Winner of the June 2006 M.A.G.S competition.
Download HERE (http://www.davelgil.com/ags/shivah.zip)
Shivah: The seven days of Jewish mourning following the death of a close relative
Russell Stone works as a Jewish Rabbi at a poor synagogue in New York City. He is a devout man with a problem. Membership is way down and he lacks the funds to keep his synagogue open. Things are looking very bleak, and he has grown progressively more cynical and bitter with the passage of time.
Just as he is on the verge of packing it all in, he receives some interesting news. A former member of his congregation has died and left the rabbi a significant amount of money.
A blessing? Or the start of something far more sinister? Can Rabbi Stone just accept the money and move on? His conscience says no. Step into his shoes as he travels all over Manhattan in his attempt to uncover the truth.
Features rabbinical conversation methods, a unique method of fighting, an original score (around 10 musical tracks), and three different endings!
Demo: FREE!
Full version: $4.99
(The demo allows you to play the first few scenes of the game, and then shows you a movie-style trailer to give you a taste of the rest)
Some screenshots:
(http://www.davelgil.com/shivah2.gif)
Rabbi Stone does not like visitors.
(http://www.davelgil.com/shivah5.gif)
Bring hope and joy to others
(http://www.davelgil.com/shivah6.gif)
Make friends easily
(http://www.davelgil.com/shivah7.gif)
Shmooze with your rabbinical brethren.
This game was made for the June 2006 MAGS competition, so I consider this version a "public beta". I was working up until the deadline to get rid of all the bugs, but I'm sure some still fell through the cracks. Any comments are appreciated.
Update v1.1 - July 2, 2006: fixed a small bug that could cause the game to give you the wrong ending.
I've been excited about this game coming out since you started posting stuff in the CL.
So far, it looks really great. The inventory-of-clues is awesome, and it really supports the dialogue-driven puzzle concept. ;D
Absolutely fantastic! I've only started playing, and I love it. The graphics are nice, the story is quite interesting so far, and the dialogue is ace. Good work.
By the way, whatever happened to the (commercial?) sequel to Bestowers of Eternity? I really enjoyed the (quite short) first part of it, and would be sad to hear that a sequel is not planned anymore...
Ciao.
Another great game from Mr. Gilbert. I finished it and enjoyed every minute of it. It was extremely well-written, and fun. Some clever puzzles, and great dialogues. Excellent work by ProgZMax on the character portraits.
Great work!
Thanks! I had fun cranking them out every time Dave decided someone needed a new emotion.
Yes, awesome work all 'round!
Very well written and enjoyable.
Now get back to BoE.
Dave has done it again!
Congrats.
I have been witness of the producing this game, and I've slowly felt in love with it. I can't really say how gealous I am of this guys!!! I'd kill for being able to give such atmosphere with the simplicity of the bgs graphics made by Dr. Scary... The portaits are simply awesome, Prog, and the story and the dialogues are so cool that I suddenly wanted to go to the closer Sinagogue and convert...
But the best of all is that you don't need to be jew for enjoying this. Actually I think that NOT being jew makes this more enjoyable, because, whereas the american players might be used to this people and their religion, for me, as a Spanish, it's been like a trip.
But just a trip where you must sit, see and relax, no need to make a great intelectual effort, because (tiny spoiler)
Spoiler
whereas the main character is a Rabbi, this is not a religious game.
Great game, congratulations to all the team!
just finished it, enjoyed it immensely, especially the final sequence, was very much fun. being jewish (and a hebrew, and somewhat yiddish) speaker added to my understanding of the game, especially dug the jewish, "galut" humor.
I'm happy everyone is enjoying this game. Don't forget to vote (http://mags.typo.i24.cc/?page=voting&fav=The%20Shivah). I'll be your bestest friend forever if you do.
Farl, if you are serious about converting I know a Rabbi who can help you. ;)
This game looks interesting. I'd download, but I have dialup. I'll download when I have some spare time, though.
I BEG OF YE!
GET BROADBAND!!
I can do whatever I feel like, gosh. ::)
Lucky you. :)
This game was superb, I really enjoyed Rabbi Stone and his struggel with depression and faith. The whole use of Jewish religon and culture was pretty neat but not to heavy or deep. The atmospehre was not as tense and involving as Bestower of Eternity but since all this was done in one month this is understandable, all in all this game deserves 10/10 on a scal from one to awsome!
Well, that was fun! I really liked the characters, specially Rabbi Stone.
I also liked how you have the power over people's lives and deaths. I've really never felt the kind of emotion in a game where I would have to let people live or die. Most games you get the cold "eh, it is my duty to complete the objectives" response, and you end up killing as many as you can, without remorse.
I'm enjoying the game so far.Ã, However, I don't like having the ability to save over old files.Ã, Everytime I save I have to create a brand new save file.Ã, Since I'm somebody who likes to save frequently and try every conversation branch (I'm obsessive, I know), this can get a bit tiresome.Ã,Â
Update: I completed the game and I really enjoyed it and because I liked it so much my only complaint (aside from the save situation) is that the game isn't longer.Ã, It was a lot of fun discovering all of the different endings especially the ones involving moral dilemmas.Ã, A highly enjoyable game with realistic character reactions (especially Mrs. Lauder and Rabbi Stone).
Quote from: miryoku_81 on Sun 02/07/2006 04:43:37
However, I don't like having the ability to save over old files. Everytime I save I have to create a brand new save file. Since I'm somebody who likes to save frequently and try every conversation branch (I'm obsessive, I know), this can get a bit tiresome.
Yeah, the save menu was the last thing added to the game and suffered due to lack of time. :)
Farlander: Thank you for those great words of encouragement! It means especially much when coming from a skilled artist as yourself.
