Adventure Game Studio

The Journey Down is a classical point and click adventure game, full to the brim with puzzles, conspiracies, mystery and adventure!

In chapter 1 "Over the Edge" we follow Bwana and his trusted sidekick Kito, as they struggle to make ends meet at their waterfront gas station in an off-beat place called Kingsport bay. When all hope seems lost and the power company is on their case with a mean threat, something promising appears. A woman. A woman with cash. What strings does she come attached with? What secrets are hiding underneath her fair surface? Find out, in chapter one of The Journey Down!


The game as a whole (4 chapters) has been a project of mine for over 4 years. Most of this time has been spent writing and sketching the whole plot out, but another large part has been scripting, animating and pasting together that wich is about to be released as chapter 1: Over the Edge. To say that I underestimated the size of this project when I started it would be a tremendous understatement. However, I now finally have enough of chapter 1 finished to feel comfortable with making this post. More or less everything is finished. Some music and sound still needs to be lodged in place, and some final rounds of testing need to be done, but apart from that, we are ready for launch.




I am aiming for a release of "Over the Edge" some time late August. As we all know though, such dates are bound to change.


Key features:

* Dazzling full motion cinematics!
* More than 20 Locations!
* Over 15 bizzare characters!
* An all original jazzy reggae soundtrack!

Keep your eyes on this thread for updates. And, err.. sorry for lurking for five years.  ::)

Fantastic background graphics!  With that and the jazz / reggae soundtrack, I think we23 can forgive you for lurking.  ;D

Did somebody see my jaw? I think I dropped it somewhere...

This is fantastic! This has just become my number one anticipated game!

Wow, this looks awesome...very very nice designs...

Wow, mighty impressive artwork you got there. I love the backgrounds and really dig the character style. Jazzy reggae sounds good too.

This looks and sounds as if the four years of work are well worth it. I am so looking forward to this one.

Hey, Theo, it's good to see you posting this production thread.  I almost emailed you the other day asking if you had added all that missing music yet.

This game was lots of fun to beta test, and I was completely impressed with the graphics.  If you want me to do a final beta test (that would be like the 6th or 7th beta test now. haha), I would definitely give it another go.

Quote from: tzachs on Tue 13/07/2010 21:45:05
Did somebody see my jaw? I think I dropped it somewhere...

This is fantastic! This has just become my number one anticipated game!

Seconded. And I was like, ah, where's a mindblowing project?

Is it just me or are the background graphics kinda remeniscent of Westwood's classic "Bladerunner"?  Not sure why but something's reminding me of the artwork in that game.

Really very, very nice. Really!

Hey man, you finally joined the forums!

Can't wait to see this released  8)

It looks like utter garbage, sorry.

Spoiler

SWEET SASSY MOLLASSSY THIS GAME LOOKS AWESOME AS HELL.

[close]

This game looks absolutely amazing! I can't wait for it to be released. ;D

Thanks all for your kind words! I'm glad the screenies make an impression, as my life has more or less revolved around working on this for the past four years. I will do my very best not to disappoint you.

Ryan: Heh, if you're up to it, there's a new beta waiting for you, with new backdrop anims and a bunch of new puzzles. I'll send you an email. Thanks for all your help man. I'm sorry I keep pushing out new versions... But I like it polished!

CaptainD: Perhaps the backdrop skyscrapers give you the br mood? I'm a big fan of Syd Mead, perhaps it shows through:)

Ben304: Hey dude! Yeah sorry for lurking. I just figured, once I join here I'll never get any work done so I've stayed away as good as I can. If you are up for another beta run I'd love to send it to you, I can see if you are fed up with it by now though heh.

Thanks again

Quote from: Ryan Timothy on Tue 13/07/2010 22:28:38
This game was lots of fun to beta test, and I was completely impressed with the graphics. 
If you want me to do a final beta test (that would be like the 6th or 7th beta test now. haha), I would definitely give it another go.

Fully agreed.
When needed I'd like to rejoin for the final beta testround too  ;)

Looks amazing, can't wait to play it... hehe..

Looks amazing! I'd love to try this. If only I could do backgrounds of that style.

Snyggt!
Absolutely something Im looking forward to play.

For me is the best game in production at the moment...congrats!!

!

Mind=blown

The graphics are amazing and the characters look a bit like tiki

The art is gravy but I'd like to know more about the story and such. As long as this doesn't end up being just another pretty face, I'm looking forward to it.

Holy tiki, this looks great! Been a long time since I've seen a game here with such high production values.

