Now that's one for the record books!
Alright guys...I have to admit, when ManEatingWreath quit a few days ago...for half a second I kind of had a freak out in my mind, and even refereed to this season as "a joke' to him in a PM. You know what? This season IS a joke! It's a spectacular joke, and the thing I love about it is that literally every step of the way so far we've had turn of events that nobody saw coming. MickeyMania and Basketbuddy being eliminated early on set the tone for what was soon to be the flat out most unpredictable season in the game's history. I am really in love with this cast, we already have a few new people that I would gladly count as "All Stars", and everyone left in the game, including the people on Outcast Island, have been playing hard all season. ManEatingWreath described his departure from the game in a way I completely agree with...a turning point.
From the get go, "Project Portal" was all Strat's idea. I didn't know anything about the game, but Strat insisted that this be included in the group of projects. He had very specific ideas for what he wanted to see done. Portal is one of those things that is pretty widely talked about during the game, just in general, so naturally a few people were really looking forward to this. I'll admit, the story elements of this project really weren't handled in the way Strat wanted them to be handled, and I'll lay the blame on the fact that, again...were still pretty far behind schedule here. The whole outro of the project was planned out pretty far in advance, and me posting Project Six early basically ruined the continuity of the whole thing. I'd like to personally apologize for that particular interference.
As somewhat expected, the core of how this project played out was essentially, each team had a "go-to guy", who was wall versed in the world of Portal. Team Bluth had DWorld (who I must say...is living up to his potential at this point!) Team Coats had the ever-allusive Hack2112, and Team Baxter of course had the mighty and towering Disneyson1. Each of these players really stepped up to the plate, resulting in three very different approaches to a wildly talked about project.
Team Bluth over on Outcast Island really blew me away this time. They were the first to get brainstorming, and they had a solid lead in total posts throughout the entire project. Granted, having more pages in your brainstorming thread doesn't always guarantee a winning project, but it is a pretty good indicator. Team Bluth, even though they were made up of people previously voted out, all contributed a very solid amount of brainstorming to the overall process. CostaFreak...sorry man. I've got to say, while you are definitely a helpful player, your sporatic nature pretty much makes it clear that...you're never going to win this game. Bold statement of me to make, I know...and I'd love for you to prove me wrong, but CostaFreak...that's what makes your character shine. I'm not saying you have absolutely no chance, but your solid reputation of coming and going, always leaving some kind of a mark on every season you're on, but most of the time never really having a considerable shot at the winner's title. Season Eight was a really memorable season for you and it really brought your character full circle. With Season Nine, while like I said every time you do contribute, you contribute something useful, I feel like you're still just kind of playing from the sidelines. Unfortunately, if I don't see SOMETHING from Team Bluth when the projects get turned in, I might have to eliminate CostaFreak if he doesn't end up showing up. Definitely not something I WANT to do, but if you expect to survive on Outcast Island, you must at the very least compete on a project-by-project basis.
AdvBlueDude kind of took a backseat this project, but he deserved it. Thrill, meanwhile, is a big wildcard at this point. He's certainly not the loudest player in the bunch, but he's also had a lot of influence in the events of the season. It was Thrill that sent the infamous StarWarsGeek to Outcast Island, thus potentially ending his game. Then, Thrill gets sent to Outcast Island the very same project as StarWarsGeek, and has now managed to quietly win his way back into the main game. It was pretty obvious AdvBlueDude would be one of the people returning, but the other slot was completely up for grabs. It was a close vote. It ultimately came down to most everybody who cast a vote voting for AdvBlueDude, with one vote for CostaFreak and ultimately two votes for Thrill. Very close call. Oddly enough, DWorld was the only person to not receive a vote, in spite of really being the leader this past project and putting together what I consider to be the best overall project submitted so far this season. So essentially, each and every personality on Outcast Island really shined in their own way. Something tells me DWorld is going to come back sooner than you guys think, and who KNOWS what that's going to bring to the table. Remember, the Outsider's Ceremony is still up for grabs. I changed the rules so that instead of eliminating someone completely from Outcast Island, instead you'll chose someone from the main game and send them to Outcast Island in your place. The twist is still pretty brutal, but at least it's not game ending. Only POTENTIALLY game ending, haha. For all intents and purposes, Outcast Island really is working out how I wanted it to. It's a lot better than how Redemption Island worked out for Survivor. Basically what I wanted to see was a whole other element of gameplay emerge, and I think Outcast Island is really providing that. In general, I'm very satisfied with how this season is turning out, especially if it remains as unpredictable in the first half as it was in the second half. I don't care about the outcome of any one season, but I always appreciate when it's an unpredictable road to get there. I'd say Seasons five and six were probably about as unpredictable as they come, and ever since PL7764 took the title in one of my personal favorite wins the game has ever seen, I've constantly been looking for that next player who comes out of nowhere and takes the title completely by surprise. This season, the potential is definitely there.
In part two I'll discuss.
-My controversial low score for Team Baxter, and personally address Disneyson1 and his potential "Napoleon Complex".
-How ManEatingWreath's elimination will further impact the game, and the overall storyline of Team Coats.
-How I see the rest of the season potentially playing out.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Commentary: Season Nine, Project Four
I love where this season is going.
I'm just going to say this right now. Were about half way through the list of projects we have lined up, and already I can tell that this cast is really delivering. There have of course been a few sad events, such as MickeyMania dropping out and Basketbuddy getting caught up in his own schedule, but going into the big Portal project, I think the important thing we have to look at is that now we've got three VERY distinctive teams, each with devoted members who have varied backstories and have ALL taken various steps to get to where they are right now. That is what I'm most excited about. I'm excited about that, and I'm also really excited about the fact that exactly one project from now, we will have a complete merged team. That's right, Team Coats, Team Baxter, and two members from Team Bluth are all coming together to form one team of seven that will last all the way until the semi-finals. It will provide yet another layer of inner-dynamics to be worked through. Before we get to that, let's look at the three teams currently in play.
First, we have Team Baxter. The interesting thing about thee guys is that they're all complete...dare I say it...wild cards. Well, not so much Wild Cards, they just all ended up on Team Baxter by chance. Even Imagineer2017 only ended up as the Team Leader once AdvBlueDude opened Walt's Vault and got sent to Outcast Island. Then we had Monkey, who came over from Team Coats and really led the team to a great victory in the ThatGuyWithTheGlasses project. And now, Disneyson is also in the mix from the dissolve of Team Davinson. The big question mark with Disneyson at the start of this project was if he was going to be able to operate in this game now that he doesn't have the title of Team Leader. I shouldn't say it's an IF question, it's more of a...how will he work this type question. Well, I think he and Imagineer really went hand in hand with the in-attraction dining project, and they both contributed an even amount of ideas. Now that we've come to the Portal project though, and it's a subject that Disneyson is OBSESSED with, will he, dare I say it...perhaps pull a Mouseketeercole one us? By that I mean, will he be able to use the other team members input equally while he himself has such clear and passionate ideas about the project. Honestly, this type of social situation is the type of stuff I like to see in the game, NOT back and forth malicious PM wars. Monkey, meanwhile, took a back seat this project with the PoMVP in his possession from his performance in project three. Monkey better be careful, because Imagineer and Disneyson are both HUGE personalities, and now he's dealing with a subject I have no idea if he knows anything about. Then again, Portal IS largely based on comedy, which we all know is Monkey's specialty. Should be an interesting round for everyone's favorite simian.
