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The Rumpus Room / Re: The funny pics thread? :)
« on: Yesterday at 12:44 »
So, I tried my hand at making a new comic:
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Adventure Related Talk & Chat / Re: What is your view regarding jokes in horror adventure games? Like or dislike? ;)
« on: 16 Aug 2018, 11:09 »
I think the others in this thread has already made some really good points, though I'd like to add that probably one of the biggest pitfalls of not only horror,
but any serious story in general, is to have an otherwise dark and mature atmosphere, but then tacking on silly jokes geared towards kids as an afterthought.
Comedy in horror can work very well if the comedy itself is related to the story and setting, and will often work best with dark humor or gallows humor,
whereas the works that fail usually have goofy jokes that feels like they were lifted straight from a kid's show and doesn't fit with the tone or atmosphere at all.
One of the worst offenders in this regard are the Gargoyles in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (I know it isn't a horror movie, but still a good example of how bad comedy can ruin good storytelling),
for while they serve as fun sidekicks for the protagonist Quasimodo to discuss his motives and intentions with in the beginning of the movie, they very quickly wear out their welcome when the story takes a serious turn,
and at several times the rest of the plot is forced to a grinding halt so that the gargoyles can do some dumb slapstick or pop-culture references.
Probably the low point of the film is when we've just seen the villain tearing up Paris, burning houses with people still locked inside and committing ethnic cleansing
of the romani minority, only for the movie to cut to the Gargoyles joking about grilling a sausage above the flames and having a song number full of pop-culture gags.
In my opinion, if you want to use comedy in horror, you should try to:
- Use dark humor to highlight the grim situation
- Have the characters make a quip about how absurd it all is, being hunted by monsters/stuck in a haunted house/whatever the situation is
- Having somebody be killed in an ironic fashion
- Having the characters joke about each others fears and flaws
But you should avoid:
- Using goofy kid humor, like jokes about polka-dotted underwear, potty humor, silly dancing excetera
- Making pop cultural references to works that aren't horror
- Making jokes during the tense climax and third-act resolution of the main plot
- Adding a comedy relief character who has no story purpose or personality outside being "funny" (this is how you end up with Jar Jar Binks)
but any serious story in general, is to have an otherwise dark and mature atmosphere, but then tacking on silly jokes geared towards kids as an afterthought.
Comedy in horror can work very well if the comedy itself is related to the story and setting, and will often work best with dark humor or gallows humor,
whereas the works that fail usually have goofy jokes that feels like they were lifted straight from a kid's show and doesn't fit with the tone or atmosphere at all.
One of the worst offenders in this regard are the Gargoyles in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (I know it isn't a horror movie, but still a good example of how bad comedy can ruin good storytelling),
for while they serve as fun sidekicks for the protagonist Quasimodo to discuss his motives and intentions with in the beginning of the movie, they very quickly wear out their welcome when the story takes a serious turn,
and at several times the rest of the plot is forced to a grinding halt so that the gargoyles can do some dumb slapstick or pop-culture references.
Probably the low point of the film is when we've just seen the villain tearing up Paris, burning houses with people still locked inside and committing ethnic cleansing
of the romani minority, only for the movie to cut to the Gargoyles joking about grilling a sausage above the flames and having a song number full of pop-culture gags.
In my opinion, if you want to use comedy in horror, you should try to:
- Use dark humor to highlight the grim situation
- Have the characters make a quip about how absurd it all is, being hunted by monsters/stuck in a haunted house/whatever the situation is
- Having somebody be killed in an ironic fashion
- Having the characters joke about each others fears and flaws
But you should avoid:
- Using goofy kid humor, like jokes about polka-dotted underwear, potty humor, silly dancing excetera
- Making pop cultural references to works that aren't horror
- Making jokes during the tense climax and third-act resolution of the main plot
- Adding a comedy relief character who has no story purpose or personality outside being "funny" (this is how you end up with Jar Jar Binks)
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The Rumpus Room / Re: What grinds my gears!
« on: 14 Aug 2018, 18:38 »
@Danvzare
I agree, it reminds me of when people say stuff like "You totally have to watch this show! Sure, it starts off really bad, but after the first two seasons it gets good!". I used to be less picky with what games I played and what books I read and so on when I was a teenager, but at some point you will realize that your time isn't infinite, and time spent watching a bad show or playing a bad game is time wasted that you could have spent watching something actually good, and I'm done wasting my free time on something mediocre just in the hopes that it could potentially turn good in the future. I have a personal rule, that if a piece of entertainment fails to give me any intrigue, entertainment or any other good reason to keep watching within the first 15 minutes, I'm done with it, and I've never regretted having that rule.
