Castle Paradox

[Pepsi Ranger]

Epic Marathon 4 Voting

As most of you know, a great tragedy struck the OHR community last May. A mysterious shooter emerged from the shadows and popped a cap in our beloved hamster’s [back]. Fortunately, Bob is starting to recover and will be back to serving his duties as greeter and hero of the Hamster Republic soon. But his assailant remains at large.

Until now.

It seems the OHR community has reached a verdict. And now it’s time to announce the findings.

First off, we’ve had a number of people attempt to solve the clues that the shooter left behind. This tapered off pretty quickly back in June, but nevertheless, a few people took their chances.

Further down the line, closer to the end of July, four people attempted to solve the mystery through artistic interpretation. These methods of interpretation were later submitted to the prosecution for determining the real reason behind the shooting. The following section will reveal whose case was the most convincing.

Each case was given a name. The four names are as follows:

OHR House 2 by JSH357
Who Shot Bob the Hamster?: A Soliloquy Mystery by Uncommon
Who Shot Bob the Hamster?: Love & Order by Shadowiii
And
Who Shot Bob the Hamster?: The Graphic Novel by Moogle1

The community had to post its vote according to which one it found most convincing. Since there was no scale voting like there was in other contests (although the rules this year permitted it—it’s just that no one did it) each entry only received one vote. Therefore, each vote was worth 10 points.

OHR House 2
+10, +10
Pending Score: 20

A Soliloquy Mystery
+10, +10, +10, +10
Pending Score: 40

Love & Order
No votes
Pending Score: 0

The Graphic Novel
No votes
Pending Score: 0

Now, the verdict vote was not the only contributing factor to the overall success of an entry. The point values are also weighed on top of bonuses and individual attempts to solve the clues. The next section will break down the bonuses and penalties each entry incurred. A brief description of each possible bonus and penalty will also precede the results.

Points will be deducted for violations of certain rules:

Rule #1: Failure to include a subtitle into the “Who Shot Bob the Hamster?” title
Penalty — 10 points

Rule #2a: Failure to give proper credit for each major design element (graphics, music, story, and plotscripting)
Penalty — 50 points

Rule #2b: Ripping graphics or music from another OHR game without permission
Penalty — Instant disqualification

Rule #3: Giving the details of the game away before release (does not include sharing theories, only the one the player actually uses)
Penalty — 50 points

Rule #4: Failure to set the game in the Hamster Republic universe
Penalty — 50 points

Rule #5a: Failure to end the game with a solution
Penalty — 50 points

Rule #5b: Failure to properly end the game with a “game over” script (leaving the game hanging)
Penalty — 100 points

Typically, the incentive for taking design mission objectives is to increase your overall score in the judging. For this contest, a designer will receive an additional 10 points to his overall score for each design mission he or she implements (up to three).

Mission #1: Have your main character cross paths with another contestant’s main character, possibly throwing him off balance with his own conspiracy theories. Great for adding twists to the story.

Mission #2: Plot twist around every corner. Since this is a mystery, the main character should be thrown for a loop at every turn. Try to keep it sensible, though.

Mission #3: Include a mad scientist as a forensic specialist. His babble should lead to something genius, but it should still come out like babble.

Mission #4: Include a mini-game. This is your chance to explore the four corners of the Hamster Republic. Make the most of it.

Mission #5: Plug a future release of OHR, talking about dream features as though they were reality.

Mission #6: Get a butler (who speaks with a British accent) involved in the mystery. Hint: British words add a “u” to certain words ending in “or,” like “color—colour” and substitute “z” with “s” in some words. Community members who actually live in England or Australia should consult in this matter.

Mission #7: Design the environment to foreshadow the crime, keeping the personality of the culprit in mind.

Mission #8: Have the Hamster Republic government falsely accuse another character of the crime, to which the hero must defend his case (as a side mission).

Note: Designers will be encouraged to include supplemental materials with the game file, including story documents (a word document outlining any back story or design element that might not be apparent within the game, or a written account of the game itself), graphic documents (pictures of your favorite characters), timelines (how the character came to his decision), music files (songs about your representation of the character), or anything else you can think of to enhance the game experience. Supplemental materials will be awarded 10 points each, up to 30 points total.

OHR House 2: Hawaii

Penalties: Rule #1 – 5 points
Note: The penalty exclusively states that the game must have a subtitle. Technically, this is a subtitle. Therefore I’m only giving a half-penalty instead of a full one since it provides the subtitle but not the main title. (Last season’s Darkmoor Dungeon incurred the same penalty).
Bonuses: Mission #1 – 10 points, Mission #2 – 10 points, Mission #8 – 10 points
Supplemental Material: none
Pending Score: 45

Breakdown of Bonuses for OHR House 2:

Mission #1 – At least three of the four contestants are in this game at the time the mystery begins. All have their theories.

