Hello everyone, my game Spooks is now completed and ready to play!Ã, ;D
What started out as a little MAGS game quickly took on an afterlife of its own, becoming an 8-month project and a totally original medium-length adventure.Ã, Thanks to the support of everyone on the forums, I didn't give up after a hard drive crash and a few other setbacks along the way.Ã, This is my first game, so I hope you all enjoy it.Ã, :D
In the Land of the Dead, a day at the Carnage-Val usually means games, rides, and putting up with the rather defective employees.Ã, However, for a little ghoul named Mortia, things are about to take a dive out of the ordinary.Ã, When a smooth-talking skeleton convinces her to try a game of darts, she wins the most amazing prize she's ever seen: a live goldfish.
The moment before he disappears mysteriously, the skeleton tells Mortia that her fish won't stay "alive" for long if she doesn't help him.Ã, So, naturally, Mortia names her new companion "Spooks" and sets out to find him someplace safe to be "alive," although she has no idea what that word means.Ã, Little does she know that her task will take her from the Land of the Dead to places even more bizarre.
Here are some of the haunts in the Land of the Dead:
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/vince2.png)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/vince1.png)
Features:
- Innovative use of colour (you'll see)
- A classic point-and-click experience
- A hilariously defective cast of characters
- Hours of gameplay
- Death
- Destruction
- Goldfish
Design, art, and writing by me,
The Ivy.
Music and sound effects by
The ScorposerScripting, debugging, and now hosting provided by the illustrious
Vince Twelve.
Word to my beta testers
Erenan, Fawfulhasfury, Mordalles, SteveMcCrea, and
Venus.
Download Spooks now! (.rar) (http://games.thexiis.com/files/spooks.rar)
Mirror (.zip) (http://games.thexiis.com/files/spooks.zip)
Visit the Games Page! (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=688)
Check out Vince Twelve's website: http://games.thexiis.com
Thanks once again to the AGS community, I couldn't have done it without you.Ã, Enjoy, I really look forward to hearing what you have to say about the game.Ã, :)
Cheers,
~The Ivy~
Psst...check out a game-related comic here (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=24617.msg314526#msg314526). :)
YES!
The first to download, to post and to say Yeah!
Even the game is rather small! 4.88 Mb! Double Yeah!
Await more comments in the near future.
Nikolas
Quote from: Nikolas on Tue 14/02/2006 21:46:28
The first to download
Hah, actually I downloaded as soon as I saw it added on the gamespage earlier today when no one else had downloaded it yet.
I already dropped a comment on the games page, so I'm just summing my opinions into one word:
AWESOME
Wow, congratulation The Ivy :o
I loved those black and white screens from the beginning, so happy I can play it now. First impression is verrrrrrrrrrrrrry nice :D
Wow..I was expecting worst graphics, great job man..
The main character is just great..and the story is very funny xD
The music is also fantastic..
Congratulations.
I've just solved the "Scary Go-Round" puzzle =D
Ah, good to see it's been released! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did :)
Yes, Chris (and The Ivy of course)...
At least I'm enjoying it very very much...
And I do have to add that I'm also enjoying very much the music, and I also detect the love you have for Danny...
Great game so far (though I'm stuck...)
Well, i just completed it and must say: A great game.
One thing, it took me about 40+ minutes to complete it? Hours of gameplay? I was dissapointed by that statement and wanted more! ;D
I love the grey thing and the world is extremely well thought out. The entire concept is really good!! Well, IMO.
I just wanted to chime in that this is a gem of a game and I'm super proud to have been part of the team. The last month and a half of working with Ivy, Scorposer, and the beta testers was a blast! Congratulations Erin! It's a fantastic first game (it's a fantastic game, period.) and hopefully the first of many!
Quote from: buloght on Tue 14/02/2006 23:10:00
One thing, it took me about 40+ minutes to complete it? Hours of gameplay? I was dissapointed by that statement and wanted more! ;D
I believe that's marketing lingo for: "Hours of gameplay... if you get stuck for an hour." I think that was based on one of the beta testers taking 3 hours to finish the first playthrough (because she got stuck on one puzzle for a long time). :P
Downloading now, I saw this game in the "Production" thread and it looked interesting
Amazing game, had my eye on it since the MAGS it was meant to be in. I liked the music, and the scripting and testing's really good too, I didn't find anything to mention except for "greatful" instead of "grateful" somewhere in the ending. As for 'hours of gameplay', it took me 2 hours since I was stuck several times, but the puzzles were logical enough that the game kept me going through one sitting.
