La Croix Pan (v1.1)

[TheJBurger]

June 7th, 1944

A lone American sniper enters the small town of La Croix Pan with the task of defending it by himself. He must face off a group of enemy soldiers, or die trying.

(Current Version: 1.10)

Download Now! 8.8 MB (Thanks to Vince Twelve for the hosting!)
Mirror 1 - note: old version without translation.


Game's database page


The game is short and can probably be beaten in under 30 minutes, so don't expect something too long.

[Vince Twelve]

Congrats, TheJBurger!  It's a fine game and I enjoyed beta-ing and am happy to host!

This is exactly how people should aim for their first game to come out.  Short, but with a high degree of polish, and trying out some complex scripting to add in some non-standard adventure gameplay.  Well done!  Looking forward to more from you!

[R4L]

Bug alert:

Spoiler

When you go down the hatch and you kick the guard, I assume you have to pick up your weapon and fire at him right? I did that, and my guy went to a kneel and aimed, but never shot. I just walked past everything to the end.

[close]

Awesome game man!

[MrColossal]

Congrats on your first game. I agree with Vince, for a first game this is exactly what everyone should do.

My only suggestion would be to speed up some animations but I enjoyed the kick option and I used it liberally. [maybe this guy is an ancestor of the Automation scientist?]

I should play it again and let the germans get a little farther down the road before opening fire on them would probably make it easier and it appears that they grab cover farther down the road.

Nicely done!

eric

[TheJBurger]

Bug alert:

Spoiler

When you go down the hatch and you kick the guard, I assume you have to pick up your weapon and fire at him right? I did that, and my guy went to a kneel and aimed, but never shot. I just walked past everything to the end.

[close]

Hmm... I can't reproduce this bug. Could you PM me perhaps with more specific details?

Awesome game man!

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

My only suggestion would be to speed up some animations but I enjoyed the kick option and I used it liberally. [maybe this guy is an ancestor of the Automation scientist?]

I agree that some of the animations are a bit slow (going up the ladder?). I guess I was trying to make it seem that he was using some effort to push himself up.

By the way, Automation was one of the main sources of inspiration for this game (you can probably tell!). Without it, I might not've made this game!

Thanks for playing!

[Ubel]

The best AGS game in a while. So pretty and so well made! I really had fun playing it. Good job!

[Chicky]

Looks ace! Downloading now!

[cobra79]

Really nice short game. Well done!

[m0ds]

Awesome! Very much enjoying this

[space boy]

Well done soldier!

[thewalrus]

     Looks way f***ing cool!!! Btw, long time, no see, everyone!!!

[piperhcombs]

My first reaction? Beautiful graphics! Downloading now- looking forward to a great game.

[Groogokk]

Good game. I liked the graphics and the quiet but menacing atmosphere. The enemy's machine (or submachine) gun fire sounded a bit tame to me though; something I really disliked was that

Spoiler

the German soldier waiting for you calmly stands by while you come down the ladder, orders you to put down the gun - and then shoots you. He'd have riddled you with bullets while you were coming down. I can see, of course, that the fact that he waits is for gameplay purposes (so you have something to do before you victoriously ride off into the sunset), but that doesn't really make it better in my eyes.

[close]

Now that you have all those animation loops, JBurger, I'd find it really cool if you made another short game with the same setting.

[Erenan]

Yippee! A most excellent game! Good work!

[aussie]

I haven't played AGS games for awhile (I've been a bit busy lately), but I'm giving this one a run. It looks pretty good...

* * * * * *

EDIT:

The game is great. Short and sweet. Quality over quantity. I love the atmosphere and all those little animations.

The only thing that bugs me a bit is how the player character moves so slow. Like somebody suggested, it'd be good to make him walk quicker.

[piperhcombs]

That was a really good game. The creepy/dramatic music fit right in with the drabness of the abandoned town. I loved how you made it so we could hear our character breathing while he's aiming his rifle from the tower. Once again, the graphics were beautifully done. I envy your artistic talent.

[hedgefield]

Really awesome game. Great atmosphere and good gameplay. Keep up the good work!

[Grundislav]

The first AGS game I've played in a while, and what a treat it was to play, too!  An impressive first effort.  I'm looking forward to seeing more from you in the future.

[TheJBurger]

The best AGS game in a while. So pretty and so well made! I really had fun playing it. Good job!

Thanks! That's quite a compliment!

Looks ace! Downloading now!

Hope you enjoy it.

Really nice short game. Well done!

Thanks for playing!

Awesome! Very much enjoying this

Thanks!

Well done soldier!

And a hooah to you too!