Team Coats is pretty much the exact opposite of Team Baxter. The three way trio of ManEatingWreath, Hack, and Futureimagineer has proved to be a powerful one. One of the dynamics I found really interesting this time around was DWorld and his interactions with this already established "unit". DWorld is a contestant that I really have my eye on. He stood up to me when I called him out on being "just there", and he also used the "s" word. S as in "strategy"...Perhaps he is one of those players that is just laying low for now. Now that he's on Outcast Island, however, he's going to HAVE to get noticed. Not much new to say about MEW this time around. (Hey, that rymthes!) He still continues to be a modest yet very powerful presence in the game. He took the somewhat low score the project received very well. ManEatingWreath doesn't want to pretend he's something he's not...or maybe...he's more than he's putting off. Who knows? All I know is that his storyline is yet another captivating storylines. Speaking of storylines...Hack is seriously on a roll here, and now he's got a whole project based on one of his all time favorite subjects. And then, you have Futureimagineer, who at this point is probably the most memorable new personality in the game. On paper, Futureimagineer is basically everything we want in a contestant. He contributes a lot of interesting ideas, he thinks outside the box, he's known for being strategic, and he won't just sit there and take a bad score. Rather the latter two are good or bad are up for debate, but they definitely make him a more interesting overall player. I'd say at this point, he's already earned a place among the "All Stars".
And lastly, there's Team Bluth. First of all, I have to say hats off to AdvBlueDude for sticking it through all this craziness. He's been really patient with the Outcast Island twist, and now, what do you know? He's actually got a strong team going on over at Team Bluth. DWorld and Thrill are both memorable Festival of Imagination personalities who have a lot to prove, but fortunately for them Outcast Island happens to be the perfect place to prove yourself. CostaFreak is just being CostaFreak, as always. He admits that he always falls into a chain of being gone for one day every season and that screwing him over. Again, Outcast Island might be his salvation. One thing I have to point out about Outcast Island and why going there does have some sort of cool merit to it is the fact that getting sent there means you're going to be directly involved in Strat's story. At the moment, we've got five very distinct personalities, and were also about to unleash the Outsiders into the story as characters, so I really think you guys are going to enjoy where the audiosodes are going. The thing on everyone's mind right now is...who is going to come back from Outcast Island, and what kind of an effect are they going to have on everyone's game? Time will tell. I can't wait to see what you guys do with the Portal project, and I'm even more excited to see what becomes of the merged team. This season is just a test drive for what's to come, but it's a really fun and unpredictable (if a bit bumpy...) test drive at that.
I'm just going to say this right now. Were about half way through the list of projects we have lined up, and already I can tell that this cast is really delivering. There have of course been a few sad events, such as MickeyMania dropping out and Basketbuddy getting caught up in his own schedule, but going into the big Portal project, I think the important thing we have to look at is that now we've got three VERY distinctive teams, each with devoted members who have varied backstories and have ALL taken various steps to get to where they are right now. That is what I'm most excited about. I'm excited about that, and I'm also really excited about the fact that exactly one project from now, we will have a complete merged team. That's right, Team Coats, Team Baxter, and two members from Team Bluth are all coming together to form one team of seven that will last all the way until the semi-finals. It will provide yet another layer of inner-dynamics to be worked through. Before we get to that, let's look at the three teams currently in play.
First, we have Team Baxter. The interesting thing about thee guys is that they're all complete...dare I say it...wild cards. Well, not so much Wild Cards, they just all ended up on Team Baxter by chance. Even Imagineer2017 only ended up as the Team Leader once AdvBlueDude opened Walt's Vault and got sent to Outcast Island. Then we had Monkey, who came over from Team Coats and really led the team to a great victory in the ThatGuyWithTheGlasses project. And now, Disneyson is also in the mix from the dissolve of Team Davinson. The big question mark with Disneyson at the start of this project was if he was going to be able to operate in this game now that he doesn't have the title of Team Leader. I shouldn't say it's an IF question, it's more of a...how will he work this type question. Well, I think he and Imagineer really went hand in hand with the in-attraction dining project, and they both contributed an even amount of ideas. Now that we've come to the Portal project though, and it's a subject that Disneyson is OBSESSED with, will he, dare I say it...perhaps pull a Mouseketeercole one us? By that I mean, will he be able to use the other team members input equally while he himself has such clear and passionate ideas about the project. Honestly, this type of social situation is the type of stuff I like to see in the game, NOT back and forth malicious PM wars. Monkey, meanwhile, took a back seat this project with the PoMVP in his possession from his performance in project three. Monkey better be careful, because Imagineer and Disneyson are both HUGE personalities, and now he's dealing with a subject I have no idea if he knows anything about. Then again, Portal IS largely based on comedy, which we all know is Monkey's specialty. Should be an interesting round for everyone's favorite simian.
Team Coats is pretty much the exact opposite of Team Baxter. The three way trio of ManEatingWreath, Hack, and Futureimagineer has proved to be a powerful one. One of the dynamics I found really interesting this time around was DWorld and his interactions with this already established "unit". DWorld is a contestant that I really have my eye on. He stood up to me when I called him out on being "just there", and he also used the "s" word. S as in "strategy"...Perhaps he is one of those players that is just laying low for now. Now that he's on Outcast Island, however, he's going to HAVE to get noticed. Not much new to say about MEW this time around. (Hey, that rymthes!) He still continues to be a modest yet very powerful presence in the game. He took the somewhat low score the project received very well. ManEatingWreath doesn't want to pretend he's something he's not...or maybe...he's more than he's putting off. Who knows? All I know is that his storyline is yet another captivating storylines. Speaking of storylines...Hack is seriously on a roll here, and now he's got a whole project based on one of his all time favorite subjects. And then, you have Futureimagineer, who at this point is probably the most memorable new personality in the game. On paper, Futureimagineer is basically everything we want in a contestant. He contributes a lot of interesting ideas, he thinks outside the box, he's known for being strategic, and he won't just sit there and take a bad score. Rather the latter two are good or bad are up for debate, but they definitely make him a more interesting overall player. I'd say at this point, he's already earned a place among the "All Stars".
And lastly, there's Team Bluth. First of all, I have to say hats off to AdvBlueDude for sticking it through all this craziness. He's been really patient with the Outcast Island twist, and now, what do you know? He's actually got a strong team going on over at Team Bluth. DWorld and Thrill are both memorable Festival of Imagination personalities who have a lot to prove, but fortunately for them Outcast Island happens to be the perfect place to prove yourself. CostaFreak is just being CostaFreak, as always. He admits that he always falls into a chain of being gone for one day every season and that screwing him over. Again, Outcast Island might be his salvation. One thing I have to point out about Outcast Island and why going there does have some sort of cool merit to it is the fact that getting sent there means you're going to be directly involved in Strat's story. At the moment, we've got five very distinct personalities, and were also about to unleash the Outsiders into the story as characters, so I really think you guys are going to enjoy where the audiosodes are going. The thing on everyone's mind right now is...who is going to come back from Outcast Island, and what kind of an effect are they going to have on everyone's game? Time will tell. I can't wait to see what you guys do with the Portal project, and I'm even more excited to see what becomes of the merged team. This season is just a test drive for what's to come, but it's a really fun and unpredictable (if a bit bumpy...) test drive at that.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Commentary: Season Nine, Project Three
Hey guys. Sorry this took so long to get up. I'm not really going to have much of an introduction this time around, I just want to jump in and talk about the project itself. Early on in the sign-up stages of the game, there was a bit of a demand for a ThatGuyWithTheGlasses themed project. At first, I didn't really know what to make of it. I was like "what...a Nostalgia Critic ride??" Then, I realized that doing a "Theme Park Critic" concept could open the door to a lot of new areas in the game that have previously gone unexplored. For starters, it was the first time the contestants were really allowed to let their inner "theme park nerd" show through and start complaining about the not-so-great parts of theme parks as a focal point of the project. I also really enjoyed the crossover appeal that this sort of thing had, and the results were fairly impressive. I really have to give props to Disneyson1 this project for coming up with that killer audio clip. I'm loving the way the game is evolving into a more multi-media driven format. While written projects are still what make up the majority of the finished products, I think it's really cool when people think outside the box like the audio clip or the PDF file Team Coats presented in Project Two. Not going to say much about Season Ten right away (there will be a few MAJOR announcements about that at the end of this season...) but I'll tell you right now Season Ten will push these boundaries in even greater directions. Season Ten is going to be incredibly interactive, but I don't want to give away too much too fast, so we'll just leave it at that.
