Deck the Barn Runner with BETRAYAL

Its finally happened, the cow has flipped and gone to the dark side. The new Barn Runner game is made with (cover your ears, kiddies) GameMaker and not AGS.

In other game release news: GO GREY!

Interview BakeSale: Ponch

Tonight with us we feature one of the key factors to the AGS Bake Sale. A man whose games are masterpieces only to the lucky devils that gave them that chance. No, it's not Ron Gilbert. It's a bigger man. PONCH. Famous for his fantastic series, Barn Runner, now brings a new installment under the wings of the bake sale. This time is for the kids.

GO TO THE GAME TOPIC

1) Why and how did you join the AGS Bake Sale ?

I joined up when I asked myself "Ponch, do you think it would be a good idea to have a bake sale? You should totally do that." It found it hard to disagree with such a well-reasoned argument and thus I joined the bake sale.

2) Talk a bit about your game (what is it about, how you came up with it).

I've made over a dozen Barn Runner games. So I asked myself "What harm could come from one more?" As before, I couldn't say no to such a pretty face.

The Rich Dame Who Cut The Cheese is a standard whodunnit which was originally going to take place after the events of The Forever Friday. But since that story is still ongoing, I tweaked it a bit to take place shortly after Christmas Soup instead. This gave me the opportunity to work Mayor DuChamp into a game again. She's one of those characters I like to write for, but rarely find a place for when I make a new game. Also, I was able to introduce several new characters into the Barn Runner world, as well as showing established characters in new ways. I hope people like playing it even half as much as I enjoyed making it.

3) Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got yourself into game making in the first place.

I'm just a goofball living in Texas who wanted a forum that didn't crash every time CJ forgot to turn the hand crank that powers the server. When that idea didn't work out, I spend several days pulling my hair out and getting a head start on an early grave until we decided that Child's Play was the way to go.

I've been making games since I learned how to in the pages of RUN magazine. I have a tiny replica of Micheal Keaton's Batmobile on top of my DVD player and my favorite cheese is cheddar. I'm still not over the heartbreak that was Galactica: 1980. Chris Eccleston is my favorite Doctor. I made an omelet for breakfast. It had mushrooms in it. I like cows.

AGS Bake Sale gets some fresh coverage

Yeah, well, here's an article on INDIEGAMES.

Also Darth Mandarb, has taken a very fantastic task to keep all the games in one topic and update the links and stuff.

So. Well, here

Have a nice day!

The Release Something POST-MORTEM

Important Notice: YOU ARE LATE FOR THE PARTY.

Now, that's out of the way, let's talk about what this is all about. Icey games/Studio3 had the idea of an AGS Show equivalent to E3. While that may sound a bit silly, and perhaps you're right, it actually is kind of silly, Ben304, in all his enlightening insanity, actually made it happen.

So, let me use the amazing powers of copy-paste to show you what Ben304 actually did.

We used to have these under the guise of a "Release Something", and while I never participated, they were great fun, it's amazing to see all the different members of the community showcase little parts of their projects. I think having a date, an event in which you know people will be interested in this sort of thing and all your buddies will be doing it, really motivates one to tidy something up for people to look at it. And, if nothing else, it gives you somewhere to finally show off those couple of screenshots that you know aren't going to be in a game anymore, but you spent hours working on and might as well do *something* with, even if it does just mean posting them for people to go "oooh, I wish that was a game!" over.

As far as I can tell, the last Release Something was February 2009. We had something a little in the vein of this last year in May when ProgZmax set the mags topic to "Release Your Game" and the comp was clearly a great success - 6 entries in a MAGS comp is a great showing by anybody's standard, so the interest is clearly there.

That was over a year ago - perhaps it's time for another release something?

With no objections having arisen, I'm going to go and set the deadline for this activity as the 10th of July. You have one month to polish up your games/tech demos/demos/prototypes/vertical slices for release! Keep the sweet stuff rolling in guys, it's awesome to see!

So there. And I will also as a kind sir that I am, give you 2 things.
-Firstly, the link to the topic.
-Secondly an amazing GIF with (Almost) everything released. There are some games and demos in the topic, so check em out.

