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This is interesting, anyone know more about the learning curve?

[magic]

Thanks y'all for chipping in!

5 days a stranger was my initial gold gem that I've been getting back to as a reference to great storytelling in adventure games and AGS community. The moment when he has that nightmare and he describes it to the lady in the morning... Brilliance!

By the way Grim, great job with the Cat Lady! But gotta confess I couldn't get too far in the game.. got too scared!

I think the same about the youth finding adventure games. It was interesting giving Monkey Island to a friend to play. He was born in the 90's and didn't really know what adventure games were about. But he loved playing the game and could appreciate all the humor.

I've been downloading some old games and reliving my childhood but I have to say I find it hard getting past the first parts nowadays. Large part is the fact my spare time is very limited but there is something I think that doesn't work in these modern times.
Few reasons I've been pondering :
1. The obvious problems with silly puzzles and just trying to guess what game maker was after - which detracts from the immersion into the story.
2. Slow gameplay. And I don't mean slow as in Kentucky Route Zero, but the loading times and transitions that make the experience clunky = no smooth transitions between animations and UI gets on the way. I believe this kills the immersion. You know when something's about to happen and it's like watching a slow clockwork machine than an ACTED scene.
3. Getting stuck. Everything was beautiful from the first few rooms but when that first feeling of getting stuck hits your face, you glance the time and go to bed. This is interesting since this used to be the very essence of the adventure games - trying to solve the puzzles with your friends over one PC which created a feeling of chance. But while doing this you kill the story progression.

You know the main strength in adventure games compared to other gametypes is the ATMOSPHERE:

There is something in the ATMOSPHERE of 2D adventure games that is very unique - especially in the legendary 90's titles when SCUMM was at it's peak. I haven't played Heavy Rain but what I've understood is that the uncanny valley gets more and more people down when modern games are getting closer and closer but still drifting further from immersion when still not really hitting realism.

One of the main strengths I think adventure games hold over other games is that the camera is still. We see the characters mostly from a set distance. This makes the experience very THEATRICAL. Go see a play for 2 hours and you can be totally hypnotized by a great story with only few characters and background switches - and this is how adventure games should feel like - like a play.

And this brings to the 2nd power of adventure games : leaving space for imagination. No need for stunning special effects and crowd fighting scenes since all that is played in the gamers mind. And THIS is what creates the unique atmosphere. Why did Kentucky Route Zero use so much shadows and black spaces? Anyone remember what Hitchcock had to say about the subject?

But I'm not here as a new face on the forums to tell you guys how to make your games. What I'm after is a new wave in interactive content.

We could take what works in adventure games and leave out the obvious problems. Exactly what AnasAbdin said about the use of the words 'retro' and 'classic' - let's forget the retro already and use the strengths what this art has to offer. Why make the same copies of the classic titles again and again?
This might mean even dropping AGS or using it differently, but I believe the magic of this genre could be harnessed to a new genre of interactive content.
Not saying to stop loving and remaking the classic style, just saying there could be a new way to do stuff than coping whose 'retro' game gets a chance to be chosen in Steam.

Sorry for a long post. Thoughts anyone? We're very soon coming up with an example of what I'm after here so maybe I'll make more sense after showing something tangible

Hopefully not stepping on any toes here and cheers for reading until the end!

Hi all!

Let me introduce myself, my name is Teemu Erämaa. I'm an old timer on AGS since the DOS version and actually I'm the guy whom Chris Jones asked to make the first sierra-styled grey icons for his new Adventure Creator-game engine. They were supposed to be temporary but actually stuck inside the AGS engine for a looong time - Sorry for the quality, I was like 16 years old back then (darn it, that's like 16 years ago!)

Unfortunately I never finished any of my own adventure game projects back then but I've been very keen on the subject of adventure games. Ever since as a kid running into The Secret of Monkey Island with my friend.

I grew up to be an animation director and founding my own animation studio called Nopia Ltd. We're trying to do things differently and my love for 320x200 pixels hasn't worn out.

Thus we have done few retro pixel-loving projects - just recently finished a nintendoesque music video for Pegboard Nerds (check it out : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzgITwK7GdM).

But not just re-heating an old style, we're about to do something quite interesting soon that involves old school adventure games but not at all in a traditional gaming-sense. Think of a cross between the legendary Lucasarts/Sierra jewels and Shakespear theatre - so wanted to check in with the AGS community what are your thoughts of boosting the adventure game world back to a wider audiences??

What do you guys think is the current status? Is there a clear rise or a second coming of adventure gaming to be seen (cat lady anyone?). Or adventure games a niche nostalgia only for the 30 year olds? Who else is interested out there? And would any of you be interested in joining us to bring & turn adventure game world into a new art form?

I've been following the forums as a by-stander here and there and it's great to see such a well-kept thing you guys been able to keep here. There's something about adventure games that is not just nostalgia, but I'm going to write that essay another day

Hi! I'm an animator working as a professional. Would like to help but afraid I don't have time (at least yet) to. I would like to know about the story and writing and dialogue quality though, if they'd prove awesome, I might be up to it. 

The characters look like 3d characters rendered with toon shading - is that true and if so, what software you have used. I'm myself on Maya.

Give me a pm and some demo to check, and some info on the character setup if interested.