Messages

[Update: 10.30.2005]

This game has a dirty mind, which doubles as a heavily animated in-game menu!

Help the detective reconstruct the events of that fateful day at the Hicks' Home... err... double-wide!  Get in to the minds of both members of the Hicks family to reenact their over-the-top, back-and-forth, all-out war!  Decode their secret messages to help you make your next ridiculous move!  But, since you're playing as both characters, you'd better be able to plan ahead and block each attack, or it will be lights out for one of them!

And if he drops this one, he's got a backup remote.  He calls her "Lurleen."

Step into the shoes of Tubby Hicks ("Hey, but he ain't wearin' no shoes!") as he launches an all out offensive on that loud mouthed wife of his by using only the items he can reach from the couch... because what's the point of doing anything if you have to leave the couch to do it?

To Do: -Pick up eggs -Feed the dog -Eliminate your husband -Iron

Enter the kitchen of Lurleen Hicks.  Who are those secret love letters from?  She can't remember, but she's certainly not going to let a little thing like being married get between her and her love for... whoever it is.

Is that the smell of... MURDER?!  Nope... No... It's just mold.

The stage is set, the pieces are in place, and the cold ones are cold, let the battle begin!  Who will survive and who will wind up wearing a toe-tag?  Play Domestic Conspiracy and find out!

Features:

• First person perspective
  
• Stylized cartoon graphics
  
• Animated cut-scenes
  
• Voice acting
  
• An innovative, user-friendly, and seamless interface
  
• More than thirty contextual cursor graphics
  
• Hint system via the detective's observations
  
• Multiple endings
  

Estimated progress:

Story and Puzzle Design: Graphics: Programming: Sound:

100% 80% 75% 10%

[/size]

This has been in production for a long time and a lot of care is going into it.  (The secret ingredient is love.)  Unfortunately, after my recent wedding and finding out that there's a baby on the way, I've got a lot less love to go around.  Things have been quite busy around here, but I've been continuing to diligently plug away at this game.  Though, obviously,production is not moving as quickly as it used to.  Because of the fluctuating time that I'm able to devote to the project, I'm not willing at this point to estimate a release date.



Update: 10.30.2005

The demo is released for Release Something day!

Download the demo here: domcon.rar -- 3MB

[/list]

Wow, these have been great so far.  I especially loved the Barn Runner video, and Ponch should get mucho bonus pointos (that's Spanish for "a lot of bonus points") for his creative presentation.  Big props to Kinoko for this idea!  I think there should be a Release Something every month or every two months.  Hopefully people will actually understand that they are supposed to work on something new and not post it until the release date...

I decided when I first read Kinoko's idea for Release Something that I would finally start the "In Production" thread for my in production game.  But since it was this thread that got me to surge ahead, I'll post it here first (only to be posted minutes later in GIP). 

So, without further adieu (French for "ado"):

This game has a dirty mind, which doubles as a heavily animated in-game menu!

Help the detective reconstruct the events of that fateful day at the Hicks' Home... err... double-wide!  Get in to the minds of both members of the Hicks family to reenact their over-the-top, back-and-forth, all-out war!  Decode their secret messages to help you make your next ridiculous move!  But, since you're playing as both characters, you'd better be able to plan ahead and block each attack, or it will be lights out for one of them!

And if he drops this one, he's got a backup remote.  He calls her "Lurleen."

Step into the shoes of Tubby Hicks ("Hey, but he ain't wearin' no shoes!") as he launches an all out offensive on that loud mouthed wife of his by using only the items he can reach from the couch... because what's the point of doing anything if you have to leave the couch to do it?

To Do: -Pick up eggs -Feed the dog -Eliminate your husband -Iron

Enter the kitchen of Lurleen Hicks.  Who are those secret love letters from?  She can't remember, but she's certainly not going to let a little thing like being married get between her and her love for... whoever it is.

Is that the smell of... MURDER?!  Nope... No... It's just mold.

The stage is set, the pieces are in place, and the cold ones are cold, let the battle begin!  Who will survive and who will wind up wearing a toe-tag?  Play Domestic Conspiracy and find out!

