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Google has quite a nice collection of fonts which are allegedly all 'open-source'. That said, probably best to check the individual licenses for fonts there before pulling one. https://fonts.google.com/

Creating more difficulty options certainly isn't a bad idea. I'll ruminate on adding something along those lines for the next update.

I appreciate the thoughts here heltonjon, gives me some more things to think about as I continue to finish patching and tweaking things.

On the subject of difficulty- I did not make things harder! However with that said, perhaps because the gameplay style is unusual, I actually get quite a bit of varied feedback in testing from testers saying 'way too hard' to 'way too easy', even on the same exact build, so I'm often just trying to find a kind of middle ground! Also, and you may have tried this, but there is an 'Assist Mode' when you start a new game, or in the menu during a game (TAB> Options> Gameplay). That assist option plainly lowers the amount of damage taken, among a few other details.

There is a button for returning to the menu too, but it's in the options (TAB> Options> 'Main menu' is in the lower left.)

I hope that info makes things a little clearer, but if you do end up with any suggestions for gameplay balancing, or anything else- I'm all ears!

That's partially on me too, something about best avoiding last minute deadlines.

Anyway, thanks guys! 

[For Your Consideration: Stormwater - Complete Edition]

For Your Consideration: Stormwater - Complete Edition

On the topic of nonsense award categories: Most genres blended into one game?

Well anyway there's a free demo for Stormwater on Itch. Stormwater is an adventure game, social sim, shooter hybrid.

AGS Database: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2812-stormwater-complete-edition/
Itch: https://thinking-of-cremation.itch.io/stormwater
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3349770/Stormwater__Complete_Edition/

Please consider Stormwater for:
-Best Audio
-Best Writing
-Best Gameplay
-Best Non-Adventure Game (Not sure if this qualifies here precisely, but I'll leave that up to the people.)

Thanks heltenjon, and a happy new year to you. Honestly without my end of the year deadline, I think I'd end up working on one game forever, lol!

Hey folks. It's that time of the year again for me, and this time around I finished* Stormwater.

What is Stormwater? It's an adventure game. And it has some shoot em' up action levels in it. And there are social sim mechanics too. Also you can customize your house, and there are a few RPG elements, also a time management system...

Anyway, it makes more sense when you play it.

The game is available to purchase on Itch and Steam for 11.99, and there's a free demo on Itch.io, if you just want to see what the heck I'm talking about.

*On the topic of 'finished', there are a few more small content updates I'm going to be rolling out over the next month, first on steam and then on Itch. But the main story campaign is totally done.

Stormwater Links:

On Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3349770/Stormwater__Complete_Edition/

On Itch.io: https://thinking-of-cremation.itch.io/stormwater

On AGS: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2812-stormwater-complete-edition/





Cheers, and Happy New Year,
Fransis

The [E] key is mentioned in the control menu- but that menu should have popped up once automatically as a part of the tutorial, seems like it was being blocked for some reason. So it came down to a bug; I just patched it.

Cheers, and thank you kindly for the help fixing it up!

Ok, I think I've finally figured out what's got you stuck there- I'm betting it's a gameplay thing.

The [E] key is used to enter doors. When you walk up to a door, try pressing [E]. The barn door by the bucket can be entered, the house by itself can be entered, etc.

Spoiler

Just for extra clarity though- If you go through the buildings, then when you're back outside, follow the path with the blood until the action starts. Then the gate from the beginning will be open.

[close]

I'll patch this up though to make the first tutorial clearer.

The button has the word 'AZERTY Bind' on it, the little circle next to the button just indicates whether it's on or off. That GUI could maybe be clearer?

And yes, in my old games I used the left-click interface for movement, but it so heavily restricted the action gameplay, that I've since switched it out for keyboard movement. However I'm probably an odd ball out among AGS users, in that I'm as inspired by DOOM and Duke3d, as by LucasArts and Sierra.

Hey Rik_Vargard, appreciate the report.

I just patched up the respawning pickups. (And a tip for the first level: follow the blood.)

As for the AZERTY configuration, honestly a game with action components should probably just have fully rebindable keys- but for the short term, I've added a band-aid fix with an AZERTY specific control scheme in the gameplay options. It seems to work on my end, but do let me know if I've missed something with it.