I agree, it reminds me of when people say stuff like "You totally have to watch this show! Sure, it starts off really bad, but after the first two seasons it gets good!". I used to be less picky with what games I played and what books I read and so on when I was a teenager, but at some point you will realize that your time isn't infinite, and time spent watching a bad show or playing a bad game is time wasted that you could have spent watching something actually good, and I'm done wasting my free time on something mediocre just in the hopes that it could potentially turn good in the future. I have a personal rule, that if a piece of entertainment fails to give me any intrigue, entertainment or any other good reason to keep watching within the first 15 minutes, I'm done with it, and I've never regretted having that rule.
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AGS Games in Production / Re: Tardigrades ©
« on: 14 Aug 2018, 13:10 »Exactly, and even if both works do share a giant Tardigrade, you have to ignore pretty much all surrounding context in order to accuse one of simply being a ripoff of the other.It’s weird that there are trolls accusing YOU of plagiarism. You just have to have a basic understanding of how time works in order to know that’s not the case.If you wanna troll you don't let things like logic or facts stand in your way.
It reminds me of people accusing Disney's Atlantis of ripping off Stargate, because both movies feature a protagonist who leads a team of explorers to an ancient civilization and eventually falls in love with a local princess while discovering their history,
but at the same time both stories are drastically different in things such as the setting, who the villain is and what tone the story has, and you could list just as many differences as similarities.
On this logic alone, you could accuse every singe fantasy book to be a ripoff of Tolkien, or all sci-fi of stealing from Flash Gordon.
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Competitions & Activities / Re: MAGS July “Shocking” (VOTING)
« on: 13 Aug 2018, 22:06 »
My thoughts on the games so far:
Stories of the unexpected: 'Until further notice' by Slasher
Welcome to Nod River by Mandle
The Lightning Spell by Buckethead
Pizza Calls by VampireWombat
The Shaft by Kastchey
I ended up voting for:
Stories of the unexpected: 'Until further notice' by Slasher
Add spoiler tag for Hidden:
Add spoiler tag for Hidden:
Add spoiler tag for Hidden:
Add spoiler tag for Hidden:
Add spoiler tag for Hidden:
I ended up voting for:
Add spoiler tag for Hidden:
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Adventure Related Talk & Chat / Re: Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure
« on: 11 Aug 2018, 12:30 »
I already added it to my Steam wishlist! 
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AGS Games in Production / Re: Z&ZC: Zniw Adventure - 95% completed (up. 01.08.2018)
« on: 10 Aug 2018, 19:58 »
It's like a children's storybook come to life! 
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The Rumpus Room / Re: The funny pics thread? :)
« on: 09 Aug 2018, 22:17 »In soviet Russia, tube carries crowIt's so big, are you sure it's not a raven?
Anyway, I've read that Moscow's homeless dogs have learned to travel the subway on their own, so it wouldn't surprise me if crows and ravens eventually followed suit.
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The Rumpus Room / Re: What grinds my gears!
« on: 09 Aug 2018, 22:15 »You should have seen/tasted the UK's first commercial frozen pizza's....From my travels in Scotland, I've found most of the UK's food in general to be kind of greasy and not having much taste.
Beyond words... YUK springs to mind with the taste of cardboard...
Still though, there's no excuse for uneven pizza toppings. The most annoying part for me is when the shredded cheese is spread out so that it's all over the edges, giving you no way of eating the pizza without getting your hands dirty,
or in worst case scenario drip down over the crust and down into the oven.
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Completed Game Announcements / Re: Unavowed
« on: 08 Aug 2018, 20:40 »
Big congratulations on the release, I'll need to get around to playing it once I find the time!
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Adventure Related Talk & Chat / Re: Share your game ideas!
« on: 07 Aug 2018, 22:13 »
Here's an idea for an adventure game:
Ever since I first read the legend about The book of Thoth, I wanted to see the story get a modern adaption, and I think it'd lend itself well to an interactive game with several puzzles and spell-casting mechanics.
The story revolves around prince Setna, son of pharaoh Ramses the second, and his quest for the book of Thoth, a magical book containing the secrets of the god of wisdom. But the book is hidden in the tomb of the sorcerer Neferkaptah, whom himself was cursed to see his family die and then taking his own life after stealing the book and his mummy now has sworn to guard it for all eternity. After challenging Neferkaptah to play a board game (where Setna sinks further into the ground by each turn he loses!) and being rescued by his brother, Setna manages to steal the book, but Neferkaptah curses him as he leaves the tomb. Soon, Setna finds himself in a living nightmare and unable to tell illusions from reality.
Here is the full story.
If you've read the story, it's obvious that it's not only a great story with a timeless message, but the ancient egyptian setting paired with hunting for a MacGuffin inside an old tomb would make an excellent plot for an adventure game with built-in puzzles and riddles alongside an in-story boss battle sequence where you'd get to play a game against an undead sorcerer prince. Why wouldn't anyone want to adapt this story?
