In general, I've learned quite a lot of things in this class. Besides the obvious CSS and HTML, I've learned a plethora of strategies and tools that can help me ideate and create in the future. I especially enjoy the Oblique Strategies cards as they can be applied to my artistic practices but personal life as well. The cards can be interpreted in various ways, which can help one think of a new perspective. The other tools in this class expand my repertoire and I can see myself making more websites in the future.
1. CharNG
For this tool, I used it in a few different ways. Firstly, I took the
phrases I generated from 3. n+7 just to see what I came up with. Then, I
used the text from 4. Otter.ai to get more phrases. Below are the phrases
that were interesting.
--You can choose to the roasting.
--oh, then you find out as your into the Depression Quest,
--a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, (sounds like I should include a
goblin.)
--you can probably investigate in the clicking.
--it'll eventually meet the worse ending.
--thinking of a small dragon, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a
goblin, a go (OKAY I GET IT. I'LL ADD A GOBLIN IN THE STORY)
--maybe you hit and sit in that,
--you've live in Wonderland.
--and like, again, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a
goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a
goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a
goblin, a goblin, a goblin (i'm done using this tool.)
2. Crowdsourcing
This part was a bit difficult to conceptualize at first. I decided to use
the dialogic approach. By talking with my siblings, they helped me figure
out the minute details for the project. My brother was very invested in
the "and like, again, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a
goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a
goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a goblin, a
goblin, a goblin, a goblin," so he helped me figure out how to include
this in the story. My brother suggested that the goblin takes over the
world. I'm thinking if you click "goblin" it leads you to the secret
goblin ending. It's just a fun, stupid ending that has no importance. You
just have to click "goblin" somewhere in the story. I was suggested to
include ogres, dwarves, elves, demi-humans, demons and dryads alongside my
already-planned otters, fairies, dragons, and goblins.
3. n+7
I used this tool to generate some sentences that might spark some more
ideas for my project. The otter.ai transcription was used to generate it.
Below are some sentences or phrases that were interesting. These are from
n+11 to n+14.
--One of the gardeners we played at the bellow of the
sensibility,
--You can choose to go into a cliff-hanger.
--But like it'll tell you maybe it'll give you maybe another orchid.
--Like if you hear the northward and you ignore it.
--So like maybe there'll be a northward countryside.
--then oh no the balcony enigma
--I dope't
--maybe a small draughty, a goldmine, an ember.
--maybe gem mausoleums
--there's just a burgeon
--So it's like an NFL steak.
--Maybe you just stay there kitchen of just peacefully by the roasting.
--One of the gardens we played at
--you have to explore the wrecker.
--And I'm three-wheeler it would be funny
--you get the balalaika (apparently the balalaika (Russian: балала́йка,
pronounced [bəɫɐˈɫajkə]) is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a
characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck and three
strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the third
string is a perfect fourth higher.)
--there's just a bureaucracy
--so your invoice is empty.
--you get the worst englishman
--It'll keep pestering you until you hear the noose. (This is such a dark
sentence. Oh no.)
4. Otter.ai
This tool was used for me to verbally ideate the storyline and concepts I
wanted to include in this project. The raw transcription is below. For
this project to be titled, into the forest and it's going to be
reminiscent of Zork. One of the games we played at the beginning of the
semester, or the Depression Quest, I suppose. The concept is more similar
to the Depression Quest, but I was more inspired by Zork where you start
off in a forest and you have to explore the world. Because I don't know
how to code like the text input option. I would rather just have the
player choose options. So you start off in the forest, like I said, and
you can choose two different paths. You can choose to go into a clearing.
And then there are some choices after that, or you can choose to go into
deeper into the forest. And I'm thinking it would be funny and like if
you've like, I want to keep going into the forest and it gets darker and
darker, and then you're lost and then you get the bad and dig. I think
that would be funny. Because I'll start with the the forest route since
I've already I'm already talking about as you start in the forest, you go
to more forest and then you hear noise. So you can probably investigate or
you can continue to ignore which will probably just lead you back to the
path of like, oh, the forest is getting darker. But like it'll tell you
maybe it'll give you maybe another option. Like if you hear the noise and
you ignore it. It'll keep pestering you until you hear the noise. So like
maybe there'll be a noise counter. So like in the inventory you have noise
one. It's like Don't stress over the noise zero noise. One is when you
ignore it, and then it'll keep pestering you and if you continue getting
darker in the forest, or going into the dark forest, then you get like a
worse ending then oh no the bad ending you get the worst ending because
you ignore the noise. If you investigate the noise I don't know what yeah,
maybe you will find like a village and, or like mythical creatures because
I know there's I want to add an otter. Maybe an otter would not be there,
but like I want to add mythical creatures for sure. Maybe a fairy, maybe a
small dragon, a goblin, an elf. And then you can have more interactions
and then it'll take you on a mini adventure. Out of the forest where you
find out that all this is a dream, kind of like Alice in Wonderland. And
that's if you go to the forest, investigate and not find the secrets I'm
thinking. There will be secrets that if you click it over time, like,
again, it'll be another inventory counter. If you've click all the
secrets, you get the secret ending. And then that that'll be that's half
of a story. The other half the clearing, also about the noise, but there's
the noise with the otters. I think this is where you get to talk to the
otters and he goes through the river. And then I think for this story, you
become otter people, or maybe just like live in nature. Or you can go back
to the trees and then go back to the other ending. Maybe I'll add another
where you'd kind of just ignore and sit in the clearing, maybe gathering
materials and if you gather materials. maybe you get an ending where you
build a house and live in the forest. I kind of like Over the Garden Wall,
but less morbid. Definitely want a few secret ending so first secret
ending is hearing the noise counter you get the the evil secret ending.
