BOH, original retro-flavoured game released

[saimo]

Hi all,

Joe Santulli has kindly allowed me to present BOH, a commercial, 100% indie game I released for AmigaOS, AROS, Linux, MacOS and Windows.

http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-C64-1T.png http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-castle-1T.png http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-default-1T.png http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-pyramid-2T.png http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-underground-1T.png http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-vectors-1T.png http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-warm-3T.png

BOH is a unique retro-flavoured puzzle-riddled maze game spiced up with thrilling action.
You move in claustrophobic, mysterious, dangerous battlefields searching for the Evil Masters, who throw countless enemies at you until you discover and face them in the final battle. Although your quests are made slightly less hard by the power-ups scattered all around, carrying out the missions demands lots of concentration and quick reflexes.
With BOH the fun never ends: new missions can be added anytime and you can even create your own! And, as if that was not enough, you can also customize entirely its audio-visual aspect!
BOH has been created with lots of passion and care to offer, with its oldschool style, a fascinatingly different videogaming experience.

The game features:
* immersive & thrilling gameplay;
* 44 missions + 11 secret missions to unlock;
* missions divided in 5 levels of difficulty;
* multi-phase missions;
* multi-floor battlefields of any size/shape;
* mind-blowing puzzles and deadly traps;
* many and varied power-ups;
* several different kinds of enemies;
* hand-pixelled 2D graphics;
* real-time field of vision and lighting;
* atmospheric audio and rich soundtrack;
* 7 themes;
* online world standings;
* possibility of creating missions and themes;
* Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish and Swedish translations.

BOH comes on a CD-ROM in a plastic DVD box along with a 24 pages, full-color printed manual or as a downloadable ISO image.

Website: http://www.bohthegame.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BOH/99598418583
Twitter: http://twitter.com/bohthegame

I'll gladly answer any question.
Thanks for the attention and enjoy!

[chicnstu]

I don't know if I've ever seen anything like that, but I hardly ever play PC games.

[saimo]

I don't know if I've ever seen anything like that,
May I ask if your interest has been caught? And, if so, how much?


but I hardly ever play PC games.
Do you mean that you would not consider playing BOH because it's a PC game, even if you found it interesting?

saimo

[chicnstu]

May I ask if your interest has been caught? And, if so, how much?

I'm interested but probably not as much as I could be if I played PC games more often.


Do you mean that you would not consider playing BOH because it's a PC game, even if you found it interesting?

saimo

I meant that maybe I haven't seen anything like BOH because I almost never play PC games. Actually, I've never bought a PC game, the only 2 I own were gifts (Return of the Incredible Machine and Vampire: The Masquerade -- Redemption).

[saimo]

I meant that maybe I haven't seen anything like BOH because I almost never play PC games. Actually, I've never bought a PC game, the only 2 I own were gifts (Return of the Incredible Machine and Vampire: The Masquerade -- Redemption).
I see.
I would just like to point out, however, that BOH is a "PC game" in the sense that runs on PC, not in the sense that it is a typical game that can be found on PCs - besides being completely atypical, its nature is self-defined and does not depend on the platform it runs on (on a console, f.ex. it would look and feel just the same).

Simone

[iloveguns]

i think its an interesting game.. any pics?

[saimo]

i think its an interesting game.. any pics?
Yes, sure: on the SCREENSHOTS page of the website (http://www.bohthegame.com) you will find many screenshots; moreover, the site also has two videos that show the game in action and plenty of detailed information.

saimo

[digitalpress]

A new game for Amiga!

I totally couldn't figure out what kind of game this was until I watched the trailer video. About 1:30 in you finally get to see the game in action and now I understand why the screen shots didn't "explain" the game. There's an interesting "line of sight" effect going on, so the area you can see in each dungeon is limited to the amount of light or sight you've got at any given time.

Definitely reminds me of Alien Breed, or the more commercially-accessible Gauntlet (without the multi-player).

I'd like to see some kind of multi-player online feature added in the future, but the game looks like fun on its own, best of luck with it!

[saimo]

A new game for Amiga!
Yes, but it's for modern Amigas, those with AmigaOS 4.
Let me stress that it's also for Windows and that both versions are included in the CD-ROM.


I totally couldn't figure out what kind of game this was until I watched the trailer video. About 1:30 in you finally get to see the game in action and now I understand why the screen shots didn't "explain" the game. There's an interesting "line of sight" effect going on, so the area you can see in each dungeon is limited to the amount of light or sight you've got at any given time.
Here is some information about how it all works.
The player normally has a field of vision of 180° (90° to the left and 90° to the right); if he picks up a power-up called "360° visor", the field of vision expands to 360°. However, he will only see what is illuminated by:
* the light he is carrying - there are 3 types of light: faint light (90° cone), mid light (180°) and big light (360°); range and hue also depend on the kind of light;
* ambient light;
* external lights;
* explosions.