Looking forward to more great releases in the future!
Wow! I'm really impressed. I can see there was a lot of work put into this project.
I've been playing this game for the last hour (not finished it yet though), anyways, I'm enjoying it.
Everything seems just about perfect for the style you created, and the "Black & White" look fits this game quite nicely. Graphics, story, characters, music... all fantastic and compliment each other so well.
Will look forwards to any future projects you may work on.
Quote from: SimB on Wed 15/02/2006 02:22:53
testing's really good too, I didn't find anything to mention except for "greatful" instead of "grateful" somewhere in the ending.
Grr! That must be in the secret ending we testers weren't allowed to see! :=
Loved the game. The ending was like a beautiful flower acheiving full bloom.
Very nice first game. I quite enjoyed it, and the puzzles were amusing. Good work!
Congrats on the game release! I love the bonus scene at the end, and everything's still great. But I have one small concern...
As much as I appreciate Luke Wilson's acting, my name is Luke Simpson. :o
I just finished it, and it was quite a lovely experience. The craftmanship was excellent, and the story and characters were very intersesting. It really shows what teamwork can really do for ags.
Too bad the awards are just around the corner; hopefully this game won't be forgotten for next year's awards!
Oh, i forgot to mention one thing i wanted to say! The animation is exceptional!
expecially the part where ...
Spoiler
she exits the water
It's unbelievable ! You stole my main character. Check it out here:
Unfinished
(http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?category=100&action=search&sterm=unfinished&action=download&game=588)
I couldn't finish my game without it ;)
Good game ivy. Next time don't let me down.
Just to let you know, I downloaded the game for safe keeping, to play whenever! I do look foward to playing it though! Looks sweet!
Hey great game, Cant wait to see your others!
Well u used mspaint? Impressive!
Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!Ã, This is more of a response than I expected to get, I'm so glad you liked the game.Ã, Hopefully this'll launch my line of Spooks-related merchandise.Ã, Would anyone pay $15 American for a t-shirt that said "It's a ghoul thing" with a picture of Mortia? Heh, I kid ;)
Petteri: Ha, so you're the tricky person who found the game within 30 seconds of it being posted. :PÃ, Man, I was hoping to keep it a bit under the radar until I got back from class and had time to post the Completed Game announcement.Ã, Clearly, I underestimated you and the 15 others who found it.Ã, Hey, thanks for your lovely review on the games page. :)
Totoro: Cool, glad you like the "colour" scheme.Ã, I just thought I'd add that one day, I hope to understand your avatar. ;)
i k a r i: Thanks, the story and the dialogs were a lot of fun to write, although I think Mortia accidentally ended up with my sense of humour.Ã, Or, what I imagine my sense of humour would be like if I were dead and slightly more destructive.
Scorp: I hope everyone who plays this gets at least one of your songs stuck in their head. ;)
Nikolas: Awesome, let me know what you think when you finish it!
buloght: Heh, sorry about the "false advertising." ;) You must be just be a gifted adventurer.Ã, The animation that you mentioned took me almost a month working off and on to get right.Ã, Hey, would you make a "cutey monster" sprite of Mortia?Ã, Heh, if you want...:P
Vince: Aww, stop it...
Xenogia: Wicked, let me know how it goes :-,
SimB: Yay, thanks for the encouragement!Ã, I might just have some other game ideas floating around in my head already...although I think I'm going to give myself a few weeks "vacation." :PÃ, By the way, the typo just got fixed "without evidence" according to Vince.
Barbarian: Whoa, that means a lot coming from you, thanks!Ã, I did put a lot of time into this game, but I hope it came through that I had a lot of fun while I was doing it.Ã, Most of the characters took on their personalities shortly after I doodled them in Paint, and it was really enjoyable to think of ways that Mortia would react to them (or how they would to her :)).Ã, If there's one thing that'll be a big part of any game I work on, it'll be the story.
SteveMcCrea: Aw, thanks, that's a really nice analogy...
Spoiler
and kinda fitting, I think, given the circumstances
Ã, I wanted the ending to be a real reward for the player after going through the whole adventure, and hopefully I didn't disappoint :-,.Ã, Oh, and I'll be more careful about my typos next time ;).
ProgZmax: Thanks, I appreciate it a lot!Ã, One day I hope my pixellation skills will be as good as yours...let's just say there's a reason I only used nine shades of gray ;).
