Trilby's Notes

[m0ds]

Yahtzee presents a brand new game - Trilby's Notes. He says;

"It's a direct sequel to 5 Days A Stranger set four years later, and telling the story of how Trilby re-acquired the idol of John DeFoe prior to launching it into space prior to 7 Days A Skeptic."

The game is parser driven so do expect to be typing quite a few commands!

"Don't hit me. I made it use a text parser for several reasons: (A) because the game is presented as Trilby's written account of the event, so typing commands feels like you're typing up the document or something, (B) as an homage to the AGI and SCI0 Sierra games of yesteryear, and (C) because I've never done a text parser game with AGS before. I had my testers try out the parser exhaustively so hopefully it's somewhat intuitive."



The game can be downloaded from his website, the games page is:
http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/notes/

Enjoy

[T_ed89]

I've only been playing it for a half an hour, but i'ts already very scary.
Nice graphics, good music and as always when Yahtzee makes a game, very exciting story.

I was thinking that the typing would be hard, especially for me who doesn't have english as my moderlanguage, but I must say that it works out fine.

[skyfire2]

I can't wait to try this thing out. I just hope the text parser is big enough.

[Traveler]

Good start (quite scary, as a matter of fact), but I found mutiple bugs with the game, hopefully there'll be an updated release.

1. The game seems to stuck after quitting. It happens almost every time I quit: notes.exe stays in the process list.

2. The parser is fairly weak: it doesn't recognize a lot of words for things right on the screen and in many cases words have suprising synonyms. "Search" seems to stand for "Open", etc. This is probably the only area that needs more work.

3. There are some minor graphical glitches in the hotel dining room: the back row tables have some walkbehinds messed up: some parts show in front of Trilby.

4. The hand-written font is a bit hard to read. It's not too bad, but it'd be nice to have a bit of antialiasing on the letters or at least have the double pixels removed. This is only nitpicking, though.

Atmosphere-wise, this game is about the scariest game I ever played - it's downright disturbing. I was never a fan of horror and Yahtzee has the ability to tell a story in a way that hair stands up on my back. I thouroughly enjoyed his other games (1213, 5DAS, 7DAS and GFW), so I may come back to this one to finish it.

[R4L]

I agree with Traveler, there are some problems with the game, but it is down right disturbing. Im also stuck. I have meat, lockpicks and I don't know what to do next, after this part-

Spoiler

after you see defoe killing his retarded son

[close]

[edmundito]

On this game, I've never been so freaking scared in my life. Mods, some of the music just makes me cry... in fear!  :'(

[[Cameron]]

Just finished. Really dig the atmosphere. Great story. Loved the music by Marky Mark. Neat ending.

[TheCheese33]

Wow...this is even scarier than 7 Days a Stranger! Another round of sleepless nights, but you've earned them!

[bury100]

Wow, amazing game. Astounding storytelling along with unfathomably wondrous graphics and nerve-racking music perfectly present the spine-chilling story. I feel obliged to congratulate you on your success, for this game cannot be spoken of otherwise, and should like to say that this game is nearing the state of art rather than a simple game and should be considered as such. The deep, absorbing plot and the marvellous style in which it is told are the greatest qualities in my personal reckoning, the story-telling being almost reminiscent of the virtuose of Lovecraft himself, the long praised and unrivaled master of horror. I am almost jealous of your undoubtlful skills of speaking of the unnamable and the grotesque. To be concise, great job and keep them coming for your masterworks reawaken the hope of games yet returning in their full glory to reclaim their long since disfigured reputation as not simply games but true states of arts which inspire even the most lucid intellects with their depth and nurturing atmosphere.

[Sam.]

Just finished it, really great game. The parser added something to the atmosphere, overall a really good productions. Can't wait for the next one!

[mätzyboy]

Played it, and liked it. I remember 5 days a stranger as being scarier though, but maybe my memory fails me. Or maybe I've become tougher with the years... Still an excellent piece, 7/10.

[skyfire2]

Why couldn't yahtzee post this game instead of m0ds?

