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Sorry, sorry, sorry. My big ... typing fingers @_@

Spoiler

The probem for me was that I had no idea Twix had another name anywhere!

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EDIT: Well, I'm on #12 now and I've got a lot of clues but still stuck >_<

Argh, I'm stuck on 7 >_< It seemed so easy, I just don't understand "too new"

EDIT: Hooray! I solved it. Damn jesus, that was convoluted though...

I'm sending it to everyone I know. It's the ultimate story ^_^ I have to read that book!

As much as I'd love to come, Australia being somewhat convenient for me, if I do indeed get accepted on the JET program I'm applying for (and all looks good so far), I'll be leaving for Japan end of June.

Oh well, bad timing ^_^ I reeeally would've liked to come. Maybe I still will, if my life goes crap.

I totally think Signs was creepy, and I never agreed with people who bagged the movie because you saw the alien early (sure it was in footage, but you did see it clear as day, and they replayed it to make sure). I think it worked well because you knew what the "monster" was, but not exactly what the whole deal was. There was still a lot of mystery, but because the story focussed on the characters, one solitary family, and only took place where they were, the claustrophobic feel of the film carried it the whole way. I really, REALLY felt like I'd come close to feeling like I was in that situation, instead of just... watching a horror movie.

Which... is another great point. Claustrophobia is an excellent tool in horror, particularly for those of us that suffer from it in real life too ^_^ Signs worked for me as well because of it focussing on so few characters and following their movements only, which is where a lot of horror movies lose me.

Instead of constantly talkin g about Signs though, let me introduce another great horror (-ish) film, Langoliers. A -time limit- is a really, really great tool in a horror movie, and it would be even greater in a game. Not necessarily an actual time limit, but include the feeling of one. Langoliers did that well, on top of introducing a strange situation with only an isolated group of characters and a "monster" you knew nothing about apart from a sound in the background that got louder and louder (aaand a psychic girl who kept saying they were coming). Now I'm on the topic of that movie, it's also great to show the gradual maddening of a character, becoming more and more of a loose cannon and a danger.

I think overall the most important point is just having one or two things that don't make sense, that are just a bit off.

Please, please, please post another section of this song. I feel sure I could get it with hearing some other part ^_^
I can hear "Move me", "Hear me" "Show me" "Move me up" "Hold me" "In my soul" "... love is like a..."

I believe it was John Carpenter who once said that as soon as you show the monster the movie is over.

Mostly true, but was anyone else freaked out by the movie Signs? I sure was, and you saw the monster in that within the first 5 minutes (and much clearer about halfway through the movie... ). I was still freaked out right til the end because of the sheer atmosphere. It was just like Wogoat said, very normal settings that just got to you because there was -something- a little off about the whole thing. I think nothing is scarier and greater at creating tension that "unsettling". You have to put the player in a position where they KNOW something's up (and if they're playing a horror game, they'll generally know anyway... but just bring it home), but they have to use their imagination at the start.

As far as sounds, it is hard to give tips because you really just need a good grasp on horror to know what to do. There are so many different tactics, but I can tell you that I was quite freaked out playing 5 Days a Stranger by myself, even during the day-time because of the light whispering you could hear in the hallway. My personal opinion is to make most rooms silent, with maybe the places of particular danger having something like that; something quiet, but strange and threatening. Something that shouldn't be there. Give objects sound effects though. It sounds silly, but the sound of pushing a box or closing a door and getting a really genuine, non-quiet sound can be very effective in an otherwise quiet room.

As for graphics... well, I personally think simple but realistic is best (though Pleurghburg did it really well with simple yet ... slightly cartoonish graphics).

Okay, I honestly had no idea nobody had even mentioned this, which is precisely why I started this topic. I was thinking to myself, "Don't the AGS Awards happen at the end of January? And not a single person has mentioned them besides as a joke in that Oscars thread". I had heard -nothing-, so I'm sorry if I came across as pestering, or added to the pestering.

