Adventure Game Studio

Heya All, Demo has been updated
http://ihost.it-mate.co.uk/users/the_creep/files/murder.zip

Bug Fixes:

 - Kyle will now Face the people he talks to.
 - Inventory item sprites have been cleaned up
 - more walk-to points have been set
 - GUIs has been upgraded
 - Walk animation has been "fiddled with"
 - Score sound FX has been changed.
 - Font and Grammar have been fixed :)

OK, negative points first:

- For some reason the font is giving me a major headache. But that may be just me - I hate people typing in ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME. And the open "A" that the font uses makes reading the messages extremely hard.

- Please check your spelling. You often have "your" instead of "you're", and "hes" instead of "he's" and so on.

- When you click on the dead scientist, you take the card, even if you already have it.

- Unless it's absolutely necessary for puzzles, please reconsider making the main character clickable. It's very annoying when he's standing in front of something and you're trying to click the object behind him (or even slightly to the side of him).

- The walking animation looks a bit odd, but then I'm no expert at animation. I'm sure other people can give you much better advice what to do about it. (Especially since you're using 3D models, redoing the sprite should be much easier than having to redraw every frame)

On to the positive points.

- The 3D rendered graphics look very good so far.

- Can't check if I like the sound (or indeed if there is any) since my girlfriend is sleeping in the same room and I can't find my headphones right now... :-[

- I love the way you integrated the menu into the sidewalk in the title screen.

- Some very nice descriptions, especially the chair.

And finally, on a personal note, I'm stuck on the safe puzzle.

Spoiler

I think I figured out the first 2 numbers:
a) Between 5 and 6: 5.5. Remove the decimal = 55.
b) Six of one, half dozen of the other = 12.
c) Remove a week from a day? I think 1-7=-6, but I'm not sure what you mean by "don't use a year"...

It might be a good idea to give the player some kind of clue when one of the numbers is right (maybe a click or a positive sounding beep, and a negative sounding one when the number is wrong), but that depends on how easy you want to make things.

[close]

Yes, the font desperatly needs to change.  That was headache inducing big-time!

The graphics look pretty good.  I think the sitting up animation should be sped up a bit.  And also, since you're using 3D graphics you should use more frames (and include diagonal frames, if only just for the turning around frames)

I got stuck where ElectricMonk got stuck.  Couldn't get the third number.

A good start!

Great input guys, That damn font, I had completely forgotten and I do apologize, I was experimenting with large fonts for dialog and forgot to get rid of it, its hideos I know.

Chances are, before I'm done the main char is going to get a complete makeover, anyone has any advice about that walking anim?? as in how to fix it,

as for the safe puzzle, you got the first two, the last number...well heres a hint
*SPOILER HINT BELOW*
















days=24 week=7 year=365 (the last number is a red herring)

Spoiler

24 days? why? I mean, a day has 24 hours, yes, but that's just too obscure, imho... but maybe I'm just too dense.

[close]

Some more criticism:

- The animation when the character crawls out of room 1 looks extremely dodgy. He suddenly appears too thin, and there are white pixels all around him.

- You might also want to trim the white pixels around the camera inventory object. Same thing for the green ones around the wine bottle and the blanket.

- Depending on where you stand in relation to the Bum, when you speak to him, the character will often face the fence or speak facing away from the Bum. Same thing happens with the cook.

- Since everything else looks very realistic, the trashcans look as if they're made out of rubber. I also really dislike the response if I look at them. Looking at objects (and especially searching trashcans) is nothing unusual in adventure games, and therefore the player shouldn't be treated condescendingly for doing so.

- You also might want to think about throwing in a couple of "that doesn't work" or "using the knife on <person> would only make things worse" type of messages. Clicking an object on something and getting no response is always a bit awkward.

- Just a minor niggle, but a) how can the character know that the top bit of the fence is electrified just by looking at it? and b) how can the top bit be electrified if it doesn't connect to anything on its left and right?

- After playing for a while, I found the use of TAB for the inventory very tiring. That may be just me, though. When I have a chance to play a game with the mouse, I like to lean back in my chair... ;) Having to move to the keyboard every time I want to access the inventory seems to me not the ideal solution. You might think about making a small unobtrusive icon somewhere in a corner (like the box in Sam & Max) that produces the inventory GUI when clicked. But it's your game, your rules of aesthetics.

- When you talk to characters, sometimes the sentences will be in quotation marks, sometimes not (this is the one I prefer) and sometimes there will be only one at the beginning.

