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[> Think: UEFS]

> Think: UEFS

UEFS is a designation that identifies a spaceship belonging to the United Earth Federation starfleet. While TERRA is no longer inhabited, the name of the one true homeworld lives on in the hearts and minds of the people of the FEDERATION.

Similiar designations exist for other ship types, such as the UEFC for large capital ships, UEFO for smaller orbital craft and finally, if a ship travels to the outer fringes of the federation, one might encounter a ship carrying the designation FCS, standong for a Free Colonial Starship. Some colonies still seek to strike out and wish to grow separate from the legislation of the Federation, though no major conflict has been seen for over a century.

> Scan the UEFS Shrike for signs of life



"Comms, renew the scans on the Shrike, maybe we can see more now that we're closer." -you instruct your underling. The comms-officer nods and goes to work, his translucent displays flicering with data.

"Nothing, captain. No signs of life detected, though I'm still not sure if the scan is able to penetrate the shielding on the Shrike. I keep getting WEIRD READINGS. Mostly it's just noise, but I think there might be more here. I'll keep trying to isolate the signal fragments to make sure."


> Try to establish contact with the UEFS Shrike by messaging them of our peaceful intentions.




"Open a comm-link with the Shrike. Let's see if anyone picks up."

The comms-officer nods and taps a sequence of commands to his console. A series of bleeps signals the opening of the communication link between the two ships.

"This is the captain of the UEFS Jibril. UEFS Shrike, we have you on our screen and are approaching docking range. Please respond."

Only silence and faint static reply.

"I repeat, this is the UEFS Jibril, Shrike, please respond. If you do not responds, we will attempt to board you in order to provide aid."

Amidst the silence, you make out a faint series of clicks and noises. You glance at the virtual visage of your comms-officer, who shrugs.

"I don't know what that is, captain. Could be nothing, or maybe a faulty or damaged transmitter... I just don't know, captain... 90 seconds to docking."

The Thing?

Nope. For the record, this game DOES have other environments than just snow, including deserts and swamps.
Also: It's a free game.

EDIT: I only now looked back on some of the earlier 150+ pages and noticed that the original idea of the thread was to showcase ADVENTURE games, though some previous games haven't exactly been that either. In any case, for fairness sake, I'll note that this game is NOT an adventure game.

Sorry.

It's not "Cold Place" or "Very Cold Place", nor is it Syberia.

Here, have 2 more screenshots, this time showing more than just icebergs:






EDIT: I only now looked back on some of the earlier 150+ pages and noticed that the original idea of the thread was to showcase ADVENTURE games, though some previous games haven't exactly been that either. In any case, for fairness sake, I'll note that this game is NOT an adventure game.

[>Brief and send in the boarding team.]

< Bonus update because it's Sunday! >



>Brief and send in the boarding team.

> advise crew to keep shrike at a distance for boarding so no radiation can come close. Only board it through the triple airlock so no nanoparticle virus or radiating particles come into our ship. Also make them be armed with bullets, lasers and flamethrowers and whatever else they have. And wear protective spacegear and some warm socks below. It is cold out there in space.

You call up a communication link to the boarding party. The transparent visage of Master Sergeant Johnson is generated by the shipboard sensors and cameras. The marine, fully enveloped in vacuum-armor, salutes and awaits your orders.

"Master Sergeant, ready to board?" -you ask.

"Sir, yes, sir. The team is locked and loaded, we've got the rescue kits, sensor kits and everything else ready to go."

You glance at the symbols representing the boarding party. The four men have donned their vacuum armor and are wielding the ZAR-45's, the Marine's standard shipboard sidearm, capable of firing a range of munitions, including hollow-point deuterium enriched shells, fletchettes, grenades and lasflame shots. In addition to their protection, the team has prepared two magtrolleys, one equipped with stacks of emergency search and rescue supplies, while the other is stocked with communications and sensory equipment to allow the boarding team to stay in contact with the Jibril despite the Shrike's heavy shielding.

"Very good." -you say approvingly. "State your mission objectives one more time."

The marine nods. Despite having gone through the mission plan exhaustively over the last couple of days, he doesn't seem to mind your thoroughness.

"Sir, me and my men will use the ship-to-ship triple-airlock docking bridge to transit from the Jibril to the Shrike. Once aboard, we will establish a communication uplink via the transit bridge if possible, and via the wireless gear if not. After this, we have two objectives:

One: search and rescue, if necessary, any members of the Shrike's crew and transport them to the Jibril.
Two: study the current status of the Shrike's drives to see if the ship's engines can be used to transport the ship under it's own power.

Our team will report back to you every ten minutes while aboard the Shrike. In case of emergency the transit bridge can be separated and me and my men can exfiltrate using our suits to minimize any danger to the Jibril.