Secondly, although I totally respect your right to whinge about the pestering and to get annoyed (seriously, go for it), I can only say that maybe if there had been some sort of thread or decent announcement as to the nature of the delay earlier, maybe people wouldn't be pestering.

Now, I'm going to post this without doing a search at all, fully accepting the risk of making an ass of myself here if there is a thread of this nature around.

It's the end of January and I still haven't heard anything about the AGS Awards... are they still happening. Shouldn't nominations have happened by now? I'm all a-confuzzled. If I'm wrong, sorry, I'm only going off when they happened last year.

I bought it a couple of days ago, but I don't have it yet... >:| Where's my email?

Hell, it's my game and even I was completely bemused! I adore Apprentice 2 and ... well, all the other independant games listed there.

Still... shan't complain ._.

I admit, I remember spending a loooong time on the maze when I first played Kyrandia 1, but I actually remember it fondly. I truly did charm me, it was the first really -pretty- game I'd seen, and the music was lovely. I adored all the characters (man, who wouldn't wanna have a go at Brynn) and I loved the nature/gem based puzzles. Everything was just PRETTY. I loved the occasional smart-alecky/whiney comments of Brandon, and dropping things on his face to get a reaction. I really, and I usually do hate this in games, loved that you could die because it made me focus more while playing the game, thinking more about my actions, like not trying to jump the broken bridge. I really just... loved it o_o It's still one of my all time favourite games. In fact, I feel like playing it now (if only I could get past the copy protection >_<)!

The second game was nice, I thought. Not as good as the first, but still fun to play. I found myself getting stuck a little more,  and doing a loooot of trial and error, but in the end, I still remember it fondly.

I haven't played Malcolm's Revenge yet.

There used to be a pack you could buy with all three games in it, is that still available anywhere? I could kick myself for not buying it back in the day... back in the day when I thought adventure games would prosper forever.

On a side note, I DO agree with all the criticisms... it's just that I loved them anyway. That game had hypnotic powers over me.

Neither are worth buying. The PSP because everything PS is shit and crappy, and the DS because it's only a quick way for Nintendo to make some money before it's next gen machine. It's filler.

Damn it! When ARE the AGS Award nominations happening?

Not me o_O I did it all myself. I think the majority of people make games by themselves, don't they?

Also, I -adore- Kyrandia.

Cirque de zale took me 3 months of pretty solid work, almost every day.  It was my first game, so scripting probably wouldn't take me so long to do now, and I'd say it had fairly average graphics that took an average amount of time to do.

Sometimes there are no explainations and we should just enjoy our lives without needing to rationalise/analyse/moralise all the time.

It'll be good for the economy!

Ooh, it's so pretty ^_^ I love it! It's very "Skies of Arcadia"

[adore]

Just to clarify something... Peter, I'm so sorry for being one of the people turning your happy thread into an argument, I honestly mean no offense and I'm sorry.

Secondly, I'm sorry if me calling someone an idiot has offended, but I do believe that freedom of speech doesn't simply mean people stating their case, but also others being able to give their opinion on that opinion. More than that, it's just hard for me to let people go on stating views I believe to be outright wrong without meeting at least some kind of opposition. I -do- think Harvester's post was idiotic. To me, these are all the sorts of beliefs that lead to the lingering homophobia and hatred in this world.

Also, Farlander, I adore your KITT lights.

I believe everyone's normal by default (normal means more that heterosexual, because if you have sex with your sister, you're still heterosexual), until they do something that violates that, shall we say, normality (something like having sex with another man, or a close relative, or an animal, or a plant, or a kitchen appliance,...). Or do you think imagining someone dead makes you a murderer?

Seriously, you're an idiot.  Apart from that point someone else made (I can't be bothered looking again), your argument makes no sense unless you believe the actual act of sex is the only way to express sexuality. What about being attracted to other people? Having fantasies? Drawing nudey pictures on your textbooks at school?