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Well, I really wanted to Release Something, but my birthday was this weekend so I'm away with my sweetie and I forgot to put the tech demo on my laptop. So naturally, I can't upload it until I get home tomorrow.

Will this be open until Nov. 1 or will I have to wait for the next one?

Well, the only way I can salve my guilt about letting everyone down is to go and get in the sauna again. I'll be thinking of all of you while I soak, really.

- Ponch

The people have spoken! They are clammoring for Flukeblake! C'mon, Vince Twelve! Can't you hear the people in the forums chanting the name?

Flukeblake! Flukeblake! Flukeblake!

- Ponch

But when is the next Twelve Interviews coming? I'm still holding out for Flukeblake, y'know.

- Ponch

I'm in. I've been busy as hell since I went back to school, but I'm sure I could release a tech demo or something. Maybe something that shows off the arcade driving code or something.

- Ponch

I use liquor for inspiration. It may not really work, but after a while, I don't care.

Barn Runner was listed! Woot! Now I feel all warm and squishy inside (moreso than usual, I mean).

My vote would go to Where's M Hat Ma? or The Great Stroke Off. Even though 2005 isn't over yet, I'm impressed by the high quality games that have been released so far. There are lots of good projects on the horizon so maybe 2006 will be even better.

- Ponch

Played it and it did not disappoint. The AI was particularly impressive to me. The bad guys react to me differently every time I play it. The effects are nicely done and the mood is really creepy. I love the hell out of the slide kick/smg combo.

It's probably the most promising demo I've played since I played Half Life: Uplink way back when. I absolutely will buy this thing when in comes out in October.

As for what others have posted here:

I think it's more than a Doom 3 wannabe. Doom 3 was a Doom 1 wannabe. FEAR (I hope) will be what I wanted Doom 3 to be!

As for containing elements also seen in other games -- well, isn't that always the way? It's not like there's an unwritten rule that if somebody uses ragdoll then no-one else may ever use them again. Or that dynamic lighting is only up for grabs to the first person who uses it but then never again.  Everything builds on whatever came before it. Innovation is using something you've seen before but using it at least as well as before and preferably better!

Honestly, after The Matrix, look how everybody started working "bullet time" into everything - even potato chip commercials! The trick is using it well! Atari's own Enter the Matrix game is a perfect example of how having a wicked set of tools at your disposal can still result in a crap game if you just throw everything at the wall and hope something sticks.

Half Life was a great game and really set the standard for a while there but (let's be honest), it wasn't very original. But by mixing together story elements of Stephen King, The Outer Limits, and The X-Files into the old-fashioned Doom experience and layering in some scripted sequences that were far above anything anyone else had done to that point, Valve took all the best bits of their predecessors efforts and produced something that was really interesting and forced everyone to play catch-up for the next few years. Now Half Life 2? That's a different story...

As for Sierra, that name should have been retired when the company ceased to exist (for all practical purposes). Using it now just seems like a cheap marketing tool. "Ooh, Sierra! They made Half Life! They're the roxXors!"

Of course, I think the LucasArts name should be retired too, so what do I know?

All in all, I'd recommend the FEAR demo to anybody who likes atmosphere, scares and gunfire. I hope the full game lives up to the promise.

- Ponch

I still think the description and history of Kentucky is one of the most original (and hillarious) settings I've seen in a long time.

Woot! Free Barn Runner plug!

Actually, Jozef, I have made extensive notes for the world of Barn Runner. I find it's easier to make a consistent world for your stories if you do a bit of work beforehand. That way I don't have to make it all up as I go along.

The Barn Runner "bible" is almost hundred pages long. I also sketched out the entire story arc beforehand. Sad as it may seem, the Barn Runner saga really does have a beginning, middle, and end. (That is almost certainly a clear marker that I have too much time on my hands.)

Hopefully, when I release the last Barn Runner game (sometime in 2009, I think), people will think to themselves "Well, that was a well-organized waste of my time."

As always, thanks again for the kind words for my games. TWI loves free press!

- Ponch

Thanks for updating the code, Dr. Lecter. I loved you in most of your movies -- though I think you should stay away from anything Brett Ratner directs.

I'm not familiar with the new version of AGS. I built Don't Jerk the Trigger of Love (which was the first game to use my shooter code) with either 26_sp1 or 261 and my next game The Forever Friday is being built with 262. I won't make the move to the new version of AGS until I start work on Recycle My Heart in late 2006.

