I.Q. of Spam

Not quite a not-quite-RPG quite yet.

This is a project I started around Christmas of '07, though I certainly haven't put as much work into it as most people do in that amount of time.  Everything in it so far, with the exception of the ambient noise and sound effects, was completely made by me.  This currenly consists of the following features:

- Flash-quality graphics and smooth animations
- Smooth scrolling view (most evident before changing rooms in game)
- A nice night/day system with a rudimentary lighting system
- Saving and loading system
- System message engine (like the text area of an MMO)
- Speech bubble/cutscene engine (think 65M&1BC)
- Basic combat system
- Custom-built platform engine
- Custom-made music

Just a note, before I get a bunch of complaints about how the combat system is hard to use, how jumping is difficult, etc. I would like to state that this game is supposed to be casual.  What I mean by this is that people who like perfect control will be disappointed.  For instance, the combat system is slow and purposely clunky, only one type of movement can be made at a time (i.e. no jumping while walking), and there is absolutely no variable jumping.  I intend to focus more on strategy than button-mashing chaos in this game, which I hope will make it more difficult for those people who typically breeze through games, and easier for those with slower reflexes and generally less gaming skill.  This isn't to say that the game will be puzzle-based, but that is a possibility.

Also, don't expect a new demo anytime soon.  This project has unfortunately stalled, due to a combination of a lack of time and a lack of inpiration.  This current demo hasn't been changed at all in over a month.  If anyone has any ideas for this game, I would be glad to hear them, and hopefully I will have more time to work on it later - namely after this week is over.  College finals are hell for the freshies.  Anyway, for some screenshots.

Current demo information:

Version: 2.1.2
Vista compatible: Yes
Resolution: 640 x 480, windowed
File size: 6.91 MB

And just in case you were wondering, none of the save games will be compatible with later versions.  It is really finicky about that for some reason.  Just to be clear though, I highly doubt anyone is going to worry about their save-games for this demo.

Recommended requirements:

CPU: 3.0 Ghz
RAM: 1gb

Links:

Mediafire
Will Host for Food

Please leave any comments and suggestions you have!

Hey all, just posting this here to let you know that I am willing to convert MIDI files into much nicer-sounding versions, which I can then save as a MP3 or OGG for you.  Piano sounds get an especially nice boost in quality, though the others will sound much better as well.  I can also add in reverb effects, which I will do slightly anyway, as it makes them sound nicer, but I can take some special requests there as well. I am sure you won't be disappointed, but if you are for some reason, remember that this is a free service.  Basically, if you want your music converted, you will need to tell me the following things by post or PM:

- Time frame.  How soon do you want/need it?  This probably won't matter too much, since I can convert these fairly quickly, but still.
- Special requests.  This includes things like extra bass boost, changes to the panning of tracks, reverb effects, etc.  Nothing too outlandish, please.
- A LINK!  Obviously I am going to need a copy of your file to mess with, so make sure you give me one.
- Format.  OGG or MP3?  Others may be possible, but not probable because of lower/no compression, for example, WAV.
- Bitrate.  I will give you a 128-bit (or in OGG, a 128-bit average) unless you specify something else.  Please note that 128-bit is the max though.

I will probably do a mass-posting of the results for everyone about every 1-2 weeks.  Also, please understand that I may decide to stop doing this at any time.

Original MIDI

Revamped MP3

I hope to hear from someone soon.

About:

This is the first PacMan game I have seen on the GMC to actually use AI to hunt down the player.  Beware of the ghosts, they're far more ruthless than the original.  In fact I only put in ten levels because I know for a fact that nobody will ever get past level five.  The game features gameplay similar to that of PacMan Plus.  This means the fruit in the middle makes the ghosts edible for twice the usual points, and a surprise or two for those who make it to level three.

I guarantee that this is the best PacMan clone you have ever seen made with GM, or double your money back!  

Features:

- Updated graphics (updated from the original PacMan, that is)
- Advanced AI: Each ghost has its own and it is far superior to any PacMan AI yet
- Mostly original PacMan sounds, and not the low quality ones you find on the Internet
- Joystick support

Screenshots:





Download Links:

Be sure to read the included *.pdf for controls and instructions for using a joystick.

Mirror One - Mediafire

Mirror Two - Will Host for Food

Enjoy!

My question is pretty simple, but I'm not sure how easy it is to answer.  Is there a way to get the draw_text function to draw a comma?  Currently, it seems to replace every comma in a string with a space.  The font that is being used includes all of the characters, so that is not the problem.  I would greatly appreciate any ideas or suggestions.

Problem solved, thanks!
It was just an issue with the font I was using.

About 2 months ago I released my second game, Nepenthe, in the Creations forum.  It received a grand total of 4 or 5 replies before officially falling off the edge of the map (although I believe the link in my signature still works).  Naturally I was somewhat disappointed by this, and so I decided to make it open source to get it at least a little more attention.  

File size: 1.8 MB
Requires registration: Yes
Changes resolution: No (default, can be changed)
Additional Information: The A.I. is a unfortunately a bit hardware intensive.  Also, the game requires an extension called KX_Tesla to render the lightning.

The source code is very well commented - I think every part of it is commented, and the A.I. is explained in detail.  Not all of this is in GML (I kind of started the project in D&D, and was too lazy to convert it to GML).  If you use any of the GML or graphics for your own game, I will want credit, unless I didn't write the section you are using (I put in a comment before sections I didn't write, along with the author of that section).  If you see something in this code that is given credit in the Credits menu in the game, but not in the code, please PM me about it.  Also, if you find a section of code that is not commented, please let me know.  The D&D sections - well, I don't care what you do with that.

Here are a few screenshots:

Screenshot One
Screenshot Two
Screenshot Three

Please, do not post or PM me asking for either a *.gm6 version, or an *.exe version.  I am not going to post either of these.  An *.exe version is redundant in the Open Source forum, and I no longer have a copy of GM 6.1 on my computer.  

Download Links:

Box.net

The KX_Tesla extension can be downloaded below:

Box.net

Please leave any questions or comments you have!