Adventure Game Studio

AGS Games => Completed Game Announcements => Topic started by: ThreeOhFour on Sun 01/03/2009 12:21:18

Title: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Sun 01/03/2009 12:21:18
Sally is taking a walk outside one fine day when she comes across a strange box.

Curious as to who would leave such a strange box lying around, she opens it - only to find herself in a very strange place indeed.

Help Sally uncover the true nature of the box and find her way home!

Control Sally with your left (use) and right (look) mouse buttons!

(http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4771/screenshots.png)

Get it here! (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1137)

The following people have my thanks for their awesome help:

Sebastian - as always, magical music and good advice about how I can improve my ideas.

Funkmast - jumped in at the last minute and filled my game world with sound effects aplenty!

Ghost, Bicilotti and Pittiz - had the boring job of digging through my work to see where I had made mistakes and telling me how to improve!

Edit: Clicking your mouse button on  this link here (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=37035.msg487062#msg487062) will take you to another link from which you can obtain all of the songs from the four games Sebastian has jangled his tunes across for me! If this does not make you clap and shout, then surely you are not one to clap and shout at all!

Edit2: And there's a German Translation of the game here (http://selmiak.bplaced.net/games/pc/index.php?lang=eng&game=shifter).
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Leon on Sun 01/03/2009 13:17:14
Looking good as always  ;)
Playing now.

[update]
Brilliant. Just that. In every way. Congratulations once more!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: on Sun 01/03/2009 14:39:08
I said it in a PM, and I'll repeat it here because it was a wicked bit of sentence:

Testing the game was like you really like cake, and you get the chance to see how a certain baker (who really knows his craft) makes a gorgeous cake. You get to see how he mixes his ingredients, puts layer on layer, finally adds the icing... and at the end, you are even allowed to eat the cake.

Quality work all the way.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: miguel on Sun 01/03/2009 15:03:05
Downloading now, can't wait to play another game from you Ben! Congratulations, I'll edit here to tell you what I think!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Peder 🚀 on Sun 01/03/2009 16:39:43
WHOA! :O.
I knew I should of been online earlier ;D.

Downloading NOW! ;D (And uploading)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: sthomannch on Sun 01/03/2009 16:50:13
Congratulations!
Good story, beautiful backgrounds and music. I enjoyed it a lot
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: voh on Sun 01/03/2009 17:16:20
Totally stuck in the desert screen, but so far it's totally awesome :)

And I hate you, Ben, for your insane amount of output. Quality output, even ;)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: neoen on Sun 01/03/2009 17:24:38
Great game, but I also stuck in the desert screen  :(
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Creamy on Sun 01/03/2009 17:34:23
Lovely.
I enjoy when games are easy.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Mantra of Doom on Sun 01/03/2009 18:11:42
Awesome game, though I, too am stuck in that pesky desert. I love the animations though... especially the "getting sucked into the box" animation.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: sthomannch on Sun 01/03/2009 19:50:42
See hints and tips...
Spoiler

look at fuse several times, you can remove one cap.
[close]
Spoiler

go back to the screen with pipes and use fuse with contraption at the left of the tall pipe
[close]
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: neoen on Sun 01/03/2009 20:18:36
Eh, sorry, not desert with robot, but desert island with note. That is the place where I am stuck.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Play_Pretend on Sun 01/03/2009 20:25:31
Awesome game!  Beautiful graphics and interesting concept.  I like the credits song too. :)

I found a few small bugs:
Spoiler
On the screen with Rochelle, if you try the door after talking to her, the game loops back through her getting upset and Rochelle showing up.

And in Sarthen, if you leave the source energy routed to the golem or archives, leave the room and come back, the energy will be routed to both the light up on the wall, and whatever else you left it set on, at the same time.  Then if you click the source control until it selects the light on the wall, the animation jumps back and shows the light powering up from nothing.

And there are a few hotspots (source energy in Sarthen, lift at Finth, and others) that don't have any Look or Touch reaction.
[close]
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Andorxor on Sun 01/03/2009 20:28:12
First a yellow screenshot for  Annie Android and now a blue one?Will the screenshot of your next game be red?
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens on Sun 01/03/2009 21:07:03
Congratulations on another release, Ben.  The cheerful color choices really bring a lot to the backgrounds in the game, and I found some of the puzzles to be quite cleverly put together.  Nice work!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: DrWhite on Sun 01/03/2009 21:58:55
Wow. Sebastian sounds like Bob Dylan.
Great game!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: magintz on Sun 01/03/2009 22:49:21
Very much an eclectic mix between Alice in Wonderland and Doctor Who :)

Note: Found a bug in the room shown in your above screenshot.

