Messages

Cute in spite of the absolutely daunting inventory! ... This is definitely the best Barn Runner yet.

Thanks! That made my day! I pretty much put my life on hold for a month to whip this game together in time for Christmas (I've never produced a game from scratch so quickly before) and a little positive feedback is certainly appreciated. Hopefully, the forthcoming Barn Runner 5: The Forever Friday will raise the bar for my games even higher.

Regarding the inventory, I admit there is quite a lot of it, isn't there? Most of it, like all the tomes to peruse on the bookshelf, are just there for color (and most of those books you can put back on the shelf if you don't want to carry them around). You can also get rid of a few things by tossing them in the fireplace.

However, a few of the items are more than just there to color the world.

Spoiler

Use the Multi Tool on the NRA Bible to get a second pistol to make the final shootout a little easier. Also, keep using the loaf of bread on the toaster until you finally get a piece of toast that the Virgin Mary has decided to appear on (has Blessed Toast ever been an inventory item before?). This slightly burnt miracle will give you an extra life for the shootout!
Please note that the only way to get rid of all the non-miraculous toast is to stuff it in the blue data terminal down in the well.

[close]

Also, I'm glad you liked the bedroom bit. I was trying for a few spooky moments in this game, something I've never done in a Barn Runner game before. Glad to know some of the moodiness I tried to create actually worked!

Thanks for the kind words, good sir!

- Ponch

Why are you only making it available until xmas?

Two reasons, really. First, I'm a total sucker for exclusive freebies. I ordered every G.I. Joe mail order exclusive I could get my hands on as a kid. I lost sleep waiting for my missile-firing backpack Boba Fett to arrive (I was sorely disappointed with that one, but cest la vie). I just like "collectible" goodies, what can I say?

Secondly, Wreck The Halls isn't really part of the planned ten game Barn Runner series, and as such, I'm viewing it as a side story to the main plot. There's nothing in it that isn't part of the overall continuity (there's even a bit of foreshadowing about things to come), and I consider the game cannon, but it's the sort of thing that, if Barn Runner were a TV series on DVD, Wreck The Halls would be an Easter Egg you had to click around on the menu screen to find.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's a limited release for no reason other than I dig that sort of stuff. It's already been posted on a couple of gaming sites, so even when I pull the file, it will still be available somewhere on the interwebs, so it's not like it's really going away. I did the same thing three years ago with another limited release installment called Cyclone Alley and, for a while at least, I knew of one site that had snagged the file before I yanked it. I think they were the only place you could get that particular game until they disappeared from the web altogether.

Hope that answered the question and I hope you enjoy the game. I worked my butt off for a solid month trying to get it ready in time for Christmas! And giving free gifts is what Christmas is all about!

Also, thanks Dualnames for the nice words! 

- Ponch

[Behold! A Moody Artistic Shot of the Hero!]

I know I haven't been exactly the most active member lately, but just in time for Christmas, I burden you all with Barn Runner: Wreck The Halls.

Behold! A Moody Artistic Shot of the Hero!

This short game follows Detective Peckard once more into the lawless and officially non-existent Blue Grass Containment Zone to unravel the secret of a mysterious radio beacon that is luring runaway robots together for purposes unknown. He must contend with snow, dangerous locals, and his boss's raised expectations of him, as all the while, a ghostly figure from his past casts a long and sinister shadow over our lazy hero.

Will Detective Peckard expose the secret plot of the runaway robots? Can he maintain his easy going lifestyle in the face of the increasingly high opinion his co-workers suddenly have of him? Can he make it back late enough in the day to avoid turning in any paperwork? Will Santa bring him what he really wants for Christmas? And why has his former boss returned from the land of the declared legally dead to make trouble for the man who declared him legally dead in order to get his job?

All these questions and fewer will be probably be answered in some fashion everyone will surely find unsatisfying in Barn Runner: Wreck The Halls, available from TackyWorld Interactive, where good gaming ideas go to die!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD (RAR Format) (4.5 Megabytes)

And if you're a glutton for punishment, push those cutscenes to the limit of human endurance with the Director's Cut Patch!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD (RAR Format) (265 Kilobytes)

System Requirements:
Windows 95/98, 2000, ME, or XP
500 MHz Processor
128 Mb of RAM
DirectX compliant sound and video cards
35 Mb hard drive space

Rated "T" For Teen (not really, but it probably should be)
This game contains:
Religious Themes (Both Serious and Satirical)
Mildly Suggestive Adult Themes
Mild Profanity
Brief Partial Nudity (Mostly of the Stained Glass Window Variety)
Arcade Sequences (One primitive yet righteously kick-ass gunfight)

So, if you don't have anything better to do this Christmas, why not download and play this game? It's just like getting a lump of coal in your stocking without having to wait for Santa to bring it!

