[Steve Ince]

Please excuse the blatant self promo, but here's the press release I put out yesterday:


Mr. Smoozles Goes Nutso is now available

Lead Designer and Writer on Broken Sword 3 releases first solo project

EAST YORKSHIRE, UK (September 2, 2006):
Game developer, Juniper Games, is pleased to announce that the PC game “Mr. Smoozles Goes Nutso” has now been released and is available for immediate download and purchase.
A hugely fun arcade adventure, based upon the online comic strip, Mr. Smoozles, it boasts a cast of 50 characters spread through 60 exciting and varied locations and has an original soundtrack by talented young composer, Josh Winiberg. With an addictive mix of gameplay and humour, this game is a delight for gamers of all ages and tastes.
The Goragons have invaded the Earth, zapped Mr. Smoozles with their mind ray and are trying to distort the whole fabric of reality. Play as Ed as he strives to avoid the attacking Mr. Smoozles, dodges many other dangers, solves numerous puzzles and interacts with a host of enchanting characters.
Writing, design, implementation and art have all been handled by award-nominated Steve Ince, a game developer with an excellent track record.

The game is available for download through the 720 Games website: http://www.720games.com/nutso.php


About Juniper Games
Juniper Games was founded by Steve Ince, formerly of Revolution Software where, among many other things, he was writer and lead designer on the acclaimed game, “Broken Sword – The Sleeping Dragon”.
Juniper Games has a number of projects in the pipeline, including “Mekapods” and “Juniper Crescent – The Sapphire Claw” and is committed to creating fun, character driven games.
“Mr. Smoozles Goes Nutso” is the first game to be released by Juniper Games.

About Josh Winiberg
Josh is a 19 year old composer and pianist, studying music composition at Coventry University. He’s already released two piano albums (Sunrise and Silent Embrace), and is currently working on a third (Through My Eyes). Both released albums have been performed internationally and received acclaim from composers such as Ludovico Einaudi, David Lanz and David Nevue. In 2004 he was invited to perform at The Ravello Festival in Italy. http://www.myspace.com/joshwiniberg


Additional details can be found at the Juniper Games website: www.juniper-games.com
Juniper Games can be contacted on [email protected]

[Dale Baldwin]

Ahhha, still working with Tony, I see

[Melanie68]

Congrats!!

Is the 15.2 MB file the entire game? If so, I can manage that at home on my dialup.

[Steve Ince]

Originally Posted by Dale Baldwin

Ahhha, still working with Tony, I see

Yes, his help has been incredibly valuable. We keep talking about doing an adventure together, but who knows when that will be...

Originally Posted by Melanie68

Congrats!!

Is the 15.2 MB file the entire game? If so, I can manage that at home on my dialup.

Thanks.

Yes, 60 locations, 50 characters, 2,200 lines of dialogue, 15 pieces of music all fit into 15.2MB. Though you'll need more space than that to accomodate the save games. Also, you'll only be able to play the demo section without buying the game and getting the Registration Key.

Keep watching for giveaways and competitions.

[Kolzig]

Congrats Steve about the finished project!

I'll download it right away and buy Nutso tomorrow, when I get back from school.

[Steve Ince]

Originally Posted by Kolzig

Congrats Steve about the finished project!

I'll download it right away and buy Nutso tomorrow, when I get back from school.

Big Thanks!!!

(That's two sales... )

[insane_cobra]

Congratulations, Steve, I'll try it out as soon as I can.

[SakSquash]

Looks dumb.

[Dale Baldwin]

Your opinion is as valued as always, Saksquash.

[Junkface]

Yay! I'd probably have bought it already, but I'm a little sketchy on how to do so. Do I need to register at 720games first? It's just that I'd prefer not to have my e-mail address available to everyone else registered there.

Originally Posted by SakSquash

Looks dumb.

Reading some of your posts is a great way of learning how to make yourself look like a fucking wanker.

[Steve Ince]

Originally Posted by Junkface

Yay! I'd probably have bought it already, but I'm a little sketchy on how to do so. Do I need to register at 720games first? It's just that I'd prefer not to have my e-mail address available to everyone else registered there.

