FAUST, chat with Arxel

Hello everyone,

It has become difficult for me to follow all the threads and answer all of you. that is why I have created this new topic.

You have to understand that I am not exaggerating when I say that your reactions are a gold mine of information for us.

So, please ask, comment, complain... I'll do my best to answer you all.

Friendly yours,

Stephen

PS : and have mercy on my english ;-)

Please, please make another game, Stephen!

I was disappointed to hear that there won't be a sequel. Faust was so well done. There are many things I remember fondly about it. And, then there are the "circus sideshow" and "dark" feelings. What an incredible, original game. As I said before, I was totally immersed.

Stephen - just to appease - you are working on other game projects, though, right?

OK, here's the good news.

I have the .wav files (yes, all of them).
Since I am not going to send CDs around (no, no, I am not ;-), I suggest GAMEBOOMERS provides a solution. I can upload them somewhere for you to download. Bob & Karen? Any idea ? I hope I am not being a nuisance in asking you this...

Hear you all later,

Stephen

PS : I guess you are fully aware of the risk included. I mean... if you are going to play the voice of Mephisto over and over on your computer, I wouldn't want to be blamed if you actually end up attracting his attention.

I just started the game and just wanted to say so far I LOVE IT! I can barely tear myself away from it.

Gamer

Stephen -

First of all I wanted to be sure and thank you so much for visiting our little nook here and making yourself totally available on Faust.That is outstanding.

Second - Faust is one of the most innovative and "adult" games I have ever seen. It stunned me at many times. You and your cohorts at Arxel did a lot of the work on the game and it shows.

The graphics are wonderful and the jazz soundtrack was so good - I ordered the Music CD.

The stories are definitely adult and a bit dark. However this is a classic morality tale and has an intriguing spin on what constitutes good/evil. It also seemed so probing of what is love, beauty and all those timeless moral issues.

Of all the brilliant features of this game it is the characters as developed seamlessly in the plot that were the best feature to me.

The character of Mephisto was so captivating. I know many love the voice over talent on this character, but it was the fallen angel perspective of "the devil" that had me mesmerized. Because Lucifer and his allies were told to have been angels who battled over the right to control the heavens and being vanquished established their own turf. I was intrigued by the twist that you applied - with the eastern take on good and evil. Or that good requires evil as a balance. Evil is not bad it just is and has it's own role in shaping the world and ourselves. This game provoked so much thought in me as I played and afterwards.

Ok, ok I know I rave on - but I do dearly admire this game. I rank Faust as one of the best games ever put out. I got Pilgrim based upon the strength of Faust and again was impressed by the philosophy present in the game. To you - I would quote a line that actually arises in Pilgrim - but one that myself and my 'warrior spirited son" really love. I think it is the most descriptive of your dedication to creating interactive fiction that is more than a beautifully rendered inventory hunt

"You must fight the good fight... and what is the good fight? It is the one that in your heart you know is right"

Laura



[This message has been edited by gatorlaw (edited 04-18-2001).]

First of all, I have to say Faust is my all time favorite game. I have played it 3 times and fine new nuances with each play.

Secondly, to Gatorlaw, I have been trying to locate the music cd. Where did you order it from?

I can't remember where I got it (was back in 1999) But I found a place here. The soundtrack is called "The Faust Experience" BTW

Faust Music

I'll see if I can find another source more local

Laura

I only played Faust once. It was my first game of that nature and It disturbed me. I usually keep my games, but Faust was one of the few I sold. Now that I'm a more experienced gamer, I think I would like to find another copy and play it again.

As for Mephisto, the wonderful voice aside, I really liked him. He had everything from charisma to taunting evil.

I'd love to see a sequel, but I have a feeling that it wouldn't be the same without Geoffery Bateman....

~Dee

Stephen was kind enough to send me the "Come here pussycat" wav. If you would like the wav, email me and I will be happy to send it to you. Bob won't be home until this evening to upload it to the GB server.

rmath106@aol.com

~Dee

I got it too! Finally I get to hear Mephisto in english! I played the Swedish version, and although Mephisto was fabulous in swedish too, I have to say that this was reaaaaally special...

Thanks Stephen!

He sent me the file, also. Wasn't that great of Stephen!
I don't want people to think that I just liked the voice acting; I loved the whole game and intend to play it again one day. This is how a great game is made, folks. The dark mood really didn't bother me, and I really got to care about the characters.
Mary

Very nicely done Ms. Dee

I think it was extra nice of Stephen to send this out to so many. I really hope he heads up another creative effort at some time..though I glad he is at Arxel in any position.

