Adventure Game Studio

Update: May 9th, 2014 - Now Available on Steam

(http://www.himalayastudios.com/images/Al_Emmo_40_release.jpg) (http://www.himalayastudios.com/alemmo.php)

Price: $9.99 USD

Update: July 9th, 2015:
Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine has finally been ported to iPad/iPhone and is now available in the App Store! The iOS version features a new verb-coin style interface with large icons for touch-screen devices, and is optimized for single finger taps. Text size has also been increased for easier readability on smaller screens.

Buy the iOS Version Here (https://itunes.apple.com/app/al-emmo-lost-dutchmans-mine/id1010498841)

Thanks to Janet Gilbert for her extensive work on making the AGS port compatible with iOS8 and to Tiny Red Studio for their assistance with porting the game and helping with its release.

Please note that Apple doesn't permit us to distribute free game copies to existing owners of the PC version. You would need to purchase it again if you wish to play the iOS version.


Update: May 9th, 2014:
Al Emmo is now available to buy on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/296850/). (Thanks to monkey_05_06 for helping out with the process!) The game is available for both Windows and Linux.


Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine version v4.1 has been released! The new version has several major improvements based on player feedback we've received over the years. If you've never played the game before, now is the perfect opportunity to give this enhanced edition a try!

SCREENSHOTS
(http://www.himalayastudios.com/images/Kickstarter/Mages/AlEmmo_40_screenshot2.jpg)

KEY FEATURES
* A new Al Emmo (protagonist) voice actor
* Improved 2D Cutscene movies
* Scoring system with 500 points
* Achievement system with 20 achievements
* Tooltip bar that shows mouse-over hotspots
* Much more! (See full list at bottom of post)

WHERE TO BUY THE GAME
(http://store.akamai.steamstatic.com/public/images/v5/globalheader_logo.png) (http://store.steampowered.com/app/296850/)
Himalaya Store - Unlockable trial version (http://www.himalayastudios.com/alemmo.php) (Free 60 Minute Trial)
Buy from Desura (http://www.desura.com/games/al-emmo-and-the-lost-dutchmans-mine)


UPGRADING TO v4.1
Upgrading to version 4.1 is free for customers who purchased the game directly from Himalaya Studios. If you purchased the Digital Download version, simply uninstall your old version, then re-install version 4.1. The same serial key number you were allocated will work.

CHANGES TO VERSION 4.1
A full list of additions, features, improvements, and bug fixes is below.
WARNING: GAME SPOILERS BELOW

Spoiler

- Added: Integration with Steam API
- Added: Steam Achievements, Trading Cards, and Badges
- Fixed: Removed the distortion from Al Emmo's speech lines
- Fixed: Audio bug which caused speech to lag behind in the cutscene movies
- Fixed: Fixed Emo Al achievement
- Fixed: Fixed SpeedRun achievement (now allows for 2 hours)
- Fixed: Fixed Hoarder achievement
- Fixed: Several minor spelling/grammar errors
- Fixed: Repositioned the hotspot dot on the map inventory item
- Changed: Pressing Esc at the very start of the game no longer skips Al's initial speech
- Changed: Small adjustments to some character speech lines
- Changed: Moved advanced features under a new "Advanced" button in the setup program
- Changed: "Force letterbox mode" setting to "Enable top & bottom borders" in the setup program

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CHANGES TO VERSION 4.0
A full list of additions, features, improvements, and bug fixes is below.
WARNING: GAME SPOILERS AHEAD

Spoiler

- Added: New voice actor for Al Emmo
- Added: New voice actor for Everette the Exterminator
- Added: Improved 2D, hand-animated cutscenes to replace older 3D versions
- Added: New Himalaya Studios logo animation
- Added: New scoring system with a total of 500 points
- Added: Achievements system with 20 achievements to unlock
- Added: Tooltip GUI which shows mouse-over hotspot names
- Added: The [ and ] keys will cycle backwards and forwards through inventory items
- Added: Back-end functionality for touch-screen devices
- Added: Some newly recorded speech for Rita
- Added: Animated light glints to several small, obtainable objects to make them more visible
- Added: Max Nearest Neighbour filter to the setup program
- Fixed: Music and audio stuttering bug
- Fixed: Pressing Enter on Quit & Restart GUIs now acts like clicking the "yes" button
- Fixed: Esc key will now cancel the map of Anozira
- Fixed: Esc will no longer skip the entire tequila sequence in the saloon
- Fixed: Al can now run inside Koko's store
- Fixed: Improved Al's mule dismounting animation at Rita's house
- Fixed: Improved Bubba's flag animation
- Fixed: Updated the PDF manual with the latest graphics and information
- Fixed: Koko's greeting to Al in Act 6 if Al already visited him since the raid
- Fixed: Made it so you must talk to Everette before you can give him the termites
- Fixed: More legible font is used in the journals
- Fixed: Moved the mine cart's starting position further right on the tracks
- Fixed: Bug where the same desert music could play twice in succession
- Fixed: Bug where the top left and right menus would not animate in the mine cliff screen
- Fixed: Bug where you could burn the gallows ropes with the matchbook more than once
- Fixed: several minor spelling/grammar errors
- Fixed: other small glitches and bugs
- Changed: Interface improvements (such as tweening GUIs)
- Changed: Made many items and objects easier to click on to reduce pixel-hunting
- Changed: Rita's speaking portrait
- Changed: Rita's song cutscene has been replaced with a new in-game scene
- Changed: Increased the odds of seeing the fishing Easter Eggs at the oasis
- Changed: Improved the visual appearance of Kevin's fire extinguisher spray
- Changed: Retouched several characters' dialog portraits
- Changed: The half-map rubbing inventory item now includes a piece of charcoal
- Changed: Al now looks at the half-map rubbing after acquiring it (close-up)
- Changed: Made it easier to walk off the screen edges when leaving a room
- Changed: Various dialogue and text tweaks
- Changed: Tweaked the way save/replace game GUIs are handled

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Hi guys. Congratulations on your release, I hope very little confusion happens. I respect the work you've done and hope you all the success you've done. I hope al emmo would be a success. I myself cannot support you guys since I have no money being a student.

The demo looked really awesome with some great stuff.

Quote
Himalaya Studios was disappointed by the disappearance of retro, classic style adventure gaming and anticipates a major revival in the genre with their first original release.  To support their mission, Himalaya Studios encourages adventure gamers throughout the world to unite and spread the word of the return of classic adventure gaming with Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine!

I'd just like to point out  :) that for me, retro classic adventure gaming was already revived (and made me make my own games) by Apprentice 1 + 2 and Cedric and the Revolution. I think your game will contribute to these games in helping bring adventure games back.

Once, again congratulations.

Hi! Erpy and all of the Himalaya team!

After playing the demo, which looked really good and with plenty of humour, and despite all the previous posts that I made that I don't like westerns I'm ready to order :D

Well done on the game and will post more when I actually play the game

(Of course kudos to you for releasing also the soundtrack! I'm a composer! YAY! for that! YAY! I'm ordering the bundle...)

I would like to play this but it's too expensive. Congratulations on getting it done though. :)

this looks really interesting! a manga game?

manga?????!?!?!?!

Not really...

Now the fact that there has been such a hostile enviroment against this game is too much for me! There have been various unregistered guys who post here against or semi-against this game is too much for me.

I don't know what to say.

I may be touchy.

I have nothing to do with Himalaya whatsoever but COME ON!

Manga?!?!?!?!?!????

You're kidding right!

From what I've played in the demo (sinec the game has not arrived 30 minutes after ordering it), I have to say that indeed it's a great game. If we want to find faults we will there is no doubt about it, but honestly there are no faults really. Humour? there! Graphics? there! Music? There! Story? There!

Stop this idiotic chase to a game and to a company.

Reason is this:

Mayb there is arrognace going around Himalaya studios, but who cares?
They spend money! A lot of money into making this game! And I know! I simply know!
They honour us by using AGS
They honour us by puting THEIR faith on an adventure game.
Andthey havd trust in them by puting money into the project! Which is more than 99% of AGS games have done! (kudos on The Zone as well)!
Why do we chase it?
Why do we hunt it?
For trying to be better an sincecere to the facts?
For trying to be to commercial standrads?

Final point:

Buy it, or don't buy it!

It's not Manga!

I'm getting tired... (And maybe I'm one sided also... who knows really...)

Pablo speaks the truth! :)

Nikkles...calm down.

I assume he thought it was manga because of the (mangaish) picture Erpy always puts at the bottom of his posts. Someone might mistake it for a screenshot. Just to be clear: It's not!

I haven't played the demo yet, but I will soooooonish, and then decide whether I want the full thing or not!

Oh boy. Some people just don't waste time.

Thinking that this was the highest-profile commercial AGS game so far, I went and, for an experiment, got on eMule and searched for "Al Emmo".

Can you believe I got 2 relevant hits? 2 "Al Emmo and Lost Dutchman's Mine crack.zip" files!

I didn't download them, accourse (although to be honest I don't think I'll be buying it, either, it's a bit steep for me), but heck, if this isn't food for thought, what is?

EDIT - Accourse, it probably is fake, since Al Emmo has to be BOUGHT, as opposed to REGISTERED. But still...

sorry if i offended anyone, i thought it was a screeshot.

sry

Oh, and by the way - there's nothing wrong with manga games, is there? Hentai games, now, I can understand that people look down on them, but manga? Why not?

...whoops. Totally off-topic. Sorry.

QuoteCan you believe I got 2 relevant hits? 2 "Al Emmo and Lost Dutchman's Mine crack.zip" files!

You know, those files have been on Peer to Peer filesharing networks for months.Ã,  Such files posing as Al Emmo cracks and keygens were on Emule even before we released the demo!Ã,  They are usually common viruses or worms in zipped form, which bare the same name of whatever file description you typed. And this fools more people into downloading it.

You can actually test this by typing any name into the search bar and pressing search with a program like Shareza. If you type something random like "AGS and the blue cup of death" and waited long enough, chances are you'd eventually see search results like "AGS and the blue cup of death(FULL VERSION!!!).zip" or "AGS and the blue cup of death--working crack.zip". The network somehow generates fake filenames based on your search criteria which are really viruses.

Incidentally, Al Emmo doesn't use any copy protection that would require the use of a crack or keygen. It'll work straight out of the box.

By the way, thanks for the positive comments, guys. Here's hoping the game's release will also gain some more attention for AGS and all the superb work done by Chris Jones!

Hem...

It would be nice for those who have ordered, to know when the game will come to them. I never got an e-mail saying when the game will arrive, although I got confirmation that I bought it and that I was charged for it. And I couldn't find any such information in the website as well (the shop)

I live in London.

Thanks :)

Congratulations and I wish you the best...

I liked the demo very much, the full game should be great.

Fatman was available on P2P.... its probably only a matter of time before al emmo is too.

QuoteIt would be nice for those who have ordered, to know when the game will come to them. I never got an e-mail saying when the game will arrive, although I got confirmation that I bought it and that I was charged for it. And I couldn't find any such information in the website as well (the shop)

Orders started shipping today. Since we had quite a large number of pre-orders, however, It may take several days for the fulfillment house to send them all out.

