Post by: Grok on 23 Nov 2015, 21:34
18th June 2016
A DEMO is now available
DOWNLOAD link (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2067/)
About 1 hour play time. Approximately half the game. Not finale version. Some things will be changed in the final game.
Update 8 June
I'm very happy to say that Blondbraid has joined the team.
During June we are going to release a Demo version, which will consist of approximately half the final game, as it is at this time.
It will not contain everything that will be in this part of the game in the finale version. But it will be fully playable.
This could also be regarded as an open invitation to test play. :)
If you rather wait for the full and finale version of the game, my estimation is that that could be about a year in the future.
Update (of sorts) 7th of may 2016
Quit by chance I came across a biography (the Garbo of the Skies by Ian Mackersey) on Jean Batten, a very famous aviator in the 1930's from New Zealand.
I was amazed at how much she looked like Jacqueline in some images (or if it is the other way around).
(http://d3lp4xedbqa8a5.cloudfront.net/s3/digital-cougar-assets/nzww/2015/07/27/post-34189/28-3.jpg)(https://www.nzgeo.com/wp-content/uploads/1970/01/79_JeanBatten_Header-1307x1600.jpg)
Also found a news reel on YouTube with miss Batten speaking after one of her record flights.
Jean Batten news reel (https://youtu.be/nczJQQiGr48)
Jean Batten had a cat, Buddy, that she brought along on some flights. That made me considering get a cat for Jacqueline too.
Still planing a demo release before summer
Update 6 April 2016
(http://t02.deviantart.net/4gFih7YCj_SUcfz6Zv-gj6dY7KA=/300x200/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre05/17f4/th/pre/f/2016/066/3/d/cut_scene_by_pekj-d9u82b5.png)(http://orig14.deviantart.net/bf05/f/2016/096/1/3/the_most_important_meal_of_the_day_by_pekj-d9xyoyp.gif) Hot chocolate with wiped cream and a croissant with strawberry jam - because breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
(http://orig09.deviantart.net/122b/f/2016/081/a/2/jumping_the_wall_by_pekj-d9w2tb0.png)
Update 20 February 2016
[embed=640,400]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX3_abu8rYA[/embed]
(http://orig10.deviantart.net/7e33/f/2016/051/a/6/stung_by_pekj-d9sf4j1.png)
Update 1 February 2016
(http://orig12.deviantart.net/855a/f/2016/032/7/7/tomb_screenshot_by_pekj-d9q5qa8.png)
Most art for the first part (of 5 parts) of the game close to finished.
Update 25 december 2015
[embed=640,400]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqRE0UVmdXI[/embed]
Test flying.
Update 12 december 2015
(http://orig12.deviantart.net/c49b/f/2015/335/a/8/dromedar_walk_cycle_by_pekj-d9ip8su.gif)(http://orig08.deviantart.net/9bd9/f/2015/323/c/0/c097da9606d9c5a9e6ab579b85ba8ff3-d9h6ru4.gif)
morganw has joined the team
She is coming back!!!!
[embed=640,400]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U2dfSWxcbg[/embed]
[embed=640,400]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3mJcGwzWZE[/embed]
There will be flying, puzzles and adventures ... and ... mummies in the 1920's.
(http://orig09.deviantart.net/86f9/f/2015/320/f/8/game_screen_shot_by_pekj-d9gx9jz.png)
(http://orig07.deviantart.net/c9cd/f/2015/320/5/1/game_screen_shot_by_pekj-d9gxa3s.png)
(http://orig00.deviantart.net/9f30/f/2015/320/6/0/game_screen_shot_by_pekj-d9gxacu.png)
In collaboration with Handsfree.
The goal is a release in summer 2016.
Post by: Mandle on 23 Nov 2015, 23:28
One of my favorite AGS game characters ever is gonna have their own series!!!
Best of luck guys!
Post by: Blondbraid on 23 Nov 2015, 23:52
it's always nice to see a new adventure with swashbuckling and a pulpy feel.
Looks like Indy might get some serious competition! ;-D
Post by: Shadow1000 on 23 Nov 2015, 23:58
SHADOW
Post by: Grok on 12 Dec 2015, 12:19
A few updates in the the original post.
