[227]Star Shoal Chronicles: Episode Infinity

[Sat42]

The brave volunteer has already stepped forward, I see
And happy to know this project is approaching completion!

[ebd]

I've sent a PM with the details to our brave volunteer, AlCapowned.

[radios]

Six years of space adventures sounds GREAT!!.

[ebd]

"Yeah," you think to yourself. "ebd has flaked again. What a total loser." Well guess what? You're wrong about the first part at least.

Grab the level and its dependencies here:
http://ebd.unrealsp.org/shoal/shoal_release.zip

Was it worth the wait? (No...)

It needs 227i. There may be a 1.1 release at some point to address issues concerning future proofing and maybe bug fixes, but we'll see if that is needed. Please play it with the default gametype (FiretrucksGame) as changing the gametype will break pretty much everything.

I hope 2015 has been great for everyone and there is no better way to herald in the new year than by wasting a few minutes of your life on a really crappy unreal level.

[AlCapowned]

I had fun testing it. Its humor reminded me of Weedrow's, and the ending took me by surprise (and made me laugh and then groan at the fate of the poor protagonist).

[Sat42]

Congratulations to ebd for this release, right on time for the new year! I'm looking forward to wasting a few minutes of my life trying this out, but I don't want to play this in bad conditions so I'll wait until I can use my better computer which should be moved soon (along with the rest) - but I will get back to you with some feedback for sure

[salsaSkaarj]

Please play it with the default gametype (FiretrucksGame) as changing the gametype will break pretty much everything.

OK, downloaded and installed (everything in the correct directories) but U227i doesn't let me select the firetrucks gametype.

So I just started starshoal thinking it will automatically load whatever is needed, but that was in ancorrect assumption it seems.

I see lots of unuseable switches, levers, balls, eyes and other things, sometilmes I get a message on the screen. I managed to trigger something which gave me 5 seconds to reach something before dying (needless to say since I didn't know where to go I died). Later on I managed to reach a room with a kind of levitator and I think I'm supposed to go up (to where a giant squid seems to hover) but I keep on getting stuck.

In short ... how do I set up the correct gametype? I'm really curious about this.

[ebd]

Please play it with the default gametype (FiretrucksGame) as changing the gametype will break pretty much everything.

OK, downloaded and installed (everything in the correct directories) but U227i doesn't let me select the firetrucks gametype.

So I just started starshoal thinking it will automatically load whatever is needed, but that was in ancorrect assumption it seems.

I see lots of unuseable switches, levers, balls, eyes and other things, sometilmes I get a message on the screen. I managed to trigger something which gave me 5 seconds to reach something before dying (needless to say since I didn't know where to go I died). Later on I managed to reach a room with a kind of levitator and I think I'm supposed to go up (to where a giant squid seems to hover) but I keep on getting stuck.

In short ... how do I set up the correct gametype? I'm really curious about this.

Sorry you had such a negative experience! There is an object which is bugged at the start that erroneously shows all actors. The level makes a lot more sense without it. If you try the level again, I recommend avoiding interaction with the thing labeled 'broken geller device.'

The easiest way to load the level with the correct gametype is to type 'open shoal' into the console after starting.

[salsaSkaarj]

Sorry you had such a negative experience! There is an object which is bugged at the start that erroneously shows all actors. The level makes a lot more sense without it. If you try the level again, I recommend avoiding interaction with the thing labeled 'broken geller device.'

The easiest way to load the level with the correct gametype is to type 'open shoal' into the console after starting.

No, no , no: it's not such a negative experience. I had already deduced that the "broke geller device" had to be avoided. The real problem is that starting by dropping shoal.unr on the Unreal icon, or using open shoal load the map with every room filled with lots of "things" with which I have no idea on how to interact with them.

And you state in your post that it should be started with the firetrucks gametype. Now unfortunately in the Unreal console (and advanced settings) I can't find where to select the firetruck gametype {and I've tried to start Unreal with commands but I don't think I've found the right command (nor can I see which gametype is actually loaded)}.

Basically all I'm asking is for the complete line to use when starting the map (e.g. something like "open starshoal.unr? difficulty = 3 ? gametype= firetrucksgame") (even just now I tried with FiretrucksGame - with the capital F and G - to no avail)

BTW I've searched Unrealsp.org for the answer before posting here (and I'm not saying the answer isn't here somewhere: it's just that if it I can't seem to find).

[ebd]

Sorry you had such a negative experience! There is an object which is bugged at the start that erroneously shows all actors. The level makes a lot more sense without it. If you try the level again, I recommend avoiding interaction with the thing labeled 'broken geller device.'

The easiest way to load the level with the correct gametype is to type 'open shoal' into the console after starting.

No, no , no: it's not such a negative experience. I had already deduced that the "broke geller device" had to be avoided. The real problem is that starting by dropping shoal.unr on the Unreal icon, or using open shoal load the map with every room filled with lots of "things" with which I have no idea on how to interact with them.

And you state in your post that it should be started with the firetrucks gametype. Now unfortunately in the Unreal console (and advanced settings) I can't find where to select the firetruck gametype {and I've tried to start Unreal with commands but I don't think I've found the right command (nor can I see which gametype is actually loaded)}.

Basically all I'm asking is for the complete line to use when starting the map (e.g. something like "open starshoal.unr? difficulty = 3 ? gametype= firetrucksgame") (even just now I tried with FiretrucksGame - with the capital F and G - to no avail)

BTW I've searched Unrealsp.org for the answer before posting here (and I'm not saying the answer isn't here somewhere: it's just that if it I can't seem to find).