We're estimating that customers who pre-ordered will have their copies shipped by Friday.Ã,  The game will most likely begin arriving sometime next week for US customers. And at the end of next week/the beginning of the following week for International customers.

This game seems interested, and as I am a big fan of AGS games I will for sure buy this when I can afford it.

Sad that you dont have a paper manual with the game aswell though :P.


*browsing the Al Emmo website*

Congratulations on your release! However, as may be expected, I'm not buying it until it's certifiably worth the 30 dollars.

Hope that certification comes soon, as I'm not the only one who's careful about spending that much on a game that may or may not be worth it :)

Regardless, congrats!

Someone wrote a review on this?

I did play some of the demo now and it is a real nice game.
I think you will do fine selling it as it has great artwork and the music fits.
You have nothing to worry about with that other game.
It's just a little more then I can afford on my fix income.

Hey there.  Just played through a bit of the demo.  I like it in some bits, and in others... Not so much.

The backgrounds look great!  Animations, only saw a few, but they are nice.

Character models, though, just them walking around and sitting there, they look quite bland.  In the cutscenes and character portraits, they do look quite nice though.

The voiceacting.  Some are great, I especially like the Mayor, he sounds just right for that slow out-in-the-desert life.  Al Emmo and the Narrator though... The first thing I thought when I heard both was: 

"I'm going to have to listen to these guys for the rest of the game?"

I haven't seen too many of the jokes or puzzles, the first ones in the demo (so far) seem somewhat predictable, but other parts made me laugh.

I am glad to see some more 'commercial' type games coming out in the future for the Adventure Genre, so keep up the good work guys.

I probably won't be getting this game at $30 a pop, but I hope others do so that you can become more profitable and make more games!

Someone has a review of the finished game?

The only review I'm aware of so far, is here: 

http://www.quandaryland.com/jsp/dispArticle.jsp?index=774


JustAdventure also had a review of the game, but their link seems to be dead now.  ???

How long is the game, I mean how long will it take an average person to complete?

Difficult to say. Its length is about the same as your average Sierra game. (the later ones) It depends on whether you strictly adhere to the obvious path or if you try to click on everyone and everything in sight to see what responses you get. I'd say about 15 hours or so.

(http://www.agdiforums.com/forum/images/avatars/moodpics/Nashum.jpg)

There is also a guite impressive review in Adventurelantern:
http://www.adventurelantern.com/Reviews/AlEmmo/AlEmmo.htm

I have myself tried the demo just a littlebit, but can't say anything yet. I will try the demo today again and post my feelings after that.

Edit: I played the demo a bit more now. I like to say, that the game itself has been nicely done in all the technical way, but I just don't really like the game overally. I like Westerns, but not this kind of westerns and Al Emmo is annoying person if you ask me.

I really hope that this game is going to be success so it would show that AGS games can make commercial success.

Hey everyone. Some of you were asking about a "review" of this game.
Well, having been a part of the first "Beta Testing" team for this game, after I played through the game I have posted up some of my thoughts about the game over at the Himalaya Studious forum a while back. I thought I'd share my little "review" of this game over here at the AGS forums in case anyone was interested.

==================================================
Having now played “Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine” graphical adventure game, I am quite impressed with the overall quality and playability of this game. The game kept me “addicted” from beginning to end, and it left me wanting to see more “Al Emmo Adventure” games for the future. I think this game can soon become one of the “Adventure Gaming Classics” of adventure gaming fans everywhere.

From first watching the introduction movie, I could get a sense that an interesting, and humorous, story was about to unfold. The main character, Al Emmo, reminded me a bit of “Larry” from the well-known lead character from the (in)famous games of the “Leisure Suit Larry” series.Ã,  However we quickly find out that although Al may seems to be similar to Larry in some aspects, that in fact Al is a quirky, eccentric and memorable adventure-gaming “hero” in his own unique way.

Visually, the in game art is beautifully done, and brings me back to the “good ‘ol days” of when the background art was made with love and care which was painstakingly drawn “by hand”, as compared to many of today's 3D'ish-computer-generated-graphics. That being said, I see that this Al Emmo game also does make use of more “modern” computer graphic techniques in which some of the movies that the players are treated to appear as 3D-modeled computer-generated graphics, along with the characters in-game appear as 3D'ish as well. However, this is not a bad thing, in fact it an interesting way of seeming to combine “old style 2D hand-drawn art” with today's more modern “3D computer-generated art”. So, I guess in a way the game might be considered 2.5D (or two-and-a-half dimensional), which does seem to give this a somewhat unique look and feel to a point-‘n-click adventure game. Overall the graphics seems to blend well together and almost seem “alive” as Al explores his surroundings and interacts with various people and things.

The various character animations are fantastic, and I can tell that a lot of imagination, time and effort were put into making them. There are so many humorous animations that happen throughout this game when Al performs certain actions or interacts with certain things; Example: many a “jab” seems to be taken at traditional point-n-click adventure games in the sense of where the players wonders how the character can walk around with some big cumbersome items or where such items are carried on the character, it will often times show Al stuffing said big-cumbersome-items into his trousers or vest and with very funny resulting animations.
The animated close-up “speaking portrait pictures” of the characters when they talk also help to add depth and life to the characters.

The many “pop culture” references sprinkled throughout the game had me smiling and/or laughing many times, and are a nice surprise. I think one of my favorite events in this regards was when Al

Spoiler

tries to talk with the Lamp-Post near the Train Station and breaks into song and dance reminiscent of a famous scene from an old classic movie.

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The in-game “comic-strip” style “cut-scenes” that appeared a few times I feltÃ,  was a great way to relay the progressing storyline to the players, as well as having the feel of a “treat” or “sense-of-accomplishment” for the player for having completed an important stage of the game. The artwork for these “comic-strips” is beautifully drawn, and really captures the attention of the viewer.

The many in-game character voices is nothing short of amazing for this kind of game, and the so very many responses throughout the game of when Al explores his surroundings, interacts with other characters and things he finds, keeps the player wanting to try and “poke around with” just about everything and everyone Al finds.
Though I must admit, at first, Al's voice got on my nerves a bit, however, after a while his voice sort of “grew on me”, and once I became familiar with his character it seemed to match him quite well. The voices for the various characters in the game seem to match just about perfectly each character in the game, and as far as I'm concerned, the main character of the game is not just “Al” but also the “Narrator” as well. It's the often playful and very humorous bantering, and bickering, that occurs between “Al” and his alter-ego, the “Narrator”, that truly helps to give Al a deeper and more interesting personality, and also helps to keep the player rooting for “underdog Al” the whole way through the game

Spoiler

(though towards the end when the Narrator “leaves” Al, I certainly missed having the Narrator around, and was hoping, wishing, he would come back. The way that the Narrator makes his surprise return after that is really terrific and had me feeling like Al and the Narrator were “real” people that I wanted to know more about them).Ã, 

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Ã,  My hat is off to “John Bell” for doing such an awesome job on the Narrator's voice, as well as his many other character voices he's done throughout this game. He's truly a master voice-actor as far as I'm concerned.Ã,  Of course all of the voice-actors did wonderful jobs too, just perhaps I was most impressed with John Bell's voice, range of voices and characters he did, and the tone of humor and sarcasm that he seemed to easily and naturally inject into the lines he spoke. The voices in the game also help to bring more “life and personality” into each character as well.

The music, what can I say? WOW! Amazing job. It's probably one of the best sound-tracks I've heard for any adventure game (and I'm an “old fart” who's played a lot of adventure gamesÃ,  Ã, The music set the mood and the feel of each scene and area of the game perfectly and added such a “natural” flow to the pacing of the game and various scenes. Myself being an amateur harmonica-player, I can much appreciate the obvious skill and effort that went into creating the many varied musical scores within this game. As the game is set in a “Western” style setting, and myself being a fan of old “Western movies”, the music gave me a “sense and feel” of being in a real “Western” setting. Depending on what was going on at the time in the game, sometimes the music would change accordingly, example;

Spoiler

Al is about to meet Rita for his first date with her, we have a soft melody playing which sets the mood nicely.Ã,  And later, when Al is in certain dangerous situations, the tempo and upbeat music that plays adds a sense of urgency and excitement.Ã, 

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I'd say that the music was like a “main supporting character” in this game as well (almost like the Narrator in that sense), and also help to give this game a much more satisfying gaming experience.

The story, characters and puzzels were well thought out, the artwork and various graphics were a treat for the eyes, the voice acting was first rate, the music was wonderful, the humor throughout the game kept me smiling and laughing many times. Overall, this was one of the most enjoyable gaming-experiences that I've had in playing a computer game, and I look forwards to seeing more future games likes this from Himalaya Studios. I hope that this game will help to show gamers out there that the Adventure Gaming genre is still alive and perhaps help to spark off a whole new generation of “Point n' Click Adventure Games”.Ã,  Ã, 

I feel honored and happy to have been a part of “the team” for this game. I hope I was of some good help. I gladly offer my services for any future projects you may work on.Ã,  Ã, 

Good luck and best wishes,
--- Don “Barbarian” McPherson.

A review by Rob Michaud
http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,683

$30? DO THESE PEOPLE THINK I'M MADE OF MONEY?!!Ã,  >:(

On a more serious note, I like to congratulate Himalaya Studio on their third adventure game release. Congratulations guys and keep up the good work! 30 american dollars is pretty expensive and I can think of a lot funner games to play with that money. I'll just have to wait until it becomes free.

$30 is alot!

though I did buy it, I even bought the collectors edition as I really liked the music so I wanted the soundtrack cd.


but its still not that bad.
I pay $60 for a new game here in Norway. (can sometimes be more to).


I still have to play it though, it wont work on my computer here cause I dont have enough space for 1GB, and on the other computer I got no AGS games work:@. so I will just have to wait...

Hmm... When is Quest for Glory II VGA coming out?

Whens it's done. :)

Quote from: Drowps on Wed 20/09/2006 23:43:29
Hmm... When is Quest for Glory II VGA coming out?

Thanks for being so... specific... :P

I'm really interested to this talk about the price. That's why I keep replying to these threads. The reason? I plan on making money out of games, and plan on selling my music to game developers, and sountracks as well. And I'm wondering this:

I don't have the cutting edge studio, or the amazingly done machinery and equipment, yet I do think that my sounds ok, and professionally done. So: Should I ask 10-15$ (don't know the average price) for my soundtracks? Or not? Where is the line? That I didn't have philharmonia in my doorstep for two months to record the CD? Why? BUT: Am I capable of judging for myself if the music is professional enough? Well actually the people Iwork with, say that it is, and never have complainted, so... it does mean something to me.

On to games then:

I make a game, which garentees good laughs (ok), around 15 hours of gameplay, as they say, and an actuall DVDS, with a CD for the soundtrack for those who need it. What is it that makes this game less qualified, than Half life II? The graphics? Didn't they spent enough time to the grahpics! Heck 100 BGs (or however many), 3-d animation movies...! What else! Isn't the story interesting the least? I found it rather well made (the least again). Isn't the music great? Yes it is! And go buy the soundtracks as well! Support the composers (couple btw). Why not?

