Meet The Structural Development Team!

I can't believe a month has gone by already without a post. Where does the time go?

This is just a very quick post. I wanted to introduce to you guys the 5 people helping me out with Project Redshirt. They are what I call my Structural Development Team. They will help me in a number of ways. I'll be bouncing content ideas off of them, getting input on them from what elements and characters to include in the game, and they'll also get to act as proofreaders of sorts, getting the very first look at the gamebook itself to help refine the flow of it all.

So, without further ado, here are my helpers:

-Bigsimpsin
-Dreyesbo
-Gottawatchlost
-Lost2010
-Neeperkat

I'll try to keep the posts a little more regular from here on out, but the upcoming holidays might muck things up a bit for me.

Until next time,

-G :-)

Cold Feet

I have a confession to make.

Recently I had very seriously considered giving up on Redshirt altogether. I've been very busy lately and a lot of home and family stuff piled up on top of each other. I felt suffocated and lacked any motivation whatsoever for outlining the gamebook.

Fortunately, today was a turning point. Maybe it was last night's preview for Lost, or maybe it was having a terrific day today despite the snowy weather, but I suddenly feel energized and in love with Redshirt all over again. I hope to make some more progress on the outline this weekend and get in touch with my team of helpers.

Thanks to those of you who are willing to help me get the structure of this thing hammered and straightened out. You will undoubtedly be a big help. I know Drey has already contacted me, but I need bigsimpsin and lost2010 to emaiil me at LFLquestions@gmail.com so I can contact you via email and get some thoughts out to you guys for review.

Redshirt is back on track. I don't know if my mental holdup will force me to push the release back even further or not. We'll have to see how the next few weeks go.

Beta Testers Needed!

Here's the call that some of you have been waiting for. I am now looking for people interested in being so-called "beta testers" for Redshirt. Now before you get too excited, here's the deal:

These beta testers are not just going to get the first shot at reading through the gamebook. They will also be what I consider my structural development team. All the creative content will be handled by me, but I am looking for a few shrewd minds to help reel in some final structural elements that I am questioning.

The bulk of the writing is underway, so these beta testers will not have much to read for a little while yet, but I will be actively consulting with them on structural matters.

If you are interested in being a part of my beta testing/structural development corps, then leave a comment here, but also be sure to email me directly at LFLquestions@gmail.com and be sure to include Redshirt in the title.

I'm looking for 5-7 helpers as I near the major production stage for Redshirt. This group of helpers will likely be called on again for assistance when I start developing the gamebook for Season 2.

Thanks!

Sneak Peek:

INTRODUCTION:

Your name is unimportant. Your past is insignificant. During your boring humdrum life you have done virtually nothing of interest. In fact, the most interesting thing in your life is about to happen to you right now as you board Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 bound for Los Angeles, California from Sidney, Australia.

Your reasons for being in Australia and for traveling to Los Angeles do not matter. Your friends and family back home, wherever it may be, do not matter. You have no known or unknown connections to anyone else on the plane. Everyone is a stranger to you and you are a stranger to all of them.

In a few moments, Flight 815 will crash onto an Island in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean. It is a very mysterious place that poses many threats and dangers to anyone who survives the crash. Some of the survivors will be leaders and explorers. You will not be one of them. You are unimportant. You are expendable.

You are a redshirt.

The Poll Results Are In!

While the USA and the world has to wait another day to find out who the next president will be, the results of the Redshirt survey polls are ready right now! :-P

1) Should Redshirt dole out points?
YES = 5
NO = 6
NO OPINION = 3

I never really felt comfortable setting up a point system for Redshirt, so I'll go with the majority vote on this one. Maybe once I'm working on the Season 6 storyline I can go back and throw point values in, but I don't think I can do so until I know how Lost is going to end.


2) Should I include non-canonical dialog between characters in Redshirt?
A LOT = 1
BALANCED = 10
A LITTLE = 4
NONE = 0

I kind of expected as much. I'm not interested in putting too many of my own words in the mouths of our beloved characters. Originally I had planned to write a lot of dialog, but as I watched through Season 1 and took notes, I realized that there was just too much going on to include much dialog.

I feel like I could pull it off, but it would alienate a few people. So, I'm going to keep it to a minimum. Redshirt is already becoming larger than I had imagined. I'm starting to wonder how large the file is going to be. Hopefully I won't need to break up the Season 1 book into two parts for download. There will be plenty of deciding for you wonderful readers to do.


3) As I'll be writing the narration for Redshirt, what kind of narration would you prefer?
VERY SERIOUS = 2
VERY SNARKY = 2
SLIGHTLY SERIOUS = 8
SLIGHTLY SNARKY = 4

Again, I had expected this kind of response. Lost finds room for sarcasm, so I will try to do the same, without going overboard.


That's it for now. I hope to have a little treat for you all by the end of this week. I've been outlining all the possible decisions readers will face and I'll be doing a whole lot of writing very soon. That means I'll be looking for some beta testers by the end of the month. I'll let you know more info as we get closer to that.

