Messages

I'm having a hard time using my mouse to draw the precise walkable areas I want on any given game screen. I've been considering getting a Wacom writing tablet with stylus for other reasons, and just wondered if it was possible to use that with AGS to define the walkable areas, too -- i.e. instead of being limited to using the mouse.

I really like the look of these sprites, very Maniac Mansion-esque. Quite appealing. Why don't you like shadows, if I may ask? I think the guy on the far right with the sign looks a little better with ProgZmax's treatment.

Overall, these are fantastic. Which game is this for?

Also, I'd like to ask, seeing as how this is set in the west and the hero is quite manly, will there be any gunplay?

Hmmmm, how to answer this without giving anything away? Yes, Jake will be able to use his gun to solve puzzles, but there will not be any action/arcade type sequences.

I noticed the neat poster on the website with a train on it. Will there be any trains in the game?

Yes! Episode three is entitled "The Great Train Robbery" and does, indeed, involve an extended sequence on a train.

Is it going to be free or commercial?

Free! Why? Read our FAQ: http://www.rattlesnakejake.com/faq.htm

Seeing as AG have started a new Adventure Architect, are you still going to write for them?

I've talked with the folks over at Adventure Gamers about doing one final installment of my old Adventure Architect series just to bridge the gap between my last entry and today. Sort of a "how to avoid the pitfalls that made me stumble" kind of thing (or, if only I'd known then what I know now...). Look for that later this summer. In the meantime, I'm really enjoying what Deirdra is doing with her take on Adventure Architect.

I just hope that the huge amount of screens won't mean another Al Emmo experience (wandering about tons of screens of  beautiful desert areas with little purpose other than  finding the right cactus).

Actually, the episodic nature of the story helps keep the puzzles on track, in my opinion. While there are about 100 total screens, for example, episode one gives you access to only about 25. I'm not a fan of the "hunt for a random item" style of puzzle, either. I have some inventory based challenges, but even those are more logic-based than I've seen in a lot of games.

I think there's quite a lot to like about Al Emmo, but it's a totally different animal. There's really no similarity at all between the two games other than they're both set in the west.

I like Rattlesnake Jake's chances in a gunfight.

[Screenshots]

Arizona, 1869. An ancient Indian legend, a mysterious secret society, and a down-on-his-luck cowboy with a knack for finding trouble are about to cross paths in Rise of the Hidden Sun, a new point 'n' click comedy adventure game in development by Chapter 11 Studios.

With nothing to his name but his wits, his six-shooter, and a tattered old treasure map, 'Rattlesnake' Jake Dawson needs you to help him win the greatest treasure hunt the Wild West has ever seen -- because the very fate of Western Civilization is at stake, and Jake isn't the only one on the hunt...

Who is the deadly outlaw Mary Jane Clayton, and why has she devoted her life to finding a legendary lost city of gold? What is the mythical Hidden Sun, and why will a murderous secret brotherhood stop at nothing to get it? And perhaps most importantly of all, is Jake willing to sacrifice everything to stop them from succeeding?

When completed, Rise of the Hidden Sun will feature:

- A simple Sierra-style point 'n' click interface
- More than 100 beautifully illustrated game screens
- A full musical score and sound effects
- Thrills! Chills! Spills! Laughs?
- An engaging story told in four downloadable episodes

Screenshots







Sample Character Sprite



Progress

The story of Rise of the Hidden Sun will be told over the course of four episodes. The first three will feature cliffhanger endings that flow into the grand finale of episode four. Work on episode one is nearly complete:

Story: 100%
Puzzles: 100%
Dialogue: 100%
Game Screens: 50%
Music: 100%
Sound Effects: 20%
Animation: 25%
Scripting: 10%

Status Update: February 28, 2009

You didn't think we'd abandonned this project, did you? Here's where we're at:

1) To take advantage of the 1024x768 screen resolution now available in the newest version of AGS, we're in the midst of repainting and re-sizing many of the original screens done several years ago. This is going very quickly, and has been outsourced to a wonderful and enthusiastic artist in Poland. 

