One more version of the Consuming Shadow beta to fix the last few major issues. Not that I want to give the impression of being fussy or anything. I've uploaded it as a .zip this time because the installer was a bit crap (the uninstall had a tendency to delete everything in the same directory) Download it from the usual page, and here's the list of changes for 1.0.0.2:
Bug fixes:
- Fixed an error that crashed the game if you tried to get equipment when all equipment has been acquired
- Fixed that darn 'spawning trapped inside a wall' bug
- Fixed flying insect monsters getting stuck outside the room
- Fixed loot items dropped by monsters ending up outside the room
- Fixed an error wherein the Ministry kept sending the same gameplay tip over and over
- Fixed the thing where arriving in a town with an injured passenger prevents quest events from occurring
- Fixed lockpicking icon not appearing on east/west doors when player has zero picks
Gameplay changes:
- Tweaks to safe town jobs:
- Job payment is now partially based on distance to town
- Jobs screen now shows distance and vague direction to town
- New job: Single monster fights (similar to combat encounters on the road)
- You must now complete dungeon jobs before you can receive payment
- Texts and encounters that interrupt car journeys now resume journey automatically when resolved (except when a new quest begins or your position is changed)
- Lockpicking now shows percentage chance of success
- You no longer lose sanity for fleeing from hunter enemies (because you're supposed to)
- Rooms with unrecovered loot now show up yellow on the minimap
- Added couple more tutorial messages to clarify new controls
- Enemies now only start making noise when they're close enough
- When possessing multiple special injuries, hospitals will now treat severe bleeding FIRST
- 'Shoot yourself' trap now only appears when sanity falls below 75%
- Removed wall runes from endgame dungeon; they had a tendency to flat out give away the invading god's rune
- Raised pitch on sounds made by the smaller puker to differentiate it from the bigger, stronger puker
- A few tweaks to monster behaviour
Save files and score data from old versions won't carry over to this one, I'm afraid: had to change some file names and shit.
Also, a number of users who were playing it under Windows 8.1 reported a weird graphical problem where everything looked completely messed up with art assets where they shouldn't be all over the place. I took this up with the Game Maker people, and they assured me that this was a known error that has now been fixed in the latest version, and now I've compiled the game in a fully updated version of GM, it should be fixed.
I swear this will be the last beta release, 'cos I'm going to concentrate on the full version now, with more events, dungeon types, characters, alternate text, etc. Actually, you know what occurred to me after I released it, like the mother in Home Alone sitting bolt upright on the plane and screaming 'KEVIN'? Final boss fight. That was literally what I did, sat bolt upright and screamed 'FINAL BOSS FIGHT!'. Seems a shame you don't actually have to face off the Ancient after you cast the banishment ritual. So I'm gonna rustle something up in that sort of direction for starters.
Thanks again to everyone for the feedback and bug reports.
I haven't been able to reply to your emails because there's just too
many, but I read every single one and made use of the data, so rest
assured you all made a difference to this lonely Englishman and his
silly hobbies.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thy Shadow Updated
Thanks to all the feedback that has come in on The Consuming Shadow so far. A couple of large issues came to light, so I've uploaded a 1.0.0.1 version that takes care of them. I won't make a habit of putting out new versions regularly; like I said, I plan to put out a much fuller version further down the line. This is only to handle some big issues that may spoil the enjoyment of the beta and get in the way of assessing the game as a whole.
You can download version 1.0.0.1 from the same page as before. Here's a complete list of changes:
New features:
- Added the much-requested keyboard controls
Originally I only had mouse-controlled movement 'cos I like the idea of a single-button game. It's nice to have a hand free to drink with, and the possibility of a future tablet version has crossed my mind. But on reflection I didn't see any reason not to also have the option of keyboard controls if a keyboard is available.
So you can now use WASD or cursor keys to walk, holding down SHIFT to run, and the number keys 1-3 can be used to switch ammunition types. You can also press ESC to either flee the dungeon or to quit out of the Magic menu without casting a spell, which was another annoyance.
