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About ten years, actually.  I spent nine years working on the 3-D version, but I couldn't find an artist to do the graphics, and my 3-D graphics aren't that great.  I spent about a year on the 2-D version.

Speaking of thought, here is another important difference between Skefalia and the other precincts.  You may have noticed that the other precincts that you have encountered so far each have their own vortices, but there is no particular vortex assigned to Skefalia.  That is because, when we are thinking, we are not usually thinking about thought itself; rather, we are thinking about one of the activities represented by the other precincts.

Yes.  Skeptic is derived from the Greek word σκέπτομαι, meaning consider, think about.  The precinct of Skefalia deals with thought.

Each of the six precincts in Flux World, and each of the eight precincts in the 3-D version Flux Warrior, represents one important human activity.  Skefalia represents thought.  Note the differences between Skefalia and the other precincts.  In Skefalia the beast does not chase you, it helps you.  That is because thinking is something one does during leisure time, when one is not burdened by other pressing concerns.  Note also that you cannot die in Skefalia, whereas you can die in the other two precincts that you have encountered so far.  That is because thinking cannot kill you, whereas the activities represented by the other two precincts can kill you, or, rather, failing to preform them can kill you.

Skeleton? Screw? Scientist? Skittish? Skates?

None of these.  The actual word I had in mind is much closer than any of these guesses.  Think of an English word of Greek origin that is a philosophical term but that is frequently used in everyday speach.

Actually, although they may seem random, quite a lot of thought went into choosing the names.

As I've said previously, the game is one huge analogy, and everything in the game is symbolic of something else.  The names in the game are actually hints to what they represent.  The names are based on Greek, Latin, and Norse roots, with the spellings changed slightly so as not to make them too obvious.  It is not necessary to decode the names in order to figure out the game, but to those with a knowledge of ancient languages it could be a slight help.

Take, for instance, the precinct of Skefalia.  The one soldier that you've met so far in that precinct is called the Skeftist.  Can you think of any Greek, Latin, or Norse word that these words resemble?  This is the easiest one to figure out.

Note that, after I came up with the names, I didn't keep my notes to where the names came from, so, for some of the names, I can't remember how I came up with them.

EDIT:  If you don't know Greek, Latin, or Norse, can you think of any English word that resembles Skefalia or Skeftist?

Unfortunately, I cannot specify a release date as this is a part-time enterprise.  Beta testing is still in progress.  I would like to have the enhanced graphics completed before releasing a final version.  The enhanced graphics will likely take longer to do than the beta testing.

The beta version is highly playable if you want to give it a try.  I don't think that it contains too many bugs.

WTF! 
I just saved that game when I had finally killed that beast. And suddenly another beast came and grabbed me so quickly.

When a new beast appears, you should have two minutes to travel to the proper precinct, then about 20 seconds to dispatch the beast once you arrive in the proper precinct.  This gets shortened to about 15 seconds as you gain more experience.  If you are already in the proper precinct when the new beast appears, you have about 15-20 seconds to dispatch it.  But in that case it should be easier, as the vortex that you use to dispatch the beast is already in the right position, so it should only take one mouse-click to dispatch the beast, in the southwest (lower left) corner of the screen.  That is because the game repositions the vortex to the northeast of the beast when the same beast reappears, and you always fire in the opposite direction of the vortex with respect to the beast.

See also my comment below about saving the game and the 20-second timer.

I used restore button but the game always put me in the big area with the skeleton . . .

Once the skeleton appears, it is too late to do anything.  You are a dead man walking (or running).  The skeleton will always catch you.  So you must save your game before the skeleton appears.

Note that if you save your game right when when the new beast appears, the 20-second timer is still running while you are saving your game.  So I think that is the reason that the skeleton seems to appear so quickly.  You should save the game as soon as the god accepts your offering of the previous beast.  Then you will have the full 20 seconds to dispatch the next beast.

. . . so I had no other option to escape. I had to restart the game. And like I told you. The character are then frozen in the first room area. So I Quit the game and had to play the game from the beginning.

