Escape from Zearz - Version 1.0.2

Another update!

I have completely recoded the game from scratch yet again because I have found a better method of drawing the graphics to the screen and for storing rooms. The end result is that I can go back to my original idea for directions. The compass is going to disappear, though right now the graphic for it is still present on the GUI. I haven't figure out what I'm going to replace that area with.

No snapshot for this version but if you download it and run it you will see the progress I've made. You can now interact with an NPC ("Ed") and talk to him a few times. He has a few different lines to say.

As of right now I'm borrowing a few sprites and backgrounds from other games. I'm still not completely pleased with it, but it was just meant to test the other stuff anyway. I'll be going back and revamping all of that in a future version.

This will probably be my last post about the game for awhile as the next version will take awhile.

Escape from Zearz - Version 1.0.1

So far so good. I haven't dropped the project, though all the work I did today on it really made me wish I could.

I had to change the GUI interface a little bit due to some serious complications I was having with some of my code. I also decided I really don't want to try and mess with a graphical inventory system for my first game. The complexity of that would be extreme for my first time so I'll stick to a text one.

As a result, the new GUI looks like this:

I'm fairly certain all of the GUI stuff is set. I also added the updater that I've used in three programs now so that the users can check for updates. It's under help->Check for updates.

Now I need to work on actually writing the game and getting interactive objects/puzzles in there.

Download Link
http://iyou.cyberbotx.com/programs/C-sharp/EscapeFromZears/

You can find all the various versions there. Keep in mind that until I've made mention of it, none of these are "official" demos and are just works in progress. You may not be able to get far into the game, if anywhere. Download and run at your own risk.

Escape from Zearz

What happens when Iyou has played too many SCUMM games and gets really bored? A new creation!

I think I have officially abandoned The Kingdom of Crim, though I may one day pick it back up. Instead I've decided to make a SCUMM-ish type game called "Escape from Zearz."

For those who have never heard of SCUMM (what, have you lived under a rock?), it's a scripting language used by LucasArts to create such games as Maniac Mansion, Zak McKracken, the Monkey Island series and countless other games. All of them are considered classics and some of the best adventure games ever created.

Will my game even come close to that? Probably not. I'm not really trying to make a game on par with LucasArts and this is merely a learning tool for me. Still, I would like it to be somewhat fun and playable. That's my overall goal.

As of right now the title and the basic GUI screens are completed. I am borrowing the look of the GUI from the Indiana Jones SCUMM game for the moment. I suppose this really makes it more complicated than it needs to be, since I could use the later Monkey Island series style and limit myself to fewer verbs and commands, but what's life without challenges?

Here's a sample image:




With luck I won't completely drop this project and a playable demo will be out in the next few months. So stay tuned and hope for the best!