Plan M by MurrayL

[raw]
made by MurrayL for LD24 (JAM)
NOTE: The 'Original Jam Version', rather than being made of strawberries, simply has no audio. That's right, NONE.
If you're just looking for a fun game to play, get the Enhanced Edition. Your ears will thank you.

To be fair, though - if you're rating Plan M for the Jam, please rate according to the Jam version, NOT the Enhanced Edition (which includes substantial changes and additions).

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=== CONTROLS ===
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* Move your mouse to the top of the screen to view the items you are carrying.
* Left click - Look
* Right click - Interact

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=== DESCRIPTION ===
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From the makers of subAtomic (Murray Lewis & David Blake) comes a brand new point & click adventure. It's bigger, bolder, and funnier!

The evil Dr. M has used a nefarious machine to devolve everyone back into monkeys, so he can become their master!
Fortunately, he didn't count on Detectives Vandall and Hopkirk - two survivors who will stop at nothing to put things back the way they were.

* Full-length point & click adventure!
* A story so packed with comedy it's liable to explode at any minute, covering you and anyone watching in a disgusting-yet-amusing goo!
* Stephen Hawking gives a conference from the ceiling!
* Meet a monkey pretending to be the president!
* Electrocute a small child!
* And much, much more!

The Enhanced Edition includes a soundtrack and audio effects, as well as several re-written and completely new scenes.

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=== ABOUT THE DEVELOPERS ===
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If you have any questions, please contact myself or Dave on Twitter at @GameDevIdeas and @GameDevDave, respectively.

If you enjoyed this and subAtomic, please also check out @HungryPlanetGS (http://www.hungryplanetgames.com/) - we're coming up to our first commercial point & click release and we'd love to get your interest.

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=== FAQ ===
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Q: How do I leave the playground?
A: Interact with the car.

Q: How do I play in fullscreen?
A: Run 'winsetup.exe' (you may need to right-click and select 'Run as administrator' in Windows Vista/7).
Uncheck the box marked 'Run in a window instead of full-screen'.

Q: I get a graphics error when I try to run the game!
A: Run 'winsetup.exe' (you may need to right-click and select 'Run as administrator' in Windows Vista/7).
First, try changing 'Graphics driver' from Direct3D 9 to DirectDraw 5. If that doesn't solve the problem, experiment with different 'Graphics filter' options - it may be that the game is trying to run in a resolution too high/low for your graphics adapter.

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=== SPECIAL THANKS ===
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* Members of the Freesound project, for providing quality audio samples:
alister667, Andreas.Mustola, avakas, CJ4096, D W, digifishmusic,
engreitz, Flasher21, FreqMan, joedeshon, JoelAudio, junggle,
kineticturtle, KNO SFX, Lunardrive, mattwasser, Nathan Lomeli,
nmscher, NoiseCollector, Percy Duke, roper1911, RutgerMuller,
sagetyrtle, sandyrb, shawshank73, Slanesh, SpiderJerusalem,
Srehpog, suonho, thedapperdan, Tomlija, TreasureBoxFilms,
tweeterdj, wildweasel, YvesSch & Zoltan Csengeri.

* Kevin MacLeod, for giving away thousands of amazing music tracks for free.

* Chris Jones, for creating the Adventure Game Studio engine.

* Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer, Charles Cecil, and other industry luminaries, for creating some of the classic adventure games which inspire us.

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall(Jam) 3.96 9
Audio(Jam) 1.70 195
Fun(Jam) 3.91 5
Graphics(Jam) 3.54 91
Humor(Jam) 4.53 1
Innovation(Jam) 2.85 133
Mood(Jam) 3.57 28
Theme(Jam) 2.82 126

