Kola Queen

newwaveburritos · Thu 15/10/2020 05:12:26

Moline, Illinois, summer 1986. The stench of the Mississippi River, the sizzle of the parking lot asphalt. You're fresh out of community college, riding the bus around looking for a job and trying to keep your cat fed. Your Uncle Leon, a key player in the local carbonated beverage game, has been offered a chance for exclusive distribution of a brand new soda pop around the Quad Cities area, and you're just the underemployed go-getter to help him out. He needs you to help him convince the five largest pop pushers around to carry this exciting new product, using nothing but your youthful charm, anecdotal knowledge of the beverage industry and ability to make small talk about racehorses with middle-aged men in short-sleeved dress shirts. From the strip malls of Bettendorf to the smoky metal clubs of Davenport, you and your elderly Papu take to the streets with this thrilling task and youâ€™re not taking no for an answer in this full-length adventure game. Will you find hidden treasure? A vast conspiracy to hook children on corn syrup? A grand purpose in life? Probably not, but you might meet a local TV celebrity, run into your cousin at a bar, or even learn to drive a box truck. Look for it in the first quarter of 2021 wherever games are downloaded.

Travel to all five of the Quad Cities and meet new and enthralling new people!
Drink pop!
The first ever graphic adventure game featuring a Class B commercial license at the Department of Motor Vehicles!
Captivating EGA graphics and animations!
Over thirty locations!
Pointing!
Clicking!
Even a text parser!

Chicky · Thu 15/10/2020 09:38:00

This looks brilliant, I love the premise and the artwork is stunning! Wishing you the best with development.

Postmodern Adventures · Thu 15/10/2020 09:54:51

Love the map screen!

heltenjon · Thu 15/10/2020 10:29:45

Very interesting and original premise/plot idea! Also looking good.

Slasher · Thu 15/10/2020 10:40:50

Looks fab

Pogwizd · Thu 15/10/2020 19:34:13

Love the art and can't wait to see the finished game

SarahLiz · Sat 17/10/2020 18:28:40

Oh, I am loving this! Gorgeous screenies! Can't wait to pet the cat & use that cool map to travel!

newwaveburritos · Sun 18/10/2020 05:25:38

Thanks for all the kind words. I'll keep you all updated about what Chrissy and Papu are up to.

FireFlower · Mon 26/10/2020 20:22:10

Looks great! I also like the map screen.

Somewhat Viable · Tue 03/11/2020 19:29:16

This looks great, I like the Maniac Mansion-y style, the EGA sells it. Hope everything goes smoothly!

Monsieur OUXX · Tue 10/11/2020 15:12:58

Oh wow this is GORGEOUS! Almost missed this!

fratello Manu · Thu 19/11/2020 07:23:54

I'm looking forward to get a demo!

NeoDement · Fri 18/12/2020 16:56:18

Really beautiful unique art, I especially like the two isometric rooms

newwaveburritos · Tue 29/12/2020 18:54:41

Progress is slow but steady. Getting everything stitched together, writing dialogue, chasing down bugs. I may even have a demo put together by the end of winter. It's very exciting to see Chrissy walking around an environment and getting on busses to get out there and sling pop. I'm having some fun ideas about how to make the adventure really be about the friends you make along the way. Making friendship a game mechanic is an idea that I like a lot but I'm not completely sure how to actually implement it. Stay tuned.

newwaveburritos · Sat 16/01/2021 05:09:25

Just thought I'd pop in and drop off a gif of an animation. I'm working with a freelance artist on a lot of the art so much of what I'm doing is filling in a few in-between frames and making it work in the world. It's an interesting approach as it takes a lot of the pressure off of me to produce the art and concentrate on the many other things that need attention. It's slower and there's the expense of course but in the end, I am much happier with the result than I feel like I would be if I were doing the game 100% by myself. I'm really loving learning AGS, though, and I'm really floored by the whole community here and how good the software is.

