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Old 12-06-2007, 05:12 PM   #61
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Originally Posted by Keregioz View Post
Well...for me the thing that is really hard to find in adventure games is a good story. That includes good dialog and interesting characters. That's the main reason I like adventure games. Puzzles are not my primary concern, though there are occasions where bad puzzles ruin a game.
I also find that voice acting is extremely important. If the story and dialog are good enough, I prefer having no voice acting at all than a mediocre one.

Examples for voice acting are everything from lucas arts...
For story, games that come to mind are TLJ/Dreamfall, Grim Fandango, Moment of Silence, Still Life, Culpa Innata, Sanitarium...
I was just thinking as I read the question in the thread was Sanitarium! It was one of my first adventures and I loved it! The Zork's also. I think what I like the best is ongoing character's, I love sequels. Plot is next, then graphics and such. But the people you get involved with and become for me is THE thing. I don't know if this is a common thing among adventure gamers but I read ALOT, almost more than I play so it gives me an oppurtunity to use my vivid imagination.
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Old 12-06-2007, 11:38 PM   #62
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Once more, many thanks for your continued input.

One of the reasons I started the thread was to help give me focus. I have a number of project ideas and the time has come to concentrate on one of them in the hope of pushing it forward into something substantial.

Although (I think) all of the ideas are sound, the feedback you've given me has enabled me to choose the one that I think best fits the picture I've formed from that feedback. My next task is to develop the idea into a fully-fledged proposal and only time will tell if publishers will look on the idea with favour.

I will endeavour to keep you updated of the progress, subject to publisher requirements.
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Old 12-07-2007, 01:23 PM   #63
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Originally Posted by Steve Ince View Post
Once more, many thanks for your continued input.

One of the reasons I started the thread was to help give me focus. I have a number of project ideas and the time has come to concentrate on one of them in the hope of pushing it forward into something substantial.

Although (I think) all of the ideas are sound, the feedback you've given me has enabled me to choose the one that I think best fits the picture I've formed from that feedback. My next task is to develop the idea into a fully-fledged proposal and only time will tell if publishers will look on the idea with favour.

I will endeavour to keep you updated of the progress, subject to publisher requirements.
Well good luck! I know the pain of sending proposals to publishers. Get yourself some nice herbal tea and make sure you relax when you're dealing with it all.

Can you give us an idea of your idea? Or would that be out of the question?
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Old 12-07-2007, 03:31 PM   #64
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It's a game where you have to recruit focus groups to design your game.
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Old 12-07-2007, 05:05 PM   #65
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It's a game where you have to recruit focus groups to design your game.
How dare you.

I guess you would not like me to tell you how I feel about your pigeons in the park...
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Old 12-07-2007, 07:01 PM   #66
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If you're offended by my facetious remark, I apologise. And I would like to hear what you thought about Pigeons in the Park, even if you hated it.
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Old 12-07-2007, 11:34 PM   #67
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Can you give us an idea of your idea? Or would that be out of the question?
I would like to say something, but the nature of proposals and publisher discussions could mean that some of the things I said may change. I do have the main characters, a visual style I'd like to aim for, but it's really too early to be saying anything. Sorry.


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It's a game where you have to recruit focus groups to design your game.
I thought this was quite a funny remark, regardless of its intent.


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Originally Posted by Fienepien View Post
How dare you.

I guess you would not like me to tell you how I feel about your pigeons in the park...
While I (kind of) appreciate you taking offence on my behalf, I'm sure that the comment wasn't meant in an insulting way. Even if it was meant as an insult I still find it funny.
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Old 12-07-2007, 11:41 PM   #68
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*sigh of relief* Glad you didn't find it offensive, Steve. Also, I should've said this earlier, but good luck with the proposal.
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Old 12-08-2007, 01:22 AM   #69
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Being able to talk to a wide variety of people was what got me interested in adventures at an early age. My the first two, Blazing Dragons and Discworld, I would just wonder around constantly talking to everyone, looking at everything every five minutes in the hope I'd see something new.

Both games were in chapters, so each would see a change of events for the characters and surroundings. I still remember how at the start of Blazing Dragons there's a woman that was knitting a sock to go on her baby dragon's tail. First it was only the size of her hand. But the final chapter it was this gigantic pile of knitting... and she was still furiously knitting it as if there was no end in site.

That's what has attracted me to most of my fav games that are all set in the same locations throughout the game yet tiny details kept the humour and what was believable going.

