UPDATED: 9th OCTOBER 2005!!!
Just thought I'd let you all know, the game is back in production.
You'll have to COPY the shortcut into the browser window:
DEMO is available again - http://larenzo.web1000.com/setup.exe
SPEECH pack is available here too - http://larenzo.web1000.com/speech.zip
(http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/8660/diystore4qy.th.jpg) (http://img128.imageshack.us/my.php?image=diystore4qy.jpg)
(http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/1182/dickgforce2wf.th.jpg) (http://img128.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dickgforce2wf.jpg)
(http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/7789/hotel1night2ld.th.jpg) (http://img128.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hotel1night2ld.jpg)
(http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/6013/islandmap29qk.th.jpg) (http://img128.imageshack.us/my.php?image=islandmap29qk.jpg)
FEBRUARY 2004
Hi guys, I have been visiting this board for over a year now and have decided to join considering I have been working on a game for the last 7 months, lol.
The game, titled 'Dick LaRenzo: Secret Agent!' is my first attempt at a game and is a comedy adventure based around the title character.
LaRenzo is a failed Detective, probably due to his lack of forgetting-to-think-before-he-opens-his-mouth tactics. This leads to him retiring.
However, when he receives a strange telephone call from out of the blue he is thrown into a world of murder, betrayal, love and international film stars. Dick finally has a case...
The game is about 80% complete.
Any feedback would be much appreciated.
P.S. I think this board is great!
Either my 'net connection is running slow, or you win the award for slowest server of all time!
But the screens look good! I really like the menu screen!
*eagerly awaiting a playable demo*
dm
Thankyou Darth!
Yeah I think the server is a tad slow, sorry about that but thankyou for the kind compliments!
Your pal, Daz.
works fine for me!
Love the screens!! :D
looking good!
looks excellent
welcome aboard
Your art is great! Make sure to keep us updated with your progress :)
Cheers Danny, Timosity, remixor.
I will keep you updated as often as I possible can :)
I hope the majority of you have a broadband connection as the .exe file alone is currently 35.5MB. Also with the optional VOX pack coming in at a hefty 49.8MB this is clearly quite a big game, in terms of both gameplay and filesize.
The game is loaded with FLI cutaway scenes and interactive characters.
However, as I said, I will surely let you all know when a possible demo download is online! Thanks once again for your kind compliments!
Take care, your pal, Daz.
the game looks great, some nice touches 8)
and aint broadband great too, downloading is no problem,,,, it'll be finding somewhere to put game lol
looks great can't wait to see the game
tc woodz
Yeah, it's great! ;)
Ok, I'm gonna announce a release date for 'Dick LaRenzo: Secret Agent!'. I know this is usually a silly thing to do because you can guarantee as soon as I do the damn game will encounter around 50 bugs all at once, lol.
But I'm currently designing the final stage of the game and with the way I've been progressing, I'd say it'll be ready for around June time.
Cheerz once again guys!
Your pal, Daz.
I am not happy with you attitude Darren! One year in AGS and first post today? ;D
I'd like to encourage all the people to join the forum, your game looks supperb. I'll download asap. Good luck in your race to AGS awards.
Farlander, I agree, my attitude is totally screwed-up, lol.
Funny thing is, now I HAVE joined the forums, for some strange reason it seems to make me more confident. God knows why, lol.
It's probably me just talking rubbish again, lol.
Your pal, Daz.
Just to keep you updated:
I'm not going to release a demo now considering the game will be completed in the next month or thereabouts. It's currently in the final stages. There's just a few more characters to have a voice added to them and a few more rooms and it'll be done.
I'll be sure to post a link when it's complete.
Your pal, Daz.
WOW.
This game looks fabulous!
Best of luck with it. :)
Thanks for the kind words Hobbes!
Your pal, Daz.
Hi guys!
Thought I'd better give you all an update with the 'Dick LaRenzo: Secret Agent!' situation!
The game is STILL going ahead. I know I said it would be completed by June time or thereabouts but it's taking a little longer than I imagined.