I'm humbled by the great reception this game has gotten. Thank you all!
Oh, and don't forget to vote! (http://mags.typo.i24.cc/?page=voting&fav=The%20Shivah) ;)
Hi!
Very nice game, although I found the linking of the clues a bit strange and not intuitive. But very nice story!
Btw: What was the previous MAGS-theme you've picked for the game? (Like said in the MAGS rules for june)
Just curious.
Kind regards,
Dennis
"Conspiracy"
Very nice game.... Really enjoyed playing it..........Thank you for your talents.........
Thank you for this game, it is really nice ;)
Great game idea and nice graphics.
One thing however...the only thing which keeps annoying me is the permanent log in to the computers....
But overall well done!!!
Thumbs up ;D
Superb. Simply superb. What a pity it's such a short game. It's been a long time since I've felt such a compelling atmosphere in a game. Same goes for the characters. Brilliant dialog also deserves a mention, and the gameplay is...
...oh, to hell with it. The whole is more than the sum of the parts. The parts themselves are excellent. The result is outstanding. It's not often you find a game that can touch you, or make you think, or really make you step into the shoes of the main character - with all the side-issues that brings, such as suddenly being faced with problems you probably wouldn't meet in real life. This game does all three, and more. Pity it's so short.
The community seems to have some pre-defined great gamemakers, whose every single game is, at the very least, noteworthy. Mastah Gilbaht's one such person. Two thumbs up, way up.
Yeah, it's great. Finished it a few days ago. Keep it up!
I just want to congratulate you for this marvellous game. Making a game like this in a short timespan of one month is indeed a great accomplishment.
Hey Dave, great game!
I voted for it AND posted a loving comment on the game page.
So now will you be my bestest friend?
My game just crashed when i tried to load, and i got this error message:
"Global script line 108. Error: Listbox.savegameslot: Index out of range."
As a jew, I must say I was intrigued by the premise. Good job, nicely done!
The game was too short for my taste, though, and I really do think you've got a nice character here with whom you could do a lot more. Regardless, I played it through in one sitting, at 3am while I was supposed to sleep but couldn't, because it was still 25 degrees, and fucking damp at that.
So thank you for giving me some quality entertainment during my insomnia :)
Right, I've heard nothing but good things so here goes *downloads*
Wow that was a nice game!
Spoiler
I was merciful and let both Joe and the Rabbi live but I'm very curious about what happens if you kill them. I quite felt like throwing Joe in front of the train...
This was an enjoyable and distinctive adventure. Bravo!
I would love to see this style of dialogue based investigation employed in a longer game. It would really allow characters to develop. If you're not planning another Rabbi Stone game I may be compelled to
become a Rabbi as a substitue.
In a Columbo/Stonesque manner, just one more question:
Spoiler
Do I recognise the girl in the bar? Talking apparently to no-one eh?
I adore "The Shivah" - I don't have much patience with gams- but your game kept my attention and (much to the surprize of the people who know me)- I couldn't tear myself away. As a history teacher and life-long student of World Relgions and Spirituality- I truly enjoyed the writing and such. I'm a lasped Catholic/ Jewbie, /some parts Muslim/ lots of Buddhist "stuff"- and not to leave out Zoroastrianism and Sufsim. I hope you do another game along the same line. However, I am looking forward to BoE.
I'll be visiting Union Theological Seminary and The Jewish Seminary in a few weeks- so I've been concentrating on German Prot. Theolgians. I have a nice section on Judaism as well. Who knows maybe I'll atempt a game some day with Ahura Mazda.
Not my thing really- but I hope you do more games like this one.
;)
Winnage!
"Shivah" was just voted the winner in the June MAGS competition. Thank you, everyone, for your votes and feedback.
This was an amazingly great game. I'm left speechless here! As a player I just got so sucked into the world of the game. It's so cynical, so nihilistic, so real. I've completed it three times now, and I'm just starting the fourth round. :o
I went away on vacation for two weeks and a bunch of great games came out!
Dave, I loved the game! Amazing writing and atmosphere! Yay for no inventory puzzles!
Congratulations on the MAGS win, Dave!
I just finished the game, and I have to agree with everyone that it's excellent. You do a great job defining Rabbi Stone's character with just a few strokes, skillfully drawing on stereotype to create a character who is human if not always sympathetic. I also enjoyed the gameplay, especially the piecing together of clues and searching the Internet for information. Most of all I'm impressed by the way you've taken a simple concept ("a Jewish noir mystery") and followed it through in every part of the execution, from the jokes on the computer to the rabbinical conversation techniques to the tone of the conclusion.
I also liked the length. This is the kind of game I have time to play! It certainly didn't outstay its welcome.
It's a shame that the dialog is marred by a few typos ("curtesy", "conscious" instead of "conscience", inconsistent capitalization) and grammatical errors ("your" for "you're", etc.). I also experienced a bug where reloading a game made the wrong dialog portrait show up for Joe, as well as other graphical glitches. And I think Rabbi Stone was inconsistent about how long ago he threw Jack out of the congregation (he says five years at one point, eight later). I'm sure if you had had more time these bugs would have been ironed out, but I rather hope you'll go back and polish up some of the rough spots.
Oh, and just out of curiosity: Are you yourself Jewish, or is the setting a product of background research into Judaism and Jewish culture?
Yay, wonderful game, Dave!
Great writing, great characters, the sympathetic point of view somehow reminds me of Graham Greene's "The Human Factor".
It was fun writing music for this game and I'm proud to have contributed to its creation.
Thanks again for the comments, all.
