• Log In | Sign Up

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Top Games
  • Search
  • New Releases
  • Daily Deals
  • Forums

Adventure Gamers - Forums

Welcome to Adventure Gamers. Please Sign In or Join Now to post.

You are here: HomeForum Home → Gaming → Adventure → Thread

Post Marker Legend:

  • New Topic New posts
  • Old Topic No new posts

Currently online

Support us, by purchasing through these affiliate links

   

AG Community Playthrough 48 - Shivers

Avatar

Total Posts: 1350

Joined 2009-04-28

PM

Mmm-Hmm-Hmm-Heh-Heh-Heh!

Welcome to the Shivers Community Playthrough! Whether or not you voted I do hope you’ll consider joining the fun as we play through this absolute gem of a B-movie horror of a game!

Before we begin, some housekeeping:

Getting the game

Shivers has very recently become available on GOG at https://www.gog.com/game/shivers for a very reasonable price. If you don’t already own it, this is the easiest way to play along.

Otherwise, you will need the original game on CD (it’s not available anywhere else as far as I am aware). Obviously a mid 90’s game doesn’t play happily with modern versions of windows on its own. However, you can play it easily through SCUMMVM, which works absolutely flawlessly. If you’ve got the CD but aren’t familiar with SCUMMVM feel free to PM me, or post here for assistance. I can post a ‘how to’ if necessary. It really is a simple process and once completed you can load the game very simply.

Playthrough format – and excuses before we even begin!

For anyone who hasn’t played before, Shivers is not a linear game and this makes dividing it up into nice equal sections quite a difficult business. The long and the short of it is that for us to do this playthrough you are going to have to put up with a couple of things.

Firstly, sections of uneven length – we will compensate by allowing different lengths of time. Secondly, some rather arbitrary rules about where you can and can’t go and what you can and can’t do. – I honestly think they are not that bad at all but I want to be up front about it so you know what to expect.

Part of the reason I’m saying all this now is that I don’t want the thread to get cluttered up with ‘We can’t what? - That’s stupid’ or ‘…Actually we should do this instead’ type posts. Are there better ways of doing it than I have thought of? Probably. Is it worth de-railing the playthrough to argue about? No. Therefore one condition i’d like to impose on this playthrough is that we leave comments on how badly I have set up the sections until the end… at which time feel free to tear it apart and let that pent up anger flow!

So what now?

So now you have a few days – until WEDNESDAY 22 AUGUST to get the game bought and installed. If you want to check it’s working by watching the intro then be my guest, but to be honest both SCUMMVM and GOG versions are so well maintained I am not expecting anyone to have any issues, so you might want to save it for when we begin. I will post the start of the first section at some point on Wednesday 22 August.

I am also going to offer some suggestions for things you might like to discuss during each section. To be clear these are ENTIRELY OPTIONAL, I’m not trying to tell anyone what to do here, but sometimes it can be hard to know what to post, especially if you are new here or just lurking. Please do use this as encouragement to post and discuss if it’s helpful – we’d love to hear from you Smile, or completely ignore it if you don’t need to be patronised by some idiot on the internet, or (like me in the last AGCPT thread) you have verbal(written?!) diarrhoea and don’t need any further encouragement!

     

3.5 time winner of the “Really Annoying Caption Contest Saboteur” Award!

Avatar

Total Posts: 1350

Joined 2009-04-28

PM

Section 0: Before we’ve even started

Please do post below confirming you’re participating and ready to go with the game.

For those who are new to Shivers, it’s only fair to tell you that as well as the game installed you will need pen and paper (or modern day equivalent) to take notes. Don’t worry, I’m not talking about pages and pages of notes and this is not a game where you will be stuck reading page after page of endless journals the whole way through. There is a ‘flashback’ system that means you can refer back to some of the things you have already seen, but take this as fair warning that you will need to write some things down/keep notes at some points and even using a walkthrough will not change that.

Finally, some optional things to discuss this week - if you’d like to.

Before we begin with the game proper, feel free to discuss/answer one, more or none of these as you see fit.

1. What is your history with Shivers? First time playing it? Played many times already? When, if at all, did you first play it? (Let’s not get too into the game at this point and no spoilers please obviously).

2. What do you think of 1st person/slideshow games generally?

3. Shivers is a horror game. Don’t misunderstand me, you’re unlikely to get any sleepless nights from it, but it is a horror game. How do you get on with horror games/films/books?

4. Shivers is a puzzle game. Sure there is story and backstory, a captivating world and the rest of it, but in this game puzzles are king. Maybe not quite to the extent of ‘Safecracker’ and certainly not anywhere near as difficult as ‘Riven’ but there sure are a lot of puzzles! How do you get on with puzzle games and where do you sit in the story vs puzzles thing?

