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Sorry, I just meant it was slow moving when there were multiple good commands between turns but only one was generally chosen. When a command gets skipped (and I imagine everyone else as well) I start to wonder if you didn't choose it because it was clearly a waste of time. It's hard to know what you've got going on in your head. So I don't know if trying the key on the locker is worthwhile or if it requires a different key - which it likely does, but we can't know this without trying it.

To clarify things, this is roughly how I pick the commands to accept:
1. Is the command the first one posted?
2. Is any other command more popular / upvoted?
3. Is any command other than the previously chosen especially obvious (and timely) or funny

Whether or not a command has a specific function in-game, does not really weigh on the result. It also never matter who posts the commands, but as you can see above, a mediocre or even downright useless command given first is accepted over a better - more useful - command that was given later and did not receive any support. And besides, I try my best to come up with ways the game can respond to even the most nonsensical commands the players might give (remember the sexy-lemur episode?)

[> "Any news, Emma?"]

> "Any news, Emma?"

She shakes her head, looking awfully tired.

Emma: "Afraid not, I managed to switch the fuses and got power to some of the panels. As far as I can tell, level 3 is completely flooded and cuts us off from the others. There's also a few fire alarms going off on level 4 and below, so no way to know if anyone is still alive down there. We need to find a way to communicate with them..."

> "Emma, for God's sake, I already had amnesia and then I got shot in the head. You may be able to tell from my utter uselessness so far, as well as this macaroni and cheese, that I could use some guidance. Where the heck are the good fuses?"

Emma: "Yeah, I know... I'm sorry, Andrei, but I'm doing all I can. If I knew where there were spare fuses I would tell you, but Hank was shot and John is either down there with survivors or also dead. You probably don't remember it, but I'm an administrator here, I receive and collate reports and send them out, occasionally filling out requisition forms that always come back denied. When it comes to tech stuff, I'm useless. Hell, I'm having a hard time just reaching a fusebox, at least you can walk!"

Emma gives a deep sigh and rubs her eyes. Now that you think of it, she looks like she might have been crying while you were away.



Emma: "But hey, at least we've got food now, right?"

She manages to smile.

> "But seriously, cook me some of this mac n' cheese, please."

Emma chuckles, recognizing the joke, and opens both of the tin cans, mixing the contents half and half. She hands you one of the cans and uses her fingers to scoop up some of the cold goop from her own.

Emma: "Bon apetit, Andrei. Bring us spoons next time, all right?"

Which is one reason why I find this thread moves very slowly. I suggested we try the key on the locker twice but it was skipped. (it won't likely work, but it's worth the attempt)
Wham, unless you want this to run for the next 5 years, you should consider squeezing a few more of the easier commands into one post.

The thread is slow moving purposefully, giving players time to give multiple inputs and, as you have done a few times before on your own, voting for the best option and dropping out seemingly poor ones. If you see that the first action is one you feel does not advance the game, feel free to enter a new command or +1 one of the others.

killing kids in fallout never had a purpose ( except bad reputation in the wasteland )

Objection! One of the brats at the casino pickpocketed me so I blasted the damn runt with a full auto burst to the torso. Bastard earned AND learned her lesson!

Or watch this nice movie called "A Serbian film"

Note: do not watch this.

Yeah, I sort of used that thing (I won't call it a movie anymore) as an overt example of things gone wrong. You have to be a pretty jaded and twisted individual to come out of the experience without some mental scars. Wouldn't recommend it for the family movie night, or any other night.

Now we come down to what we want to show the viewer and how to justify such things in the game. When exaggerating things, I think it is quite easy to overdo the exaggerating and if we are, for example, talking about violence, then what might have been intended as thought-provoking commentary on the violence of human nature and existence can quite easily be perceived as nothing but mindless gratuitous violence without message. In here it is important to create the framework, the story, the characters and the situations in which these exaggerations are made, so as to not lose the intended message.

What bothers me is rather the reason, why the game is supposed to be provocative on the first place? Is it because the creator wants to get some attention, or he tries to make his ideas more expressive?

Those are the two ways. The first one is a bad thing and people who do that, provoke just for the attention and the sake of provoking, are bad people who make bad entertainment only to get attention.
It's the latter group whom I think should be those who push the boundaries and change things. I also want to belong in the latter group, as provoking people in a meaningful way can also be used to provoke thought from people, get them to re-evaluate their experiences, morals and values.

I didn't even realize you were kidding, so my bad.
I always find discussions of this subject of interest, as I myself am a firm believer that there should not be any line to cross, that for entertainment all matters, subjects, styles and themes should be open for exploration and experimentation (as long as they are done well), and thus I am also interested in hearing other people discussing the subject to hear their opinions as well. I also think such discussion would serve well to answer (Suomi-Finland)Perkele's question, as well as to map out some general opinions in the AGS community, so it's a win-win situation.