Spoiler

When you try to open the door and Sally gets angry and is visited by the lady. After the conversation if you attempt to open the door again the whole scene replays.
[close]
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: sthomannch on Sun 01/03/2009 23:27:20
neoen, look at the hints
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Mon 02/03/2009 00:32:17
Leon: Thanks man :). I appreciate your kind words, and thanks for getting a walkthrough up (you are quick! ;D)

Ghost: I've said it in a PM and I'll repeat it here, because I really mean it: Thanks for your help along the way! (and your confidence in the game :D)

Miguel: Great, hope you enjoy  :=

Peder: Big thanks for hosting for me man! And I hope you enjoy the game :).

Stomannch: Thanks, glad to hear you enjoyed :D!

Voh: Thanks ;). Hearing people actually getting stuck on some of my puzzles is a rarity :D! Hope you enjoy the rest of the game!

Neoen: Two stuck people in a row!? Hurrah! Hope you enjoy the whole thing :).

Creamy: Thanks, Creamy, good to hear the puzzles weren't illogical!

MantraofDoom: Heh, considering I put more animations into this game than any others, I am glad to hear they work well. Enjoy :).

Strange Visitor: Thanks for the nice words! And the bug reports, heh, apparently I was right when I thought that there must be a few things still broken :P. I'll try and get a fix out for these :).

Andorxor: I could have basically chosen any colour I wanted to take the screenshot, as I used every colour I could think of in the game ;D.

ProgZmax: Yay! I spent more time thinking about these puzzles than I had in the past, and am glad to hear it paid off! Also, thanks for telling me to ditch the awful mustard/green/bile coloured world ;D

DrWhite: He does, doesn't he! Thanks for playing and I am glad you enjoyed!

Magintz: I like both Alice in Wonderland and Doctor Who! So thanks :D. And also for the bug report, silly me for leaving that in  :-[

It's awesome to hear such positive feedback from you guys, I really appreciate it! And to the ags panel member who reviewed the game, you brought a big smile to my face when I saw those four little cups sitting there (if you couldn't tell from the ridiculous amount of smilies in this post!). Big thanks!!!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Ultra Magnus on Mon 02/03/2009 05:32:51
That was indeed a very good game.

Particularly fine variety of puzzles, in that they were distinct from each other.
It went an extra unit of distance to giving the separate worlds their own identity.

Well done, congrats, thank you etc.

Also, it reminded me more of Futurama.

Also also, stop making the rest of us* look bad by making it look so easy to release such good games at such a fast pace, dammit!


* i.e. me
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: kaputtnik on Mon 02/03/2009 08:42:44
How can - I mean, how is! Yesterday at that time I said: "Release it, mate, I'll catch up with you later.", and now there is this pile of posts and a four cup rating and people like the game very much and I am being compared to Bob Dylan by strangers* on the internet. What a way to start a day!


*Sorry, Dr. White. I know you are the bass player of my band.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Peder 🚀 on Mon 02/03/2009 08:43:48
Quote from: Ben304 on Mon 02/03/2009 00:32:17
Peder: Big thanks for hosting for me man! And I hope you enjoy the game :).

No problem!
And I loved it! ;).
Another lovely game!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: on Mon 02/03/2009 09:08:42
Quote from: kaputtnik on Mon 02/03/2009 08:42:44
How can - I mean, how is! Yesterday at that time I said: "Release it, mate, I'll catch up with you later.", and now there is this pile of posts and a four cup rating and people like the game very much and I am being compared to Bob Dylan by strangers* on the internet.

I have a theory there that involves the summoning of fiends, the selling of souls, and also the promise of eternal chocolate pie.

Or the two of you just have teh synnergeez.

Congrats on another theme that's burrowing into my brain, by the way  ;D
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Matti on Mon 02/03/2009 09:59:30
Nice game.

I think it's great how sounds + graphics work together, creating a unique atmosphere. Sometimes it reminded of old classic (amiga) games like "Kult", especially the sounds of that steam platform.

Also, as it's been said before, it's an interesting game concept.

Well done, Ben, you game-making machine.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Buckethead on Mon 02/03/2009 10:41:03
I cry as once again your awsome game has to be played in a windowed screen  :'(
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Khris on Mon 02/03/2009 12:56:53
Why? You still haven't figured out how winsetup.exe works? Jeez.
Edit: uncheck "Run in a window", DirectDraw, Filter to x2 or x4.

Great game!
I'm stuck but I will finish it without hints this time.
Edit: No, I won't.

EDIT:
Found a bug:
Spoiler
After turning on the lamps and trying to open the hovering door, the nice lady comforts you. Afterwards, interacting with the door will trigger the whole scene again.
[close]
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Buckethead on Mon 02/03/2009 13:51:38
I do know how it works. And I did get it run but after the intro it gave this error:

---------------------------
Illegal exception
---------------------------
An exception 0xC0000005 occurred in ACWIN.EXE at EIP = 0x0052F6FF ; program pointer is +77, ACI version 3.11.1057, gtags (0,19)

AGS cannot continue, this exception was fatal. Please note down the numbers above, remember what you were doing at the time and post the details on the AGS Technical Forum.

