Al Emmo: Official Demo released

[Jake]

Apparently the game has been released, according to MixNMojo.

Oops lazy reporting on my part, sorry! Post updated.

[Radiant]

Darn, I set it to download before going to sleep, and when I woke up I found it had cut off after a couple dozen megs. You're being heavily slashdotted, Erpy!

[Afflict]

I hate to be the be he guy that kicks the living crap out of the fan boy squad. (Its pays the bills and hell it feels so damn good) 

But I feel that this is sorta um... still amature, compared to the commercial market. Dont get me wrong its lokoing good. But heres what I dont agree with from my gamers POV.

- The pre rendered 3d sprites on the 3d BG
- The 2d Bg's are well inconsistant IMO

I feel that alot of the style or character is taken away from the game by having the 2 styles clash.
I am concerned that a team 12+ people?
with how much funding ?
developing for three years?
(Answers will be appreciated)
Is designing a game using the AGS engine. I have seen far better in accordance to man power WAY better productions here by single man power IAGD's.

I refer to :

Apprentice 1+2 : These games were AWESOME the graphics the music etc. And well produced in les time way less man power etc. The game was brilliant and number 2 even more so...

Costs nothing.

next I will refer to Chapter 11 Studios... : This will be a game I will pay for, these guys know what there doing and it shows off in every single update on the site. The graphics complimenting each other etc. The atmosphere of the Bg's. The game has me sold before I even start reading the story plot.

Also freeware? I believe.

There is more Yathzee for one...

I can refer to many other great games on the AGS engine, but I wont. Cause I need to draw a conclusion.

Here I found the Prices you want to charge for this game. Its between $29.99 & $59.99
First of all, no. Second of all...  This is what retail games from established game companies are going for...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/229575/103-2228251-5972665

The Sims 2 = $21.99
The Davinci Code = $19.99
The Longest Journey: Adventure Game of the Year Edition = $9.99
Myst V: End of Ages = $19.98

There are tons more the adventure games are cheaper than the 3d shooters rpg's etc.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/229579/ref=br_bx_c_1_0/103-2228251-5972665

Ok like I said my conclusion.

You are charging way too much, for something I wouldnt pay for. I would rather make a donation to Herculean , Clanworks or Yathzee. Getting funding to the guys that need it.

Regards,

Afflict.

Edit : Irony is that they dont even expect it...

[jetxl]

I need to say that the game doesn't apeal to me, but more about that late.

Afflict, you refers to commecial games. They have a wider audience than IAGD, therefor they sell more and can lower the prices. They cost more, yes, but I doubt Himalaya Studios will make a living on this game, let alone buy a villa.
Price doesn't bother me, since Himalaya Studios invests in their product, unlike a certan con lady.

The game lives and breaths Sierra: main character has Urckle voice, narrator thinks he's funny, objects can be picked up without a hassle, ect.
The problem is that I'm a Lucas Arts boy. Sorry.
I don't have a clue what to do, and when I click on something I'm insulted for clicking something. How dare I click on a cactus in a point 'n click adventure!
I bought Space Quest 6 in a shady corner of a game shop (where the classic adventure games hang out) some years ago. I played it, then searched a review of the game in the game magazine I collect. The reviewer commented that the narrator "pissed him off." At the time I disagreed. But now I know what he was talkking about.
Again, I'm a Lucas Arts boy. Sorry.

[Afflict]

I refer to the commercial games yes, but i refer to the IAGD games from AGS too...

My point still the same I wont pay someone money for this.

[Radiant]

Okay, I got it to download thanks to the wonders of GetRight.

It's a very nice game and obviously a lot of hard work has been put into it. It feels similar to the classic Freddy Pharkas. Unfortunately I'm not really 'into' the wild west genre, but that's a matter of personal taste. I hope Himalaya does a fantasy or scifi game next

By the way I can report that in spite of the minimum system specs given, the game is playable on a 400 MHz machine, since you can speedwalk by pressing escape.

