IndieBoy's Blog

Day 1

2010-06-21T22:30:00.002+01:00

Hmm...

2010-06-20T23:15:00.002+01:00

Cut and paste

2010-01-16T00:29:00.001Z

Just noticed this... too much like Ben and Dan?

Trying some things out...

2010-01-12T18:11:00.004Z

Goal: Never happens

2009-11-23T07:15:00.002Z

I really over estimate the amount of stuff I can achieve in the free time between working, university work and general socialising..

But I will get this game done. I WILL!

Goal: Get things out the way

2009-11-19T17:02:00.004Z

Well I posted something about a project that I was kind of experimenting with the approach to actually completing the game, by getting a few people to read over my design document before I started anything. Therefore I could improve the game without it actually been made yet. Well quite few months have past and the game has now been pushed into the corner with all my other unfinished projects. So I've decided that THIS WEEKEND IT WILL BE COMPLETED!!! MUHAHAHAHA!!!!! Well started over and just made. Crappy, unfinished or what, it will be made because I owe it to myself and the other people who were kind enough to give me feedback those months ago.

What you think?

2009-11-18T21:52:00.002Z

Let's pretend..

2009-11-17T22:30:00.001Z

... I posted this the other week. Hopefully you will see what this has turned into soon...

The Fourteenth (Fourth)

2009-10-14T18:20:00.002+01:00

Nineth (Third)

2009-10-09T21:44:00.001+01:00

Uh oh...

2009-10-09T17:30:00.002+01:00

Finding time to do this challenge is very hard.. Damn you Uni work!! *shakes fist*

The Fifth (Second)

2009-10-05T23:04:00.001+01:00

Seems like I've failed

2009-10-05T18:11:00.004+01:00

Sadly I was ran over by a double decker bus on Friday and have been in hospital for the last few days. Today they let me go home. I've lost both my legs, my left arm and have dislodged my spine in such a way that I can't turn to my left, I can move pretty much 90 degrees. I will get back to the promised drawing a day post thing as soon as possible, but right now I think I need some rest.

The First

2009-10-01T23:32:00.001+01:00

Quite happy with my new style then...

2009-09-28T21:51:00.004+01:00

...I realise I'm copying ben304 :'(

This a little old now, but its pretty much the latest thing I've worked on.

A little rant

2009-08-04T22:55:00.004+01:00

A good game doesn't have impossible puzzles.

A good game doesn't need difficult and complex programming.

A good game doesn't need "Cock-in-your-face" graphics.

A good game doesn't need live recorded, orchestrated, professional music.

But.

A good game needs to be playable.

A good game needs to be enjoyable.

A good game needs to be rewarding.

A good game needs to be satisifying.

Opinions on this maybe subjective, but if you disagree with any of these points then I think you are just a fan boy.

Collection of old inventory items (1)

2009-08-03T16:55:00.002+01:00

One navigator's head.

Man my brain is weird...

2009-07-23T20:44:00.004+01:00

A few spritejams ago it was Robinhood themed and I couldn't get an entry to look right. Now this week is superhero themed and I draw Bobbin as the Green Arrow. Man my brain is weird..

Although it shows that I improve :P

Background(1.1)

2009-07-17T00:46:00.003+01:00

Well I have done a little bit but not too much to show. It doesn't look like Im going to get this done this weekend :( Damn you social life! Damn you work! Damn you life!

Either way I am driven to get this done.

So I haven't failed.......yet.

Background (1)

2009-07-15T23:49:00.003+01:00

Well here is what I've been doing for the last 45mins or so:

A background!

Man those stairs took forever, but for the few pixels each step is at least they are all in perspective. :D

Once I finish this, then I might get some sort of game made with it, eventually. Man I hate backgrounds.

I thought I would post it so it will push me to finish it :D

AGS, the Future, Awards and Games!

2009-07-15T14:07:00.003+01:00

Well after watching the Puzzlebots trailer it just came to mind that this year is going to be great for AGS games! I mean you have Time Gentlemen Please and shifter's box which are both just awesome, the new Blackwell is coming out this month and now Puzzlebots says it will be out soon too. I think the awards in 6months time will be very exciting. I know Progz is working on something and that might be out in the next 6months, and let us not forget Ben Jordan 8. So if all the games mentioned are going to be out by the time of these awards, man it will be truely exciting.

If great games are being made with AGS then this will attract ore game designers to use AGS and will make even better games! Aw man I think I'm going to piss my pants.

Just a thought, what if Reasonance is out by then! AHH!

[/fanboy]

Jelly!

