- For Free
Madness, Mystery and Murder Official Release Date -
December 1, 2003
After a series of brutal murders committed at the Greystone Park
Psychiatric Hospital remain unsolved, local authorities have turned to the New
Jersey State Police for help. You're a senior-ranking state trooper
entering the facility undercover. Since anyone can be a suspect, you enter
the facility as just another patient with a history of mental illness. No
one knows your true identity, not even the executive director of Greystone.
You must find out who is killing the staff and patients as you explore the
sprawling facility with many abandoned as well as active areas. Greystone is a real mental health facility in the State of New
Jersey. Opened in the 1800s, it was the largest single building in the
United States until the completion of the Pentagon! Greystone is still an active
facility to this day. Howard is taking you inside... Note: Nothing in this software title
has been sanctioned by the State of New Jersey or any of its departments or
agencies. Click Here to Visit the
Greystone Gallery 1 December 2003 I am truly happy I delayed the game three days and took the
weekend to work with the testers. We all sensed some trouble with the
endgame and our concerns were warranted. The weekend was spent sharpening
and refining the endgame sequences. All together there are now almost
FORTY different possible ways Greystone can end. All of them have been tested
extensively and me and some exhausted play testers are very satisfied with the
finished product. Further, a good number of bugs were eliminated and the code as a
whole has been tightened up and polished nicely. All told over 1,000 bugs have
been squashed since the day Greystone entered beta to today. I am proud to launch Greystone for now I know we have a
fantastic game here that will challenge mystery fans to their limits. 26 November 2003 I'll just come right out and say it - The Greystone release is
officially postponed until Monday, December 1. We are currently up to
Release Candidate 5A and beta testers are going nuts testing all of the
intricacies of solving Greystone. The challenges facing all of the play testers are
understandable; there are over twenty different ways Greystone can end, over a
dozen of which involve complexities of evidence, witnesses and timing. If, at gunpoint, I was forced to release Greystone as scheduled
on November 28th I would feel fairly confident it would be a fine product.
At the same time, I would also know it wasn't the very best game possible.
Therefore, I am pushing the release date back just a few days to allow me and
the test teams to thoroughly go over each and every possibility in the game to
deliver total satisfaction. You expect no less from me and I demand no less from
myself. On a side note -- Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American
guests! 21 November 2003 Release Candidate 3 is now being vigorously tested. Bug
reports are being handily put to rest and actual transcripts of player sessions
within Greystone are being carefully analyzed. To date, roughly 600 bugs have been corrected ranging from
spelling mistakes to grammar usage to logical programming snafus. I'm reminded
of the old Infocom Implementors who, by all accounts, would walk into the office
on a bright, sunny morning and be greeted by bug reports 12 pages long! When all is said and done Greystone will have been tested with
two or three times the scrutiny First Light received and be a very polished
piece of work. 18 November 2003 Release Candidate 1 is in the hands of both test teams! My
imagination is on fire as I add, tweak and adjust the code both in response to
player suggestions as well as a result of my own creativity. Greystone screen shots are here! These shots are from Release
Candidate 1:
Click the Images for an Enlarged View
15 November 2003 Release Candidate 1 is almost ready for distribution.
Following in the footsteps of Infocom legend Brian Moriarty I am just now
finishing a brand new block of code which I feel makes Greystone complete.
Mr. Moriarty was famous for adding chunks of fresh code right near his deadlines
too. Release Candidate 1 represents a very fine piece of code.
I am recruiting two additional beta testers to insure that Greystone Release 1
will be a very solid and stable game. So far over 250 bugs have been
corrected since Greystone went into beta. The folio edition of Greystone is complete! Drum roll
please....
