Messages

I didn't play much of the original KQIII, but did play the IA remake.

The map lets you go to anywhere you've been that is relevant to where you are now. When you are in Llewdor you can go to five or six of the places in Llewdor that you've already been just by clicking on the map, and in Davenry anywhere you've been in Daventry, etc.

Knowing that after Manannan leaves (or sleeps,) you have about 30 minutes before he returns, you can go all over Llewdor for about 25-27 minutes and instead of having to plan on it taking you so long to go through 6, 8 , or 10 screens and climb up the meandering mountain path to get back to the house, you can just click on the mountaintop on the map and it would put you right outside the front door of the house, giving you plenty of time to hide your stuff before he catches you.

That was what I used it the most for, besides evading another one of those meandering paths later in the game.

OFF TOPIC: ONE meandering path "puzzle" is enough for one game.  That is the only thing I didn't like about KQ3, the fact that it had 3 of them.

Are you going to recycle MI sprites as well?

Given that you said you artistic talent is limited, you may be able to give your game your own feel by modifying the MI sprites by changing clothing color, hair styles, and/or using an obscure NPC as EGO.

Then you could keep the MI flavour and make an original character without drawing him from scratch.

[Indy FoY demo did this with Sally's homework and the end puzzle.]

Trial & Error: Three card monty. Use every item with every item and see what happens.
If there is a pattern to the puzzle, give some kind of subtle clue to the pattern somewhere.Ã, 

Indy FoY demo did this with Sally's homework and the end puzzle.
Not like the floating island puzzle in Journey to the Center of the Earth. (Serious T&E)

What are you talking about exactly? There were a lots of clues and you should've really recognized those symbols on that wall from the homework. The words were given in Sally's papers and you had to think of what sentence you could enter that contains four words. You found it in the Memoirs.

I see what you mean with Trial&Error "puzzles" (and I hate those as well), but if you could only solve the final puzzle in our FoY Demo by trying out all combinations on the wall buttons, then you completly missed the point and probably spend hours and hours doing this...

What I meant was that Indy FoY gave you the pattern to the puzzle in the memoirs and in Sally's homework (i.e. you did a marvelous job,) however Journey did not.  Even UHS and the walkthroughs for Journey said they couldn't find the supposed patterns between the columns and the statues.

After reading your post and then re-reading mine, I guess I could have been more clear.  Not to say it was too easy, but I realized the symbols on the wall were the same as the symbols in the homework and memoirs.  Although maybe you should have had Sally make a few more mistakes, or (in)corrections to make it a little more challenging.


Erenan: We tell the character to pick up everything that's nailed down because that's the way we have learned to play adventure games. (If EGO can pick it up, then I must need it later on.)  I think King's Quest V taught us that, because if you didn't pick EVERYTHING up, then you would't be able to continue the game. (If you don't pick up the hammer, then you die when the innkeeper puts you in the cellar.  If you don't pick up the rope in the cellar, then you can't climb the cliff [and you can't go back and get the rope.]  If you don't pick up the leg of lamb, you can't feed the eagle, and he won't save you from the roc's nest.)

In a game like MI2, where you can go back to where you've been (for the most part,) then it might make sense for Guybrush to say, "No, thanks.  There might be lice on that tupee." until after the Voodoo lady tells you you need "something from the head."

No problem with your use of graphics, my beef is with your character's name.

A complex Babylonian/Persian name like Balthazar with a simple western name like Marley?  (Well, at least you shortened it from Belteshazzar!)

I know you're trying to make a tie-in with Elaine Marley so we'll leave that alone, but why don't you try a two syllable name like (in keeping with Balthazar,) Balto, Balta, Hazar, or Hasgar  Or, use a western name in the same idea as Elaine, Stanley, Herman, LeChuck, or Carla.  You did say present day, right?
 

What I really hate is when adventure game puzzles are not obvious.Ã, 

I hope you mean obvious in that when you're stuck on the puzzle and you finally solve it (or cheat and look at the walkthrough,) you say to yourself, "Why didn't I think of that before?"

Such as opening a pocket knife before trying to use it to cut a rope, or striking a match / lighting a cigar lighter before lighting a candle with it.

Not obvious as in using the blue key in the blue safe which contains the blue gem to give to to blue meanie...

The puzzles I really hate are the ones that have no logical solution (the "Why the [insert expletive here] would I do that?!" and the "Who the heck thought that up?" type puzzles,)and the completely trial and error puzzles.

Non-Logical: Pulling the cat's tail so it scares the little mouse who runs into the bookshelf, shaking it just enough so that the bowling trophy falls off so you can give it to the Maharaja of India to be his best friend so he will let you into his kickball game.

Trial & Error: Three card monty. Use every item with every item and see what happens.
If there is a pattern to the puzzle, give some kind of subtle clue to the pattern somewhere.Ã, 

Indy FoY demo did this with Sally's homework and the end puzzle.
Not like the floating island puzzle in Journey to the Center of the Earth. (Serious T&E)

What I'd really like to see is an adventure game where all objects/inventory items are in a place where you can get to them when you need them, but the character doesn't seem interested in them until he knows he needs them.Ã, 

When you try to pick up the butcher knife at the beginning of the game, EGO says, "I might cut myself if I carry that large knife!" then the player would have to remember it was there later when he needs to cut rope tying the boat to the shore later in the game.Ã, 

That's realistic. Unless I am a cleptomaniac, I don't go around picking up random objects for no apparent reason.

I don't want to have to re-play half the game because I forgot something and now have to restore, but I won't mind walking across six or eight screens to get the item I just realized I now need.

