Nine Hours to Dawn

[Cogliostro]

Okay, the 7th Hour has been completed.  The reason why it took longer than anticipated should be readily apparent by the time you complete this hour.  The following is an actual hint/spoiler.  Don't read it until after you complete the 7th Hour or if you get stuck:

Spoiler

During the game of hide-n-seek it is possible to throw the shears and flashlight to distract the wolf.  Did I provide sufficient hints?  Or did you need to read this spoiler?

[close]

Also, when I started this game I dove straight in and started coding.  Certain aspects were easy to upgrade later and I decided not to worry about them too much.  It's time to start correcting that.  Jack's face is REALLY starting to bug me.

Everyone's talk-image will receive a similar upgrade, but here is Jack:

 

If I can't get everyone (humans at least) improved to a similar level of quality, I probably won't go ahead.  But this has been added to my list of things to do.

Finally, over the weekend the game crashed completely and I lost two days of work.  If you made a suggestion and I did *NOT* act on it, please comment again.  I may have made the change and then lost it.

- Cogliostro

[Cogliostro]

I left a piece of debugging code in the upload I did an hour ago and just corrected it.  Those of you who find it will have a good laugh.

Spoiler

When the monster caught you, instead of a death scene, the monster said, "Wow!  This tastes just like chicken."

[close]

Also, here are two more updated character photos.  I need to give them an expression, but you can see where I'm going with this.

 
 

- Cogliostro

[Tabata]

Ooooooh!  - What a smart young man is this, on the photo?
May I ask for his Adress and Number? 

I'm very impressed!


~ downloading now (while staring at those artworks - unbelievable - for me this is near to magic)

C U
Tabata

[Cogliostro]

UGH!

I mentioned a crash which cost me two days of work.  Well I went back and retestd everything there are at least four bugs that make the current version unplayable. 

Should have it cleared up soon.

- Cogliostro

[Tramponline]

New portraits look great!
Much smoother sailing with those new interaction icons!


1st HOUR:

...as Tabata mentioned:

• coming from the shed area to the front of the house --> then clicking (w. walk-icon) at the shed area once again --> causes Jack to walk towards shed (still front-of-house, room doesn't change!!!), while scaling towards a size where he's almost invisble.

4th HOUR:

• After drinking the 'special' coffee, Jack simply vanishes instead of running out of the room. Considering Astrid is going AFTER him, would be great to see him leave that room.

5th HOUR:

• '5th HOUR'-intro screen not centered


• With Astrid: Having to search the kitchen once more (after having done so already) seems futile?


• Astrid on the way to and from the car (forrest path screen): In both instances there should be far more opportunities for observation & comment to build up tension/ On the way to the car: she just observes "Woods"/ On the way back from the car, there's no interaction with the forrest at all!!!

6th HOUR:

...before the "incident":

• punctuation: (bathroom cabinet; downstairs + hand-interaction) = Jack's comment "I used it up [, or -] the extra toilet paper."

...during "incident":

• in the living room, clicking on dining room: Jack comments that he won't escape into dining room , but does so anyway!

...after the "incident":

• everlasting supply of 'christmas ornaments':you can do it over and over again.


• Jack has no observation/comment on obvious "state of window"(!).
• Looking for help, in front of house: clicking at swing-area, Jack comments: That's not the way to the road!", automatically runs to right side of screen and screen changes to swing-area anyway.



• Spoiler

  The climbable rock, in the last screen of the wolf hide & seek, doesn't visually seem to be climbable, as the rock sprite covers Jack's sprite - unless I did something wrong!? (I kind of walked "through" the rock?!)
  
  UPDATE: Just read your spoiler. I suppose, the mini-game is not quite difficult enough for the need of distractions. That aside: no, I didn't know about the ability to throw stuff untill I read your spoiler. But that would be great indeed! Basically I just waited and walked from each spawn point to the next screen. Enhanced difficulty would be grand!

  [close]

Still have some more nitpicky stuff - don't know if you want those as well!

Enjoyed the additional scenes + mingames - great stuff!
Eagerly awaiting the 7th HOUR! Muhahahahaaa!!! - Ah, no, that's your part...

[Cogliostro]

Okay, NOW the update will work.

