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Messages - heltenjon

#1221
Quote from: Pajama Sam on Wed 02/02/2022 03:38:44
Sorry @shadow1000 I didn't know there would be a problem downloading it. I really don't know how to use mediafire that well. You shouldn't have to upgrade to premium and just click the other button that says "no I'll support mediafire with ads".Or did you figure it out?
EDIT: Oh wait actually I think you just can't download in bulk. you have to do one file at a time.

That's correct. I opened the folders and downloaded one file at a time, all the time convincing my firewall that this wasn't all that dangerous stuff. It's a bit time-consuming, so I suggest you zip your game into one file the next time you submit.  (nod)
#1222
Quote from: AGA on Tue 01/02/2022 19:47:18
Quote from: morganw on Mon 31/01/2022 00:28:55
Quote<MODULE/PLUGIN:> <name> <version> - <Optional short description>
Should this be changed to say:
Quote<MODULE/PLUGIN/TOOL:> <name> <version> - <Optional short description>

What's the context?

It's the Board Rules for the sub-board with the new name.
#1223
I'm making a sort of quiz game which also fits this theme. I just started a few days ago and naturally didn't make the deadline. I'll probably post it in this thread during the voting period, as it kind of belongs here, but I find it unlikely it would gather any votes, so it doesn't matter much if the voting starts without it.  :)

Pax Amino, I was hoping to see your photography game here, too!

Edit: That was supposed to be Pajama Sam, of course.  :-[
#1224
Very well done! I had to rewatch the episode after playing the game.

I wonder what was the first story to
Spoiler
utilize a similar plot about replacing a ruined dinner with something.
[close]
I remember this plot type from several Disney comics I read back in the 70s or 80s - I think Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck has done it several times. (But it's probably a lot older than that.) But the Simpsons take is my favourite.
#1225
If your goal is to teach Christianity, I think a religious site would probably be your best choice. Now, the game doesn't even have to be specifically religious, as long as it promotes something like kindness or similar values, and shies away from what the typical (religious) parent wouldn't want their kid to get their hands on. I put the parentheses there because atheists probably won't want their kid to learn cruelty or that drugs are cool or similar, either.  ;)

I tend to react negatively towards games that disguise themselves as "ordinary" games, and then suddenly turn preachy. I have no problem at all with a game that's up front honest about what message it tries to express - if you try to find the Holy Grail, Christ comes as a part of the package. An even better way to integrate the message you want, would be to create a sympathetic character in-game that happens to be a priest. Talking about their faith would probably be a natural design choice, just like talking about cars would be if you created a character who was a mechanic.
#1226
Quote from: cat on Fri 28/01/2022 08:51:42
Kastchey, you have this super smart excel sheet. Could you somehow extract lists for the most obvious categories (short game, non-adventure, demo, voice acting, freeware) and post them here? I can update the first post with them. This could be helpful to voters.

The categories are only obvious if you have had the time to play the games. I fear such lists would end up missing some games which should have been included. (But it should be possible to sort the list due to different criteria in the excel sheet itself. It would only pick up those values that are already in the sheet, though.)
#1227
I suggest voting on voting systems a new monthly activity! That's bound to bring the participants in in droves!  (laugh)
#1228
Quote from: Laura Hunt on Wed 26/01/2022 12:03:23
I personally loved the idea of the narrator. Giving players info that characters don't have and viceversa (something I did in Act II of IOAWN4T) and playing with different POVs is a very interesting narrative technique with a lot of potential for subverting expectations. In this case, I feel like the narrator definitely helps players feel part of that world by making them identify with Alan rather than breaking immersion. It's a great artistic choice!

Quote from: heltenjon on Wed 26/01/2022 08:16:43
Yes, what I meant was that the narrator usually talks to Alan: "You have already leafed through that fanzine", but these background detail explanations talk to the player, over Alan's head.

But those remarks actually help establish that the player *is* Alan."You" is not "you, the person in front of your computer playing this", but rather "you, Alan, the script writer", so I don't see them as breaking the fourth wall. Of course, as with any experimental narrative form, there's a risk that what one person considers "interesting" might be "jarring" for someone else, but those risks are well worth taking in my opinion :)

No, what breaks the fourth wall is not the You-remarks, but the observations Alan doesn't know anything about, like the police officer's personal life. That's what I meant by "these background explanations". Sorry I was unclear. But that's not a problem for me - I'm not a purist. I'd rather argue that with enough talent, you can throw the rulebook out of the window. Like Laura did with IOAWN4T.

I think the demo is very good at establishing that this is a "real" world. Of course we get to know Alan's hopes and dreams, but also the personal projects of nearly every other character we've met so far. The writing is brilliant.
#1229
Quote from: Postmodern Adventures on Mon 24/01/2022 10:21:58
The narrator here is ubiquitous. He knows everything about the world and the people and the people who live in it. There are times when he gives us details of things that Alan (the player) does not know. I like that kind of narrator in such games like Mytho's Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes. It adds a lot of depth to the world and information that the protagonist does not necessarily need to know.
Yes, what I meant was that the narrator usually talks to Alan: "You have already leafed through that fanzine", but these background detail explanations talk to the player, over Alan's head. So the slight jarring in narration is there, but personally I'd agree those comments add so much depth and makes the world feel more real, that I wouldn't sacrifice them just for the sake of author's purity.
#1230
The translation should just be skipped where you haven't written anything in the the blank line underneath the original text, so you shouldn't need to translate the whole file. But if there aren't any changes in the .trs file, it sounds like it wasn't saved for some reason after you edited it. I'd try again, make sure I save after editing in notepad, close notepad and then reopen the file in notepad just to check that what you have typed in is saved. If that doesn't work, the solution is beyond my capabilities (which are quite limited).

