LP Beach

That was incredible!

Wow. That was really impressive. Have you considered taking up a job as a StarCraft player?

Quackles wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 27, 2021 6:22 am

Wow. That was really impressive. Have you considered taking up a job as a StarCraft player?

I haven't, but I was rather interested in RTS stuff for a while. Never got around to playing it since my hyperfixation dwindled by the time I could reasonably buy a copy of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne for myself. On top of that, I'm not really aware of much RTS nowadays besides Tooth and Tail (which I'm pretty sure is damn good but I couldn't get much into it), and Blizzard is... Blizzard. Warcraft III Remastered kinda salted the earth in terms of ever playing it, too.

Mostly just theorycrafted stuff about Warcraft III while watching a bunch of games. Personally was really, really fond of the Goblin Tinker and insanely bored with Human players spamming Archmage since they were my favorite faction of units to watch but they all seemed obsessed with playing the same Hero.

Series Finale Update

Video:


It's over... it's finally over... so what IS Brooke's real plan, then???



Good work, but I'm afraid the board's still screaming bloody murder about Brooke's performance.

After ALL THAT?!

They're demanding even more loudly that she be dismissed.



O-Oh...

Personal staff...
Wait, you mean us?!



The budget? Are you guys still talking about the budget problems the board was complaining about?

Yes. They've kind of been breathing directly down our necks about it. Feels warm in a very uncomfortable way.

Huh? You knew about that?



...oh. This was quite literally a weekly occurrence, minimum. Business as usual.

They're not going to rest until they've kicked me out of the CEO chair.





Letting them?! You mean... you're going to let them fire you?
I already did! I'm no longer the CEO, as of last night.

Uhhhhh... wat???

What?! So you're... quitting?



It was my late husband's pride and joy, after all. But he's gone, and I can't stay tied to it forever!

...awww~. So, uh, how handled did she have this situation? Because it seems like we've been worrying over a mostly solved scenario. Whoops!

So all of the budget goals we were trying to hit...
They were still really important, believe me.



Oh, okay, so we DIDN'T waste our time on this. ...I mean, to be fair, you only got hyper dismissive of the budget stuff at the start of this Episode when you'd nearly wrapped everything up, so that honestly makes sense in retrospect.

All of the work we've been doing... well, some of it was the usual, the annual report, that kind of thing. But a lot of it was so that I could restructure the company bylaws.



Well, how devious. Much better use of our time than Project PEARL's unofficial work, at least.

...oh right, and that's also a decent chunk of the explanation as to why she wanted to do most of the work herself. I highly doubt any of the others would've done what she needed them to do for the restructuring.

There is one last problem, though.
Oh, no, what is it now?
Hahaha! Nothing to worry about.

Oh good, because I'm pretty sure Denise is at the end of her rope at there's no more Episodes for us to sort it out for you.

You see, some of the policy changes I just made have to do with profit-sharing. The board's not going to like that!

Wait... what exactly did you do, Brooke?





Excellent!



I'd imagine there's a lot more that she's talking about than we're seeing, considering we only get to see the little bits of petty cash we earn most of the time. So... those might be some pretty damn huge bonus checks.

Well muchachos, it looks like I'm not needed here any more... so I'm going to ride off, into the sunset!

Farewell, Brother Timothy. Your prophetic visions may not have prevented the calamity, but your unintended willingness to step up to the challenge was invaluable.

I need to take care of a few things before leaving myself.

And Brooke... we didn't get to know that much about you, but you managed to leave a damn fine impression, I'd say, especially since the more egregious bits were in service of tying up the board of capitalists in red tape.



Oh right, that thing you mentioned 3 months ago in the story update. What was that about, anyway?

Weird e-mail?
Yeah, I guess they're offering me a promotion now that Brooke is leaving...
Wait, you mean YOU'RE going to be the next CEO?

I appreciate the optimism, but we just got through with burning the board of assholes who already wanted to force a woman out of power. Try again.

Oh! No no, nothing like that!



You know, to manage the office, and some other things... until they find a new executive, I guess?
And who knows when that will be!

Oh dear god. Uhh, a cursory search of this kind of position indicates that it may be the earthly equivalent of Hell. A generally high-ranking position in Hell, but still Hell for the person in the position.



...

Yeah... I'm not so sure about this either.

You really think it would be a while until they find someone, Winston?

Wikipedia wrote: Interim management can be seen as the short-term assignment of a proven heavyweight interim executive manager to manage a period of transition, crisis or change within an organization. In this situation, a permanent role may be unnecessary or impossible to find on short notice. Additionally, there may be nobody internally who is suitable for, or available to take up, the position in question.

Abort, abort, JUMP SHIP-

I... I don't know if I really want that much pressure on me...
All joking aside, I only have one piece of advice.