Erenan: Er...sorry! :-[ Geez, I wonder how I missed that, I don't even know who Luke Wilson is!Ã, I've sent a fixed version of the credits to Vince to put in the game from now on,Ã, Ã, I hope that sounds okay.Ã, I'm really glad to hear that you liked the ending scene, though. :-,
Edmundo: Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure it's not forgotten ( ::puts on brass knuckles:: ).Ã, Hehe, thanks for the "craftsmanship" comment, that makes the game sound very classy!Ã, I'll have to share that designation with my team, of course...I know they're lurking around here somewhere. ;)Ã,Â
Bluber: Eh?Ã, Didn't you win that competition?Ã, I'm a little confused.
ManicMatt: Sweet, let me know how it goes...I'll be here.
Afflict: Thanks, it was actually my little sister who coached me on MSPaint.Ã, You might see a game from her too, eventually...she hasn't been around for a while but she goes by "AllThatGlitters."
Love the feedback, guys, can't wait to hear what more of you think :).
Just finished the game!
Great job! I really enjoyed this one........I hope you plan on making more-----GREAT job!
Loved the colours. And the ending was very good though I was disappointed that
Spoiler
she didn't have the same hairstyle ;)
j/k
Seriously, the personalities/dialogues of the characters were cool - esp Mortia. And the puzzles were fun. Looking forward to any future games!
I loved this game, it was very well written and the dialogue was very professional impo.
good work, i'm looking forward to your next game ^_^
Darn. I can't open it because it's a .rar file, and my Powerzip program-I need to purchase now.
Is there a way I can get it in a .zip file or something?
Download the trial version of WinRAR from www.rarlabs.com.
Quote from: Grapefruitologist on Thu 16/02/2006 01:20:56
Darn. I can't open it because it's a .rar file
Use WinRAR - It's a 40 day trial, but there are no limitations after that, except that it asks that you buy a licensed version. Ã, What you do after the 40 days is your choice, but it's fine in the meantime.
Edit: Gah, this forum's too fast.
Or, better, use the free 7-Zip (http://www.7-zip.org/).
Sorry, Ivy actually asked me to make a .zip version for people (like Ivy herself) who didn't know what to do with .rar files. I'll get on that. But, yeah: WinRar.
Thank you for that great game....
Good story, artwork. You really had some nice thoughts in that production. Thanks for a good, clean game and many hours of enjoyment.
Sounds very interesting and it looks like you really put a lot of hard work into it. Consider it downloaded!!! :)
Really loved this one - one of the very few games that can make me giggle with the jokes! Please get onto making another game ASAP!
How can I deny a lady's request, hmmm.
(http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/6137/buloghtmortia3yw.gif)
(3x)
Nice!
this is a real classic!
the way colours are being used in their contrastic ways, the characters has personality, some great inventive ideas (
Spoiler
like using bones as money, grey pages, die-ary, hehe, scary-go-round, carnage-val, hehe
), i found the puzzles logical and great story, and some of the animation were really awesome. and i also loved the music.
this game is really a piece of art. great going, ivy!
Ok so I was too tempted last night and played 20 minutes of the game!
Can't think of anything that hasn't already been said... but anyway I'm loving this game! I love in particular the responses the main character gives to interacting with things. Good humour, neat character designs, and cool music!
I am not from this board.. I am an sci game maker.. my friend chris moorson (the scorposer) told me about this game, and I had to post and just say how amazed I am at it.
The concept of the game, the story line and the graphic layouts.. black and white for the dead and color for the living, the whole thing just seemed like it jumped right from the mind of tim burton. It completely stunning.
Well done.
Ah, what a great game!
This looks fantabulous! :)
Downloading...
Finished it! Left me wanting more!
One of my top ten fave AGS games, that.
I agree with everything that's been said so far, this has to be one of the best AGS games I've seen for a while. Sorry I don't have anything more original to add.
Will we be seeing more of 'Mortia' in future games?
Nice game. I liked it alot.
The sprites and backgrounds were very amateurish, but it's good color usage nontheless. After all this is independent game making.
Good story, dialoque and nice puzzles. Well done. With some other excellent recently related games it seems AGS has a much higher standard than it used to have.
Wow, these comments make me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Fisher: Merci beaucoup.
Fizzii:
Spoiler
Heh, yes, the hair...I didn't think it would hold up well under real gravity.Ã, Uhhh, no pun intended...sorry.
