itch.io

Thank you so much!  You've survived the cookie challenge by the hair of your teeth!  :)

Ack! The "M" bug in QWERTY mode passed me right by in playtesting. Thank you for alerting me.

The good news is that keyboard input works for all styles in the browser and I believe it doesn't come up in the other two styles.  There are other ways around it and the game is beatable, but I will debug for the next update to eliminate the pesky M-bug.

Thank you so much for playing!

Thank you for your preservation efforts.  I may have some nswengine material on my harddrive.  The latest version had ASCII art capabilities, which was a feature that peb was kind enough to implement, and he (?) was even kind enough to name the area "outgrabe's chamber" after me.

I was a huge fan of peb's projects and unique little tools.  There was an interactive screensaver where you comandeered a spaceship through a moldy meadow, complete with spores. It was a sort of 2D "walking sim" and I was intent on developing a 3D remake, which peb greenlighted. We had several fun exchanges and I really miss peb.

I noticed the same and it really hit deep. We corresponded quite a bit and I was an early adopter of their wonderful nswengine. Bummer. :(

I was able to find it this time, but I had to download a copy and open elsewhere in order to expand list and search.  Thank you for your time and looking forward to it!

Hello!  I've been regsistered for a time but have not seen my assigned title.  Excited to get on this!

Totally understand!  I embedded within the browser build information on controls, hints, and ability to adjust game modes and resolution. If you are so inclined to give it another go, I'm thinking that might improve the experience--but I won't shy away from its unorthodox feel.  We've taken a highly constrained piece of hardware and demonstrated the capacity to stretch it beyond its intended capabilities.

Playing from a computer enables keyboard input which speeds things up.  It is the one sort of add-on that you cannot experience on the Thumby; but I reasoned that it would improve the overall experience and increase the likelihood of playthrough, unique only to the emulated Thumby games produced by homegrown Tharser game engine.

In a poetic sort of irony, the feeling of being trapped in a Fortune Cookie Factory is amplified by its structure and feel, which was by masochistic design.  😵‍💫 😂

Thank you again--I am honored that you would take the time out of your day to play.

Oh thank you so much!!  I'm delighted to know that you find it de-scent!  🌻

*Takes a bow* We're aaaaall mad here!  Will be sure to deliver more!

You understood the task and rendered it marvelously!

It's to be expected as it is quite the oddity, in terms of game engines!  This enables one to develop classic parser text adventures (think 80's "get lamp"-styled romps), only on a teeny handheld game device (the Thumby).  I admit that this tool would likely appeal to the most niche of developers and severely challenge most of the rational sort--but I maintain that this is the very intent behind it.  To expand the capabilities of whithered technology, stretching it in marvelously weird ways, and demonstrate what is possible on constrained hardware.

Thank you for giving it a peek and for hosting this jam!

You just made my day!!!  Was not sure how this would be received--to be frank--but I'm finding a few vibers.  Thanks a bunch for getting lost in the paw paw grove of my nightmares.

Thanks for playing!  I really appreciate your holistic feedback of the game and your willingness to give it a spin!

Thank you so much!  I am pleased that you picked up on the hypertext meta-nature of the project.

Olfactory Factory is still under development, but keep an eye out on my itch.io page for developments.  Planning on a June release, and strongly considering hosting an inaugural jam.  Hoping it scratches an itch for the right type of developer.

Your comments made my day!

Thank you!  The goal in building this engine (Olfactory Factory) and the resulting game was to realize a gaming experience that emphasizes scent as the driving convention.  I hadn't quite seen anything like this done before and so rather than wait around, I invented it.  Whether it takes on a life of its own or not is yet to be seen (or smelt)!

Thank you for your feedback!  Pick a game style of the three parser types and the game should load right up in browser (built-in Thumby emulator).  All three game modes accept keyboard input, whereas if you load directly into Thumby handheld you'll have to naviagte letter by letter due to hardware constraints.  Let me know if you have any trouble.  The Predictive Wheel might be the best option.

Thank you for playing what is likely the first rotifer sim! Honored by your rating.

With ParserComp 2026 on the horizon, I popped back in and see I missed this a couple of years back. Thank you so much for taking the time to play it, however rough and archaic it turned out! It was a fascinating experiment and I suspect that it will be revisited again down the road and given a more modern touch. The mechanical nature of the game spoiled it in the end, but it was a blast working on it for ParserComp 2024!

My sincere apologies for missing this. I do appreciate every playthrough.

This is actually AMAZING!  So glad to have provided a solution to your garden organization woes... Haha!  Made my day.

I am glad it had that desired effect! Thanks for playing.

Thanks peb! Just another crazy and perhaps ill-defined idea that struck me. The out of place cosmic music overlaying an interesting man's moment in time was something that made sense at the time, though perhaps overly cerebral. :)

Thank you for sparing a moment, as always!

Yes, it's very nice to see your engine in broader use! I really appreciate your support. You've surely invited some new eyes to my curious collection games and that's awesome of ya.

Oh wow! Thank you for your time and I am happy that you found some morsel of enjoyment from the experience.

Have a great day, you! :)

Sorry for the late reply. Thank you so much for playing and for your considerate vocalization of your experience in the little world. Means a lot!

As an author, I am so eager to put this to use! Will offer credit where credit it due. Thanks for this.

Thanks for putting it on!  Groovy jam and nice lookin' game ya got there!

Wow, truly honored that you spent the time exploring my little realm! Looks like it had the desired dream effect. :)

I will definitely put this to use and will give credit where credit is due.  Thanks for this and your other unique tools!

I'm delighted to present my surrealistic dream scenario Oneironautilus, Part I: Sky Level to Wake Up: Paradox Jam! 

This was an experiment to see how far I could push the Bitsy engine to fulfill the "text-only" limitation imposed by the latest Bitsy jam. The result is a textually-rich island-hopping experience that harkens back to the sort of authors such as Lewis Carroll, Edith Nesbit, and other classic wonderlandian storytellers of old only with a modern twist! I also believe that it fits in perfectly with the spirit of this jam, dealing heavily in dreams, paradoxes, mysterious worlds and characters, etc.

If anyone decides to give the game a playthrough, I would be most appreciative. Classic text adventures in their purest form is not everybody's cup of tea, but if you enjoy getting lost in some satirical fantasy literature, then you might enjoy your stay in the world of the Oneironautilus.

Good luck everyone, and thank you to the hosts of this awesome jam!

Nice work! Excited for your engine!

Good luck everyone!  

If you've got 30 min. - one hour to spare, it would mean the world to me if folks gave my submission "Oneironautilus, Part 1: Sky Level" a playthrough.  Feedback, however harsh, would be greatly appreciated. 

I aimed for surrealism in the spirit of Lewis Carroll and Edith Nesbit, only for a more modern readership. I rather like the idea of relying on one's imagination to piece together a world, as the great text adventures of yore once offered.

There will most certainly be a second part and who knows?--Pulp fiction serialization is not out of the question should the game drum up a wee bit of support.

I will, of course, return the favor. I'd love to see what everyone comes up with!

Kind regards,

--

T--B Wright (Outgrabe)

I'm glad that you enjoyed the little stroll!