Modeling an Environement

Today we posted an interview with one of our fantastic 3D artists, Lyndon, on the Dare to Play blog. Check it out here!

It's really fun to put a name to a specific part of a game and get to know more about who helped make the environments in each mystery. Lyndon helped create the main lab and the photolithography lab in The Deadly Device. Check out the early modeling phase compared to the end result where it is textured. (Another artist creates the textures to wrap the models).

~The etcher in the photolithography lab: early art and finished art~

I promise to continue interviewing the rest of the team here, (yes, this means everyone!) In fact, I just filmed an interview today with another worker. ;) Stay tuned!

~Little Jackalope~

Top Secret Meetings (ND#28 Name Spoiler!)

It has come to the time where the design team has roughed-out the full story and play-through of Ghost of Thornton Hall, and we have begun our top-secret game walkthrough meetings for it!

Ok, since the game is still a work in progress, we are still early in the animations, script, puzzles, and just about everything else, but since the story/play design has been mapped out (yet is still subject to alteration and change), we are giving it a try.

I got to be the first player!! (^_^) I was super excited to volunteer to "play" the game verbally, while our writer and designer narrate and guide the course of the game. It sounds kind of silly to say we verbally play the game, so I'll try to explain it better:

The design team and members from each department sit in our main conference room with their notebooks and pens. (Each member from the department is ready to answer game/art/puzzle/logic questions to help everyone understand how the game will look and work, as well as provide opinions for potential changes.) The designer describes the beginning of the game and then asks what I would like to do next, and provides a rough map. I then say something like "I want to explore Niko's office. What do I see?" Designer: "There is a desk, a mechanical pigeon, some bookshelves and a candy dispenser." Me: "Let's get some candy from the dispenser!" Designer: "It's locked!" And when I encounter a character, our writer provides the information, their dialogue and what I, as Nancy, can ask. Hmm.... I wonder if I could persuade him to reply in different voices...

Here is an example map that we got to look at for The Deadly Device walkthrough (note: I blurred out a few areas for those of you who have not finished the game yet):

It's really fun, and I have to take lots of real notes so that I know what I did and still need to do, as well as what's in my inventory.

Twitter Quote Contest today! This week's prize is a digital guide to Trail of the Twister, and I do think the quote you need to guess is an easy one. No worries on providing a last name. ;)
~Little Jackalope~

Fan Love...and Eggs

Our fans make me laugh sometimes! (^_^) And they are all so very creative, smart and witty, as I can see on our social media sites, message boards and through our contests. Sienna wrote this encouraging note to me and I had to post it because...well...we already had one of her wishes planned out!

"Dear Little Jackalope, 

You have been doing such an awesome job on the Amateur Sleuth blog! I enjoy reading all of your posts. I loved watching Phoenix make all of her videos, so I was glad when you decided to start making them as well! I thought that it would be really neat if you did more interviews with some of the other employees at HeR Interactive. You could even have someone interview you! Thanks for taking the time to read this! 

From, 

Sienna"

Yep, we will continue with employee interviews. There will be another Dare to Play Blog one this Thursday, and next week we plan on a returning Dare to Play Blog employee interview, but in video format this time. Hmm...who do you suppose it will be?

Check this out! This egg was designed by Venessa, a blog reader:

It's Tuesday! New poll to your right -->
~Little Jackalope~

Candy Bears, Ryan and Mason

I had to eat some fruity gummy treats today because my mind was on The Deadly Device...particularly last week's puzzle answer and how I get to explain it today.

To solve the weekend puzzle, you will need to watch the official trailer here. Pause at each of the times listed in the puzzle, and count the number of letters you see on the screen from left to right, top to bottom. If you collect all of the correct letters, you'll get [I less than three them] which is a quote said by Ryan Kilpatrick concerning her colorful candy gummy bears.

We have this image in our Merchandise Store for you to put on a t-shirt, or pillowcase, or mouse pad or whatever you choose! Or if you don't like the quote, there is also the candy bear group. :)

New wallpaper available! You can put Mason Quinto on your desktop as the wallpaper if you so choose. Or you can put Ryan up as your background since she is really fun...and loves gummy bears!
~Little Jackalope~

Yesterday's Winners and Today's Puzzle #173

If you have seen our home page or our Facebook page, this will be old news to you. Still, I would like to acknowledge and congratulate the winners of the Pumpkin Carving Contest and the Adventure Matters contest, hooray!!

