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Yet another game you're starting?

EDIT:

Also, I'd suggest sketching it on paper first, and trying to mimic how that comes out with the use of the mouse.Ã,  Pixel by pixel, if necessary.Ã,  He looks awfully jagged at the moment.Ã,  Especially his arms and legs.

Cartoon-y stuff usually has a flow to it, and sadly this has none.

EDIT AGAIN:

The shading on his coat is way off.  At least put some effort into the first version.  Please.

I'll start with a brief history of my adventures in gaming.

Mid-80's.Ã, 

Christmas, some year.Ã,  Grandparents buy me a Sinclair Spectrum ZX 128k, with a joysitck and a bunch of games.Ã,  It was some bulk pack, with 100 games on 10 tapes.Ã,  I played them all once to try.Ã,  After that, I played one maybe two often.

I used to buy games on a weekly basis, from some market.Ã,  Most of them were undeniably sh*tty.Ã,  Now and then, I found a game I enjoyed.

Late-80's.

Christmas again.Ã,  Sega Master System, with Alex Kidd in Miracle World built-in.Ã,  It was the only game I had to begin with, and I played it for ages.Ã,  Hated it, though.Ã,  Later got Sonic the Hedgehog.Ã,  Liked the game, aside from the side-scrolling that was automatic.Ã,  Bought some other games, whenever I could afford it.Ã,  Mostly, they were rather sh*tty, again.

Later-80's or Very Early-90's.

Another Christmas, another Sega.Ã,  This time the Mega Drive (Genesis).Ã,  Sonic the Hedgehog again, this time without the auto-scroll.Ã,  Loved it.Ã,  Played it for as long as I could, as often as I could.Ã,  Some other games were bought, a couple of good ones, but mostly sh*tty.

Early-90's.

Convince parents to buy my friend's 386 DX/16, with 2 meg ram and a sound card.Ã,  Legend of Kyrandia was installed on it, which started my passion for adventures.Ã,  Started buying PC magazines, and playing demos.Ã,  Mostly, they were sh*tty.Ã,  Borrowed Civilisation 1.Ã,  On 5.25" floppies.Ã,  I stopped socialising for that game.

Various upgrades later, and I'd played many PC games, mostly sh*tty ones.Ã,  But, I'd found to genres I liked.

Late-ish 90's.

Yet another Christmas, yet another console.Ã,  The N64.Ã,  My first Nintendo.Ã,  Bought purely for The Legend of Zelda and the Ocarina of Time.Ã,  Played through to finish, many times.Ã,  (It's rare that I complete games).
It came free with Goldeneye.Ã,  Every one I knew loved that game.Ã,  I thought it was sh*tty.Ã,  Much like most of the other games I played on it, with the exceptions of Conker's Bad Fur Day and some obscure NFL game.

2000 and something.

Borrowed a DreamCast.Ã,  Alone in the Dark game.Ã,  Soul Calibur.Ã,  Worms.Ã,  Other sh*tty games.

Some Time ago, I forget when.

Got my friend to bring me back a GBA from Hong-Kong, soon after they came out.Ã,  Borrowed Golden Sun from a friend.Ã,  Got about halfway through when he wanted it back.Ã,  Never bought a game.Ã,  Leant it to a friend at work last year, haven't seen it since.

Later, I think.

GameCube.Ã,  Zelda again.Ã,  Still haven't finished it, but went back to it often.Ã,  BloodRayne.Ã,  Same thing.Ã,  A bunch of other games, mostly sh*tty.Ã,  Now it gathers dust.

Brittens, Last Year.

Bought Magintz's DS.Ã,  Tested it there.Ã,  Didn't touch it again until I gave it to Scotch at Brightonjam.Ã,  Metroid Demo was sh*tty.Ã,  Couldn't be assed buying games for it as they'd most likely be sh*tty, too.

Present Day.




Right, what have we learnt so far?Ã,  I've played a whole bunch of games in the past, on various systems.Ã,  I liked a few, but on the whole, most were sh*tty.Ã,  Sadly, I'm certain that pattern will stay the same in the future, too.

