Al Emmo: Official Demo released

[Erpy]

A new game, "Al Emmo & The Lost Dutchman's Mine," by start-up company Himalaya Studios (of AGDI fame) has been announced.Ã,  The game was postponed in 2002, but is now back in production full-time.

It will be an original and commercial product using the AGS engine.

Game resolution will be 640x400 with handdrawn backgrounds, as well as 3D models as sprites. The final game will come with digital music as well as a voiceover.

Currently, there's a competition on the website where visitors can win a free copy.

We're still looking for 3D artists for a paid position, as well as 3D artist interns (non-paid internship).

In addition to info about the upcoming game, the website also contains the travelling journals from the (former) AGDs if you're interested in a good read.

Website is at www.himalayastudios.com

Screenshots:

[Developer]

Wicked.

[chapter11studios]

NICE. Cool to see two wild west games on the way now! (The other, of course, being mine. ).

[Darth Mandarb]

Please post at least two in-game screenshots (as per the forum rules) in the initial post.

The game looks pretty neat.

The backgrounds look very well done and the plot sounds ... interesting.

[SSH]

From the webiste about... history page:

Company founders, Britney K. Brimhall and Christopher T. Warren, previously established AGDInteractive, LLC (formerly known as Tierra Entertainment), a company which nearly single handedly resurrected classic adventure gaming.

Nearly single handedly? All that typing "EGO" in the scripts over the years must have gotten to them...

[Erpy]

My apologies. I thought the rules merely wished to have screenshots available, rather than literally posted here.

Still, if a quick copy-paste job makes you happy:

[Darth Mandarb]

I suppose the rule isn't really clear ...

For me personally I don't like having to go to a website.  I'd rather just read about the game (and see the screenshots) inside the GiP thread.

But that's just me.

[strazer]

No, I agree.

Those backgrounds look very nice, but I think the 3D character doesn't fit in there.

But that's just me.

[chapter11studios]

Al Emmo... Alamo... I get it! Himalaya folks, really nice work here and very exciting stuff to see. I'm psyched about the Lost Dutchmen's Mine idea, as that's a legend I considered using for my game, too! (Before I settled on using a different "treasure.")

Can't wait to see this one come together. Although I agree with SSH... "Nearly single handedly?" Um, I think not so much.  :o

[Toefur]

I have to agree with Josh & SSH as well.

While it may sound nice to put that in your company profile, and possibily potential distributers or publishers may find that to be an endearing comment it sounds a little silly, and a little bit extreme.

I checked out the site, the game looks and sounds promising, but when I read that paragraph on the site I sort of thought, "Yeah, whatever" and closed the window.

[edmundito]

I single-handedly posted this topic reply!

[AGD2]

Hey, guys, thanks for the comments!

Josh, your project looks amazing too! It'll sure be great to play another AGS game with a Western setting. Those backgrounds look very Lucasarts'ish and ours are kind of Sierra'ish, so it'll be really interesting to experience the two different flavours. Can't wait!

As for the statement on the website, allow me to clarify this. I know it sounds conceited, egotistical, and probably even a little bit evil... but it's referring specifically to "classic" adventure gaming and its effect on the commercial market; specifically, how the release of our KQ1 remake, in turn, had an effect on commercial sales of MOE and garnered the attention of professionals in the gaming industry to take notice of classics again (many ex-sierra employees, ex-Lucasarts, and even some current iD software programmers have contacted us to name a few). It also sparked a rise in fan game production from other teams that continues to grow to this day and these teams also help to bring classic adventure games back into the spotlight.

The reason we said "nearly single-handedly" and not "single-handedly" is because it would be insulting to the rest of the amateur community to suggest that we were fully responsible for getting classic adventure gaming back onto its feet (particularly where the commercial market is not directly concerned). There are many awesome examples of original (non fan based) amateur games that have contributed to the publicity of the classic adventure genre as well... not to mention Chris Jones and others who tirelessly maintain and upgrade their game engines with classic features!

We dislike blowing our own horn, but also understand that this must be done sometimes from a business sense. Ã,  Most companies have some similar type of marketing slogan, though they have no way of backing the statement up. We, at least, have some basis of justification behind ours. There's no denying that Tierra/AGDI has had a dramatic impact on the adventure gaming world and has sustained interest in the genre. After all, this was our original intention and goal. I know some people will find ways to refute the statement, but we believe that there's truth to it... and as you said, it also looks cool to publishers! j/k Ã, 

As far as the 3D prerendered graphics are concerned, they allow us to render complex animations in a shorter amount of time, and make them more detailed than their 2D equivalents.

Many 2D adventure games have amazing backgrounds, but are marred by substandard character animations. Ã, 2D character animation is no easy (nor speedily accomplished) task -- and we'll willingly admit that we don't currently have the resources, talents, nor time to create as many 2D frames as this game requires, and still maintain the level of quality we want to reach. Prerendered 3D animations can look very good and can also provide more complex movements with less effort. Plus, the animations are a whole lot easier to edit, too, if changes are required. Ã, The frames generated make use of alpha blending which makes the character edges blend smoothly into the backgrounds -- something that is not so easily accomplished with 2D sprites. Ã, 

If a player analyses a game from a technological standpoint, they're bound to notice things like this, regardless of the technology used. A similar argument could be made about 2D sprites looking 'pasted over' the backgrounds... but I digress -- such things are merely stylistic choices made by the designer to achieve the look and feel that they envisioned for their game. It all comes down to personal preference and in the end, we play adventure games primarily to enjoy the stories and that's what counts, right?