These are our winners for the pumpkin contest below, the entire office voted on all of the entries to narrow it down to the top three, which we then passed onto our Facebook fans to vote on their favorite. (We uploaded all the entries to an album on Facebook after the contest ended, for all to see how creative you were.) Here are the results:

 

And of course, Courtnee, our Adventure Matters winner, has selected her location choice for ND#30! Nancy is going to New Zealand! (And this list that she chose from is currently top-secret from our design team, we are likely not going to reveal the other choices Courtnee had since there are more secrets we would like to work on before revealing any other location). *Gasp*! We haven't even mentioned ND#29! There, I mentioned it. It's important enough to mention. Maybe I should stop talking or else I will give away TOO many secrets... (>_<)

On to the weekend puzzle! This week's puzzle is simply for fun, there is no need to submit your answer, so enjoy!

Hint: Featured video
Puzzle:

0:08 = 4
1:38 = 17
0:01 = 1
0:33 = 8
0:54 = 12
1:41 = 5
0:46 = 11
0:12 = 2
0:01 = 7
0:33 = 4
0:08 = 1
1:38 = 7
0:12 = 8
0:56 = 4
0:08 = 6
1:38 = 11
1:41 = 4
0:33 = 26

Have a fantastic weekend!
~Little Jackalope~

Behind the Scenes of Halloween (Part 2)

As continuation to the last post, I shall share the spoiling of all the secrets and behind-the-scenes fun facts with you about the making of the Amateur Sleuth Blog: Halloween Snooping video on our YouTube channel... I should complete this list before moving on to new blog topics, like the secrets of The Deadly Device and hints at the next game.

12. At 2:43 of the video, Stuart's door is actually unlocked.
13. I used a real hairpin to attempt unlocking the door, but it was in fact too big for the hole.
14. The unlocking sound was a real unlocking sound of the door I recorded separately.
15. The creaking door opening was the real sound of that door. (It really does creak in a spooky way!)
16. From 2:59 - 3:02, Jayme (our artist who also held open the last door) also swung open Stuart's door while I recorded.
17. Iggy at 3:07 was one of our in-office life-sized stuffed animals. And yes, that was me making him move from behind the chair. ;) We got him during the making of Legend of the Crystal Skull.
18. It was me turning off an on the light at 3:19
19. At 3:55, the drawing of the creepy tree was done by request. Thanks Tim!
20. The Easter Egg at 4:10 was my glass egg given to me by Megan, our president.
21. At 4:26, the spooky person in the back was Nik, our writer whom you saw earlier leave down the hall and turn out the lights.
22. Nik, our writer holds the camera from 4:28 - 4:46.
23. At 4:47, this is the same Nancy poster found earlier in Megan's office by the white board.
24. At 4:58, this is our designer's desk. By request, she actually wrote "Confidential" on the file folder and filled the inside with real notes and sketches from the next game. I was sooo close to showing them to you!
25. From 5:06 - 5:18, this is Josh, one of our artists. He is the original voice of Niko, whom you hear in the audio diaries in The Deadly Device! What's even cooler, is that Josh sort of looks like the much-younger version of Niko! (I was glad to have this character "come to life" for this video!)
26. In real life, Josh is the quietest walker in the office. We had to re-record him stomping to get the footsteps loud enough.
27. From 5:01 - 5:05 and 5:09 - 5:21, Jayme is holding the camera.
28. Fun fact: Jayme voiced the message recording machine at the end of The Deadly Device.

Whew! That is a lot of fun facts!
Hope you had a great, safe Halloween! I sure did! ;)
~Little Jackalope~

Happy Halloween 2012! (Beware! ND#28 Spoiler!)

We still have the scary games on sale for 50% off! Use promo code SPOOKY12 on these abbreviated titles: MHM, DOG, CUR, CRY, SAW.

We also have a Twitter Trivia Contest going on, head over to answer the question for a chance to win a Curse of Blackmoor Manor strategy guide download!

Aaaaahhhh! So excited!!! We released the preview of ND #28 on YouTube today! Check it out!

And of course, I had to show you my costume. ;) I will give you one guess to what I am.

Stay safe out there! And Happy Halloween!

~Little Jackalope~

Halloween Deals and Pumpkins

Today the entire office voted on all of the amazing pumpkin carving entries! Voila! After two tough tie-breakers in the office (leaving our CEO to narrow down the last two), we present you with our top 3 office-voted contestants. Head over to our Facebook page to vote for your favorite!

Also, we have a scary good deal going on right now. Check this out!

