TROICA [Now abandoned]

[Dualnames]

DN Games presents

Troika (Cyrillic Alphabet: тройка) [ˈtrɔɪkə]
noun
1. a Russian vehicle drawn by three horses abreast
2. (Individual Sports & Recreations / Horse Training, Riding & Manège) three horses harnessed abreast
3. a triumvirate
4. Three of a kind, a collection of three.

Plot:
The game will consist of sequences that will form a different way to tell the same story, that why I'm not telling anything more apart from the above sentence. Those sequences will randomize every time you start the game. Any sequence is built to work in any way (END, START, MIDDLE). Due to the unclarification of when any part of the game happens chronologically (but still making sure that it's not absurd or creating an oxymoron) we attempt to drive you nuts while playing, but still making sure you "get it". It's hard to explain, but hopefully it will amaze you in-game.

Imagine a number of scenes played in any order, but no matter the combination, a coherent whole would be created.

Team:
-Dualnames: Story/Background Art/Coding
-ptp88: Sound Design and Music
-Mode7: Character Art and Animation
-JimReed: Assistance  

Want to receive updates and additional goodies about the game that you can't find here?
Email us at: troica_fanclub@yahoo.com, with the subject line SIGN ME UP!

Epilogue:

This took a lot of thinking, and it's not neither for attention, nor for self-pity. I've started production on Troica on August of 2010, It's been 2 years, and the ambition has grown, the project though has not matured/aged as good as it should/could have.

Despite the amazing work of mode7 on the character art and animation, of which I'm extremely thankful for, the guy spent lots of time on it, and the assistance of the AGS irc channel and forums here and there, I find myself in a position, I've never been.

Abandoning this game. This is for whoever is interested. I have absolutely no intention of working on this game.

Reasons:

The game has ended up more of a pastiche of my emotions and thoughts, rather than being emotionally and thought provoking for the player. Cheap and cheesy sequences and uninteresting dialogs seems to be all over this game.

It has ended up more of a personal thing now, and I know (there's no doubt about it), that no one will get it.

The puzzle design is somewhat either too hard, or too random or too easy, showing my main inability to fix the main issue troubling most of my games.

But mostly I've been thinking on troica for months now, the game would have been so much more had it been out 1 year and 2 months ago, had i worked on it more and better. I regret no time spent on this game, but I'm not going to work on it more.

Whoever feels like taking the game now at a 95% complete stage and turning it into something else, let me know. This goes mostly to mode7 who put a lot of heart and passion into this game.

On a last note, I realize and understand everything I need to avoid in game design, thanks to all this time I've spent on TROICA. Mistakes I did not repeat over my bake sale game. Mistakes I've repeated in Disquiet as well, regardless of how highly i thought of myself.

[arj0n]

Very interesting stuff DN

[Crimson Wizard]

Interesting...
Why Troica? Is it only because it has 3 parts, or there's some ties with the plot?

[Dualnames]

Very interesting stuff DN

Thanks Arjon

Interesting...
Why Troica? Is it only because it has 3 parts, or there's some ties with the plot?

It's rather irrelevant to the 3 parts. It's more relevant to the 3 parties fighting over a common goal. The retrieval of an object.

[Chicky]

Lovely! Great job on the backgrounds Dual, are the created in 3D first? Your story has style 

[GreenBoy]

Interesting looking backgrounds, and the story/design looks extremely promising.

[Dualnames]

Interesting looking backgrounds, and the story/design looks extremely promising.

Glad you like the story plot, initially it was very stupid but nemo pointed and laughed like your avatar does, and we fixed it.

Lovely! Great job on the backgrounds Dual, are the created in 3D first? Your story has style 

Those are not 3D, they are totally 2D made in MsPaint initially by JimReed. (except for the logo and hangar.) Lots of people get that feeling though, so don't feel bad about it.

[Igor Hardy]

Looks definitely atmospheric and I really like that you keep experimenting with your graphic style, Dual - some unique results already apparent.

[Dualnames]

Looks definitely atmospheric and I really like that you keep experimenting with your graphic style, Dual - some unique results already apparent.