5. Just for fun – Shivers was released in 1995. If you were around computers/PC gaming then what’s your favourite Windows 95 nostalgia?!



Remember, Section one will start on WEDNESDAY 22 AUGUST

     

3.5 time winner of the “Really Annoying Caption Contest Saboteur” Award!

Avatar

Total Posts: 655

Joined 2017-04-14

PM

I’m ready to go!

Intense Degree - 17 August 2018 03:06 AM

1. What is your history with Shivers? First time playing it? Played many times already? When, if at all, did you first play it? (Let’s not get too into the game at this point and no spoilers please obviously).
Barely even heard of it! At least until I started posting here. Wink

2. What do you think of 1st person/slideshow games generally?
As long as it’s a good game, I’m not too fussed about the format.

3. Shivers is a horror game. Don’t misunderstand me, you’re unlikely to get any sleepless nights from it, but it is a horror game. How do you get on with horror games/films/books?
I absolutely love horror movies and it’s my go-to to chill out after a stressful day.  I love horror games too but it’s a lot scarier to be doing the driving.  Having played far too much horror recently I assume Shivers is the one that’ll finally induce the heart attack I so deserve.

4. Shivers is a puzzle game. Sure there is story and backstory, a captivating world and the rest of it, but in this game puzzles are king. Maybe not quite to the extent of ‘Safecracker’ and certainly not anywhere near as difficult as ‘Riven’ but there sure are a lot of puzzles! How do you get on with puzzle games and where do you sit in the story vs puzzles thing?
Story is an increasingly important element to adventure games for me but puzzles will always be king.  Long after the game is finished it’s those special puzzles that I remember most.

5. Just for fun – Shivers was released in 1995. If you were around computers/PC gaming then what’s your favourite Windows 95 nostalgia?!
The stand-out memory for me is getting Win95 to 95-99% installed and having it hang multiple times! Pan  I sometimes forget how good we have it these days.

I also recall it having a couple of multimedia(!) music videos installed which was very futuristic at the time.

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 5568

Joined 2008-01-09

PM

My game is installed and ready to go.  I viewed the quick intro, but I forget how to make the game full screen.  Is it one of the F numbers?

1. What is your history with Shivers?
This is my very first time playing it.  I found a nice boxed copy earlier this year with the full manual that includes a walkthrough, which I will put behind a locked door until the playthrough is over so I’m not tempted to peek. Innocent

2. What do you think of 1st person/slideshow games generally?
I cut my gaming teeth on them, and although I like all kinds of games, they have a special warm place in my heart.

3. How do you get on with horror games/films/books?
I’m not fond of slashers and too much gore, but I do like ghosts, vampires, and other creepy things that go bump in the night.

4.  How do you get on with puzzle games and where do you sit in the story vs puzzles thing?
I love games with puzzles, but a good story along with them is an added bonus.

5. Just for fun – Shivers was released in 1995. If you were around computers/PC gaming then what’s your favourite Windows 95 nostalgia?!
I have none since I didn’t even have a computer until 1998. Smile

     

Carpe chocolate.

Total Posts: 930

Joined 2004-01-06

PM

Lady Kestrel - 17 August 2018 02:34 PM

My game is installed and ready to go.  I viewed the quick intro, but I forget how to make the game full screen.  Is it one of the F numbers?

Alt-Enter


EDIT
I have it installed and ready to go.

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 5568

Joined 2008-01-09

PM

Ah!  In translation for us Mac users, that must be Option-Return.  Thanks, Crabapple! Grin

     

Carpe chocolate.

Avatar

Total Posts: 5034

Joined 2004-07-12

PM

I was planning to do the SCUMMVM install, but couldn’t get it to work, so I bought the GOG version for $5.99 US. I’ve not tested it, but I’m sure I can bet it to work by Wednesday.

I have played it many times. Maybe as many as eigth or ten times, but probably not once during the last 20+ years. I kept a sign in log on the CompuServe GAMERS forum where all people who entered Professor Windlenot’s museum and lived to exit the other side (in other words, finished the game,) could enter their name and date of completion.

One thing I do remember is that there is an artificial scoring system where you can gain points by riding the elevator. Ignore it! In fact, several people, including me, were of the opinion that the real challenge was to finish the game with the fewest possible points.

Also, while you can die, it’s not terrible. However, there is a location on the second floor that “has the potential” for being a dead end. Once I know more about Intense Degree’s plan, I’ll post a note to save a game before entering that location.

Edit:

My feelings about 1st-person slideshow is positive. Much more off-putting to me are 1st-person 3D presentations. Those motion sickness, nausea-inducing games drive me nuts.

I like puzzles. There are one or two tedious puzzles in the game, but most of them are logic based.

While it is a horror game, it’s nothing like Phantasmagoria. I recall there being one MAJOR and two minor jump scares. Once you’ve changed your underwear, you can go back to playing as if nothing happened.

