Emily Enough: Imprisoned (Version 1.2 w/ Bug Fixes)

[ildu]

Ok, so I finished it. I still think it was great. The ending was just a tad abrupt and maybe a little predictable. I don't know why but this game made me reminisce about Beavis and Butthead in Virtual Stupidity (I loved that game). I would've put some more time into the main menu background, myself. Also, the story screens looked a bit dodgy. Dark green with a pretty basic font on a black background didn't do it for me. I'm just imagining how cool it would've looked if the beginning story screens were replaced with appearing newspaper clippings of headlines about Emily's murders.

I have started playing 5 days and 7 days, but at the time I was very pressed for time and I didn't continue them further. I really couldn't get sucked into them. They just didn't seem like the type that would do it for me.

I didn't mean generic literally. I wanted to give some negative remark so that I wouldn't be perceived as a fanboi. In search for a better word, I thought the music was well-made in all aspects, but didn't change with the flow of the events in the story. This hardly takes away any points in my book. If you were to ask me, I wouldn't have a clue how to make it any better.

What I think really struck me in this game, apart from the visuals and story, was that Emily is a really good trademark. The name Emily Enough sounds great, she looks great and she's got a distinct personality (just like some 20+ year old guy with a cynical twisted mind was controlling everything she says and does). What I'm trying to say is, I really got sucked into the world of Emily. I want more. I want games, wallpapers, backpacks and a movie all bearing the name Emily Enough. Sorry if I'm being overbearing, but it's the truth.

[Gregjazz]

Spoiler

Where do I get a pen?

I have many different ideas on how to sign the papers that logically could work, but none of them do.

[close]

[Anarcho]

Spoiler

Who would have recently used a pen to make something? Just look around. 

And BTW, try and use the spoiler tags when asking for hints.

[close]

ildu---the title screen is pretty sparse.  And the story screens are basic.  I really just wanted to finish.  Maybe I'll improve it for a later version.

[Gregjazz]

Ah, I figured it out instantly. How very clever of you!

[ildu]

ildu---the title screen is pretty sparse.Ã,  And the story screens are basic.Ã,  I really just wanted to finish.Ã,  Maybe I'll improve it for a later version.

Yes, you should add them into the talkie version that you are going to make .

[Anarcho]

Riiiiiight.  Sorry, the Emily Enough series will have to wait.  I've got other games I'd rather work on.

[Gregjazz]

Okay, finished it! Great game!

[RyRayer]

Spoiler

What do I have to do next, if I drop water on the exposed wire?

[close]

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Rayer:

Spoiler

I don't know, but someone over at the Hints and Tips forum might. There is even already a thread for this game.

[close]

[Barbarian]

Hey Anarcho, I've been looking forwards to playing your game, and have now had a chance to download it and play it for a while.

Let me congratulate you on a great job.Ã,  I can tell you put in a lot of time and effort on this. The overall graphics, character animations, music are nicely done and the story of the game is fairly unique as well for an adventure game. Ã, The characters Emily interacts with are really interesting, and overall it's fun to explore the surroundings, and I'm still trying to figure out what I should do next as I continue to play, but I'm sure with a bit more patience and exploring I'll continue to make progress through your adventure.

A couple of "constructive critisism" notes:

Spoiler

When I start a new game, after it goes through the scene of Emily talking with the Security Guard and the conversation ends, it seems the cursor get's stuck in 'wait mode' (with the icon represented as a clock). I tried clicking the mouse buttons to try and escape, and tried various key-presses to try and escape the 'wait mode' when it seemed to freeze-up like this. For me, the only way I was able to regain control again was to press the Escape key. I try restarting with a game a few times, and this same problem seems to occur for me each time. So, seems perhaps a bug of sorts.

Also, sometimes when I go to look at, interact with, etc.. certain hostpots or people, sometimes Emily will walk all the way over to that location I click on, but then she does nothing or says nothing, so perhaps it would be nice to have at least some kind of reaction if she bothers spends the time to walk all the way over to a hotspot or person. Ã, Also, sometimes it seems odd that I can indeed interact with some things perfectly fine, but not at all with other things (or at least no proper reaction I would have expected).. for example, I can attempt to use the stick (tree branch) on the teddy-bear, but she at least gives me a reaction of saying why she doesn't want to do that at the time. But, using the same idea, for example, to try and use the stick on the lady on Emily's bed, there's no reaction at all, when I would have at least expected something, such as "Naahhh, I'd rather stab her with something sharper, the stick would probably just break." or whatever... Well, you get the idea.

