newtmonkey wrote on 2022-05-18, 14:42:

You have to find gold to ride a ferry, and to get gold you need to convert lead into gold. There's a couple of fishermen anchored in a river, and your first thought is to try converting their anchor into gold (maybe it's made of lead). Nope. The solution ends up being to give them cheese to catch fish (????????), then they catch a fish and leave. Then you are supposed to walk back home (why???) and find their abandoned boat on the land. Then you can pick up the anchor and convert it into gold.

This 'puzzle' stopped me dead recently too - the game looks and sounds beautiful but muddling through nonsensical stuff like that just isn't fun. Sanitarium is the only game of this nature I've made it all the way through, and even that lost it's magic towards the end, writing a well balanced puzzle is hard I guess.

Hey, don't put all adventure games in the same bag.

The Secret of Monkey Island doesn't use moon logic at all, for example.
It's the same for all Lucas Arts adventure games, now that I think about it.
Also, you don't die every 3 seconds.

I really can't stand adventure games where you can die / end up in an unwinnable situation.

Day of the Tentacle is the best anyway. :p
Short, hilarious, logical, and with top of the line graphics & sound.

dr_st wrote on 2022-05-19, 06:13:

I really can't stand adventure games where you can die / end up in an unwinnable situation.

Same. I started my life in gaming playing Humongous Entertainment point-and-clicks at... probably around 2 years old but I honestly don't even remember what age for certain (or even which game was my first!) because in my very earliest memories I was already playing them, and to this day I greatly prefer the LucasArts approach of "you can't die or screw yourself over, just keep trying and you'll crack it eventually" over Sierra's "if you're not psychic and/or don't have the patience of a saint for trial and error f*ck you."
Some of the best point-and-click puzzle design I've come across is actually not even in a traditional adventure game: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is primarily a visual novel but it periodically drops you into some really interesting escape room puzzles that play out like a first-person point-and-click. And they all follow a much more logical progression than you tend to see in most adventure games, though it probably helps that each room is self-contained and doesn't require bringing in items from other parts of the game. The story's a top-tier sci-fi thriller too, so I'd recommend anyone who likes adventure games give it a shot. Shame the sequels don't have quite the same level of immaculate puzzle design, but they're still pretty decent.

xcomcmdr wrote on 2022-05-19, 06:17:

Day of the Tentacle is the best anyway. :p
Short, hilarious, logical, and with top of the line graphics & sound.

Seconded. Day of the Tentacle is excellent.

NovaCN wrote on 2022-05-19, 13:30:

to this day I greatly prefer the LucasArts approach of "you can't die or screw yourself over, just keep trying and you'll crack it eventually" over Sierra's "if you're not psychic and/or don't have the patience of a saint for trial and error f*ck you."

The first adventure game I've ever played and beat was actually from neither of these two - it was Simon the Sorcerer from Adventure Soft. Fortunately, the developers of the game clearly also preferred LucasArts' approach.

In contrast, I remember watching a friend play one of the Police Quest games (probably the third one), where typing 'shoot' before typing 'take out gun' results in a message along the lines of 'you just shot yourself in the leg; welcome to the hospital, game over'. Funny as it may be, it definitely does not create positive game mechanics.

NovaCN wrote on 2022-05-19, 13:30:

Some of the best point-and-click puzzle design I've come across is actually not even in a traditional adventure game: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is primarily a visual novel but it periodically drops you into some really interesting escape room puzzles that play out like a first-person point-and-click. And they all follow a much more logical progression than you tend to see in most adventure games, though it probably helps that each room is self-contained and doesn't require bringing in items from other parts of the game. The story's a top-tier sci-fi thriller too, so I'd recommend anyone who likes adventure games give it a shot. Shame the sequels don't have quite the same level of immaculate puzzle design, but they're still pretty decent.

