Hi, only wanted to tell you, I loved this post. Carry on
publishing!

So, this is Sokoban without nice graphics?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokoban
The screen shots look vaguely like something the SFX people would have designed for "WarGames" screens in the late 1970's, screens from the movie "WarGames" not from games.
I did download this once when it first came out. She never touched it. I never did find out why.
Thanks, GaotD and Vertigo but I'll pass.
Have a truly wonderful Christmas, everyone and a spectacularly fabulous New Year. {{{Hugs}}}

Not a bad game, challenging from the start as clouds are produced simultaneously from different directions. The screen type and color really brings to mind the olden days radar screens and they suit the game and add a touch of reality. It's a good thing I've played lots of keyboard games before as I couldn't find the way to exit the game and then I remembered that the escape key used to be a prime candidate for exiting games.

It's not a bad game for such simplistic game play. I do think people are judging it a bit too harsh for the graphics and method of control. That said, it isn't something I would ever pay for. It's nice to spend a few minutes on and it's definitely an intriguing idea, but not much more than that. It would probably do great as one of those free flash games.

But NOTHING in your description this morning tell us what you DO in the game. What kind of game play IS IT? I'm still clueless!

You have to play with the KEYBOARD? How is that a +++PLUS++++? I haven't played a game with the keyboard in - WHAT? - 20 years?

You had 13 (THIRTEEN!) suggestions to the developer! That is far FAR more then you have EVER EVER EVER had for ANY ANY ANY other game.

And the graphics! WOW! What can one say about that mess? The graphics are the color of PUKE people! PUKE! Why the heck would you make something that color?

Really, White Rabbit? You wonder why people won't download a game like this? Most people probably don't make it pass the first screenshot that makes it appear that the game was made in DOS back in the 1980's.

Wow!


.............................Moderator comment...........................

Read my In Brief description - that tells you what type of game it is and it also tells you what you do, i.e successfully manoeuvre pollution clouds from factories to one of many air cleansing facilities using the keyboard (used to be mouse, but keyboard controls were found to be more appropriate) while avoiding touching you or the high pressure winds; plus I list the controls

greenTech+



In Brief :

greenTech+ is a strategy game released by Vertigo games and updated from greenTech to the + version (see below for differences between the original and the + version). The aim of greenTech+ is to successfully maneuver pollution clouds from factories to one of many air cleansing facilities using the keyboard (used to be mouse, but keyboard controls were found to be more appropriate) while avoiding touching you or the high pressure winds. Touching these increases global warming.

Installation:


The greenTech+ zip file when downloaded is 18.4 MB in size. It unpacks to a read me and a wrapped setup file (the orange colored file with the key symbol), plus there's a setup file with security (setup.gcd) that's protected from being hacked (because the previous giveaway system was easily cracked). This file may cause some security software to alert the user to a possible malware attack, but it will be a false positive.

The game giveaway team check all game giveaways for malware using several well known anti -malware suites. There has never been a game giveaway infected with malware since the project started back in Dec 2006. (The owners know that allowing such things would compromise their business, so they make sure all software given away via the giveaway and gamegiveaway sites are thoroughly checked for all types of malware before allowing community members to download any files.


Some community members have been having problems installing games since the security software was added. It's been found that turning off your security temporarily or configuring it to accept the setup.cgd file usually sorts the problem out.

To register and install the game, click on the orange colored icon. The installed game requires approx 10.2 MB of disk space and installs to the following path:



C:\Program Files (x86)\greenTech+ (64bit)

C:\Program Files\greenTech+ (32bit)


(If the install path shows the last game giveaway installed you need to clear your internet cache) you'll also find a shortcut in the Start Menu for an uninstaller.

Shortcuts are installed to the desktop and Start Menu/Programs list where you’ll also find an uninstaller.

The installed folder has no folders containing music or other files just the games executable and an uninstaller, so if you wanted to change the music you'd need an editor capable of opening up the executable, then you'd have to find the specific script associated with the music and any references to the in game music that you could find.



The game works in XP, Vista, Win 7 and Win 8/8.1. It will start up automatically when the installation wizard has completed unless you uncheck the box that says 'Start greenTech+'.

