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AGS Games => AGS Games in Production => Topic started by: Ghost on Sun 24/02/2019 03:41:10

Title: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Sun 24/02/2019 03:41:10
It's happening! Aliens are RIGHT here, PROPER alien invaders, and they are planning to take over Earth. Mean and green? Yes. Hatching their troops from gooey eggs? Oh, yes. And that whole thing with the plant pods, the body snatching, the screeching and
the acid blood, the telepathy and that invulnerable extra sphincter? Check, check and double check.


Lost Craft optimistically resurrects:
(https://i.imgur.com/mbkmeQC.png)

An alien fleet makes their home right under a ramshackle asylum because you gotta have a sinister home base. It's a matter of style. And they have a plan. An evil, secret plan, deliciously overcomplicated and with just enough wriggle room to fail.

Enter Willow, Earth's last- and best- hope.
She knows the plan. She can save us all if she plays her cards right. Unfortunately, she's several cards short of a full deck, and an ace up your sleeves isn't much help when you're in a straitjacket.

So, er. Hi. It's been a while... and here I am again, with an old idea and some fresh optimism. I recently got back into AGS; and what better way to properly get back than, you know, making a game maybe? It's a thing I'm looking forward to. t's really been a while.
Some of you may remember an old prototype of Collateral Jelly, which started life as a 640x480, hand-drawn point-and-clicky thing that never got anywhere. And I found a way to fix that- just going full retro. It's what I do best.

Some early WIP screens for your consumption- more to come. I'll make this a proper project with dev diary and everything.

(https://i.imgur.com/mnDOK5m.png)
Alien body snatchers, teleporter mishaps, and offscreen flying saucers- the 80s called; they want their tropes back!

(https://i.imgur.com/KCyADuf.png)
Meet Willow- a perfectly fine lass with impeccable fashion sense. Cotton never goes out of style!

Proper Progress Percentages:
Story - 95%
Scripting - 30%
Graphics - 10%
Sound/Music - 0%
Collateral Jelly will be available for puny human earthling enjoyment end of 2019.

Developer's Diary - Febuary 24
The game's  reached a point where it's worth showing around. It's basic stuff but robust, reliable and I even found my favourite speech fonts on an ancient USB drive.
I got back into scripting by making a custom "BASS" once more, just to see if I could still do that. The boilerplate stuff is out of the way, there's two rooms and some objects to play around with, and at least static views for the main characters. It's looking promising, and this time I do have a simple plot with a couple of interesting challenges that come from the nature of the protagonist. Willow has only limited inventory space and can logically not fully use her hands, which makes for logical restrictions I'm really happy with; restrictions like that lend themselves to really, really oldschool stuff like stashing items somewhere, and having to convince people to help. I have also set up the code for a "mood system"(which I already played around with in the first build)- Willow will react to alien invaders and everyday challenges mostly depending on her current state of mind, so there is a lot of room for puzzles that are not your traditional use x on y.
All said and done, this has really got me excited again. Coming back after such a long time, I feel like a noob again, and just making and not caring too much for "perfection" seems the way to go.

Developer's Diary - March 03
The week has been good- I got most of the plot sorted into a nice sequential order and the first "chunk", which serves as intro and tutorial for the game, is completely scripted. I'm playing it very safe here and included different types of puzzles to showcase how some stuff in the game is non-traditional (and hopefully fun!). I know that I tend to be very, very wordy and did my best to hand over control to the player as soon as possible, too.
The whole process is still very "rough-and-ready"- I don't make final graphics for rooms and that means there's not too much cool stuff to show yet.
Made a nice little speechcycle though; take a gander!
[imgzoom]https://i.imgur.com/OeqkHeG.gif[/imgzoom]

Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: LimpingFish on Sun 24/02/2019 04:44:07
Loving the graphics! Looking forward to seeing more.  :)
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Slasher on Sun 24/02/2019 06:15:00
A mad woman saves the world  (laugh)

Sounds like a recipe for a smash hit.  ;)
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: dactylopus on Sun 24/02/2019 07:51:03
This looks really cool, and very promising.  Looking forward to seeing it finished.

I love the idea of taking a step back from super serious game development in order to get stuff done.  I've been trying to do that, myself.

Best of luck!
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Tabata on Sun 24/02/2019 09:56:35
                 (http://s7.directupload.net/images/user/140716/fk64tpif.gif)
Aww ... such cute graphics ... you still have it in you, Mister!

