The Oil Blue Update
Hey y'all, a new update for the Oil Blue Achievement Unlocker app has gone out and fixes the following issues:
A Note about Future Updates
A lot of people have been asking about future updates to the Oil Blue, and while I've mentioned the state of the game's source code and such, I thought I'd provide a more cohesive answer.
The game was released in 2010, using Game Maker 7 and a number of free third party extensions. It gained a very, very small following and helped me make my next game, Cook, Serve, Delicious! which ultimately went on to become my most successful game to date, and I've supported it for nearly two years now with a ton of free content and weekly challenge updates.
A lot of people requested that I put the Oil Blue on Steam, but unfortunately a lot of roadblocks prevented me from doing so. The first issue was that I wouldn't be able to update the game- years ago my first computer suffered a catastrophic hard drive failure, and the only backup copy of the Oil Blue I had was months earlier than the final version (basically meaning it was unfinished). Worse, all the third part extensions I had on that computer weren't readily available anymore...dead end and broken links were all I found for some of them, which are crucial as the game can't compile without them. Because of all this, I would not only have to rewrite the code that was missing from my old backup save, but I would need to rewrite all the code that was dependent on the third party extensions. To put it another way, imagine taking a test that you studied for two years ago but hadn't since. Its basically like looking at someone else's code at this point.
Because I wouldn't be able to update the game, that would make compatibility issues with certain computers a problem, not to mention the lack of Steam features I would have been able to add. The last thing I wanted was someone buying a game they couldn't play, and for me to be basically powerless to help them in any way since the game couldn't be patched.
What changed my mind was the new Steam Refund service. Finally there was an avenue to go down should players have issues with the game. Plus I figured out a way to add achievements after all using a standalone app.
So because I still wasn't able to update the game nor provide future updates, I did the following:
I hope that helps clear up the state of the game, and why I consider it a "legacy" release in that it is sold as-is. If that's not an acceptable answer, then please by all means use the Steam Refund service, as that's exactly what it's for and I 100% understand. I'm glad that most people are finding it as enjoyable as some did six years ago. Thank you and enjoy the game!
- (NEW v1.006) The app now creates backup saves for your save files whenever you run it.
- Fixes bug that awards multiple island achievements after claiming your first island.
- If you would like to reset your achievements to the state before they became "bugged" then here's how to do it. First, start up the Oil Blue and select the Achievement Unlocker app. Let it run through all your save files first. When that's done, press and hold the Backspace key, the Page Up and Page Down key all together for a few seconds. Now check your Oil Blue page on Steam- all of your achievements should be reset to zero. Quit the app, then start the Oil Blue Achievement unlocker again. You should now be awarded all the achievements that you've properly unlocked.
A Note about Future Updates
A lot of people have been asking about future updates to the Oil Blue, and while I've mentioned the state of the game's source code and such, I thought I'd provide a more cohesive answer.
The game was released in 2010, using Game Maker 7 and a number of free third party extensions. It gained a very, very small following and helped me make my next game, Cook, Serve, Delicious! which ultimately went on to become my most successful game to date, and I've supported it for nearly two years now with a ton of free content and weekly challenge updates.
A lot of people requested that I put the Oil Blue on Steam, but unfortunately a lot of roadblocks prevented me from doing so. The first issue was that I wouldn't be able to update the game- years ago my first computer suffered a catastrophic hard drive failure, and the only backup copy of the Oil Blue I had was months earlier than the final version (basically meaning it was unfinished). Worse, all the third part extensions I had on that computer weren't readily available anymore...dead end and broken links were all I found for some of them, which are crucial as the game can't compile without them. Because of all this, I would not only have to rewrite the code that was missing from my old backup save, but I would need to rewrite all the code that was dependent on the third party extensions. To put it another way, imagine taking a test that you studied for two years ago but hadn't since. Its basically like looking at someone else's code at this point.
Because I wouldn't be able to update the game, that would make compatibility issues with certain computers a problem, not to mention the lack of Steam features I would have been able to add. The last thing I wanted was someone buying a game they couldn't play, and for me to be basically powerless to help them in any way since the game couldn't be patched.
What changed my mind was the new Steam Refund service. Finally there was an avenue to go down should players have issues with the game. Plus I figured out a way to add achievements after all using a standalone app.
So because I still wasn't able to update the game nor provide future updates, I did the following:
- Add as many features as I could (Steam Trading Cards and Steam Achievements)
- Added the Oil Blue Soundtrack (I'm splitting revenue of the game with the composer, Jonathan Geer)
- Permanently cut the price down by nearly 50% for the Steam release
I hope that helps clear up the state of the game, and why I consider it a "legacy" release in that it is sold as-is. If that's not an acceptable answer, then please by all means use the Steam Refund service, as that's exactly what it's for and I 100% understand. I'm glad that most people are finding it as enjoyable as some did six years ago. Thank you and enjoy the game!