In November of 2016, we ran an article about toilets in videogames, and what they can teach us about game design: A good crapper is a fundamental anchor to reality in a virtual world, but more importantly, "a toilet is a porcelain window into the soul of the artist who created it." It really is a big deal, and so Thimbleweed Park co-creator Ron Gilbert was justifiably proud when he tweeted earlier this week about the cans in his upcoming game.
Proud the say the toilets in @thimbleweedpark are vitual toilet compliant: https://t.co/fXyO6W1IvW … https://t.co/oNrZ7RZin2 pic.twitter.com/fQtwZIOWoZJanuary 10, 2017
But almost immediately, Kotaku Australia noticed something wrong: The toilet paper in the scene rolled under, rather than over! A furor erupted, but Gilbert stood his ground. "The more people complain about the toiletpaper in @thimbleweedpark, the less likely I am to change it because I know how much it annoys you," he tweeted. "Mwahahahaha!"
Yet somewhere along the way, he had a change of heart—or maybe he was just messing with us all along. Whatever his reasons, Gilbert announced today that Thimbleweed Park players will be able to choose for themselves which way the paper rolls, thanks to a new, user-selectable "over/under" TP setting.
"Bombarded with an unprecedented number of consumer complaints, the developers of the upcoming Thimbleweed Park videogame have buckled under the pressure and added an 'over' option for Thimbleweed Park's numerous toilet paper holders. Players will be able to switch between 'under' and 'over' using a toggle function in the game menu," the announcement says. "When approached for comment, Ron '@GrumpyGamer' Gilbert went on record saying, '*bleep* Thimbleweed Park, I can't wait for this game to be finished.'"
Now, you might think that this is all a big joke, but Gilbert insisted in a follow-up tweet that, "Yes, we did it and it will be in the final game." A Thimbleweed Park rep also confirmed the new menu option in an email, saying, "It's totally real. They added a toggle in the game menu so you can switch between over and under."
I have nothing further to add, except that Thimbleweed Park has likely locked up the Best Menu Option of 2017 award 13 days in. Evidence of the new ass-napkins in action can be seen below. Thimbleweed Park is expected to be ready for release in the first quarter of 2017.