Laura

Faust is a great game...certainly one of my "Top ten"

The graphics were excellent, the story was excellent, and the voice acting..wow..just like everyone has said....luvvvv that voice!

Also, the puzzels were challanging but logical; the game can be completed without a walkthrough.

The darkness of the game really added to it...it is very interesting to explore the darker side of human nature...

Please, please, say that you will make more like it!!!!

Kelly

Stephen, can you share with us what you and Arxel are working on next? Anything for us to look forward to?

Thanks
nolalou

P.S. Maybe your team should take a vist to New Orleans, where I live. It makes a great setting for a game!

To everyone,

I forwarded your words of encouragement to the Team and be sure it had an impact. Making a game is a collective effort and more than thirty people were involved in this adventure. A hell of a team, believe me.

I have sent to MacDee a few more sound files to share with you. As soon I have a place to put it, I'll provide some more.

As long as the music CD is concerned, I am sorry but I don't have a clue as where to find it. I don't have a packaged copy myself. You'll understand that I can't just share the music with you like that (those Napster days are gone

Hi, Stephen,

Is Geoffrey Bateman computer literate? It would be wonderful if he could join our discussions, too! He has many fans! ;-)
Please let him know.

Thank you,

Yvonne

Nolalu: New Orleans would be an exceptional locale for an adventure game! Totally!

Stephen: Thank you for this exceptional, thought-provoking game. The perspective was unusual, to say the least. Very true that the yin-yang aspect of good-evil has a decidedly Eastern flavor. I particularly liked the technique of having the story revealed in little vignettes.

And I may just have to break down and to get that jazz CD!!!!!!

Hi Stephen, I have the fever to try the game now. I was just wondering if you can tell me where in the United States I can buy the dvd version of Faust? I have only seen it so far on the Cryo site and I'm not really sure how long it would take to ship from overseas or exactly how much it would cost with shipping. I would be much more comfortable buying it domestically if it is available. Thank you very much!

------------------
It's nice to be important but it is much more important to be nice.

Here is a very importand info for all people who want to play Faust: DONT TURN OFF THE SUBTITLES!!! Otherwise the hint system will not work, because all hints will only be written, not spoken. If you turn off the subtitles, the hints will also disappear....

I just wanted to let you know that I had a ton of requests for the wav files Stephen. They emailed me directly.....

Thank You again...

BTW(By The Way)...I think your English is wonderful.

~Dee

[This message has been edited by ~MacDee (edited 04-18-2001).]

There's hints?

ps: Thanks Stephan for the .wav files
(here kitty, kitty)

One source of the Faust CD is German Music Express www.musicexpress.com

Do a "search by CD/soundtrack/video title" for
Faust Experience
and a listing should appear.
Click the details link to get a picture of the cover.

German Music Express has much more reasonable shipping rates (4.95 per order) to the USA than most other European CD vendors. However it may take a while to get your CD. I've had them take anywhere between a couple of weeks to 2 months. It all depends on the availability of the CD.

Tower (in the USA) lists it as a special order
http://www.towerrecords.com/product.asp?pfid=1840065
But they charge more than German Music Express. You can see the track list there though.

I also located a source at the Amazon.com website in France.

Total was $24.64

Faust has been sitting on my shelf for 6 months now........My little P200 would not play it, but now since the BIG upgrade last week, please don't laugh, it was a free upgrade and that was all I could afford, to a P200MMX I can now load it up and see what all this Faust Fuss is all about.

I have been dieing to play this game and now with all the renewed interest here it is getting loaded up tonight! Especially since I finally finished ploughing my way through Dracula the Last Sanctuary tonight. Sorry folks didn't care much for that one, but that's a whole nuther story.

Stephen: Don't know if you ever checked out the game RING based on Wagner, but that is one of my all time favorites, so I am really looking forward to Faust.

Sassy

[This message has been edited by Sassy (edited 04-19-2001).]

To Sassy,

I hope you'll enjoy the Faust experience.

About Ring : did you check the credits ?;-)

To Space Quest Fan,

I checked and you can only get the DVD version from Cryo.
Sorry ;-)
The CDRom version is exactly the same though.

Yeah!! My music cd, Faust: The Experience, has been shipped.

GATORLAW Very well expressed, as was the remainder of your e-mail.

Thanks to everybody for the info on the DVD version. I sure appreciate all of your help.

------------------
It's nice to be important but it is much more important to be nice.

