MyHouse.wad

[Not Jabba]

Spoiler

 

Hey all.

I've been visited by the ghost of Christmas past, let's say. And I learned that it's time to put the mystery to rest.

 

I've said this elsewhere in the thread, but it bears repeating: Solving the mysteries of MyHouse is so powerful that it makes you want to keep going. We spent days and pages processing this incredible story of grief and acceptance and self-exploration and the struggle to come to grips with the unanswered questions of life, all condensed down into this one extended metaphor. And it was so good at rewarding us for asking questions that we never stopped. The supplemental material like the journal gave us more questions to ask, so we pursued them, and it was a cool little add-on to the original journey of playing the map. I think the problem here, for all of us, is that we didn't have any way to know when to stop. There's no beach ending for the supplemental material or our meta-engagement with the author of the map. We never got our "A secret is revealed!" message to tell us we were done, so we kept trying to figure out if there were still more clues with another big reveal at the end. The only thing left to know seemed to be the identity of the mapper, so we've been looking for that to tell us we can put our brains down and go back to our regular lives. So I'm here to give you that ending as best I can:

 

"A secret is revealed!"

 

I have it on the best possible authority that we've found everything that was left in place for us to find. The names in the obituaries and the unknown contributors aren't riddles. There aren't any more. The supplemental materials do add something to the map, but only in the ways we've already experienced. The anagram we already solved in the credits file was the last thing of any significance. After talking with the author, I also feel that we've understood the map properly. It's about the things it felt like it was about -- though obviously we can all interpret the finer details however we want -- and we've spent all this time processing what we felt while playing it because those things were real. It's sincere, is what I mean, regardless of whether it was made by a dead person with a fake name. 

 

The one thing you don't know that I can't tell you is the author's identity. I know the fomo is real here, but they actually don't want you to figure out who they are, and I respect their reasons for that. I kind of hope that the author will let that come to light one day, eventually, because I think they deserve to have people know what they accomplished, but I also hope that they're allowed to do that on their own terms, not ours. 

 

A lot of this is my fault. My presence in the thread in the last couple of weeks has done more harm than good, and I even lashed out at Kevan. I'm sorry for all that. I don't even know how many people are going to believe me now, after all the suspicion and speculation that's already happened, but hopefully this will help others move on. The supplemental materials are pretty great, but what's really important here is the map...so I'm grateful that I can now focus on that, and let it just kinda simmer in the background of my existence moving forward.

 

All the best.

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Not Jabba

[msx2plus]

lovely post, NJ.

 

"It consumed me. Don't let it consume you as well." - myhouse.txt

 

i feel like this is one of the stumbling blocks of ambitious metanarrative, and why, to me, it's the weakest part of this project. it could have done without, and could have succeeded all the same. but by planting seeds, it distracts from the core of the project, likely more than intended, and invites an amount of invasive theorycrafting.

Edited May 5, 2023 by msx2plus

[Gregor]

33 minutes ago, Not Jabba said:

  Hide contents

 

Hey all.

I've been visited by the ghost of Christmas past, let's say. And I learned that it's time to put the mystery to rest.

 

All the best.

 

 

Uh... i don't think i like your attitude in this. Actually, i'm pretty sure i don't. You went from trying to solve a mystery to full-on accomplice to the plot. Of course you are entitled to do with the info you received whatever you want. But it feels kinda aloof to now tease information in this manner. You have your answers, being singled out by Vedgge as worth talking to it seems, and the rest of us are now supposed to be content with the scraps of enigmatic info you both decide to toss us? Not cool. Just keep silent on the matter if you don't want to share your findings but spare us this cryptic close-the-book message.

[msx2plus]

??? dude...

 

the author contacted NJ in confidence to seemingly pass the message on that this is not an intended outcome and they wish to remain anonymous at this time. the author's true identity isn't part of the intended narrative, and this was the best way they could manage that. there's no cryptic anything in NJ's post.

