Developer's Notes On The Origins Of Afterlife
Despite what you may think, Afterlife was not, in fact, the product of an evening or two spent under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. Actually, the idea to make the game came about while in a coach (or possibly a train) somewhere near a small town in the Australian outback. The concept, however, had been around for some time before this...
Long ago, before RjB Software existed, I wrote several games which were released by Psyworks Interactive, a QB programming site which no longer exists. One of these games was an early experiment in platforming called Stick You.
In this game, you played the part of a young stick (yes, as in a bit of wood) called Twig, whose mission was to descend into the stick-underworld known as Firewood in order to defeat the evil megalomaniac Bark, who had kidnapped the beautiful stick princess called Woodia. The motivation behind this near-suicidal act of bravery was that Twig desperately wanted to get his leaf over with the aforementioned princess, but the outcome was a slightly bizarre game in which you were pitted against fiendishly designed levels with the sole mission being to reach the blue exit-portal without dying. There were no enemies; just fire, slime, buzz-saws, and other nasty traps to turn an unwary and sexually frustrated young stick to sawdust before his time.
Although the game had many flaws (not least of which that you played as a stick, a conceit which came about purely because a small brown line is about the least graphically challenging thing a programmer can attempt to represent on the screen), it was actually rather good fun, and I often considered rewriting it in later years.
Some time after the demise of Psyworks Interactive, I decided, more for a laugh than anything else, to try making a game using one of the "game creation kits" which had suddenly appeared on the market at about that time. As it was just an experiment, I couldn't be bothered to put any effort into making graphics for it (see a pattern here?), and so I used the somewhat random assortment of sprites provided with the package, which included a small, but (as it would turn out) significant set of icons: a hot-air balloon, a Pac-Man style ghost, and a small yellow umbrella...
The game I managed to put together with these rather incongruous items was, to my surprise, really rather good fun, and I soon passed it round to a few friends, who also enjoyed it. And then I got carried away with another big project, in the shape of the first version of Evowok Breeder, and forgot all about it.
Which brings us back to that train (yes, I'm pretty sure it was a train, actually) in Australia. Sitting down and trying not to think about the length of the journey ahead of me, I jotted down some notes about ideas for my next game. And one of these was to rewrite The Balloon Game (as it had been imaginatively called), and throw in the level-design style from Stick You, thereby updating both titles in one fell swoop... Or at least, a year or so of hard coding. And so, with this plan in mind, and a liberal dose of thematic influence from the classic Sonic The Hedgehog games thrown in for good measure, Afterlife was born...
Afterlife Version History
v1.7.2
2007-07-05
- Corrected code so that collecting a Cruciform when all balloons have already been collected now triggers apotheosis for Rickard's balloon (this was somehow only fixed for Rickard on foot in the last update).
- Capped balloon rebound speeds from deadly tiles.
- Collecting all of the mana balloons in an Act now regenerates the balloon's hearts.
- Made miscellaneous code improvements.
- Made improvements to blast graphics.
v1.7.1
2007-06-29
- Defender eggs are now destroyed if they are inside a block when their parent is destroyed, fixing a bug causing them to sometimes become stuck out of reach when a white defender was killed.
- Corrected code so that collecting a Cruciform when all balloons have already been collected now triggers apotheosis for Rickard.
- Cruciforms may now be collected after all hellion have been slain.
- Slightly reduced umbrella rebound speed from hellion collisions.
- Fixed bug causing the Final Quest not to stay unlocked.
- Made miscellaneous code improvements.
- Made improvements to blast graphics.
- Tweaked in-game texts.
v1.7.0
2007-06-14
- Removed status screen.
- Best Time & Best Combo information is now displayed on the Level Select Screen.
- Removed help text for completing first Zone without unlocking second.
- New Zones are now unlocked for every 7 Acts completed, rather than 13.
- Miscellaneous code improvements.
- Improved the look of text screens & Level Editor properties screens.
- Removed balloon selection screen.
- Balloons can now be selected from the Level Select Screen.
- Balloons can now be hit more than once before being destroyed (to achieve a "Perfect" grade, it is still necessary to complete an Act without being hit).
- The DHU can now be bounced around by explosions.
- Improved magic balloon graphics.
- Tweaked in-game texts.
- It is now possible to customise the control for the "Record Replay" function.
- Changed default controls.
- Blockheads are now destroyed on collision with a hot air balloon.
- Completely rewrote movement and collision code for the DHU, fixing at least one rare bug, improving its accuracy, and now allowing it to be bounced upwards off sheer surfaces...
- Improved bomb graphics.
