It's not a completed game, merely an announcement.
The demo is out there!
QuoteThe much anticipated demo of Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth is finally available to download and try out for yourself! It's taken over two years to release but now it's ready for show, and should give you a tiny impression of just what is to come in the future.
The original demo, which almost surfaced in 2005 - had three programmers, and all was lost when the lead programmer dissapeared without ever uploading the game files for the team to continue working from. After this, a new programmer was recruited - and the demo you will play today has been entirely built from scratch by Jan Simon - a keen programmer who has worked extremely hard on pulling our work together, using only the compiled original version for reference and adding every single bit of detail back in himself.
Don't let this fool you though - more time means more ideas, new looks and better gameplay. The team have been able to implement things like the fight engine which was only really being concieved back in 2005. However, Jan has made it possible and in this demo you will get a taster of some of the action sequences in the game. Unlike the original demo, this version features all the correct dialogue written superbly by Lorn Conner.
The demo itself features an array of features that will be included in the full-game. Bear in mind, this is just a demo & so a lot of what we hope to include in the full game to really bring the atmosphere together - has been left out. The demo features a seperate storyline to the full-game but includes some structure that you can expect from the full game - including cut-scenes, inventory based puzzles, dialogue puzzles & action sequences. There's also over 25 minutes of original music especially composed for the demo, and over 15 unique interactive rooms to explore - all in beautiful 320x200 hand-drawn artwork by Misja van Laatum.
Did you know - we hope to release a talkie version of the demo in the near future! With your help, we can get Doug Lee on board as the voice of Indiana Jones! If you would like to hear him as Indy again in a brand new adventure, take a look at the donations page on our website.
http://www.barnettcollege.com/
It's time to finally see what we've been hiding all this time. You will find all the information and downloads you need below, on our demo page - which also includes technical information as there are still a couple of known bugs floating about in this version! (1.0).
So - sit back & hold on to your hats, it's time for your latest adventure!
http://www.barnettcollege.com/demo.htm
FoY is a freeware point & click by Screen 7, who are in no way affiliated with LucasArts, LucasFilm or George Lucas. Though, like most - we'd love it if we were!
PS - Yes, some minor bugs do still exist. Check out the readme to see what we are aware of, before sending us any reports! None the less - ENJOY! :)
Have fun. Time for bed & a celebration featuring beer :p
Hero promised me this a while back. He owes me a drink.
Chances are, I'll get that drink next year.
All I can say is... RUN HOT
At last, after all these years... I'm stuck in it, by the way. What do I do after I get to Bimini? I have the sleeping pills but I don't know what to do now. Sorry if this is too "Hints and Tips Forum" ish, I just didn't want to bother posting there and taking extra time.
All I can say is:
About ruddy time! ;D
I think I speak for all if I say
(http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/Smileys/default/shocked.gif)
YAY!
Now we only have to wait ten more years for the finished product...
YAY!
Holy cow this is looking so, so good. Do you know how much money you need to get Doug Lee?
Is F7 some kind of hidden nazi button, or is it of practical use?
Take all the time you need on this, as long as it's finished some day. I'll be waiting.
What gives, I distinctly remember this game having keyboard controls the last time I played it. Imho Lucas GUIs are rather annoying without that, and it's like ten lines of code tops, so why did you take that out?
Agree *(I) with Radiant, but still
A great Demo, and a great game, and a great production and a great... well...
Love it... (I)
Quote from: Spleen on Fri 26/05/2006 01:08:02
Hero promised me this a while back.Ã, He owes me a drink.
Chances are, I'll get that drink next year.
Pfff... I said it would be ready BEFORE BRITTENS... and I was right. I think its your round...
In other news, apparently Beelzebub is having problems with icicles...
I just lost all my savegames by quitting the game using alt-F4 (I was at the carvings in the cliff and couldn't exit that screen whatever I did) ??? Aside from that, it's a nice looking demo.
Edit: Alright, I found that they were saves to the "Documents and Settings/Username" folder, but apparently the game didn't know to restore them from there after restarting the game. I had to move them to the game folder to do that. Either way, even if it worked, it's a mess saving there. Please save to "Documents and Settings/Username/My Documents/Fountain of Youth" or similar. I know that you're using a very recently implemented function in AGS so it's understandable that it's not working properly, but nevertheless it's very unfortunate.