[Mordalles]

Wow, amazing game. Astounding storytelling along with unfathomably wondrous graphics and nerve-racking music perfectly present the spine-chilling story. I feel obliged to congratulate you on your success, for this game cannot be spoken of otherwise, and should like to say that this game is nearing the state of art rather than a simple game and should be considered as such. The deep, absorbing plot and the marvellous style in which it is told are the greatest qualities in my personal reckoning, the story-telling being almost reminiscent of the virtuose of Lovecraft himself, the long praised and unrivaled master of horror. I am almost jealous of your undoubtlful skills of speaking of the unnamable and the grotesque. To be concise, great job and keep them coming for your masterworks reawaken the hope of games yet returning in their full glory to reclaim their long since disfigured reputation as not simply games but true states of arts which inspire even the most lucid intellects with their depth and nurturing atmosphere.

see, yahtzee still post on these forums. 

[m0ds]

skyfire, Yahtzee doesn't frequent these boards - maybe there's a history lesson on the AGS Wiki but I'm certainly not going to go into it. I think he prefers the games get picked up and announced by others on these boards, these days. I was just helping things along.

Although I haven't finished the game, I've really enjoyed it! Didn't think my music would fit but some people seem satisfied. It really is a creepy game! LOL, I wasn't expecting it at first and nearly jumped out of my seat Congrats to Yahtzee.

[DoorKnobHandle]

I am not finished yet, but the game is great. First, I wasn't sure whether the text parser was a good idea (I never played ANY game with parser before in my life), but it's great, really. Even adds to the atmosphere at times and makes you sit down and really think: "what in the world could I do now?" instead of trying out random verb-object combinations.

The graphics aren't phenomenal, but they do their job, some of them are just great atmospherically (the red lights in the hotel, the slim, high doors are super scary), but the main strength is the story. Typically Yahtzee. It keeps you on the very edge of your seat, it all fits together and it has also a variety of different aspects and turnarounds to it...

I can't wait to play the fourth game that he did announce, which would completly round up this fantastic and absolutly breathtaking series. Seriously, if I had to name ONE person for the best-AGS-game creator, it would be him, no doubt. So many games with soo much atmosphere, such great stories - it's just 'yahtzee'.

Oh, and Mark, your music is great as well. Man, I was soo freaking shocked the first time. I played it at night with lights out and headphones - I know this wasn't a smart idea, but I thought I had learned from 5das and 7das, but no.

[skyfire2]

skyfire, Yahtzee doesn't frequent these boards - maybe there's a history lesson on the AGS Wiki but I'm certainly not going to go into it. I think he prefers the games get picked up and announced by others on these boards, these days. I was just helping things along.

Where's the ags wiki?

[m0ds]

Hyar:

www.americangirlscouts.org/agswiki/

Check "Community and History" then Yahtzee & Yahtzee's Apology.

Then get back on topic

[treq]

I havent finished the game yet, but the storyline(up until the point I'm at) and music are just brilliant. They flow together really nicely. The only gripe I have about the game is when you ahve to use the text parser to talk to a character. I sort of missed the old 5 days a stranger/7 days a skeptic type point and click method of talking, with the textbox and all.  Anyway that's not a big deal. The storyline more than makes up for it.

Other than that its a great game and I cant wait for the 4rth Trilby game. Is it going to be in space again?

[superspanna]

Wow! I'm very impressed! Reminds me a bit of Shadow of the Comet, with the spooky atmosphere and black-and-white flashbacks. And Colonel's Bequest, especially asking questions with the text parser. Praise indeed.

oh by the way...

Spoiler

Those whispering voices in the dark world bits? Made me cack my pants. And seriously alarmed my housemate, who was having a nap in the next room and woke up unaware that I was playing on the 'puter

[close]

[Bartimaeus]

Just finished it, that was a really good game.
The horror is really well executed - My favourite parts are the flashbacks.
Very fun to play overall.

[superspanna]

Aaarrgghhh OK I found a problem. Got quite far into the game, I think:

Spoiler

had the slave ship flashback, got attacked by siobhan/monster, drank magic water in cellar, went upstairs and into the display room - found myself in some kind of flashback sequence saying "it hurts", but it wasn't on the ship it was a grey industrial-type background, then it cut back to the professor in the display room

[close]

And then it crashed on me Ã, 

Which you would think wouldn't have mattered too much as I had been saving my game regularly. HOWEVER, as I had played the majority of the game in one sitting (which ended in the crash), the only saved game in the directory when I loaded the game again was one from near the beginning; obviously you have to quit the game properly if you want your saved games to actually be saved.

