Post by: Grundislav on 08 Aug 2012, 05:03
Grundislav Games proudly presents
Ben Jordan, Paranormal Investigator - Case 8: Relics of the Past
Things are not looking good for Ben Jordan. His best friend is dead, his girlfriend is missing, and his last ally has betrayed him. However, as bleak as things look, all is not lost. In this, the surprising final chapter of the series, Ben will learn the truths hidden in the past and the present, which he will use to finally confront the madman threatening his future.
Screenshots:
(http://www.grundislavgames.com/images/bj8-1.jpg)
Reunite with old friends - and angrily confront them!
(http://www.grundislavgames.com/images/bj8-2.jpg)
Drown your sorrows at the local pub!
Features:
- Fully voiced and lip-synced!
- Play as Ben Jordan and a second mystery character!
- The longest (and the last) Ben Jordan game ever!
- Game soundtrack and extras included in the download
Download it here (http://www.grundislavgames.com/benjordan/case8.php)
Post by: Sane Co. on 08 Aug 2012, 05:05
Post by: ddq on 08 Aug 2012, 05:05
Post by: Ponch on 08 Aug 2012, 05:06
(Also, congrats! Now release a new podcast already!)
Post by: Vince Twelve on 08 Aug 2012, 05:16
Post by: ThreeOhFour on 08 Aug 2012, 05:20
Post by: Shadow1000 on 08 Aug 2012, 05:42
SHADOW
Post by: mkennedy on 08 Aug 2012, 06:01
Post by: Layabout on 08 Aug 2012, 06:12
Post by: Tabata on 08 Aug 2012, 06:27
Can't wait to leave the office today full of impatience to get my hands on this :grin:
Post by: veryweirdguy on 08 Aug 2012, 07:25
THIS GUY.
Post by: abstauber on 08 Aug 2012, 07:59
Time to put a complete Ben Jordan playthrough night on my schedule :D
Post by: kconan on 08 Aug 2012, 09:37
Post by: Armageddon on 08 Aug 2012, 09:43
Post by: agentbauer on 08 Aug 2012, 09:48
Will it really be the last BJ Game?? ;(
Downloading now
Post by: Andail on 08 Aug 2012, 09:52
Post by: Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens on 08 Aug 2012, 10:01
Also, congratulations.
Post by: magintz on 08 Aug 2012, 10:17
I hope the cardboard windows make a guest appearance.
Post by: CaptainD on 08 Aug 2012, 10:22
Congrats on your biggest and best release! (Well I presume it's your best, I haven't played it yet, but I enjoyed the remastered cases 1 and 2, you say 8 is longer...)
:-D
Post by: Andail on 08 Aug 2012, 10:37
The graphic style is cute in its crayon-like naivism. Music top notch, animations great.
Also wanted to share that it was impossible to run this on my laptop with Win 7 on it, until I changed the display resolution from 32 to 16 (after having tried all the old tricks in the book, including "high performance" energy settings and played around with drivers and setting and whatnot).
Post by: Crimson Wizard on 08 Aug 2012, 10:57
Time to replay all the series and recall what is it all about. ;)
Post by: david on 08 Aug 2012, 11:22
CONGRATULATIONS! You've really subscribed to the AGS history and you've been remembered in our hearts, for sure
Post by: PuNKKoMmANDO77 on 08 Aug 2012, 12:08
I grow up with this saga.
Congratulations Francisco!
Post by: axxesfun on 08 Aug 2012, 12:11
Thanks You... for the whole series!
Congratulations... you made my day!
Only I feel -a little bit- disappointed if this will be ¿really? the last part... You should consider starting a project on http://www.kickstarter.com/ to collect some money and then to be able to continue working on another part! Guess, there will be lots of fans supporting you with the project!
Post by: WHAM on 08 Aug 2012, 13:20
Post by: on 08 Aug 2012, 13:50
Post by: FamousAdventurer77 on 08 Aug 2012, 14:11
Squee!! Can't wait to play this! What an awesome thing to wake up to. :)
Post by: amateurhour on 08 Aug 2012, 16:15
Post by: Mike S. on 08 Aug 2012, 19:00
Post by: The Fool on 08 Aug 2012, 19:19
Post by: Crimson Wizard on 08 Aug 2012, 21:25
Also wanted to share that it was impossible to run this on my laptop with Win 7 on it, until I changed the display resolution from 32 to 16.Yeah, that's because the game requires to be run with DirectX 5 (my Windows changes color mode automatically though). One of the plugins (or both) used in this game does not support Direct3D 9 driver.