Mission #2 – Several plot twists happen through the course of Weeks 6, 7, and 8, gluing the “player” to his seat.

Mission #8 – PHC is falsely accused of the House murders and is put on trial.

A Soliloquy Mystery

Penalties: none
Note: Rule #5 states that there must be a “game over” script. Seeing as how this isn’t a game, this rule is omitted.
Bonuses: Mission #1 – 10 points, Mission #2 – 10 points, Mission #7 – 10 points
Supplemental Material: Includes graphic of hero (10 points)
Pending Score: 80

Breakdown of Bonuses for A Soliloquy Mystery:

Mission #1 – Briefly meets Moogle1 (the mysterious stranger) and criticizes him about his “Zombie Robot Bird Hitler” theory.

Mission #2 – The plot twists at the end come unexpectedly and turn the whole case on its ear.

Mission #7 – Given the nature of its conclusion, I think it’s fair to consider that the environment lives up to the identity of its culprits.

Love & Order

Penalties: Rule #2a – 50 points, Rule #5b – 100 points
Note: Though I’m on the fence with Rule #2a, as the Law and Order theme song is credited in-game, everything else regarding graphics and story is subjective. There really should’ve been a text file accompanying this game giving the appropriate credit. The best I have is the Readme from Stop, but again, this isn’t Stop.
Bonuses: Mission #1 – 10 points, Mission #2 – 10 points, Mission #8 – 10 points
Supplemental Material: none
Pending Score: -120

Breakdown of Bonuses for Love & Order:

Mission #1 – Like the other entries, this one features Buford in a plot-defining role.

Mission #2 – Also provides plot twists with every witness missing key elements in their testimonies.

Mission #8 – The whole case hinges on Lord Broaste’s defense, who is later found innocent by the court.

Note: Missions #6 and #7 were considered, but the British guy is supposed to be a butler, and the environment wasn’t fleshed out enough to accurately reflect the personality of the shooter.

The Graphic Novel

Penalties: none
Note: This is actually a judgment call. This entry teeters on the edge of violating both Rules #1 and #2, as Rule #1 states that it must have a subtitle and Rule #2 states that credit must be given, neither of which are definitive in this entry. However, because this is a graphic and not a game—in other words, because there aren’t places to include these things in his method of distribution—I decided to name the graphic myself and assume the graphic as his work.
Bonuses: none
Supplemental Material: none
Pending Score: 0

Finally, we reach the clue-hunting phase. In this, points are given to each person who successfully finds a clue, solves a clue, and ten points to each person who successfully figures out the shooter’s identity, exact location, or motive. This portion is not exclusive to contestants.

For this, it’s time to reveal Buford’s findings in the field. Here are the clues and the meanings behind them:

Identity Clues:

1. My current home is not the place I’m from, but the place I long to fit into. (Security Center file)
Answer: Hamster Republic
Person to Find the Clue: Jack
People to Solve the Clue: Uncommon, Moogle1, Djfenix

2. My new home’s philosophy is that computers are evil, acting as a prison for misbehaving imps. (Top 15/30 page 12 General Discussion)
Answer: Technomancy on the Hamster Republic website
Person to Find the Clue: Artimus Bena
People to Solve the Clue: Uncommon, Moogle1, Djfenix

3. My new home has three of these, but my first only has one.
Answer: Dimensions
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Dried Throne

4. I’ve seen Universal Studios once. Two of its attractions make a mockery of my birth home.
Answer: Terminator 3D and Shrek 4-D
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Unsolved

5. My birth home does not subscribe to the laws of the place that is photographed in the article that suggests making pets out of wheat.
Answer: The earth (a place under the laws of the third dimension) is photographed in “The Trouble with the World Today.”
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Uncommon

6. To find what gets me around, find the woman from the New World and her twenty-first sound. (O:OHR “Joke” Review)
Answer: The twenty-first line of “American Woman” (the Lenny Kravitz version) says, “I don’t need your war machines.”
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Unsolved

7. The people who told us to “Live and Let Die” share a name with the part that gets me around.
Answer: Paul McCartney and Wings.
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Moogle1, Uncommon (alludes to it close enough as a biplane in A Soliloquy Mystery)

8. If you heard of Trundle, then you probably heard of me. (Bugzilla)
Answer: Hamster Republic Download Museum
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Moogle1, Djfenix

