Tingalan

[The0didactus]

he blames me for the fact he stayed up half the night trying to beat a goddess at chess

what he has found is no goddess

[EbonVasilis]

Well it looks like I was mentioned here. I am THAT one. The most horrible person in existence by Lumin's claim. Of course, that sentiment was only garnered after me thoroughly beating her in this game, and only after a few hours. (Warning! From here bragging may occur. Though it most of it may not be intentional)

Today is third day I've had this game downloaded, and around midnight last night I managed to have my best run yet. Of course I mostly attribute this to luck, but a win is a win. The golden number for this magical play through is 47. A grand total of 47 silver pieces. If I'm not mistaken, then this is also the highscore. I was transcribing for a good long while, but I stopped transcribing after that run. Right there is evidence of my success, but I also took a super low quality picture of the screen from my phone. So I have proof of my success through two venues. Should TheOdidactus ask for them, I will present them. As of now, however, Lumin has already seen the picture.

Anyhow, I still need to do some of the other major things Tingalan has to offer, so I'll just leave this post at that. Winning is possible. Just keep at it.

[Lumin]

Well, Ebon has now done the impossible

But it's fine.

*punches monitor*
*tears map into tiny pieces*
*deletes game*
*cries*

Everything is fine.

[P/o Prune]

This is going to be great!!
Now Lumin has two Drifters to fight... David (the terrible) and Ebon (the not so terrible yet, but slowly getting up there.)

Site admin, leans back in his chair, pouring himself a nice big whisky and enjoys the show.

[The0didactus]

Really hard things to do in Tingalan/Achievements which are very hard to do


* Get the highest score

* Get the highest score without "savescumming" (that is, saving your game and replaying it) (This is a distinctly different accomplishment and generally what I mean by "the high score").

* Sing the Song all the way to the end

* Become a Warlock

* Cheat Derzelas

* Find the way to draw the game

* End the game with the highest number of "terrible secrets"

* Unlock the secret characters...all of them.

* Compete with other players: that is, start playing at the same time, no saves, and see which of the two of you ends with the highest score (be advised of course that right when you start you can "wait until dawn" and end the game with a score of 1, whereas someone that goes to the edge of space and time with a backpack full of treasure, but gets eaten on the way home, gets a score of 0)

* Translate the entire history of the mountain people

[Lumin]

* Get the highest score without "savescumming" (that is, saving your game and replaying it) (This is a distinctly different accomplishment and generally what I mean by "the high score").

Whew okay Ebon is still a failure then.

When I actually get time to map relentlessly like I've been planning I'm expecting to have to rely on savescumming, but I've been approaching this game more as a roguelike than IF so I've been trying to avoid that during normal play.

[EbonVasilis]

Dang it. Alright then. I'll just have to do it without save scumming then. Without save scumming I still have a score of 11, but I have neither a transcript nor picture of that, so eh.

I'll be back in a bit to crush Lumin's hopes and dreams once more.

[Lumin]

Is filesize the reason this isn't on the IFDB either? When the soundless version goes up you'll want to make sure to upload it, the game is missing out on a lot of potential exposure.

[The0didactus]

Is filesize the reason this isn't on the IFDB either? When the soundless version goes up you'll want to make sure to upload it, the game is missing out on a lot of potential exposure.

No, the reason it's not on IFDB is that I didn't know about it until I read your post.
A slimmed down version of the game may be released, but not soon.

I'd love to say the reason why is something like "because I'm a big important law student at a big important law school" but the unfortunate truth is that it's only 50% that and 50% the fact that this game has gotten so much recent positive response that I decided to begin work on another idea i've had for many years.

[rotter]

It is probably a good idea to announce your game over on the intfiction.org as well. Might pickup a few extra players, although they are a bit non-windowsy over there.

[The0didactus]

Announcement: I will be dropping a large update/expansion to this game sometime in the next 2 weeks. Because branding is so very important, I have decided to call this the "Deeper Sky" expansion.

This will contain numerous bugfixes including
* that one where certain numbers of arrows cannot be fired at spirits
* that one where your JUJU is a picky eater and won't eat smoked meat
* that one where you search and find [unreadable string] in random forest locations
* that one where elfin artifacts are worth a negative amount of silver pieces
* that one where the haughty spirit doesn't go away even after you've trapped him in a bag
* that one where you can't treat malaria with sage


The following bugs will not be fixed, because they are not bugs:
* that one where the map doesn't fit together right
* that one where your encounters abruptly end because you were, in fact, dreaming the whole time
* that one where the queen of the night always wins at her mysterious game
* that one where you see strange shapes at the corners of your vision and summarily go insane.

the following bugs will be ADDED:
* Wasps
* A giant mantis

The following not-bug things will be added:
* Snowshoes, and 6 snowshoe-related encounters
* A canoe, and 6 canoe-related encounters
* A hiking trail that takes you to some weird places

Most importantly, this update will add 8 very large, multiphase encounters far more like a traditional "choose your own adventure" game. 4 of these are best described as "other world" encounters which will sweep you away to places far away from Tingalan. These encounters will provide unique (and very, very powerful) uses for "terrible secrets", things that game allows you to collect, but currently does not have a lot of uses for.

