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[Make the text unskippable]

I too am surprised to find the article wasn't entirely satirical.

But this looks like fun anyway, so...


Make the text unskippable

Man, I hate this.  I always read faster than the text speed, and it drives me bonkers to have to sit around tapping my fingers waiting for the rest.  As far as the 'missing vital information' aspect of it goes, if a game only gives the player one chance to get that all-important, required-to-solve-the-game information, then it's already strayed into the realm of bad design.


Make the character move as a slug

Aaargh!!  Nellie smashes The Feeble Files into tiny pieces, stamps on the pieces, burns them, then murders everybody at Adventuresoft in several gruesome ways.


Make a crappy GUI with 1001 menus or commands

Actually, I consider a GUI with a wide range of commands to greatly enhance gameplay, providing it is well implemented.  For one thing, text adventures implement many more commands than your average graphic adventure, and the depth of interaction is massively improved as a result.  For a couple of examples of how lots of commands can give you a great game, play Eric the Unready or 2ma2's What Time Is It? demo.  (And where is that sonofabitch nowadays?  I miss him.)


Make a timed puzzle that requires 10-40 minutes fooling around

Eek.  Timed puzzles can be fantastic when done right (ie, the entire endgame of Full Throttle), but to extend one over a couple of minutes is just asking for trouble (or, rather, calling Trouble nasty names then bending over to get your arse kicked).


Make an illogical puzzle

No, no, no, never, never, never.  Avoid like the plague.  If the player can't fairly solve it through intelligence/clues/deduction/imagination/blah, then throw it out.  I also thought the pulley-chicken puzzle was completely logical, even if it was bizarre and random.


Make cool background music

Yeah!


No map - let the player travel

Now then.  Simon the Sorceror 1 was absolutely gorgeous, IMO.  The landscapes and forests were achingly beautiful and had these amazing little background animations that really made you feel like the land was alive with woodland creatures (the stag on the hill was my favourite).  Beautiful, gorgeous, immensely pleasureable to see.

Wandering backwards and forwards through that damn game drove me bonkers.  I actually drew a frigging map to make it faster, and it was still too slow.  It's nice to have a choice to wander through beautiful lands, but to be forced to do it over and over again is taking the p**s.


Anyway, you've certainly got us talking, Vel.  Well done.

You read Private Eye, SteveMcCrea!



*This completely-unrelated-to-anything message was brought to you by SlugBucket Productions*

First off: I'm finding this debate really enjoyable reading.  Congrats everybody.

Loominus's second-to-last post contains the point I wanted to make, but I thought I'd just add my own little snippet.

DG, when you claim that 'graphics aren't necessary to the core construction of an adventure', you are absolutely correct.  However, I believe this claim directly translates to the statement: 'visuals aren't necessary to the core construction of a story'.

I feel the book/film analogy is pretty much spot on here.  A book has its own specific strengths and limitations in conveying story, as does a film.  That's why a story told in book form comes across very differently than a story told in film form, even though at the core, the story is the same.

So it is with text/graphic adventures.  A text adventure has its specific strengths and limitations in conveying story and interaction, as does a graphic adventure.  The experiences are different, even though at their core they are the same.

To argue that graphics have no importance in adventures is (to my mind) to argue that visuals have no importance in stories.  But where does that leave graphic adventures and films?


As a side note, I plan to release two versions of the game I'm working on: a text-adventure version and a graphic-adventure version.  I see these as two related but seperate projects, and fully expect them to turn out very differently (despite coming from the exact same initial design) because of the strengths and weaknesses of their different mediums.  If, when released, you can point out that the two games are the same, then I'll be more persuaded to agree with your theory.  Until then...  nah...

In that case, I vote Chris Jones.




Whadd'ya mean, he's real?

What does everyone mean, Arnie hasn't got any political experience?  He's groped women and lied to the public, hasn't he?

Step 1: Make it really, really good.
Step 2: Sit back and watch the attention roll in.






disclaimer: Step 1 is super-difficult.

:o

Background story?

Blech.  Where's the "Don't you dare make a sequel" petition?

Considering every other graphic adventure in the universe is using the limitless inventory approach (including mine), I'd love to see someone try a different approach.