Of course the price does depend on where you live, but honestly knowing, that games cost around that price I don't really see a reason why 29.99$ is a high price. I personally found 5$ for Shivah WAY TOO LOW! Simple!

Maybe it has to do with people who have never worked as freelancers, or stake their heads on what they do. I value my time, and my hour! And that's whay Im so touchy to things like that! I cannot consider that a TESCO worker gets 10$ (more or less) and I, with all my experience and the money spent to my studio, getting less... because the game should be less...

Anyway rant over...

Sorry for the high-jacking of the thread.

I don't think that the price is excesive, I just think that Quest for Glory II VGA will be better.

Quote from: Nikolas on Thu 21/09/2006 22:05:22
I'm really interested to this talk about the price. That's why I keep replying to these threads. The reason? I plan on making money out of games, and plan on selling my music to game developers, and sountracks as well. And I'm wondering this:

I
I make a game, which garentees good laughs (ok), around 15 hours of gameplay, as they say, and an actuall DVDS, with a CD for the soundtrack for those who need it. What is it that makes this game less qualified, than Half life II? The graphics? Didn't they spent enough time to the grahpics! Heck 100 BGs (or however many), 3-d animation movies...! What else! Isn't the story interesting the least? I found it rather well made (the least again). Isn't the music great? Yes it is! And go buy the soundtracks as well! Support the composers (couple btw). Why not?

Of course the price does depend on where you live, but honestly knowing, that games cost around that price I don't really see a reason why 29.99$ is a high price. I personally found 5$ for Shivah WAY TOO LOW! Simple!

Hi,
     I think all your statements have their logic, honestly. Nonetheless, I am still hesitant about paying u$s 30 for this game (and I live in the United States with a reasonable income). Why? I really don't know, maybe because I have other games in my play-list, maybe because there are so many good freeware games that I can still play for free (White Chamber, KQIII, Apprentice, etc), maybe because I prefer brick-and-mortar shops rather than online ones. But the thing is that I would have already bought the game if it costed  you$s 20. Maybe it's a "consumer's mental barrier" ut it certainly makes a difference for me.
On the other hand, I would really like to support these guys and I would like to give them something back for KQIVGA and KQII, which I played both thanks to them. So, maybe in the end I am gonna buy the game, but I would still consider the price a litlle steep.

Well, these were my two cents to the discussion.

QuoteWhy? I really don't know, maybe because I have other games in my play-list, maybe because there are so many good freeware games that I can still play for free (White Chamber, KQIII, Apprentice, etc), maybe because I prefer brick-and-mortar shops rather than online ones. But the thing is that I would have already bought the game if it costed  you$s 20. Maybe it's a "consumer's mental barrier" ut it certainly makes a difference for me.

I'm curious, do you honestly think like this when the new Half Life or Broken Sword is out to buy--that there are plenty of free games out and the commercial ones are too expensive anyway?  If your honest answer is no then you are doing these people (and any other independent developer who wants to make a living at making games) an injustice.  If it's your opinion that the game doesn't look 'worth' $30 dollars then that's something I can understand, but your current explanation is somewhat confusing.

Quote from: ProgZmax on Fri 22/09/2006 00:48:11
I'm curious, do you honestly think like this when the new Half Life or Broken Sword is out to buy--that there are plenty of free games out and the commercial ones are too expensive anyway?Ã,  If your honest answer is no then you are doing these people (and any other independent developer who wants to make a living at making games) an injustice.Ã,  If it's your opinion that the game doesn't look 'worth' $30 dollars then that's something I can understand, but your current explanation is somewhat confusing.

Why do you have to? Half-Life II is made at the quality of todays standards, not 12 years ago.

You might want to amend that statement to reflect your standards regarding eyecandy.  I don't happen to be dazzled by 3D and bloom/HDR but by a well-constructed, well put together game, something that will never be outdated (I hope).  I think that includes many other ags forum members as well.

Quote from: ProgZmax on Fri 22/09/2006 02:22:45
You might want to amend that statement to reflect your standards regarding eyecandy.Ã,  I don't happen to be dazzled by 3D and bloom/HDR but by a well-constructed, well put together game, something that will never be outdated (I hope).Ã,  I think that includes many other ags forum members as well.

I have yet to find anything about half-life II that isn't well constructed. Also, you can't say that a game is bad because the graphics are good. I also seriously doubt you would say anything good about Al Elmo if the graphics were ASCII characters.

at skyfire1:
The story would still be great, and the music would still be great.

at Nikolas:
Do you mean to charge 10-15$ for EACH song?

anyway, I agree about what you say, and must add I also bought the soundtrack CD as the music is great in Al Emmo.

I wouldent minded paying 10-15$ for each song really.
I mean I have heard your music and it is really well done and good.
Offcourse for me it could end up on alot of money in the end if I was to hire you:P but if I did I wouldbe sure to get good music for my game!

Peder,

Sorry, I'm not talkimg about each song, and not talking about hiring me.

I was talking about me, releasing a CD with the soundtrack for a game, which I would charge aroudn 10-15$ (as far as I know). The same way someone does a game and release it and charges 29.99$.

Thanks for your nice words :)

oh ok:P thought that was what you was on about :P.

Then 10-15$ is not really that much money.
I pay maybe around $28 for a music CD in the shops here in Norway.
so thats far from exspensive.

congrats on finishing the project,  i can't support your efforts (no job, live in a 3rd world country  :'() but heres wishing you the best with the sales.  ;)

(http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4051/mynashmeannm4.png)  ;D

Quote from: ProgZmax on Fri 22/09/2006 00:48:11

QuoteWhy? I really don't know, maybe because I have other games in my play-list, maybe because there are so many good freeware games that I can still play for free (White Chamber, KQIII, Apprentice, etc), maybe because I prefer brick-and-mortar shops rather than online ones. But the thing is that I would have already bought the game if it costed  you$s 20. Maybe it's a "consumer's mental barrier" ut it certainly makes a difference for me.

I'm curious, do you honestly think like this when the new Half Life or Broken Sword is out to buy--that there are plenty of free games out and the commercial ones are too expensive anyway?  If your honest answer is no then you are doing these people (and any other independent developer who wants to make a living at making games) an injustice.  If it's your opinion that the game doesn't look 'worth' $30 dollars then that's something I can understand, but your current explanation is somewhat confusing.

Sure, In fact I am not even considering buying the new Broken sword game or the Half-Life episodes. I mean, I am not interested in those games since the type of games I prefer the most are point and click with tons and descriptions and huge inventories (much like Discworld). So, Al Emmo should fit perfectly on my taste. The thing is that with the wide variety of quality-freeware games available, I am not willing to pay more than 20 bucks for any commercial title, unless it's something that really gets into me (Let's say, the upcoming "A vampire Story" or Jensen's "Gray Matter").

I can understand your reasoning, but this way you're basically accusing (an ugly word but still), freware games for not buying a commercial one. :o That is indeed something that I would consider, but find that by actually buying a game once a year (because lte's face it how many commercial games, were out this year? 3?), you actually also support the freeware game and the whole of the community.

Damn you AGS community for making good freeware titles! Damn you ;D

I don't agree with nikolas. How is supporting the commercial games like al emmo helping or supporting other independent/freeware game makers. I also would rather spend my money on something like Vampyre Story. Al Emmo isn't up to standard with the price and cannot be compared to something like half-life. There are too many freeware adventures around that are more fun and less forced in humour. Better/Equal and more consistent graphics. Al Emmo is a great game for an amateur game. Badly drawn backgrounds and voice acting (among other things) throws it way off course from anything of the classic gaming as well (since one won't pay 30 bucks for them neither these days). The classic games had very good professional graphics and were outstanding and pro in all aspects. Al Emmo just not good enough in my opinion for what you are asking. And the 3D is aweful in it. I'd rather support Dave Gilbert or Yahtzee or other donate games (if I wasn't a poor student)

But still Al emmo is a good game, and this is just my opinion.

QuoteI have yet to find anything about half-life II that isn't well constructed. Also, you can't say that a game is bad because the graphics are good. I also seriously doubt you would say anything good about Al Elmo if the graphics were ASCII characters.

I found many things tedious and just plain unfun about HL 2, but this is a discussion about Al Emmo and why some people don't think it is worth the price.  Apparently you don't play Roguelikes, but games with ASCII graphics are still intensely popular for their gameplay!

Al Emmo is a fantastic game in its own genre. In my reckoning the 2d backgrounds are drawn fantastically, while the writing(especially the narrating) is absolutely aweinspiring. However, it is your classical, golden-age style stylized adventure game, not a shoot-em-up mindless game of action rather than wit as popular nowadays.

Well if you consider that some people may be making a living out of commercial games, or if not, maybe that they put a lot of money in. making a game is not a 1 person job, although some poeple here do it supperbly. Sometimes it takes a large team, and this team has to make a living. If a composer, for example gets paid 10,000$ (a low price actually for 2 hour soundtrack), and the same goes for graphic sdesingers, animateurs etc... the budget goes up to 50-60,000$ (the numbers are just examples). How do you expect a team like that to survive?

I find the excuse that are freeware games out there, a poor one, that's why my whole argument.

Of course, if you consider that Himalaya are behind KQ1 and 2, then you might see how supporting them supprots freeware games as well as the community. Same with Dave. He's done soooo many things for the comunity, as well as many games. And now that he decided to go that extra step, he's almost accused of it (OT sorry everybody).

The main thing is this:

Al Emmo maybe good or bad, but since it is commercial, all the way, with a pack and soundtrack and all that, the price is their point. Al Emmo may become the worst game in history for all I care, still since it is commercial that is the price that commercial games have. Simple! Asking for a lower price would mean many things, including the comment : " I know the game is not much worth it, so take it cheaply". How does this sound? Nice? Don't think so...

I buy games on the quality, not feeling sorry for those making it. I struggle as much as the next, but if you gonna make a commercial game it should look and feel commercial. It doesn't. There are most polished freeware games I can play, and so I will. I won't post here again, just gave my opinion, as the game is overpriced, doesn't matter who made it. It's got bad 3D graphics/animation of ten years ago, the 2D graphics have flaws (though it is better than a lot of freeware graphics, but some freeware are equal/better and it is definitely less than I would expect from something commercial).

Quote from: calacver on Fri 22/09/2006 17:41:03
I won't post here again, just gave my opinion, as the game is overpriced, doesn't matter who made it.

Good for you. I did the same thing (gave my opinion) :)

For me, games have 1 price, CDs have 1 price. A CD sold half price, means that it's out of fashion, or faulty or something, and thier trying ot sell it. Simple. A game just came out, shouldn't be like that.

anyway your opinion about the qualtiy, and mine as well. :)

BTW. Who said enything about buying of feeling sorry? I'm just explaining how the whole commercial venue, may work! It tkaes money to make something so big, and they need to pay the bills. Giving the game away for free, or telling everybody that the game sucks, won't help them!

I don't think that the game sucks! I strugle as the next as well. I bought it, and I'm enjoying playing it, more than a lot of games. But of course I have also enjoyed other games, commercial and freeware as well :)

somehow it seems that for you the game does not reach your top 10 and for that it shouldn't be commercial. At least this is what I get, with the arguments, there are better games/grahpics/sound/whatever. So? Of course there are. No one here came and said, this game has the best graphics ever! Or the best anything, but for the size, and effort it is comercial.

