It has come to my attention that, due to some recent threads in certain topics on this board, some parents/grandparents feel these boards are too unfriendly to let their children/grandchildren participate, for fear of being flamed by some who have posted unfriendly comments here in the past (including the very recent past). I think this is a true shame. I'm sure they're not the only ones who have shyed away from participating due to the unfriendly tone taken in some threads, and it's time to take some action. <br />
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First, there will be some rules. These rules will be enforced by the administrators.<br />
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1) Keep your comments friendly. If you have something unkind/unpleasant to say to someone else, even if it's <blockquote>for their own good</blockquote> then email or PM the <u>admins</u> about it, but DO NOT post about it, and do not PM the person you have unpleasant words for. The admin is the ONLY person to contact regarding the other person's behavior.<br />
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2) Keep your posts useful. Don't post something just for the sheer sake of trying to increase your total number of posts. There is some leeway here, of course, as short friendly comments might not have much purpose, but are still welcome if they contribute to the friendly tone of the board or are encouraging to someone else. However, please do your best to avoid posts that simply have no purpose. There is nothing more disappointing to see the <blockquote>New messages</blockquote> icon beside a forum, and then open it up, only to find a useless post there that says nothing new or interesting.<br />
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The only place for useless posts is in the Speaker's Corner area.<br />
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3) Do not post <blockquote>mine is better</blockquote> type posts. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but the intent must be to help the author improve his mansion, NOT to simply boast about how yours is better.<br />
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4) Do not ask Vern when the next release of [Product Name here] is. He doesn't know. It will be released whenever it's ready. <br />
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5) Don't repetitively ask when a custom mansion will be released. Also, do not promise a specific date when your mansion will be released, since it takes time for forum admins to approve and upload mansions. You may say when <u>you</u> will be sending your mansion to admins for approval, but make it clear this is not necessarily a release date.<br />
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If you break the rules, your post may be deleted by the admins. You may also receive a warning message from them, and if warnings go unheeded, your account may be temporarily suspended. If repeated offenses continue after your account is reinstated, your account might be permanently suspended.<br />
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Second, some suggestions:<br />
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1) Remember that written words do not have the inflection that speech has, and therefore it is a very good idea to *re-read* your post before you submit it, to see if anything might be taken the wrong way. If it might be, reword it, add smileys, whatever, so it won't be misunderstood.<br />
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2) Avoid bragging about something you've done. You can of course *let* people know about something you've done, for instance posting a screenshot of the Mansion Completed screen for a certain custom mansion that you finished well, but try to avoid the attitude of bragging, especially <blockquote>I did better than you</blockquote> or <blockquote>My mansion is better than yours</blockquote> type comments.<br />
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3) Be respectful to others.<br />
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4) Sometimes, you must swallow your pride in order to avoid conflict. Just walking away and not posting is sometimes the route you must take. Keep in mind however that you *can* email or PM administrators about someone if you feel their behavior is inappropriate or annoying. The admins will take action, not you, and they will do it at their own convenience, after they've had time to discuss it among themselves.<br />
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5) These boards are a free service. All the recent flaming has not only made some feel they are inappropriate for their children/grandchildren, but it has taken time away from me that I could have spent working on the Midnight Mansion expansion pack. It's also annoying that I have to keep stepping in to try to resolve conflict. Don't make me regret hosting these forums on this site. Let's all just try to be nice to each other. And when you can't, simply don't post. Walk away. Or email the admins if you must. But don't flame.<br />
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Finally, I hope that these rules won't make anyone feel afraid to post. The idea is the total opposite: the intent of these rules is to allow users to feel complete freedom to make friendly posts without fear of being flamed or nagged, etc.<br />
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Thanks for helping me keep these boards a friendly place.<br />
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-Vern

I just found a very entertaining way to get Jack out of some Jack-Stucks without having to restart everything. Say that Alice gets stuck in Bob's mansion, which can be called, say, <blockquote>Forsaken Fortress</blockquote>.<br />
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• <li> Alice suspends her game and sends a detailed JS report (what room, which corner of the room, etc.) to Bob.<li>Alice renames her mansion file <blockquote>Forsaken Fortress Original</blockquote>.<li>Bob prepares a modified version of the mansion where some additional architecture can unstuck Jack. That could be a ladder taking him out of a crevice, a new hole in a blocking wall, etc. <li>Bob sends the modified <blockquote>Forsaken Fortress</blockquote> file to Alice. <li> Continuing the game using the modified <blockquote>Forsaken Fortress</blockquote> file: Alice gets Bob out of his sorrow to a safe place (where Jack isn't stuck anymore). <li> Alice suspends the game again, deletes the <blockquote>Forsaken Fortress</blockquote> file and renames the <blockquote>Forsaken Fortress Original</blockquote> to <blockquote>Forsaken Fortress</blockquote>. <li>Lo and behold, Alice's Jack isn't stuck anymore!<br />
  </ul>
  <br />
  Note: keep the unstucking device straightforward! Don't add puzzles! (When you make the updated version of the mansion, without the Jack-Stuck, then you can add puzzles and make big modifications. Here the point is just to get Jack on the right track again.)<br />
  <br />
  [smiley=bath.gif]