Edit 2: So I finished the demo. And I must say the graphic style and the atmosphere is spot on. It truly feels like a LucasArts game from around the time of FoA. One thing I didn't enjoy was the puzzles which I found quite obscure with lots of pixel-hunting. But it should be said that I'm not much of a LucasArts fan and as for Indy games actually prefer TLC to FoA. The one puzzle I liked was the inscriptions at the end, but it did seem a bit derivative of the Gabriel Knight tomb writing.
I had to Alt+F4 on the same thing. Didn't reload again to check. Uhoh.....
Also, the GUI disappeared after I talked to the fat guard. The empty talking GUI remained, but I could still walk around. I had to talk to him again to get the original GUI back.
Just finished it, after moaning a lot on #ags of course.
That last puzzle was pretty cool. I was so frustrated while I was trying to get it, but then when I did, it was a forehead slapping "of course" moment - those are usually the most satisfying of puzzles.
The fight system seemed a little odd though - I tried fighting the guy 3 times and all 3 times I lost. HOWEVER, I then figured out a way to get past him without fighting him - the problem is, I did it slightly wrong:
Spoiler
I accidently used the wrong name
so I had to fight him a fourth time. Somewhat oddly, I won this itme.
Graphics are very pretty and all, but hey, we've all known that for months....er....years, rather.
A minor niggle I had is choosing which option to use at certain points - but that is partly a criticism of the Lucasarts GUI than this game specifically. For example:
Spoiler
I knew i had to get the needle out of the compass, so I tried everything I could for ages until someone told me simple to "push" it.
Similarily, I had to help someone who did not know it was as simple as "use wires" in the car.
Not a major thing, just a little frustration. But I guess that's a problem with any adventure game puzzle to some people!
Good luck with the rest of the project! I'll be keeping an eye on this.
Keep in mind that these puzzles aren't going to be used the real game. And btw- who the heck is Doug Lee?!
My oh my, this day actually came! Congratulations on the belated release on the demo, it rocks! I hope we will see the full game before the end of the decade.
Quote from: yodaman11111 on Fri 26/05/2006 15:00:45
Keep in mind that these puzzles aren't going to be used the real game. And btw- who the heck is Doug Lee?!
Doug Lee did the voice of Indiana Jones in FOA
Oh. Sweet! Too bad you couldn't get ol' Harrison himself, eh?
if lucas arts couldnt then these guys cant.
will doonlood latar.
This post contains some spoilers, about the fight sequence mostly...
Firstly - Doug is affordable, Harrison is not!!!! :P
Thanks for all your comments. I understand there are quite a few buggy parts, but to be honest - don't fret. There are better versions of the demo coming out, 1.1 will have all the mentioned bugs fixed & a whole lot more descriptions when actions are taken etc.
You have to remember with this demo, not one person designed the puzzles, we all did, not one person designed the storyline, we all did - whereas the full game will have much more consistency.
I'm glad you liked the panel puzzle (that was MY puzzle I might add! :p) - there will be more taxing puzzles like that in the full game, so beware!
Regarding some of the issues here:
QuoteIs F7 some kind of hidden nazi button, or is it of practical use?
Must be a hidden Nazi button, I didn't know about it!
QuoteDocuments and Settings/Username" folder, but apparently the game didn't know to restore them from there after restarting the game. I had to move them to the game folder to do that. Either way, even if it worked, it's a mess saving there. Please save to "Documents and Settings/Username/My Documents/Fountain of Youth" or similar.
Games are being saved all over the place and I don't know why, I don't think Jan is on top of that one yet either - but it will be sorted in the next version. The save-games features are what we had the most trouble with (and what has delayed the demo over the last few weeks) - but we gave in, and thought bugger it, release it.
QuoteOne thing I didn't enjoy was the puzzles which I found quite obscure with lots of pixel-hunting.
Which pixel hunting puzzles are those? The wires? I'm sure that's all there is...
QuoteThe one puzzle I liked was the inscriptions at the end, but it did seem a bit derivative of the Gabriel Knight tomb writing.
Fair play - I've never played any of the Gabrial Knight games and it was I that designed that puzzle, so thats just co-incidence.
QuoteAlso, the GUI disappeared after I talked to the fat guard. The empty talking GUI remained, but I could still walk around. I had to talk to him again to get the original GUI back.