I can look back and think "I played some really great games when I was younger", but that's mostly due to the fact that I tend to only remember the good ones.Ã,  In the last few years, I can probly name quite a few games that I've played for much longer than ones I regard as "Classics".Ã,  In the future, I'll regard my favorites from now as classic games, too.

It's down to two things that make a "classic" game.Ã,  Personal preference (especially for a genre) is the first.Ã,  Sadly, I hated Mario in every incarnation.Ã,  I've always preferred Sonic.Ã,  My school days were filled with arguments about which console was better, or which franchise.Ã,  It's still around today, with the x-box vs. the ps2 etc.Ã,  But, neither console has a distinctive franchise associated with it.Ã,  Sadly, I remember Sonic more for the fact that we argued than that I actually enjoyed the game.

I love adventure games, but they are few and far between these days.  I like turn based isometric few type things, like x-com and fallout, but they're not as popular now, either.  Most games nowadays are often FPS games, and sadly, they're just not my type of game.  The make me feel claustrophobic, so I do my best to avoid them.  That doesn't make those games bad, some people love them and regard many as classics.

Secondly, what makes a game a "classic" for me, is how involved I feel.Ã,  This isn't true for everyone, though.Ã,  I like games that make me think, and just think short-term, either.Ã,  I like long games, whether it's from plot or from the type of gameplay.Ã,  I can't stand reaction-based games, they're just not my thing.Ã,  The majority of Platformers sicken me, since it's mostly just jumping around until I fall down and then have to start again.Ã,  FPS games?Ã,  I'm just crap at them.Ã,  Tetris?Ã,  Boring as hell.Ã,  Wario-world?Ã,  It's like virtual ADHD.

I prefer games that use a mouse and keyboard.Ã,  Mostly a mouse, though.Ã,  My friend at work thinks joypads are much better because you can sit back in an armchair and relax whilst you play.Ã,  I prefer long, in-depth games.Ã,  He prefers stuff you can turn-on, play for a short-while, then turn-off.Ã,  We all differ in how we prefer games, so we're all going to differ in how we view the current state of the games industry.

Thanks to consoles becoming so popular in the last decade, the games had shifted towards having a more pick-up and play when you have friends over approach than sitting alone playing late into the night.

Some people think "multiplayer" is connecting to a server, others think it's having two joypads.Ã,  The young folk of today do have games they'll look back on fondly, just not for the same reasons most of us remember.

I consider Rhythm and Blues to be R&B.
I consider the newer, soft hip-hop type of thing to be R'n'B.

I also consider R'n'B to be sh*t, but that's besides the point.

Stop using your daughter as a reason you're hiding behind the couch.

Does she know what a goth is?  Does she know what any fashion movement is?  If she's around the same age as you, I doubt she understands it very well.  Instead of insulting her, you should have simply said:

"No, I'm not, because..".

Also, 'Blake.  There's a difference between being Gothic and being a Goth.  Before getting on your high horse, you should research the various styles.

That way, you'll look intelligent.  Instead of looking like a mean-spirited, self-obsessed dick.

This is the definition of regret, from Answers.com (for which I'll be using as my original reference point when thinking of regret):

Verb-
1. To feel sorry, disappointed, or distressed about.
2. To remember with a feeling of loss or sorrow; mourn.

Noun-
1. A sense of loss and longing for someone or something gone.
2. A feeling of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes could be different.
3. (regrets) A courteous expression of regret, especially at having to decline an invitation.



Now, none of those say for definite that it is or isn't a learning emotion, although I do understand what you mean.  Personally, I consider the learning side of it to be seperate from the emotion itself, much the same as the Apples reference.  (I don't agree with pain being an emotion, but that's not what's relevant to this topic, so that can wait).  That said, your "feeling bad for yelling" point will cause me to ponder some more, at great lengths.

It's regret being the whole "wishing it could be different" idea is what really bothers me about the emotion.  I still don't know why it irks me so, which is in part the reason for this thread's existence.



I know it's extremely simplified, and I know it's not as easy as "Whoops, Sorry".  Showing remorse does often get a more lenient punishment, though.  Something I don't personally agree with.  Crimes should be punished for facts, not emotions.

