Incline Strangeland - new adventure game from Wormwood Studios

[Morgoth]

Primordia rekindled my fondness for adventures. Anyone who disagrees with this is a monster.

 

[Maxie]

Primordia rekindled my fondness for adventures. Anyone who disagrees with this is a monster.

anyone who disagrees with that primordia rekindled your fondness for adventures is a monster?

 

[Alpan]

Was there another previous game that isn't Primordia?

Wormwood published (EDIT: WRONG, see correction(s) below) developed Until I Have You, the game Jenkem is referring to. I haven't played it and haven't seen much about it, but I have a dim recollection of James Spanos, Wormwood's programmer being involved in it in some way (maybe it's just his game). So Wormwood might have been the publisher on principle.

With respect to Strangeland's prospects, I honestly doubt anybody cares. As Roxor says, most people aren't even aware of it.

 

[lightbane]

UIHY was okay, it could have been better but the control scheme worked against it. I believe the engine was not meant to do intense action platformers, and it shows. Nevertheless, it's a fun LP to watch at the very least. Shame it's one of those works where the ending implies your efforts might have been for naught, so you wasted your time.

 

[baud]

Was there another previous game that isn't Primordia?

Wormwood published Until I Have You, the game Jenkem is referring to. I haven't played it and haven't seen much about it, but I have a dim recollection of James Spanos, Wormwood's programmer being involved in it in some way (maybe it's just his game). So Wormwood might have been the publisher on principle.

With respect to Strangeland's prospects, I honestly doubt anybody cares. As Roxor says, most people aren't even aware of it.

I think I read somewhere that Until I have you was programmed by James, maybe on Wormwood's blog

 

[MRY]

UIHY was made by one of the three of us (the coder). To me, it stands out as wonderful—an almost impossible thing to create in AGS, incredible support from James for years after its release, and a weird story embodied in weird controls. And finishing a second commercial game that quickly isn’t something I managed.

But it’s got nothing to do with Strangeland. I would measure your expectations for SL through Primordia. If you liked Primordia there’s a decent chance you’ll like SL.

 

[agris]

platform game

It sounds like you're confusing Wormwood, the devs of Strangeland, with another house. Primordia wasn't a platform game, it was an adventure game. They've never made a platform game.

edit: this is what I get for replying without reading the last page of the thread. To wit, UIHY was published, not developed by, Wormwood.

It also worked, I don't usually do platformers but I finished it. Controls were not easy, but then again, neither are Gothics. They do finally click and you approach the maps and bosses like a good action-puzzle, similar to other platformers.

edit2: I stand corrected by Jenkem, despite the fact that I think his comparison is bad-faith and intended to be edgy rather offer a real critique of the “3 musketeers”, as MRY describes them.

 

[MRY]

Until I Have You was released as a Wormwood Studios game. And rightly so. The brand is James’s and Vic’s as much as mine.

 

[MRY]

To wit, UIHY was published, not developed by, Wormwood.

That is not quite right.

Primordia was developed by three of us: Vic (art), me (design), and James (code). (To be clear, there is some bleed-over in roles on a small team, but those are the basic ones). UIHY was developed by James (design, writing, code, music) and a different artist. Strangeland is again developed by Vic (art, music, sound effect), me (design), and James (code and some music and VFX). Like UIHY, Fallen Gods is not the full three musketeers -- while Vic has done some lovely UI work for it, he is not the primary artist, and James is not involved in the game. But I wouldn't call FG "published" by Wormwood Studios (if it ever reaches the finish line!), any more than I would say that about UIHY.

I also want to clarify my prior statement that UIHY "has nothing to do with Strangeland." That is not quite right either. On Primordia, even though we were equal partners, James viewed himself as slightly subordinate to Vic and me, and I would say that he didn't take full "ownership" of the finished product. After UIHY, his mentality changed -- he knew that he could lead a project to conclusion with a strong design vision. He brought that increased confidence to Strangeland, and that has resulted in a far better game because various aspects of QC or polish that previously fell mostly on me are now borne equally or more by James. He was a real leader on Strangeland, particularly through tough patches where Vic or I was in the doldrums. Further, UIHY is where James attained grandmastery over the AGS engine, and he brought those skills to Strangeland -- SL is full of cool effects that push AGS beyond its normal limits, and I think it's unlikely James could've done that without first making UIHY. So Strangeland owes a lot to UIHY.