Thanks for the comment Igor!

[Gravity]

Awesomely neat! A few cool AGS games in the works and are being added to my must play list. I'll add this one as well.

[Matti]

This sounds interesting, looking forward to it.

[Lad]

 Seems cool, but one thing that bothers me with the last background is the weird doorway (if it is that), The shape is not understandable for me. It looks like someone has tried to make human-tetris in spaceship.  Though the room is very well textured and atmospheric. Keep up the good work!

Hope you find a good musician for this project, who can create the mood it needs!

[denimtrousers]

Glad to see where this thing is going! Definitely looking forward to playing it.

[Dualnames]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone.

Seems cool, but one thing that bothers me with the last background is the weird doorway (if it is that), The shape is not understandable for me. It looks like someone has tried to make human-tetris in spaceship.  Though the room is very well textured and atmospheric. Keep up the good work!

The doorway shape is actually based on an image of an actual door that's shaped that way. Some people just go for cheesy.

I'd like to fully introduce JimReed as part of the team. He is helping me with the puzzles and background art, and story, and morale boost.

[Dualnames]

We're working our arses off with this game, there are some options on the music side, and I'll have to decide in the following days, in the meantime, a good animator would save us lots of trouble, as JimReed is very busy working  his ass on this.

[Galen]

Hurray for seemingly gratuitous nudity.

[Wonkyth]

Oshit.
Sorry Jim, and Duals!   
Real life has caught up with me!  :'(

[Dualnames]

Hurray for seemingly gratuitous nudity.

I knew someone would appreciate it.

Oshit.
Sorry Jim, and Duals!   
Real life has caught up with me!  :'(

No real worries wonkyth. We still love you.

[Ctancreation]

are you still looking a 2D - animator?
Maybe I could help you out.

[Dualnames]

Check your pms.

[Dualnames]

Screenshot bump.

I believe I may actually finish this between projects here and there, I think we're a bit on the long run and all, but the game is starting to shape up a lot and we're just gonna need polish and all. Hopefully by the end of my internship, I'll get to finish this.

A big thanks so far to Igor Hardy, mode7, ptpt88 and JimReed for occasionally putting up with my rants about this game on the last 6-7 months.

Lack of both inspiration and consistency, that's what almost killed this project, 2 months ago. I've also been introduced to some great and inspirational music in search for my muse, cause it's really great to have a standard source of inspiration, like Final Cut and the Wall was for Disquiet.

[AnalogGuy]

I just can't wait until I can get my hands into it  

[AnalogGuy]

Bump.

Just wanted to get more attention to here... 

[Dualnames]

And since you decided to bump, here is what the background 3 posts above looked at the concept stage, including some parts like "ex tempore" that were just too retarded to use.

[Igor Hardy]

How do I join the official Troica Fan Club? I saw an advert somewhere, but can't find it anymore.

[Wyz]

I'd like to express my support for Troica, are there any buttons available?

[Wonkyth]

Damn, I just got another error:
   ---------------------------
   Adventure Game Studio
   ---------------------------
   An error has occurred. Please contact the game author for support, as this is likely to be a scripting error and not a bug in AGS.
   (ACI version 3.21.1113)
   
   in "GlobalScript.asc", line 1232
   from "GlobalScript.asc", line 1390
   
   Error: Error running function 'on_likebutton_press':
   Error: could not load facebook.buttons.load
   
   
   ---------------------------
   OK   ,   FUCK
   ---------------------------

[Dualnames]

A bug, goddamn it! 

[Snake]

Stay on topic, guys, please

As for signing up for the Fan Club, all you have to do is email us at: troica_fanclub@yahoo.com, with the subject line SIGN ME UP! to receive updates and additional goodies about the game that you can't find here.


I will update the first post with this information as well.
Updated

[Dualnames]

Hey, that's hack very clever, Snake! I love you, so much!

The thought police has edited this post.

[Turtiathan]

That is some nice artwork you got there. I also like the idea of telling the same story in different ways.

How far are you guys into the project?