A post that was made in my stupid "Slag off SSH" thread started me thinking of a subject I've pondered on in the past, more than once.

You topic is bad and you should feel bad.

Now, I'm not sure if Akumayo was being serious or not, that's beside the point.Ã,  However, I did start wondering.Ã,  Is there anything I regret?Ã,  If I had to chance to go back, and put right what once went wrong, would I take that leap?

After giving the idea a fresh barrage of brain cells, I came to the same conclusion I always do:

"No".Ã, 

I'm not being egotistical and thinking I'm always right, and have always acted accordingly.Ã,  However, I don't actually regret anything I've done.Ã,  You see, the way I view the world, regret and remorse are for the most part pointless emotions.Ã, 

So, you feel bad for something you did.Ã,  Boo hoo.Ã,  Does feeling bad about something make you feel better in some way?Ã,  No.Ã,  You just end up feeling more and more guilty, and to what end?Ã,  At some point, you just have to move on and forget about the whole incident in the first place.Ã,  So why not just skip the whole mid-section and take things in your stride to begin with?

There's a whole ethical set of reasons to begin with, that's been indoctrinated into us from birth.Ã,  Animals don't feel remorse.Ã,  They do stuff on instinct alone.Ã,  Mankind, on the other hand, has to by a set of morals that with given ourselves.

For example, in courts, people get harsher sentences if they don't show remorse.Ã,  So you murder someone, and at the trial you show that you feel sorry for your actions.Ã,  You get life inprisonment.Ã,  You show no remorse, and they push for the death penalty.Ã,  Now, if the first person knew what they were doing was wrong, and feel bad now, why did they commit the crime in the first place?Ã,  That doesn't mean that if they get let out, they won't kill again.Ã,  As for the second person?Ã,  What makes them think that because he isn't showing remorse, that automatically means if he gets out he'll go on a killing spree?

So far, regrets are there for what?Ã,  To depress you, and to get you out of jail quicker.Ã,  Pointless and unjust.Ã,  Useful emotion, eh?Ã,  Personally, I can't think of another reason for the emotion existing.Ã,  This is the first of my points I'd like to open up to the rest of your opinions.

Now, don't get me wrong.Ã,  I'm not saying I don't learn anything from the situations in the past.Ã,  I go into similar situations with the experiences of the past, and use those to act in the future.Ã,  Learning from your faults is NOT regret.

Apologies.Ã,  Now there's another thing..

I apologise for certain things.Ã,  Accidents, over which we have no real control (IE, bumping into someone that you didn't see).Ã,  That sort of apology is just common courtesy.Ã,  Also, I'll apologise if there if someone has misunderstood me.Ã,  (for example, recently on IRC, someone thought I was being overly hostile towards them, which I wasn't.Ã,  The next time we spoke, I apologised for the confusion and we moved on.Ã,  We had really spoke before that, and he didn't really get me all that well).Ã,  Again, that kind of apology is there for politeness.

Now, if I walk up to someone, and punched them in the face as hard as I could, for absolutely no reason, how would I apologise?Ã,  It's obviously not going to be a genuine apology.Ã,  It was pre-meditated, and has no reason for an apology.Ã,  It can't be genuine, since you wouldn't have done it in the first place if you knew you were in the wrong.Ã,  An extreme example, I know, but it's just there as a point.

Onto my third and final subject.Ã,  If you had the opportunity to go back to a past event, and relive it with your current mindset, would you take it?Ã,  Now, I'm not interested in the whole Butterfly Effect scenario, nor chaos theory, nor cause and effect.Ã,  This comes mostly what from a close friend of mine has brought up in conversation on several occassions.

If given the opportunity, he'd want to go back to his school days and restart his life from there.Ã,  He'd pay more attention in class, get better grades, maybe go on to higher education.Ã,  He'd also live a more full life in the social areas of school, making more friends, standing up to bullies, helping the less fortunate, and generally being more mature and confident than he was the first time around.