Since I upgraded to the latest version of AdventureGame Studio it compiles the game but insists that my graphics card is incapable of dealing with the resolutions it's set at. Strange considering it worked before so I'm waiting for an update to see if that sorts it.
In the meantime though I've been designing some more artwork and getting the voices out of the way so it hasn't been a complete waste of time really.
I've also uploaded the screenshots to a different server:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/shrine/larenzo.htm
I promise to still keep you all informed.
Take care, your pal, Daz.
Ok, I've finished an extremely lengthy fully-playable demo for you all.
However, I need atleast 70MB of webspace to host it. Does anyone know where I can get this amount of free webspace from?
Your pal, Daz.
whoah! that's a huge download man! why so big filesize? is it avi's?
are you using 16bit (hi color) palette?
if your using 16bit (hi-color) try this:
right click and save the picture below as a bitmap BMP.
(http://www.tentimesnothing.com/palette.gif)
palette.gif
load your game in ags.
go to palette screen and set game to 256 color.
select a range of slots (select the first open color slot and hold down shift to choose the last slot)
uncheck this color is room dependant.
select import slots from file. select the palette BMP. (you should now have colors in some slots. leave the remaining slots as room dependant.)
the hard part - you might have to re-import your graphics in sprite manager. you might also have to decrease their color depth to 256 color (8-bit) first.
this will, however, reduce that 70mb filesize to a more manageable amount.
just a suggestion. ;) hope it helps, i know i hated palettes before i used this wierd procedure.
Hi Evilspacefart,
The game is 256 colours. The reason it's so big is because compiled into the main executable is a lot of WAV files.
I know the filesize is big but it's the way the game had to be to achieve the level of professionalism I wanted.
Fair enough, it's not really good for narrow-band users but for broadband it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
By the way, that palette tip you just gave is a great little idea! I'll make note of that! Thanks!
Your pal, Daz.
Is it a problem to convert the wavs, to mp3 or ogg files to reduce the size. That won't make any noticable difference in the sound.
I've got broadband but still have a download limit per month so 100MB per day is about all I can download, to ration my bandwidth to last out a month.
lots of people round here have broadband, but most probably have dial-ups, so it will limit the audience.
EDIT: Also, are the wav files for sound effects, music and voice or something, if so, Have the music.vox and speech.vox as separate downloads, that will decrease the download size considerably, so people can at least play the game.
Human ears can't really tell the difference between a WAV and a 192kbit MP3, especially on the sound systems most people have on their machines, even something less than 128kbit is hard to tell on most peoples machines.
Did you import pics as PCX or BMP?
And what size does it compress to if you put it in a ZIP file?
I'm not converting to mp3's because they slooow the game down considerably.
When I say 'sound files' I mean sound files that are compiled into the actual EXE file...
This is obviously gonna be a problem for dial-up users yes and it will limit the audience. The 60MB file is a compiled setup.exe file which consists of the game AND the VOX file. I could recompile it without the VOX package which is 40MB alone but the game is crap without the voices. Still, it looks like the only thing I can do. I'll upload them now anyway.
Thanks for the advice guys anyway, I appreciate it.
Your pal, Daz.
The pics are imported as BMPs by the way.
If you have something to add to a post, better to edit than make another post, btw ;)
If you have a separate VOX file, then you could provide it in both MP3/OGG and WAV formats: that way the user can decide if they want a fatsre game or a faster download. Do OGGs slow things down as much as MP3s?
I'm not sure, but I think importing pics as PCX will reduce the size, too. Does anyone know if this is true?
I will experiment with the OGG file format, I'm not really familiar with it.
Sorry about adding another post, I'll remember next time.
I've recompiled the distributional file WITHOUT the VOX pack and it comes in at 22.2MB, an obvious improvement.
The first demo of Dick LaRenzo: Secret Agent! is now online to download at:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/shrine/larenzo.htm and run it at 320x200 for best results!!!
Your pal, Daz.
