Blackwell Unbound - ** More prizes 'n stuff **

[splat44]

Hi,

I just start a thread:

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=32369.0

I hope someone can help

[vertigoaddict]

purrrrrrrr...... I'm still waiting for Dave to tell me how to get my prize.... $-_-?

[Ozzie]

Finally!
My copy of the game arrived today!!
And I played it through from beginning to end with nearly no pause and no help at all!

But first, two questions: First, why are the pictures still locked after the game (but I get sent to them after the credits!?)
Second, where can I enter the code which I get at the end?


Okay, those two things were probably the only things that annoyed and confused me.

The rest was exceptionally well done. I think the last time I was so moved by a game was with Syberia. And this is saying a lot since this was a very emotional experience which moved some people to tears.
[edit]I think much of the emotional impact comes from the music. You definately should hire this guy again! Thomas is great!![/edit]
It is MUCH better than Legacy. I liked that one, it was nicely made, but not a game I would play again. Somehow, it didn't seem very special. Maybe because it was the start of the series, maybe because the case wasn't so interesting and the ending a bit....weird. Or because the relationship between Rosangela and Joey wasn't so full of tension like with Lauren. It's a classical love-hate thing.

And of course, Lauren's character itself seemed, mhm, much more "real" than Angela. The two ashtrays for the kitchen alone made her feel like a real character. She just follows her destination, but isn't enthusiastic about it.

I could go on and on with the praise. The wonderful music, which was also well implemented. I liked it when the piano player suddenly hit the keys hard and dissonant and wanted you to leave.
Also, wonderful end track.

There are some bugs I noticed. I'm not sure if they were reported already. If you use the lighter on the cigarettes while Lauren is already smoking the following line will appear:"878 I'm already smoking one." No voice file is played with it.

Another thing: When you ask "C" about the C-Sharps he will say "Positive" at one point.
The weird thing is that the text appears not over his head but somewhere more right and to the bottom. No voice file is played either.

[edit]Also, sometimes the voice actors blow a bit in the micro. It's rarer than in Legacy, though.[/edit]

Oh and I have to thank you that you implemented an autosave feature. At one point I minimized the game to look up a word I didn't know. Sadly, AGS doesn't react well to it. First it skips ultra-fast through the dialogue and then it just hangs itself in an endless wait loop.
Thanks to autosave I didn't have to waste a minute with replaying!

[thomasregin]

Ozzie,

You just made my day!! 

Thank you very much for your kind words about my music! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I feel that the music has been slightly overlooked (luckily with some exceptions) in various reviews so far, so I'm very happy to see/hear the feedback from you guys who've played the game! This was my first soundtrack for a PC-game, so I have been very anxious to see how it was accepted!

Again, thank you for enjoying the music!

/Tom.

[Vel]

Not in my review it hasn't been overlooked!
http://agsezine.wordpress.com/2007/09/07/blackwell-unbound-preview-2/

[thomasregin]

Hi Vel,

You made my entire year with that review!!  Yours was the first one I read and it completely blew me away!! That's why I said "with some exceptions". 

I didn't know that it was you who wrote it, so thank you very, very much!!

/Tom

[Ozzie]

You are welcome Thomas, you deserve it.

But now I feel really stupid. How do I unlock the extras? I have the code, but where can I enter it!?

[splat44]

You are welcome Thomas, you deserve it.

But now I feel really stupid. How do I unlock the extras? I have the code, but where can I enter it!?

If you completed the game, simply click on photo from photo album and code should be automatically entered. If you exit game, simply click on phote album and enter it.

By the dave excellent game!

If you planning an sequel, it will be to enter game's mishaps in bonus area! This will be very funny to watch!

[blueskirt]

Excellent game as always, Dave!

Two thumbs up for Ivy and Thomas for creating this marvellous atmosphere which, when I wasn't taking long pause to enjoy the backgrounds' and musics' details, kept me under the security blankets, feeling uneasy at what could happen next. I also liked the easter eggs with the phone book and how The Shivah and the Blackwell series are slowly turning into one big universe.

I found a few glitches:

Spoiler

When Joey appears on the main menu screen, the bottom of the letters "UND" in the title disappear just above Joey's head.

When you listen at the dictation machine, there's no "click" sound played before the entry begining with "I'm in a huge house".

Mavis can be heard talking in the construction site, even when the speech is turned off.

In the bar, there are sprites resizing and walk behind glitches with Joey when you click on the music sheets while Joey's is in the back of the room.

During the ending sequence, once you lured the spooky old lady on the balcony with Joey, Lauren's sprite completly disappears for a moment before she stands up after being choked.

