Messages

[PLOT]

After awhile of inactivity, AussieSoftTM proudly presents...Ã, 







PLOT

You play Detective Michael Ebb, from the City Police. Back in 1974, while working for the International Police, you sent a bunch of terrorists to jail.

One day, watching the news at home, the bulletin is interrupted with an important message for you: the terrorists are back to haunt you!!!

They've got your 20 year old daugther and threaten to kill her in ten minutes. As there's no time to assemble a rescue squad, you head over to the place where the terrorists were last seen in a desperate rescue attempt.

FEATURING

- A thrilling storyline.
- Non-stop action.
- Countdown gameplay.
- 900kb of entertainment.
- A total of 25 rooms.
- Spectacular music and sound effects!
- 10 characters.
- About 100 Global VariablesÃ, 
- 320x200 Res.
- Different ways of solving certain puzzles.
- A super-simple user interface.

DOWNLOAD

http://www.geocities.com/abd10min

http://www.geocities.com/pedro_scribe2004/

OTHER STUFF

- Feel free to report any bugs here, although I think I've done a fairly good work with beta testing.

- You might know what Geocities is like in terms of data transfer and so forth. If you can't access the page because the bandwidth limit has been exceeded, the page should be back up within one hour. I've made two very simple pages so as to maximise traffic.

- If you're a kind and compassionate soul willing to host the game for me until I get a proper domain. By all means let me know.

- Even if the game has to be completed within 10 minutes, I think it'll take a few attempts (you can, and most likely will, get killed in this game) before you finish it.

- Since it's 25 rooms and 10 characters all up, it's posted in the Medium Length section.

<EDIT>
Most reported bugs have been fixed and the new version of the game uploaded as of 15/10/2004.

In any case, I have noted that the clock does stop when a message pops up, for example. Not that it bothers me. In fat, it works quite well and I'm a fair way along the game now.

I'll just try to put everything in Rep_Ex_Always, see how it goes.

[<<<EDIT>>>]

I see. Thanks.

I'll give it a go.

Any suggestions on the pixelly look bit?


<<<EDIT>>>

Highwaygal,

I did the face using the method you suggested (right) and compared it to the original one (left).



I think yours works better, and it even reduces the pixelly look.  Plus it didn't take that long...

Still, I'd really like to get sharper lines. Maybe I need to ink the sketch?

Well, I would suggest not working with the magic wand tool when painting, try colouring it freehand and just clean up after.

Wouldn't that take ages? (it only took me about 15 min to color this on in).

Do you have any examples of the coloring in technique you're suggesting? I just would like to compare the final outcome.


BTW, I don't want to look rude. I just want to discuss which way works better. Thanks for all those suggestions you're giving me.

The best (and only really functional way) would be to import image into some of the vector drawing programs (corel draw, freehand,Ã,  ilustrator, flash), and then draw it again.
What is the original form of your image (is it scaned or made entirely in photoshop)?

It's a scanned pencil sketch.

I would have to look into that vector thingie, I guess. How would you go about re-drawing the sketch in illustrator?

Ah, I guess I didn't explain very well.
What I meant was, when you colour your sketch, leave the pencil layer as normal, but set the paint layer on multiply.

I see, that makes sense.

But I suppose I would have to really clean up the pencil sketch so the magic wand works. That's why I had another layer just in b/w.

Thanks all. Any tips on how to remove the pixelly look? Here's the sketch.




Highwaygal:

Well, a great method for painting pencil sketches is to scan it normally, but in PS, add a multiply layer and paint on that layer.

I'm not sure how that's different from what I did. Do you mean I would have to redraw the outline in the new multiplied layer and then color it in? Or would I just have to select sections from the bottom layer then color them in in the top one?

BTW, nice shading.


James Kay:

I'm interested in that non-opaque ink bit. Could you be a bit more specific?

Hi. I colored in this picture with Photoshop 5.5 and I'm interested in feedback on coloring in techniques (not so on the sketch itself).



I used four layers:

1. Top: Pencil scan. Multiplied. 50% opacity.
2. Upper middle: Coloring layer. Normal.
3. Bottom middle: Black and white outline (from adjusting b/w curves). Normal.
4. Background (which I deleted at the end).

What I basically did was to select white areas from layer three and color them in in layer 2. Layer 1, being only half opaque, allows for the shading from the original pencil drawing.

Anyway. Comments anyone?


EDIT: I know some of the edging came out in green when I save it for the web. I was a bit lazy to fix it. Sorry.

I'd like my game to take place in ten minutes. If the player can't finish it within that period of time, the game ends and he loses.

For that, I'd like to have a countdown clock in the upper right corner of the screen, so the player knows eactly how long there's left.

I know clocks have been spoken of before, but I'm not sure if this has been done. Ideas?

No lollies for guessing where mine comes from.

I call Australia home.

I'm loving it. 

I'm a fair way along (or at least I have managed to solve quite a few puzzles).

But I have a question:

Spoiler

I need to get the autograph.

I have already removed the roof cover from the stables. So I'm in speaking terms with the centaurs.

Also, when I try to forge the signature with the quill, Pib says he can't do it because he's never seen the real thing before.

[close]

DOTT: The right handed statue that becomes left handed in the past, so that nurse Edna cannot hang on to it in the present.

MI: Insult sword fighting.

MI2: The spitting contest.

That's allright. 

Just in case you don't get the JFK business...

Spoiler

Read the email on the computer. You'll find out that the captain's 55th birthday was only a few days ago.

It's a subtle hint. Basically, the code is the captain's birth date. That is, 28th July 2030. Therefore the six digit code is 280730.

