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Maurog
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The Stack is a blog of Carl Muckenhoupt, a guy who decided to play through all games that he purchased and blog his experiences. They are mostly old games, but he made an exception and started on DROD: TCB recently. With three posts already in, it still looks like a looong way for him (he just got to Tar and Mud levels). A choice quote from the blog:
The sequel, Journey to Rooted Hold, had Beethro getting through that door and discovering to his shock and surprise that the game had a plot.
Edit: Since I know you have more important things to do than rummaging through the Stack for these DROD articles (yeah right), here is a full chronographic list of Carl's DROD-related posts:

DROD: The City Beneath
DROD: Narrative in a Puzzle Game
DROD: User Interface
DROD: Slayers
DROD: Imminent Hiatus
DROD: Solving Puzzles
DROD: Giants
DROD: Unarmed
DROD: Eater of Time
DROD: Summing Up
Year One
DROD RPG
DROD RPG: Monsters
DROD RPG: Special Items
DROD RPG: Secret Level
DROD RPG: Points of No Return
DROD RPG: Sort of complete

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[Last edited by Maurog at 03-02-2009 10:56 AM]
04-18-2007 at 02:37 PM
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Jatopian
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Of course, if he likes his transparency mods, he won't like that they don't cover Gel. Hopefully that won't garner a bad review.

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04-18-2007 at 09:50 PM
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ErikH2000
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Maurog wrote:
The sequel, Journey to Rooted Hold, had Beethro getting through that door and discovering to his shock and surprise that the game had a plot.
I had a good chuckle when I read that. :)

I like Carl's writing in the blog quite a lot. What makes it good is that he doesn't just comment about the game, but comes up with general thoughts on games that apply. His observations have depth.

-Erik

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04-18-2007 at 10:14 PM
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Tahnan
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Carl Muckenhoupt wrote:
You know what? Conveniences are nice.
Hear, hear.
04-19-2007 at 12:25 AM
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NiroZ
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Heh, this guy's not worried about spoiling anything, that's for sure.
04-20-2007 at 01:40 PM
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ErikH2000
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4/20/07 - Carl added another installment to his series of TCB posts. If you haven't made it to the third gate yet, be careful--there are numerous spoilers here!

-Erik

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04-21-2007 at 01:07 AM
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Mattcrampy
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I read through his archive - the man has a head on his shoulders, that's for sure. Very enjoyable.

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04-21-2007 at 11:48 AM
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Pinnacle
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Yet another update (5/1/07)

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05-02-2007 at 02:08 AM
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silver
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am I the only person that didn't have to play that room twice?


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05-02-2007 at 06:05 AM
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Kevin_P86
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silver wrote:
am I the only person that didn't have to play that room twice?
I didn't. It was rather obvious to me just about right away that the lower potion needed to be drank first (and only).

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05-02-2007 at 06:51 AM
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Oneiromancer
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I was going to say that the blog author had a good point that he never learned that speed potions cancel each other out--but that's not true, the room just South of that one (3N 1W) has a second speed potion to cancel out the first. I think we expected people to draw the parallels to invisibility potions, although it's not like that was expressly shown in TCB, that I can recall.

Game on,

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05-02-2007 at 01:06 PM
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Maurog
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You don't have to do 3N1W before 4N1W. In fact, if you exit 3N to the East, it makes a lot of sense to do 3N1E, return to North part of 3N, check 4N and see that you can't do it yet, and then go to 4N1W. I bet that's what Carl did.

There is no mandatory near-Entrance room that forces you to take two speed potions and see what happens, that's the point.

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05-02-2007 at 02:05 PM
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Oneiromancer
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True, Maurog, but it was still the first room that he came to that included 2 speed potions. ;)

That was the only room on the level that wasn't mine, and perhaps I would have had the 2-potion interaction more in mind if it had been. I think I expected 4N to be the last room so it wasn't an issue, and since nothing was really said in beta testing (with people quite familiar with invisibility potions, of course) it didn't occur to us.

It doesn't really matter, it's just nitpicking anyway, and it certainly doesn't prevent me from enjoying the posts on The Stack. I'm sure I will continue to check for his updates even after he finishes TCB.

