Alpha - X TECH DEMO Version 1.2 RELEASED!!!!! (2-2-07)

Kweepa · Sat 03/02/2007 08:05:55

This tech demo looks pretty nice!
I'm not sure what you're considering "finished" so I'll comment on what I see.

- the text in the speech balloons could do with more of a border to keep it away from the balloon edges
- the speech balloon tails aren't the same thickness as the balloon edges
- the balloon tail for the chief doesn't point at him
- some of the font characters are a bit odd. for example, the '.' has too much of a space before it, which makes phrases like 'A D .R .I .F .T .E .R .' look odd; and the '?' doesn't have a gap between the top and bottom
- the computer research interface is rather clunky (for example it doesn't show you what section the page of text you're reading comes from) and the text window doesn't fill the right hand side of the screen
- search doesn't seem to do anything
- I tried to scan the secretary and depending on the click location, Roger scans the energy shield instead

Combat and scanning are both fun, and of course the plot sounds interesting. Looking forward to this one! It's got a real Atari ST/Amiga feel - must be that font.

esper · Sat 03/02/2007 16:15:03

...Which is why you release tech demos.

Steve, most of your list has been updated. I wasn't going to mess with the word balloons because I figured no one would notice. Nice call. The thickness of the balloons has been equalized and a new one has been made specifically for Chief Harris. The text fields inside the balloons have been resized.

I can't find a good font to use. I have one I'd like to import, but every time I try to import a TTF, AGS crashes. If someone can find me a good small, all-caps SCI font (because I played light 'n' loose with capitalization and don't feel like going back through the entire script to fix it) I'd be happy to use it. I changed D.R.I.F.T.E.R. to DRIFTER, although you can't tell it's an acronym now until Roger tells you what it stands for because of the all-caps font. The question marks will have to remain deformed until I can find a more suitable font.

What else do you see wrong with the computer interface? I didn't actually change it in this version, because I'm not sure what all the problems are. I thought it was rather streamlined, myself. The search function works just fine for me. Click on the search button and then type in the first name, last name, full name, or nickname of anyone you know in the Alpha - X world. Currently, it supports Zadok Allen, Marshall Harris, Rhys Dryden, and Katherine (or Katie, or Kathy) Jackson. And the text doesn't go all the way to the right because pictures of the individuals come up when you search for them.

Also, the area of the energy shield around where Katie is has been removed, although imperfectly, so now there may be an area of nothing around her.

Take a look and provide any feedback, especially on the computer issue.

esper · Thu 22/02/2007 20:42:05

Bump.

I normally don't bump my threads, but it has been quite a while and I have a new announcement to make: an internet gaming company has shown interest in publishing Alpha - X! I just signed and sent out the contract this morning. They're not going to pull an Al Emmo and try to get as much as a new XBox game for it... Their other games sell for around 8 dollars each. I think that's like 4 pounds.

I really hope people don't look at this negatively. For me, it isn't grasping at dollar signs and trying to use the game to make money... I am honestly hoping that this is going to result in a broader spectrum of people hearing about me and my game, and, by proxy, my writing, so I can have a little jumpstart in my writing career.

Nikolas · Thu 22/02/2007 20:58:45

HEY!

This is great news!

All the best esper, and do keep us updated. This seems like great luck, and hope that your name (whatever you want your real name to be

) will be famous in a little while.

GREAT!

GREAT!

Steel Drummer · Thu 22/02/2007 23:19:11

Great news! Do I get any money from this (since I'm the musician)? Who knows, maybe you could become the next Dave Gilbert!

Kweepa · Fri 23/02/2007 21:14:00

Hey, congrats!
Did you contact them or did they contact you?
Are they filling more of a publisher (up front money, editing, QA) or distributor role?
Did you get a lawyer to look over the contract?

The Ivy · Fri 23/02/2007 21:26:54

I haven't played this yet, but the graphics make it look a bit like a Nintendo DS game. I like!

esper · Fri 23/02/2007 21:33:39

They contacted me, they are distributing it completely free of charge to me, and the contract is nearly exactly that which I had for the Esper RPG, which my literary agent assured me was kosher. I've looked into them, and although they're fairly small (with only three published games at present) they're reputable and have even been interviewed on IGN. It's all good, and it won't be terribly expensive (which was the problem with my last two books... I went with a total crap publisher and they charged 20 dollars for a 120-page book

).

It's still mine to give out for free, and so if anyone feels they can't afford it, please let me know and I'll email you all a copy, since almost all of you had something to do with its creation (if for nothing else, inspiration). But I hope you might decide to support a starving artist

EDIT: Haha! A pretty girl posted in my thread!!

