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AGS Games => Completed Game Announcements => Topic started by: shamz on Sat 03/06/2017 16:42:09

Title: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: shamz on Sat 03/06/2017 16:42:09
Hi,

This is my first complete game with AGS that I made for my graduation project for university. I would like to present...

(http://i.imgur.com/AdvRlfR.jpg)

Tony comes back home after three years abroad to find that in his absence, things have changed. For one, his wife Angela is nowhere to be found. And what is this he keeps hearing about a new owner of the apartment building? Thus begins his descent into a creepy little dream narrative...

Screenshots:
(http://i.imgur.com/54DUFNO.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/1QLagJx.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/PUpxRZH.png)

Download:
AGS Games Database (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2161/)

I hope you'll enjoy it! If you find a bug or want to contact me, my email is: shamang37@gmail.com
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sat 03/06/2017 17:46:08
Hi, congrats on finishing your first game, and what a game it is! :-D

Is there major changes or serious bugs between this version and the demo?
I'm playing the demo and would like to know how whether I should start over with this version or continue with the demo?
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Bishy on Sun 04/06/2017 03:52:39
Quick question; how do you save the game? The only button I can see appears to be a quit button.
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: shamz on Sun 04/06/2017 04:03:35
@Cassie
Thanks! There isn't too big a difference, but some bugs are ironed out, and some dramatic moments are... enhanced :P If you're not too far, I would start over with this version, of course.

@Bishy
That's a good question; saving the game is a bit of a puzzle. If you really wanna know, it has to do with
Spoiler
your (or rather Tony's) memories.
[close]
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Bishy on Sun 04/06/2017 04:20:27
I'm sorry, but I don't understand.

EDIT: Well, I finally managed to happen upon the solution.

Spoiler
When you randomly encounter the room with an Angel, use one of the memories on her.
[close]

To be perfectly honest though, I don't think making the act of saving the game a puzzle was a good idea, especially when the game itself doesn't make it clear that this is the only way to save the game. I was honestly this close to just quitting the game without saving, almost ruining what was otherwise a great experience so far.

But yeah, aside from that, this is a really good game so far. Nice graphics, atmospheric audio, and a really interesting story. Now that I know how to save, I look forward to seeing what else the game has to offer.
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: shamz on Sun 04/06/2017 05:21:06
I totally understand. I wanted to call attention to the game itself, as a system, but it's one of these ideas works better in theory than in practice. I'm glad you got it in the end though, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the game!
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Tycho Magnetic Anomaly on Sun 04/06/2017 15:17:19
So many projects to get around to trying on this forum, next I am going to give your game a try  , downloading now and plan on playing later or tomorrow. love the urban theme,

very well done on getting your project to completion too.
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: shamz on Sun 04/06/2017 16:23:08
Thanks Tycho, I'd love to hear your thoughts when you've played it :)
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Cassiebsg on Mon 05/06/2017 10:33:53
Still playing. :-D

But got a question for you: Where are the savegame files stored? I can't find the folder in the usual place (where all my other AGS games are), nor is it on the game's folder... :-\ Guess I could do a search for it, but since you're the one that set it, I would like to know. Also, why aren't you using the default or usual/logical place to save it?
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: shamz on Mon 05/06/2017 12:29:43
Hmm, it should be in your Saved Games folder in your Documents. I just saw the option in the General Settings and I wanted to be a little creative, but I guess it actually changes the directory if I set this option.
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Cassiebsg on Mon 05/06/2017 13:28:50
Okay found them now... for some reason the folder is called "false memories" instead of "46memorylane".
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Mandle on Mon 05/06/2017 14:51:25
Quote from: Cassiebsg on Mon 05/06/2017 13:28:50
Okay found them now... for some reason the folder is called "false memories" instead of "46memorylane".

I'm guessing because they are supposed to be your character's "false" memories of their experience as opposed to the "real" memories of their one-time experience in the game?