----
Ah, it seems that also requires to be run in compatibility with Win'98 mode to be able to save and reload. Probably only for some of non-latin locales.
Post by: Igor Hardy on 08 Aug 2012, 21:41
Post by: fire on 08 Aug 2012, 22:04
Post by: tzachs on 08 Aug 2012, 23:20
Please cancel my appointments and hold all of my calls for this weekend!
A very happy (and also very sad) day.
Post by: Cogliostro on 09 Aug 2012, 01:59
And since mkennedy asked, here are a few links to:
The game without the music and speech (http://www.castironmuse.com/games/bj8/bj8-min.zip)
The music file as a separate download (http://www.castironmuse.com/games/bj8/music.zip)
The speech file as a separate download (http://www.castironmuse.com/games/bj8/speech.zip)
And a mirror to the complete game as well (http://www.castironmuse.com/games/bj8/bj8.zip)
- Cogliostro
Post by: DazJ on 09 Aug 2012, 11:44
Post by: buddha on 09 Aug 2012, 12:02
Post by: TomatoesInTheHead on 09 Aug 2012, 12:21
And I'm already excited as to what your next project will be!
Post by: agentbauer on 09 Aug 2012, 14:27
Finished it, and had much fun, thanks for this wonderful game, Grundislav :-D
Post by: an Urpney on 09 Aug 2012, 17:03
Overall - thank you Grundislav for this great adventure! Shame Ben left paranormal investigating.
Signing off to look for the secret ending : )
Post by: Sslaxx on 09 Aug 2012, 17:43
Absolutely loving it! My only gripe (sorry!) is the low recording quality of Ben's voice - he sounds very muffled against everyone else. But apart from that, EXCELLENT! :DI dunno, the quality of some of the other voice acting recording was noticeably worse. Quite willing to overlook that considering that it's a free game, though.
Post by: DazJ on 09 Aug 2012, 18:30
Post by: verlaine83 on 09 Aug 2012, 22:00
By the way (ending and series spoiler alert),
Post by: Khris on 09 Aug 2012, 23:36
Guess I'll have to continue replaying parts 1-7 now, I noticed while playing that I forgot almost all the important plot points.
Post by: FamousAdventurer77 on 10 Aug 2012, 03:48
Thanks for the awesome final installment! :smiley: It's sad to think that this is the last chapter, though, as I'll miss Ben's adventures :sad:
By the way (ending and series spoiler alert),
I pondered the same thing, thinking it would be one of the big reveals. Although
I too am sad it's the final chapter. :sad: I'm going to try for the other 3 endings, I got the Downer Ending first followed by what I guess is the canon happy ending.
Post by: Vel on 10 Aug 2012, 17:29
Post by: Igor Hardy on 10 Aug 2012, 18:04
How come Percy was such a total skeptic in BJ3? I think even in scenes where there was no one else around that could see him.
EDIT:
Finished.
I like the more down-to-earth, realistic tone of this storyline. That no bombastic events were forced in the plot to amp the shock factor (except for that one cat scene). And no sentimentality (which is difficult to avoid when wrapping up a many year series).
Percy's role in everything was probably the most enjoyable part for me. Great Carboni cameo and fun action sequences (the chase scene in particular). And the Romania part made for a very nice change of atmosphere.
I wished the puzzles were a bit crazier and/or more difficult though. And that it wasn't so linear.
Overall, a satisfying conclusions to the series, but Case 6 and the two remakes will remain my favorites.
Post by: LRH on 11 Aug 2012, 03:37
On a much, much, more serious note: congratulations. I loved the game. I began playing it earlier this afternoon and didn't put it down until I had seen the four "main" endings.
This series is kind of special to me. Ya'see, just a few years ago in my undergrad days, my (then) girlfriend (now fiance') and I were not exactly the most party-goingest, bingge-drinkingest crazy cats, so we tended to stay inside on very cold, snowy winter weekends. We only had one afternoon together most weeks since I would have to travel to her campus at that time, and if it was a snow-in, we'd likely spend it playing a Ben Jordan game. The memories of those days are quite precious to me. Nerdy to an unidentifiable degree? Perhaps. I dunno. In any case, thank you.