[Insaneprophet]

I tend to agree that that is not a very sarisfying end to this. I understand that the mystery of the author may not have been their intended experience but just the fact that they kept it secret explisitly made it part of the experience, intended or not. And with all things, once created and put out into the wild, the author can no longer dictate what to or how the audience will react. I also understand that disappointment is a fact of life often times and Veddge can and will do whatever they want to but it certianly feels like a pretty big screw you to anyone in the community who got just as caught up in the mystery that was created as Notjabba, but is not part of the in crowd. To know that the answers can be had but that the vast majority of fans arent special enough to recieve the answers.... we are told that we should just be happy with what we are allowed to have. Again I know you cant always get what you want but in this case, someone can, just not the rest of us. Feels crappy.

[msx2plus]

i am in agreement re: "death of the author" as a concept and agree that the metanarrative was sloppily implemented, but strongly disagree that this feels like a letdown. why is the author's identity so important at all? it's interesting, sure, but there's so much more here than that. if you take it as what it is, you've gotten it. not everything has to be layers and layers and layers. the author stepping in and using NJ as a voice to say, in essence, "you've figured it out and may have even crossed a line i didn't draw clearly enough, so i'm doing that now", should be satisfaction enough for anybody with a conscience.

 

it is worth considering just how big this project got - hundreds of thousands of eyes landed on it. surely, the author deserves what respite they request.

Edited May 5, 2023 by msx2plus

[MugMonster]

1 hour ago, Not Jabba said:

  Hide contents

 

 

 

I kind of hope that the author will let that come to light one day, eventually, because I think they deserve to have people know what they accomplished, but I also hope that they're allowed to do that on their own terms, not ours.

 

I'm as curious to know who the author is as anyone else, but instead of feeling entitled over it I'm just gonna agree with NJ's point here

[TJG1289]

Yeah, I'm fine with not knowing who exactly made the map. If we figured out everything that the author intended for us to figure out, I'm good with that. Like NJ said, I do hope they come forward eventually on their own terms, but if they don't want to it's no big deal. It won't make or break anyone's feelings toward this experience knowing who is behind it. 

[JennaTullwerhtz]

Eschewing the mild drama on here; MyHouse is such a beautifully creative map, and it was something very cool to experience. This map definitely goes on my personal list of "things I wish I could wipe my memory of so I can play it again for the first time".

Actually, it was kind of dismissive of me to call some of the posts on here "drama". I think it's really cool that a Doom map in 2023 can spark conversations and threads like this. It makes me really happy to be a part of this community.

[skillsaw]

While I also feel like I'm missing out, I respect the author's desire to remain anonymous. That said I certainly don't think NJ or anyone else should feel bad for investigating Veddge - myhouse was a mystery presented without any moderation or ground rules. Given that it integrated real world/metanarrative elements, this was a natural question to ask. I'm glad the author has materialized (if only to NJ) to let us know.

[Velvetic]

A bit sad to not know the identity? Yes, but they have 100% of their rights to not reveal it. I'm actually glad that we actually got a confirmation that we managed to dissect everything present with the pk3/Google Drive.

[MugMonster]

5 minutes ago, AbstractDread said:

I think it's really cool that a Doom map in 2023 can spark conversations and threads like this. It makes me really happy to be a part of this community.

 

this is kind of an 'out of left field' comment, but I liked how the pills and the bathroom signs swapping lead to discussions about transgender issues that were simply taken seriously as part of the possible explanations rather than laughed at or treated as some kind of controversy.  I could be wrong but I feel like that probably would not have been the case years ago.  I'm not exactly a regular member of these forums but among the many things this wad has done, it has let me see that the folks here are mature and wouldnt treat my existence as a joke, and so it also makes me happy to be part of this community

[Ven813]

I'm not sure whether the author felt danger for his anonymity because I mentioned ARG or tried to google search for the house, or maybe that's not the reason at all, I just wanted to say that as a newbie to the forum, I absolutely don't care about the author's real identity, the map's secrets is pretty much the only thing I was curious about. In addition, I'm not even sure the photos or information are real (the two friends photo especially gives some eerie vibe, as if it's AI generated or something), but well, if the dev doesn't want anybody to dig any further IRL info, I won't.

 

Still, there're enough secrets on the map left unrevealed, such as "Who's A in S+A", or the Labyrinth layout, to just say "That's all folks". So honestly, the author's message kind of feels like another teaser.

