Adventure game appeal

[Ghormak]

I on the other hand sincerely agree with 2ma2, scotch, eric, Helm and Erenan.

I have to say that sounds like a cool idea, Erenan. Exploring is always cool. I have vague idea in my mind of a game I'd like to make that would be all about exploring, complete with rivalry between other explorers, observation of the natives, dysentery, impressive beard growing and exchanging of 19th century witticisms.

[CaptainBinky]

As I said before, I'm a bit of a graphics whore, but of course graphics aren't  the be-all and end-all of an adventure game - far from it.

However as I understood it, the question in the thread was what attracts you to an adventure game. And while the story premise does a little for me, mostly it's the glitz! For sure, there are a million things which can turn me off of a game regardless of the quality of its graphics such as me being dis-interested in the story, bad pacing, boring dialogue, bugs, non-sensical GUIs, irrational puzzles, massive pointless mazes etc.

So, er, yeah... that's about it :p

Cap'n Binky

[EagerMind]

I look for an engaging premise and atmosphere, and puzzles that aren't forced or "stale" (use A on B to get C, use C on D to get E, use E ....). Something that is fresh and original. My favorite games generally "feel" professional, or could be if the proper resources were put into them. I also tend to stay away from fan games or "remakes." I don't know, more of a personal choice than a criticism on those games.

Graphics need to "work," which doesn't necessarily mean glitzy or professional. Jessica Plunkenstein is an example off the top of my head (though I think the look of that game was an intentional choice).

Game play usually isn't an issue. Since everyone tends to use the Sierra or Lucasarts GUI, this is pretty much the baseline. I'm personally not a fan of the Sierra GUI, although the Lucasarts GUI isn't perfect either. Seeing something new is usually kind of nice (well, if it works, that is!). I wouldn't mind seeing a parser if someone could actually make one that doesn't feel "tacked on." Easier said than done, I guess.

[Vince Twelve]

I have vague idea in my mind of a game I'd like to make that would be all about exploring, complete with rivalry between other explorers, observation of the natives, dysentery, impressive beard growing and exchanging of 19th century witticisms.

I had an idea for a game about cartography.  You are a rogue cartographer with an deep routed need to "map shit."  But there are forces working against you, such as a king who has made shit-mapping illegal, and the ever shifty science of plate tectonicry.  I believe it would be the first game based around cartographing.

I have to support the group who likes innovation and new types of gameplay.  I don't download a lot of games because I like to spend more of my free time making games than playing them.  But I do look at every game in the completed games forum, and I admire the games that have slick graphics, but I usually only download ones that look like they might offer something unique and fresh; Into the Light, Heist, and the recent TiLTOR spring to mind.  And even those games that I do download I rarely finish, because unique and fresh ideas can be refreshing and even inspiring, but it's very difficult to come up with new ideas that will be persistently fun throughout a whole game. 

My game in progress is original to be sure, and I personally think it's enjoyable, but I'm not sure that a lot of people out there will agree with me.  But that's the good thing about being a hobbyist.  If you don't like my game, I don't care.  Most people seemed to enjoy Anna for the most part, but one person commented on the voting page that it was "unplayable"...  oh well.

[Helm]

Again with the curse of unplayability!!

[Vince Twelve]

Yeah, personally I suspect Jozef...

[Jhumjhum]

Ã,  Ã,  Ã, What do you look for in your adventure games? What appeals to you most? What attracts you to an adventure game?
Ã,  Ã,  Ã, I find that the most important thing for me is immersion. I really need the game to keep my interest, have excitement, and be enjoyable to play. So I guess the story line has a lot to do with amount of immersion in an adventure game. If it has a great story I find it will meet my requirement; as it WILL hold my interest, have excitement and be enjoyable to play.
Ã,  Ã,  Ã, What does everyone think???

Thewalrus

Goo, goo, ga, joob!!!!!!!

If somebody made a survey, I won't be surprised if itÃ,  reveals that most adventure game fans are introverts.

Adventure game hero/heroines are also mostly lone creatures.

I love to play adventure games as I get a chance to meet new and exciting/weird people, go to fantastic new places and do things virtually that I wouldn't dream of doing in real life. Adventure games give me an opportunity to 'do' things I'm too shy to try in real life.


I love the games with a lot of opportunity to do the above. But I play almost every game I can lay my hands on. The only times I've left a game incomplete were due to:

-Bugs which won't let me complete the game.
- Very very poor language
- minimial interactivity (There's a big room full of objects and you keep clicking on them with no response at all)
- Highly complicated, fancy but difficult to use GUI

Getting stuck frustrates me as well, but I generally figure out the solution by hook or crook.Ã, 

[lemmy101]

The title needs to be interesting enough that I'll see it and click on it, but then it's the graphics alone tend to be what make me stop and look.. if there's something about them, they don't have to be great, just interesting. Providing I've got this far I'll read the synopsis of the story. All in all it's the story and dialogue that I enjoy in these games, and it's probably a shame I'll miss out on cool games with really bad names or graphics...

But then these games will find their audinece and be enjoyed, and I'll probably hear they're worth giving a shot.

That all said the SCUMM interface and a penchant for all things Lucasarts will certainly score many points regardless of the name and/or graphics.

[i k a r i]

I look for an appealing story, that while not necessarily new, has a new spin on things.  Also, I enjoy non-conventional gameplay elements; that is, I would rather adventure games were not just a collection of irritating inventory packrat puzzles.  There's so much more people can do with an adventure game if they want to, and the games that offer new and interesting gameplay options are the ones I watch for.

Then dont buy Broken Sword 4, you will be extremely dissapointed. Well, the story is not that bad, but the gameplay and puzzles just suck.

What I look forward more in an adventure game is innovation, I also believe there is MUCH more to do with an adventure game than what most companies do. During these years I've been playing adventure games I had millions of ideas to make them better, I will hopefully someday make my own game =P, I need to study programming and learn better painting techniques.

[lo_res_man]

D I find good music surprisingly important for keeping my interest. playing an adventure game without music is, for me, a painful experience. One reason I kept plugging at Pleurghburg is its absolutely perfect score.