 

[Jenkem]

DEVELOPER: WORMWOOD STUDIOS

why are you faggots lying? why make shit up when you can literally spend five seconds or less to check steam

 

[Alpan]

DEVELOPER: WORMWOOD STUDIOS

why are you faggots lying?

Honestly, it's my bad, not the fault of MRY, agris, or others. I was the one who originally said it was published by Wormwood, but this was because I misread the order of lines on the Steam page.

 

[WallaceChambers]

If your problem with UIHY was janky controls why bother making the comparison anyway? Strangeland is not a platformer so obviously the same issues won't apply. Seems like a pointless criticism.

 

[MRY]

It’s fine to judge our team by the whole catalogue. If a team puts its name on a game you hate, you should include that in your overall judgment. As I said, I’m proud to have the Wormwood name on UIHY even though I was not involved in its development and even if I can’t manage its controls myself. It’s a game that James made with passion, vision, and personal commitment. That’s really what we offer. But if you hate the game you hate it, and you shouldn’t be talked out of it by Primordia fans!

That said, I would very much prefer if people use civil language in this thread. Got no objection to heat and criticism coming my way, but I’m not enthusiastic about our game’s thread getting diverted into that kind of vitriol.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

Well if it’s any solace MRY UIHY passed me by at the time of release, but the Wormwood name is good enough for me to buy it sight unseen.

Although if I hate it I will almost certainly lob a few four-letter-words around about it, but I suppose I could do so in another thread.

 

[MRY]

I believe there’s a demo. It’s worth trying before buying.

 

[almondblight]

Nevertheless, it's a fun LP to watch at the very least.

Have to agree, I watched a partial LP of UIHY and thought the story and presentation were pretty compelling. And honestly, the world needs more narrative heavy cyberpunk sidescrollers.

 

[Jenkem]

edit2: I stand corrected by Jenkem, despite the fact that I think his comparison is bad-faith and intended to be edgy rather offer a real critique of the “3 musketeers”, as MRY describes them.

I don't know the inner workings of the developer nor did I ever pretend to, I simply asked if this game will be good like Primordia, because I absolutely did NOT like playing their last game. The intricacies of which person in the company did what wasn't the point, I just know they released I game I got based on enjoying their first game and felt burned. That being said the fact that it was just made by the coder in his spare time is a different matter, but it is still their product. If someone sells me something I don't like I'm going to scrutinize the next thing they try to sell me. It's as simple as that.

 

[MRY]

Hear hear! We’re lucky you’re giving us a second chance at all.

That said, SL is much more like Primordia than UIHY. Same dev team, same genre.

If you don’t like it, don’t give us a third chance.

 

[Maxie]

you should give us a chance to play fallen gods sometime this decade

 

[MRY]

Meaning by 2030? I’m confident it will be done, or I will be done in, before then.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

I didn't get how to play UIHY (wtf this gameplay is even supposed to be), but it is surely made with love.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Meaning by 2030? I’m confident it will be done, or I will be done in, before then.

please consider that we will have to move away from fossil fules by 2030 and the raw early medieval lifestyle and respect for nature presented in fallen gods could serve as a great inspiration to accelerate this effort

 

[MRY]

In the bright future, souls not coals.

 

[MRY]

A last development diary, full of maudlin sentimentality.

 

[ghostdog]

From the inventory to save systems to the layout of rooms to multiple puzzle solutions to an optional integrated hint system, we’ve tried to focus the game on the fun and challenge of puzzle-solving, exploration, and discovery, while eliminating frustrations and grind.

Glad to hear about multiple solutions to puzzles!