Now, when I look at our two situations in school and now, I'm confused why he wants this.Ã,  In school, I was the one who was doing well, getting better grades and such whilst he was distracted and left with few qualifications.Ã,  Nowadays, he's almost a manager in a office, with his life in order.Ã,  I lift boxes for a rubbish wages, and am usually too drunk to pay bills.Ã,  He's looking to get a mortgage, whilst I'm close to eviction.Ã,  He's got a long-term girlfriend, whilst I'm terminally single.Ã,  He's got his life together, whilst mine is falling apart around me.

Yet, he's the one that wants to go back and improve his life, and I'm the one who wants to live each day like it's my last.Ã,  I can't for the life of me figure out why.Ã,  Is it upbringing?Ã,  Friends and family?Ã,  (He moved away shortly after school, so we only see each other every few months, we're still very close).Ã,  Does greed beget greed?Ã,  Is it that he just wants more?Ã,  Is there something that's genetic?Ã,  What makes our views so drastically different on this topic, when most other stuff is so similar?

For myself, I can only say that I wouldn't want to go back and change my life, because then it wouldn't be me anymore, assuming the things I change would after my memory of past experiences.Ã,  But wait, that's cause and effect again.Ã,  If I kept the original memories, and then gained new ones, then surely that's just prolonging life, something which I'm not a fan of.

So, to iterate the main points:

Regrets -Ã,  Do we need them?
Apologies - What are they worth?
Do-overs - Open subject.





Also, Akumayo and anyone who concurred with his sentiment:
The SSH thread was not in the least bit serious, and people who know better knew that.Ã,  I like SSH, and I'm certain he knows it.Ã,  Even for people who don't know me very well, it was blatantly obvious from reading the whole of my post that there was no animosity meant towards SSH.Ã,  He's done a lot for the engine and the community, and everyone knows that.

CGI:IRC does the same kind of thing, but as far as I can tell, without using Java.

Some people have Java disabled, so this might be a better option.

Ace Quest.

I have an idea.

It involves a character.  In a place.

I expect the full game on my desk, packaged like a professional project, by tomorrow morning.

Clock's ticking, people.

I just want to understand what this guy is being berated for in this thread - Is it because he can't script, code or draw? Or is it simply because he literally only has an idea and naff all else to show for it?

It's his complete lack of effort so far.

I am in the process of writting a design document but it will take some time to do it throughly and well enough that it might entice others to take up any interest.

Why didn't you do that before asking for help?

EDIT:

Also, MarkPhantom, I've just noticed you've gone about this the correct way.  Kudos and whatnot, on this post: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=27293.msg352918#msg352918

There's a thread for asking for help, which you've seen and used.  This random Beatle's fan has just jumped the gun and posted a whole new topic and in turn opened himself up for any abuse that follows.  He hasn't even taken the effort to read the first few topic titles on the page.  If he shows that amount of laziness, then I'm afraid he deserves every chastising he gets.

The Recruit A Team thread is there for a reason, and its not only there in case you have a problem, for which no-one else can help, and assuming you can find them..

I rarely, rarely start threads, but he asked for it .Ã,  Since I'm drunk, yet again, I thought I'd oblige.

He's got laid at least twice, and has the proof.Ã,  Which is two times more than the majority of folk in here.Ã,  What more do you want?

F). Me.

Usually posts to chastise stupid threads before they get locked.Ã,  Insulting as many people as possibly along the way for their stupidity.Ã,  Is as awkward as possible.Ã,  Hopefully doing it in a witty, yet cynical way but mostly not.Ã,  More often than not, posting whilst inebriated, since the forums are too full with f*cktards when sober.Ã,  Rarely visits the forums, but when does, posts in a handful of threads in a short time.Ã,  Modifies mostly for spellchecking purposes, so as not to look as stupid as the majority.

To said f*cktards:

Get bent.

I'd say "you know who you are", but in all honesty, you probably don't.Ã,  You don't have the sense to realise you've started an inane thread, and that your stupidity is disliked by many.Ã,  Get a sodding clue, you halfwitted buffoons.Ã,  You're not witty.Ã,  You're not clever.Ã,  On the most part, you're not even liked.

