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Howdy folks!

This backdrop has been irritating me for some time, so I thought I'd throw it out to the community to see what can be done.

The main issue for me as it stands is the foreground ridge where the action takes place. It seems to be blending into the background, making the entire scene seem a little flat. The spaceship should be in a valley beyond the ridge, whereas it currently looks like a small model perched on a mound.

And I admit now, this is my first game, and my artistic talents aren't perfect. The rocks in the foreground have been 'borrowed' from FoA.



This is the main control room, and the turning point for much of the action throughout the game. Once again, it looks a little flat for my liking. Any ideas?



Feel free to criticise, edit, replace, berate, threaten, chastise, or a combination of the above. But please, no-one suggest using colour. It's monochrome for a reason.

How about Dawn of the Daleks? (Shameless plug. Sorry.)

A quick glance over my DVD collection would suggest that whatever it is, it has to begin with 'The'. Approximately 80% of the Doctor Who episodes began with this triumphant declaration of the English language.
The Benefactor?

Either that, or fall back on the good old 'something' of the 'something else.' What these two things are, doesn't really matter, as long as they're there...
I've just had a great idea for a Dr Who title generator...

The Dance of the Hillbillies.
The Rent of the Accomodation.
The Price of the Fish.
The Changing of the Topic.
The Losing of the Keys.
The The of the The.

Well, I'm currently testing some of the special effects, and I'm tempted to have things like the dalek weapons and electrical effects be in colour, but as it's a game based on a series first aired in 1966, I kind of consider the black and white to be a necessary aspect.

Ideally, the whole production will reflect those days, from the music to the cardboard sets. It's a great challenge making the cybermen sprites lie somewhere between 'threatening' and 'guy in tin-foil suit'.

Also, as I think I mentioned before, I work better in black and white.

Argh, speak of the devil.

This is your fault, you know. I'd completely forgotten about this project which I started over a year ago, till I played your game the other day. Now I feel obligated to finish it.

Continuity will not be a huge problem, aside for the overwhelming urge I have to implement a 'Feed' 'Jamie' to 'Dalek' option. The story is an original one, and as long as I don't kill off anyone too important, all should be well. I'm including a couple of references to lines from other episodes, from both old series and new, but hopefully it'll all make sense in the end.

The flashback idea is an excellent one, I say go for it. If my Troughton sprites weren't still being created, I'd throw them your way.

Oh, any timeline for your next release?

Absolutely! God, I loved it. Still haven't quite finished it, as I'm stuck attempting to open that infernal locked door inside the abandoned ship. I assumed I'd be able to head back to the village to pick up the letters I needed, more fool me. I think he really captured the essence of Tom Baker's portrayal of the Doctor, and if what I can produce gets compared with his work, I'll be an extremely happy chappy.

I'm British, so the demo release date indicates July, not January. I've amended that to avoid confusion. It's on track for release, but the Dalek walk animation needs some work. (kidding)

The Doctor is Patrick Troughton, Doctor number two. I was originally planning a Tennant era adventure, but I work better in monochrome than colour, so it was a natural regression. As you can see from the pictures, he still needs work, as he looks a little young at present.

Set immediately following the events of 'The Tomb of the Cybermen', 'The Dawn of the Daleks' is a personal project that will be my first ever public release. Presented in a classic Lucasarts style and utilising a modified MI-2 interface, players can dive back to the era of black and white sci-fi action as the Doctor and his companions thwart the malignant schemes of a newly arrived squad of daleks on Telos.

Set during the Patrick Troughton years (the Second Doctor), and outlining the creation of the Cult of Skaro, this story will attempt to tie up some of the many loose ends in the Dr. Who timeline.

Progress Report:
- graphics 50%
- puzzles 80%
- scripting 10%
- music/sound 50%

Requests:
Whilst my backgrounds are pretty much done, my character sprites are severely limited in quality, and frankly an embarrassment. If anyone is interested in joining the project, drop me a line.

Estimated timeline dates:

Demo release: 1st July 07
Release date: Christmas 07

(Note, all screenshots represent works in progress, and not the final quality)


Daleks on the move.


The Tardis, home of the doctor.


The TARDIS interior.


The main control room of the Tomb of the Cybermen.


The massive entrance to the Tomb of the Cybermen


Tardis in flight.
(I know it's in colour, but Duckbutcher needed it like that. In game it'll be B&W obviously)

Development Diary:
07/06/07:
Included the Doctor's recorder in the inventory, along with the ability to play it.
Why? Because.
Begun work implementing the thousand year journal as a GUI with information on both the Daleks and Cybermen.
Struck a major hitch whereby characters no longer walk to hotspots. Currently attempting to figure out what's happened. And yes, I've tried toggling the option in general settings.

09/06/07:
Daleks fully operational!

15/07/07
So...yeah...about that demo release date....

I've recently changed job, and am now working full time again,  so  the time I have to devote to this project has been sliced in half. That's by no means a sign of giving up. I'm still fully on track for a Christmas release, but it has put the demo release a little out of whack.

28/8/7 Vaguelly amusing mid-credits easter egg added.

31/8/07
As requested, here's the promised news update.
The game has by no means ground to a halt, I am still working hard to get everything up to standard. This past week has seen the Tardis interior triple in size, as work approaches completion on the library, workshop and research laboratory. Screenshots will be forthcoming when I have the time.

The biggest delay on the project is the scripting work. I'm still a complete amateur at this AGS lark, so every now and then the project grinds to a complete halt as I spend weeks digging through the manual and looking over the forums.

For anyone concerned, this project is by no means an attempt to steal Duckbutcher's thunder. Our styles are completely different, as befitting the different doctors we are concentrating on. If you're eager for a Dr Who fix prior to my release, then I recommend playing his over at www.duckbutcher.damproductions.org