TOP TEN: BEST AGS GAMES

For more top 10s, see Celebrity AGSers Top Games and Top 10 game series

Overview:

This is a personal opinion list, if you don't like the games in the list, or feel a game is missing, don't judge us. I'd very much like to include them all, but that's not doable. Also there's only one game per franchise. Anyway, enjoy!!

10. Permanent Daylight

Not sure if it's remembered by many AGS members, but this got me into playing AGS games. A very short game, but without lacking anything in fun and humor. And totally one of the most memorable introductions. 2ma2, I wholeheartedly thank you!

Imagine a plot that's been used so much it always is considered a parody nowadays.. It's a mad scientist who's detroying the world! It feautures Dieter Kartoffelbrei as the hero, Dr. Really Really Evil Ed as the mad scientist and an amount of other characters which will mock you on your quest.

9. Ben Jordan PI: Case 3 - The Sorceress of Smailholm

When Grundislav made Ben Jordan 1 and 2, nobody cared. Then came Case 3, what fans of the series confirm to be the best game of an amazing series.

The tiny Scottish village of Smailholm has seen better days. Two local children have been murdered, and the villagers suspect it's the work of witches. Ben Jordan is called upon to get to the bottom of this mystery, but he may soon find himself in over his head..."

Winner of 3 AGS Awards.

8. Infinity String

The sheer beauty of the graphics, makes this an amazing accomplishment. And a very sci-fi like scenario, enhanged with horror and mystery sections, really make this game by Sector 13 a must. Just wait till the main menu comes. You'll be crying from beauty.

Your name is Yerik Elnar. You are scientist working for United States. In late 2009 a ruins were found in Antartica by Russian explorers. A year later a complete research base was built to study the findings. Team consisted of 7 russians, 5 americans and 2 germans. 1 year later USA send you as an additional help. You arrive with the helicopter. But strange things begin to happen...

Winner of 1 AGS Award.

7. Apprentice Case 1: Deluxe

And here comes Apprentice Case 1: Deluxe. Widely considered as the most professional game in the AGS database, is indeed a Herculean effort to create a masterpiece and then outdo yourself twice. One by improving and adding more content, and secondly by making a better and/or equal sequel.
Finally, you can experience the Willowbean world with full voice. And in French or German. The deluxe version also features improved graphics, a totally redone soundtrack, and several bug fixes.

Winner of 1 AGS Award.

6. Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy

And here comes Nelly. No introduction is required.

Nelly Cootalot, fearsome pirate and lover of tiny and adorable creatures, is charged by the spirit of a dead buccaneer to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a fleet of birds known as spoonbeaks. Her adventure will bring her face to face with the nefarious Baron Widebeard as she uncovers corruption and wanton punning in the Barony of Meeth. This is my first complete AGS game. It is around medium length, and should take a few hours to play. I made it for, and about, my girlfriend. She enjoyed it and I hope you will too!

Winner of 5 AGS Awards.

5. Barn Runner: Forever Friday Part 2

And on place number 5, comes a personal favorite. I will pity you and not repeat myself. This is totally the best of the series and the most enjoyable. Ponch, PART 3 PLX.

The madness of the "Big Crazy" is tearing through Arc 19 and everyone is giving cannibalism a try! Detective Prick Peckard and Inspector Harry Sach must team up to save the city from itself. Track down multiple suspects and question each of them to learn if they played a part in bringing chaos to the streets of Arc 19: Evansville. Along the way, they'll contend with bargain hunting looters, blood thirsty robots, and the dim witted minions of an evil cult bent on destruction. But they'll have to move quickly. Time is unexpectedly running out in a city where the clocks stood still for twelve years. Can you get to the bottom of this mystery before all hope is lost? Question suspects! Shoot bad guys! Ignore traffic laws! Annoy the elderly! Use pop music in brutal ways!

Winner of my heart ^__^.

4. Cedric and Revolution

ELVES + REVOLUTION + CUTENESS. EPIC WIN.

Follow the adventure of Cedric and Victor as they try to get a demonstration up and running. It's not as easy as it sounds and they end up doing something completely different, but hey, at least they tried, eh? CatR is a fairly short and easygoing adventure.


