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160: The Ghosts of the Cast Author: ThinkDink Release Date: July 6, 2003
"Dink That Knight Is Xela Cast,She Wants To Kill You!"
"The Ghosts of the Cast" is a pretty cool title.
So the mod's got that going for it.
Which is nice.
I would like to point out that, while this DMOD has an average rating of 1.6, this is buoyed by the author's own review, which gives it by far its highest score, an undeserved 5.5. Without that artificial boost, the rating would be a more appropriate 1.0.
This DMOD is exactly what you expect it to be. I'm not sure what I can do to keep from repeating myself as I describe these worst-of-the-worst mods. Many things do not work, hardness is a joke, invisible walls at the edges of screens are everywhere, powerups are littered all over the place and have map-placed hardness, and the story is a mess. Also, I'm not sure winning is possible, as you seem to just get teleported back to the start.
The first thing you see is this house that has no hardness and no warp. A good first impression.
On the first screen you meet Libby, who begs you to kill some boncas. There's no reason to bother, though, because she won't acknowledge it. Nobody will acknowledge anything, because this DMOD never checks a variable. It's soon forgotten anyway as you meet Martridge. Here, the plot becomes that Dink has a large bounty on his head and the Cast are after him to collect it. Apparently the author thinks that knights of the Cast all have the surname "Cast," by the way. Despite Martridge's warning, the knights make no attempt whatsoever on Dink's life.
Soon, you start getting teleported around with a jarring effect - the screen fades down right after you walk onto certain screens, and you're sent to a new one. The plot changes again - now, Seth has come back in the form of a dragon. Dink is unimpressed, telling him that he has bad dragon breath, and also calling him "Beth." That was probably a typo, but who knows? Maybe it's a wicked burn.
You will encounter a couple of wizard-Seth clones (why? I thought he was a dragon?), but you don't have to fight them. You can proceed by just walking right past.
I couldn't reach the ending, but it threatens you with the second part "in about a month" (as if the author could have been so patient). It also claims to "unlock" a minigame called "Dink-Fightaz," which is unrelated to the DMOD "Fighterz." It's nothing more than a few fights, but what's really hilarious is what the author thinks constitutes an "unlock."
DINK-FIGHTAZ UNLOCKED
To Play Use Dink Edit To Add A Screen Above Your House
Then Use That Screen To Walk Up To The Arena
This is almost as funny as it is pathetic. He might as well have said, "to play the DMOD's super secret extra area, use Dink Edit to make it yourself."
161: The Ghosts of the Cast: Seth's Revenge Author: ThinkDink Release Date: July 7, 2003
"Well Seth Killed My Mum So I Thought Mums Out The Way..HERO TIME!"
Hey, guys. I'm sure you're all as tired of reading my dry rants about how certain DMODs suck as I am of writing them. Therefore, I have decided to take a different approach this time.
*ahem*
"The Ghosts of the Cast: Seth's Revenge" is a brilliantly transgressive mod that dares to question our expectations of DMODs, video games, and even media in general. Its low rating on the site (as if assigning numerical values to works of art were a valid method of criticism!) is just proof of its success at its true purpose. The artist's own review, which acknowledges the "faults" that, if they were not intentional, would make this DMOD easily deserve a rating lower than 1.0, nevertheless gives it a 5.0, a playful nod at the irrelevance of scored "reviews," which are really a means of self-expression and can never truly be about their supposed subject. The review should, in my opinion, be considered a part of the piece itself.
You're probably expecting me to deride the community as fools and Philistines for failing to recognize this DMOD's greatness, but that wouldn't be fair. You see, part of the genius of "Seth's Revenge" is that it is designed to encourage misinterpretation. Any less-than-careful analysis is easily deflected from the depth of meaning to be found by a facade of incompetence. I can hardly blame the community for not noticing. If you pay attention, however, there are subtle clues, such as the DMOD folder being named "gotc3" despite this being the second part of the trilogy, that not everything is meant to be taken at face value.
Here, the artist employs mixed media to demonstrate complex emotion. The frown indicates sadness, but the use of an emoticon simultaneously connotes a certain playfulness.
"Seth's Revenge" presents the player with a "tournament" described as "Dink-Fightaz Round 2," as if it were a sequel to the minigame in the artist's earlier, admittedly more pedestrian work. Boldly, the game defies our expectations by presenting a series of screens containing monsters... but in no way requiring us to fight them. The "screen lock," the usual method by which DMODs enforce our compliance, is not employed. Again, it would be easy to mistake this for simple incompetence, but the "tournament" build-up subtly hints at the artist's statement. Confused by the disruption of the rigid structure we expect, we begin to ask questions. What is the relation between our input and the work of art? Does our input matter to the game at all, or is it a static thing, immutable, already laid out? Or does our input actually matter more in this case because our actions are not restricted? Is the message actually that a "game" should be whatever the player decides she should make it? Furthermore, this sequence draws attention to the ludonarrative dissonance inherent in the "screen lock" mechanic. We know what is preventing us from ignoring battles and moving on, but why does Dink stay? What meaning does forcing the player's actions into a rigid structure have to the story?
