Topic by Dark 2007-10-11 02:47:16

  • Dark
  • He who writes
  • Offline
  • From: The Ivory Tower
  • Registered: 2005-12-16
  • Posts: 29,041
  • User Karma: 3,466

to all Auror's, we believe that you know who is, ------ ooopse! wrong Aura!

The aura I'm talking about here is the audio exploration maze game in developement by Tersiops Truncatus software. Playing as a small creature, you must explore a number of underground mazes using only sound alone, while avoiding such hazards as ice, force fields, mines, pits and unpleasantly hungry monsters.

After quite a long delay, the game is now approaching the final stages of developement and a possible 2008 release, so get your favourite exploration boots ready and practice getting lost!

You can download a trailer, as well as a rather old beta release of the first few tutorial maze levels by visiting the Tursiops truncatus website It's worth remembering though, that the full game will feature a lot more audio, be a lot more stable and include a hole lot more levels!

though it's been a long time in coming, I think this one will be well worth the wait, particularly for exploration fans!

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.)

Dark's Website

Quote Post 1

Thumbs up

Reply by FuriousD 2007-10-11 03:47:09

  • From: tucson
  • Registered: 2007-10-09
  • Posts: 166

Wate a minute minute, did you say AURA???  I can't believe it!!!  Wow, when you said the game might be coming out next year, did they say about when?

i used to take things in life for granted...
now i have a beautiful daughter, and she means the world to me.
(at 19, i can say this is harder than it sounds)

Quote Post 2

Thumbs up

Reply by aaron 2007-10-11 18:29:33

  • aaron
  • Administrator
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2005-03-07
  • Posts: 9,200
  • User Karma: 576

i can't find the new aura trailor, i can only find the july 2001 trailor which is old.

Quote Post 3

Thumbs up

Reply by Dark 2007-10-11 23:42:03

  • Dark
  • He who writes
  • Offline
  • From: The Ivory Tower
  • Registered: 2005-12-16
  • Posts: 29,041
  • User Karma: 3,466

As yet there isn't a new aura trailer aaron, just the old one. I got the news from the developer herself directly, and I thought people would be interested to know that aura is stil in developement and will be released comparatively soon.

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.)

Dark's Website

Quote Post 4

Thumbs up

Reply by FuriousD 2007-10-12 02:32:00

  • From: tucson
  • Registered: 2007-10-09
  • Posts: 166

Hey dark, I have a question.  Will thee game bee free?

i used to take things in life for granted...
now i have a beautiful daughter, and she means the world to me.
(at 19, i can say this is harder than it sounds)

Quote Post 5

Thumbs up

Reply by Dark 2007-10-12 05:19:31

  • Dark
  • He who writes
  • Offline
  • From: The Ivory Tower
  • Registered: 2005-12-16
  • Posts: 29,041
  • User Karma: 3,466

If you check the website Dan, you'll notice that Aura is going to be shareware. I've not heard any different. But I think the amount of levels in the game will make this one worth it.

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.)

Dark's Website

Quote Post 6

Thumbs up

Reply by audiogamer360 2007-10-12 13:39:55

  • From: USA
  • Registered: 2007-02-18
  • Posts: 387

yeah! This is awesome! Shareware though... Do we have an idea the price yet lol. This seems like a great greag great! coming soon release

Regards,
Tristan
Trek Games, inc.

audiogamer360's Website

Quote Post 7

Thumbs up

Reply by Dark 2007-10-12 19:50:38

  • Dark
  • He who writes
  • Offline
  • From: The Ivory Tower
  • Registered: 2005-12-16
  • Posts: 29,041
  • User Karma: 3,466

Nothing yet, but I don't think it'll rupture your bank, ----- or I very much hope not!

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.)

Dark's Website

Quote Post 8

Thumbs up

Reply by andy smith 2007-10-12 22:36:29

  • Registered: 2007-03-10
  • Posts: 1,557
  • User Karma: 1

Wow, this is, like, the best! Since December 12, 2006, until now, we have so many new titles you can fill up your hard drive!