When I get games like Broken Sword 3 where there felt like very little people in larger surroundings, and you traveling several places. There wasn't that much character development in even the smallest characters, and I switched off very quickly. I've forced myself to get very far in that game, but every time I've stopped when I've had to return to a location (I think you had to go to that abandoned theatre three odd times?).

Too many game developers in general feel that bigger is better. "Crysis is better because it's got big landscape, etc." That's ok for some games like GTA, but for an adventure, I'd rather have a small selection of locations filled with many characters, great amounts of colour and detail to everything on screen than a bland, gigantic city. Just take a look at 80 Days. That game looks huge. But the pics on the adventure shop show just how bland and lifeless it all seems.

Many great adventures are kinda like soap-operas I guess. Same place, same characters every day/ week, but new events and new ways to learn something about the characters in a funny way.

Last edited by Terramax; 12-08-2007 at 01:34 AM.
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Old 12-08-2007, 11:23 AM   #70
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*sigh of relief* Glad you didn't find it offensive, Steve. Also, I should've said this earlier, but good luck with the proposal.
Thanks, that's kind of you.


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When I get games like Broken Sword 3 where there felt like very little people in larger surroundings, and you traveling several places. There wasn't that much character development in even the smallest characters, and I switched off very quickly. I've forced myself to get very far in that game, but every time I've stopped when I've had to return to a location (I think you had to go to that abandoned theatre three odd times?).

Too many game developers in general feel that bigger is better. "Crysis is better because it's got big landscape, etc." That's ok for some games like GTA, but for an adventure, I'd rather have a small selection of locations filled with many characters, great amounts of colour and detail to everything on screen than a bland, gigantic city.
In many ways I agree with you. I'm not saying that I think that BS3 was bad, but it was perhaps spread out much more than it needed to be.

One of the strengths of So Blonde is that the whole game takes place in a relatively small place, we re-use locations and re-visit characters and many of them develop along the way. We had a lot of fun with this game. I want to build on that with my own ideas.
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Old 12-09-2007, 05:32 AM   #71
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If you're offended by my facetious remark, I apologise. And I would like to hear what you thought about Pigeons in the Park, even if you hated it.
Oops! Mea culpa...

I confess it didn't even occur to me that your remark was meant to be funny. You can blame my alien sense of humor for that. And of course my wonderfully abrasive personality invariably comes shining through. (Note to self: don't post when you've had two glasses of wine.)

Anyway, sorry!
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Old 12-09-2007, 04:30 PM   #72
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And I would like to hear what you thought about Pigeons in the Park, even if you hated it.
It needed more humorous comments that could be misconstrued as horrific insults.

Getting back on topic, I thought of something else that maybe I mentioned but I don't feel like going back and checking because I'm a lazy, lazy artist:

I love cool scenery in adventure games, but not when they're useless. What I mean is games like Syberia where you walk for 10 minutes through gorgeous scenes that are totally non-interactive. There's not a thing to look at. So I like cool environments that have lots of things to "look" at (with an icon/interaction) but not wastelands.
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Old 12-09-2007, 04:37 PM   #73
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Someone said storytelling (rather than story) which is what it comes down to for me. In other genres the story is usually told primarily through cutscenes, but in adventure games you get much of the story by talking to people and by investigating your surroundings. This appeals to me a lot. All the talking also means fleshed out characters which is important to me.

Another aspect of storytelling in adventure games that I like is the way you as a character advance the story. You do this by talking and by solving puzzles. In a game like say Halo or Max Payne the only means of advancing the story that you have is to use violence.

The best adventure experience I've had this year was Mass Effect which I finished yesterday. It has characters with plenty of personality and you do advance a lot of the story through dialog and exploration. You get to use your sidearm frequently of course (even though some violence can be avoided through dialog), but this is fine with me. Violence is just one aspect of storytelling among others in Mass Effect, and more importantly your actions (be them violent or not) have consequences. This is one area where I find adventure games in general pretty weak. They don't show the consequences of your actions enough, even though the fleshed out characters should provide good opportunity to do this through reactions and character development.
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Old 12-10-2007, 04:52 AM   #74
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What a very interesting thread. I'd like to explain what I like in adventure games, which defines the genre for me.

