Adventure Gamers - Forums

Ruins the eyes! 

Siddhi - 27 January 2013 11:25 AM

Also, its worth pointing out that in IF games, you can always do a “look” and get a description of all the objects in the room. You may have to do a couple of steps to get item (examine specific parts, do some action etc) but at least you knew which objects you could interact with.

So I disagree that hotspot markers make games easier. I use them always when entering a new screen. This is no different than doing a look command in IF games. If the main challenge in the game is in hiding the object then there is something wrong with the game design. The puzzle should be in how to use/interact with objects, not hunting them on the screen.

Hmm, I’m not sure. The upgrade of graphic adventures was being able to use your eyes to distinguish objects as they appear visually. The objects in IF were given to you as words. But hotspot markers mean objects are still given as words rather than images. You move the mouse to a magnifying glass and it tells you “clock”. Scanning the screen with your eyes for a hotspot indicator is completely different from scanning it for a shape you recognise as an object. I know that my own mind (or maybe only my eyesight) switches off using hotspot indicators as I systematically click on each one awaiting a verbal description, although I can’t say that everyone’s mind does this.

And pixel hunting can be fun. Here’s proof!

Oscar - 28 January 2013 06:32 PM

And pixel hunting can be fun. Here’s proof!

Yeah sure, like I said before I dont mind hidden object games. Because there you know that you have to find a particular object in a scene, and also what the object is.

The annoyance is not about the pixel hunting as such, but the fact that if you get stuck because you didnt find an object, then you don’t know that. And you have to go through all the previous screens looking for things which may be there or may not be there. You dont know what object you are looking for. You don’t know if the object is there on this screen or some other screen. If you scan a screen and dont find anything, is it because you missed the object or maybe there is nothing on this screen. You dont know if you are stuck because you missed an object or because you have all the objects but are not able to solve the puzzle. That is what is frustrating.

Am I the only one who is still looking for Waldo in the picture above?

Sefir - 29 January 2013 08:37 AM

Am I the only one who is still looking for Waldo in the picture above?

Here’s a walkthrough (spoilers!)

(Actually, I haven’t found him yet either)

I’ll take pixel hunts over hotspot highlighting any day!

Adventure games should be about solving puzzles, exploring, character interaction and other fun stuff. It should not be a test of your eyesight.

Yeah, sure, in the right context “pixel hunting” can work. But there is very little that is more annoying than being stuck for ages and not understanding why, only to realize you’ve missed a small object in one of many available screens.

A problem with adventure games, that you don’t find in hidden object games for instance, is that what you can and can’t pick up will often feel completely random. There might be tons of seemingly interesting object on the screen, but most of them are nothing as far as the game is concerned. They’re just visual clutter. Unless you are specifically looking for a certain object, scanning the environment to find these “random” objects is nothing but a pointless waste of time.

For pixel hunting to work as a proper, fair gameplay mechanic, you need to know what you’re looking for and have a general idea of where to find it. In other words, the hidden objects can not be things you don’t know that you need yet, and if they’re not where you’d logically expect, there must be clues as to their whereabouts.

(I should add that “what you’re looking for” could mean an unknown object in the right context, for instance if you’re looking closely at a crime scene and searching for clues)