LazyTown: The New Kid - Dead as of Dec. 20th, 2010

[Ultra Magnus]

The LazyTown game will be released in an episodic format! Yay!
This is because...
a) my plans for the game were getting so vast, and my procrastinating abilities so strong, that I probably would never have started working on the game again, let alone finished it.
b) I figured that, since half of my audience are going to be kids, a full game might have been a bit much for them in one big bite. Maybe I'm underestimating them, but whatever.
c) I'm lazy. Ironic, huh?

Plot
It's your first day in this strange new place called LazyTown.
You'll meet some of the residents, and soon find out that something is amiss...
Dun! Dun! DUNNNN!!!!

Screenie goodness


Old screens...


Progress diary
2008:-
* Feb. 28th(ish) - Downloaded AGS, started work on the game.
* Mar. 3rd - Released first version of the game's demo. Carried on working on it.
* Mar. 8th - Released second version of the demo. Carried on working on it for a few days.
* Mar. 12th(ish) - Decided to stop production until I'd fully planned the whole plot, puzzles, etc.
* Mar. 13th(ish) to Aug. 12th - Procrastinated a lot.
* Aug. 12th - Decided upon the new format, and started working on the game again! Yay!
* Aug. 29th - Scrapped the whole code and started again. Boo!
2009:-
* Jan. 17th - Started again again. Weh!
* Feb. 22nd - Completed basic "foundation" scripting.
* Aug. 3rd - Admitted defeat and asked for help with the dialogue.
* Sep. 9th - Received offer of help from smartgenes.
* Sep. 15th(ish) - Changed the main gui for the 17th time, with all the re-scripting that entails.
2010:-
COMPUTER DIED! :'(

But we'll be back.

Links
The demo's page on the database.
The demo's thread in the Completed Games section.

[Ghost]

Well, since LT already *is* a series, a game series isn't such a bad idea- with a consistent GUI and plot, you'll surely have some advantage on your side. Best of luck with that project- and make sure to bring in the big'uns (Sportacus and Freddy, that is  )

One issue- the GUI looks nice and clean, but won't it look better if you removed the default "raster shading" when it is disabled?

[Ultra Magnus]

I thank you, sir.

Yeah, the raster shading is one of the many things I need to... revisit before final release.

In other news: over 300 downloads of the demo!
That's through the games DB alone, not counting the direct link in the Completed Games forum.
I realise this probably isn't too many considering it's been available for 5 months, but I never thought it'd shift that many.

[wpowell]

Awesome Gui but I don't understand about the raster shading does that have to do with the 2nd screenshot or the first one. Anyway nice game I hope you don't become "The Procrastinator"  Thanks.

[Ultra Magnus]

I'm glad you like the GUI, but I've already changed it.
Not really in a major way, just made it more... logical.

The raster shading is the kinda greyed-out/spotted effect on the GUI in the second screen.
It's supposed to show that you can't use the buttons while somebody's talking to you.
It's gone already.

[Ultra Magnus]

Hello.

Update:
I spent a few days redesigning and re-redesigning the main GUI and inventory window, and writing a tonne of script to support each new design.

I then spent the last week trawling through hours of footage, capturing and editing stuff to use for graphics.
I've decided upon using sprites with an alpha-channel now, so I had to replace all the old ones.
(I didn't know AGS could support aplhas when I made the demo).

It took a bit longer than I expected, so I'm a bit behind schedule.
As such, the release date has been shunted back from "end of the month" to "early next month".

Aaaaaanyway...

Help wanted:
I be looking for a cartographer to draw me a nice map screen.
I have a prototype layout designed, and plenty of reference pics of the area.

Anyone interested, please get in touch either here, or via pm.
Fame and fangirls/boys await you.

Position filled. 8)

Toodles.

[Ultra Magnus]

Release date push-backs: don't you just love them?

The more I work on this game, the more it evolves.
The down side is that the game has now evolved in such a way that its own UI has become illogical.

It's a shame really, as I quite like the current GUI design.
But, you know, interface to fit the game, rather than game to fit the interface, and all that.
Maybe I'll be able to just swap out the sprites and use it for another game somewhere down the line.

Aaaaaanyway, on to said push-back...

Due to the fact that there's so much code related to the current UI that I'll have to strip out, I'm just going to start again from scratch.
Nearly everything but the scripting is done, though, so it shouldn't be more than 2 or 3 weeks before a release.

Just don't hold your breath. :

Is anyone actually reading this?
Besides a certain Ghost, I mean.

Oh yeah, and P.S.
They stole my damn idea.
If it turns out to be anything like my game that I'm making with graphics and music I stole from them I'll sue!

[Buckethead]

just so you know. I'm reading all the progress posts you make. I used to watch this show on the BBC when I had a few hours off of school in the morning.

I feel your pain for having to redo big parts of the UI. It's the curse of improvement lol.

Anyway, good luck with it! 

[Ultra Magnus]

Ah, cool. Good to know someone's out there.

And thanks.