BTW: make sure you do not miss the game session video, whose quality is better and shows a whole mission being carried out.


Definitely reminds me of Alien Breed, or the more commercially-accessible Gauntlet (without the multi-player).
Lots of people mention Alien Breed ;)
I have never seen Gauntlet (but I know Gauntlet it is famous), however BOH was definitely inspired also by Alien Breed. Indeed, here is what you can find in the "TRIVIA" section of the user's manual: "As regards the gameplay, BOH was inspired by these C64 titles: Wizard of Wor, The Amazing Spider-Man and Impossible Mission I and II; from a technical point of view, inspiration came from the MS-DOS version of Shadowlands and a coin-op Formula 1 game (maybe Tail to Nose); other games that may have had an influence are Alien Breed II and The Chaos Engine, both for the Amiga computer".


I'd like to see some kind of multi-player online feature added in the future, but the game looks like fun on its own, best of luck with it!
I have plans for a sequel, and indeed the main change would be the addition of a one-on-one online mode. The only problem is that before I even start working at BOH 2, this version must have enough success - and, unfortunately, it's still very, very far from it.

saimo

[robotriot]

As was mentioned on Amiga-News.de, it looks very similar to Left 4k Dead, a free online Java game: http://www.mojang.com/notch/j4k/l4kd/

[saimo]

As was mentioned on Amiga-News.de, it looks very similar to Left 4k Dead, a free online Java game: http://www.mojang.com/notch/j4k/l4kd/
Yet another game I did not know ;)

saimo

[saimo]

Hi all,

I would like to point you to this nice review (http://www.amiga.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=50218&forum=6) motorollin has written on Amiga.org.
Moreover, you may want to have a look at the first comments given by other customers - you can find them on the REVIEWS+ (http://www.bohthegame.com/reviews+.html) page of BOH's website.

Happy reading!

[saimo]

Hi all,

I'd like to inform you that, as promised, BOH just got better and now it even runs natively on MacOS X!

Specifically, this update:
* makes the game run natively on MacOS X Tiger/Leopard machines;
* adds zooming to full screen modes;
* allows the choice of the screen mode among those notified by the system;
* replaces zooming routines with more optimized ones (especially 3x and 4x);
* adds the possibility of disabling interpolation (for slow computers);
* adds the possibility of disabling the rendering of barriers;
* improves a bit the original themes;
* enriches slightly the Evil Masters AI;
* adds timer ticking during time-limited missions;
* adds map zooming;
* adds the option of sorting missions by difficulty;
* allows the use of joypads/joysticks with just 1 button;
* fixes the following bugs: bad joypad handling (detection was inhibited by a '2' in place of a '1'; sometimes up/down movement could stick); [PAGE UP/DOWN] handling (repeat delay handling was missing); a bad optimization of ray-tracing routine (which had no practical effects thanks to the way maps and themes were made);
* improves and extends the user's manual;
* links the AmigaOS 4 version to libSDL 1.2.13;
* applies some other minor changes.

BOH owners can enjoy the update by downloading it for free from the DOWNLOADS page of the official website at www.bohthegame.com.

[saimo]

Hello,

I'm here to inform you that I have just released the demo version of BOH.
Both the AmigaOS and Windows versions can be freely downloaded from the DOWNLOADS page of the website at www.bohthegame.com (http://www.bohthegame.com) (the MacOS version will follow shortly).

saimo

[saimo]

Hi again,

as promised, the also the demo for MacOS has been available for download. Get it from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html#demo) of the website.

saimo

[saimo]

Hi everybody,

another quick update to inform the curious ones among you that the first draft of the developer's manual is now available for download on the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the website.
At the moment it covers only the creation of missions, but the rest is already being worked on.
This release allows who wants to make his own missions to get started without having to wait any longer and, at the same time, will be useful to see what needs to be changed/clarified/added (so, please, do not hesitate to give feedback).

Enjoy,
saimo

[BHvrd]

Too bad you don't have a cell phone version, I would love to have this on my phone.

[saimo]

Too bad you don't have a cell phone version, I would love to have this on my phone.
I don't think BOH is really suitable to handhelds: its main elements are reduced visibility, dark graphics, small details and such, all of which could make the playing experience on small LCD screens a pain.

saimo

[saimo]

Hi everybody,

I'm here once again to inform you that yet another version of BOH's demo is available.
This update brings 4 new tutorial missions and the preview of the "castle" theme.
You can download it from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html#demo) of the website as usual.

