Adventure Gamers - Forums

Postcard arrived safely Marty and many thanks for that.
Book finished earlier this week and I’m in the process of gathering some thoughts and putting them to “paper” so, with a bit of luck, a hotch-potch of a review will appear here some time next week.

My copy arrived yesterday.  I haven’t sat down to read it yet, but it does look good!

Unfortunately might not make this week after all

The weather here in the UK is unusually good for the whole week so It’s the perfect time to catch up on all the winter washing that I prefer to air dry or, in the case of duvets, have to air dry, Summer duvet already drying out on the washing line ready to replace the winter one on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday I have a hospital appointment so that day is completely gone.
Apologies to all my fans who were breathlessly waiting on my thoughts

A short review of sorts.

Fairly obviously, and with due respect to Tony and Martin, this book will never bother the bestseller lists. It is, after all, a niche subject within a niche video game genre. Just as obviously it doesn’t make it by default a bad book. and, I’m pleased to say, it isn’t a bad book.

Firstly I was able to read straight through over a period of around 4 days without once feeling it was a slog or that I was losing interest the further I got. It kept to a pretty reasonable narrative flow so that I was taken along with the journey of Revolution with little need to backtrack for context (this happens in fiction a fair bit when trying to understand plot twists or obscure references from earlier. Not really a problem for Adventure Game players as that’s how the game(s) tend to go and we’re all used to that). However, a small degree of backtracking was needed as Tony tends to write the way he appears to have worked and that is in a somewhat scattergun way. That, by the way, is purely observational and not a criticism. In my working life I was fairly similar in my approach as I was mainly employed as a “troubleshooter” and it was my method of resolving whatever problem I was currently working on as trying to fit prescribed parameters or roadmaps was how the problem/failure occurred in the first place and I can see how a global view in game design is very much a necessity if all the parts are to come together satisfactorily. Problem there, of course, is that more than one area is being worked on and by different people/teams and that causes problems if you’re perpetually wearing blinkers and Tony, pretty much, covers this area and its associated dilemmas fairly well.

Also very well covered are the difficulties created by publishers, promotions, non-game people in general. This includes the permanent worry of finance. The finance bit is where I feel input from Noirin Cecil would have been very informative but I fully understand why it isn’t there as it’s Tony’s book and not Revolution’s as a company. It would have supplied a counterpoint though to the purely artistic and creative side as money will always be needed regardless of how much it gets in the way of the game creation.

Couple of minor quibbles.
On page 19 Tony tells us how was “proudly in bottom set French” which is grammatically poor and should read something like “proudly in the bottom group of our class for French” and the following start of the sentence “Bottom set French became a riot” (which makes little sense) should read something like “That bottom group in French became somewhat riotous” and on page 20 inkling is spelt as inclinking. As these were right at the start of the book I was somewhat concerned but, cheerfully, no others were found. They grated, to me anyway, as they were at the start and I was just getting involved so they stood out.

One final point. Tony, certainly in his younger, days wouldn’t have thought much of me at all. He seemed to have judged the worth of people by the cars they drove. I’ve never had a car licence let alone a car!

Lastly - was it worth backing the Kickstarter for the book. That very much is a yes. For people outside of the video game industry, either as a developer or as a player, they’d wonder at the cost of the book. As a player and accepting the niche market it doesn’t bother me at all. I was interested and wanted to know more. For game developers out there, either somewhat seasoned or just starting, it’s very much worth the read just for the pitfalls you’re likely to stumble upon let alone the insight into the corporate mind.

inklingwood - 19 May 2023 01:55 PM

I got this a few weeks ago and just finished reading it. I loved it! This much detail on the making of some classic games is so fantastic to have.

Thank you Inklingwood, that’s wonderful to hear. I’m really pleased that you enjoyed reading it so much! 

Jabod - 26 May 2023 07:07 AM

A short review of sorts.

Fairly obviously, and with due respect to Tony and Martin, this book will never bother the bestseller lists. It is, after all, a niche subject within a niche video game genre. Just as obviously it doesn’t make it by default a bad book. and, I’m pleased to say, it isn’t a bad book.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Jabod - I’m glad you enjoyed the book overall and felt it was worth backing.

(Please note that one of the quotes you pulled from the book is incorrect and should read as follows: ‘Bottom set French then became half riot, half computer club.’)

MartyMcFly - 27 May 2023 06:23 AM

(Please note that one of the quotes you pulled from the book is incorrect and should read as follows: ‘Bottom set French then became half riot, half computer club.’)

I should have shown that I was paraphrasing so mea culpa there Marty but, even so, that bit is poorly written and could/should be much clearer. I eventually worked out what Tony was meaning but it did take some thinking about.

Edited to add that I shouldn’t have been paraphrasing at all so I really don’t know what I was thinking there, if I was thinking at all  

But, and it’s a big but, both things I was pointing out, and said at the time, were minor quibbles and certainly nothing to get hung up about. The book was well received by me and I’m very happy to have backed the Kickstarter, received the book (and the postcard!  and read the book.

Lady Kestrel - 19 May 2023 03:07 PM

My copy arrived yesterday.  I haven’t sat down to read it yet, but it does look good!

I’m glad it arrived safely, Lady Kestrel - and when you do sit down to read it, I hope you enjoy it. 

Jabod - 27 May 2023 06:50 AM

I should have shown that I was paraphrasing so mea culpa there Marty but, even so, that bit is poorly written and could/should be much clearer. I eventually worked out what Tony was meaning but it did take some thinking about.

Edited to add that I shouldn’t have been paraphrasing at all so I really don’t know what I was thinking there, if I was thinking at all  

But, and it’s a big but, both things I was pointing out, and said at the time, were minor quibbles and certainly nothing to get hung up about. The book was well received by me and I’m very happy to have backed the Kickstarter, received the book (and the postcard!  and read the book.

That’s great to hear - I really appreciate you backing the book and taking the time to read it/share your thoughts. Thanks again, Jabod! 

Wonderful book, I devoured in a few days. It’s been years since I’ve been so engrossed in a book!

I have been reading the book, I like it a lot, and only need less than 100 pages to finish.
It provides great insides into the typically overlooked aspectes of making point and click adventures: the engine and the scripting.
Occasionally, Tony likes to focus very much on details and ad hoc problems, but it is still an interesting read. Some non-programmer perspecitves would have been welcome, but I can’t complain!
Highly recommended!