Post by: Saurabh on 11 Aug 2012, 04:27
Post by: Megane on 11 Aug 2012, 06:04
I was completely and utterly disappointed by the endings of this last game (I haven't seen the bonus ending and frankly, I have no desire to do so.) Ending Spoilers Follow....
Look, before this game, I honestly enjoyed the series and I'll probably replay Cases 1-6 again in the future but for me personally, I don't want to play this or the 7th case ever again. That being said, thank you for creating this otherwise enjoyable series. I just wish you'd made some different choices with its conclusion.
Post by: LRH on 11 Aug 2012, 15:37
(Ending spoilers. Don't read if you haven't finished the game.)
Post by: Andail on 11 Aug 2012, 16:40
I loved to play something realistic for a change, without dozens of inventory items.
Yeah, like
Post by: Kweepa on 11 Aug 2012, 21:19
Some of the backgrounds are beautiful. The artistic progression through the BJ games is astonishing.
Animation is top notch too.
A satisfying story.
All in all a rewarding 5 hours!
And thanks to the actors and beta testers!
Post by: Igor Hardy on 11 Aug 2012, 22:09
I loved to play something realistic for a change, without dozens of inventory items.
Yeah, like
That wasn't garlic, it was brambles. :P
Post by: Ali on 12 Aug 2012, 00:15
However I am completely lost by...
Post by: Tuomas on 12 Aug 2012, 10:20
Sorry if I sound strange, it's been a while since I last wrote English, and I've got a lot in my mind at the moment.
Post by: Stalker on 12 Aug 2012, 11:48
Post by: on 12 Aug 2012, 13:24
Post by: Patternjake on 12 Aug 2012, 15:11
:) :) :)
I know what I will be doing for the rest of the day!
Thank you so much Francisco, I'll be sure to review the game once I've happily completed it!
(50% progress download hehe)
Post by: EKM on 12 Aug 2012, 20:54
-bakes cookies-
Post by: Igor Hardy on 12 Aug 2012, 20:58
Wow, finally...the game I've been waiting for. I can't believe I'll be able to play this.
-bakes cookies-
Why are you baking cookies instead of playing right away?
Post by: CosmoQueen on 13 Aug 2012, 04:45
Post by: veryweirdguy on 13 Aug 2012, 10:02
Is it possible to finish and not have 100 points? I was all proud of myself for getting it all, but the more I think about it...
Gonna try and get the secret ending now I think.
EDIT: Found it, thanks to the Hints and Tips forum!
But yes, great work Grundi! Looking forward to whatever's next.
Post by: Stupot on 13 Aug 2012, 13:24
Remember folks, it's not all over yet. We still have the 2nd Ben Jordan movie to look forward to, don't we m0ds? ;-)
Post by: Calin Leafshade on 13 Aug 2012, 14:23
Post by: Grundislav on 13 Aug 2012, 15:10
Post by: Andail on 13 Aug 2012, 16:21
I loved to play something realistic for a change, without dozens of inventory items.
Yeah, like
That wasn't garlic, it was brambles. :P
Bwaha, sorry. I realise now I had been reading some article on vampirism just before writing that post... my silly memory.
Post by: Regnum Eternum on 14 Aug 2012, 00:13
Post by: Grundislav on 14 Aug 2012, 00:35
Post by: Sslaxx on 14 Aug 2012, 01:10
If you were just trying to download it now, I was re-uploading a fixed version. Should work fine now.Anything notable been fixed? I hadn't noticed any bugs myself.
Post by: Grundislav on 14 Aug 2012, 01:35
Post by: Regnum Eternum on 14 Aug 2012, 05:53
If you were just trying to download it now, I was re-uploading a fixed version. Should work fine now.
I've actually been trying for three days. If no one else has had this problem, it's probably on my end. But I tried downloading another file from a different site to test and it worked fine. I'm using Firefox but I'm not sure if that matters. Maybe there's a partial file of the old version somewhere that I can't find and it is keeping me from downloading the new version or something. I can't get past 2.2 MB.