If you are on the command line (and your Unreal is installed at C:\UnrealGold for example):

Code: Select all

C:\UnrealGold\System\unreal shoal

Alternatively you can start it within the game by pressing tab (or tilde) and typing:

Code: Select all

open shoal

Either of these methods will launch the map with its default gametype (FiretrucksGame).

Difficulty can be changed after starting the map by using the left computer in the starting room.

[Sat42]

Will the "broken geller device" get a fix anytime soon? I haven't yet played this, so I wouldn't know, but short of a fix, is it indispensable to keep this item in the level?

[ebd]

Will the "broken geller device" get a fix anytime soon? I haven't yet played this, so I wouldn't know, but short of a fix, is it indispensable to keep this item in the level?

It isn't necessary to complete the level and can be avoided without missing anything significant.

► Show Spoiler

The Broken Gellar device doesn't actually do anything at all. I intended for it to be a minigame but I never got time to fully implement it. Then I accidentally broke it even further. As it is the thing is just a timewaster.

[Sat42]

Will the "broken geller device" get a fix anytime soon? I haven't yet played this, so I wouldn't know, but short of a fix, is it indispensable to keep this item in the level?

It isn't necessary to complete the level and can be avoided without missing anything significant.

► Show Spoiler

The Broken Gellar device doesn't actually do anything at all. I intended for it to be a minigame but I never got time to fully implement it. Then I accidentally broke it even further. As it is the thing is just a timewaster.

Gotcha!

[salsaSkaarj]

Don't ask me what went wrong before, I just don't know.
I started it up exactly as I did previously and now everythng seems normal, no unavoidable thingies everywhere and everything went smoothly.
I didn't manage to reach the area with the levitator before I had to stop (in fact even with ghosting I couldn't find it) but I got much further until a point where I seemed to go in circles (have to sort that out next time) - perhaps it was because I couldn't find that oversized key which I think I did find before.

It's again an edb-production meaning it's different from the standard Unreal maps, and in a good way.
Yes some polishing up could be done, I got snagged a couple of times but it's promising and the extra stuff is refreshing : although you need to provide a timer - I damn well burnt my steak

[Sat42]

So... last week-end I travelled and was able to access my gaming PC and boot Unreal for what was meant to be a mapping session but then I realised I wasn't going to have enough time due to other planned activities and in light of this, I instead decided to finally play Star Shoal Chronicles: Episode Infinity (advertised as being a relatively short experience).

I'm not going to beat about the bush: I loved this!

- Specifics -
WARNING - SPOILERS

The good (lots of that!):
- firetrucks owns - one day I'll use this toolkit (yeah there's other stuff to get done first but that's OK, after all I have to get more proficient with the base editor first, but I have one great story to tell in Unreal one day and firetrucks.u will allow me to realise my vision)
- good introduction, the ship's atmosphere is lovely (that silly custom music turned out to be ideal!), the interface was intuitive enough (the starting room also provides clues as to what to do), and along with that the narrative is carried out effectively - by the way, you like having a Brute toy around don't you? (thinking of The Oll Stone Prologue: The Ibyn Complex)
- trashbag is awesome
- nice humour
- the second part of the adventure is guaranteed to make everyone happy - there's more humour, there's more storytelling, there's actual adventure with some exploration and action in the mix, and the build is occasionally brilliant! and to quote Turboman (who commented on OldUnreal): "this map has to have the most creative use of unreal assets ever"
- I lol'd at one point, but also, in another instance I got a fright - that means I really got into it and the, say, escapist entertainment-quality of the level really works!
- the design in general is excellent
- those alternate pawns are so cool (I know this comes from Qtit)
- awesome candles
- the statue for the brave volunteer is neat
- very good scripts, didn't see any wonky stuff...

The bad (nitpicking, to be honest):
- well, OK, I did wonder why the Giant Gasbag remained so still until I decided to attack it - didn't stop the encounter from being cool though, as I almost died during the fight - while shooting I was jumping around avoiding spawns and projectiles and unfortunately got a rare punch from the boss that sent me flying across the arena (literally!)
- the first part on the Star Shoal is frustrating to an extent: the alarm goes off after a fixed amount of time, and let me tell you that the first time round I barely managed to enjoy the observation deck in addition to the bridge before the alarm went off! I played through the whole level a second time just to be able to do the rest of the ship without the alarm ringing in my ears* (and in order to find and cook and eat that steak! I didn't screw up the cooking by the way)
- that waterfall, in the old temple: really nice visually, but... what about the sound it makes? it's really too weak given the setup

The ugly:
- shame about the "broken geller device"!
- spell checks man...

So there you go! Great stuff all around, I wish there'd be a whole campaign like this! The level may be quite short, but I still spent about an hour playing through this the first time round (in order to savour it), and another half hour during my second playthrough.
ebd had a clear vision for this episode and more to the point, he's a gifted developer for this old game. Star Shoal Chronicles: Episode Infinity is really fun and refreshing - hopefully (and there's reason to be hopeful) there will be another episode

* Nah I just played the level again because I loved it!


EDIT:
- I liked the ending too, it definitely comes as a (nasty) surprise!
- the last cinematic shows the Star Shoal in all its glory - regardless of its reputation, it looks fantastic!