[Tristan]

I guess the disappointment for me is that I'd hoped that the rabbit-hole really was as deep as we thought it was and it seems that isn't the case(?). All that aside, this is probably the closest I've seen to what I could call my dream doom mod. What this WAD does is something I've wanted to see in Doom for a long time, and probably would have made myself if I were a more proactive modder and actually had a brain! I'm somewhat familiar already with the liminal spaces aesthetic although not super knowlegeable about it. I recognised many of the places present but it didn't detract from the experience.

 

To the author, whoever you may be, and their collaborators: Thank you.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Tristan

[Not Jabba]

Just now, Velvetic said:

I'm actually glad that we actually got a confirmation that we managed to dissect everything present with the pk3/Google Drive.

 

Yeah, it was really helpful for me to know that, and I offered to pass it on because I believed it would be helpful for other people too. It seems like it has been for most people, thankfully.

 

 

 

As for being "special," it doesn't feel like that to me. I've had opportunities to meet people and do things in this community because of things I've actually accomplished, but in this case, it's more like the wait staff had to come over and ask me to please calm down, sir, this is a restaurant.

[kevansevans]

It should be worth mentioning: The nature of this map made it effectively impossible to create a definitive end when everything is found. While not impossible to make something like an in-engine counter that keeps track of every major secret, it would have defeated the point of maintaining the illusion that you'll never know exactly when you've arrived to that point. Obviously disappointing for many it's over, it's probably best this is where the line gets drawn before things get really (and not to be deliberately melodramatic) "doxxy".

Edited May 5, 2023 by Kevansevans

[Insaneprophet]

I didnt mean my response to sound like a jab at you NotJabba, my apologies. Of course everyone has earned any spot theyve ended up in life. Was meant more as an identifier that after your message the rest of us can feel like we are right back to the "secret cabal" senario that I believe you yourself showed disappointment with not so long ago. And to understand how secret cabals can leave someone unhappy we all just need to take a look over at whats happened on zdoom forums. I personally didnt find the appeal in the actual wad that everyone else has due to personal taste. My interest stemmed entirely from the meta story and real life stuff. I grew up and live miles from Plano and Oswego so I started the mystery looking for info on Tom and Steve through library/internet research and local newspapers. When all of that proved to be a ghost story, the fact that the author was also made up is the thing that kept me interested. Now Im just left.... well again, this sux feels crappy.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Insaneprophet

[Mr. Freeze]

I think that the ambiguity around certain aspects of the wad and outside material can stand on its own and doesn't have to become A Thing, if you read me. Each person's individual interpretation of events resonates much stronger than trying to write out The Official Story And Definitive Meaning Of MyHouse.Wad. 

 

This is also the reason why I hope this is the work of Veddge themselves and not an already-embedded Community Elite because the wad clearly has a lot of sincerity no matter your personal interpretation, and having that all be some cynical ploy to generate the forum equivalent of a Game Theory video would be kind of shit IMHO. 

Edited May 6, 2023 by Mr. Freeze

[JennaTullwerhtz]

1 hour ago, Mr.Unsmiley said:

 

this is kind of an 'out of left field' comment, but I liked how the pills and the bathroom signs swapping lead to discussions about transgender issues that were simply taken seriously as part of the possible explanations rather than laughed at or treated as some kind of controversy.  I could be wrong but I feel like that probably would not have been the case years ago.  I'm not exactly a regular member of these forums but among the many things this wad has done, it has let me see that the folks here are mature and wouldnt treat my existence as a joke, and so it also makes me happy to be part of this community

Hell yeah, dude. The Doom community has definitely evolved over the years. Whether you see that evolution as good or bad depends on your own views, but I agree with you. Any question I've ever asked on the forums, no matter how dumb I thought it was, was always answered pleasantly. You're in with a great crowd on Doomworld.

[Gregor]

The best part about this whole experience was playing the mod for the first time. Because none of the locations on display felt cliché to me, because i knew next to nothing about creepypasta, because i hadn't heard the "most mysterious song on the internet" before... because the mod felt at the time like it could actually be a totally honest expression of a person's anguish and regret - that's why it could impact me emotionally in such a way that it left a lasting impression. And that's what i will remember about this journey first and foremost.