Enjoy,
saimo

[saimo]

Dear gamers,

I hope I'm bringing a nice piece of news to the creative minds among you: Mark Ashley has just released a nice editor that allows the creation of new BOH missions! You can find all the details in his announcement on Amiga.org (http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=47962).
Many thanks to Mark, I hope his hard work will be rewarded with lots of new missions!

saimo

[saimo]

Hello,

I'm back again to let you know that another additional theme for BOH has been released: "castle" turns you into a knight who has to explore the dark recesses of infested castles and, with his magic gauntlet, defeat the dreaded Evil Masters.

http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-castle-0T.png http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-castle-1T.png

The theme can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of BOH's website (http://www.bohthegame.com) and is included also in the demo (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html#demos).

saimo

[Mac Tonight]

Looks pretty interesting, man.

I'm currently up to my ears with the summer semester and work, but perhaps later this summer, I'll buy a copy and give it a shot.

[saimo]

Looks pretty interesting, man.
Thank you :)


I'm currently up to my ears with the summer semester and work, but perhaps later this summer, I'll buy a copy and give it a shot.
That would be very welcome!
In the meanwhile, if you haven't done it already, you could check the demo out ;)

saimo

[saimo]

Hello ,

this time around I'm happy to announce that BOH continues to improve with update3, which:
* adds a direction indicator to the map;
* allows to create chains of teleports of any lenght;
* allows to specify the ambient illumination on a per-floor basis (several missions have been modified to take advantage of this);
* allows to add (optionally localized) synopses to missions;
* takes note of the total playing time of each mission and of the whole game;
* allows to restart the last failed mission without returning to the menu;
* adds support of joypad axes;
* allows to confirm/reject the name entered by means of joypad buttons;
* adds [ALT]+[F4] support (Windows only);
* fixes the countdown ticking (the sample was not played when the time limit was less than 1 minute);
* improves/updates the user's manual;
* applies some other changes.

The update is available for free download on the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the website.
Also note that the demo has been updated to reflect the changes as well.

saimo

[saimo]

Hi everybody,

in the hope that this may make somebody happy, I'm back to announce that the popular demand for a digitally delivered version of BOH has been met by making the ISO image of the CD-ROM available for download at the reduced price of just EUR 10.00. Customers will be entitled to buy, at any time, also the physical product by paying just the price difference (EUR 2.50) and the postage.
Moreover, the direct purchase of the boxed version, which continues to be available at the usual price of EUR 12.50, will give immediate access to the downloadable image.
The image contains the most up-to-date versions for AmigaOS, MacOS and Windows, as well as all the expansions released to date.
(Prices do not include VAT 20%.)

http://www.bohthegame.com

[saimo]

Hi all,

quite fittingly, after 4 months since the original release, update4 is made available ;)

Specifically, this update:
* makes the game run natively on Linux (requires an x86 CPU, SDL 1.2 and SDL_mixer-1.2);
* avoids the restart of the whole program upon theme change (very useful when playing in full screen, as the monitor does not need to re-sync);
* adds themes randomization options;
* adds the "USE ENHANCED WEAPONS" option (makes killing enemies easier);
* slows down the blinking of the automapper direction indicator;
* adds video mode suggestions;
* fixes a minor bug in the zoom selection handling (in rare cases it could cause an illegal memory access);
* fixes bad centering at 4x zoom (a couple of parentheses were missing);
* links the AmigaOS version to the latest SDL;
* links the Windows version to a fresh build of the custom framework (by mistake an outdated framework had been used with the consequence that, on some machines, input handling was partially broken);
* includes some graphical retouches to the themes "castle" and "warm";
* adds synopses to the phases of the mission "tougher and tougher";
* updates and improves the user's manual;
* improves some translations;
* applies some other changes.

BOH owners can enjoy the update by downloading it for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the official website.
The demos available on the same page have been updated to reflect the changes.

Enjoy!

[saimo]

Hi all,

I'm having so much fun with BOH that it looks like I can't stop producing updates ;)

Here's what update5 does:
* replaces low obstacles with traps (f.ex. the pools of the theme "default" cause damage to the shield);
* adds dynamic sound to traps animations;
* adds acoustic feedback to shield discharges;
* improves the sound engine policies;
* simplifies and improves the automapper colors (dangerous places are indicated more clearly);
* increases the precision of and optimizes sprites rendering;
* removes pits borders along (transparent) barriers;
* refines video modes suggestions;
* removes the sort-by-name option;
* converts the characters set of themes to full ISO 8859-1;
* retouches the themes graphics slightly;
* improves the terminology;
* reworks some internal aspects of missions and themes for easier development of expansions;
* fixes the handling of alphachannel-less sprites (this bug had no practical consequences because no theme used such kind of graphics);
* adds a new tutorial mission;
* updates and improves the user's manual;
* applies some other changes.

