I'm going to try the demo, regardless, but my first impressions are that it looks like it's not going to be that innovative, based on the very similar looking images.
I gave it a go. Blimey, it's a big demo, isn't it? I played for about an hour and I'm still not finished!
I have to say, I quite liked this. I didn't think I would, but apart from the walking animation of the lead character (check out those arms!), there's actually a fair bit to like about this. I especially enjoyed the idea of having unlockable stuff, like concept art. Nice touch.
Yeah I like the unlockable stuff too and the 'mission' at the top is a good idea but shows that throughout the game you'll only have one task at a time...unless the mission bar expands that is. I expect the silly arms are intentional but I don't see why. I kinda like it but it's not original or good enough for me to part with £15.
I've been playing the beta for about a month now, (been busy, still can't finish), but those of you who didn't finish the intro puzzle in the brig must do so to understand why this game is great.
Played the demo earlier on - took me about 2 hours to complete it though I wasn't rushing it. Thought it was good in parts, like the whole voodoo spells thing. Might get the full game, would have already if it was £10 so what's another £5?
This demo comes close to being a third of the game! While some might think that this is just a stupid giveaway, I think it's a very clever approach. It gives you a feel for the game and an idea of where the story is going and automatically makes you want to play the rest of the game. I quite enjoyed the demo, and I will certainly buy the entire game soon. I'll just wait a few weeks to see if it's put on the 'Specials' list.
From what I've seen the game seems a bit...weird. I mean I love pirate games but why the hell does it have to have talking dogs? If it had a Jack Sparrow-like personality I'd jump at it immediately but the whole idea of talking dogs is just ridiculous.
From what I've seen the game seems a bit...weird. I mean I love pirate games but why the hell does it have to have talking dogs? If it had a Jack Sparrow-like personality I'd jump at it immediately but the whole idea of talking dogs is just ridiculous.
You've gotta have a think skin to release a game then read what people are saying about you in forums =0).
Glad to hear some of you are enjoying the game! I really appreciate the comments from folks who've given the demo a chance.
As for the Monkey Island comparisons, well that's obvious isn't it. Unfortunately, I started development of this just before the Monkey Island re-releases and the Tales of MI series was announced. Doh! Not that I ever wanted to make a Monkey Island clone! Though if I were starting development of a new adventure game now it certainly wouldn't be pirate themed!
I was hoping people would be able to see the fun in this game, it is about pirate dogs after all! With Jolly Rover I wanted to kind of parody adventure games, casual games and the old classics by Sierra and Lucas Arts. 2D was an artistic choice. Also, saying you can't make an adventure about pirates because of Monkey Island is like saying you can't make a first person shooter about World War 2 because of Wolfenstein.
As for the length of the demo, yes, I wanted to give people a decent go, and really see what the game had to offer, it's about 1/3 of the game. My personal experience is that I'm always more likely to pick up a game if I get a decent go at it first.
As for pricing, that's been a quandry for me, I don't think it's too much to ask for a full-length adventure if you look on the Adventure Store off the Adventure Gamers website, but I suppose it seems a lot for an indie adventure on Steam, if it were on iPhone it would look like a fortune, but on a retail shelf it would look like a bargain. It took me a year to make, it's fully voiced by professional actors, with professional art and audio, this costs money I'm afraid.
Also... what's so offensive about the intro that you couldn't last 2 minutes? Should I even ask?
Don't worry, the price is fine. I'm actually considering buying the game for it's existing price anyway - ever since I played the demo, I've been thinking about Jolly Rover quite a lot because I'm eager to play more of it. It's a fun game, I especially like the ability to perform voodoo spells, and having a parrot as a hint system is genius! You can't say that's not original.
How long is the game? Its odd to have such a large demo
Well, the demo is a third of the entire game (as said directly above), and the demo took me approximately 3 hours to complete (taking my time and going through at a casual pace, using two parrot hints). So the game should provide you with about 9 hours of playtime if the game's difficulty length remains consistent.
Hmm, I suppose I'll need to try out the demo before I make any judgements.
Can I just say though, the video they have on Steam is REALLY unflattering. It actually did a good job of putting me off the game it just made it seem bland and wooden.
Hmm, I suppose I'll need to try out the demo before I make any judgements.
Can I just say though, the video they have on Steam is REALLY unflattering. It actually did a good job of putting me off the game it just made it seem bland and wooden.
