Hmmm... I may have my timing wrong

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Well, you see, perhaps you will understand,…

I started playing Not Just An Ordinary Ballerina five days ago, quite confident I would finish it within time before IFComp.

Now I’m so deep into it that I refuse to resort to hints (except for one really specialized one…) and I gather from my map, my list of puzzles and possible solutions and my list of obstacles that I don’t even have a clue about yet that I will not finish in time.

I’m still doing some re-re-exploring, but the review will have to wait until November.

All I can say now is: Really, really, if you have a heart for incredibly well-written and incredibly hard yet immersive parser IF, you must set aside at least a week or two for this game.

It is incredible!

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I’m sure you can still squeeze in a quick Once and Future or 1893: A World’s Fair Mystery. :wink:

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Oh man! Don’t get me started on 1893. I’ve been on vacation in the World’s Fair four times, but I haven’t even started collecting clues or solving puzzles. I just wandered around gawking at how amazing it all was.

But yeah, It’s on my list…

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I am scarred from that game. It’s just evil. I have made it through some difficult and great IF games, but NJAOB gave me rage. I don’t believe I ever finished it. Of course, that was many years ago. Now that my brains have had time to marinate in more wine, I’m sure it would be a breezier experience.

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Seriously?! When I get to a point in life-wisdom where I could call this game/experience/monstrosity anything near “breezy”, I’ll look at the Buddhah trailing behind me on the astral path of serenity and go “Hah!”

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Quickly adds Ballerina to his Frotz list…

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—Beware… 'Tis where the ghouls of adventurers roam…—

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BOEM PAUKESLAG! double breakthrough!

I found the pump for the beachball and I figured out what to do with the awl.

EDIT: Now SAVE all the important checkpoints and put Not Just An Ordinary Ballerina to rest while I flex my brains into Comp-state.

(I have no doubt that a few lightbulbs will appear above my head in the following weeks while I’m explicitly “not thinking about NJAOB”.)

And extra edit: Paul Van Ostaijen: Boem Paukeslag (Paul van Ostaijen) - Bing video

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Have you come across the railway maze or the guard dog problems yet? Gird your loins if you haven’t.

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Guard dog: yes, no idea how to handle it yet.

Railway maze: another one?! Alright, I’ll gird my loins, torso, forehead and little toes.