I hope you can get the kinks worked out with the new commands. Mostly because I'm going to have to upgrade the code for the Recycle and it would be great if somebody laid the groundwork for me. 

Thanks for taking an interest in my work!

- Ponch

I'll grab it when it comes out. I've liked almost everything Monolith has released -- with the notable exception of Blood 2 (though that was redeemed with the add-on pack).

The game was well received at E3 and the trailers have really looked interesting to me. I haven't really liked many shooters since Half-Life or AvP2 so I have high hopes for this one.

- Ponch

AGS has taught me how to talk to girls!

AGS has cured my halitosis.

AGS helped me escape that cult I should have never joined.

AGS has taught me to respect my boundaries and make time for me!

Thank you, AGS!

Another great read, Vince. Keep them coming!

I'm surprised that Jozef was the subject of this interview (having never made a game) but it just shows the interesting and unexpected twists and turns this series is capable of taking.

I've been a fan of Jozef's reviews for a while now. His column was the first real attention that Barn Runner received and for that I'm eternally grateful. He recommendations usually steer me to a game worth playing so it was cool to take a peek "behind the scenes", as it were.

I also happen to agree that innovation usually comes from the little guy. With no bottom line and no investors to placate, the independent developer has no cash cow to protect and is free to "think outside the box" (as much as I hate to use corporate "Happy Speak"). This is true for most every franchise on TV or in cinemas and applies to the gaming industry. For all the imagination that id displayed in the beginning, am I the only one who thinks they're just repeating themselves - going through the motions, recreating the same gaming experience with better technology as the only sign of progress? How many Dooms and Quakes (aka Faux Doom) do we need? Why not try something new?

Again, Vince, thanks for another interview and thanks to Jozef for his well-reasoned answers. I look forward to the next one and am keeping my fingers crossed for the day you interview FlukeBlake. In these crazy, topsy turvy times, we need that now more than ever!

- Ponch

[real]

Getting older is nothing to worry about. At 32, I don't feel different than I did at 22. Of course, it helps that I take care of myself (note to all you people in your late teens and early twenties: Stop the pizza and sodas right now! In a few years, they'll catch up with you and you'll have a hell of a time getting rid of that weight).

Sure, some days I do feel the years a little bit, mostly after I spent an afternoon playing football with friends. But all that tells me is that I don't "bounce" the way I used to. I also can't stay up for three days on smokes and coffee and then expect to recover on just six hours of sleep. And while I know it will only get worse with time, the trade offs are more than worth it.

I have more money than I did ten years ago. I have more freedom. And I have more responsibilities than I used to. Strangely, that last one becomes a positive the older you get. You ever teach a kid to tie her shoes or teach a younger friend to drive a car? It's unexplainably neat and not something you could do when you were a kid yourself.

Best of all, I have the experience that only comes to you through living. I know what is really worth worrying about and what isn't. Things don't stress me out or keep me up a night like they did years ago. I also find people a lot easier to deal with. I used to get mad at people who just seem to exist to make your day as bad as theirs. Nowadays, I wonder if they're just having a bad day (we all have them) or if they're like this all the time (which must be very sad for them).

Best of all, I'm still alive. Over the years, I've lost quite a few friends. When I was in the military, I watched several of my buddies die in the golden years of their youth. That's a real tragedy. A parking ticket isn't. I always knew the difference intellectually, but now I really understand it.

That's the point, really to this rambling post. Getting older can't be stopped anymore than you can stop winter from coming. And while getting being old may not seem as great as being young, it sure as hell beats the alternative.

Everybody here will die eventually (except maybe CJ because we'll keep him alive frankenstein style to keep upgrading AGS) so there's no sense in worrying about it. The important thing is to make the best of everyday you have and not beat yourself up so much for not going on to rule the world by the time you're 25.

Just my two cents.

- Ponch

to the guy that said he's old:

you're not acting old, but acting smart, cause the 80's were the golden age of metal

Exactly!

I am old, though.

So very, very old.

- Ponch

So much hate for Flukeblake. Hell, when I was his age (and that's assuming he's really 12 years old and not some sort of evil genius playing us all like a well-tuned stratovarius), I was making absolutely awful games on a C64. The sprites were blocky, the scripting was awful, but you better believe that I poured blood, sweat and tears (and BASIC) into those terrible, terrible games.

Everyone has to start somewhere and for AGS' youngest (and certainly most prolific) aspiring game creator, that somewhere is here.

