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The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

Yep, it's finally here! It's the paper even SenPen decided to join!

It's...

The Amazing CYS Times

News: Derailments and WC Galore!

By DerpBacon

~

Waves and waves of these two... Let's begin with the WC flood, shall we?

Lately, some WC fans have gotten angrier and more irritated (as well as irritable) at the CYStians. Why? They demanded respect for their kind, wishing that the CYStians didn't act as "haters." However, the CYStians try to state that they weren't "hating" on their storygames, and rather simply rating accordingly and giving an honest opinion. However, the WC fans deny it all and still go with their belief of CYStians flaming and hating on their storygames. Insults and arguments fly around in derailments of colossal size, some even reaching more than 100 posts per derailment.

In the midst of the battle, some CYStians and WC fans try to create new agreements in the Lounge, hoping to end the chaos and the madness once and for all. However, even the agreements begin to flood the Lounge, and there were so many agreement threads, other threads were made asking for the flow of agreements to end!

However, on one glorious day, the insanity slowed to a stop.

Now, it's time to discuss the recent derailments.

Lately, there's been a pattern going on in many threads. The names of four CYStians are repeated over and over again in derailments the same massive size as those in the WC flood. What begins as an argument evolves into a chaotic madhouse, reaching the most random topics and discussions. One argument turned into a shipping thread, as a matter of fact.

You may be asking, "So? What's so newsworthy on regular ol' derailments?"

There are two things to consider. The first is the size of the derailments and how many derailments there are in the threads. Some threads are even deleted because of the derailment, the "Hurt/Heal Game with 2014 Members," to name just one. The second is the old warning in the Lounge, posted by Sethaniel. We have failed to heed said warning.

There you have it, CYStia. The news of our lands.

Story of the Week Contest

Theme: Fantasy medieval story with an animal perspective

Winner: None yet

Writers, I will extend the deadline until next Sunday. For more information, see the previous Amazing CYS Times thread, also in the Lounge.

Good luck!

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

@Chris113022 @At_Your_Throat @GMB13carat @Tim36D @Bluefur @ISentinelPenguinI @Goody2Shoes

Employees of ACYST, post your articles here.

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

The Amazing CYS Times

Review: The Osiris Project

By Tim36D

 

The Game

"The Osiris Project" is a forum game about SUPERPOWERS! Now, who doesn't want those?

The game follows a group of individuals (You) ,given superpowers by a German Scientist. There's guns, explosions, lasers, etc.

Superpowers in this game, though, aren't all they're cut out to be. Each power has it's own 'Backfire'. If the power is used too much or too often, it can have serious consequences.

The Creator

Unfortunately, we couldn't get in touch with Chris113022, the creator, and GM, of the game. After all, he must be a very busy person.

The Review

Although personally I wasn't part of the forum game, I can tell you that it's one of the good ones. Great gameplay, amazing story, and a reply within 24 hours. The only downside to this game would have to be the sign-ups (*Stares at rejected application*).

9/10, MLG420Noscope

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

I feel so honored... I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE ACADEMY!

But nah, thanks. Also, just saying, but I have to wait for GMB to get on to publish the article (He was the only one who got any jokes, and I didn't get anything, so I have to wait for him to PM me the two jokes, I'll find a riddle, and I'll come up with two jokes).

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

You and GMB are excused for the week, GMB and I talked it through.)

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

Meh, Dank Meme Times is better.

Plus this is all pretty inaccurate, lols

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

pls halp meh

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

Inaccurate? How so?

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

Osiris sucks compared to the Space Opera; the WC stuff is old news, and already "reported"; derailments wasn't news-worthy, interesting, plus it's implied that everybody is derailing.

Among other things.

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

No, it states that four people are doing so, hence the phrase "repeated over and over again."

Also, the Forum Game reviews are opinions. If the employee likes a game, then he/she writes a review. How is an opinion on a Forum Game inaccurate?

We didn't heed an administrator's warning, and are probably pissing them off. 'Nuff said.

As for the WC news, what else is there to report? One return? A new thread on writing?