- You can now pistol-whip by right-clicking, as well as by left-clicking within melee range and left-clicking anywhere with an empty gun
Game-breaking bug fixes:
- Fixed the game crashing when you try to attack the Tall Man
Silly me: the damage checking script was trying to check the Tall Man's health variable, when the Tall Man doesn't have a health variable because he can't die. Incidentally, gameplay tip: stay the fuck away from the Tall Man.
- Fixed the ladder disappearing in the endgame dungeon
Minor bug fixes:
- Clicking to dispel a message while your mouse is still over the bottom-centre button no longer presses the button again.
- The Pentagram Necklace is no longer overpowered
Instead of eliminating sanity loss from spellcasting, now it only halves it, so you can't just cast Mass Death and Restoration infinitely. (The effect stacks if you also have the Rosary equipped)
- Fixed inscribed runes sometimes hanging around outside the casting menu
- The Fat Man no longer respawns infinitely during hunter escapes
- Fixed being able to cast magic infinitely while under the effects of drugs
See, what happened here was that there's the raw Sanity stat and there's the Trip stat, which is the amount of sanity the drugs have added. Previously, casting magic only reduced the raw Sanity, but now if there's no raw Sanity left it takes away from Trip instead.
Cosmetic changes and other tweaks:
- Hunters now fade in when appearing in a new room, rather than popping into existence at the door
That's about it. Please download and install the newer version if you intend to keep playing and testing - save files and score data from the previous version should still work. I learned my lesson not to use Game Maker's built-in save function after Poacher.
You can download version 1.0.0.1 from the same page as before. Here's a complete list of changes:
New features:
- Added the much-requested keyboard controls
Originally I only had mouse-controlled movement 'cos I like the idea of a single-button game. It's nice to have a hand free to drink with, and the possibility of a future tablet version has crossed my mind. But on reflection I didn't see any reason not to also have the option of keyboard controls if a keyboard is available.
So you can now use WASD or cursor keys to walk, holding down SHIFT to run, and the number keys 1-3 can be used to switch ammunition types. You can also press ESC to either flee the dungeon or to quit out of the Magic menu without casting a spell, which was another annoyance.
- You can now pistol-whip by right-clicking, as well as by left-clicking within melee range and left-clicking anywhere with an empty gun
Game-breaking bug fixes:
- Fixed the game crashing when you try to attack the Tall Man
Silly me: the damage checking script was trying to check the Tall Man's health variable, when the Tall Man doesn't have a health variable because he can't die. Incidentally, gameplay tip: stay the fuck away from the Tall Man.
- Fixed the ladder disappearing in the endgame dungeon
Minor bug fixes:
- Clicking to dispel a message while your mouse is still over the bottom-centre button no longer presses the button again.
- The Pentagram Necklace is no longer overpowered
Instead of eliminating sanity loss from spellcasting, now it only halves it, so you can't just cast Mass Death and Restoration infinitely. (The effect stacks if you also have the Rosary equipped)
- Fixed inscribed runes sometimes hanging around outside the casting menu
- The Fat Man no longer respawns infinitely during hunter escapes
- Fixed being able to cast magic infinitely while under the effects of drugs
See, what happened here was that there's the raw Sanity stat and there's the Trip stat, which is the amount of sanity the drugs have added. Previously, casting magic only reduced the raw Sanity, but now if there's no raw Sanity left it takes away from Trip instead.
Cosmetic changes and other tweaks:
- Hunters now fade in when appearing in a new room, rather than popping into existence at the door
That's about it. Please download and install the newer version if you intend to keep playing and testing - save files and score data from the previous version should still work. I learned my lesson not to use Game Maker's built-in save function after Poacher.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Thy Shadow Consumed
I did threaten that I might be working on another game, and here it is. May I introduce you to The Consuming Shadow (Beta).
