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Ah netmonkey, that gave me a right laugh! Thanks!

Or make a game with journals in it, a la Myst.

Fine.



Happy now?

Next:whatever eggie said- "My rump! My bootlicious rump! It's been distrayed!!"

Happy Birthday. Have fun!

[MS Paint]

Yes, it was copied and pasted into MS Paint

I hope it's as good as it sounds. It would really appeal to my megalomaniac tendencies...

I'd like to beta-test.

Haven't done any beta-testing before, but I have broadband (so no bother on the file size), and I've the next couple of weeks off from uni. I wouldn't mind having something constructive (and fun!) to do. Plus, I really enjoyed part-one, and can't wait much longer for part 2.

Ahhh... Hudson Hawk - such a hilarious movie[/nostalgia]

Andie McDowell wasn't too bad in Groundhog Day - love that movie.

Sorry, couldn't resist it!

Next: 'I don't think this is such a good idea...'

I've registered. Nothing to put up yet though. Most of my stuff is on paper, maybe I should get round to typing it into my comp... 

Maybe too late to help you out, but another tip that has helped me a lot in writing. I always find it hard to start writing, to put down that first sentence. (This applies whether I'm writing a technical report, an essay or a short story.) So I don't. I start writing somewhere in the middle, right after the end of the beginning, so to speak. Then when I have a fair chunk of the middle portion done, I go back and do the start. It works for me, so maybe it will work for others, too.

Me too. I even write essays like that too. Divide them up into sections, and then do the bits I'm most confident about first.

As for the intros, I guess the basic thing is to introduce the character, and what the goal of the game is (at least the initial goal):

'I'm Guybrush Threepwood. I wanna be a pirate'Ã, 

Strange, that forum rules message didn't change the PM counters. I didn't even know it was there until it was mentioned here. Its the right number now though. Strange.

Thats my argument too.Ã, 

I don't really notice game music that much - its just something to break the silence. Occassionally I'll notice it, if its used to heighten the atmosphere somewhat (like in a scary game), but on the whole its not something I pay attention to. With the graphics, you're going to spend the entire game looking at them, and manipulating the objects within them, so obviously they're more noticable. Graphics are pretty much integral to a 'graphical' adventure, whereas the music is just a nice bonus.

And personally I find it infinitely easier to learn and improve drawing skills, than compose music. With the graphics, you can do things like taking photos and painting over them to help you learn, but you can't do that with composition. Its pretty much a case of learning it from scratch. And when its a choice between improving graphics, which can be done rather quickly once you get the hang of it, and improving music, which may require some music classes, I know what I'll pick.

(That's my excuse for having little or no music in my games )

Well, not too sure about the editor. I use HTML-Kit, but I'm an average programmer, and already have a rudimentary knowledge of html. However, I've found this book very helpful.

Actually, I live in Northern Ireland too. It was the Belfast branch I found it in. They still had some last time I was in (though stuffed in the back corner by the budget PC games). If you're anywhere near Belfast, you could still get one.

I picked up a copy of Paint Shop Pro 8 in GAME on sale for about £20. They're normally retailing it about £40. Oh, and it had Animation Shop too - rather handy for checking my walkcycles. Might wanna check there, if you have a local GAME store.

I don't think anyone has time to play 50% of the games that come out in a year. There are just too many.

Errr... I did. But then I am a dossy student.Ã, 

I think it might be useful though, to have the authors actually submit their games. Because, I did actually try to get a hold of all the games before making a nomination, and couldn't get a whole bunch of them.

I have to agree, some of the nominations did seem a little odd. Perhaps if the nominations were reviewed by a panel it might help? It just seems like the more high profile games were repeatedly voted for in all the catergories, whether they were appropriate or not. I personally found a few rather good games, from trawling through that lengthy list, that could have equally deserved a nomination. Perhaps there should be a rule that you have to play at least 50% of the games listed before nominating?

They raise money for projects in the UK as well as Africa. I'm actually watching comic relief on BBC 1 right now. Some pretty funny comedy sketches (well, if you like British comedy!). Money is mostly raised by doing daft things, and wearing red noses etc. I didn't really do much for it myself, but its a good charity.

Have you considered marketing your artistic skills say to advertising, web design/hosting firms, or anything else to which you could apply those skills?Ã,  Ã, Or if you insist on starting at a minimum wage job, how about something like a copy or print shop?

A friend of mine is actually desiging websites in his spare time to help fund his computer's degree. I'm not sure how much he's making, but I think its a decent amount. And he sells some artwork as well. Could be something to look into. And sure if you're really stuck, you could always get a paper round! Sure, the pay sucks, but it only takes maybe an hour out of your day, and its something to put on your resume. But keep searching anyway. I was in the same situation a few years ago - no experience, so no one wanted to hire me. But I kept looking and finally got lucky and got a temporary Christmas position. And once you've got a bit of experience, its so much easier to get other jobs (sucky retail jobs, but its still money!).