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[Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator]

Grundislav Games presents:
Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator
in
Case 7 - The Cardinal Sins

The Story
It's Christmas Eve in Rome.  What should be a joyful occasion becomes a senseless tragedy as a priest is murdered in cold blood. Back home in Philadelphia, Ben Jordan receives a phone call from the man accused of the crime, begging him to go to Rome and clear his name.  Seeing this as a chance to prove his career choice to his disapproving family, Ben calls up his friends and starts another investigation.  However, Ben doesn't realize that this will be the toughest case he's ever had, as many questions will be answered, and some lives will be lost...

Screenshots


Visit opulent Catholic churches!


Enjoy awkward reunions with old friends!


Put the "fun" in "dysfunctional" family dinners!


Investigate gruesome crime scenes!

Release Date
August 12, 2008

The game will be fully voiced and also feature an optional designer commentary, just in case you feel like listening to me ramble about the BJ design process.

Update 7/16/08

With less than a month to go before the release date, I figured I'd put together another cheesy trailer for the game, viewable here.

Slight spoilers, so don't watch it if you don't want to know anything about the game before playing.

[December 24th, 2007]

Hello everyone!  I'm shamelessly ripping off ProgZMAX's contest idea here, but bear with me.

Have you ever dreamed of being in jail? We've got an empty cell that needs you!

Check it out:


In other words, would you like to make a cameo as a prisoner in Case 7?

Well then all you have to do is the following:

1. Be able to provide a photo of yourself.

2. Guess the game's title.

That's right, in order to make this a little more fun, you have to correctly guess the subtitle for Case 7.  If you go to the official website you can see the title's format, all you have to do is fill in the blanks.

You can PM me with your entries, but please try to reserve it for serious guesses only.

Also, people who went to Brittens/Mittens and already heard me say the title there are not eligible to participate in this contest.  Sorry guys.

This contest will run until December 24th, 2007 at which point I'll announce the winner and the title, or just the title if nobody is able to guess by then.

So, to get things started, I will provide the first clue.  I'll be providing another clue next month, and then a final give-it-away clue in December, if nobody has guessed by then.

CLUE #1: Spiders and scorpions hear.

Good luck!

Update 11/1/07

Congratulations are in order for GarageGothic who managed to figure it out!  I'm very impressed, I honestly didn't think anyone would figure it out before the 2nd clue.  But, through his resourcefulness and smarts, he got it.

[Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator]

Grundislav Games proudly presents:

Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator
in
Case 6: Scourge of the Sea People

The Story

Following Alice's near-fatal poisoning in Japan, the paranormal investigating trio decides a vacation is in order. Traveling to Greece, they find themselves in the remote fishing village  of Agia Anna. However, they soon learn that even while on vacation their work is never done. It seems that ancient creatures of legend known as the Sea People have been emerging from the ocean at night and dragging villagers down to the depths to eat them.

Ben, Simon, and Alice must investigate and stop the SCOURGE OF THE SEA PEOPLE!

The Screenshots


Wander around Greek villages!


Ride around on crappy boats!


Explore exotic islands!

Download here

UPDATE 9/2/07: I've uploaded a new version which fixes the "swim behind the mural" bug.

Hello everyone,

This year in Canada we tossed around a few ideas for the location of next year's Mittens.  Nothing concrete was decided, but there were a few suggestions for France.

I'm all for France and think it would be fun, but I am also presenting a second option just in case nothing happens with it.  If we do go with France, then consider this my bid for 2009.

I would like to host Mittens here in my hometown of Miami, Florida.  I've been looking and found that there are indeed camping areas within the city, and not way the hell out in the middle of the swamp as I previously thought.  One I was browsing offers cabins that sleep 14-16 for $169 a night, and has a pretty decent location.  If we did like this year and rented a van, it would be easy to get around and go anyplace within the city.  I'm sure there are also other places with comparable rates, so that's good to know.

So, my reason for starting this thread is to ask two questions: the first is, if we do France, who will organize?  The second is, if we don't do France, who would be interested in Mittens Miami?  (Same question applies if we do France).

[Ben Jordan Case 7: The Annoying Fans]

EDIT: I'm only kidding, I love my fans!  But I'll leave this post in its original form, to see if anyone can spot the clue I've hidden in one of the screenshots...

I was going to have a fun little title guessing game, but since ManicMatt already guessed, I might as well start the GiP thread for:

Ben Jordan Case 7: The Annoying Fans

Story: It's not easy being famous! Ben Jordan has gone up against sasquatches, ghosts, vampires, witches, zombies, and even sea people, but nothing can prepare him for the scariest thing of all: CRAZED FANS!

Screenshots:


Help Ben barricade himself away from the ravenous fans, before they tear him to pieces!


Check your email!

Expect this game to be completed in 2010!

[Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator]

Grundislav Games presents:

Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator
in
Case 6: Scourge of the Sea People

The Story

After Alice's near-fatal poisoning in Japan, the paranormal investigators decide a vacation is in order.  They travel to Greece, and find themselves in the remote fishing village of Agia Anna, where they learn that even while on vacation, their work is never done.  It seems the Sea People have been taking the villagers, leaving distinct drag marks on the beach. 

Ben, Simon, and Alice must investigate and stop the SCOURGE OF THE SEA PEOPLE!

The Screenshots


Explore exotic islands!


Wander around Greek villages!


Ride around on crappy boats!


Explore even more exotic islands!

The Release Date
Sometime in 2007.  And that's a promise!

Progress
Story - 100%
Graphics - 50%
Music - 30%
Scripting/Puzzles - 40%

Be sure to check out the official site, specifically, the online version of the Paranormal Investigator's Handbook for a few hints as to what you can expect.

*UPDATE* December 19, 2006
As an early Christmas present, I present a terrible quality trailer for BJ6.  It shows some gameplay footage, mostly of Ben walking, but the song makes up for it!

Here it is, the shiny reworked Deluxe Edition of Ben Jordan Case 1.Ã,  This is what the first game would have been originally if I hadn't been so anxious to release it.Ã,  It's got a slightly extended story (providing more of Ben's personal life and a glimpse into the overarching series plotline), reworked graphics and full voice acting.



As you can see, this new version is a bit gorier than the original, so if you're turned off by that sort of thing...well, you might want to cover your eyes.

Game database page here or direct download here.

Hey everybody!Ã,  I'm posting this for those people out there who, like me, have either too much time on their hands or just get a kick out of doing stuff like this.

Recently I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the ultra-talented Dan Lee (of Monkey Island fan art fame, check out his work here) had done some art for Ben Jordan:



Naturally, I figured this would make some neat box art, and I got to work designing some.Ã,  After some trial and error, I managed to get a pretty nice result.

So, if you too want to make your own box art, here's how!

First, make a template.Ã,  I recommend opening up a new image in Photoshop or PSP or what have you, roughly 8 x 9.5 inches for the front cover, and about 7.8 x whatever the automatic resize does for the back.Ã,  (This way it will fit inside the front cover.)

Leave a border of 1.5 inches for the flaps, and design your art in the resulting box in the center.Ã,  Put some stuff on the flaps if you like, preferably the game title and a screenshot or two.Ã,  Leave some squares in the corners, you'll need these for the folding later.Ã, 

An example of the layout I used:


Once you've designed your front and back covers, get some posterboard, or any paper thicker than normal printer paper, but less thick than cardboard, and print them out.Ã,  Cut out your template, and trim off the excess white paper.Ã,  Cut some slits in the square areas (the pink ones in my example) running along the horizontal line between the top and bottom of the box, creating some flaps.Ã,  Next, fold into a box shape along the lines.Ã,  Once you've done that, glue the flaps onto the inside of the box to give it shape.Ã,  Repeat the process with the slightly smaller back cover, and you're all set!

Your results may vary, but this is what I ended up with:




So get to it, and show us all your own custom made game boxes!

It worked for Apprentice, why not give it a shot myself?

After going to the Everglades with Farlander and Lorena on the day of the AGS Awards, I decided I should remake Ben Jordan 1, for several reasons, but mainly because the current version is a pretty weak game to start off a series.

So what's so Deluxe about it? Here are the new features:

- Extended story and puzzles (with help from Creed Malay)
- Full voice acting
- Updated graphics, sprites, and character portraits

Here are some comparison screenshots to demonstrate the graphical updates.



Outside the Skunk-Ape's lair



The Ranger Station

PROGRESS
Story/Puzzles - 100%
Art - 80%
Voices - 5%
Scripting - 80%

So several people may or may not have fallen for my reverse April Fool's gag.Ã,  In any case, Ben Jordan 5 is done.

In the event that anyone needs a hint, please go to the Official Hint Thread

Also, please refrain from posting in this thread with one-word posts or stuff like "awesome! I'm downloading it right now!"Ã,  Some form of feedback would be appreciated if you are gonna respond.Ã, 

Otherwise, enjoy!

http://www.grundislavgames.com/games/bj5.zip

Screenshot:


After the events in London, Ben Jordan returns home for a much needed rest. One day, he receives a conference call from his friends Simon Booth and Alice Wilkins. Simon has heard of a series of murders in Osaka, Japan, and thinks there is some sort of paranormal activity involved. Ben, Simon, and Alice travel to Japan, but soon find there is much more to the story than they first thought...

This is the official hint thread for Ben Jordan 5.Ã,  Please post your hint requests here and not in the completed games thread.Ã, 

ThanksÃ, 

Wow!  It's been a little over 3 years but the AGS Podquest is back!