Maybe clicking I don't know there's just a bunch of I want there to be a
counter and an inventory. So for sure, there's gonna be a separate
inventory of where you can collect tools and items off the ground. And you
can use it and get certain buttons and interactions so Okay, so your
inventory is empty. And certain options will appear based on what you pick
up. So it's like an NFL statement. Okay, I made it complicated, but I
think it'll be fine. And I know there's gonna be I want a scene where it's
gonna be peaceful. So maybe it's the clearing, where like before you meet
the otter people, like instead of following the noise, you just follow the
river. So I mean, you'll eventually meet the Otters if you follow the
noise, but like you hit a clearing first. Maybe you just stay there kind
of just peacefully by the river. Yeah. Anyways, that's a story that I
thought of.
5. Oblique Strategies
a) "Is there something missing?" - I used this strategy prolifically to
make sure I completed all the requirements in the checklist and storyline.
b) "Remember those quiet evenings" - For me, this strategy was interpreted
in a couple of different ways. The first way I interpreted it was: the
story should have a moment of respite and tranquility. By remembering the
peaceful moments in my life, I wanted to have a scene that emobdies just
that. The other interpretation I had was for me personally. I should
remember the quiet times I have to calm down. I shouldn't feel overwhelmed
while working on something fun. I'd like to be at peace whilst working on
this project.
c) "Distorting time" - This strategy was embedded in the concept of this
project. Sort of similar to my other project for the midterm of PIC345 -
Games, Glitches, and Creativity, I wanted the game to question your
choices and meaning in life. Distorting time was used to describe one of
the alternate paths if you find it.
d) "Do we need holes?" - I thought this strategy was funny. The first
thing I thought of was plotholes, and I was like, "Plotholes are funny!
But that doesn't always make a good story at times." So no, I do not want
to make a terrible story. Instead, I thought of adding a hole in the game
in a different way! Somewhere, you'll have the choice to either
accidentally fall in a hole in the ground, inspect a hole in the ground,
and so on. Do we need them? To make the story interesting, yes.
e) "Give way to your worst impulse" - This was probably the best oblique
strategies card for this project, and in general. In general, I don't
indulge in impulses because it stresses me out rather than give me any
sort of gratification. The dissatisfaction outweighs any amount of
dopamine given to me when I choose to follow my impulses. However, this
strategy allowed for more funny scenarios and choices that would otherwise
be linear and boring. In games, there are times where I want to
impulsively do the "wrong" or interesting option. So, I decided to use the
frame to create more interesting choices in my story game.
6. botnik.org
I used this predictive text to create a sentence to use in the story. I
changed the source to "Bruno Mars" and came up with this sentence: You got
yourself stuck in this world slow down take it slow. Because the sentence
is a run-on, I edited it so that it can be used in the story. The
fragments became:
--You got stuck in this world.
--Slow down.
--Take it slow.
--Slow down, take it slow.
7. Anagram Generator
This tool was used to find alternate names for the secret ending/alternate
path. The main story is named "Into the Forest" and I wanted to find a fun
alternate name. This thought was inspired by Undertale and Deltarune by
Toby Fox. A plethora of the anagrams that were generated were not usable
in the slightest. "Fortieth Stone" was the first pair of words from the
anagram that I liked a bit. After perusing a bit, I used the advanced tool
to see if I could generate better anagrams. The anagrams I found
interesting were as follows: --Fortieth Stone (Title of the altenate
path)
--Thief Otter Son
--Thief Nest Root
--Thief Note Rots
--Thief Note Sort
--Thief Rents Too
--Thief Stern Too
--Street Info Hot
--Rosette Of Thin
--Rosette Of Hint
Most of these anagrams were better used for ideating and used in the story
rather than creating the alternate path. To elaborate, "Thief Otter Son"
was used to create a few characters in the story. "Rosette of Hint" is
also another character in the story who speaks in riddles.