2009-07-04T12:00:00.003+01:00

I'm taking over

2009-07-02T22:47:00.002+01:00

Well I've always wanted to enter the animation competition at the AGS forums and well I've never seen I've been able to. Either the sprite is a bit too complex to animate, or I'm competing with a full animated short with explosions and and WTF!! written all over the place. It made me think is this competition meant to be an animation competition that will benefit the entree by improving thier animation skills or is it an excuse to to make a new avatar? I would rather the animation competition to be a sort of sprite jam esk, but more object based. So I did what I thought I should do and post int he competition suggestion thread, and well Gilbot kind of handed me the competiton...

Well so I've done it! I've re-invented the competition.

LINKY LINKY

What you guys think? I think its a step in the right direction. You have your writing competition, so that you can improve your adventure game plots. You have your BG Blitz to improve your background skills. You have your Sprite Jam to improve your character design and your spriting. You have your Tune contest to learn how to make some awesome adventure musics. And now you have your animation competition to learn how to make some awesome animations for your game. You can't have too many animations :P

I want some interest and some entries guys :D

Ug UG Ug UG!

2009-06-29T23:54:00.004+01:00

Ok maybe a little post would piss some people off, but Im proud of my oxymoron in there :D

So recently I've been crapping myself with uni stuff. First it was exams, then it was getting the results and now it is moving on and finding out WHAT THE FUCK AM I GOING TO DO NOW>??!?!? So after I had my panic attack I decided that I wanted to do a business course. It uses a lot of skills, and will be fresh and exciting. So after writing a lot of bollocks about myself and choosing where I want to apply, I sent my application away today! YAY! So that means Im free to do some work for a change ¬¬

Oh well once again pointless post

AHH

2009-06-29T23:54:00.001+01:00

Window Updates

2009-06-14T20:05:00.001+01:00

ARGGH I've lost a night's work of walkcycles due to windows restarting!!

2009-06-05T00:17:00.005+01:00

Well I'm in a bad right now. A lot of stuff, but I'm annoyed with myself more than anything. I've let people down. Een though they haven't said anything, I do know I need to be better.

Anyway, on a more happier note, I must thank my lovely feedback givers I PMed recently. All your comments are very useful, and some made me laugh. There were a few trends in areas to fix and I'll send everyone a copy of a list of points with my own input too. Some comments have really inspired me, and I've got a wealth of new ideas now. Which so far I've added 3 NPCs, a backstory and more of a plot, a better ending.. ish.. (more of disapointing and yet unexpected ending but maybe a little enjoyable to the player) and a tonne of extra logical puzzles. It's the same format for the kind of "shopping list", but a lot more depth and still all in one room. So I should be able to make this game (with good quality) very quickly.

YAY!

I'll hopefully post more than last month. What a crap posting month!

The only thing is that I'm picturing this game in high res or at least hand drawn. I don't know why. Although I'm going to pixel it, at the moment. Right now I need to finalise the puzzles and plot and the rest is just some hard work and EFFORT!

Project over 3 years in the making

2009-05-28T12:30:00.003+01:00

I was going through some of my junk the other day and I came accross some old school books that I used to write some game ideas in. Well in one of my english jotters I found one A4 piece of paper, which had on both sides basically a walkthrough for a OROW idea I had years ago. The puzzles are very rubbish, they mostly involve picking things up, which are pretty obvious and borning. However I've decided to actually make this game.

Here is the typied up version of this piece of paper:

Link to file

So I'm planning to make it all open source and well just post the files on here. Hopefully it will be useful for someone else than just me. But I think it would be interesting to see the original planing stage to the demo to the improved and final version.

Already I can think of a few ideas to revise some of the puzzles and how I can approach this game.

Game Idea (4)

2009-05-24T21:40:00.004+01:00

When is the worse time for the zombie Apocalypse to arrive? When you are getting laser eye surgery? How about a first person shooter zombie game with only one good eye? A blurry/hazy screen on one side and a clear image on the other.

Is that blur a zombie or a priest? Is it a zombie or a scientist with the only cure to this outbreak?

Remember: LOOK, then SHOOT.

304-i-ng

2009-05-17T22:27:00.003+01:00

EDIT: Worked on the colours more.

Well I decided to give this shading a go again, limilting my pallete to 4 colours, but then I thought he looks a bit green so I added another 4. So what you think? I like the 4 colour one as it's more contrasted.

What! IndieBoy made a Background?!

2009-04-30T00:44:00.004+01:00

Yeah well its not perfect, but YEAH I have!! Sorry I'm just gloating that I've actually finished(*cough*) a background. And where else can I do it without looking bigheaded? MY BLOG :D

I'm well pleased that I started this and actually finished this bad boy. And I entered it into the BG Blitz. I really doubt I'll get anything, but I am really happy that I entered and "on time". Well it depends on your timezone really. I might actually make a CL post and get some help finishing this to the best I can. And it might get me in the mood to make some backgrounds for a change.

Also (since Ghost posted a youtube vid in his blog):

Watch Out!

