Thanks ksan! [import]uid: 8444 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 15453[/import]
Canāt wait to see it on the App Store.
Carlos [import]uid: 24 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 15454[/import]
The Corona version of The Secret of Grisly Manor is now live in the App Store! I will be away from my computer for the next two days, but will be back on Monday. I will gladly hand out promo codes to anybody that wants one!
Joe [import]uid: 8444 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 15804[/import]
Great !
Both Android and now IOS !
Thank you !
Just in case, folks, here is the link to the app
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-secret-of-grisly-manor/id384282298?mt=8
Carlos
[import]uid: 24 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 15805[/import]
Congratulations!!! Enjoy your weekend away from computers. Would love a promo code when you are back and if still available. Thank you very much! [import]uid: 11904 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 15813[/import]
hey,
nice gameā¦ from the pictures 
May I ask for a promo code?
Best
Ale [import]uid: 940 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16016[/import]
Hey guys!
I am back on the grid!
If you would like a promo code to play the game, please email me at:
joe AT firemaplegames DOT com
I am going to blast through most of them later tonight, but I will save some for anybody that wants one!
Thanks!
Joe [import]uid: 8444 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16032[/import]
Hey everybody!
I was just alerted that The Secret of Grisly Manor has been reviewed in the latest issue of Know Your Apps magazine!
Unfortunately the game only received 2/5 stars, but any press is good press, right?
Iām determined that my next game will get at least 3/5 stars! ;0)
Joe [import]uid: 8444 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16054[/import]
Okay, that has to be cool ā and suck at the same time.
If I read the article right, the reviewer didnāt like that there was no intro/help/tutorial to the game ā thatās easily fixable, although in some cases maybe you *want* the player to figure out what to do.
Not sure exactly what he/she was getting at in the third column, but I think the summary at the end sets you up nicely ā āWelcome point-and-click fareā¦ā
They had problems with something, but not the general idea, so āfixā what they didnāt like and send them the next one for a āWow!ā review!
Jay
PS - I bought it yesterday and am playing through it a little at a time. I like it so far, but Iām not a magazine reviewer. 
[import]uid: 9440 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16084[/import]
Thanks, Jay!
Yeah, no worries, I am much more critical of my own work than most reviews anyway! [import]uid: 8444 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16091[/import]
I bought this game awhile back. Is there anything new? Iām just curious why you ported it to Corona. [import]uid: 9075 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16107[/import]
do you do your own graphics, Joe?
thereās no denying the quality of your productions and youāve got nearly a full page spread there showcasing it, i wouldnāt knock it!
j [import]uid: 6645 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16114[/import]
Hi linh!
I originally created the game in a program called GameSalad. A few months ago GameSalad was going to change their business model to a become a third party publisher with a revenue share.
I did not want to go that route, so I started looking for other options, and starting playing around with Corona.
I really enjoy the power and performance of Corona, and as I have been a Flash programmer for the last 10 years, I find the scripting really easy.
My intention is to create a lot of these adventure games, and I needed to create a game engine that is powerful and scalable.
This new version of Grisly Manor has not added any more content, but is much more stable. The loading times are completely gone, and I was able to finally eliminate the random āblack screensā that some players were experiencing.
I was also able to port the game to Android.
I am busy creating a new, much larger adventure game. The new game will be 5x the size of Grisly Manor when it is complete.
My new engine also has some nice new features: a journal that keeps track of symbols and codes you encounter in the game, a dynamic map that charts the locations youāve visited, and a robust inventory system.
The inventory system is key as it allows me to make way more complicated and challenging puzzles.
The new game also supports multiple languages.
Anyway, that is why I ported it to Corona!
Joe [import]uid: 8444 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16115[/import]
Hey jmp909!
Yes, I do all of the art, animation, sound fx, and programming.
Yeah, the article is cool. Itās nice to see the game featured in print. Grisly Manor gets more good reviews than bad ones, so I am at peace with it!
Most of the complaints have to do with the gameās length, and I will be the first to admit that it is on the short side, something I am rectifying with the next one!
Joe [import]uid: 8444 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16116[/import]
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Joe -
I finished the game in bed last night ā played that instead of reading a book. I really enjoyed it ā although it did end a little soon for me! I really liked the falcon puzzle ā I keep thinking I should make something like that in real life.
You said, āā¦a journal that keeps track of symbols and codes you encounter in the gameā¦ā
Yay! Playing the game last night I kept grumbling that you didnāt put a camera in my satchel ā then I could have taken pictures of the things I came across.
While I think it would be a completely foreign idea to old-school adventure game players, if yourāe going to have a map, what about a āzip-toā option so you could go from one area of the map to another without actually walking back through all the rooms? Iām not sure what that would do to the playability of the game ā itās just a thought.
I built my first adventure game engine in 65816 assembly language over 20 years ago and thatās what Iām playing with in Corona now, so batting ideas around (whether good or bad) is something I can really get into.
Jay [import]uid: 9440 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16148[/import]
Hey Jay!
Thanks for the nice comments!
Regarding the map, there is a logic issue with the āzip-toā idea for this current game. At certain times during the game, certain areas that you have unlocked become inaccessible. The map would have needed a bazillion āspecial casesā to make it all work.
However, I did build in special teleporters into the game that take you back and forth to specific chunks of the map to alleviate all the walking around.
Yeah, the journal is working real nice too. You wonāt have to write anything down or remember any arbitrary codes. The game also builds the journal dynamically, as the player could see things in a different order depending on where they felt like exploring first.
The expandable inventory is a breath of fresh air as well. In GameSalad there are no Arrays, so it was pretty impossible to build a truly dynamic inventory. Which greatly limited the game. Every item gets used only once and discarded. Since I only had 6 spaces to work with, everything had to be extremely locked down. And having things like the log and matches that you did not necessarily need to use right away, meant that I only had 4 spaces to work with. It made the game very linear and easier/shorter than necessary.
Iād love to bat ideas around with you! Did you ever publish anything with your original engine? Can you imagine having something like Corona back then? These kids today are so lucky! ;0)
Joe [import]uid: 8444 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16150[/import]
amusing gameā¦ clues are interestingā¦ but still stuckā¦ [import]uid: 24 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16490[/import]
Hey Carlos!
I am sorry you are still stuck! Email me what you have in your inventory and I can give you a nudge in the right direction! ;0)
My new game has a complete hint guide/walkthrough available as an in-app purchase!
Joe [import]uid: 8444 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16496[/import]
This is a brilliant game, I tried it in the previous iteration, but I will jump to check this version on Corona.
I would be very curious to know your pipeline for the art of the game, if you can share some bits of info (no worries if you canāt).
On a note, the music is also brilliant - bravo! [import]uid: 13836 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16813[/import]
Hi MagnetiCat!
Of course!
Do mean how I make the graphics?
Well, the graphics are based on photographs obviously. Which was necessary for me for this type of game. It would have just been impossible for me to complete it in a reasonable amount of time if Ihad to paint everything from scratch.
So the base images are photographs, mostly from photos that my friend took for me, or from stock photo sites. Each image is usually built up from 5 or 6 photos: a wall here, a floor there, some odd doorway from somewhere else.
Then I meticulously paint on top of them in Photoshop. This is necessary to make everything feel part of a whole. All of the photos have different light sources, colors, etc.
I would say that each image probably took me a day to complete.
[import]uid: 8444 topic_id: 3679 reply_id: 16834[/import]
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