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In-game interface instructions
But it won’t. Someone earlier said text adventures died 30 years ago because they were outdated, too hard and people weren’t playing them. Yet they are still being made.
And played by little more than a handful of people…
Except for the recent Cypher I hadn’t heard ANYTHING about text adventures in over a decade…
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
Timovieman, you’re never going to persuade people like Grossman’s mother-in-law to play adventure games, tutorial or not. Grossman’s article made it clear that it’s not about instructions, it’s the gamer’s mind-set that subject M. lacked. She wasn’t enjoying any of it. I once had more or less the same experience with a family member who I was sure would enjoy playing an adventure game with me. I was wrong.
And even if you could entice a couple of those unwilling newcomers with one of your tutorials, I shudder to think what that tutorial would look like to the more experienced and more eager player.
Now playing: ——-
Recently finished: don’t remember
Up next: Eh…
Looking forward to: Ithaka of the Clouds; The Last Crown; all the kickstarter adventure games I supported
Timovieman, you’re never going to persuade people like Grossman’s mother-in-law to play adventure games, tutorial or not. Grossman’s article made it clear that it’s not about instructions, it’s the gamer’s mind-set that subject M. lacked. She wasn’t enjoying any of it. I once had more or less the same experience with a family member who I was sure would enjoy playing an adventure game with me. I was wrong.
And even if you could entice a couple of those unwilling newcomers with one of your tutorials, I shudder to think what that tutorial would look like to the more experienced and more eager player.
Maybe not Grossman’s mother-in-law, but I was thinking mostly of the casual/HOG crowd. A lot of potential adventure gamers there, imo.
Also, I’ve already mentioned a few examples of good tutorials, and most DS games did a great job with their unobtrusive tutorials as well, so it definitely CAN be done…
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
Timovieman, you’re never going to persuade people like Grossman’s mother-in-law to play adventure games, tutorial or not. Grossman’s article made it clear that it’s not about instructions, it’s the gamer’s mind-set that subject M. lacked. She wasn’t enjoying any of it. I once had more or less the same experience with a family member who I was sure would enjoy playing an adventure game with me. I was wrong.
And even if you could entice a couple of those unwilling newcomers with one of your tutorials, I shudder to think what that tutorial would look like to the more experienced and more eager player.
Maybe not Grossman’s mother-in-law, but I was thinking mostly of the casual/HOG crowd. A lot of potential adventure gamers there, imo.
Also, I’ve already mentioned a few examples of good tutorials, and most DS games did a great job with their unobtrusive tutorials as well, so it definitely CAN be done…
Exactly my thoughts two. Offering a hardcore indepth experience without sinking as low to casual/hog standards. Its all about the learning curve, and majority of the gamers today don’t want to learn how to control a space shuttle through means of a manual.
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Yeah, years ago many people, including our heroes like Jane Jensen, predicted casuals would have a tremendous impact on the in-flow of new adventure lovers. They were wrong.
Now playing: ——-
Recently finished: don’t remember
Up next: Eh…
Looking forward to: Ithaka of the Clouds; The Last Crown; all the kickstarter adventure games I supported
Casuals are actually quite far from adventure games, in my experience. I’ve seen the fury from casual game players while playing an adventure that they aren’t told what to do, or there is no hint button, or even being upset that there are no hidden objects to click.
Not meaning to put anyone down, of course - I think the idea that casuals are just easy adventure games is not accurate. They have their own expectations, just like we do. Make of that what you will.
Yea I agree that casuals are a completely different beast from adventure games. I don’t really play casuals, but when the masses talk about hidden object games as being adventure games, in the sense of how “adventure” has been used to describe point and click games, I shudder.
I agree.
I think the difference is at least partly long term goals.
Mrs Degree has played and enjoyed a few HOG’s and Plants v Zombies, Peggle etc. However, when I have tried her with Adventure Games (Traditional Adventures or whatever you will) she is simply not interested.
I think the reason is that in a HOG you have a screen in which you must find objects and when you have done it you move on. The overarching story (if any) isn’t really as important and the gratification comes sooner from having found the objects on the screen within 5 - 10 minutes.
In an Adventure Game you may have a well written and structured goal or set of goals that you will only acheive through hours of play and a few other “side bits”. The feeling of acheivement is much further off and some people can’t be bothered to wait.
To put it another way, in a HOG you click on the screen a few times, find the objects on a clearly marked list (with maybe one or two optional extras) and within 10 minutes you have suceeded and can move onto the next screen.
At the beginning of Gabriel Knight for example you can talk to Grace, read a paper, pick up a few items which have no immediate use and then maybe move onto some other locations where you find other pieces of “the puzzle” (story) etc. You are playing the long game. Now if you want to enjoy a deeper story with (to my mind) greater rewards then this is brilliant, but otherwise you can play for half an hour or so without having really acheived anything (compared to having found all the objects) but finding a few loose threads that need to be worked on more. Many “casual” gamers (in my opinion) simply aren’t interested in this. Therefore the gameplay style is so different that I cannot see HOG’s/Casual games as “Adventure-Lite” or similar as some describe them.
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