2009-04-21T21:32:00.005+01:00

Well I keep turning round and seeing 3 headed monkeys. Why can't I focus! Damn! One things is that I need to study cause I have exams soon, but also now I have a project but I'm just avoiding working now. :(

Is there no way to win?

And I need to work on my backgrounds. Meh! I need a holiday.

Photoshop is fun but I can't use it to make backgrounds.

BALLS!

Deja vu!

2009-04-17T20:21:00.003+01:00

Here is an update and to honor Ben's double post I shall double post about the same thing! YEAH!

So I took Ben's advice and tried to think about how I walked so I noticed I don't really lift my legs that much as he said, but I estimated I didn't lift my feet really higher than my foot's height. So I took that as a reference for my revision of the walkcycle and upadted the poor fellow.

I noticed the guy's shoe size changed nearly every frame so I tried to sort that out too. Also I added the bob, but it makes it look more stampy ¬¬

Plus I tried to show some movement on his shirt and things. So I'm pretty pleased with him now.

But saying that...

Gah Big is Better?

2009-04-15T22:40:00.004+01:00

Well guys I thought I shal post something that I spent a while on. I don't think Iv spent so long on a walkcycle before, maybe 4hours tops. And I'm still not happy with it but a the moment its done. So I woner whatyou guys think? I tried to make him ratio wise correct hence the size of him, but still comical and my own take on the human form.

Now Im wondering if I should try to reedit this guy with Ben's shading, but still he is a big 100px guy in a 320*240 world.

Well this guy is mean't to be evil, and there is a reason behind why I worked on this guy for so long but that can't wait for another post.

Ben Shading Not working

2009-04-06T22:06:00.002+01:00

Well my random animal drawing for today was a Rhino which went ok. I'm trying to go to the limits of my new style, with the number of pixel system. Anyway, my ben304 shading wasn't going that well with this fella. So I stole the palette from Ben's example. Because, well Im struggling with blue as the main colour. I mean I tried green, yellow, orange, red, pink and purple as the secondary colour but it still didn't work. So with ben's colours it looks a bit better, but still its Meh!

I dunno if it is my shading, but I don't think so.

Monkey Island

2009-04-06T00:21:00.003+01:00

Today at work I could swear someone had the MI theme tune as their ringtone. But I only caught the first 5 secs of the tune before it was answered. And I couldn't see who answered it.

There was my chance. A possible Adventure Game Nut who I could of possibly hugged today. Cause basically that made my day, because that ust showed to me that people who like adventure games aren't just on the internet.

Aw, what if they dreamt of making thier own adventure games, what if I spoke to them and told them about AGS they could of made some aweosme games. Aw man, I feel sorry for them now.

With any luck they will return to the store, but the chances of them returning and their phone going off again near me are slim, but it could happen.

Aw man totally gutted :(

Unless, I've got a stalker....

ARGGH Why does this annoy me so!

2009-03-30T18:19:00.003+01:00

So over the last few years I've read the AGS forums, the General Discussion Forum has gotten worse and worse. If it isn't that a thread is updated too often and people were annoyed that it was always on the top of the list or that someone hasn't heard of Google. And finally, well not finally I'm sure it has came up before, but there is now a thread by a mod about such threads. shaaa-link

Now, if you have spoken to me about the forums on stickam/tok box/irc or whtever you would of heard my view of the forums. But for you lucky story virgins I will post my metaphor here:

(in terms of threads)

General Dicussions - The Shite
Popular Threads - The Toilet
Games in Production - The Polishing of Turds
Completed Games - The Corn
Competitions and Activites - The Soiled Toilet Paper
Critic's Lounge - A Collection of Different Poo types

(ignoring the technical, RON and the hints and tips fourms)

Now don't get me wrong, I like the forums, and I like to think I'm a contributor. But this is just my impression of the threads I read today.

There is a time and a place for everything. Hence I'm posting this when it is in disscussion in the forums and in my own blog, not on the forums.

Ben304's Shading (2)

2009-03-30T17:53:00.001+01:00

So I had another shot at it, trying to use more of the colours and edited some of the colours. I dunno if it is anything as good as ben's style, I think the yellow just makes it look muddy.

Inventory Item compass?

2009-03-28T01:25:00.004Z

As I kind of previously posted, I've been thinking about use of inventory in a game. And well I came to the conclusion that the more surprises you can give the player in game play, the more enjoyment the player will have. Now set that in adventure games. I'm thinking about items.

The one thing I hate in an adventure game is looking for the missing inventory item or having to pixel hunt to pick up an item or have two items in the inventory which would do the same job, but you can only use one for bla and the other for another. I think these flaws only appear when game designers are just being lazy or stupid or both.

Well the best designers try to incorporate items previously picked up into more puzzles. And well the average adventure game designer will just avoid the whole having to pick up and use a pair of scissors when you already have a knife in your inventory.

