Hey I only like the "best" stuff, and if I wanted to read a good manga, or a good short series (Outlaw Star length, not One Piece length), what would be "the best".  It's safe to assume that most things are things I haven't seen.  Please be wise about your choice!!

Run run run

Yeah but because I am pummeling you with a phonebook that doesn't do me much good does it?

Once again my paranoia has kept me safe from bodily harm.

this disney shit makes me want to puke.
They can't draw a male that doesn't look like a gorilla (I blame repressed homosexuality)

Disney propagating fucked up gender perceptions??

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/486250632/republique-by-camouflaj-logan
going pretty slow, which is surprising, maybe people just don't want this sort of game? or maybe the type of people who'd enjoy it aren't being correctly targeted?

I scrolled down half the page before I saw a gameplay screenshot and even that didn't tell me anything other than "maybe a 3rd person sort of game in a museum?"  I don't want to watch behind the scenes videos, I don't want to read the lore before I even care about the game-- as someone who might want to donate/invest/whatever money, I want to know, IN BOLD, INSTANTLY, what the hook is.

Note that this isn't my actual thought process, but the thought process of many who would glance at this sort of project.

Go is pretty intense, though I only know the most tiniest fragment of its depths.  I am too afearful to actively try to get better or play, since it could easily become a terrifying ordeal for me.

What I love best about Punpun is that the protagonist isn't some will-less stand-in for the reader- quite the opposite, Punpun does a lot of dumb and bad things because they are the sort of real life mistakes people make.

1,2, or 3:3
You and the Wizard of Malta arrive at the appointed time and place the next day.

The tea is poured, and the battle of wits rages!
You weave a particularly stunning bon mot at the Wizard of Malta's expense.
Congratulations!
You have sent Wizard of Malta packing from your domain!
You enjoy many long months basking in your title as President of Molvania

NO ALL THE RAPIERS BROKE

[1,2, or 3:]

Choose your weapon:
1. Flintlock pistols at dawn
2. Rapiers at the bridge
3. Conversation over tea
1,2, or 3:

[Do you accept his challenge? y/n:]

1,2, or 3:2
You and the Arch Duke of Syria arrive at the appointed time and place the next day.
The fencing match is fierce indeed!
Both of you possess excellently honed skills and fail to score upon each other!
The fencing match is fierce indeed!
Both of you possess excellently honed skills and fail to score upon each other!
The fencing match is fierce indeed!
You thrust masterfully, drawing the Arch Duke of Syria's blood.
Congratulations!
You have sent Arch Duke of Syria packing from your domain!
You enjoy many long months basking in your title as President of Molvania
Unfortunately...
Your sworn enemy, the Khagan of Israel approaches!
The Khagan of Israel challenges you to a duel!
Do you accept his challenge? y/n:

[1,2, or 3:]

*Welcome to the Terrordome*
Would you like to play a game? y/n:y

You shall henceforth be known as the President of Molvania

Is this satisfactory? y/n: y
Your sworn enemy, the Arch Duke of Syria approaches!
The Arch Duke of Syria challenges you to a duel!
Do you accept his challenge? y/n:y
Choose your weapon:
1. Flintlock pistols at dawn
2. Rapiers at the bridge
3. Conversation over tea
1,2, or 3:

Do you accept his challenge? y/n:q
You decline the challenge- showing cowardice and lack of honor.
Your title is revoked and your estate crumbles instantly.
*G*A*M*E*O*V*E*R*

(This appears for a split second before the program closes.)

[Do you accept his challenge? y/n:]

*Welcome to the Terrordome*
Would you like to play a game? y/n:y

You shall henceforth be known as the Khagan of Barbados

Is this satisfactory? y/n: n
You shall henceforth be known as the Vassal of Lithuania

Is this satisfactory? y/n: n
You shall henceforth be known as the Brigadier General of Syria

Is this satisfactory? y/n: n
You shall henceforth be known as the Vizier of Switzerland

Is this satisfactory? y/n: y
Your sworn enemy, the Shogun of Japan approaches!
The Shogun of Japan challenges you to a duel!
Do you accept his challenge? y/n:

[2006]

Hahahaha I was going through my space on a friend's server and I found a very simple text game I apparently completed when I was learning Python back in 2006.  It is pleasing, since I do not remember it at all.

