TSL Alive?

[elliot87]

What's happening at The Silver Lining website? http://www.tsl-game.com

[Radiant]

They've got a countdown set to a few days from now. I guess they have something to tell us about that cease-and-desist order they got last month?

[Sslaxx]

They've got a countdown set to a few days from now. I guess they have something to tell us about that cease-and-desist order they got last month?

That quote on the site makes me think "re-write stripping out the Vivendi-owned stuff", actually...

[GarageGothic]

Just a few moments left of the countdown. Any last minute bets? My money's on suicide pact, but I'll settle for a first episode release.

Edit: Countdown to a release date announcement? Meh. Guess I'll check back in another two weeks.

[elliot87]

The countdown is over, and TSL will see the light of day!
Head on over to http://www.postudios.com/ and http://www.tsl-game.com/ to find out all about it!

[Dualnames]

The countdown is over, and TSL will see the light of day!
Head on over to http://www.postudios.com/ and http://www.tsl-game.com/ to find out all about it!

GREAT NEWS!!

[CaptainD]

It's very much alive! 

Press release, trailer and several screenshots in the link below (graphics are pretty mind-blowing):

http://captaind-pc-gaming.blogspot.com/2010/06/press-release-silver-lining.html

[splat44]

Yes! This great news!

As I already told to other places since 2 C.D. and with battle that took place, it seem we were playing actual game in real word to find out we won again! Yahoo!

[TerranRich]

Awesome! I emailed them, offering up some of my web space to host a mirror of the TSL download.

[Charity]

Sooo.  They released the demo again today.  Thoughts and opinions?

[Dualnames]

Honestly I DON'T WANT TO REGISTER!!!

[TerranRich]

Are they forcing people to register to download it? If so, that's utterly stupid. And it breaks one of the main ideals of web development: never force registration unless there's a DAMNED good reason for it.

I got an advanced copy of TSL as one of the mirror hosts for the game. I installed it the day I got it, but haven't tried it out yet.

[GarageGothic]

Yeah, everybody has to register - even game journalists, as I found out from the press release they sent me. Really bad move in terms of publicity.

If you tried the demo/beta thing they released a long while back there's really not much new in the game except for a few cutscenes, as far as I could gather from their forums. The fans seem to like it though. Personally I'll just have to accept that I was never a King's Quest kind of guy, and have a difficult time taking the melodramatic and often on-the-nose dialogue seriously (plus I like being able to use my mouse wheel for changing cursor modes).

Very impressive in terms of production value though, and it's clear that lots of love has been put into this project. I'm very happy for the developers that they finally got to release it after all the setbacks. Congrats, guys!

Edit: Oh, and the narrator is a total bitch but voice acting is really good.

[Dualnames]

Terran, I really 'd love a copy of the game without registering, so if you can somehow give use/me a link I'd be really glad. I'd rather die before registering. I have no trouble registering, but not in such way. I'm glad for them, but this just pisses me off.

[Layabout]

I've played it. I kinda agree with what GarageGothic said, there isn't much new additional content other than the cutscenes.

It would have been nice if they had used higher resolution textures as they look really blurry.

Gameplay is limited, as it more or less tells you what to do and where to go. This may change as it is the first episode, but there were really no puzzles whatsoever.

Camera can be annoying at times.

Animation is really good for a freeware game with the exception of Graham's walkcycle, which is poo on a stick.

Otherwise, it's good to see they got it released.

I just registered using my not for reals email address. It's quite simple but it is something they should have avoided.

[Igor Hardy]

Agree with what GG and Layabout said. But there was 1 puzzle! - the same one as in the demo.

Otherwise it's cool that Graham can sit on benches, eavesdrop on dog guards, or climb a tree a bit. Also, you can go into a part of town where there is absolutely nothing to do except to listen to the Narrator's stories.

[TerranRich]

So I've been playing TSL for an hour or two now, and so far I have yet to come across any real puzzle. It's just interaction after interaction, with a few HORRIBLE narrator jokes tossed in, including shameless self-promotion if you try to talk to SingSing, the nightingale. Also, fourth-wall jokes are fine and dandy, if they're done properly, and sparsely. TSL fails in that regard.

It takes so long to get from point A to point B. I'm sure there's a speed slider somewhere in the options (I haven't checked yet), but it's not just that. There's SO MUCH unused space. In the 4 or 5 screens between the castle and the dock, there's nobody around to talk to. You can't even interact with the "End is Near" doomsayer guy with the mask.

I walk all the way over to the dock, only for the narrator to tell me that the ferrymaster isn't here yet, so try searching for more clues in the castle. In the castle, however, I keep getting hints that there's nothing in there anymore, and to venture outside of it to continue. UGH.

[Gravity]

I tried to warn you. Oh wait, no I didn't. Well I guess I'm glad that I never really play fan games now.

[Erpy]

Terranrich, did you pick up the "clue" in the castle garden where the wedding was meant to take place? I surmise that's the clue being referred to.

[TerranRich]

I had no idea that area was explorable. I couldn't find a door that leads there. I thought I tried every door.

What bothers me is the amount of wasted space that I'm encountering so far. I mean, yeah, this space will most likely be utilized later in the episode, or at worst, in future episodes, but they could've worked around that by providing something of use in those locations from the get-go.

[Takyon]

I tried to warn you. Oh wait, no I didn't. Well I guess I'm glad that I never really play fan games now.

My feelings exactly. Also are the character models from the Sims?

[Sslaxx]

So, my understanding is that "Episode 1" is just the demo? Seems a bit lame really, almost contemptuous of the audience.