VERY annoying! Guess I'm going to have to start all over again.

[BlackDragon1200]

Spoiler

Does anyone else expect the next game to be set after 7DaS considering that at the end of 7DaS we see the destruction of John DeFoe's Mind Body & Soul which is meant to fulfill the prophecy?

[close]

[Kweepa]

And then it crashed on me 

Did you make a note of the error message?

[The Ivy]

Just finished the game.

It looks I'll be sleeping in my little fort with all the lights on tonight.

[DoorKnobHandle]

Hehe, yeah. I'm 18 and I was scared to go use the bathroom in the dark. You know, looking back at it...

Spoiler

...the most scariest thing was when randomly trilby would become that 5das-person with mask, apron and knife. I didn't really look at first, and then came the shock...

[close]

[skyfire2]

I beat it! It took me a while but it was worth it! From the looks of it, Yahtzee might release a sequel to 7 Days. As for the parser, IMO, it made the game a lot funner.

[Lucky]

Spoiler

First of all, atmosphere was as great as I've come to expect from Yahtzee's games. Had I played in the middle of a night (and had it been a darker time of the year), I would've probably left lights on when going to bed.
I loved the way Yahtzee (possibly) played with my mind with those little sequences that could've been bugs, intended spookiness or just me losing my mind. Like when I entered the real world bar for the first time and every click resulted with "it hurts".

Then the complaints. I don't think the parser really added anything to the game. I remember only two puzzles that couldn't have been done with mouse control just as well. (Getting the chisel from the sailor and the final puzzle.) Besides, only time I got really stuck was because I wasn't using the correct phrase.
Other problem was the porcelain dummy puzzle, which was mostly just running around, trying to guess where the body parts had materialized. (Though Abed's disappearance was a pretty clever trick.) Those kind of scavenger's hunts may fit in a survival horror game, but not in a traditional adventure game.
Last but not least is the amount of puzzles. There just weren't enough of them and they were a bit too obvious since the needed objects just kind of appeared there whenever you needed them.

But all in all, even though TN isn't Yahtzee's best game, it's still a great amateur adventure.

[close]

[superspanna]

And then it crashed on meÃ, 

Did you make a note of the error message?

Nah,  didn't see any error message I'm afraid, the computer just froze. I could alt and tab out of the game to close it down using windows, but the game itself was completely frozen.

[Afflict]

Looks kewl...

Alas no time to play

Well maybe i will have some time sometime...

Why doesnt Yahtzee remain on site?

[Mordalles]

finished it, and i must say the 1st game of yathzee that i really enjoyed (with the fantabulous game). the story was really well told. and i also thought some of the animations and character positions (the way they stand, or sit, etc) was done really well. and a few of the backgrounds, especially the flashbacks and the ending background, were better than usual. also thought the choice of colours in the game were really good.

ps, why don't yathzee return to ags? i wasn't here when all the bad stuff happened, but i'm sure no one would mind him posting here? all his games are still here, and every year he still win awards. so he might as well be part of the community he wins awards from?

[Max]

Wow, I really enjoyed this game, but

Spoiler

When I first read the pills bottle, it said something like 'may cause drowsiness/hallucinations' which convinced me that the final twist of the game would be that the alternative realm was the actually the real one and the real one was the alternative one!

[close]

[aussie]

I'm a huge fan of Yatzhee's work, so I agree with lots of the comments that people have made.

The amosphere is great and so is the music. Besides, I think the text parser adds to the atmosphere, and I like what I've seen of the storyline.

However, I just can't get into this game.

Maybe it's that sense of disorientation the game conveys at times. Take for instance when you walk out of a 'normal' room and, without warning, you find yourself in 'nightmare' mode. Sometimes I just can't tell whether I'm confronted with a bug, or whether things are actually the way they should be. 

On a different note, I feel the graphic quality of the sprites has increased at the expense of the backgrounds. Having seen previous Yathzee work, I get the impression that this time less attention has gone into making the game attractive to the eye, which tends to put me off a bit. But anyway, that's just me. Sometimes I find it hard to rise above that sort of thing.

In any case, I'm yet to finish the game, so maybe some of these calls are a bit unfair. I suppose I'll still give it another go.

[Ali]

This was a very good game. Nice story, very effective graphics and great sound. For my taste there was a little too much horror where there could have been mystery, but I am pretty wimpy.