Probably not Ben's fault, but still anoing.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: on Mon 02/03/2009 14:45:53
Quote from: Buckethead on Mon 02/03/2009 10:41:03
I cry as once again your awesome game has to be played in a windowed screen  :'(
Strange! this is one of the few I can play fullscreen on my PC because of the DirectDraw5 option.

Great game, I played through it yesterday and thought it was quite clever. The first world reminded me of Super Jazz Man, for the most part I really liked the colours you chose.

It kinda reminded me of the Red Dwarf episode where they go into photographs to change history but can't leave the boundaries of the picture, that's pretty much how I felt with this game. It made me want to explore the worlds and find people to have a nice chat with!

Anyway - Nice work, now I've gotta play Annie Android..

Oh yeah, noticed a little bug..
Spoiler
You can put anything into the pylons instead of chips and it puts one in anyway.
[close]
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: OneDollar on Mon 02/03/2009 14:58:59
Great work Ben, really enjoyed that! Special mention to the sound effects too, lots of games are lacking them but these ones work really well.

Quote from: Ravey on Mon 02/03/2009 14:45:53
Quote from: Buckethead on Mon 02/03/2009 10:41:03
I cry as once again your awesome game has to be played in a windowed screen  :'(
Strange! this is one of the few I can play fullscreen on my PC because of the DirectDraw5 option.
Usually I have to stick a 2x filter on, but this one worked fine in standard res for me.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Trihan on Mon 02/03/2009 15:59:50
Loved it. The concept, the puzzles, the worlds, and the cat. ^_^
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Matti on Mon 02/03/2009 16:11:45
Quote from: Trihan on Mon 02/03/2009 15:59:50
Loved (...) the cat. ^_^

Yeah, I hoped the cat would become a permanent companion, travelling with the character using the box as well, but apparently it had "enough fun" that day...
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: on Mon 02/03/2009 17:56:03
Here's what my cat thinks about the game.

(http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/5396/hpim0970.jpg)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: on Mon 02/03/2009 19:58:06
Quote from: Ghost on Mon 02/03/2009 17:56:03
Here's what my cat thinks about the game.


Big cat!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Revan on Tue 03/03/2009 00:00:06
Amazing game. The visuals are fantastic. The story is told well. overall I am impressed... nice work! ;D
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Tue 03/03/2009 00:39:13
Ultra Magnus: I am pleased that you found the puzzles a nice variety - I had a lot of fun thinking up new and different puzzles. Cheers for playing!

Sebastian: Hoooray! \o/

Peder: Glad to hear it :D

Ghost: Re: Chocolate pie: Shhhhh, don't tell everyone  :=.

Re: Cat:  ;D that's awesome!

Mr Matti: Thank you, sir. I've not played Kult but I will google it now! Sorry I didn't let the cat join you, but I thought the Wizard of Oz comparisons were enough without having Sally collect a bunch of companions along the way ;).

Buckethead: :( I am sad to hear this! It worked fine fullscreen for me on two very different computers  :-\... I hope you enjoy the game anyway.

KhrisMUC: Thanks for the bug report, and I'm glad you're enjoying the game :).

Ravey: I like both Super Jazz Man and Red Dwarf, so being compared to those is pretty neat. Good to hear you enjoyed, thanks for reporting that embarrassing bug and I hope you have fun with Annie :).

OneDollar: Thanks :D. Funkmast made up the sound effects really quick and I'll be adding sounds to all my games from now on!

Trihan: Hooray, the kitty is loved! Thanks for playing :)

Bicilotti: Now you stuck your post in here I can say thanks for testing so many versions for me! I promise not to send so many builds next time  :-[ (I'm probably lying, btw)

Revan: Thank you sir! I appreciate your kind words.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Matti on Tue 03/03/2009 01:19:02
Quote from: Ben304 on Tue 03/03/2009 00:39:13
I've not played Kult but I will google it now!