[Iv4n]

I've watched some videos on youtube with this girl. It was quite an experience. It's... ehrm different show from the others. A one-of-a-kind. It's almost freaky as some Japanese ones (and they are the wierd ones). Cute girl though. I like her pinky hair. But there was some gay into the show, so I'm not really sure how safe it is for the kids to watch this and what will they thinking . Anyway,  I find it rather interesting that you're making such a game. I'll take a look at the first episode when you released, especially since the graphics are way more above the average.

[Ultra Magnus]

A lot of people think it is Japanese the first time they see it.

Some gay in the show? There's quite a lot of cross-dressing, sure, but that's about it.
I mean, there are plenty of people who write fanfiction about that kinda thing, but I don't really see it, myself.
Maybe I'm just naïve. :

And thanks.
I hope the game doesn't disappoint.

[Ultra Magnus]

More delays! Yay!

As you may or may not have figured out, the help I asked for a while back is being provided by a certain Ghost.

I say "being provided", but that's not really the case, as he has disappeared for three weeks.

He did manage to finish his work, and upload it just before he left, but MediaFire hates me and won't let me get to it.

So... the release date is now going to be a couple of days after Herr Ghost returns, whenever that may be.
End of the month, I guess.

[kantor_98]

Any news about the game ? I am interested in your game, I am a fan of the series and I like to see a game. If you need a help in scenarios or the story of thegame, please tell me. I am not so good in technical issues, but if I can help in other ways...

I also download the demo. Excelent !

edit by darth - posts combined, don't double post

[Ultra Magnus]

Gazizza, dilsnoofuses!

Well, it's been a while, but I've finally returned to attempt to finish this damn game.
Life seems to always know exactly when and how to get in the way for maximum disruption, doesn't it?

Anyway, it's nearly a year since the demo was uploaded, so I doubt that many people care as much as they may once have, if indeed they did at all, but this game will happen, dammit!

So, yeah.
Once again, I've scrapped the whole code again, and started again, again.
And what with new DVDs being released recently, I'm also going back and replacing a lot of the old graphics.

It's gonna take time.
A whole lot of precious time.
It's gonna take patience and time, oo-oo, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it right.

I'd ideally like to get it released by the beginning of March (which will be 1 year after the demo), but that's not really likely to happen given my track record. Oh well. It'll get here when it gets here. But it will get here. Honest, guv'.

If you need a help in scenarios or the story of thegame, please tell me. I am not so good in technical issues, but if I can help in other ways...

Hey. Thanks for your interest and especially for the offer for help.
I've pretty much got the first game sorted in terms of planning, but I'll certainly ask you if I need help with future episodes.

One of the main tough points of making this game is getting the resources, editing the graphics, music etc. to be usable and the like, but once they're in place it should be a lot easier making more games with them.

[ALPHATT]

I find the cartoon or whatever it is very annoying but I'm sure it's not the case with the game. I hope you'll finish it,

[Ultra Magnus]

Heh, thanks.

[BiggerJ]

One of my favorite things about the demo is the range of dialogue options. You can say what a character in the show would say, or you can say what a real person would say. Like when Sportacus says he's going to kick the ball into the tree as part of his plan to save the kitten and you can choose to say "...Are you going to do what I think you're going to do?"

The one problem I found with the demo was the the quotes around everyone's dialogue were unnecessary, but as a problem it's not very major, and that was the only problem I found. I can say that this one of the very best fangames I've ever seen.

[BiggerJ]

edit: accidental doublepost

[BiggerJ]

edit: aw man, accidental triplepost

[Ultra Magnus]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it.
I'm not sure if that amount of praise is deserved, but it is very much appreciated.

The one problem I found with the demo was the the quotes around everyone's dialogue were unnecessary, but as a problem it's not very major, and that was the only problem I found.

I did that because I though the random text on the screen with no kind of framing looked a bit sparse.
Now I'm leaning further towards putting all the dialogue into boxes (like the the narrator's in the demo), and it does make the inverted commas look particularly... unnecessary.
So don't worry, they are already on their way out.

Thanks for the feedback. 8)

[Ultra Magnus]

Bump!
Opening post has been updated with current stats and a new screenshot.



Well, it's been a lot of work, but I've finished the basic foundation of the game.

What this means is...
* (Most of) the graphics have been uploaded and organised nicely
* The Guis have all been designed and scripted (with mega thanks to Sir Ghost)
* Hotspots and objects are all present and accounted for
* All of the hotspots'/objects' on_click functions are laid out in their room scripts, but they have yet to be filled out.

Basically, all that's left now is the actual game part of the game.

Pray for mojo.



By the way, I've noticed a strange phenomenon (doo-dooooo-doodoodoo)...

I made a frame for some of the Guis, then cut it up to use as the text box frame (so they would match).
When running the game, the colours on the text box are noticeably darker than those on the Gui frame, despite them being the exact same colours.

Has anyone else noticed this happen at all ever?
Any ideas as to why it's happening and maybe how to stop it happening?

