[Darnn]

Holy fuck, people.

Holy fuck.

I played 5DAS and 7DAS in the course of five hours, from 11 PM to 4AM the day before yesterday.

7DAS scared the crap out of me. Seriously. I don't think anything's had this effect on me since I was in the third grade and watched things like The Langoliers and Invasion of the Body Snatchers ('70s one). And they don't even scare me today (Langoliers was even quite bad, much worse than the story).

I didn't want to go to sleep right after finishing it because I knew, logically, that it would be hard, and even half an hour later (during which I watched an episode of Pete & Pete, which all will agree is the perfect antidote for horror) it was hard. Things from the game kept coming back to me, like Adam's last words before flying out. Not particularly powerful and didn't make that much of an impact when I was playing, but they kept coming back.

Yesterday I fell asleep with some difficulty, too, and my dream was somehow related to the game (although nobody was trying to kill me or anything like that).

I'm rambling, so, long story short, the game is extremely awesome. 5DAS is good as well, but the most powerful things in it were probably the dream scenes.

Now, of course, comes the 'but'. I do want to make it clear that saying all of that wasn't just an excuse to get to this part, though.

This is pretty random, but why is he a welder, aside from fact the genre of the game is slasher film? He was just a messed-up kid. Where did the whole leather apron and welder mask bit come from?

I was stuck in 5DAS when I didn't realize there was another room beyond the pool. It's just not too clear. Also, sometimes it was confusing that I had to use something instead of using the pickaxe on it. And the area marked 'dirt' (with the button in it) was too small, I think.

The whole dead people walking thing is pretty confusing. I'm willing to suspend my disbelief, of course, but I want it to be consistent. So, okay, once DeFoe takes over someone's body, he can walk through walls. Okay, this was not enough to stop Barry's body from being destroyed when thrown into the reactor core, and he couldn't resist being pulled outside the ship. But I thought I was so clever when I stunned Barry in the cell in the brig and turned the grid on. Then he was still chasing me. I was bitterly disappointed.

Also, what about Serena? Her walking around when you find her body? Someone on the AGS forums suggested it was her ghost, but there's nothing in the game to indicate this, and all the dead people walking around were supposed to be related to DeFoe.

Also also, what about Angela? He could take over dead people, it was only reasonable that after I killed 'Barry', he'd do it to her.

Unlike a bunch of people, apparently, I liked the ending. Gattaca was a great movie. I was a bit sad to learn he went as far as killing the guy, but it was still good. Problem is, someone should have easily picked up on that. When you show up and say you want to go on a space ship, and their data says you're 65 even though you look 30ish, that doesn't work too well.

Also unlike a bunch of people, I didn't really think the characters were that developed. The captain sort of just tells you about all of them. There could have been more conversation before disaster struck. All in all, it could have been a longer game. I think that if it were longer, with better graphics and sound effects and generally more polished, it could have easily been a commercial game. There aren't enough horror adventures like this.

Speaking of the sound effects, awesome use of Half Life sounds (I particularly liked the body hitting the floor sound being the one you hear when you smack a corpse with your crowbar). However, the footstep noises got annoying pretty fast. They should have been quieter, I think, or generally somehow more low-key. Possibly not there at all.

Lastly, if you're reading this, Yahtzee (and won't I feel silly if you aren't), the thread about the game on the AGS forums lived beyond the point at which you looked at the bugs in it, and people have said some pretty constructive things in it (amid all the stupidity). Though it's fourteen pages, you should consider reading it so as to implement things for your next game.

Actually, screw that, I'll just go over it myself. Things they mentioned that I haven't:

Walking around the ship so much got annoying. I really think most games should have that red arrow thing they did in CMI - see an exit, double-click, presto.

It was silly that you had to use the towel rail rather than just pushing him. And that you couldn't take it before you were imprisoned when just walking around there.

The fact they sleep before using the escape pod is a bit far-fetched. As is the fact only two people have cards for it and you need to fuel it first. These two things seemed like the charming illogical things that come with the field, though. They also talk about how DeFoe's smart all of a sudden and has elaborate plans, but that seemed natural to me, as well.

Some people mentioned this, and I know I'm always like this, but it seemed some things prompted a response that was more 'Argh! I'm going to go look this up in the walkthrough.' rather than 'Ahh! A challange!'.

Speaking of next game (I was until I went back to that thread, anyway), I want to bribe you into making one, plus I really want to just give you money after playing these, but unfortunately I can't. My credit card only works inside Israel. But, are you making anything new just the same? Would working extra hard on trying to bribe you help if you're not?

[Yahtzee]

Thanks, Darnn, I'm glad I was able to make you poo your pants.

With regard to your complaints, yes, I've heard all that before. There are a lot of things I did wrong in 7 Days, and I was kind of rushing a sequel out on the assumption that everyone would love it whatever was wrong with it. I'm hoping to redeem myself with a game I just started, which has Trilby in it, and rejects horror in favour of more traditional adventuring. Basically, I just want to tell a good story with the medium I'm good at. Not sure when or even if I'll finish this one, 'cos I'm going through a stage of starting a lot of new projects, then abandoning them in favour of even newer ones (Chris and Trilby has all but dried up because I'm working on another comic).