Your Greystone case file consists of orders issued by the
Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, medical examiner reports and
actual pages taken from antiquated books as well as the CD! The CD contains all
the software necessary enjoy Greystone on almost every computer in the world, a
full set of maps and an instructional video on how to play Interactive Fiction
in QuickTime format. 13 November 2003 Look out! Stranglers, total
blondes and head bangers populate Greystone! Anal retentive doctors, really cool
guys and yuppies test the limits of your deductive powers as you contend with
the mastermind serial killer of Greystone! Some beta testers are likening Greystone to a modern-day
Sherlockian mystery. While I've long been a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
and Sherlock Holmes, I was a bit taken aback by the comparison. I hardly
consider myself in the same league as the legendary author of Sherlock Holmes. I
was quite simply surprised by some of the emails I've received from players who
are totally pumped up by the mystery they are enveloped in. What a rush! Greystone Beta 3 is now being tested and I'm very satisfied with
it. Beta 3 seems to be 98% bug free and is entirely playable up to and
including all of the different possible twists and curves leading to the various
endings. Over 200 bugs have bit the dust thanks to the diligence of our
beta testers. Beta 4 will be Release Candidate 1 and I expect it to be play
tested this weekend. 6 November 2003 We're full-tilt boogie over here now
that Greystone is officially in Beta! We went into beta testing yesterday with two different
beta test teams. Team 1 is made up of veteran adventurers with 50+ years
of collective adventuring experience under their belts. Team 2 consists of
intense Greystone fans who are brand new to Interactive Fiction but know all
about Greystone. With two independent teams testing the game I'm expecting
some stellar results. Beta 2 is scheduled for release this weekend. Roughly 65
bugs will be corrected in Beta 2 as well as eight additional ways for the game
to end. All told there will be over a dozen different possible ways for
the game to end depending on various factors. That's to speak nothing of
the dozens of combinations within the game itself that will funnel into those 12
distinct outcomes. The CD labels for the final version are in from the printer and
the feelies are under construction. Pictures of the final Greystone Folio
Edition should be on display towards the end of next week. I salute Al, a member
of Beta Test Team 1 for his maps. Thanks to his mapping skills a complete
set of Greystone maps will be included on the CD when we launch on November
28th. 23 October 2003 Wow! A reporter from
The
Daily Record called me earlier today. He's running a story on my Greystone
title since the hospital is in his newspaper's neck of the woods.
Apparently
my press release caused
quite a stir with some mental health advocates in New Jersey. An article about Malinche's latest mystery story Greystone
should appear in the October 24th edition of the newspaper and I hope the
reporter got my message loud and clear. In case he didn't here it is.... Greystone, as a work of Interactive
Fiction, is neither designed nor intended to lampoon, mock or stereotype the
mentally ill. Greystone is not a work of satire and none of the
characters, patients included, are portrayed as such. If anything, I put the
mentally ill in a light of respect and dignity which they, as fellow human
beings, are rightly entitled to. Some mental health advocates out there may not
realize this but they can and should consider me among their ranks. Many fictional authors have traveled
the same road I am now. John Sandford, the New York Times best selling
author of the "Prey" series, has gone far further than I ever have in depicting
the mentally ill. Pick up a copy of "Mind Prey" and read just the first
sixty-five pages. Mind Prey is an excellent book but it certainly does not
cast the mentally ill in a favorable light. Nor was it supposed to.
Mr. Sandford is an excellent fiction writer who I hold in high esteem. He
tells an incredible story and he doesn't pull any punches when doing so. I am achieving the same result with
Greystone but with none of the stigma or stereotypes too often associated with
the mentally ill. Greystone is full of surprises; all of them satisfying to even
the most stringent critic. Having said that let me move on with yet more good news.
Greystone Beta 1 is days away! The current Alpha version is now win-able
with several different possible outcomes to the mystery. Character
interaction is being finalized as I consult with a therapist and a psychiatrist
for some of the more complex, clinical details that are so critical to the
realism of the game. And finally, I have posted many more pictures from my second
trip to Greystone. Since there are now so many pictures they have been
placed in their own gallery which can be visited here: Click Here to Visit the
Greystone Gallery 14 October 2003 Greystone is officially in Alpha Test! Malinche staff testers are busily playing the game all day (cool
job, right?) and launching bug reports at me at a frantic pace. The game is
almost but not quite finished but it's so damned big we have to get started now.
:) At this point I'm debugging the existing code as new blocks are
added daily. My last visit to Greystone recently opened a dam of emotions
that flood into my keyboard. As I continue to implement the fictional
Greystone I feel like a mere conduit; passing my impressions and feelings of
that amazing place unto you. In the background my mind is processing incredible puzzles, deep
and intertwined mysteries and more intrigue which are right now coming together.
Great things are happening! I feel the flow... and you will too. 8 October 2003 The Plot Thickens The fictional Greystone is coming along nicely. Clues abound
through the sprawling fields and abandoned buildings of Greystone. Which
are relevant and which are pointless? You must decide.
Character development is of a depth perhaps never before seen in a work of
Interactive Fiction. Characters in the story run the full range; some are
violent and insane criminals, others merely surly staff members and one patient
has a heart of gold and the mind of a child. Another resident of Greystone
misses his cats and a young rocker proclaims his innocence as he asserts he is
simply misunderstood for the death of his cousin at his own hands. Which
ones are deceptive? And which are sincere...? As the redoubtable Sherlock Holmes
might say.... The game is afoot! My second visit to Greystone was perhaps more educational than
the first. I've acquired a fantastic map of the main building which shall
be added to this page in the near future. The main building in Greystone
is already massive - far larger than the Duke's Palace in
First Light. And yet it must grow still to accurately depict the true scale
of Greystone's innards. I've already beaten my own record; The Duke's
Palace in First Light was the largest single structure ever to be crafted in
Interactive Fiction. The main building of Greystone will surpass that
incredible milestone by far. You will be exploring vast sections of wards, coal
vaults, parlors, offices, underground tunnels among many other areas.
