Messages

How about the Oreo trail...

But I'm already playing that game in real life!

...tell ya what. Think of a way to change the setting to 1848, and I *might* consider it.

Scientists are reasonably sure that there was no measurable difference between Australia, 1848 and Australia, 1984. Sometime during 2005 (just before Ben304 joined the forums), wild internet poles began to sprout up across the landscape (no doubt carried in on imported bananas or something), and Oz underwent a sea change. But prior to that, it was nothing but shambling packs of venomous wallabies and rampaging hordes of bikers looking for gasoline since the late 18th century or so. 

(Sorry Australia)

If you don't make Doodlie Or Bust!, I shall be very sad. 

"You and your party have been killed by Lord Humungous."

Just think about it is all I'm saying.

Can't you just change the name and tweak the setting a little bit? There have been tons of knock-offs of this game down through the years -- Organ Trail being my favorite, but there are a ton of others.

Why not make Canadian Trail? It could be about a bunch of misguided people who leave Texas (God's glorious backyard) to set out for the frigid, wind-swept steppes of Canada, but they foolishly don't speak French and their arteries aren't prepared for the heady yet deadly combination of gravy and french fries.

Or what about Doodlie Or Bust!, a riveting drama which tells the story an adventurous group of recent American immigrants to Australia (Ron Paul supporters seeking political asylum from teh Obama, no doubt ) as they arrive at the sleepy little seaport village of Sidney, buy equipment, and make their way across scenic and deadly West Australia (on the wrong side of the road, of course), bound for the distant, bustling mega-city of Doodlakine (the city that never naps). Bonus: Australia is so deadly that you could set it in modern times and still have half of the people in the van die from dysentery or packs of ravenous super spiders. 

As long as the game is free, you'll probably be in the clear.

I can say I will keep on

This is what I'm talking about, Icey. Your unflagging desire to keep making games is what gives me hope for you. You never give up and I admire that!

I'm convinced that with enough effort (and studying game design -- specifically what works and what doesn't in adventure games), you'll one day make a fantastic AGS game.

Seriously. Don't give up, Icey. Work hard and don't be afraid to take a serious look at your old games. Examine them and think hard on what you got wrong (and right) and find ways to improve on those ideas in future games. One day you'll be an AGS legend, I'm sure of it. 

I believe in you, Oceanspirit Icey. 

Seriously, I do.

Keep on keeping on Icey!

Indeed. Intentionally or otherwise, Icey remains one of the most enthusiastic and entertaining AGSers. 

I'm still intrigued by the setting and story. Any chance you could turn this into a proper AGS game one of these days?

It's a twist ending that M. Night would be jealous of. I never saw it coming! 

Thanks to Tabata, this contest now has trophies! So let's get some more entries so I can give them away! 

Can't we have at least one last image of our little dude (and his ghostly, bandaged buddy) riding off into the sunset in der Kubelwagen, leaving this deadly Scooby Doo mystery in the rear view mirror? 

Nikolas and Ponch are ignoring us completely...

Dear Miguel,

Hello. How are you? I am fine. Today my friend Don got a new puppy. He is a yellow lab. He is very friendly but a little dumb. I wanted Don to name him Dennis because he is very goofy and friendly and full of loveable Oceanspiritedness. But Don said no. Don named him Biscuit. Also he is a she. I hope you are well and that Santa brings you lots of Christmas presents.

Your pal,

Ponch

p.s. The bandana is blue.

Where I live, people have to get a license in order to get a gun; they have to convince a public authority that they are fit to do so. In the US, anybody without a record can easily get one, and this is what I'm objecting to.

I had to apply to the state of Texas to get my CHL (concealed handgun license). They don't come free in the mail, you know. I had to fill out paperwork, write a check, and everything.

And you make fending off hobos with rebar sound a lot easier than it actually is. Plus I'm middle aged now. If something similar were to happen again, I don't think I'd stand much of a chance.