The idea came to me almost exactly a year ago, during my Christmas
break from ZP. I'd been playing a lot of FTL: Faster Than Light at the
time, which is a game I quite enjoy. I like the sense of being a small
thing up against massive odds, having to prepare yourself with the
constant threat of your pursuer hanging over you. It occurred to me that
that sort of gameplay would fit a Lovecraftian setting very well, and
thus were the seeds planted for Consuming Shadow. I've been working on
it pretty solidly since then.
You have 72 hours to travel from town to town, resolving
randomly-generated dungeons in cursed towns and restocking supplies in
safe ones, beset by random events and encounters all the way.
Ultimately, you must find information on the Banishment Ritual, a
sequence of four runes that must be incanted at a specific location to
stop an evil ancient god from re-entering the world and slaughtering
humanity.
But there's also a puzzle aspect. One of the four runes of the ritual will be the rune of the god you mean to banish. There are three gods exerting influence upon the world, but only one of those is attempting to invade. If you piece together the ritual but banish the wrong god, then you have failed at the final hurdle. You also need to gather enough clues as to the gods' identities to be able to make, at the very least, an educated guess.
In the grand tradition of Roguelikes, if you die, then everything
will be lost: ammo, equipment, information, everything. You must go back
to square one with everything re-randomized: the dungeons, the ritual,
the invading god, and all the facts relating to the gods. However, with
each death you are awarded XP based on how much progress you made, and
each level you attain adds an upgrade you can apply at the start of each
life. The game is intended to be obscure and challenging at first;
you're not expected to pass it on your first attempt, but to use each
life to learn a bit more about how things work and how to handle the
minions of the shadow.
Finally, bear in mind that Consuming Shadow is very much a beta, and
I'm looking to get feedback on it that can be applied to future, bigger
versions. A full version would certainly have a wider range of random
dungeons, monsters and events; as it stands it's probably going to
repeat itself a fair bit. Other features I have in mind for a full
version include collectible world-building documents, monster profiles,
and different unlockable playable characters with different gameplay
styles. Suggestions welcome.
With all that in mind, here's the page with the download link. Let me know how y'all go with it. Bonus points if you record yourself playing for Youtube, 'cos that's as good as a focus test.
Those
of you who remember my Chzo Mythos series of adventure games may
appreciate that I'm coming back to Lovecraftian horror with this one,
but this isn't a point-and-click adventure. I like to think of it as a
'Survival Horror Roguelike'.
But there's also a puzzle aspect. One of the four runes of the ritual will be the rune of the god you mean to banish. There are three gods exerting influence upon the world, but only one of those is attempting to invade. If you piece together the ritual but banish the wrong god, then you have failed at the final hurdle. You also need to gather enough clues as to the gods' identities to be able to make, at the very least, an educated guess.
With all that in mind, here's the page with the download link. Let me know how y'all go with it. Bonus points if you record yourself playing for Youtube, 'cos that's as good as a focus test.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
That Most Talkative Jam
So you may have noticed I've done a bit of rearranging on the front page. Steer your eyeballs portside and you'll note there's a new link for the Jam audiobook. Basically that was the announcement. Hey! The audiobook version of my second novel, Jam, is now available from iTunes and Audible.com! A lot of people were asking about it and we got it out just in time for the holidays. It's my classic tale of an alternative apocalypse, fully unabridged and read by my good friend myself, published by Open Book Audio just like Mogworld was. Click the big image below if you consider the sidebar button beneath you.
Also, here's a link to the Amazon page in case you're not interested in the audio version but were suddenly reminded that you need to pick up a Kindle or physical copy of Jam, and who could blame you.
I might as well also use this post to mention that I may have another announcement soon. I'm working on another game with Game Maker, and am thinking of putting out a beta version sooner rather than later to get some feedback, then using that feedback to make a larger, final version to try putting out for actual money. Ho yes, now that I'm a fully grown up and mature professional creative I'm starting to realise that perhaps I should endeavour to find some compensation for time frittered away on solo game projects. Watch this space.