I've been held up a bit here and there, so it doesn't look like Redshirt will be available this year, but you can expect it in January of 2009, before the return of Lost.

Progress Update 10/21/08

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted anything here. I am very sorry to those of you who have been so loyal and check frequently for news. I have been caught up in a number of pursuits that have sapped away a sizable portion of my free time lately. Between overindulging in Mafia games and a really hectic pace at work a week ago, I have had little time for anything else.

But Redshirt is still on track for its tentative release in late December/early January. I have finished watching Season 1 and have been going over my notes when a get free moments to highlight areas where game-altering decisions can be made. I've already come up with a number of paths you can take before Oceanic Flight 815 even crashes! Yes, that's a minor spoiler/tease/whatever you'd like to call it. :-)

For now though, I have some questions for you readers of this page. I want some of your input regarding the setup for the gamebook itself. As far as Lost-related content, I've got it all pretty well sorted out. I just need you guys to tell me what you thing of a few nitty gritty details.

1) Should Redshirt dole out points? I've only ever played two gamebooks in my whole life. One gave out points based on your actions and the other didn't. I'm not sure how I feel about giving out points because I don't really know which of the major pathways will end up resulting in a "win."

2) Should I include non-canonical dialog between characters in Redshirt? When I first came up with this idea, I had planned a gamebook with substantial amounts of interaction and dialog written by me, essentially creating some elements of fan-fiction while keeping everything within the timeline of the show. As Redshirt has progressed, it's gotten larger in scope, with the sections getting smaller and the amount of made up dialog going into it has diminished. What do you think I should do?

3) As I'll be writing the narration for Redshirt, what kind of narration would you prefer? I can be snarky and full of wit or I can treat Lost as if it's the Holy Grail and not break with the tone of the show at all. Narration is a huge part of gamebooks. If the narration style doesn't suit the reader, it really affects their interest in finishing the gamebook.

Redshirt Update

Alrighty then. I don't really know what to do with these updates as of right now. After weeks of the hangman puzzles, I'm sort of at a loss for words.

Tonight I watched three more episodes of Season 1. All I have left are the three hours of Exodus Parts 1 & 2. Then I will begin the bulk of my work on Redshirt. I can tell you right now that most of the early work will focus on finding the various points in the story where Redshirt can branch off. I already have 10 pages of my notebook filled out with notes (front and back), so I have a pretty solid start.

So for now, I'll pose a question to you all. Since the "big reveal" a number of you have said that a gamebook was something that you hadn't even remotely expected Redshirt to be.

I'm glad you're all fairly excited about Redshirt, but I have to wonder, what did you think I was coming up with all this time?

Project Redshirt- REVEALED!

The time has come ladies and gentlemen! After eight weeks of teasing you via hangman puzzles, I will now reveal to you exactly what Project Redshirt is.

First though, I want to thank all of you who have been with me since the beginning. It’s been a long time coming, but your patience will be rewarded today. I would also like to thank everyone who has come on board and supported my efforts at any time during the run of these little mind games I’ve been playing with you.

But enough stalling already! You’ve waited and waited and waited, so here it is:

Lost2010 guessed the correct answer to puzzle #8- “GAMEBOOK”.

That’s right folks, Project Redshirt is a gamebook. For those of you who aren’t familiar with what a gamebook is, it is a 2nd person perspective story. You take on the role of the main character and you have to navigate your way through the book like a maze.

A gamebook’s story is broken up into potentially hundreds of different sections. You start at section one and you will ultimately have to make decisions that will affect which section you go to read next. This creates multiple pathways through the gamebook, most of them typically lead to some kind of dead end or the death of you, the main character. Some of you may be familiar with the term “Choose Your Own Adventure” story, but I cannot call Project Redshirt a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story because “Choose Your Own Adventure” is a trademarked line of gamebooks from the 1980s and 1990s. Thus I have to stick with the generic term gamebook.

Project Redshirt is going to be a series of Lost-centric gamebooks. Instead of being one of the main characters on the show, Project Redshirt will put you into the shoes of one of the Lostie redshirts. This has required me to extensively research each episode of Lost to see when redshirts pop up, who they interact with and just how many are still alive! The goal of the series is to see if you can navigate your way through every season of Lost without dying.

You might be wondering now how this gamebook idea meshes with the seven previous clues I have given you. Allow me to elaborate on each of them (in no particular order):

Clue #2: Project Redshirt is only a cryptonym
From here on out, what used to be known as Project Redshirt will simply be called Redshirt. The full title of the series of gamebooks will be Redshirt: Survive the Island. Well, that’s the name and subtitle I’ve envisioned up to know. I’m open to suggestions though, but Redshirt is mandatory for obvious reasons.

Clue #1: You will need a computer to access Project Redshirt
This is kind of self-explanatory. Since Redshirt is not affiliated with the show, ABC or any of the producers, you won’t find it in stores. When the time comes, you will have to come online in order to track down your copy of it.