I should try it. Your description reminded me of another series of puzzle games I enjoyed, also not an adventure game per se, is the "Forever Lost" series (played it on an iPad). While sometimes feeling like an escape room, it is closer to a traditional adventure game, in the sense that items and clues acquired in one spot can, in fact, be used in a completely different location. Plus I really enjoyed the haunted atmosphere, which always feels on the edge of a horror film, but never quite reaching it.

dr_st wrote on 2022-05-19, 06:13:

I really can't stand adventure games where you can die / end up in an unwinnable situation.

collect the clipboard in the 3rd room or you can't get past the 93rd room! that kind of thing annoys me - the 'gotcha' puzzles that have no reasonable means of avoidance except experiencing it once, reading a walkthrough or luck

Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos
I got through the Draracle's Cave in one go. I remember having a bit of a rough time here my last time through, with the cavemen and the mosquitoes being particularly tough. This time, it was very easy. I think a big part of that is I chose Ak'Shel this time around, and have been focusing purely on casting spells with him; magic seems to be really powerful in this game. Another factor is that I stopped retreating to "safe" squares to rest, and instead just rest immediately after combat whenever needed. I am 99% sure now that enemies spawn when you walk around and cross certain squares, because simply resting in place almost always works.

So far I'm liking this a bit more this time around. Simple but fun.

newtmonkey wrote on 2022-05-19, 16:03:

Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos
I got through the Draracle's Cave in one go. I remember having a but of a rough time here my last time through, with the cavemen and the mosquitoes being particularly tough. This time, it was very easy. I think a big part of that is I chose Ak'Shel this time around, and have been focusing purely on casting spells with him; magic seems to be really powerful in this game. Another factor is that I stopped retreating to "safe" squares to rest, and instead just rest immediately after combat whenever needed. I am 99% sure now that enemies spawn when you walk around and cross certain squares, because simply resting in place almost always works.

So far I'm liking this a bit more this time around. Simple but fun.

I'm glad you are getting into it, I completed it at the time of release and I still hold it in high regard.

newtmonkey wrote on 2022-05-19, 16:03:

Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos
I got through the Draracle's Cave in one go. I remember having a but of a rough time here my last time through, with the cavemen and the mosquitoes being particularly tough. This time, it was very easy. I think a big part of that is I chose Ak'Shel this time around, and have been focusing purely on casting spells with him; magic seems to be really powerful in this game. Another factor is that I stopped retreating to "safe" squares to rest, and instead just rest immediately after combat whenever needed. I am 99% sure now that enemies spawn when you walk around and cross certain squares, because simply resting in place almost always works.

So far I'm liking this a bit more this time around. Simple but fun.

I too replayed Lands of Lore, back around January. If you're interested, my post about my experience is here.

I also recall from my childhood playthrough, the sentiment that the animated interface was very novel, futuristic and impressive.

I am still considering re-embarking upon Eye of the Beholder 2 again, one day. But for the time being, my gaming is mainly console-ish frippery. Good frippery.

dr_st wrote on 2022-05-19, 14:02:

I should try it. Your description reminded me of another series of puzzle games I enjoyed, also not an adventure game per se, is the "Forever Lost" series (played it on an iPad). While sometimes feeling like an escape room, it is closer to a traditional adventure game, in the sense that items and clues acquired in one spot can, in fact, be used in a completely different location. Plus I really enjoyed the haunted atmosphere, which always feels on the edge of a horror film, but never quite reaching it.

I do love me some horror aesthetics, I may have to check that series out, thanks.

As for 999, if you do play it I recommend tracking down (or emulating) a copy of the original Nintendo DS version. There is a PC port that comes bundled with the second game, and it's fine I guess, perfectly playable, but the original very deliberately crafted its story presentation around the presence of two screens and the HD version ends up feeling like a lesser experience without it. There's a major plot twist that doesn't work as well as a result, and they even had to change the final puzzle in the true ending because it only worked on a DS.
That's actually the other thing about this game: there are five (or six, depending on how you count them) different endings, depending on which route you take through the various numbered doors across the game. You're not going to get the best ending on your first playthrough, but thankfully on repeat runs the game keeps track of and grays out whichever choices you've already made, which makes it easier to try a new route, see different puzzles, and hopefully get a better ending.

This turned out to be a larger wall of text than I thought but 999 is one of my favorite games. Basically imagine a more psychological thriller take on the Saw movies with a little sci-fi twist.

Hand of Fate is one of my favorite adventure games of all time but you really need to be able to get into its over the top fairy-tale logic mindset to enjoy the puzzles and the humor. To each their own, but for me it is one of the best games I ever played..

