Captive Curse is holding me captive.

That's the excuse for a late post today. We've been super busy preparing for the pre-orders that begin tomorrow for The Captive Curse! Whoo-hoo! If you order early you will receive the special edition with extra bonus content. Yep, we are excited for it. This is how we celebrate: Cupcakes and dessert! Yum!

Congrats to all of the super sleuths who solved this weekend's puzzle! Here's how it's done:
1. The first letters are the ones you want to work with (arrange)
2. The second set of letters represent [the abbreviations of weekdays in German]
2. Align the [weekdays in order] according to the last number.
You get: [Watch the hilarious extra outtakes!] Referring to the [special edition games]. Which are pretty fun and enjoyable, believe me. ;)

Until tomorrow!
~Little Jackalope~

Memorial Weekend + Puzzle #105

Hooray for Friday! Many of you will be enjoying a three-day holiday weekend (just a head's-up, so will we. Our office is closed on Monday for Memorial Day. See you Tuesday!) It sure is a great time to play a game (I myself am enjoying Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon again, it's such a pretty game and story!). If you don't own the latest mysteries: Shadow at the Water's Edge, or Trail of the Twister, the special editions are currently on sale! Head over to snatch these limited versions before they disappear like Houdini did in The Final Scene.

Looks like you sleuths discovered where the radio (from previous post) was originally from: Stay Tuned for Danger, on a prop room shelf. Good eyes, detectives!

On to the weekend puzzle! I anticipate a quick solve ;)
T.MO.2
K.SA.2
E.MO.4
U.MI.4
L.DI.3
X.DO.2
C.SO.4
T.FR.3
S.SA.4
R.MI.1
A.DO.5
U.FR.2
W.SO.1
H.DI.1
O.MI.3
A.SA.1
H.MO.1
I.MI.2
S.MI.5
O.FR.1
I.DI.2
T.SO.3
E.SA.3
T.DO.3
A.SO.2
E.DO.1
T.FR.4
R.DO.4
H.MO.3
A.DI.4

Ready, set, GO!
Enjoy your weekend, see you Tuesday!
~Little Jackalope~

Preparing for June 1st.

Today's been a fun day, that is if you consider work fun. We've been getting ready for next month (which is coming soon!) and there is a lot to prepare for.

Things for us to remember:

~Pre-order for The Captive Curse begins June 1st, and the official trailer will be up on the site then, as well! Whoo-hoo!
~Tomorrow is the weekend puzzle (it has been tested and prepared for the first viewer to solve).
~The June special next month is going to be...oh wait, maybe I'll keep that a secret, too. :)
~This week's Twitter Quote Contest winner won a pre-order copy of The Captive Curse! Be sure to participate next Wednesday for a chance to win a cool prize.
~Newsletter! If you haven't subscribed to the monthly newsletter, be sure to do that quick (see home page), because there are only a few days left of May. ;)

Several of you correctly identified the radio from The Secret of Shadow Ranch, but no one identified where the original radio was found. Here's what the original looked like...which game is this located in?
Back to making preparations...
~Little Jackalope~

Birthdays and Radios

It's always nice to spend time with fellow workers out at lunch, especially when it's for some one's birthday. :) It presently got me thinking about how Nancy's dad, Carson, seems to have quite a few birthdays in the books. There would be a tie, a useful tool or nice memento that Nancy has in mind to get for him, and often she has a hard time fetching it or bringing it home because of a distraction, delay or complication in her case work. Just a thought.

Take a look at this picture. Do you recognize this radio? This radio came from an earlier game, can you identify which game it was first in and where it can be found? Hint: the radio would be a little bit darker in color. Twitter Quote Contest is today! This time we have a very special prize: a pre-order copy of The Captive Curse! The winner will receive the game when pre-ordered copies are shipped.

Ta-ta for now,
~Little Jackalope~

Cleaning = Discoveries

The sun is out, birds are chirping, Her Interactive workers chat about games in the kitchen...it's a mild, easy-going kind of day at the office. It's also good day for me to catch up on some work from last week, and to not get distracted with snooping through file drawers for history on our games, which is rather fun to do.

Have you tried snooping through your own closet, attic, or desk? Often found are old papers, old information, old trinkets and clues to the past. I recommend doing some exploring, especially with spring cleaning time here, it's a lot of fun! (I mean the exploring part, but cleaning only helps keep those little discoveries get organized, so that's good, too). Exploring is one of the best things that Nancy is good at, and she's proven that a curious mind can can lead a person to discover fascinating things!