I won't post anymore either. Let's take it to PM if you want ;)

(But of course had to saythe last word :P ... ;D ;D ;D)

Quote from: Nikolas on Fri 22/09/2006 18:24:46

Quote from: calacver on Fri 22/09/2006 17:41:03
I won't post here again, just gave my opinion, as the game is overpriced, doesn't matter who made it.

Good for you. I did the same thing (gave my opinion) :)

For me, games have 1 price, CDs have 1 price. A CD sold half price, means that it's out of fashion, or faulty or something, and thier trying ot sell it. Simple. A game just came out, shouldn't be like that.

anyway your opinion about the qualtiy, and mine as well. :)

BTW. Who said enything about buying of feeling sorry? I'm just explaining how the whole commercial venue, may work! It tkaes money to make something so big, and they need to pay the bills. Giving the game away for free, or telling everybody that the game sucks, won't help them!

I don't think that the game sucks! I strugle as the next as well. I bought it, and I'm enjoying playing it, more than a lot of games. But of course I have also enjoyed other games, commercial and freeware as well :)

somehow it seems that for you the game does not reach your top 10 and for that it shouldn't be commercial. At least this is what I get, with the arguments, there are better games/grahpics/sound/whatever. So? Of course there are. No one here came and said, this game has the best graphics ever! Or the best anything, but for the size, and effort it is comercial.

I won't post anymore either. Let's take it to PM if you want ;)

(But of course had to saythe last word :P ... ;D ;D ;D)

You are assuming things. A game doesn't have to be in my top 10 to pass for commercial, it must simply feel and play and look professional. Professional is well-done consistent graphics, it doesn't even have to be standards of today, but if it wasn't (as al emmo isn't) it shouldn't be priced like commercial games of today. End of story.

Most people here would love to make adventure games for a living, a lot most likely have that dream here. But most are realistic. Bringing a group of amateurs together (apart from the musicians since I don't know music that well, and from what I can tell the composers are really more than professional) doesn't make the game pro. You get skilled artists that can be professional. I don't think the 3D was even close to professional, it more resembles 3D of years past and that alone doesn't in my mind give this game standard price of today. You can't go make an amateur graphically outdated game and expect to charge it similar to biggest games on he market. Games don't have one price. The graphics in this game is amateur, it's insulting to what classic games were. The 3D animation was aweful, outdated, the character rigging was aweful. It looked like someone still learning the basics in 3D, that's not how you make a commercial game. According to this game most of the freeware games in production here and of recent times can go for 30 bucks (should they be made longer)

I just gave my opinion, it's no need to try and force me to change it. Let it go. I won't post in your thread anymore nikolas  ;) (nor your forums)

Ok, so I actually got a friend who bought it. So I borrowed it from him, like I do with some commercial games. Meaning, I've played it without buying it.

Bottom line - I'm glad I didn't pay for it. Here's my take on the game:

First off, the bottom line may make people think I didn't like the game. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was exceedingly enjoyable up to Act 9, and even though I do have a couple of gripes with that act it remained enjoyable throughout. This has been a true work of love, and it shows. The detail is amazing. The voice acting could be better, but it's already better than many commercial games out there. The game is fun, fun, fun to play.

Why wouldn't I pay for it? Overpriced, IMHO. For one thing, the game's length is against it - I mean, the game is quite big, but gameplay is actually quite short. Dunno, maybe I'm just too good an adventure player. Though the game did seem to hint a lot. I don't mind that, since I play mostly for the story.

Ah yeah, the story. Well, that's the main reason I'm glad I didn't pay for it. It was fun. It was cute. But it's definitely not what I'm looking for when I play an adventure game, and this is coming from the guy who bought Larry 7. I dunno, something about it just didn't strike the right chord. I have to say I think it's a wonderful mix of Larry and Freddy Pharkas, plus its very own style... but somehow, it didn't do it for me.

Something that should be noted is that this game shows that 3D characters in non-3D adventure games are really superfluous. The models' quality should have been higher, but they look just as good as they would if they were actually 3D characters. In fact, I think this way even made them look somewhat smoother.

Ok, basically - overpriced, guys. Great game, but overpriced, especially since it promises exactly what it delivers - a fun little romp through the west in a "get-the-girl" game. And I certainly wouldn't pay all this money for a fun little romp.

Quote from: ProgZmax on Fri 22/09/2006 16:12:22
I found many things tedious and just plain unfun about HL 2, but this is a discussion about Al Emmo and why some people don't think it is worth the price.Ã,  Apparently you don't play Roguelikes, but games with ASCII graphics are still intensely popular for their gameplay!

You didn't answer my question correctly, I said no one would play Al Elmo if it was in ASCII characters. I did not say no one plays any video games with ASCII questions. You may say that HL 2 is bad because it doesn't have too much dialogue but they say a picture's worth a thousand words. Correct me if I'm wrong but I bet you don't like new games because you're no good at them.

I would agree with Rui. It's been discussed over and over, that 30 USD seems quite steep for a first game by a "company formerly known as amateur game makers" (not an insult, but it is fairly true, no?). The problem with this price is that if you pay 30 USD for it, you're going to expect the same enjoyment as you got from other 30 USD games you purchased. It so happens I've got a stack of those lying right here, and most of them are classics in their own right. Sure, they probably came out and cost 50 USD, or even 60 for the somewhat more recent games in the stack, but I happen to be of the opinion that 50 USD for a game is ridiculous.

The best games I've ever played were in 320x200 or 320x240. Resolution = nothing. Not to the adventure gamer. Not to the adventure gamer who longs for more games like in the golden days.

If you were trying to attract new gamers as well, rather than the established base of point and click oldskoolers, choosing a mix of Larry + Freddy Pharkas may not have been the best choice.

Besides, I hated Freddy Pharkas and felt Larry was so-so. I'm a LucasArts adventures fanboi :p

Bottom-line: 20 USD would've been a better price. Mostly because it would pull a lot of doubters over that threshold of purchasing a game made by a studio which has (afaik) only made remakes up to now, which (while labor intensive) rather easy compared to an original game, and definitely not subjected to your own creativity. Remakes don't show the personality anyone but the original creators.

It's not a very good way of building a reputation of making good games. It's a good way of building a reputation of making good remakes of games. I think that may have something to do with why some people are hesitant (whether they realize it or not), as it seems that it's my main reason for being careful about it. And I didn't realize that until I'd already decided I wasn't going to buy the game for 30.

YEAH, $30 is alot sure.

But how much do you think they put into the game?
How much money do you think they used on it?

And would really more people buy it if it was $20?


The disccusion with HL2 etc I dont like!
THIS IS NOT HL2!!
This is an Adventure Point And Click game!!
Comparing this with HL2 is wrong to me!!

If you dont like the demo, then just dont buy it.
If you like the demo, then BUY IT!

If you like it! its worth the money!


Yeah, I agree about the 3D,
I did not like this!
but saying the backgrounds are CRAP etc. is just wrong!!
comparing it to HL2 is wrong!!

I feel this is just a stupid discussion and I think we should not use this thread to discuss why people dont want to buy it.

this thread is to discuss the game itself.



so:

About the Game.
I still only have been able to play the demo as I dont have enough space for the game on this machine and the other machine here dont play AGS games (gonna have to fix this!!)

When I started the game and saw the 3D I thought, "arf. I not gonna like this." (though I dont think 3D belongs to the adventure games genre)
And for all I know I might end up liking the 3D in the end and feel that it fits :).

Then I heard Al Emmos voice, and I thought again I wasent gonna like this.
But after watching the intro scene a while I got more and more used to his voice and now I actually thinks its good!.

When I finally was done watching the 3D cutscene I could start playing.
Though the game was going a bit slow (this is offcourse all my computers fault) I really liked it when I started playing.

I think the Backgrounds are lovely and all the special effects on them are looking great!

I cant wait to get the full version playing on the other computer and I must say I must have listened to the soundtrack cd at least 10 times till now!!!!


I wish you good luck in selling the game and looking forward to another adventure from you :).

Peder.

So $30 is about £16, according to a currency converter.

Guess how much I can buy the new Broken Sword at on Amazon? £18. And I can have it without paying for P&P if I don't mind waiting a few days longer.

So I'd have to agree that the price is too much.

But, I'll still go and play the demo soon!

QuoteIf you like it! its worth the money!

I liked it, I really did. I played it through, addictively. But in my mind, it's still not worth $30. Just wanted to make this clear - I really liked the game, and it deserves to be a commercial title for many reasons. Just at a lower price. $20 does seem more reasonable.

Game is nice but I need to buy a new computer as mine died so I can't buy it.

QuoteCorrect me if I'm wrong but I bet you don't like new games because you're no good at them.

Correct me if I'm wrong but what the Sam Hill does that have to do with anything?  The more you post, the less sense you make and the more you devolve into childish insults, so I suggest you keep them to yourself as this is not the place for it; in fact, this forum is not the place for it.  If you want to consider this game beneath you then do so by all means, but at least have some kind of rationale that makes sense, not a bunch of poppycock about it being dated just because it uses 2D backgrounds and such. 

QuoteYou didn't answer my question correctly, I said no one would play Al Elmo if it was in ASCII characters. I did not say no one plays any video games with ASCII questions.

Didn't I, though?  You wrote:

QuoteI also seriously doubt you would say anything good about Al Elmo if the graphics were ASCII characters.

And my response is that many people (myself included) are far more concerned with the direction and story than they are with shiny things.  This is why I said Roguelikes (ASCII rpgs) are intensely popular to this day.  Not that your comparison makes sense, but if Al Emmo was designed as an ASCII game and had interesting/fun gameplay elements I would have many good things to say about it!
If you'd like to continue this discussion further, by all means pm me as I'm interested to read more of your reasoning, but this really isn't the place for it.

Also, it's Al Emmo not Al Elmo.  Elmo lives on Sesame Street, not in Anozira. :)

Wow, lots of stuff here. :o Okay, first off, the reason for the $30 price tag is because that's the lowest price we could realistically offerÃ, a tangible version for (i.e. CD, case, packaged extras etc.) while still making some kind of profit. The fulfilment house takes a percentage of every sale, as does the online merchant facility (in this case, PayPal). Additionally, this was one of those titles in which we encountered 'development hell' and the game was in development much longer than we ever intended.

Trust me, we're well aware of some of the obvious shortcomings (mostly with the 3D side of things) and this was due to a few unreliable contractors we hired who charged way too much for the shoddy work they turned in. I ended up having to take a crash course in 3D Studio Max to finish up what should have been completed adequately by them. As a result, we went overtime and over budget, which is regrettable. At the same time development of this game was going on 3.5 years and we needed to finish it by a deadline. Even so, I think the 3D cutscenes in Al Emmo are more detailed than those of Sierra's most recent adventure game, Gabriel Knight 3. So that's got to count for something.

