[Jackal]

Originally Posted by Junkface

I don't think point and click in RTSes is really being compared with adventures at all; rather point and click's prevalence in RTSes is simply being used to illustrate that the gaming public at large doesn't automatically turn its back on anything point and click...

Exactly.

Originally Posted by insane_cobra

It doesn't, but we're talking about point & click in adventures...

You're only limiting the context to adventures because the wider one doesn't support any kind of "point and click is antiquated" theory. But if point and click is being accused of causing the adventure's (relative) demise, then there must be something inherently wrong with it as a viable control scheme. And since that clearly is not the case in other genres, then that argument doesn't hold much water. So the answer must lie elsewhere.

However, I don't think point & click is the sole reason why adventures aren't very popular with mainstream audience, there are many elements of "traditional" adventure design that most people find off-putting.

Well, now we're getting somewhere. I'm sure some would argue that these other factors are things traditional adventures currently do WRONG, but I personally believe it's mostly about pace and purpose. The interface and design are meant to suit the games' intent, which is a deliberately slow, cerebral experience. No, this isn't some "adventure games are for smart people and action games for twitch jockeys" crap. It's just an obvious observation with no hidden meaning. Do most gamers want a slow, cerebral experience? I would say no. Even those that do (like most of us here) don't want a steady diet of it. So they're going to be a niche interest, period.

Is it possible to create some adventures that have a more mainstream appeal? Sure, a little bit. How? By doing what Fahrenheit and Dreamfall did. Increase the pace and alter the purpose (clearly the focus of neither game was on cerebral challenges). With that comes a different control scheme, sure. And that's fine for the sake of diversity, but it doesn't replace the other games. Really the two have nothing to do with each other.

Let's face it. Traditional adventure games are the video game equivalent of baseball. It can be pretty fricking boring, but lots of people like it for what it is, and no matter how much you tweak it and improve it, it will never appeal to many people. Why is this a bad thing? It just is.

Originally Posted by colpet

I sometimes feel that there is a double standard here.

There's definitely a double standard among SOME people here, but hopefully this isn't quite the blanket statement it sounds like.