Just looked it up and realized that the complete title is called "KULT: The Temple of Flying Saucers" while the american version - for whatever reason - is called "Chamber of the Sci-Mutant Priestess". Yes, the game is as strange as it sounds. It was just some sounds of your game like the water dripping that reminded me of Kult.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kult_(computer_game)

http://hol.abime.net/2968
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Tue 03/03/2009 01:22:31
Holy crap, 'Chamber of the Sci-Mutant Priestess' may just be the coolest video game name I have ever heard! Awesome :D
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Stumblebum on Tue 03/03/2009 03:25:00
Thanks for another really cool, immersive game.  You better stop putting out so many good games or you're gonna have a big creepy man crush on your hands. ;)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Dervish on Tue 03/03/2009 03:55:42
Just finished the game and loved it.  Your stories albiet short contain a lot of great things.  I would love to see more adventures with Shifters Box.  And with how quickly you are getting these out I can expect my request by...next week by the latest? Only Kidding, seriously keep up the great work.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Buckethead on Tue 03/03/2009 10:46:08
Great, I've found an option in the setup that doesn't make it crash on full screen  :D.

Really good game. Your graphics are so cute and yet so simple. I especially love the little animations in the background. The audio was really nice again. It added some atmosphere to the game. The gredits song also fitted quite well.

I didn't really feel like getting dragged into the story and the game. Perhaps playing it in a window added to that. Just going from room to room without the option to explorer just made it feel a bit limited.

Also about the ending:

Spoiler
It was like " clap your heels and say 'there's not place like home' "
by the way, the open ending screams for a sequel 
[close]
:=

Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Play_Pretend on Tue 03/03/2009 12:19:12
I'd also like to say that the end credits song sorta reminded me of the Neverhood soundtrack. :)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: arj0n on Tue 03/03/2009 13:54:20
This game is like a BOX of chocolates!
Marvelous, once again...

Possible bug #1:
Spoiler
When putting the filled fuse into the robot and then looking at the panel gives as result: It's the access pannel for the robot, it looks like there is fuse of some sort missing"
[close]

Possible bug #2:
Spoiler
At the room below Finth: When putting something else inside of the pylon instead of the chip, for example the key, that key I put in the pylon is still in the inventory and the item in the pylon seems to be the chip, but that chip is also still in my inventory...
[close]

Awesome job Ben!

Also a cool thing I noticed when restarting the game to collect buginfo:
Two levels came back in the logo designs in the intro:
Erdbeertelefon=Sarthen room,
Funkmast=room below Finth...

The box also remind me a little of the hellraiser cube/box.
(that box was also based on a 4the dimension theory)

Anyway, thanx for such a gem of a game.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: neon on Tue 03/03/2009 14:15:50
Another good one, Ben. Puzzles are just the way I like it, your graphic style is getting better with every game without getting complicated, it's the choice of colours and the simple forms, very nice. Also the animations (like things moving in the backgrounds) are eye catchers. And I like your SF based stories (as an old SF fan).

And Sebastian, very cool music, as expected.

Thumbs up! Can't wait for the next one.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Dualnames on Tue 03/03/2009 17:05:17
Ah, f&%&, my exams are taking over all my time, that 42 replies are ahead of me..and I've yet to post in the blog for ages..This looks brilliant and the title really works good.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Leon on Tue 03/03/2009 17:19:36
Well you know what 42 is, don't you?
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Dualnames on Tue 03/03/2009 19:11:24
Quote from: Leon on Tue 03/03/2009 17:19:36
Well you know what 42 is, don't you?

Shhhh...they'll think I'm a nerd.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: on Tue 03/03/2009 23:15:22
Quote from: Ben304 on Tue 03/03/2009 00:39:13
Bicilotti: Now you stuck your post in here I can say thanks for testing so many versions for me! I promise not to send so many builds next time  :-[ (I'm probably lying, btw)

The amusement of playing the final version of TSB is only rivalled by the honour/pleasure of seeing every "layer" of it.

Big cat rocks!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Wed 04/03/2009 00:46:04
Shea: Thanks! Er... I think  :=

Dervish: Heh, thanks. I probably won't have a game out by next week though ;).

Buckethead: Hooray! Glad you liked the graphics, sorry I didn't let you explore, and yep, when we were talking about it the first thing Sebastian said is "This story sounds a bit like the Wizard of Oz" :).

Strange Visitor: I haven't played that game since I was like 9. I must go and play it some day.

_.-=[ Arj0n ]=-._: Glad you enjoyed :). Thanks for the bug reports, and I haven't seen/read Hellraiser, but a dig through books and wikipedia when I was making the game did prove that I was not the only one with crazy ideas about boxes with more planes of existence :).

Neon: Thanks! Glad to hear about the graphics and animations, I had lots of fun doing them. I find it amusing because I've read more fantasy books than sci fi ones but keep writing sci fi stories, but it's good to hear you like them. Cheers!

Dualnames: Thanks, I hope you enjoy when you get time to play.

Cheers to all who have played an commented: you are great!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Lewis on Thu 05/03/2009 12:20:13
Hilariously stuck on the first puzzle.