Ã, Glad you liked Mortia, she was lots of fun to write for.
magintz: Professional?Ã, Heh, I don't know about that, I think I just like to make my sprites hurl insults at each other ;).Ã,Â
Grapefruitometrist (er...whatever :P): I've asked Vince to create a zip file, which should also make the game more accessible to the Mac users out there.Ã, Any luck with WinRAR?
Rosie: Aww, you're welcome!
CosmoQueen: It was actually only about 8 months of
moderately hard work to get this game done (although I can't speak for the rest of my team on that one).Ã, Hope you like it.
ggp: Excellent, glad you liked the jokes.Ã, As for starting another game....AAAUUGH!Ã, Er, I mean, I think I'll take a few weeks off. :PÃ, Ã,Â
buloght: Can I borrow a pair of socks?Ã, Mine have been rocked off.
Afflict: Gracias!
Mordalles: Wow, thanks!Ã, I'm sure a few of those comments will make it into my diary ;).Ã, I must be one of those crazy people who considers pixel pushing a legitimate form of artistic expression.
ManicMatt:Ã, Thanks!Ã, Glad Spooks made the top 10.Ã,Â
provost:Ã, Jumped out of the mind of Tim Burton?Ã, Hey, that sounds like a plot idea in itself ;).Ã, Seriously, thanks for the compliments, I'm very appreciative.Ã, Chris, you have cool friends.
vict0r: Hey, thanks again...Norway.Ã, :-*
Khaaaaan: Cool, can't wait to hear what you think.
Ashen: Hmm, I'm not sure about the future of 'Mortia.'Ã, I have a few other game ideas fighting for attention right now, and I'm still deciding what I want to do next.Ã, My next game will probably be in a different graphics style, since I have a Wacom tablet now and I'm just learning to use photoshop.Ã, What I may end up doing is sketching a few ideas for games, maybe doing some mock screenshots, and having people vote on which idea I go with first.Ã, I think I can trust that the people on these forums have good taste in games. :)
calacver: Cool, I'm glad you think Spooks is a nice game.Ã, Hopefully my artistic abilities will get better with future projects.Ã, After all, the independent game making community wouldn't stand for anything else. ;)
Take care guys, you've really made my day. :)
WinRAR... Well... I think I'll just wait for the zip version. I have to work on my own game anyway.
Grape: Whats the problem with downloading winrar? Trust me, this game is worth it :D
Ivy: No. Thank you Canada :)
No more tears! Here's a .zip version:
http://games.thexiis.com/files/spooks.zip
Ivy, you might as well update the AGS games page to include this file as one of the "mirrors."
I'll update the site when I get a chance.
Oh, good!
Ivy, "Spooks" is looking pretty good!
One comment though, the Book puzzle might need either a clearer set up or a more explicit clue. I may be alone here but I just lucked out solving that puzzle.
Anyway, It's an interesting game, but its lack of volcanoes and space cowboys can only allow me to give it one and a half thumbs up(out of two of course)
I love this game.
I think maybe it could have been a tad more non-linear than it is, when the geography is laid out as it is. There tends to be a little too much walking in circles. Or floating, to be precise. There could have been more stuff going on at once... Also, the graphics seem just a tad rushed in places (might of course be the MAGS syndrome), some exits aren't that obvious, and perhaps some elimination of double pixels and more thought out use of contrast in the grey tones could have made this look even better. Also, if hotspots had highlighted names, it'd be great.
But that's nitpicking of course. Even if not perfect, the graphics are succesfully stylized and sets the mood greatly. The music is the best game music I've heard in a long time. And the personalities and dialogues feel really worked on. I got sucked into the universe. Puzzles have a nice variation to them.
This game proves most of all the willingness to do something different, to bring the players into a world with great, defined personality. It's not easy to do that, so kudos for making this such a great ride.
Hi,
I just completed that game.
I hope for a sequel.
Cheers
One of the best concepts I've ever seen.
Downloading now.
Very minor thing: inside the "inhabited house" Mortia doesn't turn to look in the direction of the bookcase or the animatronic when you "look" at them.
Quote from: SmootH on Mon 20/02/2006 00:08:13
One comment though, the Book puzzle might need either a clearer set up or a more explicit clue. I may be alone here but I just lucked out solving that puzzle.
