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pretty awesome render you have there. I like all these details, the unlit candle, the skull. Did you model the typwewriter?

Thanks, it's a real prop (I meant just not real like something you can go buy in the store) there's more images in my Imgur gallery where I keep my game screenshots, they are ultra-HD and huge so I won't post too many here, but it's a faux board game I designed with other Mythos props which will be in my graphic adventure. You can look at the fake newspaper articles I created, they contain some characters and stuff that will end up in the adventure game. Not necessarily a spoiler but will touch on some of the same stuff.

But yeah, I've seen renders that are so photorealistic hard to distinguish I know what you mean!

Here's a little backstory the premise of the graphic adventure, ties into a series of fictional Mythos props I created (a faux board game from the 1930's Arkham era) designed by Willard Whateley. Part of the investigation will entail prodding into the strange histories and backgrounds of some NPC characters referenced in these Lovecraft mythos props I designed.

[Chinatown]

The prologue will be somewhat irreverent and humorous (I hope) like many Graphic Adventures, but by the end of Day 1 there will be no doubt that you're in Lovecraft country.

Do you have reason for the shift in tone of your game?

If it's to throw the player off guard for what is to come later, or to show the carefree life the main character led before becoming embroiled in the mystery, then go for it! Either could work, but would have to be handled expertly to pull off without jarring the player too much I feel.

If it's just to be "like many Graphic Adventures" then I would say to avoid it.

I'm setting up the short prologue of the game where the player will step into the shoes of a 1930's era Private Detective working out of Arkham, following up on a case involving cheating lovers, a kind of "Day in the Life.." scenario. I'm designing the short prologue just to introduce the player to the setting (but it does introduce an NPC who will appear in the game later). When I mention humorous/irreverent I don't mean zany Monkey Island/Manic Mansion type humor--in fact, I may catch some backlash and flak for it, and at this point don't even know if I'll use some of it in the end or not. If I said anything more it would be too much of a spoiler and ruin it. When I'm finished with the prologue I'll put it up as a tentative demo in hopes of some feedback, but it won't be the final polished version. The Lovecraft angle doesn't come into play during the prologue, only after it's finished and you get a call for a new case do things start to get weird...

I think this game looks wonderful, whichever colour scheme you choose to go with! Both have their perks. The untinted colours are clearer, but I can definitely see the Technicolor effect you're going for, and if that's what you prefer, I say stick with it.

Thanks, yeah there will definitely be a darker color tone for the game than some of the early screenshots I posted--it's Lovecraft, I don't want it to "pop" and look too bright and cheery like The Sound of Music or something, nor do I want all the color leeched out of it like a grunge/film noir graphic novel. I'll likely be experimenting with a classic Hollywood color palette scheme similar to the movies Chinatown or The Last Aviator.

Been delayed a bit the last few weeks finishing up another project, but work on the demo is underway again. The prologue will be somewhat irreverent and humorous (I hope) like many Graphic Adventures, but by the end of Day 1 there will be no doubt that you're in Lovecraft country.

I just started playing the English demo a little, and Wow, really excellent job - just fantastic! Very much looking forward to the finished game I'm sold.

I appreciate all the comments but yeah a little further down the road maybe I'll post some more examples in the Critique's Lounge, it's hard to judge by just seeing one screenshot. It's taking me about a day to script each room, by a few weeks I should have something like a small demo to get some additional feedback on.

Looks like great fun, looking forward to an English-language version! I'm not sure if you're going to use "Call of Cthulhu" in the official title but be aware the role-playing game company Chaosium owns a trademark on the title "Call of Cthulhu," and if you use that in your title pretty sure you'll probably hear from them.

Thanks, much appreciated! The game's in 2D I wouldn't even attempt to try to do something in 3D, that's way beyond my skills.

Thanks for all the comments, it's very encouraging! Before I get too far along, I'm currently trying to decide whether to adapt the game's color palette to "technicolor". I'm not going for the usual desaturated gritty/grunge film noir look--I'm kind of liking the old Hollywood technicolor look, like Roman Polanski's "Chinatown". Has a dark edge to it and it's like being in an old movie as in the screenshot here.

This is looking gorgeous!

What's the game resolution btw? Can~t figure out if these are real game size or blown up screens.

Hi, thanks! I'm designing the game for 1024x768, the in game shots at the top are directly out of the running game.

[Strange DETECTIVE]

Strange DETECTIVE

Hi All! I'm new here on the forums, but have been lurking in the background for awhile trying to learn the ins and outs of AGS. After a couple of months of trying to learn the scripting language and designing some artwork I began putting together my first graphic adventure game, which is based on an old "Call of Cthulhu" RPG campaign I used to run back in the late 80's. The game isn't actually an RPG, I'm just adapting my favorite game scenario for the story. I was a little intimidated by AGS at first but this forums been a great help to learn the system, and designing a graphic adventure has always been one of my dream projects. The game will transpire over the course of 4 days, as I have all of the artwork and about 75% of the scripting finished for Day 1, I figured it was a good time to post here. Most of the animations and sprites I'm working with are still place-holders, but as soon as I get them finished I hope to be able to show some of the game play in videos and a small demo.




The Plot:
A noir horror-suspense graphic adventure set in the world of H.P. Lovecraft. You're a Private Eye hired to investigate the depraved history and strange events surrounding a derelict mansion in the countryside.

Some screenshots:


City of Arkham, Massachusetts 1930's (in game).


Detective's Office (in game).

Development Progress:

Game Resolution: 1280x800
Story: 75%
Scripting: 15%
Graphics: 25%
Sound/Music: 25%

Expected completion date: Summer 2017