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I generally work in pixel art because of the pixel charm (well that is an excuse haha, if I could make something similar to CMI I would, but that is a big commitment and talent requirement).

My feelings exactly :)  I make pixel art, and I enjoy working in pixel art; I also paint in hi-res, and enjoy that too.  However, working in hi-res 2D for an entire game isn't even an option due to time and ability constraints.  Resolution is more than just a number! ;)

btw, as an aside, another example of a hi-res 2D game that came to mind is Guilty Gear http://www.arcade-history.com/images/game/3974_2.png

Did you change the inventory background from the default?  If so, you may need to change the edge coordinates to account for the different size :) (I had the same problem until I did that).

I liked the atmosphere of the demo a lot; it was calm and charming, and the storytelling rather like a folktale, in a way :)  The music fit very nicely too.

I have some suggestions/crit:
1) I find the dialogue font a bit hard to read on some backgrounds, perhaps try lightening it a tad.

2) it's difficult to tell where the cursors are pointing, and to have this clear is particularly important in this game since there are loads of hotspots (and some fairly small), the backgrounds are fairly pixelly, and hotspot names are not indicated.  If you don't want to display hotspot names, since inventory items have that little cross mark on them, perhaps try putting them on the cursors as well? :)

3) it's a little unclear what has to be done, sometimes.  For example, I'm stuck at

Spoiler

how to separate the cobweb from the stick, since using the handkerchief doesn't work.  Is the stick kindling, or do I have to find more?

[close]

4) I may have encountered a bug where Kiri disappeared after I left her to enter the forest.  Not sure if that was intentional.

5) This one's a bit specific, but

Spoiler

perhaps put the stone closer to where it's eventually used.  It's rather hidden, and it leads a bit to a feeling of why do I have to pick up that one *particular* stone, when there are probably stones all over.  It's a bit like this with the branch too, but that was easier to see

[close]

Hope that helps a bit, and I haven't come across as too negative!  Like I said, I enjoyed the demo's atmosphere and am interested in the story's premise, and I wish you good luck in completing the game! :)

Thanks for the lovely comments, everyone! :)

I particularly like how the backgrounds you've shown don't look like empty throw-away rooms.

Hehe, believe me, I'm too lazy to make backgrounds for rooms that don't do anything! ;)  I've made a conscious effort to make things as tight as possible, as I personally prefer a smaller number of packed rooms over numerous empty rooms, as well as being a believer in reusing inventory items.

Speaking of backgrounds, I'm nearly finished another one, which means almost all the locations for the first half of the game are done.  Not entirely done, mind you--hotspots and objects and things like that haven't been mapped yet... not to mention character animations and interactions... but it's sloooowly getting there :)

This game Looks really nice (a word I don't usually like but I think is appropriate here)  Plus I like the fact that the central character seems to be played Jebediah Springfield's silver tongue...

A noble spirit embiggens the smallest squidget ;D

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!

The original version has been lost to the sands of time (ie server and harddrive changes ;) ).  It's probably for the best.

I wish to help beta test! :)

Hehe, that is so far off I can't even imagine it yet ;)

Thanks for all the kind words, guys!  I really appreciate it :)

Will the style be close to old LucasArts titles (both the GUI and the graphics seem similar)?

It's a bit of a blend, but more Lucas than Sierra.  Gameplay is more similar to LucasArts (eg. no dying, uses verbcoin), but the portrait conversational style is more Sierra.

If you don't mind my saying so, it's much more charming in low-res than hi-res.

And as an added bonus, it's more practical too! ;)  Hehe, thanks

[The Hatmaker's Tale]

The Hatmaker's Tale

Tom Clifton is a just a shy squidget living in the peaceful kingdom of Slimenia, toiling in his uncle’s boring bookstore while dreaming of a more exciting life… but little does he know a special book delivery to the royal castle will start an adventure he never imagined!

Follow the development blog! http://crabshackgallery.com/

General info:
- 320x200 resolution
- 32-bit colour
- Medium to fullish length
- Completion goal: sometime in 2010


Team:
- Story, art, scripting: MashPotato
- Miscellaneous consultation: Lemmy & Binky

- AGS: Chris Jones
- AGS resources used (so far): SCUMM verbcoin GUI template (Electroshokker); GUI Portrait module (SSH)

* * * * * * *

Some of you might possibly recall I announced a project of the same name a couple of years back... is this the same project?  Yes and no ;)  This a complete revamp of the original--so much so that I consider it pretty much entirely new--and, I think, definitely for the better!  Hopefully second time's the charm ;)

If you're interested, updates will be more frequent in my development blog :)

I think an email reminder would be a good idea as well

And thanks for the Beauties & Beasts nomination!

It's refreshing that people can still learn to enjoy simpler resolutions!

And in my case, horribly sloppy art
It was a big pleasant surprise to see B&B up there!  Thanks Gilbot

Trihan, your limerick zest
Has left me fully impressed!
Do go on, my dear,
I'm sure we're all ears
To hear what you come up with next

Just letting you guys know that a new version of Carrion has been released that is not only much more stable, but also has some tweaks to make the gameplay more solid (in the off chance that you DO still have troubles, there is also improved error reporting). 

If you were having trouble installing/running it before, have another try--it's worth it!

It doesn't sound like the same problem exactly, but I used to have trouble accessing the manual as well (in XP, though) and had to unblock it.  Here's the thread: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=26782.0

[Carrion Re-Animating!]

AGSers Lemmy101 and Captain Binky seem to be too bashful to do it, so I'm doing it for them ... may I present for your gaming pleasure, their latest effort...

Carrion Re-Animating!

Made for the Lovecraftian TIGs competition!
Take on the role of famed re-animator Herbert West, as he attempts to hide his latest dark experiments from his neighbours by reanimating the corpses of their loved ones!  Be careful, send the wrong zombie to the door, and you may just have another zombie on your hands...


Features include:

• Fully 3D graphics!
• Original music by Nikolas Sideris!
• Voiceovers!
• Wholesome zombie-reanimating fun!

Some screenshots, click to make larger:

>DOWNLOAD HERE and have some spoooOOOOOooky fun!<

I'm glad to see this is chugging along   Good luck with that last 25%, Auriond, I'm looking forward to it!

I think you're misunderstanding SSH, Stan.  There is no quota for hi-res games, he's just showing you numbers of what has been chosen in the past.  The numbers would no doubt fluctuate and change as the resolution of the games being made changes.

This looks good, I like him
Made a small paintover--no really drastic changes, but tweaks in leg position, foot size, and shoulder/hip width; more use of the dark colour on the shirt; removed dark pixels on the skin outlines.

My edit on the right:
    3x

Hope this helps!

This looks really nice!  The compositions strikes me as slightly unbalanced, as the left is empty and open, and I think longer curves (rather than the short strokes) would work a bit better in the clouds, but otherwise this is looking good   It indeed captures the look you were going for.

I like the design, it's very cute and appealing
One thing I noticed is that it's very matte-coloured, and looks a bit like a dull plastic.  For a shiny, metallic look (which you may not have been going for in the first place), there needs to be more extreme jumps.

To show you what I mean, I made an overly exaggerated paintover which pays no attention to light source or even the shape of the ship, really   I'm very bad at metals...

Thanks guys!
With regard to the B&W-->colour process, it's indeed done with adjustment layers, gradient maps, and weird things like that (I use Photoshop).  I usually only do it that way when I'm attempting to draw realistic portraits (example), but I thought I'd try it out with this painting so I would really pay attention to the lighting.  Not to mention, it would force me to learn how to use those layers properly