I heard this was a problem, sorry about that. It'll be fixed for v1.1.
QuoteThe fight system seemed a little odd though - I tried fighting the guy 3 times and all 3 times I lost. HOWEVER, I then figured out a way to get past him without fighting him - the problem is, I did it slightly wrong:
Yep - the fight can be tricky. You'll find in the full game that, if you do choose to fight, different methods will win. Just punching too and fro won't. The trick here is to double-punch when your energy is high. There's always the cheap-trick option, though :)
QuoteWhat gives, I distinctly remember this game having keyboard controls the last time I played it. Imho Lucas GUIs are rather annoying without that, and it's like ten lines of code tops, so why did you take that out?
I've pressured every programmer to include mouse options but no-one would care to implement it, until Jan. That is the primary fighting method I used when playing FoA and wanted to keep that true to FoY. You'll be able to use the keypad in the full-game.
Anyway - thanks again and thanks for all your support :)
PS - Doug has given us a quote, we're 10% there to getting him voice the demo.
Quote from: m0ds on Fri 26/05/2006 16:13:41
QuoteWhat gives, I distinctly remember this game having keyboard controls the last time I played it. Imho Lucas GUIs are rather annoying without that, and it's like ten lines of code tops, so why did you take that out?
I've pressured every programmer to include mouse options but no-one would care to implement it, until Jan. That is the primary fighting method I used when playing FoA and wanted to keep that true to FoY. You'll be able to use the keypad in the full-game.
No, you got it backwards. I want to be able to use the keyboard to select verbs and inventory items, like in every LucasArts game.
Keycodes:
Open - O
Close - C
Push - S
Pull - Y
Walk to - W
Pick up - P
Talk to - T
Give - G
Use - U
Look at - L
Turn on - N
Turn off - F
Q - Scrolls the inventory up
A - Scrolls the inventory down
#1-6 select from inventory objects shown on the screen OR dialog choices in a conversation (my favorite... i love just being able to hit 2 to get the second choice, instead of clicking on it in a dialog)
Ahhh, right - I see now. Well, we can definitely put that in the full game, and possibly the next version of the demo :)
How much is it going to cost to get Doug Lee doing voice acting, anyways? Just curious..
Quite a lot!
I don't really want to discuss how much though, sorry.
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT
Thanks m0ds, thanks SCREEN 7 !
you bought me love for ever !!!!!
Quote from: yodaman11111 on Fri 26/05/2006 17:17:29
How much is it going to cost to get Doug Lee doing voice acting, anyways? Just curious..
i know what youre thinking. This is for that new game rite?
Installers suck.
Says one out of 1885 downloaders :p
so if it is a lot, and you're 10% there is that just the demo or the full game?
Also, downlaoded, will play when I have had sleep
Well I played the demo and I have to say that the backgrounds are every bit as professional as anything I've seen come out of Lucasarts. The colors are vibrant, the details are eye catching, and the locations are interesting. However, the same situation I saw with the previous demo I played seems to persist, that of inconsistent sprite work. The styles for indy and Lando in particular seem to vary quite noticeably from that of Mr. Macouzky or the fisherman (both of which look superior in quality and detail to our hero). The other issue I had with it that, for lack of a better word, Indy behaves like a pussy. I don't mean any offense by this, but Indy isn't the type of guy to sit and give excuses like 'what, and throw my back out!?' for not picking up a shovel. It just somehow demeans his cool factor to have him consistently say un-Indyish things just because you don't want this item to be in the inventory. Another example is pushing the gas can. "That would be DANGEROUS!" Indy LIVES danger, he BREATHES it. This is not a statement Indy would make, it's more like something you'd see in Smokey the Bear's Adventures. I really and truly think you need to think about who Indy is and reframe the situations around him. Some examples:
1. A shovel is a useful tool for MANY purposes. If you're going to display one and give it an interaction, logic dictates that the player (and Indy) could imagine uses for it (like that boulder for one). Have him TRY to take it, have him WANT to take it...Maybe it is buried in a hard section of earth, but you've got to remember he's Indiana Jones and not Guybrush Threepwood, he's not a wimpy putz. So you don't want the shovel in the inventory from a design standpoint? Fine, solution: Have Indy wrench it so hard that the thing snaps. Wrecked shovels aren't too useful but at least (and this is important) Indy didn't say he was too weak or infirm to do it. With a heroic character like Indiana Jones you have to really approach puzzles and design from the prospect that if it's possible he'll try it, because Indy's a go-getter and not a wuss. I apologize if this comes off as preachy or insulting, but hopefully you'll find some of it useful. Congrats on the release!