You'd be just as safe if you wore a vest and carried a riot shield, pepper spray and a baton

Of course I wouldn't. The entire point of carrying a concealed weapon is that no one knows I have it. Why invite trouble? Better to keep a low profile and hope any trouble passes me by -- which is how most of us live our lives. The only difference is that I have slightly better odds if something bad happens. It's like wearing a helmet on my motorcycle, as far as I'm concerned. Does the law require me to wear one? Nope. But I'd be a fool not to. 

And a razor sharp sword is hardly recreational gear. Further, statistically speaking, my car is much more dangerous and deadly than my gun.

And for what it's worth, per the Department of Justice's own statistics, in the US more violent criminals are shot by law abiding citizens than by police officers every year -- and by a sizable amount!

Personally, I think Blueskirt has it right. We need to find some way to reach these troubled kids. The Columbine killers were planning on killing several hundred more kids with their homemade propane bombs. It's a miracle the damn things failed to go off. There's something wrong with our society (and America's not alone in that), but it's not the fault of an inanimate object.

EDIT: And on the point that most people don't know how to make a gun, neither did the guy who made the Glock. He picked up a couple of books at the library and read them. He sat down in his kitchen and created the most popular handgun of the last thirty years. That how easy it is. Anyone can do it. Take a six week class in metal working and you to could build a Glock with material available at any hardware store. Hell, John Browning used to make machine guns in an afternoon when he had friends coming over and he wanted to show them something new. It really is just that easy for anyone who has a library card and twenty dollars worth of tools.

A Sith Lord simply cannot be friendly! 

That's like a cow not dancing... can you just imagine?!!?

The horror! 

Don't mind Darth. He's always threatening us. But he rarely does anything. He's like the Grinch and that's why we like him so much. 

And welcome to the forums. 

Self Defense = The ability to blow up a city

That's a straw man argument and you know it. Come on, Khris. 

Personally, I'd love to have a belt-fed machine gun and a bazooka. And a Panzer tank. And I would especially love to have a barbeque grill that looked like an old WWII atomic bomb. Classic design, really. Flip open "Fat Man" and throw on some steaks? Yes, please. And we've got chicken and hot dogs over there on "Little Boy." That would be awesome. But we both know that bringing real plutonium into this amazingly awesome backyard grilling fantasy would only make the meat taste funny (and kill all my guests... slowly ). Stay away from fissionables, kids. Khris and I can agree on that.

Owning and carrying a gun responsibly is not the same as declaring my house an independent nation and becoming the world's tiniest nuclear power (suck it, North Korea!!) -- by the way, my flag would be just like the flag of Texas, but with Larry Vales' head in place of the star. 

And apropos of nothing, my avatar is a cute little dancing cow. Yours is a emotionally blank man brandishing a gun. Which one of us is on which side of this debate again?

Anyhoo, this thread is just going in circles now. I'm off to watch Earnest Saves Christmas and then maybe a little Muppets holiday goodness before bedtime. 

Thanks for the entry, Sinitrena!    Let's get a few more, ladies and gentlemen!

Awesome little game.

Indeed it is. Which is why I'm hoping for a sequel any day now. 

Oh, I meant no offense Ponch. Those are just my personal reasons for not carrying. Also, like you mention the gun always pokes you.

That constant annoyance is nature's way of telling you "don't do anything stupid". Just like a case of the crabs.

Ponch:
Your line of argument has an important flaw: the only purpose of guns is to kill or maim people, which cannot be said of any of the other things you listed.

I disagree completely. I shoot for recreational reasons. None of my guns have ever killed or maimed anyone -- they have only shredded many, many paper targets. So clearly they have more than one purpose. But you can say the same thing about every inanimate object. Are cars only meant to ferry people around? Can't they also have an aesthetic purpose? Have you ever visited a car museum and looked at an old Duesenberg? They're beautiful machines. The one I'm thinking of isn't out on the road, carrying people back and forth to Walmart or anything. It's just sitting there to be admired. The same can be said of Fonzi's jacket on display at the Smithsonian. Henry Winkler isn't wearing it, which should be the only point of the thing. But it's still there, helping us recall a terrible time in American television history nonetheless. A cautionary example, to be sure.

