The Second Man

[cianty]

Cianty Games presents

The Second Man is a full length game following the adventures of a professional hitman whose latest job is not quite what it had seemed at first.

Follow along on Facebook:
http://fb.me/secondmanadventure


FEATURES

• Classic point-and-click adventure
• Resolution: 320 x 200
• 9-verb LucasArts style interface
• Two difficulty levels
• Full-length game with special scenes and mini-games
• Parental Advisory: Bad language and appropriate violence
• Available on Windows and iOS

SCREENSHOTS













UPDATE - Oct 10th, 2010
Here is a short video of a stairway in a rundown London house:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3I268eMkD4



UPDATE - Dec 28th, 2015
Watch me play the first three minutes of the game on an iPad Pro:
https://youtu.be/3mPVnaqW8BM

[Igor Hardy]

Great style. I already feel as if I'm looking at some long lost LucasArts' gem.

[Snake]

Wow. I am looking very forward to this game. The graphics are beautiful and you've given enough of the story to not give anything away, but has gotten me interested enough to keep an eye on this project. I also love the 9-verb's button graphics

How much of the story will take place on the train?


\\--EDIT--//
tzachs reminded me about something:

Bad language

Please don't spoil the story with excessive swearing. Some people tend to over do it, thus breaking the atmosphere.
For me, anyway.

[tzachs]

Ooh, I get really good vibes from these screenshots (maybe with the one exception of that sheltering under the Cafe & Restaurant which looks out of perspective to me).

Also, appropriate violence is always a good thing!

[cianty]

Thank you very much for the encouraging comments! This is my first game after discovering AGS three months ago. I am very new to "pixel art" so I am especially glad that you like the screenshots.

@Snake: I quickly felt very bad for just using the LA GUI template as is so I felt I should at least replace the verbs with icons. About the train:

Spoiler

The train is only part of the intro. Like in the good old (and in fact the others too) James Bond films where the film starts with a few scenes setting the atmosphere and showing what it's all about. In this case, you get to know how the Hero works and does his job (usually) and then the "actual" game starts...

[close]

@tzachs: There is some mild blood splatter now and then - I am trying to not overdo it though and resort to a healthy amount, no more than Quentin T would do.
There will also be a few action oriented scenes... since this is not the forum to discuss these kinds of things I will probably start a thread in the critics corner and look for feedback on that concept. Due to the nature of the Hero's profession there is some tension here and then and I do think it works, but I have read a fair number of posts by people who seem to really hate action in adventure games.

[Snake]

Spoiler

"The train is only part of the intro. Like in the good old (and in fact the others too) James Bond films where the film starts with a few scenes setting the atmosphere and showing what it's all about. In this case, you get to know how the Hero works and does his job (usually) and then the "actual" game starts..."

[close]

Oh, I see Great job then posting two other screenshots of it in-game.

Note to others: THIS IS HOW YOU PROMOTE YOUR GAME IN THE GiP FORUM.

Also, you are new to pixel art? You fooled me, man. Looks damn good :o
I do agree with tzachs on the restaurant, though. I actually thought they were curtains of some sort.

[Igor Hardy]

But "the intro" is interactive, with puzzles an' all, right?

Anyway, personally I don't see any problems with the restaurant. The right edge of the screen is a bit out of perspective, but I feel it fits the overall visual style.

[cianty]

Yes, the intro is fully playable - it's not self-running. It's just not necessarily related to the main story, and it comes before the title screen and credits.

Pixel art is incredible fun but also a lot of work. At the beginning I tried a lot of cheating, like shrinking photos here and there and using way too many photoshop filters and effects. But all that stuff almost never works out and in the end you have to do it by hand.

So what do you think is wrong with the awnings (that's what they're called?)?
Maybe they should go

/___\

instead of

|___|


I figured the second way (my current way) is okay for a front perspective like here. However, I'm happy to hear your thoughts and see about fixing it.