Well, it seems different people have trouble with different puzzles. I didn't have any trouble at all with the book puzzle myself--I knew I had to get that book as soon as I saw it, even
before I heard another character talk about it--but there was a
different part that had me stuck for quite a while. After I solved the game, though, I read through some of the help requests and such, and it seems that while there were plenty of people who had trouble with parts that had posed no problem for me, the part that
had caused me so much trouble, I didn't see anyone else asking about.
So...what's a horribly difficult puzzle for one person may be a cinch for another, and vice versa...
Spoiler
For the record: what gave me so much trouble was figuring out how to get that stupid chandelier down. I was pretty sure it had to be done to distract the gorgon so I could take the book and the muffins, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. After being unable to untie the knot, I figured maybe the rope had to be burned. It even occurred to me I could light something on fire with the burning policeman. But I couldn't figure out what I could use to light the flame. I went through a lot of frustration before finally figuring out that I could take the candle from that one "apparition" in the Inhabited House...(As soon as I had the candle, though, I knew exactly what to do with it...)
Okay, admittedly in the case of the book puzzle there is one potential pitfall for certain players:
Spoiler
The book stands out because it's red while everything else in the screen is in black and white...but that may not be obvious to colorblind players. In fact, just this issue came up in the Hints and Tips forum. SmootH, are you colorblind, by any chance? (Or do you have a monitor that doesn't display colors clearly?)
All good games has at least one hard puzzle for every person :) Great stuff ivy!
SmootH: Hey, sorry aboot any frustrations with the puzzle, but I'm glad you were able to figure it out.Ã, Thanks for the encouragement!
Neil Dnuma: I appreciate your specific comments, I'll do my best to address those types of things in the future.Ã, Heh, "MAGS Syndrome" is a good way of putting it, but I made the decision at the start that I could settle for less-than-perfect graphics if it meant getting a game finished, and that's exactly what I did...eight months later, with a ton of help. :P
Thanks for the other nice comments too.Ã, I can safely say that hearing things like this is the best part of making a game.Ã, :)
splat44: I'm glad you liked it.Ã, As for a sequel...I dunno.Ã, I've got lots of other ideas kicking around that I think would make better games.
Mr Flibble: Wicked, let me know how it goes. :-,
SSH: A wizard did it. ;)
Alun_Clewe:
Spoiler
Yeah, the chandelier business is tricky, but I'm glad you got it solved in the end.Ã, SmootH mentioned in a PM that the tricky part was finding the candle and knowing to take it.Ã, You're very right that some people have difficulty with different parts of the game, but maybe buloght has a point too.Ã, Wouldn't want to make a game too easy now, would I? ;)
buloght: Thanks, bro. :)
Now for some Spooksy news!
I recomment you check out this week's PODQuest, which you can listen to right here (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/podquest18.mp3).Ã, In it, Zooty and Grundislav conduct a review of Spooks, and give it a diabetic shock-inducing "five cups out of five."Ã, Ã,Â
Later on, you can also hear an interview with me (woo, me!), wherein Grundislav and I discuss important things like which is the best flavour of muffin and where to buy obscure action figures.Ã, He also mentions that ridiculous award you people have saddled me with, making this interview one of those things I won't be sharing with my parents. :P
So, in conclusion, listen to the PODQuest (http://www.grundislavgames.com/podcast/podquest18.mp3).
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/The_Ivy/PQ2.png)
Seriously, all the cool kids are doing it.
er, ivy, don't you mean die-ary?Ã, ;D
anyways, since ivy hasn't replied to may pm, i will ask it here.
does the mags game "unfinished" have anything to do with spooks? because, when i finished unfinished, mortia came out of the blue and captured the little gold fish which was the main character of unfinished. what is the connection? has anybody else seen it? is the main character of unfinished spooks? was unfinished his exciting life before he got trapped in a little bag carried by a ghoul? i want answers!Ã, :P
Quote from: Mordalles on Mon 27/02/2006 23:02:48
what is the connection? has anybody else seen it? is the main character of unfinished spooks?
Well, given that
Unfinished was made by a completely different person, I just figured that was a little joke on the author's part. (Remember that while
Unfinished was, um, finished before
Spooks,
Spooks was
announced back in July while
Unfinished was being made, so bluber, the creator of
Unfinished, could certainly have known about its premise and the appearance of its main characters from its Games in Production thread (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=21903.0) in time to stick in that ending.) So, unless The Ivy says so, I certainly don't think we have to regard the events of
Unfinished as part of
Spooks canon. (As a matter of fact, they don't mesh with the events of
Spooks--in
Unfinished, Mortia snags the recently-created goldfish herself, whereas in
Spooks she'd never seen Spooks before prior to winning him from the carnival conman...) It's just a gag, with no deeper meaning.