- Application now displays correctly in the task list.
- Cruxes now appear in all difficulty modes.
- Adjusted umbrella-jump handling for Rickard.
- Edited "Foulblight Key-Chamber" to reduce difficulty.
- Restyled enemy health-bar.
- Fixed bug causing tile properties not to be loaded correctly when playing replays.
- Tweaked balance of Autumn balloon.
v1.6.1
2007-03-01
- Updated installer to fix problems with some versions of Windows Vista.
- Added visual cue for perfect status achievment.
- Tweaked intro sequence.
v1.6.0
2006-10-22
- Game now runs at a resolution of 640x480 for both menus and game.
- Redesigned and improved code efficiency of level select screen.
- Added Zone information to level select screen.
- Redrew image for Training Pad Zone.
- Added icon for in-game clock.
- Backdrops now scroll in parallax.
- Level editor now scrolls.
- Backported Training Pad Zone backdrop from Afterlife 2.
- Updated code for compatibility with latest core module.
- Made miscellaneous code improvements.
- Improved optimisation of graphics drawing code for speed.
- Tweaked text on level editor help screen.
- Various miscellaneous graphical imrprovements.
- Level editor can now be swicthed between two view modes.
- Edited "Lucifer's Aquarium" to improve aesthetics.
- Made minor miscellaneous tweaks to existing levels.
- Fixed bug in level editor causing false tile properties when a new tileset was loaded.
v1.5.1
2006-02-04
- Improved error handling.
- Fixed bug causing game to crash when rocket was fired out of the level's bounds.
- Fixed bug causing game to crash when files were loaded from a working directory on a different drive to the game executable.
v1.5.0
2005-11-24
- Edited "Buried Tomb" to make completion possible in Suicide mode.
- Tidied code, reduced size, and improved efficiency.
- Added a proper selection tool for tilesets in the level editor.
- Edited and rearranged all of the Suicide training Acts in order to better teach more attack and movement techniques.
- Tweaked Rickard's handling.
- Tweaked Level Editor help text.
- Added life-bar display for ghosts.
- Combo counter now appears in level editor level-test mode.
- Edited longer ghost names.
- Restricted pre-selection on menus and introductory screens.
- White defenders no longer launch eggs.
- Fixed Stan Busts' life to increase properly with difficulty setting.
v1.4.6
2005-11-22
- Fixed "The Flooded Basement" to make completion possible in Suicide mode.
v1.4.5
2005-11-21
- Changed controls for item selection in level editor.
- Fixed blocked secret passage in "Murder Rooms".
- Fixed bug in level editor causing game to crash when balloons were removed and deleted.
- Edited "The Flooded Basement" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Bloodshot Eyes" to reduce difficulty and make possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Red Blood Cell" to make completion possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Tomb Raider" to make completion possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Buried Tomb" to make completion possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Ghosts In The Machine" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Robot Dropzone" to reduce difficulty.
- Reduced Droid life.
- Edited "Access Denied" to reduce difficulty.
- Disallowed Rickard dropping from the DHU when parachuting from a destroyed balloon.
- Changed sound of Rickard landing on his feet.
v1.4.4
2005-11-16
- Removed delay between umbrella jumps.
- Made miscellaneous code improvements.
- Fixed major bug in collision detection for umbrella jumps.
- Rickard now makes a sound when landing on his feet.
- Added extra animations for Rickard.
- Improved graphics for Clear Sky balloon.
- Gave Autumn Day balloon different abilities.
- Added new balloon, "Stealth".
- Made Clear Sky balloon unlockable by completing 100 Acts.
- Darkskull balloon now falls faster.
- Fixed slight bug in rain effect causing it to sometimes "miss" parts of the level.
- Added new balloon, "Techno".
- Collecting the tenth Crux no longer has an immediate effect.
- Crux powers can no longer be used in Final Quest Acts.
- Updated format of ARPs; ARPs from previous versions will not play correctly.
- Finally found and fixed a really silly bug causing occasional variable overflow crashes.
v1.4.3
2005-11-15
- Edited "Covered For Death".
- Fixed bug introduced in v1.4.2 causing Hunter Skulls to move incorrectly.
- Fixed silly bug in error-handling code, causing some problems under Windows 9x.
- Improved error-handling code.
- Edited "Death By Tetris".
- Edited "Dire Straights" to make perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- There is now no delay before being able to abort an umbrella jump.
- Fixed "Take Vat!" to make completion possible in Suicide mode.
- Rickard can now re-jump following a successful kill with an umbrella jump.
- Added on-screen display of the player's current combo score.