How'd I do, captain?" -the marine asks with a grin.

"Very good, Master Sergeant. Don't forget your warm socks. Might get chilly if you have to take to the vacuum." -you reply.

"Wilco. We'll begin boarding as soon as the transit bridge is in place."

You nod approvingly, permitting the Marine to get back to his duties.

"Two minutes to docking." -the comms-officer intones.

[> Tell the COMMS-officer: "Send update to the crew, alerting them of the approximate time of arrival. Remind them that all non-authorized personell remain at their station and the medical staff be at the ready for whatever comes next."]

> Tell the COMMS-officer: "Send update to the crew, alerting them of the approximate time of arrival. Remind them that all non-authorized personell remain at their station and the medical staff be at the ready for whatever comes next."



The comms-officer nods, then taps into the ships internal communication system: "All personnel, the Jibril is now in condition yellow. Prepare for ship-to-ship docking procedures. Time to contact is one-five-zero seconds."

> Plot trajectory of Shrike backwards and forwards in time. (where did it come from, where is it going?)



You pull up sensory data of the Shrike to see if you can trace it's trajectory or origin. The comms-officer glances at the data and remarks: "That's odd..."

There is no sensory data on the Shrike. It's engines are cold and there are no emissions or particles that would indicate any recent engine activity. The ship is completely stationary relative to it's surrounding space, as if it had never moved at all. Nothing indicates that the Shrike has flown here under it's own power, nor does anything indicate that the Shrike is capable of maneuvering, though perhaps this is just a new feature of ship design, which might explain why high-command wants the shrike secured in secret.

> Check own position in time and space

The date is July 26th, 1126 (Post Terran Date). Shipboard standard time is 0942.
The UEFS Jibril is currently situated in an uncharted deep-space region 6 light years past the Perseus Arm region, over a light-year away from the nearest established shipping route.

[> Prepare the weapons and lock on to the shrike as a back up for boarding.]

> Prepare the weapons and lock on to the shrike as a back up for boarding.


With a flick of your finger, you arm the forward-facing PARTICLE-BEAM batteries, as well as the MISSILE-PODS mounted on the top and bottom of the Jibril. The firing key hovering on your digital waist feels heavy. All you need to do is grab it, point it at the Shrike like a pistol of olden times, and pull the virtual trigger. Since the Shrike's shields seem to be down, the Jibril should be able to critically damage the larger vessel, if not completely destroy it.

> think: "eyes-only" ORDERS

The orders were delivered by a courier shuttle and handed to you by a navy SECTOR COMMANDER personally.

-EYES ONLY- ORDERS TO FOLLOW - GOLD PRIORITY 1) The UEFS Jibril is to accomodate the TASK FORCE of MARINES accompanying these orders. Provide any materials and assistance requested. 2) The UEFS Jibril is to make contact with the UEFS Shrike at the enclosed coordinates and ascertain the fate of the Shrike's crew. 3) Any and all members of the Shrike's crew are to be removed from the Shrike and transported to the Naval High Command outpost at enclosed coordinates. 4) Destruction of, or damage to the Shrike is to be avoided if at all possible. However, the survival of the Jibril and all persons aboard, including the marine task force, are paramount. 5) No crew members of the Jibril are to board the Shrike under any circumstances. Only the marine task force provided is permitted to board. - ORDERS END -

It doesn't take much to deduce that something about the Shrike is seriously classified and way above the security clearance of anyone aboard the Jibril, save for the MARINES.

> Start boiling an egg and making some instant ramen!



You realize that you haven't had any lunch so far during this day cycle and it is getting a bit late. You prod a finger at the shape representing your room and remotely activate the cooker. A hot bowl of RAMEN NOODLES will await you in your QUARTERS. You could send for someone to bring them up to the command deck, but you can't recall a single time when eating while in command space hasn't resulted in a right mess. It is, after all, difficult to eat when you can't actually see the food.

[> Review the available crew and ship components under your control]

< Here comes the first update. To keep amount of work per post under control, I am restricting the game to accept 3 commands per turn. The FIRST 3 commands will be accepted, unless later commands receive more re-posts / +1's. >

> Review the available crew and ship components under your control


Deciding to do an after-jump systems and personnel check, you glance across the visual representation of the Jibril. The myriad systems and subsystems, all interlinked and crisscrossed by fine threads representing connections both mechanical and virtual, are all displayed with utmost clarity and precision.

Primary systems under your direct control, should you so desire:
- Engines
- Atmosphere
- Shipboard gravity
- Long-range weapons
- Short-range weapons
- Faster-than-light (FTL) core
- Long range and ship-to-ship communications
- Sensor arrays
- Access control including doors, elevators and airlocks

Additionally you flick across the crew roster and location data. All fourteen crew members are present and accounted for, including yourself, the COMMS-OFFICER next to you, as well as the two naval OFFICERS in the next room, four ENGINEERING staff, two MEDICAL staff and the four highly trained MARINES assigned under your command for the duration of this mission.

