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Anian raised a good point about the limited number of solutions for a given problem in a game - most commonly just one. Of course, giving more options is problematic, because different solutions could mean the story branching out, and it might be hard to get it back on track (if, for example, you used -- and effectively lost -- an item that you were supposed to use later on). But to use the example with the towel -- what if you had the option to transport the water with your hands cupped? Or -- just hypothesizing -- a skullcap? Or, say, the Holy Grail that you just happened to find. That wouldn't destroy those items -- and the towel that you didn't use could be used to dry the Holy Grail before putting it back into your inventory. Another example: why do you need a key for a door? Even the most rickety, termite-ridden bunch of planks, barely nailed together? Wouldn't it be more intuitive to just kick them open? I know, I know, it's an adventure game, and you're supposed to think harder than that -- but let's say there's a timer inside the game's code, and if you haven't found the key in 30 minutes, the game would let you just kick the door in.

As luck would have it, the first games I played on my first PC were "The Fate of Atlantis" (which I got with my soundcard) and "Goblins 3". I fell in love with those games, they were so different from stuff I used to play on C64 and NES. There was no rush, you had all the time in the world to walk around the place, interact with everything in various ways (other than just shooting/whacking/pouncing onto/bumping into things). AND you could talk to people -- who didn't want to kill you, so you didn't have to kill THEM to progress in the game (well ok, you had to do some fist-fighting in Indy, but you just knocked them out).
I love fun characters that I can talk to -- not necessarily about the mission at hand. A well-written character can paint a detailed background of the world the story is set in (PISS is the first thing that comes to mind, Nen's games tend to have some nicely developed lore to them) -- or simply amuse you with something beautifully random. I like intuitive puzzles: not the "insert the key into the keyhole to open the door" kind, but something that becomes obvious once you've had a brief chat with someone and looked around the place. Good balance in this area is a difficult art -- and there are games that really go out of their way to make it unnecessaarily and unfairly hard for you. I like a game that lets me immerse in the story, progress smoothly, rather than halt me at every turn to figure out that, for instance, I need to be faster than the beggar whose shoe slid off his foot at grab it before he does, so that THEN I could give it to a merchant, who just happened to stand nearby, so that he accepts me into the merchant guild (reasoning that you deserve to be rich because you just stole from someone who has nothing), which will somehow - I don't know how, yet - help me in the future (an actual puzzle in a game!).
On a more optimistic note, I finished Machinarium just last Sunday, and although it was pretty difficult at times -- with some damn inventive logic games AND a retro 8-bit style action sequence with a dreary/creepy background music -- I loved how logical it was, and how well most puzzles fit into the story (even the hint system was fun -- another nod to retro gaming). Same reason why I really loved AGS's own Barely Floating -- some puzzles were CRAZY, the one with three brothers especially, but once I figured out the pattern, it was a matter to trial and error, and solving it eventually felt great. The adrenalin rush -- and then the surge of endorphins/serotinin/whaddyacallem! I'm no hardcore gamer, I play my arcade games on Easy most of the time, and will oftem resort to cheats/mods if available -- but I compulsively finish/max out most games I start playing (reached 99.95% completion in Just Cause 2!) and WILL seek a challenge once I get a hang of the game mechanics.

Dziekowac!

Also, happy birthday, Chicky!

Thanks, Tabby! Yes, here's to a year full of fun and creativity

[The Vault]

Always looking for some creative/interesting/thrilling/funny webseries. Fiction. Comedy, parody, sci-fi... Is there anything new and exciting/established and consistently fun out there you'd recommend?

If I were to recommend something, I'd say: The Vault and Wastelander Panda

THE VAULT:

[embed=560,315]<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ig05s_rB39o?list=PLC4D2F8A427AB8B85" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/embed]

The Vault's been around for quite a while, and it's actually nearing series finale. It's been consistently exciting, with clever writing and a lot of suspense. Not to give away too much: it follows the participants of a weird reality show -- each locked in a separate room, alone. Each of them has to solve a puzzle -- one designed specifically for them. No explanations are given. They aren't even sure what the goal is.

WASTELANDER PANDA:

[embed=560,315]<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pNzUrAn0Kho?list=SPLrymOQzjQ7yUJKuit-gr7sw5TnA4JNoT" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/embed]

Wastelander Panda, on the other hand, is a new one, with just three episodes out. It's about... well... a panda wandering the wasteland. A humanoid panda, that is, with a human companion. The three episodes so far show three stories that seem to be far apart in chronology -- but each is great in its own way. Some are more action-driven, with cheesy karate fights, some are slower and more tense. Great visuals, too.

Anyone else got something?

TL:DR - He's against state-approved gay marriage, not quite against polygamy (though that one might be TNP pulling the OP's leg/trolling for the giggles) and thinks USA rocks

My summary might be a little sarcastic, but I don't really see how any of this pertains to the game's KS campaign. Quite interestingly, the blogger himself doesn't call for boycott of TNP's work, either -- and some commenters are making some great points there.