Good game. I liked the graphics and the quiet but menacing atmosphere. The enemy's machine (or submachine) gun fire sounded a bit tame to me though; something I really disliked was that

Spoiler

the German soldier waiting for you calmly stands by while you come down the ladder, orders you to put down the gun - and then shoots you. He'd have riddled you with bullets while you were coming down. I can see, of course, that the fact that he waits is for gameplay purposes (so you have something to do before you victoriously ride off into the sunset), but that doesn't really make it better in my eyes.

[close]

Haha, yeah. Just hold your suspension of disbelief for that scene.

Now that you have all those animation loops, JBurger, I'd find it really cool if you made another short game with the same setting.

I don't have any plans for that, but I'll always consider it. Thanks for playing!

Yippee! A most excellent game! Good work!

Thanks!

I haven't played AGS games for awhile (I've been a bit busy lately), but I'm giving this one a run. It looks pretty good...

* * * * * *

EDIT:

The game is great. Short and sweet. Quality over quantity. I love the atmosphere and all those little animations.

The only thing that bugs me a bit is how the player character moves so slow. Like somebody suggested, it'd be good to make him walk quicker.

I'll consider speeding him up a bit. Thanks for playing!

That was a really good game. The creepy/dramatic music fit right in with the drabness of the abandoned town. I loved how you made it so we could hear our character breathing while he's aiming his rifle from the tower. Once again, the graphics were beautifully done. I envy your artistic talent.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Really awesome game. Great atmosphere and good gameplay. Keep up the good work!

Thanks.

The first AGS game I've played in a while, and what a treat it was to play, too!  An impressive first effort.  I'm looking forward to seeing more from you in the future.

Thanks for playing.

Just a final note to clarify something: Some people have complained that you can only kill the soldiers with a headshot, and that shooting at the body does nothing. But headshots just gurantee instant kills, while body/arm/leg shots require 2 or more to kill.

[LimpingFish]

Really nice game. Impressively consistant graphic style and nice use of colours. A proper example of the right way to make a first game.

And, if it's not my imagination, does the sniper sight become steadier for a moment between him inhaling and exhaling? If I'm right, it's an inspired design mechanic.

And now, because I'm a picky bastard, some niggles:

The choice of sound-effects could have been stronger. The sniper's gunshots might benefit from a little more kick, as could the various richocets. The reload time, although probably realistic, is a little slow for me.

Of course, these are very minor aspects.

Overall I was genuinely impressed. A very enjoyable game. More please.

[TheJBurger]

Really nice game. Impressively consistant graphic style and nice use of colours. A proper example of the right way to make a first game.

And, if it's not my imagination, does the sniper sight become steadier for a moment between him inhaling and exhaling? If I'm right, it's an inspired design mechanic.

You are correct, it steadies out between breathing. Though I can't take all the credit for the design mechanic. It was kind of *cough* borrowed from a first person shooter.

And now, because I'm a picky bastard, some niggles:

The choice of sound-effects could have been stronger. The sniper's gunshots might benefit from a little more kick, as could the various richocets.

Can't really defend this one too much, since I ripped the sound effects from a game.

The reload time, although probably realistic, is a little slow for me.

Yes, that's understandable. Although I hate it in games when the player takes out his clip and magically brings up another one in record time that happens to be full.

Of course, these are very minor aspects.

Overall I was genuinely impressed. A very enjoyable game. More please.

Thanks for playing. 

[Vince Twelve]

TheJBurger sent me a new version (1.03) that fixes a bug and speeds up the character.  The download has been replaced with the new version.

[earlwood]

Hmm, I if I may make a small suggestion:

Spoiler

When pressing spacebar to pause the game, you may want it to fade to a black screen.  Because the cursor still moves when the game is paused, but characters do not, you can pause the game and take aim without worrying about being hit.  Of course, I suppose you could just freeze the cursor...

[close]

[edit]

I forgot to mention, this was a great first game.

[Rd27]

This was an awesome game, fantastic work!!!

My only minor suggestion is, that it would be nice to see the enemys move when not using zoom, atleast I think they are not showing now?

[Khris]

Great game, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I really admire the patience that must have flown into producing all these animation frames; they push the atmosphere incredibly.

[Storygamer]

This was an extremely enjoyable short game!  Two thumbs way up!  The ending, I thought, was rather thought-provoking.  I had a couple of ideas with regards to the basic story (story is what interests me most in any game, hence my name).  I'm putting it in spoilers (if I understand how to do spoiler tags correctly on this forum) since it gives away the ending and some solutions to puzzles.