I think I'd like to address the players on a team by team basis. I'll start with the winning team this round, Team Baxter. I had some reservations about the project itself, but the way it was handled and presented, and the way the team interacted together, really made me proud. I think this project really proved that Monkey4057 is indeed a big power player. He's not the loudest player in the game, but he really knows how to drive home an idea, and he plays off of his strengths incredibly well. Imagineer2017 is also really crafty. He kind of employed the whole "throw a project" thing last project in order to secure getting Monkey transfered over to his team...sneaky, sneaky. Really interesting especially considering in my infamous "Mastermind Speech" I specifically mentioned that throwing a project was the one strategic move I personally regretted. But hey, I'm not going to condemn him at this point. He got exactly what he wanted, and now Team Baxter is kind of on a roll. Meanwhile you have CostaFreak, who is just all over the place this season. Like always, CF has the habit of vanishing for days at a time, but this season, whenever he DOES show up (and it's a considerable enough amount of times...) he usually contributes either awesome material, or at least very valuable words of wisdom. Everyone knows CostaFreak is this game's chief senior member, so he's got a lot of respect going for him this time around. Overall, the three of them really do make a likable underdog team.
Meanwhile, we have Team Davinson. This team took a hit right at the start of the project when MickeyMania forfeited for personal reasons. MickeyMania was one of THE star players of the season, and him and Disneyson made a noticeably good team. Loosing MickeyMania, perhaps I think sent Disneyson a little out of his element this time around. The communication at Team Davinson simply wasn't as strong. Thrill is definitely a "wild card" at this point, I'll give him that much. He sent StarWarsGeek to Outcast Island via Walt's Vault, and now he's been sent to Outcast Island himself. He's not the most active person, but he did manage to get second place on Festival of Imagination, so he's proved that he can last in a competitive environment. But So, You Want to be an Imagineer is a lot tougher of a landscape than Festival of Imagination, so Thrill might be in some trouble, especially if he doesn't get back from WDW soon. DWorld, on the other hand, is another question mark. Again, one of the most worthy new players to appear in Festival of Imagination, DWorld hasn't really done anything noteworthy yet. He contributes to the brainstorming and all that, but in terms of storyline or major contributions, he is kind of a player who is just..."There". No disrespect to him, of course. I understand how time consuming this game can be and we can't all have huge storylines and jaw-dropping projects. I think DWorld has a lot of potential, right now it just kind of feels like he's in a sort of hibernation.
And lastly, we have the almighty Team Coats. I really wish Futureimagineer would have been around for Fans Vs. Favorite to start out with, because he is definitely the biggest FAN of this game I've ever seen. On top of that, the kid really does have a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He's a known strategist, and he also is one of the most active brainstormers in the entire game, as well as being the person behind this team's 10/10 scoring PDF file last project. Then you have ManEatingWreath. MEW is not really the Team Leader we all thought he'd be, but I think that's a good thing. Throughout the course of the first few projects this season, MEW has shown a real vulnerability. First he was in the famous 3D or not 3D debate on the first project, in the loosing side. His team pumped out an excellent project last season, but they kind of faltered a little here. I think it came mostly down to the fact that his team kind of fell apart at the last minute due to everyone's personal schedules conflicting. A case of bad timing, really. That's all it boils down to. In spite of this though, I do think it's interesting that MEW has displayed a notable lack of self confidence as a Team Leader. His team's still on the top of the scoreboard, and don't get me wrong, he's doing a great job. I think think it's a interesting tidbit that he's not playing super-confident like I was. Lastly on Team Coats we have Hack, who I can only describe as a "hero". I mean, I was truly moved by his huge display of being a great team player this project. Hack might not exactly be the absolute best creative player in this game, though he does have a lot of really good ideas. I think the interesting thing about Hack is that really, he's more of a social player. He's just an all around likable, good guy. His claim to fame is being eliminated before his time, so I really think he's on a personal journey this season to prove he can go the distance. I'm excited to see how far his journey will take him. He's definitely one of the more unique personalities we've seen in our nine seasons.
Meanwhile, on Outcast Island...StarWarsGeek continues to display a lack of proper social skills. Sorry SWG, you're a great kid and a big fan of the game, but you are a little too confrontational and in-your-face, and that's a serious game flaw. I still think StarWarsGeek will be around for a while (hopefully he'll resurface soon...) but his character's stock definitely went down this project due to his back and forth bickering with AdvBlueDude and his lapses in activity. While were on the subject of AdvBlueDude, at this point it would surprise me if he WASN'T the person voted back into the main game. This guy has put up with a lot of crap, especially considering he came *this close* to the finals...TWICE, only to WIN Festival of Imagination, JUST to be the first person sent to Outcast Island before the game even started. He's been biding his time, mostly. I'm pretty bummed he never presented a project the past couple rounds, but I understand his predicament. Team Bluth NEEDS to start producing projects though, I'm serious. Be sure to have something in for Project Four.
And lastly, I want to talk about the new team division. DWorld has gone to Team Coats, but I think the three way team of MEW, Hack, and Futureimagineer is too strong to break, and if Coats ends up loosing, DWorld will be the next one headed to Outcast Island. Disneyson going to Team Baxter is the biggie. With him on their team, they seem almost unstoppable. Project Two was a big project for Team Coats, and that 10/10 is a big reason they're still ahead in the leaderboards. They're going to have to really hustle if they want to stay ahead. Disneyson is a huge threat no matter how you look at it. Interestingly enough, this is going to be the first time we've seen Disneyson not in a Team Leader position. To me I think it'll play out more like KingMickey going to the Fans in Season Seven though. He's really going to push Team Baxter over the edge and into greatness. Team Coats has a lot of work on their hands.
One thing I have to say is that I'm really enjoying how my expectations are shifting on a project-to-project basis. We already lost Basketbuddy and MickeyMania, the two most talked about players pre season. Last blog I called StarWarsGeek THE main character of the season, and now he's a mere footnote in the grand scheme of things. Things are shifting and turning each and every project, and I'm loving it. I have no idea WHO is going to win at this point, I just know that Disneyson is probably everyone's main competition. I've got to say, I'm kind of hoping for another PL7764 style winner. Those are always the most fun. At any rate, I'll be on the edge of my seat whatever happens. You guys are doing an amazing job, and I think the next couple projects are really going to dramatically shift the core structure of the game even more. Keep your seatbelts fastened, kids!
I think I'd like to address the players on a team by team basis. I'll start with the winning team this round, Team Baxter. I had some reservations about the project itself, but the way it was handled and presented, and the way the team interacted together, really made me proud. I think this project really proved that Monkey4057 is indeed a big power player. He's not the loudest player in the game, but he really knows how to drive home an idea, and he plays off of his strengths incredibly well. Imagineer2017 is also really crafty. He kind of employed the whole "throw a project" thing last project in order to secure getting Monkey transfered over to his team...sneaky, sneaky. Really interesting especially considering in my infamous "Mastermind Speech" I specifically mentioned that throwing a project was the one strategic move I personally regretted. But hey, I'm not going to condemn him at this point. He got exactly what he wanted, and now Team Baxter is kind of on a roll. Meanwhile you have CostaFreak, who is just all over the place this season. Like always, CF has the habit of vanishing for days at a time, but this season, whenever he DOES show up (and it's a considerable enough amount of times...) he usually contributes either awesome material, or at least very valuable words of wisdom. Everyone knows CostaFreak is this game's chief senior member, so he's got a lot of respect going for him this time around. Overall, the three of them really do make a likable underdog team.