A while back I got almost pristine copies of both The Legend of Kyrandia and Hand of Fate (floppy versions). Still need to get the third one to complete the trilogy.

For some reason I never played them back in the day despite being a massive adventure game enthusiast and seeing the game mentioned in magazines, but now I'm very much looking forward to having some free time so I can play them on a period-accurate hardware setup, with MIDI and all the bells and whistles. From what I've seen, the graphics are kind of Lucasarts-style, which for me is a plus, and I've also heard the soundtrack is quite good.

TheMobRules wrote on 2022-05-20, 17:35:

A while back I got almost pristine copies of both The Legend of Kyrandia and Hand of Fate (floppy versions). Still need to get the third one to complete the trilogy.

For some reason I never played them back in the day despite being a massive adventure game enthusiast and seeing the game mentioned in magazines, but now I'm very much looking forward to having some free time so I can play them on a period-accurate hardware setup, with MIDI and all the bells and whistles. From what I've seen, the graphics are kind of Lucasarts-style, which for me is a plus, and I've also heard the soundtrack is quite good.

My experience with and opinions on the first game of the series is the direct opposite of the second, for what it's worth..

Avernum: Escape from the Pit

I'm now 70 hrs into this game and feel like I'm getting somewhat close to the end. The trouble with this game is it's so open-ended and the amount of open quests and what order to do them in can get to be overwhelming. In these situations, I often get frozen in indecision. I prefer a more linear RPG that gives me a better idea of the order quests should be accomplished. Sure, I do like a little open-endedness, but this game is overwhelmingly open-ended. That's probably my biggest struggle with it. Other minor quibbles are things like generic NPC portraits that don't match the physical descriptions. A man can be described as "black" but the portrait has pale skin and light hair. Or a character described as "blonde" or "elderly" or "young" with a portrait that looks the opposite. Finally, UI stuff, which I've brought up before. Simple things like closing pop-up windows and menus with ESC are not implemented, meaning more mouse movement to click on a close button.

The story is really starting to get good, though, and enough of the quests are starting to overlap enough to cement the story in my mind. I just wish I had more time to play it. If I followed a walkthrough from the beginning, I probably could've been done by now. As it stands, I just started trying to find my place in the game in this walkthrough:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/641828-avern … -pit/faqs/69677
Trouble is, there are things near the beginning of the walkthrough that I haven't done yet, and things near the end that I've already accomplished. 😀

Still Elden Ring 🤣. Level 79, 100 hours. Playing offline with Goldberg steam emu.
Definetly getting my moneys worth assuming my sanity stays intact.

On a whim I decided to install GTA 2 on my main pc, runs nicely on an i7-11700kf 🤣

Today I've decided to start Uncharted 3. This is my first time with the game.

First there was an update for the game, why not. 5 minutes later I got into the menu. Then I thought I have to log in to PSN to sync my trophies. Okay, there is a firmware update too. I'm a little impressed a 15 years old console still gets updates. Another 5 minutes later I tried to log in. I need to log in on PC and generate a hardware key. I can't log in. PSN has some issues in my region. VPN to Germany. PSN works, but won't allow me to log in. An hour lager I could log in, generated the key, back to the console. It won't accept it. Back to the PC, I didn't find anything wrong in my account. Back to the console, now it accepts it. Maybe it needed some time to set it up for the older console? Whatever 1 and a half hours later I was able to play.

RandomStranger wrote on 2022-06-04, 18:49:

Today I've decided to start Uncharted 3. This is my first time with the game.

First there was an update for the game, why not. 5 minutes later I got into the menu. Then I thought I have to log in to PSN to sync my trophies. Okay, there is a firmware update too. I'm a little impressed a 15 years old console still gets updates. Another 5 minutes later I tried to log in. I need to log in on PC and generate a hardware key. I can't log in. PSN has some issues in my region. VPN to Germany. PSN works, but won't allow me to log in. An hour lager I could log in, generated the key, back to the console. It won't accept it. Back to the PC, I didn't find anything wrong in my account. Back to the console, now it accepts it. Maybe it needed some time to set it up for the older console? Whatever 1 and a half hours later I was able to play.

Welcome to DRM hell.

Not really a DRM issue. I could have played it without updating anything and logging into PSN. I just wanted my trophies to sync.