Second reminder: Stock up on graph paper and pencils now, if you please. Also during my second visit I encountered more of the fauna of
Greystone; roaming packs of gentle deer, flocks of wild turkeys, roving (and
yes, busy) beavers, Canadian geese. Alas I have yet to meet one of the resident
peacocks face to face. One deer of note was sitting by the side of the
road calmly observing me as I drove past. I stopped the car. I
looked at her and she at me. She calmly observed me as I regarded her.
She didn't move a muscle and neither did I. I
snapped a very nice shot shot of her as I fought the temptation to get out
and try and pet her. I never was so close to a deer before, you see.
I didn't have a pass on me and was fearful of being "picked up" by Greystone
police as I was making my way to the office where my very helpful Greystone
staff member, tour guide and chaperone waited for me. ON THAT NOTE PLEASE HEAR ME LOUD AND
CLEAR... I have received a lot of email from thrill seekers, adventurers
and the merely curious expressing interest in following in my footsteps and
coming to Greystone. In a word -- DON'T. Since the government
of Morris County, New Jersey (upon which land Greystone sits) took
over they are handing out mandatory 90 day jail
terms in addition to pretty serious fines. Please do NOT try and enter
the Greystone grounds without permission. I am fortunate enough to have
the privilege of full access to Greystone due to my continuing contact with a
formal member of Greystone staff. I implore you to fight the urge to go to
Greystone. Wait for the game. Play it. Look at the incredible
pictures that will be included on the CD (PLUG, PLUG) but do not you dare
attempt to enter Greystone on your own. You will more than probably end up
in jail with a big check to write out on attoney fees, penalties, etc. Oh yes, the dates. Greystone WILL be one month late. The
official launch date IS November 28th, 2003. Black Friday as American
retailers are fond of calling it. <grin> In keeping with the spirit of Greystone's
original launch date of October 31st, the Greystone demo will be available for
download here on Halloween. Trick or
treat! 7 September 2003 Expedition to Greystone Visiting Greystone forced me to call upon some of my more
clandestine faculties as I made my way throughout the sprawling 600+ acre
expanse that is Greystone accompanied by a staff member. Even though I had
a chaperone I had to be very discreet with how I took notes (pocket-sized
notebook, furiously scribbling short, cryptic notes to myself), took pictures
with my Olympus digital camera, rapidly drawing it from my pocket and just as
quickly storing it there to avoid appearing like a gawking tourist. In
these brief moments I'd shoot fast and furious at absolutely any reasonable
subject for a picture. Map-making I did while parked in my car on a
standard-sized pad, working mostly from memory but also drawing upon whatever
geography I could safely observe out the window. My feelings on Greystone are as mixed as it's own history; at
times impressed, sad, amazed, shocked or just simply overwhelmed outright.
Learning from my tour guide how some women were unceremoniously dropped off at
the front gate by fed-up husbands who quietly paid off the staff to admit his
soon-to-be-ex-wife back in the 19th century to seemingly arbitrary performances
of lobotomies in the first half of the twentieth century to the massive
population explosion which forced Greystone to expand from being merely the
largest single building in the United States to a full-blown campus with
thirty-six or so different buildings when all was said and done. As I
might've mentioned before, Greystone itself had a population of over 10,000
patients at its height which also required better than 2,000 staff to oversee it
all. With a combined population of better than 12,000 Greystone truly was
a small city in its own right. More astonishingly, when this zenith of
population was reached in the 1950s, Greystone was operating at roughly thirteen
times it's original designed capacity! It is often pondered how many of those 10,000 "citizens of
Greystone" were actually bona fide patients as opposed to being merely
misdiagnosed or, even worse, wrongly and intentionally placed there against
their will. Brighter spots of Greystone history include the advent of
occupational therapy, the first widespread implementation of medication to treat
the mentally ill Sadly, nearly every treatment for treating the mentally ill was
theoretical; some notions (electroshock therapy, occupational therapy, etc.)
proved to be very successful and exist, albeit in more advanced forms, even
today while other methods (such as the infamous lobotomy) were scrapped
altogether for being virtually useless. Join me for a rare peek inside and
around Greystone.. Ok, now to satisfy all the curious out
there.... Game progress is going slowly at this point. Character
development is occupying a lot of my time as I strive to bring incredible
amounts of depth to the people you will encounter. Several of Greystone's
buildings have been recreated as well as the tunnel system. This game is
growing and growing in direct proportion to all of my feelings, impressions and
experiences having walked the buildings, met many patients and staff and took in
an incredible amount of history thanks to my tour guide. I am
ever-grateful to this person who, sadly, I must credit anonymously to protect
the individual. 16 August 2003 During the course of last weekend, when I was in Las Vegas
exhibiting at Classic Gaming Expo 2003, a flash of insight revealed to me who
the killer in Greystone is. As the characters evolved through development
I hadn't made up my mind yet as to who the murderer actually is. Several
possibilities presented themselves but I hadn't made up my mind on who the
culprit is...until now. The murderer in Greystone has been
identified....to me at least! Altogether, development is going very well. The biggest
challenge lies in deciding how far to go with implementation of Greystone.