Willow has been tied up for the story and I feel laced to that new Ghost game already. 
You got me, a puny human-mouse-earthling, hooked straight.  (http://s14.directupload.net/images/user/140717/9rahwtb3.gif)
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: VampireWombat on Sun 24/02/2019 13:56:07
Definitely looking forward to this. Everything so far looks and sounds awesome.
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: cat on Sun 24/02/2019 16:15:07
Absolutely awesome!
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 24/02/2019 16:43:26
Oooooowooooo  ;-D

A new Ghost game and it looks awesome as expected! Looking forward to it!
Good luck with production and remember to always do a bit (at least) everyday.  ;)
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Darth Mandarb on Sun 24/02/2019 17:08:28
I feel like I've just seen a ghost...

This game looks and sounds intriguing.

Welcome back and good luck with the production!
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Kastchey on Sun 24/02/2019 18:17:22
Welcome back Ghost! The alien creature looks super awesome.

Side note, I had a similar train of thought regarding going 640x480 a while back.
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: selmiak on Sun 24/02/2019 21:12:45
oooh, this is cool! I want to cuddle that monster :)
Have fun making this :D
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Mon 25/02/2019 15:24:13
Thank you all for the kind welcome backs and good lucks!
And I'm glad to see the idea getting some interest. Stay tuned, I'll sail this one home at least :D

Dactylopus: The "break" wasn't exactly a voluntary choice but I can't say it hurt to take a couple steps back. i had too many projects back then, too much I felt needed to be done, and the fun started to take a backseat.
Especially  now where AGS has a couple of members who "made it big", it was very easy to get the idea that everything needs to be polished to higher standards. 
But right now I feel charged and have some distance from "old failures"- so yeah, altogether a good thing, in the end. And seeing you guys remembering the old Ghost and seeing comments on something I make, that is like giving your brain a nice, hot shower.

Kastchey: 640x480 was fun and i really liked having more room for details- but I think it doesn't lend itself too well to "manual animation". I never got it to look right. Still a sweet spot between low and high res I think. I'll dig out some screenshots from the old build. It was so garish it makes me smile :D
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Dualnames on Mon 25/02/2019 16:35:08
MARRY ME
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Mon 25/02/2019 17:01:00
Quote from: Dualnames on Mon 25/02/2019 16:35:08
MARRY ME

I missed you too  :grin:
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Hobo on Mon 25/02/2019 21:52:46
Looks beautiful and sounds intriguing, those close-up shot are top notch. I do remember something vaguely about the old version and it's great to see that you decided to pick this up again. Can't wait to join Willow on her crazy adventure. Have fun and enjoy the development!
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Kastchey on Mon 25/02/2019 21:58:20
Quote from: Ghost on Mon 25/02/2019 15:24:13
Kastchey: 640x480 was fun and i really liked having more room for details- but I think it doesn't lend itself too well to "manual animation". I never got it to look right. Still a sweet spot between low and high res I think. I'll dig out some screenshots from the old build. It was so garish it makes me smile :D
You do that, I'd love to see it :) I vaguely remember your previous WiP thread but it was quite a while ago....
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Mon 25/02/2019 23:21:04
Quote from: Kastchey on Mon 25/02/2019 21:58:20
You do that, I'd love to see it :) I vaguely remember your previous WiP thread but it was quite a while ago....

The old thread still exists but I had it locked, and all images are gone- it's super ancient. But an old dog never throws away his backups :D

Truth to be told, this has not aged well :D
(https://i.imgur.com/g7k8MuU.png)
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Stupot on Tue 26/02/2019 00:55:43
Looks good, man. Nice to see you're still kicking about. :-) x
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: WHAM on Tue 26/02/2019 07:56:27
Ghost is back!
Gost is making a game!
Ghost is making a NEW game!

The three best pieces of news so far this year! \o/
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Cyrus on Tue 26/02/2019 22:24:36
Wow, I'm absolutely elated to see this revived! Being the digital hoarder and virtual necrophile I am, I remember this game in great detail. I love it that you switched to retro style, especially that second screenshot with the aliens. Some things I was curious about:

1) Given that the main character is a mental patient, will there be "unreliable narrator" elements? For example, visual hallucinations (or could it be that the aliens themselves are a hallucination  ;) )?
2) I also remember Once Upon A Crime 2; have you considered reviving that one as well, or is it 100% dead?
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Wed 27/02/2019 08:03:03
Wham: Hugs to you :)

Cyrus: Glad you enjoy the retro switch! It really was the way to do this I think :)

Quote from: Cyrus on Tue 26/02/2019 22:24:36
1) Given that the main character is a mental patient, will there be "unreliable narrator" elements? For example, visual hallucinations (or could it be that the aliens themselves are a hallucination  ;) )?
There will be... something, that's just to be expected; rooms may look a bit different depending on your current state of mind, or an item might have different descriptions... maybe even uses. That's not quite "unreliable narrator"- it's more or less the
way a mind can work. Face a problem while you are already overwhelmed and see how it apparently scales up- face it with a calm mind and it can look quite different. Being wired wrong can be quite subtle and you won't even notice it yourself.
The aliens, though? They are not a hallucination, they are a hive mind. It's important not to mix that up.

