Sniper and spotter being patriotic

Started by Blondbraid, Sun 08/05/2016 21:12:09

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Blondbraid

I guess this all started when I in my boredom browsed you tube for increasingly weird parodies of Donald Duck and ended up watching old propaganda cartoons from the second world war.
At first it was strange to see the horrors of war and oppression depicted through cute cartoons, but the stylized characters struck a cord which all the realistic war fps had failed to.
A few years later I played a game called Valiant Hearts, which also used the combination of war and a beautiful animated style to great effect, and I was further inspired.

But enough of my pretentious ranting, what about the actual game?

Sniper and spotter being patriotic is a game which takes place in an eastern European town torn apart between the Axis and Soviet forces. The protagonists are the titular sniper and spotter fighting in what would be known as
the great patriotic war in the Soviet union. It is a darkly humorous story serving partially as a satire of the many other games about WWII and the mindless action movies which inspired them.



This game tells the story of how a newly recruited red army soldier finds himself assigned to a new partner and the two of them soon find themselves in a series of misadventures in a wartorned soviet town,
and proceed to commit several great acts of valiant heroism and defiantly leaps into the arms of death in duty to the motherland!

Or maybe not...

Get the game here:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2050/

For those interested in the process of making this game, check out the production thread here:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52586.0
And the Critic's lounge thread here:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52409.0


Cassiebsg

Got it! :-D
Pitty I need to have dinner and then go to bed. :~(
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Frikker

Congrats on the release :) Ive followed your progress on this since you started so I know how much time and effort you have put in. Well done .

Ill be downloading and playing this on Friday night when I can give it the time it deserves to really play it properly. Looking forward to it :)

Mandle

Looks awesome! The backgrounds are wonderful, and I already know how much care you put into the character design via these forums. I can't wait to give it a try!

Kumpel

Oh I am soooo excited! :D *DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD!!!!*

Haggis

I completed this tonight, good job!

The game balances humour alongside the reality of war which can be hard to do. It didn't take too long to complete and I was able to work out all the puzzles without the need for help.

The things I liked were:
- humour, there are some good jokes in here ranging from characters and dialog jokes to cutscenes
Spoiler
My name is Ivan :-D
[close]
- this particular war setting is not one I have seen in a point and click before and was very atmospheric
- The two lead characters were an interesting pair and it would be good to see them in a follow up as they continue their missions.
- The animation and artwork is superb! The animations are really well put together
- In a weird way...
Spoiler
I was impressed by the surprise of being shot dead on the roof near the gas room! Didn't see that coming!
[close]

If I had any constructive feedback it would be:
- look into developing some of the puzzles - for example:
Spoiler
When getting the new pants (:-D) - you have a lovely room full of various characters but in the end all you do is ask Olga for a pair and then go change in the room. Unless there were other ways of solving this that I missed, you could expand this puzzle so you need to trade for pants, or win some pants off one of the characters in the medical room (although maybe not the person with one leg... that would be mean :) ).
[close]
- These are only minor things but you could also add a little polish to some parts of the game - there's a few walk behind issues in the two level room where the player appears in front of the ceiling when they should be under it. But these are easily fixed. There were also a few times where I would click on something and he just rolls his eyes and shrugs - it might be good for him to say something about those objects but no biggie.

Overall I enjoyed playing the game, it asks some good questions about the morals of war while entertaining along the way. Like me, I know coding is something you've been learning along the way and I think you've done a good job.

Look forward to potential sequels!

Danvzare

Congratulations on the release.
It looks like this will be a very fun game to play. 8-)