Advpuzlov,

Thanks for the positive feedback. I do tend to wax on - when I admire a game - so the compliment is really appreciated.

Laura

Hi,
I loved this game - certainly on my top 10 list.
I agree with advpuzlov that gatorlaw summed it up nicely. "Dark" and "adult" are two of my favourite things, and you rarely get them so well done in a game (if at all).
At the same time, this game contains some of the most moving scenes I have come across, and it is the only game where I have had to leave a location because of the affect it was having on me - the subterranean room in the Casanova chapter was one hell of a creepy place and I had to "come up for air" on more than one occassion.
It was the first game I played with Arxel involvement and I have sought out many more on the strength of it.
A great game and thanks for your time Stephen.

flotsam

OK, I took a look at the RING manual credits........
ROTFL

Stephen did you have any involvement in Ring?

I'm still in the Twins wagon having a good ol'time now that I turned down the audio acceleration and got rid of the stuttering. Game is playing great now even with the bare minimum requirements, which is rare in a game. I love the menu and save features also, very thoughtful for multiple players.

Sassy

To everyone,

To answer many question in one answer is here a list of the games we have already done and who are their main author. But do understand that for each of them, it is really a team work. The "author" or "lead game designer" as it is called in this barbaric world of ours is just a first "worker" in a line of dozens of creative and highly involved persons. Forgive me this little comment but there are so many "important" people who never get direct credit for their immense work… well, thanks to your kind comments, they do now since they can read your appreciation. ;-)

SO, here it comes:

Firstly, games which are 100% ours

Already out

- Pilgrim
LGD : Stephen
- Ring
LGD : Stephen
- Faust
LGD : Stephen

- The legend of the prophet and the assassin
- The secrets of Alamut
LGD : Philippe Girou
(don't hesitate to contact him at philippe@arxel.com)

Upcoming
- Casanova, the Duel of the Black Rose
LGD : Bostjan Troha
(don't hesitate to contact him at Bostjan@arxeltribe.com)

- Hitchcock: The Final Cut
LGD : Benoit Rullier (don't hesitate to contact him at Benoit@arxel.com)

Then, games we developed as third parties:
- Timescape
- The messenger (we did the graphics and animations)

Upcoming
- Jerusalem (sequel to Timescape)

And finally for the kids:
- Big teddy
- Adada

Upcoming
- Paddington


Here it is. The persons mentiond here as LGD stand at your disposal (including myself). Don't be afraid to mail them if you have questions, comments or just if you want to share something about the games. Nevertheless, they are not the right contacts for special requests or marketing or communication (I am mainly addressing here to website reviewers or administrators). For this kind of needs, please contact our PRinChief, Sophie Rebours at this address: sophie@arxel.com.

That's it, fellow adventurers. Have a good play.

And now, for a personal favour… ;-)

It is very hard for us to know exactly who is buying and enjoying our games.
And it is a real frustration for the creators who would often love to have a clearer picture of their core audience.

So… you would greatly help us if you could provide me with some information about you (I swear I won't send it to the FBI, eurh I meant Marketing ;-)

Here are my questions to you. Whoever answers wins my eternal gratitude (I know, I know… but that's all I have to offer know ;-)

Name ? (any, true, false… it is only important to identify your profile)
Age?
Occupation?
Marital status?

Your computer configuration?
Your top five games ever?
Do you mainly play alone or with… ?
Why do you like adventure gaming?
What do you expect from this kind of games?
Top 5 reasons that will make you buy a game?
What will make you stop playing a game you've bought?
What is your position regarding graphic violence in games?
What is your position regarding erotic elements in games?
Where do you mainly buy your games (shops/on-line)?

What would you like to see in a game and you feel is still missing?

OK, I'll stop here. Those who want to answer me can do it either on Gameboomers (if you want to start a discussion about it) or on my private Email: stephen@arxel.com).

And, to you all, believe my sincerity when I say that knowing you a bit better is the only way to make better games for you.

Read you soon,

Stephen

I for one will have that (shhhhh marketing) data sent out today.

BTW (by the way) the err... marital question - does that mean you are available? heh-heh

Hmmm if I did have to do it all over again - an in house game designer would be fabulous!


sorry for the teasing, it's early and I haven't had enough coffee yet..

Laura

I too sent a mail to Stephen. It's rare to have the opportunity to actually have an input on decision of what games to make! I too was wondering about the single-question... But then, here it's late, and I have had way too much coffee...

It's early here right now, I'm on my first cup of coffee, as soon as I reach my second cup I will be sending my info to Stephen gladly. And Stephen, it is very gratifying to meet a designer who cares so much. I have the deepest admiration for all who have a hand in a games design.

