How do you play your adventure games?

[etgadsby]

Hi everybody! So threads are up about what games folks play and when people first played them. Here’s what I want to know, how do folks play adventure games?  

Who just did it as a kid, who still does? Do people play with friends, family, loved ones or alone? Maps? No Maps? Hintbook junkies? I’m curious to see what folks do.

I guess ultimately the question is do you like your adventure game shaken or stirred? I’ll throw in my own two cents in a little bit.

[Jeysie]

Hmm. First adventure I played was Maniac Mansion on the NES, with the help of a pal when I was about 10. Then after a loooooong dry spell, I played Monkey Island about 3 years ago, and got re-introduced to the genre. "Oh, so there's more games like that cool Maniac Mansion game? Damn, why didn't anyone tell me this?". I did actually play The 7th Guest somewhere in there, I think, but that's not what I would consider a "true" adventure. I also attempted to play Myst, but we'll ignore that one.

I dabbled a bit with text adventures as a munchkin, but my poor sense of direction (and thus, poor mapping ability) tended to keep me from actually getting anywhere. Not to mention that I detest fighting with parsers.

I tend to play alone, unless I get stuck. Then I may consult a hint or two. (I don't read walkthroughs until *after* I've beaten the game... don't ask.) If I can't muck through it myself, I sometimes call Harrison over. Usually just for puzzles that require a musical ear, or a large amount of planning ahead, since he's good at those sorts of things, and I'm not.

And although you didn't ask this specifically, I'm very, uh, through with poking through my games. I try *everything*. If you can click the orange duck on the window while standing on one toe, I'll probably try it at some point. Needless to say, if I was ever a beta tester, the game people would likely shoot me. "Who's actually going to do that?!" "Hey, you never know, someone could!"

Peace & Luv, Liz

[GunHoMac]

From KQ, to SQ, down the line to Monkey Island, QFG, a very nice story, lots of time for the 7th Guest and it's sequel was the best...haven't tried Gabrielle Night, but perhaps one night I just might, never a hint book dare I use, a walkthrough forbidden to abuse, alone at the screen with mouse in hand, I play and struggle from land to land, if I get stuck with no where to go, then click on the duck until the plot starts to flow, Manic Mansion was quite the teaser, Day of the Tentacle a brain deceiver, so many adventures to download and play, now start using your brain and PUT THAT WALKTHROUGH AWAY!

[racx_00]

i have played them since i was ten , which means i have been playing them for five years

My first was KQ6 which was hard when i was ten so i kept looking at a walkthrough occassionaly , but i havent used a walkthrough since

I just play them on my own

[Storm]

Who just did it as a kid, who still does? Do people play with friends, family, loved ones or alone? Maps? No Maps? Hintbook junkies? I’m curious to see what folks do.

Did it as a kid and still do, alone, with maps when necessary and preferably no hintbook  

[Drunken Chinchilla]

I used to love playing adventure games when I was little e.g. 5-11. It was always me, my mom and my auntie. We used to huddle round the old tandy and get those big 5"(maybe 7"??) disks out and spend hours trying to climb the beanstalk or whales tongue. We'd make really detailed maps with warnings as to wether a sorcerer/wolf/ogre etc would appear and cut little paper squares out to represent the screens then stick down on big massive A2 paper making massive maps. Laura bow was the best, the music when you discovered a body used to scare the crap out of me (duh duh duhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!) so whenever I saw a body I'd stick my fingers in my ears and have my mom and auntie laughing hysterically at me. ANDDDDD Zork was also a favourite of ours which made sure you relied heavily on maps with it being a text adventure......Ahhhh those really were the days

*puts on rose tinited glasses and listens to Sia Furler*

[Yonkey]

I used to play them with my cousin (KQ5-KQ7).  It used to be so much fun because we'd spend hours or days on stuff.  He had KQ4 at his place, but I never got to play much of it.  

But before these we had LSL1.  That game ruled, even though I didn't understand the jokes and couldn't get past Lefty's bar cuz I didn't know you could hail the taxi.   LSL we used to play as a family mostly - my sister & my cousins.  