Sorry for the poor quality screen recording I'm a busy guy I guess.

eri0o · Sat 16/01/2021 14:09:31

This looks super good! Amazing work. Am curious on what you are listening while working

newwaveburritos · Mon 18/01/2021 03:32:16

Quote from: eri0o on Sat 16/01/2021 14:09:31
This looks super good! Amazing work. Am curious on what you are listening while working

Listening to like what music? Uh...New Wave mostly. Big surprise there, I'm sure. The game also takes place in 1986 which is late for New Wave but close enough. It's not a documentary!

deadsuperhero · Mon 18/01/2021 04:53:06

I just wanted to say that I really love the color palette and the pixel style of this game. It's a beautiful depiction of the intersection of the late EGA / early VGA era of DOS adventure games.
I can't wait to play this.

Monsieur OUXX · Mon 18/01/2021 08:10:58

Great use of palette and dithering!

selmiak · Mon 18/01/2021 13:27:08

This looks plain amazing! Keep it up!

Joseph DiPerla · Mon 18/01/2021 14:35:58

The color palette is amazing.

missionjfrog · Wed 20/01/2021 17:02:39

The art looks amazing, the artist is doing great things with that limited palette! Really interested in the premise as well, this sounds like it'll be really good.

newwaveburritos · Sat 06/03/2021 05:34:01

Just a brief little note here to share a little progress. I've started a devlog over at itch.io which I will try to keep updated at least irregularly so you can track the progress over there especially if you're already using it. Plus, if you follow me I can follow you back and check out what you're up to! I've been bust enough behind the scenes trying to figure everything out without having a ton of tangible progress to share here but rest assured the code is getting messier and messier. Messy with fun!

https://kolaqueen.itch.io/kola-queen

And as a bonus for reading this new post, I'll treat you to some new character animations. Everybody is dying to meet Gina "Subpoena" Valentine. She'll be your new best friend! Oh, and don't forget Sandy. You'll have an adventure with her, too. You meet her at the track when you get involved in the life and times of the racehorse Batty Bill.

Danvzare · Mon 08/03/2021 14:57:57

That's a really nice artstyle you've got going there.
Keep up the good work.

newwaveburritos · Fri 09/04/2021 19:28:56

Just a little mockup to let everyone know that work is still progressing at a somewhat reasonable pace. Just because I can't hang out with friends in a bar doesn't mean that you can't in the world of Kola Queen! Everyday after you make your rounds convincing reputable sodie dealers to carry your new product you will have a chance to unwind at the bar with your friends and the people who populate the Quad Cities before going home and starting fresh the next day with more Cola Galore: America's hottest new carob flavored soda with twice the flavor at only half the calories.

oareaso · Fri 09/04/2021 21:22:27

Looks very nice Man!

newwaveburritos · Thu 24/06/2021 03:46:44

It's been a couple of months since I updated here so I thought I would give a little taste of what's coming to those of you who are interested parties.

I've decided it might be best to release to the game as a series so that people can actually play the game while I work on all of it which means that your progress will in fact track through the games. Various decisions you make will factor into the happenings of the future games in the series as well as the friendships you have made and fostered as well. There will be a day/night cycle to where you drive the plot and distribute that sweet, sweet soda pop during the day and have the night off to do whatever you please. Driving your relationships will be a core feature. Just like real life you won't be able to build relationships with everyone; you'll have to make some choices.

I'm also introducing what I hope is another first for point-and-click adventure games: an innovative hangover system. Sure, you can hang out with your friends all night at the bar deepening your relationships but you will pay for it tomorrow! Maybe it doesn't do much. Maybe somebody will notice. It'll be fun. Just like a hangover.

Anyway, I'm sure I'm over-promising here but trying to tie all of these weird systems together has been what you might call fun. No, scratch that, it's tedium. Tedium is what I'm thinking of.

At any rate, I hope you'll have fun when you play it this summer.

Pogwizd · Fri 25/06/2021 09:45:40

If there is one thing I know for sure, it is that there is no better fun like a good hangover.

It is interesting to see that this game will feature some RPGish elements like stats (friendship and hangover). If these affect the gameplay, I am guessing the game may have high replay value.

Good luck with the project : )

ThreeOhFour · Sat 26/06/2021 06:42:10

This looks so good! Looking forward to it.