Will Flukeblake finish The Apartment? Experience tells me "No". In fact, this thread is probably the last any of us shall ever hear of it.

But my heart tells me "Yes".

Flukeblake could be the next Ron Gilbert and we're seeing him in his nascent form. Think of it! In a few years, we could all still be posting here, remembering the days before Flukeblake grew up and left us, only to single handedly revive the adventure game format and become so fabulously wealthy that he forced Bill Gates to sell him the rights to the XBox just so he could stop making them and force everyone to return to their old keyboards and mouses (mice?). He may well go on to become both unreasonably rich and a god among game designers... and we'll all be able to say we "knew him when".

Or he could stop posting and disappear into the ether forever, leaving us all to wonder "what ever happened to Flukeblake? He sure was entertaining."

Either way, really. But I'm rooting for him to finish a game.

- Ponch

This whole thread has me feeling terribly old.

When I think metal, I think of the sort of metal I listened to when I was a young'un. Motorhead, Judas Priest, Old Metallica (anything before and including Master of Puppets), Iron Maiden, Anthrax, that sort of thing. I was also into the louder punk stuff like Husker Du and Black Flag - both of which are practically golden oldies by today's standards.

Most of the more modern metal I just can't get into. But then, it isn't really for me, is it?

I need some warm milk and a nap. I tire so easily these days.

- Ponch

I lived in and around San Diego for years and 4000 a month will get you by but you won't be saving much. If you're willing to live a bit further inland (away from the pricey cost of living near the coast) then 4000 a month will be more than adequate to cover all your expenses and still have money to blow on the weekends.

As for cost of living, in California you'll fork out at least a 1000 a month for a decent place to live and you almost have to have a car or a motorcycle. Other cost of living expenses depend on how you like to live. For example, I love to cook so my food expenses were substantially lower than some of my other friends who ate out for practically every meal.

Personally, I moved to Texas a few years ago just so my salary would go a lot further. I guess I had to start thinking about retirement sooner or later But living in CA has a lot of advantages. The surf is great and there is never a shortage of things to do. Plus the weather is great year round. Except for "earthquake season" but that's just from January until December, so it's not really worth worrying about.

CA is a great place to live and best of all, you have The Terminator as governor! Your time there can yield great opportunities if you're willing to work at it.

Good luck. I hope you enjoy America!

- Ponch

I think what makes it so unsettling (at least for me) is that you are actually a participant in the unpleasantness. If it were just some animated short movie, I think I would just write it off as "well, somebody wasn't hugged enough as a child" and that would be that. However, since the format dictates that I'm the one encouraging her (or tricking her) into doing those things, I can't help but feel a bit uneasy about the whole thing.

Thanks for posting that. Now I'm sure to have strange dreams.

- Ponch

p.s. Dolls = creepy. Always!

Thanks, Candle!

Those links are just what I needed. They will certainly help until everyone comes to their senses and find better games to download!

- Ponch

Hello all,

Some of you may know me as the Barn Runner guy. Of course, some of you may not. (In that case, "Hello, I'm the Barn Runner guy".)

Well, as part of "Release Something Day", I posted a short movie for my upcoming game. I received a lot of positive e-mails about it and it seemed to be a generally well-liked submission for the occasion.

This may be the reason that my last game has experienced a significant bump in traffic. Since last Saturday, my old game has been downloaded about 11,000 times* more than I expected. Between the regular game page and this site (that has opted to bypass my download counter. Thanks a bunch, guys ), traffic is way up and this has caught me off guard.

I've received quite a few e-mails in the last couple of days from people who were trying to download the game but my regular download link wasn't responding or took a long time to respond. The traffic may be a bit too much for my free provider.

Would anybody be kind enough to mirror my game for a little while. At least until this passes? It might help ease the pressure a bit until everyone comes to their senses and realizes that they're downloading a Barn Runner game, for God's sake and they really have better things to do with their free time than that!

The file is only 7 mbs (or thereabouts) and I promise it's house trained. It won't shred your couch or track up that nice rug you have that really pulls the room together. It doesn't eat much and requires little attention. It just needs a home for a while. (Warning: Obvious grab at sympathy!)

Can anybody help me? I would greatly appreciate it.

- Ponch

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* Of course, I may be completely misunderstanding what I'm looking at. That's happened with traffic lights. Still, e-mail complaints seem straightforward enough.