[staufman]

Hi Fellow Adventure Gamers,

Let me introduce myself: I am a game developer making adventure games. While I have never posted on these forums, I have been stalking them for the past 2 years (creepy huh?) and have been noting what games people historically like and which they don't!

My current project (which I can't really talk about) is about to end and after that, I want to independently pursue a project which I've been thinking about for years. I have been working out the story which I feel will be very compelling and should really push the envelope in terms of story.

That being said, I haven't put nearly the amount of thought into gameplay as I have into story. While I do have ideas on certain puzzles or situations, I haven't thought more deeply about the core mechanics of this game. That's where I need some help and direction.

I would love to hear back from avid adventure gamers about what they want in a new adventure game. We all know the market for adventure games is small but I feel like the genre needs a new story and some new gameplay to help revive it.

1. How important is the originality of the story to the game? Do people enjoy a more simple story with complex puzzles or do people want a more literary story that demands some "interpretation" from the player? Do you want to play a game that heavily laden with allegory and symbolism? Or do you feel that heavy stories are reserved for books?

2. Do people like the traditional adventure game mechanics of puzzle solving and conversations? What about mini-games? Do people like Indigo Prophecy "simon says" mini-games? Or do people like more in-world games a la the combat system in Dreamfall?

3. How do people feel about viewpoint? Do people like a first person view like Myst or more third person like Gabriel Knight (btw, that's my favorite adventure game of all time). How about controls? Point-and-click or "WASD" FPS-type controls?

4. How about replayability? Is that really important? Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis had a cool system that allowed some replayability. Did people enjoy this?

5. What are people's thoughts on incorporating game mechanics that people can return to over and over? For instance, an adventure game could have a game of checkers that needs to be played once to get past a certain point but then could be replayed later for fun.

6. How many people own the Wii? I really think this is a great platform for adventure games.

7. Do people have any ideas on incorporating new types of gameplay into the adventure genre? I am open to any suggestions.

Sorry for the long post! Answers to any or all of questions would be much appreciated. Your answers will help drive my decision on how to start this project so you are playing a big part in all of this.

Thanks!

Salil Apte