Spoiler

1. After you kick the soldier at the end, I am assuming the only option for victory at this point is to shoot him.  I haven't tried NOT shooting him yet, but based on the other posts in this thread I am guessing that there is no alternative.  I was thinking that an interesting "alternate path" that would be fairly easy to program would be to find a way to get out WITHOUT shooting the soldier.  Perhaps you could merely take his gun away from him and leave him there, or something like that.

2. The most thought-provoking moment in the game is, by far, the moment where the main character says "We're just going to leave everything like this?" and the other soldier says something like "Yeah, someone else will be along to clean it up."  For me those lines were a wonderful climax to a game with a WWII backdrop.  I was thinking that it would be an even better ending if the main character gave a little narrative at the end, and shared with us his thinking about the German soldiers he had killed and his feelings about leaving the bodies in the streets.  There is a great opportunity here for some open-ended philosophizing on morality and war.  If you were to implement my suggestion #1 above, you could even have two possible endings, in which the character ponders the ethical implications of whichever decision he made regarding the soldier above.

[close]

It seems to me that these little additions would be very easy to implement and would double the value of an already intriguing story.  Just a few thoughts!  Overall I loved it, and was very impressed with some of the more advanced features you built into it.  The sniper minigame was exceptionally well done.

<edit2: thanks!>

[Groogokk]

<edit: er...okay, apparently I do NOT understand how to do spoiler tags on this forum...any help there would be appreciated...>

You do it with [*hide] This will be hidden. [/*hide], but without the asterisks of course.

[TheJBurger]

Hmm, I if I may make a small suggestion:

Spoiler

When pressing spacebar to pause the game, you may want it to fade to a black screen.  Because the cursor still moves when the game is paused, but characters do not, you can pause the game and take aim without worrying about being hit.  Of course, I suppose you could just freeze the cursor...

[close]

[edit]

I forgot to mention, this was a great first game.

Yes, I'll have to consider that if I update.

This was an awesome game, fantastic work!!!

My only minor suggestion is, that it would be nice to see the enemys move when not using zoom, atleast I think they are not showing now?

Actually, you can see the enemies when not using zoom, at least until you fire at them!

Great game, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I really admire the patience that must have flown into producing all these animation frames; they push the atmosphere incredibly.

Thanks, it was fun making them.

Storygamer:
Interesting points you make. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks for all the comments everyone!

[Bai Karl]

Very nice screenshot. Looks interesting!

[vertigoaddict]

I kept on getting shot and diying T_T

[nihilyst]

A small and cool game, well-written, with cool graphics und music. Keep it up!

[Steel Drummer]

This game is great! This game could be a serious competitor for the 'Best Short Game' AGS award. I think Storygamer's additions sound good, what do you think, J?

[Akatosh]

I'd agree on that. Also, quite a cool game! (althought these who speak German probably had a very little advantage at the final puzzle  )

After all, if this was just your first game, I think we quite have something to expect from you in the future!

[Justis]

Good short game. The graphics were excellent. The sniper breathing thing reminded me of Metal Gear Solid.

[Leonard LePage]

I think this is the first game I've really enjoyed in a long time. It left me wanting more, and in a good way! How long did it take you to make this game?

[TheJBurger]

I think this is the first game I've really enjoyed in a long time. It left me wanting more, and in a good way! How long did it take you to make this game?

The majority of the development time took about 2 months. Scripting the sniper sequence and making the animations took the most time out of anything. Then I polished it, added music, and had it beta-tested.

[Polaroid]

I enjoyed this. Great atmoshpere.
Loved the opnening sequence.

However, I have to say the door"puzzle" was a bit uninspired.

[TheJBurger]

I enjoyed this. Great atmoshpere.
Loved the opnening sequence.

However, I have to say the door"puzzle" was a bit uninspired.

Care to elaborate?

[strazer]

This looks very interesting.
Do you use the flashlight plugin for the sniper scope? Have you tried using a graphic overlay instead?
I'm interested in a plugin-free version because neither the Linux nor the Mac versions of AGS support them.

[TheJBurger]

This looks very interesting.
Do you use the flashlight plugin for the sniper scope? Have you tried using a graphic overlay instead?
I'm interested in a plugin-free version because neither the Linux nor the Mac versions of AGS support them.

Yes I used the flashlight plugin.

I just replaced the plugin and used an overlay instead. Try downloading it and tell me if it works.

[Afflict]

Nice one Jburger, really enjoyed the title. I just got slightly annoyed with the way the sniper gun jumps after you click. It sometimes felt that even though I shot the guy it didn't hit him.

But screw that the game was awesome, I would of loved to see a hide function like in time crisis or something, where I can hide when I want to. Instead of being forced to reload and then come up whenever the reload is finished.