This is a bug that I will fix in the next beta version.  Thank you for reporting the first bug.  In the meantime, here is the workaround:  After you press the F9 key, the cursor will be invisible, but the mouse will still work.  Move the mouse to the top of the screen and click on the '?' icon on the menu bar.  Remember, the mouse cursor will be invisible, but it will still work.  Next, click on the "Help" button.  You can then resume the game normally.

Sometimes those beasts are too fast to grab me. When I am trying to shot on those vortices things. I can't run and shoot in same time as you know.

Actually, there is no need to run and shoot at the same time.  Running from the beast does you no good.  You must emulate a good bullfighter:  A good bullfighter always remains completely still while the bull is charging him.  If you are in the wrong precinct, then proceed quickly to the proper precinct--Troforia for the Narulung, Carfurgia for the Shultung.  Once you are in the right precinct, simply stand still and shoot.  The beast will not hurt you until the 20-second timer has expired.  Then the death-skeleton will emerge from the beast.  At this point, it is too late; you must restore or restart the game.

I think you should change the big area with the skeletor and make it smaller and just let the skeletor grab you. I mean since I have no option  to hide from it or kill it it makes no sense letting me run in such huge area.  And they run so slow but I can understand why.

As I have said, once you are in the close-up view with the skeleton, you have reached a dead-end.  But you have already figured that out, and I think that any player would be able to figure that out as well.  A game such as this is about figuring things out, and this is not difficult to figure out.  Plus, the death message says that you should have killed the beast more quickly, so I think that the game makes it clear that the close-up view with the skeleton is merely an extended death scene.

Over and over again.  Rather annoying, isn't it?  That's why you're trying to escape from this place:  You're sick and tired of hunting down these beasts, and no sooner do you hunt one down and offer it up to one of the gods, then another beasts appears!  But the gods are watching you and taking note of your labors.

If you click on the '?' icon on the menu bar, it will bring up a bar graph showing your approval rating from each of the gods.  It might take a while for the progress bars to advance, but you should notice your approval rating rise as you become more skilled at hunting down the beasts.  When your approval rating for any one god reaches 100%, that god will construct for you a tower from atop which you will be able to see the beasts approach from a distance.  Once you have a tower in any given precinct, you will no longer have to hunt the beasts in that precinct.

When you have both the stone tower and the wooden tower, you will advance to the second level of the game.  In the second level, there will still be beasts to hunt, but you will have much more interesting tasks to accomplish.  When you've satisfied all the gods in the second level, you will be permitted to return home and complete the game.

The "tornadoes" that you are talking about are the vortices.  The Flux manifests itself in the form of vortices, which are what cause your arrows to veer off course.  As you have figured out, when you shoot an arrow, it is sucked into a vortex, but, at the same time, the arrow causes the vortex to move in the direction that you have shot the arrow.

I'm glad to see that you are making progress in the game.

vertigoaddict:

You can play the beta version right now.  If you have any questions about how to play the game, or any bugs to report, you may post them right here.

Fribbi:

I have changed the scale of the main character in the room that you provided a background for, and I have adjusted the horizon in that room as well.

A new version of the game incorporating the new background and sprites is now available for download on the Flux World website.  The 16-bit color version incorporates the new graphics; the 8-bit color version remains unchanged for comparison purposes.

I am pleased to announce that Fribbi has voluntered to be that "great artist" and is now at work on the enhanced graphics for the game.

Here is a view of the new main character sprite:



Here is what a screenshot would look like with the main character (with red suspenders added) in various positions:



Beta testers are still welcome to join.  And don't let the alternate "laws of physics" discourage you.  You don't have to know anything about physics to play this game.  Physics is just an analogy for something else, which you have to figure out to complete the game.

I am pleased to announce a new game, Flux World, is now ready for beta testing.

Flux World is based on the game Flux Warrior, which is still under development.  Flux Warrior will be the first game of a new genre of games that I have created, called Flux-Based Computer Gaming.  Flux World has much of the same story as Flux Warrior, but with an adventure-game interface.

Anyone who is interested in beta-testing Flux World should go to the Flux World website to download the game and manual.

The graphics in Flux World are my own.  If any graphic artist who enjoyed the game would like to produce enhanced graphics for the release version, please contact me at fluxmaster@replinemeadowsoftware.com to discuss.





