[Fantasysci5]

For me, it lessens the story if I *do* get stuck on a puzzle. I start getting frustrated, and it takes away from my enjoyment of the story and the game. So for me, I use hints to get past it so I can continue to love the story.

mgeorge!!! I've converted two people to Jonathan Boakes' games, especially Dark Fall!!! lol *pumps air with fist*

[Brimstone]

Wow. Maybe I should start a puzzle help thread. I love puzzles and even had an anagram program that I used to help with those type of puzzles. The only thing I would think would be bad is the fact that I'm only 1 guy and there are, what, a few million gamers out there. I don't think I could handle the volume.

[Lady Kestrel]

I have a lot of patience when it comes to puzzle solving, and I really like to do it myself if at all possible. I've used all the strategies below at one time or another, but the first, fifth, and seventh seem to work the best for me.

[Brimstone]

yeah I have to agree. The best are 1, 5, 7.

[Jelena]

Lady Kestrel, that Strategy picture is great!

[Fien]

My brain once solved a difficult problem in Rhem 2 while I was busy peeling potatoes and thinking about the rest of the dinner preparations. The solution just popped into my head. I dropped everything, ran to the computer room and checked if it was true. Yep. Long live multitasking!

[bananasloth]

It usually takes me a few days and a nervous breakdown to resort to walkthroughs :/

[Lady Kestrel]

Originally Posted by Jelena

Lady Kestrel, that Strategy picture is great!

Thanks, Jelena! That's part of the adventure game calendar I made for this year.

[Fantasysci5]

Lady Kestrel-You've *made* an adventure gaming calendar?!?! *faints* Like what's in it?

[crabapple]

How long I spend trying to solve a puzzle in a game usually depends on how much I'm enjoying the puzzles in the game, whether I trust that I'm not stuck because of a bug, and how much time I'm going to have to play the game. I don't like sacrificing a good puzzle, but if I've only got a couple of hours a week to enjoy my game, I may decide I want to move along in the game. This tends to happen more often with puzzles that are spread out across the gameworld though, and with missing inventory that could be just about anywhere or composed of any thing.

LadyK I like your calendar. Is the rest of it like this sample?

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

How about in Return to Mysterious Island

Spoiler:

The part where you have to throw the thorns in the fire to make them pliable enough to bend into hooks.

Who the heck would have thought of that on there own? It stills drives me nuts thinking about it.

Spoiler:

It would make sense if you were boiling them. Things do tend to get softer when you boil them -- potatoes, beans, toothbrushes ...
But I think in this case they may have curled up on their own due to the heat.

[Lady Kestrel]

Fantasysci5 and Crabapple,
I made a bunch of them for a year-long screenshot contest we had over at Mystery Manor. I'm a rubber stamper, and I have a source for small calendars with the days preprinted on them. I stamped up a cartoon and caption for each month. This is the one I did for February:

I'm planning on posting the others over at MM. If you're interested, I'll send you the link.

[Fantasysci5]

hahahaha!!! Lady Kestrel!!!! That's amazing!! I love some of the titles, and how they're changed for a mouse!!!! lol

Do you draw them yourself?! Because they're amazing!!!

[Lady Kestrel]

Thanks, Fantasysci5! I do draw some of the components, but the majority are rubber stamped images that I hand color. The backgrounds are often done on the computer.

If you're interested, the rest of the images are HERE.

[therabidfrog]

Spoiler:

It would make sense if you were boiling them. Things do tend to get softer when you boil them -- potatoes, beans, toothbrushes ...
But I think in this case they may have curled up on their own due to the heat.

[/QUOTE]

The point is who would even think of that on there own? Are there a lot of hardcore survivalists playing adventure games?

The fact is I'm sort of returning to the Adventure game genera. I haven't played games in years, and what really makes me lose my will to continue playing these games is the lack of any sense of what you're supposed to do next.

This seems to be the greatest fault in this genera. I had to peek at a walkthrough a couple of times in the Lost Crown. I had to cheat my way through the entire second half of Barrow Hill, and now it seems the same thing with Rhiannon. I'm honestly getting frustrated.

Take Rhiannon

Spoiler:

I solve an interesting cipher in act 2, and then suddenly I"m supposed to be collecting a bunch of branches and knocking over stones because a picture tilted sideways?

[Jelena]

Originally Posted by Lady Kestrel

If you're interested, the rest of the images are HERE.

Wow, thanks for sharing Lady Kestrel!

[xxax]

Originally Posted by Lady Kestrel

I have a lot of patience when it comes to puzzle solving, and I really like to do it myself if at all possible. I've used all the strategies below at one time or another, but the first, fifth, and seventh seem to work the best for me.

Well yeah, but this has to do with puzzles (like an elaborate lock...etc.), i mostly get stuck when i forget to look at something, or forget to pick up something or forget to do some stupid inventory puzzle. And then i really don't want to backtrack and spend an hour going throu every room, just searching everything. Maybe i'm just too cocky for serious adventure games .

Not to mention some newer adventure games have a logic behind them i just don't get. When i played Discworld i had to use a walkthrough (since that game is just... surreal in the logic it uses) but when i play newer adventure games i kinda expect there to be logical things to do. That's why i liked Blade Runner, since you proceed without gathering certain clues and stuff, but the outcome will be different. There's nothing more frustrating (to me) than being stuck in front of a door or something, because you forgot to pick up a tiny key amidst billions of other things...

[darkredshoes]

I try not to, but if I think the difficulty of a puzzle or quest is compromising my enjoyment of the game on the whole I'll consult a walkthrough.

[therabidfrog]

Originally Posted by xxax

That's why i liked Blade Runner, since you proceed without gathering certain clues and stuff, but the outcome will be different. ...

Interesting. I saw blade runner at a thrift store for 6 bucks. It's still sitting there. I never picked it up because I thought that was too much for an old pc game, but I think I might.

[misslilo]

@therabidfrog
You should definitely get Blade Runner
It's an awesome game.

[darkredshoes]

Originally Posted by therabidfrog

Interesting. I saw blade runner at a thrift store for 6 bucks. It's still sitting there. I never picked it up because I thought that was too much for an old pc game, but I think I might.

It's well worth it for six bucks. Pretty darn replayable, too. I think every time you play again something will be different, and there are like ten different endings.