I can’t actually call it nostalgia, but the Win95 era represents, to me, one of the greatest eras of game advancement. Images went from being pixelated to being photo-realistic. Games had actual sound tracks. Voice acting emerged as a factor in game enjoyment.

     

For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.

Avatar

Total Posts: 5813

Joined 2012-03-24

PM

I’ve bought the game from GOG but have yet to download & install it!

Intense Degree - 17 August 2018 03:06 AM


1. What is your history with Shivers? First time playing it? Played many times already? When, if at all, did you first play it? (Let’s not get too into the game at this point and no spoilers please obviously).

I’ve known about the game for a good many years but this will be my first time playing it.

2. What do you think of 1st person/slideshow games generally?

I don’t mind the interface at all.  It’s simple & doesn’t (usually) give me motion sickness. The downside is that I don’t always feel as immersed in the environments as I do with other types of presentation but I’ve enjoyed many of the games that use this interface none-the-less.

3. Shivers is a horror game. Don’t misunderstand me, you’re unlikely to get any sleepless nights from it, but it is a horror game. How do you get on with horror games/films/books?

I enjoy a variety of horror themes in films & games as long as they’re more psychological than gore-fest – I don’t like zombie themes so I haven’t played The Walking Dead.  I’d prefer not to read horror stories as for me books are the most immersive medium for ‘getting lost in’ so too scary!!! 

4. Shivers is a puzzle game. Sure there is story and backstory, a captivating world and the rest of it, but in this game puzzles are king. Maybe not quite to the extent of ‘Safecracker’ and certainly not anywhere near as difficult as ‘Riven’ but there sure are a lot of puzzles! How do you get on with puzzle games and where do you sit in the story vs puzzles thing?

I’m not sure 1st person puzzlers are my thing….... I think this is a question I can answer better after I’ve played at least some of the game

5. Just for fun – Shivers was released in 1995. If you were around computers/PC gaming then what’s your favourite Windows 95 nostalgia?

Pass! I didn’t get to play games on a PC until 2000/2001 but I did in 95 have a Playstation!

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 2060

Joined 2013-08-25

PM

Ok, I installed the GOG version and played some of it (the introductory parts, they were very brief and gave me some insight into what to expect). As a matter of fact, I played Shivers many-many years ago, but gave up very early, as soon as I discovered you need to keep track of your energy and you can’t carry more than one item at the time. Today it’s no big deal. My biggest issues now are the acting (some of the worst I’ve ever seen) and the slideshow, which brings me to No 2.

I’m perfectly fine with 1st person adventures (Grand Inquisitor and Pandora Directive in particular), but slideshow feels seriously outdated. Shivers is nowhere near as good-looking and detailed as Riven, there’s this cheap rendering and look-alike corridors, not to mention some very frustrating navigation moments when you get lost while clicking your way through. Too many screens and not much point.

I’m also fine with horror, although not as much as I used to be back in the days. But this kind of gothic story rooted in history with spirits flying around seems perfect to me, no need for hairy monsters and graphic deaths, thank you.

As for puzzles vs story, I’m all for tricky puzzles and a nice story to accompany them, not the other way. I still prefer traditional adventure games though, so Mysts might be too hardcore for me, but I don’t mind playing them as long as they have original and nicely integrated puzzles. So far I’m quite happy.

As for 1995, I had a very weak computer back then which couldn’t run most of those cool titles such as Tex Murphy and Gabriel Knight 2. I think there were mostly old DOS games and cheap Microsoft pseudo-adventures aimed at kids, such as The Ultimate Haunted House. That one was actually pretty cool!

     

PC means personal computer

Total Posts: 930

Joined 2004-01-06

PM

I don’t know if anyone is interested, but there is a Prologue starting on page 11 or 12 of the Shivers game manual on the Sierrahelp website
http://www.sierrahelp.com/Documents/Manuals/Shivers_-_Manual.pdf

The Prologue takes place in 1954, many years before the events in the game, and wasn’t included in CD case reissues like mine.

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 655

Joined 2017-04-14

PM

Thanks, crabbie.  I’ll read it later. Smile

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 1350

Joined 2009-04-28

PM

Great to read people’s experience with Shivers etc. and especially cool to have some Shivers first timers on board too!

Some good news. I approached Marcia Bales, Designer and Writer on Shivers, and she has agreed to drop in on us at some point as her schedule and internet connection from a Mexican tropical paradise allow! I’m sure it will be great to have any of her insights into/memories of the game.

For those who don’t know, Marcia was lead designer on Shivers and Shivers 2 and also lead artist for Mixed-up Mother Goose, amongst other things.

     

3.5 time winner of the “Really Annoying Caption Contest Saboteur” Award!

Avatar

Total Posts: 5568

Joined 2008-01-09

PM

That is good news, Intense.  I look forward to her comments.

