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AG Community Playthrough #65 - Keepsake

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diego - 20 March 2021 05:32 PM

I like that the when the puzzle is not solvable yet, you get that information. I’m not sure I’d want to see that in all games, but in a large scope game like this, I’m welcoming it.

The first time I encountered that was in Connections: A Mind Game.  They had a female voice who had several ways of saying “Not yet,” and it always cracked me up.  It was a fun edutainment game.

     

Carpe chocolate.

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Late to the game, but I finally caught up with everything – the power is on Thumbs Up

It’s my first time playing, and I went in completely blind, not knowing anything about the game.

So far, I’m really enjoying it! It reminds me of Hogwarts if it was set in the Dark Ages of Adventure era with, maybe, a bit extra dragon flair. Don’t know if it’s nostalgic, but I really like the graphics. Not too many classic fantasy adventures are being made these days, and some vistas here are truly awe-inspiring. Even the cursor that turns red when there’s nothing to do is amusing (modern adventures usually just change it when there IS something to do), but here I get angry red cross if I hover over empty meadow.  Grin

I also feel like initial feeling of being overwhelmed by the map subsides fairly quickly. I made a list of puzzles with notes where they are, and whether I can attempt them or not, and I was fully prepared to draw my own map, (which I’d totally enjoy) but ended up not needing to do.

I liked the puzzles — nicely balanced and satisfying to solve. Definitely looking forward to more of them. I accidentally discovered that hint button gives an indicator if the puzzle isn’t yet accessible, after I spent some time on that water pump lock that I felt like I solved, but nothing happened. In the back of my mind I had the feeling that something else was needed, so I decided to check out the hint just to get “You don’t have prerequisites yet” message. I’m glad that pressing that button doesn’t give you immediate solution and just offers to ask for a first hint. Now I check every puzzle I encounter without any fear of spoiling it since the game DID let me sit and work on the puzzle that couldn’t be solved yet. I also found it a bit odd that the items we suppose to collect have pictures in the inventory. First, it shows me the exact amount I’ll need throughout the game (I might be wrong), second, it helps, in way, and I kinda wanted to find them myself…

Zak is alright, I guess. He OBVIOUSLY hides something , and, perhaps, it’s not the best start of a friendship, but I’ll see where it goes next. After he misspoke when I picked up the tattered book , I’m 90% sure he’s a student. I’ll leave 10% for a surprise. The way they randomly stop for a bit of dialogue in the middle of heading somewhere cracks me up. I always think there is a cut scene coming, then – no,  just a casual chit chat, haha

Looking forward to the next segment!

     
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Ok, I’ve got the power on. Enjoying the game and especially the puzzles so far more than I remember. It’s been around 15 years so I’m practically going in fresh.

Graphically it’s a nice looking game, at least when applying anti-aliasing on the 3d stuff. But the perspectives and camera angels are a bit problematic and the layout of the castle is confusing. Navigating and getting a feel for where in the castle you are is harder than it should be. But when I played the game 15 years ago there was no map so although it’s a bit crude it is an improvement.

So, so far so good. As far as I remember though it was the last half or so of the game that made me nor liking it very much the first time around, so let’s see.

Can’t really understand the praise for the game’s feedback though. So far I have been able to try solving all puzzles I’ve encountered, including those that are not solvable yet. No feedback from the game (apart from some comments from Zak, but he’s said the same things about more or less all puzzles, including the ones that can and should be solved).

Like DCast I tried solving the water pump puzzle, thinking it was part of getting the power to work. Although finding the correct solution the game didn’t accept it until there was power. No feedback from the game regarding this whatsoever. If it’s the hint system that provides the feedback I would actually criticize rather than praise the game in this regard. Providing just the right feedback in game is good game design. Relying on a hint system to give the player feedback that should be given in game is bad game design imo.

Anyway; looking forward to continuing!