Speaking of fascinating, check out this old sketch done by a fellow worker. Can you identify which game this is from?
Twitter quote contest is tomorrow! Be sure to stop by then to participate.
Hopping back to work,
~Little Jackalope~

There's a bee in the kitchen.

There was a bee in our kitchen, but no worries, no one was harmed (not even the bee). Luckily it was easy to capture in a glass and was cooperative when releasing it back outside. A fellow worker nearby covered himself with his hoodie for protection. I don't blame him. My thoughts went to the hornet nests in Legend of the Crystal Skull and The Phantom of Venice, yet this was a much smaller and less dangerous situation. Take a look, it's a big fuzzy one!
Congrats for all of those clever super sleuths who solved last weekend's puzzle! Here's the correct layout:

~Click to see a larger image~

If you take the first letter of each answer (seen in red) you get [what is behind the portcullis]. A reference to The Captive Curse. Hooray! What does this specifically mean? Well, it could mean a lot of things....*sly grin*.

Ta-ta for now!
~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle #104

Did you hear? The Captive Curse product page has been launched on the website! I'm super excited for it, and I'm also anxious for you to see more screenshots, character profiles and everything else that will be added in the future. All good things come in the right time, and so we must wait. :(

On to the weekend puzzle! This one is related to The Captive Curse. Enjoy! (This I predict will be solved in a matter of...and hour, I think).

~Click here for a larger image~

Let's get those brain gears turning!

Have a great weekend!
~Little Jackalope~

Excitement for CAP page! (And map thoughts)

That's right, the official product page for The Captive Curse will go live tomorrow! Not only will you be able to get the pre-order information, but the official release date will be up, a couple screenshots, and best of all: The Official Teaser Trailer! (Not the one at the end of Shadow at the Water's Edge, but a new video no one has seen yet.) Whoo-hoo!

I had a nice chat with a fellow artist about artsy things in the games. There are so many different ways of looking at a map; click and drag such as the miniature mausoleum in The Crystal Skull, driving around with a bird's eye view like in Secret of the Old Clock and Trail of the Twister, point-and-click like in The Haunted Carousel (among others), or highlighted locations with a transition image such from Secret of the Scarlet Hand or Danger by Design. Is there a particular way you like to travel? After walking forever in the tunnels of Danger on Deception Island, I'm glad that we players can enjoy quicker get-around options.

~Check out this old map design from CAR~

Weekend puzzle concerning The Captive Curse is tomorrow!
~Little Jackalope~

Anxious for The Captive Curse

"The Captive Curse" is coming!! Ok, so maybe it is a little early to start cheering, but I'm super excited for CAP's release! The official cover art was posted and there are only more tid-bits to come in the future. (This explains our busy week filled with preparing for the grand presentation of an amazing game!) We are hopping all over the artwork and creating just the right look to present it to the world, and trust me, it's a ton of fun! ^.^

In the meantime, take a look at these doodles, done a few years ago by a fellow worker (whose mind and creativity I really appreciate). This one's pretty easy to identify :)

Prepare yourself for this weekend's puzzle: it's CAP related!
~Little Jackalope~

The Captive Curse Box Art!

Here's the excitement for the day! The Captive Curse official box art has been posted on the Dare to Play blog! Whoo-hoo! If you saw it earlier today, you'd have noticed the little error on the box that read "CD-ROM", which was incorrect. After a little scrambling to get the correct image with right information, the finalized box art then replaced the old file. What you see now is correct. Head over to take a look! What do you think?

Today we had another big meeting (I love meetings! I love it when we get to communicate with each other about office stuff and, of course, Nancy Drew Games. ^.^) Also, this meeting included donuts. Oooh, yum! A fellow office worker commented on how my donut appeared bigger than me, since they were huge.

Twitter Quote contest tomorrow! Prepare your memory!
Keep it real!
~Little Jackalope~

More Cakes, and the Important Puzzle Answer!