I look forward to the next one!

[Cyberion]

well i liked the game, but i have to admit that it's no that good as 5DAS or 7DAS. Characters are not that impressive (except Trilby and M. DeFoe of course) and they lack personality. In previous games Chars' personality added a lot to the atmosphere of the game. The graphics is not that good as well. The backgrounds look less detailed and simplier. I guess Yahtzee became bored and a bit lazy here.

Although story telling through History episodes (white/black scenes) is very nice and adds alot to the game's plot. That's undoubtly the strongest part of the game. Music is good as well.

As for the text parser.. hmmm it's rather contradictory question. It's hard to say if it's better or not for the story telling. Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not. I guess this question should be solved on a personal basis. For example, I would prefer the interface similar to 7DAS. But that's only me.

Despite my criticism, I will recommend this game to all who loved 5DAS and 7DAS, as it reveals all the background stories from 5DAS in detailes and gives us an opportunity to see how Trilby managed to get rid of Idol. Good game, which has plenty of good things, but they are often spoilt by bad execution. Nonetheless, go play that game!


P.S. hmmm looks like i wrote a short review hehehe
P.S.S. sorry for any grammar and spelling mistakes, i'm not a native english speaker.

[Traveler]

Finished it, great game. The story is very well done and everything goes together well (music, graphics, etc.) However, the parser really needs a lot more work, in it's current state it's very weak and it gets in the way of playing. I don't mind playing parser-based games, but the parser must be very flexible to understand different sentences. More parser shortcuts for common phrases would be nice, too. I typed "look around" very frequently, it became annoying after a while.

Looking forward for more Yahtzee games.

[Vel]

The game was pretty neat, great job on each aspect of the game. However, if you're reading this, yahtzee, I personally consider that this trilby/idol/demon thingy is worn out by now, I'd much more like it if you did something entirely new. And in the adventure genre to. And since you like to push the technical boundaries of AGS further and further, you could do something in the vein of The Last Express!^_^

[Jimtbrit]

Just finished the game and loved it,
I found the difficulty just right and is a great addition to the first two games.
I also think that the use of the text parser really added to the feel that the game was trying to create.Ã,  With 7days being set in the future, and the multiple use of playable flashbacks to the past, having to type commands seemed to be the right choice in my opinion.
Also with the flashbacks being playable rather than movie sequences, there is no problem with trying to pause them.Ã,  I think we have all experienced playing a game and been called away during a video sequence which cannot be paused, only to find that we have to either reload and replay or miss out on some of the storyline.
The suspense was enough to make me jump when my doorbell rang....
Yahtzee if you are reading this congrats on another sucessful game.

[DoorKnobHandle]

Allright, just finished it. What a great story, it's unbelievable.

Spoiler

Especially the ending, where Tribly thinks: "I can't destroy the idol, but what shall I do with it? Hide it? Where? Somewhere, where no human can ever find it agian."

That combined with "7 Days A Sceptic" - he shoots it into space in a box. That's genious.

[close]

[edmundito]

As always, Yahtzee's games (at least since 5days) are a great subject of much debate. He likes to try new things and sometimes they work out, but sometimes they don't. Well, the only way to learn is through practice and experimentation, I suppose.

I must say that this game definitely pushed the boundaries of horror, at least AGS-wise. I'd be interesting to play it a second time to see if it's equally creepy.

Trilby is more of a action hero boy in this game than anything. He's just kind of the perspective from where the player learns about the other characters and story, but other than his character being affected by the ghoul or whatever, he doesn't change much. Like Cyberion said, the characters kind of lack depth. The story is impressive, but the characters not as much.

And one more thing: Doesn't it seem that every game since 5 days is more and more about guessing what to do with the interface than actually posing intelligent problems? This last one is all about guess-what-you-need-to-type-to-win! More important is to focus on gameplay than "creative" intefaces.

[sergiocornaga]

You know, looking back at it...

Spoiler

...the most scariest thing was when randomly trilby would become that 5das-person with mask, apron and knife. I didn't really look at first, and then came the shock...

[close]

Huh? I totally missed that part. Can you elaborate?

[PsychicHeart]

I suggest we start a thousand man chant of "come back yahtzee, we forgive you, honest!!", videotape it, and send it to him.
I long for the day.
On topic, really interesting.
The graphics are beautiful, and it has a 7DAS feel about it.