     

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Hello fellow adventurers. Decided to join you on this community run. I managed to get the power on but i m ashamed to admit i used all 3 hints to understand the puzzle as i spent about 1 hour and i was close to solve it but couldnt understand how it was working and i was frustrated. I do like the game so far. The big spaces and rooms give a special charm to the game. View angles are quite confusing though as i keep entering and exiting views to understand the place. Music and graphics are great. Not sure i like the voice acting from lydia that much but i got used to it. I also like the puzzles. i have solved a couple of them so far and they have they right difficulty. They are not easy but at the same time they are not that hard if you understand how they work. Also i do like the hint system. From what i have seen so far is very well designed and gives you the right amount of information to go on. If you are not able to go on with a puzzle and you ask for a hint it tells you, so you are not wasting your time. Excited to see what will happen next with the story.

     
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Welcome to the playthrough, Nico2021!  I hope you enjoy it.

This is a big group, so I’m keeping track on paper of who has finished a section.  So far 9 out of 17 have gotten the power on.  Since I don’t want to jump ahead to soon nor delay too long, let me know how how you’re faring so I can adjust the time accordingly.

Pegbiter - 20 March 2021 04:45 PM

I’ve got the power back on by solving the puzzle by the water wheel, where we’re still standing. I think this also involved setting the panels at a different location correctly, but I got no positive feedback when I set them so I’m not sure.

Yes, it’s a two-part puzzle.

     

Carpe chocolate.

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About the water pumps, the same thing happened to me as to DCast and Veovis.

I solved it but nothing happened, Lydia never said anything about it, so at first I thought maybe I was doing it wrong, I tried again and nothing again. I left the puzzle, it restarted and I went off to continue exploring. In my mind I thought, ..“restoring energy has a direct relationship with the water pump”.


Some time later I came back and again, solved it and nothing.. It was at this point that I decided to press the hint icon, fearing that this was going to give me the solution, or I was going to eat some spoiler, and I didn’t want that, and just then the system told me that I couldn’t do it yet. So… thank you… 1) for not immediately giving me any solution, but 2) Lydia could have said something earlier, or just a mere sign saying I can’t do it yet instead of waiting for me to press the help icon, luckily it was a simple puzzle, but if it would have been a much more complicated puzzle?

     

” I remember. Somebody died. It was me.”
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Pegbiter - 20 March 2021 04:45 PM

I’ve got the power back on by solving the puzzle by the water wheel, where we’re still standing. I think this also involved setting the panels at a different location correctly, but I got no positive feedback when I set them so I’m not sure.

Have you solved it yet Pegbiter? At first only one of the panels provides a result when setting it correctly. From there you have to figure out (guess really) what needs to be done and how to achieve it by finding the correct settings for the rest of the panels.

Not a perfectly constructed puzzle, but quite satisfying when it’s solved.

Edit: Sorry, just realised you had already solved it…

     
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Veovis - 21 March 2021 10:23 AM

Can’t really understand the praise for the game’s feedback though. So far I have been able to try solving all puzzles I’ve encountered, including those that are not solvable yet.

That’s an interesting discussion. Now, if we look at Myst and Myst-clones (paradoxically for being 3rd person, Keepsake does resemble Myst) there’s usually no feedback whatsoever in those game. Older classic games, like Monkey Island 2, let you wandering among dozens of locations (even Islands) freely, without telling you that you’re on the “wrong” road, or that you’re tackling locations you can’t solve yet (for example, you don’t have an item, that you’ll pick up later in the game). But it was (is) part of the fun! Now, dead-ends are usually not fun, but if the game decides to put clouds and question mark on the exploration part, some games can actually benefit from that (for example, the player can feel more immersed, or the gameworld can be more believable). But it’s all a design choice. In Keepsake, I feel we get something from the both worlds. You can explore at will, and the game DOES let you tackle puzzles you can’t solve yet, and tells you that info only if you decide to ask for a Level 1 hint. The thing I do in those situations (when I’m not sure if the hint will tell me the hint to a puzzle, or that I’m not ready to solve it), I cover with my fingers portion of the text, and only look for the beginning words, so I can know if I can’t solve it yet Smile

     

Recently finished: Four Last Things 4/5, Edna & Harvey: The Breakout 5/5, Chains of Satinav 3,95/5, A Vampyre Story 88, Sam Peters 3/5, Broken Sword 1 4,5/5, Broken Sword 2 4,3/5, Broken Sword 3 85, Broken Sword 5 81, Gray Matter 4/5\nCurrently playing: Broken Sword 4, Keepsake (Let\‘s Play), Callahan\‘s Crosstime Saloon (post-Community Playthrough)\nLooking forward to: A Playwright’s Tale

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Dcast said:
I also found it a bit odd that the items we suppose to collect have pictures in the inventory. First, it shows me the exact amount I’ll need throughout the game (I might be wrong), second, it helps, in way, and I kinda wanted to find them myself…

I am a bit confused about this section in the game. Are we supposed to find all those items in the whole game, or just in one section? Because I am missing one. I also think that they have a picture because there is so much ground to cover that items may be easily missed.

