Turning Points

Hey guys. I'm really sorry I've taken this blog into a state of near neglect again. It's been one hell of a busy summer for me, between running this game and making leaps and bounds in my social life, not to mention my insane desire to go up and meditate on a hill every freaking day these days, means that getting the commentaries up really fell by the wayside. Now that we've really reached the final home-stretch of the season, I feel there's more than enough material for me to come out of my Big Brother live feeds induced hibernation for a bit of a rundown of what's been going on.

First of all, let me talk about the projects this season. If any of you remember, one of my biggest selling points while marketing Season Nine, besides obviously the whole Outcast Island angle, was the fact that the projects this season were going to completely change the way you viewed the game. Well...in some cases, that was definitely a true statement, the projects just changed people's opinions of the game for the worst. Make no mistake, I absolutely PROMISE you that Season Ten will be a return to more traditionalist projects. Of course there will still be projects that step outside your comfort zone (after all, isn't that a big part of what it takes to be successful in this game in the first place?) but in general it won't be...like this. There won't be like eight off the wall projects with a couple normal ones. We were kind of aiming for the stratosphere a little bit...and we missed.

I think one of the biggest mistakes in NINE seasons running So, You Want to be an Imagineer that I ever made was going with that stupid Tourist Trap project RIGHT after the Chuck E. Cheese project. I mean...that's a real *facepalm* right there. We had both the Tourist Trap and the Alien Encounter project in the works, but due to scheduling conflicts could only do one or the other, and I went with Tourist Trap, resulting in probably THE least engaging project in the game's entire history. I have absolutely no hard feelings on you guys not completing that one. It was a total lame duck of a project and I should have just gone with Alien Encounter to begin with. Make no mistake, the Alien Encounter project will still resurface at some point.

So yeah, projects six and seven really weren't the game's shining moments. In fact, during this time period there was a lot of speculation that the game was taking a dive in quality...and then came Batman. It's always bugged me how there's no clear, definitive Batman ride. Sure, there's a bunch of off-the-shelf Six Flags coasters littered around the country, but in terms of any sort of full blown effects...I mean, how is it that as far as I know, there's not even a working Batman AA in existence? That just seems CRAZY to me, because of the character's huge, nearly mythological standing in pop culture.

The two rides created for the Batman project were really different, but each had its own unique traits. The Outcast project had a really good flow of villains, while Team Davis just boggled my mind with their complex (for a theme park attraction) plot, details, and great lines for Robin. The project Team Davis presented is just one of those projects where I just read along, nodding and smiling approvingly the whole way. Now that you guys are actually excited about the movie project (as I said, I was REALLY worried you guys were going to take it as yet another "off the wall" project that wasn't "real Imagineering"...which...technically, the project really ISN'T) I think this season is really saving itself.

In terms of events, twists, and overall tone-shifts, Season Nine has been quiet the roller coaster. Everything that's happened, in my opinion, happened very naturally. Who would have guessed that MickeyMania and Basketbuddy would be eliminated almost immediately, or that ManEatingWreath wouldn't even make the merge? So is the case with this unpredictable season. We've had some bold power moves this season, most notably I'd say DWorld sending Imagineer to Outcast Island as part of the Outsider's Ceremony (a move which I think single-handily got DWorld All Star status...) We've seen AdvBlueDude, one of the most charismatic and story-driven personalities the game has ever seen, get sent to Outcast Island on two consecutive occasions. We've seen Team Coats go from a powerhouse of a team to the underdog duo of Futureimagineer and Hack, who now are outnumbered within the final merge tribe. At the center of it all, we've seen Disneyson1 rule the game with an iron fist and not even come close to getting sent to Outcast Island. In terms of who is making the Final Three, the only person I would absolutely bet the bank on would be Disneyson. If he doesn't make it to the final project, I will be absolutely stunned. It seems like an inevitability at this point.

