Alan B-Day
Release type: Freeware
Release date: February 6, 1994
Levels: 2
Author: Adam Tyner
Related games: Alan!, Alan '95, Alan '96, Bear Fun Show, Blip!
In 1992 and 1993 Alan Caudel bestowed upon his friend Adam Tyner a bespoke Game-Maker game for his birthday. For 1994 he took a break from the tradition, which left a space to fill. In turn, Tyner designed two games for Caudel's birthday: a top-down adventure game in the mode of Sample, and a side-scrolling platformer. Alan B-Day is the latter.
From the control setup (and one later development, that we will come to), it is clear that Tyner had little previous experience with a side-scroller. Unlike nearly all side-view Game-Maker games, Alan B-Day does not use the standard 7/8/9 numerical keypad arrangement for jumping; rather, reasonably enough, it has just a single jump button. Although in isolation this mapping makes sense, the end effect is that jumping horizontally is quite difficult. You need to gain enough height that when you start to walk left or right, you can reach your destination before gravity builds up too much momentum on the character.
The reason it's so clear that this is either Tyner's first experiment with a platformer or close to it is that his other clearly early platformer, Bear Fun Show, which shares many of its resources with Alan B-Day, already adopts the standard control scheme. In some ways Bear Fun Show comes off like a quick do-over of Alan B-Day, with only some minor differences.
The most major of those differences is the degree of verticality in the two games. Ironically, considering the challenge that jumping presents in Alan B-Day, the game hides many of its secrets in the sky. There are trees to climb and leap between, trampolines that launch Alan onto high platforms. Though few of these acrobatics are necessary, they do add interest to the environments. The player is left to balance the cost and benefit: just move forward, or risk the frustration in trying to explore? You may find something neat, but how much of a headache will it give you?
Aside from that control issue, the game has a clean, direct style to it that makes it easy to like. It's a learning game, with emerging understanding of tiles and animation, and of basic level design.
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|---|---|---|
| Alan! | Alan B-Day | Alan '95 |
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Story[edit]
You are Alan Caudel! It's your birthday and you're having your party on the dock! However, you must traverse your yard and watch out for Bear, knives, anvils, and floating eyes. Pick up comics to gain points, statues to gain lives, corn to gain energy, and cash to gain well...cash!
Look for me by the dock and you've won!
Instructions[edit]
Press
- SPACE to throw a pencil,
- left and right to go left and right,
- up to jump,
- p to pick up stuff, and
- d to drop stuff.
Have fun!
Credits[edit]
by Adam Tyner
'Nuff said.
Availability[edit]
This game is not known to have been distributed in any form, prior to its addition to the Archive.
Archive History[edit]
After an earlier wave of rediscoveries, on July 13 2011 Alan Caudel provided another archive of previously missing Game-Maker material, including the following:
Links[edit]
Downloads[edit]
- Alan B-Day (125 kB)