On a side, but similar, note: SPC Containment Breach has a really interesting easter egg where you can find a file on yourself and discover that you are actually an SPC that was contained because of your ability to precog actions that you might take that would be fatal to you and avoid them in the future. A nice touch to "explain" the save/load option in the game without getting too on-the-nose and pointing directly at it... I thought so anyways...
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: shamz on Mon 05/06/2017 17:26:23
Mandle, if I could write a bigger emoticon I would :wink:

But that is pretty interesting about SPC, I think I'll have to check it out. I really love when people use lampshading creatively.
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Tycho Magnetic Anomaly on Tue 13/06/2017 18:02:27
Hey dude... I have not forgotten about your game, a whole bunch of things came up for me the last week or more and I have been pretty much snowed under the whole time. Promise will get to give this a try in the next few days. Looks great.
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Cassiebsg on Tue 13/06/2017 19:38:38
Oh, yeah, I've finished it btw!  (nod)

Loved it! Great game you guys managed to do here, you got me on my toes wanting to solved the "mystery" and the puzzles are nice and enjoyable, not too hard, not too easy to figure out.

Like others, I don't think the save function should be a puzzle, and on occasions the fact that I couldn't just save when I needed too was annoying. Plus, the randomness of the room added to the feeling. Is there a reason you removed the angel from the street? That would have been okay if it was there all the time, since at least one knew where it was.

Spoiler

Must admit the end disappointed me a bit, did he run away and got away with it?
Was in a sort of personal hell, faced to re-live and re-enact his crime?
Or did I completely misunderstood the story?
[close]
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: shamz on Thu 15/06/2017 16:53:59
Hey Cassie, thanks for playing! I'm glad you liked the puzzles and the mystery, I really enjoyed working on them. That is, until...

Spoiler

I ran out of time and had to finish the narrative as fast as possible, which is why the ending is unsatisfying. You're pretty spot on with the both interpretations: Although he "got away" from the law, Tony has to face his conscience. 46 Memory is Tony's Silent Hill, which is why the .exe is called "diyu", the Chinese word for hell (which was the working title of the game before I thought about the memory mechanic).
As for the angel, it's sort of a mash-up of ideas. I mean there's the obvious connection between ANGEL and ANGELA, and the point in the story where the angel disappears and shows up randomly is when Tony's world is destabilized. When Tony "descends", the guardian is no longer there to save him from his guilt (his memories).

I don't want to say too much, but I was trying to put layers in the narrative with the mechanics (laugh) Hopefully some of it is conveyed!
[close]
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Cassiebsg on Thu 15/06/2017 17:10:07
Thanks for the extra info about the ending. (nod)

Here's a quick solution you could have used...
Spoiler

After he run away, you could have just run the start cut scene again, showing him arriving to his own private hell again. ;)
I know it's not that original, but would probably be enough for the player to get that extra satisfaction of having understood and decode the story right. ;) just a thought, as it would probably only take you 5-10 minutes to add the scene in.
[close]
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Creamy on Thu 15/06/2017 17:29:56
Quotesaving the game is a bit of a puzzle
I've played Memory Lane several days ago. About a quarter of an hour into the game, I started worrying about saving. Not finding the save button, I tried every key of the keyboard and pushed F9, which resets the game.
Despite the interesting premise, I haven't found the courage to replay it since then because I didn't know if I would finish it in one sitting. The lack of ambient music in the building was a little off-putting too.
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: shamz on Sun 18/06/2017 12:57:07
Nice guys, loving the feedback :)

I actually did think of
Spoiler
dropping the player off at the very start of the game again after the credits, but I thought it would be pushing the boundaries of abusiveness after confusing save function. Although now that I think about it, it's the whole point of the game!
[close]