But the big question is, who else will make the Final Three, and will ANYONE be able to stop Disneyson from playing the single most dominate and "steam-roll"-y game in the game's history? I think if anyone's going to do it, it's either going to be AdvBlueDude and Imagineer2017, who both have resurfaced from Outcast Island after Monkey and CostaFreak consecutively dropped out. Imagineer2017 was in the single BEST position of anyone come the merge. He was a strong game-player who lead Team Baxter to an eventual victory after a lot of team shuffling. More importantly, he didn't have NEARLY the target on his back that Disneyson did. That all changed when DWorld made, perhaps the move that DEFINED the entire season in sending Imagineer to Outcast Island. Now that Imagineer is back in the main game, he's really gunning for this. Honestly out of everyone left in the cast, I'd have to say I'm rooting for him to win the most. Yes...I am sort of playing favorites. Hey, don't look at me. Probst is notorious for it. (*cue Jeff Probst calling Boston Rob the greatest Survivor ever*) I do think it's kind of funny that right now I'm rooting really hard for my "rival" from last season, but hey...the thing I love about So, You Want to be an Imagineer is that no matter what happens in the game, were all friends here and there's no ill feelings.

Hack is a REALLY interesting character. Well...I don't have to tell you that. Just look at how much of a (wait for it...) WILDCARD he is. Seriously though, Hack has had a long road this season. He was the secret weapon of Team Coats, but slid somewhat under-the-radar come merge. He's now emerged yet again as someone who is really vocal about brainstorming. Hack now faces a potentially game-ending cross-roads though, as he is opposed to the idea that literally everyone else on his team is running with. Hack really stood up for not going with an Alien Encounter movie, and sadly I think that's going to put a target on his back. I think this is going to be the first and only project where sheer amount of activity won't be the primary factor in sending someone to Outcast Island. I hope Hack can survive, and either way he's been a hell of a competitor and will still get one last chance on Outcast Island.

Futureimagineer. If you go through all my blogs this season, this kid really is the person I probably talk about the most out of anyone. I still think it's funny how I thought he had almost no shot of going far in this game, and what do you know, he's now holding the final PoMVP and will be in the main game come semi-finals. Do I think he can make the Final Three? That really depends on how strong he is on his own. The semi-finals are going to be the first time this season that each individual player will present their own project. Futureimagineer's great strength has been how good of a TEAM player he is. He's going to really have to knock one out of the park if he wants the slot in the final three NOT already reserved for Disneyson or an Outcast Island person. If I were to bet, I'd be kind of surprised to see him make it past the semi-finals, but hey, even making the semi-finals in the first place while NEVER being sent to Outcast Island is in my opinion a HUGE accomplishment for a first-time player, so wherever he ends up he should be super proud of himself for how he played the game this season.

And finally, there's AdvBlueDude. If there's one question mark in the cast, it's him. We've barely even see him play this season due to all the Outcast Island shenanigans. When he does get the chance to shine though, he certainly brings his all. The one thing that follows him around though, is the fact that he's never made the finals and always gotten eliminated at the last spot before the finals. Will this happen again? I certainly hope not, because I would feel horrible for him. Having said that, there is definitely the potential for that scenario to arise. Only two people from the Final Four will be advancing to Final Three (along with one person on Outcast Island) and Disneyson is practically guaranteed a slot. Assuming for a second that Hack gets sent to Outcast this round, that would mean that AdvBlueDude's main competition would be none other than Imagineer2017. Either way, SOMEBODY is not going to make the Final Three and will not be happy about it. That's sadly just the way the game works. I think every person in the Final Five deserves to be in the Final Three, but of course that just can't happen.

This season really has been a success, I think. If anything, it's better than Season Eight. The events have all been really unpredictable, everyone has been playing their own unique game (which will be really interesting to see where that goes come final project time...) and the quality of projects have dramatically increased the last few rounds. That, and in my opinion Outcast Island overall was a smashing success of a concept that will definitely be implemented again in the future. I'd like to thank all of you for participating and putting up with this season with all its various peaks and valleys. The game would be nothing without the people who compete in it, and really I have no idea how you guys do it. However you do it, you're doing a great job. Thanks for the wonderful season guys, and here's to many more. (Don't worry, this won't be the last blog post of the season...)

Project Portal Commentary, Part Two

Sup, peeps.

Alright, before we get into the things I teased about at the end of the last blog, we have some breaking news to get to regarding Outcast Island, which is where part one left off. The Outsiders Ceremony has been used, and DWorld is now back in the main game. I said before that DWorld was Team Bluth's MVP last project, so him jumping on an opprotunity to really compete doesn't really surprise me. What does kind of shock me, however, is who he decided to send to Outcast Island in his place. Let me take this time to give my thoughts on Imagineer2017.