- Cogliostro

[Tabata]

Cogliostro, you must have worked all around the clock - so many changings - wow!


For to start I have a note about the talk-image of Darcy:

You can see it much better in the game with the bright background. Her hair isn't complete, because she has just some long strands at left and right front of the face. The hair to be seen behind should be even longer (looks like being cut by accident only at the back now).  

Also you normally are not able to look through it to see the wall or some white, which is okay at the front for the side facing away from us, but not near to the neck and the other side.  

If that's not possible to change, she could also carry her hair pinned up. Please leave those nice curly strands at the front and the clasp, but it would be nearly like Astrid, only curly and blond. So hopefully, you can do it with the long, open hair.

And now you can see, what I found out until now.

It's only ½ the way, but „Rest“ will have to wait because I need some sleep now:

Spoiler

intro:
- maybe to change the portrait of Darcy in the intro into this nice one, you did for talking?

1st h:
- Even if the 1st hour has shown up, it's still the intro, but now the cursor stays in wait-position, instead of changing back into the arrow after loading. Instruction told us, that we have to klick, for to go on during talkings, but this is still part of the intro. Not to be misunderstood: It's good, that you have to klick, so you can take your time for reading, but some people could be a bit irritated, if there is a sign, showing a command for to wait. I'd like to suggest using the „wait“ only while the game is loading (like at the beginning of the intro) and use another sign/text at these moments (eg the arrow, you already used at the beginning of the intro or something like „click to continue“  - You know, what I mean?).

- Neither me, nor my translation gadget knows, what a „coed“ is. So i just list it and you will know, if there is a typo, or not (look at Darcy: „Cute, blonde college coed.“)

- Talking to Darcy in front of house: „... you're one of the people put on this Earth to help...“ (earth?)

- After Jack walked from shed-scene to front of the house (you can do that every time, after Jack leaves the shed-scene), klick with the walk-cursor at or over the shed's door to see Jack, showing his special abilities (Reminds me of „Puck, the shit-house-fly“ - but I don't know, if there is something like this existing in the states, so maybe that's only understood by germans - Sorry, I'm degressing!)

- When leaving the car-scene, Jack doesn't get a bit smaller and right before leaving the scene, he seems to walk half a feet above the way.

2nd h:
- In the shed the actions are much better for me now. Just one little thing: After Jack took the gas can, he leaves the sheet automatically. Should be only, when clicking the EXIT.

- Sal standing behind the couch, talking to Jack. Then going around tand along the couch, but behind Gordy and Astrid, who are sitting on it.

- Right side of the main hall: The rain is not only to be seen through the window, but also in some little parts on the wall inside (near painting).

3rd h:
- Sorry, but I could'nt find an online tranlation for „quientissential“ - what does that mean?

- using the left picture: „ ... now is not going to one of those times.“ (... now is not going to be one of those times / now is not one of those times?)

- key in inventory has no (look at-) description

- and again: entering the dining-room is my highlight  :o

4th h:
- Sal about Astrid and talkin to her: „ ... the professor is a dyke.“ - Is „dyke“ slang for something else? I only got one translation for dyke, which means to be those sometimes very long and not too high builded hills, which are made by nature or by men to protect the land against sea(-storms).

- using the left picture with Sal (same, than with ghost hunter): „ ... now is not going to one of those times.“ (... now is not going to be one of those times / now is not one of those times?)

- Sal talking with Darcy: „...How they hell can I be loosing ...“ („... How the hell ...“?)

- looking with Sal: Yeah, you already changed the comments. I love it now (around she shed ... fantastic)! That's what we call, the point of the „i“ !

- when Sal is using the coffee on Astrid, Darcy is answering and if he shows the coffee to Darcy, Astrid responses

- Sal is now able to do Jacks „Puck, the shit-house-fly“-trick (same thing, like in 1st hour with Jack)

- Sal at his car: „...Non of that will be usefull tongiht however.“ („... tonight ...“)

- when leaving the car-scene, also Sal seems to walk half a feet above the way right before leaving the scene.

5th h:
- the screen, which reports the beginning of the 5th hour isn't right in the middle (on the left side the main room ist to be seen)
...