Features:

• First person perspective
  
• Stylized cartoon graphics
  
• Animated cut-scenes
  
• Voice acting
  
• An innovative, user-friendly, and seamless interface
  
• More than thirty contextual cursor graphics
  
• Hint system via the detective's observations
  
• Multiple endings
  

Estimated progress:

Story and Puzzle Design: Graphics: Programming: Sound:

100% 80% 75% 10%

[/size]

This has been in production for a long time and a lot of care is going into it.  (The secret ingredient is love.)  Unfortunately, after my recent wedding and finding out that there's a baby on the way, I've got a lot less love to go around.  Things have been quite busy around here, but I've been continuing to diligently plug away at this game.  Though, obviously,production is not moving as quickly as it used to.   Because of the fluctuating time that I'm able to devote to the project, I'm not willing at this point to estimate a release date.  But, one thing is certain: I will finish this game.

The big white spot is Groom Lake.  Area 51 is the base and airstrips just south of Groom Lake.

Hmm... that's funny.  I typed in "Area 51", and my browser froze up...  ¬_¬ ... coincidence?...

If you want to find Area 51, you should try out Google sightseeing:

http://www.googlesightseeing.com

Just a few clicks, and here it is:

Area 51

Seriously, check out Google Sightseeing.  It's a brilliant way to waste an hour or five.

Drink all the Koo (or is it Qoo?) you can

It's Qoo, and it's delicious!

After a while, did you find your native language skills degrading? Or was that just me?

Well... uhh... what's that word... you know... the one that indicates an affirmative response... oh yeah!  "Yes."

Again, these interviews are a nice idea. I hope they have a long run ahead of them.

Thanks!

Missing from similar: CJ allows us to do it for free!

You guys get it for free?!  He always makes me pay him!

...

for AGS

...

not sex

...

I swear...

Wow, I'm glad to hear that you finished the Trivia Game.  Last time I looked at the production update in your sig, it said 7%, so I'm a bit surprised.  Sorry if my post sounded accusatory.

If you need some server help, I've got plenty of space and bandwidth availiable on my site, and I'd gladly help a brotha out.  All you've got to do is ask. 

Good luck with the Punks game.  I don't see how motorbike programming would be much easier to program than skateboard programming, but maybe I'm assuming a style of play that is completely different from how you imagine it.  Keep working, and stick with it!

I like occasionally checking in at Google Sightseeing

http://www.googlesightseeing.com

They post lots of famous places, weird things (possible UFOs [yeah right], Area 51, really big graffiti), and lots of other interesting stuff that you can check out via Google maps.

And here's my city in Okinawa: Sashiki  Though they haven't made a high res version of Okinawa yet.  But you can see the "U" shape of Sashiki around this little bay.  The green parts (the only parts where it isn't solid city) are the sides of the mountains that surround my little town.  I live on the West side of the "U," just a few blocks from the bay.

I think the idea of a Tony Hawk Underground-esque game is good, though what I would really like to see from you, Blake, is a finished game.  You've gone through, I think it's been six game projects (though I may be missing some), only two of which you've reported to ever reach above 10% completion.

My advice is find an idea and stick to it until it's done.  This project, while it would be an impressive game, would be a massive undertaking.  Creating a game in which you can do lots of different things, run from cops, and stick a mad 360 fakey-backflip (I know nothing about skating) while you're at it, would take a lot (a whole lot) of programming and art.  And frankly, that's not a very good place to start.

What happened to your Simpsons trivia game?  That wouldn't require a whole lot of programming or art.  At least not more than you could easily work through with help from the beginner's lounge.  You even at some point announced that you were ready for beta testers (which I signed up for, only to be left waiting while you switched projects again).  Pick a project, one that you can finish, and then finish it.

Another AGSer who is going to teach English in Asia.  I just got word I'm going to Korea on July 17th.  Whoo.

Wait a sec, Dave.  I could've sworn I read something about you getting a job with a commercial adventure developer...  I mean, I saw the screenshots and everything.  Let's see... there was a hook... a line... and a... HEY!  WAIT A MINUTE!