[[Cameron]]

...it has a 7DAS feel about it.

I didn't think it did. 7DAS was kind of lacking in atmospheric content (perhaps because it was in space!!11!1! HAR!) which made it a bit of a weak game. This one I think succesfully recaptured the 5DAS atmosphere. Although I was unsure about this new evil dude. I kinda liked it better when it was just DeFoe.

[Mordalles]

the new evil dude is the coolest thing in the game.

[HeirOfNorton]

I can think of no better compliment than to say this: I played it once, eventually beating it. The next day I played it a second time, just for the atmosphere and mood.

Great game

HoN

[Hammerite]

just started it and i think that it will make 7DAS seem less of an 'OMG!!11! 5DAS IN SPACE!!11!OMG LOL WTF' and more realistic due to the explanation of how it got there.

[Leonard LePage]

Is there any way to acquire the soundtrack to this game? I absolutely loved the score. Does anyone know if Yahtzee is planning to sell it on his website as other games have done?

Additionally, I absolutely loved the game. I seem to be among the minority, but I actually liked 7 Days a Skeptic for than 5 Days a Stranger. I liked Trilby's Notes more than either of them. I guess I'm just a sucker for cheap, suspenseful thrills.

Also, what happened to the hotel staff? Are we just supposed to assume that they all fell victim to the Tall Man?

[Babar]

m0ds (the creator of this thread) made the music. It is indeed awesome, as his music always is...

* Babar  looks at his signature

I dunno if Yahtzee would allow it, but you could probably ask if you can get it.

[Greyarea]

Great game, thought I was brave enough but playing it at night with no one but me awake wasn't such a good Idea. I've never been a fan of pharser based games or horror games for that matter but Notes was just briliant! I've downloaded the other games in the series because of it. Yathzee's games have something a lot of games nowadays, with all their fancy graphics, dont have -atmosphere and good intelligent writting! Can't wait for the next game.

[m0ds]

Leonard LePage, it's kind of you to ask! It's nice to know you liked the music I had major doubts about it working in the game but it seems to have done more than the job... Thanks for the kind words, and for your assistance Babar!! ATZ is a very awesome game & the soundtrack is cute!

The soundtrack for Trilby's Notes will be released very soon! Yahtzee plans to make a special edition which features the score (& omitted tunes), and I'm working on a web-page of my music which will be online very soon.

Thanks again!

[sergiocornaga]

Also, what happened to the hotel staff? Are we just supposed to assume that they all fell victim to the Tall Man?

That's what happened. I think that's stated at the end at some point.

[Hammerite]

yahtzee says there'll be at least one more game for total closure.

[BunnyMilk]

I figured I should register to say just how awesome this game really is. I think 7 days is probably my favourite but Notes is coming in very closely behind. Definitely the most well written of the three and I'm really looking forward to a fourth game if it comes round.

There was a scene at the beginning which scared the shit out of me (I think you all know which one I'm talking about) and m0ds...Top notch with the music! It was really atmospheric. I know what it's like to doubt whether you're music is really working but you pulled it off nicely so well done.

Great game though, for anyone who hasn't tried it yet I really suggest you stop reading this post and go play it now.

[Leonard LePage]

Leonard LePage, it's kind of you to ask! It's nice to know you liked the music I had major doubts about it working in the game but it seems to have done more than the job... Thanks for the kind words, and for your assistance Babar!! ATZ is a very awesome game & the soundtrack is cute!

The soundtrack for Trilby's Notes will be released very soon! Yahtzee plans to make a special edition which features the score (& omitted tunes), and I'm working on a web-page of my music which will be online very soon.

Thanks again!

That's great news! The music adds so much atmosphere to the game. I have to admit, I've watched the opening sequence (as well as the end credits) a couple times just because I liked the music so much. That may sound like an exaggeration, but it's not.

Anyhow, I hope this partnership between you and Yahtzee isn't a limited engagement. Here's to hoping you two collaborate on many games to come!

[DeviantGent]

Tis a collaboration (I have noticed) that stems back a few years.

*fondly recalls Rob Blanc theme*

[superspanna]

Does anybody have a saved game they would be able to email me? I got quite far into the game but my computer crashed (see my post on page 2) and I don't have time to replay 

[BunnyMilk]

superspanna that happened to me. Once you know what you are supposed to be doing though the game is really short. I got from beginning to Harpsichord scene in under 10 minutes because I knew everything I needed to do so don't worry about replaying it, it's fast.