TheVolumeRemote · Sat 17/07/2021 04:19:30

I am really excited for this, I adore your art style and palettes!Keep up the great work mate!

newwaveburritos · Thu 29/07/2021 06:04:18

Just a quick update to let you know that I'm still working on the game just about every day in my spare time. It's starting to take shape and I can reasonably assert that it will indeed be ready this summer. I signed up for the AGS Forum almost exactly a year ago so I guess I missed that deadline but I've learned a lot and I think Kola Queen will be the better for it. You can also follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/PlayKolaQueen

Here's some new art. The bar you hold dear in your heart and hang out in every night after work.

heltenjon · Thu 29/07/2021 09:39:33

I just love the graffiti!

And that sign makes me wonder what "the incident" is, just like the intention probably is. Great stuff!

Andrea1992 · Fri 30/07/2021 05:09:29

Quote from: newwaveburritos on Fri 09/04/2021 19:28:56
Just because I can't hang out with friends in a bar doesn't mean that you can't in the world of Kola Queen!

I feel so identified with this statement!
I like this project btw, it 'transmits' a nice vibe, keep up the good work!

javixblack · Sun 01/08/2021 19:00:32

Lovely visuals!!!! can't wait to taste it! this will be a commercial game?

newwaveburritos · Mon 02/08/2021 00:35:35

Quote from: javixblack on Sun 01/08/2021 19:00:32
this will be a commercial game?

I haven't quite decided if I want to make it a "pay what you want" or just straight up charge a somewhat nominal amount. I'm shooting for about four to six hours of gameplay.

ilkaytobello · Mon 09/08/2021 23:01:47

Colors are amazing! I love the smoking and speech animation. I am looking forward to play when it's released ^^ Good luck!

newwaveburritos · Sat 11/09/2021 06:03:33

Just a little note to indicate that I still work on Kola Queen most days and I can start to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Here is the party at the end of the game and I gotta say seeing all of these characters together on a single screen is really a bit emotional for me. It's really happening!

Creamy · Sat 11/09/2021 17:06:41

Lovely, I like those 80s haircuts. Please ask grandpa to get off the chair.

newwaveburritos · Sat 11/09/2021 21:44:45

Quote from: Creamy on Sat 11/09/2021 17:06:41
Lovely, I like those 80s haircuts. Please ask grandpa to get off the chair.

I was wondering if anybody would notice that I apparently gotten the walk behind on that chair incorrect but failed to notice it myself until I had already taken the screenshot. But now I kinda like it!

SarahLiz · Tue 21/09/2021 22:53:44

Ha! Grandpa, livin' on the edge...

Looking good, btw!!

Rincewind · Mon 11/10/2021 08:45:15

Man, it's such a blast returning to the forums again and seeing stuff like this being developed! Looks absolutely gorgeous, Newwaveburrito, and the plot sounds like fun! Really looking forward to this.

newwaveburritos · Wed 10/11/2021 03:38:44

Here's a new "poster" for Kola Queen that gives you an idea about what it may be about. Work is still progressing!

newwaveburritos · Wed 10/11/2021 03:43:31

Here it is a little smaller.

Pogwizd · Thu 11/11/2021 16:41:16

There is something really sinister about that pig : )

But all in all a really nice cover. For some reason, it reminds me of old-school cassette tape covers.

newwaveburritos · Tue 14/12/2021 18:48:08

I was pushing hard for a Christmas release but it doesn't look like that's in the cards. Well, I didn't want to have to compete with If on a Winter's Night, Four Travelers in the 2021 AGS Awards anyway because it's too good and really you should just play it right now. As a consolation prize I have a short piece of gameplay footage introducing you to a few of the characters around town. Enjoy!!

https://youtu.be/-3NXSEvhlw4

The Last To Know · Wed 15/12/2021 13:30:22

Take your time, looking forward to your game next year.

Creamy · Wed 15/12/2021 22:28:05

It's good to see it come together. There's a great sense of time and place.

Regarding the cover: each part looks nice but I was never big on compositions with sprites of different sizes overlapping.

Laura Hunt · Sat 18/12/2021 14:27:19

Quote from: newwaveburritos on Tue 14/12/2021 18:48:08
I was pushing hard for a Christmas release but it doesn't look like that's in the cards. Well, I didn't want to have to compete with If on a Winter's Night, Four Travelers in the 2021 AGS Awards anyway because it's too good and really you should just play it right now.

Awww thank you <3 Looking forward to the release, everything you've shown so far looks fantastic!