LucasArts' The Dig - Why haven't I heard more about this game?

[monkey0506]

A while back I got some adventure pack bundle on Steam with a couple of Indiana Jones games and The Dig. Never played any of them growing up (honestly, I have played very relatively few games to have such a passion geared toward designing them), although now I certainly do wish I had.

The Dig to me is a very intriguing sort of game. There were some things that I didn't absolutely love, but the storyline was very engaging, and I truly enjoyed playing this game. I've only played it through once, but I really would like to take the time to give it another run-through.

If I had to rate it, I'd say probably 8/10 (-1 point for cheesy asteroid disaster theme, -1 for the other minor inconveniences and quirks I encountered (such as near-pixel hunts and occasionally unclear direction as a player)). Pretty much an instant favorite in my book...

Now then, why aren't there more adventure games like this?

[Victor6]

Because 1995 is arguably* the high watermark for LucasArts, After this point, we get monkey island sans Ron Gilbert, and Tim Schafer's last project; Grim fandango.

You could blame the console market, since around this time LucasArts started milking the cash-cow of Starwars titles. At a guess, the pc adventure titles cost more to make, and sold less than mediocre ps1 trash like Masters of Teräs Käsi.

[Secret Fawful]

The Dig? That game sucks. It requires too much logical thought, ingenuity, and stuff like trial and error. I hate puzzles which take time to realize the mechanics of in order to find a solution. That makes my brain hurt. I want quick, easy puzzles that I can get done NOWWWW!!!!!! Instead of spending two days to a week on a puzzle, I want to be able to finish it in several minutes, because otherwise it breaks up the experience and the pacing. Oh wait, that's the kind of stuff stupid morons say. Adventure games aren't movies, you dickless swine.

[goes back to playing Gold Rush, another great adventure game most people don't play because it makes them sprain their vaginas]

[BaptisteTheFool]

The Dig? That game sucks. It requires too much logical thought, ingenuity, and stuff like trial and error. I hate puzzles which take time to realize the mechanics of in order to find a solution. That makes my brain hurt. I want quick, easy puzzles that I can get done NOWWWW!!!!!! Instead of spending two days to a week on a puzzle, I want to be able to finish it in several minutes, because otherwise it breaks up the experience and the pacing. Oh wait, that's the kind of stuff stupid morons say. Adventure games aren't movies, you dickless swine.

[goes back to playing Gold Rush, another great adventure game most people don't play because it makes them sprain their vaginas]

You had me very worried there until that last sentence...

[monkey0506]

That's just how Fawful gets his kicks. By being very worrying.

And I won't lie...I used a walkthrough. Yes, I suck at adventure games. Still, a very enjoyable game and a great way to spend a day off of work and taking some time away from programming.

It's a shame that games like this get so little recognition (relatively speaking anyway). Even if it was right at the tail end of it, this game is a perfect example of what the golden age of adventure gaming was about. I feel that everyone who calls themselves a game developer should aspire to create something, not necessarily like, but of the same caliber as this game.

[m0ds]

Great game, bought it and lost it several times. I used a walkthrough back in the day too. That bone puzzle...goddamn... it took me weeks. But the atmosphere in terms of a point and click I always thought was spot on. FoA was atmospheric, but nowhere near as The Dig IMO - yet both were 2D. The game is pretty damn creepy too, which was a refreshing change from all LEC's cartoony adventures back then. Be sure to go and find the Easter eggs for a few extra thrills!

[CaptainD]

I got that same pack on Steam recently - just completed Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, now playing Loom.  The Dig was a fine adventure game, really great atmosphere.  Looking forward to reliving my childhood when I get to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!! 

I guess it wasn't called "The Golden Age" for nothing, though I'd argue that we're currently at the beginning of a second golden age of adventure gaming...  8)

[Igor Hardy]

though I'd argue that we're currently at the beginning of a second golden age of adventure gaming...  8)

Unfortunately, those ages come and go much faster nowadays, so let's not waste any time, while we can make adventure games reclaim the world again.

[CaptainD]

Unfortunately, those ages come and go much faster nowadays, so let's not waste any time, while we can make adventure games reclaim the world again.