I don't see there being a problem with frustrated players, providing the locations aren't so far apart that trekking between them is hideously boring.  However, there might be a problem with the graphics.  Presumably, the player will be able to drop the items wherever they want, so you'll have to ensure that every item can be drawn in every location without looking weird against the background (ie, if the player drops the shovel, and the ground of the room they're in is the same colour as the shovel handle, half the shovel will be 'invisible').  Also, every object would have to have a 'lying on the ground' view, so there could be some extra drawing involved.

I'll just mention that another approach to achieve realism in your game is to prevent the player picking up an item unless their character has a motive to do so.  That way, the Player Character doesn't act like a raging kleptomaniac, plus you avoid that whole 'Jeff randomly steals a shovel that doesn't belong to him for no reason whatsoever...  later on, Jeff comes across a situation where a shovel is exactly what he needs to progress - what an amazing coincidence!'

So, me and two friends, Paula and Salaudin, are walking through the park, when we pass the new play area.  Inside this is a gang of twenty or so dick-head lads, who start swearing at us as we pass.  We ignore them, keep walking, we're almost past the area, and everything is fine and dandy.

Then Paula, who was not born with a survival instinct, decides she'll say something back.  She turns around and shouts: "Why don't you stick your heads down the toilet where you belong?"

Now, to a bunch of white guys, that insult would just sound silly and not particularly offensive, and this is how Paula intended it.  Unfortunately, this dick-head gang consists entirely of black guys, and Paula has completely and utterly failed to see the racist connotations of what she's just said.

So then they follow us.  Salaudin is really young, and Paula is a girl, so guess who they decide to attack?  The tall, white guy of course!  After getting punched in the face twice, I decided we should make a sharp exit and legged it.

My friends didn't follow.

I'm looking back, wondering what the hell they're doing and whether I should go back despite the fact I'm crapping myself, when Salaudin comes pelting towards me and yells: "Neil!  Run!  They're comiiiiing!!"

And I went wee-wee-wee-wee all the way home.  Salaudin follows, and then Paula finally turns up, with completely nonchalant, 'what's the big deal' body language.

She was probably right, and nothing too terrible would have happened, but damn were we pissed off with her.

Fan-games is another name for amateur adventures in some circles.  As The Inventory reviewed Ozzie and the Quantum Playwright, I think Dimi will accept all sorts of amateur adventures.

First of all, I'd like to say it's great to see the politeness and respect shown in this thread.  Graphics can be a pretty touchy subject, especially in this community.

[/sentiment]

Dimi, there's an example I'd like to give to show why we're concerned about your graphics policy.

Pleurghburg: Dark Ages spawned one of the biggest announcement threads ever seen in this community.  It won 5 AGS awards, including Best Game.  JA+ gave it an A grade in their review.  At Home of the Underdogs, Underdogs herself described it as: "One of the best freeware adventure games I have come across", and gave it Top Dog status.  It has received positive responses from the people who played it in all three major adventure gaming forums.  We, as a community,  consider it to be one of the games that flies the flag for quality amateur adventures.

Your graphics policy would prevent this game being reviewed in The Inventory.

And that's our concern.

I would fuse Adventure and Real-Time Strategy.

In-between battles, your character could wander around the camp interacting with soldiers in your command.  As you got to know them, it would be very sad to see their deaths in battle.


Oh bum, Trap answered before me.

How about showing us the websites of these several mods to online games, so we can see what sort of talent your team of 16 has and decide if we want to be a part?

Yeah, Outcast was amazing.  But why oh why did they stick in that ridiculous LESN FLAER?

I'm glad you managed to find a resolution to your problem.

* Nellie dies.

Holy crap, blowing up the environment is fun.  I'd give my left armpit to see rocket launchers have that effect in Unreal Tournament.

And all that from a 500 measly kilobytes download, too.

I thought it might have been Lucastones.  He hardly says anything, and is even complemented by RonG, and then right after everyone starts insulting Ron, Lucastones mysteriously says: "I didn't come in here to be insulted", even though nobody has insulted him.

Typed in the wrong window, methinks.

"Unfortunately the 'String Your Own Hammock' kit instructions were half Japanese"

OR

"Damn his stingy ISP!  Jeff would just have to make his own webspace."

www.adventuregamers.com

Dave something-or-other.  I'm sure nobody in the AGS or RON community have ever heard of the fellow...