[kim_roberts_uk]

Hey guys! I am currently at University and I am going to make a point and click adventure game for one of my units. I'm currently in the process of creating the concept art and wanted to collect opinions on adventure games to help me in my project. Feel free to go into as much detail as possible! The more the better!

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?
Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?
Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?
Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?
Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments? Why?
Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?
Which character do you dislike the most? Why?
Which character do you think is most "stylish"? Why?
What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?

Thank you very much to those who contribute, I really appreciate it

[ozzie]

Since most questions are focused on the graphics side, I guess that's where your main task is. I'm not sure if you should only look at adventures for inspiration then, or even just games. But anyway, I'll answer your questions!

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?

Tough call. I can't go with just one, it will take three.

1) Death Gate
A fantasy adventure by Legend Entertainment. Every puzzles is logical, of reasonable difficulty and plain fun to solve. It's in first perspective, which eliminates the waiting for your character to walk to a specific destination. On the other hand, you still control a character that has its own personality, or at least voice. The graphics are in pretty, colourful, if static SVGA, the story can be predictable at times, but there are still some surprises. The characters are fun too. Overall, it's just a simple, heart warming fantasy tale.

2) Edna bricht aus

Sadly so far only released in German and Russian, Edna bricht aus is about the titled protagonist Edna who lives inside a mental asylum, but wants to break out. While everyone calls her crazy, she thinks she's perfectly fine in the head, and her talking stuffed bunny Harvey agrees. The speciality of this game is that nearly every interaction evokes a unique reply. You'll never hear "I can't do that" or "That doesn't work", instead Edna and Harvey will say something relevant or at least funny.
While the game begins light-hearted, the ending is unexpectedly serious, but I think this turn fits well.

3) Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

My favorite LucasArts adventure. What I like the most are its many alternative solutions for problems. The three paths feature makes the game even more replayable: the whole middle section of the game can be entirely different depending on your choice, though the Fists path isn't as good as the other ones. It's the first Indy game that's true to the movies in terms of the character and tone. It offers logical puzzles and a great story on the same level as the original movies. If there's one other aspect that I disliked about it then it's the car chase in Monte Carlo, but really, otherwise it's nigh perfect.

Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?

Hm, I never think about adventures in terms of graphics, but let's see...I think I really like the graphics of Day of the Tentacle. While they look dated today with pixels the size of your finger nails, they still look incredibly good, just because the style held up. It evokes the sense that you're playing a Saturday Morning Cartoon and I'm sure that's what they were going for.
There's lots of beauty to be found in these old adventures. The graphics of King's Quest V are just gorgeous, they're so detailed and atmospheric. The character sprites don't hold up so well compared to the backgrounds, though. The already mentioned Death Gate has also very beautiful graphics. Oh and I love the painted landscapes of Höhlenwelt Saga, a German adventure. The atmosphere they evoke....the graphics tell a story by themselves, actually a much better one than the game does. Too bad the writing is so terrible and the humor falls so flat. Again, the sprites don't mesh so well with the backgrounds, which seems to happen a lot with detailed graphics. A few examples: 1, 2, 3, 4

I think it's interesting and maybe helpful to look at games that managed to look so beautiful within technical limitations. Nowadays you don't have any limitations, so any graphical inspiration is good I guess.
Anyway, Nikopol is a more recent adventure I'd like to mention.

Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?

Hm...I played a lot of crap, so I saw a lot of ugly games, too. Some ugly games were ugly because they were limited by technology, especially those bound to the EGA palette, which only offers garish colours. But games that were stylistically ugly...I need to think about it...
...the worst I can remember were boring looking, very boring, very uninspired. Like Midnight Nowhere, Druuna, Legacy: Dark Shadows,...

There are some graphical sins I just can't stand, like the inconsistent use of black outlines (see Hook) or the use of filmed actors on painted backgrounds where it isn't used as a clever effect (like in Toonstruck) and is instead a stylistic mess (like in Synnergist and Noctroplis).

Oh, and Simon 3D.

Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?