Ignore the video. It really does a bad job of selling the game.
You've gotta have a thick skin to release a game then read what people are saying about you in forums =0).
Welcome to the TTG forums, I'm glad you decided to post!
I have to agree with everyone above, I wasn't impressed by the Steam video. To be completely honest, after watching the video, I thought it was just a low budget, knock off that was made because of all the pirate-themed hype going on right now. If I were you, I would post a different video on Steam, maybe this gameplay video from Youtube. Now I know you weren't trying to run on the success of Monkey Island, but you can see why people might think that.
Because of all the positive comments here, perhaps I'll check out that demo after all...
Just finished the demo, really enjoyed it. The puzzles weren't too difficult but there were enough parts to them to make them challenging and worth doing. I think I'll be purchasing the game when I can, although I do feel that while giving 1/3 of it away for free is generous, it also makes you feel a bit like you're only paying for 2/3 of a game.
So here's the deal, I thought "what the hell" and decided to give this game a go. I had like zero expectations to it but I was very pleasantly surprised. It's true, the video on Steam doesn't do the game justice at all.
It's so nice to see a game that's actually (seemingly) bug-free and good old-fashioned point and click adventure game no less! The puzzles are very well done and the hint system is very clever. You can actually get a hint if you're stuck without it giving too much away.
The only thing that bothers me is the voice acting and that most of the dialogue is a bit bland and not as witty as I would have preferred. But this isn't game-breaking by any means and I've just played the demo.
I actually think I'll be buying this game now
I need more people to say "what the hell" and give the game a go =0).
So, there are people having issues with the trailer. I've heard good and bad things about the trailer, but mostly good. However, I always take on board any feedback.
I got a good review of the game on Australian TV show Good Game recently. Maybe I should put that video up instead? At 6 minutes, it seems too long for a trailer though.
I need more people to say "what the hell" and give the game a go =0).
So, there are people having issues with the trailer. I've heard good and bad things about the trailer, but mostly good. However, I always take on board any feedback.
I got a good review of the game on Australian TV show Good Game recently. Maybe I should put that video up instead? At 6 minutes, it seems too long for a trailer though.
I got a good review of the game on Australian TV show Good Game recently. Maybe I should put that video up instead? At 6 minutes, it seems too long for a trailer though.
Firstly, sorry TellTale for talking about Jolly Rover here, I hope you don't mind =0).
Regarding language translations, it's looking likely that it will be translated into German first, but nothing is confirmed yet. Spanish and French will likely follow when I can afford it and then Italian.
I should be able to roll out translations through Steam automatically, but not sure about how to do it through other distributors. At this point translations will be subtitles only, except for German, which *may* be voice as well.
Nice review! The guy seems a bit twitchy though, no? A good video nonetheless.
Bajo? Yeah, he looks as though he's either really buzzed on caffeine, or really needs to use the restroom.
And, by the way, it's good to hear that you're planning a sequel, Andrew. I'd love for Jolly Rover to actually become a series/saga like Monkey Island.
Nothing better I'd like to do than make a sequel, and even a different series, I'd love to carve out a little Aussie adventure game niche. Gotta wait on more sales though =0).
I won't know properly until I get results back from all my distributors, could be as long as 3 months before I really know. I just know what they tell me, but no hard figures yet.
Another factor is I wasn't able to market the game as much as I would have liked before release. So there's still a HUGE amount of people that don't know about it. It doesn't even have a metacritic score yet! I'm frantically trying to get more reviews and coverage, I do know many of the sales are coming from Australia, showing I haven't reached out to a world audience enough.
If you'd like to help out, the BEST thing you can do is tell someone about it =0).
Comments
The font looks...erm... familiar.
The screen was messed up but I for sure have sufficient requirements. Thus my conclusion is that my computer is too good for Jolly Rover.
I have to say, I quite liked this. I didn't think I would, but apart from the walking animation of the lead character (check out those arms!), there's actually a fair bit to like about this. I especially enjoyed the idea of having unlockable stuff, like concept art. Nice touch.
SAM is the only exception, because he doesn't look like a dog and doesn't act like one.
He just looks like an old fancy pudding. And he's wiggly like one too. You can thank me later. For that mental image, that is.
You've gotta have a think skin to release a game then read what people are saying about you in forums =0).