[m0ds]

Thanks guys!! Well the small soundtrack is in a RAR file now More in the special edition. notes_score.rar

Regarding Rob Blanc, listen to track 9!

I hope we collaborate further too, this one was exceptionally fun to write for!

Thanks again, and look out for the special edition he's releasing soon!

[Damien]

A first AGS game I played in a long time and it is pretty amazing.
Great story, dialogs, music, and graphics + the parser worked really well. I was impressed to see the commands like:

Spoiler

"point at the knife" or "slide the painting under the door" work.

[close]

[DoorKnobHandle]

You know, looking back at it...

Spoiler

...the most scariest thing was when randomly trilby would become that 5das-person with mask, apron and knife. I didn't really look at first, and then came the shock...

[close]

Huh? I totally missed that part. Can you elaborate?

Answer:

Spoiler

Well, you know how Trilby looked like in that one nightmare in "5 Days A Stranger" with the apron, the welding mask and the knife? In one part of "Trilby's Notes", Trilby suddenly turned into looking the same for a few seconds randomly. It seemed as random as the times when you enter that room with the two lights on or the room on the spaceship from "7 Days A Skeptic". And that change was really easy to overlook as well, I just kinda noticed it with one eye and then looked again... SHOCK!!!111!

[close]

Hope that makes it clear what I meant! If you didn't see it, play it again and look out for it.

[BunnyMilk]

I don't know if it WAS random. I got it at the exact same place both playthroughs. For me it occured when I was coming from the dining room back into the hallway between the dining room and the lobby. (Where the door to the bar is) ... Both playthroughs this happened to me at this point.

[Cluey]

I just dled this, played the first five minutes, nearly shit myself on that first scare, and now I am going to school.  Great game, the text parser aint so bad as well.

[Spare-Flair]

Yahtzee is amazing and as an artist I know what it's like to be very hurt by people's negatives comments about work that I've poured blood sweat and tears into so I'll say that this is the best AGS game I have played to date that may only be surpassed by Yatzee's next work or the Indy Fountain of Youth game if it ever comes out.

Thanks again Ben for a great game, it took me OVER A WEEK playing in 10 minute bursts to pass the game because I was too damn frightened to play anylonger! I realized that you crossed over every few transitions so I kept taking pills in every room because I didn't dare crossover! Didn't figure out the cola's use until near the end. The flashbacks were innovative and really fun, I enjoyed playing as various others more than Trilby since it was like a new adventure/world each time.

There's a bug though, in that anytime you specify look at wine or use wine or anything in conjunction with wine, it'll come up with an incongrous statement "I have to specify whether I mean the wine or cola bottle" when it's obvious you do specify.

One more thing, I'm wondering what exactly is the point of the doll (even trilby says it's stupid, a kind of in-joke?) Did it relate to the story in any way or was it just there as a puzzle?

Also -> what the heck is the thing with yellow and black stripes that the tall man is holding in his left hand (while holding the man in the other hand) during the first final cutscene with the ritualists?

[Spare-Flair]

In addition to the doll explanation (unless it's just an adventure game cliche joke), I wished there was an explanation for the magic water.

[Spare-Flair]

Forgot to mention I loved the parser because I cut my teeth on adventure games with Police Quest II, what I consider to be the ultimate parser game.

Plus typing is MUCH MUCH MUCH faster than using a mouse (although people don't usually believe it). Using a mouse in an adventure game is actually very tedious. I will always prefer typing rather than clicking everywhere and everything. The only suggestion I have is a method to increase walking speed like in old Sierra games.

5 Days a Stranger was a good system but tedious although it allowed better combinations although the inventory window was always in the way. 7 Days a Skeptic felt limited in it's simplicity and also a little clumsy. The best mouse interface has the be the type where clicking the left mouse button will change from look to use, etc. And normally the cursor is a crosshair for walking. Then when you use an adverb the eye icon will glow or something on applicable items. Inventory was on a bar below. Stargate Adventure has this and that's probably the best non-parser interface I have used so far.