Also, here's a link to the Amazon page in case you're not interested in the audio version but were suddenly reminded that you need to pick up a Kindle or physical copy of Jam, and who could blame you.
I might as well also use this post to mention that I may have another announcement soon. I'm working on another game with Game Maker, and am thinking of putting out a beta version sooner rather than later to get some feedback, then using that feedback to make a larger, final version to try putting out for actual money. Ho yes, now that I'm a fully grown up and mature professional creative I'm starting to realise that perhaps I should endeavour to find some compensation for time frittered away on solo game projects. Watch this space.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Splash back
Hello! I'm still alive! Here's a video Gabriel and I did in which we play Flashback very badly.
Friday, September 20, 2013
That's A Panelling
Ahoy there, occasional readers. As some of you may know, the Escapist Expo is coming up again (October 4-6th in Durham, NC just like last time) and I'm going to be flying all the way out there again for it. But I'm not going to be there just to sit in a tree cupping myself, ho no, I've got panels to do.
There's a full list of scheduled panels now been put up here, which you should definitely check out in full 'cos there's a lot of neat stuff I'm going to miss 'cos I have to go be sparkling somewhere else, but since this is my blog that you're still psychotically checking regularly for updates that never seem to come, here's a list of just the ones I'm on. Hope to see y'all there.
The Escapist Q&A
You get to ask all of the Escapist contributors whatever you want. This Q&A session will start with a few introductions, but then we’ll jump right into handing the mic over to you to ask your heart’s desire. Why doesn’t Yahtzee wear his hat anymore? What does Jim think about sandwiches? Does Lisa Foiles wear boxers or briefs? Now’s your chance to ask! (We will be having three sessions of this Q&A over the weekend so don’t worry if you miss one.)
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Bob Chipman
Gavin Dunne
Dan Epstein
Chris Pranger
Lisa Foiles
Mark J Kline
Graham Stark
Paul Saunders
Jim Sterling
Greg Tito
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Fri, Oct 4, 2013 3:00 PM
Sat, Oct 5, 2013 3:00 PM
Sun, Oct 6, 2013 3:00 PM
How to Create an Online Cult, er, Following
The internet is a fickle mistress, but when plied with social media and shameless plugs, she can bring great success. The internet celebrities discuss how they’ve expanded the reach of their empire through the use of self-promotion. Or how it all kind of just happened by an enormous stroke of luck.
Participants:
Graham Stark
Paul Saunders
Yahtzee Croshaw
Joshua Ovenshire
Greg Tito
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Fri, Oct 4, 2013 10:30 AM
The Hour of Love 2 – The Revenge
Say something positive about quick time events. Go! Last year we asked the audience to come up with short, one phrase topics, and present them to Jim Sterling and Yahtzee, forcing them to express anything good about the subject. Dr. Mark would then judge the two notorious curmudgeons to see if they were able to be as loving as possible. We’re bringing back the format for this Expo, so please bring your dastardly trap-topics. Please, no one mention Aliens: Colonial Marines.
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Mark J Kline
Jim Sterling
Greg Tito
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Fri, Oct 4, 2013 4:30 PM
The Big Picture Quiz Show with MovieBob & Friends
MovieBob will test the knowledge of his fellow Escapists with a one-of-a-kind quiz show! We've picked the contestants, Bob is holding the questions - most culled directly from the over 150 episodes of “The Big Picture”... but YOU get to help decide which category the questions will come from! Movies, Comics, TV, Games, the power is in your hands. PLUS! If none of our esteemed contestants can answer a question, a lucky audience member might get a chance to try and maybe win a fabulous prize!