I do have something you could test for me, though. This is something I came up with recently when testing the limits of the AGS engine, seeing what other kinds of games you could make with it. It's very very incomplete, a lot of features I was planning haven't been added, and there are no endings - it just goes on forever. Basically, it's a life simulator set on a spaceship, like a hybrid of The Sims, 7 Days, and the genre of Japanese dating/life sims.

I stopped working on it recently partly because of other projects, partly because the amount of code I've already added has become incomprehensibly labyrinthine, and partly because I couldn't be sure if people would actually want to play it, or if I was just pissing up a rope. So... here's the alpha version, largely untested, of Poseidon 12.

http://www.fullyramb...m/games/p12.zip

You can do most of the basic functions. You can work your career, get promoted, use the library, go to the cinema, and form relationships with other characters. You can take them on dates and even have sex with them if you get them to like you enough. Pretty much all the basic framework is in place - it's just a couple of advanced functions and events that aren't added. In my full version, I envisioned a number of unplayable mission segments, the results of which depending on your stats at the time. And of course, there'd only be a limited number of time before the game finished and you received an ending depending on your performance. So give it a try.

You can share this with the AGS folk if you want, probably the best people to test it. It'd probably be 'safe' to go to their forum myself, actually... but I don't really want to cause a fuss.

[Darnn]

I don't actually frequent that forum, I just visited that one thread. Although posting it shouldn't be a problem.

What the heck happened there, anyway?

[Owyn]

hmm, a new sims like game, you might want to check out if you haven't already a game called "Johns in the fast lane" i belive. Its a really old game that is comparatible to stuff like the sims but in 2nd and you don't move, even if it is extremely out of date. I just remember this one had very good challenge in the way of how successful you become. Or maybe its just because i was extremely bored at the time.

[Yahtzee]

What the heck happened there, anyway?

Do you know, it's all kind of a haze. I think it went something like this:

I was acting a bit high-and-mighty, because I was accepted and appreciated for the first time of my life and it went to my head, and a lot of people found me annoying. Then I left and their hatred for me bubbled for a while until it seemed to subside for a while, then I went back and tried to be all friends again, but a little while later I made some throwaway remark and they all started slagging me off again. So I figured they were just waiting for an excuse to hate me and decided they were jerks I was better off without. I pop in there now and again to check my status, and they seem OK with me now, but I don't want a repeat of the last incident because it's not good for my social anxiety disorder (NOW DIAGNOSED AND BEING TREATED BY PSYCHOLOGIST, BITCHES)

[Chyld]

Looks like a damn fine piece o' programming. It did crash just after the Russian bloke finished giving me the tour, but that's probably my shitty laptop rather than anything else...

[Creaux]

Um, is there anywhere I can download from/ anyone who can send me 5 Days a stranger? The download site is sort of dead. I'd like to try the game out, too, y'know it?

[Chris]

Seemed interesting, up until the tour ended, then

BANG! MoveCharacter: Character not in this room. Go harass the author.

[Darnn]

Creaux, here.

[Creaux]

Ahaha! Unfortunately, I got bored and started playing 7 days. I'm pretty damn impressed, Yahtzee! I also liked Oddysius, fun stuff. I played about with RPGmaker2K a lot, but I always got bored while doing a project...just lost focus/desire to complete the job.

[Yahtzee]

Seemed interesting, up until the tour ended, then

BANG! MoveCharacter: Character not in this room. Go harass the author.

Bug fixed, new version uploaded:

http://www.fullyramb...m/games/p12.zip

Has anyone pointed this out to the AGS people yet? I think they might find it interesting.

[Creaux]

I finished 7 days earlier on (Bwehehe, good fun!) and played some Poseidon; I really like it, too. And there NEEDS to be a movie about your brain!

[Chyld]

Just been playing it, and if we need some feedback...

-It did crash when I got promoted to engineering security, and tried to clock into work.
-When the friend rating for a friend hit maximum, it wouldn't let me talk to her anymore.
-I'm assuming you haven't done anything for the Upgrade Quarters thing yet?
-Is there any way to order drinks at the bar?
-Similarly, is there any way to increase Morals? Taking out The Evil Book makes it go down, but y'know...

Apart from that, its scary good and seems scary complicated to have programmed. Gravy!

[Yahtzee]

No way to order drinks, no. And no upgrade quarters system yet, either. I figured there'd be no point in making money if there was nothing to strive for.

You can increase morals by talking to FreudBot on the medical deck, or by reading the religious book.

[Chyld]

Rightyo then. Also, more playtesting bug-spotting crazyness.

-I tried again, and it didn't crash in the engineering deck. Not sure why.
-Is there any use for the store thing opposite the library? My soldiar didn't want anything to do with it.
-Its a bit too easy to get promoted...
-For some reason, I just whacked it on again, and it wouldn't let me on the bridge. A bit curious, considering that I was the First Officer.