Snarks, yeah, the typos make me cringe. There was a lot of dialog in the game, and a limited time in which to get it done so there were a few ugly spelling/grammatical errors that slipped through the cracks. I needed a definite break from the game after the deadline, but I'm going over it now and I'm trying to sort those typos out.
As for that talking portrait bug, I have no idea why that happens. I have dutifully reported it to the tech forum and i'll hopefully have an answer soon.
Just finished the game and loved almost every minute playing it.
Just one minor gripe:
Spoiler
It should be mentioned in the readme file that clues can be combined. I immediately realized that JDM stands for Joe DeMarco, what I didn't realize is that I need to "tell" the game.
I liked the main character a lot and the last two puzzles of the game were exceptionally good. They required some trial and error (or dying and loading), but that's something that never bothered me about a game.
Another job superbly done, Dave, you're always pushing the boundaries of the genre a bit, both plot- and puzzle-wise. Good work by the rest of the team as well, especially on the character portraits.
To put it short: games like "The Shivah" remind me why I'm playing adventure games at all. :D
An excellent game. I cannot decide if I like this fellow more than Raspy Finch though. Oh, how you divide my loyalties sir!
Rock on. ;D
http://www.davelgil.com/wordpress/?p=132
Some interesting news, for those who are interested.
Interesting. ;D
Will one of them be yours?
I just finished the game and it was fantastic!!! I think I might've even learned something form it too! LOL
I can't wait for another masterpiece from you!
Hey Dave congrats for a very thrilling and interesting game, with a very original concept. liked the original hints as inventory items GUI concept. Very good. As a fellow jewish member here I'm happy to see the first ever Jewish oriented AGS game.
I don't know if you were just looking for a good story or if the story represents a protest about corruption and crime in the religious sector (in judaism and all religions) but the story of the game is something I find to very possibly be a real story, knowing about how much corruption and crime there is among the very religious, those people who are supposed to be exactly the opposite, and if the story means to protest against that, you presented the point perfectly.
Fabulous game, I really enjoyed it.Ã, I was able to solve some of the puzzles after thinking what I would do in real life, which is something that not many games have pulled off.Ã, Rabbi Stone was a great player character as well, and his battle between choosing the right thing and giving up were played out very well throughout the game.Ã, Allowing the player to make those choices was just a great idea.
I'll have to play this again some time to see the other endings.Ã, "The Shivah" left me wishing I could give "Rabbinical responses" during conversations.Ã, :)
Nostro: I wasn't really trying to make any kind of stance against corruption, although I did enjoy exploring the theme about what it means to be jewish, etc. I wasn't able to go as in depth as I would have liked (time constraints prevented it), but my main aim was to present a point of view that isn't usually seen in games. Or anywhere, for that matter.
Ivy: Thanks! You should give the "rabbinical responses" a try! Who knows. It might work.
And for those of you who are wondering, yes. I'm making a talkie version of the Shivah. I'm doing the Yahtzee thing and making a deluxe version - full speech, re-composed music, new puzzles (which provide a bit more info into Zelig's backstory), and an audio commentary. I'm happy with the way it's turning out so far. The actor's I've hired to do the voices have been doing an amazing job. It'll be available for about 2-3 bucks and should be ready in a few weeks.
wait wait wait... it's gonna cost money? :o
The super-deluxe version with the voicetrack, remixed music and extra puzzles? Yes. You can still play the freeware version. Although I won't be supporting it. :)
Fuck, it's mine!
I love donateware :D
Yes, it's going to cost you a whole 3 bones to see the glorious additional portrait work I've done. Cough up, cheapskates!
Those portraits (in the freeware game) deserve money. :)
darn, i cant dwl it. the hp seens to be down.
More news. Click here. (http://www.davelgil.com/wordpress/?p=134)
You were featured (http://www.boingboing.net/2006/07/31/rabbinical_mystery_g.html) on Boing Boing! Way to go! Can't get much bigger than that.
Heh, it's interesting to follow the links through 92Y blog and the Canonist to The Jewish Week.
Congrats on getting the word out!
Hey Dave, really great game, I must say. :) Cool to see it being featured both here and there. ;)
Loved it so far, but got meself a wee bit stuck now, methinks:
Spoiler
I've found out that JDM is Joe De Marco, and I've gotten the adress of Beth Tikvah, but can't seem to make any progress from there. Arr. Got any hint?
Hintage for rincewind:
Spoiler
Have you tried to find who Ethan G. is yet?
people, I cant enter www.davegil.com. I get 404 error always. Anyone have a mirror or something?
Hi Fabiano,
My middle initial begins with "L", and feels very sad that you left him out.
The website is DAVELGIL. That should set things right.
Dave:
Spoiler
Yeah, tried that too, but neither the rabbi nor Lauders widow seems to know him... Oh well, I'll keep on trying anyways. Heh. Not giving up that easily. :)
Rincewind:
Spoiler
Perhaps Mr. G is a partner in the accounting firm? What was their name again?
EDIT: Problem solved and game completed. It was really great. I had a very good time playing. Thanks to everyone involved.
Just a little suggestion and maybe another small bug:
Spoiler
It was really confusing that Jack's wife just didn't react at all to the question about Joe's meeting. Maybe you could have her say at least that she hasn't heard about it in the deluxe version or something.
Concerning the bug, when fighting with Zelig, I first didn't really understand the fight system and was therefore hit a lot. When I reached the end of the balcony though, I wasn't pushed off, but the fight continued. I kept getting punched and being pushed further to the right until the sprite was completely off screen. Zelig remained in his position after reaching the end of the balcony though.
venus:
Spoiler
try going back to the bar
Sorry for the bumpage, but there is a fanart contest going on HERE (http://www.davelgil.com/wordpress/?p=143) that you artistic folk might be interested in. Winners will get a free copy of Shivah Deluxe.