     
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Welcome aboard Nico2021!

For those of us who can hear the music: how do you like it?

I still haven’t switched the power on. I’ll try to catch up before my early shift tomorrow. I think I know where to go..

     
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The question mark is also handy if you’re not certain about where to go next and don’t want to roam around aimlessly.  It’ll give you a picture or two of a location that might be fruitful to visit.

     

Carpe chocolate.

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@diego: I have no problems with being able to work on puzzles before it’s possible to solve them or before the game has provided the necessary clues. I actually like that. I was just surprised that some people had mentioned the feedback thing as a positive, while I think the feedback from the game itself is lacking if anything. If the game provides basic feedback only from its hint system I wouldn’t list it as a positive, just as little as I would if the feedback was provided in a third party walkthrough. I try to avoid using either as far as possible. I’m a bit OCD that way. Smile

     
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Colpet,
The game actually has two major parts.  I’ve divided Part 1 into three sections, so you may not have the prerequisites for certain items yet.

VP,
Thanks for letting us know your status.  The music you hear when Lydia enters the enchanted crossway area with the bookcases starts out like part of the main theme of Weber’s Phantom of the Opera.

     

Carpe chocolate.

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diego - 21 March 2021 05:17 PM

The thing I do in those situations (when I’m not sure if the hint will tell me the hint to a puzzle, or that I’m not ready to solve it), I cover with my fingers portion of the text, and only look for the beginning words, so I can know if I can’t solve it yet Smile

ha! What I did was look at the screen sideways, I didn’t want to look beyond what was absolutely necessary, not the solution to anything, I just wanted to know if I was on the right track or not yet.

colpet - 21 March 2021 05:30 PM

I am a bit confused about this section in the game. Are we supposed to find all those items in the whole game, or just in one section? Because I am missing one. I also think that they have a picture because there is so much ground to cover that items may be easily missed.

Hmm, I’m missing two. I assumed they would come later in the game, but if you’re missing one, then I’m going to have to go back and look for the one I’m missing.  And here I thought I had already explored this section well.

 

     

” I remember. Somebody died. It was me.”
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Renacimiento - 21 March 2021 06:40 PM
diego - 21 March 2021 05:17 PM

The thing I do in those situations (when I’m not sure if the hint will tell me the hint to a puzzle, or that I’m not ready to solve it), I cover with my fingers portion of the text, and only look for the beginning words, so I can know if I can’t solve it yet Smile

ha! What I did was look at the screen sideways, I didn’t want to look beyond what was absolutely necessary, not the solution to anything, I just wanted to know if I was on the right track or not yet.

 

I did a combination of both, plus said a choice word out loud. For good measure. Grin

I think the ability to approach puzzles when there’s not enough items/information to solve them yet would be more fair to the player if they wouldn’t automatically reset upon leaving them be. Some games let you play around with puzzles and come back to them later in exact state you left them, so you can progress your tweaking or, maybe, that special item is all you needed to solve them. If they reset, like in this game, you can spend long time working on something just to lose all the progress and not know whether it’s because you didn’t do the right thing or you didn’t have what is needed yet.

Ultimately, I agree that resorting to pressing hint button before starting every puzzle, so I don’t lose time on it needlessly, isn’t the best solution; all the more evidenced by all the look away/cover screen/cuss etc. actions which show that we largely prefer solving stuff on our own and going for a hint is a low-key annoying thing to do. There should have been a way we wouldn’t need to do all that to work around game design.

With that being said, I’m glad hint button doesn’t give you a hint right away, so spamming it becomes a minor quibble in this game. I very much enjoy the puzzles so far.

     

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