Post by: Yol on 15 Dec 2015, 23:26
I really like the style ;-D
Post by: Grok on 25 Dec 2015, 09:52
Movie from test flying in the original post.
Post by: Mandle on 25 Dec 2015, 10:32
But...excitedly checking first post now...
Holy crap!!!
Old-school flight sim!!! Looking great!!!
Post by: Blondbraid on 25 Dec 2015, 11:45
Post by: Grok on 27 Dec 2015, 17:11
A bit of work left to get the flight simulator to work properly, but I have good hopes that we will get there. :)
Post by: AnasAbdin on 28 Dec 2015, 09:35
A bit of work left to get the flight simulator to work properly, but I have good hopes that we will get there. :)
You will (nod)
Great work so far. Looking forward trying this one out. The style is inviting ;-D
Post by: Grok on 01 Feb 2016, 21:52
You will (nod)
Great work so far. Looking forward trying this one out. The style is inviting ;-D
The flight simulator is working to my satisfaction now, so you where right.
Thank you.
A little bit of an update in the original post.
Post by: Grok on 20 Feb 2016, 08:56
Post by: AnasAbdin on 20 Feb 2016, 09:01
The intro movie is very interesting and I LOVED seeing Orion's belt at the end!
Post by: Blondbraid on 20 Feb 2016, 09:06
Post by: Grok on 20 Feb 2016, 09:15
Handsfree's music is great and morganw has put in a lot of effort on the sound edit, so they have a big part in this.
Post by: Mandle on 20 Feb 2016, 12:54
I just watched the new trailer and it's already beating most of the crap Hollywood studios belt out to get audiences excited about their next production!!!
Sooooo beautiful and cinematic!
Which was also exactly what gave the original game its sense of excitment...But it looks like you, Grok, are further perfecting that level of your art in this new game....
OHHHHHHHHH....
/me goes away to sit on his hands...
Post by: Grok on 06 Apr 2016, 18:55
Post by: Blondbraid on 06 Apr 2016, 19:09
Post by: Cassiebsg on 06 Apr 2016, 19:28
Looking great, keep up the good work!
Post by: oareaso on 07 Apr 2016, 17:32
Post by: Grok on 07 May 2016, 05:50
Post by: Blondbraid on 07 May 2016, 11:47
Quote
Jean Batten had a cat, Buddy, that she brought along on some flights. That made me considering get a cat for Jacqueline too.Now that would be adorable! ;-D
I'm looking forward to your game, I love adventure stories!
You wouldn't happen to have read this article (http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/03/the-forgotten-female-action-stars-of-the-1910s/475635/)? :)
Post by: Grok on 08 May 2016, 06:14
Thank you for the link to the article. I had not read that article, but I knew a lot of what is in it. There also where a couple of things that I did not knew earlier, so thanks for that.
The actress Pearl White mentioned in the article is the source for Jacqueline's last name ("Jacqueline" comes from two pilots, Jacqueline Cochran and Jacqueline Auriol).
The movie serials in the article is much the source for the background of the "Red desert"-game, "The Hazards of Helen" is mentioned in the game as a serial made of a competing movie company to the fictitious movie company in the game.
Jean Batten's cat probably had a rather bad life. The cat hated flighing and grew to be scared of the sight of an airplane.
Jacqueline's cat, if she will have one (that's still on the drawing board), would love flighing. This would be a case of fiction being what the actually facts should have been. :)
Post by: Grok on 08 Jun 2016, 17:54
Demo soon to be released.
See original post.
Post by: Blondbraid on 10 Jun 2016, 20:45
Post by: Darth Mandarb on 10 Jun 2016, 20:55
Thanks!
Post by: Grok on 10 Jun 2016, 21:30
Is that actually related to this game (part of the production) or just fan-art?
It is part of the production
Post by: Grok on 18 Jun 2016, 12:57
Post by: Shadow1000 on 22 Jun 2016, 19:55
The reason I like it so much is for all the reasons I commented on Bad Trouble in the Red Desert (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52636.msg636520432#msg636520432).
- Graphics and animation are SUPERB. They really match the context of the type of movie you are portraying. This is both for in game action and cutscenes.
