Hauntings Of Mystery Manor

Started by Ghostlady, Sun 19/06/2005 00:28:09

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Ghostlady

Hauntings Of Mystery Manor is COMPLETE.Ã,  It is a commercial game. You can view the details HERE

I am referring to it as a Gothic Adventure.Ã,  Not gothic as it means today but as Websters describes it:Ã,  (Gothic:Ã,  of or relating to a style of fiction characterized by the use of desolate or remote settings and macabre, mysterious, or violent incidents)

Here is the first review from Four Fat Chicks: FFC Review

And a walkthrough HERE

I would like to thank everyone here at AGS that helped me through this and especially the creators of the AGS software that allowed me to do something I didn't think was possible.

My Games:

Hauntings Of Mystery Manor
Intrigue At Oakhaven Plantation
Haunting at Cliffhouse

Gord10

Looks really good. If only I had a credit card :(
Games are art!
My horror game, Self

Candle

#2
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/aclegal.htm

The Manor consists of a foyer leading to 12 rooms, six upstairs and six downstairs. From some of these 12 rooms, you may go deeper into the house, or even outside. You locate items and figure out how they fit into the puzzles set by the specters, and then bring these things to the appropriate spirit. Some ghosts need more than one item; for others, you must create an item before you can hand it over. Once a soul has been freed, it disappears and the room falls quiet, a nice, clear signal that there is nothing else there for you to do.

All of the shortcomings of the game result from the Adventure Game Studio software. If you've ever played an AGS game before (better-known examples include 5 Days a Stranger, the Ben Jordan games, The Adventures of Fatmanâ€"go to the AGS site for a complete list), you'll know what I mean. The interface is clunky; to use something you have to mouse over the top of the screen to bring up some standard menu items, which are represented by ugly, giant-pixelled built-in icons, and then click on the inventory icon (a briefcase), select an item, click "OK" to close the inventory, and then apply the item.

Also, the choices of screen resolution are 320àâ€"240 or 640àâ€"480. 320àâ€"240? That's like something out of the Stone Age, at least in computer gaming terms. Even at 640àâ€"480, it's possible to see individual pixels with the naked eye on today's computer screens.

I feel like a shit for complaining about it, because AGS is a free tool that has enabled some talented people to make games where they otherwise might've lacked the technical skills to bring their ideas to fruition. And AGS games usually run beautifully right out of the box, so to speak. But still, in the case of Hauntings of Mystery Manor, the standard icons supplied within the AGS are severely at odds with the finely rendered images used in the game proper.

The largely static game screens are drawn by Ghostlady's friend Diz, a graphic designer who specializes in Victorian-flavored digital art. They are among the nicest images I have ever seen in an indie game. Each room of the Manor also has its own snippet of music; all of the pieces are chosen well and lend to the atmosphere and completely failed to irritate this increasingly cranky adventure gamer.

Of course, it was not necessary for me to spend a whole lot of time in any one roomâ€"I, I who have played at least six thousand adventure games, I who can occasionally fall prone to fits of hyberbole, finished the game in well under three hours, closer to two. Ghostlady said it had taken most of those who'd played around five hours to complete.

It's hard for me to say, since I got to play it for free, whether Hauntings of Mystery Manor is worth its $15 price tag; while it is unpretentious, well put together, and quite fun to play, it is easily finished in just one sitting. I suppose if I had forked over the $15 out of my own meager funds, I'd not have been at all disappointed in the game itself, only in its length.

Ghostlady

My Games:

Hauntings Of Mystery Manor
Intrigue At Oakhaven Plantation
Haunting at Cliffhouse

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens

He's hoping that you've checked with the makers of the various libraries ags uses before selling your product, since in some cases you can be sued without express consent a/o payment for using certain libraries in your game.

Candle

Quote from: ProgZmax on Sun 19/06/2005 04:11:13
He's hoping that you've checked with the makers of the various libraries ags uses before selling your product, since in some cases you can be sued without express consent a/o payment for using certain libraries in your game.
That was My Point .


And sad to see how the review made it a fact that you used a The interface is clunky etc for your  commercial game .
But thats just me .
Good luck with your game .

Ghostlady

Yes, I read all the legal. 

You will never please everyone.  That is just the way it is.  To me, AGS is a fantastic piece of software.  I learned sooo much, that I am ready to do it again.  This time better because of the knowledge I have now.  That is why I came back here to thank everyone.
My Games:

Hauntings Of Mystery Manor
Intrigue At Oakhaven Plantation
Haunting at Cliffhouse

Gregjazz

Wow, that is some very nice looking 3D graphics! Congratulations on the game release!

sergiocornaga

It looks like an awesome game, but the default AGS interface makes it seem so unfinished...

