# Cabin in the Woods – Memory Card #39 👋🏻 I am back in another forced scenario. We are up in the mountains of north Georgia for a wedding this weekend and a quiet cabin is a perfect vibe for writing and researching. It also helps that I am the only morning person in our group. I only have to not drink the entire pot of coffee and save some for my friends; even though it could be considered a favor, sparing them from the bitter, burnt elixir that the drip machine produced. Since I am still in the research phase of this new, fourth-wall *Astro Bot* inspired essay, I hooked up the cabin Wi-Fi and dove back in to finding tabs and articles.[^1] I was looking up games that break the fourth wall and [reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/videogames/comments/14yuxoy/what_games_have_some_amazing_fourth_wall_breaks/) hooked me up with a solid list. I read about how *NeiR: Automata* has a rather engaging credits sequence and I had a thought... > "What if I played *NeiR: Automata* for this essay so I could capture that scene?" [I looked it up](https://howlongtobeat.com/game/38029). *NeiR* takes, on average, 36~ hours to complete. Do I have 36~ hours to dedicate to one game that I have never played? Is it vital to capture my own footage of this or would someone else's suffice? Can I do that if I haven't played the game at all? How much does *NeiR* even cost these days? $25? That's not bad. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I stopped myself just shy of checking out on Amazon. This is good ol' scope creep. I have to always be aware of this beast. Keep it in check and the project can shape up to exactly what it needs to be. Let the beast run rampant and your project will squirm beneath its weight until it withers away. I think a key to getting a grip on creep is knowing what the essay is supposed to be; "what is its essence?" We have to keep asking ourselves that the entire time, like Adam Savage said; > "We should be asking ourselves repeatedly, 'What is the essence of this project?’ as we move down the path toward completion. And as the delivery deadline nears, we should ask that question more frequently, because it helps us remember why we’re there, and what the point of the whole project is." — Adam Savage, *Every Tool's a Hammer: Life is What You Make It* Now, I am in the very early stages of this essay. I am researching to find the shape of The Thing™. I have lots of ideas written down, so I decided to try and feel out what the project could be by trying to answer that question. Here's what I started with this morning: > "So what is this essay shaping up to be? It was sparked by the credits sequence in *Astro Bot*. I felt joy and savored the interactivity; the acknowledgement of the player and the creator and the medium binding the two. I categorized this as a break of the fourth wall. I have a list of games that do this to varying degrees. Some are just winks and nods (*Paper Mario*), some are just interactive credits (*Smash*, *Splatoon*), some are because of in-game actions (*Outer Wilds*, *MGS3*, *Tetris GM*), some take advantage of expectations (*GoW:R*, *MGS2*), some involve the real world (*MGS1*, *Doki Doki*). What ties all of this together? The shape of this feels like it does not fit in the box of "interactive credits/fourth wall breaks."" I had some more answers after that, but I felt those required the context of my actual research to fully grasp. Sorry. 😅 This morning was a great session. I think I have some solid direction. I want to read a little more research, but I think I can start roughing out a script. The cabin is stirring. The sun has been up for over an hour. I've been up for over two. Let's go chill out with some *Super Mario Party Jamboree* and celebrate a wedding tonight. Until next time... > [!email]+ Memory Card Newsletter > This letter is one block from the newsletter **[Memory Card](https://buttondown.com/MaxFrequency)** by [Max Roberts](https://www.maxfrequency.net/about). Thoughts? Send *me* an email at [email protected]. > > Max is the writer and producer behind [Max Frequency](https://www.maxfrequency.net), a place where he cultivates and curates curiosity—both for himself and for others—by delighting in the details and growing greatness from small beginnings. > > He's written a [[Chasing the Stick - The History of Naughty Dog during the PS4 Era|rich history and dive on the making of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II]], celebrated the [[MFP23 - “A Passion for Smash” – Celebrating 15 Years of Super Smash Bros. Brawl with Peter Spezia|15th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl with the voice behind its hype]], and examined how [Zelda "stole" Fortnite's best mechanic](https://youtu.be/kc2l_9Fdpek). > > **Memory Card** is a real-ish time, raw, drip feed newsletter of his creative process for telling these stories. It’s *how* The Thing™ gets made. You can sign up below. (Look down) > > It's all powered by [Max Frequency](https://www.maxfrequency.net) and [patrons](https://www.patreon.com/maxfrequency). > > Wanna see The Thing™? [Check it out on YouTube](https://youtube.com/MaxRobertsEssays). Read it on [The Blog](https://www.maxfrequency.net). > <iframe scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important;height:220px;border:1px #ccc solid !important" src="https://buttondown.com/MaxFrequency?as_embed=true"></iframe> [^1]: My current laptop set up is lean. I'm rocking my dad's 2017 13'' MacBook Pro. Working on an Intel Mac in 2025 is not desirable. It's beyond slow and can't keep up with my typing. I watch the letters pour in long after my keystrokes. I keep this machine as pure as possible. My Dock only has Safari, Obsidian, and Music on it.