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herc
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icon The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (+2)  
youtube-video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvJNDoRY0Tc&fmt=18

highres video: http://www.coreloop.com/dump/game_of_robot_junior_walkthrough_of_first_few_rooms.avi [35 MB]

download link: http://www.tom-games.de/beta/GameOfRobotFull099RC40.exe [2 MB](single executable, runs directly, no installation)


First of all - yes - you can see this as blatant advertisement for a game. a very special one. one, that is my alltime favourite, that filled hours of my youth, and one that i occasionally enjoy from time to time, often beeing tempted to play it through again and again. so - what i am talking about?

its imho the perfect blend of a puzzle game, combined with exploration of a huge world, some action (bug hunting) and some rpg elements. not to forget - it has a story as well.

well, and here comes the downfall - it german only. but - you definitely should try it anyway - its really worth it -and there is google translator / dict.cc .

the common sense is that part III, taking place on a huge island with over 80 "rooms" is the best part of the series. here a screenshot of the first scene:



and here - spoiler warning - is a link showing the huge game world map:

http://www.game-of-robot.de/maps/robot3/look/gross/k_r3.htm

dont look too long if you want to play this gem!

why do i am posting this game here? first, because i think that some of you will love it, second, because i love drod and even more love the new drod rpg, but STILL feel that drod rpg is not really the game i would like to play. drod rpg is on the right way, but its not exactly what would satisfy me. i will try to explain what i feel missing later.

back to robot - one last word: its more than 10 years old now, but the original author ported it from dos to win32 , so it runs perfectly on any modern windows pc. here is a download link:

http://www.tom-games.de/games/GameOfRobotInstall.exe [2 mbytes]

here is a fan page with lots of screenshots etc: (german only, sorry):

(warning - some midi music ahead, tune down speakers)
http://www.game-of-robot.de/

english translation with google:

game-of-robot.de - english


some more screenshots from other episodes:

robot junior:


robot II:


robot IV:


note - the game is shareware, but you can play a fair amount of the game - i would say at least one third of each episode. robot junior is free, but only has 15 rooms or so.

please tell me if you like that game series. just wanted to share.

[Last edited by herc at 12-07-2008 09:37 AM]
12-04-2008 at 08:31 PM
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jdyer
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icon Re: The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (0)  
I tried it and was promptly baffled (and I even know a little German). Could you give a little more background on how to play?
12-05-2008 at 01:51 PM
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herc
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icon Re: The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (+1)  
wich episode did you played first? well, even though i suggested episode III, because it is simply the best and most beautiful, you probably should start with robot junior.

so here is a quickstart tutorial:

1. start GameOfRobot.exe .
2. klick on the big button "Robot Junior". you get the startscreen:



3. Press Enter or klick right Mousebutton. you will get the Startmenue:



F1 == HELP
F2 == Background Story
F3 == new game
F7 == Load savegame
F9 == quit game
@M == turn music on / off
@return == fullscreen on / off

4. Select "Spielstart" / F4 to start a new game

now you are promted to enter your nick name:



enter your name or nick and press enter. now press enter again to close the box that shows the name of the room.

5. welcome to the first room. here you find some very basic push - puzzles ala sokoban.



go get all the gold (move your avatar with the cursor keys)
cleveryl push the grey blocks to get the clock symbol (allows saving) and try to get a acid bottle and the "!" the "!" gives you information on every object.


^^image: just collected the acid bottle. the text says:

"in this small bottle there is an aggressive fluid, that can corride walls. but only some sort of walls".


if you have collected an item, you can access it via your backpack. to open your backpack, press ENTER:


^^image: the backpack, opened with enter. navigate with cursor keys, select an item, and then choose "benutzen" (use item) or "ablegen" (to deposit).

here, i just used the acid bottle on a wall:




6. head south and go to the "Raum der ersten Prüfung" (room of the first exam)



find your way through the arrow labyrinth and collect gold and especially the key. (press ALT + "T" to show keys in black with numbers - its easier to see then)

7. well - now go on and try to explore and conquer all rooms ! good luck !



Some more notes: GameOfRobot has some action elements. there are monsters that will hunt you. normally, you can escape them, because you are faster. but if the game is "too much action" or runs simply to fast , try pressing

ALT + "2"

or any number from 1 to 5 to adjust speed of your avatar and of the monsters. this is especially helpful in situations, where you wait for monsters to die, while you are in a save spot. press ALT+"9" for maximum speed. monsters usually die, if they are in a tight spot or run into electric fences or pricky shrubs.