- The poor Bum. You trade his blanket for the bottle, but you appear to keep the bottle.

- That blanket is freakin' huge! ;)

EDIT
Girlfriend is awake now...  :)
The music is very atmospheric. If you did it yourself, well done. The "score" sound, however, is just ...odd, and goes on for too long. But again, your game, your rules.

Game looks good . hard but good . lol

Quote- Please check your spelling. You often have "your" instead of "you're", and "hes" instead of "he's" and so on.

One reason I'm afraid to do a game as my spelling is so bad..

Maybe I've discovered a market here...
Some people are good at painting graphics, others compose music well. How about the people who are good at a particular language offering their services as proofreaders (or even translators)?

Or if people don't come forward with offers (I suppose it DOES sound a bit condescending... "Your spelling probably sucks. If you need help, contact me at..."), at least people who are unsure about their grammar skills could ask for help before releasing a game...

Yes, I know, I'm rambling. I've just been tending bar for 12 hours straight and it's almost six in the morning... 8) Just ignore me.

I think it is great!
C&C:
The Kitchen tables look too round!;
The puzzle with the last number by the safe is too hard.Cant imagine anyone discover it without a walktrough.It's more likely that the player gives up before finding out! Mabe a easyer hint or a tip (or am I just so st00pid!  :o );

Great 3D.I onlt know that the kitchen floor is very easy to do.But the characters look fantastic.I especially like the bum in the alley! Good job!

not bad at all..

found another technical problem..

Spoiler

in the first room, when you've opened the vent with the knife, you can carry on doing so again and again etc, and you keep recieving extra points.

[close]

Electric Monk,
Most beta testers should be on the lookout for grammar problems.
If I wasn't a stickler for getting it right first time myself I'd definitely enlist you to beta test my next game :)

Back on topic, err, I haven't actually downloaded this game yet. Carry on...

Hm. Not bad for a start.
Do you use 3ds Max? Seems so... very well done rooms.

You wanted suggestions? Here...
* Do you use Bipeds? If not, I suggest you to do so.
The way mesh (flesh) moves around bones isn't very good, start from there.
* Make bones fatter! (I imagine how weird it sounds for people not familiar with 3d-modelling ;))
* Don't use standard cursors.
* Font, yes. Change it to something more "patient". And less bold.
* Try to experiment with Anti-glide mode (option in AGS), so your character won't slide on the ground. If it doesn't help, try to add or remove frames from walking animation.
* Render your characters again, but without antialiasing, this'll improve the way they look and remove grey pixels around figures.
* Fix all bugs found by other guys here
* Don't take these points as critics but as a suggestions to make your game even better. And most important...
* Don't stop this project. This game will be awsome when completed!

I do use 3ds Max, and Bipeds, AND the characters have been rendered without antialisiang, however rendering is tricky as the characters perspective changes as they move toward or away from the Camera...

If you have expierience with max maybe I could send you the character Max file and you could see if you can make anything smoother?

I've fixed as many of the bugs as I can, the only one left that is giving me gip, and thats cleaning the errant pixels off the "Climb in Vent" animation
The fonts, cursors and GUIS have all been completely revmped and will be available in the next Demo. (hopefully released in the next couple of days, time and bandwidth permitting)
Again thanks for the feedback :)

i have 3dsm5.. i'm pretty sure i can make it look smoother for you..

catch me on msn if you wanna send me the max file, stu_the_monkey@hotmail.com


edit: ok, i got your .max file... i got a load of complaints from 3dsm cause i don't have biped, but i still managed to render the dude.. (mind i don't have the image textures, so his t-shirt will just be plain, etc.)

(http://azupload.gtaforums.com/disco/stuff/ags/00.gif)
this is an unsmooth render, i think this is how you were rendering it for the game






(http://azupload.gtaforums.com/disco/stuff/ags/01.gif)(http://azupload.gtaforums.com/disco/stuff/ags/02.gif)(http://azupload.gtaforums.com/disco/stuff/ags/03.gif)

Hm. I just wonder if perspective problems could be solved by using a camera instead of perspective viewport, mess a little with camera lens size and turn on "ortographic projection"? But I'm not sure about that. And/Or assign path for biped and camera, so they move at the same time and same speed?

I tried linking the camera to the biped as it walks... the thing is I get some very weird effects, The camera ulitmately looks like a fisheye lens...I dont know why, so every frame for the character is rendered in the "Front" viewport.

