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Now THAT looks perfect!

I paid for the SE version of 5 Days a Stranger and it was money well spent. But I didn't just buy the game outright and I probably wouldn't unless it was extremely cheap, and very easy to pay (I only bought SE 5 Days because I could use paypal, and I had some spare change sitting in my paypal account).

Honestly, I don't want to pay for a game unless I feel it's been IMMACULATELY beta tested and has an absolute professional quality to it. Of course, on top of that, it has to grab my interest too, and I tend to be really fussy and picky so that's a huge task in itself.

Nothing would annoy me more than paying for a game and finding a scripting error or spelling mistakes. I was VERY pissed off when that happened to me with Quest for Glory 4 (luckily I got ahold of a patch but that error kept me from playing more than 5 minutes into the game for a couple of years). It also happened to me after I bought a CD with Lure of the Temptress on it, and I had to get a patch for that.

Just these two examples of -professionally- made games has soured me. This just makes me a hundred times more skeptical of paying for a game created by an amateur (ie. Not a well established company, games aren't available on shelves).

So, I guess the general answer is 'no'. It would have to be incredibly impressive to even make me consider getting my wallet out.

I've said it before but to reiterate, I really like the way Yahtzee did things. I played the -whole- game for free, but I could pay a small amount of money to get something extra. I really dislike the idea of buying chapters, or buying after a demo.

I know I keep harping on about this game... and I will keep continuing to do so because I feel it's a travesty that it hasn't been translated and released outside of Japan.

But Giftpia is the shining example of how to do an adventure game to today's standards.

It's 3D, but beautifully, beautifully stylised. It's totally story-driven, and ALL about solving puzzles in creative and different ways. Character development is VERY deep (it makes me cry) and there's character interaction up the whazoo. It incorporates all the action elements today's gamer could reasonably ask for, such as running, walking, sneaking and there are lots of mini-games.

The length of the game is huge and with the minigames and optional paths, playability and replayability are high.

The music... is amazing. It's one of my favourite soundtracks and is incorporated into the game extremely well.

The only unfortunate thing is that it's only available in Japan, so you'll need either a Japanese Gamecube to play it, or a disc to let you play Japanese games in a US/PAL console.

Then, of course, you can play it but you won't understand the text.

It's among my top three favourite games ever, and it's just a stunning example of how adventure games can still be adventure games and yet appeal to a larger audience AND satisfy veteran players at the same time.

It's worth buying just to see how gorgeous it is and hear the fantastic music, and find your way blind through the story. I encourage everyone to give this game a chance at just a little more exposure outside of this country: http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-4b-15-giftpia-70-282.html

I'd change Grim Fandango so that he doesn't fall in love with whatserface, because it was almost completely illogical that he would. They never even knew each other, it made no sense whatsoever. On top of that, she was a bitch. I hated that ending.

Haven't you ever seen a film noir movie? The protagonist always falls for the unscrupulous femme fatale, who is distant, harmful and pretty much a bitch. The falling in love is often done quickly and without acknowledging it. In fact, the whole love interest is always kind of a ticket out for the protagonist from his current mess, so he has no objections about it. Very often this interest leads to the protagonist in some way pursuing or coming into contact with the woman, and once the woman gives him her attention by breaking from her bitch shell, the protagonist usually acts distant, harsh and nonchalant. Usually as the adventure climaxes, the situations call for both parties to break the barriers and elude danger, ending the movie with a violent kiss.

Making it logical... how? Just because it happens in other movies, that doesn't make it less crap. I would have had a lot more respect for Manny if I felt his emotions made sense in that regard.

PARTICULARLY when he had that hot security guard ready and willing! My god, he took the bitchy future-housewife in favour of ... well. I've changed my answer. I destinctly remember wishing he ended up with... I forget her name, but the security guard... skeleton woman. She was a -damn- sexy pile of bones.

I'm all for reliving treasured gaming moments but if the purpose of this is to manufacture hype for an upcoming game... well, it makes me feel dirty, to be honest.

I loved most of the King's Quest games (1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 anyway - 3 pissed me off with the spells and always dying) but I can't talk about that just to promote something that may well be crap in the end (not saying it will, but I haven't played it yet so it might).

No offense personally Rosella, but you're kind of creeping me out with the advertising and the weird comments about the "youth" @_@

But yeah... King's Quest was awesome but Hero's Quest (QFG) is better *runs*

1. Paint Shop Pro.

That's the lot. I just don't use any others, but I only do simple art, nothing requiring a tablet and realistic brushes.

Would it be possible to use this plugin for different effects, such as falling Autumn leaves or flower petals in springtime? Or is the movement created only to mimic snow.

If so, perhaps it'd be possible to code in the ability to adjust the "severity" of the "snow", or adjust the direction it falls (ie. slightly to the left, or right, or horizontally)...? Just some thought off the top of my head, without having looked at the plugin yet as I'm at work.