Meanwhile, we have Team Davinson. This team took a hit right at the start of the project when MickeyMania forfeited for personal reasons. MickeyMania was one of THE star players of the season, and him and Disneyson made a noticeably good team. Loosing MickeyMania, perhaps I think sent Disneyson a little out of his element this time around. The communication at Team Davinson simply wasn't as strong. Thrill is definitely a "wild card" at this point, I'll give him that much. He sent StarWarsGeek to Outcast Island via Walt's Vault, and now he's been sent to Outcast Island himself. He's not the most active person, but he did manage to get second place on Festival of Imagination, so he's proved that he can last in a competitive environment. But So, You Want to be an Imagineer is a lot tougher of a landscape than Festival of Imagination, so Thrill might be in some trouble, especially if he doesn't get back from WDW soon. DWorld, on the other hand, is another question mark. Again, one of the most worthy new players to appear in Festival of Imagination, DWorld hasn't really done anything noteworthy yet. He contributes to the brainstorming and all that, but in terms of storyline or major contributions, he is kind of a player who is just..."There". No disrespect to him, of course. I understand how time consuming this game can be and we can't all have huge storylines and jaw-dropping projects. I think DWorld has a lot of potential, right now it just kind of feels like he's in a sort of hibernation.
And lastly, we have the almighty Team Coats. I really wish Futureimagineer would have been around for Fans Vs. Favorite to start out with, because he is definitely the biggest FAN of this game I've ever seen. On top of that, the kid really does have a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He's a known strategist, and he also is one of the most active brainstormers in the entire game, as well as being the person behind this team's 10/10 scoring PDF file last project. Then you have ManEatingWreath. MEW is not really the Team Leader we all thought he'd be, but I think that's a good thing. Throughout the course of the first few projects this season, MEW has shown a real vulnerability. First he was in the famous 3D or not 3D debate on the first project, in the loosing side. His team pumped out an excellent project last season, but they kind of faltered a little here. I think it came mostly down to the fact that his team kind of fell apart at the last minute due to everyone's personal schedules conflicting. A case of bad timing, really. That's all it boils down to. In spite of this though, I do think it's interesting that MEW has displayed a notable lack of self confidence as a Team Leader. His team's still on the top of the scoreboard, and don't get me wrong, he's doing a great job. I think think it's a interesting tidbit that he's not playing super-confident like I was. Lastly on Team Coats we have Hack, who I can only describe as a "hero". I mean, I was truly moved by his huge display of being a great team player this project. Hack might not exactly be the absolute best creative player in this game, though he does have a lot of really good ideas. I think the interesting thing about Hack is that really, he's more of a social player. He's just an all around likable, good guy. His claim to fame is being eliminated before his time, so I really think he's on a personal journey this season to prove he can go the distance. I'm excited to see how far his journey will take him. He's definitely one of the more unique personalities we've seen in our nine seasons.
Meanwhile, on Outcast Island...StarWarsGeek continues to display a lack of proper social skills. Sorry SWG, you're a great kid and a big fan of the game, but you are a little too confrontational and in-your-face, and that's a serious game flaw. I still think StarWarsGeek will be around for a while (hopefully he'll resurface soon...) but his character's stock definitely went down this project due to his back and forth bickering with AdvBlueDude and his lapses in activity. While were on the subject of AdvBlueDude, at this point it would surprise me if he WASN'T the person voted back into the main game. This guy has put up with a lot of crap, especially considering he came *this close* to the finals...TWICE, only to WIN Festival of Imagination, JUST to be the first person sent to Outcast Island before the game even started. He's been biding his time, mostly. I'm pretty bummed he never presented a project the past couple rounds, but I understand his predicament. Team Bluth NEEDS to start producing projects though, I'm serious. Be sure to have something in for Project Four.
And lastly, I want to talk about the new team division. DWorld has gone to Team Coats, but I think the three way team of MEW, Hack, and Futureimagineer is too strong to break, and if Coats ends up loosing, DWorld will be the next one headed to Outcast Island. Disneyson going to Team Baxter is the biggie. With him on their team, they seem almost unstoppable. Project Two was a big project for Team Coats, and that 10/10 is a big reason they're still ahead in the leaderboards. They're going to have to really hustle if they want to stay ahead. Disneyson is a huge threat no matter how you look at it. Interestingly enough, this is going to be the first time we've seen Disneyson not in a Team Leader position. To me I think it'll play out more like KingMickey going to the Fans in Season Seven though. He's really going to push Team Baxter over the edge and into greatness. Team Coats has a lot of work on their hands.
One thing I have to say is that I'm really enjoying how my expectations are shifting on a project-to-project basis. We already lost Basketbuddy and MickeyMania, the two most talked about players pre season. Last blog I called StarWarsGeek THE main character of the season, and now he's a mere footnote in the grand scheme of things. Things are shifting and turning each and every project, and I'm loving it. I have no idea WHO is going to win at this point, I just know that Disneyson is probably everyone's main competition. I've got to say, I'm kind of hoping for another PL7764 style winner. Those are always the most fun. At any rate, I'll be on the edge of my seat whatever happens. You guys are doing an amazing job, and I think the next couple projects are really going to dramatically shift the core structure of the game even more. Keep your seatbelts fastened, kids!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Commentary: Season Nine, Project Two
Hello, one and all. What a project that was, eh? All I can say is, I'm EXTREMELY relieved that we got through it with little to no causalities. I'll start where I left off, with my thoughts on the Team Pick 'Em. From the get go, this concept was one of the main driving forces behind planning for Season Nine. In the past seasons where we've had teams, the teams have either been divided up pre-game (Season Six) or was new players vs. returning players (Fans vs. Favorites, All Stars vs. Wild Cards). For the first time ever, I really wanted the Team Leaders to get in on picking their teams. I must say, there were a few surprises. First off, I never expected the mysterious Eskimokyle (who is currently DOA) to be the first one picked, and I also never expected Basketbuddy to be the one picked to go to Outcast Island.
But alas, this season really does have a backwards feel to it compared to what we usually expect, doesn't it? I mean here we are, just starting out the third project, and my pre-game cast assessment has been proven completely wrong. I listed Basketbuddy as the most likely person to win, and MickeyMania as the most likely newcomer to go far. BOOM! Both gone the first round of team play. Talk about shocking, huh? I'm REALLY going to miss MickeyMania. He just seems like a genuinely good person and a multi-talented Imagineer in training. Really hoping he'll show up for Season Ten. Basketbuddy, on the other hand just got bogged down with a personal schedule, but it's pretty shocking to me considering all throughout the pre-game he really seemed in this thing to win. These two being eliminated definitely evens the playing field a bit.
And speaking of my expectations being thrown off...seriously, MAD PROPS to Futureimagineer. This guy has gone from the single person in the cast I was LEAST excited about to becoming a major power player almost overnight. He put together an amazing presentation, contributes tons of ideas, and has a crafty, strategic side to him. I seriously just LOVE this new addition to our cast.
But the thing I know you guys all want me to get to is the most controversial event in the history of the game. I never expected things to EVER get as chaotic as they were during the fatal and infamous Season Eight, Project Eight. Well...they did. All I can say is, I kind of feel like a kid who has just gotten caught with his hand in a cookie jar. I wanted to see some serious alliances and major power moves this season, but I never expected anything on the mass level of hysteria of the event that we shall officially call "PM-Gate".