[close]

EDIT from 11 Nov. 2010:

... so here I'm going on with my next part:

Spoiler

first I have to tell about a little prob while loading a save-game:
When I started the game and tried to load from the main-screen, all the save-games (all from this version) were dissapeared!? So I startet a new game. When I used the loading-icon during the game, all the dissapeared save-games are shown and worked!? ~ Did it all over again (for testing) with same result - something to check up I think.
Solved! If there are no save-games from older versions of the game in same folder everything is okay. So the gamers won't have this prob. (edit: 12. Nov. 2010)

5th h:
- look/use-command with Astrid: she does identically same descriptions to Sal about the pictures (dining-room + main-hall), bookcase, fireplace, window, balcony

- no reaction when using look- or use-command on Astrid

- look at forest: shouldn't only be „Wood“  maybe a comment like: „It's dark, cold and wet! I'm feeling uncomfortable - let's hurry!“ or „Don't like to be filmed while getting wet - just will go straight to Darcys car and back in the house!“ (would be an aspekt for to hurry, when going back to cross the forest without investigating and not expecting more opportunities)

- at the cars: It would be nice to get a little comment, when looking at the „special“ aerea. (hint: After Astrid saw red). Could be her presumption about recording cameras or what ever.

- no reaction while using the cellphone with ... whatever (not even when using with astrid itself)

- no reaction when trying to use the notebook to Gordy, Darcy or Astrid itself

- a bit confused about the girls size in bed: I'm not really shure about what it is, but if you take the picture of the standing girl and simply turn it like a puppet to put it in bed, then she would be smaller, than to be seen (and her shoes have different colours).

6th h:
! before going upstairs !
- coming from outside into the house, the rain is still „on“ for a second

- there is no comment, when trying to go to the shed-scene (and no possibillity to do)

- at the cars/in forest there is a wonderfull torchlight-effect around the curser (but Jack hasn't a light!?)
- when now going back into the house, the torchlight-effect stays on in every room until getting out again (after window broke)!

So maybe he should refuse to leave the house before he has been upstairs?


- third room upstairs: Ã,,hm, the black square ~ an unready window?

- looking at broken window should give a suitable comment

- Astrid standing near bedpost in the third room upstairs seems to be very small (mot much higher, than those bedpost). That looks a bit strange.

- after I got „kissed“ by the wolf, I had the same prob with reloading, than at the beginning. All the saves of this version are missing and choosing the old ones (from other versions) makes the game crash - so I have to start a new game, beginn game and then reloading a savegame of this version to go on

[close]

EDIT from 12 nov. 2010:
... finally here is the last part for this version:

Spoiler

6th h:
- at the scene after the swing:
using the ground at the left gives you the comment about the tree, which is on the right side and using the tree makes Jack walk on with a nice comment - should be the other way around

- the „welcome-noise“ at next scene is soooo good   

- Jack walks not right around the boulder in the following scene. He's partly under it.

- „...Did I provide sufficient hints?  Or did you need to read this spoiler?“ - Ã,,hm, where are those hints, you are talking about? I'm sorry, but even after reading your spoiler (and going back for to search for them) I'm not able to find them (that also answers your second question)

- after the flashlight is thrown, Jack still has the light of the flashlight around himself, during walking

- would be a nice effect, if the light of the flashlight is to see at the point, where you throw it (possible?)

- depending on the level of difficulty, you like to have in your game, it's quite the right thing, not to know, which way is to choose to reach the house

- if using hand-cursor with boulder I got the response, that it's not necessary to climb, because Jack can jump on it and if using walk-cursor, nothing like climbing happens (only going nearer and under this boulder). I tried some more times and if Jack is not to be seen (standing right in the middle under this boulder, the wolf isn't attacking - I can send you a screenshot, if you want it)

- if dying, you have to reload a save-game. Let's think about a gamer, who didn't save for some reason (eg simply forgot it, because of the compelling story or maybe it's those kind of gamer, who „rush“ through every game, because it's their goal, to do it in the shortest time possible). Would be nice to have the opportunity to quit at this point (alternatively to try again from a point, you choose)? - I mean something like in those games, where you get the choice to reload, quit or retry.

7th h:
- during the opening-sequence, a wolf is running around in the room (sceeny avaliable)

- personally for Cogliostro: „Hey slacker, get moving!“    -  Does this call make me a good or a bad girl? 