Thank you once again, Winston, for being the voice of reason on this team.

I... I just don't know!
I think that's your problem, Denise. You don't know what you want!
What... really?

You've been playing therapist for nearly your entire time working here and people have actively had to tell you to please take care of yourself. I'm pretty sure that's the issue you're having, hun.

I mean, I like this job in a lot of ways...
I think what you like is helping other people.



Wow. I haven't really thought about that this whole time. I just needed a job.

That's about how it goes, yeah

What about you, Winston? Are you happy here?
Eh, not really. It's a job. But I've got other stuff going on.
Really? You have a life?

...you know, uh... we never asked, huh. He just introduced himself as the I.T. guy and we left it at that. Wow.



Oh my god he's amazing

I'm impressed. I usually just recover from hangovers on weekends!
Yeah, you're not a 'lifer' like me. This place drives me crazy sometimes.

One last earned by Winston for good measure



Whereas I don't think I'll be around this place more than a year or so, in any case.
I totally haven't thought about my plans like you guys!
Don't sweat it, kid! The future's wide open. And speaking of eight hours, and the future, I need to get out of here.

Farewell, noble Winston. May you play that bass with passion, climb the tallest mountains in proximity to the city, and not have a meltdown regarding the 18th call you've had about the wi-fi in a single shift.



Yeah... you know what? I think I will be! After all, work isn't everything!





And there you have it. A game I hold close to my heart, both from nostalgia and just genuinely appreciating the design of it all. I've been trying to revisit other games from that era recently, and they just... they just don't often hold a candle to the game design and charm on display here, let alone the writing (an element that's often absent entirely from these kinds of games).

The devs over at gameLab really know how to put their all into their projects. Do you have any idea how many imitators arose after Diner Dash's release? I'm honestly surprised no one tried to copy this one, but I guess they were too focused on gameLab's most well-known, best-selling game to notice something with as specific of a charm as this. What a charm it is, though... my fondness for every part of it has only grown with age, and it makes me want something else like it in this day and age.

In tearing the game's 3-Star goals to shreds, I hope I've demonstrated just how much thought, care, and consideration went into every aspect of its design, especially since any bugs that were left in the final game seemed to be in the player's favor. It's become my absolute favorite game from the perspective of a game designer, and I'll continue to uphold that it's a masterclass in the Time Management genre. I've yet to find one that engages me more, even with close contenders.

With that... I'll see you around~

This LP is so fun. Don't take that job, Denise!

Epilogue Update

Video:


Connecting...

Checking Status: Online

Chatroom Created





Good to see you again, sis.
Likewise. Now, do you mind telling me why we're using this old thing again? I don't even work there anymore.
Eh, it was there, and I'd set it up to work outside the company's networks anyway if we had the credentials. Plus, it means I can do this on the job with no worries.
As if you didn't have the clout to do it anyway!
Hey, I keep my head down. I'd rather not have to sit through someone ramble about "proper uses of company time" or any of that garbage when I could be fixing the routers for the 6th time today.
Control freak~
Yeah yeah. ...and 7th. 7th time today, after we're done here. They seriously can't figure out how to reset it themselves.
I'd expect nothing less. So... you wanted to go over what's been going on with everyone?
It's thorough to resolve this properly. Plus, it's not like it was hard to get most of this info, since every last one of them know me.
Well, lay it on me, then. I'm kicked back and relaxed, and my coffee's not going anywhere.



...really.
Shut it.
I'm RIGHT HERE.
And that's why it was the easiest to get out of the way first!
What, do you want an interview or something?
God, no.
"Hi, my name is Brooke Conkling, CEO of Wherever the Heck, and my head no longer feels like a full percussion lineup at a marching band."
Okay, nope, we're moving on.
Do you have ANY IDEA how easy it is to mess with you for stuff like this
NEXT.



Oh yeah, definitely would've gotten a lecture from doing this on the phone compared to openly burning you and your friends' music.
Again. It's easier to just go over ourselves first.
Yeah, yeah... anyway, C.T.O., huh? How's that workin' out for ya?
Still a go-fer yanked in all directions for the computers. Now they have me write even more paperwork than they used to instead.
Riveting.
Pays well enough, and the extra paperwork's a good excuse to hole up by myself for a while. Can hardly complain, even if I really wanted to stay off the radar.
So you've told me. Who's next on here anyway? Any order to this besides us, orrrr...



