Arden's Vale

arj0n · Wed 25/05/2011 08:01:03

How much extra time do you think it will roughly take to create an cool animated intro and outro for the game?
Since the game itself is really beautiful, it almost deserves such an intro/outro.

I would say, finish the game for the full 100%, that is with intro/outro.
Maybe create an intro that is a somehow a mix of textual explanation combined with animations if that saves time?

And making a special edition just only for an intro/outro...(or will it contain more extra's?)

just a though...

*waiting for the next test round*

SuperDre · Sun 05/06/2011 19:50:53

bang, smack right in the face how gorgious this looks.. look really forward to playing this...

antipus · Tue 12/07/2011 19:42:02

Thanks, SuperDre. I hope you'll like it.

COMING REALLY, REALLY SOON!!! I've just finished a week-long "animation blitz" going through all sorts of not-entirely-necessary but really sweet animation sequences and sprite work. Looking at the game stats, I just hit 1,300 sprites and 18 GUIs.

If I wasn't such a stinking perfectionist, this game would have been out last year.

So here's a shout-out for more beta testers for final beta! Send me a PM if you're interested!!! It'll start within a week!

arj0n · Tue 12/07/2011 20:04:12

Quote from: antipus on Tue 12/07/2011 19:42:02
I've just finished a week-long "animation blitz" going through all sorts of not-entirely-necessary but really sweet animation sequences and sprite work.

Wow, I'm really really curious how the new beta looks

Frodo · Tue 12/07/2011 23:25:00

Quote from: antipus on Tue 12/07/2011 19:42:02
So here's a shout-out for more beta testers for final beta! Send me a PM if you're interested!!! It'll start within a week!

Ooh, me, me! Pick me!

*sending PM*

Zenger · Wed 13/07/2011 10:41:59

Me too, me too

Sending PM

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Wed 13/07/2011 17:23:00

Good to see you're nearly done with this. I've been keeping an eye on the project since you started and look forward to giving it a play when it's ready.

SarahLiz · Thu 14/07/2011 05:54:15

Yaaaaaaaaahhhh!!! Get this beauty of a game OUT already!!

. Stupid question maybe, but how long does beta testing (on average) take? Just being very annoying & curious (and very anxious, as you can tell)...

As I think I mentioned before, this game is beautiful and intriguing...reminds me of a King's Quest type game, which is my all-time favorite Sierra series. I've been keeping an eye open for it for a looooong time--I simply cannot, CAN NOT wait to play it.

Cheers!!

Sarah

antipus · Fri 15/07/2011 02:17:34

Quote from: ProgZmax on Wed 13/07/2011 17:23:00
Good to see you're nearly done with this. I've been keeping an eye on the project since you started and look forward to giving it a play when it's ready.

Quote from: SarahLiz on Thu 14/07/2011 05:54:15
I've been keeping an eye open for it for a looooong time--I simply cannot, CAN NOT wait to play it.

Arden's Vale has been posted in production for a long time without getting a whole lot of response in the forums. I can't begin to tell you how encouraging it is to know there are a few more people out there excited for the game to come out. That's really made me push that much harder to get the thing out the door. We're really almost there!!!

arj0n · Fri 15/07/2011 02:23:43

Quote from: antipus on Fri 15/07/2011 02:17:34
We're really almost there!!!

Yeeh!

cianty · Fri 15/07/2011 06:59:53

Quote from: antipus on Fri 15/07/2011 02:17:34I can't begin to tell you how encouraging it is to know there are a few more people out there excited for the game to come out.

And you can add me to that list!! Can't wait!

CoffeeBob · Fri 15/07/2011 11:55:42

This game is looking great, has a very cozy style to it and the plot sounds fun and interesting. It's a shame I don't have time to sign up for beta testing, but it looks like it'll be worth it to wait for the final release.

arj0n · Fri 15/07/2011 13:01:16

Quote from: CoffeeBob+ on Fri 15/07/2011 11:55:42
but it looks like it'll be worth it to wait for the final release.

It's so totally worth it, such a gem this one is.

CosmoQueen · Sun 17/07/2011 20:24:51

Oh wow I don't know how I missed this! This game looks so cool, and I love the feature where it shows the name by the item. Pixel hunting drives me crazy!!

antipus · Fri 22/07/2011 22:26:36

Busy week... Got a ton done, including fixing most of the reported bugs. Several of the bugs required a bit of extra animations to really fix well. It pushed me over the 1400 sprite mark, but it's made a huge difference in the end game portion.

For the next week, I'll working on music and the introduction / ending cartoons, as well as sending out the next build to the awesome beta testers (thank you!!!).

Open question: This game is openly and happily retro. Would it be funner to have "real" sound effects or should I use fake MIDI musical sounds like in the old school Sierra games?

arj0n · Sat 23/07/2011 10:21:03

Quote from: antipus on Fri 22/07/2011 22:26:36
Open question: This game is openly and happily retro. Would it be funner to have "real" sound effects or should I use fake MIDI musical sounds like in the old school Sierra games?

Well, it should match the music in game. I think that the music from the beta version of the game will match quite properly with MIDI so I should go for the fake MIDI fx...

Frodo · Sat 23/07/2011 21:21:12

I think the Sierra-style Midi sounds would fit the game better.

agentbauer · Wed 03/08/2011 14:58:25

I also think sierra style is fine

arj0n · Wed 03/08/2011 23:22:01

Quote from: antipus on Tue 12/07/2011 19:42:02
If I wasn't such a stinking perfectionist, this game would have been out last year.

But wouldn't be so beautiful as it is now.

Can't wait to see it with it's final intro and outro

antipus · Thu 11/08/2011 08:35:00

As is always the case, things are taking longer than I'd planned. But thankfully, as is sometimes the case, things are working out even better than I'd planned. I'm about half-way through the introduction sequence now. And I'll be using a lot of the same resources in the ending cartoon, so it should go even quicker.

It's all Ali's fault, you realize. I posted something a while ago in the critic's lounge asking for some help on some of the game backgrounds, and Ali sent me to an educational and terribly humbling background workshop. Gracious, my art stinks! I wanted to just redo all the backgrounds in the game, but the thought of retracing hotspots stopped me.

So here's the first background of the intro, version 1:

I literally spent hours on that stupid tree. And it just looked stupider and stupider. $:-\$ So then I decided to try a sketchbook approach to the whole thing:

That didn't match the style of the rest of the game in the slightest, but at least it wasn't insulting to those of you who have ever seen a tree before. And the matching brown textures in the next intro screen looked even better, but then I ran into problems with all the dialog that's supposed to go on. It just wouldn't look good just slapped on top of those screens. So I scrapped 'em both and went for the KQVI letterbox look.

And way, way too many hours later...

And we have a winner! The lighting actually looks like it's bouncing off of something that isn't perfectly flat. And the LIGHT adds the depth to the scene (that and the cheap blur).

So thanks, Ali. But boy, I hate you.