[close]

we'll meet again in about an hour later 
Tabata

[Cogliostro]

Okay, updating the photos is going to take a bit of time, but most of the changes are already done.

Tabata - You did ask a number of translation questions that I thought I'd answer directly:

coed = slang for a female student, derived from the term co-education.
Earth = The planet we live on.
earth = dirt
The word was supposed to be "quintessential" which translates to: quintessenz.  The tools work so much better when I spell the words right.   
dyke = offensive slang for lesbian

I've got to tackle some other projects, so I probably won't be uploading and updates until next week.

- Cogliostro

[Tabata]

Hello Cogliostro,

many thanks for your helping hand about my language problems.

Schooldays (and last english-lesson) is done since quite a long time. So I'm always a bit anxious to use wrong terms (allways hoping about not to insult someone on the worst, without knowing it - that would be soo embarrassing).

I did the next part of testing this evening (edit it to the post with the first part).
I need sunglasses at work tomorrow, but I had to set priorities - and the winner is: 9h2d (of course!)

Tabata   8) 

[CaptainD]

I know this isn't exactly a new thought, but... those portraits... wow.

[Tabata]

Hi Cogliostro,

finally my report about this version is complete now (edited it to the rest of the report).

addendum:

Spoiler

- Even if the original stuff is gone long ago (as Sal said):
I wasn't able to find some chairs (or something like this). I miss them in the dining room . There only is the desk but nothing to sit while eating. I first thought, that they have been placed elsewhere because the house is abandoned.

- How to reach the balcony, which is to be seen in the main room?

[close]

so now it's your turn again 

bye 
Tabata

[Cogliostro]

Captain D:
Thanks for the kind words.  When I'm scrambling to find a reason to keep plugging away at this game, compliments help.

Next for Tramponline & Tabata:
Despite my best intentions to work on other projects, I can't stop working on 9H2D.  Most the actual problems listed have already been addressed.  There were a few points I wanted to talk about directly.  Normally, if the game doesn’t explain itself, I change the game.  However, I’m going to make an exception here.

Tramponline:
The one-room side trek where Astrid checks the cupboard to see if there is any food, really only illustrates one point.  Jack, Sal, and Astrid have had different experiences.  Sal and Jack can both check the cupboard, but Astrid never did.  So, for the moment, I'm inclined to leave a one-room side-track in place.  If someone wants to argue against this, I could be persuaded.  Excellent observation about what Astrid should be thinking on her way to and from the car.

Tabata:
The rain plug-in has a delay, so when you head into the house, it continues to rain for a moment.  When you head out, it takes a moment to start.  In order to resolve that problem, I’d have to create a new plug-in.  This is NOT on my list of things to do.

The chairs are missing from the dining room because most of the furniture is replacement furniture.  Sal goes on and on about this just before the beginning of HOUR 3, as you pointed out.  So, for the time being, this is my excuse for not bothering with any chairs.

You also brought up the point about the balcony.  When Jack goes up the stairs, we sees the hallway with three doors.  That’s the balcony the overlooks the grand room.  The same desk is visible at the end – where you find the flashlight.  Since it wasn’t apparent that was the balcony, I’ll be adding the railing to the room and some of the lower wall.

Finally, during the mini-game the flashlight was already dead.  So, the bubble of light around Jack was because his eyes adjusted to the darkness.   I added some comments to clear that up.

Mini-Game:

Spoiler

Apparently the mini-game was rather easy because I made a colossal mistake.  For all of my testing phase I had a white dot streaking between the wolf and Jack.  If the dot hit Jack, then Jack was seen, the wolf howls, and the chase was on.  Once testing was over I replaced the white dot with a transparent dot and thought all was good.  Except, the transparent dot could never overlap with anything since it was transparent!!!  This problem has been addressed and the mini-game should get harder.  As a result, you should have to throw the flashlight or the shears in order to distract the wolf.

[close]

- Cogliostro

[Tabata]

Despite my best intentions to work on other projects, I can't stop working on 9H2D. 

This is fully in our sense. 
You are producing such a wonderfull game with a whole lot of lovely (and well!) done details everywhere, I am almost ashamed when I have to dissect it always (even if it is for a good cause and meant nice).