Clue #4: Downloadable
Now that I’ve got DarkUFO backing me up with some support for the project, I am hoping that he will possibly host the final PDF version of each installment of Redshirt. Otherwise, I guess I’ll just have to email the copies out. Here’s to hoping Dark is on board.

Clue #5: Multiple stages or phases
Because Lost is such an expansive story, I’ll be breaking Redshirt up into multiple parts. The first part of the series, which I hope to release before the end of this year, will carry readers through the events Season 1. I am nearly finished re-watching Season 1 and have begun working on the earliest of events. I hope to be able to release the Season 2 gamebook shortly after the end of Season 5. This way you fine folks will have something to do while waiting for the next faulty ARG to kick in.

Clue #3: Non-canonical, evolutionary continuity conformism
This tongue twister of a clue is what forced me to spend so much time researching the events of Season 1. I’m intent on staying consistent with the canon of the show. Through the use of the Lostpedia timeline and my own copious notes, I have a detailed log of who was where, doing what during all that I have watched of Season 1 up to now.

It wasn’t so difficult at first- everyone was on the beach. But when people started wandering off and they split into two camps, I have been writing down where different characters live and where they pop up and different times of the day. My goal is that I can accurately reflect the events of Season 1 (and the other seasons as well). I don’t want any of you continuity experts to nail me for having the Redshirt character interact with somebody at the beach when that character was most definitely at the Caves that day.

This part here has been the brunt of the work and it’s not going to be over until the show ends. The evolutionary part of this clue means that any information that comes down the pike about what a certain character might have been doing during any of Lost’s season, I will tweak Redshirt to reflect any new canonical information revealed in the show through dialogue or flashbacks.

Clue #7: Personality development
Simply walking around the Island isn’t enough for me. While most gamebooks only have one “successful” ending that is considered a win for the reader, Redshirt will feature a couple different endings. At least for now. While your redshirt persona isn’t going to be interesting enough to have any kind of back story, the people and things you encounter on the Island will mold your attitude towards your fellow Losties. You might end up being pro-Jack or pro-Locke, or you may just end up being a loner. There will be several paths you can take, but not all of them will be as interesting or successful as others.

For Season 1, I am envisioning as many as a half-dozen endings that will pick up in the Season 2 gamebook. This means that the Season 1 installment of Redshirt is probably going to be very large.

Clue #6: Project Redshirt will need beta testers
Some time soon, I will need a crew of about a half-dozen determined proof readers to help me edit the story lines. I’ll need help checking for continuity and also to see if the pacing and writing is any good. This needs to be entertaining, so my beta testers will need to let me know if there are ways and places where I can speed things up a bit.

My beta testers will be insiders, to a point. I won’t be giving them full copies of Redshirt, just a streamlined portion of it (i.e. one of the psychological pathways). When we’re ready for the finished product, I’ll combine everything together. But I don’t need beta testers just yet. I’ll be sure to announce that loud and clear when the time comes.


So, now you know what I’ve been working on and teasing you about for all this time!

This does NOT mean that I will stop posting anything here. I am very interested in your input and I will be posting polls (if they work) and asking for feedback on a variety of issues ranging from creative ways to die to what sort of things our Redshirt character shouldn’t get involved with.

There is still plenty of time for you all to help shape what will become Redshirt, so please be sure to check back at the site from time to time. I will try my best to post something new here at least once a week.

Now then, what is your initial reaction to Redshirt? Does it sound like something you will be interested in? I very much want to know!

Puzzle#8, Day 4(?)

Hey all, here is the updated clue. After all is said and done, you've got three correct letters and three incorrect letters.

This is where I'll leave you. You've got about 24 hours to speculate the clue and then on Sunday I will give you the answer to Puzzle #8 and then I will reveal exactly what Project Redshirt is going to be!

The answer is near! I'll see you tomorrow!

-G

Puzzle #8, Day 3

Okay, the posts have been sporadic and I apologize. I'm getting a little burnt out from being spread too thin over a number of things lately. "I" was a bad letter, so you've got a head and body. "G" and "M" were tied and M won the coin toss. Here is the puzzle so far:

You're so close to finding out what Project Redshirt is! Can you take the excitement anymore? :-P There's one more poll for you to work with. I'll fill in the letter you choose and then I'll have a separate post Saturday for the big reveal. Any guesses so far?

Puzzle #8, Day 2

Sorry for the delay! I've been getting oh so caught up in STV Mafia games. Good stuff there. Ended badly for me though :-\

Today I wasn't able to make any polls, so you'll just have to leave your requests in the comments section. You got one letter wrong, so I'll post a head picture as soon as I can track it down. At least that's what was winning the last time I checked.

