---THIS GAME---
In This Game you play as This Guy, who has landed a cracking job selling mobile phone subscriptions. When he encounters a demented old woman he smells an easy sell. Dot, dot, dot, as they say.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/towre/thisgamescr001.png)
I don't know how I'll feel down the line, but right now I'm pretty proud of the game. I wanted a look and feel that says, "this is just a simple little game, no big deal." Hopefully some of you will give it a shot, and maybe even enjoy it :)
Download tripod (http://members.lycos.co.uk/montague651/thisgame.html)
Download megaupload (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L1EVEFBI)
Game page (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?category=&action=detail&id=1090&refresh1224528623)
- Montague
EDIT: Modified the file with a few fixes.
This Game has earned three cups from the AGS review-panel :)
Congrats on this release!
Downloaded it and player around a bit. Hilarious. Perfect setting, great animations, lots of verbal and visual humor. The colour scheme works great too! And the sounds. Perfect one! Indeed something to be proud of!
Some tiny (i mean very tiny) things:
Spoiler
- When you use the detergent on the jar in the lounge after you've unlocked it, it sais you need to pry it open...
- When you put the jar back after you've used it and shake it again, it shakes forever...
- Quit in the menu is written in uppercase?
<removed>
Oh god, someone's trapped in the wall!!! :)
I thought this was pretty cool too! :) I really liked the animations, very smooth and interesting. I really like the climbing-up-on-the-door ones. I noticed several minor, minor bugs too:
Spoiler
- When he first knocks on the door, you can see his talkcycle mouth moving through the back of his head. :)
- When you open and close the oven, if you click on the oven body instead of the door, it'll make the open/close noise but the door won't move.
- You can use the opener on the peach can, but not the other way around.
- The red haired lady says "He killed is own father!"
- Alex can walk right back into the basement when his mom tells him to, even though the player needs to use the key every time to get in and out, and Alex wouldn't have a key.
- After talking to Alex, he still doesn't seem to recognize his corpse, or want to talk about the corpse with the old lady.
- I don't know if it's just my screen, but the beginning couple letters of each dialog choice are getting cut off by the left side of the screen.
And just a thought...he seems totally cool and mellow about the rotting corpse in the basement with him, and fine with tromping around going through a stranger's house and taking her stuff. :) I know this is typical in the fine tradition of adventurers, I just wondered if he was naturally crooked. :)
I'm kinda stuck for now...any chance you'll make a walkthrough sometime soon?
Great work overall, I'm really enjoying it!
Well, if we call it bugs... ;-)
Spoiler
When you follow the lady into the kitchen and talk to her, she walks back to the lounge. She isn't the fastest with her walking aid but when you follow her back to the lounge, she doesn't even appear in the hallway but is already halfway the lounge ... meepmeep... ;D
and
You can pour anything you want into the jar and shake it. You never empty it. Then you even add the right ingredients and it's a yummy milkshake... including all previous items? Wouldn't it be more logic to include the sink and empty it and keep track of the right ingredients in the jar?
and even spookier....
I played the game twice now. The first time I took the file and opened the box on the fireplace in the pink house (where I found the file) and found a key. The box in the original house was empty. The second time I took the file back to the 'original' house first: also a key! So you always get the key when you open the box, regardless the house you're in.
Thanks for your kind words, I really appreciate it :) As for the bugs, they are, uh, easter eggs...? :P I'll try to address them and update the file.
Strange Visitor: I put up a walkthrough (http://members.lycos.co.uk/montague651/t_g_walkthrough.html).
Spoiler
Would really be helped by hotpoints displaying text on mouse over, I clicked the fridge for ages trying to find some icecream!
It appears I have gotten into a walking dead in this game....which is a real shame, considering how great it is otherwise:
Spoiler
After making the milkshake for the woman, I made it again (thinking that they boy might want it). Now I want to make the coathanger-pole thing for the attic, but if I put the blender jug back on the blender, he doesn't do it, and says "I don't want to do that all over again". Besides, the idea that I can't just rubberband the whole coat-hanger to the pole is very annoying- I know what I have to do, but I can't do it...why on earth would I have put the hanger in the blender if I didn't read it in the walkthrough? It doesn't make sense
Don't take my whining too hard (but I hope you fix it up a bit), it IS a great game.
