Telltale Games

RogerXY · 07/20/2011, 12:13 am

It's also a good replay-motivator

Fenriz Quests · 07/21/2011, 03:42 am

LLo everyone.

you guys easily pointed out the most essential element of those adventures and what made em so different from Lucas' ones, because the possibility of errors and deaths(not so much the score itself then) came from text adventures, arcade games, and very probably pen&paper rpgs.

I don't know, we should ask Ken & Roberta, or maybe even someone else, on how they came up with this little gameplay mechanic, i'd really love to know, actually!

Anyway here's my 2 cents: if TTG don't use this mechanic their game won't be a KQ one. If they use it, they should probably make it more accessible, but it takes tremendously careful design skill not to ruin its key feel and the challenge, which is as you said, "the best solution Vs the best one YOU can come up with" among a pool of possible actions(many leading to death). In my opinion they should preserve it as it is(if they but touch it in anyway the balance of challenge WILL collapse like a castle of toothpicks) but create a flashback support system, that'd let the player know something in the past was done wrong, and it just takes you directly there to patch things up.

And for god sake, do NOT let players know the "existance" of the system, this mechanic must be hidden inside the game, not goofily revealed as a "thing", more than often when programmers recycle a mechanic it tends to stick out horrendously. BLEND it with the whole game, that's a type of PURITY that's lost in today's games.

BagginsKQ · 07/21/2011, 11:07 am

Even the point system in the Sierra form goes back to Infocom text adventures maybe even Colossal Cave. I remember it being in the Zork series.

It's definitely a huge part of Sierra games, but Sierra didn't invent it.

On a related note a system like KQ1VGA Enhanced which offers a classic or no dead end mode might be a great idea! It would allow players to play the game the way they want, and less complaints from both types of players!

clintondsmith · 07/29/2011, 10:16 am

The score system sounds like a lot of fun, and not just for reasons of tradition or nostalgia (which is probably what fuels this entire forum). It gives the game instant replayability and opens up opportunities to provide multiple solutions to problems, as previously mentioned.

I guess it really comes down to this: how much does TTG want to pay homage to Sierra's legacy? By reaching out to Roberta, it's clear that they are planning to remain true to the spirit... so we'll see how that translates in gameplay.

BagginsKQ · 07/31/2011, 06:13 pm

I was just looking over one of the old Zork games, Zork I, and noticed that Infocom not only had the classic score system (0 of 350). But there was also a ranking system, apparently based on the number of moves and score made in the game! You start with a rank of Beginnner for example.

Have your moves tracked might be kinda cool too!

Nostalgia's calling, and I think it would be great to see a resurrection of the classic zork adventure game. The Zork MMO doesn't really count (though it does try to bring in some of the classic text adventure feel).

07/20/2011, 12:13 am	#21
RogerXY Serious Guy Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 39	It's also a good replay-motivator __________________ "How come things that happen to stupid people keep happening to me?!?!?" /Homer Simpson

07/21/2011, 03:42 am	#22
Fenriz Quests Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 1	LLo everyone. you guys easily pointed out the most essential element of those adventures and what made em so different from Lucas' ones, because the possibility of errors and deaths(not so much the score itself then) came from text adventures, arcade games, and very probably pen&paper rpgs. I don't know, we should ask Ken & Roberta, or maybe even someone else, on how they came up with this little gameplay mechanic, i'd really love to know, actually! Anyway here's my 2 cents: if TTG don't use this mechanic their game won't be a KQ one. If they use it, they should probably make it more accessible, but it takes tremendously careful design skill not to ruin its key feel and the challenge, which is as you said, "the best solution Vs the best one YOU can come up with" among a pool of possible actions(many leading to death). In my opinion they should preserve it as it is(if they but touch it in anyway the balance of challenge WILL collapse like a castle of toothpicks) but create a flashback support system, that'd let the player know something in the past was done wrong, and it just takes you directly there to patch things up. And for god sake, do NOT let players know the "existance" of the system, this mechanic must be hidden inside the game, not goofily revealed as a "thing", more than often when programmers recycle a mechanic it tends to stick out horrendously. BLEND it with the whole game, that's a type of PURITY that's lost in today's games. Last edited by Fenriz Quests; 07/21/2011 at 03:59 am.

07/21/2011, 11:07 am	#23
BagginsKQ Yes, Fact, it is KQ8... Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 1,099	Even the point system in the Sierra form goes back to Infocom text adventures maybe even Colossal Cave. I remember it being in the Zork series. It's definitely a huge part of Sierra games, but Sierra didn't invent it. On a related note a system like KQ1VGA Enhanced which offers a classic or no dead end mode might be a great idea! It would allow players to play the game the way they want, and less complaints from both types of players! Last edited by BagginsKQ; 07/21/2011 at 11:16 am.

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07/29/2011, 10:16 am	#24
clintondsmith Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 4	The score system sounds like a lot of fun, and not just for reasons of tradition or nostalgia (which is probably what fuels this entire forum). It gives the game instant replayability and opens up opportunities to provide multiple solutions to problems, as previously mentioned. I guess it really comes down to this: how much does TTG want to pay homage to Sierra's legacy? By reaching out to Roberta, it's clear that they are planning to remain true to the spirit... so we'll see how that translates in gameplay.

07/31/2011, 06:13 pm	#25
BagginsKQ Yes, Fact, it is KQ8... Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 1,099	I was just looking over one of the old Zork games, Zork I, and noticed that Infocom not only had the classic score system (0 of 350). But there was also a ranking system, apparently based on the number of moves and score made in the game! You start with a rank of Beginnner for example. Have your moves tracked might be kinda cool too! Nostalgia's calling, and I think it would be great to see a resurrection of the classic zork adventure game. The Zork MMO doesn't really count (though it does try to bring in some of the classic text adventure feel).