Trav, i wish I could get into 3rd person games, but I can't.....

I decided to go back to some good oldies. I fired up my Win95 and am playing Puzz3D Orient Express. So far so good with the jigsaw part. I hope the FMV video adventure part works as well.

Anyone mind if I throw in here too?

I am playing 'Book of Unfinished Tales' at the moment. And Bioshock, but mostly BoUT. 

Welcome to the forum!

I take it that you are talking about Book of Unwritten tales? If so, is it any good? It seem to be a game that some people find very entertaining, while others have strong opinions against it. 

Originally Posted By Fnord (27 FEB 2012 3:27pm)

Welcome to the forum!

 

I take it that you are talking about Book of Unwritten tales? If so, is it any good? It seem to be a game that some people find very entertaining, while others have strong opinions against it. 

Yes. One of those words that start with 'un' at it

Thanks for the welcome. Forum seems rather quiet. Let's get some convo goings.

Originally Posted By MJEccles (28 FEB 2012 1:49am)

Originally Posted By Fnord (27 FEB 2012 3:27pm)

Welcome to the forum!

 

I take it that you are talking about Book of Unwritten tales? If so, is it any good? It seem to be a game that some people find very entertaining, while others have strong opinions against it. 

 

Yes. One of those words that start with 'un' at it

Translation stuff. Either way I'm thoroughly enjoying it. 

Thanks for the welcome. Forum seems rather quiet. Let's get some convo goings.

The forum & website went through some rather serious technical issues and then an upgrade (which was not entirely painless either) at the end of the last year, and we seem to have lost a few people in the process. But things seem to be  going in the right direction again, most technical issues have been solved and forum activity is on the rise again. 

Just played more of A New Beginning either yesterday/Sunday - finished Chapter 7, or so, I think. Since I have (or should I say "had" all the way up to late this afternoon) a weightly preoccupitation on my mind I was unable to recall exactly where I was the other day when I finished my latest play session in A New Beginning.

I've been trying out a demo of J.U.L.I.A., a sci-fi adventure game.

You're not actually moving around an avatar in this game, you're partly clicking through menu screens to manipulate the space ship you're in and solving basic puzzles. 

You can also visit planets with a robot, on the surface exploration is done in the traditional text adventure way.

It's an quite original game, the re-invention of the text adventure is nice, but unfortunately the puzzles themselves are very rudimentary. It belongs in the indie department, so it's current price is a bit too high for this kind of game.

Originally Posted By markornikov (2 MAR 2012 2:23pm)

I've been trying out a demo of J.U.L.I.A., a sci-fi adventure game.

This one intruiges me.

Originally Posted By markornikov (2 MAR 2012 2:23pm)

It's an quite original game, the re-invention of the text adventure is nice, but unfortunately the puzzles themselves are very rudimentary. It belongs in the indie department, so it's current price is a bit too high for this kind of game.

The DL host lists it as a strategy game though I'm hardly the knowledgeable individual to state exactly what are the definitive elements of such games. Once you're up and running via matching and manipulation it seems more like a casual text-driven adventure type. I would like to be able to say puzzles get more interesting, at least the thinking type...hopefully. I assume the demo ends when you run out of activities, I might have expected a message stating so with a link to the vendor.

Originally Posted By colpet (26 FEB 2012 9:48am)

I decided to go back to some good oldies.

Did the same and have just finished a re-play of Beneath a Steel Sky. Such a great game! Fun, not too easy not too difficult puzzles, witty dialogues and some hilarious characters all set in a cyber punk environment. Gotta love it!

Now I'm about to get Amber's Blood.

Well, I'm boring all round these days.  I'm just fiddling around with a nostalgic re-visitation of Keepsake.  I love the setting and the story is  soo-oo sad... 

I'm still playing Puzz3D Orient Express. The QT 4 wouldn't install on my Win95, so I loaded it onto my Win98. Thankfully, I found 1  (dusty) floppy disc that I could use to transfer my saved game over. I'm playing the FMV part of the game now. There is the grandaddy of all sliders in this game. That should keep me busy for a while.

I finally completed Syberia! I have to agree with one review I found online that said despite the beautiful artwork (and music IMO) the story just didn't grab much. I was also furious that Kate didn't tell her cheating scumbag fiance to f**k off.

I have just started Syberia 2.

Originally Posted By Maum (6 MAR 2012 5:43am)

I finally completed Syberia! I have to agree with one review I found online that said despite the beautiful artwork (and music IMO) the story just didn't grab much. I was also furious that Kate didn't tell her cheating scumbag fiance to f**k off.

 

I have just started Syberia 2.

