Dirk Dashing: Secret Agent!

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GolfHacker
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Dirk Dashing: Secret Agent!

Post by GolfHacker »

My Game Company produced a game called "Dirk Dashing: Secret Agent!" that looks and plays a lot like Commander Keen. You can download the first 5 levels from their web site at http://www.mygamecompany.com. The full version is $20 and has 30 levels.

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GolfHacker
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Post by GolfHacker »

Update: they released version 1.05 yesterday. You can find out more here:
http://www.mygamecompany.com/forums/sho ... 61#post161
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DaVince
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Post by DaVince »

To be honest, 20 dollars seems a bit expensive if I look at the screenshot. I mean, considering Keen was about the same price way back when it came out, and considering the advancement of technology since, this seems more like a 5 to 10 dollar game.

Of course, I haven't played yet, I'll let you know more once I play it.
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memsys
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Post by memsys »

i totaly agree with davince
the game tooks flat real flat and the cartoonish characters don't fit the realism style environment
the gameplay is even flatter than the grapics are !
music is ok but the sounds do not fit the game at all [Jazz Jackrabbit "spring" jump sound]
the price is just stupid
the my game company site has only 4-5 out of 5 ratings but no links to the sites they come from , i looked to find some of those sites guess what i cant find most of em and the ones i do all rate 4-5 out of 5 !
that is just low real low making it look better than it is

my rating : 3 out 10 i rather play commander keen gbc [4 out 10]

rating scale :
1=crap
2=unplayable
3=terrible
4=bad
5=disappointing
6=std
7=good
8=excellent
9=jewel
10=holy garg

oh and issn't this an rule 5 Infraction
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Post by ckguy »

I wonder, is GolfHacker affiliated with that company?
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Post by KeenRush »

Well, he said My Game Company... :dopekeen Nah, probably not.

Well, it's not looking bad, but not that good either, there are some things in the graphics I like, but I don't like the style overall. But it may be quite good actually, check all the awards it has got. Maybe I should try the demo.
My newest mod - Commander Keen: Sunset: viewtopic.php?t=8568 | codename H.Y.E.N.A.
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Post by memsys »

CK Guy wrote:I wonder, is GolfHacker affiliated with that company?
i think he could be as 2 of the people from my Game Company like golf
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DaVince
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Post by DaVince »

Oh god, Windows Plus! and Jazz Jackrabbit sounds for collecting items and jumping?! They don't even have the rights to take those and then sell their game!

The gameplay is a bit bland, nothing more than "basic platformer", really. 4/10.
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Post by GolfHacker »

CK Guy wrote:I wonder, is GolfHacker affiliated with that company?
To be honest, I am. I love Keen, and found this board a few weeks ago. Been posting here for a week or two. I created Dirk because I love Keen so much, and nobody is producing games like Keen anymore. I thought Dirk might be a game you folks would enjoy, so I posted about it. If you don't enjoy it, that's cool. Doesn't hurt my feelings.

The game sells well enough that I am actually considering producing a sequel. So if you guys have suggestions or feedback you want to give me, I'm listening. For the sequel, I already considering replacing the extra lives system with a more standard health system (like three hearts, or something), and I know the menu system (though modeled after Keen) is antiquated and hard to use - too many clicks to save a game - so I will be simplifying that as well. Other suggestions are welcome.

As far as the current game goes (artwork, level design, etc), some of you have already commented on artwork and gameplay. If you don't mind, I would like to hear specifically what you like and don't like, so I can improve it in the next game and not change the parts that are good. The first two levels in the demo were my first ones, and not my best. Levels 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5 are more indicative of the kinds of level designs you'll find in the rest of the game. In the full version, there are more diverse bad guys with their own special attacks, robots, falling icicles and other hazards, gun turrets, conveyors, hammers, icy floors, and more. So I realize you're not seeing the full game, but if anyone is interested in helping out by providing me feedback, I can arrange a good discount on the full version.

Regarding the sounds: for the record, the sounds are all produced by a third-party, and as far as I know they are not plagiarized. If you have evidence to the contrary, please let me know. If this third-party is doing something shady, I would hate to recommend them to my fellow indie game developers.
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Post by Malvineous »

Just a suggestion, but if you keep all the best stuff for the full version then people are only going to see a rather simplistic shareware version and may not bother getting the full game - remember that your shareware version is the ad for the game, and the better that is, the more likely people are to buy the full version. (So levels that aren't your best probably don't belong in the demo!)

The shareware episodes of many Apogee games are often the best in the series for that very reason.
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Post by XkyRauh »

Malv is absolutely correct. I still believe the first episode of Bio Menace, Monster Bash, and Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure are the best in their series. :)

Particularly since the 2d platformer isn't a modern genre, you've got to go out of your way to include the most fun-per-megabyte in your demo. The full version should just be the icing on the cake, not the meat-and-potatoes of your product.
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

There are people still making 2D platformors? (not for GBA, and GBA is gone, anyway)

The game company is called My Game Company? That's so confusing it gives me a headache.
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Djaser
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Post by Djaser »

In my opinion Dirk Dashing is a pussy for using sleepy gas instead of real guns.
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XkyRauh
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Post by XkyRauh »

Djaser wrote:In my opinion Dirk Dashing is a pussy for using sleepy gas instead of real guns.
And what about Keen and his Neural Stunner...?
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Djaser
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Post by Djaser »

Keen is a kid.
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