BOH owners can enjoy the update by downloading it for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the official website.
The demos have been updated to reflect the changes.

Enjoy!

[saimo]

Hello, I'm back with the usual piece of news ;)

For even more retro goodness, BOH gets a new theme inspired to vector graphics.

http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-vectors-0T.png http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-vectors-1T.png

The theme can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of BOH's website (http://www.bohthegame.com).

[saimo]

Hi all,

it's about time for another update, isn't it? ;)

update6 is now out and brings the following changes:
* makes the game run natively on AROS (requires an x86 CPU);
* optimizes and improves the field of vision calculation;
* optimizes and improves the lights casting;
* makes some explosive objects cause chain explosions;
* fixes a few minor bugs;
* adds a new mission;
* improves/extends the manuals;
* applies some other changes.

The update can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the official website.
The demos have been updated to reflect the changes.

[Juganawt]

The game reminds me of an old Amiga / PC game called ROTOX

http://hol.abime.net/pic_full/dbs/1201-1300/1284_dbs1.png

not to mention the mode 7 levels in Super Contra / Probotector

http://files.myopera.com/seaempty/blog/SP%20mode%207.png

Looks like fun, I might check it out

[saimo]

The game reminds me of an old Amiga / PC game called ROTOX

http://hol.abime.net/pic_full/dbs/1201-1300/1284_dbs1.png
Somebody else also mentioned ROTOX, but I had never heard of it before. Well, from the screenshots I can see they have in common the overhead+rotating view, but I can't say anything about the gameplay.


not to mention the mode 7 levels in Super Contra / Probotector

http://files.myopera.com/seaempty/blog/SP%20mode%207.png
Another game I hadn't seen before, so I can't say much more :embarrassed:


Looks like fun, I might check it out
Enjoy! BTW, quick suggestion: be patient and don't skip the easy missions, as they'll teach you the basic elements of the game - learning them the easy way will turn out to be very helpful when playing "tougher and tougher", the only "real" mission included in the demo, which is also the only one that, starting from phase #2, gives a good idea of what BOH is ;)

[saimo]

Hello retrogamers,

in the hope that somebody among you will appreciate it, this time around I'm not bringing just an announcement... but also freebies! ;)
If you're curious, read on...


ENTER THE TOUGHER AND TOUGHER CONTEST AND WIN A VERY SPECIAL COPY OF BOH AND MORE!

Participating is as easy as playing the mission "tougher and tougher" (included in both the full game and the demo of BOH) and submitting your records - and it's FREE!

The prizes are:

1st: TOUGHER AND TOUGHER CONTEST EDITION* + digital copy
2nd: regular edition + digital copy
3rd: digital copy
4th-10th: EUR 5.00 discount on the purchase of a copy

*Double-disc box with special inlay holding: regular CD-ROM, regular user's manual, special CD-ROM containing the latest version of the game and all the expansions released to date. THERE IS ONLY A SINGLE COPY OF THIS PACKAGE IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

The contest starts on October 26th, 2009, 0:00 GMT and will last for two weeks.
Don't miss this chance: go to http://www.bohthegame.com/tatc.html and take part to the challenge right now!

IT'S TIME TO SEE WHO'S THE TOUGHEST!

[saimo]

Hi all,

quite simply, let me inform you that today BOH becomes even richer thanks to the update which has just been released.

More specifically, update7:
* adds one-way passages;
* adds flying enemies;
* changes the functioning of teleports: weapons are not inhibited anymore; enemies are not scared away anymore; the activation wait is shorter; enemies are destroyed if they touch the character during teleporting;
* improves the visual feedback of hits in theme "vectors";
* increases the intensity of shot lights;
* fixes some minor glitches in the themes "C64", "default" and "vectors";
* adds the mission "skill challenge";
* retouches several missions (also making use of one-way passages);
* adds the Norwegian translation;
* re-assigns some map characters for an even more logical arrangement and, therefore, an easier development of missions;
* adds graying-out of the menu interface when another application gets the focus;
* extends/improves the manuals;
* applies some other changes/optimizations.

The update can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the official website.
The demos have been updated to reflect the changes.

As usual, enjoy! ;)

[saimo]

Hello,

I've hopped into my Santa Claus costume to bring good news to who'd smile at the idea of finding a copy of BOH under the tree: in fact, from December 8 through January 6, the boxed game will come at just EUR 10.00 and the digital version at just EUR 7.50 (prices do not include VAT 20%)!

But that's not all, as there's a little surprise also for current users: update8 is available right now!
It is a minor service release that:
* fixes the handling of sparks colors (did not take into account the platform pixel format, so on some machines colors could look wrong);
* fixes the disappearance of enemies when hit (happened only in the MacOS version, due to a missing assignment);
* fixes a few errors in the Spanish translation;
* makes some minor changes to the user's manual.