So do please keep it up!

You also brought up the point about the balcony.  When Jack goes up the stairs, we sees the hallway with three doors.  That’s the balcony the overlooks the grand room.  The same desk is visible at the end â€" where you find the flashlight.  Since it wasn’t apparent that was the balcony, I’ll be adding the railing to the room and some of the lower wall.

I thought so far that it is the view of a normal corridor, but of course you are right!
Don't tell it to the others: I had yet to draw a floor plan, but now I understand what you mean and with the railing you will do, it will be more obvious (even for girls like me)  :


I am amazed again at how quickly you do the revise and also in such a good quality.
Do you have about secretly hired an entire team? 

I'm really looking forward to the next version.

Tabata

[Cogliostro]

Okay, the holidays kept me busy, but I updated the GUIs, got part way through hour7, and uploaded it.  Take a peek if you want, but don't feel obligated to finish it since I haven't added that much to the story.  But I really did try to make it difficult to solve the mini-game this time.

On a different note, there have been more than 120 downloads.  Are there really that many people who are checking out the beta but not commenting?  Come on folks, throw me a bone. 

- Cogliostro

[Tabata]

Hopefully things and progress about this project are going well?
There are only „two hours“ left until a nice game will be ready and I am beginning to get withdrawal symptoms ...

So I did it again and here are my notes for Cogliostro about the version from the 30th of Nov.:
Please just ignore those amendments mentioned by me, that you have set up deliberately:

# start screen:

Spoiler

If you click on the notebook now, you already get your first goal (even if you didn't start the game jet).

The new pics of the icons are well made, but (sorry to say) imo they don't have the right style for this game. The harmony in relationship to the paintings-style in the game and particulary in relation to the cursor-icons is missing a bit now. If the characters and backgrounds would be in the photorealistic style (like the talking pics), it would fit very well. Sorry, again - but I prefer a bit less realistic presentations for more harmony during this game. It's your decision of course, but I thought pointing it out gives you the chance to intentionally choose it, or change.

[close]

# intro:

Spoiler

I like the changings and the look of Daisy is much more better there.
Btw: What do you think of using a little more of make-up like highlighter/eyeshadow under her brows (I saw it already - she looks fantastic with it! Excuse me please, but I'm a just girl, so I couldn't withstand it to give her mascara and such things.

[close]

# hour 1:

Spoiler

Hey â€" these are wonderfull talking-animations â€" congratulations!
I know, you are not ready with them, but please, don't forget to change the hairstyle of Daisy! It's like a very beautyfull girl during a chemo, already lost half of the hair (so you can look through). It's hurting in my heart to see her like this.

Something happened to the characters or the background is set a bit down â€" when the group is going from the cars to the forest, they are all walking a bit over the ground.

I am missing a reaction, when using the gps with jack or alternatively he should say something like: "... don't need it right now ...“.

The save and the load-funktion from the task bar isn't working.

The place where you are allowed to click with the cursor to leave the sheed-scene should be a bit bigger (if you click in the left down corner, it should be possible to leave).

[close]

# hour 2:

Spoiler

I didn't realise it before, but the swing isn't fixed at the tree. The rope ends in the air. 

This game can't be healthy for me â€" every time I got this heart-attack when leaving the kitchen - and this time? Again, of course and I enjoyed it! (I'm a little afraid â€" is it possible getting addicted to it?)

The walkable area in the bath isn't quite right. Pointing on the wall at the middle or right side will lift the ghost hunter up like going over a little hill behind the bathtube.

The ghosthunter will go upstairs without the paper from the table (but without being mentioned in the video Sal has no reason for to search and find this note). He shouldn't go upstairs without it! Maybe a response like: „Wait! Something has changed in here!“  and this also goes on in ...

[close]

# hour 3 (- 6):

Spoiler

... because this note ist still on the table, when Sal comes in the dining room. He can get it and now has no reason to search for it upstairs.

The right shoe of the „actress“ still has a transparent part within.

