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Is there an adventure game type you haven’t given a chance? And why not?

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SoccerDude28 - 15 November 2017 04:49 PM

Though that is true for some of these games, there are others who tell the story in a truly cool and unique way.

I admit I’m not following those type of games as I decided they are not my cup of tea long ago. There were probably some really interesting experiments in the past years, but I just can’t stop thinking about all the missing opportunities when I see a new game advertised as “exploration adventure” instead of a normal adventure/RPG.

Karlok - 15 November 2017 06:55 PM

What do you mean, “doing nothing”? You were a busy little cockroach, solving puzzles like getting an answering machine to play its messages for you, killing rats and spiders, drugging your landlord, avoiding the lethal claws of Franz the cat, saving other cockroaches, etcetera etcetera. Very creative puzzles too. Look Momma, no hands!

Of course, there are some very clever physical puzzles, but in-between there’s also so much crawling over “dead” environment which could’ve been very irritating in another game. But not here, surprisingly, taking all the nasty views and no hands to clear the debris.

wilco - 15 November 2017 07:19 PM

Ok, Raphael. Smile

No-no, I’m ok with The Stanley Parable as long as it is not copy-pasted by everyone else Thumbs Up

     

PC means personal computer

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Doom - 15 November 2017 08:04 PM

Of course, there are some very clever physical puzzles, but in-between there’s also so much crawling over “dead” environment which could’ve been very irritating in another game. But not here, surprisingly, taking all the nasty views and no hands to clear the debris.

I loved exploring as a cockroach and finding my way across pipes and toilet seats. Bad Mojo is one of a kind. But the numerous “dead” screens in a game like Syberia were simply awful. I hated it when I got that call at the train and had to travel all the way back to the University through at least 15 beautiful but empty screens.

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Karlok - 16 November 2017 03:56 AM

I loved exploring as a cockroach and finding my way across pipes and toilet seats. Bad Mojo is one of a kind. But the numerous “dead” screens in a game like Syberia were simply awful. I hated it when I got that call at the train and had to travel all the way back to the University through at least 15 beautiful but empty screens.

You have to do that in Myst games too. I enjoy beautiful empty screens but I can see why some people don’t.

     
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True, but in a 1st-person Mystian game like Riven you can click through screens very fast. Watching Kate Walker run through 15 screens is something else. And why not call her when she’s still closer to the university? Bad Sokal.

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Karlok - 16 November 2017 04:58 AM

True, but in a 1st-person Mystian game like Riven you can click through screens very fast. Watching Kate Walker run through 15 screens is something else. And why not call her when she’s still closer to the university? Bad Sokal.

Even worse, there was at least one trial-and-error puzzle in Syberia 2 where you had to run back and forth across several screens in between tries. Awful, awful design.

But since we said this wasn’t to be a hate thread:

Karlok - 14 November 2017 01:03 PM

Play Stories Untold and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: some horror + text adventure in combination with other forms of gameplay. For me, the best game of 2017.

I’ve only played the free part of Stories Untold so far, and liked it a lot - but it’s not really a text adventure. It’s more of a walking simulator modelled after a certain type of 80s text adventure - it’s evocative but linear and always spells out what you’re expected to do. The kind of games it references were very limited, running on 8-bit computers with not much memory, hence the stereotypical limited parser - there simply wasn’t enough space to understand many words. Some did better than others, but it’s unfair to compare them against the Infocom releases of the time (or even the original Adventure from which our genre gets its name), let alone modern text adventures.

My suggestion for a taste of text adventures would be to check out the archives of the annual Interactive Fiction competition - there’s a wide variety of style and content, it’s well documented as to how good and how difficult each entry was reckoned to be, and entries are required to be playable in two hours or less so it’s not too much of a commitment to try. This year’s competition has just finished:

https://ifcomp.org/comp/2017

(I’ve only played a few of the games so far; my favourite of those I played was Bookmoss, a twine game about a special library)

     
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Phlebas - 20 November 2017 12:35 PM

I’ve only played the free part of Stories Untold so far, and liked it a lot - but it’s not really a text adventure.