I'll definitely purchase the deluxe version. Donate-ware special editions rock, and I almost always get them (if the original game was above average, which yours definitely is!).
I can't wait!
Everything old is new again, thanks to ubermench ProgZMax:
Old fight:
(http://www.davelgil.com/ags/fightold.gif)
New fight:
(http://www.davelgil.com/ags/fightnew.gif)
Old and new characters:
(http://www.davelgil.com/ags/oldandnew.gif)
Looks impressive Dave.
I'll probably get around to mailing you some money in a week or so. With a bonus of course, I mean, you worked so hard on this game I think you earned it.
I played it dave,
great game!
Only I think that the old fight animation looks like he's hitting a lot harder then in the new one! :)
And if you are making a deluxe version, you should make it longer!!
Because it was very fun to play!
Done and done.
CLICK FOR SHIVAH DELUXE ACTION! (http://www.firehydrantred.com/davelgil)
I'm going to take a nap.
errr, dave...
Quote from: http://www.firehydrantred.com/davelgil
This is a default setup of the osCommerce project, products shown are for demonstrational purposes, any products purchased will not be delivered nor will the customer be billed. Any information seen on these products is to be treated as fictional.
That's... odd. The guy who set the store up for me uses that service all the time. I'll have to ask him about it.
EDIT: Ahhhhh. That message appears because the store was created from a template, with a bunch of fake products to show you how it worked. I removed them all, but that default message remains. I have no idea how to remove it, though. It's early in the morning here in NYC, so it'll have to remain there until the guy who set it up for me wakes up. How annoying.
EDIT 2: aaand, i got it working. Scary message is gone now. So come and check it out. It won't bite.
Yay. First person to buy and to scare dave that it wasn't working - oops :P
Really very good!
Here are some things I found while playing (sorry, i haven't checked if these have already come up):
Spoiler
When with Joe at the subway, i think the line is "Then put it down" (after talking about him hiding behind the knife, and before avoiding the knife) is missing speech. He says it with speech after being swiped at.
I saw a small piece of Joe's arm to the right of the woman at the bar before he came in the door?
Using the computer, you could pick up a clue but not go back to the normal cursor, sometimes that was difficult to know where to click one of the computer options.
Sometimes going on your computer the login box didn't have any text above it, if you entered incorrectly it then came up saying to enter your login.
When I jumped, Stone appeared back on the balcony for a second then disappeared.
http://custardsclutter.com/endingSPOILER.PNG - throwing a punch killed me, but i slid here when he punched me after certain dialog choices
I really enjoyed it, easily one of my favourite ags games, I'm just going to play again with the commentary turned on.
I'll buy a copy when I get home from work.
It's the 14th. So what's your next project? ;D
Hi Custard,
Thanks for purchasing the game, and for the bug list. Just always shows that bugs always slip through the cracks no matter how diligent you are.
Those bugs are fixed, and a new version is uploaded. It doesn't seem worth it to offer a patch since the bugs are fairly minor. I know it's a pain to re-download, but to ease the pain I am sending you a free gift. Check your inbox soon.
-Dave
I just played the deluxe version through, and I must say it's a top-notch production. Since I already posted my impressions of the original game, I'll just add what I liked about the deluxe version:
- Most of all, the enhanced character graphics and animations, hats off to ProgZ.
- The story and puzzle touch ups that Dave made - the original game was also pretty tight in terms of storytellnig, but the deluxe version features some extra dialogue and puzzles, which adds to the overall atmosphere of the game.
- The voice acting is very well done, the voices all match the characters very well, and do admirably in acting(You were awesome, Grundislav!). The only glitch is that Joe DeMarco's lines were recorded a bit louder than everyone else's, but he doesn't have too many lines anyway.
- The music is completely rewritten(not by me, alas), so anyone who got tired of the old tunes can listen to new ones.
- The goofs during the acting and the commentary are nice bonus features, and quite amusing, too.
Overall, this game is well worth your five dollars, especially if you enjoyed the original. And my guess is that it will be one of the main favourites to sweep the awards.
Glad to see people enjoying some of the new content, I certainly enjoyed working on it...And stay tuned for
[joke]The Shivah: Hyper Deluxe Turbo Fighting Vashnukad Edition! [/joke]
The purchase page is still a little buggy... Firstly, http://www.firehydrantred.com/ is still a test page. Also I would remove the "joke" manufacturers from the manufacturers list, as The Shivah is the only product available.
Okay, I bought it...but now what? I didn't get any downloads or links to download or anything.
You pay, then you need to click return to merchant or something on paypal.
You might (I can, but i'm not sure if i could before i returned to merchant) be able to go to 'my account' on the store and see previous orders, if it says Delivered you can click it and it will bring the page with the link up.
Dave, you must have broken something when you fixed that getting-stuck-in-clue-mode-on-computer bug in the new version.
Whenever a clue from the notebook is selected and the cursor goes outside the GUI, it goes back to walk/look/interact mode again. Yes.
Quote from: Inkoddi on Wed 16/08/2006 10:29:28
Dave, you must have broken something when you fixed that getting-stuck-in-clue-mode-on-computer bug in the new version.
Whenever a clue from the notebook is selected and the cursor goes outside the GUI, it goes back to walk/look/interact mode again. Yes.
That was done on purpose, Inkoddi. You can't use the clues on anything outside of the GUI, and it was confusing people, so I recoded it so the clues revert back to the standard cursor when you move the mouse outside of the GUI.