Quote from: Cyrus on Tue 26/02/2019 22:24:36
2) I also remember Once Upon A Crime 2; have you considered reviving that one as well, or is it 100% dead?
For now, the goal is to make a one (1) teh game. Focus on one thing and get that done. I am quite hesitant to revive more of the old projects, actually (hells, next thing would then be Daemons in the Attic), and especially OUAC2 was doomed from the start. I wouldn't mind remaking the first game, though, bring the spriteart up to par and then add in some of the things that would've been "Part 2". Sort of a "deluxe version" of the original. But that's far in the future.
But no project is ever really dead, even if all it leaves is ideas to take from it :)
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: BunnyShoggoth on Wed 27/02/2019 21:56:23
Awesometastic, mental patient+aliens is a combo that just cannot fail, gives me a real Twilight Zone vibe!

It reminds me of one game idea of my own, inspired by the movie "Beautiful Mind", about paranoid schizophrenia, with the protagonist encountering a number of weird characters and Broken Sword/Gabriel Knight-style puzzles seemingly leading up to some big revelation, but the point would be to not solve the puzzles and instead cling to ordinary life (with the character returning to sanity in the good ending and going completely off his rocker in the bad ending).
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Sun 03/03/2019 14:16:20
Update in original post! -> https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=56955.msg636602218#msg636602218 (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=56955.msg636602218#msg636602218)

Guys, I just once again want to say thanks to everyone who commented, was interested, and just made me feel like coming home. I'm really happy right now.

Bunny: That idea of yours sounds pretty interesting, make it! I'd play the hell out of it for sure (or NOT play it at all, instantly winning :D )
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Kastchey on Sun 03/03/2019 20:04:20
Quote from: Ghost on Mon 25/02/2019 23:21:04
Truth to be told, this has not aged well :D
Spoiler
(https://i.imgur.com/g7k8MuU.png)
[close]
Hah! I think I can see what you mean :) The character's detailing is cute though, especially the facial expression.
Still, that lo-res alien wins ^^
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Creamy on Sun 03/03/2019 20:35:25
Spoiler
(https://i.imgur.com/g7k8MuU.png)
[close]
I like it better without the black outlines. Still, it looks good to me.
The new colors seem more vivid.
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Tabata on Mon 04/03/2019 08:55:39
May I ask about how endet Willow in that situation or will that be part of/included in the game?
By watching her talkanim I can say that  I would believe her everything she tells.
                              (https://i.imgur.com/OeqkHeG.gif)
                         It looks soo nice (http://s15.directupload.net/images/user/190226/ttpbl4uf.gif)
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Tue 05/03/2019 12:55:17
Quote..I can say that I would believe her everything she tells.


Hi Tabata! Pleased to meet you! Willow here!
I told Ghost there was a sale on Nerf guns somewhere and I got a few minutes at least, YAY!

OooooOoo your site has cup smileys!
(wtf) :-* :-[ :P :P

:-D (laugh) (laugh)

Now, listen. This is a secret and you can tell no-one else. Okay? Everyone else, do NOT read this. Only Tabata.
Good?
You swear?
Gooooood. Now, see, the thing is, I am NOT mad. I am not INSANE. I am, actually, and in truth, and for reals, also an alien. Imma an ALIEN SPY.
I was send to avoid the apocalyse, see? It's all a RUSE.

That's why I am wearing this jacket too, it's the perfect way to hide my alien hands. See? No, you DON'T!
And that is the best! Since you can't see my alien hands they are concealed weapons.
And since you can't see them, you don't know when I am using them, and THAT means you don't feel it when I hit you, and THAT means...
I can just walk around smacking aliens without them knowing why they fall over!
I'm clever like that.

Hope this answers your question. And I like your avatar! We have some mice here too, in the room-with-the-electric-thing. Always chew through the cables, so
I like mice a lot because then nothing works anymore. Mice are AWESOME.

