FoY demo for all

Scummbuddy · Fri 26/05/2006 16:51:17

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)

m0ds · Fri 26/05/2006 16:58:51

Ahhh, right - I see now. Well, we can definitely put that in the full game, and possibly the next version of the demo

Steel Drummer · Fri 26/05/2006 17:17:29

How much is it going to cost to get Doug Lee doing voice acting, anyways? Just curious..

m0ds · Fri 26/05/2006 17:30:18

Quite a lot!

I don't really want to discuss how much though, sorry.

AlbinoPanther · Fri 26/05/2006 18:04:35

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT

Thanks m0ds, thanks SCREEN 7 !

you bought me love for ever !!!!!

Hammerite · Fri 26/05/2006 18:17:47

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?

Candle · Fri 26/05/2006 18:55:44

Installers suck.

m0ds · Fri 26/05/2006 19:19:18

Says one out of 1885 downloaders :p

magintz · Sat 27/05/2006 00:58:41

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

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Sat 27/05/2006 01:12:04

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.

m0ds · Sat 27/05/2006 02:24:10

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!

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

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.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Sat 27/05/2006 03:22:46

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.

Kweepa · 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.

Candle · Sat 27/05/2006 08:18:21

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

Greyarea · Sat 27/05/2006 15:49:33

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

m0ds · Sat 27/05/2006 15:57:24

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!

Greyarea · Sat 27/05/2006 16:18:39

Thanks for the download link mods, I posted it and am sure that the diggers will appreciate it

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

auhsor · Sat 27/05/2006 16:21:27

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.

buloght · Sat 27/05/2006 16:52:02

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.

m0ds · Sat 27/05/2006 17:02:58

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!