Avant-Garde
Currently in playable alpha version, Avant-Garde is a narrative simulation/RPG where you play a burgeoning artist in the Paris art scene of the 19th century. Create your own artwork to sell or display in Le Salon, rub elbows with famed artists such as Manet, Monet, Picasso and Dali, and learn more about art history as you participate in impressionism, surrealism or even create your own art movements. While still incomplete, there is already much here to satisfy both the gamer and artist in you.
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Game of the week
I love that this is such a compelling experience -- albeit a bit of a grinder -- that involves no martial conflict, only the internal struggle to improve the self. This is hardcore proof that a game need not be about good guys and bad guys to be worth playing. My favorite aspects of Zelda were always the puzzles; my favorite casual genres are hidden object and escapes; the best platformers are about exploration. More game designers need to be focusing on the less confrontational aspects of "conflict".
Also, I love how the author takes the time to present something intelligent and culturally significant. We are learning great amounts of technical details about creating art and about a hugely important time in western cultural history. The author gives the player credit for being intelligent enough to appreciate this, and with the wikipedia links, credit for being curious enough to want to expand our own experience. How many games just assume that the player needs hand-holding, or that he cannot deal with any greater complexity than "bad guys are bad"?
This is a sterling effort.
Very cool, and very, very original. I would like more of an experience in the actual creation of the art though.
Spent twelve years drinking with various artists, got several thousands in debt, then scrawled terrible naked pictures and sold them until I had drinking money again.
100% accurate simulation of the life of an artist.
Great concept, can't wait to see what more is done with it.
My first character was a classical artist and got works into shows far before they knew how to do good art. They just happened to be into the right style.
It was totally heartbreaking that my second character consistently created masterpieces, experimented with new techniques, and wrote a manifesto for their own revolutionary new style, and died in obscurity.
I wish there was more plot, and perhaps different rewards depending on what decisions you make (some characters could become wealthy and famous, while others might be discovered and celebrated only decades after their deaths).
I like this beautifully made game, but interaction with different characters seems a little limited.
I miss the links to events as the commune of paris in 1871 which had a huge impact on the life of artist (but also to all other inhabitants of paris).
Is it just me (or my firefox, my flash player, whatever)..?
When I create my character, the picture frame doesn't offer any choice, it's empty. I'm faceless..
And as I tried my first picture, there was nothing showing either.. only the comments from the other painters.
Is it the same for everyone, aka the game is constructed like this (a bit meh, and would be weird), or is my browser setting wired wrongly somehow?
As I pointed out in the review, this game is still in alpha so several aspects are incomplete as of yet. Once it's finished or added to, we'll update as soon as possible. ;)
In the meantime, you can play this version for a demo of what's to come. Also, after the opening dialogues (where you will get 50 coins if you don't bet against Manet), you can go back to the Atelier to finish your artwork and create some more.
@elle: thank you ^^ - true it's alpha. gonna try painting in the dark then XD
Beautiful artwork along with atmosphere. Downside is that I know neither if I am a male or female and what does the respective statistics do. Still, nice game.
Aww it finished. I started over and by the end..when it ended, it makes quite an impact. Having 100 gold stars, 8 gold medal masterpieces, and yet that ending event made all for naught. *** ruins things.
I'm really happy that the game didn't tell me if I was male or female. It allowed me to play an androgynous character, which is something few games do. It, whether intentionally or not, made it more accessible to me as a person who doesn't always feel like the binary male/female dichotomy applies to me.
Won my first medal a month before the end of the game... Awesome.
I can't figure out how to get my paintings accepted. My first two at the beginning of the game were, but now I've had 200 in a row get rejected.
@handmade.mercury
To get your paintings accepted (or even gain a medal)...
You need to improve your skills in the style of painting you're trying to create.
As you select a project, look at how the various types of art will train different skills...
Also, go to the academy to take lessons. If you haven't already, to get money, choose your materials wisely and be sure to return to your work to complete it, then sell it.
My strategy was to create create create, sell sell sell, go to cafe and talk talk talk, create....sell...take lessons....then, finally, I started creating better artwork by paying attention to what skill was needed in the style.
Paintings that earned medals would get more money... so I could take more lessons and try more mediums, creating brilliant and excellent pieces to earn even more...And so the cycle goes.
You'll find your stride and methods and strategies that work for you as you experiment a bit.
The game doesn't work for me. I get a black background with the words "Paris 1863" and two buttons in the lower right corner-turn off music and go to wikipedia. Nothing else. Clicking on the screen does nothing. Clicking the buttons does turn off the music and open wikipedia. I am using Safari 5.1.8 on Mac OS X 10.6.8. Flash is up to date (11.6.602.180)
If resetting and checking your browser permissions, etc, is not working, could you try using Chrome or Firefox? Click here to read our support page for more information on running Flash games on your computer.
Tried Firefox, same thing happens. I tried playing the game from newgrounds, and on that site, the background is not completely black, I can see faint shapes, but still nothing. Thanks for your suggestions, though. It sounds like a great game.
Sorry! I wish I knew why that's happening, but it sounds like it could be some extension or setting on your computer. Barring the suggestions on our support page, though, I'm out of ideas. Maybe Jay or someone else with a Mac can better help?
I have the same problem - I only see white. Mac, Chrome, latest flash... Oh well. I may switch computers...
Mac, latest Chrome (26.0.1410.43) and the game plays just fine. There is a white screen that displays until the game downloads the loader screen, which is displayed right after the white screen, but the white screen should go away within a few moments (depending on the speed of your Internet connection). The game itself is only a little more than 5MB in size.
I don't know what to suggest because we cannot reproduce the issue you're seeing.
Hey, it's working now! I don't know what changed, but it seems as though the game works fine on my Mac now.
OMG. It worked, I was on the character creation screen, and I thought I'd post a comment that it was working now, and when I tried again-- no dice. Back to the solid black bg with PARIS 1863. I officially have no idea what's the matter with my computer.
This was pretty difficult at first, especially when I thought the menu screen was a painting I was making a composition for D: In all, before I quit, I lived to be 170 made over a Million in whatever the currency was and made 3 seperate manifesto. Realism gives you prizes!!! Studious and a Loner.
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