Adventure Gamers - Forums

7/3 update

Sorry for the late official announcement. If anyone would like to join, Dcast and I are starting The Castle today. I’ve played just a little bit so far and it is really promising. A total homage to Maniac Mansion, with a bazillion sideways and direct references. Whereas MM was itself an homage to the sci-fi horror genre, this goes the more traditional Hammer Horror route. It’s translated from Spanish to English (and German, I think) and while the translation is not technically perfect, anyone who has seen the old Dario Argento films or the movies about those hooded dead monks riding horses on beaches (darn, can’t think of the name right now) will agree that it actually couldn’t be more perfect. So far, so good! The game is only $2.99 on Steam, so there’s only 299 very small reasons not to join this one—-and none of them are good enough!

The playthrough conversation for The Castle starts in the middle of Page 6 of this thread.

6/18 Thread update!:

“Are you going to use a scalpel, Doctor?...Do you want to use mine?”
- Laverne

Hi everyone,

Fellow AG’er Dcast and I will be starting a play through of Maniac Mansion this Friday, using this thread for discussion of the game as we progress. This will be a much looser format than the official CPT ones. We just play the game at a reasonable pace (30-60 minutes per day or so) and post as we go along. We’ll try to hide our spoilers using the hidden text forum spoiler feature, but this is a loose format play through and we’re all playing at somewhat different paces, so some small degree of spoilation might occur.

If you don’t yet have the game and would like to join, I will be happy to gift it on GOG to the first three AG forum contributors (must have at least 20 posts) who send me a private message.

Seeya in the mansion!

Luhr28 - 11 June 2021 10:45 AM

Maniac Mansion is one I’ve thought for a long time would be good for a CPT. I nominated it some time back but it barely won any votes. So I wholeheartedly approve of the idea.

Does that mean I’ll join in? I’m not sure yet. 30-60 minutes a day sounds viable but it’s a difficult game I’ve never actually finished so I envisage myself spending a lot of that time flailing around having no idea what I’m actually doing.

Maybe I’ll see how everyone else gets on with the early stages of the game before committing.

Can’t hurt to try. From what I understand, this is such an open ended game that even if someone ‘falls behind’ they might still do things that someone a couple hours ahead hasn’t done yet. Also, I’m not so invested in this game that I wouldn’t gladly ask for/receive hints to solve it. (For some reason, asking for help from friends seems much more organic and less ‘cheating’ than looking up a walkthrough.)

Just finished my first 30 minutes or so. My group is Dave, Bernard (because he’s in DOTT), and Lizzie (because she’s the closest thing to DOTT’s Laverne that exists in this game, and I have such a hopeless crush on Laverne. In fact, I think that roughly 1 out of every 7 posts I make on this forum mentions or makes allusions to her). Exploring the mansion, unlocking some doors, feeding a tentacle. Very important: Use the ‘What Is’ feature. It lets you move your cursor all over the place to identify hotspots. If you don’t do this, you actually have to click click click away to discover them. What Is is incredibly useful in dark rooms, (very minor puzzle solve spoiler) and it is almost mandatory to use in order to uncover some secret switch kind of gizmos throughout the mansion.

Also…even though it’s not a dead end at all, I am afraid of getting captured, so I am saving a lot and trying to avoid that happening whenever possible.

I’m a teensy bit precocious at the opening ‘chapter’ of this game, since I’ve tried it before, but never made any real progress.

DCast, I’m curious to see who you chose to play as.

You know what, I’m in.

Is the Maniac Mansion Deluxe version, besides the graphics, the same as the original? I’ll probably roll with that. Might have the OG version hidden somewhere as well. I could probably play it on Cousin Ed’s computer.

Vegetable Party - 11 June 2021 04:13 PM

You know what, I’m in.

Is the Maniac Mansion Deluxe version, besides the graphics, the same as the original? I’ll probably roll with that. Might have the OG version hidden somewhere as well. I could probably play it on Cousin Ed’s computer.

 

Ha! Yes, you could play it on Cousin Ed’s computer! Glad to have you aboard, this will make the play through even more fun.
I am playing the GOG version, which says that it features the original and enhanced editions. I am playing the enhanced edition (not even sure how to access the original one). The only differences are the graphics and the extra save slots. Extra save slots doesn’t matter because in SCUMMVM your saved games are virtually unlimited, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard *anyone* say that the graphics in the original version are better in any way.

It took a lot of backtracking and forthing to figure it out, but I just made a demo tape.

Couldn’t get the remaster to work properly, so I’m running this from Cousin Ed’s computer in DOTT.

Already vibing to this intro music. Went with Razor as well, because you know she can bring the darkeen tones, together with Michael, who’s a photographer - I can work with that.

I like the verb interface. Fifteen verbs. That’s impressive. Bit of an odd selection of verbs as well, no talk or look, but there’s read, unlock and both turn off and on.

@ VP, yeah, I’m glad you brought that up. The verb selection is so weird! Do you think they did it on purpose, just to make things difficult and different, or is it just the product of this being maybe the first game to ever use such an interface?

Anyway, I’m digging this game. I wish I’d have chosen the photographer, though…I think I might be finished by now if I had, or at least I’d be much closer, because I have everything I need to solve his major puzzle except his skills.

Anyway, if I can only find a working phone, I think I am going to have a good time tonight!

