I hope I am not too much off topic here with this but I believe that there are some russian users here who might be interested in this. Our game "Tale of a Hero", which were disscused here before ( http://www.gameboomers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=290762 ) is to be released soon (24th of july) in Russia by Novyj Disk under name "Герой" (The hero).

More language version will hopefuly follow one day:)

I am very exited about this as this is the first version of game which is launching on the market and people from Novyj Disk made really extraodrinary good work on localisation and especially on voiceovers.

edit: game released!
http://nd.ru/prod.asp?razd=descr&prod=taleofhero

Congratulations Tol! I hope it is a great sucess so we can soon hear news of an English release.

ana

Wonderful news, tol

& have fun

Its times like this that I wish I took Russian as a second language in high school

Congratulations tol! Here's hoping that it's a success in Russia and it's localized in more languages soon.

I loved the story when I read about it, and wish you a huge success Tol!

Thank you all for your support I will keep you updated about future language versions of our game.

Hi!
I'm from Russia and have recently bought your game and completed it yesterday.
First of all I'd like to thank all the developers for this wonderful adventure. And I’m not overstating.
It’s a very pleasant fairy tale, not a sort of fantasy with elves ears. The story is interesting with a marvelous final, plenty of dialogues and jokes (let’s fight against stupid puzzles with jackhammers – nice!). Although there’re some frustrating pixel-huntings, it’s ok – you're playing an old-school game. But man can find only few such involved places and overall Tale of a Hero is an incredibly enjoyable adventure, which genre fans should definitely look forward to.
As you’ve seen the graphic is dated, nevertheless every location is beautifully drawn and designed. Besides you’ll be surprised by variety of scenes and their singularity.
Thanks to one of the game’s chapters, it really reminds The Longest Journey in some ways (of course Arcadia parts).
Every character is unique and appealing. I especially liked Mushroom (he’s tremendous!), Hermit-crab, Whale, Oyster, Ship Captain, Crugell (or how is his name spelled in English version)… and more, can’t name everybody. They’re truly memorable thanks to dialogues, Russian voiceover and qualitative translation.

I hope Tale of a Hero will soon find a publisher, it’s far more better than some “professionally made” boring adventures.
This game deserves buying. Thank you again, authors.

Tick_the

Glad you enjoyed the game and thanks for your feedback. I hope they find a publisher soon.

Ana

Hi tick_the -- thanks for the mini-review and welcome to GameBoomers!

Privet tick_the,

thanks for a very positive mini-review, it's really nice to see tol's child getting the possitive feedback, which it certainly deserves!

On a side note I just am really curious (having played this game so many times already), where exactly did you see is a pixel hunting because personally I never felt I had to pixel hunt.

I admit, that I had to hunt for certain regions myself (because they were sometimes in places off my primary view focus), but they were always so large that I had to smack my forehead for being so blunt. I still think of pixel hunting as of a term coined for hunting for excessively small regions (like 1 pixels big) which might be redefined by nowadays lingo.

I just hope tol won't lose all love for adventure games and brings us some more adventure games!! I still didn't forgive him leaving Ron Loo(although he should better rename the main character to steer clear of toilets).

Privet, metamorphium,
I think nowadays pixel-hunting is not definitely "hunting pixels' like in Sierra games, but a sort of imperceptible hot points, when I don't know what should I find or where should I find something. In Tale of a Hero these are, in my opinion, But I've already heard feedbacks saying that game is rather difficult (while I can't characterize the whole adventure this way).

Thanks everybody for welcoming

Privet tick_the!

I have already read your and others opinions on ag.ru forum and am very happy, thank you all for your kind words! I am just glad I can speak with you here, as my written azbuka is little rusty and I hadn´t find the guts to reply there for that reason

Thank you also for your feedback about pixelhunting- to be honest, in some places it was little bit intended to make find some objects harder but not by making them invisible or small, we tried to make regions as large as possible, but by using of classical composition techniques- we just place them little bit off traditional lines leading eyes from golden cut to other parts of picture. The reason was just that a-ha moments Metamorphium wrote here in his post.

Although this game is intended to be oldschool, we tried to introduce some new approaches here and there(surrogate inventory objects for example, or puzzles like snow melting ect.). Not all of them worked as good as I hoped for, but it´s a start, this is the first game we ever finished
On the other hand the places you named are definitely not one of that intended "hidden objects" and I will look at them again to learn from this mistakes

Once again- for myself and for our whole team: thank you! Reactions like this from people, who actually played our game, are the ones that gives all that effort meaning in the end

PS: Big thanks goes also to staff of Novyi Disk and Lazy games who took extraordinary effort to make russian localisation as good as possible. I just wish that developers can meet such a professionalism and talent more often in more teritories...