Anyways, that's really cool.  Welcome to the club.

I'm soo not going to be an Engrish teacher in Japan, that's for sure...

While some of this guy's experiences are terrifying (and hilarious), it should be pointed out that the most common phrase used to describe what life is like as a teacher in Japan is ESID (Each Situation is Different).  I've been here a year and love it so much that I'm planning on staying indefinitely and raising my children here.  It's just that the blogs and websites that end up being the funniest are the ones in which the author has a lot to complain about.  Sites like this one and Kind Of Crap which was the popular one last year are hilarious but are only representative of the vocal minority.  Unfortunately, sites like mine don't draw the same crowd.  I mean who wants to read about someone who's having a great time?

Regarding the interviews, I'd be open to any suggestions to improve them.  I'm thinking that next time I'd like to focus on one key topic in order to encourage more conversation in the following thread.  What do you think?

Thanks, "Jade" and NO THANKS, Eggie!!! 

Nice one, Ali!

[Kinoko, who is constantly being mistaken on the boards for a man (How's that for an introduction?), made a splash in the AGS community with her first game, Cirque De Zale. It was nominated for several AGS awards and Inventory awards, and won the Inventory award for Best Indie Adventure. She is currently hard at work on her next game, an action RPG in the style of the old SNES classics, titled Gift of Aldora.]

This is the first in a series of interviews with AGS community members.  The goal of this new feature, apart from learning a bit more about the interviewee, is to discuss some issues involved with AGS game development to help and to inspire other community members.

After reading the interview, feel free to post any related questions or comments that you may have for the interviewee.  Any comments, questions, or suggestions on this feature may be PMed to me here.

Kinoko, who is constantly being mistaken on the boards for a man (How's that for an introduction?), made a splash in the AGS community with her first game, Cirque De Zale.  It was nominated for several AGS awards and Inventory awards, and won the Inventory award for Best Indie Adventure.  She is currently hard at work on her next game, an action RPG in the style of the old SNES classics, titled Gift of Aldora.

I was fortunate enough to sit down around a few pints of grog (and an internet browser) with Kinoko to chat a bit with her about herself, games, and herself making games.  The following is a transcript of our discussion:


First off, tell us a bit about yourself.  Who is Kinoko?
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I'm a 22 year old Aussie girl who was brought up spoilt with video games galore. I love cats, noodles and rugby league.


Tell us one strange fact about yourself that we don't know.
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Popsticks scare me (seriously).


This August, you're packing your bags and moving to Shizuoka, Japan.  When did you decide to apply to teach English in Japan?
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Probably around October last year. I'd always known about JET and I was nearing graduation from uni, so I had to do something with my life. I needed to get to Japan somehow to complete my study of the language and JET came highly recommended. I'm now thrilled I was accepted.


What kinds of games and genres do you play?  What are you playing now?
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Right now, almost literally right now because I WILL be playing the game as soon as I'm done with this, I'm playing Zelda - Minish Cap. I wasn't to thrilled about the game when I got it months ago but I've recently picked it up again and now I'm hooked. I'm also playing Harvest Moon - Friends of Mineral Town on GBA.  I recently got married, and my wife is pregnant now! [Interviewer's side note: Ok, I totally did a double take at that.  It took me a second to realize you were talking about a game...][Interviewer's more narcissistic side note: Me too!][/size]I do play a bit of D&D with some friends every now and again but I almost never play PC games these days (besides AGS games). I used to be big into PC gaming when I had an amiga and C64, but these days I'm all about console gaming. It's what I was brought up on. I play all sorts of things, I love anything that's genuinely unique or just plain well-made and fun, but my real love is for RPGs.


How often do you play games that come out of the AGS community?
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It varies. I guess it depends on how often something that really grabs my attention comes out. I dont play everything released, just the things that strike a chord with me, particularly when I can see real effort put in.


Any favorites?
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I'm a bit of a Yahtzee whore, I love 5 Days, 7 Days and O.K. Noone can go past Pleurghburg, and I adore the Apprentice. More recently, Saturday School had been the best thing I'd played in ages.