[BerserkerTails]

Finished Trilby's Notes, and it's another great addition to the Trilby games. I agree that the characters weren't as well written as in the first two games, but the added tension nearly made up for it. Some things I loved about the game:

Spoiler

The last puzzle. It's solution was one of the first things I tried, and I was glad that it worked, albeit you had to wait until the last possible second.

The random scares. Things like "it hurts" and Trilby turning into DeFoe/Welder. Very cool indeed.

[close]

Things I didn't like:

Spoiler

It definitely had a few plot holes. Things like why was Simone murdered? It was set up as if she was murdered by the Welder (Long, machete-esque wound), but besides Trilby's weird halucinations, the Welder wasn't even in the game. It could have been that Lenkman murdered Simone in order to get Trilby to the hotel, but then why did the STP confirm supernatural involvment in the muder?

Also, the idol seems a bit confusing. We know that mucking about with it on July 28th gives the Tall Man the right to kick ass. But what about DeFoe? Since DeFoe's body was destroyed in 5 Days, it should explain why the Idol no longer possesses anyone with DeFoe's spirit. So why then, does it possess so many people in 7 Days? Furthermore, 7 Days takes place over a July 28th, so why wouldn't the Tall Man come kick some ass on the ship?

Hopefully the last game answers some of these questions...

[close]

[Sythe]

I disagree with respect to the parser is better than mouse topic.

The most painful part of the whole game was walking up and down those bloody stairs and checking all the rooms when the next thing that the player was supposed to do wasnt obvious.

That said I did enjoy the game and its another fine piece of work from possibly the best amature game author I've encountered.

I didn't think the game was as scary as 5 days. I'm not sure if its my sound card or what but the music in 5 days always started off sort of spooky then ended with sharp computerised notes. Which at the time I recalled freaked me out quite considerably - music and sound effects are so very important in atmosphere.

On the topic of sound effects - I realised that one of 'points of gravity' with these games is the foot steps. When I realised this I also noticed that they were all taken from half life along with a number of other sound effects used in other games.

Props to m0ds for the music - it was great.

This game: 9/10
5 days: 10/10
7 days: 9/10
Fantabulous Galaxy of Wonderment: 8/10

Absolutely love Yahtzee's games - Keep 'em comming

[mspenguin]

Argh! I'm stuck in the very first room! How embarrassing is that? I have walked and stood everywhere, and have tried to open blinds but it just keeps saying I'm not close enough. A hint would be greatly appreciated!

I absolutely love Yahtzee's games and comics!

[AJA]

Argh! I'm stuck in the very first room! How embarrassing is that? I have walked and stood everywhere, and have tried to open blinds but it just keeps saying I'm not close enough. A hint would be greatly appreciated!

Move closer to the blinds first?
Also, check this thread: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=27118.0

[Nelinas]

I just want to thank you!
To be honest, I've almost completely quit the AGS Forums. I came back occasionally to check for a new game by you and for the Devil's Shroud-Part3.
Thank you!

P.S. Sorry, I've been too hasty, just seeing your name.
But that is not my type of game.
I wish you success i your fuure releases.

P.P.S. It is all my fault, I only read (and was so enthusiastic):
"It's a direct sequel to 5 Days A Stranger set four years later, and telling the story of how Trilby re-acquired the idol of John DeFoe prior to launching it into space prior to 7 Days A Skeptic."Ã,  Ã, -Ã,  and that was more than enough for me!
I missed that part:
"The game is parser driven..."
Sorry! Good Luck.

[Kristina]

This may be a dumb question, but I haven't seen anyone else post this problem, so...If dumb questions bug you, ignore the following.

I just downloaded Trilby's Notes, and I'm very excited to start playing it, but when I run it, the game is displayed very off-center, to the point where I can't read the text because half of it is cut off (running off the edge of the screen).

Um.  No one else seems to have this problem so is it my computer's display settings?  I've tried various things to no avail.   

Help?

[Gilbert]

Just tweak with your monitor's settings (those knobs/buttons etc. usually in front of it),

[Kristina]

Thank you, Gilbot!  I took your advice and tweaked with the buttons on the monitor and found "auto adjust" which solved the problem.  I appreciate your answering that "duh" question.

[Cluey]

I'm not sure if its my sound card or what but the music in 5 days always started off sort of spooky then ended with sharp computerised notes.

The music from 5 Days was mostly taken from RPG Maker 2000.