Sorry, my mistake then. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v177/Inkoddi/rog.gif)
I've beaten it (got the good ending, but now I have to go back and get all the rest), and I ran across a few things, none that actually inhibited gameplay, but I thought you might want to know... I'll put them in spoilers just in case:
Spoiler
First is if you've already been to Rabbi Zelig, and exhausted all the dialogue topics/clues, and then leave, the location goes away. This is clearly done because the location has served its purpose, and you do not need to return. However, if you look up the name of that synagogue again, it reappears on the map.
Also:
Spoiler
There's this weird bug where when the menu scrolls down (I guess it remembers where you where, either inventory, or clues), there's Rabbi Zelig's business card graphic behind the clues. If you switch to inventory, and then switch back, it's gone, but it's just a little quirky.
EDIT: Great game, by the way!!
It was exactly 3.99 euro :)
I purchased it, and I'm downloading it now. Will chime in with my humble opinion on it soon ;)
I tried the demo of the deluxe version and I am truly dissappointed by it, the normal version had so much more atmosphere, the soundtrack was amazing, and all the voices were as you imagined them.
What a wonderful game. Certainly worth the five bucks. Kudos, Dave. And I look forward to "Bestowers of Eternity".
Bt
A bit of news. Last night The Shivah was presented at the New York IGDA's annual Demo Night event. I was incredibly nervous, but it went pretty well. Our very own Big Brother was also in attendance. I did a little write-up about the experience, which you can read on my website.
Hi all. ;)
Where's the normal version? I can only find the deluxe demo. (At least I think it is. After leaving the Synagogue there's a location in the map that isn't available on that release and when choosing Jack's house, I get a teaser right before the game exits)
Hi Typo,
I am no longer supporting the original version of the game. It's still out there, though. It's fairly easy to find.
-Dave
Hey Dave!!
Just tried the demo!
And damn, this is good!
Now I am off to your website to buy the deluxe version!
Dave, I'm considering buying another copy of this for my brother. I'm not sure if there's any simple way to purchase it through my Paypal account and get the download to go to his email, so would it be okay if I just purchased it and sent it to him myself? I'm guessing this is probably all right, but I wanted to bounce this off you.
I don't think Dave would see any problem with that.
Thanks for buying o/
Quote from: Erenan on Fri 15/09/2006 18:53:08
Dave, I'm considering buying another copy of this for my brother. I'm not sure if there's any simple way to purchase it through my Paypal account and get the download to go to his email, so would it be okay if I just purchased it and sent it to him myself? I'm guessing this is probably all right, but I wanted to bounce this off you.
Hi Erenan,
It's easier than you'd think. When you register at the store you supply a login and password. Assuming you don't mind sharing the login and password with your brother, he can log in himself and download the game.
Yeah, that's true. Good point. :)
I HAVE to comment on the deluxe version of the game.
I'ts great!
Everything is very well done, grahpics, music, especially the voice overs :D It's brilliant, and had I known I would gladly pay double the ammount (at least) for that game!
Thanks Dave for doing this, and for actually having faith on your game! Well deserved faith! :)
Why did you delete my link to the original version? Just because he doesn't support it doesn't mean it can't be released to the public again.
The original was free, so why can't I link to it for free?
The link was broken because the filserver determined it was illegal. If you had been a registered user I would have pmed you to explain, but I was unable to.
Quote from: Las Naranjas on Mon 18/09/2006 02:53:27
The link was broken because the filserver determined it was illegal. If you had been a registered user I would have pmed you to explain, but I was unable to.
The fileserver "determined" that because someone
reported it as illegal. Hmmmmmmm...
HMMMMmmMmm... ¿$? :-X
Quote from: Dave Gilbert on Thu 14/09/2006 16:15:09
Hi Typo,
I am no longer supporting the original version of the game. It's still out there, though. It's fairly easy to find.
-Dave
Yeah, but I can't find it anywhere. :\
Can someone do the amability to upload it to rapidshare or similar, please? I really would like to play this. Thanks. ;)
You know, you could just like... buy it. It would probably be easier, and you'd be getting a far better version, too!
Yeah, I could, but I don't want to. I'm just interested in the game that made an entry in MAGS.
BTW, That's a really good way to tick someone off something, BB. I know a nicer version is on sale. I've tryed it's demo and I'm not interested. When I want to buy something I'll quest for it, I don't need publicity. And I simply despise forced feed publicity.
Typo, drop me a pm and I'll send it to you in some way. If you cannot pm, send an email to xxbbcc a t freemail do t hu. Make sure you clearly mark the topic because I routinely delete mail from unknown people without reading.
-----------------
I actually find it quite rude that nobody helps him. The original game was released free, if he wants that, I don't understand why it's so hard to pass it to him.
I personally have no problem with him wanting the original version, the fact of the matter is I just don't have it to send to anyone. This, however, gives me pause:
QuoteBTW, That's a really good way to tick someone off something, BB. I know a nicer version is on sale. I've tryed it's demo and I'm not interested. When I want to buy something I'll quest for it, I don't need publicity. And I simply despise forced feed publicity.
Let me get this perfectly straight: you played the updated demo and aren't interested,
but you want the original version which is for all intents and purposes, less good? I'm sorry, but you'll have to come up with reasoning that makes some kind of sense. Some of you are making this out to be some kind of conspiracy and my response is that you just need to grow up a bit. I'm sure you could find a dozen people or more on the forums to eagerly provide the original version without posting here and making wild accusations. I expected better from some of you, honestly.
Maybe he is not interested enough to pay for it but would still play the orginal (free) game? What's wrong with that? To play the deluxe version, even if he's actually interested, he'd have to pay for it. Maybe he doesn't want that or thinks that it's not worth the price.
Quote from: Typo on Wed 20/09/2006 23:39:03
Yeah, I could, but I don't want to. I'm just interested in the game that made an entry in MAGS.
