Messages

Compatibility Mode was the first thing I tried.  So I know that doesn't work.

Glad to know I"m not the only one!  Here are my specs:

ASUSTek Notebook K52F/K62F series
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU  M 460 @ 2.53GHz
RAM: 4GB
64 bit Operating system
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Display driver: Intel(R) HD Graphics

Oh, and here's another bit of info.  I checked dxdiag and it says that DirectDraw acceleration is enabled in both 32 and 64 bit mode, so it appears DIrectDraw *should* work, even though it doesn't.

Dualnames, if you could try that and you run into the same problems as me - that would help narrow down the problem!  (Even though I still don't know what the solution would be)

The game refuses to run at all in fullscreen when I change the graphics filter above 2x.  Probably because my laptop monitor only goes up to 1366 x 768.

Hm.  So this is definitely to do with my computer.  That's good to know!  At least this won't effect anybody else.  So, I should just try updating DirectX9?  I'll give that a whirl. Thanks!

EDIT: aaand no joy.  

No .dlls in this game, although I just tested a different game that uses the snowRain plugin DLL.  That game wouldn't run at all in Direct3D mode/Fullscreen.  I had to switch to DirectDraw, but since it wouldn't run in fullscreen I had to play it in a window.  Yeesh!  And I've been liking Win7 so far.

-Dave

Updating DirectX9 isn't a very intuitive solution for the average customer.  A customer faced with a directX issue would typically go: "What gives? I've already got the latest version of DirectX!  Guess I won't buy this game."  

Wyz's solution is probably the best one, although it would be problematic for the distribution networks.  Hm.  I'll have to think about this.  Odd that this problem has never come up before on the distribution networks, since I only give them DirectDraw builds.  You'd think that at least one customer would have been using Win7.  Or maybe I just got lucky?

No joy, alas.  That wouldn't really be a viable solution for me anyway, since this is a problem that customers would face and not myself.  Downloading demo + game not work = no sale.  They don't bother fiddling with settings in order to get it to work, they'll just move on. 

Hi all!  I recently got a new computer which uses Windows 7.  Today I tested my current game in fullscreen mode and my mouse cursor would not move.  The mouse cursor would work fine in windowed mode.  After trying various options, I found that the cursor would magically work perfectly in Direct3D mode.  I am trying to avoid using Direct3D mode, as I've discovered that a lot of older computers are incompatible with it and I've lost a lot of sales that way.  Is there to get a DirectDraw game to work under Win7 in fullscreen mode?

EDIT:  I've tested this with other AGS games and the same thing seems to happen.  Switching to windowed mode works fine.

EDIT 2: Actually, it seems the whole GAME freezes up, not just the mouse.

EDIT 3:  I've looked up this old thread which said the game needs to be in 32 bit color to run in DirectDraw mode under Win7.  My game *is* a 32 bit color game, and it still doesn't work.

Whee.  I can talk about this now.

Yep, we've been working on the game for the last four months, mostly adding voice acting, fixing bugs, and creating new talking portraits.  It's been a blast working Josh and Nathan, as well as all the voice actors.  I've had to increase my crew of actors significantly, since this is without a doubt the biggest game I've ever published.  Pretty exciting!

And in case you wanted to see the lovely poster (by Karen Petrasko):

Yep.  Saren's got it.  I price all my newer games at  $14.99 and all the older ones get dropped to $9.99.  Plus the occasional sale.

Awesome, voh!

How about some pics of the stuff you create, guys?  My computer overheats when I play Minecraft these days and I'd love to see what's in there.

[buy them all now for $9.99.]

By the way,  if you haven't played the previous three games yet, now's a good time to do it.  We're having a holiday sale and you can buy them all now for $9.99.

As with everything, it depends on the game and what goes into making it.  A typical iPhone game can be made in a few months, be sold for a buck and do pretty well, since the market for those things are really high.  A PC adventure game, even little ones like mine, could never be sold for such a little amount.  It's too niche and there aren't enough customers to make up for it.  If I sold my games for a buck I'd go broke in a heartbeat!

Choosing what price to sell a game for has always been tricky.  I've written about this before, but in a nutshell:  after several games of experimentation I have learned that $14.99 is the sweet spot for my games.  I've sold them at $4.99 and $9.99 and while I do sell some more copies at the lower price, I don't sell enough to make up for the loss in revenue.  I'm not saying that this price would work for everybody, but it's what has worked for me.

Fun!  When I taught in South Korea we did, indeed, have several Jennifers in each class.  That seemed to be incredibly popular.  I divided them up into Jens, Jennys, and Jennifers.  One class had so many I had to call one of them "Nif."  Not as popular as Jennifer but still pretty popular was Sarah, Mike, and Steve.  Some of the names baffled me.  There was one kid who called himself Shrek, another who called himself Ghost.  No Race Car though.  That would have been awesome.

It was rare that I got to name the kids, myself.  Although several years ago I worked for a Chinese company and went to China for business.  One time, this lady at the office over there asked me for an English name, and since her Chinese name (which I forget) started with a hard "T" sound, I suggested Tara.  The next day, the sign on her office door said "Tara Lu" and she had business cards with "Tara Lu" on them and I was receiving emails from "Tara Lu."  This was eight years ago, and we still keep in touch sometimes.  She recently sent me her wedding pictures and the name on the invitation said "Tara."  I felt oddly proud.

Going to offer all three Blackwell games for $9.99 from the 20th to the 1st.  Haven't announced it yet, but will soon.

Yep, there are few more Blackwell games planned.  I do other projects to shake things up and not drive myself crazy (like I did with ECC and Puzzle Bots, and the occasional freelance gig) but I always come back to Blackwell in the end. The series will end eventually. Just not yet.

And yeesh, moderators.  Get on the ball. :p

GAH.  Crap you're right.  Yeesh, I spend an hour crafting the perfect announcement and then post it in the wrong place.  Um, moderators...?

[Blackwell Deception]

Wadjet Eye Games presents:
Blackwell Deception
(Blackwell #4)

The story
Street psychics.  Their blinking neon signs are everywhere, promising love and wealth and happiness.  They make a fortune preying on the gullible and milking them dry.  So when these victims begin dying and leaving confused spirits behind, it can only take a genuine psychic (and her wayward spirit guide) to clean up the mess.  

From seedy downtown nightclubs to penthouse apartments to a luxury yacht on the Hudson River, Rosa and Joey will unearth the truth about the underground world of street psychics.  Including some secrets that Joey would rather be left buried.

Screenshots:

Spoiler.  This receptionist is unhelpful.


Moving on.


A storefront psychic.


A familiar face returns.


A trendy east village cafe.  Even mediums need their caffeine.

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Z5A6CVCME

Demo
http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/demos/Deception_Demo.exe

Team
Written and programmed by: Dave Gilbert
Backgrounds by: Indrek Plavutski (InCreator)
Character sprites by: Ben Chandler (ben304)
Character portraits by: Daniel Rubenstein
Music by: Thomas Regin

Also, Abe Goldfarb and Rebecca Whittaker both return as Joey and Rosa.

VO samples
Rosa clip
Joey clip

Conversation clip 1
Conversation clip 2


Notable features:
- Note combining is back!
- Rosa has a smart phone now.  No more trekking back home to use the computer.
- Five individual cases to solve.
- More ghosts than ever!*  Eight in total.
- Part of Joey's secret past revealed!
- Plus all the usual guff - voice acting, orchestrated music, commentary, and unlockable bloopers/extras.

Release date:
October 13, 2011

Be sure to check out the official Blackwell Deception page and my personal blog for more info.

*Legacy and Unbound had two ghosts each, and Convergence had five.