Tuesday, October 10, 2023

The Cry of Midgard - Reprisal

Editor's Note:

Hello all. 

Full disclosure, this feature already ran once back in 2021. Back then the View announcements were only on Facebook and people responding there through polls wasn't always a high-engagement interaction. So it sort of ran out of steam after a few weeks. It was also during COVID and we were just trying to generate any kind of interesting content for people to keep them interested in Realms, so if something wasn't finding purchase we were quick to move on something else that might.

With Discord, however, engagement with View posts is orders of magnitude higher, so I think it's worth trying this again as a mostly-weekly feature. Read on below to find out how it works and how to play.



Hello all. Welcome to a "new" View from Valehaven feature, The Cry of Midgard.

This game plays like a classic adventure game from the 80's like Zork, Shadowgate, and Transylvania.

[Yes, I know these references are dated -- use Google if you were born after 1990] 

The game presents you with information and you enter commands by typing them in. In this case, you will all be playing it together by typing commands into a Discord chat and/or Facebook comments and voting on your favorites.

Each week you'll be presented with the next screen in the game as you move around from area to area.

You can either leave a comment on what you want to do next and/or leave any emoji on someone else's comment as a way of saying "I agree with this".

After the poll closes, I will pick up to three of the highest voiced and voted commands across both Discord and Facebook to execute (given logical limits on parsing Discord threads). These commands cannot directly conflict with one another and I will execute them in the most logical order. For example, if the results of the poll are as follows:

  • 1st place: Go north 
  • 2nd place: Pick up rope
  • 3rd place: Go south
  • 4th place: Investigate tree
  • 5th place: Complain loudly
I would resolve the commands in this order.
  • 1st: Investigate tree (makes more sense to look at things before you do things)
  • 2nd: Pick up rope
  • 3rd: Go north (leaving the screen will normally be the last thing on the list, if it happens at all)
I would ignore the command to "Go south" because it directly conflicts with a command that got more votes than it.

I want to stress that you can attempt to enter command that you like. The command won't always "accomplish" anything (except, perhaps, comedy) but the result will never be "That command doesn't work". Every command will have an effect on the game 

[I say this now and expect that I will come to regret it]

Anyway, I'll show the results of each executed command and then let you decide what commands to input next. Also there is a status screen I'll show you each week as well.

Okay, enough explanation. You'll figure it out as we go along. Go ahead and hit the space key so we can start a new game.

[SPACE]


Well, that handsome fellow is giving you all the exposition you're going to get. What? You were expecting a cut scene? It's the 80's, you're lucky this is in color! After listening to the floppy spin in the drive for about ten minutes the first screen of the game finally loads.


Oh, and hitting "i" brings up your Status Screen. Here you go.



Not much to see in there yet, but I expect that to change shortly. Okay, that's the start of the game. Enter or emoji-vote commands on the Discord or Facebook and we'll see what happens next week. Happy adventuring!