But why does this golden age have to end at all? 

[Secret Fawful]

Game developers have been learning all the wrong lessons from the adventure games of the past, and The Dig is no exception when it comes to a game that people glean all the wrong positives and negatives from. The greatest aspect of the adventure game, arguably, is exploration. Every single bit of the design of the Dig is suited toward exploration of a new, alien world. A world that doesn't operate under typical human thought, but an alien thought. A mode of thought that must be pieced together in order to understand it and thus survive. The Dig is a great example of fabulous design. Exploration isn't about convenience, but the adventure game of today typically is. That's why we've got games like Back to the Future that run on convenience and little to no exploration. Puzzles are part of the discovery and the progression, but a good adventure game is all about giving the player freedom to explore. That's why so many older games with "too many verbs" and text adventures are so great to me. They give more options to explore. Yes, this makes design tougher and sometimes it can fall apart. But it's better than what we've got now, because what we've got now doesn't get the core of the genre. Games like Indigo Prophecy and The Last Express are incredible because they have a plethora of options available to the player, and thus more freedom to explore your environment and the possibilities therein. A one click- two click interface is restrained and lazy. The Last Express ran on schedules, leading to a feeling of unpredictability, which made exploring its environment dangerous and thrilling. Gold Rush, for me, is one of the greatest adventure games ever made by this logic. It's also one of the most difficult, but it's by no means impossible.

[BaptisteTheFool]

Game developers have been learning all the wrong lessons from the adventure games of the past, and The Dig is no exception when it comes to a game that people glean all the wrong positives and negatives from. The greatest aspect of the adventure game, arguably, is exploration. Every single bit of the design of the Dig is suited toward exploration of a new, alien world. A world that doesn't operate under typical human thought, but an alien thought. A mode of thought that must be pieced together in order to understand it and thus survive. The Dig is a great example of fabulous design. Exploration isn't about convenience, but the adventure game of today typically is. That's why we've got games like Back to the Future that run on convenience and little to no exploration. Puzzles are part of the discovery and the progression, but a good adventure game is all about giving the player freedom to explore. That's why so many older games with "too many verbs" and text adventures are so great to me. They give more options to explore. Yes, this makes design tougher and sometimes it can fall apart. But it's better than what we've got now, because what we've got now doesn't get the core of the genre. Games like Indigo Prophecy and The Last Express are incredible because they have a plethora of options available to the player, and thus more freedom to explore your environment and the possibilities therein. A one click- two click interface is restrained and lazy. The Last Express ran on schedules, leading to a feeling of unpredictability, which made exploring its environment dangerous and thrilling. Gold Rush, for me, is one of the greatest adventure games ever made by this logic. It's also one of the most difficult, but it's by no means impossible.

Bingo.

That's why I still love the classic adventure titles.

I picked up Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings recently, and aside from the fact that it's glitchy and disappointingly designed, it also offers absolutely no exploration.  Everything is linear.  At least it has Fate of Atlantis as a bonus title...  Of course that's now the 4th copy I own of Fate of Atlantis, so perhaps that didn't justify the purchase.

I really much prefer a title that challenges me to unlock its secrets.  I like waking up in the middle of the night with a eureka moment.  And I feel that's something that's altogether lost in many contemporary titles.  But The Dig nails that aesthetic brilliantly.  I played it for the first time just a little over a year ago when I bought it in the Steam pack everyone's discussing (a PC and a Mac CD-ROM of FOA account for the other two copies I own).  It took me about a week to play through it.  It was fully engrossing because I felt like I was truly lost.  It captures the sensation of a foreign situation and having to adapt to the situation.  It's this level of immersion that your standard game is just missing.  It's one thing to challenge the dexterity of one's thumbs, but to have my mind challenged is what I truly appreciate.

[Azure]

I've got the novel of it somewhere, never gotten around to reading it  :

[LetterAfterZ]

Proud to say that I managed to get through The Dig (and Myst) without a walkthrough. Just a took 3 of us working on the puzzles together haha!

Not having the internet was great for adventure games. I really feel that easy access to the answers kinda kills a lot of the adventure game magic.

That's why I love all your games - mostly no walkthroughs so I actually HAVE to think!