I think I'll check this one out. I'll edit once I give it a play
I can't see any zip or exe to download on that page you say :'(
I just had a quick go, I didn't do much, just popped a big zit.
looks pretty good, One thing that bothers me is you can't click the text away, even when you just look at something, I guess it's just personal preference, It's OK in a cutscene, but not for every piece of text.
I'll tell you more later
Timosity...You CAN skip the text by pressing a keyboard key, like in the Monkey Island games.
SSH, try clicking here mate :-)
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/shrine/larenzosetup.exe
Cheerz guys, your pal, Daz.
Hi guys...
It's been AGES since I last posted about Dick LaRenzo.
PLOT:
You play the part of hapless detective Dick LaRenzo, whose career is going down hill...QUICKLY...It seems the quiet town of Tamsley no longer requires the skills of a detective...But then again...International movie star John Gabrolta is making a guest appearance at Tamsley's famous nightclub, 'Twiggy's', and a dead body has been found outside your office...
The reason it's taking so long is because of a lot of things like work, getting married, little things like that, lol.
Feel free to check out the screenshots at:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/shrine/larenzo.htm
Your pal, Daz.
Hey I really like your screenshots! The backgrounds have the whole LS5 look to them. Which I think is cool. I dig the look of the main character. Good luck!
It all looks great!
Daniel
Winebarger
Hey hey, I like! You know, there will never ever be enough detective games out there. Thanks for adding another one though. The backgrounds look great, character looks great, and I like that you've already done a promotional poster. I keep meaning to do that...
Good luck! I look forward to this very much ^_^
Oh, and where's MY wedding invitation??
Wow, your backgrounds are way better than mine, but I suppose backgrounds are there to suit the game. Mine suit my game and yours suit yours. And by the way, is it a comercial or freware release?
I remember this, and congrats on getting married and all that.
Via the magic of the 'merge' button, I've... well, merged the threads.
I also edited some of your posts a bit, guys, so the thread makes a bit more sense now it's merged.
Cheers guys for the kind remarks!
And thanks AGA for merging the 2 threads together, I did look for the original one but couldn't find it.
Yep, Dick LaRenzo is slowly getting there now! I really appreciate the positive feedback!
IntentInsane - Dick LaRenzo: Secret Agent! is a FREEWARE game.
Your pal, Daz.
I've decided to upload a demo again. There's no VOX file in the setup file. But the executable does contain some sound FX and music.
I will upload the VOX file only when the game is complete. The game just isnt the same without the voice files but hopefully it's still enjoyable.
Be warned, this is a lengthy demo too; it will probably take you over an hour to complete hopefully.
Please note: The demo is still a work in progress. I'm not happy with the title screen and will be changing the design of that at a later date.
Hope you all enjoy it!
You can download the demo here - http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/shrine/larenzosetup.exe
Your pal, Daz.
P.S. Please report any bugs you may find or problems with the game. I'll try and accept criticism, lol.
Aha! You are using Sonic3-style font in the title screen, I see.
Hi Largo...
Lol, to be honest I had no intention of using the Sonic 3-style font. Like I said though, that title screen is only there as a rough design. I'm gonna touch it up and make it more eye-catching. I'm also using the standard AGS Save/Load template too for now until the game's finished - that's the last thing I'm gonna be doing though.
Your pal, Daz.
I just downloaded it and it looks pretty cool so far. I like the look of the main character and intro text animation. I will comment more when I get some extra time today to play it.
Daniel
Winebarger
Cheers piraatlife4me, I hope you enjoy it.
There is quite a few cut-scenes in the game which I think I'll trim down as they seem to maybe go on too long for some people, so I thought I'd warn you all. Still, some people may like it, who knows.
I'll just wait till I get feedback so I know what to change etc.
Your pal, Daz.
Here's a few more screenshots for you all...
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/shrine/newshot1.jpg)
Another kind of teaser poster.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/shrine/newshot2.jpg)
A snapshot from one of the cutscenes involving Dick LaRenzo being catapulted 2 mile into the air at 300MPH.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/shrine/newshot3.jpg)
Hello? It's LaRenzo on the phone...