Here's the puzzle so far:

Today you get a completely different set of letters to choose from! You can pick as many as you want, so let me know which of the following get your vote:

B, C, G, I, M, U, W

Puzzle #8, Day 1

Whew! Hey all, I've fallen behind yet again. Sorry about that. I'm lucky to have gotten this post up as well because the office has some new securities and firewalls mucking things up for when I try to log in to certain "non-work related" site ;-)

So, today is going to have to be a short day then, so I can update things at home, where the Internet isn't bogged down by lameness. Thusly, I'm giving you two letters today, but the poll is multiple choice! Vote for which ever letters you want and I'll be taking the top two vote-getters.

This is the last week for all the secrecy! Once you figure out puzzle #8, you will have all the clues and then I will reveal to you what Project Redshirt is. Let's do it!

Puzzle #7- SOLVED (and a PR Clue Wrap-up)

Sorry for leaving you hanging for a whole day! I got busy and couldn't get to the site to update.

Sandi guessed correctly! This week's clue is "personality development."

So what does that mean? Well, I'm not going to elaborate on the clue for a change! Instead, we're going to review all 7 clues you have received up to now. Next week's clue will be the final one. After the last puzzle is solved, I will announce just what the heck Project Redshirt is.

So let's review...

Clue #1: You will need a computer to access Project Redshirt
Clue #2: Project Redshirt is only a cryptonym
Clue #3: Non-canonical, evolutionary continuity conformism
Clue #4: Downloadable
Clue #5: Multiple stages or phases
Clue #6: Project Redshirt will need beta testers
Clue #7: Personality development

One week to go! Thanks for sticking with me through all this teasing and hype. I truly hope that the revelation of what Project Redshirt is will excite and energize you to support my efforts even further. It's coming along nicely folks. There's no turning back now...

Puzzle #7, Day 3

The letter O won out and there are two of them in the puzzle.

Some potential bad news though- I've decided to put the future of Project Redshirt in the hands of SpoilerTV Forum users. Either 11 more people sign up for the upcoming Mafia III forum game or there will be no Project Redshirt. A bold move, I know, but I want to get Mafia III on the road, so encourage your friends on the forum to sign up!

Anywho, here's the daily PR fix:

Puzzle #7, Day 2

Well, the winning letters A and R only appeared once each in the puzzle. Maybe today's vowel poll will yield better results. Good luck!

Puzzle #7, Day 1

Here we go folks, the next to last puzzler! I was chatting to Sandi, one of our devoted readers, and she told me that for the last puzzle, getting the E really gave the answer away. Since the E seems to help you so much, you'll have to go this week without it! I hope you enjoy the extra challenge. :-)

Puzzle #6- SOLVED!

Way to go! After only two days, the answer has been figured out!

Our master decipherer is fltrisk. I'm totally impressed that you managed to get it right so soon. :-)

The clue is "Project Redshirt will need beta testers."

I think this one is self explanitory. Now that I have begun production on Project Redshirt I will need a crack team of experts to help me test it out! I'll only need about 5 assistants, so some of you will just have to wait until the launch date to get your first peek at it.

I'm not actively seekinh beta testers just yet, but I wanted to put this notice out there that a call for your help will be coming soon. I think it's important for you all to know what Project Redshirt is going to be before I have you sign up as a beta tester. I don't want anyone to blindly sign up for it and find themselves in over their heads once testing commences. Nor would I want you to sign up as a beta tester in case you wouldn't happen to like my vision for the project.

So there you go folks, sometime after Project Redshirt is revealed (remember- there will only be 8 clues) I will make a post looking for your help. If you're interested already in the job, let me know and I'll put you in for early consideration. Otherwise, just hang tight. Answers are coming!

Puzzle #6, Day 2

After a neck-and-neck fight, the letter E won out and it yeilded some pretty good results for you. Today, you get to pick a consonant. How's it looking so far?

Puzzle #6, Day 1

This week I owe you one. After so many delays recently and your marvelous patience, I'm starting this week off a day late, but with a letter already in place. You deserve it for sticking with me. Hopefully this clue, while not necessarily as revealing as others, will generate some buzz. Enjoy!

Puzzle #5- SOLVED!

Hey all, sorry for the delays. I've been having more computer problems and the poll site has been less than agreeable with my computer. I'll post puzzle #6 tonight.

For now, I'll explain Clue #5, which was solved by apopheniac79: "Multiple stages or phases."

What this means is that Project Redshirt involves multiple parts. I hesitate to go so far as to call them 'levels' but they could be called such depending on your point of view.

Basically, the point is this- Project Redshirt isn't coming out all at once. The portion of it being released during the current hiatus is only the first of several parts that will be released over an as-of-yet unknown period of time. It might take a while for the next 'installment' to come out, but assuming the first part doesn't crash and burn and suck unbelievably, I'll put the rest of it into motion. In the end, you will be able to put all the pieces of Project Redshirt to make one large entity.

Clue #5, Day 4

Hey guys- sorry about missing a day! I'm still adjusting and my schedule has been crazy! Anyway, there was a tie for the vowel, and the coin toss gave you an O. Any guesses yet?

Today's polls:

Puzzle #5, Day 2

Sorry for the delay. These things just have a way of happening.