PM-Gate started when I got two PMs, one from MEW, one from Imagineer2017, explaining that they had been offered multiple alliances and were on razor's edge with not being able to trust anyone. As soon as you could say "Johnny Fairplay" the entire game came to a screeching halt as we tried to figure out exactly who was behind this mass string of PMs. There was a point where I really wasn't sure if the game could even survive this madness. I've explained this before, I'll explain this again. The key difference between PM-Gate and my "Mastermind" gameplay during Season Eight is that nothing that I did was malicious. I targeted Disneyson simply because he was a HUGE threat, no other reason. Sure, I had my fair share of mindgames, but I never directly made any sort of "hit-list" or at any point rubbed any one person the wrong way so much that they'd want to quit. There were certainly people who disagreed with my playing style, most notably AdvBlueDude and Imagineer2017, but these were more or less friendly rivalries, not open ended warfare.
That being said, I have to give it to StarWarsGeek. This kid is like...the MAIN character of the entire season. Who would have thought? He's spent the entire last season studying my game and preparing himself, and came up with a strategy that blew anything I did completely out of the water. It was only when I saw exactly how much harm this aggressiveness caused the main game that I kind of sunk in my chair a little bit and realized exactly what I had done. That phrase "I've created a monster...", yeah, it was very much in effect here. StarWarsGeek, however, is no monster. He's a dedicated fan of the game and a crafty, unpredictable player. He's got some major lessons to learn about how to socially integrate into a team, but he's a player who is out to win, and will be in it as long as he can. While his actions caused things to get slightly out of hand, I applaud him for being so ambitious with this game to begin with.
So now that PM-Gate is over with, I obviously don't want to hear anything else about mass PM warfare going on behind the scenes. The magic of this game in the first place, and you should all know this by now, is the fact that ANYONE can win and there are multiple routes you can take to get yourself to the finals. Make no mistake, I'm not FORCING you to have a strategic game and big moves, but what I do want to see, should you make the allusive Final Three, is a layout of your plan to get yourself there and how you accomplished it. This doesn't have to involve slitting throats less and less, but I definitely want to see you guys have an awareness of your position and steps you took to get yourself to the finals. Even if it was "avoid strategy at all costs...", that's still a GAMEPLAN. That's exactly what I'm looking for.
Anyways, I want to talk a little bit about Outcast Island. I think for now on, if you don't contribute anything to the Outcast Island brainstorming thread on a project to project basis, you should be eliminated on the spot. Players like Eskimokyle, who mysteriously dropped out of thin air at the start of Project Two, and DisneyParksFanatic, who has been floating along by dropping ideas every so often, are on thin ice, and if I don't see them post anything, they'll both be eliminated this round, no questions asked. Getting sent to Outcast Island should be your wake-up call. If you don't do anything to improve your standing the project after you get sent there, you don't deserve any more chances. I'm hoping the amount of activity on Outcast Island will improve as more people get sent there. I kind of expected the first project to be a blow out. Let's see if Adv and SWG can avoid last place this time around.
And...that's about it. All I can say guys, is that there's not really a lot I can do about "strategy". I understand that it can potentially be a pitfall for the game, but I think the think we all have to work on is just making sure it doesn't get out of hand. If we can all be mature about it and, above everything else, avoid directly targeting people and other sorts of malicious activity, we should be fine. I want this season to be FUN, not a stressful warzone. I'll be monitoring this situation very closely and will let you know the SECOND things start to get out of hand if they do, so we can collectively make steps to fix them. The one thing I can think of is just eliminating voting all together and just having the judges chose who gets eliminated every project, ala Season Six, but I want to give you guys another shot at this, as I think how you integrate yourself into a team is just as important as any creative merit you might possess. Alright, well...let me just say I'm still really proud of you all and I'm LOVING this cast. It should be obvious by now that eliminations will come a little faster than you're used to just because we are currently behind schedule, but overall I think this season is going to flow really well. Now, get back to brainstorming!
But alas, this season really does have a backwards feel to it compared to what we usually expect, doesn't it? I mean here we are, just starting out the third project, and my pre-game cast assessment has been proven completely wrong. I listed Basketbuddy as the most likely person to win, and MickeyMania as the most likely newcomer to go far. BOOM! Both gone the first round of team play. Talk about shocking, huh? I'm REALLY going to miss MickeyMania. He just seems like a genuinely good person and a multi-talented Imagineer in training. Really hoping he'll show up for Season Ten. Basketbuddy, on the other hand just got bogged down with a personal schedule, but it's pretty shocking to me considering all throughout the pre-game he really seemed in this thing to win. These two being eliminated definitely evens the playing field a bit.
And speaking of my expectations being thrown off...seriously, MAD PROPS to Futureimagineer. This guy has gone from the single person in the cast I was LEAST excited about to becoming a major power player almost overnight. He put together an amazing presentation, contributes tons of ideas, and has a crafty, strategic side to him. I seriously just LOVE this new addition to our cast.
But the thing I know you guys all want me to get to is the most controversial event in the history of the game. I never expected things to EVER get as chaotic as they were during the fatal and infamous Season Eight, Project Eight. Well...they did. All I can say is, I kind of feel like a kid who has just gotten caught with his hand in a cookie jar. I wanted to see some serious alliances and major power moves this season, but I never expected anything on the mass level of hysteria of the event that we shall officially call "PM-Gate".
PM-Gate started when I got two PMs, one from MEW, one from Imagineer2017, explaining that they had been offered multiple alliances and were on razor's edge with not being able to trust anyone. As soon as you could say "Johnny Fairplay" the entire game came to a screeching halt as we tried to figure out exactly who was behind this mass string of PMs. There was a point where I really wasn't sure if the game could even survive this madness. I've explained this before, I'll explain this again. The key difference between PM-Gate and my "Mastermind" gameplay during Season Eight is that nothing that I did was malicious. I targeted Disneyson simply because he was a HUGE threat, no other reason. Sure, I had my fair share of mindgames, but I never directly made any sort of "hit-list" or at any point rubbed any one person the wrong way so much that they'd want to quit. There were certainly people who disagreed with my playing style, most notably AdvBlueDude and Imagineer2017, but these were more or less friendly rivalries, not open ended warfare.
That being said, I have to give it to StarWarsGeek. This kid is like...the MAIN character of the entire season. Who would have thought? He's spent the entire last season studying my game and preparing himself, and came up with a strategy that blew anything I did completely out of the water. It was only when I saw exactly how much harm this aggressiveness caused the main game that I kind of sunk in my chair a little bit and realized exactly what I had done. That phrase "I've created a monster...", yeah, it was very much in effect here. StarWarsGeek, however, is no monster. He's a dedicated fan of the game and a crafty, unpredictable player. He's got some major lessons to learn about how to socially integrate into a team, but he's a player who is out to win, and will be in it as long as he can. While his actions caused things to get slightly out of hand, I applaud him for being so ambitious with this game to begin with.
So now that PM-Gate is over with, I obviously don't want to hear anything else about mass PM warfare going on behind the scenes. The magic of this game in the first place, and you should all know this by now, is the fact that ANYONE can win and there are multiple routes you can take to get yourself to the finals. Make no mistake, I'm not FORCING you to have a strategic game and big moves, but what I do want to see, should you make the allusive Final Three, is a layout of your plan to get yourself there and how you accomplished it. This doesn't have to involve slitting throats less and less, but I definitely want to see you guys have an awareness of your position and steps you took to get yourself to the finals. Even if it was "avoid strategy at all costs...", that's still a GAMEPLAN. That's exactly what I'm looking for.