Have used the cap, put the bucket in (presumably) the right place etc, but there's still a pipe that's leaking steam.  I assume I need to cover that somehow, but there appears to be nothing else left to do it with. D'oh, I am rubbish.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Leon on Thu 05/03/2009 12:24:10
Well you can put something in the bucket but....
Spoiler
you can also take something out.... right-click on it and find.... a second cap
[close]
.
btw, best place for this is the hints & tips (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=37037.0) section.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Lewis on Thu 05/03/2009 12:40:01
I discovered this for myself about three seconds after posting!

Cheers.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: robvalue on Thu 05/03/2009 12:52:40
Very nice game, really enjoyed it! Thank you.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: SuperDre on Thu 05/03/2009 17:15:42
Thanx for another great looking (and fun) game.. just played it through, and I regret having to use some help (getting something that conducts electricity)..
Only one minor point (which have a lot of these games, so maybe it's an engine thing), when rightclicking on an empty spot in the inventory doesn't reset the cursor to normal, you have to rightclick in the gaming area, which is a bit annoying to me.. also rightclicking on the lamppost doesn't give any description (so is rightclicking on the rock at the bottom of the same screen), for all I can remember every other element in the game when it is highlighted also has a description when rightclicked..

please keep those quality fun games coming..
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: ALPHATT on Thu 05/03/2009 17:47:29
Another great looking game  :o

Downloading...

Place reserved for later comments
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: saluk on Thu 05/03/2009 18:33:12
I almost needed help in the winter zone, but after coming back to it I noticed the solution :)

Add me to the ben fan club, all of your games are great.  I think this is my favorite so far.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Fri 06/03/2009 01:52:49
Lewis: Heh, glad to hear you got past the problem :)

Robvalue: Thank you, glad you enjoyed!

SuperDre: Nice to hear you liked the game. Thanks for the feedback as well, this was brought up by someone else as well, so I'll keep it in mind in the future!

ALPHA2T: Great, I hope you enjoy :)

Saluk: You mean the land of peaks? That seems to be one people need a bit of time to get ;). Great to hear you like the game!

Big thanks, everyone, for playing :D. Also, big thanks to Rock, Paper, Shotgun for mentioning the game, which is really cool of them!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Trent R on Fri 06/03/2009 05:59:27
Loving the game so far, but I wanted to post some bugs I found before I forget (cause I almost forgot the first one, despite it being such a short game).

1) When you save on the stones on the pipe island, the get reactivated when you restore your game.
2) If you activate the door after talking to Rochelle, the cutscene starts over--including Rochelle warping to the edge and walking back on screen.


~Trent

Finished it. Loved it. Can't wait to see more.
~Trent
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Dualnames on Fri 06/03/2009 08:24:37
Apart that I posted on this on the blog, there's a short review at indiegame's blog you might want a peak at. The game dare I mention is quite a good one, however I must admit, that still the only ending surprisingly from all your games that I had a feeling I can't describe was Shoot! probably because of John Denver's song cover..anyway you seem to be booming this year so far!!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: Mordalles on Fri 06/03/2009 09:46:58
This is a really great playing+looking game. I really liked playing through all the rooms, and the key puzzle and the note puzzles were really cool.
great stuff.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: on Fri 06/03/2009 11:39:28
Quote from: Mordalles on Fri 06/03/2009 09:46:58
This is a really great playing+looking game. I really liked playing through all the rooms, and the key puzzle and the note puzzles were really cool.
great stuff.

@ Ben: Mordalles's praise -> uber awesome.

Also, shifter's boxxy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoP6HkxjS38).

I'm an off topic weirdo
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: kaputtnik on Fri 06/03/2009 13:12:47
Since off topic professional bicilotti has already lead the way, I will not hesitate to announce that I now provide download of all of the soundtracks I have produced for Ben's games, yet. There they are, for you to enjoy as ring tones on your favourite pocket knife and gas lighter, to use as wake up sound on your cell phone or to load onto your 500 GB Ghettoblaster and forget about.

Look, hear: http://erdbeertelefon.net/en/soundflies

Yes, it says soundflies. Google it, they exist. There have been reports of sound flies up to 80MB tall bushwacking unsuspecting file sharers.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: on Fri 06/03/2009 15:15:12
Quote from: kaputtnik on Fri 06/03/2009 13:12:47
[...] I now provide download of all of the soundtracks I have produced for Ben's games [...]

Awesome!

Or better:

OSOM!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Sat 07/03/2009 08:29:36
Trent R: Thanks for the bug reports and nice comments. Glad to hear you enjoyed :).

Dualnames: Thanks for the blog post and I'm glad to hear you thought the game was good! And yeah, both my 2009 games seem to have gone down pretty well :).

Mordalles: :) Cheers! Those two puzzles are pretty much my 2 favorites, it's good to hear they worked well. Also thanks for the nice words about graphics :).