There are more little inconsisitencies:
Spoiler
When you take the ingredienst of the milkshake but don't open the can of peaches and add them straight away you're told to open the can first (very good!). But when you open the can, you have to put all correct ingredients in it again (even if they were in there already) to get the correct result.
Awesomeness. I've been looking for a little game like this. I'm gonna download in a bit and get back to you later.
Can't wait to play, you've had some great reviews so far!
Quote from: Babar on Sun 19/10/2008 15:36:40
It appears I have gotten into a walking dead in this game....which is a real shame, considering how great it is otherwise:
Spoiler
After making the milkshake for the woman, I made it again (thinking that they boy might want it). Now I want to make the coathanger-pole thing for the attic, but if I put the blender jug back on the blender, he doesn't do it, and says "I don't want to do that all over again". Besides, the idea that I can't just rubberband the whole coat-hanger to the pole is very annoying- I know what I have to do, but I can't do it...why on earth would I have put the hanger in the blender if I didn't read it in the walkthrough? It doesn't make sense
Sorry about the bug. I've updated the file. You could try to download it again, copy-paste the save into the new folder and try to load it. I don't know if it'll work, though. About the fix:
Spoiler
The fix is that you're supposed to be able to pour the milkshake out in the sink and then place the empty cup back on.
- Montague
Spoiler
- When you use the detergent on the jar in the lounge after you've unlocked it, it sais you need to pry it open...
I'll fix this.
Spoiler
- When you put the jar back after you've used it and shake it again, it shakes forever...
That's intended.
Spoiler
- Quit in the menu is written in uppercase?
That too.
Spoiler
- When he first knocks on the door, you can see his talkcycle mouth moving through the back of his head. Smiley
That's actually his neck hair that is drawn on and off by the scaling.
Spoiler
- When you open and close the oven, if you click on the oven body instead of the door, it'll make the open/close noise but the door won't move.
Should be fixed now.
Spoiler
- You can use the opener on the peach can, but not the other way around.
That's just weird :)
Spoiler
- The red haired lady says "He killed is own father!"
Ouch. Fixed.
Spoiler
- Alex can walk right back into the basement when his mom tells him to, even though the player needs to use the key every time to get in and out, and Alex wouldn't have a key.
Fixed.
Spoiler
- After talking to Alex, he still doesn't seem to recognize his corpse, or want to talk about the corpse with the old lady.
He's just dumb.
Spoiler
- I don't know if it's just my screen, but the beginning couple letters of each dialog choice are getting cut off by the left side of the screen.
That's extremely weird. I don't know why that would happen.
Spoiler
When you follow the lady into the kitchen and talk to her, she walks back to the lounge. She isn't the fastest with her walking aid but when you follow her back to the lounge, she doesn't even appear in the hallway but is already halfway the lounge ... meepmeep... Grin
See, the thing about that is...
Spoiler
You can pour anything you want into the jar and shake it. You never empty it. Then you even add the right ingredients and it's a yummy milkshake... including all previous items? Wouldn't it be more logic to include the sink and empty it and keep track of the right ingredients in the jar?
I blatantly stole this idea for the updated file. :)
Spoiler
I played the game twice now. The first time I took the file and opened the box on the fireplace in the pink house (where I found the file) and found a key. The box in the original house was empty. The second time I took the file back to the 'original' house first: also a key! So you always get the key when you open the box, regardless the house you're in.
That doesn't really become a continuity error inside one game, though.
Spoiler
When you take the ingredienst of the milkshake but don't open the can of peaches and add them straight away you're told to open the can first (very good!). But when you open the can, you have to put all correct ingredients in it again (even if they were in there already) to get the correct result.
Weird. My code says that shouldn't happen. I'll take another look at it.
Yes, I just found that myself. I'll redownload and start again.
But anyway, this is a very refreshing game! I haven't enjoyed a game this much in a long time. I hope you make more games like this later on - maybe even a sequel. I like it very much!
