The Visitor 3

Started by NickyNyce, Fri 10/04/2015 00:42:18

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Mandle

Quote from: Fitz on Sun 12/04/2015 10:06:15
Finished it -- and one thing I have to say is: I WANT VISITORS 4!!!! I want more Moss! He needs a cartoon series of his own! Or a movie! Neil Blomkamp needs to ditch Aliens and do a Visitors cinematic trilogy instead!

Did anyone else notice that the game title on the save/load game screen is just:

"The Visitors"

I'm pretty sure this is a nod from the author towards the confusing "Alien/Aliens/Alien 3/Alien Resurrection" sequel names...

NickyNyce

The only thing I'm hoping for is that people have some fun playing it. I'm glad you guys did, and Aliens IS one of my favorite movies ever.
Quote from: Mandle on Sun 12/04/2015 10:12:45
I'm pretty sure this is a nod from the author towards the confusing "Alien/Aliens/Alien 3/Alien Resurrection" sequel names...
I was actually going to name the game, The Visitors, but that really would have confused people. I didn't see the need to add the 3 to those screens. ;)

homelightgames

Congratulations on the release, Nicky!

I had the pleasure of testing this game and am glad I could (hopefully) contribute something to this game. I had a lot of fun with it, and probably ended up liking Head the most. He really was an endearing character, just as Fitz mentioned.
While it did stump me in a few places, in hindsight I realized (or discovered) there were always clues to the solutions, or they were more logical than I was thinking.
The artwork. I've realized the most important thing about artwork is that it all needs to be consistent. I've seen some games where there's too much detail in the backgrounds and not enough in the characters, (or vice versa) and while such inconsistency may not ruin the game, it does take me out of it. It's hard to get right, especially when there's only one person creating it. I think the artwork was perfect for this game; perfect consistency and nice animations.

Lastly, I want to say that making an adventure game is hard work, months if not years in the making, all so we can enjoy something for a few hours.  So, thank you for your work and whatever you decide to do, good luck!

visionmind

blur

While this episode keeps up with the quality of the previous games of the series the action game parts in the beginning where just annoying and spoilt it somewhat.

NickyNyce

I appreciate your opinion blur. This was the first time in my three games that I added a very small action sequence of dodging asteroids, which is what I'm guessing that you mentioned. There are only three asteroids to dodge, and if it helps you out, and anyone else,  travel across the screen slowly,  and dodge up and down. I wanted to try something new and thought that I made it pretty easy after a couple of tries...?

Fitz

Not THAT easy -- but it was FUN!!! I loved the very idea of a head in a jar dodging space rocks -- and I didn't mind a little bit of pulse-raising action at all. And this is coming from a guy who usually hates games requiring short reaction times (and still plays them, anyway) :P I get where Blur's coming from, most arcade sequences in adventure games annoy the heck out of me -- but this one particularly tickled my fancy.

blur

I could handle the asteroids when I discovered that I could use the cursor keys to navigate the jar.
Spoiler
When I tried to get the USB cable I got the impression that a further distraction on top of the first would be necessary and looked for something to no avail. I did not expect to only have be switching between walking, aiming at the cable and interact with the cable, because I presumed this to be an adventure game.
[close]
Spoiler
From the previous experiences I expected in the final fight to have to aim and fire the laser at the Master, but as much as I wished for it, it was just a cutscene.
[close]

NickyNyce

@blur,

Spoiler
I really do wish I could have finished the game off in a more dramatic way that involved the player. I was on my last legs and crawled to the finish line while making this game. I thank you for taking the time to play it, and for giving me your thoughts.
[close]

StillInThe90s

Totally missed this one...
Congrats on the release!

NickyNyce

#29
BSP found an issue in the game, and it's not my testers fault. Due to me adding a puzzle before release, I never let them test it again, so it's my fault. It's not a game ending bug or anything, but if you die, you might lose some progress due to a poorly placed auto save and restore point. If you're playing now, fear not, just please save your game often, and if you die using Commander Moss, you may want to use your save instead of my restore point.

I've also made it more clear what the goal is when Head is fiddling with the green light panels.

I already uploaded a new link. Sorry if this was an inconvenience to anyone. And thank you BSP for spotting this.


Shadow1000

Here are my 2 cents upon completing the game:

The Visitor 3 is a fitting sequel to the highly-popular The Visitor and The Visitor 2. Join the stalwart Commander Moss on his latest adventure; this time he is tasked with rescuing survivors of a disabled ship.