-ProgZ
Edit: One other thing I forgot to mention was him talking to the player as if he's being controlled. This immediately distanced me from the idea that I was Indiana Jones and (personally) I think it detracts from the beautiful work you've done.
Thanks for the comments Progz - the long and short of it is, we haven't had the time to go into that much detail yet. I warned the team about him facing the camera, and asked for it to only appear once - this hasn't been implemented. I understand how it breaks the fourth wall for you, and it does for me too. I assure you, this will have be barred to once only in the full-game! :P
Indy is not a pussy, and hopefully he'll be made up in enough animations to be the heroic character you'd like, and we'd like. We just don't have the animations, we don't have the animators. Our original Indy animator dissapeared, the next was worried about legal issues - but we have a new animator who I'm pretty sure will stay on board, and you'll see consistency in the full game. And hopefully a whole variety of animations.
Like the demo, which will be rebuilt into version 1.1 with a lot of improvements, (v1.5 or whatever expected to feature Doug Lee) the full game will get updated until it's perfick'. This is what takes time with such a game - reaching that level of perfection that is truly beleiveable and acceptable. If the demo hadn't been released another month, there may have been more to it...if you catch my drift. Time is not necessary especially in the days of the internet - like I've said many times, I & the team have no intention of dying but :p - we have every intention of making something perfect within our life-times, this is probably it & because its not bound by deadlines (necessarily) - can be achieved. Don't think I'm ranting at you, I'm not - I totally agree with your comments about in-consistency in some of the artwork & Indy not giving it 100%. It just wouldn't be justified though, we don't have the animations. But you can expect many more Indy quirks in the full game. I, like you, probably love it when Indy tries something out & it goes wrong, or goes right... Like Tex Murphy, I suppose. All these things are part of the "plan" :)
None the less thanks for the kind words about the demo! Keep an eye out for 1.1 dude :) and maybe your Ted Lansing sprite sometime in the future :D
Gary - 10% is toward the cost of the demo. The cost for the full game will be phenominal. We'll need 5 years of development just for our Doug Lee fund....honestly.
off topic: Ted Lansing...Was that for the remake of your old game?
While I understand what you mean about constraints, I don't think this necessarily covers the issue with Indy's 'behavior'. He doesn't necessarily need an animation to have a presence about him. Just saying something like he's too old to lift a shovel damages his persona when (if animations are an issue) other explanations can be given- or simply making the shovel an uninteractable part of the background and thus free from the issues of explaining why a daring archaeologist wouldn't take it (because it's just not part of the game!). Anyway, I'm glad to see it's shaping up into something your team can be proud of.
I tried to play it and was frustrated by some of the same gameplay and character issues ProgZ brought up. Rather than Indy saying "I could hurt myself" how about a simple "I don't need that right now"?
Presumably some of it was cutting down the plot for the demo, but I think it could have been handled more carefully. Examples are the inaccessibility of the bar and the hangar. And ProgZ, you shouldn't knock Guybrush - he'd swipe a boat and paddle around an island.
I was disappointed that Indy and Lando's running gag was going to be Indy = dog's name. To be harsh, it seemed like you'd run out of ideas before you even began. To carry a full length game, a gag between Lando and Indy should be something original.
To add to the wimpy Indy feeling, I gave up when Indy (carrying a whip AND a knife) wouldn't approach a drunken nazi. That seemed like the perfect time to try out the boxing, against a feeble opponent.
Still, the artwork is superlative. The post office background is as good or better than anything in FoA.
Oh, and great music!
I hope you take this in the spirit it was intended - constructive criticism.
Quote from: SteveMcCrea on Sat 27/05/2006 06:52:54
I tried to play it and was frustrated by some of the same gameplay and character issues ProgZ brought up. Rather than Indy saying "I could hurt myself" how about a simple "I don't need that right now"?
Presumably some of it was cutting down the plot for the demo, but I think it could have been handled more carefully. Examples are the inaccessibility of the bar and the hangar. And ProgZ, you shouldn't knock Guybrush - he'd swipe a boat and paddle around an island.