[close]

Anyways, they are little things I've noticed that perhaps could be improved upon, but really, overall, I think you've done a fantastic job, and I'll continue to play through this adventure. Ã,  I look forwards to seeing more completed projects from you in the future.

Best wishes.

[Anarcho]

Barbarian & Geoffkhan, thanks for all the kind words.  I did put a lot of time into this game.  You're right about that bug though, I changed a couple music commands before zipping it  and apparently something went wrong.  No bother, when the computer lags, ESC will immediately resolve the issue.  I'll fix this when I can, but I just switched motherboards and my computer won't boot (I was holding off on doing that until the game was released, see how smart that was...).  Next version will also involve some more unhandled functions...but I really want to work on something new.  I've had so many ideas on the backburner because of this silly game.

[RyRayer]

Heh.. I found another bug I think. I'm stucked....literally.If you know how to use it, then here's my savegame. LINK

[skullkid22]

I have to say that this is one of the best games I've played. The graphics are really nice and the music is great too. I bet this game will win quite a few AGS awards.

[Anarcho]

Thanks skullkid22...I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[Snarky]

Hey Anarcho,

I liked your game. Definitely well above average. The dark humor in it is quite funny, and makes EE in some ways the glum younger sister of "Grrrr! Bearly Sane" (which is a very good thing). I like that Emily has a very distinct (and funny!) voice, it always made me want to try different things to hear what her comments would be. That's the kind of thing that makes the gameplay enjoyable.

As for constructive criticism, all the actions that receive no response can be frustrating, especially if they're reasonable solutions to a puzzle (why can't I use the phone in Juarez's "office" to order the sandwiches?). The puzzles tend to involve more pixel hunting than I'm really fond of, especially when (unless I'm mistaken...) objects and hotspots appear and disappear spontaneously at various points in the game. All the red herrings are presumably a design decision. I didn't really mind apart from the feeling that some characters were under-used.

On a somewhat different note, I thought that basing Steve's backstory so closely on the life of Ed Gein was a bit too distasteful, especially considering what you have to do for him. I don't mind using a serial killer motif for entertainment, or even comedy, but considering that Ed Gein's crimes and his victims were very real, the joke fell flat for me.

In summary, I enjoyed your game. It was short but sweet!

[Cluey fo' real!]

Hmm, I take it you've been to a mental asylum.  As you've captured it pretty well.

The whole despair of the place.

[AlbinoPanther]

BEST OF THE BEST you did an excelent work on this game cause it is realy a gem of AGS and the animation rules .We realy enjoy Emily  keep the sceen alive you said and we shell do that : .

Only one thin why you did not make a slide room insted of three diferent rooms(the part where is sandwich guy and on the left and right is some kind of library) it should be much more practical, or not?

Once again enjoy in your fame you deserve it

[Anarcho]

Thanks a lot LJUBI.  I'm glad you like it.  I actually never thought about doing the library/center hallway area as one scrolling room.  It probably would have been more practical, but those were some of the first rooms I made and there wasn't much planning involved.

Snary, thanks for the constructive criticism.  It's helpful when thinking about my next game design.  I think I'll add some unhandled events and release a new version, hopefully tomorrow (and I'll fix some remaining issues).  It's hard thinking about all of the possible interactions, but of course, the green phone is a no-brainer.  As for pixel-hunting...I hate it too, but I had hoped that the status line would make things easier.

Cluey, I've never been an asylum.  But I did do a bit of research and worked from some photographics of an abandoned asylum in New England.

[ida]

Excellent game! Worth the wait as well, as I was reading up on its progress in the Progress forum.

Love the black comedy. Obviously well thought out.

Thank you!

[Lordhoban]

I don't know if it is a continuous bug or a one off thing, but I walked by the watercooler and the game froze. I have the savegame file if it helps...