Introduction :



GreenTech+ was originally given away Nov 27 2010 where it received a positive user rating of 31% out of 375 votes and 28 comments, which you can read HERE, then it was given away a second time
The last time it was given away July 2011 it received a positive 34% out of 264 votes with 22 comments, which you can read HERE

There is no indication that today’s game giveaway is a newer version to the previous one given away.

greenTech+ has been redesigned to be a more action-oriented game, putting players in charge of a hurricane that can steer polluted winds into cleansing factories. But be careful, because if that cloud hits a high pressure zone, it gets dispersed into the atmosphere, causing global warming to go up. Once global warming reaches 100%, its game over.

The new keyboard controls in this game puts the hurricane on a grid instead of mouse control, giving the player better control of the game. This also enabled the developer to pack levels to the breaking point with a ton of obstacles and factories, even more than the original. Not only that, the developer has packed in thirty levels with fifty un-lockable monitors! If you thought greenTech was hard, well, greenTech+ isn’t quite as hard in the beginning and then ramps up a bit before being really hard. But it’s a much more natural progression than the original was.

Now I know what you’re thinking: man, if only this game utilized some form of 3D! Well, the developer has news for you: (A) that’s a really weird thing to think about, and (B) greenTech+ has built in 3D support! Now, if there’s one thing I don’t like about red/blue glasses, it’s that the colour is all washed out from the image. Well, given that greenTech had no colour to begin with, this 3D works better than I think any other game out there with anaglyph support.

Edited reference and images accessed HERE on the 27th Nov 2010

The Game:



You can change the colour of the screen display while in game via the options menu. There are 50 different screen colours such as red, sepia, orange, white, teal and even anaglyph screens that give you a 3D effect if you have those red and green glasses., but each one has to be unlocked by completing a level first. Each successive level you complete will unlock one of the screen types/colors. The game comprises of a set of three tutorials (you can see all of these via the link I’ve provided in the images section below), which have to be worked through before you can start a new game. These are avoided if you are returning to a previous game. Once you’ve worked through the tutorials (basically reading several pages and navigating through them using the X key) you start with tier one levels. There are six tiers each one getting successively harder.. The following are the key bindings you will need to know, though they are always displayed on the screen, so there’s no need to memorize them.



Controls

Arrow/cursor keys – Navigate through menus and levels
X – load game or next page
S – toggle music
E – options
Q – levels
Z – New game or credits

In Game Controls



Esc – close game
X – Move clouds faster
Z – Move clouds slower
Arrow/Cursor keys – Move

greenTech+ is a strategy game released by Vertigo games and recently updated from greenTech to the + version (see below for differences between the original and the + version). The aim of greenTech+ is to successfully manoeuvre pollution clouds from factories to one of many air cleansing facilities using your mouse while avoiding touching you or the high pressure winds. Touching these increases global warming. Although the message about global warming is present, it is small enough that the player could ignore it if he or she felt they needed too.

greenTech takes a step back from many of Mr.Chubigans other impressive works of art, not because it's not good, far from it. But because it remains a stunning piece of art while staying both casual and simple. This is certainly not a bad thing, as the game play included in greenTech is easy enough to understand that it could be enjoyed by people of many ages while being in-depth enough that even the most hard-core of gamers could sink their teeth into. Before playing, the game requires you to complete the tutorial which although is very easy to understand, can occasionally feel like it drags along a bit and takes too long which isn't ideal for a casual game. However, overall the game play is easy to pick up but as with all good games, challenging to master.

The art style in greenTech is very unique as it attempts to mimic the graphic style of the old excessively green, flickering CRT screens seen in the early 70s. Thankfully, the game does this very well with simple and elegant graphics complementing the game play nicely. The game includes no particle effects as such to keep the graphics style simple. For some people it may feel as though the game features too much green however for the most part the game gets away with its innovative art style very well.

In addition to the unusual graphics (by today’s standards) and unique game play, greenTech +also features an excellent soundtrack. Most people would probably expect some dorky 8-bit tune to coincide with the graphics, however thankfully this is not the case as the game includes a beautiful 11 minute classical soundtrack that almost makes the whole process feel romantic.