Stories Untold is certainly more than a text adventure. You really should play the other three as well. Smile

It’s more of a walking simulator modelled after a certain type of 80s text adventure - it’s evocative but linear and always spells out what you’re expected to do.

I don’t agree with your definition of text adventures.  Text input implies a parser.  Has to do with form, not with content. A game like Photopia could be called a linear “walking sim” if you like, but it’s still a text adventure. Same goes for Infocom’s A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985!). No puzzles, just walking around.

 

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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I’ve given chance to all kind of games. The problem is that I rarely finish them.

     

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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I am not a huge fan of mechanical/steampunk/sci-fi themes. I’d tried Syberia many years ago and never finished it.I’m gonna try again later because of its good reputation.

randon ps: I think it is funny when someone likes a “walking sim” but trash talks games like Telltale’s due to “lack of gameplay” . Innocent

     
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Karlok - 20 November 2017 01:08 PM
Phlebas - 20 November 2017 12:35 PM

I’ve only played the free part of Stories Untold so far, and liked it a lot - but it’s not really a text adventure.

Stories Untold is certainly more than a text adventure. You really should play the other three as well. Smile

It’s more of a walking simulator modelled after a certain type of 80s text adventure - it’s evocative but linear and always spells out what you’re expected to do.

I don’t agree with your definition of text adventures.  Text input implies a parser.  Has to do with form, not with content. A game like Photopia could be called a linear “walking sim” if you like, but it’s still a text adventure. Same goes for Infocom’s A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985!). No puzzles, just walking around.

Sorry, the ‘walking simulator’ comment was unhelpful - I would certainly count AMFV as a text adventure and indeed a wonderful one, and while I still haven’t played Photopia I have it on good authority that the same goes for that. My point was more that The House Abandon was less a text adventure in itself and more a something-else that contains a stylised simulation of playing a very specific kind of text adventure. I didn’t feel the text did the heavy lifting. And as you say, the parser is an important element - and THA gave the impression more that it was looking for specific input than parsing my instructions.

I’m not generally one to quibble over genre distinctions, and as I say I enjoyed the part I played and look forward to playing the rest! I just wouldn’t really want someone to play it and think they’d tried text adventures.

addendum: as the 1998 IFComp winner, Photopia falls well within my recommendations as a good place to start Smile

     
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I was mildly disappointed by Photopia, perhaps because with all the plaudits I was expected to be blown away and wasn’t. I think a lot of the praise came from it breaking new ground, which doesn’t always guarantee a great gaming experience once that new ground has become a standard.

     
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Secanho - 20 November 2017 06:38 PM

randon ps: I think it is funny when someone likes a “walking sim” but trash talks games like Telltale’s due to “lack of gameplay” . Innocent

What do you mean? I haven’t seen anyone do that here.

Phlebas - 21 November 2017 04:50 AM

Sorry, the ‘walking simulator’ comment was unhelpful - I would certainly count AMFV as a text adventure and indeed a wonderful one, and while I still haven’t played Photopia I have it on good authority that the same goes for that. My point was more that The House Abandon was less a text adventure in itself and more a something-else that contains a stylised simulation of playing a very specific kind of text adventure. I didn’t feel the text did the heavy lifting. And as you say, the parser is an important element - and THA gave the impression more that it was looking for specific input than parsing my instructions.

Sorry, I still don’t agree. Yes, the game uses the text adventure format in a way that’s never been done before and I love that. Yes, the player is on wheels the whole time. You see that as a disadvantage or as a feature that makes the game unsuitable for people who are unfamiliar with IF. I see that as an advantage for those people because the text adventure part is so very easy. The player just needs four or five commands and the game even tells them which ones. 