Take care guys, your pal, Daz.
Where have the last 2 posts disappeared to? They have somehow vanished ???
Your pal, Daz.
Yeah, where did it go?
Well anyhow piraatlife4me, I replied with a post saying that I'd changed the talking view of Dick LaRenzo so now he's not as fidgety-looking as he was before. :)
I've also completed 3 more new backgrounds.
Your pal, Daz.
Installer didn't work for me. Only installed the "uinstal" file and said an error had occured. Invalid file or somthing. 12F.
Hi there HillBilly...
That seems a bit strange because it's worked for everyone else who's downloaded it (not just people on this forum)...I'm actually downloading it myself now to see what happens when I try to install it. I'll update this post when I've done it.
EDIT: I downloaded the file from my site and it works fine. But there's something I did notice - DON'T download the setup file using a download manager such as GetRight because I just tried downloading it with GetRight and the file was being registered as 51mb when it's only just over 17mb! So make sure NOT to use a download manager. Hope this helps.
Your pal, Daz.
I just completed the demo which was great, especially the cutscenes. I look forward to the release of the full game.
Hi PJ
Yeah, those cut-scenes took literally DAYS to do but I'm well happy with the final outcome of them.
Thanks for downloading and giving me feedback anyhow.
The game's still coming along but I've decided now to add some more levels, mainly to fit in with the story.
Take care, your pal, Daz.
I've always love this kind of stories, can't wait to play it
I'll be uploading the demo again soon.
Wow! Talk about coming back from the dead!
I'm gonna lock this thread, as it violates the forum rules as of now!
PM me when you have the demo and some screenshots available so we can update the first post!
Thanks!
All done and updated :)
Had to use a free image host so I apologise for the quailty of the screenshots.
Hi Darren,
I am currently downloading and will give my comment later.
However, I highly recommend using faster file server.
I think one of being called file front or something, if not, I'm sure that others who comes here will specify.
Cheers mate,
Finding a decnt free server to allow large files is a pain in the you know what but cheers for the advice.
Hi Darren,
I did managed to play it.
For your game, it great.
I did tried downloading speech pack file from link posted at your original post.
I found the followings:
1) When I managed to download speeck pack, there is error with archieve file.
2) Your server, is always redirect to different website making yours not available everytime.
Your other links are not valid.
Before darth completely lock this thread, I suggest that you fixe your links as soon as possible for everyone.
Cheers.
To download the files you need to copy the shortcut into the browser.
Hi Darren,
Ok, everything went well and below are my findings while play
game with voices.
Overall, the game is quite funny!
Not all characters have voices such as:
two goons and clown
At some point during the game the following I don't hear voices:
Dick guy and his pal John, including girl and big boss(near end)
I'm sure the above will be changed open completion of game.
I'm wondering, when can we expect the full version?
Once again, excellent game.
Hi Splat44!
Thanks for taking the time and patience to complete and review the demo. I really appreciate that.
There is as of yet no voices for the goons and John's daughter and the clown, these WILL be rectified obviously in the full release.
A few lines from Dick & John are missing too but once again, these lines will be in the full version.
Once again though, thankyou for taking the time to play it.
Hi Darren,
Thank for your reply.
I just wanted to sure the game didn't have any bug where no or missing voices in games.
So far I haven't found any bugs.
Good luck in completeting the game.
If ever you need any beta testers, I'll be more than glad to help out.
Cheers
Thanks, that's much appreciated.
I think we're looking at another 3-4 months perhaps until the game's fully finished.
I'd show some more screenshots but I don't want to show too much if you know what I mean.
I want to leave that element of surprise, so to speak.
:)
Hi Kal-El,
Thank you for your reply.
Of course, I didn't expect in adding more screenshots. By adding progress report at your original post is all this is needed.
For any game, people would most likely read beginning of tread to find such report and don't like going until last replies to find such report.
Good luck and I will wait until.
Regards