So yesterday the letter E won for the vowels and it went to a coin toss to determine the consonant. T won, so here are the results:



And here are the next polls. Any guesses yet?

Puzzle #5, Day 1

Here you go folks! After a long time off (for which I apologize sincerely) we're back in action with the Hangman Clue puzzlers! Here's this week's clue and the polls of the day. Enjoy!

New Hangman Puzzle Coming Soon!

Next week we'll be jumping back into action with more hangman puzzles. Sorry for the delay this week. Between computer viruses and a heavy workload, I just couldn't get anything up these past few days.

But keep an eye out! More clues about Project Redshirt are near. Answers are coming soon!

Clue #4 Solved! (and a small problem)

Hey all! Sandi631 guessed it right- the clue is "downloadable."

This means that the new support I've picked up from DarkUFO will likely mean you will be able to download Project Redshirt from Dark's site at some point. Hard to say for now, but if all else fails, Project Redshirt will be something I will be able to email to you upon request. Hopefully the file size isn't too ginormous though.

Now for the small problem- my home computer has gotten a virus and I may be without it for a few days. This means we'll be delayed in getting the next clue up. That's the way the cookie crumbles I guess, but hopefully my friend (who is a computer expert) can fix the problem quickly.

Until next time,

:-)

Puzzle 4, Day 4

Congratulations! Yesterday's winning vowel appears twice in the puzzle, so let's see if you can figure it out from two A's and an E. If that doesn't work out for you, how about this- I'm letting you select two letters today. Good luck!

The puzzle so far:

Puzzle 4, Day 3

Well, I've got more bad news for you guys. There was yet another tie for yesterday's letter. The coin toss gave you T, but there were no T's in the puzzle. This gives you another body part on the hangman. Maybe picking a vowel will work out better for you today.

Here's the puzzle so far:

Puzzle #4, Day 2

Well, something very screwy happened with the polls and even yesterday's post. I can't explain it, but I can tell you which letters won yesterday. The letter E pulled out a come from behind win but the letters R and S were tied at the close of voting. Thanks to a marvel of tie-breaking technology, the coin flip went in favor of R.

But, this means that for the first time, you guys have selected a letter that does not appear in the puzzle! You now have a head for the hangman puzzle :-( And today you only get to pick one letter. Good luck!

Here's the puzzle so far:

Puzzle #4 Day 1

Okay folks! We're back in action! This week's puzzle is only one word, but I'm still giving you two letters for day 1. Aren't I generous? My knee surgery went well so there will be no more disruptions in Project Redshirt clues. Have at it!

Good News and Bad News

Hey everybody! I've got some great news regarding Project Redshrit. DarkUFO, the mastermind of one of the best Lost sites on the internet, has pledged support for Project Redshirt! While he won't be involved with the creative process, DarkUFO will help me in promoting Project Redshirt once it is officially unveiled as well as when the time comes to release it to the public. So, a big thank you goes out to DarkUFO! And thanks to the rest of you who have been telling your friends about the project. I promise to do my best so not to disappoiont you!

Now for the bad news. There will be no hangman clue puzzle this week. On Wednesday I will be having ACL replacement surgery and I have no idea how long I might be out of it or unable to sit at a computer for any length of time. I am hoping to be back next Monday (the 18th), which is also the scheduled start date for the DarkUFO Character Cup (which I'll be running). Hopefully after taking it easy for a few days I'll be back in action.

I can tell you one more thing about Project Redshirt- by the end of September, you will know what Project Redshirt is. That only leaves a few more weeks of our little hangman game until I come completely clean with you. Can you make it that long? :-)

Puzzle #3- Solved!

Congratulations to sandi631 for guessing the correct answer to this week's clue! Just in case you're still trying to solve it on your own, here's the puzzle with yesterday's winning letters (I and N) filled in:

So what exactly does "non-canonical evolutionary continuity conformism" mean?

Well I'm glad you asked!

"Non-canonical" means that Project Redshirt is not a part of Lost canon, something I have greatly emphasized several times now. Project Redshirt is in no way affiliated with ABC or the show's producers, production companies, etc. It's just me working on something for my fellow Lost fans.

"Evolutionary continuity conformism" means that I will conform to the continuity of the show. As the show progresses, the continuity might change via adding something new in an on-Island flashback. I will be able to edit Project Redshirt to mesh as perfectly as possible with what we've seen on TV. In this way, Project Redshirt will continue to evolve as Lost's story unfolds over the next two years.

So keep an eye out! If we learn more backstory or see more on-Island flashbacks, Project Redshirt just might have to put out a "version 2.0"!

Puzzle #3, Day 4

Wow! Yesterday's winning letters O and R did well for you! You picked up 7 O's and 2 R's. Is the clue getting any clearer yet? If you pick the right two letters today, you'll find yourself right on the doorstep of solving the puzzle. Here's the puzzle so far:

Puzzle #3, Day 3

'A' was the overwhelming favorite for the vowels, but 'T' just barely edged out the competition for the consonants. The good news is that each letter appears three times in the puzzle! This means you're a little closer to finding out what it all means. Here's the puzzle so far:



Once again, you get to pick two letters for the puzzle today. The polls are working for me again, so you can vote the normal way again. Any guesses yet?