Nikolas · Fri 23/02/2007 21:39:06

Esper,

I played through the demo and it was superb I have to say! Highly original, and the graphics wee brillinatly made. The sfx were cool! Yoda, or you (If I may ask). A pity that I didn't listen to any music, but the whole atmosphere is extremely well made I reckon, so well done once again mate!

Steel Drummer · Sat 24/02/2007 00:05:07

The soundtrack is mainly going to be ambient music (which esper or somebody else is doing), and so I'm doing music for key moments in the game (action scenes, credits, main title, etc.). I was going to compose two tracks for the demo, but I only had time to do one, so esper released it without that particular track. The track he DID use is the part after you get out of the first room, the elevator/moving thingy. Esper, I recommend you change how loud the room music is for the part I did, as people can't hear the song very much. I could barely hear it myself, and I had to turn up the volume quite a bit.

Steel Drummer

Michael Beck · Sat 03/03/2007 03:32:50

I downloaded the demo -- how do I access my inventory? I need to give the secretary an ID to go further, and I assume that is where it is.

esper · Sat 03/03/2007 03:36:31

You don't have an inventory yet. Just talk to her again.

Michael Beck · Sat 03/03/2007 17:36:05

In the words of the immortal Simpson -- D'oh!

esper · Sun 01/04/2007 07:52:40

Holy crap!

I let this thing get to the end of the fourth page without any updates! Shame on me! As soon as I'm finished with this post I'll go and update the progress report in the first post.

Anyway, month one has passed, and all the backgrounds (50!!!) are completed. I spent this month working on art while listening to the theme song to Battle Royale on constant replay. Half of this next month is scheduled for interaction programming, then the next half for character and item / inventory art. The last full month before it's July 1st release date will be spent programming important sequences and making cutscenes, which I've decided will be voice-acted comic strips. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO SOME VOICE ACTING let me know! I need a variety of voices, male and female, so anyone and everyone feel free to drop me a PM. I haven't finished the dialog script yet, so I won't be ready for you for another month, but feel free to let me know you're interested.

Anyone working on music or animation, I'm going to need most of the work done within 45 days so I can spend the last 15 days inserting your work. If something comes up and you can't do the work, let me know. I already have backup plans just in case, but I would like to know if I need to implement them as early as possible. It will not be much, but I am offering monetary remuneration for anyone who worked on the project with me who want it depending on how many units are sold.

For those of you who don't know, the game IS going commercial. It will sell for something less (probably much less) than ten dollars. I would most certainly appreciate it if you would support a fellow developer. HOWEVER!!!!!!! Anyone who can't afford it or doesn't have a credit card, let me know. (wink wink, nudge nudge, know what I mean, know what I mean?) THIS OFFER IS ONLY VALID FOR FORUM REGULARS!!!!!

Kweepa · Sun 01/04/2007 08:02:09

I demand $0.01 per copy for the use of my font!
The screen you posted in the Release Something thread looks great. Looking forward to the final version!

ManicMatt · Sun 01/04/2007 09:15:38

I'm still happy to voice the robot! If you prefer, I can leave the voice manipulation out and let you do that to how you want it? Give me a bell when you get to the voices stage!

esper · Sun 01/04/2007 09:41:16

I might as well post the voices I need. If I can't get all of these, I'll either have to do them myself or write them out of cutscenes...

1) Rhys Dryden: I want this one
2) Roger, Rhys' robotic assistant: this can go to Matt
3) Katherine Jackson, the secretary, a girl in her 20's
4) Chief Harris, a gruff man in his early 40's, possibly also me
5) Martin, Katie's brother (possibly no voice needed)
6) Doctor (I haven't designed the character yet, so if anyone wants to play a doctor...)
7) Darren Black, an agent with Bureau 6's homicide department, voiced by Steel Drummer
8 ) His Partner, whose name I forget
9) Zadok Allen, an ex-priest turned SMASH dealer, also Steel
10) Various Paladins, the heavily armored guard of Bureau 7
11) A cleric (priest), played by my real-life friend Aaron
12) Erin, proprietor of Erin's Diner, a woman in her mid-thirties (possibly no voice needed)
13) a strung-out SMASH dealer (possibly no voice needed)
14) A Muto, a SMASH user whose DNA has been altered due to the drug
15) A Feldmanist, a member of a religious cult that believes technology is causing the downfall of man (possibly no voice needed)
16) The Bilderburg brothers, Jonas and Ephraim, men in their late 80's who jointly run the Federated Colonies of New America. They are twins, so one voice should do.

ALSO, I would still like to feature a song by an AGS member in a bar scene. The song can be of any style, as long as it seems like something they might have in the future, and I would prefer something with lyrics.