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Ben, feel free to show this over at the Critics Lounge and we'll have a talk about it

actually, I've got Mods' "GUI", "Helm" and "Andy Penis" in my music folder and listen to them every now and then. They're still awesome.

Also, I added myself after Twinmoon, as she explicitly wrote she didn't want the ending part. I promise I will do my best to give it a nice ending.

Finally the site returned for normal. And yea, this was a bad joke since it was basically the same April Fool's joke used last year except that it wasn't with Microsoft, it was with Sony. Nice effort in changing the site though. Don't repeat the same joke.

And who the heck are you?

Fair enough, let's officially increase it to 48 hours. We're not really in a rush anyway.

Well I didn't sign up to try and let people know it was a joke(oh and I didn't know work it out at first) but frankly it was not funny and don't you guys care that there were actually people that were sucked in and really worried about this, or do you find that funny too? Stop going overboard with the jokes, the Playstation one was funny but freaking people out isn't!

Jesus, get a grip.
If CJ and the regulars here have a tradition of writing April Fool's day threads, we're not amused by having total strangers showing up being hellbent on ruining it for everybody else.
No, nobody cares the slightest that people got "worried" for some hours. If people were so severely shocked by this, just send me their medical bills.

Good stuff. This might be the little push I've needed to finally get started on my new project.

[TEH RULES! READ CAREFULLY!!]

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, it is time to kick off this activity.
TEH RULES! READ CAREFULLY!!
The general idea is that you will receive a document attached to an email in your inbox, which you will add an amount of text to, and then send to another writer. By participating here, you are obliged to read through the story in its entirety, and make sure you understand it as well as possible, before you add your passage. If you don't have the time or motivation to read through the story that you receive, don't add to it, just pass it along.

How do we do it?P
This time, we write 300 words each. For the sake of coherence and quality, please try your best to make the passage you contribute with fit in the already existing story, and avoid clashing too strikingly with its genre and tone of voice. Remember tense and person and try not to confuse the future readers.

This time, the story will branch in a certain pattern that is laid out below.

                                                       Vince_Twelve
                                                        rock_chick
                                           /                                       
                            Babar                                                  Jack Sheehan
                           Stupot                                                   Tuomas
                     brokenbutterfly                                           Antonio
                          auriond                                                   enveloop
                 /                                                               /                     
[Cameron]                   LGM                                   Eggie                 Pixelperfect
FSi                                voh                                   Jon                     Akatosh
Candall                       Afflict                                 Emerald                Venus
TheJBurger                 twin-moon                      lo_res_man             Jelfish
                                  Andail

You need to consult the signing up-thread to find the cunningly disguised email addresses.

Huh?
Ok, to clarify: Vince_Twelve gets the honour to write the opening passage. After him, Rock-Chick takes over before the story divides into two paths. This means she must send the document to both Babar and Jack Sheehan.
Two teams take over the story, add their words and send it along to the four final teams.
TheJburger, Yours truly, Lo-res-man and Jelfish each makes sure they finish their versions, so we get four complete stories. Of course, each story will only be 3000 words, and less than half of every story will be unique reading.

Time frame
Use this thread (yes it will be cluttered beyond comprehension) to confirm that you've received the document. You must receive and send the story within 48 hours, or the person before you will re-send it to the writer after you in line. This means you have two days to add your passage.
The four stories don't need to be published simultaneously; whenever one path is completed, it will be published here.

Reminders
Keep in mind where you're positioned, and adjust your text to fit that position. If you're in the beginning, don't kill off important characters or try to conclude the story. If you're towards the end, don't introduce too many new characters or concepts.

What do we write about?
Here's the funny part. The genre of this edition's story shall be:

                                              A CONTEMPORARY URBAN SATIRE

Have fun!

I'm coming, I'm gonna send some money in a couple of days.
But what about...Eric? Scotch? Mods? Dave? Chrille? And those others....