- In game hint system is a great idea.
- The story is intriguing and compelling
- LOTS of puzzles packed into the game. More about this later.
- All those extras such as the arcade sequences and the flight simulator. Ok, I tried it 3 times and crashed each time but still....lol
Overall I had a great experience playing. I think this game can match or exceed the quality of the Bad Trouble and the reason I'm commenting is because you released the demo for player feedback. It goes without saying that as the author you can dismiss all or some of what I say. Maybe other players will completely disagree but here's my personal opinion:
First, anyone reading this, please play the demo first OR wait till the full release. Otherwise, there will be some spoilers!
My first comments are things that probably everyone would agree with.
I don't know if the reason for the following is because it's a demo and you intended to change them for the release but I do want to mention:
- Using the default font really does not do justice to the stunning graphics. I did notice another font in the boat-down-the-river scene and I think that worked well. Either way, please change the font
- The text in the Game section of the guide spills past the bottom of the page. That should be corrected.
- When the player dies in the last arcade sequence, the game crashes.
- I think that when the game starts it should load the menu instead of going to the opening scene. I know you can easily skip it but especially if you can die in the game.
- There are so many spelling errors in the game that it really diminishes the overall polish. I can give you a list of those that I've found but I strongly recommend that someone proofreads the script.
Next set of comments will not be universally agreed on but they are my opinion :)
Let's talk a bit about why we adventure game addicts will stay up till 2 am or later, forgo food, drink and bathroom facilities for indefinite lengths of time to play a game. One of the most important elements to creating an awesome adventure game is the pacing of the story and the puzzles. If not for the puzzles, we can just watch a movie that tells a story. If you just have a series of puzzles, well, that might be ok for a short game and a few good MAGS entries are like that, which is ok, BECAUSE it's a short game. But you are producing a full length to-be classic so the balance and pacing has to be right. The compelling aspect of a good adventure game is that the plot is gripping but instead of just watching a movie unfold, we want to INTERACT with the plot and our decisions and skill at solving the puzzles is rewarded by proceeding with the next segment of the plot.
Before I get back to that, I have to issue a disclaimer that I am not a fan of object puzzles. What I mean by that term (I think I made it up so I don't expect anyone to use it) is the "move the tiles around", "spin the dials till something happens", "connect the gears to get the machine going" where you use a bit of logic and trial and error to figure out what's supposed to happen. These object puzzles have their place in adventure games and obviously different players will like them to varying degrees. They are just not my thing.
So, the problem I'm getting at is that I think that unless someone REALLY likes object puzzles, they will find the pacing in the game to be less than compelling.
Example:
So, what's wrong with that? I feel that a well paced game will balance the progress of the plot with the puzzles so the player is rewarded for solving a puzzle by more story rather than more consecutive puzzles. Cutscenes are a great way to advance the plot but there has to be judicious spacing.
I would rather see a better balance between inventory puzzles, dialogue puzzles, object puzzle, toss in your arcade sequences and flight simulator and you have a winner!
I do realize that you have all of the above. I'm just commenting on the game pacing and balance.
Some little things:
As the author, it's up to you to define your audience but be aware that about 10% of players have some sort of colour vision deficiency. Using colour to define something visually will not work for us. I could have spun those for the next hundred years and not realized that one is different. IF you use colour to define something, try to make the colour definitions REALLY stand out taking this into account. As I said, you can ignore this point and develop excellent games for 90% of players who have no problem but considering that the game is in progress I thought I'd throw this out there.
In conclusion, I'm really excited for the release! Judging by the demo, I know this is going to be an awesome game! If you or others disagree with my evaluation, then don't worry about it and just continue. Everything I said is completely my own opinion and experience and other people might say "what?? Give us MORE object puzzles!" and that's fine. I'm just expressing one voice.
SHADOW
Post by: Grok on 22 Jun 2016, 21:52
I finished the demo last night. I am REALLY liking this and that's why I want to provide my feedback.
-----
Thank you for the feedback and the the time you have put into that. I do appreciate that.
The game is a team effort and the good things in it is also something that the team should have credit for. The things that work less well is ultimately my responsibility.
The demo is not the finished product so some of things you remarked on might be different in the final version.