Glad to hear some of you are enjoying the game! I really appreciate the comments from folks who've given the demo a chance.
As for the Monkey Island comparisons, well that's obvious isn't it. Unfortunately, I started development of this just before the Monkey Island re-releases and the Tales of MI series was announced. Doh! Not that I ever wanted to make a Monkey Island clone! Though if I were starting development of a new adventure game now it certainly wouldn't be pirate themed!
I was hoping people would be able to see the fun in this game, it is about pirate dogs after all! With Jolly Rover I wanted to kind of parody adventure games, casual games and the old classics by Sierra and Lucas Arts. 2D was an artistic choice. Also, saying you can't make an adventure about pirates because of Monkey Island is like saying you can't make a first person shooter about World War 2 because of Wolfenstein.
As for the length of the demo, yes, I wanted to give people a decent go, and really see what the game had to offer, it's about 1/3 of the game. My personal experience is that I'm always more likely to pick up a game if I get a decent go at it first.
As for pricing, that's been a quandry for me, I don't think it's too much to ask for a full-length adventure if you look on the Adventure Store off the Adventure Gamers website, but I suppose it seems a lot for an indie adventure on Steam, if it were on iPhone it would look like a fortune, but on a retail shelf it would look like a bargain. It took me a year to make, it's fully voiced by professional actors, with professional art and audio, this costs money I'm afraid.
Also... what's so offensive about the intro that you couldn't last 2 minutes? Should I even ask?
Thanks,
Andrew
*covers eyes and hits Submit*
Well, the demo is a third of the entire game (as said directly above), and the demo took me approximately 3 hours to complete (taking my time and going through at a casual pace, using two parrot hints). So the game should provide you with about 9 hours of playtime if the game's difficulty length remains consistent.
Still, seems like a great game, and when I do get the money I'll grab it. But £15? Nuh-uh.
Can I just say though, the video they have on Steam is REALLY unflattering. It actually did a good job of putting me off the game it just made it seem bland and wooden.
Lighthearted? check
Point-and-click? check
Adventure game? check
Cute critters? check
I think I'm going to really enjoy this game
Welcome to the TTG forums, I'm glad you decided to post!
I have to agree with everyone above, I wasn't impressed by the Steam video. To be completely honest, after watching the video, I thought it was just a low budget, knock off that was made because of all the pirate-themed hype going on right now. If I were you, I would post a different video on Steam, maybe this gameplay video from Youtube. Now I know you weren't trying to run on the success of Monkey Island, but you can see why people might think that.
Because of all the positive comments here, perhaps I'll check out that demo after all...
Yes, that was the point I was making :P
It's so nice to see a game that's actually (seemingly) bug-free and good old-fashioned point and click adventure game no less! The puzzles are very well done and the hint system is very clever. You can actually get a hint if you're stuck without it giving too much away.
The only thing that bothers me is the voice acting and that most of the dialogue is a bit bland and not as witty as I would have preferred. But this isn't game-breaking by any means and I've just played the demo.
I actually think I'll be buying this game now
So, there are people having issues with the trailer. I've heard good and bad things about the trailer, but mostly good. However, I always take on board any feedback.
I got a good review of the game on Australian TV show Good Game recently. Maybe I should put that video up instead? At 6 minutes, it seems too long for a trailer though.
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/video/default.htm?pres=20100614_2030&story=4
It was made by an Aussie! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!
Nice review! The guy seems a bit twitchy though, no? A good video nonetheless.
Regarding language translations, it's looking likely that it will be translated into German first, but nothing is confirmed yet. Spanish and French will likely follow when I can afford it and then Italian.
I should be able to roll out translations through Steam automatically, but not sure about how to do it through other distributors. At this point translations will be subtitles only, except for German, which *may* be voice as well.
Bajo? Yeah, he looks as though he's either really buzzed on caffeine, or really needs to use the restroom.
And, by the way, it's good to hear that you're planning a sequel, Andrew. I'd love for Jolly Rover to actually become a series/saga like Monkey Island.
Another factor is I wasn't able to market the game as much as I would have liked before release. So there's still a HUGE amount of people that don't know about it. It doesn't even have a metacritic score yet! I'm frantically trying to get more reviews and coverage, I do know many of the sales are coming from Australia, showing I haven't reached out to a world audience enough.
If you'd like to help out, the BEST thing you can do is tell someone about it =0).