[Juju]

CG
By Juju

CG isn't your standard game. CG isn't really a game. CG is a journey. From your birth in a world of ever changing colour, you are given cryptic clues as to your purpose. Hissing nodes, screaming spirals and green words await you in this deep and mysterious place. There are 61 truths, and you must find them all.

Just a little note - read the opening screen. It details the controls, which are generated at random every time you play the game. Furthermore, the game saves every time you die or return to the centre of the world (location 10, 10).


Desolate and alone, ready to face the world

This game is an expression of my view of the world and life, what it means to be human. The very gameplay is deliberately abstract and random yet the premice remains the same - find the truth. Truth is unchanging and uncompromising, both cruel and kind at the same time. Controlling the truth allows you to control the both and as such is forever being monopolised and corrupted. I feel that humans lie to escape from the shackles of boredom, of monotony despite the spiral of lies that we must keep telling to cover up older lies.


Confronted by a powerful guardian

At the end of the day, all a human wants is to escape this world carrying the truth with them. This game shows this struggle: From the start, like a child at school, you're told that the truth exists and given some vague instructions. The beauty of the game lies in how you want to complete it. You can attack the guardians or steal the truths carefully. You can systematically scan every area or you can use your intelligence and work out the what the game is telling you. Everything in the game is talking to you, through noise or through vision. All you have to do is listen and watch closely.

This is not an easy game or a normal game. But it is a good game. You don't have to complete it, you can chicken out and commit suicide, but once you've gone so far... Why not finish? Why not find the truth? Why not find the answers to your questions?

CG - 64Digits
5.1Mb download, made in GM7, runs in a 480 x 480 window and does not go fullscreen.

Some things users have said:
"I love the overall style and it's uniqeness. Great job Juju! 10" - Jaxx
"This game is like twister for my fingers! 10" - gamerman
"Only the truely intellectual can see how deep this game really goes." - marbs
"You created one of the best atmospheres I have ever played in a GM game" - thetagames
"Wow, this looks magnificent." - LimmingKenny

This post has been edited by Juju: 24 March 2008 - 11:52 AM

[thetagames]

Absolutely beautiful! You created one of the best atmospheres I have ever played in a GM game (It would be even better if it were full-screen). The music is perfect, and the sound effects (although a little loud) are fitting as well. I have yet to figure out what exactly to do, but isn't that the point? Not every game has to have a straightforward goal that is readily visible; for this, I think it is best to leave the goal as the 'pursuit of truth.' I will definitely keep this!

The randomly generated controls are a neat programming trick, but they can really make for awkward gameplay. I got QXKP. Maybe you could randomly generate keys that are next to each other, arranged like the cursor arrows? One generation could yield YGHJ, or 8UIO, (or WASD).

Also, how did you make the save system? That was a very cool idea!


Nice work!

~ Theta Games

[Juju]

Quote

I will definitely keep this!

Thank you. That means a lot to me. It's always nice to have your work appreciated.

Quote

Maybe you could randomly generate keys that are next to each other, arranged like the cursor arrows?

Interesting idea. I'll give that a stab. It'll probably require hard coding though, something that makes me feel a little ill inside

Quote

Also, how did you make the save system?

Firstly, whenever you go back to the centre, it saves just in case you hadn't noticed. Obviously, it writes all the game data to a text file etc. The way I created the file association is by a script I picked up somewhere (if anybody knows the author, please tell me):

//argument0 = file extension
//argument1 = file description
//argument2 = file icon
//argument3 = program location

registry_set_root(2);
registry_write_string_ext(argument0, '', argument1);
registry_write_string_ext(argument1, '', argument1);
registry_write_string_ext(argument1 + '\DefaultIcon\', '', argument2 + ', 0');
registry_write_string_ext(argument1 + '\shell\open\command\',
 '', argument3 + ' "%1"' + ' ""');

Next, whenever a save game is run, it opens up the game executable but - here's the crucial bit - the save game path is stored as an executable parameter. What this means is that one can use parameter_string(n) to return the save game path. In the game's logic, use parameter_count() to check if the executable has been run from a save game and then load the game from there.

This post has been edited by Juju: 23 March 2008 - 09:38 AM

[LimmingKenny]

Wow, this looks magnificent.

[syth184]

im not really anabstract game kind of guy, but i hate the control idea. that bothered me to the max. scine i didnt get hooked by anything except the idea that i was supposed to complete the game i really didnt get motivated enough to get used to the controls. if they were simply WASD or even IJKL then i coudl spend some time trying to figure the game out. i got like TYFV and i have no idea what directions those were. also the sounds for the gaurdians got so annoying that i finnaly quit..

[TheMagicNumber]

From mostly all the good comments...at 4 replies. I will give it a try for sure

Downloading...