The update can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html#updates) of the official website (http://www.bohthegame.com).
The demos have been updated to reflect the changes.

[punkrockdave]

Any plans to have it run natively on Linux machines? it looks really fun it's just i have fucking around with wINE, such a pain in my ass sometimes

[saimo]

Any plans to have it run natively on Linux machines? it looks really fun it's just i have fucking around with wINE, such a pain in my ass sometimes
First of all, thanks for your appreciation of the game :)
I can understand you don't want to fiddle with Wine and, well, no fear: BOH has been running natively on Linux since August! - if you want, you can download and try the native Linux demo right away ;)

[killersquirel]

I just want to bump this topic and post how freaking awesome this game is. I'm playing it on my mac and it runs flawlessly. The game is on sale now until January 6th, so now is the time to get it. There is a demo on his website to check out how cool the game is, and if anybody is interested I will bring my laptop to the next NAVA for people to try out the full version.

A big thanks goes out to Saimo for making this great game.

-mike

[saimo]

I just want to bump this topic and post how freaking awesome this game is. I'm playing it on my mac and it runs flawlessly. The game is on sale now until January 6th, so nows the time to get it. There is a demo on his website to check out how cool the game is, and if anybody is interested I will bring my laptop to the next NAVA for people to try out the full version.

A big thanks goes out to Saimo for making this great game.

-mike
Wow, thanks a lot for such a great feedback and support! It's a huge pleasure for me to hear people enjoying a lot the game I made with so much passion and love! :love:
Thank you, thank you!

EDIT: indeed, I liked your comment so much that I've quoted it in the REVIEWS+ page (http://www.bohthegame.com/reviews+.html) of BOH's website :)

[saimo]

Ho ho ho! saimo Claus is back with more gifts!

As you can see above, just a week has passed since The Christmas BOH Under The Tree offer begun. Well, given the requests received from less lucky countries, given the way sales have increased and given the fact that the publisher and I want more and more customers to be able to enjoy the full, physical product, the offer has been pushed even further: the price of the boxed version of BOH has been set to exactly that of the digital version - a shockingly low EUR 7.50*! - and who bought the digital version is given the possibility of receiving the physical package at home by paying just the postal expenses*!

I really hope this will give more people a chance to have fun with BOH :)

*VAT excluded

[saimo]

Hi all,

to celebrate the end of the year that has seen the birth of BOH, the collection of expansions grows with a brand-new, claustrophobically oppressive theme: "underground".
The theme can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page (www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the official website.

http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-underground-0T.png http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-underground-1T.png

This is also a good occasion to present the Instant Reward Initiative: graphic artists have the chance to get a free copy of BOH! For details and to take part to the initiative, please surf to the official thread on Mod DB (http://www.moddb.com/games/boh/forum/thread/instant-rewards-initiative-themes-graphics).

Happy New Year!

[buzz_n64]

reminds me of scud by segasoft, or over head view on some fps games. cool idea.

[saimo]

reminds me of scud by segasoft, or over head view on some fps games. cool idea.
I don't know the game you mention, but I'm happy you like the idea :)

[killersquirel]

I like the new theme. I do like the how you have new music for all the different themes. This game keeps getting better and better!

[saimo]

I like the new theme. I do like the how you have new music for all the different themes. This game keeps getting better and better!
I'm very pleased that you appreciate my efforts :)

[saimo]

Hi all!

Could 2010 be devoid of surprises for BOH players? Of course no ;)

Today sees the release of update9, which:
* adds secret missions, i.e. missions that remain hidden until one or more other missions are completed;
* reworks hidden passages so that they follow the orientation of barriers and are / can be perfectly unified with them;
* re-adds trembling to fixed lights;
* improves video modes suggestions by indicating also the optimal zoom factors;
* forces recalculation of global time also when 0:00;
* retouches themes;
* improves missions "getting started" and "unequal alternatives";
* fixes mission "watch your step!" (it had been left in a test/altered state);
* fixes pits near barriers (in some cases they may have looked weird);
* adds two new missions;
* adds the latest expansions;
* updates the manuals;
* applies various other changes.

The update can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the official website.
The demos have been updated to reflect the changes.

Please also note that, on this occasion, all the other update packages have been reworked: besides better installers/updaters, they now include also all the expansions, so that it is no longer necessary to install the latter manually.

[killersquirel]

I love the new update. This game is amazing fun, and I look forward to future updates.

-mike

[saimo]

I love the new update. This game is amazing fun, and I look forward to future updates.
It feels so nice to see users happy :)

[saimo]

Hi all,

I'm very happy to bring more juicy news, which can be summed up in a couple of words: 10 updates! It's a big achievement which is self-celebrated by the massive amount of improvements brought by update10, released today.