[Tabata]

Hi cianty,

this one looks interesting!
And if you do graphics like this after three months experience with AGS:  "Coup de chapeau!" (hats off)

I also like the icon-gui instead of verbs ~ it has a very international touch.

The only thing I read with mixed feelings are the announced action-sequences. I'm one of those, who enjoys slowly every point and click (normally time pressure is nothing for me  :).

But now I'm even more curious about your game ...    (waiting )


EDIT:
About the awning at the right side from restaurant  ~   mayby like this:  /__/   ?

[Digital Mosaic Games]

Wow great graphics! I can't wait to play this Game!!! Can you just tell me what the buttons mean? For me it seems like there are to pick up and give icons.  Anyway I feel already the Lucas Arts atmosphere!

[arj0n]

Looks really great! very bond-ish

[cianty]

@Snake/Swearing: Yes, of course I don't want to overdo this either. It's like all those films which have lots of gangsters and violence and sear words in hope of being "tarantinoesque cool" when in fact they are pretty poor and lame. I don't like that.

@Tabata: I did a bit of drawing when I was younger and in the last years mostly painted tabletop figures. However, actual 2D drawing & painting - and especially in 320x200 resolution - is a wonderfully new experience.  I consider this game to be a bit like 'Last Crusade' and I can only hope to get near 'Fate of Atlantis' for a possible sequel.

Action sequences: There will be few scenes where the clock is ticking. Imagine you know you have to shoot a certain target person behind the next door. Now you enter the room and if you don't act quick enough you will be shot first. Is that already too much? There will be more exciting scenes too but I always think about ways of how to make them as easy as possible for people who absolutely disdain them.

@NEON-GAMES/buttons:  Sure! Here is a comparison between the original LucasArts-style GUI and mine. The buttons map directly on the verbs.



Of course I hope the icons are self-explanatory but the game does include a manual just in case.

[arj0n]

The buttons map directly on the verbs.

Except for the Talk/Look

[blueskirt]

Crap. I have no idea why I broke my vow not to look at any thread in the WIP forum, but I did. The game looks bloody amazing, I wish you good luck!

It's funny that you mention The Last Crusade adventure game, I always considered that game to be the precursor of the Hitman series and now you're going full circle by making an adventure game starring a hitman in The Last Crusade's graphical style.

[cianty]

The buttons map directly on the verbs.

Except for the Talk/Look

Yieks! You're right. I corrected the image. :

Again, thank you for your kind comments! This is very encouraging!

By the way, if there's anyone out there willing to provide some musical support I would be VERY grateful!!

[Tabata]

...
@Tabata: I did a bit of drawing when I was younger and in the last years mostly painted tabletop figures. However, actual 2D drawing & painting - and especially in 320x200 resolution - is a wonderfully new experience.  I consider this game to be a bit like 'Last Crusade' and I can only hope to get near 'Fate of Atlantis' for a possible sequel.

Action sequences: There will be few scenes where the clock is ticking. Imagine you know you have to shoot a certain target person behind the next door. Now you enter the room and if you don't act quick enough you will be shot first. Is that already too much? There will be more exciting scenes too but I always think about ways of how to make them as easy as possible for people who absolutely disdain them.
...

Wow, that's impressing stuff you did. You have to have a very quiet hand.

It's nice of you, to ask, but please don't change your script too much, just because of the preferences of some. It's impossible, getting everyone in the boat without getting drowned.
And don't worry about me. I'll try it and (hopefully) survive! 

About your new goal: I'll keep my fingers crossed that everything works the way you think it should (for you and for us of course)   

[Fitz]

Looks really awesome! Brings back the memories of good ol' Indy. And the images for the 9 commands = nice! Same thing I'm doing with the interface for Gray And yeah, they are pretty self-explanatory, indeed - even if I had to think for a moment to remember what the 9 commands were. It's been a LONG since I last saw SCUMM in use.