The list of things I liked about the game:
- As in the first two games, the graphics and visual appeal are excellent.
- The game is highly entertaining, and builds on the success of the previous two games. It offers new material to keep things fresh yet draws from familiarity from the previous games. I will admit that I started laughing involuntarily as soon as Moss made his debut in this game.
- Possibly highest on the list would be the puzzles. Every player appreciates a different difficulty level, but I think that the level of this game is perfect. I only needed one hint from the hints forum (the puzzle with the lights) but otherwise completed the game independently without ever crossing the threshold of frustration.
- To add to the previous point, it's one thing to create solvable puzzles using elements that we are familiar with such as the traditional key, shovel, box of matches and so on. But to present abstract, unexpected elements and still be completely solvable is just genius
- Further in the creativity, I really liked the different playable characters. It just adds another dimension to the complexity of a puzzle and keeps things interesting.
- Lastly, great character personalities. Every playable and NPC in the game had distinct personalities and was true to character. All loveable and funny :)

My only two small negative points:
- I think that for the length of the game, a more complex plot would be more appropriate. In my opinion, the reward for solving a puzzle should be for the story to unfold a bit more, or at least every few puzzles. Rewarding a player with another puzzle does not make the game as compelling. Some might argue that the fact that this game has an unusually high entertainment value because of the humour and environment might replace the fact that the story is fairly simple but this is something to consider.
- Lastly, near the end, things got a bit TOO abstract
Spoiler
in the vent system
[close]
that it bordered on being disengaging.

My conclusion:
Nicky did it again. As I said last time, the author really clinched it this time in the most challenging aspects of creating an excellent adventure game. The perfect environment, plot and puzzles are executed masterfully, building on the success of the first games making this gem another must-play.

Your efforts were well worth it and we're all waiting for Moss to return!

SHADOW

shaun9991

Congrats on the release, looks like an instant AGS classic!! :) Looking forward to playing the whole Visitor series as soon as I can !!! :)
Support Cloak and Dagger Games on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=460039

AnasAbdin

I've been quiet about this game since its release and avoiding the hints forum! I just finished it and man do I have an essay to write about it...

First to summarize what I'm about to write: The Visitor 3 is flawless.
I've played the first two parts, still, this part is playable and very enjoyable as a standalone episode. It was so intense I was thinking of ways to solve puzzles in bed for the next morning to try. The more you progress in the game the more it gets interesting. I felt the game was alive and talking back to me, challenging me, bugging and teasing me at times! Every element of an adventure game was used elegantly and boy was that a way to end a trilogy. I'm not sure if this term is correct but the graphics are morbidly cute. Every freakin pixel is in the right place. The backgrounds are so simple and abstract they drove me nuts on how simplicity is everything. After solving a few puzzles you get to set back and catch your breath while watching even more intenser cut scenes. This game is the first adventure game that I can actually see in an arcade or flipper machine one day.

Then there is the music... Problem made me question my ability to write AGS games music, and I have the nerve to call myself a musician and a guitarist, meh. The background music puts you instantly in the mood of the game, which I can't define, is it comedy? horror? cute? WHAT IS IT! I didn't care to bother as long as I'm enjoying it! The sound effects are massive and probably one of the main reasons this could be in an arcade machine.

The story is very well written and the gameplay never gets boring! I don't want to spoil game elements here but the gameplay and the switching between multiple characters is used cleverly and logically.

I LOVE THE HAND! ...sad

After finishing this game I was sad it ended, and I really wanted to hug NickyNyce :~(
Thank you Nicky for allowing me to be part of this amazing game.

MufasaRKG

Just downloaded the game but I can not get it to run. Bummer...
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NickyNyce

#34
Can you be a bit more specific? I've had people download the game again and they didn't have any issues. Did you try changing any of the setup settings or anything like that? Nobody has had this problem before so I'm confused what the issue may be. Are you using a very old computer or can you tell me anything that can give me more info on what may be your problem?

Did you receive an error message?

Problem

Maybe you could try different settings in winsetup.exe? Change the Graphics driver from DirectDraw5 to Direct3D9. Try windowed mode, or a different graphics filter.

MufasaRKG

Quote from: Problem on Wed 29/04/2015 21:55:44
Maybe you could try different settings in winsetup.exe? Change the Graphics driver from DirectDraw5 to Direct3D9. Try windowed mode, or a different graphics filter.

Good idea actually.
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Mandle

Quote from: MufasaRKG on Sat 02/05/2015 03:01:12
Quote from: Problem on Wed 29/04/2015 21:55:44
Maybe you could try different settings in winsetup.exe? Change the Graphics driver from DirectDraw5 to Direct3D9. Try windowed mode, or a different graphics filter.

Good idea actually.

Did it work?

I'm sure that Nicky would like to figure out exactly what the problem is/was so that he can either fix it or provide instructions in a ReadMe of how to solve it if it happens to anyone else, but probably needs a few more details to work with...

RetroJay

Hi NickyNyce.

Sorry it's taken me until now :( ... Congratulations on the release of 'The Visitor 3';-D
I have really been looking forward to this as I thought that the first two 'Visitors' were BRILLIANT!! (nod)
I have downloaded and will start playing asap.;-D

Yours.
Jay.

sthomannch

A very good and funny game! Just finished it and enjoyed it a lot.

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