No, you don't need to register at 720 Games to buy the game. If you click on the "Buy the Game" button on http://www.720games.com/nutso.php and then continue through to the BMT Micro payment page it will give you a number of payment options. The Registration Key will be sent to you as soon as the payment clears.

[Junkface]

Ah, when I click "Buy the Game" I just get a page that says "Once you have purchased Nutso, simply run the game and enter registration code to unlock it." I've tried in both Firefox and Internet Explorer. I'm probably just doing something really stupid or overlooking the obvious here.

[insane_cobra]

Tried it out, but won't be buying it. Aside from the fact that most of my previous concerns haven't been addressed at all, I just don't find the game fun enough to play. It's like Pac-Man with quests, only not as challenging. I thought the gameplay would be somewhat deeper in the final version, but apparently not. Sure looks nice, though.

The price is also a little steep, I'd rather get Armadillo Run or Eets for that kind of money (or Half-Life 2: Episode One, but that's not really a fair comparison). Truth be told, I wouldn't consider buying it even if it was much cheaper, it's just too clumsy and doesn't really appeal to me. Sorry. But good luck with it all the same. Have you thought about selling it through Manifesto Games? Or are you tied exclusively to 720 games?

...aaaand a litle bug report. The bottom part of the startup screen was still burried under the Windows taskbar so I couldn't see which key to press to continue. Even when I set the taskbar to auto-hide, the bottom part wouldn't show, but the title bar appeared so I finally solved it by dragging the whole window a little higher.

When I opened the terminal menu in the first room, I tried to close it by pressing Esc, but that brought up the main game menu on top of that one and messed up its graphics. Pressing Esc again closed them both.

When you pick up a diamond, the number that appears says "10", but the diamond counter in the interface increases by only 1. It's confusing.

[Steve Ince]

Originally Posted by Junkface

Ah, when I click "Buy the Game" I just get a page that says "Once you have purchased Nutso, simply run the game and enter registration code to unlock it." I've tried in both Firefox and Internet Explorer. I'm probably just doing something really stupid or overlooking the obvious here.

No, it's my fault, sorry. There was a problem on the page that didn't display a button it should have. It's now fixed.

insane_cobra: Sorry that you didn't like the game. I think it's going to be one of those that if you can't get on with the gameplay style you won't like it. Other people love it and a few have described it as one of the best games they've played. Thanks for taking a look and giving the feedback, though. Perhaps you'll like my next game.

[Kolzig]

Crap, I don't have the exact amount on the right bank account, I have to wait two days...

[insane_cobra]

Originally Posted by Steve Ince

insane_cobra: Sorry that you didn't like the game. I think it's going to be one of those that if you can't get on with the gameplay style you won't like it. Other people love it and a few have described it as one of the best games they've played. Thanks for taking a look and giving the feedback, though. Perhaps you'll like my next game.

C'mon Steve, no need to apologize. I feel like I should be the one apologizing, but I'm just trying to be as objective as I can, I think that's more helpful in the long run. Anyway, glad to hear the reception's been good so far and I'll definitely be checking out everything else you come up with.

[Steve Ince]

Cobra, I got a lot of great feedback, yours included, and had to make decisions about what I incorporated and didn't. Unfortunately, to accomodate many of your comments would have compromised the aim of the game a little. If I were to create a game that concentrated much more on the action then much of what you said would have had more bearing. I like to take on board everything, but I'd rather have half the people love it than everyone think it was just okay.

[Kolzig]

Well, well, now I had the money, but then I saw that I have to pay VAT on top of the price... damn. Now I don't have enough money again.
Why the extra VAT?

[Junkface]

Originally Posted by Steve Ince

No, it's my fault, sorry. There was a problem on the page that didn't display a button it should have. It's now fixed.

Thanks for the help. I've discovered I've got a little less money than I thought, the price is slightly more than I expected and I have less gameplaying time right now than usual so my purchase will be slightly delayed. I'll probably resurrect this thread with my impressions in a week or two.

[Steve Ince]

Kolzig: VAT is out of my control, sorry.

Junkface: I look farward to hearing your thoughts as and when you're able to give them.