So I came to some more conclusions about what are the most common items in an adventure game:

A key
A bucket
A screwdriver
A rope/string
A knife

A key and a screwdriver, although different items, sort of do the same job. They allow access to something locked. However a key only fits one slot, while a screwdriver is pretty much universal. So I treat them as separate items. Such as the key is a limited item and a screw driver is a more universal tool item.

Buckets! Or some kind of storage device, if it’s a bag or an idol missing some jewels. They hold another item. Buckets are pretty much universal, they can carry water to gravel, but do the same job each time and pretty straight forward.

A screw driver (again) and a knife, I treat these as tools. They can be constructed in a game to serve a purpose. But they are universal. Once a knife is in hand, you can stab as many people as you want. However I would avoid the whole knifing idea :P

A rope or string. These items are used to hold/attach things. Either if it is a new inventory item or something environmental like a rope to swing across a gorge.

One other type of inventory item is the Information items, which are only used to progress the story through dialogue, Such as a note, article, a photograph or blueprints. They are usually to tell you what to do or who to speak to etc but these are also basically your limited use items.

So I came up with the idea, why can't you have main items in your inventory and just keep re-using them? My idea was the inventory compass. I made it into a compass because there was only 4 main items you get, (the limited use item, the tool, the "bonder" and the storage device). My idea was that what if these were your main and possibly your only items in the game. It would be a lot more realistic for someone to be able to carry such items around and for me the best puzzles are the possible in real life puzzles.

Anyway I thought I would briefly share some of my thoughts on puzzle design in the last few months. And it might explain some of my previous blog posts :P

Also, can you think of any other items that wouldn't fit under on my headings? I would be interested if you can think of any, because I think my generalisation is sound proof :P

Oh And Other News:

2009-03-28T00:51:00.003Z

Here is a proper go at Ben304's shading :P

Rawr its a dinosaur. I kind of failed on the shading point but it did make me think about shading. Anyway Im quite happy with this little fella. Also I drew him with a system. Basically when I have one pixel, next to it would be 2 pixels, and a 2 pixel line would have a 3 pixel line next to it and so on. And I beleive it makes a more rounded and cartoonish and 3d shape.

Thats a little IB sceret :P Note that this system was only applied to the outline.

Pure Evil Personified

2009-03-28T00:38:00.002Z

If you have all of the following you are pure evil and must be killed:

Moustache
Black Cape
Top Hat
Long fingernails
Wears ankle socks

Sorry

2009-03-25T20:57:00.002Z

I hope Ben304 takes my last post as a joke :P

Cause his tutorial is awesome

ONLY 7 colours!!!

2009-03-24T19:21:00.001Z

Limited palettes are difficult to master, but the results you see are worth it :P

But the master has given his secrets away here.

Friday 13th..

2009-03-13T09:54:00.002Z

Well my grandad passed away this morning. An extra 3 weeks we got, from the one week the doctors said he had left. So I beleive I have understood that his time is up. It is weird, I feel sad, but I don't have any grief. I'm just happy that his pain is finally over.

RIP John Ritchie

LBP(2)

2009-02-22T22:35:00.000Z

www.tokbox.com

LBP

2009-02-14T20:17:00.003Z

Where littlebigplanet meets real life...

Things to do in university...

What can I do with a bucket?

2009-02-06T00:16:00.002Z

Well

It can hold liquid
It is a portable stool
You can roll it across the ground
Could be used as a hat if it is small
It could cover something
It can be weighted down
It can be used a weight in a pully sort of mechanism
Can be used to scoop up things
It can be bent into shapes if it is made of metal
Could be used as a portable toilet
Plant pot
Impromptu charity collections
Rubbish bin
Can used to make sandcastles
Could be turned into a drum if a skin is streched over it
Could be used to amplify a sound source contained inside
With a plank of wood could be turned into a See-Saw/catapult
Filled with ice, can keep things cool
With a hole in the bottom could be used as a post surgery vetinary safety device for an animal
With serverals holes in the bottom and filled with water could be used as a shower
Temporary goldfish bowl

Any more?

What can I do with a screwdriver?

2009-02-05T23:51:00.002Z

Well:

You can unscrew screws
Carve/scrape things
Lever open things
The handle could be used as a hammer
Could be used as a weapon/projectile
You could puncture things with it
Can reflect a small amount of light
Could be used as a letter opener
Could be wedged into things to keep them from moving
It can rust
Could be used as a paper weight

Any other Ideas?

Game Idea (3)

2009-02-02T23:57:00.004Z

Staring Contest

Game Idea(2)

2009-01-29T20:09:00.001Z

Text Based Hunt

Game Idea (1)

2009-01-26T16:25:00.003Z

Fuzzy Felts

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009-01-07T20:58:00.004Z

Well I forgot about this place.... I haven't been here since last year...