Feedback

馃帳 MurrayL
28. Aug 2012 路 01:55 UTC
If you downloaded the game prior to the end of Submission Hour in the Jam, please re-download. There was a game-breaking bug wherein the 'Wallet' item was given to the wrong character at the start of the game.
phren
28. Aug 2012 路 13:11 UTC
Great storytelling and a nice adventure that kept me playing through the whole story. I don't really know how much this had to do with the theme, but what the heck, I enjoyed it. :P The interface felt a bit clunky at times. Overall the dialog was funny and the puzzle design was just the right challenge level for me.
Qaterknan
28. Aug 2012 路 16:08 UTC
After subAtomic I was really looking forward to your next game. :) I love your humour and graphics. It is a shame it lacks music but it did not really affect my mood rating because the story was enough. The idea "evolution backwards" is great but it could be more sofisticated. But I guess the world-saving theme is just your favourite. :)
juaxix
28. Aug 2012 路 16:38 UTC
This is a jewel (without audio)
madpew
28. Aug 2012 路 16:44 UTC
Alot of content and a long intro. maybe too long for ppl not used to the genre. The game itself is well done, not too hard and funny. Sadly there's no sound. Besides to that, well done!
Eniko
28. Aug 2012 路 20:15 UTC
This was awesome and really took me back to the days old old adventure games. The humor was very reminiscent of the type found in Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island. Could've used some audio, and also I guessed the passcode on the third try trying to get amusing commentary out of the guys. It was confusing as heck so I had to reload.
Ragzouken
29. Aug 2012 路 11:44 UTC
I love the humour in this game :D ("Simianthesiser is great) References to some great programmes ;) Graphics fit nicely :) Funniest Ludum Dare game I've played!
TobiasNL
29. Aug 2012 路 11:50 UTC
Were I really missed the sounds I totally digged your humor. Great stuff man, funny storyline, comical conversations and a simple yet effective graphical style!
馃帳 MurrayL
29. Aug 2012 路 11:54 UTC
Thanks for the comments so far, guys! It's always good to hear what you liked and didn't like, and I'll be watching what you have to say for the post-compo version.

Madpew - Thanks for the feedback! I had a feeling the intro might be a bit on the lengthy side, even for adventure game veterans. I'll look into breaking it up with some gameplay in the post-compo version.

Eniko - Sorry about the passphrase thing. I didn't really want to make it impossible to use it until you find the phrase, but I realise it may be confusing if you accidentally do things out of order!
PaulSB
29. Aug 2012 路 12:41 UTC
Really nice work! Just sorely missed some sound but you got a lot of content in there and some pretty funny stuff!
Miltage
29. Aug 2012 路 13:38 UTC
I've never been much of an adventure game fan, but this was great. I found myself laughing out loud at many of the lines, which broke the game's deathly silence. Would have been nice to have some sound but the game surely makes up for whatever audio it is lacking.

I can only imagine the amount of work that went into this. Bravo, thoroughly enjoyed.

You should make the controls more apparent for adventure game noobs like myself. Other than that, a well-produced game.
imef
29. Aug 2012 路 15:12 UTC
I couldn't launch the game. A problem about resolution or something. It's a shame... I love point and click games.
nddrylliog
29. Aug 2012 路 16:24 UTC
Loved the graphics and the old-school ambiance, although I'm not usually a fan of point-and-click. Particularly appreciated the story and the humor throughout the game. Great work!
Pixelbear
29. Aug 2012 路 17:08 UTC
That was freakin' amazing. I adore this game so much! It reminds me of Ben there, Dan that and Time Gentlemen, please! Very good job.
Pierrec
29. Aug 2012 路 17:29 UTC
I had problem getting out the playground too, didn't see your tips. Something you should fix. Also, some things/people were hard to interact with, especially while using objects. I'm thinking of Nixon's nose or Jacky.

The game is great, I don't know which I prefer between this one and subAtomic, I suppose it's a good thing. It makes me smile, and was challenging enough for a point & click lover. Some sound would have been great, but I know that problem ^^
馃帳 MurrayL
29. Aug 2012 路 17:48 UTC
@imef - sorry to hear you had a problem! Try running winsetup.exe first. If the problem was that the resolution was too high for your monitor, just change 'Graphics filter' to 'None' and try running like that.
If that doesn't work, try changing 'Graphics driver' to use Direct3D 9 instead of DirectDraw 5.
flyingbear
29. Aug 2012 路 22:08 UTC
That was great =) got quite a few chuckles out of me
Zed
30. Aug 2012 路 13:58 UTC
That. Was. AMAZING. I can't believe you made that in 72 hours.
repstyle
30. Aug 2012 路 22:07 UTC
A nice game but maybe too much dialogs for me even his the humor is cool. When i'll have time i try to finish this game.
And maybe figure out what the link with the evolution theme except apes ^^.
demonpants
30. Aug 2012 路 22:08 UTC
Ha, this looks awesome. Can you make this for Mac too?
Gidaio
30. Aug 2012 路 22:25 UTC
Ha, that was hilarious and awesome. No audio, and it would have been nice for the fritzy lightbulbs, and the Jazz Club.
creative630
30. Aug 2012 路 22:27 UTC
Any tips on getting the passcode? I'm guessing it has something to do with Nixons nose, but I've run out of objects to use :/. Great game though!
馃帳 MurrayL
30. Aug 2012 路 23:12 UTC
Thanks for the positive comments! It means a lot.

@repstyle - I'm afraid the 'devolution' theme is as close as we get ;) Hope you find the time to finish the story, though!

