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Casual Game Playthrough #13 - Lost Lands - The Four Horsemen
Yeah, I thought so. I thinks it’s the same thing really. You have to think in a similar way. =)
And thanks by the way!
Got semi-stuck once (I refuse to use hints unless absolutely necessary, and skipping puzzles is completely out of the question): I knew what I had to do (making the ‘flying powder’), but the game didn’t let me do it until I placed the instruction sheet on the table. Seemed unnecessary to me.
Similar (but WORSE) in the last HO: I had put all the buttons in the right positions to open the cash register, but it didn’t open until I *took the clue off the wall and placed it right next to where the cash register was*. I didn’t change ANYTHING, but THEN it opened when I pulled the lever…
I hate it when games do that, it doesn’t make any sense…
Imagine that the lock on your bike won’t open with the right number combination unless you first put a piece of paper next to it that contains said combination. That’s just stupid…
I think having the piece of paper serves two purposes. One it serves as your guide so you don’t have to repeatedly refer to the journal or your notes or return to the spot where where you saw the note. Two, it attempts to eliminate solving puzzles by brute force. The ASA door puzzle is an example. I don’t know whether Simon programmed in the requirement that all three designs had to be found before the puzzle could be solved. If he didn’t, it could be solved by brute force no matter how improbable that would be. I guess the game is forcing you to show evidence that you gave the puzzle some thought when solving it.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Seems like casual games never expect people to remember from one scene to the next, or use a notebook or even the in-game journal. Sometimes you don’t even have to pick up a piece of paper—they will write the combination on the wall next to the door and all you have to do is press the keys. 
These days I go everywhere with a carpetbag containing a crowbar, a flashlight, a screwdriver, an oilcan, a ladder, a zipper tab, and a chihuahua.
Still haven’t heard from Sefir or Becky regarding whether they completed this section. I’ll give then until tomorrow. Then I’ll post the end point for the next episode.
There were some interesting puzzles in the episode the rest of you completed. I think the oddest one, and the one that gave my thought processes the most trouble was the one where you had to return to the home territory and catch the snake in the jar in order to scare off the scorpion. There was a lot of thought put into that one.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Hmm, I don’t recognize that puzzle. It can’t be necessary the to have done that?
There is a skeleton holding a mosaic piece in his bony left hand. You attempt to get the piece, but get a prompt that tells you that you need to get rid of the scorpion first. You will eventually need to get that piece. I didn’t think you could find the next portal until you did.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Nevermind. That puzzle takes place in the “sonoran desert” episode you were going to start today.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Seems like casual games never expect people to remember from one scene to the next, or use a notebook or even the in-game journal. Sometimes you don’t even have to pick up a piece of paper—they will write the combination on the wall next to the door and all you have to do is press the keys.
I suspect that casual game publishers, since these games are mostly played online, have a good sense of how many players are struggling with a particular challenge. If people are hitting the “skip” button at the same spot or abandoning the game at the same spot, they try to make it easier next time. That seems to include doing everything they can to make sure you don’t have to write anything down to solve a puzzle.
I’m not a big fan of keeping extensive journals of clues while I game. Though it is fun to re-read my gaming journals months or years later and remember what the games were like.
I’ve reached the stopping point and am ready to proceed.
Just completed the first part and ready for the next one! 
Well I did tell Sefir on the AGCPT that I wouldn’t leave him behind. (Still struggling to get through episode one, and tomorrow is the deadline for episode two. Serious time constraints. Priorities.) But seeing everyone but him has completed this part, and it’s a lot easier to catch up on one hour of gameplay, lets move on.
You will play until you get to this scene
Note that you won’t be going through a portal to get here. How you get here will become evident soon enough.
Side note: Please try to keep track of the time it takes you to complete each episode. Timovieman reported that it took him about two hours to complete the first episode when I had estimated it would take one. I’m estimating an hour for this episode as well. If it takes longer, I will have to make some adjustments.
Side side note: Other Tim - you mentioned that the cauldron chant sounded like Hobbit-speak. Well, your next episode will unite you with one of the Dwarves.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
I see that HE is here! Good job. Message must have come in while I was composing. Stuff happens!
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
I suspect that casual game publishers, since these games are mostly played online, have a good sense of how many players are struggling with a particular challenge. If people are hitting the “skip” button at the same spot or abandoning the game at the same spot, they try to make it easier next time. That seems to include doing everything they can to make sure you don’t have to write anything down to solve a puzzle.
Not sure exactly what you mean. I’ve never played a casual game online. I’m not even sure that is possible. Obviously you aren’t talking about US playing the game as part of a communal playthrough.
The one thing that does come to mind is the occasional request for beta testing I get from Artifex Mundi. They want me to allow them access to my gameplay. I don’t have any reason to distrust AM, but I surely don’t have enough trust to allow them access to data sent from my computer. That said, I am sure they are looking for the exact same data you describe. That way they can eliminate the problems and make the game as easy to play as possible.
What they don’t understand is that the vast minority of us, (there’s a non-sequitur if there ever was one,) aren’t looking for easy in our casual games. Brevity, rather than easy is the word. I don’t mind if it is difficult. I just want to be able to play it in a time frame that fits my lifestyle.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Sorry, I was on the road today and didn’t have a chance to check in. I made it to the desert. I am finding that on hard level without the sparkles there was some pixel hunting in the tower. Cracks in the floor? Really?
These days I go everywhere with a carpetbag containing a crowbar, a flashlight, a screwdriver, an oilcan, a ladder, a zipper tab, and a chihuahua.
Not sure exactly what you mean. I’ve never played a casual game online. I’m not even sure that is possible. Obviously you aren’t talking about US playing the game as part of a communal playthrough.
I’m talking about playing a game purchased through an online portal, like Steam or Big Fish. Perhaps I’m wrong about this, but I’ve been assuming that the online portal can track data about how people are playing. For example, how many people actually play the game once it’s purchased, how many finish the game, where they stop playing, and (in the case of casual games on Big Fish) when they hit the “skip” button.
Still haven’t heard from Sefir or Becky regarding whether they completed this section. I’ll give then until tomorrow. Then I’ll post the end point for the next episode.
There were some interesting puzzles in the episode the rest of you completed. I think the oddest one, and the one that gave my thought processes the most trouble was the one where you had to return to the home territory and catch the snake in the jar in order to scare off the scorpion. There was a lot of thought put into that one.
Now I know why I didn’t have to do it. It wasn’t in that chapter. As I just started on the next one, I found it!
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