Anyways, I want to talk a little bit about Outcast Island. I think for now on, if you don't contribute anything to the Outcast Island brainstorming thread on a project to project basis, you should be eliminated on the spot. Players like Eskimokyle, who mysteriously dropped out of thin air at the start of Project Two, and DisneyParksFanatic, who has been floating along by dropping ideas every so often, are on thin ice, and if I don't see them post anything, they'll both be eliminated this round, no questions asked. Getting sent to Outcast Island should be your wake-up call. If you don't do anything to improve your standing the project after you get sent there, you don't deserve any more chances. I'm hoping the amount of activity on Outcast Island will improve as more people get sent there. I kind of expected the first project to be a blow out. Let's see if Adv and SWG can avoid last place this time around.
And...that's about it. All I can say guys, is that there's not really a lot I can do about "strategy". I understand that it can potentially be a pitfall for the game, but I think the think we all have to work on is just making sure it doesn't get out of hand. If we can all be mature about it and, above everything else, avoid directly targeting people and other sorts of malicious activity, we should be fine. I want this season to be FUN, not a stressful warzone. I'll be monitoring this situation very closely and will let you know the SECOND things start to get out of hand if they do, so we can collectively make steps to fix them. The one thing I can think of is just eliminating voting all together and just having the judges chose who gets eliminated every project, ala Season Six, but I want to give you guys another shot at this, as I think how you integrate yourself into a team is just as important as any creative merit you might possess. Alright, well...let me just say I'm still really proud of you all and I'm LOVING this cast. It should be obvious by now that eliminations will come a little faster than you're used to just because we are currently behind schedule, but overall I think this season is going to flow really well. Now, get back to brainstorming!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Season Nine, Project One commentary
Hello everyone. It's been a pretty exciting couple of weeks, hasn't it? While Project One hasn't been fully posted yet, I really want to get the ball rolling on posting project by project commentary just to get you guys even more in tune with my thought process. Though Project One was certainly stressful, I think each and everyone of you for the most part handled yourselves really well, and I'm thrilled we have such a diverse cast and an interesting dynamic this time around.
As I've already said numerous times, the reason why we started off with another big group project after the somewhat ill-fated one last season was just because we wanted to give the three Team Leaders the chance to work with the rest of the cast to make proper choices come the Team Pick 'Em. This is the last time were going to do this, since the obvious lesson to be learned is no matter what happens, things are going to be disorganized.
I'd like to highlight a few personal storylines that I'm keeping an eye on. The first involves Eskimokyle. This is definitely a contestant to keep an eye on. He started the project out guns blazing, and even had a sort of communication breakdown. From there, he was somewhat under the radar, but still made at least a big enough impression to be the first person picked in the Pick 'Em. He's already living up to his potential.
The storyline with ManEatingWreath and the 3D or NOT 3D (hey, I kind of like that...) debate. This got pretty heated, and ultimately I don't even know if there's going to be 3D or not. I found it very interesting that inspite of having more power than most of the cast, MEW was outnumbered this time around and sort of an underdog in this debate. Another unexpected turn of events.
Unfortunately, potential strategist and personal friend of mine Monsterzendog just couldn't get into the game and ended up going DOA. He has been eliminated and won't be a part of the standings this season. Maybe one day I'll convince him to give the game a real go. I know it is daunting to just jump into a big thing like this. That's why I give most of this cast so much credit.
Speaking of credit where credit is due, by far the most surprising new addition to the cast is Futureimagineer. In my cast assessment, I basically said I saw him having the least potential out of anyone. All I can say is, nice way to prove me wrong. This kid really has potential. He struggled through the brainstorming because of his unfamiliarity with the source material, but when all was said and done he wound up one of the most devoted people on the project, even going as far as offering himself up to put the finished product together. I really like what I see in him. He'll definitely be one of the big people on my radar.
I was a bit let down by Basketbuddy's performance this project, but then again, I really think he might be intentionally flying under the radar. His sole contribution to the project though, his great 3D concept art, is definitely something that still put him on people's radars. I'm hoping that Basketbuddy will thrive when put on a smaller team. I think a lot of people are in this situation. Hack2112 was very verbal about his dislike of big group projects, but at the same time I see Hack as one of the contestants with the most potential. He's definitely got his heart in it, and I really think he'll be here a while.
MickeyMania1 started out strong, but then unfortunately fell ill about a week into the project. He seems to have resurfaced, so again I hope he can thrive on a smaller team. In my cast assessment I listed him as the most promising new contestant, and he still shows a lot of potential. Startwarsgeek, meanwhile, lived up to his reputation as a likable, scrappy underdog. He might not be the strongest contestant creatively, and he definitely lacks in the presentation department, but the kid has determination, and that's one of the main things you need in this game.
So all in all, things are running smoothly. There's already been one shocking twist, and I promise you, it will be the first of many. AdvBlueDude has decided to open Walt's Vault, and as a result has been sent to Outcast Island as the Team Leader for the Outcast team. This season really is a reinvention of the game. Twists like the Golden Power of MVP, Walt's Vault, and Outcast Island itself, will really play a large part in the fabric of how this season ultimately plays out. I can only hope the concepts run as smoothly as I see them running in my head.
So that's about it. Right now, I just hope the teams are divided as soon as possible so you guys can really get the ball rolling on the brainstorming for Project Two. I'm excited for the book project. It's one of the many projects this season where we step completely out of theme parks at large while still having the subject matter very much rooted in the theme park genre. I can't wait to see what you guys do with it. This is the best cast we've ever had, and I'm dying to see how this whole thing plays out. Have fun guys, I'll be watching anxiously and cheering all of you on!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Season Nine Cast Assessment
Hello, one and all, and welcome to a brand new, exciting start to the So, You Want to be an Imagineer franchise. Season Eight ended in a wave of controversy that seemed to cloud that entire season, with me dropping out in the final project after my infamous "mastermind speech" and Jessie going on to win. Well, the dust has settled, and were about to start our greatest adventure yet. Join me, will you, taking a look at the sixteen people who have been cast a one way ticket to a tropical island. Filled with mystery, danger, and a looming second "Outcast Island", this new group is going to have to survive an onslaught of brand new projects, brave their way through new and exciting twists, and ultimately outplay eachother on the quest for the title of the ninth So, You Want to be an Imagineer Winner. Let's get the small talk out of the way and get to the cast itself. I'll go in alphabetical order...
AdvBlueDude: Now here's a guy with a story. He came on in Fans Vs. Favorites to become the last Fan standing, being the last eliminated before the final showdown between Mater and KingMickey that season. In Season Eight, Adv played a near flawless game. Under the radar when he had to be, ready to be in a leadership position, and always pumping out quality material. Adv once again got eliminated RIGHT before the finals, rarely getting beaten by Monkey for a chance at the Final Three. Now, Adv is back and more determined than ever to get to the Finals. He's basically turned into a prototype for what all new players should strive to be. He's outgoing, hard working, and always comes out with something creative. He'll be one of the main people to root for this season.
BasketBuddy101: I never thought we'd get this guy back. He DOMINATED literally all of the first four seasons of the game. His elimination in Season One is still one of the most talked about eliminations of all time, and he went on to steamroll into the Final Two twice and finally winning in Season Four. Since then, he's been in hibernation, but he's finally returned for another go. The game has evolved a lot since Basketbuddy has played. The big question will be rather or not he can adapt to the more pronounced social elements of the game. I KNOW he's going to be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the creative side of the game. I think BB is going to be another main character in the fabric of the season, and one of the BIG questions will be...can he win twice? It's a daunting question, and one I can't wait to see the answer to. At this point, if I had to throw my money on any one person, I'd throw it on Basketbuddy.