As for the smoothing, I  agree, comparing the original with the final I think the effort is just not worth it. but check out the update and let me know what you think

yeh, much better..
still some issues with character scaling though..

Yes! Very nice.

Leftovers:

- some conversations still have the old "quotation mark" problem
- now the "walk to" icon has grey pixels around it

I was surprised to discover the new room at the end... what a cool gift for the people who already tested the first version :D

And it's always nice to see people throw Lovecraft references into their games... looks like I better get cracking on finishing my own soon ;)

Oh, and the city map looks awesome. I'm really looking forward to the release of this game.

Damn, thanks for the heads up on the conversations and the pixels, I will fix that NOW.
Yeah I suspected you were a fellow lovecraft fan :) The next demo should have at least three new rooms, but that won't be ready for a while as I'm having to stop myself from working on the game during the week to make sure I don't fall behind on my studies.

Thanks again for the diligent beta-testing :)

QuoteI'm having to stop myself from working on the game during the week to make sure I don't fall behind on my studies.

You're a better man than I am...

Hm. Linking cam to biped isn't good idea. How about creating a single line, making biped walk on that line and make parrallel line (to the height cam must be) for camera plus using path constraint?

Hmmm, will give that a try and let you know...

Another grammar issue, that probably isn't important, but I'm an 'english' nut, and the small things bug me.  :P

The D card in the inventory is referred to as an D card, however it should be either a D card or the D card


As for the final number of the safe combination, the clue needs some reworking. You're using TWO different modes in one clue: days and hours. It's quite confusing for the player to know what you're talking about, because the way the clue's written, the answer SHOULD be -6 (1-7). You need to make it clear that you're talking about hours, or else come up with another clue...

The one that came to my mind was this:

*sort of a spoiler, but not really, so I won't hide it. But suffice to say, you HAVE been warned  :P *






"Cound the days of March, and add:
Just one third of June.
Swindle now three pairs of 8;
You'll have the answer soon."

31 + (30/3) = 41
41 - (8x3) = 17

l00k here guys, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the clue, I got it in like 5 seconds...with no spoilers!

Spoiler

1. 55
2. 12
3. 17

[close]

That puzzle is just fine! It's totally something I would LIKE and expect in a demo!

Otherwise, great stuff! Just one thing:

Spoiler

When you climb over the fence, and ar in the Cthulhu blues room, (the sreet) You aren't on a walkable area. I redid this like 2x, and the same thing happened! But then today when I played it, everything turned normal! Weird, Truly.

[close]

hmm..... okay..... I realise this is probably going to sound like a nag, but I do firmly believe the clue should be changed.

Currently, the clue is this:
Take a WEEK (A week is 7 days)
From a DAY (A day is, surprisingly, 1 day. This IS the literal interpretation, no argument).
Therefore: 1-7 = -6.

I agree that once the clue was explained it made complete, perfect, wonderful, delightful sense. However before it is explained, the clue (practically speaking) is doubtful. I'm glad people seemed to be able to figure it out, and I do want the puzzles to be tricky (hey - i I wouldn't d/l if they weren't), but it at least needs to make sense.

I know this sounds like a rant, and I'm sorry for it, but that great sense of satisfaction you get when you solve a puzzle all by yourself, just gets drained right away when you highlight the spoiler; even more so when the clue (to my mind, at least) is very very ambiguous.

I have given this a great deal of thought, and decided that I'm not changing the clue, the fact that several people did not get the clue in less than a day does not bug me that much :)

I think your clue, while less ambiguos, relies a lot more on the mathematical ability of the player, which is not what I want (its a game not an IQ test). If I think of and alternate clue, it will be a completely reworked one from begining to end, and will be released with the final game.

oh and that "D card" is an ID Card :) I can see why you made that mistake though, the font makes it impossible to see, so I will change it to I.D. Card, which should clear it all up.

I double checked that walkable area in the Street room I can't find any bugs where you end up on a non walkable area, has anyone else had trouble with this?

Point taken.  ;D

My previous posts were probably a little one sided. I agree that a single opinion is not enough reason to change the clue.

So it was a good move; probably the best, actually.

Good luck with the rest of the game.

Heya guys, latest room, its the entrance to kyles apartment building.
The console flashes on and off, as if its on the fritz, I had originally intended for it to flicker, but  the lack of background frames makes it difficult, maybe I'll just turn it into an object

(http://ihost.it-mate.co.uk/users/the_creep/files/Room5-stairwell01.gif)