Heh

Well folks this is a year of change, I am setting myself targets. I am targeting myself to complete at least 3 games this year, learn everything you can about scripting, try my had at some "musicing making" and generally improve my skills so I can be a jack of all trades YAY!!

AGS news:

It has been a year since I have been a really active member of the forums. So yeah new years resolution of last year DONE! So Ive made a few friends and contacts now, so I can start to properly work on something. I still think I need to make a few more games individually but I am aiming to possibly have a bigger project in the works or completed by the end of this year. Bigger as in length, quality and people working on it.

AGS working News:

Presently I'm working on a mags entry. Well I finally came up with a plot and stuff now I just need to work out puzzles and locations now. I need to flesh it out but I'm working on the overall look of the game so I can concentrate on the puzzles and scripting next week.

Additional news:

Stickam is dead! Well at the moment it is as tokbox is the new thing. No lag, no kick just pure ags gold! Still need some work as a site, but it does have its priorities correct, fun fun FUN!

Voice?

2008-12-14T21:15:00.003Z

IF you missed my sexy deep voice yesterday.. well too bad it was awesome, but at the moment it seems I can't speak any more. I hope I get my voice back soon.
Hrmm I feel like working on a game.. For once I do have an idea but I have no time to work on it as of exams, but they finish on Thursday so after that IT WILL BE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS! so expect something.. maybe a little gift before the new year perhaps? Also it will be nearly a year for me being an active member to the AGS community YAY. One demo and one co-lab MAGS down but that was just in the last few months. Mmm this year has been kind of productive, but it aint over yet so keep your eyes peeled.

Keep Reading :D

TIme.. Time .. Time..

2008-12-03T15:12:00.003Z

It's time again for me to post.
It's time again for Christmas.
It's time again for the AGS forum's clock to be out.
It's time again for me to post in the general forums and get a very cocky answer to something that worth pointing out.
It's time again for me to get annoyed over someone who I have never met, who I have never personally attacked or had any previous annoyance towards, yet will not give me any respect.
It's time again for me to get a "sense of humour".
It's time again for vista to mess up my computer.
It's time again for me to choose over work, uni and social life.
It's time again for me to sit exams soon and still feel like I don't know anything.
It's time again for me to get a life.
It's time again for me to post.

I remember..

2008-11-06T19:19:00.003Z

When I said I was going to post every day or so.. Oh well that phailed.

I think too many things in my life are failing. I don't want to be a pessimistic, but it seems so. I can't believe that I got shouted at today cause I brought up the point that I'm more likely to make silly mistakes if I'm lab partner-less. Which is true! My lab partner has disappeared for about 6 weeks! So obviously I don't have someone to tell me "oh I don't agree" or "oh you've got to measure from the top not the bottom. GRR! So yeah I know I'm failing, partner or not, but still don't shout at me cause I bring the point up that it is a factor of it.

Oh well I just want to run away. Far, far away and build a house and hunt for food and watch the weather. Make my own heating system and flushing toilets and everything!

I always feel everything has been done before me. I want to do something no one has done! Does anyone else feel that way? Man... Okay sorry for what was meant to be an AGS related blog it is mostly about personal stuff: aka RANT RANT RANT RANT

I promise I will post something readable one day

Keep Reading :D

ME IN CAR

2008-10-29T14:52:00.002Z

Update: Uni

2008-10-28T18:38:00.003Z

Okay I forgot the to take pictures to sorry.

Back to the main point of this little personal post. Well I had my meeting and now they are speaking to the head of the course stuff so I might need to speak to him, but it seems like I might not be in uni this year :P I'm too late to change course and there isn't anything that I want to do at the uni...

So I dunno what I can do. Anyway I'm sure I will hear some more soon.

Keep Reading :D

I HAS GAME (again)

2008-10-27T18:28:00.003Z

Well some crazy super scottish hero asked me to some graphics for his mags entry and some crazy indieboy accepted. So here:

Click to download

Yeah well if I knew how much work I had to do for uni the last few weeks then I would of rejected his offer. Anyhoo it is done!

Now for some more pressing news... I know I promised some hot pictures of me in my new car, but my camera is broken and all I have is my phone camera which would turn out crappy so if you are all that desperate then I will take some crappy pictures tomorrow in the car (with clothes, cause it is cold these days :P )

Meanwhile:
I am having a meeting with my Uni mentor cause I am phailing.. FUN! so I might be a uni drop out! YAY! More time to work with AGS! YAY!

Keep Reading :D

ME GOT WHEELS

2008-09-22T18:35:00.002+01:00

I have a car!!!!

Getting it on Saturday so hopefully I will edit this post with photos :D

Keep Reading :D

Swish...