Winner of 2 AGS Awards.

3. Shifter's Box - Outside In

When Ben started his releasing spree, with each and every game, everyone in the forums thought that the room for improvement was matched. Then Shifter's Box, came, and personally blew my mind. Still a favorite and sorry I keep saying that. But point stays :D
Sally is taking a walk outside one fine day when she comes across a strange box. Curious as to who would leave such a strange box lying around, she opens it - only to find herself in a very strange place indeed. Help Sally uncover the true nature of the box and find her way home!

Winner of 2 AGS Awards.

2. Trilby's Notes

Well, from all the games that Yahtzee himself, this is hands-down the best. Chzo is totally the most badass villain in the whole AGS database, and not restricted there. The game has an amazing interface, nice graphics, amazing plot, amazing music, what more can a man ask for?!!

Four years ago I was involved in the DeFoe Manor Incident. I and four other individuals were trapped inside a manor house by some kind of supernatural intelligence; a dark wraith with murder on its mind, the ghost of the original owner's youngest son. I was trapped inside DeFoe Manor for five days. I was forced to do something I can never forgive myself for. Possessed I may have been, but I was still watching through my eyes a man dying at my hands...

Winner of 4 AGS Awards.

1. Technobabylon: Part 2

Yeah, yeah, whine as much as you want. This is the best AGS game of all time. I don't believe any game has marked me and left me so envious of its plot like part 2 has. The way it unfolds is amazing and everything just pales in comparison.

"What is this, national suicide week?"

A young woman contemplates her end. A terror from the past comes to take its revenge. A police scientist finds himself blackmailed with the lives of the unborn children of his dead wife.

Forced to carry out the will of an anonymous voice on the interlinks, Dr Charlie Regis must try to perform both his official role as public servant, and the role that his antagonist has set for him. How long can he keep this conflict hidden from his friend and partner, Dr Lao? And more importantly, can he save the most important remaining part of his lost love?

Welcome to the future...
Welcome to Technobabylon

AGS Nominations 2010: Snakes of Eternal Journey Down Technobabylon

Bicilotti as a proud host has created a very unique and awesome way to present the nominations for the AGS Awards of 2010. An AGS executable. Check it out here.

From this paragraph and further down the games will be listed. I will have a download link for each game that appears for the first time, so you can guys download. Regardless, I must say they were all predictable, as anyone with a right mind would pretty much expect them. All but some.
Head over Heels for instance stroke me with a happy remark. The best demo category is full of unexpected nominees. And I was sad, cause for another year, none of my games got nominated. But that was expected too. But one nomination. THAT SINGLE NOMINATION MADE MY DAY.

List of nominees as follows:

Best Game Created with AGS for 2010

Eternally Us
Snakes of Avalon
Technobabylon - Part I
Technobabylon - Part II
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Gameplay

Eternally Us
Snakes of Avalon
Technobabylon - Part I
Technobabylon - Part II
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Original Story

Eternally Us
Snakes of Avalon
Technobabylon - Part I
Technobabylon - Part II
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Dialogue Writing

By the Numbers
Eternally Us
Snakes of Avalon
Technobabylon - Part II
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Puzzles

Eternally Us
Hard Space: Conquest of the Gayliks!
Snakes of Avalon
Technobabylon - Part I
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Short Game

Eternally Us
Kuma Story
Head over Heels
rein
Technobabylon - Part I

Best Demo

Blockz
Indy and the Crystal Cursors
Indiana Jones and the Seven Cities of Gold
Matt to the Future
Quantumnauts

Best Non-Adventure Game Created with AGS

1st Drop
Barn Runner Halloween 1: Fully Automatic Mojo
Infinity bit
Operation: FORKLIFT
Space Pool Alpha

Best Player Character

OSD: Blades of Passion
Hard Space: Conquest of the Gayliks!
Professor Neely And The Death Ray Of Doom
Snakes of Avalon
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Non Player Character

A woman for all seasons
Earl Bobby is looking for a Loo
Technobabylon - Part II
Snakes of Avalon
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Background Art

