Flight from the Robots | Play the new chapter 2!

Started by fernewelten, Mon 13/09/2021 22:02:02

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fernewelten


Hello folks,

I'd like to proudly present:
Flight from the Robots
A sci-fi Point & Click adventure.

It's the year 2154. The climate catastrophe has happened. Life on earth has become too hot, so humanity has had to move underground. The robots have become autonomous. All work for humans is exclusively provided by the robots' anonymous organization “Cinorq”. The few human rebels that exist don't stand a chance against the robot's superiority.

Chapter 1
Meet Ian, a human that is actively collaborating with the robots and helping them to increase their technological advantage.He's been promised a train ticket to the robots' HQ and a promotion. But very shortly, he's going to change his mind about the robots being on his side. And a tomato incident is going to play an important role.

Ian needs your help.

He needs to to stop the police bots from entering through his front door, and then find a different way than that door to leave the flat and escape.

All new: Chapter 2
Ian has escaped out of his flat by the breadth of a hair. All the bots are on the lookout for him, and he's standing there pantsless â€" literally.

He's cornered behind a hedge on the Recreation Deck and must outwit a gardening robot to get away.
And he still wants to catch his train to the robots' HQ â€" he's a fugitive now and can't enter it normally. so he must find another way.

Help Ian escape!
Without your determined struggle, Ian won't get out of his plight. He will need

  • your ingenuity,
  • your good eye for visual clues,
  • your perseverance,
  • and your logical thinking “out of the box” (and yes, boxes of sorts play a role in this adventure, too!).










Download the game here:



arj0n

#1
something like this:
<image link here>


EDIT:
sorry, this post was supposed to go in this thread...


heltenjon

Quote from: fernewelten on Wed 15/09/2021 17:44:18
Quote from: arj0n on Wed 15/09/2021 17:15:47
something like this:
https://dam1976.home.xs4all.nl/AGS/FotRv3a.png

I get a Page 404 error?

Replace the "a" in the filename with a "b", and you get a screenshot. Although I'm not certain it's the one arj0n intended.


In other news, the jam this game was released in ended, and this game ended up far down on the list. Now, I haven't played all the other entries, but judging from which games came out on top, I'll wager the votes went to easy games with little to no problem-solving, but with emphasis on storytelling. It frankly looks like this game was too difficult for the crowd in this jam, and they seem to have given up before making any progress whatsoever. (And some participants are young and seem to have another sense of humour, and end up voting for each other. Oh well.)

Out of the eight entries I've tried so far, this game  is by far the best one. But then my criteria of a game is probably a bit different than the ones competing in a narrative jam. To please that crowd, a hard game would probably have to include something ridiculous like a Walkthrough-mode, where Ian could solve all the problems on his own when the player just clicked on the appropriate hotspot. It would be a little like watching MacGyver. (This is not a serious suggestion, more of a lamentation.)

fernewelten

#4
Quote from: heltenjon on Thu 16/09/2021 09:53:01
To please that crowd, a hard game would probably have to include something ridiculous like a Walkthrough-mode, where Ian could solve all the problems on his own when the player just clicked on the appropriate hotspot. It would be a little like watching MacGyver. (This is not a serious suggestion, more of a lamentation.)

Wait a minute: This might, to the contrary, be An Idea.

All the casual games feature a Hint system: You click on a “Hint hat” or something that is always conveniently located at the left or right bottom screen corner, and then a ray highlights exactly the thing that you need to click on next. Usually the hat needs to “recharge” before it will yield the next hint.

I don't know how they do this exactly, but the kits for casual games probably have something built in that provides that functionality in a convenient way (probably in combination with modules for the dozen minigames that seem to feature in aaaall the casual games aaaall the time).

Now let's suppose we have a separate file with GOALs and DESCRIPTIONs of how to reach them.

  • A GOAL would be an identifier that you can choose freely.
  • A DESCRIPTION would say:  "In order to reach GOAL, if CONDITIONS are met, you RIGHTCLICK|LEFTCLICK on OBJECT|HOTSPOT|CHARACTER|INVITEM."
  • A CONDITION could be any valid AGS expression that only uses goal names and global variables/attributes (e.g., oPitchfork.Clickable)

This should be enough for a plugin to automatically generate a function, called, e.g., "room_ShowHint()", that looks around and sees what is currently true and then calls "HintRightClickObj(Object *)", "HintLeftClickObj(Object *)", "HintRightClickIitem(InventoryItem *)", etc., as the case may be.

The functions "HintRightClickObj()", etc., would need to be provided by the game coder and point out that the user needs to do that respective thing next (by highlighting that thing with a ray on an overlay or something). Example or default code might be provided for that. These functions go into GlobalScript() or some script module.