CostaFreak: Oh, good old fashion CostaFreak. It really wouldn't be a true season of So, You Want to be an Imagineer without him showing up. This guy has played the game more times than anyone, and has gotten eliminated really early due to unfortunate circumstance most of those times. He's had three really strong performances though. He got all the way to the semi-finals in Season One, and made it to the final project in Season Five. When he returned in Season Eight, he turned out to be one of that season's most memorable storylines and characters, despite only coming in eight place. CostaFreak is a HUGE personality, and you know he's got a few tricks up his sleeve. Do I think he can win...honestly, he's going to have a tough time with this crowd...but it's always a blast to see him try!
DisneyParksFanatic: I really don't know what to make of this guy. He's been around the boards for a while, but hasn't really shown much of an interest in the game until now. Kind of a surprise of a sign up, if you ask me. Honestly, I really don't know what to say about him. He's got some experience under his belt, but none in the actual game. I think only time will tell how he fares. One of the biggest question marks in the cast.
Disneyson1: Disneyson1 is bar-none one of the most powerful people to ever play this game, and he's only been in a few projects. He had such a dominant hold over the early rounds of All Stars vs. Wild Cards that EVERYONE knew he'd be in the finals if I hadn't taken him out with the infamous Staflos Power. Well...he's back, and he's more determined than ever to run this game in a big way. Disneyson is a polarizing character. He could be your greatest asset and your biggest competition at the same time. He's not afraid to voice his opinion, and his level of detail reaches levels once seen only by someone like Basketbuddy. Disneyson coming back into this game is definitely one of the headlining events of this season, and has been since before this season's planning even really started to take form. He's got the power of a Team Leader again, the only question is, what is he going to do about the inevitable huge target that will be on his back?
DWorld: DWorld was one of the headlining forces of Festival of Imagination before shockingly dropping out at the semi-finals (along with Disneyson and MEW) Having said that, in his rounds playing the complimentary game to So, You Want to be an Imagineer, which is no picnic itself, DWorld definitely showed a lot of potential that could be brought even further in the landscape of the main game. I'm a bit worried about DWorld because from what I recall he's still going to be in school when the season picks up, but I know that if he can get in a good system of brainstorming with his team, he can last a long time in this game. One of the new players I'm most excited about taking a stab at this.
Eskimokyle: This guy showed up completely out of nowhere to round out our cast of fifteen, which has since been extended. I've got to say, just based on his answers to the survey questions in the sign up thread, he seems to have a really good head on his shoulders. Of course, as is the potential to happen with any person who shows up out of the blue, he could fade right away, but there's always one or two new people with answers to the sign up questions that just...stand out to me. The legendary PL7764 (who I'd LOVE to see play again at some point in the future) and AdvBlueDude are two of those people. Eskimokyle is another one. I warmly welcome Kyle into the So, You Want to be an Imagineer family and can't wait to see what kind of tricks he has up his sleeves.
Futureimagineer: Futureimagineer's been lurking in some of the other threads on this board, so I figured I'd send him an invite to compete in the main competition. Do I think Futureimagineer can go all the way?...No, not really. This is his first time playing or even hearing about the game, and he doesn't have a handle on it yet. Having said that, there's always a couple "underdog" characters per season that go on to really surprise me, and Futureimagineer could be one of those people. I think this kid's going to have it hard, but I also think if he's dedicated enough to the game, Outcast Island could really be served in his favor. Not saying he has NO chance, just saying he's going to have a pretty big mountain to overcome, being so unfamiliar with the format of the game.
Hack2112: I don't think any returning player in the history of the game has more to prove than Hack does right here...right now. Hack had a GREAT storyline going in Fans Vs. Favorites where he was the one lone new player on the Favorites team (due to his status as a judge on another contest) where he actually took on a Team Leader role after the coupe of memorably power-hungry Team Leader JPhelps in the first project. From there, he lead his team to victory on numerous occasions, but after the Team Swap got lost in the shuffle a bit. After he was eliminated, he participated in the first attempt at an Outcast twist pre-Outcast Island...but that twist didn't work out so great, because he was left all on his own to create a great project. Well...he did that, and won himself a ticket back into the main game...only to be voted out by the Treacherous Trio of KingMickey, Mater, and TrevorA in what was the only move of that alliance that I to this day am absolutely sure was strategy-based. (Argue it all you want, guys, the fact of the matter is Trevor was the obvious elimination that round, NOT Hack...) Hack returned for All Stars vs. Wild Cards, where he made a strong impression on the first project before unfortunately having to withdraw from the game due to personal issues. Now, Hack's got one of the best personal stories of all time going on, and as essentially the poster child for the "Wild Card" bracket of players, I think he just wants to earn his All Star wings more than anything else this season. Pending another identity theft crisis, I think he's got a pretty good shot of doing that.
Imagineer2017: Now here's an interesting character. In Season Eight, Imagineer really drew the line between hero and villain. On one hand, he stood up to me...the biggest villain the game has ever seen, more than anyone else in the cast, on the other hand...he was outspoken with pretty much everyone. Imagineer came on as a very last minute casting call for Season Eight, and he managed to make it all the way to the Final Five. Very strong showing for someone's first time through. He's got an obvious talent with Imagineering, and his experience running Festival of Imagination I imagine has only further strengthened his appreciation for the game. Imagineer is definitely going to be a quiet force to be reckoned with this season. I can't wait to see his play style this time around.
ManEatingWreath: MEW is going to be the MAIN character of this season, no matter what happens. He is going to be the hero, the voice of moral conflict, the man vying the thin role between hero and villain. MEW's got a strategy, and I can't wait to see what it is and how he goes about it. I doubt he's going to be cutting throats left and right like I did last season, but I'd still be careful, because he's going to have a much more subtle strategic game than my upfront "mastermind" role, and there might still be a few throats to be cut in the process. As MEW himself will tell you time and time again, he coined the phrase "getting Lord of the Ring'd" in the first and only time he played in Season Five, where his fast track to winning that season was cut abruptly short when he bombed the infamous semi-finals project that season themed to Lord of the Rings. MEW's only played the game one time, but he's a HUGE character within the fabric of everything. Hate to say it Garrett...but all eyes are going to be on YOU going in. Hope you're up for it!
MickeyMania1: Out of all the new players this season, I think I'm most excited to see MickeyMania1. This kid's got PASSION, and that's the MAIN thing you need in this game. He's a very recognizable presence on the VF community at large, and this is his first time playing the game. It's always exciting to get someone whose a big part of VF at large to come in and play. As I've said before, MickeyMania has got a really passion for Imagineering, and that's why I think he'll go far. I think he's going to be an exceptional team player with a great attitude, and that will get him a lot in this game. He's going to have a lot of heavy competition, but he's got a really good shot at this just based on how excited he seems and all the potential he seems to possess. If I were to bet on one new player to take this whole thing, I'd bet on MickeyMania.
Monkey4057: Monkey is one of the most unique characters we've ever had. Coming into Season Eight he was a HUGE underdog against some of the bigger names that season. He found a niche for himself though, and a niche unlike any other person in the history of the game has been able to find. Monkey works VERY well with comedy based projects. That right there is his area of expertise, and he can put together a comedy attraction better than anyone. Some of his later projects in Season Eight, like Young Frankenstein and the Spaceballs ride, were among the most memorable projects that entire season. Plus, he's got a bit of a strategic side to him, as he joined forces with me and Jessie to form a super-alliance that season that carried the three of us all the way to the final project. Coming into Season Nine, Monkey is a much more seasoned player than he was the first two times he played, and there will be at least a few projects this season that will REALLY play to his strengths. He's still somewhat of an underdog compared to some of his competition, but I can't wait to see him take another crack at this with the experience he has under his belt.