There are quite a few things that we'll be including in a post-mortem about how to do certain things more efficiently on any future game projects that we develop.Ã,  However, I think these little issues are very minor in light of what the full game has to offer. At the end of the day, we simply don't have the funding of a multi-million dollar company and we did the best we could within our limited budget to make the game as polished as we possibly could.Ã, 

I also think it's an inaccurate statement to insinuate that, because there are some minor errors/issues in perspective or whatnot, a game cannot be held to a professional standard. Companies have been getting away with this for decades. Look at Sierra's games of the 90's. Most of them were riddled with fatal bugs. Many Sierra games also had noticeable perspective errors in their backgrounds and scenes were often left unpolished with gaping holes in the coding. Some events not even handled at all.

Yet, these Sierra games were considered professional because they were released by a multi-million dollar company and designed by pre-established designers. Do riches and reputation honestly trump fatal crashes when it comes to professionalism in the eyes of consumers? I certainly hope not!Ã,  Furthermore, point out ANY game (Keepsake, CMI, GTA:San Andreas... even HL2) and I could mention any number of similar issues or errors in artwork/perspective/animation. These are games and such issues are a given, regardless of budget; whether it be bugs, graphics, animations, voices -- every game has some minor quirks.

I think you'll find Al Emmo to be far more stable than any Sierra release. And any minor perspective errors in Al Emmo's backgrounds are no more noticeable than those in classic Sierra games.Ã,  Nobody starts off as a professional in any field. The only way to get there is through hard work and practice. Every professional was once a rookie too. At some point, if you do want to attempt a commercial endeavour, you need to just try it, take the feedback in stride, and try to use any criticisms as a basis to improve your work. People aren't born professionals, they only get there through practice, learning from mistakes, and a lot of experience.

Earlier in this thread, I noticed the discussion about how money paid to us for Al Emmo would/would not help other indie game developers and the community in general.Ã,  If it counts for anything, a percentage of each copy of Al Emmo sold is being donated to Chris Jones.Ã,  There's also a vast amount of talent in this community and some people have done amazing things with the AGS engine and pushed it beyond its normal limits. If we ever made enough money from Himalaya Studios to sustain this as a viable business, I'd love to be able pay/donate/employ people in the AGS community for custom work or the use of their modules/plug-ins etc.

The adventure gaming community, as I see it, is a self-sustaining one, but the genre does need support and encouragment to be able to survive in the commercial arena. If even adventure gamers themselves start becoming overly cynical at any commercial attempt because it costs too much or because it doesn't have the same polish as a multi-million dollar title, then yes, they will porobably buy games like HL2, and this will assist the FPS genre to flourish. There's nothing wrong with that, I bought HL2 myself.  But most adventure development companies are not as large as Vivendi/Valve and you can't expect those kind of results from something like an AGS adventure game! It all comes down to supporting the genre so that it will be able to offer you bigger and better things in the future.  There will be little hope for the genre's commercial survival if we all expected HL2 quality adventure games, but were not willing to support potential developers so that they could reach that level of expertise to make such an adventure game.

I haven't played the demo of the Shivah yet, but I will gladly buy it for the very reasons I just mentioned. I'll support the adventure gaming community by (re)making free games, by making commercial games, and supporting other commercial indie games. Because that's what I'm passionate about. I want to see this genre rise again and I'll put my money where my mouth is to prove it.

Bottom line: We're not charging $30 because we're greedy. We're charging that much because we need to break-even and make some profit from three years of non-stop work. We had to weigh many factors into the final decision on price and such a decision wasn't reached quickly or easily. Every imaginable aspect was considered thoroughly.

Finally, there will actually be a downloadable version of Al Emmo available soon for around $20 USD. By offering it as a download, we're able make it cheaper price since there's no packaging or media to deal with.

Since AGD2 has explained why the game costs $30, I have no need to discuss about this any further.

Ok, I finished Al Emmo a few days ago, and here is my review:

Pros:
-The game was sooo funny ;D A lot of situations the poor Al Emmo has to resolve are hilarious, expecially:

Spoiler

-the guy declaring a war against termites (weapons of mass destruction!!) ;D
-Al Emmo dressed as a prostitute, and his first work is...BWAHAHA *dies laughing* I didn't know if I would laugh or get sick ;D ;D

[close]

-Even doing the wrong thing is funny: if you show any of your object to any of the characters, said character will have some hilarious thing to say. When I got stuck at certain point in the game I would pass the time that way ;D. Even looking/interacting with things that really don't seem clickable would result in something funny happening
-The puzzles were hard sometimes, but never completely random...in certain points I felt very proud when resolving them 8) (but maybe you guys prefer extra-hard puzzles? Everyone has their own tastes)
-Chapter nine has a really original type of game play. I won't spoil you anything, just trust me on this one.
-Me+ the Narrator= love. Will he return for the next game? :=

Cons:
-As someone else has pointed out, ther are some problems with graphics. Each character has FOUR different representation: 1)Portrait 2)In-Game 3)2D cutscenes 4)3D cutscenes. The representation of Al Emmo is pretty consistent, but other chars look different in each representation (ex. the mayor: his portrait is completely different from any of his other representation! Or Rita, which seems always different)

Quote from: AGD2 on Sat 23/09/2006 20:01:18

Finally, there will actually be a downloadable version of Al Emmo available soon for around $20 USD. By offering it as a download, we're able make it cheaper price since there's no packaging or media to deal with.

That's interesting. Count me on that one, for sure. Any idea when will it be available?

Quote from: AGD2 on Sat 23/09/2006 20:01:18
Furthermore, point out ANY game (Keepsake, CMI, GTA:San Andreas... even HL2) and I could mention any number of similar issues or errors in

i'm pointing out CMI's art, animation, voices, perspective, consistency, dialogue writing, etc.  ;D

(http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4051/mynashmeannm4.png)

$20.00 is a good price for downloading . I would buy it then.

QuoteFinally, there will actually be a downloadable version of Al Emmo available soon for around $20 USD. By offering it as a download, we're able make it cheaper price since there's no packaging or media to deal with.

If you'd said that sooner none of us would have complained as much as we did :) I can understand it's expensive to produce a game in a physical form, but that's why the digital medium is there. I'm glad to see you're embracing that, and giving us the game for a reasonable price (because honestly, I'd rather download the game and play as soon as my connection allows me to than wait for a long while to get a cd/dvd which I'll either lose or which will get scratches on it or just plain break ;))

Kudos to you, my qualms with the game are resolved, and I shall purchase it.

Also, by the way, kudos for your well-written response, which adressed many of the issues raised in this thread. I noticed from your writing that you do understand the skepticism, and then I noticed there were good reasons for what was causing said skepticism. Good job :)

Yes, the graphics were very inconsistent, the most disastrous graphical fault of the game is, I think, the 3d/ingame representation of Rita. I was utterly confused when I first saw Rita in 3d, she looks horribly crude and overweight there, and couldn't help but wonder what it was that kept all these folks out there so riveted to her, physical-wise. In the portrait she does indeed look fantastic however. I think graphics is the only real fault one could point out in Al Emmo, seeing as both the plot and the voiceovers(as far as I am concerned) are way over average. It is however not the result of incompentence or laziness from the designers but, as has been stated, the consequence of a rather unfortunate turn of events which imposed serious financial and staff limitations on the team.

What's the deal with the export file after the game is completed? Even if there are further Al Emmo games, what purpose would the thing serve?

Well, the purpose of the savegame file is similar to the way it worked in the Quest for Glory series, except instead of recording stats, it will record all of the game variables, globalints, inv items etc. 

If we do a sequel, then the savefile will be used in some way to tailor the storytelling experience to the unique way that the player played through the game. For example, (spoiler ahead) it always bothered me in QFG1 how you could kill the Baronet and not find Elsa, but in subsequent QFG titles, the games always presumed that you played QFG1 by following the most optimal path and took the liberty of mentioning how you saved the Baron's children, when you may well not have! In QFG 5, Elsa even mentions that her brother is still alive. (end spoilers)

So with the savegame file, we're hoping to tailor the narrative and perhaps some of the puzzles and accessible areas/characters/items in future games to the way the player specifically played through the previous game. It's a bit experimental at this stage, however, and would likely involve quite a bit of work. But the idea is to provide some additional replay value that spans the entire series and where, for example, your choices in game 1 may affect the outcome of a character's fate in game 4. Basically, it's intended to be a non-typical experiment in making an adventure series less linear... almost like one of those "Choose your own Adventure" books.

In another update, a downloadable version of Al Emmo has now been released via TellTale Games' online distribution system. It's available for the lower price of $19.99 and the download version also contains both subtitled and un-subtitled cutscenes, which wouldn't fit on the CD. It also contains a few minor bug fixes. You can get it here:

http://telltalegames.com/alemmo

I just want to say that I think it's a bit insulting to just about everyone here (or maybe it's just me) when you say things like "fans of the adventure genre have been neglected for far too long". I mean, we're all here, using AGS, keeping adventure games alive for those who want it. In fact I honestly believe that the true golden age of the adventure genre is here and now. It's in the hands of those that truly love it, completely free from vapid commercialism. True, certain games can be more successful than others but you can really feel the passion here. Not to mention all the new and exciting ways people are coming up with creating games (including your own very intriguing game-continuation-system-thingy) - ways that the likes of LucasArts and Sierra never bothered to dream of, which is I think what caused the demise of commercially successful adventure games. Stagnation.

When I read it, I was not insulted. I read it more like that they are really excited about their product. Sure, I understand your points which are valid, but thier excitement may only be the reason for making the claim and of course I'm sure they are in no way meaning to insult the online adventure creating community. To take the step to release your game commercially, you've got to sell it, so I also read their claim as "purchasers of adventure games have been neglected..."

I am very very curious, and I know I'm asking for spoilers - but what exactly in Al Emmo could differ enough to warrant a new storyline? Is the game less linear than it seems? It sure looks fairly linear, at least as far as what you mean is concerned.

Yeah I guess I understand the excitement thing, and that they're trying to sell their product. It was just a line that bothered me, especially considering where it's been posted. Come to think of it, I don't think anybody but adventure gamers would play this game, so again, it seems rather unneccessary (unless they are completely unaware of the amateur movement). Anyway, considering the content of everyone else's posts here I guess I was the only one bothered.

I agree with you. Writing a blurb tailored for this site wouldn't have taken too long.

QuoteI just want to say that I think it's a bit insulting to just about everyone here (or maybe it's just me) when you say things like "fans of the adventure genre have been neglected for far too long". I mean, we're all here, using AGS, keeping adventure games alive for those who want it. In fact I honestly believe that the true golden age of the adventure genre is here and now. It's in the hands of those that truly love it, completely free from vapid commercialism. True, certain games can be more successful than others but you can really feel the passion here. Not to mention all the new and exciting ways people are coming up with creating games (including your own very intriguing game-continuation-system-thingy) - ways that the likes of LucasArts and Sierra never bothered to dream of, which is I think what caused the demise of commercially successful adventure games. Stagnation.