As for help with music - I'll ask Swordofkings, who does music for my game.

[Anian]

Graphics look good (although 2 minor things - chracters are very blended into the background and the windows on the train look wierd, they look fine on the "outside of wagon" screenshot, but strange on the inside hall view).

Just please use each verb on GUI more than once.  

[mode7]

Wow that looks really good cianty!

How is your progress so far?

[Knoodn]

This looks really good. I like the graphics of the inventory items.

[cianty]

@anian: What exactly do you mean by "using the verbs more than once"? Do you find that in some games using this many different verbs they are not actually just as much? I think it works fine so far.

@mode7: Well, progress is coming along nicely but it's still a long way. Considering that I am still relatively new to AGS (though not to programming) I think there's already quite something to play and as I learn how to use the engine I can do new things faster.

I want to separate the game into four parts (not necessarily of equal length, see Monkey Island) and I am still working on part one. So it will still take a few months. I will definately take the time I need to complete it with the quality level I aim for so a realistic release date is sometime in 2011.  Of course it's tiny bit earlier with each of your nice comments. 

[Anian]

@anian: What exactly do you mean by "using the verbs more than once"? Do you find that in some games using this many different verbs they are not actually just as much? I think it works fine so far.

This way interface has many different commands, just hoping that after the decision to go for that GUI, you make a good use out of it, that's all.  The interface does look nice.

[Chicky]

This looks great, can't go wrong with a pistol in the inventory

[Ilyich]

Great screens! Love the retro-vibe, like the premise, look forward to the game. Oh, and nice title.
Good luck!

[Dualnames]

Is your title a reference to Third Man (a movie), or inspired the title by it?

Looks great btw.

[abstauber]

Finally you show us your project I've been excited since you've posted an image in a different thread.
Especially the two last backgrounds look amazing and the roger-vibe over the characters is pretty cool


Good luck with your project! And it seems like the first "bigger" project featuring the 9-verb GUI.
Hooray

[Iliya]

I like the style of this game. Great pixel-art!

[cianty]

Thank you very much, guys!

@Dualnames: Yes, you are pretty right. It is a reference, or more like a bow, to the Third Man. The German title of Hitchcock's "North By Northwest" is (literaly) "The Unknown Third (Man)". So the title kind of refers to both. What I am thinking of when making this game is the old Bond films (up to Dalton) as well as the classic suspense films by Hitchcock plus a few others. I love the mix of feel-good light-heartness mixed with crime and tension so I hope to capture at least a minimum of that in the game.

[Khris]

Looks like I'm the only one so far, but although everything else looks and sounds great, I think the icons are neither fitting nor an improvement. The buttons are bigger than they need to be and thus the whole left part of the GUI looks like something's missing or rather, knowing why this is the case, like a bad substitute.
The buttons with text are supposed to tie in with the action line above them; also I hated the interface of Flight of the Amazon Queen which did a similar thing.

I'm really looking forward to the rest of the game though; like I said it looks great; the graphics are damn impressive for three months of practice.

[cianty]

Yes, the size of the buttons has been bothering me too. Maybe I'll see if I can do anything about that but it's definately not on my priority list. I do appreciate your thoughts, Khris!

[Matti]

Khris, you're not the only one. I was going to say the exact same thing.

Also, I don't like the symbols at all. They don't really fit the overall style and could be more obvious too.

Otherwise, this looks really nice and promising, I'm looking forward to it.

[Snake]

The only thing I didn't like about the buttons were the open/close graphics. Before you gave the comparison, I actually thought it was lock/unlock.

[Iliya]

Who cares about the size of the buttons. As long the game is interesting, and screenshots are great - everthing is fine. Everyone here prefer to say "Everthing good, BUT.......then 2-3 lines critics about something not so important. Criticism is good, but the good words are the thing that makes author to create with a pleasure.