The Hint hat is on a GUI, and when it is clicked, it dispatches a "CallRoomScript(99)". Each room that uses the plugin would need to have
Code: ags

function on_call(script) 
{ 
    if (script == 99) 
        room_ShowHint(); 
}


at the bottom of the room file, and the generated "room_ShowHint()" function in front of that block of code. (The plugin could see to that.)

As a result, whenever the Hint hat is clicked on, the user would get exact visual feedback on what to do next.

Coders could ask on the start screen whether the player wants "expert" mode or "casual" mode; if they want "expert" mode then the GUI that features the Hint hat is simply made invisible.

heltenjon

Well, if you actually decide to do this with this particular game or another set in the same world, I'd recommend that you switch the hint hat with a loyal robot companion, to keep it consistent. (Perhaps the Thinker?)

fernewelten

I'm not sure ... I have misgivings that if I do offer a variant of a thinking hat, that will still be "too little" in their eyes. Probably because they can't bring themselves to put up with the graphics I can provide.

It's a lost cause. I simply can't cater to the casual game crowd.

Creamy

#7
Hi fernewelten,

Congrats on the release. It's quite a funny story and I look forward to complete it.

I think you should switch off the annnoying siren after the first announcement.
If you want to keep repeating the announces, please make them silent and display them in the background to avoid interrupting the flow of the game.

The feedback to the Mastemind game seems a little broken. For instance, if you place the same symbol at the same place twice, it can be tagged green then orange.

I stopped playing because I suspected that I was stuck on a bug:
Spoiler
I have the saw and the spork. After the ventilator is removed from the box, it starts turning again and I can't interact with it any more. 
[close]

 

fernewelten

#8
Quote from: Creamy on Tue 21/09/2021 22:21:37
Spoiler
I have the saw and the spork. After the ventilator is removed from the box, it starts turning again and I can't interact with it any more. 
[close]

Hi Creamy, thanks for the feedback! Concerning the ventilator, I'm not sure at what point you are:
Spoiler
The ventilator has a covering grid that is affixed with two screws. Yes, you can and should unscrew the covering grid using the spork. That's will unmount the covering grid (it'll disappear). However, the rotor beneath the covering grid will continue to turn.

If Ian tries to INTERACT with the ventilator at this point, he should say something about "I want to spare my fingers.". If Ian EXAMINES the ventilator at this point, he'll exclaim that the blades of the turning rotor are razor-sharp; no wonder that had protected the rotor with a covering grid. 
[close]
Is that so far the point you have reached?
Spoiler
So now Ian's next job is to stop the rotor from turning in some way. Ian's fingers won't do it, so perhaps jam something robust into the rotor blades to stop them spinning? You can try the saw but it's too dangerous for this job (but it will come into play later on). 
[close]

Concerning the siren: You're right, it's very annoying. I've already slated an update where the siren will only wail throughout the first announcement. From the second announcement onwards, it'll start at the beginning of the announcement but only wail three times and then stop.

Concerning the mastermind game: I'll look at the code and see whether I can find a bug. What the algorithm should do is the following:

  • Let's say the secret combination is 57743 and the guess is 77123
  • See what digits are correct in the correct position: The "7" is correct in position #2 and the "3" is correct in position #5.
  • Thus award two green lights.
  • Ignore the correct digits in the correct position, i.e., temporarily cross them out in the secret combination and in the guess: The rest of the secret combination is 5x74x and the rest of the guess is 7x12x.
  • There's another "7" that is part of the guess, but this "7" is in the wrong position. It should be in position #3 but is in position #1.
  • Thus award one amber light. Temporarily cross out the "7" in the secret combination and in the guess, yielding 5xx4x and xx12x.
  • No further matches can be made.
  • As a result: Two green lights, one amber light (the rest are red lights)

When a digit occurs more than once in the secret combination, you can get an amber light and a green light for this digit, as in the example above.

fernewelten

BTW. You have infinite guesses to break the safe code. So here's one way to do it:
Spoiler
First, find out what digits are part of the secret combination. Enter "11111". If a "1" features n times in the solution, this will yield n green lights.
Continue with "22222" and so on until you know what digits are part of the solution.

Now let's assume you know that "1" is part of the solution, but "9" is NOT part of the solution. Enter "19999", "91999", "99199", etc. and find out in exactly what places the "1" needs to be (the respective guesses will yield a green light).
Continue with the next digit that you know is part of the solution, but now you only need to test for the places that you know don't contain a "1".
[close]

heltenjon

Quote from: Creamy on Tue 21/09/2021 22:21:37
The feedback to the Mastemind game seems a little broken. For instance, if you place the same symbol at the same place twice, it can be tagged green then orange.

