Adventure Island now at Zodiac Store

[elentgirl]

I'm very pleased that Zodiac Store have agreed to take on my point-and-click game - Adventure Island.
If you'd like to take a look at the Zodiac page, you can do so   here

Of course, my game is also available to download from the AGS database here

[Mandle]

CONGRATZ ELEN!!!

Yaaaaaay! Now more people will get to share in the awesomeness that is Adventure Island!

I honestly feel that Adventure Island could be studied and theses could be written on it by game design students on how to get everything right in an adventure a game...

The game is very complex in structure and yet at no point did I ever feel directionless: I was either having great fun exploring new and mysterious territories or figuring out how the mechanics of each such realm works...

Intuitive interaction/feedback loops always gave me just enough structure so that I was left to figure out how the world works on my own, but I never felt that the game stranded me with not enough information at any point...

Oh, and the homages to classic games: Spot on!!!...(Especially the Myst area: The greatest Myst-style puzzle that was never actually in a Myst game, but feels like it should have been...)

One of my favorite AGS...adventure...indie...games of all-time...

[elentgirl]

Yaaaaaay! Now more people will get to share in the awesomeness that is Adventure Island!

Thank you, Mandle - that's exactly why I've been pushing to get my game more widely known.  I made Adventure Island as the sort of game I love to play, and I hope that others will get as much enjoyment from it as I did making it.

Thank you also for the glowing recommendation - you are my game's Number One fan!
Elen

[haroldw]

Mandle is number 1 and I'm number 2
Your game is probably the most epic and puzzle filled, AG I've played.  Congrats on the release in Zodiac's store.
I can't help but wonder if TRUE adventure games will ever again have the exposure they deserve.  Lately I've seen many games advertised as
adventure games - and they are not adventure games at all.  I enjoy playing other game genres BUT, hidden-object games are NOT adventure games.
escape-the-room games are not adventure games. and I would dare say (risky statement here) RPG's are not adventure games.

Sorry for the rant,  It's just one of those days.
and just like Mandle said, I studied your game structure when I developed my series.

[elentgirl]

Hello Haroldw

Thank you for your comments.  I tend to agree with you about games masquerading as adventure games that are not what I call an adventure game, but that may reflect my personal taste rather than any objective situation.  I quite like playing the occasional hidden object game, though I agree that they are not strictly adventure games.  I did think of including a hidden object puzzle in a game I was considering.  I've never played an escape-the-room game, but you could say the Black Dog attic part of my game includes an escape-the-room element!  There are also plenty of allusions to RPG games in the Fantasia section of my game, though it's not RPG itself.

My pet hate is including action elements in adventure games.  It has become quite common with 3D games to include running and jumping as part of the gameplay.  I find it very frustrating to keep trying and failing to jump a gap or run fast enough to escape a pursuing nasty (I'm pretty rusbish at that sort of quick response).  I don't mind some elements requiring a bit of skill - like shooting - so long as getting it right is not essential to complete the game.  In my shooting gallery section I allowed the players to get the prize anyway if they failed after six attempts.

For me, the essence of a good adventure game is exploring interesting environments and solving puzzles (even slider puzzles! ).
Elen

PS. Do you have any completed games?  I'd be interested in looking at one if you have.

[haroldw]

I have around 8 episodes completed , but only one online (for now).  I'm not as good as you and others here, but thanks to studying games like yours
and reading the grumpy gamers blog - I'm skilled enough to build something that has some entertainment value.  I wrote my own game engine so since it's
not AGS - I will PM you the link (plus this thread is about your accomplishments - I won't disrupt the thread with a link to a different game.)
If you have any tips or criticism please PM me, I love getting advice from a pro.

[Stupot]

Nice to see you're getting some exposure :-)

I can vouch for Mandle's sincerity in his praise for Adventure Island. He had only great things to say about the game when we met up a few weeks back. I'm sorry I haven't played it yet. That's something I'm looking to rectify very soon :-)