Part 27: Defense of MumboJumboLand and Recap
...will not be seen today so that I can post this instead:
The Pika army attacks the programmers of MumboJumbo
YouTube
Narrator posted:
October 5th, 2001 AD, the village of Irvine, territory of California.
This was known as 'Christmas' time - when looming deadlines approached. With the falling of the snow, unearthly publisher cries undulated from hidden offices as deadlines stalked developer and programmer alike. They were the Pika Army. And they were slowly turning Myth 3 into a bad game.
One secret level was all that remained in the known game. The splendid level of Defense of MumboJumboLand. MumboJumbo was the developer, and had plenty of experience coding and making casual games. Myth 3, though, was a different matter.
The programmers of MumboJumbo were hearty people, who worked a hostile and unforgiving environment at the edge of the United States. For one year, the Pika Army made prey of the peoples of MumboJumbo; stalking from the offices to finish code and publish the game. Although the game was finished, not a single secret level was saved. The deadline was absolute.
On this day, Corbeau had slaughtered his way to the outskirts of the code of Myth 3, the buggiest and most hidden code of the game. During the two minutes he spent, unholy keytaps drifted in and around the internet. The secret level was unlocked. Its play appeared imminent.
GuavaMoment gathered his recording tools, making preparations for a blind run - all the while hoping it would be cool and waiting for the Pika Army to bring their doom.
Previously on Myth III
We defended MumboJumbo from the Pika Army - something very few people have ever done, I think, due to the total lack of proper information on the internet about this game and how to get the secret level to work.
Well, I wish there was more there, but that's the secret level. Corbeau said he found a way to make the game point to the level and it run basically as is. Maybe there was a way to unlock the secret level legit, but was accidentally patched out? Or more likely, looming deadlines forced this level to be cut out entirely due to lack of playtesting.
Squirrel
"It is unknown to many that Squirrels are actually messengers of the gods. Their constant chittering are messages for us to heed. Fir'nalon the Green, a naturalist of some acclaim, was said to have the power to understand the squirrel's divine messages. On one occasion he was seen running through a village shouting, 'Nuts! Nuts! They want Nuts!'..."
Bat
"...when asked about their preference to sleep up-side-down, and of their animosity towards the mice, all were silent. After a time the eldest among them looked down and seemed to squeak, 'It was they who poisoned the soul of gravity...'"
Chicken
"The plump fowls of the Northlands were only recently domesticated by human hands. Before, they dwelt in nomadic herds, grazing on seed and the occasional annelid. Although the once noble chicken has been reduced to mere livestock, if you listen hard you can still hear their majestic calling in the wilds of the Northlands..."
Cockroach
"...spitting roaches, hissing roaches, flying roaches, venom roaches, fire roaches, exploding roaches, acid roaches, stinging roaches, lightning roaches, blade roaches... and yet, none compare to the dreaded Rotting-Corpse Roach of the Forest Heart..."
Fish
"The fish of yore were mighty indeed, for as my Grandfather tells a tale with outstretched arms, he once caught one 'This Big'..."
Mazzarin
"...from his warded and ensorcelled study, Mazzarin concentrated upon the book laid before him. Channeling all of his will and power upon the massive tome, he laid his hands upon the spine and opened it. Once again he learned of the future from the Total Codex..."
"...the most promising practitioners of magic were offered to join his council. From across the land, Sorcerers, Dreamers, and Archmages journeyed to Illuan to sit and confer with their brethren. And so, in the Age of Splendor, the Avatara rose from these humble beginnings..."
(and now some missed flavor texts, they've been edited into the old recap posts)
Connacht
"...salivating, the night-furred beast grinned at the thought of an easy meal. The boy, once paralyzed with fear, now gave into burning rage. Hurling himself at the devil, he screamed his clan's battle-cry, and swung his axe at the beast. With a gurgling rush of blood, the Myrkridia fell into the dirt; the axe splitting its head. 'So', he spoke over the corpse, 'they can be killed'..."
Damas
"...the youngest ever to serve as the Captain of the Imperial Heron Guard, Damas, is also the most peculiar. Refusing the dual Heron Swords of the Guard, he wields an exquisite glaive, forged by his blacksmith father. Rejecting the heavy plate armor of his position, he favors the movement allowed by lighter armor. Speed, skill, and cunning are his main weapons..."
Ghôl
"...the Ghôl have existed as long as humanity has recorded records. They are widespread scavengers, eking out a living in the harshest deserts or the coldest mountain caves. Ghôls apparently can eat organic matter of all types, from lichens to living creatures, bones and all. They are notorious cowards, but traveling in packs their bravery can be bolstered to foolhardy levels..."
Berserk
"...As a rite of passage, Gower youths journey to the glacial Blind Steppes in hunt of the frost bears who make their dens in the blue ice. Armed with only an ax, most Gower youths can muster the skills to slaughter the bear. The real challenge is dragging the bear's carcass two-score miles back to their village..."
Heron Guard
"...taught to them by the Avatara, the use of Mandrake Root to heal is an ancient and complex ritual. The root must only be gathered during a full moon, and remain untouched by human hands. Each root so extracted is imbued with five drops of the maker's blood, branded with a symbol of potency, and wrapped in cloth so as not to be touched until the healing is desired..."
Myrdred
"...defeated by the Trow eons past, the Callieach were known as the first true sorcerers. It was they who interpreted the one-dream of the Wyrd and carved those visions into the monolithic Rune Stones which lie scattered across the face of the world. Ancient scrolls unearthed in the Age of Reason, speak of fourty-nine of these dream-spells etched upon stone, and hidden for ages..."
Ravanna
"...the Myrmidon of the Dunns cherish their dual blades, called Gridaksma. Crafted from the finest metals, they shine like polished silver and are light as glass. When forged, each Gridaksma is cooled in a basin of fresh blood, and when finally tempered, are blessed with prayers to the god of war..."
Soulless
"...Hollow Men are coveted for their retained intellect. In creating these constructs, the mind of the subject must be a willing one. This requires the creator to divine the one thing that was once loved by the subject, a memory or idea, and then extinguish that memory from its mind. Once its reason for living is gone, the soul is easily corrupted... Intelligence without conscience..."
Warlock
"...The search for the Ultimate Truth is the focus of all Warlocks. Knowledge of this truth allows them to manipulate the fabric of the world. They search for the Essence of Existence, a secret they believe they can find through the ashes of burning flame and communing with powerful forces. Some say these forces are merely masks for the Dark Gods, but warlocks reply to this accusation with only frowns..."
Wight
"...festering in their putrid innards, the filthy polyp fungus feeds off the rotting flesh, and produces a gaseous toxin, so potent and noxious, that it spreads into the very muscle, pore, and bone. Only the stretched and inflated skin keeps the venomous gasses contained. The pustulant flesh is a concoction of virulent diseases; one of which spreads the so-called 'bleeding death-fever'..."
Next time on Myth III
Rod of the Callieach for real.