~Dee

Thanks for so many answers in a day ;-))
Have a good week end.

PS for Laura : the main problem with having a game designer at home is that, basically, well... he is never at home. ;-) bye

Nice to see that list of upcoming titles!

I didn't know there was a Hitchcock game in the works! (I assume we ARE talking about THE Hitchcock!)

Wonder when we can expect these, and which is furthest along?

I checked arxel-tribe's web page, and found a little info (more like a teaser) on Hitchcock, including a short video of Hitchcock dancing to a jazz tune!

go to:

www.arxeltribe.com

then click on the orange box (3rd from left) at the bottom of the page for "works in progress", then click downloads for the video.

Stephen my reply will be sent to your email address tomorrow. Sorry for the delay but figuring out my top five all time games is tough. Thanks for your interest and please work on getting the Faust dvd released in the U.S. please. Just reading this thread really makes me want to try this game out.

------------------
It's nice to be important but it is much more important to be nice.

I have to admit that price is a BIG factor in the purchase of my games. I am very hesitant to purchase a $40 game but will quickly purchase a $20 game even if the reviews were so-so. I will purchase a $40 game if the reviews for that game state that it has a very GOOD story line and is not overly short. The Longest Journey is an example and also Grim Fandango and Curse of Monkey Island. I hate to say that money matters but it does. I was wanting to purchase Chateau but it seems as though it is rather short for the money, so I may wait a bit. I'm really looking forward to Schizm and will probably pay the full price for it.
Nancy

I consider money spent on games as an investment. I collect them and love looking at the boxes on my shelves.

I was only planning to get the regular box for the new Myst 3, but when I saw that darling little Squee toy, I had to have it! That, plus the fact that it also includes the Strategy Guide with it, made up my mind to pay the hefty price of $60 for the Collector's Edition! It will go with my 'signature' collector's edition of Riven! Had this been just any other sequel, I would have had to think twice before paying that much for a game. This is the exception, rather than the rule.

Like most people, I think nothing at spending $20 for a game. It's not much of a gamble when you consider that they used to go for about $40 or more a few years back. Dreamcatcher takes all the credit for that! I have every one of their games, I believe. A couple of them were disappointing, but they were still valuable as trades.

OTOH, I'd have to think long and hard before I'd purchase an Interplay game. I sent in a mail-in rebate for one and never did get it! So I guess it depends on the publisher as well.

I had to think about buying Faust, for that matter, as I wasn't that familiar with Arxel at the time. NOW, I can't wait for the Hitchcock games to come out! I'll stand in line for those... even without reading a preview first. They promise to be very interesting! ;-)

ha-ha-ha That's so true Stephen. I was married to a Cartoonist/ TV editorialist and he was never home - so I moved to the studio Most folks thought I was a producer.

I hope everyone noticed the Timescape sequal - Jeruselum. Now that is good news. I also have been folowing the Hitchcock game. It looks like another Arxel gem.

Laura

Space Quest my hardest answer is coming up with 5 reasons to buy a game - I can only come up with two -

#1 Because it's there and
#2 Because of Laura

Stephen I wish to thank you and Emma for clarifying the meaning behind the dark room scene. I don't know if I could ever listen to it again but at least I now have a better understanding of what was happening.

The game up until that point and afterward was truly wonderful - in fact the chapter on Giselle really struck a chord with me because I have an extremely overweight niece. I remember all the ribbing and rude comments made to her as she was growing up - and like Giselle, she is one of the sweetest human beings I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

Now Syd... You know that can't be your game purchase incentive - cause I only buy them cause of you and cause they are there. heh-heh

Hey we are single handedly egging each other on and saving the genre. We rule bwah-ha-ha-ha

cough, cough , sputter - time for some more coffee.

Laura



[This message has been edited by gatorlaw (edited 04-21-2001).]

I too loved the game. But more importantly, the music was awesome. To hear Sarah Vaughn, my all time favorite jazz singer, and Nat "King" Cole while I am playing a computer game was almost too good to be true. I was unaware that there is a soundtrack associated with the game. Very fitting.
I commend you in your choice of music, as it serves to memorialize these great artists in a different medium where otherwise the paths may never cross.

Hi Stephen,
Who do I Email to find out if certain games are back in stock yet??? I want to order 3 more.

------------------
granny goodwitch ( I'll have that Double BAAGed, please )

A woman NEVER shot a man while he was doing dishes!