Pleased, you nod to yourself, your holographic counterpart mimicking the suble motion. You let go of the virtual shapes and watch them slowly flow back into place.

> Grant permission to move closer and board the Shrike...


"Take us closer. Prepare to board as soon as we have docked." -you instruct your comms-officer in a cool voice that comes with being a seasoned veteran of the navy. He nods and his digitized fingers begin to flick through virtual control panels and data slates. Through your physical body, you can feel the vibrations and the Jibril's sublight engines begin to fire. In the virtual world you can feel the power coursing through the engines, and see the virtual form of the SHRIKE slowly moving closer.

> think: Shrike

As you watch the SHRIKE's sensory image slowly creeping closer, you realize that the SHRIKE is a mystery to you. You had never even heard of the ship until a few days ago, when an express courier shuttle docked with you, delivering a compliment of MARINES, along with "eyes-only" ORDERS in the form of an encrypted dataslate. All you know is that the Shrike had been missing under mysterious circumstances for over two standard months, after which it has floated in the middle of nowhere, broadcasting an automated distress signal on a naval emergency channel.

By design the Shrike is a frigate, slightly larger than the corvette-class Jibril, but from the specifications you've received, it seems the Shrike was modified to be more suitable for long-distance travel than most frigates, and more than usual of its systems were automated or AI -driver, to allow for a downsized crew of 9, instead of the usual sixteen to eighteen crew members on frigate -class ships. Much of the data, including armament, armor, shields and drive specifications, on the Shrike was classified, leading you to believe that the ship might have carried cargo, crew or technology of some top-secret variety, which would also explain why no other ships had been allowed to approach the Shrike, as well as why your own crew is not permitted to board, as the ORDERS clearly stated that the Jibril was only to act as a transport for the four MARINES.

"30 kilometers and approaching. Estimated time until docking, three minutes." -the comms-officer intones.

We are now embracing the old style, hopefully you guys will enjoy the game.

By the by, it's started and you can find it here: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52685.msg636521022

[> Take lamp]

[HOW TO PLAY] You can suggest future actions by posting in this thread. Up to three most popular commands will be executed during each update. To post a command, please enter a “greater than” -symbol before the actual command. For example: > Take lamp You can command the character to speak a line with the command “Say:” followed by the line, for example: > Say: “I'm selling these fine leather jackets” Note that the exact words typed will be used by the character in communication. There is a lot of places, objects and characters in this game and you might need to know more about them before interacting with them. If you wish to know more about an item, a character or a concept, use the command “Think: “ -followed by the subject, for example: > Think: lemurs or > Think: The war of 1812 Feel free to post thoughts, ideas, suggestions and theories in the thread, and to discuss the game and it's characters and events with other players. Just keep in mind that commands should be identified by the greater than -sign for clarity.

“Navlock is in the green. Sublight and maneuvering thrusters ready to fire. Exiting FTL in five - four - three - two - one...”



The universe around you lurches in a most unnatural way, the voice of your sensors officer fades out and you feel as if your insides were trying to escape your gut. As the UEFS Jibril's sleek black hull slides to a halt, firmly back in realspace, you, now fully enveloped by the rich black of virtual space, let out a deep breath.



“Captain, we have a contact. Scanning...”




As data begins to trickle into your brain via the wireless shunts in your skull, a virtual space begins to project around you, first laden with static and noise, then taking shape and sharpening. You see the Jibril, a tangle of symbols, icons and telltales representing systems and subsystems and crew members as they work in preparation for their mission. Around it, a vast section of empty space, with only one point of light standing out amidst the range symbols.



The holographic representation of your sensory officer stands next to you, enveloped in flickering images that project data from a number of sensors. His digital mouth does not move, but his voice is clear:


“Confirmed. Captain, the signal source matches, as do the validation codes: it is the Shrike.”



You look on as the hologram shape of another ship, larger and blockier than your own, forms in the virtual space. The UEFS Shrike, reported missing in action with all hands over three standard months ago, while on a routine transit flight to a remote sensor station. A few days ago the Shrike had reappeared, sending out an automated distress signal. High command responded by ordering a non-transit zone to be established around the area of the Shrike's , with only one ship allowed to approach. That ship is the Jibril, your ship. Through the neural implants you can see and feel through the ship. For all effects and purposes, while you remain in the virtual space, you are one with the ship. Airlocks, doors, elevators, lights, weapons, shields; all responds to your will, a mere flick of a finger and a word spoken enough to either send the Jibril into a full combat frenzy or lull it to sleep for another nightcycle.

