Biggles On Mars (short game)

thecatamites · Sun 22/02/2009 16:41:30

Hello,
I've just finished a short AGS game for one of the bimonthly contests on www.gamingw.net and figured that I might as well post it here to get more crits, etc. It's kind of rough in places in terms of some graphics and interactions but that was more due to time limitations than anything else, so what I'm really looking for feedback on is the puzzle design: which parts are too hard, too easy, too ridiculously obtuse, stuff like that.

So yeah, the theme of the contest this was made for was 'Fangames' so this is a kind of fangame based on the 'Biggles' series of childrens books by Captain W.E. Johns. In this game you play Rupert 'Biggles' Bigglesworth, the grandson of the original pilot, who scratches out a living from protecting the entire planet of Mars in his rickety old Sopwith Camel. Can he defeat the villainous Doctor Spectro and follow his childhood dream of becoming a dessert chef?

Screenshots:

Controls:
Left click - walk, interact, talk
Right click - examine
Esc - menu
Right-clicking on Biggles brings up the inventory screen.

The soundtrack is mostly taken from the production music to Ren & Stimpy, there's a complete tracklisting in the readme file with the game. I'd have preferred custom but the time restraints meant I didn't try working with a musician.

Download (~35mb due to pictures and some MP3s): http://gamejolt.com/games/biggles-on-mars/download/55/

Thanks!

Play_Pretend · Sun 22/02/2009 17:43:42

This looks so cool...downloading now!

UPDATE: You've erased me memory banks! I've forgotten how to love!

Ghost · Sun 22/02/2009 18:10:14

Yay, Thunderbirds meets AGS! D'loading!

Leon · Sun 22/02/2009 19:34:20

My first thoughts were Neverhood with these backgrounds. This has less animated work but nevertheless very well done. Solid little piece. Congratulations!

thecatamites · Sun 22/02/2009 20:48:27

Thanks! Yeah, animations are definitely something I'm gonna work on in the future. If nothing else it's definitely pretty limiting to design cutscenes and things if all the characters only have at most a walking animation (hence the use of the Display function to indicate most of the actions]).

CaptainD · Wed 25/02/2009 18:51:04

Downloading... Biggles, Outer Space, LEGO characters... why has this not been done before??!?!?

Joe · Thu 26/02/2009 12:53:19

Looks nice, but... why don't ou use fonts fitting whit the game resolution???

thecatamites · Thu 26/02/2009 19:03:12

Quote from: Joe Carl on Thu 26/02/2009 12:53:19
Looks nice, but... why don't ou use fonts fitting whit the game resolution???

To be honest I never really thought about the font one way or another. What do you mean by fitting with the game resolution though, like choose a less pixelated-looking font to go with the size? I'll keep it in mind for the future, anyway!

AdamM · Thu 26/02/2009 22:04:32

Really good game!

Quote from: thecatamites on Sun 22/02/2009 16:41:30
there's a complete tracklisting in the readme file with the game.

What readme file? I really want to know what some of those tracks were!

thecatamites · Thu 26/02/2009 22:35:02

Ahhhh whoops I uploaded a new version of the game after someone found a bug but forgot to put the readme in! I'll do it later on tonight.

Anyway, here's the tracklist. I don't know much about most of the original artists except for Moondog but like I said most of it comes from the Ren and Stimpy production music which some guy uploaded to a blog. I'm not sure if I'm able to post the link to it here but if you want I can PM you or just upload the stuff here.
Anyway, in rough order of appearance:
Saw Theme - William Trytel
News Flash - Sam Fonteyn
South Side Shuffle - Keith Nichols
The Eternal Loser - Paddy Kingsland
Ray Malone's Softshoe - Moondog
Inferno - Frederic Bayco
The March Of The Ants - Sidney Crooke
Big Bad Giant - Paddy Kingsland
Sugar Beat - Sid Phillips
Gumby Theme - Sneaky Pete Kleinow (of the Flying Burrito Brothers!)
Hit And Run - Ralph Dollimore
FF7 Victory Theme - Nobuo Uematsu, MIDI by Aaron Walz
Life Or Death - Jack Beaver
Chicago Stomp - Keith Nichols
Knight Errant - Sam Fonteyn
Creole Clarinet - Keith Nichols

Mottwell · Thu 26/02/2009 23:46:19

Heh, played it tonight - very good! love the music, love the look, love the dialogue.

Didn't notice any serious bugs, but walking out of the employment agency was a bit hit & miss.

M

Inkoddi · Fri 27/02/2009 18:07:19

I am enjoying this so far, after about one minute of gameplay.

I spotted a strange glitch though. While I was joyfully ambling through the store, this happened.

Edit: I won! Yay! Fun!

rbaleksandar · Fri 27/03/2009 15:08:06

Nice to see so many LEGO fans

Leon101 · Mon 06/04/2009 07:16:04

I love the lego look of this game. Man, I found out a little late... well not too late, but still. Also, left clicking to interact and right clicking to examine, very nice. Just like the Discworld game, which I liked.

Nostradamus · Sun 12/04/2009 20:14:21

This game was very awesome.
I loved the design, not just the lego concept, the sets and everything... very creative !!
Now you are a guy with imagination and creative hands...
dialogues were sweet too!

And another little thing that I appreciated - clicking on Biggles opens up inventory... brilliant!

Biggles On Mars (short game)

Ghost