[Erpy]

Yeah, those minimum system specs were based on my machine, which is a Pentium III 450. I'm able to play through the game, but sound can stutter a bit, there's slowdown when entering/exiting a scene and you can't enable the effects (like sunlight or dust devils) without the game turning into a slideshow. We figured it was better to put the specs a little higher, just to avoid people complaining about performance issues. Our beta test applications indicated 99% of everyone could STILL play the game even with the slightly upped requirements.

[AGD2]

I hate to be the be he guy that kicks the living crap out of the fan boy squad. (Its pays the bills and hell it feels so damn good)

Now, why is it that every self-proclaimed devil's advocate seems to think they're the only one there?Ã,  Ah, well, *cracks knuckles* here we go again...

The 2d Bg's are well inconsistant IMO

How so? They've all been drawn and colored using the exact same techniques (painted with acrylics and then touched up in Photoshop) by the same artist.

I am concerned that a team 12+ people?
with how much funding ?
developing for three years?

There were actually onlyÃ,  2-3 full-time members actively working on the team for the duration of the entire project. One programmer doubling as an animator, one artist, and one assistant programmer to clean code up and work on odd-jobs as required.Ã,  All other workers were contractors, usually paid by the hour, or interns. In fact, most of the game's funding was spent on entirely on contractors (a few were very unreliable and a total waste of money). But the core of the game was worked on non-stop by us 2-3 regulars with barely a cent of the funding going towards our own needs. Essentially, the funding made very little difference in the grand scheme of things.

Is designing a game using the AGS engine. I have seen far better in accordance to man power WAY better productions here by single man power IAGD's.

What's wrong with using AGS to make a commercial game? Particularly an old-school one which is intended to maintain that nostalgic style? I'm afraid I don't see the point you're making.Ã,  You're also forgetting the fact that we've been simultaneously working on a free remake of Quest for Glory 2 alongside Al Emmo. If you've ever played the original version of this game before, then you're probably aware of how complex it is given it's RPG elements and stats, even when compared to a relatively simplistic adventure game like Al Emmo.

First of all, no. Second of all...Ã,  This is what retail games from established game companies are going for...

Our game's intended primarily for Sierra fans. We ran a poll on our AGDI forums and most people stated they'd be willing to pay between $40-$50 for a game created in the style of the old Sierra classics. This is our target audience's direct feedback. We decided to lower the price further to $29.99 in order to give some additional appeal to non-Sierra fans. Most (if not all) retail games come out at $50 USD these days. Our initial price is well below that. At the end of the day, we simply have to make enough profit to make this whole project viable.Ã,  Man, you can't give a few thousand dollars to a group of people and expect them to churn out GTA: San Andreas as their first commercial game!Ã,  This kind of level has to be built up to by having a supportive fan-base. If people don't want to support the game or pay for it, then that's fine. We're not forcing you to. But such attitudes towards indie developers tend to say a lot about the current state of commercial adventure games.

You are charging way too much, for something I wouldnt pay for. I would rather make a donation to Herculean , Clanworks or Yathzee. Getting funding to the guys that need it.

That's a matter of personal opinion. We can't dictate to any given individual how much is above the personal limit they should be willing to pay for any particular game. But keep in mind also that offering our game for too low a price also devalues it in our own eyes. We're proud of the work that's been put into this game; it took a lot of time and effort, and we think the asking price is justified for what your money buys. So feel free to make a donation to one of those other groups if that's what you want to do. More power to you!

Though, I'd like to invite you to gather the funding required, and create a better game if you'd like to demonstrate to us exactly how it should be done. I'll even cut you some slack by not insisting that you create another free game alongside it.Ã,  I wonder if you'll be the one who take's up the challenge this time... nobody else seems to want to put similar words into actions.Ã, 

[m0ds]

Looks great, could be a lot of fun! Your web-page suggests you have a very high profile team which is exciting! Sadly I will probably never play this game unless it goes freeware, or somewhere in the region of $9.99. Congrats on your release though

[AGD2]

what? you mean there are no other games being worked on anywhere at all? man that sucks. that means I'm surrounded by lies.   luckily agd have this wonderful unique ability to actually make a game! we are saved.