Ã,,hem â€" shouldn't the doors stand parallel to the frame? I saw that they have differend sizes before and that's okay by me, but I realised another thing just now (the bathroom-door is a bit going to the right at the top and the door to the master-room is quite obliquely going to the left).  I mean it is \  \  and  /  /  insteat of  |  | and |  |. If you say it is okay from the perspective â€" I can live with this, but it looks a bit strange â€" sorry. (It's also in the „actress' room“: door = \  \ and posters are /  /.)

The new view from the upstairs floor to the main-room is a very good idea â€" I hope, you won't get a problem with the railing, which is to be done now (hiding the ornament?).

Standing at the stairs (1st floor), the railing from the stairs need to be behind Jack. *1*
The view at the stairs btw. is well made and also a good idea!

[close]

# mini-game:

Spoiler

After dying and „try again“ Jack appears in the first wolf/axe-scene together with the wolf of the mini-game messing around near and around his body (without attac him). *2*
You can load a save game now to go on, but if you leave this scene to the left the game stops in wait-position (no crash and not possible to load or exit, music still playing) â€" needed abort-key to leave the game and try again ( „room25.asc“; line 7).

Jack is not going around the stones like normal. The corpse goes under the stones at the edges.

I didn't remember the right way from the first testing and had to search it new. But this time I wasn't in need of distructing the wolf? It was easy to wait and let him pass until Jack could do the needed distance (I wasn't able to do this in the first version)!? Maybe it was of the little bug, but for me in personal it was easier this time

[close]

# hour 7:

Spoiler

Shears and flashlight aren't in inventory, even if Jack didn't throw these away.

Jack returning in the room again (without doing something usefull) starts the same dialog.

After going downstairs you can't go upstairs again. Jack don't refuse, but rather is a piece up the stairs and stops there.

Screen of 7th hour starting appeares again, when leaving the screen in front of the mansion, going to forest and game stops (no crash). One time going to desktop and back to game and the other time with a bit of „wild clicking around, to inventory and out, the screen disappears and Jack is in front of the mansion again. I also had some trys with no luck and had to load a save-game.

Found Sal standing at the entrance (without using GPS!?- Even if it was told, that it is necessary to use for to find the entrance?). The Pic of Jack is half the size of Sal and appears at the right frame (at same high than the sentence) â€" Sorry, but it looks very odd!? Even if he is standing above at a cliff, he shouldn't be that small, because he seems to be very near to him? He is watching to the frame, not the direction, Sal is standing.   *3*

Jack shove Sal without getting even one step in his direction and Sal's sentences are still appearing, even if he disapeared.

If Sal is dead, why is he standing in the cave?

When getting out of the cave again Jack has normal size and walks where I think, he should have been at the beginning of this scene (but sentences of Sal are still running).

At this point there is not entry in the notebook.

At this point I think I'm stuck, because I didn't see something that shows the current ending.     

In the cave the only way blocked, no possibility to go upstairs to the others, the way to the forest blocked by the 7th hour screen and on the generator-screen there is only a part of the ground to look at, but no going on further.     Inventory-Items: GPS(with no use), star, bible, necklace, rope, silverspray.

[close]

#  about the mini-game (only my personal opinion):

Spoiler

First you have been placed very much value on the atmosphere (successfully!). Now you have also installed a little more tricky. This offers variety to the player. But it also poses the danger that beginners can't get further or lose the feeling for the story while trying to proceed (Do you remember your feelings the last time you were really stuck in a game without any chance to go on? Bäh â€" I do!). Therefore I would suggest to install a button, which facilitate the mini-game or directly jumps to its end. So it is in the hand of the player, how long he is willing to try.
This way the player can reload the mini-game again later and play it seperatly if he want (without breaking the flow of the whole story because of being stuck there).

[close]

*1*,*2*,*3*: (part of) screenshots avaliable


Tabata

[Cogliostro]

After a two and a half month hiatus, the game is being developed again.  My plan - such as it is - is to write out the rooms and scripts necessary to complete the game, and when I need a break from the tedium, add animations and sound effects.

- Cogliostro

[Cogliostro]

My last post was followed by a hard drive failure, a miserable attempt to upgrade to Windows 7, and finally restoring my PC to Windows XP.

- graphics 95% -- I need to add a denouement screen (4 pix) and *maybe* some animation.
- puzzles 100%
- scripting 100%
- music 100%
- sound 20% -- I *might* add some sound effects
- story 100%


Tabata,
Thanks for your tireless efforts and thorough critiques.  I've corrected the mistakes you mentioned above (or at least I think I have) with two exceptions.


