Comments on: The Yellow Pyramid

By: Gregg B's Games of 2012: Distractions - Tap-Repeatedly

Gregg B's Games of 2012: Distractions - Tap-Repeatedly — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:11:27 +0000

[...] to capture our reactions on video which he edited together and nestled amidst an illuminating and spoilerific discussion we had back in September. Arcadian Rhythms‘ ShaunCG commented [...]

By: The Dissent, Part 2 - Journey and Dear Esther - Tap-Repeatedly

The Dissent, Part 2 - Journey and Dear Esther - Tap-Repeatedly — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 13:48:57 +0000

[...] for real drama and a genuine sense of connectedness. I only need to think of my experiences with At A Distance and Portal [...]

By: Tap Dance: HM and I talk At A Distance - Tap-Repeatedly

Tap Dance: HM and I talk At A Distance - Tap-Repeatedly — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:34:14 +0000

[...] Earlier on in the year, Harbour Master and I got together to play Terry Cavanagh’s dithered local co-op curiosity At A Distance (which you may remember me mentioning in my Eurogamer Expo coverage from last year). It’s an enigmatic oddball that few people have played — despite it appearing at countless game shows and indie shindigs — and one that even fewer have experienced through to the very end. You see, most people who finish At A Distance, don’t really finish it; they see just the beginning. We saw the end, and we’re not afraid to talk about it. [...]

By: Ketchua

Ketchua — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:23:20 +0000

@HM: I am a simple man. It was my way of saying it spoke to me. Nevertheless, it is an achievment not many games earn. It is the highest decoration the United States of Ketchua can bestow upon a game. The Purple… nevermind.

@Gregg: I’m lucky the guy I played with was too busy to notice. Not sure I could convince him it was the game, and not his manly manness.

By: Gregg B

Gregg B — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:54:54 +0000

@Ketchua: That’s quite a reaction. I’m glad I didn’t react like that with HM next to me, for his sake as well as the video’s. Not that you’d have noticed anyway, the camera was positioned just right…

By: Gregg B

Gregg B — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:48:18 +0000

Something else that I thought of while talking to Hailey about it, the people or characters in each chamber had very subtle visual cues to identify them so it’s not surprising that they could be misconstrued as totally separate unrelated entities. HM, didn’t we spend a moment or two staring at one figure trying to work out if it was a male or female just so we understood the context of the situation?

I think after my short burst with At A Distance at the Eurogamer Expo I was absolutely determined to play it properly at some point with somebody. I was originally going to play it with Hailey but she gets hopelessly disoriented in much smaller and identifiable virtual 3D spaces never mind the diffused geometric gloom of At A Distance. It would have been a disaster. My brother would have been hopeless as well based on his failed attempt at cracking Every Day The Same Dream. He never escaped the cycle and wondered what the point of the game was… *rolls head on keyboard*

By: HM

HM — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:11:31 +0000

@Ketchua: Oh I wouldn’t blame anybody. It is weird that, aside from a few comments on sites here and there, no-one has analysed the game. Now, of course, it’s fallen off everyone’s radars and it seems unlikely to be revisted.

It gave you a raging erection…? I’m… not sure that’s the kind of quote Terry was looking to put on the box. Maybe he’ll add it to a page on Greenlight.

By: HM

HM — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:08:11 +0000

@Gregg: Thanks for stopping by and lending a hand in the comments! And of course thank you for the idea. Playing At A Distance was your idea after all.

@Steerpike: Thanks, I’m doing my best to keep Gregg busy so he can’t write anything for Tap ever again! I find the video pretty interesting but I don’t know if anyone else did. I think it fairly represents how we worked together to figure out the thing – and why playing was a lot of fun. It’s a Let’s Play in reverse; we don’t really show you the game, we show you the players.

By: Ketchua

Ketchua — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:07:44 +0000

@HM: Nah, I was taking a break before committing myself to English full time. Everyone owes me money, so I can easily live the rest of the year out on incoming late payments.

The vacuum that’s been created by not discussing the game is truly fascinating. I can’t think of any other game that made us all so tight lipped. :D But I think it’s hardly our fault. There’s not much you can say about it without spoiling the experience for the reader. I remember including it in a piece I did on avantgarde back then, basically saying that it’s a different, off-screen kind of co-op and that it gave me a raging erection.

I salute you for breaking the silence.

By: Steerpike

Steerpike — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:31:20 +0000

I wasn’t able to get to this until today, but what a great conversation! The video does a huge amount to communicate the way it feels to be playing the game. I love the descriptions of the aesthetic, I love the cleverness and simplicity (and complexity) you describe.

This is an area that deserves more exploration on the part of developers – this side-by-side communal right-brain/left-brain co-op idea. We’ve seen it in a handful of mainstream games, but never, to my knowledge, as a core mechanic. Terry Cavanagh’s beautiful and creepy minimalist makes me think of all the potential in other experimental games as well as commercial ones. Side by side games where each player is responsible for different aspects of the same goal – like an RTS where one player manages the base and finances, the other does the military. Or something. I like the idea.

Thanks HM! It’s always good to see you guys. :)