I am happy to hear this news, too, as the more stuff we have to play the better off we'll all be!

Quote Post 9

Thumbs up

Reply by Tursiops 2007-10-30 18:31:15

  • From: Madison, WI
  • Registered: 2007-10-30
  • Posts: 2

Hey everyone!

Catherine Kimport here, head honcho from Tursiops Truncatus Studios... it took me a while to get over this way but I'll hopefully answer some of your questions for you.

Release Date:  I'm wary to give any specifics, since I've had to delay the target dates several times already (as you all are quite aware of) -- but what is currently on the project whiteboard has *development* wrapping up late January.  Being somewhat new to this I do not know how much time it will take between wrapping up development and having a published product.

Distribution and Price:  I'm looking at a couple different self-publishing services at the moment but have not committed to any specific one.  Current plans are for a 'basic' edition and a 'gold' edition -- the basic edition will be download-only and will run for no more than US $10.  The gold edition will be an actual physical CD, with a few little extras thrown in.  There will also be a final free demo containing the tutorial levels in the current demo and a small selection of additional levels.

Gameplay: There are 100 levels in the game in addition to the tutorial, many of which have multiple exits and/or special hidden treasures for you to find.

I'll try to get the website updated soon with some of this information too... it is comically out of date... sad

Tursiops's Website

Quote Post 10

Thumbs up

Reply by aaron 2007-10-30 19:08:13

  • aaron
  • Administrator
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2005-03-07
  • Posts: 9,200
  • User Karma: 576

Hi,
Thanks for the information about the price and such. I am thinking about buying this game. I enjoyed the tutorial levels. I'm stuck though, yet again, on zamphar's course. I can do most rooms but i'd like a walkthrough of sorts on the course. i finished it by accident and want to know how i did it but it's just really hard. i can do the north room ok. i believe it's either the east or south room. basicly what keeps happening is i go in a direction for about 2 steps and hear a sort of alarm sound and end up somewhere else, it's a little like a force field. i don't really know what to do.

Quote Post 11

Thumbs up

Reply by Dark 2007-10-31 01:44:04

  • Dark
  • He who writes
  • Offline
  • From: The Ivory Tower
  • Registered: 2005-12-16
  • Posts: 29,041
  • User Karma: 3,466

Hi Katharine, welcome to the forum.

I certainly like the sound of the full game, especially the secret exits, extra treasures etc (as I said, I'm a fairly major fan of exploration style games).

My only miner concern is with the idea of having to buy and recieve a Cd for extra game content. I'd certainly be willing to pay more than $10 for the game, and it's probably going to be a game I will want the complete experience of, but international shipping, ---- sinse I'm in England, does slightly worry me, ---- I'm much more a download fan, particularly for backing up purposes (I'm very! fond of my external harddrive).

those Alarms in zanthar's course Aaron are connected telelporters I believe, which function in a similar way to the shoots, accept they are two way, and you don't have any idea (as you do with the piano runs with the shoots), precisely how far you've traveled.

I will admit on the three occasions I've played zanthar's course they utterly confused me and I ended up finding the exit by accident as well, but on the bright side, i did! find the exit ;d.

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.)

Dark's Website

Quote Post 12

Thumbs up

Reply by Tursiops 2007-11-01 00:11:08

  • From: Madison, WI
  • Registered: 2007-10-30
  • Posts: 2

That's some good feedback about the cost and the two editions.  My original idea with the "gold edition" was that, since I may have to charge between US $5 and $7 extra for a CD in order to make up the production costs compared to download, I felt like I should throw in a little bit extra for the extra price.

Does anyone here have more feedback on this?  Would people be OK with being charged an extra $6 for the priviledge of owning a physical CD without any features beyond what was in the file download version, or would you expect to get something extra on the CD if you paid extra for it?

(And yes, about the tricky Xanthar level, that that level is is actually two nearly identical rings that you get teleported between... once you know that much, it becomes a little easier to methodically search for the exit.)

Tursiops's Website

Quote Post 13

Thumbs up