BTW, That's a really good way to tick someone off something, BB. I know a nicer version is on sale. I've tryed it's demo and I'm not interested. When I want to buy something I'll quest for it, I don't need publicity. And I simply despise forced feed publicity.
Ok, so you prefer a game that's made in under a month, which doesn't have the polish, bug fixes, voice acting, director's commentary, or vastly improved sprites, animations, and portraits. This is your decision, and that's fine. But what you're saying by making this a "quest", is that you'd rather spend time instead of money to end up with an inferior version. Pretend your time is worth $10/hour. If you've spent an hour looking for a freebie, you might as well have just bought the game.
Quote from: Traveler on Thu 21/09/2006 18:54:33
Maybe he doesn't want that or thinks that it's not worth the price.
Since he's bothering to start a "quest" to find the game and to even post here, he's demonstrating that he believes the game has value. Unless, of course, he thinks his time has no value, which I doubt is the case.
Typo, if you don't want the "publicity" you so despise, I'd recommend you not post on a "public" internet forum. As for my recommendation being "forced-fed", my opinions about the game are my own. I played no role in its creation, but rather bought it and enjoyed the final product. My hat's off to Dave, Shane, and the wonderful individuals that made this game sparkle.
Quote from: Traveler on Thu 21/09/2006 18:54:33
Maybe he is not interested enough to pay for it but would still play the orginal (free) game? What's wrong with that? To play the deluxe version, even if he's actually interested, he'd have to pay for it. Maybe he doesn't want that or thinks that it's not worth the price.
Hi everyone.
I'm sorry to cause such controversy. My reasons? Well, I want to make a buck, true, but I also feel that the deluxe version is a far better showcase for myself, my team's work, and the indie game community at large.
I was worried that there would be people who would get upset by this, and it was a tough decision to make, but the decision remains final. I will no longer be supporting the freeware version or advertise its presence on my website. To do so, I feel, would be an insult to Shane, Peter, all the cast members, and the cool people at Manifesto (who are working hard to distribute the game for me).
However, I can't deny that the freeware version exists, so here are my views on playing it:
1 - People are welcome to play the freeware version. It is out there, honest. Just look on various download sites.
2 - People are welcome to share the freeware version with each other. Out of respect, I'd prefer if you didn't make it an open link (or make it blatantly obvious, like posting it on this thread).
I hope that clears things up. I am curious, Mike S, why you feel the original freeware version is "more atmospheric." Could you explain further?
QuoteTypo, why you feel the original freeware version is "more atmospheric." Could you explain further?
I would like to know this as well, actually, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. What is it that the deluxe version ruined for you (for the little part of the demo you played)?
Also, not that Dave needs defenders or anything, but as a person who worked with him on the project this wasn't really about the money. At five bucks a pop how could it be, even if a hundred people bought it? It was more to test the waters and see if people liked the demo enough to pay for it, and that translates to us doing a good enough job to consider future commercial prospects, that's all really. As I stated before (and so has Dave), I don't have a problem at all with people wanting the freeware version, but it seems dubious to me when a person says they don't like the deluxe version and then asks for the freeware version. I hope you can see where I'm coming from with this.
Big Brother: Thank you for the kind words and support, and to everyone who has purchased and enjoyed The Shivah so far. You are paying for my Mountain Dew habit. One can at a time.
BB, I believe a language barrier/not reading his post correctly is making you interpret Typo's post differently.
By not wanting publicity I believe he means that he asked for the free version and telling him to buy it doesn't answer his question. Publicity in this instance meaning advertised to.
Also he said he'd quest for the game if he wanted to buy it. I believe he means that when he wants to buy a game he'll buy it. He never said he'd "quest" for the free version.
When you add money things get complicated but Typo has hardly gone all crazy with his comments.
Quote from: ProgZmax on Thu 21/09/2006 21:00:55
Thank you for the kind words and support, and to everyone who has purchased and enjoyed The Shivah so far. You are paying for my Mountain Dew habit.
Same for my coffee habit. Thank you, dear customers, for keeping us solvent and caffinated.
Quote from: ProgZmax on Thu 21/09/2006 21:00:55
Thank you for the kind words and support, and to everyone who has purchased and enjoyed The Shivah so far. You are paying for my Mountain Dew habit. One can at a time.
What? You got paid? Dave!
This is nuts!...If the man himself doesn't seem to lose his sleep over it, why you two are so protective(Big Brother & ProgZmax)? It even seems that I'm looking for a 'freebie' that only can be bought under normal channels, dudes! Why do you question my own decisions and tastes? What do you gain in flooding me with pointless text?(a simple idea can be explain in a simple phrase.)
Is it so wrong to ask for a version that made an entry in some contest that I can't find anywhere?
Asking five bucks for a (awsome for what I've seen in the demo) game isn't bad at all. People (specially Dave if I came appond true info) had put much of their time'n neurons into it. I think it's worth it, BUT...I...DO...NOT...WANT...THE...ENHANCED...VERSION!!!!
Dave:
Because it's less polished. More raw. I love art in it's primal form.
....aaand I still can't find it anywhere. :\ (Just a little hint? :) )
BTW, can I ask you if you've asking people to take the original version (and links) out of their sites? Please, don't think it's in any way agressive. It's just something that has been boiling my mind.
Traveler:
ThX for your help ;)
Colossal:
ThX, You explaned alot. ;)
A direct question about a product most of the time doesn't needs advertising (or how I have put 'publicity', sorry. Language barrier, yeah).
"Also he said he'd quest for the game if he wanted to buy it." <--- No, not what I ment. I said that IF I wanted something, I would quest for it(if it's on sale, I would know where or how to buy it(cheapper(not crappy resalers ;) )).).
I wouln't mind buying the deluxe version, but that's not the case.
