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Having one or two death-risk situations is ok imo too
A number of 90s adventures have those.

Didn't quite understand what you meant. Are you talking about deadly situations in general or something else? I might be over thinking this. 

"Oh, are we trying something dangerous now?"
- Planetfall's Floyd, after the player types "save"





The most memorable death screen, for me, is in Infocom's Infidel text adventure. You're exploring a pyramid, looking for treasure, and once you pick up the riches, the chamber collapses around you, burying you deep in the bowels of ancient architecture.
Then you get:

You have died.
You have won the game.

--

Personally, I rather like adventures where your actions can lose you the game. Never played the Horrorsoft games but game deaths were par for the course in King's Quest et al. Shrugged at today, yes, but still I liked the risk of screwing up. And back then we actually tried to find the most obscure deaths in games like Malcolm's Revenge and the odd Space Quest game.

If you're planning to make a game in that vein, I suggest you add an "undo" button to the death message. Basically, resetting the player to the action before they died so they can easily try something else, instead of having to load an earlier savegame. It takes out the frustration and still leaves in the death. Alternatively, make an option that allows players to use the undo, use it only a limited amount of times, or never use it at all- that way, everyone gets the kind of challenge they feel comfortable with.

Never heard of that game before I might check it out. Though I'm not too in to text adventures. Is that how that game ends? With you dying?

I know what your talking about. The Nancy drew games do that, oops ya died try again.    Gotta make dying fun that's half the reason these games exist anyway. I'll think it over, it kinda sounds like a good idea.

In my opinion it's the rpg/dungeoncrawlin' part the worst thing. Death scenes the best in a wicked way. (Well, even Elvira  )

A modern point-and-click setting will be fine, limitating the battles. Deaths could happens for a wrong response or action (example: use a fire spell on a fire demon = death). And death scenes (the originals are cool, with just a smooth refining) could be collectable.

And... more Elvira. 

I think I would've loved the dungeoncrawlin if it wasn't so confusing. I plan to keep those elements but maybe not? It's too early to say.  At least I will make it less annoying with a map in game, teleportation and a lot more ways to heal ect...

One can never have too many death scenes.  If I add achievements there will totally be one for getting all the deaths.

Seems someone fancies the mistress. Well she is kinda cute. Might add her as an Easter egg... 

Y'know those Elvira and Waxworks games with the horrible game over screens? Yeah those ones.

I never played these games before and I'm okay with that. (Seems impossible to beat without a walkthrough and stuff.) But something about it draws me in somehow. Maybe it's the rpg elements, maybe it's the death screens, maybe it's the music...I dunno.

I don't have a plot yet or much to go off of really. I do have an idea of a cave level that may or may not lead to hell itself.

To anyone who played the Horrorsoft games before what are your pet peeves and how would you improve the games?  Trying to make a list of things to avoid when making it.

What do you think?

Oh and by the way what's the worst death in the games in your opinion? The zombie death in Waxworks disturbed me greatly.

Ack I knew it was something simple, can't believe I forgot the brackets. After looking over the manual again I also found out why my counter wasn't working, I had to put WarningCounter += 1; at the end of the argument not in the middle.

Thanks man. 

So if you touch this cactus it sends you to the game over screen. I wanted it to warn you the first time you click on it then if you clicked it again it kills you. Problem is after clicking it for the first time it plays all the dialog and sends you to the game over screen anyway.

Feels like I'm missing something but I don't know what it is. Oof! 

Code: ags

function cactus_Interact()
 {
 cNinja.Walk(1594, 536, eBlock, eWalkableAreas) ;
 if ( WarningCounter <= 0 )
cNinja.StopMoving() ;
cDrunk.Say("I wouldn't do that if I were you.") ;
 WarningCounter++ ; 
cNinja.FaceCharacter(cDrunk) ;
Wait(150) ;

 if ( WarningCounter <= 1 )
 cDrunk.Say("Alright but don't say I didin't warn you.") ;
cNinja.FaceLocation(1990, 450) ;
Display("You reach out and touch the cactus") ;
player.Say("Ouch!") ;
Display("Well that cactus did strange things to your body. It was wonderful while it lasted. All those bright colors and wacky things you saw. But...") ;
Display("Then you died.") ;
player.ChangeRoom(300) ;