No, it's not just you. The complaint "how about acknowledging us too?" has appeared more often around here. But our press release isn't meant to claim the monopoly on influencing the state of the genre. The philosophy behind the press release is this:

Yes, there's plenty of other people making games here. No question about that. Some get more public attention than others. But what makes Al Emmo relatively unique is the fact that it's commercial. Which means it has a budget and sales figures. Does that make a difference? It does if you think outside of the "games for gamers"-box. According to the philosophy of our team, it's not just gamers who play an important role in the status of the genre, but also publishers. They're the ones who can get games out of the tight circle of hard-core fans and out to the more casual gamer. I don't think anybody will argue against the fact that increased trust of publishers in the genre and classic style is a good thing. Thing is...publishers tend to be tempted to shrug free games off. Just because your free game got downloaded a large amount of times doesn't mean a publisher's going to give it a moment's notice. But if an adventure in the classic style has significant sales figures as backup, it WILL turn heads and publishers will be more willing to acknowledge the style and the genre.

Try to read the press release in this particular light (i.e: not just aimed at getting hardcore gamers'Ã,  attention, but also publishers') and you might perceive the press statement to be not nearly as arrogant/insulting as you thought at first.

(http://www.agdiforums.com/forum/images/avatars/moodpics/Nashtell.jpg)

Quote from: AGD2 on Tue 31/10/2006 06:03:36
In another update, a downloadable version of Al Emmo has now been released via TellTale Games' online distribution system. It's available for the lower price of $19.99 and the download version also contains both subtitled and un-subtitled cutscenes, which wouldn't fit on the CD. It also contains a few minor bug fixes. You can get it here: http://telltalegames.com/alemmo

Just bought it and installed. Actually, that was my first game-related online purchase. It went pretty smooth, actually. If anyone is thinking in buying the game online and wonders how the process is, here it goes:  the download stopped and I had to restart it again, but no really a problem, the speed was really fast. Then, a surprise. After the installattion the game did not start right away (I supossed that should have been the way because I remembered a Himalaya staff member saying in this forum that there was no copy-protection in the game) but I had to go to through an online activation process through the telltalegames system. The activation failed a couple of times but finally worked ok. I think this means that if I ever want to reinstall the game I will have to go through this process again, right? Actually, I don't like that idea very much because it might be the case that in the future I might not have internet access  or   even telltale games might discontinue its web services.
But don't get me wrong, all in all, the process was fine and I would certainly reccomend it if you are interested in the game

And by the way, just started to play but already noticed some differences with the original demo, like "exit" signals in each screen when you move the pointer to those areas, nice touch.

Serth

The version on CD does not contain an activation process, but downloadable versions do. Our online partners use these types of activation procedures a lot and since they get part of the profit, they're also free to add copy protections to them.

I'm glad to hear you've managed to install the game and I'm sorry to hear about the initial issues with the download and unwrapping process. I wouldn't worry too much about your game becoming unusable if Telltale would drop out...they use activation processes in several of their other games and have a policy that would safeguard the products of their customers in such a scenario.

(http://www.agdiforums.com/forum/images/avatars/moodpics/Nashnorm.jpg)

Hmm..I still wonder:
will these games ever be on the shelves at stores?

I think it's quite ironic that people have complained about prices.  AGS was originally designed for was to make Sierra, LucasArts games (it has since grown in abilities), those Sierra and LucasArts arts games originally cost anywhere from $40 to $60.  Only people who played the originals (back in the 80's and early 90's) would remember the 'steep' prices.  For instance, the retail price for KQ3 was $59.99.  60 Bucks!  The first game I played was KQ4 which we got for Christmas for like $40.00 if not more.  (We went on to play the all the KQ's);

Fast forward to now and people want adventure games for either (a) free or (b) far below the price that would compensate for time ($10-20).   The sad part is is that you still pay top dollar for other new games and people just accept it.  AND cost of living hasn't exactly become cheaper.

I was very surprised to see how many people react negatively to a commercial released game.   It's kind of sad to me.   I don't understand what people don't expect.  My mind is the better Al Emmo or Shiva sell (or whatever else game that's being released commercially)l the better other adventure games sell.  We're all in this together.  If they fail, other commercial endeavors fail.  It's not a competition, it's a support group.

If your not making money right now (for whatever reason) don't complain, just wait until you do/are.   Save up if you need.  That's my situation, and when I'm able I fully intend on supporting these guys (with the benefit of playing a fun game).

With that I wish Himalaya Studios, Wadjet Eye Games and any other person/entity making a commercial game tons of success.

Visionmind

PS To Himalaya Studios I would really recommend updating your website with the announcement your selling your game online.  I check your website regularely and didn't know, until now, that you are.

PPS I don't mean any offense and so if your tempted to be offended don't be

Alliance, we're currently working on negotiations with a publisher who might have the means to get the game in stores. The whole deal is still up in the air though.

And visionmind, thanks for the kind words. And yeah, I know the website's info needs to be updated. It's on our webmaster's to-do list.

(http://www.agdiforums.com/forum/images/avatars/moodpics/Nashhapy.jpg)

*still pointing at curse of monkey island, and arm is starting to tire*
(http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4051/mynashmeannm4.png)

and visionmind, what's wrong with wanting free games.?  :-\  :P

Quote from: Mordalles on Sat 04/11/2006 01:08:48
*still pointing at curse of monkey island, and arm is starting to tire*
(http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4051/mynashmeannm4.png)

and visionmind, what's wrong with wanting free games.?  :-\  :P

ROFL. That's a lovely mockery.

QuoteI am very very curious, and I know I'm asking for spoilers - but what exactly in Al Emmo could differ enough to warrant a new storyline? Is the game less linear than it seems? It sure looks fairly linear, at least as far as what you mean is concerned.

Quote from: visionmind on Fri 03/11/2006 23:28:51
I think it's quite ironic that people have complained about prices.  AGS was originally designed for was to make Sierra, LucasArts games (it has since grown in abilities), those Sierra and LucasArts arts games originally cost anywhere from $40 to $60.  Only people who played the originals (back in the 80's and early 90's) would remember the 'steep' prices.  For instance, the retail price for KQ3 was $59.99.  60 Bucks!  The first game I played was KQ4 which we got for Christmas for like $40.00 if not more.  (We went on to play the all the KQ's);

Fast forward to now and people want adventure games for either (a) free or (b) far below the price that would compensate for time ($10-20).   The sad part is is that you still pay top dollar for other new games adn people just accept it.  AND cost of living hasn't exactly become cheaper.

Ok well let me fast forward you into the year 2006.
People that still play these adventure games are (a) Hardcore adventure fans (b) Against the freaking mockery of the so called games we have today.

I wont pay $30 dollars for a crap game. I refuse to, another 3D clone of some other game. etc. I will also not pay $10-$20 dollars for a game that I believe sucks, is annoying. The sad part is really that $10-$20 dollars doesnt even compensate for the time spent on the game? Well IMO The time spent on the game could of been spent on gowing mushrooms and feeding the hungry.

My arguement is still the same, the game is nothinng spectacular and we are in the year 2006 and if you dont compete with the market you cant exactly go and sell your game. I mean compare this game to Vampyres... Difference?

Maybe its just because I never really like the narrator in sierra games, or maybe its just because I did indeed fast forward into the year 2006 where we have 3d games, in 3d engines, which some poor group of coders also spent time on and charging us some fee for it. 'Cause it pushes our machine to its limits and is visaully stunning with no wierd dumbass narrator making corny jokes to annoy me. Where the graphics were made in photoshop by proffesionals who also charge a fee for there services and then marketing publishing and all these things that also cost money. I am glad to pay that amount of money for those games as you put it. Cause I get a qaulity game that I want to support to get more of in future.

This is not quality yet, and it  will never be if everybody is trying to ok it. We pay for this and support this and ten they will never up there standard cause its OK like you say ppl will just except it.

Geez, where's a goat when you need one?  I'm sorry to dissapoint you, but the game's selling just fine; even though we're in 2006 and despite the fact that it's a retro title. And how do you know that I don't grow mushrooms on the side?

QuoteI am very very curious, and I know I'm asking for spoilers - but what exactly in Al Emmo could differ enough to warrant a new storyline? Is the game less linear than it seems? It sure looks fairly linear, at least as far as what you mean is concerned.

There's not a whole lot in the first Al Emmo game that could vary, but subsequent games, could refer back to your actions in the first game in order to see how you solved particular puzzles. A common complaint about QFG5 is that if they were to make a QFG6 with the same hero, then QFG5's save file would have needed to save data about which characters died, which ones lived, who the hero saved, who he married, and whether he became king or not. But since the savegame file doesn't save this data, QFG6 would need to start from a clean slate and, again, assume that the previous games were played through via the most optimal path.

In Al Emmo, there are a few little things that can differ:

*SPOILERS*
-Whether you find the Casino or not
-Whether you win the jackpot or not
-Whether you find and play through a specific long (and another longer) hidden Easter egg
-Whether you picked up certain red herring inventory items. (For example, these may be useless in the first game, but could carry over into the next game and be useful there).
-Which optional conversations you experienced. (For example, there are several different conversations you can have with Rita, depending on how many times you meet her).
-Which solution you used to solve the dog at gate puzzle (2 solutions)
-How many different flowers you offered Rita

...and so on.
*END SPOILERS*

There's also a fair amount of dialogue in the game that can vary slightly, depending on small actions and things like that. I expect that the possibilities will become more apparent as more games are released containing more variable puzzles and a more variable storyline. For now, we just didn't want to bite off more than could be chewed, so we've kept the variable aspects of the first game small.

In addition to Erpy's original post. I believe I did mention that there's a lot of talent /innovation in this community and that I think it would be a neat idea for those of us who make commercial games to also support the rest of the community by donating/paying others for the use of their mods/plug-ins/or to do custom programming work in our commercial games, as may be required. I'm not sure how there was any implied insult in my previous post, but none was intended. If anything, I intended the contrary.

Big games these days cost millions to make and commercial developers often aren't willing to risk their own money experimenting with new ideas (that may or may not be well-received), as doing so could send them bankrupt if their new, gimmicky concept falls flat. So they often 'steal' innovative ideas from indie titles, which prove to be popular or appealing to mainstream gamers without giving any recognition to the original developer whatsoever. But I think credit is due where it's earned, and that's why I'd be happy to support innovation in the fan community and encourage it.

Ah I have to agree with Visionmind, here in Australia the standard price for a game like this is $50 to $70 in stores today - and, like you, I bought all Sierra games at their steep prices too in the 1980's and 90's (still have that memory of waking up in the morn on my bday and xmas day so many years in a row to a game and jumped on the pc to play them) ;) cos I loved them and still do. So I think $30 is reasonable for a game like that and if it's like Larry then thats even better!! :D I miss larry days but I still have the games ;). I guess also me being deaf, I wont ever be able to hear Al's voiceÃ,  :'( I would like to but even so I still look for the game that has puzzle and 'hard-to-work-out' type of puzzle quality in it rather than just pretty graphics - though I love good graphics. Its about balancing both in a game and thats marvellous to me when one game can. I have to yet download and play the demo which I will do shortly.