Merry Christmas,

Ponch

p.s. Now available all year round!

Even More Screen Shots!

Barn Runner: Wreck The Halls

Personally, the Leisure Suit Larry games were the only "controversial" games I've found entertaining. I really liked Al Lowe's corny humor and his hapless protagonist. But, as has already been pointed out here, too often "controversy" often amounts to nothing more than boobies or shooting at cops or the like.

Since a freeware game is a purely personal effort, if you have something to say, then by all means say it. I'm not a big fan of censorship, but no one is entitled to an audience. If whatever you release is so offensive that Chris decides he doesn't want it on his site, then you'll have to host it somewhere else.

As far as my opinion goes, shocking for the sake of shocking is rarely of any real merit (anyone else here old enough to remember Andrew Dice Clay?). And, in the case of adventure games, since they require more story telling on the part of the creator (and immersion on the part of the player), anything that requires me to carry a dead baby around to solve puzzles most likely isn't the sort of game I'm going to spend much of my precious free time playing.

However, I'm deeply ashamed to say that GarageGothic got a deep belly laugh out of my because of the sheer unexpectedness of it. Maybe it's the sort of thing that works as an out-of-the-blue punchline rather than an actual inventory item. Good show, man!

I say don't tack on nudity, especially not as an easter egg, but do feel free to use nudity in your game if you think it helps you express your ideas.

Well, for the record, I don't put anything in my games that you couldn't show on the Simpsons or a similar venue, and I always tie the egg into the story -- in the case of Barn Runner 2, the cutscene was clearly going in that direction, but it cut away before comedic nudity ensued (unless you unlocked the rest of the scene, of course).

Everyone has a different idea of what constitutes doing it "right," but since I make my games for myself first and foremost, I tailor them my own shamefully juvenile tastes. Quite a few downloads later, and I've only had one complaint regarding it. Even if they came pouring in, I'd still keep hiding all the things I like as eggs in my games because those are just the sort of things I like to find in games.

I should grow up, I know. But there you are.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

And the Axe commercials always get a giggle out of me, I'm also ashamed to admit.

- Ponch

(And, lo res man, I wish I was a quarter as clever as the Monty Python guys were! But rest assured, what I lack in funny, I can make up for in boobs!)

Nudity in games doesn't bother me in the least, and can even add atmosphere to the story if it's done properly -- Gabriel Knight 1 comes to mind in that regard.

That being said, however, if nudity is the only real selling point for your game, perhaps a little redesign might be in order... unless it's one of those wacky Japanese games, then, by all means, the more the better, I suppose.

I'm guilty of putting nudity in more than half of my Barn Runner games (the laziest form of Easter Egg, I know, but I like what I like). Most people never find it and the few who do (and e-mail me about their discovery, at any rate) are usually amused. The only two exceptions that I can recall off hand are a woman who said it was "tacky" (oh, the irony!) and a guy who unlocked the boobs-a-poppin' secret ending to Barn Runner 2 while his little boy was sitting there with him. That letter was hilarious and father and son really bonded over the moment, but of course, junior just HAD to say something to mom about it later that evening. For some unfathomable reasone, she did not find it as amazing as her son did. Nevertheless, the dad thought the whole thing was funny enough to share with me.

Still, packing your game with boobs just to pad it out and distract from the lackluster design will probably ensure more sales than a well-designed, but low-key adventure game. But good games can use copious amounts of boobage as icing on the cake. Leisure Suit Larry wouldn't be quite as enjoyable to me without the racier bits (and Love for Sail had the most awesomest Easter Eggs of the entire series), but everyone has different opinions about this sort of thing.

Well, I'm beginning to use words that don't exist, so I'll wrap this up. I need to get back to my new Barn Runner game, Wreck The Halls, and finish it up in time for its super-secret limited Christmas release (don't tell anyone!). Hopefully, I'll find a way to hide some boobs in that game too. Because, really, is there a better gift for Christmas than the gift of secret boobs?

Just my two cents,

Ponch

I'm a high school teacher in the US. I make a smidge over 42k USD a year. It's not bad pay, but the job can be very taxing at times, though, oddly, that's what makes it so fulfilling. I made decent money after I got out of the Air Force doing something else, but what I really wanted to do was teach.

Unfortunately, too many parents (in the US, at any rate) I encounter hold to the adage "those who can do, those who can't teach" as a way to explain why their special little snowflake is doing so poorly in his studies (obviously, that their kid never turns in homework or studies for tests has nothing to do with low grades) but that's what anyone in public service puts up with: so many of the people you meet think they can do your job better than you -- how hard can it be to be a teacher / police officer / nurse /soldier / what-have-you?