2008-09-16T19:38:00.003+01:00

I decided to change the look of the blog. Maybe the bright blue was too much :P Anyway, lets tell you all about my exciting new ideas.... .... Nah, I have had a lot on my mind. Just started uni and things so my free time has been taken up with that.

Still wondering if I want to update space pirates. I haven't got much of a bigger idea. Man.. I am back to square one. Okay I need to enter MAGS. I think that is the next step. Nothing large, but something bigger than Space Pirates.

Oh well just a short post. More next time I promise.

Keep reading :D

Driving Test Passed

2008-09-06T20:37:00.004+01:00

YAY!!! WOOO!!! I passed :D It was the same examiner who failed me :D So it makes me feel better that in my eyes I have improved my driving from the last test. Although that was over 2months ago, bloody test centre cancelling 2 of my tests putting me back of the queue twice!! Oh well I've passed now :D

That is all I wanted to say hehe I will update soon I promise

Keep Reading :D

DRIVING TEST

2008-09-04T13:43:00.003+01:00

Okay so no post in a little while. So little personal update, that I have y driving test...(again) tomorrow. So I am going to bring all your hopes up, then we will see if they will cancel it AGAIN, and will make you all suffer too!!! MUHAHAHahahaha...

So on another completely other note, vista is evil cause it will not support full screen mode for dos games. I have spent about 4hours in total trying to get it to work, dosbox, VDMS, everything... So I am going to cry...

SO back to AGS, well now I have officially a one cup game. Which means not worth playing.. YAY!! I wasn't expecting anyone to play it anyway, it is a very short crappy game. But I have decided to update it, fixing all the scripting bugs, adding about another 10 puzzles and another few characters. But right now I am thinking about MAGS, I dunno if the rules will be any good for me, but I do have an idea, just not a game idea. I think I am just back to square one.

Also back to AGS matters, the BG blitz thread has been locked... Now I am on two sides here, one side says: Finally! 4 months without another competition is ridiculous!
And the other say: Aww man, the competition didn't even finish.

Now I think it was ridiculous that nothing was said about this until recently and there wasn't even a moderator who ask Loominous to either wrap it up or ask if it was ok to start another BG blitz along side (which eventually did happen). Although I think the whole off-topic discussion of this matter in the thread lead to the locking. Also insulting Andail (the moderator who took charge of the situation) on the recent BG Blitz just posted wasn't going to help really.

Anyway that was just my 0.0112220851 British pounds (two cents)

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I have a game

2008-08-16T23:25:00.003+01:00

Orginally was going to made in 2 days... then extended a day.... then another 4!!

And I have a game out of it!!

Very short, quickly drawn, but I learned a lot of scripting which is awesome.

And here it is :D

Click to download

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GO!!!

2008-08-08T23:00:00.001+01:00

SPACE PIRATES....
48hours.....
Now.....

August Fools!!

2008-08-01T09:33:00.003+01:00

I had my driving test today.. well should of. It got cancelled due to the rain and severe weather!!! Bloody Scotland. Needs to be soo wet.

So I am a little pissed off. So lets talk about AGS!!

Basically I have decided to do nothing :D
hehehe
WELL.. I was going to finish WQ but I fancy entering MAGS. I might as well, due it being made for noobs like moi. Also the last few SHAG entries shows that I can actually make a game. I just need to wait for the rules and then I can get pixelling and scripting!!

I might and make some music. Probably not, maybe someone might be nice and make some music for me.

Anyway, I didn't have much to post maybe I could show you guys(I add the plural to cheer myself up) some of my practice animations.

(I don't think these guys will move...)

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Well Hello there!

2008-07-24T20:08:00.002+01:00

Hey, sorry for the lack of posting. I have felt like I have let my one reader down... you!

Basically I have been working and things and haven't got a lot to show for myself "AGS-wise".
Made a couple SHAGs (Stickam Hourly Adventure Game) which you can download from the Stickam thread. You will need to search through it a little :P

So yeah, AGS...
Well I think I have been improving my scripting skills. I still need to work on a few aspects but overall I can produce a game. WQ is on hold at the moment. I have decided to scrap all my puzzles I had planned as they were not challenging. I would of gotten away with it if I made it in the original 3 days or so, but not for a game that I could of been working on for months.

So presently I am thinking should I jsut make a short game. Spend longer on it than an hour but to be made quick and fast. I think I work well under targets and things, just I lack ideas for themes etc. I would rather someone just told me, "IndieBoy! You shall make a game about "

So maybe some suggestions would be nice ;P

Well I will post again... just I need to have something to show really.

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£100 Present..Food..Drunk..

2008-07-06T00:00:00.003+01:00

Ok so a short post as I am drunk again. It was my mum's birthday yesterday so we went out for a meal tonight. Which was fun. I like passing for 18 especially when you are out with your parents. So Sarah and I had fun and maybe I had a little too much fun heh heh. So I am home. I don't have anything interesting to say today. I replied to my thread in the CL lounge. Got some very nice comments and very helpful ones. I really need to get back to work.

ok so I think I should sleep as I got work tomorrow.

