Nelson:I took a picture. I cropped it so that his face wasn’t visible. And we used that reference photo a month later.
tan:I thought he was joking. The outfit the mystery man wears in the game is pretty much exactly the one I wore that day, minus the mask, stripes, and questionable stains.
Nelson:If I told a story about a distressed, masked man who not only wanted you to click a counter, but also wanted to watch you do it, this regular guy outfit with a slight style upgrade could end up being the basis of a character design.
To carry:It was just a beige jacket.
Nelson:Even though I got his permission at the time, many people don’t understand the full implications of their actions, their decisions, and the permission they give at 3am.
To carry:I mean, it looked very elegant. Dan looked good.
Kaman: It’s not something to make fun of. And that’s kind of why it was funny, because there’s nothing wrong with Dan to make fun of him. It’s just like you have the target on you now.
Nelson:I hope that in this life or the next, he can forgive me.
While many developers involved that night left San Francisco without further thought Clicking, Strange Scaffold has gotten to work. The studio has indeed collaborated with Outersloth on the game. As promotional materials have been released, the developers involved in its design have had a range of reactions.
Tran:Well, it was horrible.
Kaman:We were like, “What the hell is going on?” He’s crazy, but he’s also my biggest inspiration in life.
tan:After seeing the teaser, I remember immediately sending a message to Xalavier saying: “I can’t believe you actually used my outfit for this!!!”
Tran:The first thing I saw was the character, horrible. Secondly, it was like, I can’t believe this is happening, even though I knew it was. Thirdly, wow, I can’t believe this joke, this thing that started out as a kind of funny ha-ha, This something that had just turned into a real game. Honestly, it was really cool.
Kaman:We shared it on Slack, losing our minds, so impressed by the engagement.
tan:Even though this all grew out of something that started out lighthearted and a little silly, the game is certainly no joke; it definitely taps into that uncomfortable feeling we caught a glimpse of in the hotel lobby that night.
Tran:It’s really cool to see all the things we talked about come to fruition, like Dan’s outfit or Gary’s logo, and that kind of weird creative spirit. Having something that feels real, amazing.
Kaman:I think Aggro Crab deserves royalties.