This LP are sic - Let's Play Dorcan's AGS Mishaps

[Crane]

NOW PLAYING A DAY IN THE FUTURE HERE

It's time for another Let's Play of a game made with the Adventure Game Studio software. This time, we're going to be playing a game that I trashed in the opening post of my last LP:

Mourir en Mer - an early (2002) AGS game created for the then monthly (now discontinued) Adventure Game Studio competition called MAGS. The rules for that month were:

The main character must have some sort of horrible disfigurement....
There has to be a fast food restaurant, either with its own devoted screen or as part of another screen
5 walkable rooms, as many close up, non-walkable rooms as needed...
It needs at least one animation that besides the walk and talk animation....
And lastly, the game must include a whale....

thats it...

The rules were made by someone called Squinky, who won the previous month's competition, and who apparently was using a keyboard with a broken period key. This game was the only entry for that month.
An AGSer called Dorcan created the game. He had this to say about it:

A poor ugly boy sick to death has a dream: He wants to contemplate the sea ones before his last breath...but his cruel father has kept him in the attic since his wife's death, wich turned him crazy.

This and a game called A Day in the Future were his only entries into the AGS library, both in 2002. Mourir en Mer was more highly received than A Day in the Future. For example, AGS user AshkEnte said this about the game:

The only AGS game I've cried while playing. [...] so powerful.

I cried while playing it too, but you'll have to read the LP if you want to know the reasons why.

Mourir en Mer
a Drama in Three Acts
Act I
Act II
Act III​

 

[Crane]

Act I

This game was incredibly difficult to not only get running, but also capture footage from. Was it worth it? Let's find out. (A side note: it has a native resolution of 300x240.)

he profoundly saw a white living spot no bigger than a white-'

'...a white weasel, with wonderful celerity uprising, and magnifying as it rose, till it turned, and then there were plainly revealed-'

'...two long crooked rows of white, glistening teeth, floating up from the undiscoverable botto-'

What...?

I'm...bleeding......again...

I'm pretty sure that's not how Moby Dick goes.

Digital mind studio is only one person, which shouldn't surprise anybody.

With a budget of $0, you can see some corners had to be cut. Digital Mind Studio just didn't have the resources to add in that last 's' in 'presents'.

In English, this means 'Death at Sea'. The French isn't just to be arty or anything; the game was originally written in French and translated into what the author calls "bad english" in the readme.

For the last couple of days, I haven't been able to help myself from coughing and because of that, even my blood escapes from my body. It hurts as though I spit out my own bowels. I think I will die soon......and maybe I will rejoin my mother. Oh God, why is there so much pain. Why did you give me this body......this face... Since my mother's death, I have been living in this attic, imprisoned by my own Father, cruel man. Ah, I would like so much to see the sea, just once in my life, before I'll no longer be able to...

It has promise.

It looks like our main character possibly is supposed to have marfans syndrome, but his torso is too big and his legs are too small for that to be the case. The whole gimmick to the game is that we're playing a character who's physically deformed. His past, animations, sprite, and even the UI are disgusting. We'll discuss this more below.

Did I mention that there's absolutely no sound at all in this game? Let's check for possible exits, which there are two of.

How is a door locked from the outside? In any case, we can't get out that way.

Hey, what's this?

It's my box of secrets... but it's empty.

Uh... that sure has a lot of meaning. Let's check out the window.

Those iron bars prevent me from going out.

Uh-oh.

He's coming! Father is coming!

We've got a small amount of time before he gets here, so let's check out one more thing in the attic.

I can't see myself anymore in this mirror. Hopefully, otherwise, I would risk causing a row.

A row? What?

I'm calling your bluff, Lenin!

"Noon" is just an extension of the French "non", meaning "no". The author didn't bother to translate.

As much as I'd like to quit (and how self-serving is that, calling your own game beautiful), this isn't the real ending.

Let's do this for real, this time. First things first: what's in this room that we haven't looked at? There's a mouse hole next to the door that stands out.

There is a rat inside. He already bit me once, and I was sick because of that. I nearly died! Ah! I wish I could squish him for that!

So is he a hemophiliac or what? We know he's sick with something or somethings, but we're not told exactly what. So I'm guessing the creator just combined a bunch of symptoms into the odd amalgam that is the main character.