Read it in context of the reply to the previous post. The comment isn't directed at all creators of AGS games. Merely at people who assume it's easy to create a commercial game if you have X, Y, and Z at your disposal. What I'm saying to those people is: put yourself in the exactly same boat.  Raise the funds you need and create a commercial game how you think it should be done. Practice what you preach, and at the end of the process if you can honestly claim that it was as easy as it sounds (and you don't have your own share of naysayers; which I guarantee you will) then I'd like to hear your secrets!

Looks great, could be a lot of fun! Your web-page suggests you have a very high profile team which is exciting! Sadly I will probably never play this game unless it goes freeware, or somewhere in the region of $9.99. Congrats on your release though

Thanks, mods. We're looking into a cheaper download option as a possibility in the future.  Or you could enter the contest and try to win a free copy!  8)

[Afflict]

OMG you deleted mordys post

What happened to freedom of speech... This is really very funny!

Ok well crack all the knuckles you want, it probably helps your big ego!

Firstly I never said its easy to make a commercial game, hence "from a gamers point of view..."

I never claimed to be a professional game maker... (Read, dont just respond)

If you guys want to waste money on employing part time workers thats your problem,
everybody here does there own work and does it because they love it. Hence sharing the experience with thousands of people that also love it. I believe that AGS is here to help us develope wonderfull skills and to help us make a smooth transition into the world of gaming. Teaching us principles of gaming, such as :

a) Creating and developing your idea characters and story (Hence no crappy remake BS)
b) The concept design and story board of how your world looks and feels... Time and time again.
c) The time it takes to create the awesome graphics on the pc.
d) Scripting and pulling it all together.
e) Beta testing and testing and testing... you get the point? Dont you?

Further more the patience it takes to make these things happen the commitment etc.

Well maybe you dont get the point in making remakes and having a very wierd piece of script runnning lots of inconsistant graphics.

Also nothing is wrong with making commercial games in AGS its got more than enough potential but once again you just responded and didnt read... hence my stating, The appretice and chapter 11 studios game being some of the greatest games ever to be released/ soon to be released.

Am glad your fan boy sqaud will pay $60 for your game, but playing this game was a absolute nightmare! Its nothing like any sierra classic, the graphics contradict each other. The narator is very very annoying and youre trying to put larry into a western genre... ROFL

Guys STOP COPYING IDEAS BE ORIGINAL AND GET A LIFE!!!!

I mean for heavens sake you waste your time on remakes of games! Remakes give you no game design experience! You are just redrawing someone elses game and putting the graphics into someone elses engine... Result King quest with nicer looking pictures...

So where the Puzzle design experience the story developement skills and then Character developement?

You guys Delete MORDY, do I smell fan boy intervention ?

Go ahead Delete my post since freedom of speech is a limited right in these forums.

I will create my own realm my own world where fan boys are prohibited and arrogant developers have no right to thread!

[Darth Mandarb]

Enough of this guys ... come on.

I deleted Mordalle's post.  It was off topic and inflamatory.

Let's keep this civilized in here please.

I'm warming up my lightsabre

[sthomannch]

Hey, the demo looks good! Really funny and entertaining. Keep up the good working.

[Erpy]

If you guys want to waste money on employing part time workers thats your problem,
everybody here does there own work and does it because they love it. Hence sharing the experience with thousands of people that also love it. I believe that AGS is here to help us develope wonderfull skills and to help us make a smooth transition into the world of gaming. Teaching us principles of gaming, such as :

a) Creating and developing your idea characters and story (Hence no crappy remake BS)
b) The concept design and story board of how your world looks and feels... Time and time again.
c) The time it takes to create the awesome graphics on the pc.
d) Scripting and pulling it all together.
e) Beta testing and testing and testing... you get the point? Dont you?

Further more the patience it takes to make these things happen the commitment etc.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. We know exactly what you're talking about. We've experienced all of this during the creation of this project. It's not a remake, it's a completely original game, so I'm not sure why you're raving about the remakes so much. They have nothing to do with this project.

Labelling the game as a cheap Larry clone is a hasty decision. When Brit came up with the concept, she never even played Leisure Suit Larry. (or Freddy Pharkas for that matter...the setting is based on the area of the US Britney grew up in and Al is in fact modelled after a former school teacher of hers...middle-aged, not married and flirting with females many times younger than him. If that makes someone a Larry-clone...you'd be surprised how many Larry-clones wander this world.)