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Lisa Foiles
Chris Pranger
Graham Stark
Bob Chipman
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Sat, Oct 5, 2013 12:00 PM
No Right Answer – The Escapists DebateThere’s nothing quite like demanding people to state their opinion on meaningless pop-culture items. Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, Bob “Movie Bob” Chipman, Graham Stark, Chris Pranger, and Dan Epstein join forces for what could possibly be the greatest series of debates since the dawn of time. We’ll start out using fan suggestions to debate in the style of the wildly popular “Who Would Win?” episodes of No Right Answer. Then the main event; A feature debate where panelists split into teams, and tag in when they have a killer point to make. If you’ve ever wanted to see Yahtzee and Movie Bob get into a shouting match, you’re welcome to attend and watch the magic unfold.
Participants:
Bob Chipman
Yahtzee Croshaw
Graham Stark
Dan Epstein
Chris Pranger
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Sat, Oct 5, 2013 4:30 PM
The Most Wonderful Games We’ve Never MadeGame designers talk about the best game ideas they had that never got made, for one reason or another. Or the game they've always wanted to make, but never did. Or, the game they heard about someone else making that never surfaced. There will be a lot secrets divulged, skeletons dug up, and bad ideas left to dry.
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Richard Dansky
Randy Greenback
Jonathan Bolding
Location:
DCC Meeting Rooms 3-4
Date:
Sun, Oct 6, 2013 10:30 AM
Game of the Year
2013 may not be over yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start talking about our favorite game of the year. What title should hold the honor? Is it a shooter? An RPG? Or should we surprise everyone and give it to Madden? The panel will discuss what they think about the games they’ve played this year and nominate their early pick for Game of the Year.
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Jim Sterling
Gavin Dunne
David Moss
Andrea Rene
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Sun, Oct 6, 2013 12:00 PM
Your Game Idea is Bollocks/Brilliant – Pitch It Anyway
You think you got a great idea for a video game? Come to the panel and pitch it to our illustrious panel of game developers and critics, and we’ll tell you whether you are a crazy son of a bitch or a game design genius. There’s no middle ground - it’s either bollocks or brilliant. You have 30 seconds to explain your game idea, so make it count!
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Jim Sterling
Chris Hazard
David Moss
Greg Tito
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Sun, Oct 6, 2013 4:30 PM
There's a full list of scheduled panels now been put up here, which you should definitely check out in full 'cos there's a lot of neat stuff I'm going to miss 'cos I have to go be sparkling somewhere else, but since this is my blog that you're still psychotically checking regularly for updates that never seem to come, here's a list of just the ones I'm on. Hope to see y'all there.
The Escapist Q&A
You get to ask all of the Escapist contributors whatever you want. This Q&A session will start with a few introductions, but then we’ll jump right into handing the mic over to you to ask your heart’s desire. Why doesn’t Yahtzee wear his hat anymore? What does Jim think about sandwiches? Does Lisa Foiles wear boxers or briefs? Now’s your chance to ask! (We will be having three sessions of this Q&A over the weekend so don’t worry if you miss one.)
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Bob Chipman
Gavin Dunne
Dan Epstein
Chris Pranger
Lisa Foiles
Mark J Kline
Graham Stark
Paul Saunders
Jim Sterling
Greg Tito
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Fri, Oct 4, 2013 3:00 PM
Sat, Oct 5, 2013 3:00 PM
Sun, Oct 6, 2013 3:00 PM
How to Create an Online Cult, er, Following
The internet is a fickle mistress, but when plied with social media and shameless plugs, she can bring great success. The internet celebrities discuss how they’ve expanded the reach of their empire through the use of self-promotion. Or how it all kind of just happened by an enormous stroke of luck.
Participants:
Graham Stark
Paul Saunders
Yahtzee Croshaw
Joshua Ovenshire
Greg Tito
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Fri, Oct 4, 2013 10:30 AM
The Hour of Love 2 – The Revenge
Say something positive about quick time events. Go! Last year we asked the audience to come up with short, one phrase topics, and present them to Jim Sterling and Yahtzee, forcing them to express anything good about the subject. Dr. Mark would then judge the two notorious curmudgeons to see if they were able to be as loving as possible. We’re bringing back the format for this Expo, so please bring your dastardly trap-topics. Please, no one mention Aliens: Colonial Marines.