[close]

Oh, and if it could be done, I would greatly appreciate if you could add subtitles for the audio commentary, Dave.

[Dave Gilbert]

You are welcome Thomas, you deserve it.

But now I feel really stupid. How do I unlock the extras? I have the code, but where can I enter it!?

If you completed the game, simply click on photo from photo album and code should be automatically entered. If you exit game, simply click on phote album and enter it.

By the dave excellent game!

If you planning an sequel, it will be to enter game's mishaps in bonus area! This will be very funny to watch!

Also, you need to use Lauren's camera to photograph characters throughout the game.  Click "photo album" on the main interface to access the photos you've taken.  Each photo gives you access to a bonus feature - once you've entered in the code.

[Wellington]

An extremely solid game, with a few very sharp puzzles. I liked the character writing and acting more in this one, but the puzzles slightly less - although the

Spoiler

"phoning" Joey

[close]

bit was clever. My only real complaint would be that examining

Spoiler

the music sheet as Joey with a right-click gives a very misleading 'nothing important' message, even though it's game-critical. Cluing that puzzle more might have been nice, possibly with responses from Lauren.

[close]

Well worth the money, in my opinion.

[Peder 🚀]

Where is my copy Dave?

[Dave Gilbert]

You ordered the digital version, Ped.    Log onto the store and you'll get your download link.  If you have trouble finding it, PM me.

-Dave

[Anonymous]

Just finished the game and found it quite enjoyable. Good work!

Your games keep getting more and more professional as you release more. I really enjoyed the interface and feel of this one.

I look forward to further releases...

[Lucifiel]

Ahh, I just played this at a friend's house. Yes, I'll get the game as soon as I can.

Hmmm... most of what I'd noticed has already been said in the above replies.

About the dictaphone and the recorded dreams:

There aren't arrow keys or some other method for cycling through the recorded messages. And given there're quite a few of them, it can be a bit tricky when looking for a specific message.

Btw, about the recorded dreams: I understand they were meant to give a glimpse of a larger world. However, it was kinda odd 'cos apart from Laura's comment at the beginning of the game, there didn't seem to be any other mentions about dreams. Perhaps next time, you can have a few papers or newspaper clippings, etc. about whatever subject is bothering him/her.

Also, about the reporter, it might've been better if he didn't quit giving the same kinda denial twice: like, saying he destroyed the evidence.

And I kinda like Laura even more than Rosa. I guess it's 'cos Rosa had her wit but I didn't get to see enough about her character: her hobbies, her thoughts, etc.

[Dave Gilbert]

Thanks Lucifiel!  The dream diary was mainly a way to foreshadow future events, as well as a way to justify Lauren having a dictophone in her possession.  There weren't many portable recording devices back in 1973!  That said, you're right.  I'm glad you liked the game regardless.

As for everyone else: a demo of the game is finally available!  You can nab the demo HERE.

Also, Manifesto Games is having a promotion for the Blackwell series.  Send them a ghost story and you could win both games!  Details are on the Manifesto site HERE.

[vertigoaddict]

This'll be easy, my sister and me have had a few encounters (my sis especially, somehow she gets it worse)

[Lucifiel]

Thanks Lucifiel!  The dream diary was mainly a way to foreshadow future events, as well as a way to justify Lauren having a dictophone in her possession.  There weren't many portable recording devices back in 1973!  That said, you're right.  I'm glad you liked the game regardless.

Aw no problem.

Yeah, such technology wasn't very widespread in the 1970s. It must have cost her quite a penny too.

Hmmm... how well IS Blackwell(the series) selling anyway? I'm seeing it being mentioned at many places from AdventureGamers to PlayFirst to tons of online game sites(JA) and even various online game stores. 

P.S. Btw, you really should sell some goodies like posters or something.

[Dave Gilbert]

I can't give out the specific sales figures, but I do manage to squeak out enough sales to pay my mortgage every month.  The deal with Playfirst has helped a LOT in terms of exposure, but I won't know until next month how well the game has sold on that site.  It takes time to build up any type of business, and this is no exception.

As for posters and things, I'm in the process of doing exactly that.  I'm not sure what the market is for that kind of thing, but it can't hurt to have one.

[Ali]

I just completed the game and I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to exploring the extras and the commentary.

The game works well (in a way that Legacy and BOE worked less well) because Lauren has such low expectations. Even though we only get a slice of the Blackwell story, it's still satisfying.

I do feel that the puzzles could have been a little harder. This game could have posed more of a challenge in terms of detecting and investigation. I would have liked to have combined more clues, read more documents and to have used Joey more in interactions with the living.

That said, it was very enjoyable and I look forward to the third game.