Right click to cycle through the standard adventure game options.

No! I think it's not a good idea putting my hand inside. If the rat bit me again, I know I will die the instant after.

Why would there be a mannequin torso here?

Mom used to us this dressmaker's dummy in order to make clothes.

Ah yes, Mom. Here's my biggest problem with the game: we're expected to feel sympathy for the main character, yet we're given very little to actually care about. What I mean is that because there's barely any exposition into how this situation came about, with only extremely subtle hints pointing to happier times with 'Mom', and the main character has no personality outside of his condition, there's nothing for the player to care about. We may despise the situation he's in, but we don't care about him as a person. You'll see. Let's check out the box below the mannequin torso.

Mom used to put sewing stuff inside.

We've got to move the mannequin to get at what's inside the box.

There are only two places to put it: back on top of the box, or on the mattress.

Now let's check the box.

These are dressmaking things. I found a pair of scissors.

It's in our inventory.

It doesn't help that the icons are fucking disgusting.

Anyway, we can either look or use our inventory objects. We'll look at the scissors.

It's a pair of scissors. It seems to me that it doesn't cut very well...

We'll find out what this means in a bit. Now we'll check the book.

It's my favorite book : Moby Dick. I would like to much to see the sea....

That's the whole point of the game: get out of the house and get to the sea.

Our next objective is to pixel hunt for this incredibly small spot on the mirror.

There is a piece of mirror that isn't well fixed.

This puzzle is so stupid.

We've got to use the dull scissors on that one pixel on the mirror.

Now it's in our inventory, but what we do with it isn't intuitive at all, and we don't even have the other item it's used with yet. Let's check out some more things.

Like the mattress.

It has been a while without any more bedsheet but I sleep well in it anyway.

And the blanket on the mattress.

It's my blanket. I have had it for years.

We'll take that, thank you very much. Rule 1 of adventure games: take everything that isn't nailed down.

Those garlands make some sort of warm ambiance in this cold store-house.

Excellent poetry. There's also a wardrobe next to the wall.

It's an old wardrobe. There are some of mom's clothes inside.

We need what's in there.

Oh yeah, there is a bedsheet. I wanted to place it on my mattress... I'll take it.

We need to cut this up. Of course, that in itself is not obvious in the slightest, but in addition, we cannot use the scissors because they're too dull.

The solution is that we've got to use the glass shard to cut the bedsheet.

Now we have to combine all three of the pieces.

And now, I have a....rope...

I guess you could call it that.

I have built a rope with three pieces of a bedsheet. It's a well-known way to escape by a window.

That was one of the least intuitive ways to make a rope I've ever seen.

There's a lamp on top of the dresser.

Ah. This was my bedside lamp, back when I owned a bedroom. Now it's broken.

There is also something called a Bric-a-brac, but that just means miscellaneous curios. It doesn't serve any purpose in the game. Let's check out that cardboard box in the foreground.

There are some books inside. Besides, that's where I found 'Moby Dick'!

At yes, Moby Dick. In the same way Ishmael was obsessed with hunting the great white whale -- which really was just a metaphor for obsession itself -- our protagonist is obsessed with dying at sea.

Well it is pretty terrifying.

This was my wooden-horse. Ah, I can't stand looking at it! It scares me with that smile and those frightful eyes! The only time I rode it, I fell down, and broke my arm...

At last! He's gone!

Dad will keep entering and leaving. Why doesn't he just bring the toolbox with him?

It's Father's toolbox. He has put it there, so that he gets some exercise when he climbs up to the attic And he can keep his eye on me every time he comes to search through his toolbox.

Let's take it!

I said take it!

Anyway! I will risk it, but I must put it back before he comes back.

If we don't he'll beat the main character up again and we lose the game.

We have to look at the box three times to see everything that's in it.

Ah, some nails. They are small, and may be useful,

Any of these typos and grammatical errors are the game's fault, not mine -- such as ending a sentence with a comma.

A Hammer. That will help me to drive those nails down somewhere.

I found a little Saw in the depths of this toolbox. I don't think that Father would notice its disappearance...

We have to use the saw on the iron bars.

It looks like he's floating. What we do next had me stumped for a while.

