The concept of perfection has sadly become something of a straw man. Does anyone dare claim to seek perfection these days? Modern cynicism demands we resolve ourselves to drab practicality. What if I just say I want a perfect tuna fish sandwich? Oh yeah... with the exactly correct proportions of albacore, mayo, cheddar, ground pepper, and grilled rye bread smeared with butter. Is that so obsessive and delusional that it will lead to atrocities and my eventual undoing? It's not like I'm marching into Poland here. Mmmm... tuna fish.
So why's everybody gotta be so down on perfection? Larry Murk isn't. He didn't shy away from impossibly high standards when constructing his latest masterpiece. Nor was he falsely modest. In fact, so confident was he in the value of his creation that he named it...
Perfection
Our Fall 2005 Smitemaster's Selection is here, right now, on CaravelNet. Grab it and land-rush for best scores in the virgin territories! This is the hardest set of levels we've released for the game, and it should slow you smug puppies down a bit. We met our release schedule with time to spare, but of course, nobody will remember that except Mike and me.
More game info
The CD of the game is coming next month, and we'll sell it for ten dumb bucks. Let me explain how it will work. The CD has got some nice cover art and makes an attractive keepsake. I also put extra shareware demos on it, so you can easily check out what's new in the indie gaming scene. We plan for every Smitemaster's Selection to have a corresponding CD. But these won't be big-selling items--mostly because you can download Smitemaster's Selections from CaravelNet already. We are manufacturing these CDs because we're proud of getting another release out the door and want something to remember it by--another trophy to put in the case. I invite you to be proud along with us. Have your own disc to remind you of the early days of Caravel when you helped us out. You know, the early days in 2005, before we made the big movie deals, built the theme park, set up five animation studios, bought out Hasbro, and so on.
So here comes the secret newsletter-only deal for hardcore DROD fans...
You can't see this part unless you receive the Illumination by e-mail. Go to your profile and change settings there if you'd like to fix that.
You Can't Handle the Truth
Each month, we run a new contest. I am often torn between running really popular contests that everyone will like or exploiting the contests as large-scale experiments for new kinds of games I've imagined. But you know what? It's working out fine, because my last wacky contest experiment was really popular, and this November contest is getting a lot of sign-ups too. I call it "
the Truthbringers"
, and it's a combination of logical deduction and ruthless politics. Would you like to play? It should be a great way to get to know other people on the forum, although you might be seeing their worst sides. I encourage you to take a closer look. The sign-up deadline is coming fast. As I write this, you have a bit less than 24 hours.
Contest info
Smite to the Death
We had 56 people armed with swords and locked in an arena for our October contest. They stabbed and blew each other up. It was great! There can be only one, and this time, that one was Kevin. He was very lucky and very skillful.
Contest results buried on last page
Would You Like Freedom Fries with Your DROD
I guess there is a group of people that go around translating help files into French to make the world a Frenchier place. Their website is called "
Manuels d'Aide en Français"
. Who was it that performed the translation of DROD help files to French? I'm not sure because I have a hard time reading French. However, I thank Didouneto for bringing it to our attention. You can have help files in French now with this nifty installer.
Direct download link
One More Month for Werlin
I like this game,
Trials of Werlin, but we're not going to keep selling it. We don't want to be one of those big portal sites that have hundreds of games all in once place for you to pick from. That just doesn't fit in with our goals. It's more likely that we'll occasionally introduce fanworthy games like
Werlin and give them a limited time on the stage. So I'll leave
Werlin up on the site for another month. Try out the demo if you haven't already. It's a good game with a nice mix of puzzle-solving and arcade elements.
And sorry, the special offer from October is no longer available.
Trials of Werlin info
The Bar is Back
Long ago someone devised a system to once and for all quash the incessant cries of "
are we there yet?"
It's time to bring back the Bar, and not because everyone has recently begun clamoring for it. It's just time--that's all. At the top of the CaravelNet forum, you will see an estimate of how much time is left before our next major release,
DROD: The City Beneath. That doesn't mean we're going to be saying much of anything about it. There is a lot going on between now and the TCB release, and I'd rather tell you about those events as they come up instead of hyper-fetishizing a release that is several months away. Perhaps the Bar will have a calming effect on you crazy drodiacs.
Topic Picks for November
I've been godlike for some time now, and I figure everyone deserves a taste. Largely, it's just a matter of perspective. From up in the clouds, here is what the teeming CaravelNet forum looks like.
Expanding a Fact-Based Culture
Swivel describes what is perhaps the last remaining obstacle to real fan fiction based on DROD's world of the Eighth. I bite my tongue and offer what vague promises I can.
http://www.drod.net/forum/viewtopic.php?TopicID=8153
Beethr 'o' Lantern
It's become an annual tradition: Clayton Weiss carves a DROD-themed pumpkin. Come see pics of his latest!
http://www.drod.net/forum/viewtopic.php?TopicID=8097
That Really Annoying Hold, Labyrinthitis, Beethro Goes Fourth, Ben Chisel's Five-Sweet Speeking Grauns 2.0, Great Uncle Yurgess' Hold
These are all the new holds (level collections) that have been released since the last newsletter. Did you know that at time of writing there are 7,184 rooms on CaravelNet that you can download and play?
http://www.drod.net/forum/viewboard.php?BoardID=11
Transparent Tar and Mud
It is considered most un-DROD-smanlike to hide mazes of walls under tar and mud, and yet people still do it. Here is your recourse!
http://www.drod.net/forum/viewtopic.php?TopicID=6596
Tilez
One of our forum members, Rob Maggio, wrote a likable new game. It's about putting things in front of balls so they move where you want them to.
http://www.drod.net/forum/viewtopic.php?TopicID=8181
Add or Subtract a Rule
This forum game that Chris Marks introduced is simple and fun. Well, it starts simple...
http://www.drod.net/forum/viewtopic.php?TopicID=8027
The Team Gulp
In America, it is not possible to make a carbonated beverage that is too large.
http://www.drod.net/forum/viewtopic.php?TopicID=8156
-Erik
____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
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[Last edited by mrimer at 11-07-2005 06:19 PM]