Here, basically, is what the game is about:  You are alone in your home when, suddenly, you are taken away to a strange place.  You are constantly attacked by beasts.  You have a weapon to fight the beasts, but, much to your horror, the laws of physics in this world are different from what you are accustomed to.  You fire a missle at one of the beasts, but it veers off to one side.

You come to learn that there is an everpresent Flux that alters the way things behave in this world.  As you progress in the game, you come to learn the nature of the Flux and to use it to your advantage.  The object of the game is to escape from this world and return home.

Although the game does contain combat, completing the game is accomplished primarily through problem solving.

This is a question about the KQ3+ game that came out a couple of years ago, not IA's KQ3VGA.

After playing IA's KQ3VGA, I went back and played KQ3+. Ã, I especially liked the expanded cutscene in KQ3VGA where Alexander enters the oracle cave, so I went to the same spot in KQ3+ and tried to enter the oracle cave. Ã, When I dipped the eagle's feather in the rose essence, Alexander turns into an eagle, but he does not attack the spider. Ã, After turning back into a human, I get the message, "Unfortunately, even an eagle is no match for a spider this size." Ã, This only works with the beta-6 version.

Is it possible to defeat the spider in the beta-6 version? Ã, Is there another way to defeat the spider? Ã, Is the cutscene for the oracle cave working in any of the beta versions? Ã, If I know the room number for the inside of the oracle cave, can I teleport to the inside of the cave and see the cutscene without defeating the spider? Ã, (This actually works with one of the early versions of KQ3.) Ã, Does anyone know the room number for the inside of the oracle cave in KQ3+?

EDIT:  By trial and error, I determined that the inside of the oracle cave is room number 39.  However, when I teleport to the oracle cave in KQ3+ and try to talk to the oracle, I get the message "The Oracle appears to be in a deep state of meditation.  You are not heard."  However, there is an object in the oracle cave that I can take (not the amber stone).

In the early part of the game, you talk to the oracle in Mannanan's bedroom, so perhaps there is no need to talk to the oracle in the cave.

Check out this demo, everyone, the 3-D effects are really good.

I posted some bugs on the AGDI forum before I noticed this thread.Ã,  Most of them were duplicates of what was already posted here.Ã,  However, I noticed that you changed the name of the executable from KQ III.exe to KQ3.exe but did not provide a new version on winsetup.exe.Ã,  I copied the old version of winsetup.exe, but that only worked if the executable was named KQ III.exe.Ã,  Also, if you save the game and then rename the executable, the saved games won't load.

EDIT: Aha!Ã,  I finally found a bug before anyone else found it.Ã,  When I try to make spells but use the wrong ingredients, a screen comes up

Spoiler

which is the crypt from KQ4

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but in some cases there is text overlain on the room.

Also, when I am in the laboratory (and invisible) and restore a saved game, I get a message that I was about to prepare dinner for the wizard.

What's the answer to the fisherman's riddle?

This was actually the easiest puzzle for me to solve; it only took me a couple of minutes to think it over.

Hint number 1:

Spoiler

Note that the riddle doesn't say that the answer is a fish.

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Hint number 2:

Spoiler

The riddle said that it was a "catch."

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Hint number 3:

Spoiler

What might you find while walking along the beach?

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Yes, I thought that was rather strange, myself.  He just sits there in a daze, and if you try to talk to him, he ignores you.  I suppose he should be sleeping in the guest bedroom, but then Radiant would have to add a guest bedroom to the house, and that would be extra work.  I think that it would be better just to have him disappear at nighttime, or put a convertible sofa in the living room and show him sleeping there.

Well . . .

Hint #1:Ã,  Forget about the game.Ã,  Suppose, in your actual life, you wanted to get some fish oil.Ã,  Where would you get it?

Hint #2:Ã,  EDIT: The link that I posted doesn't work, so just go by Hint #1.

Here's a very slight hint:

Spoiler

You don't really find the fish oil

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To drop an item

Spoiler

click on the floor under your bed.Ã,  You can only drop items in your bedroom, and you can pick them up later.

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