 

My fondest memory is the dreamy feeling of running along a dark road in pitch black night, thinking i was lost, only to suddenly hear music from a distance of the kind you don't expect to hear in Doom and a small patch of light coming into view...

 

The investigation as to the identity of the author over the last couple of weeks was intriguing but ultimately pointless, and i didn't see much use in speculating about whether Alfonzo or Tarnsman are more likely to have made this. If the author doesn't want to share their identity, then it will remain a mystery, end of story. I was more interested in the symbolism and allusions contained within the game itself, and what that can tell us about the intended meaning of it all. And there are still some things left to unearth, independent of what Veddge supposedly communicated to NJ. We all know at this point that Veddge has been in-character since the very first day of their "re-appearence" on Doomworld and in all their communications with the people involved in this project.

 

But with that being said, it was a great ride, very inspiring, and i enjoyed myself immensely.

I just didn't like the end. What a tease.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Gregor

[MissArgent]

Out of lurking for some thoughts - This one's been a wild ride (in a really good way). The sleight of hand and attention to detail on showcase were incredible, and I'd definitely love to see more stuff like it. I love a good Yume Nikki-like, and the decision to use Doom as a base was pretty ingenious. The emphasis on grief and isolation really hit home, too - I had a taste of familial tragedy when I was young, and even twenty years on I still sometimes find myself feeling like I'm trapped in a labyrinth with no center. Plano and Oswego are a ways southwest of where I grew up, to boot.

 

The mirror subplot reminded me of Fire Walk With Me, for some reason - though that had a painting-based otherworldly space, not a mirror.

 

As far as OP's anonymity goes, I certainly understand their wishes and consider the desire to remain anonymous a pretty bold display of integrity in the face of the map's popularity. It'd be all too easy to drop the mask, but keeping it on really emphasizes the sincerity and emotion of the piece itself. The emphasis on mystery and actively pursuing every loose end is the ARG format's greatest strength and its greatest weakness - With how open ended these can be, it's hard to delineate what mysteries are supposed to be pursued and what's "digging too deep" without breaking kayfabe.

 

As far as the story goes, there's one thing on my mind and it concerns a certain easter egg:

Spoiler

The tombstone. I'd be inclined to think it's purely symbolic of an outcome where Veddge resigns to his grief - considering himself to effectively have died with Tom - Given that you have to make it most of the way to the good ending, learn the fence gap exists, then burn the house to even see it, but we see part of Veddge's obituary almost immediately on the snippet of Tom's obituary posted to the Google Drive.

How might this be interpreted, considering it throwing a pretty solid spanner in the timeline presented?

 

Also, concerning the gas station:

Spoiler

The gas station's '90s-ish aesthetics match the fairly old looking "stopped to ask for directions" photo better than the mention of the relatively recent wreck in the diary. Is there significance to this?

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by MissArgent

[Ningen666]

Gave This a play, Best mod of all time hands down.
Still looking for a mod that mimmicks the sheer beauty of this AMAZING mod!!

[Groplaw]

1 hour ago, MissArgent said:

As far as the story goes, there's one thing on my mind and it concerns a certain easter egg:

  Reveal hidden contents

The tombstone. I'd be inclined to think it's purely symbolic of an outcome where Veddge resigns to his grief - considering himself to effectively have died with Tom - Given that you have to make it most of the way to the good ending, learn the fence gap exists, then burn the house to even see it, but we see part of Veddge's obituary almost immediately on the snippet of Tom's obituary posted to the Google Drive.

How might this be interpreted, considering it throwing a pretty solid spanner in the timeline presented?

 

 

Spoiler

This is pretty much how I interpret it.  Since you have to be right on top of the good ending, and make a choice to do something you surely know by then leads to the bad ending, I see it as the final cross roads.  Is Steve going to choose acceptance, and moving on, or at the last minute is he going to decide he doesn't want to part with his grief, doesn't want to move on and commits suicide.

 

It also avoids the giant fight, which as the journal says "you have to fight for happiness", means Steve didn't fight, he gave up.  He took the path that wasn't a challenge, and you're "rewarded" with his death.