Thanks all.   :)
I'll post some more screenshots this weekend when I get back home from a little trip of mine.

J.H - Tiki? Most characters in the Journey Down are based on African masks of one sort or other. I'm probably not the only one who had that idea heh.

Arj0n - Hey man good seeing you are up and about. I've sent you an email with a link to the latest version of the beta. Thanks!

Gravity - All in all the full story of the Journey Down is actually quite intricate, chapter one however is quite lightweight and easygoing. Don't expect deep philosophical metaplots this time around.

With regards to the latest beta, check your emails :)

Checked  ;)

Quote from: theo on Fri 16/07/2010 10:13:40
J.H - Tiki? Most characters in the Journey Down are based on African masks of one sort or other. I'm probably not the only one who had that idea heh.

Yeah kinda like this (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1373/1352205902_c4bc792317.jpg).

Look forward to new screenshots :D

This looks absolutely beautiful, I can't wait to play.

Top notch artwork, any chance of some larger screenshots too?

New screens as promised!


Pinback: These screens are as big as they get. Could stretch 'em I guess but that would end up a half assed experience I think.
The game will do a good job stretching these pixels to full screen though... You'll practically hear them scream.  :)

I could post some artwork though hmm...

The more I see, the more I get interested. Any chance for a teaser trailer showcasing the game in action.

Wow... amazing! My interest is most definately piqued by the mentioning of cinematics  ;D. Those backgrounds are really something else. Look forward to hearing more!

@theo: I know it's not C&C, but just in case you didn't think about it : use the "tint" property to make your characters fade in better in the room's color tone.

Quote from: Arj0n on Wed 14/07/2010 08:01:13
When needed I'd like to rejoin for the final beta testround too  ;)

Me three :) Loved testing the game. You get the results soon Theo.

Pinback: Here are some zooms for you. The art won't appear this hi-res in the game though. (As you can tell the level of detail is rather low since it's intended for 320x240... and... because I'm lazy  ;D.)

Monsieur OUXX: Agreed. Some tinting is required. I've been trying to fool myself that having the characters pop out is part of the style but I'm not falling for it no matter what I do to convince myself...  ::)

angel1985: Good to have you back testing! Good luck!

Gravity: I've got a trailer in the workings, but the way it looks now it seems like the game will be completed before the trailer is heh...

I'm really not sure I can play this game on account of how creepy I find the main character's totum-pole-esque face.

I wouldn't worry about "lack of detail" mate, the artwork is incredible.

Lack of detail, seriously? I don't think so! Lovely stuff you're making for this game!

Thanks for the upload, looks fantastic!

I won't say anything new here: this game's looks make you want to play it. Good luck with it!

Lack of detail my ass. Man, I would love to play a game with that style of hi-res artwork. I adore the two-point perspective in your compositions, so much more dynamic than the average indie adventures. And the lighting is absolutely gorgeous, quite Full Throttle-like. Overall the style is very similar to what I'm *trying* to achieve in my games, but way above my actual talent.

Edit: Please tell me the dialog font is a placeholder. It's really the only thing I find detracts from the wonderful style of the lo-res shots.

You call that art? Bah, I could do way better than that. In my dreams, anything is possible. Sadly I have to wake up and face reality but I try to put that off as long as possible.

Backgrounds are very impressive.  I hope you follow through and finish this as it will no doubt be quite popular!

Nice! Reminds me of Grim Fandango.

Thanks again all!

Just wanted to drop by and say things are moving nicely and that the deadline still seems realistic.
The last pieces of music are now falling into place and maaaan does it feel good.  ;D

Here's another quickie to keep the thread interesting. I've been getting questions regarding the technique behind the pictures. I realize this isn't exactly a tutorial but maybe it will be of interest to some of you at least! Maybe I can make a more proper rundown once chapter 1 is released and I feel less stressed out.

(http://www.skygoblin.com/workflo.jpg)

Oh and GarageGothic, I'm sorry but I think that font is there to stay. It gives me a nice retro vibe. Perhaps it's a bit too common among ags games though... something a bit more original would be nice but I like how easy it is to read. And after all that has got to be the most important thing, no?

Unfortunately, I don't have anything original to say. Just that the screens looks superbly stylish, incredibly polished and that you've put a lot of thought in designing the visuals and the "world".

Not only have you created a stunning game - you've gone to the extra effort of passing on detailed advice to others on how to create similarly amazing backgrounds! I salute you sir.

...

Now finish it so i can play it.  ;D

Pretty interesting approach to colouring and lighting. Might experiment with this one day  ;D, though my judgement of light needs some work to get to your level.