You mean games that immersed me in their world? The best definitely manage to, so I guess I name Indiana Jones 4 and Death Gate again. I should also add Gabriel Knight. What do they have in common? Well, worlds rich of details, interesting characters, encounters and moments, worlds that you want to explore and see what's more to them. Something intangible like the atmosphere is important too, the mood that's created. And the controls shouldn't get in the way of the fun, of course. Nothing breaks more the immersion then the confusion of how to tell your character what he should do. Sadly this happens more often with so-called smart cursors than you might think! I stopped playing Sam & Max: Reality 2.0 because I couldn't try out actions that I thought would be solutions to problems. Parsers that let you guess the word have the same problem. Funny.

Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments?
Why?

Hm...I already mentioned Höhlenwelt Saga, I really like the landscape portraits of it, though it's only a part of the game. Otherwise...Dreamfall can be a beautiful game to look at. I loved the beginning where you could stroll around Casablanca, too bad the game gave you so little to do. Oh, and The Whispered World, of course.

Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?

Harvey came first to mind. It's the talking stuffed bunny from Edna bricht aus. What makes him so special is that he's basically the mad side of Edna and causing her to do all the destructive, crazy stuff. He's also very protective of Edna, while he doesn't think much of anyone else. And he's just so fun.

Which character do you dislike the most? Why?

Some characters in The Longest Journey were incredibly boring, like the captain Crow belonged to. He talked in such a slow and droning voice, and so much, too. Otherwise, I dunno. I guess I tend to forget the characters I dislike. Joshua from Runaway seems to be disliked a lot, though, but I don't remember him much.

Which character do you think is most "stylish"? Why?

I have no idea.

What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?

I prefer to explore three dimensional spaces, so I'd like to see more adventures in 3D, since it immerses me more into the world. The games of Telltale are in 3D, but they still feel 2D to me. I think that's because the games consist of many small scenes, sets that are strung together, but broken up by loading times and the map screen. They could probably be recreated in 2D without a big loss. I don't feel that I'm exploring a continuous world this way. I like the expanse of many RPGs.
I also would like to see the return of an interface that allows more specific interactions with the environment than the dumb "smart cursor" does. That would be most important to me.

[Sughly]

I have to begin by adding to Midnight Nowhere. I nearly forgot about that game until you brought it up Ozzie. Man, the protagonist was sooo arrogant that I couldn't stand playing any more than an hour of the game. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of succeeding at anything .

It;s really interesting you're doing this for a uni project - I began work on one myself for uni, though mine is going to be quite small and more a prototype or demo of what could be. So it will be interesting to see where you go with your project .

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?
It's hard, but I think I have to say Curse of Monkey Island. Not sure why, a combination of art, voice acting, puzzle, character, music. It all just came together perfectly and I haven't found an adventure experience quite as solid as that ever since.

Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?
Haha, see above. CoMI. Then there's newer titles such as Machinarium, and Daedalic's Whispered World and Deponia. I think these guys have their fingers on the artistic pulse for sure. An obvious bias towards 2D art is showing, but that's my personal preference.

Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?
I know there's plenty of fans in here, so please don't cry out in dispute too much - I'm only answering the question. The Telltale Games. Not so much the Monkey Islands, but the Sam and Max games looked terrible in my opinion. As did Escape from Monkey Island - THE worst looking mainstream 3D adventure I've played. For me, I don't think 3D in small budgets works. At all. If people are that intent on 3D, wait until you gather some success first with something that looks decent in 2D.

Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?
I did in Curse of Monkey Island because of that great combination of elements in my first answer. Same goes for Machinarium, really felt that world through the combination of character, art, puzzle, music. When they mesh together like that, you just feel the whole world around you at all times. Oh, and The Dig! What an amazing world! Again, art, character, music, puzzles...

Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments? Why?
CoMI, Machinarium, Whispered World for the amazing 2d artwork.

Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?
Hmmm... man this is bad, I'm like a broken record buy Guybrush from Monkey Island is great. Mainly because he's just a bit of a loser, and despite his efforts he kind of knows it (and can't forget it with the amount of comments he gets from everyone). Machinarium's lead was great, he was so innocent and cute, the way he was designed to shake his head with weird little robot grunts and dance along to the buskers - you couldn't help but want to help him. I liked the protagonist from Scratches too because I felt he would talk and react to people and situations realistically (particularly after the bit in the basement and his refusal to go back down afterwards!).
EDIT: sorry, I had to put him in. George Stobbart, from Broken Sword. Amazing character. His internal monolgue was so well done. The way he responded to people and the environment around him with the combination of sarcasm and humor, as well as a level of seriousness when the situation called for it made for such a great adventure experience.

Which character do you dislike the most? Why?
The guy from Midnight Nowhere. He was such an arse. As I said before, just so arrogant. Who wants to help someone like that?

Which character do you think is most "stylish"? Why?
Well it hasn't ben released yet, but I think the guy from Deponia looks great. I'm only going by screenshots here, but the whole steampunk thing is working so well, and his character design and expressions even just in screens seem to capture him so well. And I don't think I can go past the style of Machinarium and just about every character - they all ooze style.

What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?
Ah well, I already know plenty disagree with me, but plenty have also agreed with me too at least, and that's seeing more of the traditional point and click mechanic but done with better writing - writing, writing, writing! Make sure the dialogue is true to the characters and the situations, that the characters are well thought out, and that (most importantly) the puzzles are well integrated, don't frustrate, and really push the narrative. Each puzzle should feel like the story is being progressed, and the player should always feel like they are involved with the story because of it. It should never feel like guesswork, and should never feel like they are being done just to get the gameplay out of the way and get back to the story.

[rtrooney]

Originally Posted by kim_roberts_uk

Feel free to go into as much detail as possible!

Questions are too broad. You've had two responses, and both differ significantly.

This scenario has beed posed before. Perhaps you might search for prior results.

[Sughly]

Originally Posted by rtrooney

Questions are too broad. You've had two responses, and both differ significantly.

This scenario has beed posed before. Perhaps you might search for prior results.

Yeah this is true. But I'd still like to see you post up your results as the game's coming along .

[terhardp]

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?

If I had to choose, I'd say:

1) Broken Sword
2) Monkey Island
3) Runaway

In each case, I mean the whole series, though I don't find each individual game equally good. Still, the mentioned series has everything I look for in an adventure: graphics, music, characters, story, locations and atmosphere.

Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?

Tough call. It would be a battle between first two Broken Swords, Runaway series and the Curse of Monkey Island. Generally, I like the graphic realism when it comes to games, but in adventures, I kinda prefer the cartoon style graphic. As for the overall design, I must mention Syberia games aswell.

Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?

Probably "The Longest Journey". Though I can't deny the originality and the epic value of the game itself, I find it's design a bit too rough (aside the fact that this is an old game from today's standpoint).

Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?

Again, it's a tough one, but the story of first BS games, Still Life and Fahrenheit griped me the most. "The Lost Crown" kept me intrigued until the end. I also must mention the infamous "The Black Mirror" which atmosphere still haunts me.

Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments? Why?

I like to see vibrant and "exotic" locations in an adventure. All of the three game series I've mentioned at the beginning may qualify here.

Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?

George Stobbart/Guybrush Treepwood. Need I say more... OK, nearly perfect mix of intelligence, charm and the geekiness. When it comes to female characters, it would be probably Victoria McPearson from Still Life series (strong and intelligent character). The most attractive to me is probably Carla Valenti from "Fahrenheit".

Which character do you dislike the most? Why?

Probably Samuel Gordon from "The Black Mirror" He lacks charisma and he is very depressive character, despite the setting of the whole game.

I won't answer to the last two questions, because an answer would be obvious.

[Sandman]

[QUOTE=kim_roberts_uk;541768]Hey guys! I am currently at University and I am going to make a point and click adventure game for one of my units. I'm currently in the process of creating the concept art and wanted to collect opinions on adventure games to help me in my project. Feel free to go into as much detail as possible! The more the better!