More specifically, this update:
* adds acceleration to the turning of the main character when standing (allows to turn by small degrees and, at the same time, to change totally direction more quickly);
* makes enemy fields harmful like traps;
* adds sound effects to enemy fields and conveyor belts;
* improves the sound volume balancement of clusters of squares (enemy fields, conveyor belts and traps);
* intensifies the hit sparks effect;
* increases a bit the weapons shoot rate (so killing enemies is a bit easier);
* replaces the "USE ENHANCED/STANDARD WEAPONS" option with the "DIFFICULTY: normal/easy" option, which affects also the spawning rate of enemies;
* removes the "ENABLE/DISABLE BARRIERS" option;
* adds the "NAME REQUEST: once / per session / always" option;
* adds walls graphics to the themes "C64", "default" and "warm";
* extends the illumination range of rotating lamps;
* adds music and recoloring of graphics to the mission report screen;
* adds 10 new short pieces of music;
* improves some graphical elements, sound samples and music pieces;
* simplifies menus and adds the number of the non-secret missions;
* modifies the automatic theme switching so that it will not occur after selecting another video mode or another different automatic theme switching option;
* optimizes slightly the graphical engine;
* adds a new secret mission;
* makes some minimal changes to a few missions;
* updates and improves the manuals;
* applies various other changes.

The update can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the official website at www.bohthegame.com.
The demos have been updated to reflect the changes.

Enjoy!

[saimo]

To who likes secrets

Easter is coming and - guess what - there are two Easter eggs hidden in BOH, but nobody found them yet... who will be the first? ;)
(If nobody manages to discover them and anybody is interested, I'll reveal them on Easter.)

[saimo]

Hello,

tomorrow is Easter... and also BOH's birthday! To celebrate such a happy day, I thought it would be nice to let more people get hold of its sexy package at a cheaper cost: so, starting April 4, 2010, worldwide shipping is free for orders of 2 up to 6 copies!* This means that two or more friends can place a single order and receive their copies comfortably at home at the same price they would have paid if they had picked them directly from the shelf of a store! Moreover, the offer extends also to customers of the digital copy, who, as usual, just have to pay the price difference with the physical copy.

Happy Easter to all!

*The offer is not valid for companies. All the copies are sent in the same parcel to a single destination.

[saimo]

Hello,

since more free time is coming with the summer, I thought I'd provide BOH players with some additional fun - and, while at it, I also made it a little bit easier to beginners ;)

So, I have just released the update11, which:
* adds the aiming device (a tool that shows the shooting trajectory);
* allows to restart from the last phase played when difficulty is set to "easy";
* adds 2 new missions;
* refines light casting;
* enriches and extends the menu music of the theme "underground";
* retouches the menu music of the theme "default";
* adds the Danish translation;
* improves the translations;
* fixes the "mood" of the ending;
* updates and improves the manuals;
* applies various other changes.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mO88w4bXySo/TA4vy1cdlOI/AAAAAAAAAFA/MBwuou5ZH-c/s1600/screenshot.png

The update can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page of the official website (http://www.bohthegame.com).
The demos have been updated to reflect the changes.

[saimo]

Hi,

since the previous update brought to surface a couple of nasty bugs (as reported by a few users, whom I wholeheartedly thank), I fixed them and seized the occasion to raise the number of missions to 40 and to add a new translation!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mO88w4bXySo/TBtPzE7tBYI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/wLjL7L1jQrM/s320/1.png

More specifically, this update:
* fixes 2 bugs that could cause crashes;
* adds 2 new secret missions;
* adds the Polish translation;
* applies various other changes.

The update can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page of the official website at http://www.bohthegame.com.
The demos have been updated to reflect the changes.

Finally, a couple of addresses for who wants to follow BOH directly:
* Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BOH/99598418583
* Twitter: http://twitter.com/bohthegame

As always, enjoy!

[saimo]

Hellooo,

for both those who are having a great gaming time now and those who will back at their computers after the summer, here is one more massive update that takes BOH to yet another level :love:

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/224/15672089.png http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/2508/92928365.png

More specifically, this update:
* adds world standings: the game can send automatically the local records to a global server that keeps the real-time standings of all the players in the world who make use of this new feature;
* adds a new tile kind: the message point, i.e. a location that reveals a message (a hint, a riddle, a part of story, etc.);
* uses the messages points to make many missions more intriguing and to improve the tutorial missions (which have also been slightly modified for greater effectiveness);
* adds the theme "pyramid";
* adds 5 new missions;
* adds the possibility of specifying a success epilogue and a failure epilogue for each phase;
* reworks automappers: the more powerful one now covers the same area of the other one, but provides also an alternative rendering mode whereby the map reflects faithfully the actual colors of the tiles;
* makes movements of enemies clearer;
* allows the RM to open locked passages and exits only when facing them;
* removes sidestepping;
* makes [SPACE] the default automapper key;
* makes the alignment of menu texts definable by the theme designer;
* improves a few strings in some translations;
* improves and updates the manuals;
* applies various other changes.