.Reference and images accessed HERE on 26th Nov 2010





Images



You can see all the tutorial screens plus some in game images showing a selection of the different color schemes you can choose once they are unlocked accessed HERE



Video :

You can see videos of greenTech+ game play HERE , HERE , HERE and HERE

GreenTech + forums



If you have any issues or bugs with greenTech+ you can post them in Vertigo’s greenTech+ forums which you’ll find HERE.



Conclusion



I was quite surprised when GreenTech+ only got 31% and 34% positive votes the previous times this was given away. With one of the lowest number of downloads since the game giveaway side of the project began just over 7 years ago. As with all Vertigo games you can expect something different from the usual match three, hidden object or time management game, which for me is one of the reasons I like this game. There’s nothing wrong with those genres. I have loads of examples from all three of the mentioned genres, but there comes a time when there’s very little you can do to add more originality to an already oversubscribed genre, well at least with the technology we have at the moment. So I found GreenTech + rather refreshing once I’d got over the initial confusion over controlling the game. The in game tutorial is self explanatory, you just have to make sure you follow it through a couple of times to pick up the gist of the game. Once done, it’s quite a decent and pleasant game to play. Try exploring the various screen colors, and, if you have the old fashioned 3D glasses, check them out to.

The retro graphics and classical music may put some players off this game, but don’t let that happen, this is an excellent game that I'd say is ideal for filling those moments when you can't decide what to play, or are looking for something totally original. It's not earth shatteringly brilliant, but it definitely has a charm of it's own. It was released by Vertigo back in 2009 and in my opinion deserves a place in any serious gamers indie games folder. The need for 3D glasses for some parts of the game is a bit of a downer if you don't own any, but they are not essential as you can still play these levels due to the monochrome feel to the game, plus you don't necessarily need to use the 3D effect as there are loads of different skins to choose from (em>once you've unlocked them). The 3D effect just adds a different flavor to the game.

It’s possible to buy those glasses from some toy stores, or more easier, order them from Amazon.; (I got some for the kids when I bought them a 3D poster several years ago and, until were moved recently the glasses were always conveniently stuck to the bottom of the poster with blue tack. :) They are the traditional green and red lens glasses, (or blue and red), not the more modern grey ones you now get when you go to see a 3D movie. You could even adapt an old pair of glasses by using acetate sheets which are readily available from arts and crafts stores.



Score:

Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 6
Audio/Sound Effects: 7
Help/Tutorials: 7
Originality: 9
Replayability: 7

Total score 42 out of 60


So, overall I’d give greenTech + 7 out of 10 for originality and solid game play. Unfortunately it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but personally I think it’s worth at least one more point, but then, I like unusual games. Give me something like this compared to a Time Management or HOG any day. (I've never liked Time Management games apart from Alawars Farm Frenzy series, one of which we got last week and I over did Hidden Object games a few years ago when I was Beta testing arcade games; that said I still like the better ones like the 'Dream Chronicles' series

My advice is, don't let the graphics put you off this game and at least give it a try. Once you've mastered the game you may find it quite rewarding.





Suggestions to the developer:


1) ... Add more events to the game including attacks by alien space craft that try to destroy the cleansing factories. This would give the game more re-playability and add some new points of interest; also opening the game up to shmup fans.
2) ... Include a levels editor
3) ... Create a multi-colored level or re-create the game in full color graphics; this could either be a total replacement for this game or an add-on
4) ... Add different types of storm clouds that have different effects
5) ... Include difficulty levels
6) ... Add a better tutorial, maybe a video tutorial accessible from a help menu, plus a document detailing all the nuances of the game plus walkthroughs for those who find it too hard to cope with.
7) .. Release the game as open source so that it could be modded by the gaming community
8 ) ... Enable the user to toggle off the radar effect that causes the screen to flicker.
9) ... Create multi language versions
10) ... Add some mini games
11) ... Include achievements and awards
12) ... Include some secret levels
13) ... Include power-ups

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Games, Games, and yet more Games plus Download, Installation & Game play Problems:


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You'll find many more game deals over on Desura, Gamefly
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