2) The re-painting is happening simultaneously with the work by our new animation lead, Wyatt Miles of Flash Potatoes, LLC. Many of you will have seen his work on Dave Gilbert's Emerald City Confidential. Wyatt and his team are nearly done with the first 90 second cutscene, an animated movie that opens the game. Expected completion date for that is April, and when it's done I'll post it here as a bit of a teaser trailer.

3) Wyatt is also working on the in-game sprites. These are coming along well, and you can see the Jake sprite above.

In summary: Work continues, it's going really well, but no, I'm not yet ready to announce a release date. Sorry!

This is supposed to be an underground cavern in which part of the floor has collapsed, leaving several little islands instead of one long even floor. For the most part I'm happy with how this is coming along, except that I don't really like the way I'm doing the vertical lines/colors here to show depth. Any suggestions?

Yeah, this is pretty awesome. Kind of makes me want to go make a pirate game!

Rise of the Hidden Sun was canceled?! Aw, that's a shame! I was really looking forward to it, hope it makes a comeback!

Canceled? Not precisely, no. The game was put on hiatus so that I could focus on getting my career as an adventure travel writer off the ground (http://www.theamericanadventurer.com). It requires me to travel all the time (obviously) and leaves me with a lot less spare time than when I began the project. I'm also married and have a baby now.

But, to put the rumors to rest, no: Rise of the Hidden Sun has not been canceled!

In fact, I expect to have some details (and new artwork) sometime in the next few months about the game's future. I'm currently working on a slightly scaled-back version of the game. Hopefully I've learned from my overly ambitious mistakes of the first go-round.

Any new updates? I really can't wait for this game!

Hi everyone,

In honor of St Patrick's day, I wrote an article about my favorite place in Ireland. Here's a photo of it:



And here's the article. I hope you enjoy!
http://www.smartertravel.com/advice/adventurer/advice.php?id=317330

I'm not the biggest fan of using one template for all the characters. One size/height, sure, but I think they look too much alike using the same body template. Just a little variety here and there could go a long way. That aside, these look nice. I'd play this game. ;-)

Nice work. It reads really well and has some interesting turns of phrase. Vivid, too. Here's the one part that didn't work for me:

For every step a thought is placed
and neatly sorted in my mind
And memories revived, retraced
allow me to in peace unwind

The last line there feels forced. "In peace unwind" goes a little too Yoda-speak for me, whereas all the other lines use normal word order.

Just my two cents. Thanks for sharing.

IMO it's too dark and blurry, I can't think of a character sprite that would blend in nicely.

This is my assessment as well. Did you resize this at some point?

I think you have the perspective right on her, but as a previous poster noted the hands themselves (or the "front" one, anyway) is just a little too chunky for a girl. But overall, this is a lot better than you're giving yourself credit for.

Stupid question, probably, but what's the emo fad?

I see ProgZmax is the chief animator. That bodes well. Why wasn't that brought up in Proggy's podquest interview though...?

He was, yes, and he did an awesome job. The bulk of his work will likely be used in the game, but we're not actively working together anymore, which is probably why he didn't mention it.

Or maybe you could just update your existing GIP thread (isn't there one?).

Sorry, I'm on a very slow machine today and my search for the old thread kept timing out.

Not that we ever really went anywhere, but our website was down due to some technical problems. Now we've found a new Web host, though, and the site is back up and running. You can find it here: http://www.chapter11studios.com

Oh, and I may as well plug my *other* adventure project as well: http://www.theamericanadventurer.com (it's a much different kind of adventure)

OK, I'll shut up now.

Cheers,
Josh

Very nice, expected of course though. How goes Chapter 1?

Coming along. I wish it would go a little faster, to be honest, but we at least make a little progress every week. I'm still very optimistic about a 2006 release. Right now, the big holdup is coding. I'm dreadful at it, but I keep chipping away. 

Meanwhile, it's full speed ahead on chapter two, as you can see from the scene above!

I don't want you all to forget about us, or think we're not working our butts off to bring you the best damn Wild West point 'n' click comedy-adventure freeware game ever... so with that in mind, I present you with a recently completed background screen!



(Layouts by yours truly, pencils by Hazel Mitchell, colors by the incomparable Dan Lee.)

Whattaya think?