Blondbraid

I'm so happy that you like my game!
Quote from: Haggis on Mon 09/05/2016 01:48:50
If I had any constructive feedback it would be:
- look into developing some of the puzzles - for example:
Spoiler
When getting the new pants (:-D) - you have a lovely room full of various characters but in the end all you do is ask Olga for a pair and then go change in the room. Unless there were other ways of solving this that I missed, you could expand this puzzle so you need to trade for pants, or win some pants off one of the characters in the medical room (although maybe not the person with one leg... that would be mean :) ).
[close]
As for the puzzle,
Spoiler
I thought it would be funny that the spotter had to ask Olga since many real women soldiers had to use men's underwear (for some reason communal unisex underwear is a very overlooked aspect when discussing the horrors of war!) but I find your suggestion interesting.
[close]
QuoteThere were also a few times where I would click on something and he just rolls his eyes and shrugs - it might be good for him to say something about those objects but no biggie.
I thought his expression was comment enough...(roll)
QuoteLook forward to potential sequels!
While it would be fun to make a sequel, I dare not make any definitive promises yet.
I do like the idea of either continuing the story or have the characters play a part in one of my future games.
(I like cross-references, I did in fact add a little reference to the characters from my two previous games in Sniper and spotter being patriotic! ;))

I am so happy that all of you seem to really like my game! ;-D
Does anyone have problems solving the puzzles? I'm pondering whether to start a Hint's and Tip's thread for this game...


Haggis

Haha - it was a very expressive eye roll, well animated!
Spoiler
The eye roll worked best on the dead body outside the church, I could understand it with that - it was the 'object under the bed' that I thought needed an explanation as to why he wouldn't take it - I wanted to pick it up (thought I might need to cut some trousers off someone :D). Speaking of which that's a nice historic reference re: women's underwear - maybe you could get it from the nightwitch? Of course you could leave it as it is - it works.
[close]

Ooo I haven't seen these games before (I was basically on a non-game playing mission until my own was finished), I'll give them a play.

Blondbraid

Quote from: Haggis on Mon 09/05/2016 11:30:47
Haha - it was a very expressive eye roll, well animated!
Spoiler
The eye roll worked best on the dead body outside the church, I could understand it with that - it was the 'object under the bed' that I thought needed an explanation as to why he wouldn't take it - I wanted to pick it up (thought I might need to cut some trousers off someone :D). Speaking of which that's a nice historic reference re: women's underwear - maybe you could get it from the nightwitch? Of course you could leave it as it is - it works.
[close]
Ooo I haven't seen these games before (I was basically on a non-game playing mission until my own was finished), I'll give them a play.
Happy to hear this, I hope you like my other games as well! ;-D
Spoiler
As for the saw under the bed, he was probably thinking about what it was used for, what with all the bloody rags and amputated limbs, but I suppose I could have been clearer.
[close]


Mandle

#10
I just finished playing the game and I LOVED IT!!!

I am an absolute sucker for any movies/games set in WW2, but I have never played a point-and-click adventure game in the genre: It mostly lends itself to strategy games...

The backgrounds were lovely in their dark destruction. I especially loved the long scrolling one with the smoking city in the background!

I jumped every time...
(SPOILER ALERT)
Spoiler
I got sniped by surprise...but the autosaves were well thought out so I never felt frustrated by dying...

Oh, and the fakeout when you win the dialog puzzle against the two german soldiers is classic! I was about to scream: "WELL WHAT THE FRICK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!" but then was like "Oh....nice....HAHAHAHAHA!"

Haggis mentioned it above, but the funniest joke was the "Ivan" one...Second place for me was "That's because they are already brown."

As for the underwear puzzle...
(EXTREME SPOILER ALERT)
Spoiler
I would suggest maybe having the option to ask Olga for hers turned off until Ivan has exhausted all other possible male characters in the area, including the basement, to make it feel like more of a last resort...I got it way too fast and then the rest of the area was just exploring for the jokes instead of for a goal.
[close]

Splitting up of the pair near the start was awesome as it made their reunion feel special, especially considering the rather touching ending...

I was also actually rather shocked by all the corpses, especially as they were done in quite comedic styles, so you really pulled off not cringing away from the horrors of war in a comedy...

It was also great that you actually did include an area where Ivan had to be a competent spotter instead of just a hinderance and comic-relief.

(Two repeating typos are "whish" instead of "wish" and "dont't" instead of "don't". There might have been a few others here and there but those two happened quite a lot and, even if you don't re-edit the entire game, maybe those two deserve a fix.)
[close]
Very well done all round. Absolutely adore this game!