- Slightly darkened wood colour in Training Acts to avoid transparency conflict with exit portal.
- Added new hint to the Stats Screen about Re-Jumps.
- Fixed bug in Training Act briefing for "Hand Weapons Training" causing the briefing to ignore user-set controls in its instructions.
- Added note on aborting umbrella jumps to briefing for "Umbrella Jump Training".
- Improved code dealing with umbrella jumps to remove "jerky" landings.
- Balloon no longer makes a dust puff when landing underwater.
- Fixed bug causing Rickard to create a splash when landing underwater following an umbrella jump.
- Edited "Eternal Sentinels" to reduce difficulty.
- Improved balloon graphics.
- Fixed old bug causing balloon to sometimes pass through the exit portal without leaving the Act.
- Repositioned exit portal spawning flash.
- Balloon now makes a noise when landing on slippery surfaces.
- Fixed bug introduced in v1.4.2 causing rain in Graveyard to sometimes fall in two directions at once.
v1.4.2
2005-11-11
- Fixed bug causing some enemy shots to be "stillborn".
- Limited and standardised speed of Hunter Skulls across all difficulties.
- Briefing notes for Training Acts 4 and 5 are now correct.
- Made miscellaneous code improvements.
- Edited "The Ghost Of The Ivory Busts" to improve gameplay in Suicide mode.
- Made exit portal reachable for Suicide mode in "Balloon-0 Defense System".
- Edited "Wait Your Turn" to improve gameplay in Suicide mode.
- Reduced fire rate of Cyborg Guardians.
- Edited "Ice Labyrinth" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Savage Garden" to make exit portal reachable in Suicide mode.
- Edited "The Dark End of Rick Bronson" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Crossbones Crosshairs" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- Fixed bug causing Rickard to cause a submarine splash when starting an Act submerged.
- Fixed bug causing Davy Jones to crash the game on Suicide mode.
- Edited "Davy Jones' Locker" to improve gameplay in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Blood Rose Rising" to improve gameplay in Suicide mode.
- Fixed life of Baby Spooks spawned by the Blood Rose.
- Fixed Blood Rose name in Level Editor.
- Edited "Burning Throat Pain" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Titchmarch's Doom" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Time Is Of The Essence" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "From Tetris To Columns" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Combination Loch" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Unholy Water" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- Edited "Lucifer's Aquarium" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
- Fixed bug causing Rickard to sometimes pass through mana balloons.
- Improved items of collision code.
- Rickard can no longer be knocked off the DHU.
- Added dynamic level effects for Mindwarp levels.
- Fixed bug causing Cruciforms to be collected even when Rickard didn't survive the Act.
- Rickard can now use Crux powers as soon as a Crux is collected.
- Edited "The Bone Ranger" to make Perfection possible in Suicide mode.
v1.4.1
2005-11-03
- Fixed bug causing camera to sometimes fail to follow Rickard in replays.
v1.4.0
2005-10-31
- Edited "Atlantean Basement" to reduce difficulty.
- Made Exit-Portal reachable by Rickard in "The Crimson Barracks".
- Made Perfect Grade possible for "Titchmarsh's Doom" in Suicide Mode.
- Reversed order of "Advanced Weapons Training" and "Advanced Flight Training".
- Fixed Exit-Portal position in "Assault Course 1".
- Constructor now drops Blockheads more frequently.
- Fixed bug causing Apotheosis to be retained between Acts in Suicide Mode.
- Rickard is now invulnerable to ghosts while umbrella jumping!
- Removed ability to achieve chain combos in Suicide Mode.
- Fixed bug causing snowmen to sometimes regenerate life beyond their initial health.
- Fixed bug causing timer display to overflow bounds after ten minutes.
- Cruciform hints on the Stats Screen now only appear for uncollected Cruciforms.
- Fixed redundant pixel in tile graphics for Hellflesh.
- Level loading routine made more efficient.
- Fixed bug causing best times for Training Acts 6-10 and Final Quest Acts not to be displayed.
- Improved letter "Y" in small game font.
- Fixed bug allowing new Realms to be unlocked by replaying already-completed Acts.
- Fixed time allowed for next shot in chain combos to three seconds exactly.
- Finally fixed long-time bug causing infrequent problems with chain combos.
- Finally fixed the infamous "Floating Umbrella" bug.
- Improved bomb graphics.
- Rickard is now able to survive balloon destruction when Suicide Mode is unlocked.
- The DHU can now be used to harvest Magic Balloons!
- Bombs are now upgraded to powerballs on collection of all Cruciforms.