Privet, tol!

Those moments which I called pixel-hunting are presented at practically every adventure. But you know, I can't say that they make your game even a bit worse. Today it's unreal to see an adventure game without 'myst-style' puzzles, and you managed to get rid of them at all. After all adventure gamer fills exited after noticing another important object and completing everything himself. Although it's not ok for novices, as they may turn frustrated and mad :): the game box doesn't say anything about old-school

Another thought. I'm impressed by the fact that it's your debut and such result was reached by a small team. It's an example for both indy and professional developers how adventure game should be done, especially in such rare setting.

Yes, Noviy Disk published a very good translated version, but it can be found not in every store (as for my city) – merchandisers may be don’t trust game’s title and total lack of information about it. However we think, with the help of ag.ru forum – the biggest in Russian segment of Internet – more people will notice it, read our feedbacks and try Tale of a Hero themselves – it costs not too much.
I wish you made another great game.

P.S. Curious, in what places was it intended to make find some objects harder?
P.P.S. Do you know Russian?

Tale of Hero will be released in Italy end of 2008/beginning 2009 by the italian publishers Adventure Productions ,as far as I know it will be in english with italian subtitles.

They will also release Sunrise and Legend of Crystal Valley for the italian market.

tick_the:
Again, thank you

Marketing of our game was always out of our reach (unfortunatelly), that is why nobody knows about it. The first (and for log time the last) information that broke into internet were several still unfinished screenshost, often without textures and these screenshot s still circulating gaming sites and forums and make this game look with much lower production values. It is somehow typical for ToH and its marketing, maybe some sort of bad carma- first screenshot leaked outside without our knowing as well as leaked playable demo without voiceovers. As first did not pleased us much, the second, leak of demo, I believe made agreements in some teritories possible at all...

As for next games- I am still in gaming industry, but not in adventure games unfortunatelly right now. Metamorphium, who ,apart of sound design, had important influence on whole ToH does games still too. Our music composer did and do some sountrack for several non-adventure games.
Rest of our team return to their lives for developing of ToH were just their hobby (I was the only one who did this as full-time job, rest of the team were doing this besides their studies and regular jobs). We still stayed together as friends though and maybe someday in the future...

I do speak russian although rather bad but I have played whole ToH in russian and am planing to devote more time to learn it in the future:)

That intended hidden places- not much of them comes in mind right now, but eg.

It wasn´t used very often though, at least not intentionaly:)

Carla: wow! Thank you for this information It is rather typical that I did not know about that, although one day I will prepare materials for that localisation one day

tol:
I think in this case a lot depends on reviews in press. I hope the game will be first released in Germany, where there're a lot of adventure lovers and loyal reviewers.

Your exemplified hidden places I found rather quick So it depends on man's own perception, I guess.

Did Unknown Identity help or advise you?

I am not sure whether german adventure fans are into fairy tales but you are right that review sure can change many things

As for Unknow Identity- no, we were detached team, they worked on Reprobates although at the very end of ToH production we got help of one of their modeller to finish few things (some cutscenes like well animations, rooster atack, he also did lighting and rendering of one backround).
Also engine on which ToH runs is AGDS which Nibiru used.

Hi boomers!
Just to keep you updated- I found first review of russian version ToH on russian webzine Playground.ru

http://www.playground.ru/articles/21896/

sorry for being so late to congrat you on russian release of your enchanting hard work (and lovely child it is)

I have heard about it so long, and have this highest on my own list of games I am waiting to play.

Tol and team ToH

And well deserved score and great review at AG.ru . Such a huge respected site HAS to make sales soar for you guys!

So please I know you guys have to have clients and get food on the table, (it's the life) so wishing some good fortune will carry you back to Adventure Game creation sooner than later

Wow!

Sounds like a fun game. Looking forward to see it released in US/Canada.

Adventure Lantern has a preview here:
http://www.adventurelantern.com/Previews/taleOfHero/taleOfHero.htm

gatorlaw: Hello Laura! Nice to hear from you and thank you for your kind words, it´s an honor to read this from you

I certainly hope this is not the last adventure we ever made in our lives, but as you already mentioned- one means, life changes...

mission: Thank you, hope it will live up to your expectations:)

There is one more preview here:
http://www.adventure-archiv.com/t/taleofheropreviewe.htm

Both previews were written in early stages of development

Ahhh P.

Nothing but the highest regard in this corner of the room. Your high - low shelving (pure lucid brilliance) and all the "golden mean" angle of perceptions you bring to art & game style have been promoted by me in so many quiet corners of our professional community.


Given the skills. elegant smarts and care you bring to your work, well I celebrate anything you ever are creative part of.