I think I'll revisit Memory Lane at the end of the summer and see what kind of improvements I could make to make it less confusing. Would having a readme/manual file in the game's .zip with a hint to the save function (or outright just telling you) spoil the whole thing? It's not a game that's intended to be a comfortable experience, but it's sounding like I'm pushing the usability of it too far away.
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 18/06/2017 13:01:03
I don't think it should be a puzzle, so I'm all forward to just tell the player how to save the game from the start. Nothing worse than to want to save and not find the save game function.
I'm pretty sure I would have given up on the game if I hadn't read about how to save the game, prior to starting it.
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: Tycho Magnetic Anomaly on Wed 05/07/2017 19:54:44
Yo! ... I have been quite busy of late so have only recently got the opportunity to try your game out again. I had a quick look at it some weeks ago, but didn't think it fair to comment based on that so I had a good solid go of it this time around. I am a little stuck at the moment (in the locked bedroom), however I think I have explored around enough and played enough to at least give you my initial thoughts, but I do want and hope to complete this at some point.

Well right from the word go I just digged the eerie atmosphere, its amazing how effective no-music but with carefully chosen atmospheric sounds can be, and I think your game is a fine example of that, in a weird way it gave me a silent hill sort of vibe.

I checked out all the floors of the building (well I am currently in the bedroom).. so I saw a good variety in terms of the visual experience and liked it, also like your attention to details on items/information.

The dialog was pretty darn good too and was too the story, or at least where I am up to with currently.

I got a bit confused with the game save system, took me a while to figure I drop the memories onto the statue.

All in all (well so far), this was a good experience, and I really hope to see another game from you soon.

Kudos!
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: on Tue 25/07/2017 17:22:58
I'm stuck.
Spoiler
How do I free Mina/Angela from the chains in room 204? I've already stabbed both ears and 1 eye at the bar but I can't trigger the eye again on floor 2.
[close]
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: shamz on Fri 28/07/2017 07:39:39
Yo yo! Thanks for your kind words Tycho, I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far :cheesy: I hope you'll have the time to see the rest of the game as well.

Que Tran, sorry for the late reply, but:
Spoiler
the eye only triggers when you're in a specific spot in the room. Unless it's a bug?
[close]
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: on Fri 28/07/2017 21:12:02
Quote from: shamz on Fri 28/07/2017 07:39:39
Yo yo! Thanks for your kind words Tycho, I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far :cheesy: I hope you'll have the time to see the rest of the game as well.

Que Tran, sorry for the late reply, but:
Spoiler
the eye only triggers when you're in a specific spot in the room. Unless it's a bug?
[close]

Spoiler
I've figured out how to break the chains but then I go to the apartment, find Angela, turn off tv, go to sleep and I think I've found a bug. The phone flashes red but when I try to check for a new message nothing happens. I leave the apartment and I get taken to the long stairs but I can't walk down the stairs or use the door. How do I finish the game?
[close]
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: charly on Sun 26/11/2017 03:02:38
Nice game so far, but I'm also stuck and I found a possible bug.

stuck:
Spoiler
After I stabbed both ears and eyes I found room 204 barred by police tape. Got through that, found the room empty except the chaos plus police crime scene markers. Nothing else in any other room, even after working the gears again. Plus I can't go outside, because Tony hears sirens and doesn't want to head that way.
[close]
I'm a bit sad, because I wanted to finish the game before I went to bed, but it's already 4am and I have no patience to run every floor and room again. Hopefully someone can soon give me a hint here.

possible bug:
Spoiler
After I stabbed both ears I got out in front of the house and met the old maid again. When I tried to stab her, Tony automatically goes to the bus station. The old man isn't there anymore, only a desk chair is there (at a bus stop? ??? ).
[close]


btw:
Quote from: Creamy on Thu 15/06/2017 17:29:56
Quotesaving the game is a bit of a puzzle
I started worrying about saving. Not finding the save button, I tried every key of the keyboard and pushed F9, which resets the game.
Happened to me as well. Luckily I immediately found the hints in this thread, otherwise I wouldn't have started over again.
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: KyriakosCH on Sun 26/11/2017 06:19:40
Sounds interesting - I will give it a try :)

edit: played a bit. It has a Downfall vibe (i think the female crying sound is the one used there as well (nod) ).