Hugs,
- "Willow"*

__
* My name is actually unpronouncable for the juman tongue.

I think he's coming back!
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Gepard on Thu 14/03/2019 10:52:32
This looks super cute! Good luck!
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Mandle on Thu 14/03/2019 12:31:44
Quote from: WHAM on Tue 26/02/2019 07:56:27
Ghost is back!
Gost is making a game!
Ghost is making a NEW game!

The three best pieces of news so far this year! \o/

How was i unaware of these developments?!

Hey, Ghost, if you need a menacing deep voice for the alien overlord I volunteer!
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Tue 19/03/2019 14:24:45
Hi, guys.

Back on Friday the 8th I was brought into the hospital for a health-related emergency, which was provisorically patched over in the past days. I'm back home now and have recovered sort of okay-ish. Not yet in peak shape but I'll be picking up the pace soon enough.
There's...
Well, there's some things to talk about, and I'll do that soon enough in another post. For now, we're back in the hauntings.

Mandle: That *is* an offer I may actually take your word for. remember when the real high-class LucasArts adventure games used to have these lucurious, fully voiced-over, intros? Back when CD was just establishing itself? If I can get a few guys and maybe a vountarily Willow I'd actually enjoy a brief voice over intro A LOT. Tell me your thought on that one though, would it be worth it, if only for a small joke, or would it look out of place these days?
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Mandle on Tue 19/03/2019 15:39:14
Quote from: Ghost on Tue 19/03/2019 14:24:45
Mandle: That *is* an offer I may actually take your word for. remember when the real high-class LucasArts adventure games used to have these lucurious, fully voiced-over, intros? Back when CD was just establishing itself? If I can get a few guys and maybe a vountarily Willow I'd actually enjoy a brief voice over intro A LOT. Tell me your thought on that one though, would it be worth it, if only for a small joke, or would it look out of place these days?

Yeah, even just an intro would be fun, if that's the time-period feel you are aiming for.
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: LimpingFish on Thu 21/03/2019 20:40:53
Sorry to hear about your trip to the hospital, Ghost. Hope everything is okay.  :)

Quote from: Ghost on Tue 19/03/2019 14:24:45
remember when the real high-class LucasArts adventure games used to have these lucurious, fully voiced-over, intros? Back when CD was just establishing itself?

I was just thinking about the original Day of the Tentacle intro the other day, and how it always gives me the warm fuzzies when I watch it. I think it's mostly down to the combination of the weird midi music and blatant background hiss the speech has. It just screams 1993!

Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Fri 22/03/2019 11:06:20
Quote from: LimpingFish on Thu 21/03/2019 20:40:53
Sorry to hear about your trip to the hospital, Ghost. Hope everything is okay.  :)


I really feel the need to speak out what has happened and why. I'm a bit hesitant to do it here but what other place is there? This forum is among my oldest haunting grounds and many of you know me, or at least my persona, for a long time. Some of you have even teamed up with me in the past to make games or just have a pleasant chat.
If this needs to be moved or removed because it violates thread rules, I'll gladly do that; for now I put hidey brackets in case you don't want to read about health issues.

Spoiler

It was a severe hyperglycemia derailmaint. I'm a type 1 diabetic for over 20 years now and in the past few years I've had to learn to live with depression, too. Funny thing, depression, can make you lose all interest in caring for yourself.
In short, I had neglected my diabetes for a long time, and the result was a full-on breakdown with blood sugar levels of well above 700 (100 is the default for a healthy person, or a well-adjusted diabetic). I spend two days unconscious
in intensive care, with machinery pumping all sorts of stuff into my body to keep it going on. Spend another two days there until the chamical reactions that make a body work were in balance again. It was a close shave, if I might share that here, I was this close to shutting down for good.
What I remember is a long phase of hallucinations as the brain started to overload and that was some freaky shit. Doctors later told me that there was poison building up everywhere and I had been close to entering a loop where all the neural flares just keep firing again and again until they fizzle out.
For some reason I had it in me to keep going, and so I did.
One thing that I haven't done yet is just openly tell you guys: I am suffering from depression, and it impacts my everyday life. To me that felt like shouting: "Oi, I am an attention whore! I am very sick and may kill myself, so you better be very nice to me!"
But maybe that was the mistake, maybe I should've told my story earlier and maybe that could've changed things.
There is a lot I need to do now. I'm seeing a doctor to recalibrate my insulin intake, and will in time return to normal sugar levels. I'm also seeing someone to treat my depression. The patterns I have created for myself aren't healthy and I need to take more care of myself. There are options all around me- even if I don't like them they are all there- medication and therapy and whatnot. It's all there.
I'll get better, and if anything, I have reached a point where old beloved hobbies sound exciting again, and aren't something to run away from. Shit grows roses; I should know.
[close]
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Cassiebsg on Fri 22/03/2019 13:23:00
Sorry to hear about it. Hope you get better soon.
Spoiler

I've had to drag my husband to the hospital, twice, due to the same problem... so I kind of know what you've gone thru / are going through. Feel free to drop me a pm if you need/want to chat more about it.
[close]
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Retro Wolf on Fri 22/03/2019 13:46:01
Get well soon Ghost!
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Fri 22/03/2019 17:21:05
Thanks guys. That really means a lot.