Shadow1000

I played this game last night. Haggis and Mandle essentially captured what I want to say. Just a few points, some redundant:

- The graphics and animation are very impressive
- Very nice range of different puzzles, including some inventory puzzles and some dialogue puzzles.
- Nice touch to have the player switch between the two characters who have COMPLETELY different personalities.
- The puzzles were mainly simple and pretty much classic. I don't think that anyone will really get stuck. HOWEVER, that was not the point of the game...

...The point of the game was to portray the horror and human side of war in a framework of humour. The two elements of horror and humour complemented each other very well. One of the most brilliant highlights of this dichotomy was the
Spoiler
"Maria" scene. This scene could be completely overlooked and the player could probably just bypass it and continue with the mission but then you'd be missing the essence of what the game portrays
[close]

- Strong character types: contrast between an incompetent noob and a fanatical nationalist. Olga's comedic but possibly somewhat realistic extremism and courage reminded me somewhat of Victor Reznov from Call of Duty World at War.

- As Haggis and Mandle pointed out, a bit of spelling correction such as "probably" and some coding improvements would complete the game. If I'm not mistaken
Spoiler
if Olga tries to interact with the rope one she's on the second storey, it says that she can't get up there or something
[close]
. A few small things like that don't make sense but are not significant enough to detract from the game.

Overall, very different and very well done. Congrats

SHADOW


AnasAbdin

I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this! Ssshhhh no none talks to me until I finish the game (laugh)

Slasher

hi

i have only just begun to play.

whilst the graphics and animations are fab i find having to click each time to skip speech is too much for me.

also the guy going into the woodshed is much taller than the door (laugh)

i will endeavour to play more at some point..

CrashPL

Success! (and after only 40 tries) :D

Found a while to play it. I really liked the artworks and animations, as well as the fullscreen cutscenes, though I already liked them, when you were still developing it. ;) Gotta love Ivan and his dialogue lines too. :D Motherland surely needs more men like him!
I totally enjoyed playing it, though I encountered a small thing, that forced me to restart (hooray for autosaves!)

Spoiler
On the wide screen with the city, Ivan got stuck on the pavement between two buildings on the left. He couldn't get out, and fiddled in place, while Olga was standing still, most likely she was the character that was blocking his walking path.
[close]

There were some other things, but very minor, didn't affect the gameplay at all.

Overall - a great game, nice atmosphere, characters and graphics. :) Grand job Blondbraid!

AnasAbdin

:~(

I finished it. After falling in love with the characters and atmosphere it ended soon.
I hope this game is the beginning of your series of more AGS games (nod) Your style is beautiful and -I know I sound like a broken record- but your characters are ALIVE. I found myself speaking with what I thought how they might have sound like! So no worries if you didn't include speech, I did it anyway (laugh)

Spoiler
When Olga shot the two soldiers I think I had to change my pants as well!! I swear I was on my nerves all the time expecting a bullet from somewhere!
[close]

<3 <3 <3

Shadow1000

Quote from: CrashPL on Mon 09/05/2016 18:17:20
Spoiler
On the wide screen with the city, Ivan got stuck on the pavement between two buildings on the left. He couldn't get out, and fiddled in place, while Olga was standing still, most likely she was the character that was blocking his walking path.
[close]

I had that right before the church. I didn't have to restart, though. I found that walking around and reversing their positions did the trick.

SHADOW

Grok

Played through it.

Very nice. A hard topic that I think you handled very well. :)

SilverSpook

Yay!  Awesome job with the game Blondbraid!  All the horror of war in a tight little animated package. 

Blondbraid

QuoteI am an absolute sucker for any movies/games set in WW2, but I have never played a point-and-click adventure game in the genre: It mostly lends itself to strategy games...
While rare, there are a few adventure games set in WW2, such as Undercover: Operation wintersun and A stroke of fate: Operation valkyrie and it's sequel, Operation Bunker, which I have played, but those games are more about secret plots and espionage rather than simple soldiers. Another game which in part inspired me, and an AGS game no less, wold be La Croix Pan.
Quote
- Strong character types: contrast between an incompetent noob and a fanatical nationalist. Olga's comedic but possibly somewhat realistic extremism and courage reminded me somewhat of Victor Reznov from Call of Duty World at War.
Actually I was was partly inspired by Reznov and his dynamic with Chernov when I wrote Olga. Ivan on the other hand, was heavily inspired by The Good Soldier Š vejk! ;)
I'm very happy that so many of you played my game, and that you liked it.
Thank you so much, everybody!