12-05-2008 at 02:31 PM
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herc
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icon Re: The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (+2)  
some items explained:

this is the acid bottle. it is helpful to destroy some brick walls.

the bank. here you can convert gold and platin into points. points are important to pass some "point barriers".


with the dealer you can trade gold and platin into useful items.

the door that opens with key 1.

the key number two.

an electric fence. dont run into it, you will die. but its an good idea to guide monsters into the fence - then they will die.

eating the garlic will hold away the monsters for a while.

stepping over this item will teleport you throgh the room to a random place. this might teleport you over walls and water.

stepping into a skull will surround you with electric fences. often a deadly situation, it can be handy if monsters are near.

drinking this bottle will refresh your life points.


some more items, from left to right and top to bottom:
1. heart - makes a clone of you
2. blue suit - protects for electric shock ( the fences)
3. ammunition - stones for your sling shot
4. some old script - contains hints about game and secret rooms. google translator is your friend here
5. christmas tree - opens doors that are closed because of living monsters
6. the slingshot - kill monsters with stones
7. a monster hole - stepping over it will awake a monster
8. a spell book



12-05-2008 at 02:56 PM
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jdyer
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icon Re: The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (0)  
What's the clone useful for? I've run across it a couple times and am not sure what to do with it.
12-06-2008 at 02:04 PM
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herc
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icon Re: The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (+1)  
the clone of your avatar is only useful in situations, where you are near monsters. monsters will run into your clone and die (the clone dies too) - and thats better than if you die ;-)

by the way, i have made a short walkthrough video of the first few rooms from robot junior:

Youtube Robot Junior Walkthrough Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvJNDoRY0Tc&fmt=18




[Last edited by herc at 12-07-2008 09:37 AM]
12-06-2008 at 02:28 PM
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herc
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icon Re: The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (+1)  
Here is the original version of the short walkthrough video in high resolution, much better than youtube:

http://www.coreloop.com/dump/game_of_robot_junior_walkthrough_of_first_few_rooms.avi [35 mbyte, 7 minutes, xvid codec]

Description:
A short Walkthrough through the first few rooms, showing you how to play that game. Note how to deal with the monsters: just put yourself in a safe place, barricade your self through depositing some items from your backpack and wait. to shorten the time till monsters die, press ALT+9 to increase game speed.
note that monsters usually die in tight spots, like long and narrow alleys.
12-06-2008 at 02:33 PM
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herc
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icon Re: The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (+1)  
did you know? you can view the highres - version of youtube videos just by adding "&fmt=18" (without the quotes) to the end of an youtube - url.

so, here is the game-of-robot-video in high resolution:

youtube-video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvJNDoRY0Tc&fmt=18

maybe i will ad some more videos lateron. i hope at least a few of you enjoy robot - and please dont get angry about the action element in robot - just try to stay away from the monsters, lateron in the game you will get the slingshot, with that you can easily kill the more nasty monsters like the snakes or androids.
12-07-2008 at 09:40 AM
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goldenferret
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icon Re: The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (+1)  
I've gone over most of these games, and I like them. Even though they still have blocky DOS graphics, the gameplay is mostly solid. Here are a few things I don't like:

* The way that enemies are killed is very random: sometimes a lone enemy will die within seconds of being trapped in a 1-square-wide hallway; other times it takes a whole minute, even on the highest speed.

* In certain rooms (for example, the Chaos Arena in Robot Junior), it is a decent challenge to kill all the enemies; however, having to backtrack to this room and kill them all again is incredibly tiresome. Why can't your enemies just stay dead?

* Enemies regenerate, but the electric fence you usually use to kill them does not (the second room on Robot I). It is annoying to have to come back to the room and get locked in until the enemies are killed when there is no electric fence left.

* I can't read German; this isn't a stroke against the game, but it becomes very difficult to play. This game seems to be primarily a game of knowledge and piecing together information; at one point in Robot Junior (or Robot, maybe) I came across a wandering trader who was selling puzzle pieces shaped like me. I figured that if I collected all of them I would get a nice item, like a new numbered key perhaps. I accidentally dropped one in a hallway and it became a solid, pushable object. I didn't plan on this; I accidentally backed it irretrievably in a corner. I had no clue whether I could get a new one or not because I couldn't read German. In another instance, I found a pile of little steel balls; I figured they were slingshot ammo. I left them down on the ground to kill some enemies; however, they walked into the balls and they shot out at me, wasting one of my precious lives.

(However, if this "TOM-GAMES" company is open to it, I would love to draw up a translation. :smile )

Other than that, these games are very interesting; if an English translation comes out, I might buy them.

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01-10-2009 at 01:12 AM
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Stoney
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icon Re: The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (0)  
It appears to be a nice litte game, although i dont quite get it yet. ;) However, 35 Euro seems a little bit too overprized for me, 15 would be enough for a game this age.

[Last edited by Stoney at 04-01-2009 01:44 PM]
04-01-2009 at 01:43 PM
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herc
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icon Re: The Game of Robot Series - an overseen puzzle gem! (0)  
for starters, try to avoid the monsters if possible. try to find keys to progress further in the game. you will certainly need to restart often. dont forget to save alot, because in this game you can - very similiar to drod-rpg - run into dead ends.

yes - the pricing is not optimal, and the programmers were often critizised for this. but if you get into the game and get hooked, you will soon see that the depth of gameplay and the well crafted levels (better lets say: nearly continuous world) are still worth their money, despite the old EGA - 16 color graphics.

at least, you can try to solve robot junior, that is completely free. i would suggest buying just one episode, and that is episode "robot III" on that pacific island. its by far the best episode.

@goldenferret: the enemy respawning problem is really annoying, i must agree.

but there is a (sortof) "solution": barricade yourself behind items that you carry in your backpack. if the monsters approach you, they will die out of boredom, especially if they must approach you through a narrow alley. to speed it up, press ALT+9 to speed up the game, and to slow down press ALT+3 or 4. (see the video for example how to deal with the monsters)

04-01-2009 at 02:12 PM
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