Tramponline,
Tabata has concerns about a few things, two of which I'm undecided on:
1) Do you think the mini-game upsets the atmosphere or detracts from the game?
2) Do you like the new toolbar?


SUGGESTION: For both of you: little has changed in the first 6 hours: if you want to you can go into the tool bar, click on the GEAR icon, and turn up the speed .  This make it possible to get to the "Wolf Scene" relatively quickly.  Then turn the speed back down to normal and continue the game from there.

ADDITIONS: I do intend to add some animations and sounds through out the game.  I also want to provide a set of images that will show the resolution that occurs --just-- before the credits.  Four pictures that show what became of everyone afterwards.  If I'm feeling GROSSLY ambitious I may go back and change the wolf so that it turns better. (( EDIT: I just realized that I haven't done anything to the NOTEBOOK since the last version was uploaded.  So, no need to comment on that.  ))

So, other than the "additions" mentioned above, I'm feeling pretty smug about the game and expect to be releasing it soon.  Actually that's a complete lie.  I've just been staring at the damn thing for so long that I can't see the errors and can't decide what's important any more.  That might not be the best way to motivate you to try and test it for errors, so let me add one more detail:

...THE GAME CAN NOW BE PLAYED TO COMPLETION!

- Cogliostro

P.S.  Anyone else who wants to be a beta-tester, please PM me and I'll send you a link.

P.P.S  I've replayed the game a few times in the last couple of hours and have removed at last six mistakes which would have made it impossible to finish.  It's clearly not bug free, but you shouldn't get stuck in a situation where you cannot complete the game.

[Cogliostro]

Still looking for beta testers.

And I thought I'd share one of the pix that caused me to build a story around Mount Shasta:






I'm *assuming* that this is NOT photoshop'ed, since the rest of her gallery appears to be straight photography - and this particular gallery is all about Mount Shasta:  http://www.pbase.com/cindyd/image/40039668

Again - if you want to be a beta tester send me a PM.

-  Cogliostro

[Tabata]

here we go:

# entry:
I like the changings here and also the new icons in the taskbar give the right „feeling“.

# hour 1:

Spoiler

Darcy is standing in the air and when the group leaves they are all going up to this level and in the wood Darcy seems to have no shoes.

[close]

# hour 3:

Spoiler

Ghosthunter in the bathroom is watching in the wrong direction (even when using look-icon at mirror).

[close]

# mini-game:

Spoiler

Once I produced an error right at the beginning... in room25.asc, line33- “Object.SetPosition: cannot set position while object is moving“ 

[close]

# hour 7:

Spoiler

- The window in the main-hall isn't broken anymore.
- Half of Darcy is sitting beside the chair.
- Error: In front of the sheet looking at the gps and then using walking-cursor to the right side of the screen - „Unable to create local script:Runtime error: unresolved import 'aLightRain' “ I tried it about ten times (with and without gps using) and got same crash every time, the new scene should load.

[close]

So sorry, but there is no chance for me to reach the cave and go on with testing.

[Cogliostro]

Okay, Tabata found a huge bug.  I spent the last week trying to create a way to leap ahead to certain hours so I could test the scripts in specific rooms.  (Saved games weren't getting the job done since I was always mucking with new sprites.)

Anyhow, during my "upgrades" I created a bug.  I have resolved that one, and uploaded the game again.

- Cogliostro

EASTER EGG / DEVELOPMENT TOOL

Spoiler

If you **REALLY** want to skip ahead you can take the following actions:

* From the opening menu, go into the box, and select the GPS (It's the only thing there.)
* Use the GPS on the title
* You end up in a new room, at the bottom, it's numbered 1-9.
* Click on the HOUR you want to skip ahead to.

Skipping ahead to Hours 7&8 are especially buggy, the others seem to work fine for now.  (Sometimes you can re-do things that were supposed to have been done in an early hour.  Things like that.)

I am not going to spend too much time getting feature to work perfectly.  I really did just set it up to test out the later hours.  SAVED GAMES will not work if I've changed the number of sprites or rooms.

[close]