The Underside - second preview

[davidn]

Arthur Lee has released another preview version of The Underside, a side-scrolling platform adventure. I've mentioned the game before a few times here as something that I have very high hopes for - Arthur Lee, let's be honest, doesn't get on with a lot of people in the Click community, but you have to admit he's got a very professional-looking game here. He's good at getting the intangible charm and character in sprites that make things look so special.

And what's really impressive about this release is that it includes the wonderfully-named Almighty Paintbrush, which is even at this stage a pretty complete world editor for the game. This is possible because most of the game is externalized into little script files, sprite sheets and level layouts - by modifying any of these it's possible to create your own adventure using the game's engine, making it one of the most fully modifiable games in the Click community next to Knytt Stories. A mod loader is included, but I couldn't get it to run and just overlaid the files myself. Two of them are included in the preview.

There have been many jokes about how similar the game looks to Cave Story, though those are wearing a bit thin now, and so is the frankly slightly schizophrenic defence by the author. It's never been a secret where the inspiration came from, though, and to be honest I don't see the problem with it - this might be the nearest thing we get to a sequel, and if it promotes the use of Click software by being a great example of what you can do with it while it's at it, all the better. In the end, the similarity is going to be an advantage, because even if it's labelled a "Cave Story creator"... that, to me, sounds like a pretty fantastic idea. Who knows, if the language and tile editor is simple enough to pick up, it might even become a new ZZT of sorts. But without the community - they can keep that.

The Underside preview 2

Comments

Speaking of ZZT....

[(Anonymous)]

Hello there. Come back to zzt land! Your community needs you! http://zzt.belsambar.net
If you don't really want to come back, that's fine, I suppose.

Re: Speaking of ZZT....

[davidn]

For the benefit of those who have tuned in late - every time I mention ZZT here I seem to get this mysterious voice telling me to come back. I'm not sure who it is or why they want me back, but it is at least encouraging that there's someone in the community who is interested enough to read my journal and wasn't utterly repulsed by my presence.

Subject

[(Anonymous)]

Does this mean you'll be coming back any time soon?

Re: Subject

[davidn]

I did release another game near the end of 2006 when I realized I'd forgotten how much fun ZZT was - I wandered into the forums a little too, but discovered that I could no longer understand them. I occasionally (as in about once a year) visit the chatroom, just to see who's around - maybe I'm overdue for my annual visit.

By the way... who are you?

Re: Subject

[kjorteo]

You should come by when I'm around sometime! It'd be neat to chat without the kind of delay from LJ comments and e-mail and such.

(Unless you have an IM client, by any chance?)

Unfortunately, I'm around pretty rarely as well.

Re: Subject

[(Anonymous)]

Kjorteo, you too need to come back! Your country needs you!

Re: Subject

[kjorteo]

I haven't left! I don't show up in #i-c or on the fora very often due to weaving, and I haven't worked on Adventure of Sam also due to weaving, but it's on my list of things, I swear!

Also, you're Schrödinger's Cat? Good to know, but then the question becomes, who were you? Everyone on the fora changes their usernames too fast for me to keep up. The "We must invent teleportation!" title made me think you were nuero for a second, but then I saw nuero reply to a post of yours, so either you have two accounts and are schizophrenic or you're not nuero. So now I'm even more confused.

Re: Subject

[(Anonymous)]

If you must know, I was "Raistlenn" around 2002-2003ish, before the purge. Raistlenn:Schrödinger's Cat :: Gamemster1:Stak

(We pretend Raistlenn never existed) My toolkit is in the newest version of Z-Files, the only relic of my past.

Re: Subject

[davidn]

I remember the name "GameMster1"! I think the character might even have had a cameo appearance in one of my games, but perhaps I'm remembering that wrongly. Definitely had something to do with one of them, though.

I think I'm in something of a similar situation - my involvement with the ZZT community was when I was a bit... new (in fact it was my introduction to the Internet in general), so my past there isn't something of which I'm particularly proud - apart from The Mercenary, which I liked a lot, and it was a shame that it had to be cut so short.

My memory of it is of being rather hostile, but that was towards a sixteen-year-old idiot version of me - but I'm not sure they realize that I'm not the same any more. I hope I'm not, anyway.

Re: Subject

[(Anonymous)]

Everybody changes over time. You are welcome and encouraged to come back. Remember: http://zzt.belsambar.net/fora

Re: Subject

[kjorteo]

I used to be (in order) Culex2000, WhompKing64, KoopaTheQuick64, UltraSephiroth (I'm so sorry,) then most notably ChocoboKick before I was finally Kjorteo. Those days were over well before I was introduced to the ZZT community, though, so I don't have to deal with any of that there, fortunately....