Not really. Just kinda listing people off, while saving some for last.
Ah, Pearl. I told you she'd be well taken care of, didn't I?
Sure did. Can't say I could ever really tolerate her, especially near the end, but I'd be lying if I said that I was only glad she was gone in one way. This place was just continuously chewing her up and spitting her out.
No doubt. I may or may not have made sure her pension was ready to go anytime she decided she needed it. Maybe shoved a little extra in there during all those policy changes, too. Anything to keep her in a better environment. She's been around since forever, from where I'm sitting. Maybe a happy ending will finally get her to calm down a bit.
With her new job? I doubt it, but at least she'll be near her family during all of this. ...maybe. I didn't check what family drama surrounded the daughter she moved to be near. Not sure which of the three husbands Pearl had her with.
Probably not our business, but it can't be that bad between them if she gets to spend so much time with her grandkids, eh?
Fair enough. Moving on, then.



Good luck with that. They just got done kicking me out.
I have no idea where she thinks she's going with this, and I DEFINITELY have no idea why she thinks I'm a threat.
I guess she thinks you're likely to be looked at for a high-up position?
As if I'd agree to anything higher than what I've got. I've got no interest in any more, and no need. What I have on my plate to pay the bills already is plenty.
Well, she grilled me enough in my last few days there for me to tell you that she doesn't quite see things that way. Work is everything to her. Not sure how far that philosophy will take her, but wherever it ends, it won't end well.
Just kinda seems like she'll either burn herself out or drive the entire company away. The way I see it, only one of those options requires me to find a new job, so I guess I'll look around just in case.
Enough of the leech, then. Next!



...
...
...ya know what, I'm okay skipping this one for the most part.
Yeah no, I don't need to know what that acute dose of chill pills did to his perception of the world and stroganoff. Let's just... move on.
Please.



Oh boy, this clown.
He's... trying, at least. Doing well for himself, too. I just hope the kid grows up less... eccentric, if he adopts.
Not much to say about him other than that management was absolutely not his thing. Business might be, though, so long as he delegates. Anything else?
Dunno. He just kinda kept going off on his tangents. You heard the guy several times, you know exactly what places that went.
Great. Just great. I guess the last thing I wanna know is how Anthony's doing.
...wait, who now?
His business partner. Mahavir kinda assumed he was a different kind of partner, and while I'm willing to believe he wasn't back then, I'm curious. Any mentions?
He mentioned more meetings over dinner, at least, but I think Duncan's the kind of guy who wouldn't announce a damn thing about that. Might think it makes him look soft or something.
Eh, I'll take it. Here's to that pair of muscleheads, whatever the extent is.



From what little attention I paid to her, that tracks.
How were you the only one to escape her ramblings during her last week here, anyway?
Don't know, don't care. Too much money and not enough focus on ANYTHING in her life besides what she can buy with it. Hoping she'll mellow out a little, but at this rate, that's looking impossible.
She didn't really grow that much in her entire time here, yeah. Guess it's for the best she left, even if we were way more complete of a team with her than with Count Stroganoff. Dunno how much longer I could've standed her.
She exists. That's your summary. Go next!
You know what, accurate.



I've seen a couple copies of this around the break room, actually.
Huh. Good for her. I hear that kind of job is brutal, but if she's loving it, then I guess she's doing great.
I haven't heard how original it is, but if the villain carries even half of the suffocating energy Pearl did while she was hounding Tara, that manga's got at least one thing going for it.
Maybe I'll check it out some time. Could always do with a new read.
After your two hours of yoga?
Maybe. It's felt nice to just sit down and relax nowadays. Like things might be better off slow...
Hey, if you've got the people available to handle your business, I'd say that's alright.
Mm... yeah. Next?



Huh, really? I'll have to see if I'm ever in the area.
You and your caffeine addiction...
I've been cutting back a LITTLE, okay? Most of the chugging was just to get everything taken care of on time.
I don't believe you, sis.
Well excuse you, but some of us like to ENJOY our coffee.
Frankly, I'm sick of it after my time in the executive suite. How could you still tolerate it after all that time???
No idea, but my taste buds thank me for it.
Ah well. Now, what I've been saving for last...
Oooooh, let's hear it!



Huh, and here I thought you'd save her for last. Good for her.
Glad she took the one big piece of advice I gave her that day. Dunno what would've happened to her slaving away in the executive suite and who-knows-where-else.
She'd be where I was, but for even longer, I'd guess. A fate worse than death.
The things people had to do to keep things from falling apart at the seams in transition here... I don't think she could've handled it. The people we HAD could barely handle it.
Hah! I don't envy them one bit.
At any rate, I'm glad she's made a name for herself doing what she really cared about when she was here. She's a good kid.
You're not that much older than her, bro.
She's the new blood in the office, to me. C.A.I. had a revolving door of fresh faces and turnover, I'm not gonna pay that close of attention to the details.
If it suits you, I guess. So... care to mention why you've left Romeo for last?



