46 MEMORY LANE - demo available

Started by shamz, Fri 26/05/2017 07:09:56

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shamz

This is my first almost-complete AGS Game that I made for my university final project.

46 MEMORY LANE

Tony comes back home after three years abroad to find that in his absence, things have changed. For one, his wife Angela is nowhere to be found. And what is this he keeps hearing about a new owner of the apartment building? Thus begins his descent into a creepy little dream narrative.





Development progress:
As with all my projects I found myself getting too ambitious, and with the final project deadline looming over my head I had to drop a lot of content to submit something "finished". But since it doesn't follow conventional story structure, I think I can safely say that Story is at a solid 90%. The scripting is almost done; I just need to iron out some bugs and do further playtesting (maybe you guys can help me out with that). The graphics could have more animations, but since that's not my forte I'll just say it's at 99%. The Sound/Music department is the most lacking; there's ambience/music in some screens, and some sound effects, but could be more. 60%

DOWNLOAD DEMO HERE: https://www.dropbox.com/s/y2oynkvznlt8qef/46memorylane.zip?dl=0

Gilbert

Man, those screenshots are HUGE! :tongue:

shamz

Whoops, using the 'width=xxx' in the img tag didn't seem to work  :grin:
Let's just say it's extra promotional.

Two Tales

Looks interesting. Loving the pixel art. I'm in two minds about downloading the demo because I want to play the finished game. So I hope you see it through to completion past your deadline. 

Michael2968

I am really enjoying the demo so far. I haven't found any bugs so far I don't think.  My question is how far can you get in the demo? Can you
Spoiler
reanimate the mannequin or is that going to just be in the full game?
[close]

sthomannch

#5
 Michael, it is possible.

Just played through it, and wow, this is already an incredibly good full-length game!

Michael2968

Thanks for your help with the game sthomannch. I think this is more of a really good full length game too.

shamz

@Two Tales
I actually just submitted it to my profs yesterday, so it won't be long until I'll consider it finished. You can keep an eye on the Completed Games board  :) Btw, Rabbit Hill was pretty inspirational for me; thanks for making that game.

@sthomannch
You made me smile. Thanks for playing!

@Michael2968
Like sthomannch said, it is possible, but I'm curious about your experience with that puzzle...
Spoiler
What did you think of the signposting for the steps in the ritual to animate the mannequin? Was the combination of the note fragments and the black book effective in telling you what to do?
[close]


sthomannch

Most things where logical and I think that the story line is good and possible to follow
Spoiler

The black book was essential, as well as the notes. I got only a little bit stuck with two things:
- I did not slash the ears, but it was in a way very obvious that yout want to get rid of them, especially after the old ladies remarks about the master
- How to save the game but with a bit of experimenting the player will find out about it
I think the puzzles where just right to be interesting and neither too easy nor too difficult
[close]
Looking forward to the full game :-)

Shadow1000

How do you save the game? Twice I started playing and did not have time to continue and pressed function keys hoping for a save option and the game just ended, losing my progress.

As well:

I'm actually pretty stuck. Seems that no one else had trouble, though.
Spoiler
I only have the tights, shoes and bra. I have no idea where to find the other clothes. I don't know how to get into room 204

How do you get the jacket? I assume you get it from the bar window but your arms aren't long enough.
[close]

I don't know of any other objectives so if someone can help me with these it should help me along in the game.

Thank you

shamz

@Shadow
Oh I actually didn't know the function keys will quit the game, thanks for the info! But I guess the story was intriguing enough for you to at least try a second time 8-)
Anyway, the way you save your game is
Spoiler
when you go through certain doorways, you have a chance of meeting an angel statue (if she's not too busy crying). Use the memories you've found on her to save the game.
[close]
I'll admit that as a puzzle it's kind of cheap, but I was hoping the narrative implications would make up for it!

As for where you're at right now I'll give you a hint:
Spoiler
What you need is a way to access the third floor. It's a bit of pixel hunt but hopefully not too frustrating. Contact me again if you need further help :smiley:
[close]

Thanks for trying out the game!

Shadow1000

Quote from: shamz on Sun 28/05/2017 10:51:05
@Shadow
Oh I actually didn't know the function keys will quit the game, thanks for the info! But I guess the story was intriguing enough for you to at least try a second time 8-)
Anyway, the way you save your game is
Spoiler
when you go through certain doorways, you have a chance of meeting an angel statue (if she's not too busy crying). Use the memories you've found on her to save the game.
[close]
I'll admit that as a puzzle it's kind of cheap, but I was hoping the narrative implications would make up for it!

My opinion is that saving the game should be part of the gameplay, not a puzzle. Thank you for that tip; that will make it much easier to play.

Quote
As for where you're at right now I'll give you a hint:
Spoiler
What you need is a way to access the third floor. It's a bit of pixel hunt but hopefully not too frustrating. Contact me again if you need further help :smiley:
[close]


Actually, I just figured that out! I'll post in the hints thread if I get stuck again.

Thank you

SHADOW

Shadow1000

I am completely impressed by this demo. I think that it's really close to becoming a real classic. The story line and a bit of polishing need to be fine tuned but otherwise it's an excellent piece of work.

If you haven't played it, then a warning is in place: the game contains horror, sexual references, blood, occult and therefore is not suitable for children or people who find these things offensive.

The strongest part of the game is the story. For the most part, the plot and pacing of the plot with the puzzles is perfect. I found the plot completely riveting and was what kept me wanting to solve those puzzles, which is how a good game should be designed. The occult/surreal-world horror aspect works really well in providing the atmosphere that reminded me at times of Silent Hill without the constant monster attacks.

Spoiler
I don't want to elaborate, but there was a point in the game where I felt a bit of a lull in the story and it was solving puzzles just for the sake of solving puzzles. I communicated this with the author.
[close]

The puzzles are another very strong part of the game. There is a great variety of inventory puzzles with learning clues from dialogue puzzles, escape the room and to on. As pointed out by others, the difficulty is right in that sweet spot where they are challenging enough to keep you thinking but not too difficult to make them unsolvable or lose interest in playing.

The graphics/animation/sound and music are good. I agree with the author that a bit of music to help with the atmosphere would enhance the experience.

My only complaint is the save system. I actually like that you can't just save as often and when and where you want. But had I not been told that saving is a puzzle I would not have known, let alone how to save. I believe that any game longer than 20 minutes or so should have an obvious way to save the game. I recommend telling the user outright how to save during gameplay if you don't want to add a save button to the menu. I actually restarted 3 or 4 times and left my computer running most of the day because of this.

I do hope that you refine it a bit and release it.

Well done!

SHADOW

SilverSpook

Love the style!  Looks like it indeed could become a classic. :)  I have to concur with Shadow though, I would recommend an easier save system so as not to frustrate potential fans.

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