-----------------
When player dies in the last arcade game the game crashes
I have not observed this. Is this the room with the pillars coming down from the ceiling?
Intro movie
From a storytelling point I want this before the main menu. You might not have noticed this but in the main menu you can set the intro movie to off. If you do that it will not play the next time you open the game. An alternative could be to automatically set that to off and give the player an option to play the movie again if they want to.
Balancing different types of puzzles and story telling elements
Well, that is the trick, isn't it :)
Interested to hear how folks feel about the balance.
In the end I'll do something I would like to play.
Rotating star
I'll add something to the "pointer arm" to make it stand out besides having a different color. Good to have this pointed out since I didn't realize there would be a problem for some people and it is fairly easy to fix.
The crazy room
The Paris section is basically a game I made before The Red Desert (in flash). I have reused the art from that game and stuck closely to what happened in that game.
The crazy room was in that version a top down shooter, somewhat similar to Space invaders. I thought that it was too similar to the shooting game in the tunnels in the Egypt section, so I changed it, but reused many of the graphic elements from the original version. So that is the story behind the look of that room.
We have some ideas about more stuff for this room and the final version might be even more crazy. :)
Post by: Shadow1000 on 22 Jun 2016, 22:38
Thank you for the feedback and the the time you have put into that. I do appreciate that.
In case you're wondering, it took me between 2 1/2 to 3 hours to play.
Quote
The demo is not the finished product so some of things you remarked on might be different in the final version.
Certainly understood! :)
Quote
When player dies in the last arcade game the game crashes
I have not observed this. Is this the room with the pillars coming down from the ceiling?
Yes
Quote
Intro movie
From a storytelling point I want this before the main menu. You might not have noticed this but in the main menu you can set the intro movie to off. If you do that it will not play the next time you open the game.
Good point and I did notice that but for some reason didn't bother to click the check!
Quote
Balancing different types of puzzles and story telling elements
Well, that is the trick, isn't it :)
Interested to hear how folks feel about the balance.
In the end I'll do something I would like to play.
Certainly and whatever direction you take, I am sure the result will be excellent and I will enjoy playing.
Quote
The crazy room
The Paris section is basically a game I made before The Red Desert (in flash). I have reused the art from that game and stuck closely to what happened in that game.
The crazy room was in that version a top down shooter, somewhat similar to Space invaders. I thought that it was too similar to the shooting game in the tunnels in the Egypt section, so I changed it, but reused many of the graphic elements from the original version. So that is the story behind the look of that room.
Well, that explains it. As I said it didn't feel like it belonged. As far as a shooter in that room, I don't think that an arcade sequence belongs next to the next arcade sequence...
Cheers
SHADOW
Post by: Creamy on 27 Jun 2016, 20:44
- Good things :
- Not so good things :
Good luck.
Post by: Darth Mandarb on 28 Jun 2016, 01:36
Post by: Grok on 28 Jun 2016, 05:43
Hello, I started the demo and crashed the airplane into the ground after a few minutes but I'll give it another try later.
----
Thank you for the feedback. I've put some tips on flying in the hints and tips thread.
I did see the image before it was removed so I have understood the point you wanted to make (I don't necessarily completely agree with you, but I have understood the point).
Post by: sthomannch on 17 Jul 2016, 23:59
Was very entertaining, good puzzles and mini games and nice graphics. I also appreciated that some of the arcades could be played in easy mode, so the mini games did not stand in the way of the flow.
Found a minor glitch
Post by: Grok on 16 Aug 2016, 19:26
Fantastic demo!
Was very entertaining, good puzzles and mini games and nice graphics. I also appreciated that some of the arcades could be played in easy mode, so the mini games did not stand in the way of the flow.
Thank you! I had not noticed this post earlier. I do appreciate the feedback and the info on the glitch.
However, due to certain reasons I will not continue to develop this game. At least not for now and not in this format.
I thank everybody that has supported this game. A special thanks to Shadow1000.
Post by: Darth Mandarb on 16 Aug 2016, 20:05
However, due to certain reasons I will not continue to develop this game. At least not for now and not in this format.
Sorry to hear that. If you change you mind let me know (via PM) and we can unlock this.