That's why a prefer the IRC channel.Ã,  We can ban the dumb asses.

Ok I'm going to try to be as nice about this as I can...

I'm not..

We're not going to do everything for you.  Stop being lazy.  If you're crap at something, practice until you're not crap anymore.  I've been steadily improving my art skills for the last few years.  I've still not made anything.

No one's going to take you seriously if you come in and say something like:

I've got this idea.  Someone do all the hard work for me, because I'm crap.  I'll then take most the credit, since I'll be team leader.  While you're at it, could someone come round and do the dishes for me?  I'll supervise it, and then I can pretend I did all the work.

I am willing to commit a lot of time to the project anyone else interested please respond to this post.

A lot of time doing what? Sitting around waiting for others to do stuff for you?

What seriously makes you think people will waste time and effort doing everything for you, when all you've done is come in and make the effort to post a vague plot idea and a request?  Have you offered your services to anyone else?  Maybe someone who's asked for dialog help?  Or puzzle help?  Have you done anything for anyone else in the community?

Stop moaning about what you can't do, and practice.  Failing that break out your wallet and hire people if the idea's that awesome.

Either way, put some effort in, somewhere.

Good luck, etc, but to be honest, the chances are you'll get about 1% into writing a synopsis for the idea and then give up because it requires too much effort.  I really do hope you'll prove me wrong and get something made, but sadly, I really doubt you'll have the slightest modicum of commitment.

Did he mention any ass-grabbing in London?

And some pretty tacky items including:

- Music CD's

You b*st*rd.  That was my band's CD.

I have to wear a certain t-shirt on a certain date, every year, or bad things happen.  I've missed that said date twice.  One year, a plane crashed a few days later.  The second time, London got bombed.

It might seem like coincidence and superstition, but personally, I'm not going to test the theory a third time.  Just in case.

As for things pertaining to myself, I couldn't care less.  It's not a fear of self-harm, it's a fear that others will suffer if I don't do things.  Life threatening illnesses don't worry me in the slightest.  I know I'll die sometime.

That said, I do have a mild fear of germs in certain places.  Toilet seats, for one.  Public phones for another.

Roll on Brittens 2009.

I'm all packed up and ready to rock.

Look out, Swansea, here I come.

Puzzles can only go so far, before becoming either dull or pointless.

The CSI games are relatively new, so I'll use them as an example.Ã,  Everything's done by the book.Ã,  There's no flexibilty.Ã,  Every piece of evidence has to be collected in the correct way.Ã,  It's linear.

Monkey Island is quite old, so I'll use that as another example.Ã,  It's pretty logical.Ã,  Every puzzle has a solution.Ã,  Every item can be used on something to get you somewhere.Ã,  It's linear.

Key word: LINEAR.

Graphics improve, sure.Ã,  But they just get better.Ã,  More pixels.Ã,  Anti-aliasing.Ã,  Other stuff.
Music improve.Ã,  MIDI. MOD. MP3.Ã,  It's still just technical qualities.
I'm not going to bring writing into this, as that's a debatable subject.

Now..Ã,  Puzzles.Ã,  Where do we go? How do we improve them?Ã,  We can't make them "technically" better, since it's all imagination.Ã,  We can come up with more and more illogical puzzles, so people have to think harder, but that would just result in people trying everything on everything.

The way I see things going, and the way I plan on making things, is to make more puzzles than the average game, but make them far more flexible.

S'pose you need to get an electric circuit to join up.Ã,  In your inventory you have a whole bunch of things that are metal.Ã,  Most games would only allow one item to be used to complete the circuit.Ã,  I want to allow any of the possible items to be used, and figure out later puzzles in the same way, whether you have the intended item or not.

Difficult, sure.Ã,  But it also adds to replay value, since you don't have to play the same way thru the second time.

EDIT:

Also, GTD?

EDIT AGAIN:

The replay thing.  I want to try an vary the plot, too.  So you can play thru the whole thing a couple of times, and encounter different minor puzzles each time.  Only the main plot will be similar.  I'll vary that as much as possible, too.