Messages

SNAKE:  Thanks for the complements!  I'm very proud to say that I programmed the arcade game from scratch, but I borrowed the idea from a Flash game that I got addicted to last summer.... .  It's mostly a short Repeatedly Execute code.  The gist of it is updating the co-ordinates of the asteroids every game cycle so that they all get one or two pixels closer, and then I have another function that shifts every asteroid one pixel to the left every game cycle if your mouse is far enough right (with faster movement the more extreme the mouse position), and vice-versa.  This gives the illusion that they're coming at you and that you are dodging them.  I'd be happy to share the source code for it if you think you'd learn something from it.

BUGS:  I'm getting closer to finding the cause of those obscure bugs.  A recent error report by Eva was most helpful -I think I know what's going wrong, but I need the time to check the code over and I have next to no spare time these days.  I expect to have a revised and hopefully bug-free version up by next Monday.

EDIT NEXT MONDAY:  Got 'em!  Solved the mysterious game freeze on the grass bug, and the isolated invisible door bug, both on planet Primordia.  I have not seen any reports of unresolved bugs, so hopefully version 1.3 is completely bug free!

EDIT OCT 14 2007: A few minor niggles and glitches have been resolved in the current version 1.41.  Enjoy!

Yes, great pics all around.  But where is our Clumsy Fop pilot episode???

Hope everyone enjoyed getting back to work today as much as I did  .

I thought the big pixels looked right, like a close up of small pixels... .  But you're right, the close up of Ace had slightly better resolution (although he wasn't as close as Charlie), so I wasn't really being consistent.  I've been playing around with Flash as a drawing program so these scaling issues shouldn't be apparent in my next game.

Spoiler

As for the time machine, it really isn't integral to the plot.  If you win the video game you'll be given secret co-ordinates for Primordia, but you can't really do anything there without visiting Marf first so it's really just a bonus.  It can be used to find another, more amusing bonus screen, but I'm not inclined to divulge any specifics at this time.

[close]

Glad you enjoyed the spirit of the game! 

I've been at the Mittens Ontario meet the past week so sorry for not keeping tabs on error reports, etc.  I'm glad everyone is enjoying the game despite the occasional bug.  I can't possibly bear to look at the code tonight -sooooo tired - but I'll see if I can't hunt down those glitches tomorrow.

Baron
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EDIT JULY 28 2PM EDT -  I've uploaded version 1.25 which should fix the disappearing door (& walkable area) bug in the secret base.  It also fixes a few other minor glitches and more spelling errors.  The one thing I could not do was duplicate was the game crash when

Spoiler

you use the time machine to get to Primordia.

[close]

I tried for two hours to get the game to crash but I couldn't.  The next time this occurs please abort the game (Alt + X) and see if it gives you a precise room number and code line (I looked in the 200s of room 14, 38 and 66 and couldn't see anything that would cause the game to hang).  I will also need to know:

Spoiler

1) have you used the time machine before, and for what.
2) where you have been to with the space ship.
3) how many times you have died, and where (only applicable if you've used the "Retry" function).

[close]

Any information you can give as to what you were doing immediately before hand may also be relevant.  I'm sorry that this bug has interrupted your gaming experience but it seems to be a rare phenomenon.

Let's be honest about the traffic situation on a summer Friday afternoon:  Let's say 6:30 for sure at Yorkdale.

So:   5pm -  arrivals deck at Terminal 3 (i.e. the front doors)
        6:30pm - Yorkdale Mall -let's meet just outside the Rainforest Cafe.
        8:30pm - arrivals deck at..... a terminal to find Radiant.
        12:00 (roughly) arrive in Bayfield.

I'll be driving a white rental van with "BRISTOL" painted on the side (I think in orange) and I will try to affix a blue cup with AGS on it somewhere to the passenger side.