"(specially Dave if I came appond true info)"
I ment as he's the main 'sweat', no?
...Sorry, just thought on clearing it up. :P
Quote from: typo on Fri 22/09/2006 01:47:41
I ment as he's the main 'sweat', no?
The main sweat! I'm not sure what that means, but that's an awesome thing to be called.
I have not asked people to remove the original version from their sites. It appears that the deluxe demo
has appeared on a ton of other download sites, though, so the freeware version is a bit harder to find then it used to be. Still, it's out there. Just dig.
Dave/ProgZmax,
I don't have anything against making your game commercial and making money off of it. I'm not even going to advertise it anywhere, that there was a free version, because I don't want to intentionally cause you harm. You did a good job, you deserve to reap the rewards, I wish you good luck with it. :)
However, Dave released the original game as free and that was his conscious decision - nobody asked him to do it. I'm greatful that he did, but he didn't have to. So when someone asks for the free game right here where it was announced (after all, this *is* the game thread), I think it's wrong not to pass it over, at least for professional courtesy. You're not going to lose anything over it, because the guy is *not* a potential customer.
That's how I see it. I wouldn't ever go to the official game forum and advertise it but I see nothing wrong about that here. Just my two cents. I'm not going to write about this anymore, because I don't want to hijack the thead any more. But again, good luck with the game. :)
This game rocks, and it was WELL worth the five bucks I paid for it. Christ, a pack of smokes costs me five bucks and I don't enjoy them half as much as I enjoyed "The Shivah".
For the cost of lunch, I got an awesome game, and I helped a brotha out. Kudos to Dave and his team for making a great game, and not charging an arm and a leg for it. I see it as helping people out.
Bt
Okay.
Dave, do not email me about this, this is my final thought it I will not change it.
Now, let me count down the reasons I did not like the deluxe demo.
1. Bad voice acting. Now, what the HECK?! The voice acting is probably some of the worst I've heard, up there with Sonic Adventure and certain parts of Deus Ex.
2. The characters look modern now. This doesn't feel like an old adventure game, it feels like you tried to make it a little more. The original version of The Shivah was just like an old adventure game that you played all night and had fun with.
3. The new soundtrack was a bit of a radical change. I loved the original soundtrack and it was stuck in my head for days. It sounds that you just threw in some noise and called it an original soundtrack.
I will continue to distribute the original version to whoever wants it, just send me an email and I will send you the zip.
God, please oh please, don't do this to Two of a Kind..
The original shivah may be available on certain peer2peer clients.
Also, the original soundtrack is now available for download (http://www.davelgil.com/ags/OriginalShivahSoundtrack.zip).
Quote from: Mike S on Sat 23/09/2006 00:39:49
God, please oh please, don't do this to Two of a Kind..
Oops. :-X
(http://www.davelgil.com/ags/toak2/TwoOfaRoom1.png)
Quote from: Dave Gilbert on Sat 23/09/2006 21:12:38
Quote from: Mike S on Sat 23/09/2006 00:39:49
God, please oh please, don't do this to Two of a Kind..
Oops. :-X
(http://www.davelgil.com/ags/toak2/TwoOfaRoom1.png)
Hehehe, you make a good comedian though.
Hmm I dont know if its comedy, I would love to play an enhanced version of the game.....
for free :-\
No worries. That pic was for a "Two of a Kind" sequel that I designed but never really made. Perhaps some day.
Strange , I loved the voice acting in the demo and stuff.
Maybe the version I got was different though , I dunno.
Any way , I can't wait to buy and play the full game.
The story , the art , the voices , ( I don't remember though what the music / sound effects were like...doh... ) , everything is great.
I have always been interested in Jewish culture and
it's about time somebody made something like this. ;-D
Nice to see the game list at manifestogames.
I hope it does well and well for them as I like to see them do good.
http://www.manifestogames.com/node/1807
Thanks Candle. The folks at Manifesto are the coolest guys in the world.
Noticed a tiny bug dave: you spelled "lectern" wrong in Zelig's synagogue!
While I enjoyed the game I thought it was a little short to be charging $5 for it. I downloaded the original when it was released but didn't really play it much until I lost my internet connection for a week or so. The thing is that the game can be beat in one night, it took probably less than two hours and most of that time was trying to figure out what I had to search for on RaviNet. The other game I had on my computer for the week, Duty and Beyond, is a lot more fun and I still haven't beaten it, it's a really long game with pretty simple graphics (actually I think the graphics are very nice). It would be more worth $5, maybe even $10. Updated graphics and voices really don't mean anything to me, like another poster said it could even detract from the game.
It really is a great game, I had tons of fun playing it and the way the puzzles are done with the clues and computer is something that isn't seen often... It's just that the game would have to be about twice as long to be worth any amount of money. Maybe I'm just spoiled from all the free adventure games around ere but an actual professional game from the old days of adventure games is about $5 now and think of how long they are.
For the price of a sandwich, personally I think The Shivah was quite worth $5.
Seriously, I'm so rich now that I have a job, I spend my free time walking around the park handing people five dollar bills.
People, five dollars is way less than this game is worth.
Also, one thing to keep in mind is that those other games were originally priced much much higher, and then discounted to $5 over time. They certainly didn't start OUT at $5. The Shivah is starting out at that bargain price, although I doubt I'll be discounting it much lower. :=
I am playing the demo and I have to say that the quality of the music is surprising. I love the jazz tune.
Yeah, you gotta be pretty damned poor to say $5 is too much for a game like this. That's basically the price of one cheap meal for a student hereabouts, and I'd gladly skip one meal to play the game.
Dave, do you happen to have a hi-res version of that Shivah postcard for us to make our own CD cover?