I think it's time for me to re-play one of these games...hmm...which one? (And which one s are you missing?) (~.^)

Message in a Haunted Mansion
Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake
Curse of Blackmoor Manor
Legend of the Crystal Skull
Shadow at the Water's Edge

I've played DOG sooo much over the years...maybe I will return to Blackmoor Manor...or SAW.
That being mentioned, vote on the new poll to your right! Which game scared you the most?

~Little Jackalope~

Behind the Scenes of Halloween

We have randomly selected a winner from all of the correct entries for the Weekend Puzzle #172! Our winner is Rose P.! Congrats! (Rose, please check your email for your prize information).

This puzzle was a bit easy if you had played Danger on Deception Island, or if you knew to look up the Maritime Flags chart to translate. Here's the solution:

Note: The Pumpkin Carving Contest ends tonight! Send in your emailed pictures before time runs out!

Ok, I promised a few secrets about the production of Amateur Sleuth Blog: Halloween Snooping video we uploaded last week, along with noting a few Nancy Drew references.

1. Jayme, an artist turned on and off the light upstairs at the beginning of the video. ND Reference: Message in a Haunted Mansion intro.
2. "It's locked!" quote said at the glass door entrance.
3. Thunder sound effect added (the rain was real) from several games.
4. Entering from the side of the building. ND Reference: Stay Tuned for Danger.
5. Using a key card you found at a door, ND Reference: The Deadly Device (and others).
6. A real spider (no, I did not put him there, he arrived right on time for his scene and performed perfectly for me...*cough*. Actually he scared me on the stairs, and I ran to grab my camera before he scurried off) ND References: Stay Tuned for Danger and Legend of the Crystal Skull.
7.  Yurei ghost girl shadow behind the wall, ND Reference: Shadow at the Water's Edge.
8. Door rattles and the sleuth hides in the closet, ND References: The Final Scene, The Phantom of Venice.
9. Nik, our writer, agreed to film the door rattling and leaving scene. He was really on his way out of the office for the night, too.
10. Jayme, an artist, had to hold the door open a little longer (you can't see her) for me to run and grab before it closed. She helped slow it down and stop it.
11. If you look really closely between 2:36 and 2:37, there is movement in the top right corner of the screen. Down the hall, one of the artists (Josh, who plays Niko) was still around.

There are more fun facts and references to come! I'll be sure to post a few more this week. ;)

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle #172 = Contest!

Hey all! This is your reminder that this weekend is your last chance to carve a Nancy Drew-themed pumpkin and submit your picture! Time's running out! For more info, click here. Another reminder: If you have recently tuned in to the blog, the latest news is the new Halloween video we posted on YouTube, as well as in the blog post below. ;)

Today's weekend puzzle is a contest!  Here is what you do:
1. Solve the weekend puzzle below.
2. When you think you have the right answer , email it to contest@herinteractive.com with the subject line "Weekend Puzzle". Please include your name and age in the email (and of course the end answer).
3. The prize? A digital strategy guide download to The Deadly Device.
4. The time? Contest begins now and ends at 10am PST on Monday, October 29th.
5. One winner will be randomly drawn from all of the full correct entries by 5pm, Monday, October 29th. (We want to be fair and give everyone a chance.) :) Each contestant may only enter once.
6. This contest is open to everyone. (Even outside the U.S.)
7. You may discuss the puzzle and help each other out on the message boards if you wish, but keep in mind that everyone who enters the right answer has a fair chance at winning.

And here is your puzzle! Good luck sleuths! (I'd figure you can never have enough practice decoding these.) (~.^)

~Little Jackalope~

Halloween Video!

As hinted at earlier, I have been working on a little video (hence the late-night blog posts this past week!) With the help of several HI team members (and permission from a few others) we present this fun little video! How many references to the Nancy Drew games can you find and count?

By the way, there are several fun behind-the-scenes fun facts about this video production, and I will be sure to share it here with all of my favorite people: you amazing blog readers, of course! XD If you like the video, log in to YouTube and give us a thumbs up. If you didn't like it, well...you can give us a thumbs down....and I will be ok with that. (*Cries jackalope-sized jackalope tears*).

Head's up! Tomorrow's weekend puzzle will be a contest! That's right! There will be a small prize at stake, so come back to participate. ;)
~Little Jackalope~

DED Hidden Images

Ok, so I went back and checked, and there really is only 2 items instead of 3 from the merchandise store hiding in The Deadly Device. I checked the files and it looks like one item was moved, likely because it was in the way of an overlay image. (This overlay image needed to be viewable from several angles and it is likely that the item would have complicated this.) Oh well! Perhaps it will appear in a future game. ;)

To think backwards, some images from DED are in the merchandise store for you to design an item with. For example (and I just might get one of these myself because I love it), the Koko Mallos candy box image (found in Niko's office) can be placed on a mouse pad, keepsake box, t-shirt, or *gasp* a pillowcase! It looks amazing, I think. It would be great to pair with the Koko Kringle pillowcase! 