The only way those silhoutted building in the background make sense is if they're on a really, really high hill.

If they are, you're okay ^_^ I like the style very much!

Holy hell, Aarzon. That second pic in your first post is by far the best I've seen (though everyone else's pics were amazing too!). Keep the sun really... er, glowy like that! It's the thing that truly -makes- the picture.

But I do agree with tilting the space station.

That's all I can think of. Larry and Fawn dancing it up in the disco.

I only wonder why the floor is thumping up and down o_o Seems like that could be very dangerous for dancing on!

It goes without saying that the bubbles should be animated, doesn't it? I mean, you wouldn't have static bubbles on a background, right? . . . Right?

Anyway, I honestly think it's a gorgeous background. I didn't even KNOW about your game until now and it looks so fantastic! I'm really looking forward to this.

I think the best suggestions so far are to make that doorway dark blue instead of black, apply a -light- (as in, not heavy) blue filter to the whole picture, have some animated objects in there.

My suggestions for animated objects;

- Bubbles moving up and popping/leaving the screen slowly but repeatedly
- Those weeds should be slowly moving. Just slightly, but a very rhythmic motion.
- Have the occasional flash of 'shine' on the crystals. Don't listen to people tell you it won't make sense. I don't care - it's cool.

I would also add a couple of other crystals to the picture and, here's my big super amazing tip which I think will make all the different; because the picture DOES have a depth problem, add at least one walk behind like a crystal or some weeds in the foreground, large enough to make you believe they're much closer to the background.

I REALLY like that style, Zooty. The problem I have with the "new" ones (the lighter colouring), although I agree you should totally keep going in that direction, is that the pictures look uncompleted still. The contrast between the grey and black outlines is far too strong, and I think there need to be some different tones.

I'd really like to say I'll do an example of what I mean later, but I won't have time ... still, keep going! It's getting there!

Oh my god I rule! Quite literally!

I'm gonna download this when I get home today.

I can hardly believe I have the honour of giving the first serious answer! o_o

I'd change Grim Fandango so that he doesn't fall in love with whatserface, because it was almost completely illogical that he would. They never even knew each other, it made no sense whatsoever. On top of that, she was a bitch. I hated that ending.

While I'm at it, I'd change Kyrandia so that Brynn was wearing some kind of medieval bikini... oh, sorry, serious answers... right.

I stayed in bed all day today. All - freaking - day. I played Harvest Moon DS for the first half, and watched South Park for the second half. I'm now gonna play some more Harvest Moon, and I'm still in bed.

I'm not looking forward to christmas. This is as good as it gets.

Oh damn, I got it wrong again. I've been placing me messages to Nikolas on the BLUE folder, not this thread!

I must have forgotten to read the memo...

I'm serious man, the Pokemon one made me chuckle heartily and I haven't even played the game.

The others, yeah, not quite there yet but I think anyone who's just plain insulting you is being too harsh. It wouldn't take much tweaking for these to be funny, you know. If I saw these exact things with a slightly different script (you know, a hilarious one, something truly witty) I'd think they were genius.

I'll give you some feedack on each:

SONIC: Okay, this one just wasn't funny at all. I can see where you were going with it, and it may be funny to you but I can assure you that very, very few people on this planet would laugh at it. Humour is a DAMN hard thing to get right, and often we find things funy ourselves that just don't work with the general public. I'd say scrap this one but only after going through it and really questioning why you think it's funny.

POKEMON: Not hilarious, but after I read it a second time, and it was kind of funny! The guy is injured and in need of help, but in trying to convey this message, gets pulled into a classic random encounter (this is the way I was reading it). This is funny because the main character is understood to be as a normal person, but the other guy is a computer game drone. I'd go as far as to say that it's humour in the shadow of Kid Radd.

SESAME STREET: Again, not funny, but the difference between this and the Sonic one is that this -would- have been funny 20 years ago. The problem, I'm sorry to bring this up, is your age... a young age just naturally comes with a lack of experience and worly knowledge and so you wouldn't have known that this joke was done to death 20 years ago. Heck, lots of people older than you still don't know.

MARIO: This is the comic I understand the least. Why does Mario appear distracted in the balloon? Was it him and Luigi in the balloon? Also, 99% of all Mario and Luigi jokes have been done to death much the same as Sesame Street.

Keep trying though! You're better off showing these to your real life friends first though and saving the internet posting for when everyone pisses themselves laughing and you really think you're on to something.

OR of course, you could use the critic's lounge, as suggested

Good luck!

Mills, that is ingenius and the best story I've heard today.

You've made me wanna do something I havent in a long time - Drop my phone down the drain! ... I mean, play an adventure game!

'Course, I might just keep eating these strawberry Mentos things...

Haddas: Your avatar caption is freaking hilarious ^_^

My god, elementalwhite, that was a very nice post o_o

I'm not being a smart ass, that was really nice of you.