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Nick Name Bingo

2008-07-05T00:40:00.002+01:00

YAY, I got a bonus at work today. (I think I should talk about work first today)
So basically they were really really really happy with my effort in the job so I got a £20 voucher for the store. So I got to use that plus my discount of 50% of non reduced things or 30% on general things. So I got jeans and a shirt for £20 :D which would of cost about £35. So apart from that, I am getting like 100 different nick names at work. So I said we should play nickname bingo. Get a list of nicknames I have been called, and wait for a name to be called on the radio and cross it off. :D

So it was my mum's birthday today. And we had a BBQ: going for a proper meal tomorrow. So that was fun then I went to a party with Sarah. Man all these parties I can't handle them heh heh heh. So it was fancy dress and we didn't know what to dress up as. So I wore shorts, cause it was hot and said I was from America. :D

Yeah so the party was good. Sarah had fun.

I really need to reply to my thread in forums. But tomorrow or maybe Sunday.

Ok from drunken kid, goodnight.

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Woo writing in a new location!!

2008-07-03T11:01:00.004+01:00

Well today I am writing from my friends house. Party last night was pretty good, although everyone started to steal our drink and skittles. And Gav and Jen fell out so I had to help patch things up. Man Drunken advice is the best :D
Also another party on Friday :D man what I life I lead. Hehe.
So hopefully tonight I will have a bit more to sow in terms of AGS game making. I still don't know if Sylvr wants to continue with our OROW game. And the forum doesn't seem to be in a very helpful mood with my recent thread in the CL. Hrmm, nothing against the guy who has posted already just one post in about 48 hours on something that I want a range of opinions on, isn't what I was looking for. I might post again tonight.

Anyway this is a little update in my life

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What happened?

2008-07-02T10:00:00.002+01:00

Well OROW entry kinda failed. Sylvr had computer troubles and that, and well we broke communication for the last couple of days so we never got it completed. Oh well. Another project down the plug hole.

Okay so Whale's Quest! I am going to finish this one. Even if the puzzles will be rubbish.
Also I am going to try and post an entry a day. Maybe I don't have as an exciting life, but I will. I still need to post that entry about Sarah and I's trip to the zoo.

Anyway I am off to work now. I might rant on here, like sylvr :P

Hold on, I am watching Jeremy Kyle and a wee sick boy's wish to work with animals is being granted. But he isn't working with them. He has just gone to the zoo to look at them.

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Town

2008-06-18T22:36:00.004+01:00

OK so I thought I would make a wee personal post for a change. So on Tuesday I went to town with Sarah. (That is Edinburgh) spent all day :D. I felt bad cause well I needed to buy a few things, such as new jeans and some work t-shirts. But hey, I was paying for everything so I do get a say. So yeah I got jeans and t-shirts and things. I still need a jacket. We went into Armstrong's, which is a vintage clothes store which is the smellist place I have been. There was a guy who was cementing the floor. And I ended up getting half the stuff on my shoes.
Yeah so I need a jacket. All I own are hoodies. So I need a jacket. Hrmm.. the only thing I never got.
Yeah so we saw all these cats, plotting on top of a roof.

Yeah, so this entry was very unplanned.

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OROW

2008-06-12T12:27:00.003+01:00

Hehehe, my request and rant started the OROW craze again. OROW(One Room One Week) is an AGS competition, which gets a lot of entries and a lot of great games made. Anyway it starts on the 21st-28th of June, can't wait. It is all anonymous so I better not say anything, till after it is finished. Hopefully there will be a completed game at the end of this.

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I hate bathgate

2008-06-05T23:34:00.002+01:00

Sorry, but I failed my driving test today.

YAY I solved a scripting problem

2008-06-02T23:26:00.003+01:00

Sorry I am really pleased that, my script is starting to do what I want. Well it didn't at first, but I solved the problem, by making an object a character :D.
SO update:

Worked on some scripting and finished off the GUI and the icons. I found the "talking" icon the hardest, both in the selection bar and the mouse icon. Many people on Stickam said it looked like a penis, but I think that is crude. Maybe a worm, or a sock puppet. I might have to revise it a little. I am unsure about the default grey colour, but I wanted to just adjust the GUI -nothing fancy- just so it does its job.

Also added a little easter egg, ie "nod" towards a fellow gamemaker and game :P I am wondering if I could involve other fish as part of a puzzle, as they are frequently swimming around. I actually want to work on some new fish for the game the next time I have some free time. Although, Sarah is coming back in less than 48 hours so... I have limited complete free time...
Here is a little screenshot:

Hopefully I will have some inventory items drawn, animations, more fish, main NPC drawn, more scripting done, dialoue written, puzzles finalized and increase the room size next time :P
Well really that is my list of things left "to-do".