Teh worst thing! BROKEN LINK!

This post has been edited by GMREC1111: 23 March 2008 - 09:46 PM

[just one question]

I would try to play further if the controls weren't useless.

ADGL is not easy to move at all. I also didn't understand the sound part. Syth is kinda right on that one. If the controls could be standardized, I would play further than two of these "guardians".

[Avatar101]

Well I completed it (or as far as I can tell due to its cryptic nature) and once you figure out the controls and understand how to use the words to determine where to go next the game becomes very simple and repetitive. though I got the screen with a the truths listed on it I couldn't figure out what was with the round objects that made a noise and had a number.

This post has been edited by Avatar101: 25 March 2008 - 02:03 AM

[Loaf]

I like the random controls, it makes every game unique boosting the replay value. I think everyones being a bit short sighted.

[Juju]

Thanks for the replies guys. If I decide to make a more playable/fun sequel, all your ideas and criticisms will be addressed!

[pencillio]

The atmosphere is great. I love kinda strange games like this. Even though it confused me

[redvein]

this looks interesting, and with most of these comments being positive I will download it and see how it is.
with a game as random looking as this, I think I will like it a lot.
Random controls dose sound kinda complex to grasp if one key is in the ''a'' key and the other is the ''*'' key on the number pad.
I will see after I have downloaded it, and then give you a full review.

[makerofthegames]

I couldn't even play it.

No controls anywhere, Didn't know how to move

F1 didn't do anything


Rating: N/A

[davidp]

this looks so awesome. i'll download it now and report back.

edit: this is amazing. sound effects and music rock and make very cool atmosphere. also i like the random keys idea, which makes you think about how to move, especially when trying to steal the truth from guardian. when i encountered guardian i had to think how to move and time everything so it's not that easy. not to mention that some guardians are really hard to beat-steal truth from them.

so far i have 4 truths, only 57 left really cool "game". awesome work.

This post has been edited by davidp: 08 April 2008 - 10:59 AM

[Juju]

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No controls anywhere, Didn't know how to move

Read the opening screen. It tells you directly to use certain controls. What's more, just pressing random letters would have moved you. Please do try again, the game is well worth experiencing.

Quote

this is amazing.

I'm glad you liked it, thank you for replying.

[makerofthegames]

Juju, on Apr 8 2008, 10:44 AM, said:

Quote

No controls anywhere, Didn't know how to move

Read the opening screen. It tells you directly to use certain controls. What's more, just pressing random letters would have moved you. Please do try again, the game is well worth experiencing.

The first time I played I read through it but it disappeared before I saw it, Why do you make it disappear and not just press a button like enter?


Edit: I do not like this game.

I couldn't find ANYTHING to do, When I touched something it made a horrible loud noise, I went up to the left and found the white thing, Not knowing what it'd do or how to even fight it *If you can* I touched it and BOOM! back at the start

The controls are the worst controls ever conceived, WHY NOT THE ARROW KEYS? or A D W S ?

This post has been edited by makerofthegames: 09 April 2008 - 07:48 AM

[davidp]

makerofthegames, on Apr 9 2008, 09:48 AM, said:

I couldn't find ANYTHING to do, When I touched something it made a horrible loud noise, I went up to the left and found the white thing, Not knowing what it'd do or how to even fight it *If you can* I touched it and BOOM! back at the start

The controls are the worst controls ever conceived, WHY NOT THE ARROW KEYS? or A D W S ?

Because WASD would be too easy. It's a challenge-to know how to use strange keys, not the controls you see in every second game. Where is the challenge if you play with same keys you're use to over and over again? I don't like how people complain about this. These days "gamers"

I'm at 23 truths at the moment. I'm gonna beat this!

[makerofthegames]

davidp, on Apr 9 2008, 06:51 AM, said:

Because WASD would be too easy. It's a challenge-to know how to use strange keys, not the controls you see in every second game.

You don't want a game that annoys the player. No, Its just an inconvenience, Thats because some people want to make games that they classifie themselves as games

What the crap do you mean "Truths"?

You playing a fake game in your mind or is that actually part of the game?

This post has been edited by makerofthegames: 09 April 2008 - 12:07 PM

[Juju]

Quote

You playing a fake game in your mind or is that actually part of the game?

It's ok to be irritated but please do read the opening screen. Don't just dismiss the game as annoying and give up without trying to understand it.

[makerofthegames]

Juju, on Apr 9 2008, 10:55 AM, said:

Quote

You playing a fake game in your mind or is that actually part of the game?

It's ok to be irritated but please do read the opening screen. Don't just dismiss the game as annoying and give up without trying to understand it.

Why did you pick that quote of me? I wasn't talking to you..