And to not end the day so sober: Today saw much progress on a puzzle where you get to convince an alien that it can not see you as long as you are covering your eyes.
It is going to be very droll.
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: VampireWombat on Fri 22/03/2019 17:25:00
I think that may possibly be the best sounding puzzle I've ever heard for an adventure game.
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Kweepa on Sat 23/03/2019 05:57:58
Spoiler alert: that's a puzzle from Zaphod's portion of Infocom presents Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy by Steve Meretzky. (The alien in question is the infamous Bug Blatter Beast of Traal.) Although I suppose in that game, the alien takes it as read that he can't see you and no convincing is required.
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: dactylopus on Sat 23/03/2019 07:18:24
Sorry to hear about your troubles.  Depression is horrible, I know.  I'm glad you are able to talk about it freely, even that can be very difficult.  That said, I wish you well and hope for the best.

As far as the game is concerned, I'm very excited about it.  It sounds like it will be fun, original, and fantastic.  I'm also glad it's providing you with a creative outlet to focus on.  Keep it up!
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Frodo on Sat 23/03/2019 08:07:05
Ghost, so sorry to read about what you've been going through.   :cry:
It's brave of you to post about it here on the forums. 

I'm glad you're getting help now, and I really hope you get better soon. 


As for the game, that puzzle sounds brilliant.  Really excited for the game.   :cheesy:
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Sat 23/03/2019 10:03:24
Quote from: Kweepa on Sat 23/03/2019 05:57:58
Spoiler alert: that's a puzzle from Zaphod's portion of Infocom presents Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy by Steve Meretzky.

Damnit! I even played that game! I totally forgot about that puzzle... but rest assured, in context it will be very different. It's more or less an introduction to Willow's personal brand of "thinking odd", and resembles the children's peek-aboo game more than fiddling around with your ever-so-useful towel :)
edit:
No, I'm positive that the ideas really are different. Hitchhiker is about consulting the guide to learn about a weakness that is unique to the beast and then exploiting it. I remember not even reading up about the creature in-game, because I knew the source material well enough to figure out what to do. So, yes, similar for sure, but not a direct copy.

Frodo, Dactylopus & everyone-
It was hard to make that post. Even with the hidey brackets. But now that it's out there I feel relief. As I said, what held me back for so long was the (perceived) fact that the net is full of these "Oh I am so sad" posts and the reaction would just be eye-rolling and snark. It took me ages to accept the fact that yes, there's this illness inside you, you are not quite right in the head, you do need help. Still not quite there; openly talking about it, well, still feels odd and risky. But as I said, AGS is an old place and I have trust in it.
Thanks for your kind posts: They are an incredible support.
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Creamy on Sun 24/03/2019 23:14:12
Hi Ghost,

Sorry to hear about your problems.

Spoiler
QuoteI have reached a point where old beloved hobbies sound exciting again, and aren't something to run away from. Shit grows roses; I should know.
To stop drawing and making games is something I've been considering too. Last year, I had this firm resolve to waste less time on that and do more social activities or useful stuff. But I didn't quite succeed and I still have kind a love-hate relationship with AGS.
[close]


Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ponch on Fri 29/03/2019 00:17:40
Hey, Ghost. Good to see you're back. The game looks cute. Sorry to hear about your problems, but hang in there. AGS is the best medicine.  :smiley:
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Dualnames on Wed 10/04/2019 17:13:43
Ghost, no matter what, no matter how, not to make you feel pressured, but know that I love you and believe in you alone enough for the entire universe. <3
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Cyrus on Sat 27/04/2019 01:16:15
Ghost, I'm also wishing you the best with your health; I'm sorry I didn't say so right away, I saw your latest posts only now. How are you?
Title: Re: Collateral Jelly
Post by: Ghost on Sat 27/04/2019 22:29:56
Things are improving. We'll see this through
Next update should be around sometime soonish  (nod)