Hah, cute.
As much of a headache Mahavir was, he... DID seem remarkably laid back after he spent some time with Denise.
He's a complete dork. He gave me a try a few days in. That lasted... longer than it should have, but not long. Kid needed to learn when he wasn't making headway.
PLEASE don't remind me.
I can and I will. Enjoy the visual!
God, I'd scrubbed those days from my head until now... not a welcome memory. Eugh.
That aside... maybe those two'll be alright. Who knows.
They did seem to hit it off. They were pretty much friends even when Mahavir thought he'd struck out with her. I'd be willing to bet on that one going well.
Same. Here's to the happy couple.
Oh right, I should mention; when we were still freaking out about everything, I managed to get my hands on something. It looked like a template document they'd prepared for Denise's first few months there.
Really? What about?



...wow. "Second chances," huh?
Yeaaaah, I'm not buying it for a second from those fogeys. They just didn't wanna bother with hiring someone new right away if she screwed up.
Considering it's Denise, the scare tactics would've probably worked. It sucks, but they would've. I was tired of that place for a reason.
Yeah, well... considering all we saw in Denise's time there, maybe we can take something better from it.
You're gonna say something corny, aren't you.
Eh, why not. With most everyone learning something new after being at their lowest, I'd say we can repurpose something here. We at C.A.I. believe in second chances. Not the board, not the executives, but us, and Denise especially.
Bro.
Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh.
I will, later, but... I do appreciate it. It feels nice to take that crap the board spews through the whole place and turning it back in their faces!
...well, I can't say I expected that response, but sure. Let's go with that.





So... that's everything, then?
Pretty much. Just wanna bring this chapter of our lives to an end. This place isn't great, but it's nice to keep track of the more important stuff.
Fair enough, but do you fancy yourself a historian on C.A.I., or something?
It's kind of hard not to be when the C.E.O. is your sister and she's having you scout for some grand plan she won't tell you about.
Haha, truuuuue. I'm still sorry I couldn't tell you, by the way.
You could've, but I guess you were too focused on handling it all yourself. Not one for delegation back then, if everything else didn't make that clear.
Can you blame me? It's not like I could just tell Nadine "Hey, don't forget to submit this report in a very specific way so I can change the corporate policies we have here, thanks!"
And I assume you were pretty sure Denise would just get herself even more worried over that?
That, and I still needed her focused on the budget. Eyes needed to be as far away from that office as possible to get everything taken care of those last few months, and I'm grateful to both of you for making it happen.
Well, it worked out, I guess. Guess you really didn't need us to know.
Yeaaaah, you kinda were just meddling at the end, if I'm being honest. But it was fair enough, in your position.
And now that I've got it all taken down for my own records, I'm should get back to work before they notice. Shouldn't the same be true for you?
...okay, so this MIGHT have gone past my break, but it's not like I have too much to handle. Just a few reports, a presentation, and the finances by the end of the day. No biggie.
Never one to do it by halves, eh, sis?
Never, even while delegating the majority of it. See you later, bro. Another coffee some time?
Absolutely. Take care, sis.

Chatroom Closed.

Well done. That was a really nice finale, and it's been a really good game. Your writing really added something to it, too.

('Demon Sorceress Pearlatia' made me snort, and the Mahavir thing is kinda cute. It all neatly wraps it up.)

Congratulations on the finish of the LP!

Thank you for sharing this game! The writing was really well-done, and absolutely nailed (some very unfortunate) workplace personalities.

I'm glad to hear people enjoyed how it all wrapped up. I think I'll keep the thread here for a few more weeks in case some people are catching up after the hiatus, then I'll see about getting the thread transferred to the Finished Let's Plays section.

Thank you very much for the amazing Let's Play of Miss Management! I really liked how you nailed every episode.

By the way, did any of you know that there was supposed to be a Miss Management 2 at some point? It was likely going to be a continuation in Paris with Denise and Mahavir if the ending was any indication.

However, it was scrapped. It's unfortunate.

Taiyo wrote: ↑

Fri May 21, 2021 3:07 am

Thank you very much for the amazing Let's Play of Miss Management! I really liked how you nailed every episode.

By the way, did any of you know that there was supposed to be a Miss Management 2 at some point? It was likely going to be a continuation in Paris with Denise and Mahavir if the ending was any indication.

However, it was scrapped. It's unfortunate.

I remember trying to find a sequel when I was younger. Found a few articles, but couldn't parse any of them as a child. It's unfortunate to hear it was scrapped, since no other time management game I've found has tried to do this uniquely brilliant style. I've been playing a LOT of old time management stuff recently (found a 10-pack from the Delicious series for 15 USD, among other things), but none of it strikes the same chord, both in gameplay and in story.