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

> because of the derailment, the "Hurt/Heal Game with 2014 Members," to name just one. The second is the old warning in the Lounge, posted by Sethaniel. We have failed to heed said warning.

Who cares about that H/H game? ;P Also note "we"

I guess it is an opinion thing, but that's like saying ET is better than GTAV.

Yeah, you wait for a newsworthy thing to happen. And you report before the others.

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

We run on a schedule, you know.

We = the four members.

"To name just one" Simply because that derailment was 5x larger than the main topic.

Still an opinion.

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

Well don't otherwise you're going to be churning out shitty uninteresting articles. Exciting things don't happen on a daily/weekly basis -_-

The point about the H/H game is that you're reporting on uninteresting things.

Yeah and that's also mine (and the vast majority, I'm sure)'s opinion about it. Anyway if it's a news source you shouldn't even be writing opinions, unless you have someone writing their opinion on one subject. What you're doing isn' that, you're choosing the "best" game out of all of them and reporting on it like it's a fact.

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

I do think Fazz has a point, we have to be on the forums to read this paper so unless we've just joined we know what's been happening on the forums (derailments of threads? Who could have conceived of such a thing happening on a forum? Oh wait... no that happens on all of them. It would have been more controversial if you'd named and shamed the culprits). Is this a weekly or daily paper? Are the articles going to be released together or one at a time? I think putting something on the forums about the forums is a bit like putting a sign on a bench saying THIS IS A BENCH, the interview with Ogre11 was good though and the review of Christ's story is ok.

Hm... I like this idea of randomly selecting a site member to interview and stories to review rather than just going for the best ones... I'll think about how I can reformat the Weekly Review to make it more generally interesting...

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Will11.

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

Christ wrote a story!? 

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

I think he was talking about Tim's interview of my forum game.

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago
Either that, or Jesus Christ.

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

I sometimes get confused between Chris and Christ :D Ah, that was a forum game... I've never seen anyone review a forum game before...

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

Speaking of which, what do you think of the Dank Meme times? 

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

The what what what? don't think I've seen that one smiley

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

I like that :D Ford's letter and the Q&A are hilarious, something light-hearted like that is good for this site cause all the bad stories, WC stuff and forum idiots can sometimes make things the site less enjoyable :) It's a good little paper :D

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

The Amazing CYS Times
Exclusive Interview with Ogre11!**

By At_Your_Throat 

The Interviewer: Greetings, Ogre11, you have been chosen for an exclusive interview! This will be featured on ACYST, the functional and amazing paper! I have a few questions to ask you before I go. 

The Interviewer: Why and how did you get on CYS? Was there a specific reason in mind whilst you were searching? 

Ogre11: CYS... I think I was searching for information on green hats... no wait, that doesn't sound right... do you ever spend hours floating around the Internet and then realize you have no idea why or how you got to the page you're on? Yeah, that was me one day and how I found CYS... 

The Interviewer: Question 2: You have two stories published; "Cryogenic Failure" and "Go Get the Mail!". Which one do you take the most pride in? 

Ogre11: [i]Go Get the Mail[/i] was my first story and quite simple. That's the one where I learned about the interface and how things worked. I also started to learn what readers wanted to see here on the site. [i]Cryogenic Failure[/i] is based on what I learned, but also was when I first started really playing with scripts and serious customization of the stories. I also like that story a lot more simply because it has much more in it -- going to get the mail is nowhere near as difficult as traveling across the galaxy in a cryogenically frozen state, if you ask me. 

The Interviewer: Third question: What is your fondest memory of CYS? 

Ogre11: Memory? I'm not sure how to answer that one. Since I've discovered the site, I've enjoyed reading stories and talking to people about stories and about the interface. I've now read almost every story on the site and I do like seeing new stories appear. I'm not sure there's one moment in the past that really stands out from the rest. 


The Interviewer: Okay, thank you for your time, Ogre11. We look forward to seeing your name in the next article.

**Was shortened due to certain difficulties in time, underlining was made impossible due to creator's tablet.

 

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

The Amazing CYS Times

Storygame Reviews: A Game of Life and Death
By: Bluefur
 

Yep, that's right! In this edition of Storygame Reviews, it'll be all about the horror game known as 'A Game of Life and Death'!