Hey,<br />
<br />
I'm on a quest to play all the hard mansions (I got derailed months ago by downloading all custom mansions at once). I've just finished Cathedral Towers, and of course, I found two Jack-stucks! 8-)<br />
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The first, in 15903. If you get the secret, then switch the blocks to gold, then die, you will be stuck in the secret entrance with no way out.<br />
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The second, in 14692, is quite a bit less likely to happen, but it <em>could</em>. If you happen to jump up the blocks on the right of the room, you can jump up behind the blue door. If you've not yet gotten the blue key, you'll be stuck. (Since I had the key, I just had to try it. )<br />
<br />
</bug reporting mode><br />
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The level took me longer than any other built-in mansion to complete (we'll see what happens when I reach Spider Palace Hard...). Sadly, the game crashed when I tried to report my score. I would have had 6th place. :'(<br />
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I didn't remember the level being so <em>long</em>! Is the hard version longer than the others? I kept thinking, <blockquote>man, this is like that song that never ends, except it's a mansion!</blockquote> Nevertheless, it was great fun; me like.

I just got this in my email. Talk about karma knowing I needed to lighten up.......<br />
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>>> SOME WISDOM FROM LARRY THE CABLE GUY<br />
>>><br />
>>> 1. A day without sunshine is like night.<br />
>>> 2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.<br />
>>> 3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.<br />
>>> 4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.<br />
>>> 5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.<br />
>>> 6. He who laughs last thinks slowest.<br />
>>> 7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.<br />
>>> 8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.<br />
>>> 9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.<br />
>>> 10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.<br />
>>> 11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.<br />
>>> 12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.<br />
>>> 13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.<br />
>>> 14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?<br />
>>> 15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.<br />
>>> 16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.<br />
>>> 17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?<br />
>>> 18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.<br />
>>> 19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?<br />
>>> 20. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?<br />
>>> 21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, <blockquote>What the hell happened?</blockquote><br />
>>> 22. Just remember--if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.<br />
>>> 23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.<br />
>>> 24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks, I needed that.<br />
<br />
Joe B

Greetings all, again (and Ryos, hi again),<br />
<br />
I followed Ryos' instructions and they worked like a charm getting out of room 20505.<br />
Now I find myself stuck elsewhere, closer to the destination but still afar off.<br />
I am now in room 20310, with the four squares. I am in the lower left square, having fallen off the <blockquote>M/M</blockquote> block.<br />
Jack can't get out; please tell me this is not a glitch, and there's some trick move to get back in action.  :-?<br />
Many thanks,<br />
DLC

I've had this idea kicking around my brain for a while, demanding to be set free. So I obeyed the voice and made...a beatbox mansion!<br />
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The idea is that as Jack runs left, he will produce a beat. This lets you play Midnight Mansion like a musical instrument instead of a game! Not exactly useful, but kinda neat I thought! The tempo isn't perfect in that some of the beats are a bit off, but I did my best.<br />
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This version doesn't have you actually do anything, just hold left and listen to the music. The logical next step would be to make a <blockquote>rhythm game</blockquote> where the players need to coordinate jumps and whatnot in order to produce the beat. That could be fun, but it would be insanely hard to make and I don't know if I have the guts to try. <br />
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Anyway...here it is. Enjoy.

Attached Files

  Jack_Malones_Beat_Box.zip (Size: 19.53 KB / Downloads: 1)

Greetings,<br />
I am trying the Disco of Doom Custom Mansion. It is great fun (a little maddening at times, but hey, no pain no gain :-)<br />
However, there are two locations I am having difficulty with. The two rooms in question are nos. 20505, and 20512. I *know* there is a missing/unexplored area inbetween these two locations, and I am pretty sure it's the targetted disco area, but! I can't get there.<br />
In room 20505: how do I get jack to jump onto the moving platform (its heading to the right towards a green door that Jack needs to get to for entrance into this last area) without dying (which he does all the time)?<br />
Conversely, for entrance no. 2:<br />
In room 20512: Jack can't seem to reach the final platform (on the left, w/ two snakes on it) without jumping to his doom. Going up to the top makes him slide down the hidden pole all-the-way-down, and I go around all over again, so I never get to go through this room by exiting to the left.<br />
Please help-- thank you! [smiley=sad.gif]<br />
Best regards,<br />
DLC<br />

Hey, i have maked Catherdral Towers Hard. I go first right and then left. But with the right page one can select gold and silver block. I stopped with the right page and it was gold. But on left side it had to be silver. I could not any longer back. Afterwards I had to start the Mansion again from new...<br />
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I white not whether that someone already times occurred however me has it unfortunately met...

To me can someone say where one fastest the Downloads to load can?<br />
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How long have you if their one of my Mansion downloads, from Switzerland, 5 minutes or fewer (more? )

Just to keep off-topic conversations out of the Contest one...<br />
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I had found this link some time ago, about ambigrams. I believe that Ryos's avatar is one - a text which can be read from several directions. Most impressive, I'd say.<br />
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<a href="http://www.01101001.com/ambigrams/about.html">http://www.01101001.com/ambigrams/about.html</a>