I think the "line" is perceived to be the point at which the contents of the game stop being a source of entertainment and intrigue for the viewer, and become uncomfortable and repulsive. While this is subjective and each viewer perceives things differently, some things are generally seen as crossing "the line" almost globally. This is why, for example, the only country to really produce videogames about rape and sex with minors are the japanese (as far as I know at least) whereas elsewhere in the world such an ideas are seen as "crossing the line".

Does that answer your question in any way?

I also feel the need to clarify this a little bit as to my own views:
If you are going for controversial subjects, offensive material and nudity+gore approaches, to name a few examples, make damn well suree you have a story and in-game context to show this sort of material. Offensive material just for the sake of being offensive and provokative is meritless and pointless and I personally find such endeavours highly disgusting. A game can have gore and other horrible, horrible things, but there has to be a justification for it in the game's story and characters.

An example of a bad idea: watch any of the Hostel movies, or perhaps Human Centipede. Or watch this nice movie called "A Serbian film" and you will definitely see how this provocation can go wrong.

The more provocative you make a game, the narrower the audience you can reach with the game.
Then again, I believe that those (like yourself, I would guess) who enjoy entertainment of a more provocative sort will enjoy the game even more for it.

There is no perfect solution, I'm afraid...

He's been given a thirty-day ban, but if he's harassing members through other channels, that can be made permanent. Do you have links to his attempts to contact you?

Nah, I blocked him on youtube and deleted his only message so far on Deviantart, so nothing to show for it anymore. I also think my response made it clear enough that I was not on his side, so I don't think he'll be contacting me anymore.

[> Move to Emma.]

> Move to Emma.

You decide it's time to get back to Emma and check up on her situation. You head back upstairs and enter the control room.
The rooms seems somewhat darker than before, and Emma appears to be intently studying the panel on the wall, on which several red LED light have become illuminated since your last visit.

Emma: "Hey Andrei, did you find anything useful? Fuses maybe, we seem to be running low on those..."



> Give Emma Mac'n'Cheese, Veggie mix, and can opener.

You: "Even better than fuses!"
You unload the riches in your pockets onto the table, where Emma examines them curiously. You place down the cans of Mac&Cheese and Veggie Mix, as well as the can opener and smile gleefully under your mask.
Emma looks at you for a minute, clearly unsure if this is some sort of joke, but within seconds her facial expression softens.

Emma: "Well, if we're going to choke down here, we might as well do it while fed. Too bad we don't have anything to heat these with. Gimme a minute and I'll get these open..."

I think he was just a bit off in the head, you know?
He's been contacting me via every possible avenue (Youtube comments, Deviantart etc) begging ME to contact the moderators to "let him back in". I say good riddance, and if it's up to me, he can stay out!

No sir, I'm afraid I am serious. See, the way I say Gravity is through the way I talk like how English don't say the T sometimes(which for from some reason I think is cool) as if it was silent in a word where it's not. I say Gravity as if the R was silent, but not only silent, as if it was apart of the G. G(r)-Avity is how it comes out which is way every time I said it I always had this feeling it was spelled wrong but I just could grasp why. I know I didn't say that the last time but I had just figured it out today.

Well that's just G'EAT, good for you mr 'ETA'D! We should all just D'OP a LETTE' from our W'ITING cause we all talk funneh!
...A'SEHOLE!

> replace burned out fuse

If that goes well, we can try to replace the rest of the missing ones.

Unable to comply.
Replace fuse with what?

[> Take blue sticky tack]

> Take blue sticky tack
You climb up onto a chair to reach up and snatch all the visible pieces of the blue sticky-tack. You manage to gather a small ball of the sticky substance, which you store in your pocket.
You worry the sticky-tack might gather link in there, though...

[> Read post-it note]

> Read post-it note

A cold chill runs down your spine as you read the small yellow note posted on the cupboard door:

Touch the tower of cups and I WILL kill you! -T

Hells, I NEED GLASSES!
Then again, I can't really imagine a rundown fridge either, a house maybe, but now I'm nitpicking.

How is a fridge ever "random"?
I cannot get over that one!

It's always sad when a game is so bad at conveying ideas that the developer has to come in and ask people "did you get it?".

[> Drink juice]

> Drink juice

Feeling a little parched you poke the plastic straw into the apple juice can and happily slurp away.
The taste is synthetic and you might call it "well preserved", but the liquid manages to quench your thirst.



> Recycle juice can

Trying to make up for your loss of karma, which you incurred with your cup-crashing shenanigans, you recycle the juice can.
Oh look at you, aren't you a good little boyscout now?