[close]

I fully agree.

I can't believe he's done it again.

Funny, I didn't notice.

It's a shame that can happen.

I mean, why would anyone do that sort of thing?

Perhaps the lines on his shirt should ben downward a little (about one pixel) in the middle. Otherwise it looks a bit flat.

Righto. So that's sorted out.Ã, 

BTW I'm a staunch merengue fan.Ã, 

Mate, it looks like we're not gonna agree in too many things. ..Ã, 

And coming back to this year's Tour... I don't think Amstrong is gonna have any further trouble taking it (unless Basso pulls off something reaaaally special).

In fact, the walthru' is not so new... 

Perhaps my previous post was a bit over the top. I guess I just feel it's a bit of a let down that nobody can face up to Amstrong this year. Competition-wise, I think this is being a bit of a soft one, that's all.

There is no use denying Amstrong's merit. He is the best around.

But Indurain was better in my opinion, and I think his rivals were stronger. And that's just that, my own opinion.Ã,  Ã, 

Still, Farlander, respecful as I am of your views (because I think you have a valid point, and you're entitled to think as you wish), I disagree with some of them.Ã, 

Especially, since you're a cyclist and you know what the sport is like, you'll have to give me that calling someone who has won the Tour the France five times out of sheer humility and hard work a "coward", and holding him responsible for "dozens of deaths" is also a bit far-fetched.

He gave stage victories to Rominger, Ciapucci, Rijs... just for not make them turn mad and go on with his boring winning-Tour style (Great time trials and boring mountain stages).

I've been watching cycling ever since Pedro Delgado lost in the last stage to Stephen Roche (that's 1987), and I can assure you Indurain has offered some of the most exciting mountain stages I've seen.

Remember that Giro d'Italia stage in Oropa? He was "maglia rosa", and the second, third, fourth and fifth all belonged to the Gewiss team (Ugrumov, Argentin, Berzin...). They were all less than three minutes away on the general standings, and they all attacked time after time, yet he managed to keep the maglia.Ã, 

That same year he caught Pantani in the Mortirolo (which is probably the hardest climb in Europe) and went on to win the Giro.Ã,  Then, he went on to the Tour de France, where, they had made a pressumably "anti-Indurain" itinerary (putting more climbs in, taking off one of the two time-trials).

Or remember in Lourdes-Hautacam, when Rominger was regarded as the best climber around, and Indurain (who was -in theory- the "victim") absolutely killed him and everybody else?

Perhaps he wasn't as "explosive" in mountain stages. But you have to bear in mind he weighed over 85 kg. He just had a different style, and he did attack, but in his own way (that is: gear up, steady pace, gear up, steady pace, gear up, steady pace).

Induráin was told to be generous, but I think he was coward. He gave stage victories to Rominger, Ciapucci, Rijs... just for not make them turn madÃ, 

I remember that Beloki atacked Amstrong twice at Mont Ventoux in 2002. The basque tried it again, but that made Lance go mad and he counter-stroke... the result, Lance won 4,20 minutes against Beloki that day. Wouldn't you think twice to attack him again?

Even if he conceeded stages, the others would not stop attacking him (remember how Chiapucci was termed "the devil" because he would never yield?). Others, like Rominger, Zulle and Bugno also had a taste of what it was to be caught time after time.

I think, more than coward you could say "generous" (remember when he attracted all the attention in the closing stages of the Colombia World Championships so that Olano could shoot off and take the gold medal?). He was not only a star, but also a good team player.

Besides, I don't think those guys would have been very happy just winning stages if they thought they had a chance to hit the big money.

I think he undirectly caused dozens of deaths.

Indurain did wear a helmet, at least in the flat stages (no one can be expected to wear a helmet during the climbs. Amstrong doesn't do it either). Helmets only became compulsory in 1995 (I think it's a bit far-fetched to accuse him of indirectly causing dozens of deaths, since everyone rode like that in those days). By your rule of thumb, I could say that the message Amstrong has given me is "if a beautiful young singer comes your way, then you should dump your wife and kids and run off with her", right? That would make Amstrong indirectly responsible for thousands of broken families. And that perhaps wouldn't be very fair, would it?

I don't think the message Indurain conveyed was that of an irresponsible person. In fact, I think humility and hard work were the values that best matched his style. He never said a word louder than the other, and all his public comments were always respectful.

On the other hand, when Amstrong took advantage of Mayo's fall the other day to get almost four minutes on him... well, I just couldn't help thinking that I've seen Indurain put the whole of his team ahead of the pack to stop it when a rival had fell over or had a punture (Rominger in 1994, for example). And Ullrich and Mayo waited for Amstrong last year in the Alps, when he fell over.

Obviously, Amstrong is entitled to take advantage of those happenings. But I think Indurain's overall approach to the sport was more... sportmanlike.

Lance loves to challenge them to the limit and crush them, with the result that their moral is kaputt for this and the next year. That'w why he has not rivals, they're all different each Tour.

Not many riders repeated podium with Indurain either... they also got sick of him.

Besides, Indurain did not care only for the Tour de France. He did win Giro and Tour in the same season three times. It can't be ignored that he was in top-notch form from May to July, and had to fight off opponents who prepared specifically for Giro and Tour.

Each great champion has his own style. Indurain did have his defects, I would have also liked to see him win everything he could, like Amstrong does, and I would have also liked him to be more spectacular, but, you know, it's just the way he was... and precisely that low-key style of Indurain's is what really appeals to me: the humble champion.

And that is by no means intended to deny Amstrong's merit, which is great...Ã,