Wintermute Engine Forum

Game development => Game announcements => Topic started by: Mnemonic on August 21, 2004, 02:19:36 PM

Title: The Dead City
Post by: Mnemonic on August 21, 2004, 02:19:36 PM
NiHiLiS Games (http://nihilis.games.cz/index_eng.html) just released an english version of their dark and depressive 1st person adventure game The Dead City. The main hero is released from a madhouse and tries to find a murderer of his girlfriend.


The game can be downloaded here: http://nihilis.games.cz/deadcity_eng.html

(http://nihilis.games.cz/image/image8_s.jpg) (http://nihilis.games.cz/image/image8.jpg) (http://nihilis.games.cz/image/image20_s.jpg) (http://nihilis.games.cz/image/image20.jpg)

The game contains strong language and adult themes, you have been warned.
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Nihil on August 22, 2004, 05:31:58 PM
I'm very pleased to see that using WME Equipment has a death-rate of only 10 percent! :-)

Just started to play, so far I'm VERY impressed - the graphics, sound and story produce a very dark atmosphere ... it has definately commercial quality!

Enough for now, I have to discover the rest :.)

(and just in case someone thinks I'm praising myself here: Nihilis is not Nihil :-) )
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Mnemonic on August 23, 2004, 10:18:41 AM
I'm very pleased to see that using WME Equipment has a death-rate of only 10 percent! :-)

Don't forget the game takes place in the future. The current percentage is higher, of course ;D ;)
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Nihil on August 23, 2004, 02:24:09 PM
Don't forget the game takes place in the future. The current percentage is higher, of course ;D ;)

Uh .... *putsWMEaside*

:-)

Anyway, I finished the game yesterday and it really rocks!
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: odnorf on August 23, 2004, 03:23:21 PM
What can I say? It has a very good atmosphere. I loved especially the hard-core dialogs. It was about time to see an amateur(?) adventure game with a 18+ sign...  ;)

Mnemonic, forget to mention that he is the one who translated this great game by Narco  to english.
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Igorrr on August 27, 2004, 05:22:36 AM
WOOOOOW I am REALLY impressed!!!   ::thumbup ::thumbup ::thumbup
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: gfx johnny on September 01, 2004, 12:40:19 PM
Woohoo, really great!  :o :D ::rock ::thumbup

Wonderful Graphics and very good atmosphere. The mood reminds me a little bit of Noctropolis, not to say it was copied, but you created something new but its of the same quality to me :) Of course the two games are very different.

Thank you for that game, its just great to play a good adventure game, and we can have fun only because you did spend so much time to create it - thx!  :-*  :o  ;D

edit:

One question... the game wants to connect to the internet, to microsoft.com?! Is it because of WME or the game itself?
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Mnemonic on September 01, 2004, 05:15:22 PM
One question... the game wants to connect to the internet, to microsoft.com?! Is it because of WME or the game itself?
It seems to be an issue of WME vs WHQL certified video drivers. If the driver is certified, Windows probably tries to validate it...or something, I don't really know, I only know it's disabled in WME but still tries to connect :-\
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Rocco on November 12, 2004, 04:09:17 PM
After playing your game, i have to say its great.
Very atmospheric, you must be a great max payne fan.
Cool story, and a difficult level which fits perfect to my adventure playing skills, without moments of getting stuck.
the only critics is that its a bit to static, with a few more animations the atmosphere can be still more intense.
but its a great game and im looking forward to see another one from nihilis. ::thumbup

greets
rocco

Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: PrestonD on November 12, 2004, 11:14:02 PM
I played the game and am very much impressed with the professional quality...everything from the title splash screens to the sound.   I wonder how he did the lightening in the first room?  Very good quality and fun.
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: SBOVIS on November 17, 2004, 05:04:02 PM
Hi,
     I just had a quick look at the game, and as a piece of comic book style adventuring it works well, looks very similar to start of MAX PAYNE.

It is a pity there was no actor animation and the whole thing was not more animted but I do like the idea that it looks like an interactive storybook.


Has it stretched the engine? I think not

Does it put the point & click genre back on the map? No

Is it a good demo to show people what Wintermute could be used for? yes I think so.


Did I want to commit suicide after 5 mins play? Yes I did

Sorry not my idea of an interactive experience, but hey as an interactive storybook it could have potential.

Pity the player could not click on the comic style windows and see the animated depiction of the cell.

that way the whole game could of been comic book style. That would be interesting.








Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Martin on November 27, 2004, 09:24:23 PM
very cool game, no doubt

nice graphics, nice sounds and good story

the only thing that is a bit annoying is the cursor, it just doesn't complement to the nice background graphics

but overall, great effort and fine results ::rock
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Uncommon on December 01, 2004, 09:57:15 PM
Eh.  I played that game a while ago, and wasn't really impressed.
Sure, the atmosphere was decent, but the storytelling was awful.
The plot was particularly goofy, characters unbelievalbe, and the dialogue was so melodramatic that it made me want to vomit.
I can excuse the grammar, knowing that English isn't the author's first language, but the game really isn't that good.
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Martin on December 01, 2004, 10:20:11 PM
Even if you don't enjoy the game, you should at least respect the effort - after all this is a free game
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Uncommon on December 01, 2004, 10:28:49 PM
Dude, that's a way poor excuse.  I've been in amateur game design for years, and I've seen a lot better effort this this.
The fact that it's free should not reflect it's quality.
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: gfx johnny on December 01, 2004, 10:51:01 PM
And bad quality (in your eyes) is a poor excuse to be rude ;) You are not forced to like the game, sure. You can criticise it, no problem. But be constructive and mind your manners. Statements like "it made me want to vomit" are awful.   
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Uncommon on December 01, 2004, 11:04:46 PM
But candy-coated crits are worse. :D
That is literally how it made me feel, and people need honest criticisms.  No one needs a bunch of sycophants.
And I don't mind being the lone dissenter.
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Mnemonic on December 01, 2004, 11:32:26 PM
But candy-coated crits are worse. :D
That is literally how it made me feel, and people need honest criticisms.  No one needs a bunch of sycophants.
And I don't mind being the lone dissenter.
Just because you didn't like the game doesn't mean everyone who did is a sycophant. Ok, you can say we are biased here, since the author is part of the WME community (more or less), but do you think all those folks who signed his guestbook would do so if they didn't really like the game? I don't think so.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the game, it caught me right from the start, and it perfectly fits the style I prefer. I can't say that about many other amateur games, unfortunately. I can understand not everyone likes this kind of game, but that's only a matter of personal prefrences, not some objective error at author's side, IMHO.
Oh, and the bad grammar would be my fault, because I was the one who translated the game into english.

btw would you mind telling us which amateur games you *do* like?
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: gfx johnny on December 01, 2004, 11:50:39 PM
Yep, honest criticism is the way, agreed. But nevertheless you don't need to go over the top. Of course there was no need to vomit. And there is no need to express yourself this way. You show no respect to the work someone had. You wouldn't feel happy if someone insult your work in that way, right?
Be honest, but don't insult. Better, try to be constructive. Your argument is someone needs honest criticism - i guess so he can learn, try to be better? He won't learn a thing from your contribution.

"The game is one of the worst amateur adventures i played" < - > "it made me want to vomit"   
This sentence is honest and may be bitter, but its better than yours. You see the difference?

And it has nothing to do with being the lone wolf. You should think about arguments and act accordingly. Don't swim with the stream, but neither against it, if it is just for that reason alone. So dont even mention it ;)

Reading about sycophants i hope this wasnt meant to be a rhetorical element to insult us ;)



Erm, long contribution... sorry for contributing to highjack this thread.  ::hijack 
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Uncommon on December 01, 2004, 11:59:01 PM
I'd call technical errors like poor storytelling rather objective, actually. :/
It wasn't anything about the style that I didn't like so much as weak execution.
If you want to see a good amateur game, try Ben Croshaw's 5 Days a Stranger (http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/5days/5days13.zip).

As for Johnny...
This isn't me going over the top, this is me being honest.  I don't mind harsh crits.  I'm not insulting, just saying what I thought of it.  I happen to have a naturally brutal honesty.
Also, I wasn't talking about the game in general, I was specifically talking about the dialogue.
I think it's funny that no one said anything to the guy who said the first five minutes made him want to committ suicide.  That was bashing.  This is criticism.
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Nihil on December 02, 2004, 12:21:47 AM
A game that makes you want to commit suicide must have a strong storytelling.
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Jerrot on December 02, 2004, 10:02:06 AM
Yeah, to get the feeling to commit suicide is one of the best compliments I could think of regarding the genre of that game. :)

I still love it, mainstream sucks. (Why the f*** am I planning a mainstream game then? Am I crazy? Ok, I am, but anyway... darn, I feel like... I should replay TDC now! ;))

Peace, guys!  8)
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Igorrr on December 02, 2004, 05:46:04 PM
This brutal honesty thing really makes me curious.