Post by: Stupot on 14 Aug 2012, 14:42
If you were just trying to download it now, I was re-uploading a fixed version. Should work fine now.
I've actually been trying for three days. If no one else has had this problem, it's probably on my end. But I tried downloading another file from a different site to test and it worked fine. I'm using Firefox but I'm not sure if that matters. Maybe there's a partial file of the old version somewhere that I can't find and it is keeping me from downloading the new version or something. I can't get past 2.2 MB.
Actually I had the same problem at first, but now I can't remember how I solved it, haha. It think it worked after closing all other applications or something like that. I'll try to remember the circumstances and report back to you if it comes to me :-)
Post by: Lesi on 14 Aug 2012, 19:18
Post by: Cogliostro on 15 Aug 2012, 04:58
Second, the series is amazing and this game did a lot to provide closure to most of issues that had been introduced. The mirror image of Arthur's adventure vs. Ben's was also fun both in the parallels and the contrasts. I actually tried all of the endings and heard all of the commentary - few games are so interesting that I bother with that. Also, I loved the action puzzles: "guy with gun at door" and the "car chase scene".
Next, a series finale is always tough. Simply put you have to get everything right for all the fans (assuming you want to) because you don't get another chance. If some of us think Land of the Rising Dead is lacking something, it doesn't matter because another game will be coming up. Some of us will criticize. Some of us will praise. All of us have been impressed by the work put into this series.
The Ben Jordan series stuck with the fans. It gave us something to ponder and puzzle. Characters for us to love and hate. We chewed up obscure riddles just to guess the name of one case. We speculated about the traitor in the midst. We lined up to offer our services. Francisco took eight years to produce the series and didn't abandon it.
Thank you and congratulations.
- Cogliostro
Post by: Grundislav on 15 Aug 2012, 05:41
First, in case anyone needs it, here's a mirror (http://www.castironmuse.com/games/bj8/bj8.zip).
Second, the series is amazing and this game did a lot to provide closure to most of issues that had been introduced. The mirror image of Arthur's adventure vs. Ben's was also fun both in the parallels and the contrasts. I actually tried all of the endings and heard all of the commentary - few games are so interesting that I bother with that. Also, I loved the action puzzles: "guy with gun at door" and the "car chase scene".
Next, a series finale is always tough. Simply put you have to get everything right for all the fans (assuming you want to) because you don't get another chance. If some of us think Land of the Rising Dead is lacking something, it doesn't matter because another game will be coming up. Some of us will criticize. Some of us will praise. All of us have been impressed by the work put into this series.
The Ben Jordan series stuck with the fans. It gave us something to ponder and puzzle. Characters for us to love and hate. We chewed up obscure riddles just to guess the name of one case. We speculated about the traitor in the midst. We lined up to offer our services. Francisco took eight years to produce the series and didn't abandon it.
Thank you and congratulations.
- Cogliostro
This is probably the most touching message I've gotten. Thank you very much for the support and praise, and I'm glad you've gotten enjoyment out of the series.
Post by: Regnum Eternum on 15 Aug 2012, 06:42
First, in case anyone needs it, here's a mirror (http://www.castironmuse.com/games/bj8/bj8.zip).
Yay! Thanks so much. That's all I needed.
Post by: david on 15 Aug 2012, 08:13
I am stiil at that 2. phase and only this time I am finding that this final episode has some new features, new point of view, etc..
I will comment in more depth after finishing it completely with the commentary
Post by: magintz on 16 Aug 2012, 12:25
As for the game:
Someone should create a 'Pokedex' of the paranormal, like a modern Paranormal Investigator Handbook :)
Another one of those drinks, SEAMUS!
Post by: amateurhour on 16 Aug 2012, 15:26
I just found out about AGS a few months ago and I've already created a backlog of games to play. When I saw this released, and that there were seven games beforehand, I jumped on it and downloaded them all.
I've spend the last five days chewing through them one by one and I just want to tell you it's one of the best adventure series I've ever played. I'm halfway through 8 now and I'm going to be sad that my little vacation into the life of a paranormal investigator is almost over.
Thanks for making these games.
Post by: SharpLight on 17 Aug 2012, 23:10
I tried to change the Compatibility to Windows XP (both Service Pack 2 & 3) and got the same results. I tried windowed and full screen, tried with a graphic filter and without.
