tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post502988904339615715..comments2024-03-29T01:07:22.708+11:00Comments on The Adventurers Guild: Martian Memorandum - Help me Rhonda!The Tricksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419316208187255801noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-61884951904795045192015-11-23T19:29:03.586+11:002015-11-23T19:29:03.586+11:00What? You haven't played QFG?! Where were you ...What? You haven't played QFG?! Where were you living in the 90s? Kentucky?!Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-48043603354280826702015-11-21T05:33:43.470+11:002015-11-21T05:33:43.470+11:00So far, the game seems ok. I have two complaints t...So far, the game seems ok. I have two complaints though:<br />1. I don't really enjoy the parts where you have to try to navigate someone's dialog tree to unlock "ask about." The dinner scene is especially obnoxious since you have to reload to redo it, while other scenes you can just reenter the location to start over, but it's still annoying, especially since there is little to suggest what the right path is. I particularly noted that talking with Mac you need to switch repeatedly between "nice" and "douche" to get to the end.<br />2. OMG the typos and grammar errors everywhere. Hire a copyeditor!Fryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07805219432946673379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-44341076364965024872015-11-21T05:28:09.028+11:002015-11-21T05:28:09.028+11:00I found that if you give Rhonda the rose during di...I found that if you give Rhonda the rose during dinner (right before you accept the offer of dessert), there's a "better" ending to the conversation, where you actually get to see some video of her undressing, and then you get to go through your "ask about" routine with her in bed. <br /><br />No idea whether this deadends you or not. My *guess* would be that it doesn't, since you seem to have gotten the important ask-abouts from talking to her at the office. Or who knows, maybe I am now deadended because I don't have the rose any more? Yay adventure games!<br /><br />I'm only slightly ahead of where you are in this post. I imagine you'll find a way to progress, but here are my suggestions (both really obvious):<br />1. ivfvg rirelbar, nfx nobhg rirelguvat<br />2. hfr lbhe pbzyvax, nfx nobhg rirelguvatFryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07805219432946673379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-84658911817451305912015-11-19T12:31:16.764+11:002015-11-19T12:31:16.764+11:00Just looked at my old Amiga Civilization box and i...Just looked at my old Amiga Civilization box and instructions and yep, no mention of Access but Microprose is all over it!<br /><br />What do you mean, only a weirdo still has a box for a game system he no longer owns. Stop laughing at me!TBDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13815382857422719383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-70481712221968533252015-11-19T12:29:03.670+11:002015-11-19T12:29:03.670+11:00Perfect examples!
I'd say The Walking Dead an...Perfect examples!<br /><br />I'd say The Walking Dead and Alpha Protocol are definitely examples of dialogue 'puzzles' where what you say makes a noticeable difference to the game but there isn't only one 'right' answer.<br /><br />(Haven't played Quest for Glory or Human Revolution so can't comment too much on those)<br />TBDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13815382857422719383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-92153155226722852162015-11-19T12:24:48.866+11:002015-11-19T12:24:48.866+11:00Well picked up. Seeing as the real guy did extensi...Well picked up. Seeing as the real guy did extensive studies on Mars and the game character lives and works on Mars, I'm going to say... YES! Deliberate homage!<br /><br />Though I know him less as an astronomer and more as a character in Worlds of Ultima: Martian Dreams<br /><br />http://www.mobygames.com/game/ultima-worlds-of-adventure-2-martian-dreamsTBDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13815382857422719383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-14725787496791728262015-11-19T12:20:45.274+11:002015-11-19T12:20:45.274+11:00I agree. They are the equivalent of an old hooker:...I agree. They are the equivalent of an old hooker: gets the job done well but damn, she sure is ugly.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-40153649326351968042015-11-19T12:18:13.414+11:002015-11-19T12:18:13.414+11:00Hey, that's what you're doing for Hero-U t...Hey, that's what you're doing for Hero-U too!<br /><br />Other contenders for interesting dialogue designs are:<br />1) Alpha Protocol (and Witcher 3) - Time sensitive dialog options.<br />2) The Walking Dead (and many other Telltale games) - Silence is an option.<br />3) Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Choosing mannerisms of speech (flirt, persuade, humor, threaten, flatter, reason & etc.) instead of what to say.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-68498675710542276382015-11-19T12:12:19.352+11:002015-11-19T12:12:19.352+11:00Rowan's right. I had the original many years b...Rowan's right. I had the original many years back. I distinctly recall that "Microprose" was embossed at the bottom of the box's cover art. Sid Meier was working in Microprose then, not Access Software.