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Hey everyone.

I thought I'd share a bit of insight into how we made the cutscenes in PBH.

There's no REAL spoilers in the video, but if you want to go into the game completely dark you should avoid it.

Some people might remember the general post about backgrounds I made a while back. That video is in the pipeline.

Thanks for the tips guys.

I've added the rounded edges to make it seem more cylindrical. It added some good depth too!

Also it's a science setting, so yellow all the way.

I also curled it's leg up. I think it's a good change, but not quite fetal position. It's an interesting idea so I might redraw to see if it works better.



(Layered over different backgrounds to show transparency

This is supposed to be a monster being preserved in a jar.

I'm going for a look similar to animals preserved in formaldehyde or some other chemical (If you want to get technical I know we don't use formaldehyde anymore)



I tried experimenting with the yellow liquid, and how it changes the creature's colors.

It's important to the story that the creature has visible counter-shading, but I also want to capture that yellowish hue.

What do you guys think?

I have a strong positive bias towards frogs.

Seems like fun!

Hey everyone, Just a quick update.

PBH is still trucking along. We're just in the stage of dev where nothing super eye catching happens.

Things like press kits, trailers, and promo stuff are taking up most of my time.

Slasher has been working on polishing different mechanics and bug fixes.

The final scene of the game as well as it's credits are currently being created.

We're almost there!

If you're looking for a minor element (Like a background Easter egg) There's an urban legend about ghosts in Yosemite national park in america.

The ghost pants found on tape

Theyre supposedly a native america spirit and there's statues of them.


There's also my personal favorite, the mothman.

Basically in point pleasant there were many reports of a large bat-like creature that was flying around the town giving people the creeps.

He became a really big deal. They even built a statue of him.

At one point many people saw him standing on top of a bridge right before it collapsed, leading to the famous bridge photo:

Here are two Amiga games from 1985 that used bitmaps: http://www.lemonamiga.com/games/list.php?&list_year=1986&list_year_option=less&list_genre=Adventure

Thanks, It's probably the closest thing to what I was originally looking for, even though I have a lot more info to include now!(laugh)

Only by the mid 80s do bitmap graphics for game backgrounds start to make sense over just storing the drawing instructions.

That's a really interesting point, I failed to take into account system memory and file sizes.

I might make an entire video about the history of backgrounds alone, there's so much information.

So mystery house used vectors, and it's safe to say we didn't start seeing full bitmap backgrounds until 8-bit color depth was available.

Of course I could go back to when games were made with radar equipment but I think it's a bit out of focus for the short video.

In early computer gaming it is hard to define "background" specifically.

Good point. I think out best bet is to narrow it down as much as possible, and define it as the use of a bitmap image, as that's the kind I'll be instructing about.

I'll be sure to mention the vectors and mystery house too, it's really interesting.

I'm still researching, I'll let you guys know any neat stuff I find.

Maybe Mystery House?

I think you've got it, or at least you've got me on the right track.

This is really interesting, as the game has backgrounds, but the color depth and complexity led me to believe that they were created via vectors, instead of a single bitmap image.

However, it was released for the appleII, which was capable of displaying composite artifact colors, AKA 8-bit territory, implying sprites and image files. (Even though the term sprites didn't even exist yet)

Also, one of the creators mentioned drawing 2D images, which I'm not entirely sure what that could imply considering the image creating capability of computers at the time.

Hey everyone,

I'm working on writing a script for an educational video series about the technical end of different aspects of game art.

I've got three episodes so far, Tilesets,sprites, and backgrounds.

It's always good to include a little history, s does anyone know what the first video game to use a background image was? (Not including tilesets arranged to form a background)

This one looks like it could be a lot of fun!

Can't wait to play.

I've never bookmarked a page so fast!

Excellent work, I can't wait to dig into what you've uploaded.

You guys are right. I wasn't around for the last discussion on the previous game, but it seems like we've all come to a good conclusion.

If the game takes place on a pirate ship, why not use the word booty in the last line?

It's an inexcusable offence not to use this pun.

This presentation very unsavory, like an old man giving away porno mags at a Toys R Us.

Maybe the AGS community isn't the best audience to be presenting the game this way to?

[Project Beach House has been greenlit!]