[Dualnames]

Who cares about the size of the buttons. As long the game is interesting, and screenshots are great - everthing is fine. Everyone here prefer to say "Everthing good, BUT.......then 2-3 lines critics about something not so important. Criticism is good, but the good words are the thing that makes author to create with a pleasure.

Not to go off topic, but well, art isn't when you can't add anything, but when you can't remove. So yeah, well from personal experience when someone can't find anything to nitpick I know I'm good.

To cianty: Looking forward to this, and I like the approach you're taking on the story-design.

[Snake]

Okay, guys. Let's not let this get off topic.

Cianty, if you want further advice on the GUI and graphics, don't hesitate to post in the critics lounge. You'll get extensive advice there - which I'm sure you already know that

[cianty]

Well, thanks everyone for the feedback! I appreciate positive comments as much as constructive criticism. I'll be sure to post a few things in the Critics Lounge some time (as I said the GUI isn't up on my priority list right now, but I do look forward to suggestions). Again, thanks for taking the time to look at the screenshots and post up a reply. This is all very encouraging and I welcome the honest attitudes.

I am now having a look at screencast software. Seems CamStudio would do the trick, so maybe I can put together some kind of trailer with a few preview in-game scenes.

[cianty]

I just uploaded a short video to youtube demonstrating the part that has taken me the longest so far: Programming a stairway with a functioning elevator. With the handrails switching between front and background and the elevator going between them, this has given me quite some gray hairs but I think it was worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3I268eMkD4

[abstauber]

Wow - that looks very promising! Also nice atmosphere and great music + sfx.

Love it!


The only gripe I have is the perspective on the left windows, or better: the inner horizontal bars. To match your persepective, they should run parallel. But apart from that, your game already looks awesome

[Snake]

VERY awesome! I agree with everything abstauber said.

One thing I wonder: Will having to use the stairs be tedious?

[Digital Mosaic Games]

Hey! I would just change the icon-image of "pull". For me it's a bit irritating cause it doesn't really shows the action "pull".

[cianty]

Thanks for the great feedback, guys!

@Windows: Yeah... what I tried to do is get the perspective right for when the character stands next to it (then horizontal looks weird) but as the background scrolls the windows look wrong, of course. I will adjust them as suggested.

@Music: All credits go to Bosa, who was so awesome to provide this piece of great original music for the game. Music does make such an incredible difference.

@Snake: He he... just as tedious as walking five floors in reality - well, not that tedious.   Just enough to make you grateful for when the elevator works. However, the player won't have to use the stairs that often anyways. This is no Trilby's Notes where you spend most of your time roaming the corridors. Thinking about it I definately spent too much time on this considering how little of the entire house is actually used. :

@NEON: I am not too happy with the Pull icon either. Sooner or later I will definately create a thread in the Critics Lounge and have you all tear the symbols apart.

[Tramponline]

DAMN! I can't help it!
I've this compulsive urge to come back to this thread's initial post, with the futile attempt not to drool all over my keyboard! Those graphics...really, I can't put my finger on it - some of us called it 'vibes' - which is actually spot-on!

I know, it's probably a bit early for that, BUT if you need play testers at one point or another - DEFINITELY count me in if you want!!!
All the best and much energy for this intriguing project of yours!

[cianty]

Thanks a lot for your kind words, Tramponline! I am glad you like what you see so far.

There are a few people who occasionally play through the parts as I finish them but I definaitely want to have some "proper" playtesters before the final release and you are very welcome to playtest!

[theo]

Looks great! Love the style and music.

Best of luck!

[Stupot]

I'm also getting good vibes from them there screenies.
All the best for release :-)

[LuciferSam86]

Just impressive, remember me the gold age of Lucas Arts
btw it will commercial or free this game?

[coldwater]

Graphics and interface look great. Looks just like an old LucasArts, can't wait to try this one out.

[cianty]

Sorry for the lack of updates. Progress is steady and good. I'm just a bit hesitant in throwing out all the backgrounds in fear of spoiling too much.