I'm thinking -just throwing this out there -that you might be squandering an opportunity to see a bit of Toronto by sitting around the airport all evening.  So my proposal is this: I swing by Terminal 3 at approx. 5pm on Friday July 20th, pick up anyone who wants to see the town, and then head in to Yorkdale to meet up with the local Torontonians and the early arrivals.  It's no extra hassle, since the airport is on my way into town anyway.  We'd then conceivably have an hour or two to maybe do some quick sight-seeing or eat dinner, and then head back to the airport (on the way to Bayfield anyway) to pick up Radiant and anyone else who might still be lingering there.  So there will be two airport stops:  one at 5pm ish and one at 8pm ish.

Oh, and so far the only terminal I've seen people arriving at is terminal 3.  I think Quintaros & Radiant will be at different terminals since they are coming from Canada & the States: let me know guys!  I think there's a shuttle between terminals, but it's just extra hassle and (I seem to remember) expense.

It seemed to work fine in the released version (1.1).  Maybe since you guys were both beta testers your both looking at the 1.0 version I pre-released two days ago?  (Version info is under the question mark in the main GUI).
The space ship freezing bug is more concerning, since it has only happened twice -ever! -and never to me.  I'll look into it again, but I'd appreciate more information about what you were doing before the game froze.  Has anyone else experienced this problem in the latest version?
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Later that day.......
         OK, I've uploaded version 1.2.  The rare hanging bug was caused by pressing the "launch" button while already in space.  If you avoid doing this the old version will work fine, but there are a few other minor glitches and spelling mistakes corrected in the latest version.

                                   Enjoy!

[CHARLIE FOXTROT]

-Will a free-thinking clone be able to overthrow the conformist empire that created him? 
-Will he be able to track down and join the rebellion through a galaxy as zany as it is dangerous? 
-Will you be able to keep your sides from splitting while playing this zany parody of galactic proportions?

If you are curious about finding out the answers I suggest you try:

CHARLIE FOXTROT
& THE GALAXY OF TOMORROW 
 

      The story is about Charlie, a clone's clone that just has to be himself.  Help Charlie flee the Empire of Conformity, track down and join the rebellion against it, and fulfill his quite unclonelike destiny!  Travel through worlds as zany as they are crazy, defy danger and convention like there's no tomorrow, and throw your funnybone to the solar wind in this wild, epic adventure!


SCREEN SHOTS:  First here's a picture of Charlie about to steal the Millenium Bug from a Conformist space station. 

This is Charlie wasting time in the scuzzy Burger Bar on the planet Aridis.

And now he's talking to Oxar the Grunge on the post-apocolyptic puppet world of Marf. 

DOWNLOAD NOW

GAME NOTES:
       -5MB zip file expands to about 49MB size
       -1872 sprites
       -62 rooms
       -hundreds of animations
       -thousands of witticisms
       -25 original and adapted musical pieces
       -built in "Retry" function for players that keep dying
       
**This is a full length game and will probably take you two hours or more to finish.
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EDIT:  I thought I'd hype the game a little more with a screen shot montage:

Somebody call a moderator, 'cause this thread needs locking!  8)

It would only be a one off "Where are you?!?" or "Where am I?!?!!!!" conversation anyway -just plug your credit card into an airport payphone and take the $4 hit.

1)  We would almost certainly have to return to Bayfield after a Toronto daytrip, since it would be prohibitively expensive to stay in the city and prohibitively uncomfortable to sleep fifteen people in the van.   Big cities aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I think an optional daytrip for one day out of seven would probably be worthwhile for those of you who are prone to non-culture shock.  I agree that this -and other side trips - can be decided at Mittens.

2) I can't be bothered to determine exact distances, but my impression of driving times is that it would be roughly 2.5 -3hr drive to the Bayfield cabin from Toronto airport.  The reason the cabin is so far away from an airport is because the only real airport in SW Ontario is in Toronto, and most decent (and affordable) cottage land is at least 200km from the city.  So we actually did rather well, I think.

3) THE PICK UP PLAN: I was going to stick a blue cup on the side of the van and drive from terminal to terminal until someone hopped in....  I guess I should compile a list of who is arriving at which terminal and set some concrete pick-up times.  Every terminal has an arrivals deck where taxi-cabs and boyfriends jostle with each other and the omni-present traffic cops, so that would be the place you'll catch me.  If you're hitching a ride with the AGS Bus please PM me your flight #, arrival time and terminal number (if you are a group just one PM is fine).