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?

1. The Lost Crown - I liked it because of its graphics, story, music, and what not. But above all the dark and mysterious environment of the small coastal town. Simply the best adventure game ever.

2. The Black Mirror - Totally serious game with mystery and little bit touch of horror. Great graphics and story as well with perfect environment to go with it.

3. Monkey Island 3 - The 1st game to get me hooked to adventure games. Before that I only used to watch my cousin play adv games. Great story, graphics, game play and humor and still quite good for today's standards.

4. Broken Sword 1 - Played it one PS1. Again great cartoon graphics, story and dialogue. A bit of humor and bit of seriousness. Great environment of Paris. Still playable.

5. Run Away 3 - The part 3 redeems the previous 2. Good graphics, environment, story but too short.

Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?

The Lost Crown - it has an unmatched art work. You have to play it to know it.

Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?

Gabriel Knight 3 - Yes the art work sucked.

Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?

The Lost Crown.

Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments? Why?

The Lost Crown.
Play it to know it.

Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?

Guybrush from Monkey Island. He knows his humor.

Which character do you dislike the most? Why?

Can't remember.

Which character do you think is most "stylish"? Why?

hmm ...

What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?

I think its about to that adv game goes to space. I mean lets make an adventure game in outer space but with humans. The game should be a blend of horror, mystery and thriller and dark and lonely environment.

Thank you very much to those who contribute, I really appreciate it

You are welcome but I must say your questions would hardly help you develop an adv game. But may be I am wrong.

[Shany]

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?
Discworld 2. Funny, decent length, plenty of inventory puzzles, cartoony graphics, great voice acting and music, enough hints, and lots of rewards for progress.
It also had pretty good pacing. You spend the first chapter in one large location, then the second chapter opens lots of other locations and the third chapter occurs somewhere completely new. I hate being stuck in the same place all game, it's tiring and boring.
Monkey Island 3 is a very close second for pretty much the same reasons.

Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?
Keepsake has incredible backgrounds, but the characters are not as pretty.
Also, the upcoming Whispered World looks incredible.
I like bright and colorful worlds.

Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?
Can't think of anything specific. In general, games that have an uneven design, that combine different looking backgrounds or characters.
Also, since I like bright locations, games where everything is brown and/or dark tend to look ugly and boring.

Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?
AmerZone - Mainly the swamp. It was quiet, but it was calming and not creepy.
Moment of Silence - The space station, where everything is new and shiny, but you can see that there is nothing to do but sit by the pool.
The oil rig. Something about the solitude and being surrounded by water.
Obsidian - Again things being quiet but also relatively bright.

Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments? Why?
As I said above, Keepsake.

Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?
Tough choice. I tend to like characters that fit the private eye sterotype but with a twist.
Gus McPherson from Post Mortem is uncharacterisitcally polite.
Joey Mallone from the Blackwell series (who probably isn't even a private eye) is not in the right time period and can't interact with most people (because he's a ghost).
Lewton from Discworld Noir is both in a fantasy world and is a

Spoiler:

werewolf

Which character do you dislike the most? Why?
Nina Kalenkov from Secret Files: Tunguska. (I haven't played the sequel). You know how alot of adventure games have a puzzle where the character needs to 'abuse' someone in order to get rid of them? Nina does that all the time, and instead of showing regret jokes about it.

Which character do you think is most "stylish"? Why?
No idea. But I wouldn't mind seeing more male protagonists in a suit.

What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?
Two things:
- Fast navigation - Leisure Suit Larry 7 for example both had a map screen and the ability to make him walk ridiculously fast. Getting everywhere fast also includes being able to take items even before you know what they are for, and to skip cutscenes and pieces of dialogue.

- Detective puzzles - like the ones in Spycraft. You could make a fake photograph, make a sketch of a suspect from a photo, analyze phone calls, compare voices, check scheduels for contradictions. It was clever and satisfying both to work on and solve correctly.
Nowadays there are only dumbed-down versions of these puzzles which is a shame because they are great and more fun to see again than mazes and sliders.