Quote from: The Ivy on Mon 27/02/2006 07:10:28You're very right that some people have difficulty with different parts of the game, but maybe buloght has a point too.
Oh, I don't disagree with buloght's point--I wasn't saying that the fact that I had a hard time with a certain puzzle was a
bad thing. No, I certainly wouldn't want every puzzle in adventure games to be easy. Sorry if I was coming across as
complaining about the difficulty; that wasn't my intention at all!
Innnnnteresting, I never played "Unfinished," which would probably explain why I didn't get Bluber's joke earlier.Ã, Unfortunately now the download link doesn't seem to be working, so I can't see what all the buzz is about.Ã, Heh, I happen to think parody is the sincerest form of flattery, so hopefully I'll get a chance to check out his game someday. :)
And Alun, don't worry, I didn't think you were complaining.Ã, Glad to see you liked the game, tricky parts and all.Ã, Now, on to my next game... ;)
Quote from: The Ivy on Tue 28/02/2006 19:18:11Unfortunately now the download link doesn't seem to be working, so I can't see what all the buzz is about. Heh, I happen to think parody is the sincerest form of flattery, so hopefully I'll get a chance to check out his game someday. :)
It seems to still be available at http://aafiles.bicycle-for-slugs.org/mags/Unfinished.rar, if you're curious to see the ending for yourself...
and here i was thinking conspiracies. haha.
SPOOKS.....
at first I did not know what to do..
But after 10 minutes of playtime I could not stop this lovely game!!
And i needed the Hints and Tips Forum for this ;D
Really great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do more!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome game "The Ivy"Ã, 8)
The graphics were so clean feeling for a first time adventure game.
And .. just with MSPaint that's wonderfulÃ, :o
Well done scripting Vince Twelve.... I enjoyed your "Anna" game too.Ã, 8)
The first brain puzzle of "Spook" almost threw me for a loop.
Congrats
~Allustar~
Should we expect a sequel?Ã, :P
This game is quite amazing. Everything about it made me want to keep playing it, even though I was quite tired. Just a fantastic job for all involved!
I just finished Spooks! And, hey, that game was great. It had a lovely new idea, well scripted puzzles and dialogues. One of the best AGS games I've played in the last few months. Keep it up!
cheers
nihilyst
I thoroughly enjoyed Spooks, and will be sure to keep my eye out for any further games from you in the future My only gripe, I think, was a problem with my own machine. What format did you use for the music? It refused to play for me, so aside from the sound effects, I was forced to play the game in silence. (I believe this has happened to me with a few other AGS games, as well.)
If anyone knows a way I might be able to remedy this, I would be most appreciative.
~Lyaer (a.k.a. Mr. McMooo, for those who may have noticed my lurking back in the EZBoard days)
I think it has MIDI music. I first didn't hear much of it, because it's very silent, and I had to incease the volume on both my soundcard mixer as well as on my speakers to hear it. You could check, if you have activated the midi driver of your soundcard.
cheers
nihilyst
Hmm... Midis usually play fine for me. I tried cranking up the volume, but all that got me were a few deafening text messages. Just to be sure, though, how do I get at the midi driver?
I just started playing, and I -LOVE- the game so far!!
Edited because I'm an idiot.
2nd edit: I just realised I never commented again after finishing the game. It was excellent!! One of the best games I've played in ages! Extremely well polished, funny, good puzzles, the art style was great and the music was really nice. I loved that it didn't drag out and yet it was long enough for you get to know the character well enough to really appreciate that gorgeous ending.
I just played this game as well. From one Canadian girl to another, good job!
just finished playing the game.
Overall Enjoyment: 100%
well done!!
@Petra: Thanks!Ã, That's a lot of exclamation points.Ã, Guess I have to make something else, now. :-,
@Allustar: Glad you liked the graphics, they were fun to do.Ã, Drawing is so much easier when you're drawing things that don't really exist.Ã,Â
Sequel?Ã, Oy...my free time...we'll see what happens when the school year ends. :P
@lakerz: That's quite a compliment, thanks very much.Ã, I'll thank you on behalf of my team, too, since I'm sure they're lurking around here somewhere.