Monsterzendog: This guy is a personal friend of mine, and someone who I've been talking to about the game for a long time. I let him know about my mastermind antics every step of the way during Season Eight, and he seemed really impressed with how they turned out, and now wants to try a similar strategy. Monsterzendog is a pretty big question mark in this cast. I know this guy has A LOT of free time on his hands, which is a unifying trait for most great So, You Want to be an Imagineer players. The only question will be if he can overcome his shortcoming of not actually being too familiar with Disney parks. If he lasts a couple rounds, this guy could be a really dangerous player. I don't know what's on his mind, all I know is that he wants to follow in my footsteps when it comes to playing an aggressive strategic game. Rather or not his plans fall into fruition is another story.
Starwarsgeek: This kid knows what his strengths and weaknesses are very clearly, and knowing that early on is a good way to establish your place in this game. His obvious strength is that I think he might be more excited about playing this season than MOST of the cast, considering he jumped in mid-Season Eight itching to play but had to wait until now for his chance to throw his hat in the ring. He was an active participant on Festival of Imagination, and now he'll for sure be a very root-worthy "underdog" in So, You Want to be an Imagineer. His weakness, as anyone who has worked with him can say, is his grammar skills, which is something that is somewhat critical to the presentation aspect of this game. If Starwarsgeek can overcome this shortcoming, I see a lot of potential in him. Like Futureimagineer, I could see Outcast Island being this kid's best friend this season. The important thing is that he's DEDICATED, and you need dedication more than anything else if you want a chance for success in this game.
Thrill: Thrill came from out of nowhere to join the Festival of Imagination, and wouldn't you know it...he has made it all the way to the final project, and it seems he might have a very good chance of winning the whole thing, and the key to Walt's Vault that comes along with it. I like Thrill a lot. He seems to be a very good prototype for the type of new player were looking for. He's pretty much a blank slate. You don't really know what he's up to, you just know that he's got a ton of good ideas locked up into his head. Going into Season Nine, he'll definitely be someone to look out for, rather or not he or AdvBlueDude ends up winning Festival of Imagination. Not much to say about him other than I already like what I see of him and I can't wait to see how far he can take his game in the main competition.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
So, You Want to Know the Scoop Behind Season Nine?
Hello people. I know it's been a long time coming, and yes, I fully admit that I have more or less practically forgotten about this blog. A LOT has changed since I last posted in it, which was I believe a random commentary for a project back in Season Seven. Since then, Season Eight has come and gone, we've seen a new winner in Jessiestudio, I played the most aggressive strategic game of all time and thus got branded as the biggest villain of all time as a result. What I think everyone wants to know is...what's next?
Well...that's a fairly valid question. My Season Nine teaser was rather loose on real details, but I can tell you right now that Season Nine is going to be the most meticulously planned out season by a pretty considerable margin. There's a reason why the hiatus is unusually long, and the hiatus between seasons is probably going to get longer from Season Ten on. It's not because the game is having problems...kind of the opposite. I just feel that more planning leads to better produced overall seasons. With the game as popular as it currently is, one of the big things I'm going to be looking for is getting a really solid cast together. A big thing I have to say I'm excited about is the way we are going to divide the teams in Season Nine. Obviously, I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say, the teams will be divided in a way we've never done before until now. Walt's Vault will also be back to cause a whole new mess of havoc on the opening rounds of Season Nine. While Walt's Vault wasn't the most successful of twists overall, I've always been taught to never give up on a good idea, and Walt's Vault was a pretty good idea. As I've previously announced, the only way to get your hands on the Vault for sure is to win Strat and Imagineer's Festival of Imagineering, which I want to encourage everyone to sign up for.
A huge question mark of season nine is going to be these new "Power Players" I keep hyping. Seriously, be on a look out for these types of players. Season Nine is going to be a potent mix of returning All Stars, including the obvious key Team Leader pairing of MEW and Disneyson, new people familiar with the game and the board, and a few recruited people that I feel will make huge and challenging opponents.
One more thing...Stratofarious has signed on as the third judge of Season Nine, as well as a Creative Collaborator. He will then return to the game as a Team Leader in Season Ten. I'd like to welcome Strat with open arms as the newest member of the So, You Want to be an Imagineer "Team" that consists of basically me, King, and MEW. If you feel like you'd like to be a member of the "Team" (specifically, we could really use a graphic designer...) just drop me a PM. Believe me, we can use all the help we can get...
Well folks, that's about all there is to say. I just kind of wanted to resurrect the blog and hype up Season Nine a bit more, really. What can I say, I'm a shameless self-promoter. Again, I really would like to encourage anyone wanting to play in Season Nine to sign up for Strat and Imagineer's Festival of Imagineering. Not only will the winner receive the keys to Walt's Vault, I really want this game to be a supplementary contest to So, You Want to be an Imagineer, and have it be a really fun way to flex your creative muscles on on soon to be even longer, and dreaded "off-seasons". Oh yeah...and like I've already announced, I also plan on doing two lists, the Top Twelve Players of the First Generation and the Top Twelve Projects of the First Generation, so look for those some time in the near future. I'd like to welcome you all back to the blog, and here's to a creatively productive "Off Season".
Well...that's a fairly valid question. My Season Nine teaser was rather loose on real details, but I can tell you right now that Season Nine is going to be the most meticulously planned out season by a pretty considerable margin. There's a reason why the hiatus is unusually long, and the hiatus between seasons is probably going to get longer from Season Ten on. It's not because the game is having problems...kind of the opposite. I just feel that more planning leads to better produced overall seasons. With the game as popular as it currently is, one of the big things I'm going to be looking for is getting a really solid cast together. A big thing I have to say I'm excited about is the way we are going to divide the teams in Season Nine. Obviously, I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say, the teams will be divided in a way we've never done before until now. Walt's Vault will also be back to cause a whole new mess of havoc on the opening rounds of Season Nine. While Walt's Vault wasn't the most successful of twists overall, I've always been taught to never give up on a good idea, and Walt's Vault was a pretty good idea. As I've previously announced, the only way to get your hands on the Vault for sure is to win Strat and Imagineer's Festival of Imagineering, which I want to encourage everyone to sign up for.
A huge question mark of season nine is going to be these new "Power Players" I keep hyping. Seriously, be on a look out for these types of players. Season Nine is going to be a potent mix of returning All Stars, including the obvious key Team Leader pairing of MEW and Disneyson, new people familiar with the game and the board, and a few recruited people that I feel will make huge and challenging opponents.
One more thing...Stratofarious has signed on as the third judge of Season Nine, as well as a Creative Collaborator. He will then return to the game as a Team Leader in Season Ten. I'd like to welcome Strat with open arms as the newest member of the So, You Want to be an Imagineer "Team" that consists of basically me, King, and MEW. If you feel like you'd like to be a member of the "Team" (specifically, we could really use a graphic designer...) just drop me a PM. Believe me, we can use all the help we can get...
Well folks, that's about all there is to say. I just kind of wanted to resurrect the blog and hype up Season Nine a bit more, really. What can I say, I'm a shameless self-promoter. Again, I really would like to encourage anyone wanting to play in Season Nine to sign up for Strat and Imagineer's Festival of Imagineering. Not only will the winner receive the keys to Walt's Vault, I really want this game to be a supplementary contest to So, You Want to be an Imagineer, and have it be a really fun way to flex your creative muscles on on soon to be even longer, and dreaded "off-seasons". Oh yeah...and like I've already announced, I also plan on doing two lists, the Top Twelve Players of the First Generation and the Top Twelve Projects of the First Generation, so look for those some time in the near future. I'd like to welcome you all back to the blog, and here's to a creatively productive "Off Season".
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