Kumpel

#20
Also finished it!

It was a very special experience to walk through all these rooms you had posted in your development thread :)

The puzzles were more on the simpler side but that made totally sense for me because of the brutal war theme which is predestined to seemingly offer only simple solutions like "kill and destroy or be killed and get destroyed"... Only the spotter mini game could have been a little bit more diverse gameplay wise. Some nice traps like
Spoiler
the glass shards I ran onto in my hastly playing style and immediately got my comeuppance for it (laugh)
[close]
would have been nice. Maybe a real sniper you don't see in an instant would have made this more interesting.

Like Mandle I mostly loved your huge background there but the scrolling looked really weird for me. If you wanna update your game maybe you should implement the smooth scrolling module in there (or everywhere :P).  Check it out!

Your characters have been fantastic. It was equally fun to play as the normal and to his life clinging guy Ivan or that bad ass brave girl Olga. Please think hardly about letting them do another battle :)

Congratulations Blondbraid! With this you developed your best game so far!



Blondbraid

Thank you, Kumpel! ;-D
It's great that you liked the game and also, thanks for the link, I will definitely look into that.
QuoteYour characters have been fantastic. It was equally fun to play as the normal and to his life clinging guy Ivan or that bad ass brave girl Olga. Please think hardly about letting them do another battle :)
QuoteI hope this game is the beginning of your series of more AGS games (nod)
QuoteLook forward to potential sequels!
I'm happy that people like this game enough to want sequels, and if there is a demand I'd be happy to start working on a new game.
I do have a few ideas for a new mission for Olga and Ivan...(Ivan probably won't help wolves learn how to fly though!) :)


blur

Could not complete it, because
Spoiler
after Ivan changed his underwear I could not continue, as I got the same dialogue as before ("...do as she says..."). Running on Linux with ags 3.3.5.5 and 3.3.0.1162 though, so perhaps it is a engine error.
[close]

Mandle

#23
Quote from: blur on Fri 13/05/2016 11:25:10
Could not complete it, because
Spoiler
after Ivan changed his underwear I could not continue, as I got the same dialogue as before ("...do as she says..."). Running on Linux with ags 3.3.5.5 and 3.3.0.1162 though, so perhaps it is a engine error.
[close]

You just have to:

Spoiler
Walk to the right-most edge of the screen and continue on.

I was a bit confused at this point as well and thought I had hit a deadend...But I believe the last thing Olga said was "Let's continue on whenever you're ready" or something like that...
[close]

(I PM'd this to you as well...Would be a shame for someone not to finish such a great game...)

Blondbraid

Quote from: blur on Fri 13/05/2016 11:25:10
Could not complete it, because
Spoiler
after Ivan changed his underwear I could not continue, as I got the same dialogue as before ("...do as she says..."). Running on Linux with ags 3.3.5.5 and 3.3.0.1162 though, so perhaps it is a engine error.
[close]
Spoiler
You ar supposed to go forward, once outside the sick-room, go to the right past the boarded up door and window in order to progress!
[close]
If you or anyone else have any trouble solving a puzzle or knowing where to go in my game, you can start a thread in the Hints and Tips section and I'd be more than happy to provide a detailed description of the solutions!


cat

Finished playing!

It was a nice little game. I was a bit worried how a comedy in a war setting would be, but it actually worked really well!

The pros:
I really liked the graphics, they worked really well.
The characters were well depicted (literally and also from a writing point of view).
The writing was very good and made the game world believable.
Switching between characters and meeting in various places was a nice idea.

Some cons:
The game lacks polish. There are several glitches with walkable areas and walkbehinds, only default responses where there could be more specific ones, typos, boring default font, default wait cursor,...
I personally did not like that I have to click away the text. I prefer this to be automatic.

