation with Seto. That he's not careful enough. That he couldn't have saved them from Noa without help.

He takes a deep breath. Then he and clicks okay to begin the calibration, and dons the helmet.

#ooc #Legendary Heroes #ic action #not visible ic #rp #drabbles #I think this will only be 3 parts but I don't want to make promises #this and the next Installment aren't terribly long

7 notes · View notes