I was disappointed that Indy and Lando's running gag was going to be Indy = dog's name. To be harsh, it seemed like you'd run out of ideas before you even began. To carry a full length game, a gag between Lando and Indy should be something original.
To add to the wimpy Indy feeling, I gave up when Indy (carrying a whip AND a knife) wouldn't approach a drunken nazi. That seemed like the perfect time to try out the boxing, against a feeble opponent.
Still, the artwork is superlative. The post office background is as good or better than anything in FoA.
Oh, and great music!
I hope you take this in the spirit it was intended - constructive criticism.
Standard reply
Says one out of 1885 downloaders :p
Congrats to the FoY team, you got the digg effect! There is a link to the demo on the front page of the popular social bookmark site www.digg.com. So far 100+ people have voted for it and it seems the traffic from digg has shut down the Barnet College website! Better get those mirrors up and get ready for a lot of attention ;) Hope being featured on a high profile site like digg will not set lucasarts on to your backs, I still wanna see a full game after playing the demo :(
Thank you, hehehe I wondered why the site had gone down! Thanks for pimping it though. I really doubt there'll ever be any issues with the download itself, but barnettcollege.com is on a basic hosting package and doesnt come with much bandwidth.
None the less, here is the link to download the demo, which you could post up in the digg.com comments for the article :)
http://www.miez.nl/foy/download/downloader.php?id=00000000004
Interesting fact: Helm may never play this demo, because he doesn't want it to ruin the full-game experience!
Thanks for the download link mods, I posted it and am sure that the diggers will appreciate it ;D Great demo by the way, it's been totally worth the wait -you all did a super job! When I saw this on digg I knew I just had to comment on it! For those interested in what people have been saying so far check out: http://digg.com/gaming/Indiana_Jones_fan_based_game_developed_by_College_Students#c1816080
edit: I also added the link to the mirror at digg :=
It's nice to see that the demo has finally been released. You know in the last few months or so, I've been checking the site regularly to see if there was any progress. Unfortunatly I've got a uni assignment I need to be doing so I can't play this for a few days.
Anyways, keep up the awesome work.
Playing the demo was the first I have seen of FOY. This game looks amazing! Thanks for the demo mods, this game will be brilliant. Can't wait to play the full version.
Thanks for your kind words! I'm glad you're having fun playing it, and hopefully it's bringing back some memories for you!! The Screen 7 games page is now operational, well, just about - so people can also be directed there if theres ever a problem with Barnett College... Apparently the "box" has turned itself off, whatever that means! :)
Now however, you will understand just how long it might take to release the full-game! ;)
Quote from: ProgZmax on Sat 27/05/2006 01:12:04
The other issue I had with it that, for lack of a better word, Indy behaves like a pussy. I don't mean any offense by this, but Indy isn't the type of guy to sit and give excuses like 'what, and throw my back out!?' for not picking up a shovel. It just somehow demeans his cool factor to have him consistently say un-Indyish things just because you don't want this item to be in the inventory. Another example is pushing the gas can. "That would be DANGEROUS!" Indy LIVES danger, he BREATHES it. This is not a statement Indy would make, it's more like something you'd see in Smokey the Bear's Adventures. I really and truly think you need to think about who Indy is and reframe the situations around him.
Speaking of which, WHY DID YOU REMOVE INDY'S STUBBLE? I realise that Indy staying at a hotel wouldn't sport stubble (I wouldn't have thought he'd sport the Indy Suit(TM) either, but I realise you've got time constraints), but I don't care about the logic. Indy needs stubble. I was also disappointed that you couldn't pick up the shovel. It's an adventure game! Shovel's are necessary :P !
About the final puzzle, can someone explain the logic to me?
Spoiler
I figured out the 'YOUTH' from the journal and 'MAY' and 'ENTER' from the notes, but I had to click all the other buttons one by one to find 'THE', which ended up being the last.
Another thing, just a suggestion, but it was kinda annoying to have to retype the savegame name everytime you saved. Usually the old name remains there, and you have the option of editting it, or just pressing ENTER to save it under the same name.
Also, I do not think you need voices for the demo. Save it up for the real game! We don't need more demo versions, WORK ON THE ACTUAL GAME! :=
@Barber
Spoiler
If you take another look at Shelly's homework you will find the glyph for "the".