We have to 'use' the iron bars.

Hey! I have succeeded to push the iron bars! Certainly, because I already have sawed a piece off.

With the bars gone, we now use the 'rope' on the window.

And we do that by using the nails on the rope.

That it!!! It's fixed!

We no longer have need of the toolbox, but we have to put the hammer and nails back into it or else Lenin will notice, beat the main character up, and we lose the game. We're not allowed to put the broken saw back.

Finally, let's get out of here!

No, Father will notice that I will be gone. I have to make him think that I'm still in the store-house, and his toolbox must be at his place.

I'm sure this is 'let's have more stupid adventure game puzzles for the sake of puzzles' than the creator trying to get into the psychology of the main character.

Uh-oh. This could be bad.

Or not. I guess he doesn't care that his son is obviously trying to escape. We'll wait for him to leave.

Remember that blanket we picked up?

We have to use it on the Dressmaker's dummy.

If I hand around, he will understand what I'm trying to do. It's better to leave now.

Yep, if he comes back up, and we're still here, we'll lose the game.

So let's get out of here.

*Not pictured: fade-out fade-in transition*

ARRGH GOD THAT PERSPECTIVE

There's really not much to do outside the house. We can look at the sign.

It's written : 'Welcome to the family house Durateau.' Oh, that's right, Durateau is my family name. I had forgotten it.

I'm not sure if Durateau even means anything.

There is a strong smell, but after all those years smelling the same air ... I find those dust-bin's smell nearly pleasing.

Sure you do. There's something in the dustbin that we need.

We need this for a later puzzle. It's a really, really stupid puzzle.

I used to see Father getting the mail every morning.

There's nothing in there for us.

We can also look at the neighbor's house.

It's the neighbouring house. I wonder if they know what is happening in our house.

That's enough for now. You can see that the translation is terrible. Aside from the awful puzzles, it would have been a lot better so far with a stronger translation into English.

Will it get any better? Check back tomorrow, when we explore the other two places in this town.

 

[tindrli]

 

[Crane]

That might be the most reasonable response to the game.

 

[Crooked Bee]

This was my wooden-horse. Ah, I can't stand looking at it! It scares me with that smile and those frightful eyes! The only time I rode it, I fell down, and broke my arm...

Okay.

 

[Crane]

This was my wooden-horse. Ah, I can't stand looking at it! It scares me with that smile and those frightful eyes! The only time I rode it, I fell down, and broke my arm...

Okay.

Dorcan wrote a bunch of useless dialogue for the game, dialogue that doesn't add any characterization or anything. Dialogue that's just puzzling. I wonder why he decided to include that detail -- maybe it makes more sense in French.

 

[Crane]

Act II

Welcome back to this beautiful game. We last escaped the attic, and now are going to try to find our way to the sea.

We have to walk out to the Road for the elusive map screen.

It looks just as bad as you imagined. There are only three areas to go to, including the house we're already at.

Our main character has something to say about all three places.

Wonderful.

How about the fast food restaurant?

It's a fast food restaurant. I think it's one of the only places I remember of this town.

Fantastic.

And lastly, the train station.

If I want to go to the sea, I must take a train.

Hint hint, this location is important. Though you could probably judge that just on virtue of it being one of the few locations in-game. Let's go there. For some reason, there isn't an animation when walking to the train station from the house.

He looks like an important person.

Well, he's one of three NPCs, so yeah, he's important.

Dialogue trees for the sake of dialogue trees. There is nothing special about these different options.

What are you waiting for, here ?

I'm a controller.

Oh, good....

Where is the sea?

It's three hours from here, to the north-west.

How can I get there?

To the sea ?? Well, you must take the train on platform 1 at 9:30 pm.

So late? Nothing before ?

Trains for passengers, no. The price is 45 dollars.

Is that so ?? We have to pay ??

Even as a child, or however long ago it was before his mother died, he wasn't exposed to the concept of buying and selling?

On the other hand, disgusting protagonist is right. Money is the pimp between need and object, between life and man's means of life.... or death in this case.

Of course! Where are you from!!

Well, I haven't gone out of my home for a long time...

Humpf!

This train, behind you, is it going to the sea?

That is a freight train.

Does it go to the sea ?