[Barbarian]

Wow, the background art looks fantastic. I can see a lot of detail and effort must have been put into making them. The main character "Al" sort of makes me imagine as to what "Larry" (from classic Leisure Suit Larry games), might look like being if he were even more emancipated, rejected, whimpy and depressed looking. (I know the original Larry was emancipated, rejected and whimpy looking too, but at least he seemed to appear more "confident" and "happy" in being in such a sad state) But, that just some first impressions I get from looking over the main character at your main website too. Once seeing "Al" in animated action and how he relates to the game surrounding and situations may make for a fun(ny) and interesting character to control.

Reading through the storyline/plot ideas of the game seems interesting too, and I look forwards to playing through the completed game.

Question: Who's the guy with the big "Astro-boy-looking-hair" you are posting in your messages? Is that some character that will be in your game? As I don't see it over at your main website anywhere.

Comments regarding the "nearly single handedly" statement: I know this is a Game in Production thread, but as a long-time fan of "classic style adventure games" and now as an amateur game creator of "classic style adventure games", I thought I could share a couple of my thoughts on the matter. Yes, reading the statement, for me, seems a rather bold statement and a bit of a turn off, and as ADG2 put it:

it sounds conceited, egotistical, and probably even a little bit evil...

And, yes it does, almost to the point that a long-time fan of adventure games or someone who is keeping a regular watch on the "Adventure Gaming Scene" in general might be turned off by such a remark even to the point of losing any interest in your games, no matter how wonderful of a game it was. I think many people may feel similar to the way that SuspectDevice did when he said:

checked out the site, the game looks and sounds promising, but when I read that paragraph on the site I sort of thought, "Yeah, whatever" and closed the window.

.

The people you want most interested in your game(s) and project(s) are indeed, fans of adventure games, and people who keep a regular watch on the "adventure gaming scene". Instead, with your one bold statement alone, you may in fact be causing the opposite effect and turning away potential "customers" of your wonderful game.

So, my friendly suggestion (take or throw it away) may be to slightly re-word that statement so as to still get your valid points across, still sounding good to potential interested "publishers" , media and such, but, still not offending the "true fans of adventure games" potential customers. Play around with the wording a bit as you best see fit, but I might think something like:

"a company which played a key role in helping to resurrect classic adventure gaming."

would still sound great, and much less likely to offend the old time true fans of adventure games.

I do agree with some of what you say, in fact, I really very much enjoyed the remakes of the Kings Quest games you guys made, and yes, it most likely did indeed help to grab attention and get a lot of people to become interested or perhaps interested-again in classic-style adventure games, and to let some game-makers / publishers / media, etc... become more aware that there's still very much an interest in these type of games and that there's still good potential to create and market these type of game if approached the right way.

Anyways, I'm sorry, I've gotten off track here.
I wish you all the best with your projects, and I look forwards to seeing your game(s) in action. Keep up the good work.

--- Don, "The Barbarian".

[AGD2]

Hmmmmm... hummmmmm.... HMMMMMMM...

Okay, I guess you're right. At first glance that statement could easily be misinterpreted. It doesn't go into further detail and people might naturally jump to the most literal conclusion. That's not our intention, however, so I've reworded it to sound slightly less evil.Ã,  Ã, 

Cool? Now, let's all hold hands and sing "We are the World".Ã, 

Thanks for the compliments, btw! As for the guy with the Astroboy hair... you mean, Nash, Erpy's avatar? Heck no, if we used that in our commercial game, Squaresoft would probably form a lynch mob of their own to send after us!

[Erpy]

Question: Who's the guy with the big "Astro-boy-looking-hair" you are posting in your messages? Is that some character that will be in your game? As I don't see it over at your main website anywhere.

Actually, it's Working Designs who published the game. 

And yeah, it's from an RPG called Lunar:Silver Star Story. (for the PSX) I've been using that avatar as my signature even before I arrived at AGDI. (which was in 2001)

So if they want me to part with it, the lynch mob had better be big.

[Barbarian]

Hey AGD2, the new re-worded statement looks much more nicer and friendly now I think than the original ( Hands around coca-cola and sings "We are the World" ) Ã, 

See, you've just proven that "Himalaya Studios" is open minded an willing to listen to and respond to the typical/average/little-guy "Adventure Gaming Fan", which in turn may attract more potential customers to become interested your projects.

Keep up the good work and the positive attitude, and I'm sure your team can achieve much success.

PS: Thanks for the info on the "Astro-hair-guy", I thought it looked familiar. 

[Blackthorne]

Hmmmmm... hummmmmm.... HMMMMMMM...

Okay, I guess you're right. At first glance that statement could easily be misinterpreted.

It's often hard to write something positive about your own endeavours and such, without sounding pretentious or pompous.  I know that you guys are proud of what you've accomplished, and rightly so - and those always in the highest of positions have not only the farthest to fall, but also the most taking pot-shots at them.

Don't worry; having conversed with many members of AGDI privately, I can say collectively that they are a bunch of people who just like adventure games, and are trying their best - and a commercial movment is no easy task.

Good luck guys!

Bt

[SSH]

See, you've just proven that "Himalaya Studios" is open minded an willing to listen to and respond to the typical/average/little-guy "Adventure Gaming Fan", which in turn may attract more potential customers to become interested your projects.