Eternally Us
Professor Neely And The Death Ray Of Doom
Technobabylon - Part I
Technobabylon - Part II
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Character Art

Eternally Us
Death: Episode One
Hard Space: Conquest of the Gayliks!
Professor Neely And The Death Ray Of Doom
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Animation

By the Numbers
Eternally Us
Hard Space: Conquest of the Gayliks!
rein
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Sound Effects

Eternally Us
Earl Bobby is looking for a Loo
Hard Space: Conquest of the Gayliks!
Snakes of Avalon
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Music

Eternally Us
Hard Space: Conquest of the Gayliks!
Snakes of Avalon
Technobabylon - Part II
The Journey Down: Over the Edge

Best Voice Work

Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator - Case 2 Deluxe
By the Numbers
Earl Bobby is looking for a Loo
Eternally Us
OSD: Blades of Passion

Best Programming

By the Numbers
Eternally Us
Infinity bit
Operation: FORKLIFT
Space Pool Alpha

BEST AGS GAME EVER OF ALL TIME WORLD UNIVERSE EVER I MEAN EVER EVER EVER EVER (Also Farewell)

Well, most of you are unaware of it. Shamefully. It's trully one of the funniest and best games I've ever played. Initially I judged the game and almost lost what would be the fun of my life. The Armageddon Eclair, The special XMAS episodes, the small "tutorials", this game oozes greatness and humor with a playable character unlike anything.

He makes Larry Vales seem like a jackass. He makes Trilby look like a cat burglar. Truth is Prick Peckard is what most AGS games would love to have. A character with depth.

Now, go here and play them all.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR. REALLY.

PS: Ponch didn't pay me for this. He should though.

Also, some advice.

Interview Part 5: Ponch

1) So, as per usual, no wait, what kind of nickname is Ponch, and what's with that obsession with cows?

Ponch was the nickname of a character played by Erik Estrada on the late 70s / early 80s TV show “ChiPs.” It was my favorite show as a little kid. Every week it showcased car chases, horrible freeway accidents, and women in tight shirts and tiny shorts. Come to think of it, it would be a good show for adults too. No wonder dad always watched it with me. “Get in here, boy! Chips is on!” Ah, so many father and son bonding moments in front of that giant, fake wood grain covered Magnavox. (We bonded over AirWolf too. That explains the flight suits Prick and Harry wear in the included screenshot).

Cows are awesome. They give us milk and leather and delicious steak. I couldn’t get through a day without a cow.

2) You have any favorite AGS game, or an AGS game you're anxious about?

I discovered AGS thanks to Larry Vales 1 and 2. They were great adventure games in the traditional style. But what I like most about CJ’s engine and the AGS community as a whole are the incredibly diverse things people can do with the program. Regular adventure games like Ben Jordan, old school arcade games like Limey Lizard, mind bending experimental stuff like Shifter’s Box, and games made to win the heart of that special someone like the Princess Marian series. Then there are the games that are made because the creator desperately craves the riches and adulation that being a freeware gaming mogul brings, such as Barn Runner. The sexy groupies and piles of money haven’t shown up yet, but I’m not one to give up hope easily.

3) About Barn Runner, apparently it has been influenced by Blade Runner, but I recall people telling you, or something, that the game has now taken a story and life of its own. Comment on that and why did you choose Barn Runner.

Yeah, Barn Runner originally grew out of a friend’s student film made back in the early 90s. He needed an idea for a five-minute film. Luckily, I had a pencil and placemat from a taco hut. I wrote the entire script on the back, next to the maze and word scramble.

Years later, I wanted to make an action-adventure game hybrid (like Cinemaware’s Rocket Ranger). So I dug out the old VHS tape, made a bunch of notes, and eventually it became the Barn Runner story bible. It’s worth noting that it the story is now so big and convoluted that it bears no resemblance to that original short film. But that’s where it all started. So now the truth is out: Much like George Lucas, I’m living off ideas I had when I was a much younger man. I even revised and re-released Barn Runner 2 a couple of years ago. Now if I could just find some way to put some ewoks in my games…

4) People that start playing the Barn Runner games, seem to get a little confused on the chronological order of games, care to explain it, and tell us a bit about the story so far, and where is it going with the new part?