[sergiocornaga]

Argh! I'm stuck in the very first room! How embarrassing is that?

Not too bad, considering that's actually the second (playable) room.

[advent]

Argh! I'm stuck in the very first room! How embarrassing is that?

There's a walkthrough on the Hints and Tips of this game.

[ginanubismon]

Hi, I tried playing the game but every time I try to start it up it shuts down before even starting and saying there was a fatal exception.

[m0ds]

You need a better PC.

[MarkPhantom]

I can't imagine how long this must have taken him to do. It's a staggeringly well told story, and being a determined storyteller I've got to say he told his story in a brilliant fashion. If I have any problems with it, its the prevalence of 'search every room for a useful object' puzzles rather than logical thinking. Otherwise, the game is brilliantly and effectively creepy and often very disturbing - I think he has hit the artwork and backgrounds well on the head.

[n3tgraph]

Great game!

I thought it was better then the space episode which I didn't really like.
5das was greath though, really spooky

The parser didn't bother me at all, graphics were fine
Great storyline, and I hope m0ds will never say to me again that he's not a musician.... because he does quite well

[cjhrules]

Amazing! Great game!

[RedBlob]

Really excellent. Best AGS game I've played yet! 

[Pet Terry]

I just finished playing this one. Overall I quite liked it.

I found the story interesting, but then again I'm a horror freak so. But stretching the storyline going over centuries worked fine in my opinion. The gray scale flashbacks were a great idea!

The parser worked fine in my opinion, but that's because I quite like parsers WHEN THEY ARE WELL DESIGNED. I think there were a couple of parts where the parser could have been implemented better, like KICK TALL MAN not working, had to use KICK DEMON instead. That's just stupid, don't know if it was intentional or not. Probably not.

Tall Man is one of the coolest horror characters ever, up in the same group with Freddy Krueger, Djinn, Pinhead etc.

I liked the music, but I thought some of the tunes didn't really fit. Some of them were just too cheery (like the introduction music, IIRC) and didn't really create the Yahtzee atmosphere (TM) I was expecting. Some tracks, on the other hand, worked very well. And of course I would have recognized the composer immediately if I didn't know who it was. I could recognize your style miles away, m0ds.

I didn't like the final puzzle. It made sense and it was even hinted what you'd have to do (I actually considered that solution about halfway through the cut scene before the puzzle) but... somehow it just felt plain stupid! Looking back now, what else you could have possibly done in that situation though? Maybe it's just the aftermath that doesn't really make any sense. Go figure.

I quite liked the graphics, lots of detail and simple yet very effective style. Lots of animation, I love. The stairwell room was quite annoying though, it looked very bland and walking up-/downwards was very slow. Also, the hotel exterior scenes were a bit boring and bland. I can understand someone not wanting to spend too much time on something that isn't important story wise, though.

I believe I had something else on my heart but... I can't remember what it was. But I enjoyed experiencing the story and am looking forward to playing the final chapter in the quadrilogy. Over and out.

[MYKAYEL]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:

I'm a big fan of both 5 DAYS A STRANGER and 7 DAYS A SKEPTIC. I just started playing this game. I have to admit I'm not disappointed. The game is awesome, alto I have 2 questions for Yahtzee:

Spoiler

1. Is the 'phantom/devil' of this game influenced from Hellraiser? Because I have to admit, it does look like 'The Engineer' from HellRaiser 5.
2. Are you a Silent Hill fan? Because the whole alternate hotel thing reminds me a lot of Alternate Silent Hill, not to mention the body nailed to the door, or at the bar 'demon staring at you thing' (btw, can I get him to notice the fact that THAT THING is at the window?)

[close]

Anyway, GREAT WORK, can't wait to finish it and play 6 DAYS A SACRIFICE Looking forward to more cool games from you (and the text parser thing is a great idea, the only annoying thing is the fact that you have to TAP the same key again in order to stop oh well, guess I will just have to live with it)

[TheCheese33]

Yes, Yahtzee has played the Silent Hill games. In fact, he pitted the main characters from the four games against each other! I agree that it is an obvious inspiration.

[auriond]

The main characters from the four games? How so?

[Maverick]

Just played it and I have to agree that this is one of the best AGS games I've played so far.

Picked up a bug in the display room where you talk to the guy about the unicorn. Trilby could walk through the prof as if he wasn't there.

Great Game!!