@demonpants - Sorry; the AGS engine doesn't have a recent official MacOS port. The community is making strides towards a Mac compatible engine at http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/wiki/?title=AGS_Engine_ports , but I can't vouch for how reliable it is. Sorry!

@Gidaio - You may be pleased to hear that the post-compo version is nearing completion. It's got sound and music, as well as several brand new/rewritten scenes and a whole bunch of small fixes.

@creative630 - Try using Nixon's nose (right-click)!
creative630
31. Aug 2012 路 09:07 UTC
Hmmm, I keep right clicking and it says "hey there is something up Nixon's nose!" but then nothing happens. Am I doing something wrong? I really just want to finish this game!
馃帳 MurrayL
31. Aug 2012 路 13:06 UTC
His nose becomes clickable once you use the head, but the area to click is quite small! Keep looking, and you'll find it!

You're not the only person who has had trouble finding it, though - it's been made easier in the post-compo version :)
creative630
31. Aug 2012 路 14:04 UTC
Rad, thanks. Good game.
vigrid
31. Aug 2012 路 16:07 UTC
Thank you for playing and rating my game. Unfortunately I won't be rating yours because adventure games are something I don't play, but enjoy watching. I am a back seat driver with this genre.
Norgg
01. Sep 2012 路 14:04 UTC
Wow, you sure meant "full length". Loads of content here, got to stop for now but will be back to finish it off, love the storytelling.
cakemonitor
01. Sep 2012 路 14:58 UTC
Wonderful stuff :)
SusanTheCat
01. Sep 2012 路 16:39 UTC
Well Done! It is a bit annoying that you have to go through the intro again before you get a chance to load your saved game.
馃帳 MurrayL
01. Sep 2012 路 17:14 UTC
Sorry about that, Susan - you can generally just hold down Esc to skip cutscenes in the game.

The Enhanced Edition has a 'Load game' button on the main menu :)
Wampus
01. Sep 2012 路 17:55 UTC
Played this through to completion. The game was nicely done and lots of fun. I thought the writing was particularly good.
Josh @ Dreamland
01. Sep 2012 路 21:01 UTC
My monitor doesn't support the resolution your game tries to impose. Or if it tries a number of resolutions, WINE just doesn't agree with it.
goffmog
01. Sep 2012 路 21:33 UTC
O
M
G

You just raised the bar for Double Fine Adventure.
馃帳 MurrayL
01. Sep 2012 路 21:37 UTC
Josh - I believe the conflict is to do with widescreen AGS games not working well in WINE.
My first suggestion would be to run 'winsetup.exe', and check the box marked 'Force alternate letterbox resolution'. This will force the engine to use a 4:3 aspect ratio.
An alternative route would be to try running it using WINE in a virtual desktop mode.
Jedi
01. Sep 2012 路 23:33 UTC
Overall: brilliant, 5 stars.
Thanks for this!
ConflictiveLabs
02. Sep 2012 路 01:02 UTC
Cool entry. Nice graphics and the choice of genre is spot-on. Also loved the humor. Didn't finish the game though. I guess It needs more time to complete than what I currently have.
Dietrich Epp
02. Sep 2012 路 12:33 UTC
This floored me! Must have been a ton of work! But I'm stuck... I have two crystals, can't get into the sewer, and can't get into the oval office. There's something up Nixon's nose or something.
馃帳 MurrayL
02. Sep 2012 路 13:03 UTC
Dietrich - there's a hotspot on his nose. It's a little small in the Jam version, but it's there!

The size of Nixon's nose was increased in the Enhanced Edition.
michax
02. Sep 2012 路 20:56 UTC
Wow, so much content. Really nice point and click game.
Sgt Squirrelly
03. Sep 2012 路 19:07 UTC
I normally am not a fan of adventure games, but this was hilarious. Great work guys!
BNeutral
04. Sep 2012 路 06:56 UTC
Most hilarious LD game I've played so far.
mes
08. Sep 2012 路 01:18 UTC
nice! great ending.
JonathanG
10. Sep 2012 路 06:47 UTC
Very funny! I laughed out loud at several points!
Orni
16. Sep 2012 路 17:33 UTC
wow!
this reminded me of the good old monkey island times ... great times indeed

your game manages to re-capture that essence perfectly. well done. loved it
Puzzlem00n
16. Sep 2012 路 20:53 UTC
Not too shabby, guys, not too shabby. Although the ending sort of confused me. It felt really complete. Apart from music, of course.
馃帳 MurrayL
17. Sep 2012 路 09:12 UTC
Thanks Puzzlem00n! The ending was a bit rushed, but the post-compo version fixes this.
azurenimbus
17. Sep 2012 路 22:55 UTC
Had a blast with this game :)