- Clarified ghost classifications.
- Corrected very minor display mistake in Level Editor.
- Made miscellaneous code improvements.
- Improved graphics for Apotheosis.
- .ALF files can now be loaded from the command line.
- It is now possible to play custom levels using alternate balloons.
- Removed the Afterlife Custom Level Player (AfterlifeCLP.exe) from the package.
- Implemented replay feature.
- Game will no longer run in two instances at once.
- Shots are now transparent.
- When Crux-powered, the DHU now produces a star-trail that grows with each kill.
- Fixed bug causing Rickard to "skid" when left and right keys were used together.
v1.3.0
2005-07-11
- Heavily modified the Game Statistics screen.
- Fixed time display in the Act Select module.
- Added "weather effects".
- Rearranged menus.
- Added title to the Plot screen.
v1.2.0
2005-06-17
- Timer now prepends second count with a zero if below 10.
- Controls can now be customized from the options menu.
- Game can now be paused using the ESC key.
- Slightly modified level title display.
- Snowmen can no longer regenerate above their initial health quota.
- Redrew realm portraits for both Frostbite & Foulblight.
v1.1.0
2005-03-18
- Added "Orchestra" option to the "Options" menu.
- Improved BGM selection in level editor.
- Reduced life points of wraiths.
- Increased life points of Constructors.
- Fixed minor bug in the difficulty selection window.
- When selecting an Act, the last played Difficulty is now remembered.
- Added Page Up and Page Down functionality to the difficulty selection window.
- Made Satan Busts' life the same on all difficulties.
- Fixed life of baby spooks spawned by graveflowers.
- Reduced combo size required to unlock the Darkskull balloon.
- Moved "Balloons" option to the main menu.
- Added "Apotheosis" ability in Realms for which the Cruciform has been collected.
- Hitting CTRL while umbrella jumping now ends the jump.
- Improved backdrop selection in level editor.
- Tile properties for highlighted tiles are now shown in the level editor.
- Edited "The Bone Ranger" for cosmetics and difficulty.
- Edited "Inverted Cross" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Murder Rooms" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Gardener's Underworld" to reduce difficulty.
- Improved balloon selection area.
- Changed abilities of Marie's balloon.
- Completely revised the "Advanced Weapon Training", to include training in "Perching".
- Made minor revisions to "Advanced Flight Training" (removing that spike in the corner!)
- Made cosmetic alteration to "Garden Party".
- Number keys can now select Acts on the level select screen.
- Added extra information to Statistics screen.
- Added "Hint of the Day" to the Statistics screen - it would do to pay some attention to this!
- Made minor edits to the game story.
- Denied access to features in the editor not unlocked in the game.
- Fixed bug causing cruciforms to disappear in the editor.
- Edited "Terminated" to reduce difficulty.
- Reduced life of various enemies.
- Edited "The Robot Factory" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Danger, Danger! High Voltage!" to reduce difficulty.
- Fixed task to unlock Buttercup by one second, for accuracy.
- Revised Custom Level play completely, by adding the Custom Level Player.
- Made the Deadly Hunting Umbrella ™ more powerful in Realms where the Cruciform has already been uncovered.
- Fixed bug meaning some defender eggs were immobile.
- Edited "Access Denied" to make general gameplay improvements.
v1.0.2
2005-02-24
- Reduced number of Acts needed to unlock Suicide Mode.
- Gave the Darkskull balloon more powerful bombs.
- Reduced the power of the Darkskull balloon's umbrella.
- Increased the umbrella power of Marie's Balloon.
- Fixed bug meaning hand-bombs did no more damage than dispensed bombs.
- Added two extra information screens.
- Reduced difficulty of "Mind Maze".
- Fixed bug meaning the game would sometimes not end even when Rickard was dead, dead, dead!
v1.0.1
2005-02-22
- Fixed minor bug in keyboard input routine.
- Edited "Glacial Gunfight" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Vicious Spiral" to reduce difficulty.
- Fixed bug so user levels should now load correctly using "Open With".
- Edited "Get Out Alive!" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Ice Labyrinth" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Mind Maze" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Eternal Sentinels".
- Edited "Cold War" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Satan's Water Feature" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Satan's Chamber Pot" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Wait Your Turn" to reduce difficulty.
- Fixed life total for baby spooks generated by green spooks.
- Edited "Embryonic Sponge Bath" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Anubis Palace" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Time Is Of The Essence" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Holy Temple of the Sands" to reduce difficulty.
- Edited "Sand Trap" to reduce difficulty.
v1.0.0
2004-10-21
- First release.