When playing other AGS games, what common mistake do you see repeating itself over and over again and how can developers avoid making it?
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I've always thought one of the biggest mistakes is believing that graphics don't matter. Adventure games tend to be lovers of "old school" graphics and simplicity, and we're always saying that graphics don't matter when you have a great story and game in general, but too many people take that to mean that graphics can be completely... scat-house. It works in joke games, but when you're putting a lot of effort into story and programming, I think the graphics, as simplistic as they may be, should at least show effort and care. It'll make the player care more about your game to know that you did. The other big one is not enough beta-testing. One scripting error can be enough to turn you right off a game. While I'm on the subject, spelling and grammar, people! Fixing up all these things can really make your game seem like a great piece of work.


With a lot of developers, the initial concept is a difficult one, and Cirque had a very unique concept.  How did you come up with it?  Where did the inspiration come from?
[/size]

I'd love to tell a charming story, or a clever one, but I honestly just sat down with a notebook and thought about what would "sell". I knew I wanted to make it in the style of early Lucasarts games, and I knew I wanted a main character with a lot of personality, I just had to think of a theme. I thought about what had been done in adventure games so far (pirates, magicians, royalty and whatnot) and thought that a circus would serve the purpose.


Take me through the process of making your first game.  Did you meticulously plan everything out, wing it as you went along, or somewhere in between?
[/size]

I planned the basic elements I wanted in the game, and a couple of specific jokes I wanted to work in. Then I planned the whole game from start to finish, story and puzzle wise. After that, I drew sketches of my backgrounds and the "map", Alexander's sprite and basically started from there. I didn't have everything planned from the start, I added and changed things as I went along, but the bulk of the game was planned out before I started. I think you have to do that, really. Plan, plan and plan and have everything sorted but be flexible and open to change as you work on the game.


In this process, what went right and what went wrong?
[/size]

Scripting went wrong most of the time, seeing as I was learning the problem as I made the game. Also, I fell into a lot of the same traps most people fall into when making their first game, such as only having one style of puzzle, a very linear storyline (not always a bad thing) and things like that. I'd say one of the things that went right is that the dialogue I pretty much wrote on the spot was pretty well-received, and things I thought would seem corny/obvious/lame because I'd seen it so often and in such detail were, again, well received by people who hadn't been working on the game for 3 months ^_^


What made you decide to make an RPG as your next big project?
[/size]

Adventure games and RPGs were always my "Big Two" in gaming. I'd done one, it was time for the other. I think I was also replaying Terranigma at the time (greatest game ever) and felt like I wanted to carry on the flame a little. Very few RPGs these days really excite me the way they did 'back in the day'.


Cirque is widely loved for its excellent writing and humor, great art and animation, and entertaining puzzles and gameplay.  It grabbed me because playing it for the first time evoked a sense of nostalgia, as if it was a long lost LucasArts game.  It nailed everything that made classic adventure games classic.  In doing this (and at no expense to the game's quality, may I add) Cirque never attempted any new gameplay innovations, instead opting for the tried and true LucasArts verb-based gamplay.  You've stated that the gameplay of Gift of Aldora is based on the Illusion of Gaia/Terranigma series and The Secret of Mana.  Will GoA be playing by the rules and sticking closely to the action-RPG formula laid out by these series or will you be adding some interesting gameplay elements of your own?
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It's hard to say, since it is still in development and I do keep scribbling new ideas all the time. For the most part, it will be made up of 'tried and true' methods from various games. Don't expect anything terribly revolutionary, but I hope the game will invoke a feeling of uniqueness simply because it isn't just a tribute-style game like Cirque was. The main motivation behind this game, however, IS that I want to relive my old SNES console RPG days. I guess I hope will simply feel like something worthy enough to be placed at the feet but among those old games I love.


For you, what's the best (most enjoyable) part of making these games?  The design, the art, the coding, the vast amounts of money that you make...? 
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The vast amounts of money I make... gee, I wish that was it. Given that I've spent the last 10 years calling myself an artist, it's probably weird that I consider one of the funnest parts of game-making to be programming. I find it incredibly satisfying, and you don't have to wait for things to dry or scan a thousand pages. It's easy (physically so, that is) and just like problem solving. I think the winner would have to be conception though (not the baby kind). It's so utterly fun coming up with characters and ideas and trying to mush them together in a story.