The placement of the tags doesn't match the placement of the symbols. So if you have two correct symbols, you don't get to know which two symbols are correct right away.

Creamy

QuoteIs that so far the point you have reached?
I've already removed the rotor:
Spoiler
[close]
Weirdly, it's still spining.

QuoteThe placement of the tags doesn't match the placement of the symbols. So if you have two correct symbols, you don't get to know which two symbols are correct right away.
Ooooh, I didn't know that. I suddenly realize that my brothers and I have been playing Mastermind with bad rules as children  :-[  (laugh). My apologies, your code is fine.
 

heltenjon

Quote from: Creamy on Wed 22/09/2021 21:18:01
QuoteThe placement of the tags doesn't match the placement of the symbols. So if you have two correct symbols, you don't get to know which two symbols are correct right away.
Ooooh, I didn't know that. I suddenly realize that my brothers and I have been playing Mastermind with bad rules as children  :-[  (laugh).

I think we all have.  :-D Even though I don't think it's mentioned in the rules, that variation is a fine way to make Mastermind easier for children or beginners. Any box photo with an example will show that you're not supposed to do that, though.

fernewelten

#13
Found the bug: If you first dismount the rotor, then solve the saw minigame, then the rotor will start turning again after you return from the safe view. I hadn't found this when testing because I always did things the other way round: First get the saw, then dismount the rotor.

So I've issued a bugfix; get the new version via the game database or directly on itch.io

fernewelten

#14
Quote from: heltenjon on Wed 22/09/2021 23:37:07
Quote from: Creamy on Wed 22/09/2021 21:18:01
QuoteThe placement of the tags doesn't match the placement of the symbols. […]
Ooooh, I didn't know that. I suddenly realize that my brothers and I have been playing Mastermind with bad rules as children  :-[  (laugh).

Even though I don't think it's mentioned in the rules, […]

As far as I know, the very very original Mastermind had a board like that:
O O O O  oo
         oo
                   
O O O O  oo
         oo
(and so on.)

The left holes are for the guesses, the right holes for feedback. In this arrangement the assumption doesn't suggest itself that there might be a one-to-one correspondence between guess positions and feedback positions. So this might be the reason that the rules don't state explicitly that there shouldn't be.

The arrangement that we all know today only came later.
O O O O   o o o o
O O O O   o o o o
O O O O   o o o o
(and so on)

Dunno. It makes for a less long board, maybe?

heltenjon

I guess I'm showing my age then, as I'm referring to the "very very original" version.  (laugh) I agree about your point, but we would play like
1 2
3 4
when playing the "easy mode". Perhaps this came naturally to us because we also grew up with physical slider puzzles, which may be the very reason why I _don't_ hate those, like some players apparently do, but think of them as relatively easy.

In this game, the lit up nodes signifying correct placement is starting from the same side all the time, if I recall it correctly. The player ought to be able to deduce that they don't correspond with the peg guesses...which is actually kind of what Creamy did, when I think about it.  (laugh)

Creamy

Thanks for the savegame, fernewelten. I finally made it to the end.

QuoteFound the bug: If you first dismount the rotor, then solve the saw minigame, then the rotor will start turning again after you return from the safe view. I hadn't found this when testing because I always did things the other way round: First get the saw, then dismount the rotor.

I dismounted the rotor first indeed.
 

fernewelten

#17
Quote from: heltenjon on Fri 24/09/2021 10:21:27
I guess I'm showing my age then, as I'm referring to the "very very original" version.

Might also be a case of regional versions.

I've once researched "Mastermind" in order to find out whether one was allowed to even implement it. I don't really remember all the details. The game has quite a story by now, but the upshot was, as far as I could gather, that the patents have expired: You may implement the game. The trademarks, on the other hand, have not: You may not call your game, "Mastermind". The original company seems to have sold the game to a large game producer at one time. Different kinds of board have been produced at different times and for different markets. The oldest version, as I understood, was the one with a four-places code and a "square" arrangement for the feedback. Our family had one with a "line" arrangement for feedback. The piece of paper with the rules has gone lost.

fernewelten

#18
Update: "Flight from the robots" has gotten an all-new chapter 2.
Download it here from itch: https://loquimur.itch.io/flight-from-the-robots-2#download

sthomannch

I played through the second chapter. Very interesting, but a bit short. I liked the puzzles. It took me a few minutes until I got
Spoiler

the timing right for jumping onto the trolley
[close]
Looking forward to chapter 3  :cheesy:

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