Congrats, Scott, Well done

Just wanted to give a short update: Due to me being on vacation on the Canary Islands, this activity will start on Monday. So keep signing up and trim those writing muscles while you wait.
Sincerely yours

I think there are wonderful aspects of most established "classic" religions. In contrast to modern movements and programs (those kinds of movements that pop up in USA on a regular basis, sell a couple of million books and get featured in Operah, who claims it's the new shite) which are just about gaining power and money, religions like christianity and islam etc focus on your role in a community, and how to be good to others. Heck, most of New Age is just about spiritual self actualization, how to maximize and optimize yourself. It's never about sacrificing anything (I believe a lot in sacrificing), only about gaining more.
As lifestyles and philosophies, the big religions can teach us a lot.
But why oh why can't they just settle for being lifestyles and philosophies, why must they explain the evolution, cosmos and everything?
Religion loses ground when their followers must ignore and refute the most obvious and simple evidence science presents. Instead of being relaxed and saying "sure, evolution is fine, but we want to talk about how you lead your life here and now" they shout "blasphemy" whenever reality doesn't correspond point to point with the scriptures.
That's when the desperation kicks in, and people hide their heads in the sand. Their universe collapse because they can't give and take.

Are you friends worried about how you're evolving into a bear?

I think there's a lot of room for improvement when it comes to his posture and expression. Right now it's hard to tell whether he's being hostile, scared or just non-chalant. It's like a really bad actor who's told to model for a painting without any instructions whatsoever.

If you want to take this further, I'd be glad to discuss the dangers and history of categorizing people in groups labeled 'other' or 'foreign' over a PM or two as your apparent lack of social intelligence and decency has no place on the forum.

I shouldn't have to explain myself again.

That attitude won't get you anywhere. You're hardly in a position to tell what belongs on this forum and what doesn't, nor to use words like "unacceptable" when speaking of the engine's capacity.
If the current restrictions of AGS "incur a less-than-desirable workflow" I suggest you go back to your industry and focus on your commercial block-busters until AGS has caught up with your standards.

Inspired by the ambition and talents displayed during the previous round (even though some considered the result to be dog's vomit) I'm proud to present the new edition.

This time it will be even grander, as I aim to create a story that branches into sub-stories, resulting in multiple endings, just like the best adventure games. I don't need to bore you with technicalities just yet; all you need to do now is sign up and hopefully take part of one of the more extensive collaborative efforts this community has ever witnessed.

You don't want to miss out. Sign up. Now.

You can publish any sort of creative material in here, but it's good if you include some sort of question.
Like "do you think this texture is too dark?", or "how can I improve this dude's hair do?"
This is a practice forum, not an exhibition.

Fermat's Last Theorem, by Simon Singh. Very entertaining popular science

Shadow of the Colossus - which I believe is some sort of sequel to ICO - is a brilliant metaphor for the relationship of two lovers. And a great game.

I will just say that I disagree with the notion of 'losing' immersion in a novel when events occur that lie beyond your realm of firsthand experience; I've read many novels where the most fantastic parts of the story were the most compelling and immersive for me, so really, it's about how well the storyteller tells his story that determines how deep you get lost in the narrative.  Of course, you have to actually have some interest in the subject matter for it to really draw you in.

Allright, maybe I generalised a bit there. Let's say that it's easier to become immersed in a story whose elements are well familiar to you. I remember how love stories in general became vastly more accessible for me after my first love affair, and how a story about separation climbed in personal relevance after my first break-up. Likewise, I anticipate that books or movies about having children (or raising them, or losing them) will touch me deeper once I get my own children, no matter how well the writer conveys his feelings.
Crime and Punishment will affect you stronger if you've experienced severe guilt. People who've struggled together to overcome economical hardships might appreciate Grapes of Wrath better than those who haven't.
Some things you need to have gone through, touched and smelled and dealt with, and if you haven't you can only hope to imagine what it must be like.
All people can relate to losing and missing someone, but not all can easily relate to the practice of eating a human heart...