     

Carpe chocolate.

Avatar

Total Posts: 5034

Joined 2004-07-12

PM

I am still trying to find a contact for Willie Eide who was Marcia’s cohort on the game.

     

For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.

Avatar

Total Posts: 681

Joined 2015-02-06

PM

Primed and ready for launch… T-minus 4 days and counting…

Intense Degree - 17 August 2018 03:06 AM


1. What is your history with Shivers? First time playing it? Played many times already? When, if at all, did you first play it? (Let’s not get too into the game at this point and no spoilers please obviously).

I don’t exactly remember when I first played it but it was probably around 2000ish after a 4 year hiatus from video games. (I was in a band, so didn’t have time for much else.) I believe the last time I replayed it was 6 or 7 years ago on my old Windows XP laptop.

2. What do you think of 1st person/slideshow games generally?

Ever since I first played Myst on a 3DO at my cousins back in ‘94 it’s been one of my favorite styles, probably has a lot to do with nostalgia. I remember how realistic it was back then. You felt like you were really there.

3. Shivers is a horror game. Don’t misunderstand me, you’re unlikely to get any sleepless nights from it, but it is a horror game. How do you get on with horror games/films/books?

My favorite horror/thriller types are supernatural/scifi/mystery. I do enjoy the occasional slasher flick as well.

4. Shivers is a puzzle game. Sure there is story and backstory, a captivating world and the rest of it, but in this game puzzles are king. Maybe not quite to the extent of ‘Safecracker’ and certainly not anywhere near as difficult as ‘Riven’ but there sure are a lot of puzzles! How do you get on with puzzle games and where do you sit in the story vs puzzles thing?

I for one love a good story, but sometimes I just want to solve tons of puzzles for no apparent reason, lol. But in this case you get the best of both worlds. The story isn’t incredibly deep but it’s there and sets the mood nicely. As crabapple mentioned the manual has a nice prologue to set up the game. Also the included walkthrough at the end of the manual tells a nice story as well, but will spoil some of the game since it guides you along to capturing your first Ixupi. So I wouldn’t recommend reading it til you finish the game.

5. Just for fun – Shivers was released in 1995. If you were around computers/PC gaming then what’s your favourite Windows 95 nostalgia?!

I remember in high school helping to upgrade the tech labs computers from 3.1 to 95 and as dumbeur mentioned, we kept having problems with it locking up or restarting at 99%. This is back when it took a couple of hours to set up Windows and you had to do everything manually through DOS. No one click and done!

BTW, just in case any of you didn’t know ScummVM has some nice filters, which are disabled by default. I prefer HQ2x with filtering enabled. It helps reduce the graininess and also helps smooth rough edges a little without causing it to be blurry. There are 8 filters in all that you can experiment with. If anyone is interested just message me and I’ll be happy to guide you through it!

     

This message will self destruct in 3… 2… 1… BOOM!!!

Avatar

Total Posts: 1350

Joined 2009-04-28

PM

Guys

Sorry to be a pain, but I’m going to be over-cautious and ask that if you’re going to mention anything that we haven’t yet seen in the game on the playthrough that you put it in spoiler tags. Don’t misunderstand me, no one has said anything that will ruin the game for others, but we have a few first timers with us and lets give them the chance to discover things for themselves as they play. Smile

So at the moment we haven’t heard of Ixupi and capturing Ixupi or about Energy and Inventory slots

I know that probably sounds a bit paranoid, I only say it because working out what was happening and how to deal with it was a cool part of the game for me first time through. I mean an adventure game with a health bar?! what’s going on there!

dumbeur - 17 August 2018 10:41 AM

The stand-out memory for me is getting Win95 to 95-99% installed and having it hang multiple times! Pan  I sometimes forget how good we have it these days.

Sir Beardalot - 18 August 2018 08:26 PM

I remember in high school helping to upgrade the tech labs computers from 3.1 to 95 and as dumbeur mentioned, we kept having problems with it locking up or restarting at 99%. This is back when it took a couple of hours to set up Windows and you had to do everything manually through DOS. No one click and done!

dumbeur - 17 August 2018 10:41 AM

I also recall it having a couple of multimedia(!) music videos installed which was very futuristic at the time.

Oh yeah. I remember trying to update one computer from 3.11 to 95 with an update CD – took days of failed attempts, can’t imagine doing a whole department! Also the multimedia videos – it was Happy Days indeed wasn’t it!

rtrooney - 18 August 2018 03:56 PM

I am still trying to find a contact for Willie Eide who was Marcia’s cohort on the game.

Please do!

 

     

3.5 time winner of the “Really Annoying Caption Contest Saboteur” Award!

You are here: HomeForum Home → Gaming → Adventure → Thread

Welcome to the Adventure Gamers forums!

Back to the top