Free games are a nice bonus, but isnt it nice to be able to earn the reward to be able to buy a game? I feel a person who works so hard on the graphics and programming, like Erpy has, should be able to sell his game and I feel they have the right to 'sell' - work hard and get paid for it. There is nothing better than being your own boss and I plan to be this one day with my games when I get good enough at coding. I am at the moment taking my time learning the coding things before I make my actual game :). Then once I am able to code very well, I will be making my games commercial (and you guys who have helped me so much better know that you will be on my rolling credits ;) )

QuoteI was very surprised to see how many people react negatively to a commercial released game.Ã,  Ã, It's kind of sad to me.Ã,  Ã, I don't understand what people don't expect.Ã,  My mind is the better Al Emmo or Shiva sell (or whatever else game that's being released commercially)l the better other adventure games sell.Ã,  We're all in this together.Ã,  If they fail, other commercial endeavors fail.Ã,  It's not a competition, it's a support group.

I feel sad too at the negativity recieved for his commercial game. I would have hoped a more positive feedback because we need to encourage ppl like Erpy and the rest of us to get our games out there, we need to bring back the old real adventure games that have real plots and lots of puzzles/interactivity involved in them! I was very happy to buy Dave's Blackwell game - prepurchased, for $20 which I consider a very good value, and I am excited to get his game at release next month.

QuoteIf your not making money right now (for whatever reason) don't complain, just wait until you do/are.Ã,  Ã, Save up if you need.Ã,  That's my situation, and when I'm able I fully intend on supporting these guys (with the benefit of playing a fun game).

Yeahhh I say thats a good piece of advice!!!!! Its very hard to break out into a business, marketing and all that stuff as well as making the product and trying to get people to see that it is good enough to buy. You WILL eventually make money from your business ;). I love this forum very much, it is like a 2nd family in a way, in that we support each other in making our games. The passion for games here is very strong.That said, lets be more positive towards Erpy's game and support him, Dave and all those who are going commercial. Also a big hand up to Chris for AGS!!! Roberta & Ken sure set the trail blazing and now Chris is following their steps ;) Without them and Chris, I doubt we'd be here doing something we loved most - designing games.

Cheers,
Snail

I'm really glad to hear Al Emmo is doing well.  Congratulations.  I have even more respect for you guys by how you handle yourself with all these ambiguous replies.

I also see you guys updated your site with the game download news.

Keep up the good work.

visionmind

Hello,

While playing Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Goldmine, I got this exception:

Quote
---------------------------
Illegal exception
---------------------------
An exception 0xC0000005 occured in ACWIN.EXE at EIP = 0x004D1E3B ; program pointer is +1007, ACI version 2.72.920, gtags (36,2)

AGS cannot continue, this exception was fatal. Please note down the numbers above, remember what you were doing at the time and notify CJ on the Tech forum.



Most versions of Windows allow you to press Ctrl+C now to copy this entire message to the clipboard for easy reporting.
---------------------------
OKÃ,  Ã, 
---------------------------

It occurred while showing the book of matches to the owner of the hospitality house...

I had some other exceptions as well. Unfortunately I have no screenshots or specific messages. Any way, here's what little information I have:

I got an exception when returning to Bubba with a prickly pear for the donkey. (When moving off the hospitality house screen.)

The other exception occurred when trying to look at Bubba's anvil.

All exceptions occurred once and couldn't be reproduced. All occurred shortly after starting the game and restoring a saved game...

We all do something for a living, and we all want to something we like to do for that living.  I fix cars for a living.  I also do some work on demolition derby cars, for free.  I do some work for my family, for free.  Ocassionally, an friend of mine needs some work done, that I do for $20-30 per hour plus parts.  But if you come to the car dealership where I work for $21/hr, the SAME job costs $85 per hour plus parts, plus tax, plus environmental fees.  I enjoy working on cars, but I SELL my services.  The guys at AGDI obvoiusly like making games.  They realeased two, for free (with voice acting, to boot!)  They're working on a third, for free.  Now, they go to the office and produce a BETTER product.  Why is everyone blasting Himalaya for doing that?  Is $30 too much for their game?  No, It's just more than you want to spend.  If their game was $5, I don't think this thread would look any different.  (If it were shareware for $5, they'd never get paid.)  I couldn't play the demo (my video card isn't good enough,) but every other demo I played, I determined whether I would by the game based more on the demo than the purchase price.  If you didn't like the demo, don't buy the game.  If you liked the demo, you'd be willing to pay for the game.  When I upgrade my PC will I buy the game?  I'll let you know when I play the game.

The AGS community doesn't overcharge games, you know. In fact, it's a great place to get games, since the prices are always so low! If you don't want to pay for a game, fine; there are plenty of fun free games out there. But if you want to play a certain game that costs money, the least you could do is buy it and show your appreaction for the hard work they put into it. In fact, I encourage people to charge for their games if they are awesome enough (like I did when a Heartland sequel came into disscussion)! The hard-working people in the community don't get any money from the hours of love they put into a game and release it for free. They need to pay the bills, get food, and buy other things to support themselves. So when you pay for a game, you are showing the developers that you really appreciate what they're doing, keeping the community alive and all, because we all know the state of commercial gaming right now, and it doesn't look like it'll be improving any time soon. We need to keep adventures alive and breating, and paying a little can go a long way. I probably sound like one of those TV preachers like Billy Grahm right now. ;D In fact, you could think of it like a donation, like how you donate to other organizations! You play and enjoy adventure games, don't you? Well, why not support that instead of some unknown charity that has no interest to you? Don't get me wrong; donating is great for charities, but why not give to the charity that has to do with one of your passions? Next year, my sophmore year in high school, I plan on taking Computer Science to teach me how to code, and next year a digital art and animation class, to learn how to make my own games and, hopefully, get into the industry. After I take these classes, in my senior year I will begin to make my project a reality (I already have everything else worked out), and if I feel it is good enough and get enough positive comments from other people, I will consider charging for it. Not a lot, mind you, just something like $5 or $10.

Anyway, I think if you feel the game is interesting enough, you should go ahead and buy it. It helps the creators, and it makes you feel good for actually buying it. I don't know how exactly this feeling comes, but it makes you feel loads better you didn't just download it for free. And that's all I have to say.

EDIT: Man, I should probably cut down on the ranting! This is really long. ;D

Some thoughts:

1. QUALITY CONTROL
I think a commercial release, even a free one, needs to maintain quality control. That is a totally separate issue of professionalism to how much a game costs.  This game seems fine for that.

2. PRICE
I think top of the line computer games are ridiculously priced considering the sort of pretty trash that they are. They are essentially at the level of free to air television, or cable TV. And yet they cost a lot more proportionally. Market forces are not so much regulating that as they are exterminating computer game companies by the week. To me, this is a good thing. Because in the gaps, new niches appear, new companies pop up and the whole shebang keeps marching on in a state of evolutionary flux.

3. HORSES FOR COURSES
Adventure games are different from FPSes. They need to be considered in terms of price point as being equivalent to literature. IF (interactive fiction), such as our site Jack's Sofa, is free online but the books based on it sell for anywhere from US$ 6 to US$ 30. Hence computer games with similar interactivity will have a default price point similar to this depending on length and quality.

4. GREEN-EYED MONSTER
I greatly admire El Ammo and its creators. It takes a sh_tload of work to get anywhere in any field you pick. I think some of the bitterest comments are jealousy pure and simple.

5. LOGIC
I find it baffling that some of the criticism of this game is along the lines of,

EGO: "what do you think of my cake?"

NITWIT: "well, it isn't much of a potted fern is it?"

EGO: "what the?"

NITWIT: "I mean it has almost nothing in common with a potted fern."

EGO: "Yes but it isn't meant to be a potted-"

NITWIT: "No pathetic excuses. You will NEVER make it in the potted fern market with this delicious and nutritious snack. I mean, who wants to put THAT in their garden?"

EGO: "sigh."


There are freeware and cheapware FPS engines available, and you can make pretty good FPSes with them in a day or so. So go do that. AGS provides an incredibly diverse platform for any game that promotes interaction and intellectual play. With a small amount of tweaking it can give you any other genre you like. But at the end of the day, trying to say that because AGS is difficult to use to make a potted fern cake somehow its games are worth less is nonsensical.

Hate to break it to the critics but you are paying way way too much for the short lived popular titles. Even the ones that turned into moronic movies.

Quote from: Goldfish on Sun 04/02/2007 03:55:59
1. QUALITY CONTROL
I think a commercial release, even a free one, needs to maintain quality control. That is a totally separate issue of professionalism to how much a game costs.  This game seems fine for that.

This is half the debate, that the game is low quality. You say "I disagree", and that's fine, but it's not going to change anyone's mind.

Quote
2. PRICE
[...] They are essentially at the level of free to air television, or cable TV.

Certain aspects of them are, I agree, at this level or far below, for example, scripts and visuals.
However it's an apples to oranges comparison as games deliver an experience that you can't get from TV. I could equally say that The Sopranos' gameplay is terrible and it shouldn't be broadcast.

Quote
3. HORSES FOR COURSES
Adventure games are different from FPSes. They need to be considered in terms of price point as being equivalent to literature.

I don't see why. This seems to me an arbitrary distinction and an arbitrary equivalence.

Quote
IF (interactive fiction), such as our site Jack's Sofa, is free online but the books based on it sell for anywhere from US$ 6 to US$ 30. Hence computer games with similar interactivity will have a default price point similar to this depending on length and quality.

Nice plug, but there's no logical connection that I can see.

Quote
4. GREEN-EYED MONSTER
I greatly admire El Ammo and its creators. It takes a sh_tload of work to get anywhere in any field you pick. I think some of the bitterest comments are jealousy pure and simple.

You are wrong, and way out of line. Take a look at any of the threads for the free AGDI games, or any other games around here, and you won't see the same sort of backlash. There is however a great deal of support and admiration. Hence jealousy is not to blame.
(I think you mean Al Emmo and its creators! El Ammo is, without doubt, trash. :=)

Quote
5. LOGIC
[...]
NITWIT: "well, it isn't much of a potted fern is it?"
[...]
There are freeware and cheapware FPS engines available, and you can make pretty good FPSes with them in a day or so. So go do that.

No one is saying that Al Emmo should be an FPS, so I really don't see what you're getting at.

Quote
But at the end of the day, trying to say that because AGS is difficult to use to make a potted fern cake somehow its games are worth less is nonsensical.

Since this is a thread about an adventure game made with AGS, again I don't see your point. If you're trying to say that it doesn't matter what you use to create a game - it should be judged on its own merits - then I agree totally.

Quote
Hate to break it to the critics but you are paying way way too much for the short lived popular titles. Even the ones that turned into moronic movies.

Hate to break it to you, but you're preaching to the choir, the congregation, the preacher and the creators - did you not notice that we're here making, downloading and enjoying free adventure games?

Welcome to the forums!

Also, let's note that it's been almost three months since anyone said anything negative about charging for this game here.  One person dug the thread up to report a bug (which could have been done via PM) and suddenly the argument starts again, only this time, there's only one side arguing. Seriously, stop beating that poor dead horse.

Quote from: Vince Twelve on Sun 04/02/2007 06:29:16
Also, let's note that it's been almost three months since anyone said anything negative about charging for this game here.Ã,  One person dug the thread up to report a bug (which could have been done via PM) and suddenly the argument starts again, only this time, there's only one side arguing. Seriously, stop beating that poor dead horse.

Actually, it was more like a week ago, just in a different thread.