@nihilyst: Cheers, nihilyst!Ã, It's awesome that you finally got to see the ending.Ã, I'll see what I can do about "keeping up the good work."Ã, I still have some ideas kicking around.
@Lyaer: Sorry, I can't help you there.Ã, Vince took care of all the technical bits.Ã, Woo Vince!
@Kinoko: Hey, I'd been waiting to hear your response, and I'm happy it turned out positive.Ã, People have been using our games as an example of "look what girls can do!" lately, and I'm glad to be sharing that designation with you. :-,
Don't tell anyone, but that "gorgeous" ending you saw was something I came up with at about 3am during exam season last year.Ã, Funny how inspiration can sound like a little voice in your head saying, "Psst, you should find out what Mortia looks like in colour rather than studying for biology."Ã, I think I made the right choice. :)
@Inqui: Thanks, hoser. ;)
@Daniel Broooooooks!: Thanks man.Ã, I like your umlaut.
I too think this game is the epitome of "Friggin-sweet"ness. You did an awesome job on it, and it's one of the three AGS games the got transferred over when my computer crashed and had to be completely reinstalled a few weeks ago. :)
Hi,
This is my first time posting on the AGS message boards, although I've been downloading and playing the games for yonks now!
So I just wanted to say how much I was impressed by your game "Spooks", The Ivy. The graphics were delightful and full of character, and the selective use of colour - tied into the story - did indeed give it an edge! The dialogue was always witty and helped bring the characters to life. Most importantly, the story was original, involving and gripping, and unwound with a real flare for storytelling. It was a decent length - enough to intrigue and involve and yet leave me wanting more - with a good, solid puzzle structure and a very rewarding end sequence. As others have said, it's difficult to believe that this was a first attempt!
Alas, I haven't had the chance to listen to the music yet - I seem to be experiencing the same difficulty as Lyaer, which is weird because MIDI normally works perfectly fine on my machine - but I shall persevere.
I have two minor constructive comments. The first is in regards to puzzles - one or two of them were a little bit formulaic (of the "Give A to B in order to get C, which we give to D in order to get E" variety). It was also noticeable that some areas or characters only became unlocked when the game mechanics demanded it, which is a little cheeky ... thankfully, the story and characters were so involving that I didn't find it frustrating. Also, I should point out that this is the only game - professional or otherwise - that I've completed without a walkthru' for quite some time, and although I got temporarily stuck once or twice, it was nothing a little lateral thinking couldn't solve!
Secondly, there were one or two occasions where I found Mortia and an NPC going through a rather lengthy dialogue that they'd already had. It would have been a nice, professional touch to replace that dialogue with a shorter, catch-up summary dialogue, especially since your writing elsewhere was so enjoyable. A niggling point, perhaps, but I'm a huge advocator of judicious dialogue tree pruning because, if you're not careful, it tends to remind you that you're grappling with a logic program instead of talking to an actual character!
However, I must stress that these are two very minor points, and that "Spooks" was the most enjoyable adventure game - professional or otherwise - that I've played for quite some time! I very much look forward to your future games!
- Sheepisher
The game was excellent, it had an excellent atmosphere, almost like a Tim Burton film. It's one of the most creative and enjoyable AGS games I've played, I loved the graphics, characters and music.
I loved the ending although it did leave many unanswered questions about the character's past so hopefully a sequel will be made one day.
I just beat this game Ivy and I have to say I loved it! Did you really do the graphics all in MSpaint? I also thought the ending was awesome 'specially the bit after the credits. I really can't wait to see more of your work.
@Strange Visitor: That's exciting, I like to hope the game has some replay value.
@Sheepisher: Thank you! This game was definitely a first for me, and I'm glad you liked it so much. You're right about the puzzles being simple at times, but I was happy to hear you were able to beat it without a walkthrough. That was pretty much my goal, to make a game that you could solve just by thinking logically. Oh, and that it would be decently rewarding at the end. With obscene amounts of sarcasm.
I just got a gig as a staff writer for a humour paper, so hopefully the jokes will only get better as I get more practice. :-,
@skullkid22: Hopefully the other 21 skullkids are in agreeance with you, that'd be pretty sweet. I'm considering taking a poll to see if I should do a sequel to this game or something totally different. More on this as it develops.
