Just Like Monkey Island

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[ad7venture]

Wow, a feature.  I thought this was a prank at first.
(reads article)

I know the feeling of striving to do something better, different, whatever.  I'm never satisfied with my art, when I get that even passable, suddenly I don't like it because it doesn't have voice acting, it's not 3d, no background music.  I'm just never satisfied with what I do.  Maybe it was just the era or whatever, but I got so involved in adventure games back then.  Nothing I've played recently even comes close and everyone tells me how great it is, but for me, it's repetitive game play mixed with a trite story.  I think I'll always be trying to recreate the experience I felt when I played Return To Zork, Myst, Kings Quest 6, and a few others.  Not the games, but the way I was so tied to the games.

[Squinky]

Haha. Surprise, surprise. That's what you get for putting me in charge of the feature section, I guess.

I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to play one of my own games and feel the same way as I did when I was playing an old favourite from the past, but that's more because I've been far more intimately involved with the former throughout its development, whereas the latter is more of a pleasant surprise. So, I guess there's really no way of knowing if I've actually succeeded in creating the kind of atmosphere I wanted to create, except by hearing other people's comments. (Which I value greatly in all forms, whether praising or criticizing my efforts. Though admittedly, my favourites are the ones that actually go in depth discussing the story/themes I've illustrated and that actually refer to the characters as though they were real people.)

[ad7venture]

So, I guess there's really no way of knowing if I've actually succeeded in creating the kind of atmosphere I wanted to create, except by hearing other people's comments.

That's  my only motive in finishing a game, which might explain why I finish so few of them.  Actually, only one, but I have another that's going to make it.  I don't care if people criticize, only it's a lot more interesting to hear regular gamers rather than adventure gamers talk about the game.  Adventure gamers seem to carry so much baggage with them.  Some won't play 1st person, some won't play 3rd person, some won't play anything.

[Erwin_Br]

I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to play one of my own games and feel the same way as I did when I was playing an old favourite from the past, but that's more because I've been far more intimately involved with the former throughout its development, whereas the latter is more of a pleasant surprise.

You'll know in a few years. I recently discovered some floppies with very, very old stuff I made when Windows 95 didn't exist yet. It was a surprisingly pleasant discovery, I must say. (In contrast to what I feel when looking at most of my old drawings, heheh...)

Also, great article!!!

--Erwin

[JohnGreenArt]

Good article! I have to say it's inspiring and thought-provoking, which is keeping up my motivation with making my own game.

[Squinky]

I have to say it's inspiring and thought-provoking, which is keeping up my motivation with making my own game.

Glad to hear it. That's exactly why I write these articles: to inspire others so that they, too, will make their voices heard through their games.

[Kickaha]

I went back and re-read the article (after having got some way into TGTTPOACS.)  Feel the need to drill down into some of what's said.

Firstly what is "success"?  Success for me is having fun making a game, and a few people having fun playing it.  I sense your (Squinky) idea of success is a lot higher than mine, and you have more talent / zest / drive / energy / chutzpah to get there. 

"Monkey Island" was a great classic game.  What made it great?  Knowing why MI was a classic helps towards making other classic games.  It's not enough to look at MI itself, one needs to see MI in the context it was released into.

For a game the whole is more than the sum of the parts.  Sorry to play devil's advocate but I'd like to comment that for many players a game is less than the sum of the parts.  So in TLJ and Syberia I ignored the dialogue wherever possible.  Some players ignore the puzzles using a walkthrough.  Some players ignore the story.  To me a game is more like a circus with different acts. 

[Squinky]

In that case, a good game is more than the sum of its parts.

[ad7venture]

So in TLJ and Syberia I ignored the dialogue wherever possible.

I thought Syberia's dialog was well done actually.  The mistake in that game was a common one for a lot of adventures.  False interactivity.  "I can't go there" became some kind of mantra.  If you can't go there the simple solution is to not provide a label and pretend that you CAN go there.  Actually, though, that's the last game I played where that barrier broke and I was in the story rather than playing a game.

[Kickaha]

In that case, a good game is more than the sum of its parts.

If I was (which I'm rather unlikely to be) producing a commercial game then I would aim to satisfy different kinds of players with different parts of the game - rather like a Shakespeare play is a medley of farce tragedy comedy romance suspense.

If however one's aiming at a game which forms an aesthetic whole, an artistic unity where the elements dovetail together to express what one wants to express, then I agree with you.

(By the way I am enjoying TGTTPOACS so far, though I think I flunked choosing the multiple path bit.)

[Squinky]

If I was (which I'm rather unlikely to be) producing a commercial game then I would aim to satisfy different kinds of players with different parts of the game - rather like a Shakespeare play is a medley of farce tragedy comedy romance suspense.

A good idea in principle, but one that's rather difficult to do. Usually, when you try to merge so many different genres, you get mediocrity in trying to do so many things at once. Better to do one thing really, really well, I think.

(By the way I am enjoying TGTTPOACS so far, though I think I flunked choosing the multiple path bit.)

Really? I didn't think any path would be inherently worse than all the others, or at least that was my goal. Ah well. *shrugs*

[Kickaha]

(By the way I am enjoying TGTTPOACS so far, though I think I flunked choosing the multiple path bit.)

Really? I didn't think any path would be inherently worse than all the others, or at least that was my goal. Ah well. *shrugs*

From what I've seen the choice which path you follow happens early on?  In which case I think I managed to totally miss that it was a choice.  The path I'm following is fun and eventful, I'm just not sure where the fork in the paths was.  I do tend to miss the obvious now and then.

[KFMN]

A short, but good read. More articles like this, please 

[ad7venture]

Yes, another feature would really, REALLY be nice.