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Vancouver is the site of the 2006 Winter Olympics, while Beijing will be the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Just a bit of clarification.

You're right!Ã,  Nobody should ever complain about anything that anyone else cares about!Ã,  Free speech is just a nagging inconvenience!

Don't you think that's overreacting a little?  I wasn't trying to deny anyone their freedom of speech, I was just looking at it from the perspective of common courtesy. 

If you started a thread about how much you like basketweaving, and I posted saying how I thought it was stupid and I didn't care...what's the point?  I mean, you started the thread in the hopes of discussing it with people who are interested, what good does it do for me to come and piss on your cornflakes and say it doesn't interest me?

I'm just going by "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything" logic.  Again, not denying freedom of speech, just being a considerate person.

At last, the lost member of GAGS returns!  Good to have you back, Monsieur Mund.

Minimi,

Sorry you got annoyed by fireworks, but what's the point of posting in a thread about the Olympics if you don't care about them? 

I'm tired, and don't need bangs to celebrate some stupid olympic games, with all athletes I never met in real... I mean who cares.... in 1 year I would care less who won or lost, so I guess I'm not interested.

There's very few people that have met the Olympic athletes in real life.  That's a pretty selfish view to have. 

Sure, there are more "important" things in life than the Olympics, and maybe in 1 year nobody will remember them, but many people DO care about them. If YOU don't care about them, that's fine, but don't come posting here talking about how stupid they are and how you don't care. 

Just don't say anything at all, and we'll all be better off for it.

Hahaha, love the 'fro, CJ.  Looks like you were giving Mills a run for his money at one point.

Progress is still...progressing.  I'm shooting for a late September/early October release.

FYI, an abridged copy of The Paranormal Investigator's Handbook by Professor Q. Sanbourne will be included with each copy of Case 3.

The opening parade of Greek History was interesting, and the Parade of Nations was cool too.  Unfortunately Katie Couric and Bob Costas (obnoxious US media personalities) were making silly comments the whole time, and Bob Costas referred to Belize as "an island nation." *sigh*

But how about those Bermudans in their bermuda shorts? Stylish!

Well, if anything, I'll bet a whole lot more people have downloaded and played Frank the Farmhand in the past couple of days...

Negative publicity is still publicity.

Sorry, I should clarify: I was referring more to the "realtime" aspect of it, not so much the 3d.Ã,  The game used voxels if I remember correctly, and had the cinematic panning.Ã,  It wasn't 3d accelerated or anything.

Yes, the characters moved around independently, but the manual described it as "some people may not talk to you if you insult their friends and they get to them first" which they didn't carry out on.Ã,  Ã, 

That would be cool, wouldn't it? You talk to Johnny, who is friends with Joey, and you insult him.Ã,  Johnny walks away.Ã,  Now, you go to the next location where Joey is. If you get there within a certain amount of time, you get there before Johnny does and are able to talk to Joey normally.Ã,  However, if you get there after Johnny does, Joey won't talk to you, or at least not be as cooperative, because Johnny told him you were a jerk.

This point has been mentioned before, because that's what I consider to be "real time." While games like Blade Runner and Lure of the Temptress had characters roaming around seemingly with agendas, they didn't really.

I must say, that's an impressive bunch of bananas you've got there.  And they rollerskate too? Except they don't look like they're very good at it, and...

Er- nevermind

Well, you said yourself:

All adventure games have the exact same exact basic solve puzzle gameplay

True, there haven't been many innovations of late, but really, there isn't an enormous amount of room to innovate a genre that is purely story driven.

I can think of an example of an adventure game that went against the norm, that being Blade Runner. There was no inventory in that game, just stuff you picked up as "clues." This meant there were no "use item on x" puzzles. The game relied purely on the story, and detective procedures, like analyzing photos and stuff like that.  Also, it was advertised as "the first realtime 3d adventure" and while certain elements of it seemed to be so, it really wasn't.  This point, however, has been discussed to death so I won't go further.

Anyhow, as far as I can see, if you want to make a "pure" adventure game, I can't really think of any new places to go that haven't been done already. 