[For Your Consideration: Stormwater (Early Access)]

For Your Consideration: Stormwater (Early Access)

Stormwater has a demo available, and is a point and click adventure game. Its also got 90's FPS style gameplay, and social-sim systems, and some light RPG elements, etc. 

Most relevantly to the AGS awards, the demo for the game on Itch is free, so anyone can try it out.

AGS Database: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2718-stormwater-early-access-/
Itch: https://thinking-of-cremation.itch.io/stormwater

Please consider Stormwater for:
-Best Demo, of course

Hey folks. First of all, thank you to everyone here who played and gave feedback and advice on Graceward over the last year, such support was obviously invaluable to me.

But it's that time of the year again- I got a new project ready for action. It's called 'Stormwater', and much like my last few games, it's another hybrid Adventure Game / Shooter / Social Sim / etc. This time instead of taking place in the dark cyber future, it takes place deep in the countryside, in a land ruled by spirits and superstition.

And I would also be remiss not to mention here that the original soundtrack for the game, a sort of classical composition, is quite remarkable as well, and can be sampled here:

There's a free demo for Stormwater on Itch.io of course.

And it can also be supported in early access, as more content updates are enroute.

Found on itch here: https://thinking-of-cremation.itch.io/stormwater

On AGS: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2718-stormwater-early-access-/

Cheers,
Fransis

I'm operating in the eleventh hour as always over here- but I've just submitted my picks! Perhaps more last minute voters shall follow?

[For Your Consideration: Graceward - Complete Edition]

For Your Consideration: Graceward - Complete Edition

Graceward showed up here last year in early access, but the commercial release is now out, and it's a title which very much continues the running theme of 90's nostalgia. Though I think you'll find Graceward harkens back even more to DOOM and BLOOD than anything by LucasArts or Sierra. Graceward is half point and click, and half shooter.

Most relevantly to the AGS awards, there is a free demo of the game on Itch, so anyone can try it out.

It's also on steam, if achievements are really important to you. Happy hunting, and godspeed.

AGS Database: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2650-graceward-complete-edition/
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2217060/Graceward__Complete_Edition/
Itch: https://thinking-of-cremation.itch.io/graceward

Please consider Graceward for:
-Best Music & Sound
-Best Writing
-Best Gameplay

Thank you Wiggy, hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

And that's a good call eri0o, done, thanks.

[Hey folks. It's been a good while since I came around with my Early Access release for Graceward, but AGS is the gift that keeps on giving, and in turn, the game is now finished and on steam/itch as of today for $8.99.Graceward is, unsurprisingly, an adventure game. It is also a 90s-style shooting game. And it's also got some RPG stuff going on. All of which is blended into a fine mush of delicious adventure game soup.]

Hey folks. It's been a good while since I came around with my Early Access release for Graceward, but AGS is the gift that keeps on giving, and in turn, the game is now finished and on steam/itch as of today for $8.99.

Graceward is, unsurprisingly, an adventure game. It is also a 90s-style shooting game. And it's also got some RPG stuff going on. All of which is blended into a fine mush of delicious adventure game soup.

The game can be found on steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2217060/Graceward__Complete_Edition/

Or on itch here: https://thinking-of-cremation.itch.io/graceward

Or on the AGS database: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2650-graceward-complete-edition/

And there's a even a free demo available of the first few hours on the Itch page as well, if you'd just like to give it a try.

Cheers,
Fransis

Hey Wiggy, this secret might have been bugged (with the newest patch out today I double-checked the flag), but for the record it's supposed to be-

Spoiler

When you examine the first hay bale in the first field, at the end of commune park, it should drop a couple items.

[close]

That's the fourth and last secret, right before the level exit.

There are a lot of secrets though, and some that are outside the levels, so I do want to put together a little video guide at some point.

Sweet! Here's hoping for even more Smashing Pumpkins at the ceremony!

The King's Quest V jail cell is a good soft-lock, because if you don't rescue a random mouse in the first act of the game, if I recall correctly you're just stuck in jail, like, forever. But it's not a game over or anything, and it's a single room, so you can waste a decent bit of time trying to brute force the puzzle. When in reality, you've been a dead man walking for the past half hour of the game. But almost anything Sierra is basically cheating for this question.