@TerricMoonborn: Yep, MSpaint for everything. I'd occasionally have to take a few days off so my wrist could, um, de-paralyze. Luckily I have a Wacom tablet now, and I'm just waiting for school to finish so I have time to practice with it. Future games will hopefully look a lot more polished :-,
Yay!! I just finished and that was AMAZING! Thank you so much Ivy! You're fantastic! This game was so unique, with lovely graphics, perfect music, etc... I really do hope there will be a sequel. And I would totally buy a T-shirt! "It's a ghoul thing." lol Brilliant! :D
This was a really good game, and genuinely funny. The music and graphics were perfectly in key with one another and the use of colour was very effective. Sarcastic player characters can often be tiresome, but Mortia was really likeable. Spooks was also supercute.
Best of all the game didn't feel like a full-length game cut short (as some short games can). The story was short but satisfying.
If you were to make a sequel, the only suggestion I'd make would be to consider MrCollossal's diagrams in this (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=25995.0) thread. I think perhaps the player has too much access to the Carnage-val at the start of the game. It would be nice if there were a few rooms that would allow the player to get an understanding of the world. Then later, a wider area could be opened up.
It felt slightly odd in this game to have many rooms to explore right away, and then (without giving too much away) very few towards the end.
That's a minor point though, this is definitely one of my favourite short adventures.
Apparently the game site is down? Does anyone know where else I can d/l this game?
The old game site is still there at:
http://games.thexiis.com/
and you can download the game from there.
But while this thread is bumped, I might as well formally introduce the new xii games website:
http://www.xiigames.com
from there you can navigate to the new Spooks page (http://www.xiigames.com/spooks) and download the game.
Looks very nice, Vince; I totally dig the Flash-thingy in the upperright corner [/trying to sound cool]
Hmm my first post here. Before I have only read the threads. :)
It's a very nice game. The graphics is really nice and the dialogs are funny. Good work, hope to see a kind of "Episode Two". :)
/Edith says: Btw. will there be a german version too? I can read english, thats no problem, but in german it's a little bit more... easyer. :>
@DizzyDancer: Aww, I'm blushing.Ã, I'll remember you if I ever discover a hidden market for those shirts.
@Ali: Thanks for the compliments and constructive criticism.Ã, I had a look at those diagrams you mentioned, and I'll be sure to incorporate at least some aspects into my next game.Ã, Whenever I have a spare 8 months, anyway. :P
@Lexx: Danke schon!
Quote from: Lexx on Wed 17/05/2006 18:07:39
/Edith says: Btw. will there be a german version too? I can read english, thats no problem, but in german it's a little bit more... easyer. :>
Nah, I haven't made any plans for that.Ã, If I get any offers for a translation, however, I'd be willing to listen. :)Ã,Â
By the way, everyone check out Vince's new site, that man is a master of the flash. And I should know. He told me.
Really nice game, well done - I've enjoyed playing it - even if I haven't got very far! And hats off to Chris for his wonderful score to the game, it really does give it that Burtonesque feel :)
m0ds, you should really play it to the end, the ending sequence is so cool!Ã, ;)
Hey, the game is fantastic!
A totally new concept about life after death. Loved the crazy character with the big eye.
I couldn't stop laughing whenever the 2 policemen appear and would restore again and again to try different dialogue options.
Please make a sequel soon. I want to know what happens to daylily after she has finished taking her nap. :)
Zoomer, check the critic"s lounge ;)
This was a hauntingly great game! The characters were amazingly lively, (if that phrase can be used here). The whole atmosphere of the world just sucked me in. So... I just had to create some (http://www.iikku.org/images/demon.png) fan (http://www.iikku.org/images/mortia1.png) art (http://www.iikku.org/images/mortia2.png). Thanks to scourge for one those.
I'm somewhat constantly thinking of whatever happened to the other characters after Mortia left. I'm looking forward to your next game!
Awesome game!
I only wish I had the money to start a company, hire you, and release more games like this!
Ivy, keep up te good work.
Spooks II!!! BRING IT ON!!!!
Quote from: m0ds on Sat 29/07/2006 01:59:58
Spooks II!!! BRING IT ON!!!!
Oh, it's on. :-,
Very awesome game. Sorry If I shouldn't dredge up old posts, but I really wanted to let Ivy and the others involved that this game was appreciated :)
Really cool looking game but I am dumber than most it seems, how do you solve the merry-go-round riddle?
I spent like half an hour on it...
I'll PM you the solution, it had me for a bit too :)
Try this (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=25109.0) thread. All your questions are answered. If not, please call again :D
Just got back to the game and finished it, awesome game!
Very good job in making this Ivy.