9. I do not have what sets everyone apart from each other.
Answer: Fingerprints
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Moogle1

10. There’s a hit song named after my job title, recorded by a group who apparently has a thing for spots on hide. (Seven-Sided Dice)
Answer: Def Leppard’s “Rocket”
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Unsolved

11. The distance from my new home to my old one is the shortest.
Answer: A straight line
Person to Find the Clue: Dried Throne
People to Solve the Clue: Unsolved

12. You may find I have a lot in common with Odysseus.
Answer: Far away from home and an outcast of the place he calls home
Person to Find the Clue: Moogle1
People to Solve the Clue: Unsolved (though Uncommon was close, both in PMs and his entry)

Shooter’s Identity: The pilot from Lineality
Note: Dried Throne was incredibly close to solving the identity, but couldn’t commit to this particular character (though he did suggest it based on the clues he solved more than once), so the identity remains unsolved. I’ll still give him 5 points for speculating correctly several times, even if the accusation was never definite.

Location Clues:

13. On the address promoting my home, you may find the blueprints containing the shooting place.
Answer: Hamster Republic (address), Wandering Hamster (blueprints)
Person to Find the Clue: Moogle1
People to Solve the Clue: Dried Throne

14. You may find the location in an enclosed space. (Epic Postponement, General Discussion)
Answer: The one place truly enclosed (by trees) is the Plip-Tamer’s yard.
Person to Find the Clue: Moogle1
People to Solve the Clue: Dried Throne

15. The amenities of basic living are strangely absent here, save the amenity that transports a person to the land of dreams.
Answer: The Plip-Tamer’s interior house is remarkably unfurnished, save for a bed.
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Moogle1, Djfenix, Dried Throne

16. Four floors of windows hide only two floors of space.
Answer: There are four levels of windows outside the Plip-Tamer’s house, but only two floors exist above the basement inside.
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Dried Throne

17. Like a rock star, every creature has an addiction.
Answer: According to Behind the Epic: The Wandering Hamster Story (on Operation: OHR), Bob has an addiction to plip-bashing. This explains what he was doing when he got shot.
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Dried Throne

18. “Always the best choice for all of your slime-training needs.” (What I’d Like to See, Map Names, General Discussion)
Answer: A quote from Wandering Hamster referencing the Plip-Tamer’s house.
Person to Find the Clue: Moogle1
People to Solve the Clue: Moogle1, Djfenix, Dried Throne

19. They say eyes are like this to the soul. They say this is what I hid behind.
Answer: Window
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Moogle1, Djfenix, Dried Throne

20. The proprietor was a showman.
Answer: Plip-Tamer
Person to Find the Clue: Uncommon
People to Solve the Clue: Unsolved

Shooter’s Location: Inside the Plip-Tamer’s house, behind the living room window. Buford’s photos suggest that Bob was standing on the walk near the trees with his hammer drawn when the first shot rang.
Person to Solve the Location: Dried Throne hit every point, including the place where Bob stood, and pinpointed the exact window the shooter hid behind. 10 points.

The Photos:

Dried Throne gets another 5 points for accurately detailing the crime through the photos.

[Shadowiii]

Bwahaha! -120? That is awesome in so many ways. I'm definitely adding that to the game description.
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But enough talk, have at you!

[Bob the Hamster]

I'll print this thread out and take it to the hospital to read to Bob this weekend. If this doesn't snap him out of his coma, nothing will!

[TMC]

I tried playing Lineality once, but couldn't get it to work. So I've never heard of the culprit. Still, it's pretty neat to see that breakdown of the clues (wish I'd followed them more closely)

I was about to vote, honest! Just after I played through OHR House 2's ending...

[TwinHamster]

You're supposed to pry open the game's belly and read the text within :p

[Komera]

[TMC]

OK, so it did end there then.
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"It is so great it is insanely great."

[Uncommon]

I was going to contest a few points, seeing how I went out of the way to make it clear that Herr Ingred didn't have fingerprints and that his whole part constituted a Mission 8, but there's really no point.

Now if only I could think of something more humble to say than "Hurray for me!" we'd be good. Maybe to ask who even is Dried Thorn?

[Bob the Hamster]

Bob is awake!

[Newbie_Power]

Aww, how touching!
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TheGiz> Am I the only one who likes to imagine that Elijah Wood's character in Back to the Future 2, the kid at the Wild Gunman machine in the Cafe 80's, is some future descendant of the AVGN?

[Shadowiii]

[djfenix]

wow, i got 5th place for just reading! awesome