u/Massivemployer25

It takes place on a small island where strange, supernatural things start happening.

The writing is not quite as good as Widow’s Bay imo, but it’s still decent. And I’m pretty sure the creators of Widow’s Bay took inspiration from Midnight Mass.

Also, it starts Hamish Linklater who also played Richard Warren.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=20zH_R-qD7c&ra=m

Some details: It weighs 14 grams. He said it was temporarily in an industrial oven and he suspects that’s what may have cracked the inside of the gem.

The game is similar to geo guessr but history themed. The goal is to guess the time and place that a character is from. You base your guess on some environmental photos, and on questions that you can ask the character.

Now here is a Victorian level.

His name is Vincent and he is 13 years old. He is a mudlarlk in London, 1858 AD.

Bio: A young river scavenger on the muddy banks of a wide, foul-smelling river. In the background, a massive tower is being constructed.,

Note on the photos: They’re made with the help of AI. The portrait is actually made from the portrait of a 15 year old prisoner in Newcastle around the same time, and I made him younger and changed the location. The river photo is a reinterpretation of the painting The Pool of London, by W J Baker. And the factory picture is generated from an illustration of the time.

And here are the questions the player can ask him:

greeting: Watch your step. The tide's comin' in fast. You lookin' for lost treasures in the muck, same as me? Best be quick before the fog rolls in thick tonight.

question: What's that tower over there?,

answer: They're been working on that ever since I was a kid. When it's finished it's supposed to have a big clock on top so people can tell the time. It don't matter to me. The river is my clock. When the water drops and shows the mud, I work. When the hungry tide rushes back in, I get out. That's the only time that matters.

question: Who do you live with?

answer: Just my mother and my little brother, Tim. He's too small for the deep river mud, so he sweeps horse muck off the crossings, hoping for a tossed half penny. My big sister Bessie used to scrub floors, but she's sick so she can't work for a while. My mum stitches rough trousers for the army, sitting by the window from dawn till dark. She gets paid pennies per shirt. We all gotta work, or it's the Workhouse for sure.

question: What do you scavenge in the river?

answer: Many things. Coal for one. Boats load and onload nearby so lumps may fall off. Then there's scrap iron. Broken tools, nails, horseshoes. Bones or rags are good too. I can get a bit of money for that if I have a lot. One time I found a silver coin. If I found one every day I would want for nothing.

question: Who do you pray to?

answer: People pray to God. But I don't. Mother tried to teach me a prayer but I couldn't remember it. She'd to go to church too, but now she works too much for that.

question: Do you have any plans for the future?

answer: When I have a really good day, I put a penny aside. In a few years I'll have enough to buy a proper costermonger's barrow. I'll sell fresh apples or herring on the street, clean and dry.

question: Where did you get the clothes you are wearing?

answer: These? They're third-hand 'slops'. My mum got 'em from a rag dealer. They don't fit right, but they work.

question: What's the fastest thing you've ever seen?

answer: Probably a falcon. Or a greyhound. Or do you not mean animals? Then probably the steam trains! They scream across their own bridges over the river, spitting fire and smoke, faster than any racehorse. They make the whole ground shake down here when they pass overhead.

question: Do you remember any wars?

answer: The Crimean War a few years back. My father fought in that. He never came home.

question: What do you like eating?

answer: If I find a really good bit of brass, I treat myself to a baked potato from the street vendor's hot tin can. A nice big one, piping hot with a pat of butter. It holds the cold off better than anything. I also liked the meat pies that mum made. But those are rare.

question: Who is the ruler of this land?

answer: Her Majesty the Queen, of course. I've never seen her, except for her face on copper pennies. She looks stern. She's been on the throne since long before I was born.

question: What do you do for fun when you aren't working?

answer: Sometimes a 'Punch and Judy' man sets up his little booth on the bridge above. It's free to watch old Mr. Punch fighting the crocodile and beating the policeman with his stick. Makes me laugh till my sides hurt.

question: What are those huge factories with the smoking chimneys?

answer: Those over there are the tanneries, where they make leather. They use dog muck and urine to treat the hides. The smell coming out of them is almost worse than the sewage in the river. It sticks in your nose and makes your eyes water.

Any feedback is appreciated. You can play it here(it works on both desktop and mobile): https://www.crazygames.com/game/time-pin

Now some details: The goal is to guess the time and place that a character is from. You base your guess on some environmental photos, and on questions that you can ask the character(you have 12 questions but can only ask 5 so you have to choose carefully).

The closer you are the more points you get. At the end, a portrait picture of the character is revealed, as well as educational resources to learn more about their culture and era(articles, videos, podcasts etc).

The game only has 5 levels currently, but I hope to have over 100 someday. It’s tough to create levels because it requires some research, plus generating photos with AI(AI is necessary otherwise we’d only have photos starting from the 19th century when the camera was invented).

My goal for the game was to create a challenge, and also spark some curiosity for history hopefully.