Who are you calling little? 

j/k

Anyway, thanks for fixing your typo  AGD2! I hope that you have success commercially, and that you can get QFG out this year!

[Snarky]

Not-So-Anonymous Game Developers now, eh? 

Good going, Himalaya Studios! Personally, I'm not a big fan of the Western setting (and didn't like Freddy Pharkas), but for all the fun that you guys have provided with KQ1VGA and KQ2VGA+, and in anticipation of QFG2VGA, I'll certainly buy your game. Besides, an effort to relaunch adventure games commercially deserves all of our support.

I wish you awe-inspiring success!

[AlbinoPanther]

LOOK I AM REAL ADVENTURER!!! Live with them whole my life(18 years)!!!
And i live in Serbia & Montenegro, that is a country in eastern Europe. I don't have visa or master card or any other card. Are you start to reallize?
Now commercial adventures are rarre(good games).And AGS is my only hope it is really one of the gratest things in da world offcourse therre is basketball 'n' RAP!!!
   Your game is really promissin' i would be happy to play it!!! But therre is allways but, how you expect from me to buy it!!! Only way is to send a money.With mail or something, damn be this shit world!!!

Hope for understandin'. ADVENTURE FAN WhiteNigga!!!( Sorry for bad english if it is actually bad)

Keep dream of adventure makeing world better usin' adventures this is a end of my letter!!!

[Mephistophilis]

Argh! My eyes! My eyes! I think there broken!

Anyway, Looking very good, good to see more commercial projects cropping up (Well two, including this) will certainly buy it when (if) you finish it which I'm sure you will.
Good Luck.

[AGD2]

Wigga:  For people who don't own credit cards, we'll also be accepting International Money Orders.

All of this will be a fair while off, though, and anything could happen regarding distribution at this stage. A handful of publishers have contacted us so the possibility exists that the game may eventually be sold in stores. This all depends on various factors though. If we do end up distributing the game exclusively via the website then we'll make every attempt to make payment options as flexible as possible.

[Hollister Man]

As I always offer to do, I'm available to make CD labels, CD Covers, Product boxes and posters.

[dimidimidimi]

You can read an interview with Himalaya Studios and take a look at some new screenshots in the 19th issue of The Inventory that you can download at www.theinventory.org

[AGD2]

Right, I think it's about time for another update.

Here's a few screenshots from the game which have been polished over the course of the year:








This is a screengrab from one of the cutscenes:




And here's an example of a dialogue picture. (Note that the in-game lipsynched versions are much smaller):




Finally, I wanted to mention that Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine is scheduled to go into beta testing very soon. If you're interested in applying, please keep an eye on this thread as well our the website over at www.himalayastudios.com.Ã,  An announcement will be made when we're ready to start accept applications. Cheers!

[DanClarke]

wow, very impressive

[ManicMatt]

True Crime 2's developer Luxoflux: "Beta testing? What's that?" (I've heard this game is really buggy!)

Your game looks the bee's knees!

Me cannot wait! Me have to wait.

[Mordalles]

great looking backgrounds. and nice modelling on the characters. although, i think joe needs a bit more work in the dialogue pic.

anyway, good luck with your commercial project. im sure it will do good. i read about u guys in the inventory.  although, i havent played any of ure remakes. not much of a sierra fan.

[DCillusion]

....Anyway, It will be exciting to see what AGDI can do now that they don't have to MIMIC an art style.  The new stuff looks a lot more stylistic than their previous works.

P.S. - Any clues as to how the GUI will work?

[Blackthorne]

Looks sweet!  I've been waiting for another game featuring a middle-aged nerd with a comb-over who sucks with the ladies!

The cut-scene looks great.  Can't wait to see the full version.


Bt

[Kinoko]

Holy wow, looks great! A tad unpolished in some areas but for the most part, -really- impressive! I used to love the Lost Dutchman's Mine on my amiga. Buying bacon and fishing in the river. Shooting snakes... sorry, drifted off there for a second.

Anyway, good luck! This looks extremely promising!

[Erpy]

After several years of production, the end of the tracks are in sight! Al Emmo, the hero of Himalaya Studios' adventure game “Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine”, is ready to tackle anything the Wild West can hurl at himâ€"anything except for bugs.Ã,  It's our duty to track down and eliminate these pesky showstoppers.Ã,  We'd ask the local exterminator to aid us in our search, but his insistence on using “force” in the form of explosives has prompted us to look elsewhere. Therefore, we've decided to invite a small group of qualified, daring, and responsible individuals to join us in the arid region of Anozira to embark on a bug hunt!

Himalaya Studios is currently on the search for qualified beta testers to help us track down these bugs.Ã,  You may be exactly who we are looking for!

Desired Qualifications:

- Do you have a tendency to interact with everyone and everything in an environment?

- Do you tend to play a game in a way it's NOT meant to be played?Ã,  Ã, 

- Do you like to break things?

- Do you feel a need to correct other peoples spelling and grammer?Ã,  Did you find the spelling and grammar mistake in the previous sentence?


If you answered yes to most of the previous questions and would like a coveted position on our beta testing team, please complete the following application:

Application:

- First and Last Name
- Date of Birth
- Your System Specs
- Education and/or Job History
- Favorite Game
- Why you'd like to beta test our upcoming release
- Any additional information about yourself that you feel we should know

Please email your completed application to beta@himalayastudios.com with “Beta Testing Application” as the subject by February 1st, 2006.