Hey Howdy Monday! This is sure to be an exciting week and I'm looking forword to letting you in on some of our secret information about what we've been working on. Keep a sharp eye out, we might surprise you in the future. o.O

Here are a few more cakes. They look amazing, and looking at these make me hungry! Do you suppose the wedding cake is a hint or nudge to Ned Nickerson? I am a big fan of the Sonny Joon themed cake, also. Got to love those doodles!
I thought for sure I would need to pass along a hint for last weekend's puzzle, but after reading up how clever a brainstorm you all conjured up, I noticed it was eventually solved! Congrats! Here's how it was done:

[The first number refers to the Nancy Drew book title, while the second number refers to the letter in that title.]

Here's the correct search:
[19 The Quest of the Missing Map = P
45 The Spider Sapphire Mystery = R
27 The Secret of the Wooden Lady = E
37 The Clue in the Old Stagecoach = O
3 The Bungalow Mystery = R
34 The Hidden Window Mystery = D
56 The Thirteenth Pearl = E
40 The Moonstone Castle Mystery = R
25 The Ghost of Blackwood Hall = S
8 Nancy’s Mysterious Letter = S
35 The Haunted Showboat = T
4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn = A
43 The Mystery of the 99 Steps = R
23 Mystery of the Tolling Bell = T
50 The Double Jinx Mystery = J
16 The Clue of the Tapping Heels = U
31 The Ringmaster’s Secret = N
47 The Mysterious Mannequin =E
6 The Secret of Red Gate Farm = F
20 The Clue in the Jewel Box = I
48 The Crooked Banister = R
17 The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk = S
30 The Clue of the Velvet Mask = T]

And the grand answer is: [Pre-orders start June first]!
Whoo-hoo!! More to come...;)
~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle #103

Yesterday, Blogger was down for maintenance which explains why I didn't post. :( I apologize for this inconsistency for those loyal followers who hang on these daily updates and oh so exciting adventures heard only from here. :)

There has been a change to the system requirements for playing the next Nancy Drew game. If you haven't seen the announcement, check out the Dare to Play blog for a further read. If you have questions, see this Message Board post. This means no more disc changing during installation, plus added and enhanced graphics and game play! I'm excited for the future release of The Captive Curse! If you don't have a DVD drive, there is still time to upgrade your computer, or you can simply purchase the digital download.

On to the weekend puzzle (which is CAP related!):
"19 is 23
45 over to 9th
27 is 8th
37 shall be 13
3 counts the 17th
34 is 13
56 will be 9
40 should be 24
25 is only number 7
8 is 6
35 just over 8
4 moves to the 16th
43’s number is 9
23 the 13th
At 50, choose 10
From 16 choose 6
31 is number 6
47 is 8
6 should be 19th
20 points to number 8
48 is 5
17 is 20th
30 is lastly 18"

Good luck super sleuths!
~Little Jackalope~

Third Cakes Post

When trying to do multiple things at once on a computer, be careful. Mine got tired from running so many programs at once, it almost decided to quit on me. Hang in there computer! You can do it! I now understand P.G. Krolmeister's worry about his awesome technology and tools wearing out or breaking. How awful it must be for Nancy trying to escape the villain's traps or trying to discover a secret room and the tool she uses decides to malfunction at just the wrong time! In the books her flashlight always tends to go out at just the wrong moment, and she has to either halt an investigation or fumble around in the dark. (At least she is prepared with spare batteries in her car.) One thing I love about Nancy is that she is often prepared for such moments, and when she isn't prepared, she makes do with what she has at hand to make the most of the situation.

If there is something you like about Nancy share it! Check out Geek Girl Con for further sharing.

Here's some more amazing cakes:

Twitter quote contest today! Head over to participate for a chance to win a digital strategy guide.
~Little Jackalope~

Second Cakes Post

I'm always excited to share inside information with you! This time I had the privilege of interviewing Alex, our Game Production Programmer to give you a new perspective from our offices. It's always fun to see what others here are doing to help make such awesome games, and their contributions are much appreciated! Check out the new Dare to Play blog post where the interview is posted.

More cakes for you to see! The brown cake with the Nancy Drew silhouettes has a puzzle included, can you solve it? Stay sleuthy!
~Little Jackalope~

First Cakes Post

Today a few of us went over some scheduling, and I must say, this month and next is going to be filled with the most exciting things! I'm super thrilled, of course, for everything that's to come. It will be worth the wait.