The update can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the official website (http://www.bohthegame.com).
The demos (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html#demo) have been updated to reflect the changes.

As always, enjoy ;)

[saimo]

Little notice to all

Unfortunately, yesterday, not long after the announcement of update13, the provider did some maintenance and this made BOH's website (http://www.bohthegame.com) unreachable for some hours. Sorry for the inconvenience. The website now can be accessed without problems (hopefully).

[c0ldb33r]

any chance of getting this as a xbla / psn title?

[saimo]

any chance of getting this as a xbla / psn title?

No, sorry, that's not possible.

[Jorpho]

I see this game is on sale on Impulse this weekend:
http://impulsedriven.com/boh

Would someone other than Samio care to offer his endorsement at this time?

[saimo]

I see this game is on sale on Impulse this weekend:
http://impulsedriven.com/boh

Ah, yes...


Would someone other than Samio care to offer his endorsement at this time?

Just look at what Killersquirell said here at post #37 (http://box422.bluehost.com/~videogc7/forum/showthread.php?p=1653363), or have a look at the comments gathered in this page (http://www.bohthegame.com/reviews+.html) ;)

[saimo]

Hi everybody,

this time I'm disturbing you for a little request - I hope I'm not doing any harm.

I'd like to invite who deems BOH worthy of such request to vote for it in the first phase of the Indie of the Year Awards (only the first 50 games pass the phase).
To vote it's enough to go to BOH's page on Indie DB (http://www.indiedb.com/games/boh) and click on the big VOTE FOR THIS INDIE button. Important note: who is registered on Indie/Mod DB should vote after logging in, as his/her vote will count more.

Thanks for your time and, obviously, for voting!

[saimo]

Hello,

I'm very happy to report that BOH passed the first round of the Indie of the Year Awards! :)

Now, if you wish to help BOH make it to the finals, just:
1. go here (http://www.indiedb.com/events/2010-indie-of-the-year-awards/top100);
2. click on the "Adventure" category in the "TOP 100 RELEASED INDIES OF 2010" list;
3. locate BOH's line (it should be the third);
4. click on "VOTE".
(And, if you can, spread the word!)
It's easy and, like before, no registration is required!

Thanks once again!

P.S. I'm seizing the chance to inform you that I've recently released a 20-minute game session video - if you'd like to give it a look, go here (http://www.bohthegame.com/videos.html).

[saimo]

Hello people,

of course, you wouldn't expect me to let the year end without giving BOH players one freebie, would you? ;) The 14th update is now out! It ups the total number of missions to a whopping 50 (for many tens of hours of play), brings a few enhancements and makes life easier to who enjoys creating his own missions!

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7194/screenshotc643n.png

More specifically, this update:
* reworks the advanced automapper (the realistic mode has been replaced with the fullscreen view, which allows to see more; the controls have been made more comfortable);
* improves the video modes suggestions;
* allows terminating map lines with CR+LF;
* improves error logging;
* improves the graphics of blocks in theme "C64";
* adds 5 new missions;
* retouches slightly a few missions;
* retouches slightly the Spanish translation;
* updates the manuals;
* applies various other changes.

The update can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html) of the official website (http://www.bohthegame.com).
The demos (http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html#demo) have been updated to reflect the changes.

Enjoy!

[Jorpho]

I suspect people will be much more interested to know that it is on sale on Impulse again this weekend.

[saimo]

I suspect people will be much more interested to know that it is on sale on Impulse again this weekend.

Actually, this is something I didn't know myself @_@
Thanks for pointing it out.

[saimo]

I suspect people will be much more interested to know that it is on sale on Impulse again this weekend.

Well, your remark gives me the occasion to inform them about another special opportunity, as the update released a few days ago was not the only surprise in store for Christmas ;)

Starting today, BOH comes at ridiculously low price!
In fact, who fancies the idea of receiving a nice boxed copy of BOH comfortably at home, only needs EUR 8.99, for Italy, or EUR 14.99, for any other place in the world! - and that's including taxes and shipping!
And, of course, there's a surprise also for who is perfectly happy with a digital copy: downloading the full game costs only EUR 4.99!
You'll never ever get so much for so little, so, if you're looking forward to lots of gaming fun during the upcoming holidays, don't let this extraordinary opportunity pass you by!