Bless me Father, for I have seen a surprise!
Guess what? I was browsing the Yahoo news as I usually do, and I found this news-article about "The Shiva":
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/videogames_rabbi_dc
Wow, way to go Dave! Congrats! And just to think, it all started from a MAGs game here, and is now propelling you to global fame. Might help lead to some great oppertunities for you. G'luck.
First of all, I would like to point out that it is spelled 'Shivah', not 'Shiva'.
Anyway, congratulations, Dave.
Vel: Maybe you should contact Yahoo, play Grammer Teacher with them and correct their typo, as "Shiva" is the way they spelt it on that news headlineÃ, (notice how I put "The Shiva" in quotes in my previous post to point out that's how Yahoo had it).Ã, ;)
*Edit: Looks like they finally corrected the spelling mistake on that news header, and they have now added in a little screen-shot of the game as well.
Heh, I don't mind misspelling the shivah, Dave does. :P
Woah, neat! I wasn't even aware of this. Those Manifesto folks are the PR Kings.
By getting it on the wire services, they've made sure it's all over newspapers and websites. Saw over on adventuregamers that it's also posted on CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/fun.games/12/13/shivah.rabbi.reut/index.html).
Congrats!
On another note, there are big adventure game communities in France and Germany, many of whom don't play games in English. Any plans of adding translation to bring the game to a larger audience?
And now Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/gaming/religion/talk-to-people-punch-them-be-a-rabbi-221408.php)! That's pretty big stuff.
Looks like someone's Wikipedia article is safe...
Congrats Dave!
Talking about the "standard" typo Shivah now here's a new one presented by USAtoday (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2006-12-13-shivah-game_x.htm):
GIVE 'SHIVAH' A TRY: Daniel Gilbert's blog lets you download a free demo
... or did they actually uncover Dave's secret identity!? :o
They even managed to spell Dave's name correctly and incorrectly in the same article...
The game can be gotten for free today - see http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/news.html
Nice one.
Hmmm. Even if I use the "coupon" should I still enter the information like payment method and telephone number and such?
When you use 'credit card' as payment option, you don't have to provide further info. I tried it with Paypal and it didn't work (you need to specify an amount). So use 'credit card' and the game is yours.
I knew I forgot to post this info somewhere. :)
Yep, just choose "credit card" as an option and the store will accept it. No need to enter your credit card info! Don't choose paypal since paypal won't accept a $0 payment.
Yeah. I've tried that and was able to steal download the game successfully.
I'm always reluctant to buy anything on line and I never trust any kind of electronic payment methods, so even though I'd like to support commercial AGS games I never paid for any. ;D
Thank you, I think I'll use this possibility ;) Haven't play demo, but I've seen screenshots some time ago and they look very good. Besides I've never played a religious jewish character before :)
QuoteI'm always reluctant to buy anything on line and I never trust any kind of electronic payment methods, so even though I'd like to support commercial AGS games I never paid for any.
Ha ha, how familiar. ;D
Thank you very, very much, Dave! I knew this day would come, two years ago when I played the demo and couldn't buy the full version!
I'm very grateful for the freebie and also ashamed I haven't bought it! :) :-[ :) :-[ :'( ;D (emoticon feeling overload.)
Thank you Mr Gilbert!
Thanks, Dave. Played the demo some years ago and I'm eager to play the whole thing.
Happy Yom Kippur.
Thanks Dave! You're a real mensch! :D
Thank you so much Dave :D!
I would have already bought all your games if I actually had an income :P, this will do 'til then.
Yeh... I payed with Paypal. Didn't know.
I payed £0.01 ;D
Thanks Dave!
Heh, I just started playing and already found a bug...
But since game is being sold for 3 years already, I guess it does not matter much? ;)
Depends what the bug is! Feel free to PM it to me.
Just finished it in one sitting! Took about an hour or so... And I only looked at the walkthrough once to get the really good ending! This is indeed a first for me in any adventure game, to look only once at a walkthrough! Awesome job on the game, Dave, although I'm a bit sorry to be about 2-3 years late with my congradulations... The bloopers at the end were effin' hilarious!
Well, that was fantastic. And it had the intended effect: as soon as I get the chance, I'm buying your other games. So... free? Hardly, you crafty devil.
I finished. That was great, but.... too short!
Spoiler
I hoped there will be at least couple of days in game, it was surprisng too see Rabbi do all the investigation in one night.
Also there are 2 weaker points, in my opinion:
Spoiler
1. That was a lucky coincidence that deMarco came to the bar just in time, to same bar, in which vicinity he commited a murder a week ago, and accepted to name himself to a stranger.
2. It was rather weird to see how deMarco came to rabbi Zelig just after he was beaten by rabbi Stone, and instead of joining Zelig against Stone, he... was asking for some money? He should be real idiot after all :)
Maybe the renewed interest could lead to a sequel? :D
Quote from: Privateer Puddin' on Tue 29/09/2009 13:11:08
Maybe the renewed interest could lead to a sequel? :D
I am feeling a little bit crazy today, so -- meh
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/rabbizelig_placard.jpg)
Just so ya know, the free offer sale is closed! If you missed it, you can always buy it.
The game was alright.
I enjoyed the old school detective style game play too. It forced you to have a piece of paper and pen throughout the game.
Some of the audio clips could have been better, lots of S hissing (sibilence, as what I was told it's called). Joe DeMarco really screamed into the mic, so he had the worst clips.
I noticed one minor programming bug, which I'll PM you about.
Quote from: Ryan Timothy on Tue 06/10/2009 01:13:42Joe DeMarco really screamed into the mic, so he had the worst clips.
Haha, yeah, that "ZELIG!!" scream really startled me ;D.