Unless you accidentally created a new .trs file when you rebuilt (which would then snag all text from the game) and replaced the one you had edited...you should right click the edited .trs file and choose compile. I could be mistaken, but I don't think you need to rebuild the game in order to use the translation file.
#1231
Quote from: natpsyblue on Tue 25/01/2022 10:53:04
When I opened the .tra file from the folders with notepad again (where I edited to translate) my line was empty...
If I remember this correctly, it's the .trs file you need to edit in notepad, while .tra is the finished translation file.
#1232
Have you run the setup and changed the default language?
#1233
Quote from: FransisKransis on Mon 24/01/2022 20:19:14
Thanks heltonjon, sorry to hear about the crash, that flagging bug has been patched already (though I double-checked now just to be sure), but the good news is that your 1.01 save games should load fine with the most recent version of the demo.

Nice! I will try out an updated version.

QuoteAs for the genders of the characters: Abigail and Mary are both men. Though, as you said, it doesn't really matter too much.
Aha! Does that mean
Spoiler
that Mary is the "him" Renee is talking about in the intro? I thought he didn't reach him.
[close]
#1234
I played this (the demo version) until the game crashed in Abigail's bathroom, while Renee is examining the sink/cupboards.
Error message:

in "room25.asc", line 9
Error: AnimateCharacter: invalid loop number specified

Could be you've already fixed this in the updates. I downloaded 01.01.

I'm not too good at the action thing, wasting my bullets and needing savegames. Still, the action sequences are fun. (I had to destroy the last drone with my fists.) The graphic style is cool, although I have a hard time determining the gender of the characters. I don't know if it matters or not, but as the story is told in short bursts from different viewpoints, it's already quite hard to piece together what's happening. Although that's probably deliberate, and I quite like the storytelling technique. The story and humour is dark, and probably not for everyone.

You released a game on New Year's Eve a year ago, too. That's exactly in time to be eligible for the AGS awards, but for me, at least, it means that I would have a hard time getting to play your game before the nominations. I don't know if that is important to you, but still, there it is.
#1235
I just played the demo. The graphics are really outstanding, with all those cool lighting effects. Together with the sound track, this sucked me right into this world. I spent a long time looking at posters and checking out all the "unnecessary" stuff that brings this piece of 80s Hollywood to life. Great!

The story seems like it's going to be told in an investigative manner, which we know from Urban Witch Story that you do very well. I certainly enjoyed going back and forth to ask people of stuff in order to advance the story. The Taxi Drivers are a great addition!

There's very little to point the finger at here. "Proficient" was misspelled in one instant ("Profficient"). Occasionally, the descriptive text points out things that the main character probably doesn't know, making a clash with the usual POV. For instance, we are treated to details about the police officer's personal history, yet Alan doesn't seem to know him. Personally, I can live just fine with that.

Game wishlisted, of course.  (nod)

EDIT: I hope that I can play that arcade game in the full version!
#1236
The Rumpus Room / Re: What grinds my gears!
Sun 23/01/2022 23:36:44
 :-D I just see the title of an episode: "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: The Hunt for the Power Ring".
#1237
I also played this. I agree with Rik's points. The asset packs are credited in a rtf file downloaded with the game, and on the itch page, however, so the author is not hiding what he's using, but it would have been more visible with in-game credits, too.

The game is easy and requires some walking back and forth, interacting with your friends. I think it's a suitable game for children or beginners to the genre. The graphic assets are made in different manga/anime styles, which don't entirely match up. I think that's perfectly forgivable in a game such as this. The game is colourful and jolly (even the dangerous wolf looks happy), and I'll let my own kids loose on it.  ;) But a challenge for seasoned adventurers this isn't.
#1238
The game isn't that short - I'd say it's medium length. Especially if, like me, you try everything, like making the robot talk to everything, even if it doesn't advance the game.

I enjoyed the game and will definitely also play it with my kids. It may be a bit difficult for my youngest, but fine to play together. The graphics are cute, the music is fitting, and the puzzles are fun to solve. A bit of a pixel hunt a couple of places:
Spoiler
the doorknob and the pliers on the wall in the kitchen.
[close]
I especially liked the humour and the attention to detail. There's custom responses to everything you can think of trying, even with background items.
#1239
That was fun! Casual game - action game...something like that. Though it sounds weird to call a barber sim an action game, it makes some sense considering the gameplay.

I played lots of times, but had to go down to difficulty level one in order to make it to the ending. Great choice of final customer/"boss"!  (laugh) I was also pleased to see a list of the celebrities in the after-game credits, as I didn't recognize everyone. (But surely one of them is Wolverine? I didn't see him on the list.) Nice attention to detail that the customers put their jacket or accessory in the background. Also kudos for nice music.

For me, the standard difficulty (3) was the right choice. 4 and 5 were too difficult for me, and I had trouble getting even one satisfied customer. Very cool to see a non-adventure like this being made with AGS.
#1240
Quote from: CaptainD on Sat 22/01/2022 09:52:08
Quote from: brewton on Sat 22/01/2022 00:49:32
I have been working on a MAGS game. It's my first game in years, and it should be ready next week. I am excited to show it to you all.

Nice one! We are equally excited to see it  :cheesy:
+1
Perhaps we will see what became of CyberJack?
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