Chosen beta testers will be contacted, and the final team will be announced on the official Himalaya Studios website.Ã,  Beta testers will be granted access to our official beta testing forums, and will be responsible for reporting spelling/grammar errors, glitches, crashes, and design oversights.Ã,  This process of reporting and bug fixing will continue until the game is deemed suitable for public release.Ã,  All beta testers will receive a free copy of “Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine” after its release as well as a spot in the game credits.Ã,  Ã, 

Best of luck, and see you on the frontier!


The Himalaya Team

[Trisk]

Ummm...That's great, except the email addie doesn't work. I've tried it twice and got a delivery error both times...Maybe you can check that it is working?

   

[AGD2]

Thanks for the comments, guys!Ã,  It's taken a long time and a lot of effort by many people (over 20) to put it all together, so hopefully the results will be worth it. Here's hoping!Ã,  (BTW, Kinoko, your RPG is looking great too, reminds me of Secret of Mana on the SNES!)

As for the issue with the email address, it turned out that there was not enough disk space on the server. I deleted some files and the problem has been resolved;Ã,  but even if you sumbitted an application and received the error message, rest assured that your email still came through. We've been receiving them all.

[Iliya]

HEY, I'm very surprised. Very nice scenes. Very good job. I'm ready to buy this game. These are the games that i'm looking for !!!

[Erpy]

Himalaya Studios has, since yesterday, released an official demo of Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's mine. It's available at www.adventuregamers.com. It's a huge showcase of what can be done with the AGS engine.

[Mordalles]

thats great to see. i was looking forward to the demo, but 234mb just for a demo? can't download that much. 

[SSH]

You should do a silent version of the demo, as presumably most of that size is taken up with sound...

and in fact, if I recmpress without the music.vox and speech.vox, the installed files come to 160M

[strazer]

Argh, compiled with AGS v2.72 Beta! Seems I'll have to wait for the final v2.72 Linux engine before I can check out the demo.

[Scummbuddy]

Apparently the game has been released, according to MixNMojo.

[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!

[Radiant]

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.

Well, it's a matter of taste... I play games (and read books) out of a sense of escapism. That means that the more things are like the Real Earth (tm), the less I'm interested. That doesn't mean I hate westerns though


Anyway in response to the posts above... the one to point out that Al Emmo looks like Larry might be interested to hear that the entire Larry game was copied from a game called Soft Porn Adventure. The balding middle-aged lamer that both Al and Larry have things in common with is what I'd call a genre staple. There's nothing wrong with those, however.

Every story uses some genre staples; that doesn't make it any less original. A story must incorporate some familiar elements because it'd be incomprehensible otherwise (e.g. Space Quest is influenced by Star Wars, which is influenced by Flash Gordon, which is turn based upon Buck Rogers, et cetera; that doesn't mean SQ is not original, simply that it uses the same staples). Originality is not whether you have such staples, but on what story you write around them.

About the price argument, I'd wager that most people here are high schoolers or students with somewhat less money than they'd want to . But if you compare Al Emmo's $30 to the price you'd normally pay for a cinema ticket (up to $15 around here), I'd say that Al obviously gives more hours of entertainment per dollar spent. YMMV.

[Iv4n]

I dl the demo, played a bit and I like it overall. It became addictive as you play.

What I dislike was the voice of Al Elmo. I was expecting some silly voice, but this is hilarious! I've never heard even closer to such a silly voice.

The other strange idea was with the voice of his head. Maybe you should make an option to turn it off when you look or interact with objects. It's not that I dislike this idea, it's that you hear it all the time non-stop! And this becomes annoying at some point.

Commenting on to the price, I'll point only that Bone and Half-Life 2: Episode 1 costs $20.

Well I've pointed the things I dislike but all the other things are pretty good! Well done! Puzzles seems to be interesting, the story is promising, gameplay is intuitive, etc.

[SSH]

What I dislike was the voice of Al Elmo.

Al Elmo in Grouchland!  A freudian slip, if I ever saw one...

[i k a r i]

Al Emmo voice is VERY similar to larry's, and the narrator thing is from larry 7 Love for Sail, I liked both things, I see them more as a tribute than a copy, I just don't know if it's right to go commercial with so many things taken from other games, well, maybe not so many.

In the other hand I don't see why the narrator is annoying, i thinks he says original and fun stuff, I must also say that I'm not someone who laughs easily, specially with games, but this game made it in a couple of times, like in the part he

Spoiler

sings back to that lady

[close]

, what I didn't like much is the presentation (graphically), and some of the other videos.

I've just finished the demo, and overall I think this game is very very good, and much more fun than many commercial games, and I think it deserves some money without a doubt.
(as many other free games made with AGS)

[Disco]

I must also say that I'm not someone who laughs easily, specially with games, but this game made it in a couple of times, like in the part he

Spoiler

sings back to that lady

[close]

Hehe, I had that part stuck in my head for an entire shift at work ikari, I played the demo for maybe 20 minutes up until now, and have laughed out loud maybe twelve times, which is more frequent than usual .

Commenting on to the price, I'll point only that Bone and Half-Life 2: Episode 1 costs $20.