 

Well, Syberia is mainly just half the story.  It carries on and finishes nicely in Syberia 2 

Originally Posted By Traveller (7 MAR 2012 3:19am)

Well, Syberia is mainly just half the story.  It carries on and finishes nicely in Syberia 2 

  I loved the setting of both games.

The Syberia games are (as a whole) one of my most memorable gaming experiences. Loved it!

Have just downloaded (and paid for) the full version of Corrosion, Cold Winter Waiting from the JA Store. Initially, the download failed, several times, over a period of 12 hours. In fact, the download window just sat there with 'Waiting' emblazoned across the top. Finally stopped trying and left a message at JA Support and the following day, the download occurred quickly and completely. I think someone forgot to turn a server on...

Anyway, this is the first time in a long time (probably since Outcry) that I have purchased a game and enjoyed getting into it as much as this. The design and look of the game reminds me a little of Riddle of the Sphinx, Secrets of the Luxor and Amber- very simple point & click (well, the latter is a little more like Amber/Luxor than Riddle) and very distinct graphics.

I've been a little surprised at some of the comments about this game. Someone said they thought they'd seen the last of this type of simple 1st person, P&C, slideshow, node-based design. I say, 'Thank Heaven someone is still willing to come out with a game that has the characteristics of some of the classic P&C games of the past.' Also, in the JA Review (which was a good review overall), a point was taken off for what is described as the very difficult puzzle at the beginning. That I'm not following- many of the great 1st person, P&C games of the past started out like this- Riven, Rhem & Schizm come to mind. And, parenthetically, I'm not finding the puzzle all that horrendous, but I'm not finished it yet so maybe I'll have to eat those words. And then, someone made a comment about the $19.95 price. I'll never understand that thinking- ever gone to a movie recently? By the time you're out of the theatre, you've probably kissed more than $20 goodbye unless you go alone at 2 in the afternoon and sneak your own drink and popcorn in. And that's just for 2 hours of entertainment (if you're lucky).

So far, so good and I hope I can maintain enough interest to complete the game. It's been a long drought for the Myst Sheriff.

Originally Posted By Jelena (5 MAR 2012 12:15am)

Originally Posted By colpet (26 FEB 2012 9:48am)

I decided to go back to some good oldies.

Did the same and have just finished a re-play of Beneath a Steel Sky. Such a great game! Fun, not too easy not too difficult puzzles, witty dialogues and some hilarious characters all set in a cyber punk environment. Gotta love it!

Now I'm about to get Amber's Blood.

 

Keeps me thinking of some hope for a really good version of Neuromancer...

Originally Posted By SirDave (8 MAR 2012 11:29pm)

I've been a little surprised at some of the comments about this game. Someone said they thought they'd seen the last of this type of simple 1st person, P&C, slideshow, node-based design. I say, 'Thank Heaven someone is still willing to come out with a game that has the characteristics of some of the classic P&C games of the past.' Also, in the JA Review (which was a good review overall), a point was taken off for what is described as the very difficult puzzle at the beginning.

What kind of numb-nutz would make such a comment, dunno. 

Said someone was wrong, not being the first time most likely not the last. In retrospect I was more on a rant regarding the limitations of the demo. In truth the game seems wickedly good. Not sure what was so difficult about the above-mentioned puzzle, but what has really frustrated me most so far is the one that forced me to use PrtSc and the use of my own printer so that I could prove that I CAN follow directions.

Originally Posted By SirDave (8 MAR 2012 11:29pm)

Anyway, this is the first time in a long time (probably since Outcry) that I have purchased a game and enjoyed getting into it as much as this. The design and look of the game reminds me a little of Riddle of the Sphinx, Secrets of the Luxor and Amber- very simple point & click (well, the latter is a little more like Amber/Luxor than Riddle) and very distinct graphics.

That's an impressive pedegree! I will check it out for sure...

I guess the dig on classic point-n-click AGs is an inevitable fact of life at this point. When I joined JA I naively thought there was a even debate about the virtues and detractions of P-n-C vs wasd - but now I just shrug when I read comments such as the one you quote. Like you I'm just thankfull that there are still practitioners of the great art. The actual reasons why a particularr form of game modelling should be trumpetted as superior over the rest, simply from a modelling perspective, are moot points now. Like drawing and painting vs photography, the distinction is simply there - If you feel that photography renders the others irrelevant no one is going to talk you out of it.

EDIT: I just tried to download purchase from JAstore and found the procedure baffling. Why a shipping address for a digital purchase? It then gave me an error saying 'test purchases for Admins only'. I'm just trying to do a typical PayPal deal here...

EDIT 2: went to the Tri Synergy website and purchased from there. Has a full speed connection too.

EDIT 3: DLd and installed. Fired it up and already caught the bug. Good call SirDave. 