The money isn't fantastic, but doing my part to get the next generation ready to face the world is incredibly fulfilling. And those long summer vacations aren't bad either (when I'm not teaching summer school, that is -- the most thankless thing a teacher can volunteer for, by the way).

There's more to life than money.

- Ponch

2003. No reason in particular other than nothing went wrong. No one I know died that year, my car didn't break, no unexpected expenses, nothing out of the ordinary at all. I've had years when I accomplished much more than I did that particular year, but it remains the only year I can remember when everything went according to plan.

Sounds boring, I know, but the older I get, it seems every year brings something unpleasant / sad to be overcome. 2003 was just smooth sailing for some reason. Wouldn't want every year to be that way, but 2003 was a nice change of pace.

And to think, this is the first thread I've replied to in AGES. And I have 2003 to thank for that too! It's like 2003 is still paying dividends for me! Yay, 2003! You're the best year ever!

Ponch

Name: Ponch

Age: 34

Female/male: Male

1. How long have you been involved in the AGS community?

Three years

2. Why did you get involved in AGS?

Friend of mine had a copy of the engine on their computer. I played around with it and decided to start making games with it.

3. How do you feel that the fact that AGS is a freeware program affect the community that has built up around it?

Very much so -- freeware always seems to collect a motley and devoted following. There is a certain something about a product that depends heavily on its user base for development and growth that seems to inspire a passion amongst its users.

4. How big a part does the AGS community play in your life?

I check the forums about once a week or thereabouts. I used to visit here more often, but free time isn't what it used to be these days.

5. Have you been involved in making any games using AGS? You may list them if you want

I've made about a dozen games using AGS. Four of them have been released upon the world.

6. Answer these questions if you have been involved in making AGS games:


a. Were you interested in game design/programming before you started using AGS?

Yes. I used to make text adventure games years ago. I also made scrolling arcade games for the Amiga. These days I just use AGS and Game Maker.

b. If no, do you feel that you would have got into game design without AGS?

I was already making games before AGS --- AGS just made making them easier.

c. Do you make games using other programmes, either freeware or not? How does the eperience differ?

AGS is more user friendly and has better support both from its creator and its community than any other engine I have tried in the past.

d. Has AGS inspired you to try and take up game design professionally?

Nah, I already have a career. Game making is just a hobby.

7. Do you feel that there is a gender divide in the AGS community?

Never really paid a lot of attention to it. I know there are several women here and some of them are quite active in the community with activities like "Release Something" and the like.

8. Are you likely to feel differently about a game if you discover it's made by a female? In what way?

Nah.  A good game is a good game. The plumbing of the designer has nothing to do with it.

9. Do you feel that AGS makes it easier for females to get involved in computer game design? In what way?

AGS makes it easier for anyone to make games. Plumbing is not a factor.

10. Do you feel that there is a difference between the types of games created by males and females?

Nah.

11. Any other comments?

There is no beer in my fridge and I am sad.

Don't have a damn clue about it.

But as I get older, I content myself with the fact that life is enough.  As near as I can tell, before I was alive, I did not exist. And it would seem that death will be the end of me. But for a while, at least, I am alive. And in that time, I (and all of us) have more nobility than any star in the sky. We are aware of those lights in the night sky, while they are aware of nothing, not even their own existence. Hell, even my dog doesn't seem to have a concept of self or anything approaching a soul (other than what I project on him).

But in this moment, I am alive -- and part of an incredible species, at that! Hell, we pulled ourselves (with a bit of divine help, I imagine) up from run-of-the-mill prey animal to the top of the food chain. And we created art, music, poetry and adventure games along the way.

If existance of some sort awaits after death, and I cannot say for certain that it does not, then whatever state we might exist in will be so different from what we know now that we probably cannot even imagine what it would be like. Consider: if you could have awareness as a baby in the womb, based on all you could learn of the world around you, how could you possibly imagine what awaits you after birth? How could you imagine what it is to walk? To be cold? To get a job? To pay taxes?

Life is enough, I suppose, because life is all I know. And it is an amazing thing, at that. Wonderful and frightening and boring. Each in turn and sometimes all at once. (I was in Desert Storm back in the day, and, yes, it IS possible to become bored with danger -- the tedium of constantly incoming scuds even as your body responds with adrenaline -- it's a helluva feeling!)

If something awaits me after life is over,  well, I hope I can take it in stride and be a good sport about spending so much of my life paying taxes and changing the oil in my car regularly.

Just my two cents (and what an interesting topic!)