Is he? Ultimately, it is up to you, the player.
Next, we meet the antagonist Seth, who is referred to in the title. Ordinarily, this would be the climax of the story, but here it is just the midpoint. Seth appears as an old man and a dragon, but never as himself, further teasing the player and asserting that games can't be depended upon to gratify our expectations. You'd think that this would be a dead giveaway of the mod's true intentions, but even this can be explained away. Novice DMOD authors often did not know how the Seth graphics were loaded by the original game. While you talk to Seth, he sometimes turns invisible, highlighting the fact that games are merely illusions, and the only real thing is the player. Naturally, this work is not so boring as to require you to fight Seth.
Masterfully, the game rubs its meaninglessness and futility in the player's face.
The strongest part of the work comes after what in a traditional game would be called the "final boss." You begin to encounter a series of characters who tell you that various features are now "unlocked." In fact, you need not even talk to these characters to proceed to the features they mention. This is a thrilling, vicious takedown of the intellectually patronizing methods used by video games to stimulate artificial feelings of reward by gating off content that is, after all, there all along.
Here, the game tips its hand at last, beginning its most pointed meta-commentary.
The first "unlockable" feature is "an interview with Dink," a brief parody of the futility of asking artists questions about their work. Art, of course, is not to be defined by "word of God" from the artist, but is totally open to interpretation.
Next, Dink is met by several screens full of attacking enemy ducks. At this point, the "screen lock" is employed, and the game begins to feel conventional, and perhaps even a little bit "fun." This is all just to set up the artist's greatest statement of all - the ending. "DINK'S DEATH UNLOCKED," the game tells us, eradicating the difference between victory, reward and failure. Even this new, strange promise isn't fulfilled - the final screen is simply full of duck enemies. Dink's death is in no way assured. You might think you have won if you defeat the ducks, but your prize is nothing but a lack of closure.
You may not enjoy "The Ghosts of the Cast: Seth's Revenge," but simple enjoyment is not its goal. This is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius, and I invite you to challenge yourself by playing it.
"Dink That Knight Is Xela Cast,She Wants To Kill You!"
"The Ghosts of the Cast" is a pretty cool title.
So the mod's got that going for it.
Which is nice.
*******This DMOD, "The Ghosts of the Cast,"******** ********Has been awarded the prestigious********* ****DINK FOREVER MEMORIAL AWARD OF BADNESS***** *********On this day September 5, 2014*******
I would like to point out that, while this DMOD has an average rating of 1.6, this is buoyed by the author's own review, which gives it by far its highest score, an undeserved 5.5. Without that artificial boost, the rating would be a more appropriate 1.0.
This DMOD is exactly what you expect it to be. I'm not sure what I can do to keep from repeating myself as I describe these worst-of-the-worst mods. Many things do not work, hardness is a joke, invisible walls at the edges of screens are everywhere, powerups are littered all over the place and have map-placed hardness, and the story is a mess. Also, I'm not sure winning is possible, as you seem to just get teleported back to the start.
The first thing you see is this house that has no hardness and no warp. A good first impression.
On the first screen you meet Libby, who begs you to kill some boncas. There's no reason to bother, though, because she won't acknowledge it. Nobody will acknowledge anything, because this DMOD never checks a variable. It's soon forgotten anyway as you meet Martridge. Here, the plot becomes that Dink has a large bounty on his head and the Cast are after him to collect it. Apparently the author thinks that knights of the Cast all have the surname "Cast," by the way. Despite Martridge's warning, the knights make no attempt whatsoever on Dink's life.
Soon, you start getting teleported around with a jarring effect - the screen fades down right after you walk onto certain screens, and you're sent to a new one. The plot changes again - now, Seth has come back in the form of a dragon. Dink is unimpressed, telling him that he has bad dragon breath, and also calling him "Beth." That was probably a typo, but who knows? Maybe it's a wicked burn.
You will encounter a couple of wizard-Seth clones (why? I thought he was a dragon?), but you don't have to fight them. You can proceed by just walking right past.
I couldn't reach the ending, but it threatens you with the second part "in about a month" (as if the author could have been so patient). It also claims to "unlock" a minigame called "Dink-Fightaz," which is unrelated to the DMOD "Fighterz." It's nothing more than a few fights, but what's really hilarious is what the author thinks constitutes an "unlock."
DINK-FIGHTAZ UNLOCKED
To Play Use Dink Edit To Add A Screen Above Your House
Then Use That Screen To Walk Up To The Arena
This is almost as funny as it is pathetic. He might as well have said, "to play the DMOD's super secret extra area, use Dink Edit to make it yourself."