Puzzle #3, Day 2

Firstly, here's the brand-spanking new temporary logo for Project Redshirt:



Unfortunately, the poll server seems to be down today. This means you'll have to use the comment section to vote on which letters you want revealed next.

Speaking of revealing letters, you'll definitely be needing them, as yesterday's winners E and S only opened up one letter each! Choose your letters wisely so you don't get left clueless for a second day in a row!

Here's the puzzle so far:


Now for the fun part- go up into the comments section and vote for some letters!

Your vowels choices are: A, I, O, U, Y

Your consonant choices are: C, D, L, M, N, R, T

Good luck! Hopefully the poll server will be back up tomorrow.

Hangman Clue #3

This week the puzzle is not "Project Redshirt is...". Instead, it's a phrase that is somewhat descriptive of the nature of Project Redshirt. It's a mouthful so I'll be giving you two letters each day this week. Good luck!

Hangman Clue #2- SOLVED!

Once again, our good friend Lost2010 came up with the solution to our puzzle! In case you still want a crack at it, here is the puzzle with yesterdays winning letters (I and R) filled in:



You all have yet to select a bad letter. Congratulations!

For the solution to our puzzle, click below.

In case you don't have a thesaurus handy, a cryptonym is a fancy way of saying "code name". So, "Project Redshirt" is not going to be the title of the project once it's completed and open to the public. So now the question you're left to ponder is whether or not the code name "Project Redshirt" means anything or not.

Next week's puzzle will not include the words 'Project' or 'Redshirt'. Next week's puzzle will be a phrase that will describe part of the nature of the project.

Until Monday,

:-)

Puzzle #2, Day #5

So how well did L and O help you? Again, not much got added to the puzzle, but hopefully it is getting clearer for you! Today is the last day for you to pick letters for the puzzle. You get one vowel and one consonant yet again. Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll throw in a third letter of my choosing to help you out as well. You'll have all weekend long to try and solve the puzzle, so good luck!

Here's the puzzle so far:


Now for the polls. Choose wisely!

Puzzle #2, Day #4

Hmm, S didn't reveal much either for you fine readers. That's two straight days of disappointment for some of you. Well I'm feeling generous today, so you get to pick another vowel AND another consonant! Exciting, I know. :-P

Here's the puzzle so far:

Puzzle #2, Day #3

Ouch! While the letter A came out on top yesterday, it only yeilded one letter in the puzzle. I'm sure most of you had already figured out which letter the A was anyway.

Here's the puzzle so far:



Let's see if today's poll will be a little more helpful for you all.

Puzzle #2, Day #2

E and T won in yesterday's polls but today you only get one more letter. After a flip of the coin, today you'll be selecting another vowel. Here's the puzzle so far:

Hangman Clue #2

After having little trouble with last week's puzzle, let's see how well you do with this new one:

Two polls for you all to start the week off right. Good luck!

Hangman Clue #1- SOLVED!

Well it didn't take long, Lost fans! Even without yesterday's letters filled in, Lost 2010 cracked the code and your first clue about Project Redshirt has been revealed!

For those of you who still want to try to guess what it is on your own, you can still check out the unsolved puzzle.

If you just want to know what the answer is, check here:

Like I said, this first clue is not exactly anything groundbreaking. I bet you all had basically assumed you would need a computer to access Project Redshirt.

Look for your next clue on Monday. The clues will quickly become more informative and mysterious :-)

That's it for this week. There might be a project update over the weekend. At the very least, the next hangman clue puzzle will be coming your way on Monday morning (US Eastern time).

Puzzle Clue #1 (Day 3)

S and T came out on top for you all. R almost managed to sneak in there and make a steal, but maybe it will succeed today. Today you get to vote for one more vowel and one more consonant. Any guesses yet? If so, throw it in the comment section!

Hangman Puzzle Clue #1

UPDATE 7/23: "E" won yesterday's letter and all the "E"s have been revealed. Today you get to choose two letters, so make your votes count!

As promised, here is Project Redshirt Hangman! It works just like regular hangman, but with a few twists. Instead of you just guessing a letter, I will provide letters for you in a poll. Vote for whichever letter you would rather see revealed. After 24 hours, the most popular letter will be chosen. If it is in the word or phrase, I'll show all instances of that letter in the word or phrase of the week. If the most popular selection is not in the word/phrase, you earn a body part.

If you think you know what the word/phrase of the week is, put your guess in the comment section. If you get it right, I will fill in the blanks and you'll have your clue! If you can't guess the clue in a week's time, you will not get the full clue. It will be up to you, dear readers to solve the weekly puzzles and collect the clues. Will you be able to make sense of them and learn the secrets of Project Redshirt? You'll have to wait and see!