“Scans of the hull show no damage, low power signature. Can't get past the shielding, so no readings on the interior. Captain, the boarding team reports ready to go. Permission to move us closer?”

[You are now in control of Edward Hogan, the captain of the UEFS Jibril, a light naval strike vessel currently on a mission to make contact with the UEFS Shrike, another military vessel which was missing for an extended period of time, and appeared only recently. You are the first ship to approach the Shrike.]

I just realized that it seems I have basically just re-drawn the same clothes, but with reverse colours...
I was going to design a couple of other outfits as well anyway, but still... man...

Well, so far it seems all the votes on and off the forums go towards: keep the old style, so I guess I'll continue prepping the graphics based on that.

About the game being comical or not: it's basically up to the players. The first game was mostly a serious story in my head, but the events to which the game led due to player commands resulted in some humorous and memorable moments, and that's never a bad thing.

I'll try something similiar this time as well, there will be a serious underlying story to discover, or the players can go wild and sell fine leather jackets!

I've been toying around with a new visual style, but have also gotten feedback somewhat to the tune of "nooo, don't change it, the old style was good!", so I thought I'd post here to see what people think. The old game itself went through a slight style change halfway through, so any new style is not set in stone anyway, as I might adapt the style on the fly.



I think both the old and the "new" style can work well, but the big bobbleheads do give the visual style a more comical feel. What say you, fellow forumgoers?

MASSIVE SPOILERS:

Spoiler

The father was trying to drown the daughter not because he wanted to kill her but because he just wanted to have her back with him, and did not realise the consequences of that until she reminded him about their (alive) life together by showing the family drawing. I guess his mind is in some kind of dreamlike state, not realising he is dead, until she snaps him out of it by showing him the drawing. (A nice allegory of parents never wanting to let go of their kids even when it's time for them to grow up and go their own ways...although this is just my own obsevation and doesn't need mentioning to kids)...

Kids will also probably ask what happened to the father character in the first place. My theory is that the drowned wife came for him because she wanted him back by her side in much the same way that he came back for the daughter later. This would be a good opportunity for discussion with children about what they imagined happened...

[close]

This is also just what I personally got from the story after a few playthroughs. Game author can confirm or deny?

You have just, pretty much verbatim, laid out the story I had written out for the game in the design doc.
It seems that I did manage to create a somewhat coherent story, despite the limitations in the tools with which to convey then.
Very good!

Ok so it's a timed puzzle but no obvious counter or way to know that time is running out and once it runs out, the game is over with no way to restore from a save point and no obvious way to know WHY the game is over?

Yup!

Shadow:

The arrow buttons remaining visible is a bug, they should disappear when night falls and the bad ending cutscene is triggered. I'll fix hat one and upload a new version today.

So the reason I got that ending was because night fell and nothing I did to trigger it? Is there a way to prevent it from happening?

SHADOW

No, I'm afraid there is no way to stop the sun from setting, but you CAN escape the reef and sail away before that happens.

I haven't been able to replicate the sort of issue you describe, so I can only guess that it's something with the engine (or engine version I use, I haven't updated to the latest alpha/beta builds yet) or your computer or some combination of the above.

Sorry, I can't really help you out here.

Shadow:

The arrow buttons remaining visible is a bug, they should disappear when night falls and the bad ending cutscene is triggered. I'll fix hat one and upload a new version today.

Other than that, here's a little info about the sail:

Spoiler

Once you have enough cloth for the sail, you need to find a needle and thread to mend the sail.

[close]

Uploaded a new version on 8th of September, fixing a baseline issue which could cause a character sprite to be displayed incorrectly.

Once again a fantastic MAGS competition! All entries were so different that it's difficult to compare them.

As usual (trying to make it a tradition) I made LP's of all the games.
Playlist is here if interested: https://youtu.be/Ks-wLHGAy6c?list=PLEem6SKeUgpUTdSg7d7oRYNsiAD7NyGrD

Oooh man, that IS a bug I will have to look into. Thanks for the Let's Play and letting me know, will upload a fix today.
It was also a lot of fun watching you try and parse what all the speech bubbles meant. Hope you'll take the time to finish the game sometime.

Edit: uploaded a fix already, the issue was with a sprite being assigned an incorrect baseline value, which caused it to appear in an inappropriate (and creepy) place.
EditEdit: Ha! I knew you sounded swedish! Just checked your forum profile. Greeting from neighboring Finland.

I just got around to playing the game, it was awesome, the subtlety of the language spoke volumes.

Happy to hear you liked it!
I haven't had a chance to play the other MAGS games yet, but intend to do so as soon as I can.

Hmm, I might have been mistaken then, You'll know you got the "good ending" when there is happy music at the end and credits roll. Good luck!