I cannot speak on Half Life, but Bone (I assume Out From Boneville, as newer episodes are priced lower) is not the best example to give here, as Telltale stated it would be about 4 hours (maybe 2 1/2 in reality) and Himalaya estimate Al Emmo to be in area of 15-20 hours of gameplay- surely worth $10 extra, not to mention  that Al Emmo wasn't rushed out in just under a year, comes standard on a disc, and (for the version I bought) bundled with a soundtrack CD and a few posters.

[Afflict]

Your points are based on speculation and assumptions.

AH ok so, that means that there is really no 3d sprite on a 2d bg? thanks for clearing that up... man that had me confused.

Altough I played the demo wasted 200+ meg of my bandwitdh on what I hoped to be something good.
So if I played the demo how are these assumptions? again?

Again no assumption on the Larry man checked it out again to see and yip... I still believe there is alot of influence.

... 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.

Ok well if your taking it personal... Deal with it.

There is nothing that I HATE more than someone that thinks they know everything... I am sure you guys think you know how to make games in fact you claim to have single handedly brought back adventure games.. Wait there is one thing I HATE MORE ... ARROGANT GAME DESIGNERS!

You want to place me in the same box... as a prffesional game designer LOL I never claimed to be that you did however and now you cant handle the criticism... then your in the wrong game. People tell you this looks nice and that looks nice.. guys NICE doesnt cut it in the PROFFESIONAL world.

I dont mind you hating me, infact I welcome it. One day when you dont cut it you would wish you would have listened to me...

Enough of this,

Cheers.

Afflict.

[Erpy]

I am sure you guys think you know how to make games

Hmmm, now that sounds suspiciously like an assumption to me.Ã, 

in fact you claim to have single handedly brought back adventure games.. Wait there is one thing I HATE MORE ... ARROGANT GAME DESIGNERS!

I already adressed that one in my previous post. Please re-read it.

You want to place me in the same box... as a prffesional game designer LOL I never claimed to be that you did however and now you cant handle the criticism... then your in the wrong game. People tell you this looks nice and that looks nice.. guys NICE doesnt cut it in the PROFFESIONAL world.

I dont mind you hating me, infact I welcome it. One day when you dont cut it you would wish you would have listened to me...

The question remains, why SHOULD we listen to you if you can't even claim any experience that would lend any credibility to your statements? (and you admit you can't claim it) For all we know, you might just be some random person who likes to spout even more random stuff at people based on (disclaimer: this is an assumption) equally random justifications.

We can generally handle criticism just fine.

[Darth Mandarb]

** Darth ignites his light sabre **

[Kweepa]

I played the demo and was pleasantly surprised - it kept my attention for an hour or so. I don't think I'll be buying it any time soon though.

PROS:
music, particularly during the cutscenes, was excellent
narrator is actually quite funny and has some original things to say
good script and some good voice acting
some nice detailed backgrounds with plenty of descriptions
can run or skip directly to exits!

CONS:
no concrete plot direction - I can't believe I'm really supposed to be chasing after some woman, or mixing a drink to get my room key, or wandering randomly until I get some better idea what to do
the modelling and animation in the cutscenes is terrible
some bad voice acting (and why does the Irish guy sound like a Geordie?)
ugly character portraits with no emotion (see, for example, The Shiv'ah for some great portraits)

I haven't worked out whether it's supposed to be 19th century with a lot of anachronisms, or an old-timey oasis in the 21st century. That may be intentional, I don't know. Perhaps it's like The Village.

[Erpy]

It's true Al walks around fairly slowly. But is that really a disadvantage worth mentioning when you can instantly skip to your destination by pressing Escape while walking?

[i k a r i]

And you can also run by double clicking in a location x)

I can't believe I'm really supposed to be chasing after some woman, or mixing a drink to get my room key, or wandering randomly until I get some better idea what to do

So you don't like adventure games, there are hundreds of adventure games with crazy puzzles, like hmm monkey island, or grim fandango, or larry..
And "wandering randomly until I get some better idea what to do" is something that happens often in adventure games..Is part of the fun for me.

I agree with everythig else you said.

[AGD2]

SSH:Ã,  We are actually using the services of such a CD duplication company, but we can't actually start using their system till we have the product ready to ship. So in the meantime, we have to take the pre-orders via a different shopping cart.

no concrete plot direction - I can't believe I'm really supposed to be chasing after some woman, or mixing a drink to get my room key, or wandering randomly until I get some better idea what to do

It's somewhat inferred from the title what the ultimate goal of the game is. As for the beginning stages, think of it somewhat like QFG4's premise. A stranger in a foreign land has to find their bearings in a hostile environment with hostile locals.

why does the Irish guy sound like a Geordie?

He's based on a real-life person that one of the developers knew (a guy who owned a coffee shop). This guy was Irish, but spoke with an English accent.

I haven't worked out whether it's supposed to be 19th century with a lot of anachronisms, or an old-timey oasis in the 21st century. That may be intentional, I don't know. Perhaps it's like The Village.

Yeah, it's intentional. There are a lot of modern pop culture references scattered throughout the game, so the exact time period is kind of left up to the player's own imagination. We didn't want to state "this is set in the 1880's" since then we'd have non-sequitar items and references all over the place. For all intents and purposes, it could even be set in a modern gold rush town.

[EvilTypeGuy]

Argh, compiled with AGS v2.72 Beta! Seems I'll have to wait for the final v2.72 Linux engine before I can check out the demo.

I'm in Australia for a while, so I don't have access to my build system. Until I return to the states, or I get access to my build machine again, the AGS Linux runtime won't be updated.