Anyways, to make up for your time wasted reading the above status note, here's another one:

[arj0n]

Beautiful BG cianty

[Secret Fawful]

I have to say that this is a beautiful and unique looking game. Very atmospheric.

[BaptisteTheFool]

I almost sent you a PM the other day to see how progress was going.  This is one I've been very interested in.


Looking great!! 

[Dualnames]

Looking good, cianty, keep it up. 

[Takyon]

I want this right now. Looks like a great idea. The only downer for me is the big inventory UI, I like the old looking pixel graphics but the UI takes up a lot.

[cianty]

Thanks for the nice comments, guys! They do a great job of motivating me even more.

The only downer for me is the big inventory UI, I like the old looking pixel graphics but the UI takes up a lot.

I know what you mean. When I started I just went with the 9-verb-template as it was. Of course it would look better to open/show the invenoty only when you need. There's no way I would change this now but it's on my list for things to change for the follow-up game. A huge plus of the big UI is that it means I have to draw smaller backgrounds. It would take me a lot longer to paint full screen backgrounds and I am often glad that I don't have to fill the entire screen.

[Takyon]

Fair enough, that's a good excuse to save on the backgrounds actually lol. Can't wait for this game anyway, keep it up mate.

[theo]

Lookin' good, cianty!

Don't be afraid of casting shadows. PI noir is all about shadows.  8)

Keep up the good work.

[Knox]

wow this looks good! Love that cycle

[Dataflashsabot]

How did I not see this before o_0

[SuperDre]

Great style. I already feel as if I'm looking at some long lost LucasArts' gem.

That's exactly what I was thinking... ohhh SO looking forward to playing this one...

[Stupot]

That brickwork is just fantastic.  Would love to see a tutorial or something if you haven't done one already

[cianty]

That brickwork is just fantastic.  Would love to see a tutorial or something if you haven't done one already

Thank you, Stupot! If you can find a few others to join the choir I'll certainly do so.

[quo_sp]

Magnificent Cianty, great stile, backgrounds and promising gameplay, waiting to play it soon.   

[abstauber]

That brickwork is just fantastic.  Would love to see a tutorial or something if you haven't done one already

Thank you, Stupot! If you can find a few others to join the choir I'll certainly do so.

* abstauber joins the choir

There can't be enough informations about low-res art

[Technocrat]

It evokes both feelings of nineties adventures, and "The 39 Steps"

[cianty]

Sooooo... work on this game is still in progress and steady to boot. In my feeble attempts at messing with my Google+ account I actually managed to upload a video - yay! Check this out for a trailer-like mashup of various in-game scenes (sorry for the lack of proper music though):
https://plus.google.com/117826982066868287784/posts/JYUw7hEP7fD

Is anyone here using Google+ by the way? I think I will use it to do some quick posting of screenshots or little in-game vids on the game or other AGS-related stuff. Seems like a good thing somewhere in between blogging and twittering to me.

[Anian]

1. there are some people on the pixel hunt (the ags band) google+ account you might want to add etc., I got google+ so I don't know if it can be seen without it, you still might want to put the video on your youtube account, so everybody has access (just try to avoid using nay licensed music etc.)
2. is that the music at the end? with a bit of production/polish it'll sound really nice
3. what's the inspiration behind those parts that seem to be the intro (the shooting of bubbles and poker chips that turn to blood...that's at least what I figured from the video)
4. so how soon might this be finished?
5. where the hell is appropriate nudity the warning promised?!

[BaptisteTheFool]

Heh... this is the second time you updated just as I was considering sending you a PM... 

Looking great!  How far along would you say you are?

[Grim]

Looks really good, but I would suggest to increase characters walking speed. Remember how fast Guybrush was walking? That sort of speed. Good luck with the game!

[Mati256]

This game is looking fantastic. Can't wait to play it!