The puzzles were a mixed bunch:
Spoiler
I did like the 'sneaking' puzzle at the end, some easy inventory usage and item combinations. I found the solution of getting Olga's underwear hilarious.
However, the dialog puzzle where the soldiers would kill me I only solved by guessing and trying several options.
[close]

It is a very good first game, but it could be so much better with just one week of additional testing, proofreading and fine-tuning. I hope that you will put in the little extra work that could make the game go from good to great.

Blondbraid

Quote from: cat on Fri 13/05/2016 22:06:27
It is a very good first game, but it could be so much better with just one week of additional testing, proofreading and fine-tuning. I hope that you will put in the little extra work that could make the game go from good to great.
So glad you liked it! ;-D
While technically not my first game, I'm still inexperienced with AGS. I do agree that the game could have been more polished though, the reason I hastened things towards the end was that I wanted to spur myself to actually finish the game (I was worried that I would otherwise keep polishing the game forever if I didn't limit myself!). But seeing that several people mentioned typos and similar stuff, I am considering making an updated version...


Grok

Quote from: Blondbraid on Fri 13/05/2016 22:48:40
--- the reason I hastened things towards the end was that I wanted to spur myself to actually finish the game (I was worried that I would otherwise keep polishing the game forever if I didn't limit myself!). ---

I think that is a good strategy.

A lot of games (and other projects) has died from never getting out of the polishing stage of the process.
The options aren't necessarily
1) a less than perfect game or 2) a perfect game,
in reality it often is a choice between
1) a less than perfect game or 2) no game at all.

A live dog is better than a dead lion.
(or Havamal style; A man is better blind than buried.)

Once the game is released you can polish it up for a next version, or you can take what you learned with you to make your next project better.


Blondbraid

Quote from: Grok on Sat 14/05/2016 06:08:09
Once the game is released you can polish it up for a next version, or you can take what you learned with you to make your next project better.
Yes, I am already thinking of making a sequel.
Since I already have sprites and assets for the main characters, it would mean I would spend less time drawing and designing the characters and could devote more time on polish.


AnasAbdin


Cassiebsg

Finished it yesterday! :-D
Nice job, in all I enjoyed it a lot.

Spoiler

Like cat I was also ready to pull my hair out with the puzzle dialog. I mean I knew what I needed to do, add wood to the fire, but the path that lead there wasn't clear. And of course, I got shot a lot!
By reading what others have wrote, then I'm probably the only one that did the underwear puzzle the "right way", by exploring and asking everyone around for a pair... works good that way and makes sense when he finally "gives up" and asks her. (laugh) So, just turn off the option until everyone has been asked and you're good to go. ;)
I've also noticed some spelling mistakes, like in a sentence it was missing an entire implicit word... Can't remember what the line or word was, but probably a "his" or "is" or something like that.
I was expecting the german snipers to show up for a split second and then hide, hiding in plain sight isn't really hiding. ;) I know I told you to be careful and not do it too hard... but think you under did it a bit. (laugh)

Here's some suggestions for the deluxe version:
- Fix the top drop-down pop up menu. It should not show when in the Menu.
- Add a save function and a resume for the main menu. At one point I wanted to save and go to bed and couldn't find the save menu... managed to get to to the main menu, but then no way to return? (or maybe ESC worked... I didn't tried it.) Ended at I ended up having to redo the underwear puzzle again! I had just stopped after the puzzle was done.
- There is no way to see that you reached a "check point" / game has been saved. You know the next save was right in the next room, but I didn't, and I didn~t want to go to war sleepy. (roll)
- Consider replacing the Display with a more fancy/pretty window. ;)
- Maybe use the credits module for having a nice scrolling credits above the picture, instead of those "ugly" display.

As for graphics, the only thing I would love you to animate is Olga and Ivan climbing up the stairs. You spent an awful long time making that BG, spend a little more to let Olga and Ivan at least take a few steps.  It's just that I felt more disappointed than rewarded by that cutscene. For me, it broke a bit of immersion by being still.
[close]

Looking forward for more from you! And of course, Olga and Ivan... (laugh)
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Blondbraid

Quote from: Cassiebsg on Wed 18/05/2016 19:01:12
Finished it yesterday! :-D
Nice job, in all I enjoyed it a lot.