[Uhura]

I'm glad to hear that a lot of you are enjoying the demo!  We've put a lot of work into this game, and are excited to release it.  Additionally, I thought you'd like to know, that we want to support AGS and Chris Jones in every way that we can for all the help he's offered to us and the entire AGS community over the years.  Without him, none of us would be able to create the kinds of games that we would like to play.  For this reason, we're donating a percentage of profits from each game sold to Chris Jones.   If you do end up playing Al Emmo, just know that it is your vote of support for AGS and Chris Jones!

Happy gaming,

Britney

[pamplemousse]

I didn't like the demo. I thought the story was pretty derivative of other things and the cliches made it too dull to enjoy. Guess I expected something more creative and less same same. This might thrill brand new never seen this stuff ever before gamers possibly but if you have higher standards, this game probably won't appeal to you.

[deadsuperhero]

To be honest, I didn't like it. Sure, the quality is great artwise, actingwise, etc, but it feels like some Family Guy episode. Come on, you guys are professionals, you don't have to be perverted and stuff (shudders from the crossdresser scene).
You guys are better than this. You've basically made a Royal Quest. All you did was take Lesiure Suit Larry, stick him in the wild west, change his name, and do your own graphics. Personally, I think that's very sad. You guys could have made an incredible game, but you basically made garbage. Then again, I played the game assuming it was a kids game like your other stuff.

[Erpy]

You've basically made a Royal Quest.

Heh, trust me. Royal Quest was MUCH more in-your-face than this.

All you did was take Lesiure Suit Larry, stick him in the wild west, change his name, and do your own graphics.

Ironically, Britney never played Leisure Suit Larry before coming up with the game design. The one thing both have in common is a protagonist who is particularly dweeby. Al Emmo does contain some mature humor (not R-rated like Larry though, it doesn't go as far as the LSL-series), but the game isn't centered around it...most of the humor in the game is of the non-naughty type variety, nor is the objective to get laid. (again, unlike Larry) Such a reasoning would make nearly all fantasy adventures King's Quest games with different graphics.

Personally, I think that's very sad. You guys could have made an incredible game, but you basically made garbage. Then again, I played the game assuming it was a kids game like your other stuff.

If you played the game assuming it was a kids game, I can understand the shock. Al Emmo was never meant to be a kids game like King's Quest, so it isn't really fair to judge it by that particular standard. It's a bit like comparing Quake to the Sims and concluding Quake is too violent.

[Afflict]

Its unbelievable how you guys just dont listen. You hear or read only what you want to.

You cannot see past what your fan boys have told you and now that you get some constructive criticism you keep on defending on everyboard you have. Adv Dev too, you should have done some research and noticed that your character is way too similiar to that of Larry and already should of had some doubts there.

We dont care that Britney never played Larry prior to the idea/ concept however have not one of you played it prior to the developement?

The facts remain the facts and we merely point them out, no amount of excuses or any avoidance of the topic will change that.

[Erpy]

Its unbelievable how you guys just dont listen. You hear or read only what you want to.

You cannot see past what your fan boys have told you and now that you get some constructive criticism you keep on defending on everyboard you have.

I'm not sure what you're referring to but not every person saying he doesn't like the game is giving constructive criticism. Of course, everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion, but that doesn't make his/her posts automatically contain constructive criticism. And er...where did the obsession with fanboys come from anyway? There's a sense of irony in the fact that despite your affinity with the word, you seem, to me, to be the poster in this thread displaying the most fanboy-like attitude. (turned around 180 degrees, anti-fanboyism if you like, but still sharing the same core attributes)

Adv Dev too, you should have done some research and noticed that your character is way too similiar to that of Larry and already should of had some doubts there.

We dont care that Britney never played Larry prior to the idea/ concept however have not one of you played it prior to the developement?

I played it before, but Larry and Al Emmo aren't the only "40 year old virgin"-types ever created. (ask Ben Affleck) Al was based on an existing person. What's your definition of "way too similar" anyhow?

The facts remain the facts and we merely point them out, no amount of excuses or any avoidance of the topic will change that.

How can it be a fact that something is derivative if the person who came up with the idea isn't familiar with the principle from which it is supposedly derived?

I think there's been thousands of games made in this particular community and if you start comparing all of them, I'm sure we can label at least 50% of them as "factually and blatantly derivative" and therefore label the creators as not having come up with any ideas of their own. But reality might be somewhat more nuanced.

[MrColossal]

Afflict,

As a moderator I'm going to ask you to stop and take your problems to PM.

This is not censorship, this is trying to keep this thread on track.

Thank you.

Eric

[buloght]

Hi.

Some of the graphics looks awesome. You have some great artists. There is a little inconsistency (which very important for me). The portraits could do with a little work. Overall the game looks cool and it has potential, though it's a bit expensive for me.

[piperhcombs]

The graphics in this game look awesome. The background scenes (the style) remind of the point and click adventure "Fable". Anyone what I'm talking about? (And maybe even a little Broken Sword.)

I'd gladly play this game if it didn't cost thirty bucks. I can see why it's a commercial release- a lot of hard work must have gone into it- but $29.99 seems a bit steep for a computer game.

[Nikolas]

...but $29.99 seems a bit steep for a computer game.

War of Warcraft = 29.99$
Oblivion = 39.99$
Titan Quest = 44.99$
Half Life 2 episode 1 = 15.98$
Warcraft III Battle Chest = 27.98$

Prices taken from Amazon.com usually reduced by 10$ or something simmilar. certainly there are cheaper games out there, no doubt about it. Don't come to me with another list of cheaper games. I just got the 1st 6-7 I could think of just like that.