Having visited Greystone and explored the vast expanse of raw land as well as
buildings I am grappling with how far to go in laying out the vast campus that
is Greystone. Here are some examples of what I mean by big: While Greystone is within the town of Morris Plains. New Jersey
it is, in most respects, a town unto itself... it has its own zip code and post
office, firehouse, police department, restaurant, medical facilities (all but
surgery although Greystone was a fully-operational hospital in the distant
past). Greystone also featured its own nursing school (now closed),
on-campus residences for staff (now closed), a fully functional farm with
livestock (now closed) and well, you get the idea. Due to its sheer size it housed, at one point, over 10,000
patients spread across more than two dozen buildings on over 600 acres of land.
Infocom fans: If Lord Dimwit Flathead the Excessive was going to construct a
mental hospital, Greystone would probably exceed even his own grandiose vision. Luckily, I am dauntless so players of Greystone can look forward
to exploring a lot of terrain apart from the main, immense building itself. Stay tuned for my next update later this month - many pictures I
took of Greystone will be shared as well as my experiences. Here's a
preview.... I stood on the steps of Greystone among some patients as I
waited for my guide to meet me. I learned later on that day that among the
patients sharing the steps with me was a convicted murderer found to be
criminally insane.. Due to patient confidentiality I have no idea which patient
is the killer; over half a dozen people were sitting on the steps sunning
themselves as I checked my watch. I am still not entirely sure how I should feel
about this information....Unsettling may do for a start. 19 July 2003 Detailed work on the patients began as I expand the base code I
implemented in April. Without giving away any details or spoiling the plot
I'll only say that I am conducting extensive research into mental disorders and
their treatments. My goal here is to accurately recreate the behavior and
actions of Greystone's fictional patients in the game. So far, so good. Additional research has been conducted on the subject of
patients' legal rights under various conditions, even when clinically insane. In
the same vein I am looking at law enforcement measures in such situations
as well professional and ethical conduct as practiced by mental health
professionals. On the more interesting side of things, I just completed an
abandoned cottage and I must say I found the exercise haunting in its own right.
The tunnel system is coming along nicely. When you explore them this fall
be sure to bring along a flashlight. The main building of Greystone is nearly
complete and I advise everyone to stock up on graph paper and pencils; you'll be
needing a good quantity of both! All the while a few background considerations such as day and
night, the measurable passage of time and other important details are being
carefully considered. The balance of the macabre with the mundane, the pleasant with
the perverse is quite a tightrope I'm walking 15 June, 2003 The layout of the main building is nearly complete as I begin
work on the labyrinth of underground tunnels that connect all the various parts
of Greystone together. I think I'll implement the different outlying
buildings one at a time as I lay down each tunnel for you to explore. The
pungent smell of musty, ancient air and the dark, enclosing tunnels are going to
be quite a handful for even the most ardent adventurer. The characters of Greystone run the gamut from young to old,
male to female, nice to nasty and I can assure you that most of Greystone's
inhabitants (staff and patients alike) will keep your mind busy for hours.
The casebook, included with the Greystone folio edition, will contain background
information and medical records of the main characters. These elements
will prove essential in solving the case. April 26, 2003 My background research on Greystone is starting to spook me.
I am assimilating 150 years of history from dozens of different sources while I
plan the first of several expeditions to Greystone itself. As I go over all of
the material I almost feel as if dozens of ghosts from the past have come
calling in my office; the crazed patient shot while trying to escape whose ghost
is said to roam the tunnels, the unfortunate victims of abuse and neglect at the
hands of irresponsible medical professionals, suicidal patients separated from
their families, all but abandoned by their loved ones and other tales of woe.
Brighter sides include a baseball league of sorts during summer, active
basketball courts and other pleasant outdoor activities. A myriad of
emotions are flooding all of my perceptions. A few rooms and a character central to the story have been coded
as I use the game as a conduit for all of my thoughts and feelings on Greystone.
I already envision Greystone being rather macabre and challenging with a very
fulfilling endgame. The adventure begins... 
Designer's Journal
A Vision in the Desert
