Messages

Hint-iest

Spoiler

From the bookshelf, take a "really big green book." This is the King James bible translated into binary.
From the bookshelf, take "a red book." This is the King James bible.
Make sure you've taken the stack of old paper from the outhouse, then use one book on the other. Prick will translate some useful binary phrases on a page of scrap paper.
Now go use the radio and choose a binary phrase to reset the beacon.

[close]

Hope that helps.

Ponch

Very cool. Always nice to see AGS getting more exposure.

Another one so soon? But we haven't had time to talk about the latest one!

Regarding Nikolas' interview, it's always interesting to find out what got people into AGS in the first place. "Gift of Aldora" was something I was really looking forward to -- just to see if it could be done, as much as anything else. Sadly, it was not to be.

Also, it was nice to have a "behind the music" installment of this series. It's interesting to see the world of AGS from the perspective of someone who is a specialist (music and sound) instead of the "big cheese" of the project. It would be cool to see more of that in the future.

Even more importantly, now I finally understand why Nikolas is using that pic as his sig file.

Keep up the good work. Interesting interview as always.

Very cool. It's nice to see the old RON games get some coverage. Will there be more RON reviews in the future?

The signal is in binary. Have you found a way to translate some handy binary phrases yet? And if so, do you have anything to write them down on?

Hint:

Spoiler

It takes a lot of 1's and 0's to say anything in binary. Look for a really big book in the bookcase in the pastor's office. Then find some loose paper lying around.

[close]

Even hint-ier:

Spoiler

Use one on the other to make a list of binary phrases, and then go back and use the radio.

[close]

After that, if you don't like arcade sequences, be sure to download the "no arcade patch" from my website before you decode the signal.

Thanks for playing the game,

Ponch

Thanks for trying my game, Crimson Wizard.

Regarding your comments:

1. During introduction the titles are barely visible on b/w screens.

Really? Sorry about that. On my PC they look okay. Maybe in a future build I'll change the color of the sprites I used.

2. I am sorry to say this, but Harry Sach's walking animation is terrible! it looks like a robot or something.

Sigh. You're certainly not the first person to tell me this. Harry is an uptight, over-achieving doofus. So I was trying to convey that in a walkcycle that would suggest someone who, as they say, has a steel rod up his butt. It made my girlfriend laugh, but apparently everyone else in the world hates it. I've changed it somewhat for the next Barn Runner game (which you can see in the demo available on my website). Hopefully, that will put this issue to rest.

3. There's a walk-behind error in the club (1st suspect part), barman is sticking from beyond that apparatus which is broken.

Whoops. I'll address that in the next build of the game. Thanks for letting me know.

Hope you enjoy the game (and the rest in the series).

Thanks,

- Ponch

Thanks for playing, Crimson Wizard. And thanks for letting me know about that little glitch. I'm making a list of little gaffes like that and will address them in the next version of the game.

And regarding the font color, it was meant as a joke. The whitest white kid ever working in a white restaurant, speaking in a white font. Maybe a little hard to read, but I figured I could get away with it since it was a one shot character right before the end of the game.

Hope you liked the game otherwise.

- Ponch

You may even overtake Princess Marian for the most games in one series...  :'(

But Princess Marian is a love affair that never ends! Barn Runner is just a cheap excuse to draw women in tight clothing. Marian has nothing to worry about.

You're going to need some major mojo pills to make it to Barn Runner 10 alive.  Either that or you could get some people to help you!

As Dualnames mentioned, people have offered, but Barn Runner remains a one man show. This series is my one creative outlet, and in the past it was easy to find the time to work on the games. But 2009 has been extraordinarily busy. But the calendar for 2010 is looking to be more manageable, so hopefully things will get back on track.

Also, after the Forever Friday opus comes to an end, the next couple of games in the series are self contained adventures. Barn Runner 9: Collect Call of the Siren is a two-parter, and Barn Runner 10: This Shameless Tomorrow is a big hunk o' game like The Forever Friday, but those are a ways down the road. Hopefully, smaller, self-contained games like Barn Runner 6: Even Rich Dames Cut The Cheese will help me get back on schedule.

If not... well, let's hope CJ keeps supporting AGS for the next six or seven years.

And damn it, Ben. Stop using your mental powers! Surfing the web in my underwear is one of the few pleasures that I have in this busy life. I don't need you mucking it up for me. I already get enough grief about it from my co-workers!

- Ponch

The Scott LeGere BBQ. I'd buy it if it came with a case of Tackyworldâ,,¢ Steak Sauce  8).

Okay, that's weird. I make my own steak sauce. It's a hobby. Store brands aren't thick and hearty enough for me.