And I don't care if I'm the only one out there even counting you; I liked ZZT Crime. :(

Anyway, I wouldn't know for sure, but I would guess that any specific legitimate grudges back from the day are gone, but as you've probably noticed, the community is kind of hostile just in general, just for fun. I wouldn't recommend plunging headlong into the IRC channel if the workings of the community still confuse you at this point, but you can ease yourself back in gradually (the fora are good for that,) or even if not, you can still make a cool game or something and limit your contact to the more serious people (Commodore, Quantum P.) plus me. :)

Re: Subject

[davidn]

I think my biggest ZZT Crime-related mistake was allowing Scorch to continue uploading versions under my name. I notice that another version has been put up very recently, and frankly I dread to think what's in there.

Re: Subject

[kjorteo]

Oh, ouch. Yeah, Scorch isn't exactly well-loved these days, so that might not have been the best move.

Oh hey, that's where your skull icon is from! I get it now!

Re: Subject

[davidn]

Yes! After series 5 they replaced it with a walking suit of armor health indicator, though, and the last series was even further sanitized with a cake representing life left. They were all too soft.

Re: Subject

[davidn]

I'm on IM most of the time, though usually marked Away because I forget about it (it's worth checking to see if I really am away if I'm marked that way). I actually added you to my AIM list a while ago, but I forgot that AIM doesn't actually inform you you've been added until the first message is sent.

(My AIM account is, sadly for me, WongChungBang).

Re: Subject

[(Anonymous)]

Sadly?! That name's got style!

Re: Subject

[kjorteo]

Added! I'll keep a lookout for you. I'm on fairly sporadically and I'm usually invisible when I am on, but I'll toss a message your way next time I see you.

Re: Subject

[(Anonymous)]

My current moniker is "Schrödinger's Cat," at least on the Z2 fora. You and I have spoken briefly before (at least, in the sense that anybody "speaks" on the internet). As far as "Understanding" the forums, I wouldn't worry too much. I don't understand everything fully, either... but I seem to get along just fine.

Also: This (http://zzt.belsambar.net/fora/viewtopic.php?t=2477) thread might be of interest to you. That song is Crazy Good. Hyponotic, even. The game is Crazy Good too. In conclusion, I'll check back in about 12 hours or so.

this is gingermuffins

[(Anonymous)]

The ZZT archive has games spanning from 1991 to the present.

How many games are still available for Klik n' Play & Friends? I tried searching for some on the daily click, but nothing. Do any of these ring a bell:

Cerberus, Destruction Carnival, Bubble Girl, Cat People (I forget the name but it was by a guy called "THE BEST"), Illusions of Deception, Locked 7, Rex the bounty hunter, lunatic rover, an excellent christmas-themed point-and-click adventure game starring a cartoon animal who has to find a tree and chop it down with an axe, dexter's quest, harry driver deluxe, "paradox games" ...

I kind of miss them.

Re: this is gingermuffins

[davidn]

Klik and Play's going back a bit, but I do remember some of the names on that list - Destruction Carnival was very popular for a while but I've never played it. Bubble Girl was made by a DC member who goes by the name 'Nastyman' - he did a whole series of games with that title, and at last report had been admitted to a mental institution of some description. Locked 7 was actually made by one of the creators of the Daily Click, if I remember correctly, and was re-released fairly recently.

The Christmas adventure is called "Freddy Trims A Tree" - I'm not sure if it's still available, but it was one of the first K&P-made games I ever downloaded! And it was pretty impressive, too, because I've always found point-and-click adventures difficult to make (you have to worry about pathfinding, scripting, and a whole host of other things).

Dexter's Quest does sound familiar, but I'm not sure what it is...

The community on TDC has descended somewhat into politics and general chaos recently, but the game-making side is still very much alive and well. As you can see a couple of entries ago, I have a large project of my own, but it's only getting there in small spurts.

Re: this is gingermuffins

[(Anonymous)]

It's nice to know the name of that adventure game again.

Nastyman must have been called THE BEST at an earlier point. I hope that cat warrior game still exists but I doubt it: it was completely nuts and flawed in just the right way.

A ZZT game I just finished had its roots in a KNP game I started when I was eleven or twelve, it's weird that the project is finally done with ... anyways I'll stop now.