@Uncommon: Did you honestly sit in fron of your computer, tried out the game and started planning to get a bucket fast in case you can't hold it in anymore?
I mean hey, I see that you did not like the game at all, but if bad games make you get the wish to puke (even if it was a completely free game with no expenses from your side)
then you truly have a very fragile stomach.
Seriously, I can surely say about most people here, that bad games never had any influence on any body functions.
So can you honestly say that your statement was honest?
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: Uncommon on December 02, 2004, 09:42:59 PM
Another amateur game with great storytelling that is free: ClanA's City of Dreams (http://www.castleparadox.com/forum/download.php?game=438).

You guys are missing the point of what I said.  I didn't say the game made me want to vomit.  I was talking specifically about the dialogue.  Particularly the scene with the guy talking to his girlfriends ghost.  The dialogue was very, very, very, very, very, very, BAD.

EDIT: NOTABLE QUOTE FROM NiHiLiS' SITE, THE Dead City DOWNLOAD PAGE, EVEN: "Several megabytes containing slighty moronic, pseudo-philosophical texts, depressive moody graphics and an ambient melancholic music, an absurd story and primitive puzzles."
Somebody out there likes me.  I'm just gonna write a full-on review for you guys now.
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: gfx johnny on December 02, 2004, 10:30:27 PM
You miss the point of what we are saying for sure  :P ;)

Quote
I didn't say the game made me want to vomit.  I was talking specifically about the dialogue.
That isn't important, we didn't talk about that aspect... it's about you speaking tartly ;)

Quote
This isn't me going over the top, this is me being honest.  I don't mind harsh crits.  I'm not insulting, just saying what I thought of it.  I happen to have a naturally brutal honesty.
You seem to be proud of being rude, fine. And you dont want to see you are not honest. You have a way too high opinion of yourself. It is not honest that you wanted to vomit, is it? Ask yourself, why did you choose this expression? There is a difference between exaggeration and honesty. I guess it couldnt be so difficult to write: "the dialogue was bad, because of...?" And after all its a differece if the author himself is modest and describes his work in a way he wants to. He has the right to insult himself ;) But i did say this before, so its hopeless. I will just drop out of this discussion and drink a nice beer instead  ::beer :D

ps: your nick doesn't suit you - your attitude is all-too common nowadays ;)



Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: metamorphium on December 03, 2004, 08:56:29 PM
 :)  :)  :)

well, well, well. Some time ago I thought that I know the world as well. I was 17 years old back then. Then it changed. I have 2 children I am playing lots and lots of concerts, meeting lots of persons and I lost my *strong self-certainty* I had back then.

@ our uncommon friend: This is not the way how someone hires you as a writer, if this is what you are looking for here. To start with trashing everyone's work just to show that you are better simply doesn't work. But you can be always critic. There is plenty of them and usually guys, who are not able to do anything by themselves. It'd be more fun, if you showed us some of your writings / work. I'd definitely love to read work of someone, who has such a strong sense of quality. What really worries me is that you signed for WME forum, just to trash one game. It looks like a terrible waste of time to me but than I am a busy person after all.  ;)

@ everyone: It's very easy to have a bucket full of ideas. It's very hard to bring them alive. I really like WME forums because people who are able to do something are usually more focused and I found it here very stimulating environment for my own game. I don't like gaming websites that much because every second average person claims there that he/she is creating much better game than Half Life 2 and that he will show us all. :)

 ::hijack

PS. @ Uncommon again: Yes we all do have bad english, we apologize. But we are able to communicate and we sometimes know german and french and spanish and italian as well (just to pick a few apart of our mother's tongue). In how many languages are you able to communicate. Is it only your *holy* english?  ;)
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: deadworm222 on March 17, 2005, 10:34:49 PM
EDIT: NOTABLE QUOTE FROM NiHiLiS' SITE, THE Dead City DOWNLOAD PAGE, EVEN: "Several megabytes containing slighty moronic, pseudo-philosophical texts, depressive moody graphics and an ambient melancholic music, an absurd story and primitive puzzles."
Somebody out there likes me.  I'm just gonna write a full-on review for you guys now.
Ahem. That text has been there from the beginning. It's NOT an attack at you.
Title: Re: The Dead City
Post by: gfx johnny on April 09, 2005, 04:12:54 AM
http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,509/

Nice review :)