(Please note that this offer supercedes any previous offer and pricing scheme.)

Cheers!

[killersquirel]

I'm bumping this thread to let people know that this is a great game and is one to get if you haven't purchased it already.

-mike

[saimo]

I'm bumping this thread to let people know that this is a great game and is one to get if you haven't purchased it already

Mike, I can't find the words to express my gratitude :cheers:

[killersquirel]

Mike, I can't find the words to express my gratitude :cheers:

No worries. Thanks for making a great, fun game.

To those that haven't played it yet, I just tried the new (to me) feature of submitting your fastest times to the website. This is a great new feature and the times update in realtime. This is a great challenge, and I'm throwing down the gauntlet and challenging every Digital Press forum member to get the fastest times. If you beat me at a level, post it here and wait for your time to be beaten!

-mike

[saimo]

To those that haven't played it yet, I just tried the new (to me) feature of submitting your fastest times to the website. This is a great new feature and the times update in realtime.
Glad to hear you like that feature :)
Here's a link for convenience of the readers: online standings (http://www.bohthegame.com/standings.php).

I noticed your records were submitted with three different names, so I took the liberty to gather them all under the name "MIKE" - if you prefer a different one, just let me know.
(By the way, in case you don't already know, you can configure the game to ask your name once and for all: in the options menu, set name request to once.)


This is a great challenge, and I'm throwing down the gauntlet and challenging every Digital Press forum member to get the fastest times. If you beat me at a level, post it here and wait for your time to be beaten!

Ha, great attitude!
Some of the guys at the top of the charts did actually fight against each other and, in fact, they managed to set quite amazing times!

[chicnstu]

A few days ago, I was looking around Google News for video game related announcements and noticed this in the sidebar on Joystiq.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-boh/

Really cool, congratulations.

[saimo]

A few days ago, I was looking around Google News for video game related announcements and noticed this in the sidebar on Joystiq.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/02/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-boh/
Yes, that interview appeared a few days ago.


Really cool, congratulations.
Thanks :)

[killersquirel]

[QUOTE=saimo;1796719]Glad to hear you like that feature :)
Here's a link for convenience of the readers: online standings (http://www.bohthegame.com/standings.php).

I noticed your records were submitted with three different names, so I took the liberty to gather them all under the name "MIKE" - if you prefer a different one, just let me know.
(By the way, in case you don't already know, you can configure the game to ask your name once and for all: in the options menu, set name request to once.)

If it's possible to change my name to killersquirel (all in lowercase) that would be great. I originally used mike because it was on my own computer, but I think it would be easier to see that it is me as killersquirel. Thanks.

-mike

[saimo]

If it's possible to change my name to killersquirel (all in lowercase) that would be great. I originally used mike because it was on my own computer, but I think it would be easier to see that it is me as killersquirel. Thanks.
Sure, no problem. Done ;)

[saimo]

Hi all,

I'm extremely happy to celebrate BOH's 3rd birthday by informing you that I have just released the 15th and final update, which brings even more contents and improvements!

http://www.bohthegame.com/data/screenshot-C64-7N.png

More specifically, this update:
* adds 5 missions;
* adds the Dutch translation;
* optimizes even further the rendering engine;
* replaces the transition effect with a cooler one;
* centers the graphics vertically when playing in a screen bigger than the game area;
* allows providing just alphamask files for all the graphics of themes;
* replaces icons with bigger and crisper ones;
* allows to configure the URL for the submissions of records to the online world standings (so that, in future, standings will remain accessible also if the URL changes);
* updates the manuals;
* applies various other minor optimizations/fixes.

The update can be downloaded for free from the DOWNLOADS page of the official website at www.bohthegame.com.
The demos have been updated to reflect the changes.

[saimo]

Hi all,

I'd like to let you know that, thanks to the warm and positive feedback received, today I have released the BOH soundtrack, in a deluxe package prepared with the same meticulous care that characterizes BOH throughout.

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/7559/cdmockups.png

The package contains:
* 18 tracks (6 menu tunes, 6 failure jingles and 6 success jingles, for a total of over 11 minutes) in CD quality;
* a print-quality, jewel case-format, 8-page booklet which accompanies the reader on an aural journey through the mazes of BOH;
* a print-quality, jewel case-format, double-sided inlay;
* a color serigraphy for high-quality CD stickers and pressed CD labels;
* a black-and-white serigraphy for LightScribe labels.

Everybody can download the soundtrack for free from http://www.bohthegame.com/downloads.html.

(Note: the picture is only a mockup of how a real CD would look like.)

[Jorpho]

Does Impulse still have the most recent version?

I must confess I never got around to trying this, despite purchasing it. (Have you not tried to get it on Steam, or in one of the various Indie bundles?)