Originally Posted By tincup2 (12 MAR 2012 11:50am)

Originally Posted By SirDave (8 MAR 2012 11:29pm)

Anyway, this is the first time in a long time (probably since Outcry) that I have purchased a game and enjoyed getting into it as much as this. The design and look of the game reminds me a little of Riddle of the Sphinx, Secrets of the Luxor and Amber- very simple point & click (well, the latter is a little more like Amber/Luxor than Riddle) and very distinct graphics.

 

That's an impressive pedegree! I will check it out for sure...

 

I guess the dig on classic point-n-click AGs is an inevitable fact of life at this point. When I joined JA I naively thought there was a even debate about the virtues and detractions of P-n-C vs wasd - but now I just shrug when I read comments such as the one you quote. Like you I'm just thankfull that there are still practitioners of the great art. The actual reasons why a particularr form of game modelling should be trumpetted as superior over the rest, simply from a modelling perspective, are moot points now. Like drawing and painting vs photography, the distinction is simply there - If you feel that photography renders the others irrelevant no one is going to talk you out of it.

Yes, though I think CB (just above) did a 'mea culpa' on the remark that led to my comment (fwiw: I actually couldn't remember who made the comment when I posted.)

EDIT: I just tried to download purchase from JAstore and found the procedure baffling. Why a shipping address for a digital purchase? It then gave me an error saying 'test purchases for Admins only'. I'm just trying to do a typical PayPal deal here...

 

EDIT 2: went to the Tri Synergy website and purchased from there. Has a full speed connection too.

Yes, the JAstore seems to have...issues. As for the shipping address requirement: I've seen this before elsewhere and likewise, I don't get it and I don't like it, particularly when I'm paying with PayPal which has all that information. I attribute it to lazy programming and not taking the customer into consideration.

EDIT 3: DLd and installed. Fired it up and already caught the bug. Good call SirDave. 

Glad to hear it and thanks for the reply. When a few days went by and there was no response to my post, I thought that the present JA forum members just didn't care much for games like this anymore. In fact, although I know that Corrosion is referenced in other sections of the forum (in a very limited way, mind you), I'm rather underwhelmed at the response to it on this main section (Adventure Game Discussion) while a number of other games that are not under my definition of AGs are being discussed.

@SD    Nope, no worries here. I'm a 90% point and clicker in the AG world. I find WASD can water down my focus by replacing "what do I do next", "where should I go next", or "maybe I should try that..." with the mechanics of actually doing it - something that in RL we do effortlessly, or at least without much thought - rotate left, incline head, grasp lever, attempt to rotate counter-clockwise, damn it I said counter-clockwise, etc., etc].

Side-stepping motor action control and marrying intent with the kind of hi-res rendered world best implemented by pre-rendered scenes,  point and click can be truer to events as actually experienced. IMHO.

On the flip side, activities like flying an airplane or driving a car, control, and ones ability to master control, are paramount and in many cases the main source of fullfillment in a game. These are cases where simulated motor contol are fantasic and woven directly into the experience. FPS as well. 

Just found this new text-based game at CostCo: TurboTax 2011 (maybe it's part of a series like TurboTax 2010, 2009 etc.- will have to check). Anyway, it's almost completely text-based and you get asked all sorts of questions. Depending on how you answer, you are taken to various lists and have all sorts of options. There's a lot of logical thinking involved because you get to make all sorts of Deductions. There's also a family-option because the game asks you all about your Dependents. Or you can just play with your wife if you wish to send in your results Jointly. The developers have thought of everything!

Apparently, this game is so popular that no less than the government of the USA will grade it for you and if you do well, it will even send you money. Don't understand why no one is talking about it. (Amazing! Just found out that the California government is interested in my results also and may send me money.)

However, would like at least some graphics.

Originally Posted By SirDave (13 MAR 2012 12:24pm)

Just found this new text-based game at CostCo: TurboTax 2011 (maybe it's part of a series like TurboTax 2010, 2009 etc.- will have to check). Anyway, it's almost completely text-based and you get asked all sorts of questions. Depending on how you answer, you are taken to various lists and have all sorts of options. There's a lot of logical thinking involved because you get to make all sorts of Deductions. There's also a family-option because the game asks you all about your Dependents. Or you can just play with your wife if you wish to send in your results Jointly. The developers have thought of everything!

 

Apparently, this game is so popular that no less than the government of the USA will grade it for you and if you do well, it will even send you money. Don't understand why no one is talking about it. (Amazing! Just found out that the California government is interested in my results also and may send me money.)

 

However, would like at least some graphics.

Thanks for making me smile in the afternoon of a long day!

Sir Dave, 

I have to admit that I looked at the walkthrough a couple of times.  I now play Standard Deduction, which is so much easier, but quite a bit shorter.