Anyways, congrats to the super-quick-savvy-sleuth who solved the weekend puzzle! Here's the solution:

When you read the outside-to-inside petals going clockwise, you get [Mr. Mingles is loose]. Hooray! Keep a sharp eye out for the next puzzle, because this one will captivate you.

If you have a Facebook account, all of the cake contest entries are up for you to see! Don't worry, though, because for those of you who cannot see them, I will be posting several here, like these:
Aren't they awesome? Such creativity, heart and hard work went into these cakes! More will be posted tomorrow!

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle #102

Happy Friday everyone! With spring here, I thought it would be appropriate to incorporate a flower. Enjoy!

~Click for a larger image~

~Little Jackalope~

Through Nancy's eyes.

When I first discovered a Nancy Drew game (way back in the day) I was thrilled! After years of collecting and reading how my favorite heroine solved mysteries and had adventures, it was my turn, so to speak. What excited me most was the chance to become Nancy, to ask interrogating questions I would be too shy to ask in real life, to take a risk and snoop through people's belongings, and finally get to explore fascinating environments to find secret rooms, panels, and hiding places (not to mention the treasures that are great incentives to explore for)! The games brought the books to life in a new way with new mysteries. I could spend hours looking at the detailing of the buildings in the fictional world that was once been behind my eyes, tucked away in the imagination, now brought forth in front of me to see.

Even though this is a generation where gaming is a well-occupied past time, I sometimes like to sit back and marvel at this achievement to travel to a different time and place, to be someone different and to do creative things. I should not take this for granted, as many Nancy Drew readers in the past could only come as close as their own imagination to see what Nancy has gone through, and to see what she saw. Hooray for computers!

Speaking of imagination, check out this old sketch from the imagination of one worker here. This sketch that came out of his head later became a place we get to visit in a game. Can you identify which game this was in?

Weekend puzzle is tomorrow! Stay tuned!
~Little Jackalope~

Ice Cream in the Spring

It is quite the beautiful day today! I've heard one of our meetings will be held outside to enjoy the sunshine, perhaps we will play hackysack afterwards to fully take advantage of a rare spring day such as this.

Lately I've been doing some searching through Danger By Design to collect a few pieces of art, and I came across this picture. This is my favorite dish to order at Cafe Kiki, if we could order the parfaits, then this would be a different story.

~Mmm, creme de glace!~

Ice cream is such a lovely treat...and I think there may be some fudge bars in the freezer here...maybe I will check it out (don't tell anyone). The workers here like their snacks! ^.~

Twitter quote contest is today! This month we are giving away digital strategy guides to the winners, so head over to participate.

Keep it real!
~Little Jackalope~

The Famous Mug

Busy busy Tuesday! At least for me, it has been. I've been diving into some games to collect images, video and material for current and future use. It often feels like part scavenger hunt, part mystery, and part piecing together puzzles. This may sound silly, but that's how it feels.

Look what I found in the kitchen! The only existing version of the famous Her Interactive mug outside of the games:Looks like a clever sleuth discovered where the Vanilla flavor label was used from the weekend puzzle! Although it is tough to see in the game, it does exist here [in the Hot Kettle Cafe, behind Holt Scotto in Danger on Deception Island.] Nice work detectives! This one was a little harder to find. Twitter Quote contest tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Stay sharp!
~Little Jackalope~

Hooray Cake Winners!

First off, congratulations to Sierra for winning the cake contest by accumulating the most "likes" on the Facebook page! She wins a copy of the Special Edition version of The Captive Curse (when it comes out, of course), a $100 Amazon gift card, and a WWND? (What Would Nancy Do?) t-shirt! Here's her winning cake:
The runners up, Amanda (Blue and white cake with Nancy figure on top) and Christiana (Shadow at the Water's Edge, orange bento) will also receive a copy of the next game. Congrats to them for making it to the top 3 and for creating such amazing cakes! A big thanks goes also to all of you super sleuths who created awesome and creative designs and for the enthusiasm and effort you put into your work. You all did such a wonderful job and it was super fun to see them and pick out the elements from the games you incorporated into the cakes. Well done chef detectives!

It appears that the weekend puzzle is half solved. While the pieces have been put together correctly to identify it as gourmet Italian Vanilla syrup, the location and game it is found has not been determined. Check the places where drinks and food is served. Here's what the finished puzzle looks like:
Good work sleuths!
~Little Jackalope~