Bicilotti: Haha, how did you find that video? Also, you finally got your soundtrack wish!

Sebastian: Hooray!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Ubel on Sat 07/03/2009 11:34:29
Short and sweet! I enjoyed this game. The story was very inventive and all the different locations created a very nice adventurous feeling. Good job!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Sun 08/03/2009 03:52:34
Thanks Pablo :D
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: LuciferSam86 on Sun 08/03/2009 10:49:15
Great game! Remembers me an episode of Futurama  ;D
Anyway this game was perfect from the start to end! Maybe you should create a sequel...
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!
Post by: Bulbapuck on Mon 09/03/2009 10:40:55
Yesterday I had the worst day ever... Then I downloaded this :D It seriously made the entire day awesome!
In the last few months I've played some great games from this site and this is my favorite thus far!

So I thank you Ben, and I will spread the word of this game.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Mon 09/03/2009 11:26:40
Merlin86: Thanks for the nice comments! I'm glad you like it, although I don't really plan to make a sequel (Sally's story is basically told, as far as I am concerned).

Bulbapuck: That's a really great thing to hear, what a lovely comment! Glad you enjoyed the game :).
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Wayne Adams on Mon 09/03/2009 14:35:30
Great Stuff!

I thoroughly enjoyed it .
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: arj0n on Fri 13/03/2009 09:05:45
For the dutchies among us:
Here you can find a dutch  review  (http://www.adventure-island.nl/gratis/index.php?file=overig/revshiftersbox) of Shifter's Box - Outside In.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Fri 13/03/2009 11:48:06
Wayne: Good to hear you liked the game! Thanks for taking the time to comment :).

[Arj0n]: Thanks for the review :D! From what I could understand (and with the help of Google translate) it was a very kind review. Cheers!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Dualnames on Fri 13/03/2009 12:57:50
Indie Game's Blog Review (http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2009/03/freeware_game_pick_shifters_bo.html)

Freeware Pick of the Month.

Just that, in case someone's missed my words and posts on this topic.

Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: arj0n on Fri 13/03/2009 14:37:37
Ben304: a very kind game = a very kind review

(So thanx again for releasing games like Manboy, Annie &
Shifter's Box and please continue this way of making games ;D)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Dualnames on Mon 16/03/2009 08:20:46
Ok, Ben..you got a manboy. Man, the game pawns!!!The atmosphere and world is actually one of the best ever, reminds me of MI2 (do not think what you think), that when I finished it I wished I hadn't, so I'm taking my time with Shifter's box..living the experience and all.. :D :D
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Mon 16/03/2009 11:02:45
Haha thanks [ Arj0n ] and Dual.

I never thought this game'd get compared to LeChuck's Revenge! But I like MI2 so thanks :). Woooo!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!
Post by: AsimosVagan on Tue 17/03/2009 11:54:16
   Travels make the life worth living.

   Dif-tor heh smusma!

   Thanks Ben for another jewel.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!
Post by: Ieremiou on Wed 25/03/2009 17:25:51
Man, that was fun and sweet.

I dunno if I'd want to leave this as a unique one shot game or make more of them.

It really seems to have possibilities to me.

Even voice overs would be neat. :P

Good job Ben304

~Ieremiou~
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Thu 26/03/2009 08:43:14
AsimosVagan: Thanks :). I have no idea what 'Dif-tor heh smusma!' mean but :P!

Ieremiou: I am happy that you enjoyed it. I don't really want to make more stories about Sally, because I feel that her personal revelation is complete, really. I could see myself doing games with similar ideas or in some of the worlds there, maybe using the box idea again, but I really haven't thought about it too deeply.

I'd like to have a game with voice acting some time but I really cannot at this stage.

Thank you for playing :)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: arj0n on Thu 26/03/2009 09:17:57
Quote from: Ben304 on Thu 26/03/2009 08:43:14
I have no idea what 'Dif-tor heh smusma!' mean but :P!
"Live long and prosper" (startrek vulvanian style as it seems to be)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: abstauber on Thu 26/03/2009 15:10:00
Finally I've found some time to finish this too.

Very well done and all my thumbs up for this one! It reminds a lot at those gobliiins games from Cocktail Vision, back in the 90s.