And why isn't that Supermarine Spitfire out defending the skies of Great Britain from the devious schemes of Ghost, Cat, and Tabata? Why is it just sitting in an air and space museum for me to look at. Aren't air superiority fighters supposed to be in the air shooting down other planes? Isn't that their only purpose? 

I practice Tai Chi sword for fun and exercise. My sword is very sharp, but I've never cut anyone with it. Isn't that the purpose of a sword? Or can it also be used for fun and exercise?

Embarrassingly, I also tend to use kitchen knives to open packages. Is that the intended function of my paring knife? It is if I say it is. 

May I ask you what made you decide to 'conceal carry'? Just an OT curiosity.

About fifteen years ago, while I was still living in San Diego, I was attacked by a crazy guy one evening in parking garage. I got away but he chased me and when he caught up with me, I had to fight him a second time. He hated my blue eyes, as it turned out. In those few seconds before he caught up with me again, all I could think was "if I had my gun... if I had my gun...". Fortunately, I was freshly out of the military and was able to discourage him enough (with repeated blows to the head) that he eventually ran away. I jogged across the plaza to the trolly towers and told the security guy there that I had just been attacked. He called the cops and it took almost twenty minutes for an officer to arrive. And this was downtown, so i can't imagine that an officer was all that far away. I guess they were just busy. 

I'm not that young anymore, and I certainly don't move as quickly as I used to. But I don't ever want to face a crazy, red-headed, rebar weilding hobo ever again. I was covered in bruises for two weeks after that night, and I'm damn lucky I didn't wind up with a cauliflower ear or something. If I'd been carrying my gun, I doubt he would have wanted to chase me down that stairwell if I'd been waiting down there with a drawn pistol.

Ever since then, I've been armed. And I also have a healthy, sensible fear of red-headed people. 

Wearing a gun everyday, I fear I would get too comfortable and forget about it. Possibly misfiring it or leaving it laying around.

Do you treat your car the same way? Do you take naps while driving because you've gotten so comfortable behind the wheel? I never forget I'm wearing it. (How can I? It pokes me in the small of my back all the time.)

Guns are fundamentally problematic because they allow one to murder in a very disconnected way. You pull the trigger and they die. It's akin to pressing a button to make the thing you dont like go away. That, in itself, is a reason they shouldn't be given to civilians.

I own several guns. I go to the range a couple of times a month and spend a lot of money putting holes in paper, and I find it to be very enjoyable. For years now, I carry a gun almost every day (unless I'm going into a federal building or something). And I've never gone on a shooting spree. Nor have any of the recreational shooters I know.

There will always be crazy people. The biggest school killing in the US happened back in the 1920s, and it involved explosives, not guns. People get stabbed, hit with cars, poisoned by loved ones, and so on. I don't care if a crazy person does something stupid, I didn't. I certainly don't won't to be punished for the actions of someone else. If someone drives drunk, should we outlaw cars? If someone pirates movies, should we outlaw the interwebs? Did we outlaw air travel after 9/11? Did London close down the tube forever and all time after the bombings?

Heck, gun crime in the UK went up after the gun ban. You can pass as many laws as you like, but only the law-abiding will obey them. Guns are too easy to get and too easy to make from scratch (seriously, google that. It's amazing how many functional, accurate submachine guns have been made in people's basement!) so there's no putting the genie back in the bottle for this one.

The problem isn't guns. It's America's culture. American spirit, price of freedom, yadda yadda. This kid needed a hug and some serious drugs. Instead he had a disinterested mom, an absent father, and a therapist who wasn't putting in the work required. How do you fix such a thing? I don't know. But I don't think yet another impotent law will do much good.