How did you know this? Do Australians have some sort of magic powers? Are you watching me right now? Stop that! I'm in my underwear! :o

Awesome! Now I'm famous. Let the celebrity endorsements roll in! Personally, I'm hoping I'm asked to be the spokesman for something like the George Foreman grill, but I'll take what I can get.

Thanks Dualnames.

Thanks Prog and Ben. You have no idea how difficult it was for me to cut that scene from the game!

By the way, any idea who is next in the interview cycle?

[showcase]

Well since it IS a showcase I aint sure how smart it would be to show random games.... .

Well, I mean, maybe there could be some other games shown as well, that are found worthy. 

There ought to be something like that. Pick out a handful of the best high-profile AGS games and rotate them through the showcase. A Tale of Two Kingdoms has sat atop the most popular download list for ages and ages, but it wouldn't hurt to rotate Nelly Cootalot or Cirque de Zale through the spotlight every so often.

Just my two cents, anyway.

Have him stop doing anything but making promises.  He'd be shoe-in for sure then!

That's all there is to it? Hell, I've been promising my next game for over a year now and I still haven't delivered. I have a great track record of broken promises. I can't wait to get my Nobel! That kind of money can buy a lot of hookers!

- Ponch

As I understand it nominations must be submitted by February 1st so he would have been nominated several weeks after taking office.  During February and March the committee evaluates the who of the nominees and eliminates those whose accomplishments are inadequate. 

That just makes this whole episode even more bizarre.

On the other hand, it seems it's now become quite easy to get a Nobel prize. CJ's certainly done as much for world peace as any of us. Do any of you know how we can get him on the nomination list for next year?

One of my co-workers walked in a few minutes ago and announced this. Without missing a beat, two others said (at the same time), "For what?"

Seriously. What the hell has he done? Nothing, as far as I can tell.

Very strange.

Make sure you ask him when he first developed a fetish for drawing women with huge breasts.  That should prove for a most enlightening response.

Sadly, I was not asked that question. But, even though I'm now a famous AGSer worthy of interviewing, I'm still a man of the people. To answer your question:

Puberty.

In my defense, I'd like to point out that I resisted the urge to give the primary women characters in my game huge boobs. Noriko, Debbie, the Chief -- all reasonably sized breasts. But the Mayor is just a recurring character, so I indulged myself and went a little overboard on her. Or a lot.

Also, I'd like to point out that I'm not just about boobs. My women have ample booties too. As evidence, I offer this screencap from an unused portion of the "Electric Sexytime Tom Jones Dance Party" from The Forever Friday part 2.



It speaks for itself, I think.

Clearly, I'm not just about boobs. I'm a well-rounded person.

Ponch

[super awesome and funktastic]

And I imagine 'You fight like a....' is cow.  The only cow I can think of is Ponch's super awesome and funktastic dancing cow avatar.  Am I right?

Luckily, I got here just in time to get that quote ship-shape.

Personally, the first thing I thought of was Austin Powers. Last line of the first Austin Powers movie: "Who throws a shoe? Honestly, you fight like a woman."

Nice series of interviews so far. By the way, do you have any plans to interview CJ at some point?

Saw it. Liked it. It moves at a hell of a pace -- just an hour and a half long and it never slows down. Woody surprised me. I actually found him entertaining. The rest of the cast was solid in their roles too. Great cameo. Good ending. It was nice to see a zombie movie where the zombie fighters weren't dysfunctional, unlikeable cyphers who exist more as social commentary than as actual character I'm supposed to relate to (later Romero movies, I'm looking at you).

Worth the price of admission.

[Blood]

Blood This is an old shooter from Monolith games that puts you in the shoes of a soulless evil cowboy out to destroy Cthulu (or whatever they called him in the game). One of the best old school shooters I ever played.

Jagged Alliance Best tactical game ever.

Rocket Ranger Rocket ships, Nazi dominatrixes, jet packs, ray guns, blimps, fisticuffs, Aztec temples, Bettie Page. This game had everything.

Starflight So many wasted hours of my life. First game I ever played where I was absolutely blown away at the size of the game's world.

System Shock Those are still the most well done ghosts in any game ever, as far as I'm concerned.

Elvis In Space I can't even imagine how many hours I wasted at work playing this game back in the day. So strangely addictive.

Alone in the Dark Who knew crude polygons could be so effective? This was Resident Evil before there was Resident Evil. Too bad the series went off the rails after that first game. Undead gangsters? Undead cowboys? Sheesh, did those later games suck. But that first one is still effective.

Defender Yeah, I'm really dating myself with this one, but as a little kid in the early 80s, this was my drug of choice.

And that's my list. And now I feel very old.