Since I'm a little late on getting the Project Redshirt Hangman game going, I'll make this week's clue a tad shorter. You'll have until Sunday to figure out what the word below is. Each day I'll put up a new poll so you can pick more letters to be revealed. Here is your first Hangman Clue of the Week:



And here are your letters to choose from. Today you get to pick as many letters as you want, but only the top two vote-earners will be revealed tomorrow. Good luck!Got suggestions for tomorrow's letters? Throw them in the comment section!

Project Redshirt Needs Your Help!

With less than six months to go before the projected launch date of Project Redshirt, I look to you, the readers of this site to help spread the word.

While I understand that Project Redshirt is not some phenomenon sweeping the Lost-o-sphere, I'd appreciate it if some of you fine folk would mention it on any Lost forums that you frequent. I don't expect my little project to become a major hit among all Lost fans on the Internet, but I aim to please those who should come upon it. It is being created for the fans by a fan.

Probably most of you know me from my contributions to DarkUFO's site and may think of me as some kind of quasi-celebrity amongst the Internet Lost scene. Since I have this level of recognition and possibly even the respect of lots of Lost fans online, I am (as I have said before) trying to use my quasi-celebrity status (which I still tend to reject) to bring Project Redshirt to as many people as possible.

The way I see it, why wait until the final project is finished before spreading the word? I'm already confident in Project Redshirt and I hope that my confidence gives you assurance that I'm not going to screw this thing up and give you enough confidence in the project to help me out by creating a little buzz for it where you can.

So talk it up, if you like. I'm currently looking to make a few affiliations with some popular Lost sites to throw some official support my way, but I'm going to have to prove to them that Project Redshirt will deliver before they fully get behind me. I am, afterall, just another Lost fan with a crazy idea. Sometimes they work brilliantly, while other times they crash and burn. I respect the decisions of these sites to be wary of the project as it is still in its infancy.

That means I need you guys more than ever. All you have is my word that Project Redshirt won't suck. I hope that is enough for now. :-)

Answers to Your Questions!

...are coming soon.

Sorry for not posting anything for such a long time. I've been busy with the new house and wedding plans and all. I can tell you though that two weeks from today I will begin revealing clues about Project Redshirt.

Much in the same way that Doc Arzt and DarkUFO reveal spoilers and secrets, I will be using the game Hangman to reveal tiny tidbits of information and clues as to what Project Redshirt will be. A new game will begin each week and I've got quite a number of clues ready for you all to figure out. The weekly puzzle may be a whole sentence or just one word that offers some insight to the project, but either way, some of your questions will be answered and the gaps will begin to fill in.

If you have specific questions regarding the Project, throw them in the comment section and I'll see if I can tailor the answer into a weekly Hangman puzzler!

Only a few more posts to go before the wedding/honeymoon, so keep your eyes open this week for new opportunities for how you can be involved with Project Redshirt.

-G

Project Redshirt is FREE!

One of you fine people emailed me the other day and asked if Project Redshirt is going to cost anything to acquire. The answer is a resounding NO.

First of all, I highly doubt that I would be able to legally charge people money for Project Redshirt once it is completed. Seeing as there will be plenty of inclusion of characters from the show, that would certainly violate intellectual and copyright property laws and I would get sued for mad money by ABC and the show creators.

Besides, why do I need to profit from this? I'm doing this for the love of the show. That and I'm looking to hone some of my creative skills through all of this. I'm just trying to create something that others will enjoy. Plus, I'm hoping to milk my semi-"celebrity" status in parts of the Lost-o-sphere to get a lot of exposure on this.

Does that make me a self-serving fink? I hope not. I mean, we all want some kind of recognition. I don't really plan on retaining any level of pseudo fame from what I've done while Lost is on the airwaves, but hey- if it get me noticed and opens doors to other avenues of prosperity after Lost, I'm all for it. If you begrudge me for that, sorry. I really am doing this first and foremost out of my love for the show and also to give Lost fans something to help them through the Hiatus.

Secondly, why would I want to charge for Project Redshirt? It's being created for my fellow fans. I want it available to everybody, not just people with pocket change! Distribution of Project Redshirt is something I really haven't thought out too well right now and probably line up a few contingencies just in case. This site/page will certainly not be enough to support Project Redshirt, so I guess I better get moving on that end of things.

More information is on its way! Once I'm good and married and back from the honeymoon, I'll be able to start filling you in on some of the details and what you can expect.

...And Now More User-Friendly!

Another quickie update- I tinkered with the comment settings so now you do not need a Blogger account to post comments. A new window will also pop up for you when you want to write a comment.

Just trying to make the Project Redshirt page as accessible to as many people as possible. No reason you fine people should have to jump through any extra hoops just to get in touch with me. :-)

This Message Brought To You By "Friends Of Project Redshirt"

Calling all websites!

In the coming days I'll be doing some housecleaning and I'll probably jigger up a few extra items for on this main page, and maybe even an extra section or two.

