Adventure Game Studio

Community => Adventure Related Talk & Chat => Topic started by: Kaelem Gaen on Mon 24/04/2006 23:15:15

Title: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: Kaelem Gaen on Mon 24/04/2006 23:15:15
So, I was just recently playing Eric the Unready, and I managed to screw up on it... See it does the stupid Real Time stuff, with Time based events and in this case I waited to long and missed something important, and I can't wait anymore cause Sir Pectoral jumps out and kills me.  So for my list... it starts with.

Also, I'm sorry if there is a topic like this already.

-Real Time and Time Based events.
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: scotch on Mon 24/04/2006 23:24:23
Completely disagree, it's phobia of using things like timing based events that have led adventure games into "click through the story until you win" stagnation.  Unfortunately the few people that attempt to create fresh gameplay have done so poorly, most of the time.  In any case, what you're talking about is essentially an old fashioned walking dead, in this instance created because of the time based aspect of the puzzle, but there are certainly more examples of inventory or dialog based walking deads.

It's sad, all the things I can think of that I didn't like in adventure games have actually become staples of the genre... so I'm not sure what I can add to the list...  I suppose I'm glad mazes went out of fashion at least (not that a maze can't be good).
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: lo_res_man on Tue 25/04/2006 02:29:11
I own eric the unready, (buya for me :)) andI don't think the timed things are bad at all. I think it gives you plenty of time to solve stuff. and it allows you unlimited savrd games so unless you have a phobia to saving games, it cant be that much of a problem. I never found it a problem( though I did get stuck once or twice though) It made it interesting to have to wait for events (spoiler:like lillys show ;D) btw did you ever get the 256 colours in hi res  working? if so pm me how. "less taste, more filling" if thats what you want, eat porridge ;)
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: The Inquisitive Stranger on Tue 25/04/2006 04:38:26
I would say pixel hunts, but they actually do make stable adventure game usage. Hmph.
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: Kinoko on Tue 25/04/2006 04:53:26
Maybe we should make this thread a chalenge to find an aspect of gameplay that NOONE likes, because as crazy as it may seem, I quite like a bit of pixel hunting. It can be annoying, but sometimes it can be done well and feel... you know, like you're searching for something, and you get a sense of accomplishment afterwards. I always think of Zak McKracken and Quest for Glory 1 and 2 as examples of games where pixel hunting rarely bothered me, and was often fun.
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: Kaelem Gaen on Tue 25/04/2006 06:32:50
Quote from: lo_res_man on Tue 25/04/2006 02:29:11
I own eric the unready, (buya for me :)) andI don't think the timed things are bad at all. I think it gives you plenty of time to solve stuff. and it allows you unlimited savrd games so unless you have a phobia to saving games, it cant be that much of a problem. I never found it a problem( though I did get stuck once or twice though) It made it interesting to have to wait for events (spoiler:like lillys show ;D) btw did you ever get the 256 colours in hi res  working? if so pm me how. "less taste, more filling" if thats what you want, eat porridge ;)

I just got it from Abandonia, the version I'm playing... but see the problem was, I love saving so much... I saved AFTER the last Showing of the Juggling and well
Spoiler
I hadn't picked up the leech at anypoint for all three showings, and I used up my Waiting skills, see I forgot the rule about trying to pick up everything, and like I said, I was much to concerned with GETTING the marble that nothing else crossed my mind.
[close]
So it really was my bad, but they should make you be able to wait out till the next day

To Kinoko:

That could be interesting...
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens on Tue 25/04/2006 07:50:17
Puzzles for the sake of having puzzles are the absolute most infuriating thing to me about adventure games.  There is so much you can do with an adventure game that doesn't include bloating it with unnecessary puzzles, such as adding reasonable timed sequences and mild action elements, not to mention useful dialog exchanges. 

I will add that for the first few adventure games I played the puzzles were great, but after awhile they really do get samey and more and more games started relying on them to create an artificial difficulty barrier to compensate for otherwise short gameplay.
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: Hammerite on Tue 25/04/2006 08:09:10
i think the timing was kind of bad in Darkseed, because I forgot to get the skotch on the first day and messed it all up later on.
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: Radiant on Tue 25/04/2006 10:31:57
What I don't like is any situation where the player character has to do something for which he has no plausible motivation whatsoever (oh yes, I should use the hammer niw to break off a piece of crystal so I have another inventory item in the future), and also puzzles that have a ludicrously complex solution because the obvious and simple solution does not work for no discernible reason. Also, I agree with the "tacked-on" puzzle as mentioned earlier, as well as "tacked-on" items.
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: Afflict on Tue 25/04/2006 10:58:44
I agree with radiant. I dont like when things just dont make sense... and I have created a system against this Muwhahaha. My game is going to be ubber kewl!

Anyway Pixel hunts are enjoyable when you use screwdriver on bulb but then it doesnt work your susspose to go to where the screw is really and wham you get the bulb loose or whatever. (I think this was in stan amis?) not too sure that was brilliant. IMO

The timed base makes the game "alive" Real time too me is awesome. Also dying in adventure games are completely acceptable if its a realistic title and not a artoon title. Like in Jonathan crest the player wont be able to die... However in my other title I am working on WITW the player will be able to die!

So all these things need to be taken into regard It would be completely unacceptable if the cayote's trap fails to catch the road runner but then it kills him... See that is just not acceptable.

Well IMO

Cheers

Afflict.
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: Helm on Tue 25/04/2006 20:41:15
Always felt games where there's very few deaths, like Broken Sword 1, in actual situations where there was high risk involved felt a lot better than Sierra-death every other second because it's 'hilarious!'. But then I felt the impact was cheapened when like in Full Throttle when you die, you go right back to where you were because LEC is adventure-game-friendly and you don't even have to save once unless you want to.
Title: Re: Things you are glad didn't make stable Adventure Game usage!
Post by: Kaelem Gaen on Wed 26/04/2006 01:26:54
Not to sound like a Topic Nazi... but I was asking about stuff that

You played, hated, and were relieved that it never made it into Adventure games as a staple for the game.

Though I guess there may be few things like that.