Granny, you can order these games directly thorugh Arxel at their on-line store

Pilgrim
Legend of the Prophet and the Assasin
Legend 2

Go here: Arxel Shop

Pompeii (Timescape)
Ring
Faust
Messenger (Louvre)

Can be ordered through Dreamcatcher at:
Dreamcatcher

And Paris 1313 is soon to be available at

Playing Games

Laura

[This message has been edited by gatorlaw (edited 04-21-2001).]

I got such a wonderful response to the darkroom episode that I thought that maybe someone could explain the very end to me.
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SPOILER
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Mephisto says that he loves Gisele and then wants out of being the demon. Is it because of Gisele? And why exactly was Faust voted to be the proprietor, they mentioned that he had lost his wings because of the trouble he caused in the park. Nancy

Excellent topic Nancy.


I thought about this myself for quite a while. I do believe that Mephisto was in his role as a sort of penance/ purgatory. A curse in a way. To leave he needs a replacement. The replacement in turn has the chance to redeem themselves for some past life choice. Mephisto struck me through out this game as a weary spirit. One who had this "role" assigned to him as the arbitor of who has led a life worthy of redemption and who had not. The temptations offered up my him were trials of that comitment to lead a worthy life.

I definitely believe that Giselle had such a pure spirit that after all the tortured and greedy spirits he had encountered - he was enraptured. This "love" also pained him and made him so weary of his assigned path in the scheme of good and evil.

I did wonder at Fausts choices that led him here (there were some vague hints as I recall) However - I decided that the what and where was probably unimportant. It was about who he really was instead.

Any other insight on the Faustian choice at the end and Mephisto/ Giselle ? I really enjoyed this ending.

Laura

I ordered Pilgrim, Legend of the Prophet, and Secrets of Alamut (Legend 2) from the Arxel online shop way back on March 15. They charged my credit card immediately and my games are still nowhere in sight. Arxel refuses to answer emails. The last one I received was on April 4, saying the games were on back order and someone would get back to me about why I hadn't been contacted earlier. No one got back with me. As far as I know they STILL haven't got the games in.

Although I enjoy Arxel's games, I wouldn't recommend their online shop to anyone. My experience is not unique either, judging by what I've read over at the JA forum.

It doesn't seem to me to be such a difficult thing to make sure you have the merchandise in stock before you go charging your customers' credit cards. No other reputable online vendor that I know of does that. You charge when the item is shipped, not months in advance.

[This message has been edited by Jenny100 (edited 04-22-2001).]

Laura, I really like your take on the ending. It was such a surprise that Mephisto admitted caring about Giselle because I saw his character as being the devil at first.
This ending shows the ability of evil to become good, maybe that nothing is black and white.

And Jenny100, sorry to hear about the purchasing issue with Arxel. I'm sure you'll get the games eventually but it would be nice to not be charged until they're shipped. Not getting an e-mail/phone call back from someone is the world's number 1 pet pevee I believe. Hope you hear soon

I'm shocked to hear that, Jenny. I was just about ready to order Pilgrim from them.

Thank you for letting us know.

I feel certain that Stephen is unaware of this and will get to the bottom of it. I know that he'll make it right.

Please let us know what happens.

Yvonne

Jenny - I ordered Legend 1 and 2 on the 15th also. They also charged it on my CC. I got the same mail about the delay due to unexpected heavy demand.

I did receive a more recent mail on April 4th that said my games had shipped on 3/26. I am really starting to doubt this as no games have arrived. I ordered Comer from Hong Kong and it was here in 2 or 3 weeks tops.

I really love their products - but am chalking this one up to total inexperience with shipping and orders of product. I had been thinking about this all week. I am sending another e-mail tomorrow re: the no delivery (4 weeks now) since the supposed ship date and to get a status report for all here as to what the @#!% is going on. Whew - feel better.

I'll post as soon as I hear anything.

Laura

Thanks Jenny and Laura. I think I will wait to order until I hear how your orders come out. I sure wish someone in the states was selling the DVD version.

------------------
It's nice to be important but it is much more important to be nice.

I was told that the two "sequels" to Pilgrim are going to be released here in the States later on this year by Dreamcatcher, so for those of you who are willing to wait (waiting is not in our vocabulary, I know! ), I believe there will be another way to obtain them in a few months.

Hello to everyone,

Oups, I missed a few days.

To Laura and others discussing the meaning of the ending in Faust and the motivations of Mephisto, I'll come back to you later with a detailed answer (but I don't have much more to say than what Laura already said ;-)...

