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Official development blog for the PARANOIA roleplaying game. No description is available at your security clearance. The Computer is your friend.

Thursday, February 03, 2011

The Feeble Files 

Can't believe I never heard of the 1997 Adventure Soft computer game The Feeble Files. Designed by Simon Woodroffe, this point-and-click adventure game is set in a galactic empire ruled by the insane OmniBrain:
The OmniBrain is the governing power of the galaxy, controlling and seeing everything via the all-powerful OmniCorporation and its tortuous bureaucracy, and the sinister Enforcers. The game states "he considers all life forms everywhere to be his citizens, and he loves them and cares for them in the way that is best for them, and wants them all to be happy. Praise be to the OmniBrain!" This fine line between a god and a dictatorship is explored at many points throughout the game. One example of this is the Happy Bots who patrol the city to ensure that everyone is happy. However, they achieve this in a rather unorthodox way, by killing anyone who is sad. [...]

Feeble works for the Ministry of Galactic Uncertainty (Crop Circle Division). It is his job to fly to undeveloped planets, such as Earth, and create crop circles in order to increase the indigenous population's paranoia and uncertainty about the universe. This is to stimulate greater scientific investigation and technological development, until the planet is sufficiently advanced that it is ready to be absorbed by the OmniCorporation.
I learned of The Feeble Files from one OreWaUsopp, who ducked in to the forums on the leading PARANOIA fan site, Paranoia-Live.net, to alert loyal citizens to his new Feeble Files playthrough videos posted on YouTube. (OreWaUsopp has already made quite a career with his "Babbleplay" videos -- over 1,000 of them since 2007. Commendation point!)

At this writing OreWaUsopp's playthrough is still in progress. (Update February 7: Now complete!) If you don't want to sit through all three hours (to date), at least check out (say) Episode 5 - Happiness is Mandatory, Citizen -- especially starting at 5:30 in, when a Happy Bot terminates an unhappy citizen. You'll feel right at home.
Posted by: Allen Varney / 11:50 AM

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