Quote4. GREEN-EYED MONSTER
I greatly admire Al Emmo and its creators. It takes a sh_tload of work to get anywhere in any field you pick. I think some of the bitterest comments are jealousy pure and simple.

It's probably a lot more complicated than that, but it's probably also more complicated than the simple "it costs money, so the criteria are a lot higher too"-theory. When the first commercial AGS game, the Adventures of Fatman, was released, I counted 1 or 2 negative reactions and the rest of the not so few reactions were very praising, supportive and encouraging even though it was being sold. *shrug* But no doubt any attempts to explain the absence of any bitterness or objections against commercial AGS games there would open up a can of worms that could fill 6 more pages.

Nevertheless, thanks for the comments. I'm glad you're acknowledging the sh_tload of work it did indeed take to finish from start to end.Ã,  :)

(http://www.agdiforums.com/forum/images/avatars/moodpics/Nashum.jpg)

How long/large is Al Emmo compared to the IA KQ3VGA or Tierra's KQ2VGA+? I liked the quality of the demo, but I'm wondering about the length/size of the game.

Quote from: lazygamer on Mon 05/02/2007 06:25:23
How long/large is Al Emmo compared to the IA KQ3VGA or Tierra's KQ2VGA+? I liked the quality of the demo, but I'm wondering about the length/size of the game.

There's 9 acts in total. (though a few acts are shorter than act 1) I'd say it's on par with KQ2+ as far as how long it'll take you to get through. Like KQ2VGA, you can look, interact and talk with everything, so how long it'll take you also depends on whether you want to rush through the game or explore every nook and cranny.

(http://www.agdiforums.com/forum/images/avatars/moodpics/Nashswt.jpg)

And I must add, lazygamer, that the game actually encourages you to full exploration by means of a very, very detailed gameworld. You may get bored with it eventually (I did, but that's just me, and only 5/6 acts into the game), but the first act in particular, if you explore as much as the game encourages you to, can be pretty big. If you're worried about the length/price relationship, it's a very good one.

Yah the length/price relationship was my main concern, as my main issue with alot of AGS games is that they rock, but are too short. $20(digital download) for something the length of KQ2+ or possibly longer is worth it. The original $30 + shipping turned me off a bit.

So I was checking TellTale Game's website lookin' for updates, and what do you know, Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine is being sold at their store! That's awesome you got TellTale to publish it; they're pretty well-known now for Sam and Max and the Bone series.

Version 3.0 of the game has been released. See the edited first post for details.

Really enjoyed this game.  Looking forward to new games or the next chapter.  Thanks

Hi folks, we're looking for a handful of beta testers for Al Emmo v4.0 on Windows & Android!

New features needing testing include a new voice actor for the main character, new 2D cutscene movies to replace the old 3D ones, an Achievements system, a tooltip bar displaying which hotspot your mouse is hovering over, and a newly-added score system with 500 points. We've also included a multitude of smaller improvements to assist in fine-tuning the game.

Please drop a message here or e-mail beta@himalayastudios.com if interested. Android testers should be familar with copying and installing files to their phone via the JJS Port.

Cheers!

P.S. I'm unable to edit the first post of this thread. Erpy's no longer around, so if anyone with Admin access is able to give me access to the top post, it'd be appreciated.

You'd need to start a new thread (with the same title I guess, though that's not essential) and we could merge this one with it to - *I think* - give you control over the first post. But I don't recall/think there's a way to just give you access to the first post. AGA may have a funky trick to do that though, you might want to send him a PM.

Ah, thanks, Mods. No worries, I'll just ask an admin to edit the first post and add the latest entry to the top when there's a significant update.

That's a visit to the past, I'd say! My posts from 2006! yikes! :P

AGD2: I'm glad to see that the game is carrying on its own legacy! :)

Wow! Reading through this thread was a friggin' trip! Really interesting to see what people's initial reactions were to the emergence of commercial AGS games--I wasn't expecting that kind of negativity, especially for such a well-polished game as Al Emmo. Seems like the community's much more open (even supportive) about paying for AGS games now that there's been so many success stories...

...but, that's probably too far off topic, so I'll just say--looking forward to the new Al Emmo! Particularly as someone who's only in the last couple of years really been exploring the Sierra side of the LucasArts/Sierra divide. :-D

What happened to Erpy? He was the main goto man in the community!

Quote from: AGD2 on Mon 23/09/2013 01:39:57
P.S. I'm unable to edit the first post of this thread. Erpy's no longer around, so if anyone with Admin access is able to give me access to the top post, it'd be appreciated.

This is a bit of an experiment at this point.  See if you can edit the first post?

Quote from: Klytos on Thu 10/10/2013 03:06:54
What happened to Erpy? He was the main goto man in the community!

He kind of just sauntered off into the sunset, never to be heard of again!

Quote from: KlytosThis is a bit of an experiment at this point.  See if you can edit the first post?

Hmmm, I can't see a 'Modify' link at the top of the first post, so I guess not...

Quote from: AGD2 on Sat 12/10/2013 05:15:01
Hmmm, I can't see a 'Modify' link at the top of the first post, so I guess not...

Now?  I reattributed the first post to you.  Might break the flow of the thread a little, but it should at least give you editing rights to the first post...

Sorry, AGA. Didn't notice your post earlier. And yes, that did the trick. Thanks.(laugh)

Update: November 26th, 2013

(http://www.himalayastudios.com/images/Al_Emmo_40_release.jpg) (http://www.himalayastudios.com/alemmo.php)

Price: $9.99 USD

Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine version 4.0 has been released! This new version has several major improvements based on player feedback we've received over the years. If you've never played the game before, now is the perfect opportunity to give this enhanced edition a try!

SCREENSHOTS
(http://www.himalayastudios.com/images/Kickstarter/Mages/AlEmmo_40_screenshot2.jpg)

KEY FEATURES
* A new Al Emmo (protagonist) voice actor
* Improved 2D Cutscene movies
* Scoring system with 500 points
* Achievement system with 20 achievements
* Tooltip bar that shows mouse-over hotspots
* Much more! (See full list at bottom of post)

WHERE TO BUY THE GAME
Himalaya Store - Unlockable trial version (http://www.himalayastudios.com/alemmo.php) (Free 60 Minute Trial)
Buy from Desura (http://www.desura.com/games/al-emmo-and-the-lost-dutchmans-mine)
(More to come.)

AVAILABILITY ON STEAM
The game is still in Greenlight, but is moving up. If you have a Steam account, we'd really appreciate your "Yes" vote. And if you leave a comment too, you'll automatically go into our prize draw to win some free Steam games once greenlit! Also, all owners of the game will get a Steam key.
(http://www.himalayastudios.com/images/Kickstarter/Mages/Al_GL_Vote.png) (http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=94874423)

UPGRADING TO v4.0
Upgrading to version 4.0 is free for customers who purchased the game directly from Himalaya Studios. If you purchased the Digital Download version, simply uninstall your old version, then re-install version 4.0. The same serial key number you were allocated will work.

If you bought the game from another portal/webstore, the new version will be rolled out sometime in December.

CHANGES TO VERSION 4.0
A full list of additions, features, improvements, and bug fixes is below.
WARNING: GAME SPOILERS AHEAD

Spoiler

- Added: New voice actor for Al Emmo
- Added: New voice actor for Everette the Exterminator
- Added: Improved 2D, hand-animated cutscenes to replace older 3D versions
- Added: New Himalaya Studios logo animation
- Added: New scoring system with a total of 500 points
- Added: Achievements system with 20 achievements to unlock
- Added: Tooltip GUI which shows mouse-over hotspot names
- Added: The [ and ] keys will cycle backwards and forwards through inventory items
- Added: Back-end functionality for touch-screen devices
- Added: Some newly recorded speech for Rita
- Added: Animated light glints to several small, obtainable objects to make them more visible
- Added: Max Nearest Neighbour filter to the setup program
- Fixed: Music and audio stuttering bug
- Fixed: Pressing Enter on Quit & Restart GUIs now acts like clicking the "yes" button
- Fixed: Esc key will now cancel the map of Anozira
- Fixed: Esc will no longer skip the entire tequila sequence in the saloon
- Fixed: Al can now run inside Koko's store
- Fixed: Improved Al's mule dismounting animation at Rita's house
- Fixed: Improved Bubba's flag animation
- Fixed: Updated the PDF manual with the latest graphics and information
- Fixed: Koko's greeting to Al in Act 6 if Al already visited him since the raid
- Fixed: Made it so you must talk to Everette before you can give him the termites
- Fixed: More legible font is used in the journals
- Fixed: Moved the mine cart's starting position further right on the tracks
- Fixed: Bug where the same desert music could play twice in succession
- Fixed: Bug where the top left and right menus would not animate in the mine cliff screen
- Fixed: Bug where you could burn the gallows ropes with the matchbook more than once
- Fixed: several minor spelling/grammar errors
- Fixed: other small glitches and bugs
- Changed: Interface improvements (such as tweening GUIs)
- Changed: Made many items and objects easier to click on to reduce pixel-hunting
- Changed: Rita's speaking portrait
- Changed: Rita's song cutscene has been replaced with a new in-game scene
- Changed: Increased the odds of seeing the fishing Easter Eggs at the oasis
- Changed: Improved the visual appearance of Kevin's fire extinguisher spray
- Changed: Retouched several characters' dialog portraits
- Changed: The half-map rubbing inventory item now includes a piece of charcoal
- Changed: Al now looks at the half-map rubbing after acquiring it (close-up)
- Changed: Made it easier to walk off the screen edges when leaving a room
- Changed: Various dialogue and text tweaks
- Changed: Tweaked the way save/replace game GUIs are handled

[close]

QuoteUPGRADING TO v4.0
Upgrading to version 4.0 is free for customers who purchased the game directly from Himalaya Studios. If you purchased the Digital Download version, simply uninstall your old version, then re-install version 4.0. The same serial key number you were allocated will work.

If you bought the game from another portal/webstore, the new version will be rolled out sometime in December.

I've got a problem.  I purchased the original version through Telltale Games but they no longer hosting the game.  What should I do?

Just send us an e-mail at support@himalayastudios.com and we'll fix it up. If you can forward your original email receipt from Telltale, it would help.

Update: May 9th, 2014:

Quick update to say that Al Emmo is now available to buy on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/296850/). It's available for both Windows and Linux.

Thanks to monkey_05_06 for helping out with the process!

Update: July 9th, 2015:
Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine has finally been ported to iPad/iPhone and is now available in the App Store! The iOS version features a new verb-coin style interface with large icons for touch-screen devices, and is optimized for single finger taps. Text size has also been increased for easier readability on smaller screens.

Buy the iOS Version Here (https://itunes.apple.com/app/al-emmo-lost-dutchmans-mine/id1010498841)

Thanks to Janet Gilbert for her extensive work on making the AGS port compatible with iOS8 and to Tiny Red Studio for their assistance with porting the game and helping with its release.

Please note that Apple doesn't permit us to distribute free game copies to existing owners of the PC version. You would need to purchase it again if you wish to play the iOS version.

That sounds very intrusive for Apple to decide what can and can not be done on someone else games. >:(
No wonder I hate Apple!

But congrats on the release, anyway. (nod)