How is 29.99$ for Al Emmo a bit steep for a computer game?

(Still haven't played the demo)

[piperhcombs]

Well, all the games you named are popular commercial games 1000s of people play or are from major game companies etc. I meant in regards to games buyable on the internet not made by major game companies and not widely known- independent developers, if you will. And, the games you named are not from the same genre.

I didn't say it isn't worth the money or anything- it probably is- I'm merely stating my thoughts.

[sergiocornaga]

How is 29.99$ for Al Emmo a bit steep for a computer game?

Well, given that this entire community is centred around free adventure games, I think that's a very reasonable statement.

[Erpy]

No, $29.99 is pretty standard for what you pay for a PC game. Not just nowadays, it's been like that for decades. The fact that we're a new company doesn't mean we can't ask what's pretty much a standard price for a fair amount of PC games.

[pamplemousse]

...but $29.99 seems a bit steep for a computer game.

War of Warcraft = 29.99$
Oblivion = 39.99$
Titan Quest = 44.99$
Half Life 2 episode 1 = 15.98$
Warcraft III Battle Chest = 27.98$

Prices taken from Amazon.com usually reduced by 10$ or something simmilar. certainly there are cheaper games out there, no doubt about it. Don't come to me with another list of cheaper games. I just got the 1st 6-7 I could think of just like that.

How is 29.99$ for Al Emmo a bit steep for a computer game?

(Still haven't played the demo)

When playing Al Emmo demo, I felt like I was playing an amateur game or a fan game or something. There is lack of polish in the 3D scenes, not professionel looking and if you give the demo a try you see what I'm talking about.
The first bar scene with Ivanna and the scene when Rita sings (terribly i might add) are very poorly done and not something you expect to find in a game that costs 30 bucks. Al's walk/run look very "glidy"- his legs scissor about so he doesn't look like he is on a hard surface at all, but floating. If they were going for old school sierra, then why use 3D anything? If they weren't going for old school sierra, then production values need to be better.

Also, the story isn't interesting. The most interesting part to me was the treasure story, but I read online that it is of course a well known historical Arizona legend. The Al story is very Larry and I've seen those types of characters before (Ivanna the russian, Al, Rita the spanish 'princess', etc) Kind of boring and papier thin. Also Rita was dull and I didn't care about her and she was supposed to be the heroine! I didn't think she was worth the trouble. Al gets excited just because she sings a catty song in a squeaky out of tune voice? No way.

What I guess what I'm getting at is that all things considered, the game doesn't seem worth $30 to me.

Of course, how does one put a price on someone's creative efforts? not sure but if they cut out the 3D scenes...dropped or reduced the narrator (he's exactly the same throughout and it gets tiresome and irritating) ,stopped trying to make EVERY single thing funny even if it isnt, and made some original jokes not based on stuff thas been done many times before..... then i might buy it for 30 dollars.

[Nikolas]

i. I'm 94% to download the demo, so I'll come back to it.
ii. No matter how poor a game is, since it is commercial it has the right to cost however much money the developers feel like (or paid for like, or whatever else).
iii. If the game sucks the reviews will give it a 2/10 and the game will be over. The price does not make a difference. No one will come and say 'If the game was 10$ the review would be 5/10 and not 2/10".
iv. Anything, with any tool (AGS in this case) has a right and the abilities to make something useful, stabtantially good, commercial and whatever else.
v. I'm not paid by Himalaya studios or anything like that
vi. Darth? Am I a abd person for keeping discussing this???

[voh]

No matter how good you think your own game is going to be, adventure games are not a very hot commodity nowadays, and if your game indeed feels like an amateur game, then you're causing trouble for yourselves by asking 30 USD for it.

Unless it IS professionally made, and FEELS professionally made to the player, you can't ask the same amount of money for a game like Blizzard and Valve are doing.

10-15 USD. More than that is just arrogance.

[CaptainBinky]

Wowzers!

I'm kind of with Nikolas on this - like or dislike the game... Buy it, or don't buy it. Your call. But don't have a pop at charging what isn't really an unreasonable amount of money when you consider the costs of running a studio (regardless of whether you're distributing via the InterWeb or not).

Having said that, the backgrounds look pretty! Not played the demo yet, but now I'm all intrigued

Cap'n Binky

P.S.

Unless it IS professionally made, and FEELS professionally made to the player, you can't ask the same amount of money for a game like Blizzard and Valve are doing.

Are you really implying that ALL commercial games you've ever played are as polished and feel as professional as those examples by Blizzard and Valve? There's plenty of "professional" crap games out there that cost £40 and get 1/10.

[GarageGothic]

It's fun that the posts complaining about the price in this thread don't ever consider is the $15 shipping overseas cost. That brings the price up to $45! But I've been that Himilaya Studios are working on a better shipping deal and that there possible also will be a downloadable version. Aside from saving the shipping costs, I would hope that the price is also a bit lower to reflect that you don't get a physical product to put on your shelf.
I think something like $20 for a downloadable version would be reasonable and would sell a lot of copies. This seems to be the standard for indie games you buy online, and it's pretty much what modern adventures like Nibiru and And Then Tere Were None retail for (at least from what I saw in Canada).

iii. If the game sucks the reviews will give it a 2/10 and the game will be over. The price does not make a difference. No one will come and say 'If the game was 10$ the review would be 5/10 and not 2/10".

