I'd like to point out a minor contradiction in some of Ross's points in graphic adventure games

[FullBusinessSuit]

I'm only pointing this out because I got to thinking about the complaint that "you take *everything*" in graphic adventure games.

 

It would be annoying to have items that you don't use, like in Armed and Delirious, but that is an example of not needing to take everything you see. I'm not sure if this means anything, but maybe there's an element to graphic adventure games that can be improved by addressing the idea that you take everything, while juxtaposing it with an example where you have unused items at the end of the game.

 

I haven't played nearly as many graphic adventure games as Ross, but my first thought is that a touch of trial and error added by having unused items hear and there could make the player think a bit more. It would help spark the imagination with problem solving. And "sparking the imagination" is something that I think has been lost with improved graphics (most specifically graphics fidelity, but I do mean general graphical improvements) and the internet with walkthroughs and wikis and all (since there are people who refuse to play a game "sub-optimally").

 

It's a minor point about the item collecting, but I kept thinking about it, and I needed to post it here so I could get it out of my system.

[Rarefoil]

Well, Dreamweb is pretty close to this; you actually can pick up almost anything you see and try to use it in some way, and most of it is stuff like cheese and toothbrushes that serve no use. And specific items are still required to progress, and even better, sometimes it will tell you why the butter knife won't work but the other type of knife will. (That's a very rough and vague example)

 

The only issue being is that the game doesn't really make the most of this setup, in fact, that could sum up a lot of Dreamweb come to think of it, which is probably because it was mostly made by three people.

 

But this is me speaking as someone who's never played it; I've only seen a Long Play of it by Yahtzee Croshaw and his friend Gabe Morton where most of the time they were basically pointing and laughing at the most ridiculous aspects of it (which there's plenty), and also Pushing Up Roses's video which was basically completely glowing about the game and never mentioned the stuff Yahtzee pointed and laughed at. 

 

It was quite the contrast. But then again, PUR played the "talkie" version so maybe that helps.

 

And I don't even really have a good excuse not to play it, all versions of the game became freeware and regardless of anything, I think it's a pretty fascinating piece of artwork and I've been wanting to record a good-quality version of the PC soundtrack at least, because I do like that music.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Rarefoil (see edit history)

[FullBusinessSuit]

Speaking of graphic adventure, I know y'all know about the hybrid text adventure/graphic adventure Maniac Mansion. Well, I've got a few gems as well, that I've never heard anyone bring up: the Hugo Trilogy! These games had me enthralled when I was a kid playing them, trying to figure out what I can do. I was blow away by the amount of responses they anticipated. Although i don't think i ever completed one of these games without hints (which made me pretty sad as a kid, since I wanted to see everything they had to offer, and I thought that I might have been trying something that could work, but they didn't think of (which really would have been a shame)).  Sadly, it looks like someone snagged them up, and you have to pay to play them now. But if you're short on cash I'm sure there's a 100% off sale somewhere online.

 

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/hugo-ii-whodunit-1pq

 

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/hugo-iii-jungle-of-doom-1fk

 

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/the-hugo-trilogy-cws