Oh yeah, and I was a huge time hintbook junkie.    I never tried mapping out the desert of KQ5 so I considered myself stuck.  Then we bought the hintbook for LSL5, but it didn't help because the part that I was stuck at was the copy protection.  Hmm, the last hintbook I got was for KQ6.  I forget where exactly I was stuck.  I think it might have been that I couldn't figure out how to cross the boiling river (cuz the iceburg lettuce kept melting on me).  

[uselessidguy331]

I can't bea half of the KQ games with walkthroughs...heh. Generally I play without one until I'm stuck.

[KatieHal]

I used to play them with my brother, mom or dad, but usually only one at a time, when I was younger. I played Black Cauldron with my neighbor. Now I oretty much just play alone...well, I do because I now want to do it on my own and don't much like having someone peering over my shoulder!

I try to avoid hintbooks til I'm stuck...but once I have it DLed or bookmarked, I'm a bit of a junkie, I'm afraid. I want to quit, really I do!

[etgadsby]

Ok, now my two cents.  

As a kid I used to play the classic Sierra adventures on my Apple Iie. I was first introduced when a friend loaded me “The Black Cauldron”… then I picked up “King’s Quest III” and I was hooked.

My best friend Justin and I would rack our brains all summer (and winter) up in my family’s little computer room/office. We went through then faster then my line of credit with my parents permitted and I had to resort to doing a lot of yard work to feed the habit…

It was only later we used hint books, but early on we did write letters to the Sierra hint department…and always got responses! I’d say it was only when we met “Myst” (on my families sexy new Mac LC) that we broke down and talked my parents into buying the “Strategy Guide”.

These days I play games alone on my XP, 98, or Mac OS X system my girlfriend isn’t really too interested. As I honestly play more for the experience and the story (and don’t have a lot of time) I use hint books, walkthroughs, etc without shame. Maybe I’ll feel remorse later but for right now I’m cheating my way through “Syberia”, I know I’m a year too late..

[Oldbushie]

I used to be a walkthrough junkie, but I'm getting better. Usually I can get halfway through a game before it takes too freakin long to get through any further. I love puzzles though, usually I try any puzzles that exist before I give way to a walkthrough.

[FataliOmega]

A good question...

Once upon a time there was a little midget named Me. He had a techy, programmer for a father. The father brought home one day SQ1. and... yeah, we've been playing adventures games ever since. I'm a big fan of adventure games which make you save early and often. If you cant fall off a ledge or get killed by wasting too much time, then it's not hard enough yet. I also remember vividly my uncle running around lost in one of the Lands of Lore mazes being stalked by wild skeletons. Ah, good memories.

[Oldbushie]

Yeah, though I thought that was in a later game as well. Monkey Island 4 had that, I think.

[The Fat Emu]

Yeah, though I thought that was in a later game as well. Monkey Island 4 had that, I think.

Really? At what part? I don't seem to remember that.

[Mary Jane]

Yeah, though I thought that was in a later game as well. Monkey Island 4 had that, I think.

Are you talking about whenever you tell Guybrush to jump off a cliff and he decides not to?

[Oldbushie]

Yeah.

[Mary Jane]

There was also a fake death scene(s) in Curse of Monkey Island.

[FataliOmega]

in Monkey Island (the first one) if guybrush walks to far on this one cliff the cliff he's standing on falls away and he falls with it. the Restore/Restart box apears for a moment, then disappears as guybrush flies back onto the cliff cuz of a "rubber tree"

By the way, anyone remember the Pirate Rhyme song from the third game... I have it on MP3 format

[Plays_4_Pants]

I've played almost all of the lucas arts classics and all of the kings quests. I'd say I go through spells of wanting to play adventure games and not, because i find them boring after a while...especially the click and click ones (they're pretty mindless). I've been playing them for about 9 years now. The neverhood is my favorite because it was really original and stylized all the way through. KQ6 was great too and so was Sam and Max.

[racx_00]

By the way, anyone remember the Pirate Rhyme song from the third game... I have it on MP3 format

A pirate i was meant to be.............
Thats the one isnt it

BTW Welcome Plays_4_Pants