2018-12-01 07:42:46

Since it's the holiday season, I'm happy to announce that the Great Toy Robbery is getting a top to bottom overhaul.
Here's just a sampling of what's new.
The game has been completely rewritten in Python to take advantage of a host of features that other platforms lack including more robust audio, integration with more screen readers, and a lot of fun geeky stuff that no one but me cares about.
The game concept has been overhauled. Now instead of collecting a set amount of toys you have two minutes to pick up as many toys as possible.
Instead of simply escaping from santa, you must find musical keys scattered around. Each key unlocks one of seven random doors.
And finally. The big exciting piece of news. The Great Toy Robbery when tested runs on Mac OSX. this means hopefully the first of many cross-platform titles.
There are still some major issues with OSX compatibility that have to be ironed out, but this is extremely exciting.
There is no confirmed release date yet, but I hope to have the game in everyone's hands by christmas.

As an early present, enjoy some audio of game play, including some stuff I didn't mention here.
http://files.l-works.net/demos/tgtr_demo.mp3

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2018-12-01 08:06:37

Ha, this is cute. It sounds a bit less laggy than it used to, and congrats for switching to python.
Santa used to give me a tough time, because depending on where you were on the board when he showed up, he could corner you or step on you in very short order. and that splat actually used to startle me.
Good news though. I've always found this game fun, and it sounds as if it's going to be more so, too. Achievements are great. I especially like it when achievements unlock stuff, but for a game like this, just having them is cool.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

2018-12-01 08:13:23

I will tell you the splat is even more startling but you do get a cool sort of tape slowdown effect so you have a slight warning. It has a nice amount of bass that the old splat lacked.
I don't notice an appreciable difference in any lag, but I haven't exactly tested too hard for that.
It's true the achievements don't unlock anything, but it's a free title, so they're more of just something to do if one is bored or likes to collect things. There's also another Santa mode that is unlocked if one collects all seven keys, and that one is a doozy.

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2018-12-01 09:23:23

Awesome, when this comes out, I'm going to be the first who will make a playthrough.

I'm just a random blind guy who trys to learn to code.

2018-12-01 10:15:43

Haha, I remember the moment when santa spawned at exactly the same place as me and I was squashed by a giant foot from nowhere.

I don't speak as good as I write, and I don't listen as good as I speak.

2018-12-01 10:31:17

Hi.
Wow, realy nice update. I look very much forward to play this on my Mac.
The achievements sounds awesome. Can you see how to get those achievements before you get them by luck?
Keep up the awesome job.

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
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2018-12-01 11:44:33

hello, does it have a scoreboard? it'd be fun if you could   post your score like you do in games like oh shit

2018-12-01 11:47:24

Yes. It will have score boards.

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2018-12-01 14:19:47

Hi Liam.

this sounds awesome! I don't recall any lag in the original, but then again I've not played it for literally years, and I'm always up for more achievements.
I particularly like those randomly evil musical sounds with the keys big_smile.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2018-12-01 14:50:11

I think you should make the playing time a little longer than two minutes. I made a play through of this a couple of years ago and remember having loads of fun for several minutes trying to avoid the   Elfes.  Also, I’m glad you kept the old Santa sound. No sound could replace it.

I would rather listen to someone who can actually play the harmonica than someone who somehow managed to lose seven of them. Me, 2019.

2018-12-01 22:37:57

what a cool treat! I always liked this game. it has the Superegg Hunt flavor without all the bells and whistles.

2018-12-01 22:38:38

I am wondering, however, if we might be able to keep the old version just for fun, as well as get the new one. Maybe just not support the old one so we can still keep it if we want it? Just a thought.

2018-12-02 01:00:46

I might be wrong but  isn’t it  still available? Either way, I think it should stay, for old times sake.

I would rather listen to someone who can actually play the harmonica than someone who somehow managed to lose seven of them. Me, 2019.

2018-12-02 01:26:05

Agreed. Tgtr was one of the first games i ever played, along side super egg hunt, super liam, judgement day and q9. So i deffinutly think the old ver should stay.

2018-12-02 02:20:39

As far as I know there's nothing keeping anyone from keeping and continuing to play the old version after the new version comes out, with the possible exception of scoreboard posting, assuming Liam kills the old scoreboard server. If so, what happens when score posting is attempted depends entirely on how graceful the old version is about handling unexpected failures. If he still has the source code, if he wanted he could obviously release a new version of the old version (confused yet?) which is the same as the old version in every way except that scoreboard posting functionality has been ripped out.

All of this applies to the BGT version, I have no experience with the really old version.

2018-12-02 02:25:30

agreed with 11, 12, and well yeah the hole topic.
this is gonna be fuckin grate and i can't wait to play it, sadly only on a windows machine so, noooo!

2018-12-02 03:24:00

Really looking forward to this, I listened to some of the older demos posted on Twitter and it sounds like a lot of fun!
I just had a thought, an endless mode where Santa is after you from the start would be fun. One idea is that he could be chasing you while you're collecting toys, and elves could show up too, with the game becoming more and more difficult somehow until someone gets you. I dunno, just random ideas. I just thought it would be fun to have a mode featuring Santa, and at the same time scratch the itch for people like me who like games with no way to really win.

Make more of less, that way you won't make less of more!
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2018-12-02 04:51:36

I've gotten emails from people for other modes, and I'm trying to keep it simple, but I may introduce some sort of unlockable thing. I dunno yet. I am on a sort of Christmas deadline so a lot depends on how smoothly the Mac OSX stuff goes. So far it's been far from smooth sailing.

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2018-12-02 05:27:44

That Santa mode is the creepiest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Congrats. I won't be sleeping tonight.

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2018-12-02 07:02:44

Yes. I'd say Santa mode got a bit creepy and a bit more intense. It's what I had always wanted to make, but couldn't quite do it. It's so awesome to be able to revisit Evil Santa and really make him more like what I had invisioned

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2018-12-02 09:01:16

Hay Liam, are those sounds for the keys something you made yourself, or did you pull them from really old Christmas records?
If you did all that yourself, congrats, you did a good job!
Can't wait to play this new game!
Later!

2018-12-02 14:03:10

they are actually royalty free music tracks that I mangled with a vinyl plugin to give them an old dusty creepy vibe.

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2018-12-02 14:46:24

Hi.
Oh oh, so that little snippet on anyaudio wasn't a setup after all, cool to see that old classic in new colors so to speak, will look out for that one.

Greetings Moritz.

Hail the unholy church of Satan, go share it's greatness.

2018-12-04 09:31:49

Yes. It should be a ton of fun. I originally planned on just porting the game over, but then realized it would be fantastic to give it a complete overhaul.

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2018-12-04 18:03:02

Hi Liam.
Regarding the achievements:
Can you check how to get those before you actually get them just by pure luck while playing the game? It would be awesome if you could check in the achievements menu how to get the missing achievements, so you can set your own goals, and know what to hunt for.

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
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