Gemini Rue

[kashwashwa]

I'd never heard of this game till I saw a preview for it in the latest issue of PCGamer.

At the following link the developer gives a breakdown of information on it along with a trailer.

http://www.bigbluecup.com/yabb/index.php?topic=35594.0

I thought it looks bloody awesome and has some pretty interesting gameplay.

The PCGamer preview implies that there aren't a lot of weird puzzles (IE. item combining). It also says you alternate between controlling two characters through the game.

Me wanty...

[toblix]

Yeah, I'm probably getting this, since it reminds me of Beneath a Steel Sky.

[Xeneth]

I remember reading about some of the puzzle design/environmental hinting of that ages ago when it was called Boryokudan Rue, glad to see it's almost upon us.

[Murdoc]

You had me at hyperspace.

sold.

[circadianwolf]

Oh wow, I remember seeing this on the AGS forums but I didn't realize it had gotten all IGF and PC Gamer famous-y. Sweet.

[Nappi]

Health bars!?

Looks and sounds very interesting! Makes me want to have the energy to start playing Beneath a Steel Sky.

[toblix]

Hey, you don't need energy, you just need to like playing a fun game and having a good time.

[Nappi]

Yeah, that is probably true. I have actually started playing the game twice, once on PC and once on iPhone. The beginning (first four rooms or so) wasn't particularly interesting and both times I had lots of other things to do, so I just sort of didn't continue playing it. I will probably find it enjoyable once I force myself to play the game for an hour or so first.

[TheJBurger]

Hey Guys!

Josh Nuernberger here--creator of Gemini Rue, aka Boryokudan Rue. Thanks for the interest in the game; it's appreciated.

@kashwashwa: which issue of PC Gamer was this in, if I may ask?

[Murdoc]

neat.

When abouts can we pay for this game? I'd like to play it sometime.

So do you guys still create graphics like this in the old school style of pixel per pixel? Really unfamiliar with the art development on something like this.

Visually it's really slick, I'm just surprised to hear(second hand without much study) that there wasn't any better\faster ways to create art like this. Maybe in the future with some sort of rendering process or filters on 3d\PS clean up and output those to the sprites(I'm assuming you just hand paint the sprites, I have no idea, I only know about game art in 3d so my knowledge of anything else is pretty limited) or maybe a process and some filters to do it on the fly reasonably well... usually that stuff looks like crap.

Anyway would be curious as I really dig the final look.

[TheJBurger]

  Murdoc said:

neat.

When abouts can we pay for this game? I'd like to play it sometime.

Right now I'm hoping for a Q4 2010 release date. So, hopefully before the end of this year.

  Quote

So do you guys still create graphics like this in the old school style of pixel per pixel? Really unfamiliar with the art development on something like this.

The method I used was basically digital painting, except done in a low resolution as to make it more "pixel-arty." For the sprites, it did come down to a pixel-by-pixel level many times, though.

[kashwashwa]

PC Gamer Issue 204 - Sept 2010 (Giant picture of some goofy WoW thing on the front)

[Murdoc]

Ah ok, so your just scaling up your images to give it that look? What's the maximum resolution this gets outputted to then? Im just surprised it doesn't suffer from what any old game would at that point, and just been unreadable.

Or am I missunderstanding something?

Are you clamping the colors in photoshop, being deliberate with a palette or clamping them down with image compression to get those deliberate gradient off the "light"?

[TheJBurger]

I work natively in 320x200, except using digital painting techniques. So, nothing is scaled down; it's all drawn to size as it is used in-game.

The colors are all done in photoshop; nothing is achieved by compression--it's all fairly deliberate.

[Murdoc]

Ah, interesting, thanks JBurger; so from what I understand the game outputs to 320x200?

For some reason I assumed it'd output to a higher resolution and just simulate the oldschool pixel look, hehe.

Looking forward to it anyhoo

[toblix]

Wadjet Eye is publishing this, and it's available for pre-order.

[Jake]

  Murdoc said:

Ah, interesting, thanks JBurger; so from what I understand the game outputs to 320x200?

For some reason I assumed it'd output to a higher resolution and just simulate the oldschool pixel look, hehe.

Looking forward to it anyhoo

AGS can scale it up if your monitor can't natively display that resolution.

[Tanukitsune]

I just pre-ordered mine!

[juv3nal]

  toblix said:

Wadjet Eye is publishing this, and it's available for pre-order.

Hmm. The last thing I need is another piece of plastic, and there's zero pre-order bonus for the digital version, not even a day or two of early access? I guess I'm spoiled or something and barring horrendous reviews I'm sure they'll get my money eventually, but I just don't see the point of paying right now for the non-disc version, but they apparently don't need my help on pre-orders.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Cool graphics, a sci-fi theme, a point and click adventure, with an added dash of noir... and this game is popular before it's even published?! Somebody get Charles Cecil on the phone -- Beneath A Steel Sky 2 is a go!

[pabosher]

  ThunderPeel2001 said:

Cool graphics, a sci-fi theme, a point and click adventure, with an added dash of noir... and this game is popular before it's even published?! Somebody get Charles Cecil on the phone -- Beneath A Steel Sky 2 is a go!

I've got his email address. I'll let him know.

[Noyb]

  juv3nal said:

They apparently don't need my help on pre-orders.

  Wadjet Eye Games Twitter said:

Woah, that was fast. GEMINI RUE HAS BROKEN ALL PREVIOUS DAY 1 SALES RECORDS. And it's only been up for two hours.

They sold over 5.6 million copies?

[Kolzig]

Saw a trailer of this game a few days ago and somehow I had managed to not read this thread before.

This game looks and sounds really interesting, I'm now thinking should I pre-order this to add to my gigantic backlog of games or should I just wait and play in 10 years or so when I propably will have time for it.

The Beneath A Steel Sky feel is there for sure.

[Denial]

Dave Gilbert is building an interesting little point-and-click publishing stable, isn't he? Which is not a bad thing at all.

[brkl]

You know, I kinda don't see the BASS feel either. That one had a fantastic mix of humour and darkness, this one seems to be more serious. Which is not a bad thing, it seems relatively original.