Archive link: https://archive.is/fKNoH
3,054 karma · joined February 20, 2012
https://mssv.net/2023/08/07/star-wars-galactic-starcruiser/
tldr: I found it fascinating and quite impressive. Definitely flawed, but nowhere near as much as you would think from the four hour video, which is based on a visit from the start of its run.
I was interviewed for the Trouw piece and briefly quoted. This isn't to detract from the DroneXL piece, which adds its own angle.
Strandfall is an orienteering-style live action role playing game (larp) for 20-30 people, inspired by Stalker, Death Stranding, Eclipse, Station Eleven, and solarpunk, made in the Nordic larp tradition.
Players are survivors of a global disaster that has unleashed mysterious, deadly storms. For three hours, they investigate the origin of the storms and make fateful decisions about their future as individuals and as a community.
We received Immersive Arts funding, which means we can run it in Edinburgh later this year. Here's an excerpt from our 2025 grant application about exactly what those are:
--
Our “storm sensors” are novel spatial computers designed for outdoor usage over long distances. They will house ePaper displays, LoRa (long range) radios, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and GPS chips in a 3D-printed enclosure to provide a low-tech way to augment the reality of the park. These computers will be cheaper, more rugged, longer-lived, and more capable than smartphones, deployable to locations with zero cellular service and no battery charging options.
The sensors will be mounted on top of camera tripods for deployment. Runners will carry them through the park, then position and aim them in the correct direction, as co-ordinated by “operators” using walkie talkies. This will let players feel like they are really setting up important equipment, scanning historical sites for clues (like surveyors), and establishing laser communication links. Lacking colourful touchscreens, the sensors will be less distracting for runners, helping them focus on their surroundings. Essentially, they are a highly tactile and deeply realistic way of immersing players in a post-apocalyptic setting, since such devices – not smartphones – are the most likely to be used.
I have not affiliation with the team, but I really like what they do. They are currently crowdfunding €850,000 to build a permanent installation for the larp and are about a quarter of the way funded:
https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/ellarion-tales/odysseu...
I post around a third to a half of the articles I write on my blog to HN – the ones I think people here will like. Sometimes they hit and sometimes they don't. Three weeks ago I wrote about Odysseus, a very ambitious larp, that was popular here:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43414992
And last year I wrote about my thoughts on The Sphere in Las Vegas:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40858165
As for things I disliked, I wrote about Tonight with the Impressionists, a VR exhibition in Paris:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40745133
I think you are saying that anyone posting a positive article about something you don't know about on HN is a shill, which seems quite strange. Sometimes people genuinely like things and want to share their thoughts on why.
My final note is that Blue Prince is not a relatively unknown indie game. It was included for free on PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass at launch – quite unusual. It was also previewed by quite a few publications and is almost certainly going to be shortlisted in a lot of game of the year lists.
And to be clear, I have not been paid to write this article. There are no incentives involved whatsoever.
Bridge Command: https://mssv.net/2024/07/31/bridge-command/
Odysseus larp: https://mssv.net/2025/03/19/the-collective-ambition-behind-o...
There’s a discussion on HN about the latter, too: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43414992
tl,dr: It looks incredible, like no other game you'll see today, and it grapples with deeply interesting themes – but it's extremely annoying to play and suffers from a serious lack of editing. There's just too much friction to become truly immersed. Still, other games can only wish their failures were this daring.
(Last time I made this comment it was immediately downvoted to oblivion. Shortly thereafter, the post itself disappeared from the HN front page, perhaps due to some kind of brigade-detection?)