What's the worst (least enjoyable) part?
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Animating. It's satisfying when it's done, but sitting there trying to animate a little sprite, moving pixel by pixel and then testing and testing... I find really tedious.


Building an adventure game, as we all know, is a huge undertaking.  It requires a lot of time and work.  So many games get announced, gain a lot of attention, and then fade into oblivion (only to have their "in production" threads dug up by a guest, invoking the wrath of the Mandarb).  You've recently started the "Release Something!" thread, which aims to jump-start some of those ailing games.  Since you've taken it upon yourself to help those poor dust-collecting game projects and since you've proved that you can finish a game (and a quality one at that), do you have any tips for developers to help them be able to follow through with their projects?
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Work on it every single day. The biggest problem comes from taking "breaks" (which I'm very guilty of). It's too easy to forget about your own game when it isn't in your every day life. that said, don't spend 24 hours 7 days a week on it either. It needs to be a part of your life, not your whole life. If you do that, it'll eventually wear you down and you'll stop out of spite for the game.


Thus far, you've been flying solo, creating the graphics, code, music and everything in between for your games by yourself.  Lets say you were given the freedom and funding to assemble a dream-team of people from the AGS forums to work on a new and exciting game.  Based on the work you've seen on the boards, who would you choose?  What roles would they fill?  What role would you fill?  Or would you prefer to continue working on your own?
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I think I'll always prefer working on my own, because I'm incredibly picky and bossy. I wouldn't mind some help with scripting sometimes, and an animator. Still, if I were gonna be working with other people, I'd need to do it face to face because I'm a control freak and it's too easy for people to get away from you online. There are all sorts of people on the boards I'd love to do a project with though. No names [Interviewer's side note: Wuss...][/size]


And finally, the sarcastic titular character of Circue de Zale endeared himself to players by insulting people.  Insult me, thereby endearing yourself to the masses.
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Oh, Vince, but I LOVE you! *hugs and cuddles*


Oh please... you're not going to endear yourself to anybody like that...

I'd like to thank Kinoko for her time and for sharing some of her wisdom with the community.  Before I open up the thread to questions from the peanut gallery, do you have anything clever and profound to say to finish the interview? 
[/size]

One of my favourite quotes and very applicable to me - "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources".


Kinoko, thank you so much.  We look forward to your game.

Now, people, make with the questions!
[/size]

Ivy, for the uniqe color choices, and for attempting to do something a little different.

Is it sad that the thing that I miss most from America is my little Fiona?  She had the cutest face and these adorable white spots on her nose, tail, ears, and feet.  She would always roll up into a ball and sleep cuddled up between my shoulder and neck.  I'd love to sleep with her again...

It's pronounced "moose-taush."

I really liked it.  Very atmospheric.  Very good sound and music.  Excellent use of the fire plugin and very nice 3D backgrounds.  I wish it revealed more of the story... as it is, I'm not sure it had enough plot to really excite me for the full game, but it did interest me.

Oh, and definitely don't change the inventory interface.  I don't know why anyone would want to "walk to" or "talk to" anything in their inventory.  The default left=use/interact, right=look works nicely and felt very natural.  One suggestion: if I want to use an inventory item and I click it, let me click anywhere off of the inventory GUI to close it.  Don't force me to click on the "OK" button.

I would, however increase the walking speed as it is waaay too slow in some places (the portal). 

Also, I like the character sprite, but I don't think it fits in terribly well with the atmosphere.  If you look at the characters of any really good game, you can always get some bearing on the character's personality based on their sprite.  It seems in your game universe, everyone just says, "Hi, I'm the guy with the tucked in green shirt."  "Hey, I'm the guy with the tucked in blue shirt."  "Don't forget about me, the guy with the tucked in red shirt!"  "Ooh!  And me!  I'm wearing all black... but that shirt sure is tucked in!"  And that's all I can read about their characters from the sprites.