[davidnagel]

Oh wow. I'm not ususally a praiser of the LazyTown programme since the main mustached bloke scares me a little but I am finding your enthusiasm for such a game-make and the way you are using the graphics and in general is just outstanding. I am surprised that you haven't been given the job of LazyTown game yet.

Mega impressed, look forward to seeing it complete

[Iv4n]

Looks more polished.

[Ultra Magnus]

Thanks guys.

I am surprised that you haven't been given the job of LazyTown game yet.

It's all down to politics.

[BiggerJ]

I'm curious about the new style. Will all the backgrounds be like they are in the newest screenshot? And will the 'act like a LazyTown character or act like a real person' dialogue options be returning? As I said before, I enjoyed those.

By the way, speaking of those dialogue options, if you decide to keep them in, it'd be great if the player had multiple dialogue options when Sportacus first mentions sport candy. They could be something along the lines of:

Sport candy? What's that? (LazyTown character option)
Sport... candy? Isn't that an oxymoron? (Normal person option)
Let me guess, you mean fruit, right? (Quick option resulting in less talking until next dialogue choice or end of conversation)

[Ultra Magnus]

I'm curious about the new style. Will all the backgrounds be like they are in the newest screenshot?

Nah, that's an example of a dialogue screen.
The scenes will be normal when you're just casually walking around looking at things, but when you talk to a character they'll adopt the effect that can be seen in said screenshot.

I probably should have mentioned that when I posted it, but there you go.
What's life without a bit of mystery?

And will the 'act like a LazyTown character or act like a real person' dialogue options be returning? As I said before, I enjoyed those.

Aye, they will. Worry ye not.
And thanks for the suggestion.

[Ultra Magnus]

Well, I've broken it.

It was only a week ago that I finished the core scripting, and for some reason it's already stopped working.
On top of that, I have no idea how or why or where in the script the problem is, so it's not gonna be an easy fix.

I don't want to have to start over again. :'(

Disregard.
I'm an idiot.

[Ultra Magnus]

Corr, this game making lark's tougher than it seems, innit?

Well, another five months, another update.

Here's what's been happening...
Way back when, I was working on the game happily and (fairly) productively, until it got to the point of writing dialogue.
I found it really tough to write anything halfway decent, so I decided to take a break, do something else for a while, and come back to the game fresh and full of new ideas.
Then I kinda... forgot to come back.

Jump forward to the now, and I finally got back to working on it again a couple of days ago, but I still suck at writing dialogue.
I replayed the old demo to see how I used to do it, and it just felt really weird to be playing it.
It seems like a decade ago that I made that, and I almost can't believe that I made it.
I can kinda remember doing it, but it feels so distant.
It creeped me out.

Aaaanyway, I'm back, and I'm asking for help.
I'm looking for somebody to help me write some decent dialogue.
You don't have to be a fan of the show, just able to write better than I, which shouldn't exclude anybody beyond the age of three.

I realise that my track record may not inspire confidence, but believe me, I really do want to finish this project, and the more help I get, the easier (and quicker) it will be to realise this goal.

Help me [your name here], you're my only hope!

[arj0n]

Magnus, maybe you should post your question for a dialoque writer in this request-for-help post

[Ultra Magnus]

Magnus, maybe you should post your question for a dialoque writer in this request-for-help post

I did that too.

[arj0n]

Then sure help is on it's way

[Ultra Magnus]

Then sure help is on it's way

Here's hoping.

[Ultra Magnus]

What time is it, kiddies?
IT'S BUMPDATE TIME!
Quite a lot has been going on as of late....

About half way through August I had an idea for a really cool ending to the game. It'll take a lot of work, but it should be well worth it. In a way, then, it's good that I didn't finish this before now, otherwise this new ending would never have existed, and the game would have just finished in a bland and obvious way, whereas now it'll be epic. Fact!

Then, an offer of help with the dialogue finally arrived near the beginning of the month from new guy smartgenes. Which is awesome. FACT!

Not long after that, I had another idea on how to make the UI flow better, so completely overhauled that, with a tonne of scripting around it. Which is annoying. FACT!

So... yeah.
Stuff's coming along quite nicely, if a bit slowly.

I know you don't care, but then why are you reading this?

[Bulbapuck]

I know you don't care, but then why are you reading this?

I can't afford books..

Anyway, thanks for the update! Game seems neat, I'm looking forward to it

[Ultra Magnus]

I know it's been yonks since the last update, but I had actually started working on this game again recently in hopes for an early March release (3yrs after the demo).

Then my computer died.

So that's it, I'm afraid. Both my C drive and my backup drive got corrupted, and with them all my game related files. Plus, the only computer I have right now is a borrowed Macbook, so no AGS for me for a while.

I will make this game eventually, but I'm afraid it won't be any time soon. I apologise to anyone who is still waiting, especially to those of you who have kids that maybe were around the right age to enjoy this kind of thing three years ago but will be too old by the time it actually gets released.

Stiff upper lip, chaps.

[Darth Mandarb]

That's a HUGE bummer man, I'm sorry to hear that!

Let me know if you manage to recover the game files and we can reopen this thread.