[Find Therma]

Which character do you dislike the most? Why?
Nina Kalenkov from Secret Files: Tunguska. (I haven't played the sequel). You know how alot of adventure games have a puzzle where the character needs to 'abuse' someone in order to get rid of them? Nina does that all the time, and instead of showing regret jokes about it.

So true! When I was playing through this game, my brother and I seemed to be constantly referring to Miss Kalenkov as, 'Nina, Bringer of Destruction'. A thoroughly unlikable character.

Also agree with Shany about wanting to see more detective puzzles.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Find Therma

So true! When I was playing through this game, my brother and I seemed to be constantly referring to Miss Kalenkov as, 'Nina, Bringer of Destruction'. A thoroughly unlikable character.

Also agree with Shany about wanting to see more detective puzzles.

Earlier I couldn't remember any character but now add me to this list.

[Fien]

Originally Posted by Shany

[B]Also, the upcoming Whispered World looks incredible. I like bright and colorful worlds.

I have played Whispered World. Wonderful game, wonderful graphics, but colorful they are not. Have a look at the gallery on the main page. Brown is the predominant color. All shades of brown.

Detective puzzles - like the ones in Spycraft. You could make a fake photograph, make a sketch of a suspect from a photo, analyze phone calls, compare voices, check scheduels for contradictions. It was clever and satisfying both to work on and solve correctly.

I second that.

[Shany]

Ah, I see what you mean.
I even remember being annoyed about the developers making Sadwick into a 'brown clown'.

[kim_roberts_uk]

Wow, Ozzie! Thank you for going into so much detail! It must have taken you a while

"Since most questions are focused on the graphics side, I guess that's where your main task is. I'm not sure if you should only look at adventures for inspiration then, or even just games. But anyway, I'll answer your questions!"

I'm getting inspiration from as many places as possible Researching: artists, architects, scientists, new technologies, games designers, etc... Just part of the mark scheme is audience research, so I have to gather that information somehow.

I am currently doing the graphics side at the moment because I'm in the first stages of making my game. I'm currently just coming up with ideas and designing the look/feel of things

It made me giggle that you couldn't pick one favourite so picked three! Sign of a very passionate gamer I think!

Sughly, thank you very much for your response as well! Curse of Monkey Island is pretty much my favourite too Well, it's between that and Day of the Tentacle.

"Questions are too broad. You've had two responses, and both differ significantly.

This scenario has beed posed before. Perhaps you might search for prior results. "

Rrtroony, broad answers are brilliant. I purposely chose very open questions so that people could ramble about the areas they want to. I'm in very early stages at the moment where I'm throwing ideas around and want as much information as possible to get me thinking. Answers that differ significantly are good

Out of curiosity, what kind of questions would you choose then?

I didn't realise you could search and I wasn't aware this had been done too many times before (although I would have probably assumed that if I had thought about it more.) I joined this website yesterday purely for the purpose of this post, so I haven't had much time to explore the website yet.

Thank you also to Sandman, terhardp and Shany!

It was very sweet of those of you who took the time out to help me. I cannot believe how many responses I got on this forum. I posted on other Adventure games related forums and did not get anywhere near as much help as I did from here! It made me smile

[Sik]

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?
I don't know about favorite, but the one I enjoyed playing the most was probably The Longest Journey. It's not the best adventure game I've played, but when I tried it, I hadn't played an adventure game in 5 years or so. I also thought it was a children's game for some reason, but bought it on a whim. It made me fall in love with the genre all over again. After playing it I replayed most of the classics, tried out a few I'd missed out on, and found a few gems among new adventure games as well.

Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?
The original EGA version of Loom. I'm just amazed at what the artists managed to do with the technology available to them. I usually draw the line at 256 color VGA graphics for how dated a game can look while still being immersive, but the original Loom is just gorgeous.

Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?
Simon the Sorcerer 3D and Still Life 2. Both for the same reason. Never change the graphics in a sequel in a way that makes it look worse than previous games in the same series.

Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?
Do you mean lost as in "I need a map! NOW!" or lost as in immersed to the point where I forget I'm playing a game? Come to think of it, the answer is no to both, so it doesn't matter, but I think Grim Fandango is the adventure game where I've found myself the most immersed, followed by Dreamfall. Any game with an epic journey where the progression through the journey feels natural, really.

Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments? Why?
Dreamfall. I usually prefer 2D/2.5D because it allows more detail in scenery/environments, but Dreamfall brought that kind of detail into a full 3D world. I had to save often while playing it in case I triggered story progression before getting to see everything in an area.

Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?
Gabriel Knight. Such a well balanced personality.

Which character do you dislike the most? Why?
Oscar from Syberia. Every conversation with him throughout the first game annoyed me, and every puzzle he was involved in seemd like a roadblock rather than an organic part of the story.

Which character do you think is most "stylish"? Why?
Ben from Full Throttle! He's in his own league of cool when it comes to computer game characters.

What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?
More interactive environments, and an advanced interface to go with it. Not necessarily full 3D, physics and stuff like that, though. I just want to have fun exploring the game even when I'm not working on a puzzle. I'd like to see a step back from the smart cursor and three-hotspots-per-screen-so-the-player-doesn't-get-confused gameplay. Leisure Suit Larry 7 - Love for Sale had the perfect adventure game interface in my opinion. Hotspots for whatever it would make sense to look at, or interact with. Multiple actions for each of them. Even text parser input if those weren't sufficient, and most important of all, intelligent feedback for whatever you try (as intelligent as can be expected from an LSL game anyway).

[Niko]

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?

The Mystery of the Druids:because it was the first point and click adventure game i ever bought/played. dispite some really head scratching puzzles, i loved the premise of playing as a scotland yard detective, and the story was very interesting, with a twist in the middle.

Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?

The Longest Journey series: you switch between two realities, one a beautiful futuristic setting and one a magical yet primitive setting. nothing too over the top, just the right balance.

Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?

Nikopol: its just far too arty and out there for my tastes.


Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?

The Longest Journey series because its an World iopen, and you can go anywhere.

Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments? Why?

I couldnt single out a paticular game, as the majority have a good standard.

Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?

Brent Halligan:because he comes across as a laid back detective, who no one thinks can rise to the challange, but suprises everyone in the end.

Which character do you dislike the most? Why?

I dont have one.


Which character do you think is most "stylish"? Why?

none leap to mind.

What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?

I dont really have any specific requirements, other than, 3rd person, a good story & lots of NPC's to talk too.

[Zanthia]

The expieriense shows, that the lists of best and worst adventure games made by many gamers both list same games.

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?
Kirandia
because of atmosphere, because of humor, because of characters

Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?
many games nowadays have nice artwork. In fact, all thats the main thing in games nowaday.

Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?
Can't think of anyting right now. And yes, I liked simon 3d.

Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?
Too many to list. story+character+graphics

Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments? Why?
Same here

Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?
Guess.

Which character do you dislike the most? Why?
Which character do you think is most "stylish"? Why?
Can't think of any right now for both

What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?
Less "i can't do that", more ways to solve the puzzle, no timed puzzles, no action.

[orient]

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?
Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars -- fantastic main character, genuinely funny, beautiful graphics, intriguing storyline, puzzles are challenging yet logical (made better by the Director's Cut). Everything comes together in a near-perfect mystery game package.

Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 -- the black and white sketches bring the characters to life in way you rarely see in games.

Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?
That I've played...Runaway: A Road Adventure. The characters are super ugly, with a flat cell-shaded look that doesn't appeal to me at all.

Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?
The Longest Journey -- the uniqueness of your surroundings. Fascinating settings and plot.

Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments? Why?
Syberia I & II -- expertly crafted, and intricate architecture.

Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?
George Stobbart -- funny, likable, wonderfully voiced.

Which character do you dislike the most? Why?
...because they're evil or because they're poorly developed?

Which character do you think is most "stylish"? Why?
Not sure what that means. Who has the coolest clothes?