As for leaving the enemy alive... didn't you guys watch saving private Ryan?

The game is awesome, I enjoyed it and it was well worth the +/- 30 minutes it took to finish it.

[passer-by]

Nice game. Action and graphics felt like mohaa, which I liked.

[Groogokk]

As for leaving the enemy alive... didn't you guys watch saving private Ryan?

Leaving him alive doesn't automatically mean that you'll let him run off to come back and stab you in the chest later on. How about taking him prisoner?

[strazer]

I just replaced the plugin and used an overlay instead. Try downloading it and tell me if it works.

Works great, thank you so much! Great game!

Edit:

Btw, small bug: If you close the door from the inside, you can still walk through it.

[Polaroid]

I enjoyed this. Great atmoshpere.
Loved the opnening sequence.

However, I have to say the door"puzzle" was a bit uninspired.

Care to elaborate?

Well, it's such a standard type of puzzle.
Almost every adventure game has a door-puzzle.

And since this is such a short game, with only 2-3 puzzles, I think it's kinda boring that one of them is a door-puzzle.

But this is just a very minor gripe, really.
It was kinda fun to solve and suited the setting very well, so I hardly mind at all.

[TheJBurger]

Nice one Jburger, really enjoyed the title. I just got slightly annoyed with the way the sniper gun jumps after you click. It sometimes felt that even though I shot the guy it didn't hit him.

Yeah, I tried to incorporate "realism" into the game. If you're wondering whether or not you shot the guy, some blood should show (presuming the enemy soldiers are close enough for you to see blood.)

But screw that the game was awesome, I would of loved to see a hide function like in time crisis or something, where I can hide when I want to. Instead of being forced to reload and then come up whenever the reload is finished.

I haven't played that game, but that would be an interesting feature. Although I don't really know what purpose it would serve except to pause the action.

Btw, small bug: If you close the door from the inside, you can still walk through it.

Thanks for spotting this. It's fixed in the new version.

I enjoyed this. Great atmoshpere.
Loved the opnening sequence.

However, I have to say the door"puzzle" was a bit uninspired.

Care to elaborate?

Well, it's such a standard type of puzzle.
Almost every adventure game has a door-puzzle.

And since this is such a short game, with only 2-3 puzzles, I think it's kinda boring that one of them is a door-puzzle.

But this is just a very minor gripe, really.
It was kinda fun to solve and suited the setting very well, so I hardly mind at all.

Yeah, I guess door puzzles are kind of boring, but I had it in mind for the setting, and I thought my take was unique enough on it to incorporate it into the game.

Thanks for playing and commenting everyone! I appreciate all of your feedback.

[Steel Drummer]

Any chance of releasing an updated version with the 'alternate ending'?

[TheJBurger]

Any chance of releasing an updated version with the 'alternate ending'?

I'm not planning to change the ending.

It was not what I had intended when I made the game. 

[Afflict]

I Honestly feel the game is intended as it was meant to be & I love the way it is. I don't think Jburger should work any further on it except for bugs or tech enhancement.

[AJCF]

I'm really stuck in the part when I have to go down the ladder in the tower and I am confronted by the german soldier, can anyone lend me a hand?

[TheJBurger]

I'm really stuck in the part when I have to go down the ladder in the tower and I am confronted by the german soldier, can anyone lend me a hand?

Try looking at the tips in this thread.

If you're still stuck, you can try posting in that thread.

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Since it's been bumped...

I just played the game. One of the ways I rate games is: if it makes me feel as though I'm actually *there* (even if if's a 3rd person game - Gabe Knight 1 made me feel that way), then I praise the game as extraordinarily good.

And for the first time ever, in a sniper-style mini-game, I felt my forehead sweating as I took careful aim and kept a careful eye on my ammo supply.

Which is the highest praise I can possibly give to any game.

[TheJBurger]

Since it's been bumped...

I just played the game. One of the ways I rate games is: if it makes me feel as though I'm actually *there* (even if if's a 3rd person game - Gabe Knight 1 made me feel that way), then I praise the game as extraordinarily good.

And for the first time ever, in a sniper-style mini-game, I felt my forehead sweating as I took careful aim and kept a careful eye on my ammo supply.

Which is the highest praise I can possibly give to any game.

Thanks, comments like that mean a lot to me, even if it means "bumping" the thread.

[Minimi]

Can someone upload again, as the link is broken

[Vince Twelve]

Sorry, my server has been a little flakey today.  I've got to have a word with my host.  Try again in an hour or so.  Or of course, someone can put up a quick mirror.

