EGA vs. VGA Script Differences

[Fronzel]

I recently heard about there being significant differences between the EGA and VGA versions of Loom, including the script. I played through both versions and found that the VGA script is not simply an abridged version of the EGA but is re-written with most lines being worded slightly differently at least and sometimes quite a bit more different; some scenes have different tones, such as the shepherds blocking the way to the pasture simply barring Bobbin's passage in the EGA but jeering and mocking him in the VGA.

For my own interest I'd like to more closely compare the two scripts, even if I have to transcribe them myself (it's a short game, after all). Firstly I want to ask if there's a quicker alternative; secondly I'd accept advice on what form the comparison should be in. My current idea is to use a spreadsheet and put the two version side by side, putting similar lines directly next to each other and allowing for blank spaces in one column if one version has a line that has no analogue in the other.

If I do this I'd like to make it available to others so the work put in is more valuable. Is there a better place to distribute it than just, say, linking a file on this Steam forum?

[Fronzel]

I finished this ages ago but forgot that I had posted about it here on Steam.

I've got the script comparison in a Google sheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/123XL6kmSrSF7ntbcFoJY1EVrxmMnCiYTCZ3OQ6k9sQg/edit?usp=sharing

I hope the formatting will be self-explanatory.

I proofread it once but feel free to mention anything which might make it better.

There are a number of subtractions from the VGA compared to the EGA as well as fewer additions, but the most wide-ranging change is in Bobbin's personality; in the original EGA he’s sardonic and spunky in a low-key way while he’s hapless and easily flustered in the VGA.

Some smaller-scale differences that stood out to me:

The confrontation between the Weaver Elders and Hetchel is the biggest example of the VGA simply being shorter and lesser than the EGA. The VGA version loses the character of a judicial trial with a prosecution, a defense (or at least a less hostile figure) and a judge between them. The EGA also makes clear that Hetchel is being punished for teaching Bobbin weaving while in the VGA it’s not clear this is what is meant by “secrets”. This risks making the player expect further revelations later which do not come.

The shepherds are much more hostile and aggressive in the VGA version; they have a lot of fun at Bobbin’s expense rather than just refusing to let him pass. This sense of antagonism could increase the satisfaction when Bobbin gets past them with what amounts to a prank although it could raise the question of why Bobbin should want to help them as he does shortly afterwards if they’re a bunch of jerks except for their leader.

Speaking of Fleece, her dialogue is cut down in the VGA which unfortunately removes the mildly comical misunderstanding where she mistakes Bobbin for a wizard she hired; instead she seems to open up to a stranger about her Guild’s problems for no particular reason which is pretty strange and also does not follow up on the comment from the guards about her having hired a wizard.

In the EGA the Glassmakers have a mercantile bent to them; Goodmold finds a reason to mention the catalog of goods they have for sale, Crucible says “the customer is always right” in response to Mandible complaining, and Flute and Stopper have distinctly different diction and manners when they talk among themselves compared to when they’re talking to Bobbin (an outsider/potential customer). The only thing that survives in the VGA is Goodmold quipping “you break it, you buy it”. This doesn't just reduce the personality of the Guild, it minimizes the reason they're dealing with a shady character like Mandible. Flute and Stopper talk about Crucible being a money-grubber but the entire Guild seems angled that way in the EGA.

One touch I did like in the VGA version of this part was that the graphics are able to depict the glass buildings as being translucent and it has Bobbin segue into asking about the swans by mentioning they have a good view of the sky (even indoors).

In the EGA Bobbin realizes something is up when his magical disguise disapears and that it means it's possible that something happened to Rusty. He seems to forget about this until he sees Rusty's corpse later which could make him seem a bit cold. The VGA removes this which is arguably an improvement.

In a huge and possibly accidental change, in the VGA it seems as if Mandible needs Bobbin's distaff to unleash the spirits of the dead while in the EGA he mentions "other methods" he had been planning to use before Bobbin showed up. That seems like a handwave but almost every group of people Bobbin encounters uses some kind of magic so I suppose it's believable. Regardless, the VGA version appears to make Bobbin indirectly responsible for the disaster that befalls the world at the end. You could argue this is interesting (especially in the possibility for sequels which unfortunately never happened) but it creates a serious contradiction; Mandible had been making preparations for his army before Bobbin showed up. Why would he do that if to suceed he needed something he only gained by chance?

Bobbin cuts a more heroic figure in the VGA during the final sequence, promising to return to fight Chaos. He's more passive in the EGA, following his mother's lead whose future intentions are unclear.

[DarkMoe]

thanks for the work, and returning ! It was very fun to finally see all the differences

[Hellish Fiend]

Originally posted by Fronzel:

In a huge and possibly accidental change, in the VGA it seems as if Mandible needs Bobbin's distaff to unleash the spirits of the dead while in the EGA he mentions "other methods" he had been planning to use before Bobbin showed up. That seems like a handwave but almost every group of people Bobbin encounters uses some kind of magic so I suppose it's believable. Regardless, the VGA version appears to make Bobbin indirectly responsible for the disaster that befalls the world at the end. You could argue this is interesting (especially in the possibility for sequels which unfortunately never happened) but it creates a serious contradiction; Mandible had been making preparations for his army before Bobbin showed up. Why would he do that if to suceed he needed something he only gained by chance?

Yeah, the whole prophecy aspect (the third shadow) wouldn't make sense unless Mandible would have been able to summon Chaos regardless of Bobbin's involvement. So, Bobbin's arrival near the place and time of the rupture Mandible opens in the pattern actually makes a great deal of sense if that moment represented an unavoidable major convergence which Bobbin - being himself partially spawned from the Pattern - is highly sensitive to.

Such a great story! Thanks for your hard work on this.

[Faye Strawberry]

Whoa! Thank you for all your hard work and for posting it here, Fronzel! This is fascinating to read.