I'm getting an error after:
Spoiler
I've read the code on suitcase at the gray house, crawl back to the pink house and enter the living room. This triggers the dialogue "HONNEY! I'M HOME!". I can tell that it's the husband coming through the front door, but if I try to go to the entrance hallway, I get the error.
Error:
---------------------------
Adventure Game Studio
---------------------------
An error has occurred. Please contact the game author for support, as this
is likely to be a scripting error and not a bug in AGS.
(ACI version 3.02.1025)
in "room1.asc", line 270
Error: MoveCharacter: character not in current room
---------------------------
OK
---------------------------I'm using the newest files.
EDIT: Hum... I just realized that the scene belonged to a different house (or time. It should happen on white house and not pink). Maybe that's the problem.
That's extremely regrettable. I updated the file.
- Montague
Thanks for the game, by the way.
I love it! Laughed a lot at the main character remarks, even though the main story is pretty tragic.
Cheers,
-Stefano
Haha! I love this game! It's funny, and stylish. I had to use the guide a few times, but it was still a great game!
I haven't gotten though it just yet, but of what I have plaid has been a nice little romp.
I have run into a bit of a dead end. I had a save recently enough so i didnt have to start from scratch, but here's the thing:
Spoiler
When putting the coat hanger into the blender, if you put something else in there (i used the lamp post thinking the blender would "blend" the items making a unique if not absurd item combining mechanic) The pole remained in my inventory, but I got a bad Mixture item. which could then be dumped or not. Either way no hook was procured.
I had to reload and just do the hanger for the blender to explode and yield the hook. (i peeked at the guide)
not sure if that was an intentional walking dead or not but thought I should mention it.
Thanks for letting me know, I´ll fix it as soon as I get home from work. :)
- Montague
Monty, this is a fabulous game you've made, I'm loving every little bit of it. Not sure if I'm nearing the end or not, but I'm going to go ahead and download the new files and reload from there *which worked before*.
This is a definate favorite of mine now, I wish you could add to it, I don't want it to end...
It's hard now-a-days to find a game that I can't stop playing until it's finished. This is easily one.
I'm going to reply again when I finish it!
--EDIT--
BTW, why isn't there an AGSSAVE file? I have no idea how I saved the game when updating last time, but I was successful when copying the config file... very strange.
Unless I'm missing something with AGS3.
--EDIT2--
Just finished! I must admit that I had to use the guide a couple times, but only because of my short term memory loss. The only time I was truely stumped and
had to look at the guide was when...
Spoiler
I had to put the close hanger in the blender. It never once crossed my mind to do that. And also at that time I didn't have the pole from the light.
Oh, and a couple more things I had pondered...
Spoiler
When you take the screwdriver, it would have been neat to have Alex say that he's been wanting a screwdriver for a long time to see what was behind the grate :)
When you take the tickets, I wouldn't think that it would be necessary to blend them in the future since Daniel wouldn't have them anyway - it's pointless I believe.
But anyway, yeah, I loved this game and I want to see more like it!!
I want more, Monty!
MORE!1
Quote from: EdLoen on Mon 20/10/2008 02:12:35
I haven't gotten though it just yet, but of what I have plaid has been a nice little romp.
I have run into a bit of a dead end. I had a save recently enough so i didnt have to start from scratch, but here's the thing:
Spoiler
When putting the coat hanger into the blender, if you put something else in there (i used the lamp post thinking the blender would "blend" the items making a unique if not absurd item combining mechanic) The pole remained in my inventory, but I got a bad Mixture item. which could then be dumped or not. Either way no hook was procured.
I had to reload and just do the hanger for the blender to explode and yield the hook. (i peeked at the guide)
not sure if that was an intentional walking dead or not but thought I should mention it.
File updated, this should be fixed now.
I'm thrilled to hear that some of you liked the game, it means a lot :)
Snake:
Spoiler
When you take the screwdriver, it would have been neat to have Alex say that he's been wanting a screwdriver for a long time to see what was behind the grate Smiley
Huh. In the script he's supposed to already have a screwdriver.
Snake:
Spoiler
When you take the tickets, I wouldn't think that it would be necessary to blend them in the future since Daniel wouldn't have them anyway - it's pointless I believe.