Looking forward to Prodigal proper!

Whoa!  Josef, nice to hear from you.  I'm a big fan of the column.  You put in a hell of a lot of work, and it shows.

Aside from pointing me towards great underground games that I've missed, your column has given me a lot of tips (both things to strive for and things to avoid) to consider while working on my own game. 

I look forward to seeing the eventual paragraph reviewing my game in one of your (possibly far) future colums.

Keep up the good work!

Like the monkey said, Adobe now owns Macromedia.  This means you're likely to see more interoperability (easy importing/exporting of images and animations in some format between the two companies' suites) but you'll never see Photoshop directly editing .swf files.  First of all, it runs completely counter to what Photoshop was designed to do, and secondly, they'd basically be competing against themselves.

I was going to make an actual game (not cheesily drawn in flash mx prof.).

Good idea.  You should make it well drawn in Flash MX.

If you think that a drawing made in Flash is automatically cheesy, you're not familiar with Flash.  It's capable of amazing things.

I need a bit of help and I know I can count on the AGSers.

I'm building a website in the hopes to form a community.  Of course I'd like to be able to make enough money off of this site to cover the hosting costs and if I get some extra on top of that to pay for the time that I've spent making the site, so be it.

So, I'm trying to find as many sites of a similar nature to see what kind of business plan they have going on (subscription fees/ad revenue/donations/merchandising/corporate partnerships, etc).  I'd like to learn from their mistakes and successes and use that knowledge to help form my own business plan.

The site that I am building is along the lines of Deviant Art or Great Writing where you create your own personalized page where you can showcase your creative or intellectual work, except that my site is aiming at a different creative target audience -- one that I believe is not represented properly on the web.

So if you know of any "post your {insert creative work type here} on your own personalized page and recieve c&c from other members of the community" websites... post them here.

Thanks for your help.

Sites listed so far:

• Deviant Art
  
• Great Writing
  
• Elfwood (currently down)
  
• Art Conspiracy (also currently down)
  

You know, I was wondering about this game the other day.  Good to see you're still working on it.

Checked the update... Wow, that's way better.  I like that you can see things just by getting close, it's a much better design decision.  I also like that the things fade out afterwards.  It makes it feel more realistic.  Like I'm actually blind and can only touch one thing at a time.  Very cool.

Though I still have no idea what to do, I was able to get a lot farther in this version.

Spoiler

I never saw the sledgehammer, pocketknife, or pipe in the previous version.  I managed to break the pipe with the sledgehammer, cut open the bag with the knife.  Taste the bag to find out that it's flour.  Get it wet.  And then, entirely through trial and error... dip the pocketknife into it.  I have no idea why.

That's as far as I got.

[close]

Once again, I'd like to state that I love the innovation in this game.  It's a nice idea, treat it right.  Don't concentrate too hard on your cool new gamelay element or you might forget to cover the basics.

1. Make sure the puzzles are logical.
2. Use your gameplay to its full potential.  (i.e.  make sure that you don't just use taste or smell once or twice and then ignore them.  if they are important enough to be given a spot on the inventory, they are important enough to be used throughout the game in intuitive ways.
3. Make the game usable.  I hate going into my inventory and having to click the  Arrow button (which by the way has a testy click detecton.).  Default me to the inventory select cursor.  The arrows for turning the lock on the toolbox are covered by the mouse area for the inventory making it very hard to use.  etc. 
4. Help a brotha' out.  Let us examine our inventory items.  Using smell and taste and touch we should be able to surmise more about these things that we're carrying.  This goes for the whole game, not just the inventory.  If I taste an object, give me more than "No taste."  And for the inventory items, I don't even get that...
5. Tell us why certain actions don't work in a descriptive manner.  When I'm randomly trying inventory items on things in the room (which, if you follow #1, won't be necessary), tell me why nothing happens.  For example, using the hand on the window gives me "I can't break it with my hand."  Cool.  Gotcha.  But when I try the sledgehammer on the window nothing happens.  You'd better give me SOME explanation for why my sledge doesn't help me out with my glass problem.

Looking forward to this game.  Keep up the good work.