Edit:  Already found a bunch of CAUSALITY BREAKING bugs.

I'd really recommend Oyasumi Punpun by the same author, its pretty fucking heavy at times but such a delight to read.

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/oyasumi_punpun/

The only manga I've ever really read.  Punpun is even my Steam icon!

I wouldn't say it's "fucking heavy at times", I would say that it is just a straight up depressing, realist story that has a deceptive veneer of starting off somewhat light and the fact that the protagonist is drawn as a tissue bird

I wanna meet The Lake.

This all sort of makes me think of Starflight, which is very open ended to the point of most people just playing it as if it were 100% sandbox.  Of course, Starflight is set up in a way that if you are diligent in your exploration, following up leads, you will eventually come upon traces of a plot that you can choose to ignore (to the doom of your planet, after several in-game years), or follow up on to save the galaxy.

Of course, just because you stumble upon the 'plot' of the game doesn't remove the sandboxy aspects of exploring, extracting minerals, and dealing with aliens.  There's really only like 15 steps you have to take to 'beat the game', but the gameplay introduces obstacles and events organically.  Even if you're trying to find ruins on some planet to retrieve an artifact, you're going to need to fuel up, avoid enemy ships, find the planet, land on it, and get to the site unscathed.  There's plenty of things that will inevitably pop up.

Pirates! was like this as well, where you had the tools to just do your own thing and amass wealth and expand your little armada, capturing port towns and wrecking treasure ships, but I think in the more recent iterations there is a very clear plot thread you are expected to be loosely cognizant of.

Space Rangers 2 was also like this, where it was basically a sandbox but through natural play you'd want to increase your ship's power and do events to get wealth and XP, and this all helped you with the plotline of "Destroy the super aliens".  Of course, Space Rangers 2 had the approach of making you handle yourself in the openness of the game before you were anywhere near built up enough to deal with the plot-related threats.

The majority of the plot is percieved and aggregated in the mind of the player, with their own 'take' on what is going on- when I capture a treasure ship I might roleplay that I am doing it for revenge or whatever.  Instead of the game dumping specific plot points on me, I am free and encouraged to toddle around having fun in my own way, choosing to ignore the call of the 'end game' until I feel ready to do so.

So long as it is easy to tell if I've seen all of the plot, or there aren't arbitrary cutoffs to things (if you explore one area it locks you out of another or something), it is usually fine.  I just dislike things that force you to start over or agonize over what you might miss.  Consider Dictionary of the Khazars, a poece of ergodic literature that is three sets of lexicons from three religions that implores the reader to amble through as they please: front to back, randomly, comparing articles from the three views, etc.  After I read through it in an organic manner of whatever caught my eye, I reread it cover to cover- consider it a 100% run.

Kasp my friend, I have an idea for a series of young adult novels about two young women who sell all of their possessions to buy a cargo van so they can travel across the continental U.S. and record their journeys with an old camera they found at an antique shop.  It turns out that while many of the snapshots they take were thought to be trivial or quirky, the camera shows that things are not as they seem on the seemingly endless stretch of road they've abandoned themselves to.  I have a feeling it will be a great hit, and I have a lot of ideas written down.

Now here's the thing: I don't know anything about dialogue, story structure, pacing, or tone, so I need you to actually do the writing for me.  Once you get it written, revised, proofread and edited, I'll be more than glad to send it around to publishers on our behalf, and if that pans out I'll most definitely cut the profits with you.  If you know a lot about the U.S. highway system, 1980s Ford E350 Super Cargos, and spooky haunted cameras, that would most definitely be a plus.  This is a real labor of love for me, so please be serious when responding.