This storygame, created by none other than the Great Kiel_Farren, is one of the well known (and loved) featured games on CYS! Also being a very long yet intriguing piece, it has the rating of 7/8, and the length of 8/8. It also has the maturity level of 5/8, not to mention the difficulty of 8/8. Seriously, that game is hard. It's been played over 30,000 times, but only less than a quarter have managed to finish it. Be prepared for a challenge, guys. It might take hours.

There are several endings and paths, according to Kiel. Though I have never been able to finish it ( ;-; ), I have to say that it was still enjoyable. The first time I had played it, I died. No, not literally. Unless I've actually been raised by a necromancer, here to destroy you all. *cough* It is fairly possible to make it to the final fight without the guide Kiel had kindly wrote, but those who don't like challenges should definitely check out the walkthrough.

This story takes place in the modern world- Well, sort of. I wonder if the modern world has vampires and magic. Yep, wherever there's magic, there's gotta be some fantasy in there! The main character, you, is a normal human. A normal human who'd just had a fuckin' terrible day at school. Well, isn't that jolly? What's better to brighten up your day than a good ol' visit to a haunted mansion, hm? Luckily, Layne's waiting to die with you as well. With one friend stuck in a mansion reeking of death, and the other (Melissa) with Ebola, what will you do? Then, just to make things more complicated, an insane witch is planning something. Go save the day, just don't get yourself killed.

If you're a fan of puzzle games, can handle hours of trying to obtain items, and love coyote gods, you absolutely have to play this. Unless, of course, you already have.

Oh yes, also play it if you like to punch your pillow in frustration. ^-^

Interview - Kiel_Farren

Bluefur: Hello, I'm Bluefur, as you may know already. I'm here as an employee of 'The Amazing CYS Times', run by DerpBacon. I humbly request a brief interview with you regarding your storygame, 'A Game of Life and Death'. May I please ask you some questions?

Kiel: Sure, feel free.

Bluefur: This question is often asked, so... What inspired you to create 'A Game of Life and Death'?

Kiel: Well, I had the inspiration to create a horror based CYOA around 2003. I only wrote about two items, one location, and five areas. (An apple, a mirror, an evil haunted house, the dinosaur room, the vampire room, a dark room, a maze, and the hallway, respectively.) I gave up after writing only a few scenes. I didn't know about CYS, I thought the use of items wasn't reasonable on any site I did know of, and had only ever publicly posted fan-fiction.

Years later, I found this site while delving into my nostalgia over CYOAs. I played "Mommy" and something just clicked. Around that same time, I was also replaying my favorite Sierra games from the past--games that focused on adventure filled with odd puzzles, snarky narration, and humorous deaths, which I wanted to incorporate. Basically, this game stemmed from one big trip down memory lane.

Bluefur: Ah, I understand. How long did it take you to finish 'A Game of Life and Death'? What kept you from abandoning the project?

Kiel: From the moment of its hazy inception to its final posting to-date? Eleven years. If you're only counting from when I started writing all the text you see in the story, however (I lost all the original scenes) it took me just shy of two years. 

I kept coming back to the project because ... I love to write, honestly. It's a good way to deal with stress. I also grew fond of the characters, the settings, even my own stupid jokes ... and the Spring Thing contest didn't hurt as far as motivating me goes. Plus, being able to entertain people and give them a break from their daily grind is a good feeling, and a lot of the reviews have been positive, so I feel I've achieved that.

Bluefur: It was an amazing game, so there's no doubt you've achieved it. What was the most difficult part of making the storygame? Anything that just made you particularly frustrated?

Kiel: I had trouble keeping up with my own imagination, to be honest with you. I was just going to write a short story as a silly little test of the editor. That was all it was going to be and I didn't take it seriously for some time because I planned to move on quickly ... and then Layne and Melissa were created, and it changed.

Seemingly of its own accord, the game somehow became something more, with depth and personality (at least, more of both than I ever thought it would have,) and the ridiculous humor and narration that was intended as its base became a counterbalance to drama.