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Mark J Kline
Jim Sterling
Greg Tito
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Fri, Oct 4, 2013 4:30 PM
The Big Picture Quiz Show with MovieBob & Friends
MovieBob will test the knowledge of his fellow Escapists with a one-of-a-kind quiz show! We've picked the contestants, Bob is holding the questions - most culled directly from the over 150 episodes of “The Big Picture”... but YOU get to help decide which category the questions will come from! Movies, Comics, TV, Games, the power is in your hands. PLUS! If none of our esteemed contestants can answer a question, a lucky audience member might get a chance to try and maybe win a fabulous prize!
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Lisa Foiles
Chris Pranger
Graham Stark
Bob Chipman
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Sat, Oct 5, 2013 12:00 PM
No Right Answer – The Escapists DebateThere’s nothing quite like demanding people to state their opinion on meaningless pop-culture items. Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, Bob “Movie Bob” Chipman, Graham Stark, Chris Pranger, and Dan Epstein join forces for what could possibly be the greatest series of debates since the dawn of time. We’ll start out using fan suggestions to debate in the style of the wildly popular “Who Would Win?” episodes of No Right Answer. Then the main event; A feature debate where panelists split into teams, and tag in when they have a killer point to make. If you’ve ever wanted to see Yahtzee and Movie Bob get into a shouting match, you’re welcome to attend and watch the magic unfold.
Participants:
Bob Chipman
Yahtzee Croshaw
Graham Stark
Dan Epstein
Chris Pranger
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Sat, Oct 5, 2013 4:30 PM
The Most Wonderful Games We’ve Never MadeGame designers talk about the best game ideas they had that never got made, for one reason or another. Or the game they've always wanted to make, but never did. Or, the game they heard about someone else making that never surfaced. There will be a lot secrets divulged, skeletons dug up, and bad ideas left to dry.
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Richard Dansky
Randy Greenback
Jonathan Bolding
Location:
DCC Meeting Rooms 3-4
Date:
Sun, Oct 6, 2013 10:30 AM
Game of the Year
2013 may not be over yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start talking about our favorite game of the year. What title should hold the honor? Is it a shooter? An RPG? Or should we surprise everyone and give it to Madden? The panel will discuss what they think about the games they’ve played this year and nominate their early pick for Game of the Year.
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Jim Sterling
Gavin Dunne
David Moss
Andrea Rene
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Sun, Oct 6, 2013 12:00 PM
Your Game Idea is Bollocks/Brilliant – Pitch It Anyway
You think you got a great idea for a video game? Come to the panel and pitch it to our illustrious panel of game developers and critics, and we’ll tell you whether you are a crazy son of a bitch or a game design genius. There’s no middle ground - it’s either bollocks or brilliant. You have 30 seconds to explain your game idea, so make it count!
Participants:
Yahtzee Croshaw
Jim Sterling
Chris Hazard
David Moss
Greg Tito
Location:
Fletcher Hall at the Carolina Theatre
Date:
Sun, Oct 6, 2013 4:30 PM
Sunday, July 14, 2013
What Passes For Normal
Oh blimey it's been a while since I uploaded an adventure game LP video. In this case it's because Gabriel picked a CD-ROM DOS game from the mid-90's, one of those ones that are notoriously hard to play on modern PCs because they're held together with chewing gum and hope, and I understand he had a devil of a time recording the thing.
But his loss is our two-faced back-handed gain. Yes, it's Normality, a hilarious game about a complete tosser wandering around fighting an oppressive future society which is, in many ways, not oppressive enough.
But his loss is our two-faced back-handed gain. Yes, it's Normality, a hilarious game about a complete tosser wandering around fighting an oppressive future society which is, in many ways, not oppressive enough.
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