In particular, I couldn’t figure out a non-confusing way to explain these three map-editing actions in plain text, and I’m not fast enough at image editing to do this within the deadline. So now it’s All There In The Manual instead. With any luck, players will turn there when they get stuck instead of just giving up!
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I’ve always loved when games come with feelies. Infocom was great, but by no means the only provider of these. PC games other than interactive fiction used to come with maps, blueprints, coins, story books, cut-and-fold cardboard space ships, etc. Some were used for copy protection, but many were just for fun! Even very mundane keyboard overlays were a welcome addition to some games. And you didn’t need to buy some ridiculously overpriced pre-order only ‘limited edition’ to get them either. 
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Hey! Don’t overpaint this. You’re talking about an era when adventure games cost $40 on the store shelf (in circa-1990 dollars, even).
Nowadays players may like the idea of feelies, but what they really like is seeing games that cost $12 and are marked 50% off in the latest Steam sale. Companies have received that message loud and clear. Physical items are produced in short runs for the loyal fans who are willing to pay extra for them.
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Some people, sure. But what companies really like is selling you a $70 digital only copy of a “game” with the bare minimum content and functionality that lets makes you acquire characters, skins, equipment and game modes through subscription driven battle passes, micro-transactions, and bits of DLC that cost almost as much as the game. Why add that cool bit to the game when you can charge extra for it? Multiplayer is also the way to go…not because that’s what people want, but because that’s how you let people show off their digital crap to entice more buyers (via fear of missing out).
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I wrote three games that were fully physical, designed to be sent bit by bit through the post and to involve all the senses. The first was a murder mystery that lasted 8 weeks. It’s now a “normal” physical book (with pictures).
The second (steampunk) comes with a song, and a piece of resin art, and a thing that you’re meant to put together. But it was sent as one parcel. It happens at the same time as the third book in my trilogy of novels, and a stripped-down version (text and two artworks) is included in that novel.
The third (fantasy) CAN be sent in three parts, and has some incredibly cool elements including a hand made teddy bear that you stuff yourself at the end.
They all have loads of art by a range of artists, and the first and third had different published authors writing the different characters.
Truly epic stuff.
I lost a LOT of money making those.
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Some time ago, I tried starting a discussion about brainstorming “feelies” for the digital age, basically trying to explore options for feelies that avoided mass-production and mass-mailings. I suspect some of the options discussed might be of interest.
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I like feelies also, and they needn’t be expensive. You can provide separately downloadable PDFs of in-game documents or a map.
I made my own feelie for robotsexpartymurder because I wanted the in-game coffee mug I described. I made it on RedBubble for free which is a print/create on demand service so you only pay to have your artifact made and shipped.
I also made some stupid stuff like a clock and shower curtains because it was fun and easy!
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You made a shower curtain feelie!? 
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It’s one of the items on Redbubble you can put your art on. Now that I look I think I did it but then removed it cuz it was so stupid. I actually really like the clock and coaster set though! You can also make stickers and magnets and a sort of photo/art block that could work as a trophy type thing. The stickers and magnets might be a cool idea if you were going to a meetup and wanted a giveaway promo. One of my favorite ones that could work really well as a feelie is if you made a spiral-bound notebook with your game’s art (or in-game cover) to take notes in.
I almost want to create a game where I could make a notebook where the art includes a hand-scribbled password or passcode on it that might unlock extra features. Or coasters for an in-universe bar/lounge with a phone number written on it.
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My parents at some time had a business selling shower curtains among other things. Because of this I don’t find the idea stupid, but just … bizarre! But a clock is cool.
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I love that logo! It’s a very Kryptonian palette. I approve. 
I just wanted to say that you get feelies. It should always enhance the game experience as much as possible and emulate actual items described in the game.
There’s a black mug in my house that reveals ghosts printed on it, but only when it gets warm… just saying. OMG secret messages!
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Thank you! It’s the design I’m most proud of and I’m happy it worked out well with the vibe of the game. I’m weirdly into “branding” games and the Cardinal logo got incorporated everywhere thematically. That’s why I wanted the mug! The whole game is styled with these colors. I’m a huge fan of “cobalt” which is why I use the blue forum theme!
(note adult NSFW text content if not obvious from the title and racy but non-explicit “swimsuit” CGIs of in-game characters)
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Surely somewhere on RedBubble someone has made an “Aperture Science” shower curtain based on PORTAL - the entire backstory involves Aperture starting as a shower curtain manufacturer, which would be a perfect feelie!
Of course it’s been done!
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You should be proud. Love the fact that you got the cardinal colours in there. The yellow beak, the black C surrounded by cardinal red. It would stand up to any logo designed for the real world today. I love geometric shapes.
Maybe Cardinal will find a way into other games you make… or maybe, with your permission, other author’s games.
Oh, and you might know of this movie, but one of my favourite horror flicks is Murder Party. There’s no sex or robots, but 2 out of 4 ain’t bad. 
I’ll check out your game soon!
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The entire concept of Cardinal and Em was one I lifted out of a mainstream SF screenplay I wrote. It was really bad and was poorly reviewed except people found the setting interesting. I lifted it wholesale and set this game there.
To bring this around to topic, I think one of the cool things about feelies is to provide a physical piece of an imaginary world a player can hold in their hands, and those are the best.
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Such an interesting topic.
Starcross had a star map and an index of items that was used as copy protection of sorts. Nothing stopped people from copying the docs though.
Deadline’s evidence pieces were inspired by the Dennis Wheaton books, (I bought two of them way back) which were mystery cases that included cigarette butts, photos, and other pieces of evidence.
Sometimes, however, these feelies were not for copy protection but for verisimilitude or immersion.
They were also a source of envy.
How fun is playing Wishbringer if you can’t own the stone? Still probably the coolest Feelie in the INFOCOM era. Yellow glow-in-the-dark plastic stone… but that damn thing glowed PURPLE!!!
Still have mine, even though I carried it in my pocket for years.
Hitchhiker had some good ones. Mostly simple though. Cotton wool in a baggie, cardboard Peril Sensitive Sunglasses, empty baggie holding the Microscopic Space Fleet.
Infidel had stamped envelopes with correspondence, a rubbing of a cube with coded markings.
Of course Suspended had a map board and icon markers for locating the robots.
When I wrote Piracy 2.0 I bought a number of clear acrylic 1” cubes and dyed them purple with boiling hot RIT dye. I bought a rubber stamp with a logo and applied paint to one face. Kinda crudely. I gave some away at PAX East one year.
For The Promise I carved a wolf-head amulet from a black beach stone and slung it on a leather thong.
For players I made a good replica in black Sculpy on the same leather thong. It took several hours to Dremel the stone amulet into a wolf’s head so that was never going to work for player versions. Sculpy was much faster and the end result looked VERY similar.
Feelies do not have to hide secrets to the gameplay but if they do, that is cool as long as players can get them easily.
Downloadable maps and documents are a great way to do Feelies.
Even those can help immerse a player in a game.
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Re: feelies as copy protection, does that impede anyone from playing those games today? Or are the feelies well enough documented online that people can just look up the unique code/whatever?
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All of the Infocom stuff has been archived (I’ve wrtten a bunch about them), and lots of non-Infocom games besides. This is a fun site, though displaying images is weird if you left-clock. Better to “open image in a new tab.”
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Oh wow, that site is extensive! And will be fun to have on hand when I finally get around to playing an Infocom game. 
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The manuals and feelies, in particular, are archived at https://infodoc.plover.net .
(I see Dave fixed the SSL cert on that site. Thanks!)
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