As it grew bigger and bigger, I began to feel overwhelmed, like I was in over my head. I'm a busy person IRL and it was my only first game, but I'd already written 400 pages! I planned on taking several weeks, sure, but it had been ten months at that point, so I tried closing off one of the paths and posting it as it was, but someone found the incomplete path and, without meaning to, called me out on not finishing it.

I was kind of frustrated with myself for trying to call it quits before it actually felt complete. Besides, the initial version was riddled with errors and had glitches and just needed ... more. So I had to take it down and give it an overhaul and I'm glad I did.

Bluefur: You probably still did better than most in the initial version. After all, you had only just been a beginner. So, had you planned, while/before you were creating it, for 'A Game of Life and Death' to be a sort-of-sequel to 'The Other World'?

Kiel: Ah ... that's a bit backwards. If it was a case of sequel / prequel, The Other World would be the sequel since it's technically in the future. That said, The Other World isn't really a canonical sequel, it's more an "Alternate Reality" of sorts. To answer your actual question: No way. xD I had no idea that I'd be getting that dark with my timelines for this series, but maybe I should've known. 

When I wrote the scene that became the main inspiration for The Other World, it just felt so natural and it was especially fun to write. I may hate Vidia Hecate on principal, but I love over-the-top villains in general. Seeing her monologuing made me realize I hadn't let her live up to her full potential. She was hell-bent on creating a new world, I just didn't realize at the time that I wanted to see it, too. 

When Madglee's contest theme was announced, I wanted to more fully explore the fantasy genre and I tried to think of a way to utterly destroy society with magic, maybe a way to re-work the zombie concept ... and there was Vidia just waiting for me to create a proper dystopia for her to indulge in her cruelty and rule with an iron fist. Plus, I've always wanted to do a story about the future where all our modern tech has been obliterated and we've been forced to start over, she just gave me the perfect excuse.

Bluefur: Oh, sorry. I meant to say "prequel"... Kind of get words mixed up at times, and I'm a bit nervous, so... Sorry. DX 

Wow. You really get into the stories you write, as far as I can tell... It makes me jealous. Is there anything else you might want to add?

KielHaha, no need to be nervous. ^^ I may not really know much about reporting, but I think you're doing well.

Well ... for anyone reading this who is relatively new to this whole thing, don't be afraid of your ambitions or your imagination. You have much more potential than you give yourself credit for--but you have to pace yourself, put in the effort, and be willing to adapt. You may take years to write an epic, like me, or you may only take a few months. Everyone is different, but that's why we have such a diverse collection of awesome games on here. I look forward to reading and writing more. :)

Bluefur: Oh, thanks. This is only my second time, and I'm already starting to screw up.

Truly great words of wisdom. Thank you for answering these questions, and this will be in the Storygame Review for this week's edition. :)

Kiel: My pleasure.

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

100%. I would say this is EXACTLY the ingredients Reviews and Interviews are made from Bluefur; you have nailed this. Outside the Internet world if you can produce reviews of literature and great interviews of talented authors like Kiel... for what it's worth this is the best thing I have read on the forums in months in terms of literary ability and I am not prone to praise smiley but WOW.

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

Really? I was afraid there would be some mistake in there, since I didn't proofread... Thanks!

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

I get despondent over the lack of talent that embraces this site with frequency but your review and interview of Kiel is better than something you might read in popular magazines :) It's just so thorough, intelligent and informative I would recommend/love if you interviewed other key members of the site like that such as the featured stories writers, the most popular members of the forums or the most interesting personalities on this site but your review/interview was the most impressive thing I've read since Endmaster's Suzy's Strange Saga. surprise

The Amazing CYS Times! ~ Edition One

8 years ago

That's a bit much... ^-^' I'm just a novice writer. And I'm only in charge of Storygame Reviews... I was hoping to do more top-rated storygames, but it's hard because I'm terrible at finding all the endings, not to mention that I want to avoid interviewing the same author twice, and most of the storygames which interest me are made by the EndMaster. I can only do well on things if I like them...