What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?
A move away from underground sects, evil monks, stolen paintings, boring political agendas...anything that resembles Broken Sword or The Da Vinci Code. Sure, I love those two things, but the time has passed.

While I'm on things I don't want, I desperately want a move away from static, slide-show first-person adventures. This isn't the 90's. 3D software is readily available. Lets make use of it for our first-person adventure games.

What do I want to see? Personally...more cyber-punk, more logical puzzles, and more innovation -- not just room-to-room, inventory-based challenges and progression.

[rtrooney]

Originally Posted by Sughly

Yeah this is true. But I'd still like to see you post up your results as the game's coming along .

The defining statement in the original post is "I am going to make a point and click adventure game for one of my units."

If he/she knows what a point/click game is, he/she has probably played a few or two. And, thus, he/she asking us what makes a good one is superfluous.

Thus, a more specific question, such as "Does point and click aquisition of an inventory item require immediate use, or should it be saved?" makes a more sensible question to me.

[colpet]

What is your favourite point and click adventure game? Why?
Riven. It was the first game I played and it occupied me for months. I loved the way the puzzles unfolded the story. I loved the atmospere and the way it engaged my mind.
Which game do you think has the most appealing artwork? Why?
The Myst series. Nothing can compare to those detailed environments. Even the older games stand up beautifully today.
Which game do you dislike the artwork of the most? Why?
I dislike the cartoony adventures. They are very unimmersive for me.
Are there any point and click adventure games where you get very lost into the world created? Why do you think this happened?
Any of the first person fantasy games where there is no one else talking at you - those are the ones I get lost in. Myst series (of course), but also Riddle of the Sphinx, Dark Fall, Rhem, etc. For me the first person perspective is essential for immersiveness. Otherwise, I feel like I'm watching a story, not participating in one. Not to say that watching a story is bad, I did love the Gabriel Knight games, especially the latter 2.
Which game do you think had the most impressive scenery/environments? Why?
Of all the Myst games, i think Uru has the most awe inspiring scenery - jungles, deserts, waterfalls, starry planets, even the dark brooding city - just so much choice.
Who is your favourite point and click adventure game character? Why?
Me. I love playing myself in a game.
Which character do you dislike the most? Why?
Any goofy illogical chatty cartoon character.
Which character do you think is most "stylish"? Why?
Well, I much prefer FMV to comupter generated characters - they never look right. So the most stylish characters are the real actors - Gabriel Knight, Tex Murphy, Baron Von Glower, etc.
What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?
More first person non-violent games in a fantasy environment with lots to explore and investigate. Presently, this is not a popular trend, so unless more games like this are beeing developed, I will not be playing adventure much longer.

[Ascovel]

Originally Posted by Sik

What are you dying to see in a point and click game? Why?
More interactive environments, and an advanced interface to go with it. Not necessarily full 3D, physics and stuff like that, though. I just want to have fun exploring the game even when I'm not working on a puzzle. I'd like to see a step back from the smart cursor and three-hotspots-per-screen-so-the-player-doesn't-get-confused gameplay. Leisure Suit Larry 7 - Love for Sale had the perfect adventure game interface in my opinion. Hotspots for whatever it would make sense to look at, or interact with. Multiple actions for each of them. Even text parser input if those weren't sufficient, and most important of all, intelligent feedback for whatever you try (as intelligent as can be expected from an LSL game anyway).

It's not wise to create games like that nowadays. Gamers have so many game titles to choose from that they don't want to be cast into setting full of interactive details, they want the games to constantly point the direction of the story, so they can move quickly towards the end and see if the game was actually worth their time.

Players will get only annoyed by games that include lots of hotspots and a variety of actions which are neither very helpful, nor required to finish a game. Even if these elements can add a lot of personality to the world and characters, most players will give up on the game long before they could start appreciating that.

The only situation you can hope the player will want to really invest time in your game is when you have a big franchise on your hands, or you are a really well established creator. At the moment, among adventure game franchises I think only Monkey Island would have a chance of pulling off this kind of thing.