4) The bus/train from Stratford is a good idea for Scummbuddy -problem solved!

5) PMing cell ("mobile") number presently....

As I PMed Scummbuddy, the pick-up will be no problem but the early airport run is problematic for one person.  The reason being such a large van will be a bit of a gas guzzler, which makes it hard to financially justify the 500km round trip from Bayfield to the airport and back (there's also a surcharge if we do more than 1400 km in the week....).  We could solve this by either planning a Toronto day-trip for the Thursday (in which case we'd all be going anyway), or else finding a smaller vehicle for his return trip (i.e. folks coming with their own private cars).

Who's in for a Thoronto Thursday?

@ QUINTAROS:  Will our ETA of midnight in Bayfield affect taking possession of the cottage?

@ RENEGADE IMPLEMENTOR:  Good news! There's a really big book store (called Indigo, I think) at Yorkdale, and it's across the way from the extremely obvious Rain Forest Cafe.  We should set a time to meet in this in-between space, and everyone should wear blue cups in their lapels so that we will recognize each other.

@ IVY:  Affirmative and 10-4 on that, but every foreigner that's ever visited me has pestered me about it, so I kinda assumed....

@ THE CITY OF LONDON:  Pull up your socks, you big loser!  We're taking our business to Seaforth!

Bayfield is far too boring a place to spend an entire week.  You can't come to Ontario and not see Toronto, so I expect a day trip must be in order.  We should do it all in one fell swoop: Niagara Falls, Toronto.... well, that's it, actually.  That's all we've got.  But they're both just within driving range and relatively close to each other.
Anything else you'd want to see in Ontario would either either be impractically far away or a comfortable half-day/spur-of-the-moment-type trip (London, or Stratford, or.... Goderich).

Besides his own sizable NecroQuest project, Yarooze has generously volunteered his time and talents to compose some of the music for this game!

**Crowd cheers wildly for Yarooze!

What is more is that, after a lot of failure and dead-ends, I'm finally producing MIDIs that don't sound like bottled horse farts!  So there are now two musicians collaborating on this project.

A sample of the game's music can be listened to at the following links:

Desert Wilderness, by Baron 
Clone Lord Walz, by Yarooze
Desert Town, by Baron   
Cantina Adaptation, by Baron 
Crazy War Vet's house, by Baron 
Junkshop, by Baron

We've been at this for just over a week now, and we are roughly half way through!

EDIT JULY 5 - Jungle Rhythm, by Yarooze

L'UniqueDan, I hope you bring bring some sort of iron plated protection for your..... frontal region.

The subway situation, according to an officially published TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) map:


Fortunately there are three busses running directly from subway stations, with the one leaving from Kipling probably the fastest since it goes straight up highway 427.

The last time I tried it by bus they charged me extra for crossing municipal boundaries, so make sure you have some change in your pocket before attempting it.

Alright, a resummary of current information.

LATEST BUS SCHEDULE:
                  Rent the bus at 4pm Friday July 20th. (for cheaper rental purposes)
                  Arrive Yorkdale Mall (Toronto) approximately 6pm (depending on traffic)
                  Swing by Pearson Int'l by about 8pm and lingering/driving around until 9pm (or whenever we have Radiant)
                   Leave directly for Bayfield and arrive somewhere around 1am on the Saturday.
         *                  *                     *                   *                      *                   *                  *               *
                   Leave Bayfield between 8am-10am on Friday July 27th (depending on people's flight schedules)
                   Arrive at Pearson International between 12 noon and 2pm.
                   Get bus back to rental place before 4pm, thus achieving cheaper rental costs. 

LATEST PASSENGER LIST:                    LATEST EXPLICIT OR IMPLIED PICK-UP PLACE
               BaRoN ...................................................... Orangeville
               Ivy ............................................................ Yorkdale
               Kevbot (new addition) .............................. Yorkdale
               Disco ......................................................... Yorkdale
               Renegade Implementor (pending) ............ Yorkdale
               AGA ........................................................... Pearson
               Pumaman .................................................. Pearson
               MattGlobe .................................................. Pearson
               Quintaros .................................................. Pearson
               Radiant ..................................................... Pearson

LATEST COST ANALYSIS **All figures in Canadian Dollars unless otherwise stated
$699.95  for the rental
$199.92  for automobile insurance (I might be able to get a better deal with my own insurer)
$899.87

$899.87/9 = $100        $899.87/10 = $90 (depending on whether Renegade Implementor can make it or not).