Oh and about Kult: From the atmosphere, Kult has been top notch, but after finishing the trials, it was just unlogic, unfair and almost impossible to beat.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Puddleglum on Fri 27/03/2009 00:00:33
Just another quick congratulations and thank you for a wonderful game :) Loved the graphics, story and puzzles, although the note one had me a little frustrated! ;)
Great work!!!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Fri 27/03/2009 05:48:06
Abstauber: Huzzah! I have never played the Gobliiins Games but have heard nothing but good things about them. Glad you enjoyed :D

Puddleglum: Thank you :D. Good to hear that the note puzzle meant that the game wasn't a complete breeze through ;). Thanks for commenting :).
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: rbaleksandar on Fri 27/03/2009 15:09:08
Very good! ;D Too short and easy for my taste though. :(
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: vertigoaddict on Sat 28/03/2009 02:43:15
I've just completed the game, this was really fun and had really good puzzles

Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Sun 29/03/2009 00:46:06
rbaleksandar: Thanks. Hopefully I'll get around to doing a medium length game someday :P

Vertigoaddict: Thank you. Good to hear you had fun :).
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!
Post by: Vince Twelve on Mon 30/03/2009 16:01:55
Finally got around to playing this game and found it delightful!  You're putting out quality games faster than I can find time to play them.  Fun and varied puzzles, delicious backgrounds and animations, a kind of Zorkish feel to the writing... All around awesome!  Nice job Ben!  Looking forward to more!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Tue 31/03/2009 12:19:47
Thanks Vince!!! :D

The only reason I put them out so quick is because I make them short, but I appreciate the comment anyway. Thanks for playing and commenting, and maybe I can find some time to make another game for you guys soon ;D.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Nostradamus on Tue 14/04/2009 22:01:03
Very cool game!

I always love to see original concepts and this was very well done. It kept me very hooked in. I honestly can't think of new words to add that hasn't been said in 5 pages of this thread, so just know this was very enjoyable. You really have a lot of imagination and creativity. Way to go and keep on doing interesting games
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!
Post by: Dualnames on Wed 15/04/2009 16:39:37
Finished it. Woowish game overall. Very artistic, man I could stare those bgs for ours. Nice puzzles.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Thu 16/04/2009 03:27:53
Thanks guys :).

As for making more games, well, I definitely plan to, and I hope I can make the things in there interesting  :=.

No telling how long the next one will take me but  :-\
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Alla on Fri 17/04/2009 14:23:22
I have problem or Bag?
I am wz jelle fish-i cant make light off-it always say-i will live it open-whatever i make combinations-cat is behind me---but light ?
Is it bag?
Thanks
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Fri 17/04/2009 14:40:12
Hi Alla,

The light is not supposed to go off :).

You need to figure out how to get the:

Spoiler
Cat to catch the jellyfish
[close]

Spoiler
The jellyfish is scared away by the cat everytime the cat goes near it
[close]

Spoiler
Perhaps instead you can chase the jellyfish towards the cat?
[close]

Direct hint:

Spoiler
Interact with the cat until it sits (not sleeps) and doesn't follow you, then move to the jelly fish and interact with it once or twice until the cat catches it :)
[close]

Hope this solves your problem!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Ryan Timothy B on Fri 08/05/2009 01:27:15
Hey Ben.
I Finally got around to playing your newest game.
It's an excellent little gem; just like the rest of your games.

Spoiler
I got a little upset with the cat and jellyfish, mostly because I didn't know the distance the jellyfish was to the ground/whereabouts of it.  A shadow that would appear on the platform would have been very handy.

I didn't realize she could go try and touch/grab the jellyfish from the very left platform.  Otherwise I wouldn't have been stuck at all.
[close]

There was a minor glitch, when I returned back to the room with the Source, the source stream powering the lamp was shown to be connected, but it wasn't (I think the robot was--so there were two source streams on the ground).


Anyway, excellent little game.  The thing that gave your 'worlds' so much life were all the little animated sprites of jets/cranes and such you had in every background.  Those are the small little touches that help create such amazing environments for the player.  Keep up the good work.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: nihilyst on Sun 17/05/2009 21:25:12
That's a nice little game you got here. It has a unique feeling to it, the music is cool and the puzzles really creative.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Colfree on Wed 20/05/2009 11:20:40
Awesome game!

Please make another one.

Music in the game was brilliant.

Great Job!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: kaputtnik on Wed 20/05/2009 11:28:08
Now I think it is finally time to say thanks to everybody who liked the music: Thanks!

This is very encouraging, especially because I had very much fun creating this soundtrack and did not think so much about genre restrictions and proper composition and whatnot, but simply played guitar and recorded the parts I liked - and obviously it worked out just fine!

Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Wed 20/05/2009 14:00:59
Ryan: Thanks dude :). Interesting point about that particular puzzle, I can see where you are coming from. I agree that it would have been simple enough to add a shadow in, but was probably distracted by other things and so neglected to do it. Thanks for the bug report, and I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed the game :).

Nihilyst: Thanks :). I had lots of fun (and frustration) trying to make the puzzles interesting, and it is nice to hear that it paid off. Cheers!

Colfree: Thank you. I plan to. I agree. Thanks ;).