I mean for heavens sake you waste your time on remakes of games! Remakes give you no game design experience! You are just redrawing someone elses game and putting the graphics into someone elses engine... Result King quest with nicer looking pictures...

Well, we're already partially leaving the remake path and trying to gain some footing with original games. So what's the complaint about? Nobody's forcing you to play either our remakes or out original games. If you really believe remaking a game is just putting flashy graphics into an engine and it gives no game development experience...well, I'll just say it's SLIGHTLY more complicated than that.

I must say, the ferocity of that last post isn't doing your credibility any good.

[BVI]

When I heard about the concept of Al Emmo I was pretty hesitant about the whole idea, but after playing the demo I was pleasantly surprised. Ã, The only thing that bothered me was how long it took to cycle through cursers (yes, I know it takes a 1/10 of a second when you right click, but I found myself doing a ton of right clicking). Ã, It might be too late at this point but it sure would be nice if you could use the wheel of the mouse like in King's Quest 2.

Also, do you think you might have had some skewed results from your poll because the people who frequent your websites are already big fans of your work and perhaps are willing to pay a lot more than the average person?

I don't mind the $29.99; but I think in the long run, with some good advertising, a $19.99 price tag would push a lot more units out. Ã, Although, it really all depends on your fixed and variable cost…

Anyway, good luck!!!

[Afflict]

AGD2 - Heres another point, your making Al emmo for nostalgic reasons so why the 3d character?

Erpy - No where did I mention your game is a remake, I was refering to AGD moaning your also working on the remakes blah blah blah...

Edit: BTW you're saying that this game has no influence from larry? none at all? The big bald spot the comb over the larry voice? I could of believed that maybe for a second but the Voice... c'mon there is influence from Larry in this game.

PS : As for my credibility, thats something you dont have to worry about. U should rather worry about your cred... Trying to twist my words etc.

What really blows my whistle is that you guys claim to have single handedly brought back adventure games! Now that is a joke! Some of these guys have been making adventures when you will still chucking chalk in class rooms. (There are pracicly thousands of IGD on the net using alot of simmiliar tools like AGS, and even AGS that create the exact same style of Sierra games.

So a qoute like that my friends is not appreciated. I wonder how much support you lost due to that single sentece? I think you should run a pole...

In the famous words of ERPY "I must say..." that you need to look at stuff from a gamers perspective!

[AGD2]

Oh ho ho... fiction can be fun! But I find the reference section much more enlightening.  Your points are based on speculation and assumptions. You haven't even clarifed the previous stuff I asked you, other than to quote "blah, blah, blah" and fire of a string of personal attacks. In fact, it seems suspiciously like some kind of personal grudge rather than anything to do with the game.

Suffice it to say, if you want to be taken seriously, then quit trolling. I can't justify answering stuff if you don't even bothering reading what I type.

It might be too late at this point but it sure would be nice if you could use the wheel of the mouse like in King's Quest 2.

Good suggestion, but the only problem with this approach is that is that the mousewheel currently cycles through all the inventory items you're carrying. Meaning that when it reaches the "inv item" icon, it'd have to scroll through ALL items you're carrying before going to the next icon (which would kind of defeat the intended purpose!) Otherwise, I would implement this.

Also, do you think you might have had some skewed results from your poll because the people who frequent your websites are already big fans of your work and perhaps are willing to pay a lot more than the average person?

Well, the poll was really intended to get feedback from the target audience. We always planned to take their suggested price and then lower the cost a further $10-$20 so that it would appeal not only to them, but also people who might not otherwise play the game. Despite looking like and emulating a Sierra game, the game design is probably more similar to a LucasArts title in execution.

I don't mind the $29.99; but I think in the long run, with some good advertising, a $19.99 price tag would push a lot more units out.  Although, it really all depends on your fixed and variable cost…

If we offer a download option, it would likely go for this price. At the moment, things are still expensive for us with setting up shop, getting inventory, and figuring out how to minimize shipping costs. There have been a few teething problems, but we're working through them and hopefully will soon make enough money from pre-orders to have a "buffer" of money to fund other options like a downloadable version.