I got stuck, though.
Spoiler
trying to find booze for the old man. I completed dressing the mannequin.
[close]

Also, there is a bug-ish thing with
Spoiler
the ability to use the blood on the cup in the manager's room, WAY before you find any notes that make it logical to get the message 'not now'. This, of course, makes the player realize what is going on prior to the point one is intended to).
[close]

You should post a walkthough sometime.

Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: charly on Sun 26/11/2017 11:21:11
Quote from: KyriakosCH on Sun 26/11/2017 06:19:40
Sounds interesting - I will give it a try :)

edit: played a bit. It has a Downfall vibe (i think the female crying sound is the one used there as well (nod) ).

I got stuck, though.
Spoiler
trying to find booze for the old man. I completed dressing the mannequin.
[close]


hint:
Spoiler
You'll find it pretty late within the game.
[close]
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: shamz on Wed 06/12/2017 13:48:17
Hi all! Sorry again for the super late response.

@Que Tran
Quote from: Que Tran on Fri 28/07/2017 21:12:02
Spoiler
I've figured out how to break the chains but then I go to the apartment, find Angela, turn off tv, go to sleep and I think I've found a bug. The phone flashes red but when I try to check for a new message nothing happens. I leave the apartment and I get taken to the long stairs but I can't walk down the stairs or use the door. How do I finish the game?
[close]
Wow you definitely found a game breaking bug and I'm really sorry your experience ended like that :sad: Can't really say much other than I will look into it when I have time away from deadlines.


@KyriakosCH
Quote from: KyriakosCH on Sun 26/11/2017 06:19:40
Sounds interesting - I will give it a try :)

edit: played a bit. It has a Downfall vibe (i think the female crying sound is the one used there as well (nod) ).

I got stuck, though.
Spoiler
trying to find booze for the old man. I completed dressing the mannequin.
[close]

Also, there is a bug-ish thing with
Spoiler
the ability to use the blood on the cup in the manager's room, WAY before you find any notes that make it logical to get the message 'not now'. This, of course, makes the player realize what is going on prior to the point one is intended to).
[close]

You should post a walkthough sometime.

That's interesting! I haven't heard of Downfall before so I did a quick search and it looks pretty dope. Do you recommend it?
Spoiler
Also you're totally right with that 'not now' message when the player uses the blood on the cup. I actually remember that specific conversation I had with myself of whether I wanted to force the player to have an idea of what was going on before opening that possibility in the play space, but ultimately I decided to go with the way it is now because
1. Games which restrict your horizon of action until you hit some sort of flag feel too suffocating to me, especially in a point-and-click adventure. When people get stuck in this genre, they tend to start using random items on the environment, and I wanted people to go through this cycle less.
2. I want to plant the idea that the player character of Tony knows more than the player him/herself.
[close]
And I think you're right about a walkthrough, I'll get on that when I get to bug fixing :~(


@charly
Quote from: charly on Sun 26/11/2017 03:02:38

I'm a bit sad, because I wanted to finish the game before I went to bed, but it's already 4pm and I have no patience to run every floor and room again. Hopefully someone can soon give me a hint here.

possible bug:
Spoiler
After I stabbed both ears I got out in front of the house and met the old maid again. When I tried to stab her, Tony automatically goes to the bus station. The old man isn't there anymore, only a desk chair is there (at a bus stop? ??? ).
[close]

Hi charly, thanks for playing the game and letting me know about another bug :) I'll definitely need to fix that as well.
I hope you haven't completely given up hope yet!
Spoiler
What you're looking for is lying on the ground of room 204.
[close]
Title: Re: 46 MEMORY LANE (mature content)
Post by: charly on Wed 06/12/2017 22:29:55
Quote from: shamz on Wed 06/12/2017 13:48:17
Hi charly, thanks for playing the game and letting me know about another bug :) I'll definitely need to fix that as well.
I hope you haven't completely given up hope yet!
Spoiler
What you're looking for is lying on the ground of room 204.
[close]

Thanks for your answer.
Unfortunately your hint didn't help me.
Spoiler
I got the panties quite a while back and there's nothing else in the room Tony wants. Did you mean something else?
[close]