Novice Quest - Game in Production - new screenshots and comments

[Igthorn]

Caged Universe Productions proudly presents:

A Game about a Novice by a Novice Game Maker:

Novice Quest:

A young orphan has determined that he would like to become a protector of the innocent and defender of the weak as well as a champion of  justice by applying to become a member of the Pandion Order of Knightmages and he must take the test to prove that he is worthy of the order.

His first hurdle is to prove that he has the mental capacity to assume the mantle of the Grey Ones and he has been instructed to meet Magister Boda in the library

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Out of Character
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I want to actually finish a game that I have started putting together but I realised I was always thinking too big - grand adventure games like the ones I spent lots of time playing when I was younger. Multiple locations and characters and epic scope work well in my mind but not so well in reality.

So I decided to aim for a single room game that stretches and teaches me the ropes of AGS.

I have tried to take a modular approach to game construction - you will see some undeveloped areas in the screen - as I develop the puzzle detail I can finish off the images.

My focus is to aim to acknowledge the games and books that were a huge part of my growing up with computers by including a number of easter eggs and homages to those games. The game is aiming at a cartoonish visual aesthetic with very flat backgrounds that are a nod to those early sierra games and use a faded palette. The guys over at Pixeljoint have already been very helpful with critiques and suggestions

Also I am trying (so far successfully) to have three different versions of each of the puzzles each at three levels of complexity. The main puzzles are basically done on one level - I just need to convert them into a game version which still requires some work.
Images as you can see are still raw but characters are done and gui's are mostly complete.  I still have to look at the texture of the walls of the room, animation of the room background.
I have found that writing a game is a little like writing a story - sometimes you are taken somewhere you didnt originally intend to go.

Expected End of Project: August 2014

Some images from the game:





Updated Screen Shot



I have made some progress with the core puzzle of the game as well as the easter eggs that are part of the experience - I am currently working on a board game that I want to incorporate into one of the sidequests but it is proving to be a little tricky.



I have made some significant changes in the design of the spell system and have begun to flesh out the world - all the while resisting as much as I can, the urge to go beyond the initial design of a one room game.

Having said that, I have used additional rooms as screens with the puzzles - changing the objects in the rooms for the different level of difficulty. Those screens are pretty ugly at the moment but as I spend more time on them then screenshots will follow.

My characters have gone through some changes already in palette and design.

Inventory:

[Igthorn]

Some significant progress has been made with character design and additional images