zarfeblong - Network

Nice Myst analysis: a graph of the original game's nodes, extracted from the Hypercard source code.https://glthr.com/myst-graph-1

Nice Myst analysis: a graph of the original game's nodes, extracted from the Hypercard source code.

https://glthr.com/myst-graph-1

Dustborn is charming.

Dustborn is charming.

Quick comments on the Cyan layoffs:https://blog.zarfhome.com/2025/03/layoffs-at-cyanNo additional info; just putting things into Cyan's...

Quick comments on the Cyan layoffs:

https://blog.zarfhome.com/2025/03/layoffs-at-cyan

No additional info; just putting things into Cyan's historical context. Cyan has been through a lot of layoff cycles since the 1990s.

Yeah, I said months ago that Twitter had become an LLM training feed wearing a social network mask. Now it's official....

Yeah, I said months ago that Twitter had become an LLM training feed wearing a social network mask. Now it's official. (https://blog.zarfhome.com/2024/11/four-weeks-in-the-blue-sky)

Huh, layoffs at Cyan. https://bsky.app/profile/cyan.com/post/3llhcilutzi2sThat must hurt. They've had lean periods in the past, though....

Huh, layoffs at Cyan.

https://bsky.app/profile/cyan.com/post/3llhcilutzi2s

That must hurt. They've had lean periods in the past, though. Like the post says, if they land funding for the next project ("new D'ni-verse game") they can get back in gear.

If not, well, that would be bad.

Thoughts on Wanderstop.https://blog.zarfhome.com/2025/03/wanderstop#GameReviews

Thoughts on Wanderstop.

https://blog.zarfhome.com/2025/03/wanderstop

#GameReviews

NarraScope news: we have keynote speakers and a schedule!https://narrascope.org/scheduleWe have registration...

NarraScope news: we have keynote speakers and a schedule!

https://narrascope.org/schedule

We have registration open!

https://narrascope2025.eventbrite.com/

We have other info on the web site too.

https://narrascope.org/

Join us in Philadelphia in June. Hope to see you there.

Wayback link because I think Mastodon was clobbering the old wordpress site.

Wayback link because I think Mastodon was clobbering the old wordpress site.

Apropos of very little, I've had three lines of a Doctor Who filk stuck in my head since _the 1990s_ dammit, and last time I tried to...

Apropos of very little, I've had three lines of a Doctor Who filk stuck in my head since _the 1990s_ dammit, and last time I tried to hunt it up, I failed. Tonight I tried again.

Peter David, it turns out.

https://web.archive.org/web/20120912213405/http://www.peterdavid.net/2010/05/20/the-lord-of-time/

"Don’t start debating:
I’ve been off regenerating.
That only happens for a Lord of Time."

It is very weird seeing a Doctor Who season trailer which is edited like a mass-market sci-fi show promo rather than, you know, a teaser for...

It is very weird seeing a Doctor Who season trailer which is edited like a mass-market sci-fi show promo rather than, you know, a teaser for Doctor Who fans.

Photos from GDC (but mostly wandering around SF)https://eblong.com/zarf/photo/tag_san-francisco.html

Photos from GDC (but mostly wandering around SF)

https://eblong.com/zarf/photo/tag_san-francisco.html

Rime has been released for Myst (2020).https://blog.zarfhome.com/2025/03/the-age-of-rime

Rime has been released for Myst (2020).

https://blog.zarfhome.com/2025/03/the-age-of-rime

Good question: what if the protagonist is a “Commander Shepard” blank slate? You can still put a box or a role around the protagonist....

Good question: what if the protagonist is a “Commander Shepard” blank slate? You can still put a box or a role around the protagonist. There are goals and desires even if some part of the character is undefined.

(Example of a Billie Lurk “wanted” poster from the game. The crimes listed are dependent on the player’s game choices.)

(Example of a Billie Lurk “wanted” poster from the game. The crimes listed are dependent on the player’s game choices.)

Billy Lurk, the remorseful assassin in Dishonored who wants to kill a god. Lots of implications there. There’s morality, there’s combat,...

Billy Lurk, the remorseful assassin in Dishonored who wants to kill a god. Lots of implications there. There’s morality, there’s combat, there’s weapons, there’s religion. Tensions in all of these aspects.

AM talks about “negative capability” the notes in the text that people draw world understanding from. In SF the term is “inclueing”,...

AM talks about “negative capability” the notes in the text that people draw world understanding from. In SF the term is “inclueing”, as in stuff that clues the player in.

Players remember characters and character interactions, not events. Okay, they’ll remember the plot *hook*.

Players remember characters and character interactions, not events. Okay, they’ll remember the plot *hook*.

AM: say you start on a game where *no* gameplay exists. You’re starting the story with a blank page. Lay out borders: budget, team, time....

AM: say you start on a game where *no* gameplay exists. You’re starting the story with a blank page.

Lay out borders: budget, team, time. Scope. Genre, theme, pillars, vibe . (If story is not a game pillar, do not start designing with the story!)

As we build that out, we start to get new gameplay ideas. (If you’re struggling against a god, other gods may offer rewards. )

As we build that out, we start to get new gameplay ideas. (If you’re struggling against a god, other gods may offer rewards. )

Now you can think about settings, about the player’s fantasies and fears. (For win and lose states.) pirates, napoleonic, Odysseus - many...

Now you can think about settings, about the player’s fantasies and fears. (For win and lose states.) pirates, napoleonic, Odysseus - many possibilities.

Who cares if you win or lose, and why? What is the opposing force? Is there an antagonist? A god, a zombie pirate, a storm?