Good news everybody!

Project Beach House has been greenlit!


(Get it? Eh? EH?)

Thank you everyone for your feedback and participation in the campaign.
We were defiantly worried that the small amount of upvotes we had wouldn't be enough for the greenlight team in the final review, but you guys pulled through!


To celebrate, here's some demos for PBH's original soundtrack.


PBH's original soundtrack


Beta testers and the public demo

Project Beach house's final features are being polished.

Before we can publish the demo we'll need to do a serious bug hunt, check out the post on the recruitment forums:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=54913.0

[Welcome to the sacred beach!]

The Project Beach House public demo is almost done!
Here's what we've been working on...

Welcome to the sacred beach!

Here, you will be able to pick which cult you'd like to tour first,

You can return here at any time to visit a different cult, but there will be other methods of moving in between them.

Mysterious note cards have been scattered throughout the first three levels of the game.

Each one contains valuable knowledge about what lies ahead, or what happened in the past. 

Keep an eye out, these notes could be anywhere!

Sarah's mechanics are implemented:

Sarah is now capable of giving you hints, and helping you solve puzzles!

Some things Dan just can't do, luckily Sarah is here to save the day!

More updates are on their way!

We're very close to releasing the first public demo of PBH!

In the meantime, we'd like to show you the main players in the game after level three...

Introducing the fifth cult...



“The world is ours if we have the strength to take it.”

The Ambition Congregation was first established after their leader, Dolf was given ‘The God's Albatross' by Marshall.

‘The God's Albatross' made severe changes to Dolf's body chemistry, making him unnaturally tall and giving him superhuman strength.

He now leads a group of people who value physical perfection and artisan skills above all else.  They host routine brawls in the town square, and are known for some of the finest woodworking the world has ever seen.

Despite new artifacts being found all the time, no new cults have arisen since The Ambition Congregation came to be. 

We're very close to releasing the first public demo of PBH!

In the meantime, we'd like to show you the main players in the game after level three...

Introducing the fourth cult...



“The end is nigh, but we'll be prepared!”

The Onyx Successors was first established when their leader, Ray, predicted that their god would appear on the southern shore of Marshall's island, and usher in the apocalypse.

Only true believers would be spared, thus they began their great mission to enter the deep tunnels of the island's mountain, where they would be sheltered from the God's wrath.

The Onyx Successors pride themselves in athleticism and survival techniques, as they'll need to be prepared to make new lives in the wreckage the apocalypse leaves behind..

Ray's artifact, ‘The God's Pendulum', made him physically smaller, lighter, and increased his reflexes. He's able to move around silently, and has proved to be an effective assassin. Keep your eyes peeled, he might be watching.

We're very close to releasing the first public demo of PBH!

In the meantime, we'd like to show you the main players in the game after level three...

Introducing the third cult...



“In our endless pursuit of knowledge in the world around us, we've forgotten so much about ourselves.”

The Regressors were first established after a group of entrepreneurs led by Delia seceded from The Opulence Regime.

Delia's artifact, ‘The Source of All Life', heightened her senses to extreme degrees. She's able to detect people's emotions and intentions by sensing their hormone levels.
Thus, she's revered by the regressors and a higher form of humanity.

The regressors felt like modern life and technology have reduced their humanity, so they retreated  into the woods to be more in touch with nature and their primal ancestors.

They have very little interest in politics with the other cults and would rather spend their days leading simple independent lives. It will be difficult getting them to take your side.

We're very close to releasing the first public demo of PBH!

In the meantime, we'd like to show you the main players in the game after level three...

Introducing the second cult...




“We are all the same in the eyes of the God.”

‘The Children of the Void' first came into prevalence when the first member, Francis, discovered a small, marble-like item affectionately named ‘The Eye of God'.

This mysterious artifact turned Francis' skin jet black, and obscured all facial features with swirls of red energy.

Using ‘The Eye of God', Francis has the ability to imbue his follower's robes with a similar power, obscuring the face of anyone who wears them.

The Children of the Void consist mostly of those who have been discriminated against for their physical appearance, seeking refuge in the anonymity given to them by their robes.

The Children of the Void tend to be a little tense around visitors who show their face. Try not to flaunt your personality too much around them, if you know what's good for you.