I just figured that until they are destroyed it would be possible for This Guy to return them to him. - Not in this game, of course, but in theory.
- Montague
While I was playing the game, I couldn't help but think that "This Guy" bears a remarkable resemblance to actor Liev Schreiber (http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/04C99zI2hGfX7/340x.jpg)'s.
There. End of my useless post. ;D
I loved it. That is all.
Thanks Montague! ;D
This is the first AGS game I've played and having just finished it I have to say I enjoyed it a vast amount, it was both funny and interesting with a really strong sense of it's own identity. Well played Montague, well played indeed.
Now, what's next...
I really liked this game, it was funny, interesting and original. Most of the puzzles were great, a few were a little illogical like
Spoiler
putting strange items into the blender
but mostly I loved the style of the game. Great work! Hope to see more from you.
^ I know it doesn't help those who already played it, but in the latest file-update I added a hint to make that puzzle more, uh, accessible. :)
- Montague
Damn it, Monty, you updated? Now I have to download it and play it AGAIN...?
SHIT!!1
;)
I finished the game and I think is a good game.
I hope you will think for another game like this!
I really liked the game, too. The graphics were simple and clean, but very effective, the animations were well made and the sounds convincing.
What I'd change is the inventory. It would have been easier to handle and less annoying if there had been an inventory button always on top like in MI3. But apart from that, This Game made me smile.
This Game is made of brilliant. Oh, and this game is made of brilliant also. It's this game! I love This Game! This game is This Game. Yeah.
Only part that irritated me was at the end,
Spoiler
I used the blender on the broken blender and it gave me a generic response. Didn't realize I had to click on the socket.
But yeah, the story works really well, and I love how it's told through gameplay rather than explanation.
One teeny-weeny bug that no one's reported yet (not worth reuploading the whole game for, though):
Spoiler
In the living room in the third house, if you walk as close as you can to the front of the cabinet on the left, you disappear behind it. Looks like either the walkable area is too high or the object's baseline is too low.
No sign of that walkthrough yet... (hint, hint) :)
Tsk tsk tsk.. Paolo, Paolo.... ;)
How can you say that?
Released on the 18th, the walkthrough (http://gamesolutions.efzeven.nl/this-game-walkthrough-montague2008/) was written on the 19th....... of course. ;D
Never underestimate the power of Chuck Nor- eh.. Leon.
nihilyst: Yeah, the inventory should probably be more easily accessible when a game asks you to use multiple items in certain situations. Live and learn. Thanks for the compliments! :)
saluk: Thanks!
Spoiler
As is evident from the bug-reports in this thread, the "use inventory with blender"-script is already too chaotic for my scripting abilities, which is why I didn't dare to mess around with it even more when I got to the end.
paolo: Thanks for letting me know. Yeah, I did put up a quick walkthrough, but in terms of readability it's far inferior to Leon's.
Finally found the time to play through it - I liked it very, very much, the way the story progressed and the area stretched out, and how This Guy didn't give a shit about any of the mysterious happenings, but instead continued his phone subscription salesman routine.
Some of the puzzles were too hard for me to grasp without having to consult the hint thread (whenever I got stuck, I could be sure that paolo had gotten stuck there, too - hooray for our corresponding puzzle incompetence!), but I enjoyed This Game very much.
So yeah, ah, when's there gonna be a sequel?
I want more, Monty!
Spoiler
Maybe he gets stuck in a mansion with a bunch of ghostly residents...
This Guy is just too much of a lovable ignorant jerk to let his character fizzle out.
This Game will be flawless if more colors are used (greyscale images look dull and lifeless).
I'm recreating the living room from This Game, so that it will be 3-dimensional lol
Wow, what program are you using to do that? Looks awesome. Although I think the original greyscale is more perfect :)
Quote from: saluk on Sun 07/12/2008 17:31:52
Wow, what program are you using to do that? Looks awesome.
I used Slab6 (http://www.advsys.net/ken/download.htm#slab6) and Voxed (http://advsys.net/ken/voxlap/voxlap_src.zip) and MSPaint lol to make the wallpaper.