I’m not generally one to quibble over genre distinctions, and as I say I enjoyed the part I played and look forward to playing the rest! I just wouldn’t really want someone to play it and think they’d tried text adventures.

Okay, point taken. BUT. I’ve often recommended text adventures when people show an interest and it’s just as hard as recommending a graphical adventure to someone who only plays shooters. Lady Kestrel mentioned 1893: A World’s Fair Mystery. Not a good choice at all for a beginner. I vaguely remember someone wanting to start with the ancient Zork games, which would almost guarantee they’d never play another IF game again.*

addendum: as the 1998 IFComp winner, Photopia falls well within my recommendations as a good place to start Smile

Why? They might think all text adventures are like that. Naughty
Play this great walking sim, you can finish it in one hour.

*PS: On the other hand, if an IF newbie starts with a wonderful parser like the recent Thaumistry they might be disappointed with older text adventures.

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Over the years I’ve been playing Adventures, I have given most genres a try. I still prefer 1st person puzzlers, but will play puzzle heavy casuals when I am desperate.
Some examples of other game types I’ve played:
3rd person - Broken Sword games, Gabriel Knight, Syberia. I don’t like dialogue or massive inventory dependent puzzles. They end up becoming a find and fetch fest.
Spooky/Horror - Dark Fall, Shivers. These are ok, but I’d rather not have to be scared or play in dark environments.
Narrative/exploration - Ether One (never finished). There wasn’t enough to keep me interested. I need my mind to be occupied with working out things. Games are active for me, not passive.
Text - Hadean Lands (never finished). I hated the repetitive typing, and having to access the rules for the potions all the time.

And I am just too slow and clumsy for anything that depend on reflexes. I gave up on actiony games a long time ago.

     

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There isnt one specific type of adventure i wont play. Theres some types im more reluctant to play (narrative games without gameplay) but iv still played them and possibly will depending on the subject and reception. Im also not particularly enthusiastic about games on the opposite side of that spectrum that have almost no story and all puzzles (myst-likes). And yet you have recent games like the witness which were excellent.
I will say review score bias is more of the factor i find myself frequently fighting with in terms of giving games chances. If a game isnt averaging 7/10 or better its going to be tough to want to make the time to play it.. regardless of what type it is. And i know its not fair.

     
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Up until recently I could have said I hadn’t given horror games a chance, and it’s still mostly true. I don’t like being scared or disgusted, and my threshold is pretty low, so whenever a game is described as “horror” I tend to avoid it (with a few exceptions - XIXth century novel-style “horror” or Lovecraftian horror, sometimes psychological horror… I just check some screenshots or trailers in advance to make sure there aren’t going to be jump scares, stealth sequences or too much gore). But earlier this year, I played The Cat Lady, and even though it was really hard to sit through, I’m glad I’ve finished it, as it was, hands down, the most beautiful metaphor of fighting depression I’ve ever encountered in any form of fiction. So, am I more inclined to give horror games a chance now that I’ve actually liked one? I’m still not sure I would enjoy most of them, they just cater to tastes different than mine, but I’m less likely to overlook a gem out of sheer apprehension.

Like other people here it seems, I also tend to stay clear of games with a real-time action. I would love to see through The Last Express for example, but I find the pacing just too stressful. I like to be able to take my time.

I also haven’t given many space- or fantasy-themed games a chance, because the settings don’t particularly appeal to me, although there are many acclaimed productions in these genres and I’m sure I could find a few that I would enjoy. There are just too many games I want to play before I get to those Tongue

     
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colpet - 23 November 2017 04:01 PM

Narrative/exploration - Ether One (never finished). There wasn’t enough to keep me interested. I need my mind to be occupied with working out things. Games are active for me, not passive.

This is one of the most fiendish puzzle games of the last few years. Perhaps it is misleading because you can “finish” it without solving any, but to get the full ending you need to solve them. And they are HARD.

     

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