[The0didactus]

There's been on-again, off-again interest in Tingalan since I released it a few years ago. A sizable contingent of players never really figured out how to navigate the forest...and therefore never figured out how to get home.

Because this game is no longer new I thought I'd drop some spoilers...specifically, the full "tingalan song" (which appears in game whenever you type "SING"). The idea was to have a song where the details got more and more haunting and horrible as it went on, and to give the reader a very real sense that the next verse might literally drive them insane. I've put stars next to particularly important passages for the purposes of navigation or the solution to other puzzles. Each verse is separately spoilered,so you can just read part...and so you can avoid going insane by reading all the way to the end.

I also underlined the part that was sorta the eureka moment for the first person to ever "crack" the map.

Tingalan is a magic wood
where the trees are greatly feared.

Spoiler

It's haunted by hares
and phasms, and bears
and a spirit with bats in its beard.
All things speak in Tingalan
but some things should not be heard,
like spirits that slurp
and catfish that chirp
and bats that sing like birds.

Spoiler

While some things hide in Tingalan,
many things wish to be found,
there are rubies and gold
and berries to hold
and demons that dance underground
and a spot in the sky where the moon goes to cry
when the trees make their terrible sounds.

Spoiler

For the moon hides not from you or I,
or an awful truth or a noble lie,
or the hobbling hag with one good eye
or the platypus that can never die,
but from that which waits in the deeper sky
in Tingalan.

Spoiler

And you'll find elves in Tingalan
*where the forests lilt and laugh,
but you won't want to meet them
and if you should greet them,
you should not trust them by half.

Spoiler

There are many paths through Tingalan:
Some gray, some green, some black,
but while rivers and fields
run into the weald
you'll find almost none that run back!

Spoiler

And your journey will take you to many a place
where the trees seem to shift and to shiver,
*but in truth there is only one road,
*in truth there is only one river.

Spoiler

*There is only one place where the trees twist and tangle,

Spoiler

*there is only one place where the trees arc and angle,

Spoiler

*there is only one hollow where evil things wait,

Spoiler

*there is only one shrine, there is only one gate.

Spoiler

There is only one dream, there is only one life.
You have only one heart, she has only one knife.
You have only one mistress, and she is not here,
*but you'll find her off in one corner I fear, in Tingalan.

Spoiler

For there is no death in Tingalan,
Merely dreams that seem like death.
Ghouls blinker and peek
where trees rattle and reek,
and cry out for bones and breath,

Spoiler

and there is no sleep in Tingalan,
merely death that feels like sleep,
and visions of stars,
that swim like gars,
and eyes that will not weep.

Spoiler

For there are no tears in Tingalan,
merely blood that falls like tears,
and skullfruit like bells,
and heavens like hells,
and minutes that pass like years,

Spoiler

and there are no dreams in Tingalan,
merely lives that pass like dreams,
and bellfruit like skulls
and treasure like coals
and laughter that sounds like screams.

Spoiler

For there is no joy in Tingalan,
and there are no happy sounds,
and the king is not dead,
though they've hacked off his head,
and buried his guts in a mound.

Spoiler

...and he waits there roaring loud and long
to the drum of his hands and the clash of his gong
with a nictating chorus that doesn't belong,
and the stars overhead shine down wicked and wrong,
and the singer goes mad at the end of this song, in Tingalan.

Spoiler

For there is no hope in Tingalan,
and the cock will never call,
and the forces of night
will devour the light,
and the trees won't help you at all.

Spoiler

For there are no trees in Tingalan,
merely owls that look like trees,
and spiders and snakes
like strawberry cakes
and lakes that look like seas,

Spoiler

*and the fiend that lies within you lies

Spoiler

*even more than these,

Spoiler

*and this witch within, it takes delight

Spoiler

*in that moment when the stars are right

Spoiler

and the fireflies dance on the edge of the night
and their lambent tails glow green and white
and the owltrees burn with their furious light
and you lose your eyes
but keep your sight
...in Tingalan.

[Lumin]

This is a horrible temptation but for the record I won't be clicking anything. I really want to take another crack at figuring out the map, I was feeling like I was right at the verge of it before but then I just got sidetracked and never picked my save file up again.

[Cricket]

TIL that Tingalan has SOUND.
Never bothered to turn it on when playing, but it sounds like an interesting experience.
Also never bothered to try to win. I just embrace the inevitable madness when it comes.
I'd like to work on my map more at some point. Not sure whether I want to focus more on that one corner that I really like to go to and know pretty well but could no better or if I shoukd actually try to start out in a different direction the next few games. Guess I'll just have to play enough for both.

Surprised Mizal has apparently not found the end of the song. Singing is great.

[Lumin]

IIRC, the time I tried to sing it, I went mad after just a few verses.