One of these sections will be called "Friends of Project Redshirt." This section will basically just be a collection of graphics and links to websites that are either personal favorites of mine from around the Lost-o-sphere or sites that specifically throw some support my way and spread the word about Project Redshirt.

So, if you frequent a fansite that might be interested to some degree in Project Redshirt, let them know about it and see if they are interested in developing a relationship with the Project.

Also, feel free to throw some suggestions my way as far as the aesthetics of this page. I don't have an independent server to run this thing on, so CSS is more or less out of the question, but if you'd like to see some changes, let me know. I may or may not take your advice. :-)

So, Why All the Secrecy?

A friend emailed me the other day and asked me why I was being so secretive about Project Redshirt.

The short answer is I'm greedy and don't want anybody to steal my idea.

The long answer is, well, longer.

I've been told by several teachers and professors over the years that I am really quite good at writing. Many of my family and friends know about my flair with the written word and would say that I'm good at it.

My chief problem with writing is that it is very hard for me to get the story out of my very vivid imagination and on to paper/word processor/what have you. While I have a knack for writing things that have been assigned and are under deadline, coming up with something for my own purposes is surprisingly difficult.

So Project Redshirt is a challenge for me. I want to complete it, but starting is always the hardest part. This is why I have asked you (however many of you there actually are that read this) to try and keep me on task.

The other factor is as already stated above. Since I am prone to procrastination on these sort of pet projects, I am hesitant to proclaim what my idea is in full. Not that I am overly concerned with someone stealing my idea and taking credit for it, but, as a writer, I do worry to a certain degree about plagiarism. In case it takes me longer to get the gears turning, I will be vague, cryptic and hush-hush about Project Redshirt for at least another month or two.

Eventually, I will reveal what the overall plan is, but I want to make sure that I am well under way with producing it before that time. Someone may already be working on something like Project Redshirt. Heck, it may already exist in some fashion or another. I'm not too sure. I'm just being overly cautious and I hope that you aren't turned off by that caution as we plod along slowly here.

In fact, I just gave you your first clue about Project Redshirt- at least the first phase of it involves writing. Whether that "writing" is in a "language" we all are familiar with remains to be seen.

I'll leave you with that for now. :-)

Clarification

Just so you're all clear, Project Redshirt will definitely have something to do with the hit TV show LOST. This site and the results of the project are NOT officially or unofficially sanctioned by ABC, Bad Robot Productions or any persons or organizations involved with the creation or production of LOST.

This is a purely fan-driven project but I hesitate to call it "fan-fiction". I also hesitate to tell you Project Redshirt really is, so you'll have to wait some more yet to find out (though a select few are already privy to my plans).

I do not like the term "fan-fiction". The concept of it is tolerable, but only to a point. Traditionally, "fan-fiction" is a story or mock script written by someone with more time on their hands than myself. These stories and scripts take the main characters of a show or story and the author(s) give themselves free reign over what to do with these characters. "Fan-fiction" also comes in the form of fan made videos, or fan created ARG's.

Sometimes "fan-fiction" is quite lousy and the author is merely trying to thrust their viewpoints or theories or desires for the show onto the readers. Other times, "fan-fiction" can be quite good and can come very close to mimicking the actual future events of the show/story.

It is my goal to keep Project Redshirt as "fan-fiction" free as possible. It is inevitable that Project Redshirt will contain some "fan-fiction" elements but these will be minimal and not contradictory to anything in LOST canon. At the same time Project Redshirt will be both inclusive of and exclusive from what we have seen on LOST. This may seem paradoxical at the moment, but once Project Redshirt has taken flight, you will understand.

So, in the future, I encourage you to dissuade others from labeling the results of the project as "fan-fiction." It will (hopefully) be so much more than that.

What is Project Redshirt? (An Introduction)

Simply put, Project Redshirt is a secret.

For several months now, I have been waiting and coming up with ideas. Now that Season 4 is over, Project Redshirt has entered the development phase. Over the next few months you'll find clues and updates as to what Project Redshirt is, but I can say with absolute certainty that it will not be finished in full by the end of the Hiatus.

My goal is to have Project Redshirt finished in part by December or January. Certain circumstances in my life (a torn ACL) may either greatly benefit or greatly hinder my progress on Project Redshirt. I will have a lot of down time in the near future and that down time can either be put to good use by working on this project of mine or I could grow disillusioned with it.

Therefore, it is up to you, dear reader, to make sure I stay on task with Project Redshirt. I am determined to see this one through but I ask you to assist me in keeping the wheels moving. When all is said and done, Project Redshirt will (hopefully) provide us all with satisfaction. I will be satisfied knowing that I have created something that others will enjoy and you will hopefully be satisfied with what I have created for you, the Lost fans.

More information on Project Redshirt will come on a regular basis throughout the Hiatus.

So It Begins...

Greetings to whoever may find this page. Right now I am just in the planning stages. More information will be forthcoming.