[Stupot]

This game is great in every way... but... I can't kill all the soldiers without getting killed first.  I'm not saying you should make it easier because everyone else seems to have coped alright, but it's a shame because it means I can't play the rest of the game.
Curse me and my lameness at shooting games.
Spose I should go and spend a few coins on house of the dead 4 for some practice.

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

HEh, I had the first problem when I first played the game. But on my second run-through, I didn't even get scratched.

Spoiler

Out of curiosity, how does it all happen? Are we supposed to duck when we hear their bullets (they come in regular periods of time)? If so, how? Or is it all just luck?

[close]

[TheJBurger]

This game is great in every way... but... I can't kill all the soldiers without getting killed first.  I'm not saying you should make it easier because everyone else seems to have coped alright, but it's a shame because it means I can't play the rest of the game.
Curse me and my lameness at shooting games.
Spose I should go and spend a few coins on house of the dead 4 for some practice.

A little (okay, big) hint if you're having trouble to shoot the soldiers:

Spoiler

Wait for them to get closer down the road, perhaps near the car, aim for the head, and use breathing to your advantage.

[close]

HEh, I had the first problem when I first played the game. But on my second run-through, I didn't even get scratched.

Spoiler

Out of curiosity, how does it all happen? Are we supposed to duck when we hear their bullets (they come in regular periods of time)? If so, how? Or is it all just luck?

[close]

The code kind of goes something like this:

Spoiler

The soldiers spot you at random times, (partially) depending on how close they are to you. Once they spot you, they start firing and it's random if the bullets hit you or not, once again depending on how close they are to you (but only barely).

[close]

Does that answer your question?

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Yep, it does. Thanks muchly.

[Stupot]

A little (okay, big) hint if you're having trouble to shoot the soldiers:

Spoiler

Wait for them to get closer down the road, perhaps near the car, aim for the head, and use breathing to your advantage.

[close]

Ahh, cool.  Right, I'm inspired to give it another bash.

[EDIT]
Nah... Still can't do it.  What's wrong with me?
Once a guy starts shooting at me I can't win because he always keeps shooting me before the breathing is ready for me to pick him off.

*cries*

[Stupot]

I'm gonna repeat here what I've already told Jburger in a PM.

It took me a few too many goes to complete due to lack of brain cells and no coordination, but I finally managed it.

The ending was brilliant and the game as a whole is excellent.  I look forward to seeing more from you in the not-too-distant future.

Another thing... I really liked the effect of the room lightening and darkening when you open and close the door... nice touch you dont often see in AGS games.

[Chroelle]

To other that experience problems with getting through this game I can tell that I wrote a walkthrough for the game just after playing it. I couldn't get myself to be finished with the game after such a (sadly) brief encounter. TheJBurger - you know I think you did something awesome here.
You can find the walkthrough (and the game)on my site:
http://curlysworldoffreeware.com/game_info.php?gameid=95

Just so you wont get confused...There is a problem with ratings, which we are working on getting fixed, so if the game is getting 2 out of 6 it should be getting 4,66 out of 6.

[pslim]

This is a great first effort. You simulated the sniping zoom in AA admirably, and the game was extremely atmospheric. I really felt like I was in WWII.

[dunnoson]

nice graphics!  downloading it now

[dunnoson]

FINISHED! 

THIS IS A COOL GAME!!!

This game has nice graphics and good playability.  Author is also thoughtful to add in an autosave.

[TheJBurger]

Thanks for playing and commenting everybody.

[TheJBurger]

Just a small note to anyone who is interested: The game has been translated into Russian and Hungarian.
Feel free to send me any bug reports or errors that you encounter. There is a known graphical glitch with a certain GUI on the Russian translation, but it's not going to be fixed.

The download file has been replaced, and you must use setup to switch between languages.

[Pinkel]

I've played this game a while ago and thought it was great. First thing - the graphics. Backgrounds are just beautiful. They're very detailed and climatic. Animations are really neat too. In my opinion, La Croix Pan looks better than most of commercial adventure games from 90s. You, sir, are a seriously talented artist.  
The most important part of any game - gameplay - is another awesome thing here. Classic inventory puzzles are rather simple and easy, but action fragments improve playability a lot. I'm mainly talking about sniping part. It's not easy to create a shooter in Adventure Game Studio.
Great game and great beggining of the Joshua Nuernberger career as an indie game creator.  

EDIT: @down
I just really loved this game, don't bash me! xD

[Armageddon]

mega bump much

[TheJBurger]

No prob. Thanks for playing!

[sincaruk]

It's seems so Dark... Playing and enjoying now