In this edition:

- A review of what's happened in the social scene the past few years.
- A thrilling discussion about the return of adventure games!
- A lot of silly rambling from me and Zooty!

Give it a listen right here

Hello!

You may be thinking, "the interview thing is so cliché! Quit ripping off Vince Twelve's idea, you lamebrain!"Ã,  To this I say, yes, I am not original, but I want to try out something new, and since it's been far too long since the old days of AGS Shows and Operas, I feel the time is right to go forth with my idea: AGS Podcasts.

Not so much a Podcast as me calling up a member of the AGS community on Skype, talking about inane things, recording it, and then posting it for your listening pleasure.Ã,  Anyone who would like to be interviewed by yours truly for a laugh can feel free to PM me and give me the details to set up the interview.Ã,  I will do as many as possible until I get bored with it all.

Now, as this is AGS-themed, I ask a few things:
1. You must either have finished, or be working on, a game* (so we'll have something to talk about)
2. Um...that's it, really.

So, if you're interested, head on over to http://www.skype.com and get Skype if you don't already have it, set yourself up, and let me know!

* This includes OROW games, demos, anything made by AGS that can be played.

As I'm sure most of you are aware, Florida recently had the "pleasure" (note extreme sarcasm) of going through Hurricane Wilma, a category 3 storm, on Sunday, October 23rd.

The storm has devastated most of south florida, especially Broward county, which hasn't experienced a storm of this intensity for over 50 years.  Florida Power and Light is estimating that it will take up to 4 weeks to restore power to the roughly 2 million people left without electricity.  I was lucky enough to get my power back at 3am this morning, but I know Darth and Tiki live in Broward county.  Hopefully they're doing okay, and are just extremely bored like I was the past 2 days, and not dealing with anything serious.

On the bright side, even though this storm did a lot of damage, it didn't wipe out entire neighborhoods like some previous storms, and the death toll so far is less than 10 people reported.

I just hope this is the last storm of the season, because this is starting to get ridiculous.

I've begun working on Case 5. I know I said I was taking a "long" break from game-making, but you know how it is when inspiration strikes.Ã,  At any rate, this one will probably take a bit longer to release since it's more art-intensive.Ã,  On to the good stuff:

PLOT: After the events in London, Ben has returned home for a much needed break from paranormal investigating.Ã,  One day, he gets a conference call from his friends Simon Booth and Alice Wilkins.Ã,  It seems Simon has found out about some strange murders going on in the city of Osaka, Japan, and he suspects there is a paranormal edge to the story.Ã,  Ben, Simon, and Alice travel to Japan to investigate.Ã,  However, once they arrive and start looking into the killings, they realize there is much more to the story than they first thought.

FEATURING:
- No more annoying cellular phone!
- Graphic overhaul: More realistic sprites, backgrounds, and character portraits.
- The closest to full-length Ben Jordan game yet.
- Another fine soundtrack by Ghormak.

SCREENSHOTS:

Ben and Alice at the gates of the village of Asuka.


Ben consults with Inspector Yoshi.


Simon reveals a rather disturbing secret.

That's right! Here's the next case in the series, already well into production.Ã, 

This time, Ben returns to Dunesberg accompanied by Simon from Case 4, after getting a call from Annie Roberts.Ã,  It seems her husband has gone looking for the Lost Galleon again, and has been taken by the Wendigo, a desert monster!

Screenshot:


As you can see, I've been experimenting with 3d, and have decided to take the series in a whole new graphical direction.  This also means I'm using the Wintermute engine, but I figured I'd post here to let everyone know.

Look for the game in a few weeks!

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=513

Hope you enjoy it!

For those who have played GK1, my example will make more sense. If you remember, there were a couple of times you needed to call some people, and the phone GUI had the numbers, an on/off button, clear, etc. When you dialed the numbers, they showed up on the LED display, and once you dialed 7, the phone rang and the appropriate person answered, or you got a busy signal, that sort of thing.

So, I have a phone GUI. I have each number button as a button on the GUI. I have the LED readout as a text box. I need to know how to script it so each number will appear as it is dialed, and be processed after a certain amount of numbers are dialed, to simulate the call.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

It's about time I started promoting this one.Ã,  FYI there's going to be a total of 9 cases in the series, so I guess this is the halfway mark of sorts.

Ben Jordan Case 4: Horror at Number 50

Screenshots:




*New Screenshots 12/24/04*




For more info, go here: http://www.agagames.com/grundislav/bj/bj4.htm

UPDATE: The January release date looks like it isn't going to happen.  I'm about 50% done with the game, but there's still a lot more to do.  However, I assure you that it will be worth the wait. 

Just in time for October, the spoooookiest month of the year!

http://www.agsforums.com/games.php?action=detail&id=454

It's a large download, I know. But this is what separates the true fans from the casual gamers! Or something like that.