I recently asked for advice on starting a new game, and, to help people help me, I made a list of the games I have played that I liked. From this list, an user from here (I think Terramax) pointed out that I liked "visually darker settings" games. I think he got it 100% right. What counts for me is the atmosphere you feel when playing an adventure game. I also like them to be realistic because I like too feel that it could really happen to me.
Yes, I am a bit crazy
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Old 12-10-2007, 07:13 AM   #75
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In many ways I agree with you. I'm not saying that I think that BS3 was bad, but it was perhaps spread out much more than it needed to be.
Yes, that's what I was getting at. There are plenty of games that are quick to complete but you enjoy every moment of them, and then there’re mediocre ones that try to thin themselves out far too much.

I did like certain elements of BS3 i.e.

Spoiler:
I loved returning to the Australian cave, this time opening that allusive door to reveal a colourful tomb of sorts.
Sure, it was more Indiana Jones than BS, but the visuals, puzzles and even the music just clicked in what I think the game was really trying to achieve.

The more upbeat feel was more in synch with the originals also.


Of course short games go against some gamers who somehow feel cheated if they buy an adventure, RPG, heck, even FPS that doesn't last them at least 40hrs. Where the heck do people find the time to play games for that long?

I feel that if Revolution really wanted to make a darker, more action orientated game they should’ve made a game that wasn't Broken Sword.

The original title In Cold Blood sold well enough to go Platinum. Why did the company feel the need to use an established adventure like Broken Sword to fulfil something that this franchise clearly wasn’t?

Quote:
One of the strengths of So Blonde is that the whole game takes place in a relatively small place, we re-use locations and re-visit characters and many of them develop along the way. We had a lot of fun with this game. I want to build on that with my own ideas.
Sign me up for being excited So Blonde. After all, it's the characters in adventures that make me play them. If I want a game for amazing graphics and endless exploration, I'll play Farcry instead.
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Old 12-10-2007, 07:44 AM   #76
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The original title In Cold Blood sold well enough to go Platinum. Why did the company feel the need to use an established adventure like Broken Sword to fulfil something that this franchise clearly wasn’t?
An interesting thought. Actually, when we first set out with the idea of creating a third Broken Sword title we ended up straying so far from the original that it ended up being In Cold Blood.

I don't really think that The Sleeping Dragon was too far from the original two, apart from being spread out a little bit. You mentioned something in your spoiler that suggests you were maybe talking about the fourth game, Angel of Death, which I still have yet to play (need a better graphics card).
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Old 12-10-2007, 09:36 AM   #77
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Personally I don't think any game can beat the first two Broken Sword titles.

I keep going back to playing them, because of the feeling they give me.
I feel swept away in the story and characters. I feel I "know" them - if you know what I mean.
Who cares about the graphic in those games.. although I think it's fine for it's "age". I like that sort of style.

I'm not one of those types, that loves the dark-horror-all-to-realistic feel in a game.
It has to be light and easy going. Something I can just click my way through, sit back, relax and enjoy.
I'm truly putt off by games, that use the keyboard for controls only, since that goes against, what I just described.

I too am looking forward to So Blonde - I hope it has some of the characteristics mentioned above.
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Old 12-11-2007, 10:44 AM   #78
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I don't really think that The Sleeping Dragon was too far from the original two, apart from being spread out a little bit. You mentioned something in your spoiler that suggests you were maybe talking about the fourth game, Angel of Death, which I still have yet to play (need a better graphics card).
The spoiler was still about BS3. The Australian truck driver takes Nico and George back to the ruins and they're all dressed in more archeologist style clothing.

I prefered the sections of the game that were more lighter hearted basically. We're surround by so many dark adventure (or gloomy games in general).
One of the reasons why I'm so interested in So Blonde is its different visual perspective.
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Old 12-11-2007, 11:15 AM   #79
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The spoiler was still about BS3. The Australian truck driver takes Nico and George back to the ruins and they're all dressed in more archeologist style clothing.
Now I see. You said Australian cave and that cave is in the Congo. I thought you meant a location I didn't know about, so I assumed BS4. Sorry.
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Old 12-11-2007, 12:00 PM   #80
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I think the graphics for Broken Sword 3 are lush compared to The Angel of Death. The graphics power needed for 4 is ridiculous and they're pretty bland in comparison. The Sleeping Dragon, for me, has more of a Broken Sword vibe and it's colourful/cartoony like the original 2 - especially in the Congo. Apart from lack of characters and some iffy puzzles i think BS3 is a very good game.
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