[Sam Ferdinand]

Looks really good, but I would suggest to increase characters walking speed. Remember how fast Guybrush was walking? That sort of speed. Good luck with the game! :)

It utilises the standard AGS options interface, you can get a glimpse of it at 2:12.

1. there are some people on the pixel hunt (the ags band) google+ account you might want to add etc., I got google+ so I don't know if it can be seen without it, you still might want to put the video on your youtube account, so everybody has access (just try to avoid using nay licensed music etc.)

It can. Just watched it myself :)
But I agree that it could've been more public, in the sense that one could search for it on YouTube.

3. what's the inspiration behind those parts that seem to be the intro (the shooting of bubbles and poker chips that turn to blood...that's at least what I figured from the video)

I was thinking James Bond: Casino Royale immediately, which is.. not good in a way, as it was too similar and could be misinterpreted as a spoof – which it obviously isn't, but then again: the interactive intro is so cool. Maybe by removing the playing cards, and just keep the chips, cianty?
And another suggestion for cianty, although this doesn't have to be at all relevant: I understand deeply why you have the passenger wagons so close to each other: so you wouldn't have to make a «jump» animation, but it would've been really neat to have one (and then make a more realistic gap between the wagons). However, if this isn't a scene where the character would be passing through often, it would be too much work for so little.

- Sam

[theo]

Yay for progress! Looking forward to this. Keep it up.

[cianty]

Thanks for the comments, guys!

@Anan - That track was done by Bosa. You can hear it in full in that other video I posted before (on youtube). The indeed apropriate nudity (which is very occasional and only for ... erm... comic relief) is very early on in the game. But it's not in the trailer itself. Sorry 

@Grim - I already increased the speed from the default setting after a complaint from a playtester. I have obviously grown used to it myself by now, so if the testers keep complaining I'll increase it for sure (by the way, I have already done a tech demo for the sequel, where the character can walk normally as well as run, which eats at his endurance, and running is required for jumping - think jumping between rooftops).

@Sam - Yes the playable intro is obviously a hommage to James Bond. The game is full of James Bond and Hitchcock quotes (and a few others).
I see what you mean about the wagons. It's not something I would change now though. For the next game I'll be posting more screens in the Critics Lounge to get more such useful comments. For this, my first game, I like to just experiment with pixel art and everything. Which brings me to the last point...

@all - When will it be finished? When I first started I was hoping to finish it by November. Last year! I am not heading for a set deadline anymore. The game will be full length, which means quite a bit of length. There is still a lot to do and I am afraid I won't finish it this year either. I really enjoy experimenting with different game mechanics and scenes and I like to take my time with it all.

[quo_sp]

Cianty, looks great  :o, are you planing to advance a demo?

Fantastic work 

[cianty]

Thanks, quo_sp! I have indeed started work on a "demo" (which is actually a completely independet short game). I do plan on finishing it before the "main" game.

[Gedeon]

Hey cianty! I been looking forward to this game for years. It looks great! Please consider continue developing it and let us know how to goes.

[Darth Mandarb]

Gedeon - please review the forum rules before further posting (this thread hasn't been posted to in over 2.5 years).

cianty - if you're still out there, and working on this, and want to post an update sometime... let me know (via PM) and I'll unlock it.

[cianty]

After a long long time I went back to this game again. I spent the last few days fixing a couple of ToDos from my list such as finishing different backgrounds, loose ends, etc. So now I have a good overview of the current status and what needs to be done. Priority is to finish the missing bits so that the different parts will be linked and finally form a big playable section. Let's do it!

[selmiak]

wohoooo. Great news! Please do this!

[Blondbraid]

I like the atmosphere, it really captures the feeling of the
classic James Bond movies.

[Mati256]

Great news! Good luck!

[Tramponline]

Brilliant news! Really glad to hear you're back on it, cianty.

Your art style is still... ...nostalgorgeousatisfactofantastic!

[cianty]

Thanks a lot for the encouragement, everyone!