About the friggin' huge ISO backrounds, I seem to remember reading in the manual something about a vertical limit on backgrounds (something like twice the number of pixels as the vertical resolution.)

Umm... I don't remember if Win98 supports it, but did you try to run Microsoft Update from their website?  And make sure you have all the service packs installed?

I had to do that today to get one of the computers at work today to run a program properly.  It had Win2k.

Like was said before, it may be a .dll problem, and it may be corrected in a service pack or an update.

Only thing I have to add is that ProgZ's edit looks like her hands are open, and yours look like she has them closed.
No problem either way, it depends on what you're after.

Check Mordelles' sig! "Curse those low-res graphics!"

I actually have no problem with the low res graphics of the games.  I have a problem with games cluttering up my PC that appear that the developer put no effort into them!  Although not completed yet, Chicky's Herman Toothrot game has low-res graphics, only two colors, and little detail (the combo of the two.)  However, it appears to have a huge amount of effort being put into it.  I want to play it! SSH's PMX graphics are not exactly stellar, but they did not detract from the fun I had playing the game.  Carver Island 2, with its haphazard mix of ripped and ametureish artwork, still entertained me.

I don't expect commercial quality artwork in an ameture AGS game, but if my imaginary pet cat, with no opposeable thumb, can draw a better stick man in MarioPaint on an Apple IIe running OS2 warp...

Not to say that graphics have to up to par with MI or KQ (I did download and play through PMX,) but you have to put SOME effort into it.
If your pictures look like something from my wife's 3yr old preschool class (a la Chicken, Bang Bang Your Dead,)Ã,  then I won't believe you put any more effort into the story, puzzles, or gameplay (especially if you can't even spell the name of YOU'RE game correctly.)

Also, I don't play horror games, not that I can't handle the gore or that I'm easily frightened, I just don't like the premise.

If I download a game to play it, the puzzles and story have to be logical and keep me involved.Ã,  I don't have a problem looking for hints if a puzzle is especially challenging, but if I say to myself, "Why the crap would I do that?" when I read the solution, then it usually doesn't waste my valuable hard drive space too much longer.
"Why didn't I think of that?" and "Wow, that was very clever!" responses, and I'll keep playing.

If I find something particularly interesting, then I'll look for another game by the same author.Ã,  Otherwise, I'm looking for anything that catches my attention.

I always check all the games in the "In Production" and "Completed Games" forums, but I see a lot more I'm interested in in the IP page than the CG page.


EDIT: I know I used YOU'RE incorrectly.

I would have liked to have downloaded it, but unfortunately, I don't have a 1Ghz processor.  :'(

After the trouble I had with The Silver Lining Demo, I didn't think I should bother downloading something with even higher MSR.

Everything looks and sounds great!

But... Please tell me the English we see and hear in the game will be better than it is in your posts.

Assuming the amount of text is proportional to the quality graphics and storyline you have,
then you will probably need a team of proof-readers.

Of course, if you only have speech...

gUd LuK sowndz thuh saam

Other than the pixel hunt for the brass key, there is nothing wrong with the gameplay.  The only possible exception being that there is no skill involved in fighting the soldiers. (Just push the direction arrow toward your opponent several times.)
But that doesn't take anything away from the story, or the adventure.

Please finish the game.
I'd give you 9/10 on the gameplay, 9/10 on puzzles, and 9/10 on graphics and style.
My only real complaint is the poor spelling and punctuation.

Of course on my game..... uhhh.... oh yeah, what game!?!

P.S. Recycling is okay as long as there is some variance in the image. (i.e. mirrored, stretched, color change, etc.)

More spelling!

When trying to use car before putting on uniform outside of castle; message should be: "I won't get past the guards...", not "passed".

Also, in the same sentence that Zepplin is spelled wrong, "propper" should be "proper".

As I read in an earlier post, please make the oriental carpet fringe highlight larger.
I tried to open, push, pull, pickup, use the carpet several times thinking there has to be something under it, before I finally found the fringe pixel.



P.S. I'll download and test the latest and greatest demo before sending any more
text errors.


Downloaded and retested 4/15/06 1:35pm EST.

Scissors error still not corrected in demo.  When you look at the scissors while they are in your inventory; it still says, "It's a scissors."

The game needs more punctuation.  Besides the lack of sentence ending periods, it's missing a few commas.  When Indy is put in prison cell; officer should say, "Goodbye, Dr. Jones."
Whenever soldiers ask Indy for identificaton papers; they should say, "Show me your papers, please."

Way too many common nouns are capitalized. Unless it is a proper noun, it should be lower case. (i.e. candlestick, soldier, some scissors, Indiana, Nazi)
Castle Brunwald is okay, because castle is part of the name.

Finally, a note about the flag issue in the prison cell.  When trying to pick up the small flag on the right; maybe Indy should say, "It's mounted too well to the wall."

I would recommend you find a Brit to proof-read your final game, because most Americans don't notice misspelling, poor grammar, and punctuation errors.

Over all, I think it's a great demo for what will be an even better game!

So far the only thing I found is that when Indy looks at the scissors; he says, "It's a scissors."

It should be: "It's some scissors." or "It's a pair of scissors."

It's a plural noun because there are two blades.
It doesn't really make sense, but you can't have only one scissors.

The inside of the bag needs to be darker (less illuminated?)
than the ouside of the bag in order to show depth.

Right now it looks like someone is pushing up on the bottom of the bag.

Maybe put your lights around the bag to illuminate the outside; and put a very weak light over the top. Just enough that you can see that there is a bottom.