Spring Thing thoughts by Doug Egan

I’ve opened a couple of the Spring Thing games. The one that keeps calling me back in anpa ma, an odd game in a constructed language. I never played Gostak, another constructed language game. This seems like it might be easier, since Toki Pona exists as a language apart from this game, and I can therefore play anpa ma with a Toki Pona translation app in the side window. But it is still really slow progress. I hope someone else is playing this that might give me some hints.

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Playing now: “We stole a ship to run a scam” a game by MJ Gross and Donald Conrad, written with RPG maker. I chose this game because I’ve been toying with RPG maker myself. It interests me the differences in appearance that can be achieved with RPG maker that can be achieved by swapping in hand draw graphics.

A short silly game with several different choice points. My companion and I landed on an inhabited island to steal sea eggs. I posed as a missionary the first time, and a government functionary the second time I ran this scam. Turns out there is already turmoil on the island when I arrive. I can learn of this turmoil in several different ways during the mid-point of the game, but always end up at the governors mansion at the end, where the end game asks me who to align with. Well executed. Twice was enough for me, although there may be enough replay value for a third go if you really want to be a completist.

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Thanks for playing our game. Adding custom art to RPG Maker is quite easy. You can change it up quite a bit with little trouble.

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Just finished “Marbles, D, and the Sinister Spotlight” by Drew Cook. A couple years back I beta tested “Repeat the Ending”. Based on the tone and mood and subject matter, you would never guess this was the same author. Based on the level of creativity and professional design qualities; it must be. Drew puts so much heart into his games.

“Marbles, D. and the Sinister Spotlight” is a parser game, which plays with some of the tropes from the Zork and Enchanter series: grues, and guildhalls and such. But these are merely allusions. The real story is one of innocence. The player is a cat, taking care of his boy as they have an adventure in an empty theatre. Together they conspire to aid in the escape of an (animal? no spoilers here) trapped in a box on stage.

As a cat, the player is encouraged to engage in cat like behaviors. You can score points and advance the game this way. The game gently encourages you to aim for a high score, but it might be an equally interesting challenge to complete the game with the lowest possible score…I wonder. Anyway, I succeeded in earning a pretty high score, gaining credit for all of the cat like behaviors except for biting. I’m just not that kind of cat, I guess.

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Thanks for playing my game! And for your kind words, too.

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Oooh love it, I’m playing this one next so :rofl: :cat:

Okay so I played it—and I loved it!!
Favourite line: “I am adorable, am I not? An utter delight.”
Indeed you are, Marbles… Indeed you are :black_cat:

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