Game on,

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05-02-2007 at 05:31 PM
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baf
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Maurog wrote:
You don't have to do 3N1W before 4N1W. In fact, if you exit 3N to the East, it makes a lot of sense to do 3N1E, return to North part of 3N, check 4N and see that you can't do it yet, and then go to 4N1W. I bet that's what Carl did.

In fact, you can see in the screenshot with the post that that's what I did. Click to enlarge it and you'll see that 3N1W is unvisited in the level map.
05-02-2007 at 11:32 PM
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Ezlo
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So you're Carl? Nice to meet you! I read up all the posts in your blog once it got reported here, and I really like your writing style! I can't wait to see what you're going to do next! Is there a list of games currently in the stack and the trophy case? I would like to see what I can expect!
05-02-2007 at 11:43 PM
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baf
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I have a list on my desktop, but I haven't put it online anywhere, and I'm not sure I want to. Some of the games on it are embarassing to own. Sure, I'll have to own when I have to post about them, but then I'll be able to provide some mitigating context. As to what to expect: I'll probably try to finish up Serious Sam: The Second Encounter after I finish TCB, and I want to get around to Final Fantasy 4 and Myst 5 sometime soon.

It's kind of weird posting about TCB, then reading the level designers commenting on my comments on their work. I'm used to casting my words into the void and not having the void answer back with factual corrections. It's a good thing I still like the game. Things could get awkward otherwise.
05-04-2007 at 01:19 AM
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Mattcrampy
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Roberta Williams is gunna have a few choice words for you, that's for sure.

But I'm a big fan of your style, and I like how much thought you put into the games you're playing.

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05-04-2007 at 07:52 AM
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ErikH2000
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It's a good thing I still like the game. Things could get awkward otherwise.
Carl, don't be reluctant to tear into the game or some aspect of it that you don't like. Good reviewers are honest.

Really, the Stack is awesome. I've gone back several times to read through the non-DROD game reviews.

-Erik

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05-04-2007 at 07:46 PM
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NiroZ
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And, since the game is finite, and there’s not much point in solving puzzles twice, I will in fact have to stop playing at some point.
Someone ought to get you a Caravelnet Subscription :evil: Have you ever thought about competeting in the highscores, Baf? :devil
[Last edited by NiroZ at 05-05-2007 01:41 AM]
05-05-2007 at 01:23 AM
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Ezlo
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And then hunt down all the secret rooms I missed and solve them in order to open the Master Wall and gain access to the bonus material.

There a common misconception there. You can complete the secret rooms in any order you want, the game will keep track of them even if you restore to an earlier point.
05-05-2007 at 03:03 AM
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voyager
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I could be wrong, but it sounded like he just meant, "In order to open the master walls, I have to solve the secret rooms," not "I have to solve the secret rooms in order." Still, that is a useful thing to know.
05-05-2007 at 04:22 AM
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Jacob
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http://www.wurb.com/stack/archives/276
(for completeness' sake)

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01-05-2008 at 08:33 PM
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baf
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For what it's worth, I've just started on DROD RPG.
02-05-2009 at 11:32 PM
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NiroZ
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FYI, your search bar doesn't work.
02-06-2009 at 12:57 AM
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baf
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Try it again now.
02-06-2009 at 01:17 AM
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NiroZ
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yep, now it works
02-06-2009 at 01:31 AM
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Jacob
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In the comments for a recent post:

Jacob on 28 Aug 2014
Are you planning to play the new DROD game at any point? Would be cool to read your analysis.

Carl Muckenhoupt on 8 Sep 2014
I do plan to play it, but not immediately.


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09-13-2014 at 01:11 AM
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mrimer
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Ooh, I was wondering whether TSS is on The Stack.

Great news! :)

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09-17-2014 at 10:07 PM
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ErikH2000
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I have come back to check a few times now. If Carl does a review, I definitely want to read it.

-Erik

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The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
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10-12-2014 at 09:55 PM
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RabidChild
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Looks like Carl is planning to replay (and blog) the whole series, starting with KDD 2.0.
12-09-2016 at 03:17 PM
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