Ever since I first read the legend about The book of Thoth, I wanted to see the story get a modern adaption, and I think it'd lend itself well to an interactive game with several puzzles and spell-casting mechanics.
The story revolves around prince Setna, son of pharaoh Ramses the second, and his quest for the book of Thoth, a magical book containing the secrets of the god of wisdom. But the book is hidden in the tomb of the sorcerer Neferkaptah, whom himself was cursed to see his family die and then taking his own life after stealing the book and his mummy now has sworn to guard it for all eternity. After challenging Neferkaptah to play a board game (where Setna sinks further into the ground by each turn he loses!) and being rescued by his brother, Setna manages to steal the book, but Neferkaptah curses him as he leaves the tomb. Soon, Setna finds himself in a living nightmare and unable to tell illusions from reality.
Add spoiler tag for Hidden:
If you've read the story, it's obvious that it's not only a great story with a timeless message, but the ancient egyptian setting paired with hunting for a MacGuffin inside an old tomb would make an excellent plot for an adventure game with built-in puzzles and riddles alongside an in-story boss battle sequence where you'd get to play a game against an undead sorcerer prince. Why wouldn't anyone want to adapt this story?
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The Rumpus Room / Re: The funny pics thread? :)
« on: 04 Aug 2018, 10:23 »
I've tried my hand in making a new comic, what do you think?
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Recruitment / Re: Commissar's Contrapasso - translations
« on: 04 Aug 2018, 10:20 »
Since insomnia212 recently told me he didn't have time to translate, I'm asking if any other AGSer want to translate the game into Spanish.
I'm also still looking for anyone willing to translate the game into German.
I'm also still looking for anyone willing to translate the game into German.
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Completed Game Announcements / Re: Commissar's Contrapasso
« on: 02 Aug 2018, 16:23 »Cool review.Good idea!
Maybe you should point her to play your other games in the "series".
The ending of the Blackadder series is one of the pinacle moments in television history!Yes, there are very few stories out there that successfully mixes comedy and seriousness, and even fewer stories about war that does that. That's why I think this is probably the most powerful moment in any warmovie ever made,
Who would have thought that such a farcical show could end in that way?
I can see now how it influenced your story-telling, having played your games.
because the sudden and immediate shift of tone between soldiers happily singing as they march and the reality of war still feel like a punch in the guts every time I watch it.
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Completed Game Announcements / Re: Commissar's Contrapasso
« on: 01 Aug 2018, 17:37 »
My game have gotten a written review at Tasta!
Here is a link to read it!
And please don't forget to add a rating on the AGS page if you've played the game!
Here is a link to read it!
And please don't forget to add a rating on the AGS page if you've played the game!
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Competitions & Activities / Re: MAGS August "Censorship" (OPEN)
« on: 01 Aug 2018, 16:04 »I usually don't have a problem with anthropomorphic animals as long as it's safe for work, though I can stick to drawing backgrounds and inventory if you'd prefer drawing the characters yourself.I like your idea!
I don't have any good MAGS idea myself, and I'd be happy to lend a hand doing graphics or similar if you'd want to collaborate.
Okay... er, it does have anthro animal characters, so if you're uncomfortable with those, maybe you could make up the rooms, and I (and/or another person) could handle the characters and inventory.
You could probably do some interesting social commentary using different animals in the same vein as Zootopia or classic fables.
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Competitions & Activities / Re: MAGS August "Censorship" (OPEN)
« on: 01 Aug 2018, 14:05 »Maybe for my case, maybe someone had spraypainted profane words on the main character's shop, and she (the main character is female) needs to find some way to wash it off to keep her store family friendly. Just a thought... for now.I like your idea!
[Add-on] For the spraypainted swearwords, I plan to convert the characters into Wingdings characters, and then make them "objects". That'd be the "censorship" part--a "creative censoring", if you will.
I don't have any good MAGS idea myself, and I'd be happy to lend a hand doing graphics or similar if you'd want to collaborate.
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General Discussion / Re: AGS Image Host?
« on: 30 Jul 2018, 14:20 »That'd be great, I always feel sad when I look at old forum threads and all the pictures are gone because whatever site they were hosted on is gone.The only thing that would make sense in my eyes is to support direct image uploading in the forums. But that would cause even more traffic and generate costs for AGA and so on.
I can do that. Bandwidth isn't really an issue.
It would make a lot more sense for images to be hosted here, where basically they'd stay until AGS is no longer a thing...
Please do
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General Discussion / Re: A cat outside the building
« on: 29 Jul 2018, 22:01 »
Like what the others said, if the cat is still young it should have decent chances to be adopted in an animal shelter.