Imagineer is now one of the most colorful characters to emerge from the game in the past few years. In the days of my "evil reign" in Season Eight, after Disneyson got eliminated, Imagineer was literally my main competition. I always knew that strategically, Imagineer was NOT on my side and that me and him were essentially rivals in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time, every step of the way I admired his gameplay. At the end of the day, Imagineer ended up in 5th place that season, the best of any of the Wildcards. Imagineer's character really got going, however, when he joined forces with Season Nine collaborator Stratofarious for the Festival of Imagination. After a really rocky but overall pretty memorable first season, Imagineer really established himself as a very unique creative force. He has a mix of good creativity with a reputation for being outspoken and opinionated, which really isn't a bad thing. He's a great character, and now he's a top contender to return to the main game from Outcast Island come semi-finals.

Alright, I think the part of the blog the majority of you are most excited about is my whole "Napoleon Complex" thing regarding Disneyson1, so let's just jump to that right now. Seriously, could Disneyson possibly be in a better position than the one he's in right now? I mean, he's in a better position than KingMickey in Season Seven, and in a better position than I was after his elimination in Season Eight, where after that I had a fair share of enemies. Disneyson1 is completely running the show here. I think the dissolve of Team Davinson was the best thing that happened to Disneyson1 over the course of the first half of the season. Because of that event, he managed to get into Team Baxter and make himself a powerhouse, essentially guaranteeing himself the Golden Power of MVP. Now that he's got a hold of that power, he's practically unstoppable. Much like the Hidden Immunity Idol in Survivor, however, the trick to the Golden Power of MVP is all in the timing. You need to know when to use it, when you are being targeted, or else you'll waste it. Or, if you know someone's going to be eliminated and want to keep them around, the power could also be used for that. Either way, it's a big tool in Disneyson's bag of tricks. That, and now he's Team Leader and a dominant presence over Team Davis. He's seriously THE most powerful person to ever play this game, using sheer reputation, will power, and creative energy to drive his game forward. At this point, he's practically a lock for the Final Three. The only question is, will anyone be able to stand up and face him in the end?

If there's going to be a person like that...I don't think it's going to be Monkey. Sorry pal, but you're hanging on by a thread here. Monkey of course did have his shining moment in the ThatGuyWithTheGlasses project, but since then he's slid considerably under the radar. Like everyone else this season however, Monkey has a story. That's what I love about this game in general. It seems that no matter what happens, each person has a defining element and character trait to them that makes them stand out in their own way. With Monkey, we all know that particular strength lies in the field of comedy.

Finally, we come to Team Coats. Upon the sudden departure of ManEatingWreath, which as I said last post, is best described as a big "turning point", that left the once powerful team down to two members. Hack2112, who carried the team on more than one occasion, and Futureimagineer, who has broken out as the biggest new character of the season. These two are now in the minority here, and a big question is going to be...will people be voting along team lines? Honestly, I think AdvBlueDude is in a lot of trouble here. If you watched Survivor: Redemption Island...AdvBlueDude is the Matt Elrod to Disneyson's Rob Mariano. AdvBlueDude's character this season is all about a personal journey. We wanted a twist that would bring shockwaves to the game, and AdvBlueDude is the poster child for it. After all, this guy already has two instances of coming *this* close to the final project under his belt. It's only natural that the storyline for his third time out should be this way. Unfortunate timing has caused Adv to be the person who has contributed by far the least amount of brainstorming. This of course, puts an immediate target on his back. The only question will be if someone else gets a higher number of votes.

As for my take on how the rest of the season will play out...historically ever since we started the team format back in Season Six, the people that have been in the final project have, straight up, been in alliances together. It's never failed. Fantasmic!, HereWeGo, and PL7764 were all part of the "Yensid Three" in Season Six, KingMickey and Mater for sure had each other's backs in Season Seven, and of course my the three way alliance of myself, Jessiestudio, and Monkey made it all the way to the final three in Season Eight. If you don't want to use the word "alliance", at least having someone else's back can potentially be a very good thing in this game. As we start getting closer to the final project, and the PoMVP (which will return at the end of this project) having a greater and greater value, things are about to start getting intense. Fasten your seatbelts folks. It's been a really fun ride so far, and I can't wait to see where this game goes in the coming rounds.

Project Portal Commentary Part One

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.

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.

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!

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!

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!