It goes by it, yes.

But can I take this train?

Of course not! I already told you : It's a freight train.

It goes by the sea... Interesting! I must go inside this coach!

He's right there, you know.

Don't even think about it!

err...

Is there no arrangement possible ?

I think not, mister.

But if I'll work on this train, maybe you will let me take it.

We need qualified persons, sir. And I don't think you are.

Well.. Goodbye.

Good day.

That's strange, the door isn't closed. They must not have finished loading it.

Let's see if we can get in there.

This coach is not for passengers. Please go away.

Euh...Good.

It seems dangerous to me, passing by this way.

Well, he'll do it anyway.

There's a door, here.

I don't know what's behind this door.

And when we try to use it...

I don't want to go there.

That's all. Thanks for adding that in. There's a mouse trap on the ground.

It looks like a mouse trap. Yes, it is, there is a mouse hole just behind.

We need it. There's also a phone that we need to look at to solve another puzzle.

There is a number: 5550065

Just looking at the booth will not do. Thankfully, we're not required to remember that number, but we will need it. With that, we'll head back home.

We have to combine the cheese with the mouse trap, and we are required to do it in that order. Nothing happens if we try to combine the mouse trap with the cheese.

00k, my mouse trap is ready !

I swear it looks like 00k, not Ook.

Back in the attic, we need to combine the mouse trap with the mouse hole, and we've got to do this quick because Lenin is still walking in and out of the attic. Yes, this is the only mouse hole that works.

We'll leave the attic before anything else, and inspect our inventory back outside the house.

Because of this rat, I was sick some months ago... Now he's dead.

...No sudden change of heart? Okay. Now we'll head to the fast food place.

Let's look around the place, starting with this sign.

I would like to eat something suitable. But nothing is free, and I don't have money.

He says this even if you don't visit the train station first, so chalk it up to incompetent writing.

Bread and water, they become nauseating with time.



Next, the sign above the worker.

Everything is appetizing ! Too bad I don't have money.

We already established that.

There must be a lot of money inside!

Can we take it? That would solve our problem.

I don't think I could steal it. No.

She's cute...

Say... Let's see what the 'use' option does.

No, I prefer not to touch her. There would be a fuss.

Well, let's talk to her.

What do you sell ?

We sell hamburgers, fries, drinkes... Look at this board if you want more details.

What's your name?

You'd think she would have a nametag on.

I don't know you, so don't dream about it!

Customer service sure is different in France.

Blah.

Well.. Goodbye.

That it. Goodbye.

That box to her right is called 'Towel'. Probably supposed to be a napkin dispenser.

They offer free serviettes.

Can we take one?

I don't need one.

We need this.

It's like a miniature phone.

Is he a time-traveler, now? Anyway, let's take the phone.

Don't touch it!!! This mobile phone is mine !

We need to find some way to get the phone.

Possibly through negotiation?

May a borrow your phone ?

Hey! Do you know how much it costs ? I already have a big enough phone bill !

Please! It's very important to me !

So, go find a public phone!

I don't have any money...

Too bad.

Can't I really-

NO!

Negotiation won't work. There's one more thing we haven't looked at.

People throw away their waste inside.

We need to 'use' the dustbin.

It's amazing what people throw away these days !

I'm sure you can guess what's coming next. We've got to combine the rat with the burger, and it only works in that order.

Hehe, that will cause a ruckus...

Haha! A ratburger!

Let's see where this goes.

Look at what I have found in my hamburger !

But... How disgusting! How is that possible !?

I bought this hamburger here, and I almost ate it ! It's scandalous !

I don't remember having sold a hamburger to you !

Oh certainly you have! You should not remember!

Jesus! With a face like yours, I would have remembered!

...that was hard...

Sorry.

Call your manager! I want to tell this story to him.

Ow... like you want. Please wait for a moment!

Now we'll use the phone.

It seems like we need to do something else, but no, the solution is do the the exact same thing again. So, we'll tell her to get her boss and grab the phone..

All of these responses, with the exception of one, result in the call ending without the outcome we need, and then we have to repeat the process until we select the correct choice. Let's skip all that useless dialogue -- and trust me, it's not good -- and just choose the right option.