Did anyone else make it into the garage yet?. What happens in there soooo good, so don’t leave until you can no longer leave…and no longer arrive.
If you haven’t made it into the aforementioned garage, I should mention that I did it by luck. I think you have to be a super hunk in order to get in.

I got Dave jacked, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

There sure is a lot of ketchup on the walls. Someone’s a messy eater.

I felt bad for Ed when he was talking to his mom about his dad. Pardon the alliteration. Also just realized Ed is not a cousin but the son of the household. That dude has it rough.

“YEAH SO!!!” made me laugh, though.

Was it really the first game to use this interface? That’s pretty cool!

I guess they thought this would work best.. do you know if they intended it to be like this from the start, or if they decided to replace the parser when a list of puzzles and interactions were already designed? That might make sense. If the solution before was to type: “fix” or “read”, they might’ve made that input available with corresponding buttons.

I guess they ran out of room for extra verbs. It seems odd not to include a command to examine things, that seems like a staple text parser command.

I like how there’s no punctuation in YEAH SO???

This whole game is so whimsical that I forgive its shortcomings as the products of an enviable youthful exuberance.

Oh, and I think ‘what is’ is basically the ‘examine’ of this game. It’s also the precursor (pun intended) of the modern hot spot illumination button mechanic.

DCast - 12 June 2021 06:09 PM

At this point I walk around the mansion with a whole grip of stuff, some of which I suspect - I’ll never need, so they just clogging up the inventory and confuse me a bit.

Yeah, this is funny but a handful.

I have been to garage and witnessed the epic event, but I low-key thought it might lead to a dead-end in the end. I think this game has dead-ends?

I didn’t catch the epic event. I wonder if I did something wrong.. I’ll give it another try. I believe there are indeed dead-ends, I also have this in the back of my mind while I’m juggling inventory items, deciding whether I should try this or that..

I’m also seeing that I needed either Bernard or Jeff or Michael with me for several puzzles. I’m not sure I discovered the strengths of the particular characters just yet, I know some of them could do unique stuff pertaining to their careers, but so far in case of Razor or Wendy it seemed to be minimal, while the major stuff they refuse to do. I’m yet to see a point of choosing Wendy altogether, so we’ll see how it goes.

I’m also playing as Razor, together with Michael. She can play a mean piece on the piano! Michael can develop a photograph, which seems useful, as there is an entire room dedicated to this particular skill. Haven’t found a reason for it, though.

Wendy is a writer, I think I’ve found a use for that skill as well.. mainly by botching it up using another character. I wonder if it’s possible to pair characters in such a way that overlapping skills become useless, or that you can only take one or two steps on a branching path, but not the final step towards the solution.

I have found an easier way to get out of the basement, and it took quite a creative way to get there, but I no longer need two characters at the same time there.

From that description, I guess it’s not the loose brick solution? I’ve managed to open the outer door to the left, but I still can’t get to the SECKRIT LAB.

I’m desperately missing item descriptions and character comments on the surroundings and situation.

Besides being descriptive or entertaining, stuff like this can be very useful for (subtle) hints and signposting, I’d say the game is lacking a bit in this department. There was one pretty cool piece of environmental signposting with the vase on the piano, I hope there will be more of that. Because, like you, I’m not entirely sure what the game expects me to do at this point.

Green Tentacle and Ed have something they want and they seem at least semi-friendly..

Generally, I’m enjoying the game though, I like the comedic streak, and I want to see where it will all go in the end.

I have also “nuclear blasted” the entire house about 3 times by this point, I know what triggers it, but I’m sure there are more unexpected endings up the game’s sleeve.

Same on all accounts. If you haven’t been in the pool, there’s another opportunity for a meltdown coming up.

It’s interesting that we’re all complaining about the lack of useful skills in the characters we took. Fact is, I think I’m taking for granted how much Bernard can do. If I didn’t have him in my party, I would probably be moaning about not being able to do all his character specific stuff.
I figured out what I *would* do if I were the writer and the photographer fairly early on. Still, circumventing their character specific puzzles is not that hard. In fact, thinking too hard about it can mess you up. You have three characters…use them all…they are useful decoys, because each individual Edison can’t be in two places at once.

I don’t think doing the epic thing in the garage is a dead end, but it does remove one possible route you can take through the game later. I’ll try doing this on a second play through.

I think I’m nearing the end of the game, but I am stuck at the moment. Someone promised to protect me, but he’s not doing what he said he would,

I keep thinking that, while this game totally holds up better than the non-remake versions KQ 1, 2, and 3 by generally accepted modern standards…it would probably benefit from a remake/remaster more than any of those games. Take away some dead ends, add some music, sounds, voices, and quality of life interface improvements, flesh out the narrative a little to make it slightly less open world and the objectives a little less ‘floaty’, and viola, totally awesome game.

I’m really enjoying it as is. Much more than I thought I would actually, considering how many times I’ve bounced off it in the past. Charm goes a long way, and the minimalist wit is well…very charming!

DCast: Yeah, it’s a pain in the butt cycling through all those inventory items. As far as I can tell, you don’t need the rotten food, but there is a way to get rid of it. Because there are so many different characters and each one has their own puzzle in the game, there’s a lot of stuff that one person needs that is useless to the others. I’m so tired of clicking through ‘rotten turkey’ and ‘broken bottles of ketchup’ though.