I'd love to put up more screenshots here but I am afraid it would spoil some of the surprises and excitement. I'll try to think of "safe" ways to tease more content...

[StillInThe90s]

Never mind the screenshots. Just finish the game!
Seriously, I think a lot of people are thrilled about this project being alive again. Including myself.

[cianty]

So, yeah, I'm still working on it. Currently I'm doing a lot of testing and clean-up and putting the finishing touches on Part 2. A lot of loose scenes and bits that need to be connected and then it'll be a huge milestone. So don't give up on me.

[Stupot]

Glad things are still ticking along, mate. Keep up the hard work :-)

[Cerno]

I just saw this for the first time.
Wow, the backdrops are gorgeous.
The brick wall man! I'm super jealous here.

[Gedeon]

Good to know! You keep up the good work, that you have a good amount o people waiting anxiously for this promising game. Cheers

[cianty]

So this Christmas my girl-friend gave to me...

an iOS port of the Second Man! Thanks to all the wonderful previous work of JJS and Janet Gilbert she set me up so I can deploy and run the game on my iPad 3 and her iPad Pro.

I spent the last couple of days working on the interface and improving the touch experience (larger hotspots on touch devices, changing some puzzles, etc). This is done now and I continue working on the content of the game.

If you are interested in how this looks, check out the following video where I play the first three minutes of the game on the iPad Pro:
https://t.co/bZbIprbjAu

[Rocchinator]

Man,  I cant wait to play this game. Looks awesome.

[cianty]

Thank you! The fact that I can playlets it on my iPad now is a huge motivation boost so am cracking on now.

[shaun9991]

This game looks awesome, cool to see you are still working on it

[Takyon]

Been looking forward to this game for ages. Good luck Cianty, hope you can get it finished.

[AnasAbdin]

I just found out that I haven't told you my opinion about this game. Maybe because the thread is older than my AGS years. Anywho.. here goes:

FINISH IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY IT.

[cianty]

Thank you all so much for the nice comments. I am working on it!

[SilverSpook]

Looks really awesome.  I'm pre-ordering comrade!

[cianty]

A sign of life after years of silence (the protagonist is a silent killer after all)...

I have resumed work on the game after a long pause. Recent changes have been on the technical side at first as I upgraded the game to version 3.4.0 of AGS. I'd love to go with one of the even more current versions but that is not compatible with the iOS build. Since I am mostly play(test)ing in my iPad having the game run on there is important so I will stick with 3.4.0 for now. Some of the things I have been doing lately:

• Auto-load: When you start the game it automatically loads the last savegame. Especially on mobile this makes for an appropriately smooth experience.
• On mobile, double-tapping triggers the right-click action of the 9-verb interface, i.e. it triggers the suggested action (e.g. open door)
• The verb icons are not animated while selected. This brings more life to the UI and helps distinguish the currently selected action (which is animating) from the suggested right-click action when over a hotspot/object.
• Lots and lots of small imperfections were fixed and the one or other extra-mile was added to the first part of the game.

I am now maintaining a Trello board for all the ideas, todos, bugs and improvements. It helps keep a good overview and focus.
Most importantly, I now a plan how to finish the last bits of Part 2. Once that is done, I will have reached a major milestone because afterwards, there is a sort of "cut" in the game. This means, Prelude, Part 1 and most of Part 2 are nearly finished. I guess once that is completed I could also invite some external testers and seek their opinions.

So much for now. I won't be posting screenshots as I don't want to give away too much.

Lastly, here is a snapshot of the current game statistics. It doesn't say that much about actual gameplay length but it's an indicator nevertheless (why doesn't it include rooms?).

[Haggis]

Good luck to you, really happy to see this is still progressing as it looks and sounds fantastic - I speak from experience when I say keep going, it will be worth it in the end!

[Stupot]

Nice to see this thing is still alive. Keep the updates coming, yo.

[sawyer]

nice game. thx