If there were one thing I could do, I would go back and correct the numbering system the series uses. (See? There’s that George Lucas influence showing itself again.) For some idiotic reason, early on I decided to place the holiday games into their own numbered list, even though they’re still part of the regular series.

If you want to play the series start to finish, then skip Barn Runner 0 (it’s based on the short film, but not part of the game’s continuity). Start with Barn Runner 1 and play straight through to Barn Runner 4, then play Cyclone Alley and Wreck the Halls, then pick up the story again with Barn Runner 5. Plus, just to complicate things, there’s a Halloween game in between the two Christmas games, but it was never released because it was lost in the hard drive crash of 2005 the forced me to start all over again on The Forever Friday. But the Halloween game is still part of continuity and, one of these days, I plan to rebuild it and release it.

Also, after you’ve played Barn Runner 5, be sure to play the soon to be released Barn Runner Anniversary Game before playing Barn Runner 6.

Like I said, it’s a confusing system and I feel terrible about it.

5) There has been a chosen date for Barn Runner Part 3: The Wild Brunch, which was February if I seem to recall, but you haven't managed to deliver it, want to explain us why? I assume personal life.

The entire Forever Friday effort has been a boondoggle from day one. I started working on it back in 2004, but lost a year’s worth of work when my brand new hard drive crashed, taking the entire game with it. I finally got back on track a couple of years ago with a much larger version of the story, but then 2009 hit and it’s been one setback after another. Too much work, not enough free time – Life in general, you know?

Keep in mind, that the original version of the Forever Friday was a two-part game like The Armageddon Eclair, and it was due in 2005. So a setback of few more months is nothing to me at this point.

Perseverance. I’m all about perseverance, baby.

6) On the site, some time ago, you said someone gave you a lot of money. Comment on that. And how much money are we talking about…?

A fan of Barn Runner contacted me out of the blue and asked if he could PayPal some money to me because he liked the games so much. I was really surprised at such a nice gesture and so I wrote about it on my site. That kicked off more donations from other fans. It was such a nice thing that it really warmed the cockles of my heart (yes, I’m so ancient that I have cockles – quite an advanced case of them, actually). After that, since I didn’t want it to seem as though Barn Runner was becoming a cash grab, I’ve tried to make a point of not mentioning it again on the site. I make enough money to keep a roof over my head, food on the table, and beer in the fridge. I don’t want people to think I’ve got my hand out, you know? Pay games are fine, and there are some good ones out there, but I’m want to keep Barn Runner a freeware series.

7) Is there any end planned for the series, if any? And would you like to tell us when is that going to happen.

The series definitely has an end. The ending of the story was one of the first things I wrote. I didn’t want to get to the end of my story and realize that I had to come up with something off the top of my head (remake of Battlestar Galactica, I’m looking at you).

As far as when it’s going to happen, it was originally scheduled for 2013 or so. But remember that according to that same schedule, the Forever Friday was supposed to be done in late 2005. By the end of 2009, I was already supposed to be prepping Barn Runner 7: Recycle My Heart for release. So who the hell knows when the story will finally be done, as told in Barn Runner 10: This Shameless Tomorrow. Like I said earlier, I’m all about the perseverance.

And what’s going to happen at the end? Even if I were to tell you, there’s still too much story left to unfold for the ending to make any sense yet. But I’ll give you some clues. Somebody comes back unexpectedly. Somebody gets thawed out. Someone has a secret admirer. Someone takes a psychedelic trip. Somebody gets a haircut. Cheese is stolen. Christmas is saved. Noriko takes a shower. The Mayor takes a bath. Debbie and Noriko both use parachutes, but not together. Prick gets a new car. And the Chief makes a terrible decision and regrets it.

Also, everyone gets naked by the end.

And not everyone will survive to see the end of the series.

8)When will the next part (3) be ready?

God only knows. Maybe January? I’m still working minimum sixty-hour workweeks. Hell, I’m writing this on my lunch break. Speaking of which, my Hot Pocket is gone and it’s time to get back to work. Thanks for giving me the chance to ramble on about my games.