161: The Ghosts of the Cast: Seth's Revenge Author: ThinkDink Release Date: July 7, 2003
"Well Seth Killed My Mum So I Thought Mums Out The Way..HERO TIME!"
Hey, guys. I'm sure you're all as tired of reading my dry rants about how certain DMODs suck as I am of writing them. Therefore, I have decided to take a different approach this time.
*ahem*
"The Ghosts of the Cast: Seth's Revenge" is a brilliantly transgressive mod that dares to question our expectations of DMODs, video games, and even media in general. Its low rating on the site (as if assigning numerical values to works of art were a valid method of criticism!) is just proof of its success at its true purpose. The artist's own review, which acknowledges the "faults" that, if they were not intentional, would make this DMOD easily deserve a rating lower than 1.0, nevertheless gives it a 5.0, a playful nod at the irrelevance of scored "reviews," which are really a means of self-expression and can never truly be about their supposed subject. The review should, in my opinion, be considered a part of the piece itself.
**********This DMOD, "TGOTC: Seth's Revenge,"*********** ***********Has been awarded the prestigious*********** ***[ALPHABET] MEMORIAL AWARD OF SECRET BRILLIANCE*** ***********On this day September 5, 2014**********
You're probably expecting me to deride the community as fools and Philistines for failing to recognize this DMOD's greatness, but that wouldn't be fair. You see, part of the genius of "Seth's Revenge" is that it is designed to encourage misinterpretation. Any less-than-careful analysis is easily deflected from the depth of meaning to be found by a facade of incompetence. I can hardly blame the community for not noticing. If you pay attention, however, there are subtle clues, such as the DMOD folder being named "gotc3" despite this being the second part of the trilogy, that not everything is meant to be taken at face value.
Here, the artist employs mixed media to demonstrate complex emotion. The frown indicates sadness, but the use of an emoticon simultaneously connotes a certain playfulness.
"Seth's Revenge" presents the player with a "tournament" described as "Dink-Fightaz Round 2," as if it were a sequel to the minigame in the artist's earlier, admittedly more pedestrian work. Boldly, the game defies our expectations by presenting a series of screens containing monsters... but in no way requiring us to fight them. The "screen lock," the usual method by which DMODs enforce our compliance, is not employed. Again, it would be easy to mistake this for simple incompetence, but the "tournament" build-up subtly hints at the artist's statement. Confused by the disruption of the rigid structure we expect, we begin to ask questions. What is the relation between our input and the work of art? Does our input matter to the game at all, or is it a static thing, immutable, already laid out? Or does our input actually matter more in this case because our actions are not restricted? Is the message actually that a "game" should be whatever the player decides she should make it? Furthermore, this sequence draws attention to the ludonarrative dissonance inherent in the "screen lock" mechanic. We know what is preventing us from ignoring battles and moving on, but why does Dink stay? What meaning does forcing the player's actions into a rigid structure have to the story?
Is he? Ultimately, it is up to you, the player.
Next, we meet the antagonist Seth, who is referred to in the title. Ordinarily, this would be the climax of the story, but here it is just the midpoint. Seth appears as an old man and a dragon, but never as himself, further teasing the player and asserting that games can't be depended upon to gratify our expectations. You'd think that this would be a dead giveaway of the mod's true intentions, but even this can be explained away. Novice DMOD authors often did not know how the Seth graphics were loaded by the original game. While you talk to Seth, he sometimes turns invisible, highlighting the fact that games are merely illusions, and the only real thing is the player. Naturally, this work is not so boring as to require you to fight Seth.
Masterfully, the game rubs its meaninglessness and futility in the player's face.
The strongest part of the work comes after what in a traditional game would be called the "final boss." You begin to encounter a series of characters who tell you that various features are now "unlocked." In fact, you need not even talk to these characters to proceed to the features they mention. This is a thrilling, vicious takedown of the intellectually patronizing methods used by video games to stimulate artificial feelings of reward by gating off content that is, after all, there all along.
Here, the game tips its hand at last, beginning its most pointed meta-commentary.
The first "unlockable" feature is "an interview with Dink," a brief parody of the futility of asking artists questions about their work. Art, of course, is not to be defined by "word of God" from the artist, but is totally open to interpretation.
Next, Dink is met by several screens full of attacking enemy ducks. At this point, the "screen lock" is employed, and the game begins to feel conventional, and perhaps even a little bit "fun." This is all just to set up the artist's greatest statement of all - the ending. "DINK'S DEATH UNLOCKED," the game tells us, eradicating the difference between victory, reward and failure. Even this new, strange promise isn't fulfilled - the final screen is simply full of duck enemies. Dink's death is in no way assured. You might think you have won if you defeat the ducks, but your prize is nothing but a lack of closure.
You may not enjoy "The Ghosts of the Cast: Seth's Revenge," but simple enjoyment is not its goal. This is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius, and I invite you to challenge yourself by playing it.