CONGRATULATIONS!! YOU HAVE WON 1,000,000 dollars !!

H..How ?

Yes! By answering, you just have participated in our grand contest!

Oh! I...But it's...

Stay on the line, we will call you in a few minutes!

Well, I...

Our protagonist has sure done some underhanded shit to get what he wants. Will it be worth it? Check back tomorrow for the final part of this three act masterpiece.

 

[Crane]

By the way

I'm proud of you three brave codexers for trying to get this game to run. AGS is a dying software, and nothing could be more indicative of that than the fact that Mourir en Mer made the "most downloaded" list with three downloads.

 

[tindrli]

sadly no pussy for this guy

 

[Crane]

It just was not fated. What is, however, is that we will reach the sea. What will happen then?

Act III

We've set all the pieces up. Now back at the train station, it's time to grant the protagonist his only wish.

Into the car we go.

If I hide well, I could reach the sea without problems. I hope everything will be fine... I hope..

Finally....

How beautiful... I.. I can finally... finally rest in peace, so I can...

No grand revelation? No moment of reflection? No ANYTHING?

 

[tindrli]

hahahahahahahhaha

 

[Crane]

I apologize in Dorcan's stead that he left us all with such a dissatisfying ending. To make up for it, I'll soon LP his other game, A Day in the Future -- a game Dorcan himself admitted was just one big* Philip K. Dick ripoff. I see no need to make a new thread, since this one is so small. Expect the first update in the coming days.. In the meantime, I'll ask Crooked Bee to change the thread title to "Dorcan's AGS Adventures" or something of the like. Maybe "Dorcan's AGS Follies".

* 'Small' may be more appropriate since the game, like Mourir en Mer, is like 15 minutes long.

 

[Cassidy]

This is worse than Dear Esther.

indeed

 

[Crooked Bee]

 

[SCO]

Play Donna Avenger of Blood u fag

 

[Crane]

The protagonist's animations are quite a sight, indeed. What's with the link you quoted, though? Why is there "http://1.2.3.10/bmi/" before the actual image link?

Play Donna Avenger of Blood u fag

The author of that game says:

It contains nudity, sexuality, drug use, smoking, lesbianism, violence, politics, metapsychical questions, and vampires (I swear to God I started to make this game BEFORE Twilight, in 2001!)

I understand now why it has such high reviews.

This is worse than Dear Esther.

indeed

If only Dorcan would have slapped the "experimental" label on it, IGN would have given it an 8.

 

[SCO]

It actually got high reviews because it's a good game, if you disregard the rough graphics and some plot clumsiness around red herrings. tuluse agrees

 

[Crooked Bee]

The protagonist's animations are quite a sight, indeed. What's with the link you quoted, though? Why is there "http://1.2.3.10/bmi/" before the actual image link?

No idea, I just right-clicked the image and copy-pasted the link.

I actually remember trying to link lpix.org images here for my Wiz4 LP a couple of years ago, and they wouldn't show. I wonder why yours do - I thought SA disabled linking to lpix images on other websites.

 

[Crane]

The protagonist's animations are quite a sight, indeed. What's with the link you quoted, though? Why is there "http://1.2.3.10/bmi/" before the actual image link?

No idea, I just right-clicked the image and copy-pasted the link.

I actually remember trying to link lpix.org images here for my Wiz4 LP a couple of years ago, and they wouldn't show. I wonder why yours do - I thought SA disabled linking to lpix images on other websites.

I dunno why. I originally did that Mourir en Mer LP back on SA about a year ago to little reception (it was part of a megathread -- being one of the only SSLPs, it was mostly ignored). I just reused the same images without bothering to rehost them.
It's Baldurk, not Lowtax or anybody with ownership ties to SA that owns lpix.org, so maybe he just changed the embedding rules or something. I really don't know.

 

[Crane]

This is A Day in the Future, or "Un jour dans le futur", as the program window calls it. The title is a misnomer, as we don't get to play a full day in the future. Yet, knowing Dorcan's last masterpiece, how could this go wrong?

Part 1

There has been considerable technological progress however the gap between rich and poor has enormously widened.

New social classes in the sense of what? Relationship to capital? Income level? Cultural or social status? Seriously Dorcan, you can't just be vague about this stuff and expect us to buy it.