So Sarah is coming back. YAY! Can't wait, then I have my driving test, then prom, then the rest of the summer :D

Man I need to sort out what I will be doing with my life. As I am at that point, I just need to have some time management. But there is loads of things to do, and sort out. And all.

Anyway, the rest of my life is fine. Well I really hope I pass my driving test, cause I want to drive Sarah about. And well I want it over and done with. I think I am a safe driver. I just need to know exactly what I am doing with my maneuvers in this new car. Then well, I don't see why not. I better finish up there or it will turn into a Sylvr entry :P

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Tip of a Whale's Tail

2008-05-31T00:23:00.004+01:00

So today I worked on my game a little so here is a little update:

Yeah so the GUI has been sorted and also Bicilotti and OneDollar helped me with some coding of the NPC fish. It has given me some more ideas. As I thought since I have some more time to work on this then I might think of some more puzzles and expand the room a little.

Anyway this was a quick update as Sylvr said I haven't posted recently :P

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NEW JOB

2008-05-25T00:16:00.003+01:00

I thought I would write a little message about my life and my new Job. Well I started employment at GAP today :D I know the whole "Gay And Proud" but it is good money and well the job was pretty easy. The stock room seemed the coolest place. All the shelves moved! I so want to re create StarWars :D or something, but not yet cause I don't want to get fired. Also there was a dent in a shelf which might mean that someone has already tried this.

PS: I am saddened that no one has entered a Mags entry yet :( I might of had a chance. But I am quite happy of how Whale's Quest is coming along now. Actually I will need to finish it before I have 0 time :(

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Day 3-5

2008-05-22T12:24:00.002+01:00

Well it seems my project is on hold at the moment. Well it is because I have an exam tomorrow that I should be studying for (Instead of going into school to study and end up playing Monopoly... which I rock at by the way) that I need to pass so I can get into University. Well I am already in but it is the subject I need to pass to be able to do the Masters Degree -the five year one- in Engineering Physics.
So because of this all I have nothing to show for the last 3 days, apart from an increased knowledge of Physics. Damn, I will get all the girls :P

New news, well I don't know if I mentioned I got a new job which I start on Saturday so wish me luck :D Also a week after that Sarah comes back, YAY!, then driving test, then prom, then work full time. Man I am not going to have any AGS time :( Although I will have a lot of Sarah time to catch up on though :D

Oh another rant, I just found out that my driving instructor will be getting a new car before my test. So that means I have to learn how to drive his new car, in a week, so I can pass my test. Damn I am going to fail: stall, go in the wrong gear, mount the curb, kill someone, hit a wall or another car, kill the examiner, get rid of the evidence, get rid of the bodies, wash the car, explain to my instructor why he needs to re-paint and buff is new car and I won't be able to drive this summer :'(

That is all that is new.

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Day two

2008-05-19T17:37:00.004+01:00

Well after thinking about it for a while, I don't think my game really fits the MAGS rules, so that relieves some pressure. Although I am giving myself the target of getting it finished in around a week.

Anyhoo I thought I should post a screen shot of what it looks like today.

Well I still have dialogue, revise the gui, script interactions, animations and objects to do. Basically all the scripting and some sprites with animation still to do. I may think of some other puzzles as I am a little more flexible with time, but I will finish my original design then see what it is like to play it.

On a side note:
My exam went well today, although I fell asleep at the end. Then came home and slept some more. Man, I want my bed.

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Welcome

2008-05-18T23:47:00.003+01:00

Hello, my name is IndieBoy and I am from good old Scotland. My main aim for this blog is to talk about current events, document some of my thoughts and to keep a developers diary of my games. I use AGS(Adventure Game Studio) which is a great program, which I am still learning to use, that allows you to be able to create those classic point and click games.

My first entry:

Well after a long think about my first game and the whole theory of adventure games I decided to start a new project: a MAGS game. After spending some time in the AGS stickam room, I started to question what will I do in my life. I am at the point in my life that I am really thinking about where my life is going. A lot of new challenges and experiences await for me, but I have the choice of where I want to be in life. Just finished with school, starting a new job at the end of the week, Sarah coming over for Summer, going to Uni in September... my life has actually just begun. That is why I have decided to really "work" now. I have many failed attempts at games, but now I have the drive to produce something.

I must say thank you once again to everyone at stickam, more so the AGSers who actually use the room properly. and a special shout-out to Sylvr, she alowed me to brainstorm with her and gave me some great ideas for my game. So the MAGS deadline is the 25th, less than a week away... I think I'll make it.

My game will be a short, one room, one NPC, hardly any items, three-puzzle game. All about whales and underwater things. That is all I am going to say at the moment as it is getting late, and I have an exam in 9 hours :/

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