Oh, and of course, the Koko Kringle pillowcase is one of the 2 items placed in the game. ;)

Twitter Quote Contest today! Enter for a chance to win a download of Treasure in the Royal Tower!
~Little Jackalope~

The Deadly Device Launched!

Today is the day! The Deadly Device is now officially in stores! Hooray! (And of course, it's on our site.) The pre-order period has ended and now the regular edition is available. The Adventure Matters Contest is no longer accepting entries, and the winner shall be announce with their location choice on November 1st, as mentioned in the rules.

My favorite part of today is the new merchandise images we have uploaded for The Deadly Device! See here:

I also posted a few on our Pinterest boards, so if there are any that you like, re-pin to your own boards as a wishlist item. ;) Special Note: There are three merchandise items hidden inside The Deadly Device game. For fun, can you find them all before I reveal them over the next few days? Name the item, and name the image that is on that item! Example: Ned Nickerson on an iPad folio.

It's Tuesday! New poll to your right -->
~Little Jackalope~

Monday Madness!

Alright, so it's not really a mad house here on Monday...I just thought the words sounded good together. But in a way, there is reason to be crazy excited! Today is the last day to pre-order The Deadly Device, and the last day to be entered into the Adventure Matters contest, because tomorrow is when The Deadly Device hits all major retail stores! Whoo-hoo! It is almost released out into the wild! Yay! Extra note: The Deadly Device screen saver is now available and ready to download here. (~.^)

Despite what you think may be going on here...(Monday stuff: phones ringing off the hook, people ferociously typing up emails, the printer printing a gazillion pieces of paper, employees running in circles, talking loudly across cubicles...you know, that busy stuff?) In fact, today has been rather mellow, so today's blog title should be Mellow Monday instead.

This was our biggest excitement today: Testing out our new toaster oven with yummy bagels that our CEO brought in today! Yep, our old one that we've had forever was simply not working properly (and I've had a few angry-faced staring contests with it in the past for burning my toasted cheese and pepperoni sandwiches). So by request, our CEO, Stuart, ordered us a new one. Isn't it shiny? It cooks and toasts rather nicely, although...as you can probably see in the picture above, I slightly burnt my blueberry bagel. I guess I need to learn how to work this new machine... >.<

Weekend puzzle cracked like an Easter egg! Identify each game cover art, and then count the respective numbers in that game title to get your letter. Here are the games' artwork listed left to right, top to bottom:
[The Haunted Carousel
Secrets Can Kill Remastered
The White Wolf of Icicle Creek
The creature of Kapu Cave
The Final Scene
Alibi in Ashes
Trail of the Twister
Legend of the Crystal Skull
The Phantom of Venice
The Deadly Device
The Captive Curse
Shadow at the Water's Edge]

Once you have those, count the letters to get this answer: [Halloween Blog Video]. Which, as I mentioned before, is just a small video...nothing big. ;)

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle #171

It's the weekend! Well, almost for me, I'm still working on my little night project, and while a good half of it is done, there is still more to do. Solve the weekend puzzle to find out what! (Note: once you know the answer, don't expect too much, as it will be Her Interactive: office/Nancy-style...)

~Click on the image for a larger view. Hint #1: same as last March's puzzle~

Also, I thought just came to mind. The Bonus Edition version of The Deadly Device is running short on time! They are only available for a few more days! The games that will be in the stores are only the regular edition. The Bonus version will only be available from our site until October 22nd (that's Monday). o.O That also means *GASP* the end of the Adventure Matters contest! In only a matter of days, we will have picked a winner who will then choose Nancy's destination for her 30th game! (O_o) I'm excited and nervous at the same time... Where is Nancy going? It's a surprise to me as much as you, since it has not been determined yet. Nancy's fate (or should I say, luggage) is going to be in some one's hands! Learn more at the Adventure Matters contest page here!

And then my mind traveled to...Ned. Yeah, call me a big fan of Ned Nickerson, Nancy's boyfriend. I'm looking forward to going home tonight and playing the game again just to read his funny text messages. Oh Ned...*shakes head*...technology just isn't your thing, is it?

~Little Jackalope~

Late Night Post = Night Work!