Looking forward for more from you! And of course, Olga and Ivan... (laugh)
Thank you! :)
I'm very happy that you liked it, and I too hope Olga and Ivan will soon go on to a new adventure!
However, I'm not entirely satisfied with this current game yet, especially since you and several others have pointed out several typos and bugs I missed before,
so I will try to fix this game up a bit and perhaps polish it some more. I'm glad that you pointed out some of the flaws, and while I might not change too much, I'll try to improve what I got.
If anyone notices a problem with this game that haven't been mentioned in this thread, please let me know!


cat

Quote from: Blondbraid on Wed 18/05/2016 21:17:05
so I will try to fix this game up a bit and perhaps polish it some more.

Thumbs up for that!

As a developer I fully understand your feeling of wanting to release the game, but a little bit of polish goes a long way. For a start, I'd suggest to create a translation file and give it to someone to proofread. I'm sure there are lots of people here who are willing to help.

Blondbraid

Quote from: cat on Wed 18/05/2016 21:27:45
Thumbs up for that!

As a developer I fully understand your feeling of wanting to release the game, but a little bit of polish goes a long way. For a start, I'd suggest to create a translation file and give it to someone to proofread. I'm sure there are lots of people here who are willing to help.
Good idea, I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for the tip! :)


Blondbraid

I have now uploaded a new and improved version of Sniper and spotter being patriotic! ;-D

Apart from fixing a few typos, walk-behind issues and a certain puzzle where you talk to a number of characters (those who played the game before will know what I'm talking about! ;))
I have also drawn new sprites for the waiting cursor and inventory menu, as well as added a few lines to various object interactions!

This game may not be perfect but I do hope these changes have improved it.


rorstudio

ok
this game is short funny and simple
and don't have so much "cranberries"(
improbable and ridiculous image of russian people ) in it
congrats;)

BTW
i am russian;)

Blondbraid

Quote from: rorstudio on Tue 24/05/2016 16:07:17
ok
this game is short funny and simple
and don't have so much "cranberries"(
improbable and ridiculous image of russian people ) in it
congrats;)
BTW
i am russian;)
Thank you, I'm glad that you liked my game!
I have tried my best to write fun and compelling
characters without resorting to stereotypes,
and it's nice to hear that you think them funny! :)


sthomannch

Good game! Nice graphics and dialogues and the puzzles were right, so I could go smoothlhy through the game. The character of the sniper was excellent. Congratulations.

Creamy

#38
Finished! Two thumbs up, you get better with every game :)

I found one bug :
Spoiler
I was able to climb the patriotic rope before crafting it.
[close]
You might want to enable the  « solid » property to avoid character overlap.

Kudos for the charming graphics. They work surprisingly well in this grim setting.
The story was compelling too.
 

Blondbraid

Quote from: sthomannch on Tue 24/05/2016 18:17:36
Good game! Nice graphics and dialogues and the puzzles were right, so I could go smoothlhy through the game. The character of the sniper was excellent. Congratulations.
Quote from: Creamy on Fri 27/05/2016 17:58:49
Finished! Two thumbs up, you get better with every game :)
I found one bug:
Spoiler
I was able to climb the patriotic rope before crafting it.
[close]
You might want to enable the  « solid » property to avoid character overlap.
Kudos for the charming graphics. They work surprisingly well in this grim setting.
The story was compelling too.
Thank you! ;-D
Good that you spotted the bug, Creamy, I have already uploaded a new version where I have fixed the issue,
and if you or anyone else finds any issues with this new version, please let me know.

I'm also happy to hear that my games are improving, and hopefully my next game will be even better.
(I already have an idea, but so far just an idea, but I hope to start working on it soon enough! ;))


cat

Your additional effort has been rewarded - the game is now Pick of the Month :)

Blondbraid

Quote from: cat on Wed 01/06/2016 16:00:51
Your additional effort has been rewarded - the game is now Pick of the Month :)
Thank you for choosing my game, I'm so happy that you liked it! ;-D


Blondbraid

Sniper and spotter being patriotic is now also available on Game Jolt!



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