Bugs:
I found some wired bugs, like Indy being able to stand right behind (i.e. his view being blocked by) the drunk Nazi when the later is working on the truck. Also the savegames behave really wired, when I start the demo from the desktop shortcut I cant see any savegames but when I start the game from its directory I get my saved states -also a savegame file is saved to my desktop.
Besides that it was great, nice little "easter egg" by the way.
Theres also another graphical error in there - see if you can spot it!!
Regarding shovels, stubbles & what not - I think those are all "perfectionist" elements that I've already said will be looked into in the full-game.
It can't be ... the FoY demo is out there?!
Great stuff m0ds, glad to finally see it released :)
Well, what can I say? Good stuff. Really nice visuals. :) Congratulations on releasing it at last!
Hey Mark, Just got round to playing it and it is looking super-mega impressive. Everything is perfect Indy down to a T. This should keep fans sated for at least another 4 years, and I'm sure all the feedback is a lot of enthusiasm to keep you motivated.
All I have left to say now is keep up the good work and I look forward to the real game and would love to see more tutorials on your site.
If you need a mirror for the downloads I can help with that, not sure how miez.com is responding to all the downloading.
So we can expect the full game at mittens this year right :P
Pretty nice demo so far. I've stumbled upon a couple of mistakes.
First mistake: Indy and some other characters say "Rubbish" and other Brittish expressions. Indy is American, he doesn't say Brittish things.
Second mistake:
Spoiler
When looking at the stoneplate at the digstie (the symobls that are similiar to those in the homework), there's no "exit" area
Third mistake: If you try to use some items with hotspots or whatever, Indy doesn't comment on them. Also, some of the discriptions doesn't make sense, like: Use knife on dog, Indy says "I can't use these objects together" That should be "I've got no reason to stab a dog" or "I don't kill animals for no reason".
Otherwise it's great but I agree with Steve McCrea with not attack the drunken nazi. I mean, even if he has a gun he couldn't hit Indy because his accuracy is lowered because of being drunk. Also, he doesn't look strong, so why not just whip him or throw the knife or whatever. It would make more sense if the guard is NOT drunk and looks less weak. Why not switch the alchohol with some other beverage (I think the Nazi's never drank coffee, at least I think one of Nazi's in Last Crusade said so).
Let's hope the game take less than two years to be completed. Keep on it!
Great stuff guys, looks and sounds excellent, top quality stuff (apart from the bugs)
didn't find any new ones excpet maybe some of the text says Use this with that, or look here etc but you can still walk to somewhere else with this text being displayed (no specifics but it pretty much happens anywhere [not a serious issue but a bit of scripting polish])
I also agree about the lack responses from clicking on objects, at least have a random unhandled event response.
Spoiler
quite a few places where you click to walk somewhere and it takes you to the wrong place eg. at the tents, click the tower thing and end up in left tent, click to go between tents to the guard and end up in the command tent etc
And when it comes towards the final release, I'd suggest quite a few more beta testers, cause we all know that people round here like to pick stuff to death, and they are the prime candidates for the jobs (and I'm not putting my hand up)
Wow, that was awesome! It really has the Lucasart Indy Feel (tm) in every department.
My compliments to the FoY team! It was worth the wait ;)
My only beef was with the dialogue in general. It was out of character, for Indiana at least. Also, I think the name gags were ladled on too fast and thick. This is Indiana Jones, but Guybrush Threepwood.
Having said that, I loved the travelling scene - spot on! And the midi sound effects, the birds for example, very impressive.
Hurrah! Finished it. Graphical and musical sides simply rock!
But with my usual criticsloungeism...
Warning: long ramble ahead
* There's a painful collision with Sierra (loads of hotspots) and LucasArts'(hell of details on backgrounds) styles!
Original Indy games had loads of backgrounds with little to do on them. Hotspot was always something you actually do need to use to progress (especially in Last Crusade!!!). But details were many.
Sierra games, especially ancient text-parser AGI games had very little of noticeable detail on backgrounds, but almost everything was lookable and interactable.
In FOY, you have both... and that makes puzzles extremely difficult. Especially if game demo lacks any not-puzzle-critical and hinting responses. For example, simple math --
10 inventory items
+
4 rooms with around 15 hotspots in both
+
9 possible interactions
+
no idea what to do
=
helluva lot of choices & one really confused player
So, I hope that in next 25 years or so while you finish full FOY ;), there will be enough hints added, pointless hotspots removed (not really desirable option, It reduces exploration value) or straight logic applied to puzzles to make it all enjoyable and not too easy at same time. Alternate solutions? Nah, I know how much time it takes...