My System:
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.120503-2030)
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Please help!
Post by: Grundislav on 17 Aug 2012, 23:18
Post by: SharpLight on 17 Aug 2012, 23:32
Try setting your color depth to 16 bit, that should help.
The window mode works now, but not full screen. Thanks.
Post by: Gilbert on 18 Aug 2012, 07:10
Post by: SharpLight on 18 Aug 2012, 10:00
You may also try this solution (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=46598.0).
it worked, thanks.
Post by: Shadow1000 on 19 Aug 2012, 07:38
SHADOW
Post by: Cameliosso on 19 Aug 2012, 15:04
I had some doubts about the graphical style you used back when you first announced Case 8, but overally it make good impression in the final version and I hope for yet another great adventure from you as I start playing, but...there is still one quite annoying technical issue. Main character dialogue sound level is significantly lower then rest of characters. I can understand why maybe the recording quality of dialogues is unbalanced (still great for a freeware game), but the sound level should be even regardless quality. Is there any chance to fix this ?
Regards.
Post by: Surdy on 29 Aug 2012, 16:56
Post by: Cogliostro on 30 Aug 2012, 01:55
There are four normal endings and one bonus ending.
- Cogliostro
Post by: david on 31 Aug 2012, 09:38
Post by: Monsieur OUXX on 02 Sep 2012, 11:58
Didn't I recognize Abstauber as well?
Love it!
Post by: cat on 02 Sep 2012, 12:26
Post by: Monsieur OUXX on 02 Sep 2012, 17:54
Huh? Did recognise anyone in the intro, but I thought one of the portraits looked like Matt *g*
Well, that's because you were too busy thinking i was a weirdo drawing you on the train the last day, instead of looking at the actual drawing ;)
Post by: dbuske on 05 Sep 2012, 16:29
Maybe you should do another Ben Jordan game.
Maybe get funded from Indiegogo and do a commercial Ben Jordan game?
Post by: HammerBlade on 13 Sep 2012, 21:08
Post by: Crimson Wizard on 14 Oct 2012, 22:55
However, the Percy's story is something I didn't like, and felt quite dissapointed about.
Regarding the graphics. I found the artist's work in BJ series quite bold. Not trying to match perfect lines, shades, perspective, and yet making it look consistent and overall plausible and pleasurable.
Well, okay, there's was just one moment it played a bad joke with me :).
Thanks for the game.
Post by: Damned on 06 Oct 2014, 11:45
I have just one issue with the Case 8. I am not able to save/load. I click on Save, write something next to "Save as" text. Then click "Save" button at the bottom. The Save window will close but when I try to load the game or save another one, the list is empty and there is nothing saved.
I don't think it is the issue with game itself, because it looks I am the only one, who has similar problem. Do you have any idea what could cause this?
Thanks!
Post by: Crimson Wizard on 06 Oct 2014, 12:17
Hi guys. I have finished all the cases except the case 8. Ben Jordan is together with John DeFoe series the best AGS stuff I have ever played.I don't remember which version of AGS was used to create BJ8, but your description sounds like the known problem AGS had (or still have in some circumstances) when the saves directory has non-ANSI characters in it (for example - cyrillics or asian hieroglyths).
I have just one issue with the Case 8. I am not able to save/load. I click on Save, write something next to "Save as" text. Then click "Save" button at the bottom. The Save window will close but when I try to load the game or save another one, the list is empty and there is nothing saved.
One solution that once worked was to run the game in Win98 compatibility mode:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/316-compatibility-mode.html
Post by: Damned on 07 Oct 2014, 12:21
Hi guys. I have finished all the cases except the case 8. Ben Jordan is together with John DeFoe series the best AGS stuff I have ever played.I don't remember which version of AGS was used to create BJ8, but your description sounds like the known problem AGS had (or still have in some circumstances) when the saves directory has non-ANSI characters in it (for example - cyrillics or asian hieroglyths).
I have just one issue with the Case 8. I am not able to save/load. I click on Save, write something next to "Save as" text. Then click "Save" button at the bottom. The Save window will close but when I try to load the game or save another one, the list is empty and there is nothing saved.
One solution that once worked was to run the game in Win98 compatibility mode:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/316-compatibility-mode.html
Thank you. Win98 compatibility mode solves the issue!