[mode7]

I think I'm the one to blame why this game isnt out yet. I'm doing the animations but because I'm in the middle of state exams I hardly get any work done.
Progress is made with snails pace but progress is made. Also I feel that troica doesn't deserve to be rushed.
Thx a lot for the patience, and sorry to all those who desperately wait for the game

[Dualnames]

I think I'm the one to blame why this game isnt out yet. I'm doing the animations but because I'm in the middle of state exams I hardly get any work done.
Progress is made with snails pace but progress is made. Also I feel that troica doesn't deserve to be rushed.
Thx a lot for the patience, and sorry to all those who desperately wait for the game

I have to say, that what has been delivered by mode7 is fantastic, so yeah, I'd rather stall this. 

[m0ds]

Keep it up. In time, it should be fun! Surely it's also due to Jim being busy working on everyone else in the worlds' AGS game too, though

[AnalogGuy]

Sigh...  :

Still waiting... and nothing heard from either Mode7 or Dualnames...

Am I bumping for nothing? 

[DutchMarco]

I read in he titles of some posts that you are looking for a musician. I have a tenor saxophone, which I can play a bit as well , if you'd like to, I could record some tunes for you (simple tunes, mind; and the recording-sound-quality won't be so great either).

[Dualnames]

I read in he titles of some posts that you are looking for a musician. I have a tenor saxophone, which I can play a bit as well , if you'd like to, I could record some tunes for you (simple tunes, mind; and the recording-sound-quality won't be so great either).

I can sincerely tell you, that well, unfortunately you're a bit late. The guy aboves you has sat on the chair you are claiming.

[Grim]

Also, I'm not sure solo saxophone tunes would fit a heavy sci-fi game... but then again, maybe?...    It's just that for some reason I imagined Kenny G's kind of sax pop. Now, if it was some really dark and strange modern jazz.. that could be an interesting combination.

Still, the post is taken and bits of the soundtrack I heard are pretty damn good!  8)

[AnalogGuy]

Also, I'm not sure solo saxophone tunes would fit a heavy sci-fi game... but then again, maybe?...    It's just that for some reason I imagined Kenny G's kind of sax pop. Now, if it was some really dark and strange modern jazz.. that could be an interesting combination.

Still, the post is taken and bits of the soundtrack I heard are pretty damn good!  8)

Grim, to my knowledge, I haven't published yet anything for the soundtrack, so what "bits" are you talking about?

No offence, DutchMarco, but I really would have hard time trying to fit sax sound there, althought I haven't seen much of the game yet.

[Grim]

Still, the post is taken and bits of the soundtrack I heard are pretty damn good!  8)

Grim, to my knowledge, I haven't published yet anything for the soundtrack, so what "bits" are you talking about?

I had Dualnames hum them to me in my dreams. 

[Dualnames]

Still, the post is taken and bits of the soundtrack I heard are pretty damn good!  8)

Grim, to my knowledge, I haven't published yet anything for the soundtrack, so what "bits" are you talking about?

I had Dualnames hum them to me in my dreams. 

I report this man, for stealing me for his dreams without mah permission!!

[DutchMarco]

Also, I'm not sure solo saxophone tunes would fit a heavy sci-fi game... but then again, maybe?...    It's just that for some reason I imagined Kenny G's kind of sax pop. Now, if it was some really dark and strange modern jazz.. that could be an interesting combination.

Still, the post is taken and bits of the soundtrack I heard are pretty damn good!  8)

Grim, to my knowledge, I haven't published yet anything for the soundtrack, so what "bits" are you talking about?

No offence, DutchMarco, but I really would have hard time trying to fit sax sound there, althought I haven't seen much of the game yet.

Fair enough guys, no offense taken, guess you're right about the sax not fitting into an SF game, although I could imagine it working - not that I'm a good enough player to pull it off!

[Dualnames]

Bump on the first post.

[Ghost]

Awww man, that's sad. I understand your reasons, though, and apparently you still managed to get something good out of the project, if only how to handle future ones better (that IS valuable).
I'd really love to see this completed by someone else; I liked the concept a lot.