* Fighting system has much more quick action, but wastes choices. I found no difference in where I hit or why to block - it's just one big and quick mess. I somethat prefer more tactical and slower fighting from original Indy games. Where I can decide, hit and see result! Also, it was quite hard to understand what did indicators show while boxing - and why did they have so weird(?) colors!
* Even though Indy was somewhat pacifistic in LucasArts games, in movies, he was the fearless hero! What I mean is unless drunk solider wasn't carrying a big gun (and pointing it at Indy), there's no way this character would simply back up. It just... doesn't feel right. Other soliders sleeping nearby maybe? To make Indy be afraid of causing too much noise? Something like that would be more reasonable. And believeable. In TLC, Indy had an option to attack even if it led to guaranteed death!
But best approach would be still to give player a choice between wit and brawn in situations like this, IMO. And option to flee from fight wouldn't hurt neither! "Nasty trick" was very cool (and surprising) addition, I think.
* sideways walking needs a little polish. The steps Indy takes feel a bit too long? Though it's adjustable, I think that default should be perfected since I people tend to leave it unchanged.
I could analyze further, but I doubt that this is neccessary, It's an amazing and loooong-waited demo, after all!
My personal admiration belongs to miez and m0ds, though rest of the team made great job aswell. Good luck on making the full game, I'm sure that this is the gem that gives the genre and AGS some strong reputation boost and will be talked about for a long time.
Strange bug you may be aware of: Ok this is to do with save games so it might fall under the bug listed in the readme. When I first had a look at the demo, I saved 2 save games. This is all well and good, but then I went back to play the demo again, but the saves wern't there. I tried the shortcut on the desktop and the actual exe file in FoY\demo and they didn't show up in them... I then tried the shortcut in the start menu and the save games were there... It doesn't make any sense to me. The save games also appear to be in the FoY\demo folder and no where else.
Right click the desktop icon and select properties, Set the "Start In:" Box to the games directory path.
Ah cool, thanks.
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/28/indy-returns-in-indie-adventure-game-fountain-of-youth/
It's a few days old, but you might not have seen it.
I just finished the demo. I loved it.
Only one suggestion for the final thing: I found lots of interactions to be missing (notably those related to the "use" command"). It's a bit puzzling for the player when you do something that makes sense (sort of) and you get no reply for it.
Take for instance the volleyball net. I thought I could cut it down with the knife instead of finidng the pin, but I got no reaction from the game.
Aside from that, two thumbs up. Excellent stuff.
My buddy, his wife and I all gathered round the XPS and played Indy for the first time any of us had played since FOA. That's just good old fashioned fun. :) When one of us would get stuck, another of us would get the answer! :)
Other than the already-mentioned nits, I picked one more...the round rock-ish thing at El Boca de Diablo. It says 'the writing is covered with dirt and I can't make it out'...the knife would work to scrape dirt off, and the tin cup would work to get some water and wash it off. :P I couldn't figure that part out.
All around great game, but I look forward to a good unhandled_event handler! ;)
The demo features on this month's PC Gamer disc, and there's a write up on page 104... nice!!
:)
(http://screen7.co.uk/images/pcg_foy.jpg)
Did you make a cruddy scan with another page layering over your own write up just because at the bottom of the page it says "Essential Mods"? ;)
FoY demo is also in PC ZONE UK this month too, m0ds. I'll scan it in when I get the chance.
EDIT: here (http://www.americangirlscouts.org/agswiki/images/0/00/Ags_in_the_media_FoY_PC_ZONE_UK_Sept_2006.jpg) you go. It's a pretty huge resolution, but at least it's readable :)
I don't think that appearing on an important magazine is a good thing. LEC might shut the project down.
Oooh!! Thats awesome AGA! Thanks for posting it :)
skullkid - you're right - but, we'll have to see what happens :)
PS Scottbuddy - I couldn't get rid of that other page without cutting the pages up & didnt want to do that! (yet!) :p But yes I wanted you to see the essentials!!! ;) Another bit on the page says "calling all mods!" ha! :D