The elect hold the most important positions. While the working class is much further below yet it is the new one which counts the most members.

That's quite an awkward way of phrasing it. What is this 'working class'? Is it the class that has to sell its labor power on the market to secure its own subsistence, at the same time working for the owners of capital? That's the classic sense of the working class, for all it ignores that the managerial class must do the same. Yet, again, what are these 'new classes', and how do they interact with this 'working class'?

In fact, it's better than one of a 20th century part-time secretary

[sarcasm]Being better than a secretary is the ultimate test of one's own worth.[/sarcasm] Still, better in what sense? Societal approval? Standard of living? Income in relation to the cost of living?

In any case, we will be focusing on one particular man. There doesn't seem to be any specific reason for choosing him. but perhaps, soon, his life will be changed...

The amount of games that start with the average joe, who inexplicably run across something life-changing...

Here is the low-rent apartment were he lives

Like Mourir en Mer, any typos or grammatical errors are the game's fault. Consider this entire LP [sic].

Most of the tenants belong to the working class. Naturally, so does he.

10:05 pm. Finally the end of a long day...

Shit! I lost it again !

Good evening, Mister Duvignol... pardon me for asking, but...

No, let me guess! Where did you lose it this time ? No problem, I'll open it for you.

So far, there are less errors in the translation. As the above line demonstrates, though, the translation still isn't great.

I appreciate it, really.

...your hand on the plate, please.

Wow, you've got a friendly door !

That's what you think !

Mine isn't very talkative.

See? On top of that, it switches the lights on automatically.

Duvignol might be a landlord or something, but he doesn't know much about the apartments he rents.

Well, thanks again !

Hey, that's what the janitor is for !

Oh, nevermind, he's the janitor. Still, shouldn't he know all about the apartments, then?

Please try to find your ID soon !

Of course. Have a good night, Mr. Duvignol.

You too, kid.

Duvignol leaves....

Turn off the light, please.

bip!

Our protagonist wakes up the next day.

A terrible cover of Weezer's Say It Ain't So plays here, and repeats until near the end of the game, barring that you pause the game.

Bip Bip Bip !

Bip Bip Bip !

Bip Bip Bip !

SHUT UP !!! ...just 5 more minutes...

Eteins cette lumiere !!

This translates to "Turn off the light !!" Why wasn't it translated?

Get dressed.

grrmbl...

Finally, we have gameplay. The protagonist has some sort of problem with his head -- he can't keep it upright while speaking for more than a couple seconds. Not sure what that's about, but now we're faced with out first task in the game: find our ID card. There are a few things to examine in our room. First is the closet, right next to the protagonist.

It's my computer. Well... It is an old Pentium 23 that I found at a garage sale. These have become worthless since Intel and Microsoft collapsed.

"Did we mention it's the future?"

It looks good, doesn't it? I don't use it for much. Just for my emails.

The large amount of dialogue comes from me examining the computer multiple times. When we try to use the computer...

I'll take a CD to carry some data.

It's a 5Gb CD.

A red herring. This CD serves no use in the game.

Anyway. Let's use the computer.

Wow! Technology has really progressed in the future! There is actually no reason to ever use the computer. It serves no purpose in the game. That said, let's check the protagonist's email.

If you run the game at 960x600, the menu text at the top (most of which don't do anything when you click them) doesn't even fit on the computer screen. We'll run through the 3 emails quick.

'Answer' doesn't do anything when clicked on, but we use 'Back' to go back to the main email screen.

Moving on...

This website may have been real 10 years ago, but today it no longer exists. I don't know why Dorcan included it in his game.

The other area of this computer-thing is this:

The text file is dumb.

Another red herring. The jpg, however, is the protagonists's porn.

A 20th century actress. She's cute.

Only kidding, it's just a picture of Denise Richard. Dorcan is a weird person.

Well, this might seem like a weird place to end things, but I'm trying to stretch this short game into multiple parts. Check back later for the second part.

 

[Crooked Bee]

"This LP is sic" could make a nice thread title Or perhaps "This LP are sic", as a FF7 tribute.

 

[Crane]

Hah, I like it. "This LP are sic - Let's Play Dorcan's AGS Mishaps"

 

[Crane]