- Ponch

[TackyWorld Interactive]

Well, if we're name dropping fake game makers, allow me to drop the name of one of the oldest fake game publishers on this here interweb (which is more like a series of tubes, if I understand it correctly).

TackyWorld Interactive

Makers of fine freeware gaming since the days of the Commodore 64. Why, who doesn't remember our first releases "Dangerous Things You'll Be Glad You Did!" and "Dial 'E' for Esperanto: A Murder Mystery No One Can Understand"? They're Text Adventure Games so incredibly thrilling that no system can even play them anymore! Count yourself lucky!

Currently Released Games:

The Barn Runner Sci-Fi Comedy Detective Series:

BR 1 - The Armageddon Eclair (AGS)
BR 2 - The Ejection Rejection (Game Maker)
BR 3 - Don't Jerk The Trigger of Love (AGS)
BR 4 - The Prick Who Came in From the Cold (AGS)

also, The Spatha Owner's Manual (AGS)


In production:
BR 5 - The Cop Who Copped A Feel (AGS)
BR 6 - The Forever Friday (AGS / Game Maker Hybrid)
BR 7 - Even Rich Dames Cut The Cheese (AGS)

Plus a couple of other odd projects such as a more serious tactical war gamer like something SSI might have done back in the day. Also a hentai game, because, seriously, why not?

Consider my fake name dropping dropped, baby!

- Ponch

Sleep is for the weak!

No sleep until you finish your zombie game. AGS is seriously lacking in zombie themed games. And hentai games! Why are there no AGS hentai games?

Ooh! Make a zombie hentai game! It would have something for everyone!

For example, to do 3, just use Pythagoras' Theorem...

Holy cow! Algebra just saved Christmas!

Thank you, Gilbot v7000a! Of all the Gilbots who could have become self-aware, I'm glad it was version 7000a! If robots celebrated Christmas, I would leave milk and cookies out for you!

- Ponch

Thank you, Monkey_05_06, very helpful.

Another question, what would be the easiest way to check (in repeatedly execute) if an enemy marker (sprite or object) has moved to within 40 pixels (in any direction) of one of the player's markers using the snazzy new 2.7 code?

My family thanks you in advance for helping me now so I can spend more Christmas time with them over vacation. 

- Ponch

Hello all.

Over the upcoming Christmas break, I plan to do a little work with AGS, but since the last version I worked with to any real degree was v 256d, I'm a little out of date.

I notice these snazzy new "module" thingies, and they look pretty cool. A quick question or two about them.

1) For mini-games, is it practical to write a module to handle all my calculations that would normally clog up my room's repeatedly execute code. (It would be wonderful if this were the case -- some of my older arcade code has so many variable checks and if/then lines that the repeatedly execute becomes pretty damn unwieldy to work with after a while. It would be nice to have a place to shuttle most of that code to.)

2) If so, can a module do something simple like calculate if the player smashed his bumper car into NPC player, calculate damage, and then reduce those hit points from the player's health integer? In other words, can a module change the value of a global integer or other defined variables?

Also, the game I'm planning is something like a table top wargame. You move your little pieces around while the computer does the same. Then they fight it out for the rest of the turn. I got a pretty decent little version of this working under the old AGS, but I want to expand it to larger battles (say 20+ units for each army). I know that the limit for objects and characters on screen is something like 50, max. But I would also like to have little labels floating over the little army men's heads so it's easier to keep track of everything. This will push it beyond the limits, so I'm looking for a workaround.

3) Do the Dynamic Sprites count towards this limit? And if not, how many labels could I create this way?

4) If this isn't feasible, I guess I could use the old "mouse over character / object displays its name and stats on a GUI" trick. Is this possible in the new AGS or is the mouseover function limited to hotspots?

Thanks for any attention to these questions. I thank you in advance. 

UPDATE: Tried a version of Gilbot's suggested code and it seems to do the trick!

Ponch

Select the "Run" option on the startup button. Type in "msconfig" (without the quotation marks) and select the "startup" tab. Scroll down until you find the offending program.

Hope that helps.

- Ponch

p.s. Of course, be careful what you uncheck off that list! Just don't go clicking things unless you're certain what they are!

Give Andy some credit!

My apologies, but after that seeing that picture, it was the only name that came to mind.

Don Henry. The new Andy Penis?

Ah! Maddeningly vague, but it answers the question. Thank you, CJ.

Whatever it was, the new version did the trick. I guess I'll have to recompile the old games with the new build of AGS and replace the old links on the games page.

Now I have a project to work on during lunch!

- Ponch

UPDATE: The recompiled version works just fine for biorogue. Anyone have any idea what the crucial difference was? I'm stumped. 

- Ponch