Quote from: saluk on Sun 07/12/2008 17:31:52
Although I think the original greyscale is more perfect :)
There is still room for improvement: I'm going to make the lamp taller and the table bigger. And I have to add curtains.
The windows will be reflective
and semi-transparent when raytraced ;)
Raster raytracing for the win (RRT FTW).
Quote from: apegomp on Sun 07/12/2008 12:46:56
This Game will be flawless if more colors are used (greyscale images look dull and lifeless).
I'm recreating the living room from This Game, so that it will be 3-dimensional lol:
No, no, no, no, no! This completely changes the character of the game. The existing graphics might look dull and lifeless, but they are perfect for the game, in my opinion. All that colour and texture would be a distraction.
Quote from: paolo on Mon 08/12/2008 12:12:30
All that colour and texture would be a distraction.
Yes, but it would be a
good distraction :P
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd202/highwingx3/ThisGaem.png)
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd202/highwingx3/curt.png)
I think this qualifies as nice fanart but I like the original obviously.
Afterall, it's up to the game creator himself to decide what style should be used.
Wow, looks great, apegomp! :) I really enjoyed seeing those.
The reason the game looks the way it looks is that I modeled the character on someone I know. He's blessed with a never-say-die attitude, simple dreams and an astonishingly poor imagination. Hence the lack of colors (and hence the stupid title). How you arrive on a "look" is a bit more complex, of course, but that's the short explanation, anyway. In hindsight I could probably have added more shades, life and flavor to the backgrounds while retaining the desired effect, still, the visuals were always gonna end up a "some like it, some don't"-thing.
Snake: I'd like to do a sequel, but I better wait until the urge haunts me from the very bottom of my heart :)
Apegomp: No way! Great screenshot, though, I love it. But really, ThisGame wouldn't be the same.
Damn you Monty! I'll even help you with another one... just as long as I don't have to do art or scripting.
But seriously, I hope you feel like making another one. I truely loved this game. A future AGS classic in my eyes.
Looking forward to more projects from you.
Quote from: apegomp on Sun 07/12/2008 18:44:08
Quote from: saluk on Sun 07/12/2008 17:31:52
Wow, what program are you using to do that? Looks awesome.
I used Slab6 (http://www.advsys.net/ken/download.htm#slab6) and Voxed (http://advsys.net/ken/voxlap/voxlap_src.zip) and MSPaint lol to make the wallpaper.
I
thought it looked a bit like Voxelstein. Now I know why!
Montague: I thought the really diluted backgrounds had a nice contrast with the characters, in addition to enhancing the otherworldly/dreamlike/abstract feel of the game. Put me in the "some like it" category.
Also, I would much rather see further original work than a sequel to this. Not that I would complain...
Wow...it's like a Twilight Zone haha. It's hip, stylish and cool. The humour is excellent. The minute he
Spoiler
stepped in and called the old lady stupid after a few sentences was hysterical. I loved the past, past past, present and future concept. It's like Back to the Future, except this one deals with keeping the family together by preventing a much more dark and twisted stir of events.
ThisGame rocks. From the beginning to the ending, it doesn't lose wit. ThisGuy is one of the most likable characters I've seen in an AGS game. I hope to see more.
I just played at this game (well duh...) and I really liked this, especially the main charachter who is a great jerk. :)
But I saw that people mentionned that
Spoiler
Alex can see his future corpse.
How to do it?
I found this game to be highly creative when i played it. It's small, but it's not too short. It's so creative how you mix up the time space continuum, the twists, the plot twists, the time traveling all contained in one house.. Oops have I said too much? Anyways it was a blast; really I enjoyed this game.
I can't wait to see what other adventure game you come up with next; I'll be keeping my eye on you. ;)
I loved This Game =D. I haven't excpected such a great story from This Game.
amazaing work.
Congratulations on making a really solid game. The simple graphics contributed so much more to the mood than a lot of that overwrought razzmatazz you see in games these days. It brings back that good old feeling of the adventure game old school without the frustrating control issues and annoying as hell PC speaker music.
I also dug the hell out of the story and its execution. For some reason I kept thinking about the book, "House of Leaves," while I played. Good stuff, man. Really good stuff.