The official release date for The Deadly Device is right around the corner, and we are busily preparing for it's arrival. This is how excited I am:

Tonight is a late-night post because I have been working on my little project, with the help from several Her Interactive team members. This project can only be done at night, that is why I am posting so late... >.<

I have finished a little portion of my project, but there is still plenty to do...and if you'll excuse me, I shall now go and plant some evidence, find batteries for my flashlight, and unlock our CEO's door...

~Little Jackalope~

Costume Winner!

We have selected one random winner from everyone who pre-ordered The Deadly Device before today, and her name is Alexandra B. from Belleville, IL!! Congrats Alexandra!! (Check your email for further instructions on how to claim your prize).

And thanks everyone for pre-ordering! (Keep in mind, we still have the rest of the Adventure Matters Contest you could still win if you pre-order The Deadly Device by October 22, 2012.)

I just got the green light to work on a new project that will be super super fun to make! I am working on it tomorrow when no one is around...well...almost no one. I will be recruiting the help of 4 volunteers, and I have already gained permission from 3 others to continue with what I am about to do. It's nothing too big or too new, but exciting enough to share with you early. I will reveal what it is in this upcoming weekend puzzle. Stay tuned!

Now that I have permission, I need to prepare tomorrow...and gather certain elements...

Oh! And we have a Twitter Quote Contest going on right now! Head over for a chance to win a digital strategy guide to The Deadly Device! (A note to Future HeR Animator: your prize code is being prepared and will come shortly.)
~Little Jackalope~

Download The Deadly Device!

I suppose I have been talking about The Deadly Device a lot, huh? Well, why not? I'm just so excited for everyone to play it! And today, everyone who pre-ordered the digital download will get to download today! Whoo-hoo! The wait is over! Ok, enough exclamation marks...too much excitement....But it's finally a "who-done-it" mystery! Ok, hopefully you are just as excited as I am and have pre-ordered. If not, you still can pre-order by the 22nd of October to get your Bonus Edition.

 

For those of you who have not yet received it, a small warning: If you linger on the internet for a while, you are bound to notice that many fans have already played (and *gasp* solved it). They will be talking about it, giving their reviews, saying what they think was cool, or needed improvement etc...and occasionally a spoiler might slip out. It is perfectly fine to discuss the game, in fact, when you finish, give us your review on our Message Boards here!

One small request from me personally: if you finished the game, please refrain from spoiling the culprit's name for the sake of others. Be sure to put answers in spoiler code on the Message Boards. Thanks! :D

Even though I've played the game 3 times, I think I will go home now and play...just once more. XD

Also,

Hope you have a good one!
~Little Jackalope~

The Deadly Device Icon

Tomorrow is the first big release day of The Deadly Device! For those who pre-ordered the digital version of the game, you will get to download tomorrow! AHH! Yay!! If you pre-ordered the boxed game, we have already begun shipping. For a fun extra today, download the latest mobile wallpapers for The Deadly Device here!

On another note, the contest to win the Nancy Drew Costume is nearing an end. The last chance to be entered is at the end of the day tomorrow, and all you had to do was pre-order by then.

So exciting! Also, blog reader Hannah reminded me that I have not revealed the desktop icon for The Deadly Device! *Gasp!* Well I agree that it is high time to show you! Voila! One electrifying icon for your desktop. Isn't it pretty cool looking? :)

 

Weekend puzzle solved! If you are familiar with Nonograms (especially after playing Shadow at the Water's Edge), this will come easy to you:

Figure out which boxes you need to fill out going across and down, leaving some negative spaces. Here is the correct way to fill the boxes out:

The letters represent numbers (A=1, B=2, C=3 and so on.) Depending on which way you read the puzzle, you will see two different answers. Note: the smiley faces and extra exclamation points were just filler spaces. ;)

Read the colored-in letters/numbers: [Pre-orders ship soon] meaning they already begun.
Read the negative spaces: [New merchandise]. And they are pretty neat. ;)

~Little Jackalope~

Video Blog and Weekend Puzzle #170

What a busy day! With The Deadly Device releasing into the wild, it has made for very fun, active-filled days! (Only 4 days left! Can I use enough exclamation marks in this post?!)

First news: We interviewed our Director of Marketing, Jared! Read the interview now on the Dare to Play Blog here!

Also, arglefumph blogged about his visit to Her Interactive here!

Next: Well, I'll just let you watch the video we posted tonight:

And of course, I can't forget about the weekend puzzle! Enjoy. ;)

 ~Little Jackalope~