[Intense Degree]

It does cover the same part of the game as the demo but it is not exactly the same by any means.

It looks better and there is more in the way of cutscenes (and thereby the story element), voice acting etc. (but not really gameplay) and most, if not all, of the bugs seem to have been sorted out!

As a KQ6 fan I greatly enjoyed wondering around the Isle of the Crown again but I have to agree that there wasn't really much in the way of gameplay in this episode, and I can see that this would be disappointing, esp. for those who haven't played KQ6 and therefore don't have the nostalgia plus point.

On the whole i'm impressed with the production values, from the point of view of a fangame, but reserving judgment on the game itself until I see more.

[Dave Gilbert]

I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with the game when I first booted it up.  Wandering around the lovingly rendered Green Isles of KQ6 (my personal fav of the bunch) was a wonderful nostalgic trip.  But once I got off the first isle, the gameplay took a backseat to 20 minutes of cutscenes and then it ended.  If that wasn't disappointing enough, it ended just when things started to get really interesting.  As for the voiceovers, Graham I liked a lot.  His gravelly voice really made be believe he was a middle-aged king who has lived a very full life.  The rest of the cast was okay, ranging from "meh" to "competent."  The narrator wasn't as bad as people say, but her corny jokes seemed very out of place in such a serious story.  

It's an easy game to criticize but it's hard to dislike.  The love that the team put into this game really shines.  I *did* enjoy the story a lot, and I'm eager to see where it goes.  As a game though, it's barely passable.  If this was just released as a stand-alone movie instead of a game, I would probably be much happier.  

[Gravity]

From what I've read it seems the view wasn't worth the climb.

[JD]

From what I've read it seems the view wasn't worth the climb.

How about trying it yourself  I downloaded it and before I played it I read that the developers designed this to be more of an introduction to the rest of the episodes. I too expected some (more) puzzles and I hope the next episodes will bring plenty of that. I loved seeing the Land of the Green Isles again and I think the voice acting is really good. I agree with Layabout on Graham's walkcycle though; it's a bit dodgy. But looking forward to seeing the next episode!

[TerranRich]

If Episode 2 is a fully playable game, then the series might be redeemed. But as it stands now, there isn't much there yet.

[Zazzaro]

I too feel it was too short and wished they released episode 2 along with it or shortly after. However, they didnt and I'm just glad the thing is being released. I think everyone should try it, or at least wait until episode 2 is released and try both of them together. Way too soon to write this off.

[Charity]

It's unfortunate.  Couldn't help nitpicking it to death when I played it, but I was really impressed with the cinematics, given that it was produced by a team of amateurs.  I think it was a bad move releasing this as a stand alone episode.  Makes a bad first impression, given the shortness, emptiness, and the fact that most of the content was already released years ago in the demo.  There were also a few moments that were just awkward or illogical, like

Spoiler

the fact that you couldn't interact with the obviously suspicious doomsayer, or that bit of foreshadowing when they Wing Queen jokes about the implausibility of a magical artifact that allows people to fly nudge wink boy yeah I'm sure there's nothing like THAT.

[close]

I kind of get the feeling that this game is one that has a story to tell (which is good--the main selling point, even) but that it is going to do everything in its power, no matter how contrived or illogical, to railroad the player through the intended narrative (which is less good).  Still, it obviously has a lot of work and thought put into it (probably more thought than most of the canon installments) and I can still see it being at the very least a moderately satisfying conclusion to the series, if they do end up telling the whole story.  This episode just got off on the wrong foot.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

I appreciate some of the added work and detail they've put in since the demo but I can't help but wonder "Why?".  Why release an episode that has little to no gameplay to hook people into waiting for more?  Why put so much sheer effort into something you can never sell or really call your own (this is a separate argument and needs no reply)?  Some of the quirks with the models notwithstanding (their fingers tend to be way way too skinny and long, and aside from Graham and his children the rest of the people seem very simply designed) a full game designed in this manner would be sure to net some money even today.  These guys have enough talent to make a game that would sell so hopefully after they're done wasting effort on these 'episodes' they'll work on an original IP.  

I'd be curious to see the result.

[CaptainD]

It felt much more like a tech demo than anything.  There were some good things about it and some bad things... I think we'll have to wait until episode two for any real idea of how good it will be.

My thoughts on TSL

Dualnames - I got a press preview copy and didn't have to register, I'm not sure why everyone else has had to (even some who got a press copy?!) 

[GarageGothic]

I'm not sure why everyone else has had to (even some who got a press copy?!) 

I'm guessing you asked for one in advance? I didn't bother since I wasn't reviewing it. The press release I got from Emily upon launch simply said "To download the episode, users will need to register a free account on The Silver Lining website", and as far as I could tell there was no direct download of the game available on their pressroom site.

[CaptainD]

I'm not sure why everyone else has had to (even some who got a press copy?!) 

I'm guessing you asked for one in advance? I didn't bother since I wasn't reviewing it. The press release I got from Emily upon launch simply said "To download the episode, users will need to register a free account on The Silver Lining website", and as far as I could tell there was no direct download of the game available on their pressroom site.

Yeah, when Emily first emailed asking who wanted a copy I said yes, so I guess that's why I got the ftp instructions with no registration required.  Mystery solved!  8)

[Ozzie]

Maybe Activision required the registration in the contract? I have no idea, but it annoyed me too.

[Radiant]

My thoughts on TSL

"Roger of Daventry"

[Charity]

Now THAT would be a beautiful plot twist.