Again, looking very nice. Can't wait to play...

ditto.  This game looks superb

I'd offer to beta-test too, but actually I don't want to be spoiled for when I play the final version.

You say this is Chapter 1, and that it has taken 4 years to make... does that mean we're gonna have to wait another 4 years for Chapter 2?

Thank you so much for that workflow explanation!!! (saved to harddrive straight away). The initial coloring by light value is something I've never tried myself, despite Loominous' breathtaking demonstrations of the technique in the C&C forum. Most of his stuff is quite monochrome or washed out compared to what I'm going for, though, so I didn't consider adopting the approach.
But after seeing the vibrant colors and stark contrasts in your screenshots, I think this could be exactly what I should have been doing all along. (Or at least now that I've bought a better tablet and don't have to rely on scanned pencil drawings colored by mouse using polygon selection tool and gradient fills). Thanks again.

Quote from: theo on Mon 09/08/2010 22:36:54Oh and GarageGothic, I'm sorry but I think that font is there to stay. It gives me a nice retro vibe. Perhaps it's a bit too common among ags games though... something a bit more original would be nice but I like how easy it is to read. And after all that has got to be the most important thing, no?

I totally respect that. It's just that once I see some default whatever too many times, they start rubbing me the wrong way. In some cases it makes more sense than others (e.g. the default AGS cursors are neither very stylish nor easily recognizable). Here it was more of a knee-jerk reaction.

[off-topic rant: Back when I used to make levels for Duke Nukem 3D (I think, or possibly Blood, but at least one of the two), there was one specific stone wall texture that was used by default on any new wall you created - never once could make myself use it in a map although it was a perfectly good texture, and would in no way stand out for someone just playing. And don't get me started on my loathing of the Poser 5 casual male default model... :)]

I still think a different style of retro font could compliment the artwork better though. The current one looks very thin, like it's intended for use on a solid background rather than as free-floating text. LucasArts generally used bolder fonts for that, and it seems to work quite well with an art style similar to yours in Full Throttle and The Dig.

Actually come to think of it, the pic in black and white before you added colour looks pretty nice. Would love to see you doing noir - it's too bad you didn't have a go at the noir theme background comp  :P

Stupot: the four years have also included loads and loads of work on the remaining three chapters. They are extremely far from finished, but well fleshed out story and art wise. I haven't started any of the scripting and animation of those chapters though and in my experience, thats what takes time. Primarily the animation. So, no, it wont take 4 years per chapter but it's certainly not going to go fast, I can tell you that much. A rough estimate is that you can expect chapter 2 one year after the chapter 1 release. But who knows:)

GarageGothic: I know what you mean regarding shying away from default stuff. I do this too. Perhaps if I find the time I'll look into font alternatives. Regarding the coloring technique: I usually start out in monochrome and then add color by selections, but it is nearly as common that I simply paint directly with color. The first method is very nice to use when the backdrop has simple harsh lightsources with obvious gradients. When I start going outside and you want a nice play of shadows on the ground and lots of happy colors everywhere, I simply paint with color. Usually everything is a combination of both methods. I could make another rundown some other time with more details regarding the techniques.

Sughly: Chapter two will have a lot more of a noir mood to it. I'm not going all out monochrome though. I find that restriction incredibly effective in many ways but the Journey Down is a colorful world and I want to keep it that way, even the noir-ish mood gets strong colors in the Journey Down!

Quote from: theo on Mon 09/08/2010 22:36:54
Many of my backdrops use warm vs. cold lighting. It works every time.

You just opened my eyes. Never thought of that, but it's true the result is striking. My life will never be the same again!

What a wonderful world you are creating here... I lvoe it! I can't wait to start exploring it, ie. hope it won't take too long.

Life is unfair... people like you have a real talent for drawing and it becomes easier to make a splendid video game !  :)
For people like me it can takes days to draw a background that, let's say, reach 10% of the beauty of yours...
Seriously, congrats for these pictures, I hope your story will be up to your graphics... !

Five years? WOW that is some incredible dedication you put into this! It looks so professional, like a game you'd pay money for. I can't wait to play this!

I think you followed the correct path to get a great game. Art and concept look very nice, congratulations. I was a lurker for a long time too, but this project convinced me to write.

Saúdos

In a mad stunt of heroism I have now added the finished game to the AGS library.

Please enjoy!

And for the love of Thor, please let me know what you think.

Awesome! Downloaded!

Congrats on finishing your game!!

Please make a post in the Completed Games (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?board=5.0) board to really let people know it's ready for download!