If it's relevant to anyone's support, Doug Tennapel is kind of a shit. Not quite Orson Scott Card levels of gross, but worth pointing out.

It shouldn't be relevant. It's not like Armikrog's going to be a propaganda tube for TenNapel's anti-gay-marriage/polygamy ideology, is it? Besides, the exchange in question doesn't strike me as particularly offensive. It's the internet, people, we've heard worse. It's incoherent, at best, on both sides - with 21st desperately trying to take offense ("Lastly, i'm at least thankful you're not equating gays to pedophiles or zoophiles. That's more respectful than some.") Yes, it's a hot topic these days, and a lot of people will have an opinion, and some don't keep it to themselves. So, naturally, some people will be offended. But this isn't presidential elections. We're not helping TNP become head of the State, so that he could implement his policies. It's a Kickstarter campaign for an absurdist claymation game. Likewise, Armikrog's KS campaign isn't very likely to attract massive flocks of anti-gay-marriage activists.

Also, if each and every opinionated, foul-mouthed asshole in the world made something as fun as Neverhood the world would be a better place. More fun, definitely. I might support Armikrog, and I'm definitely buying FEZ. I'm not worried about some of my spare change going to these two. I'm waaaaay more concerned where 30% of my gross salary goes every single month.

Maybe post some artworks, I've seen some and it's definitely good stuff. It'll give people a better idea of what you're looking for.

"What do you make of this guy?"
"Hm... An omelette!"

This is gonna be fun.

And when it comes and blows everyone away, I bet DreamWorks/M$/whoever owns the coppyright to the Neverhood will try to capitalize on the sudden interest. Expect a half-assed, Unity 3D-based Neverhood sequel in a month from Omikrog's release.

Hm... The replies' topics are by default "Re: (whatever the topic was at the time)" and stay the same even if the original post's topic changes. So a quick look at the first reply will show you it was "The beard in the mirror is yours". Though I have to say I like your version just as much

Ohhh, I'm definitely going to follow this one! Lua sounds great. I saw what it could do in Barely Floating dev vlog - MIND BLOWN! Modifying the scripts and testing them on the go sounds like heaven - because hell knows how many times I had to speed-run through Gray after adding one teeny tiny thing (e.g. a sound file, even!). So I'll definitely want to give Lua a try with my upcoming project.

Wasn't the full title supposed to be "The Beard in The Mirror is Yours"? That last bit is the little twist that I liked so much about it.

The French translation is actually alllmost done (by Surdy, who also did the French version for Nelly Cootalot) - but maybe we could use a second proofreader, just to make sure everything is funny where it should be, the style is consistent with the characters, etc.

One thing I do is try to give the person (or object) I want to draw some kind of personality. I try to reflect it in their face, their posture. I imagine what they are like -- and what they're certainly not. Then, when the face or the figure starts to emerge, I can tell this or that makes them as geeky as I wanted, but too goofy -- and I erase and re-draw a given feature to see what works. Bigger eyes? Smaller lips? Pout? Protruding chin? Overbite? Eyebrows are a huge character feature for me. Same rules apply to objects -- although perhaps to such a great extent. A tree can look majestic/threatening/tired/old, etc. There's no one way to draw a pencil, either. I often change my style completely depending on what kind of a story I want to tell.

Also, when you draw, stop thinking "OMG OMG I suck, I can't do this!!!" -- because your hand can hear it Over the years, I've told myself A LOT how shaky my hand -- and it was, perhaps only because I've convinced myself of that. Now I just try to draw, without all the prejudice. I think my inking skills and overall confidence really profit from that.

Six years seems like a giant leap -- but this looks most interesting. And 1997 is the year that the Curse of Monkey Island was released, so... color me intrigued!

Really fun so far. The characters are just hilarious, Roy being my personal favorite. I love the smart-assed, absurd humor -- and those nods towards the late LucasArts. And all the Poland-related stuff (as any patriot would!) The news item about Poland becoming a petrol paradise cracked me up

Tentacle porn! It's a thing! It's actually been around for quite a while, long before everyone's beloved adventure game came into being. The universe works in mysterious ways...

Bede grau w gre

Also, Parafia's personal text is one of my favorite quotes, too.

I being 30 have had both of your lifetimes put together to make a game, and you're already ahead of me, and I hate you and want to steal your youth.

Yeah, kids these days... Two of the guys helping me with translation -- including Adeel here -- are half my age, and are so ambitious that my younger self, who was very often called a nerd, would call THEM nerds

Waker: Check your inbox

Tinyhippo: Hm... Never actually heard back from my Russian friend, even though I sent a bunch of pm's to everyone involved -- so I have no idea? If you'd like to help -- how could I say no? I even made a cyryllic font already!