Sebastian: Hello! Genre restrictions are unnecessary! Fun is important when making things that are meant to be fun for the player! Caboose!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!
Post by: Ali on Fri 05/06/2009 12:09:59
I just completed this game, and found it very loveable. It's nice to see Myst / Zork style puzzles well integrated into a third person game. I particularly enjoyed the Edwardian narrator, that was a great concept and I want to see him in more games.

I liked the music a lot too, and found the end song echoed Dylan singing 'Little boy lost / he takes himself so seeeeriousleeey'. Was that intentional? The story was about a little girl lost, so it sort of works as an allusion.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!
Post by: kaputtnik on Fri 05/06/2009 20:24:01
Quote from: Ali on Fri 05/06/2009 12:09:59
I liked the music a lot too, and found the end song echoed Dylan singing 'Little boy lost / he takes himself so seeeeriousleeey'. Was that intentional? The story was about a little girl lost, so it sort of works as an allusion.

Yes, it was! Bob Dylan singing "seeeriousleeey" was in fact my starting point for that song. It took me a while to figure out it was "Visions of Johanna", though - I had mixed up the lyrics with "Queen Jane Approximately" in my head, and the line I wanted to allude to was originally: "And you're sick of all this repetition / won't you come see me, Queen Jane?", because I faintly remembered the last line before ended on "seeeriousleeey". Luckily, hinting at Bob Dylan lyrics can never go wrong!

So, there you have it - a good, clean allusion.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Kweepa on Sat 06/06/2009 03:26:16
Great little game - I enjoyed tremendously. More please! :=
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Sat 06/06/2009 11:32:53
Ali: Thanks! It's very inspiring to hear such comments, and I am always pleased when someone shares my fondness for the narrator. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the game, thanks for taking the time to comment :).

SteveMcCrea: And thanks again! I know it has been some time since I released this game, and I hope to have something new for you soon :).

This is reply #100 to the thread, and while it feels a little silly to make a big deal out of hitting what feels like a 'magical' number in the decimal system, I do find it very enouraging, inspiring and flattering that so many people have taken the time to play my game and share your thoughts on it. I really appreciate every single comment - you are a great audience, and I cannot wait to have something new to show you people!! :)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Wed 19/05/2010 01:20:12
Bump... because:

The super patient Selmiak has done a  GERMAN TRANSLATION (http://selmiak.bplaced.net/games/pc/index.php?lang=eng&game=shifter) that you can play if you like playing games in German.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Intense Degree on Thu 14/10/2010 10:29:35
*BUMP*

Review (http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,1219) on Adventure Gamers website.

Makes me want to play this again!  :)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Sat 16/10/2010 01:20:15
Ah cool, thanks for pointing that out :)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Re1Mu2R3 on Sun 24/10/2010 17:39:37
Ok so I only recently discovered AGS games. I started with flash room escape games then moved on to "hidden object games" by bigtime companies like Bigfish.

I tried looking for DOS games stumbled to Yahtzee series and just ten minutes ago finished this. I'd just like to take some time to say that that was BRILLIANT. 
This game imho should be worth at least 10$ like what most companies charge.  ;)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: on Sun 24/10/2010 18:12:33
Quote from: Re1Mu2R3 on Sun 24/10/2010 17:39:37
I'd just like to take some time to say that that was BRILLIANT. 

And believe me, Ben's games are ALL that good.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Wonkyth on Mon 25/10/2010 00:28:21
Or better, the dialogue in this one seems to let it down a little...
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Sun 31/10/2010 23:41:46
Thanks, Re1Mu2R3, glad to hear you enjoyed it!  :)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Tabata on Tue 25/01/2011 19:20:25
Congratulations Ben304!

The editors of the german Adventure-Treff have chosen your game to Fangame 2010!

http://www.adventure-treff.de/artikel/features/adventures10_treff.php


(A little late, but who cares?)
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Igor Hardy on Tue 25/01/2011 19:53:15
Mmm... I didn't know Shifter's box did get a German translation. Congrats to Ben and selmiak!
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: neon on Tue 25/01/2011 21:02:25
Also congratulations from my side. Shifter's box won the AT staff voting, followed by another AGS game, Maniac Mansion Mania - Das Monster aus der Racoon Lagoon.

And the reader's voting resulted in another AGS-Winner: Maniac Mansion Mania - Mad and Bad


So, 3 AGS games on top this year.
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: ThreeOhFour on Tue 25/01/2011 21:52:04
Thanks for pointing it out, Selmiak did email me yesterday and mention it, and it's cool to see the game (and his translation!) still being played!

Cool to see another 2 AGS games up there as well  :D
Title: Re: Shifter's Box - Outside In (now with S Pfaller soundtrack megamix available!)
Post by: Giowe on Thu 10/02/2011 22:25:37
love it, congratulation. i wanna play a sequel