GENERALLY ABOUT OUR ONLINE SHOP AND THE PROBLEMS YOU ARE EXPERIENCING :

Let me apologize again in the name of the company. I can't give you more than: an explanation/a promise/an apology.

The reason for the delay is simply that we opened the shop and received orders exceeding by far our most optimistic expectations which led us to order re-prints in GB language for some products. I was assured that the remaining missing copies would be shipped at the latest next week. As you can imagine, this whole story came at the same time as a very good surprise and a terrible one since we ended up generating frustration and (justified) resentment.

A promise : I don't have the detail of all operations but they told me all left orders would be shipped next week. This is just for reassurance, the promise being "it will never happen again". I am well aware that most of the resentment comes from the "billed but not sent" factor. We are working on that too. Be sure that your order is secured and that no one will be wronged at the end.

An apology : let me restate it, we are utterly sorry for this inconvenience.

I am not going to disappear from this site so you can depend on me personally to transmit your "discontentment" and answer your questions.

Regards to all,

Stephen

Stephen your attention to all of us Boomers is wonderful and appreciated.

I really thank you for the update on the Arxel shop and late orders. I have to admit I was getting a wee bit nervous myself. I also understand this is not your responsibility or area at Arxel - so it was great of you to take the time to track this info down. I guess this is the kind of problem (swamped with orders) that sounds great but can actually be a big headache til production is sped up to meet the unexpected demand.

Looking forward to more of your delightful posts

Laura

[This message has been edited by gatorlaw (edited 04-24-2001).]

What Laura said!

About the Giselle/Mephisto relationship. I was absoluty stunned that he'd taken such a shine to her, but somehow it also felt like he used her somewhat, to be able to step aside from his "profession".

I'm thinking about that he lured Faust to stray away from the mission, making him look the other way when Mephisto let Giselle die and re-unite with her parents in heaven. (And THAT story, about the painting, her legacy so to speak... was only talked about, but really gave me the creeps, brrrr!)



[This message has been edited by emma (edited 04-24-2001).]

Emma,

You brought up some very interesting points that I hadn't thought about. There was some elements of self-serving actions on Mephisto's part. Hmmmmm

Really neat slant on the end motives.

Laura

I felt that Mephisto did most everything to suit himself and only allowed himself to care about Giselle because it suit his end and motives. I do wonder though if pure goodness can have a taming effect on the evil spirit of Mephisto. She was the only true good person in the game. I know it's a game but I really felt for her and her loneliness. Nancy

Dear Boomers,

The problem I have here is that we are talking about Mephisto, a very powerful archetype. Mephisto is a demon, not the devil. In Goethe's play, he is obeying the orders of God, his only master. Let's go back to the roots, so to speak

Extract from "Faust" prologue :

Mephistopheles

Since thou, O Lord, approachest us once more, And how it fares with us, to ask art fain, Since thou hast kindly welcom'd me of yore, Thou see'st me also now among thy train. Excuse me, fine harangues I cannot make, Though all the circle look on me with scorn; My pathos soon thy laughter would awake, Hadst thou the laughing mood not long forsworn. Of suns and worlds I nothing have to say, I see alone mankind's self - torturing pains. The little world - god still the self - same stamp retains, And is as wondrous now as on the primal day. Better he might have fared, poor wight, Hadst thou not given him a gleam of heavenly light; Reason, he names it, and doth so Use it, than brutes more brutish still to grow. With deference to your grace, he seems to me Like any long - legged grasshopper to be, Which ever flies, and flying springs, And in the grass its
ancient ditty sings. Would he but always in the grass repose! In every heap of dung he thrusts his nose.

The Lord

Hast thou naught else to say/ Is blame In coming here, as ever, thy sole aim? Does nothing on the earth to thee seem right?

Mephistopheles

No, Lord! I find things there, as ever, in sad plight. Men, in their evil days, move
my compassion; Such sorry things to plague is nothing worth.

Hi,
I come a bit late in the discussion,but I just have to say that I loved Faust.It was dark,and very thoughtful,a welcome change from most games,which might be enjoyable,but offer very little food for thought.Keep up the good work!

I wonder if I'm the only person who didn't think Faust was dark. It had tragic elements but it didn't seem to me to be any darker than real life.

No you're not, JENNY100. I detected some wry humor in him and even a bit of sentimentality. As I am sure ARXEL_STEPHEN knows, whatever a poet produces, once it is published, its interpretation is no longer in his hands. I am sure many a poet has wondered, "How did they get that idea out of my poem!"