 

I don't think the author being dead is a literal element like the whole thing is a ghost story, I think like a lot of it the author being dead is a choice, one of many, that you make as the player.

 

 

 

 

As far as the whole true author thing thats come up... I mean I get the frustration when you know theres a real author dangling there.  But I don't think knowing it adds anything but praise for the author, which they clearly aren't interested in themselves.  Its not like the involvement of the other people who worked on it was hidden.

 

I kinda think as much as revealing the author would be neat because then people could ask them questions about this or that, I think that might be why why don't want to.  As long as they're anonymous no one can really drill them with questions about elements of the wad, and it will always be up for interpretation.  If that element is broken they say "well the whole bloodsoaked bathroom thing was just because I was running out of time to do the whole area I wanted so I threw it together, it doesn't really mean anything" for an example, all it can ever do is diminish the wad.

 

I'm not sure peaking behind the curtain can ever improve the experience, and if they reveal themselvs and say "yeah i'm not going to talk about anything to do with the wads meaning in any way" I think thats just as much of a tease then for people, as not knowing the author is.  Maybe even more so since it might be more personal at that point.

 

 

I don't know, I enjoyed the ride a lot and whoever the author is, thanks for a real brainworm of a mod.

[Bulletproof Pal]

4 hours ago, Insaneprophet said:

...your message the rest of us can feel like we are right back to the "secret cabal" senario that I believe you yourself showed disappointment with not so long ago

I get this. If the "hey, cool it, it's done" message had come from essel, jimmy or keven it would be one thing, but this (stupidly and probably childishly) feels like one person gets the "reward" of a conclusion while the rest of us get left in the lurch (and to be clear this is not me attacking Not Jabba by any means, I appreciate them sharing what they could and respect them keeping the wishes of the author to remain anonymous) 

And I don't even care about who veddge is! I'm a total stranger to this community and the game it surrounds! I would be happy that the creator still stays anonymous but at least we figure out what s+a means or whatever inspired this whole thing (granted, that's because I hate ambiguous "you figure it out" stuff; find a good ending for The Giver or don't bothering publishing, Lois Lowry!) 

 

 

But as I said a page or two ago, this is all because the experience was so good that we are all left wanting more. So Veddge's biggest mistake was making something so interesting and engaging. 

[ShallowB]

My biggest criticism of House of Leaves was always that the author’s name is right there on the cover.  The author of MyHouse has avoided that blunder; I think it’s important to the experience of the map that Veddge made it.

[Horus]

2 hours ago, Groplaw said:

I kinda think as much as revealing the author would be neat because then people could ask them questions about this or that, I think that might be why why don't want to.  As long as they're anonymous no one can really drill them with questions about elements of the wad, and it will always be up for interpretation.  If that element is broken they say "well the whole bloodsoaked bathroom thing was just because I was running out of time to do the whole area I wanted so I threw it together, it doesn't really mean anything" for an example, all it can ever do is diminish the wad.

Agreed, inevitably people will draw different conclusions on things than what the author intended or even considered as a possibility, but that doesn’t make their conclusions any less valid. I think it’s better we don’t know the answers to those kind of questions.

 

I certainly don’t blame anyone for being disappointed at not knowing the ‘true’ author because it’s human nature to want to find the answers to these kind of mysteries. But I don’t think the author has a lot to gain by revealing themselves at this point. They might not get ‘credit’, but still get to experience everyone else’s genuine reactions. I think it’s for the best interest of the thread that things have turned out the way they have.

[ducon]

The DaVinci code is fake but not the DaVeddge code in the txt file.

[Hurricaine Jr.]

I honestly preferred this thread as a sort of "book club" anyway where we just give our interpretations of the information already provided or finding little possible easter eggs. Going out of our way to dox the creator is not only unimportant to our enjoyment of the wad, it's also just creepy.

[Amiga Angel]

I think this masterpiece will inspire mappers for years to come and that is a good thing because it manages to pull off some specific trickery with a degree of  perfection probably not seen before in the world of GZDoom mapping.

 

[Andromeda]

I have received permission to reveal the author's identity so this gets put to rest at last, open the spoiler at your own risk:

 

Spoiler

@Veddge