Anyway, good luck!!!

Thanks a lot!

[Nikolas]

Actually price wise there is a thing in makreting that states that if you 'undersell' something, people will definately consider it infirior (sp) to the other simmilar products out there.

Al Emmo is a commercial release, and well done! I've not played the demo, and I hate westerns (second one after Radiant...), and sorry for that.

The price 29.99 is really fair. Just because it was made with AGs (and hat's off for this), it does nto mean that the price should be 10 bucks!

I would even argue to take it to 39.99 as a normal game. Is it not a normal game? Is it not a full lenght adventure game? Did you not spend 2 yesr struggling and trying to find the resources (human wise, art wise, any wise)? Don't you deserve the best?

CDs have a price of 15-20$ (dunno really )... If I see a CD at the price of 5$ I simplyt won't buy it, because it will be BAD! Isn't this a simple reasoning?

[Erpy]

Al Emmo is a commercial release, and well done! I've not played the demo, and I hate westerns (second one after Radiant...), and sorry for that.

That's a pity. It's not a western in the traditional sense of the word. (but then again, I'm not familiar with your definition of the word western, so who am I to judge) But if south-west American settings put you off, that's indeed a big road block to enjoying the game the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

Actually price wise there is a thing in makreting that states that if you 'undersell' something, people will definately consider it infirior (sp) to the other simmilar products out there.

The price 29.99 is really fair. Just because it was made with AGs (and hat's off for this), it does nto mean that the price should be 10 bucks!

I would even argue to take it to 39.99 as a normal game. Is it not a normal game? Is it not a full lenght adventure game? Did you not spend 2 yesr struggling and trying to find the resources (human wise, art wise, any wise)? Don't you deserve the best?

CDs have a price of 15-20$ (dunno really )... If I see a CD at the price of 5$ I simplyt won't buy it, because it will be BAD! Isn't this a simple reasoning?

It's a reasoning we definitely employed ourselves. It IS a full-length adventure game and as a poster on another forum pointed out, if it can give players the same amount of enjoyment as other games offered (regardless of the technical stats behind it), there's no reason to slap a 5 dollar label on it and show people that we're desperate. (it would also cost us tons of money as printing alone costs more)

Personally, when I come across something I don't like in a game I paid 5 bucks for, I'm tempted to shut it off. After all, I only paid 5 bucks for it. If I come across something I don't like in a game I paid 30 bucks for, I will usually dismiss it and see if I can enjoy the game anyhow because I did, after all, pay 30 dollar for it.

What really blows my whistle is that you guys claim to have single handedly brought back adventure games! Now that is a joke! Some of these guys have been making adventures when you will still chucking chalk in class rooms. (There are pracicly thousands of IGD on the net using alot of simmiliar tools like AGS, and even AGS that create the exact same style of Sierra games.

So a qoute like that my friends is not appreciated. I wonder how much support you lost due to that single sentece? I think you should run a pole...

In the famous words of ERPY "I must say..." that you need to look at stuff from a gamers perspective!

And are you that reknown gamer that can supply that particular perspective to us? Or are you simply a seemingly disgruntled fellow developer?

It's hard to judge how much support we lost due to that quote you mentioned, because it was changed the day after the initial website went life. Again, clinging to that makes it seem like you're looking for an excuse. But this one is not particularly valid anymore and I'm amazed you still insist on using a quote with a one-day lifespan two years after it was removed.

[SSH]

If we offer a download option, it would likely go for this price. At the moment, things are still expensive for us with setting up shop, getting inventory, and figuring out how to minimize shipping costs. There have been a few teething problems, but we're working through them and hopefully will soon make enough money from pre-orders to have a "buffer" of money to fund other options like a downloadable version.

Why not use a print/CD-on-demand service of which there are meny on the web now: takes all the risk of inventory out of the equation and handles the shipping, etc for you too. Less capital outlay, too. Cafepress probably even do it...

And fix those screen edges! EDIT: Oh, I see Erpy said on AG that you're working on it!