I'm still going to quote the $125 as the per-person cost since this is the worst case scenario (i.e. there's tax on top of the rental cost).  This breaks down to approximately $116.68 US Dollars or 58.45 Pounds Sterling.  Preferred payment method is the actual silver, but if this proves impractical due to weight restrictions on international flights then Canadian dollars would be the most convenient.

DISCUSSION:
The revised schedule that enables us to save $100 dollars on rental fees won't affect our arrival time in Bayfield because of Radiant's late arrival time (8:30pm).  The only people really put out are the people arriving at Pearson between 2-3pm, since they have to wait around at the airport for 5 hours.  While I wouldn't recommend settling in at the airport bar because it is expensive, there are all kinds of seedy establishments on Airport Road which would be a short $10 cab ride away.  The Yorkdale pick-up is the most deferred, but there are simply all kinds of things to see and do in Toronto.  Immediate access to the subway system means you are relatively mobile, so take advantage of it!  I'd suggest Disco and Renagade Implementor get Ivy and Kevbot to give them a tour or take one themselves.  Unfortunately with travel times being what they are at rush hour the same option isn't really practical for those stranded at the airport.

Unless...... I'm not averse to stopping by the airport on my way into town to pick you guys up (approx. 5pm) and take you to Yorkdale (not exactly representative of Toronto, but at least it's not the airport).  Then we'll just grab Radiant on the way out of town.

I believe that is everything.  Please bring any errors or omissions to my attention.



                   
                 

Well....

User comments about AL-QUEST 1:
Posted by xlard on 2004-06-24 at 14:27 (IP logged):
I liked the game!! Finally a game whose puzzles isn't too obsure or insipid. The graphics were well done too. Loved the Hall of Fame.. esp the 'three headed monster' reference from DotT..ah..memories

I never really understood this comment, since I never played Day of the Tentacle, but there you have it.  Just don't expect any three headed monsters.  Or well-done graphics, for that matter.  Actually the whole user review is a bit suspect....

Sorry -it IS Friday July 20 to Friday July 27.
The (potential) loss of one person is unfortunate, but by deferring all pick ups into the evening I think we can swing the $699.99 price, which evens it out.  Hopefully things work out for you Renegade Implementor.
Would everyone be cool with an evening pick-up?  This would mostly affect the Yorkdale pick-up (pushing it to approximately 6pm-ish) and possibly the airport one.  If I don't hear anything in two days I'm going to make the reservation.

OK, after exhaustive research I think I've found our best deal for the AGS Bus.  My apologies for the length of time this took, but proximity is a big issue for me since I don't have a car and live in a small town.

I looked into 7 seater mini-vans and the big 12 seater passenger vans.  They surprisingly cost within about a hundred dollars of each other for an eight day rental, so I opted for the larger vehicle (everyone will have luggage anyway).

The cost I was quoted breaks down like this (all prices in Canadian Dollars):

$799.95  for the rental
$199.92  for automobile insurance (I might be able to get a better deal with my own insurer)
$999.87

Divided eight ways that's $125 each.  This converts to $116.68 US dollars, or 58.45 UK pounds.
Oh, there might be tax on that -I'll get back to you on that count (max 15%).

I sort of figured on having to spend money on gas anyway, so don't worry about this.  If we do any significant side trips we'll just split the extra gas bill.

We will have a few extra seats in the bus, so if anyone else is interested it will bring the cost down for everybody .

Another note: the rental would only be $6.99 (EDIT: That's $699.99) if it were only 7 days, which we might be able to swing if I just head down in the evening on Friday July 21 and have everyone dropped off at the airport by Friday July 28 in the afternoon (I think the drop off was planned then anyway, but the pick-up is pushed later).

Discuss.