Detective Boiled-Hard

[ManicMatt]

Detective Boiled-Hard will be a budget priced short game, with one case to solve, by asking questions via your electronic notepad, to get to the truth!

Get shouted at by your boss. It's part of the job.

Pester people minding their own business. DO IT!

- With a focus on funny dialogue, ask people stuff and barely use your inventory! (Except for fun non-progressing messing around with people!!)
-  Visit several locales in your pursuit of a murderer!
- Listen to a male attempt a couple of female voices for the female roles!
- Simple left click = interact, right click = look at, interface.
- From the maker of AGS games "Trails and Traces", "Secrets" (If you remember that), and "Hell, Heaven, and the Neitherworld" (Formerly known as "Limbo the Adventure game")
- Coming to Steam for PC, late 2020! (Hopefully..)

So, if you like the look of this game, and have a twitter account, please follow me!

https://twitter.com/Matt_Barker_UK

Percentages Completion fun!

Graphics - 100%
Scripting - 98%
Dialogue - 100%
Humour - 140%
Music - 100%
Speech - 60%
SFX - 100%

[ManicMatt]

Here is a short clip of some dialogue from the game, to give you an idea of the humour and style!

[Cassiebsg]

Looking great Matt! 
My only complain is that the text is a bit too fast to read for me. 

[ManicMatt]

Thanks! 

I was thinking a couple of screenshots might not be good enough to grab anyone's attention, so I focused on this section's animation and dialogue, even though it's not at the start of the game! (There's a one room scene before it to start with some excitement!)

Oh, good point! Not everyone can read lightning quick like me! *Sticks in the code: Game.MinimumTextDisplayTimeMs = 2300;*

Fixed! If you set the (Yet to be recorded) speech on, naturally it will be on screen for as long as the audio plays, which is why I should try and leave some empty silence after a short line is said, such as "Yes."

Ooh I should do that percentage thingy! I'll edit my first post!

[Laura Hunt]

"Humor: 110%" 

[Matti]

Looks good! I like the animation and all the details in the backgrounds 

[Cassiebsg]

The other option to deal with text speed is giving the player a setting to self set it to ones pace. 

So, if the game has a settings page, just add an extra slider to it. 

[ManicMatt]

Laura: I'm aiming for 120% but I shouldn't be too ambitious.

Matti: Thanks! I'm not sure anyone is going to get what the reference is with the body on the floor down the corridor, but maybe if Boiled-Hard says something extra hinty upon looking at it..

Cassiebsg: Yeah, that's a good idea, but I think it won't be a big deal now I've slowed it down. Seems to have been fine in my previous releases. (Although my first and second games didn't even have the option to turn the speech off so.. that's just Trails and Traces that didn't have any issues with so far.)

[ManicMatt]

Alas, due to a change in circumstances, I'm going to have to put this game on hold for the time being, and find a (actually paying) job, and a new place of residence.

[Darth Mandarb]

Ahh damn! I'm sorry to hear this.

Give me a shout (PM) if/when you want to pick the production back up (please include a link to this thread in the PM) and I'll unlock it for you.

Good luck with the job-hunt sir!

[ManicMatt]

The case is back in production, albeit at a much slower rate! I've just been drawing the backgrounds at the moment. Here's a couch. It's red.

[ManicMatt]

All the backgrounds have been drawn, but still need more objects/furniture in them!

I was playing the excellent Guard Duty recently, and was inspired by it's lovely close up cutscenes. Here is a part of the opening scene of the game, where Boiled-Hard has infiltrated the NickNackatomi building to rescue hostages from the evil Hands Grubby!

[Cassiebsg]

This is very... "yippee-ki-yay"! 

Well, done. The close up looks great. 

[ManicMatt]

Thanks Cassiebsg! I was waiting for more replies so I can answer in one swoop but er.. yeah..

Anyways, here is the first playable room in the game!

(Edit: Now with some dialogue shown and correct scaling!)



So, who can guess the Sam & Max reference in this image?

[Cassiebsg]

I want to click on stuff... And that bad looks cool. Can I play the bad guy? I wanna shot crossbows. 

Could you please post original size instead of doubled size?

[Chicky]

Looks great Matt! Is that a Nerf gun in the back? 

[ManicMatt]

Cassiebsg: Sorry about that, I was having a brainfart and forgot about AGS's own screenshot function! It's no longer stretched in widescreen. I've been adding a lot of funny banter between the characters for when you look at things in the room!

Chicky: It might be! 

You get to keep this "Silenced Pistol" to use on unsuspecting NPCs, as well as a couple of other inventory items such as a decapitated hand. Just for fun.

[ManicMatt]

So here is how you talk to people. This pad comes up and you can select topics. The top row is just for fun.



This character was the first one I created for this project. Here is how he first looked. I not only improved him, but I didn't want every character just standing around waiting for Boiled-Hard!



Improved Sprite:

[Cassiebsg]

Nice improvement. 

[ManicMatt]

Due to recent events, I have been working day and night (with breaks) to get my game finished and released just incase anything happens to me or my loved ones while I am still able and motivated. I do have Asthma, so I don't know how much that would make it worse should I get the virus.

I was looking for work but I have a feeling that's going to be five times harder now, so hopefully this game might help me out a little, but it's only going to be on itch for the time being as I can't afford to pay the steam fee right now to put it on steam.

I've recorded all the voices, and I'm currently editing the recordings. All the music is done, and unlike Trails and Traces, it's constant music.