Snarky

Candle, you're quoting a review, but there's no indication of where it's from. Who wrote that review?

Candle

Quote from: Snarky on Sun 19/06/2005 07:34:38
Candle, you're quoting a review, but there's no indication of where it's from. Who wrote that review?
It was from here
http://fourfatchicks.com/Reviews/Mystery_Manor/Hauntings.shtml
Sorry should of added link .

Rui 'Trovatore' Pires

Heh. Did I recognize one the screenshots from Phantasmagoria? The dining room, right outside the kitchen? ::)
Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

Kneel. Now.

Never throw chicken at a Leprechaun.

Ubel

This looks like a good game but the default interface kind of breaks it. Well, congratulations anyway and good luck with selling the game!

dogberry

Firstly congratulations on the release of your game.
Secondly,I'm sure it is great but I refuse to pay for a game when there are so many fantastic games on here and elsewhere that are free.

I hope that didn't sound too harsh and I really do wish you good luck with this game and any others you plan to market. :)

Snarky

dogberry, I can understand choosing to only play free games in order to save money. However, to "refuse" to pay money for a game, as if on principle? I don't think that's a very wise attitude.

I think ultimately, a viable market for indie adventure games will lead to better games as well as many more free amateur games. Several of the most talented AGS game creators are trying to move towards making commercial games (Tierra/AGDI/Himalaya Studios, Dave Gilbert, Yahtzee). Making high-quality games is time consuming, and without some sort of recompensation many people will find they're not able to continue doing so. Also, the prospect of one day being able to make money off computer games will attract people to the hobby.

The two most important things to increase the quantity and improve the quality of amateur adventure games, to my mind, is to recruit more people and retain the people with experience. A market for indie adventures will help with both.

Ideally, I'd like to see people across the entire spectrum from complete amateurs making free games in their spare time to complete professionals getting paid for making games as their day-time job, and the possibility to progress from one to the other.

Since this game looks good and is affordable, I will go ahead and buy it. If you don't think it will be worth the money, by all means don't. But if you are tempted, you shouldn't hesitate to spend money on an AGS game.

dogberry

Ok I will rephrase that,I refuse to pay for online games when they are so many great ones that are free.
I do however pay for games from shop such as CSI and silent hill.

Is that better or do I have to agree with everyone else for my opinion to be valid?
I would like to know why it isn't a wise attitude though.

Snarky

I just wrote a post explaining why I don't think it's a very wise attitude. You are free to have your opinions, just as I'm free to disapprove of them.

I don't think your rephrased version is any better. In fact, I think it's worse. Why are you willing to pay for commercial games in a shop, but not for games that are being distributed over the Internet? Are you actively against supporting indie games?

However, perhaps we should take this discussion elsewhere, instead of cluttering the game thread. PM me if you like.

Ghostlady

Everyone has a right to their own opinion and the way they spend their money or don't spend their money.Ã,  Sometimes someone's beliefs are because they don't have the full understanding of what goes on behind the scenes.Ã, 

I personally think you will see more and more commercial Indie games coming.Ã,  There have been too many horror stories with publishers and controlled gaming companies.Ã,  Snarky made some very good points.Ã, 

I personally have put a lot of money into this project.Ã,  Good graphics and production music doesn't come cheap.Ã,  I am hoping to get my money back out of it and enough to do another game.Ã,  It is, on the average, a five hour game.Ã,  I could have kept going with it but not knowing if it was viable on the market, I switched gears and made it shorter.Ã,  Seems right now, that is the only complaint I have been getting about the game.Ã,  Actually, it is quite addicting.Ã, 
My Games:

Hauntings Of Mystery Manor
Intrigue At Oakhaven Plantation
Haunting at Cliffhouse

steerpike

The screenshots are good. Are they done with DAZ3D models?

I've thought for a while that some of the DAZ items would look good as 2D backdrops in an adventure game; and that double staircase in the first screenshot looks very familiar.


Potch

On paying for adventure games...  It's not that I don't want to support Indie games, because I truly do...   But personally, most (not all) but most of the time, I play an adventure game once, and then I never play it again.  So, in my current financial state, buying an adventure game just isn't economically sound.  Perhaps if I was independently wealthy and had money laying around to spare, things would be different.... 

I do wish the game author lots of luck though.  The game looks great.
The hardest thing in this world... is to live in it. (Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers in "The Gift")

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