If you add action elements, then people start calling it an "action-adventure."  Remember all the hoopla before Broken Sword 3 came out? How everyone was convinced it was going to be an action game? And all it was was sequences where you had to run or press a button quickly. 

Maybe crossing other genres is the answer to "new" innovations.  Would you play an adventure game with a puzzle that had you micro-managing a city?  Or picking up a gun and blasting through a corridor full of monsters?  Or flying a plane or racing a car?

Remember how mostly everyone hates the arcade sequences in the old Sierra games?

So, in summary, I guess I can say, I have no idea what could be done to "innovate" the genre without changing a game from "pure" adventure. 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Don't forget the "ooh I can type in naughty words and get a response!" factor, which of course wasn't quite the same as LSL.

I liked the joke in Freddy Pharkas as a response to it, "Here lies Less Moanly, died with his shrinkwrap still on."

Not only that,

Spoiler

he double misspelled it.

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Nice work. It's a good little Alienation Phriday.

Because hindsight is worth 20/20, (and also because it's funny to call people on stuff) I present to you select quotes from the old pre-Mittens threads, and what REALLY happened...

Scummbuddy said:

So, this starts Friday the 23rd, and goes till when? Till the next Friday, then "Everybody off my property" as two shots ring out into the air....

Eric said:

so anything stupid you'd do or firecrackers you'd eat cause CJ dared you to would be my responsibility. And I Don't Want That. (and please people don't eat anything CJ gives you, he's a trouble maker and a scalliwag!)

...which is why I refused his Jaffa Cakes! I'm on to you, CJ!

Eric also said:

if you're not 21 you do not drink anything alcoholic. simple as that...and as i said before there will be no sloppy assed drunk people because i said so and there will be no sneaking of drinks to people.

'nuff said.

Dave Gilbert said:

A night or two in NYC could be on the agenda, if people think it's a good idea.Ã,  I can certainly put people up, although it would be a tight squeeze. (500 sq. foot studio, which includes the bathroom).

Well technically, it wasn't just England that gave us AGS. Wales had a part in it too... 

Wales on the other hand, now if THAT isn't a nation of sheep hugging, angry people....

For shame, veryweirdguy! We all know that the Welsh are a fine fine people, as represented by AGA.

Sheep-hugging? Most likely, but angry? Well...now that you mention it...

Hmmm...nevermind.

Looks great, can't wait!

Yes, I'm really looking forward to this one, and it sounds and looks really nice. One thing though... what if Ben wears something else than green pants and white shirt in this episode? He has always had the same clothes... is his wardrobe full of similar clothes? Is he so low on cash that he can't afford new clothes? Or is Grundislav just being lazy (no, I don't think so...)? Do we ever find out the truth?

Anyways, keep up the fine work!

I hate to say it, but yes I am being lazy.Ã,  Not to worry, though. I had the same thought, and Ben will change clothes after this case

Spoiler

(after what he goes through, he'll have to).

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Nah, he's based on Grundislav himself, and Grundislav is only about 5'6" tall

Hey, I resemble that remark! Short people rock, okay? Anyway that character is supposed to be very tall.Ã,  And AGA, I wouldn't talk, since you're only like half an inch taller.Ã, 

You're just jealous cause you can't fart for 3 minutes.

Not for certain, but I'll be cryptic and say it'll be "substantially longer than the first two."

Sorry, couldn't resist the opportunity for that title.

Anyhoo, Case 3 is actually called "The Sorceress of Smailholm."

Ben is summoned to the tiny Scottish village of Smailholm to investigate the brutal murder of two children.Ã,  Their bodies were found in the woods with odd markings on them, leading the locals to listen to superstition and blame witches.Ã,  A girl has been accused and put in the town jail, but she seems innocent. Ben must not only figure out what is going on and solve the murders, but also deal with:

- An obnoxious rival who seems to be shadowing his every move.
- The loomng specter of cannibalistic witches.
- A potential love interest (!)
- The dreary Scottish weather.

I'm chugging along nicely, but I'm not going to commit myself to a release date, since I never stick to them, so I'll just say it'll be out "soon."

Screenshots:


Ben fights for his right to investigate!


What game about witches would be complete without a spooky tree?