I'm reviewing Al Emmo this month, and I can assure you that the price will affect the final grade. If it's priced like a standard commercial game, it must be compared to commercial games despite being an indie title. Let's just say that Himalaya are fortunate that 95% of recent adventure games suck . Another example of this is Dark Fall 2: Lights Out which was a nice game for the 20 Canadian dollars I paid for it. Sadly, the Danish distributor insisted it was a full price game at more than double that amount, and at that price I just couldn't recommend it to our readers.

[voh]

Are you really implying that ALL commercial games you've ever played are as polished and feel as professional as those examples by Blizzard and Valve? There's plenty of "professional" crap games out there that cost £40 and get 1/10.

I'm implying that if the game is crap, it shouldn't have costed that much in the first place. There's a lot of people, studios, companies charging WAY too much for their games. Hence why I don't buy a lot of games, unless they're reasonably priced.

I paid 50 euro for the Longest Journey. I paid 45 for Dungeon Keeper. Those games were worth it (since I still play them, and back then couldn't stop playing them until finished), but the first game of a new "company", of questionable quality, should not try to be up there with games that ARE of good slash excellent quality.

If the game was 15 USD, I'd probably purchase it just to support the creators. But for 30 USD, I wouldn't.

That's limiting your market, in a market that's already limited. Common sense, man

[Darth Mandarb]

Somebody PLEASE start a thread in the Adventure Related Board and take this conversation in there ...

This is the "Games in Production" thread for this game and it's been totally hi-jacked with talk about it's short-comings and high (eventual) price.

Bottom line:  It's their game and time put in ... they can charge whatever they want.  Don't like it?  Don't buy it.

Thank you, drive though ...

[Nikolas]

Ok.

Played the demo

Had it downloading for 2 hours or so, with 30 kbps!!!!

Anyhow my coments:

1. I like the narrator and Als voice.
2. I can certainyl see that the writer and everybody in the team knew what they were doing and that's good. I laughed a lot, in a lot of places.
3. The animations were well made. (see bellow for details)
4. AGS workd well in the game
5. Music, voice acting, sound fx, all worked (and especially the 'I'm waiting for the train', hilarious)
6. The fact that you have covered all possible choices, of actions in the game, provided me with great joy, as for 15 minutes all I did was clicking randmnly to get a differnet response from the narrator! hehe

Concerns:
1. The animation, although well made, from what I knwo from other animators, is nowhere near professional level. Even if AGS is not the most powerful engine, this does not provide excuses for the animation.
2. I was rather annoyed by the continuous remarks (although funny) from the narator, telling me that I can't go there. (Because it's a demo and I have to buy the game). Ialready knew that I didn't need some guy reminding me all the time. That kinda ruined it.
3. AGS, is a stable and good engine, but after the 3d cutscenes it did look rather poor (although you do have 8 directions and all that), still it looks a little poor (In my eyes)

In all I understand what the other people were talking about, but stil lthink that any price you want to put, that's your problem, and your risking.

And of course this is indeed one of the best examples of AGS, pushing it as far as it goes (though I wouldn't know, not knowing shit about AGS coding and all that)...

Nikolas

[buloght]

Niko: I'd say non-adventures are pushing the AGS limitÃ,  ;)Ã,  :PÃ, 

Well after also acquiring the demo, I played it a bit. I had to after all the weird comments this game got.

My thoughts:

1) the narrator is a George of the Jungle movie/space quest (7 I think) rip. Nothing wrong with it, but it gets a little bit much after a while, it's a like a brother/sister or someone being sarcastic about every little thing you do or say. Though in space quest the narrator was awesome and funny.
2) The 3D is good, but not good enough for commercial standards. Some of the characters are badly rigged and it looks like someone just learning to do 3D characters, though with that said,Ã,  they aren't that bad and at least you didn't just use Poser (though there is nothing wrong with that too).
3) Al's voice ... is it a woman doing him, i'm serious, it sounds just like a woman?
4) Comics are excellent! But the inconsistency of 3D and comic cutscenes interchanging isn't very pro and clashes, either do everything 3D or everything comics. The comics are excellently done, that guy is good, My personal opinion would be to go with the comics, I love them plenty.
5) Backgrounds are beautiful, sometimes a little inconsistent and 'incorrect', but then what is incorrect to some may be correct to others.
6) The humour wasn't very funny for me, not at all, I didn't enjoy them as it felt forced a lot and a little sick. But I know it's a grown up game and some people enjoy such humour.
7) 3D characters look out of place and very amateur in the game, they are not commercial quality, that's if I compare it to commercial games, not indy people making commercial games.
8) I think the game is enjoyable somewhat and has a lot of potential and obviously a lot of people will love it. Congratulations on all the work done and goodluck with your sales.


[edit] thanks voh  I forgot which one it was  .

[voh]

space quest (7 I think)

You're probably referring to Space Quest 6, since 7 was never made slash finished

[Phate]

You should put this game on the Xbox Live Arcade, plenty of people have been asking for an adventure game for the arcade.

[Kweepa]

That would require a version of AGS for the XBox 360. (Or a complete rewrite, of course.)

[Phate]

I heard that if you haven't programmed your game for XBLA you can get Microsoft to do it for you and they get a higher percentage of the profits than if you do it yourself.