Today, I had the unique opportunity to test the newest, not-yet-released version of the SLUDGE engine, which features anti-aliased characters. It looked so pretty that I decided to release an anti-aliased Cubert Badbone. Grab it toute suite! As an added bonus, this newest version has a few bugs fixed (the game crashed if you tried to save during the intro, apparently), and is back in fullscreen mode, by popular demand.

In other news, after what seems like an eternity, I’ve recently started posting on the AGS forums again. It all started when someone posted a comparison of AGS and the proposed feature list of SCRAMM, and everyone who was in the amateur adventure game scene back during the SCRAMM days chimed in and started reminiscing. Of course, I couldn’t resist popping in with a “hey, what’s up?” and adding my two cents.

I don’t use AGS myself.[1] I like my SLUDGE. However, I’m quite proud of the way that AGS has improved leaps and bounds since its ugly, DOS-based days. If I started making a game today rather than in 2001, and AGS was the only engine that existed, I would’ve definitely used it.[2]

Still, despite my happy SLUDGE-ness, I’m extremely jealous of AGS’s community. The people in it seem so tightly-knit and a lot of fun. Sure, we SLUDGE developers are really cool and helpful, but there are so few of us, and we tend to be a bunch of perfectionist workaholics[3] who, for the most part, limit our contact with one another to our games. I’ve also noticed that since our community is so small, we have a tendency to post on the forums of general adventure development sites a lot, as well as those for other engines. Most AGS users don’t need to do that because they’ve got everything they need on the AGS forums already.

Another thing I must compliment AGS on is its philosophy. Start by making small games, then work your way up to more ambitious projects. That way, your games will have a higher chance of being finished. True, this results in a lot of really short[4] AGS games, but is it really any worse than, say, a lot of abandoned-but-promising-looking SLUDGE games? As I get busier and busier with school and starting my career, I’m finding that I’m having less time to make games than I did when I was in high school. I’ve decided that after I’m done with TGTTPOACS, it would probably be good for me to do a bunch of short experimental projects.

Maybe during that time I’ll try out other engines. If I decide to do a game using 3D graphics, I might try out Wintermute. I might even try AGS out so I can enter a MAGS competition or something.

Then again, I do love SLUDGE. I’m so used to it, too. And given that I’m so used to it, I could probably make short experimental games rather quickly with it.

We shall see. For now, back to finishing that cruise ship!