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-87753462421067993212015-11-19T12:05:14.688+11:002015-11-19T12:05:14.688+11:00Wow... Captain Jocques Sparrow seem to have inspir...Wow... Captain Jocques Sparrow seem to have inspired Captain Jack Sparrow; that long hair, half-open eyes, stupid looking goatee and a red-colored headdress. Were the people in charge of setting the looks on Pirates of the Caribbean actually Tex Murphy fans? Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-38795372423600277302015-11-19T10:29:27.917+11:002015-11-19T10:29:27.917+11:00Access make good adventure games but always seem t...Access make good adventure games but always seem to fall down on ui.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-23389612945014994682015-11-19T09:33:13.995+11:002015-11-19T09:33:13.995+11:00I also found out she used to work for Lowell Perci...<i>I also found out she used to work for Lowell Percival. </i><br /><br />Any relation? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percival_LowellRowan Lipkovitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08691096685515251681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-74529106411411134002015-11-19T09:30:26.820+11:002015-11-19T09:30:26.820+11:00Civ was Microprose. That must be an error.Civ was Microprose. That must be an error.Rowan Lipkovitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08691096685515251681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-3048785307247321842015-11-19T07:39:07.136+11:002015-11-19T07:39:07.136+11:00Good dialogue "puzzles" aren't reall...Good dialogue "puzzles" aren't really puzzles - they are natural-seeming dialogue that makes sense and develops the story or provides important information to the player. One technique that Lori uses is setting a "tag" when the player learns something that might be important in future conversation. Then the dialogue choices reflect that, with certain choices appearing only if their tags are set.<br /><br />In Quest for Glory, we also looked at character class. For example, sometimes a Paladin would have options not available to the other players. These could also be red herrings, perhaps allowing the Paladin to choose a dishonorable option that will affect his Paladin status, or a Thief to pick one that will likely lead to his arrest.<br /><br />We did an experiment with hypertext conversation, where keywords were highlighted, but we felt it was too distracting to make an effective dialogue interface.Corey Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16772474266362396768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-49296746811124481522015-11-18T20:51:07.705+11:002015-11-18T20:51:07.705+11:00The dialogue system has evolved from Mean Streets ...The dialogue system has evolved from Mean Streets in that there's now multiple-choice answers. (I forget how Countdown worked.) Has there ever been an actually good dialogue puzzle that does NOT rely on trial and error?<br /><br />Unlike the first game, this one keeps an automatic list of names, which ironically made the story harder to follow as my own notes for Mean Streets had more detail.Laukkuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258625692586860655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-66716740129577887692015-11-18T12:45:01.935+11:002015-11-18T12:45:01.935+11:00Wait, what?
Sid Meier's Civilization, Access ...Wait, what?<br /><br />Sid Meier's Civilization, Access Software Inc<br />Martian Memorandum, Access Software Inc<br /><br />Were two companies named Access Software or did the makers of Martian Memorandum publish one of the bestselling and best rated strategy games of all time?TBDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13815382857422719383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-75074671348402186102015-11-18T12:41:27.893+11:002015-11-18T12:41:27.893+11:00There is music throughout - from what I can tell t...There is music throughout - from what I can tell the explorable locations have their own music (Tex's office, Terraform, Park Plaza and Alexis' house so far) but the conversations don't - they have voice instead. <br /><br />I think this was a time when game designers had to choose either voice or music but not have both at the same time.TBDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13815382857422719383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-60278731480260029902015-11-18T12:07:16.866+11:002015-11-18T12:07:16.866+11:00Out of curiosity, how did he react to MYST then? (...Out of curiosity, how did he react to MYST then? (If you recall?)Aperamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13669724908141286435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-33416757304349436382015-11-18T09:44:02.654+11:002015-11-18T09:44:02.654+11:00You're right, I gave her the rose in most of m...You're right, I gave her the rose in most of my attempts. Seeing as it doesn't seem to help rather than have her say "Thank you, Tex" I figured I'd keep it instead.<br /><br />I don't think you'd have screwed your game by doing something that makes perfect sense, but this IS and adventure game so I don't feel completely confident on that one.TBDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13815382857422719383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-46755880395045010812015-11-18T08:20:59.553+11:002015-11-18T08:20:59.553+11:00There was some resentment of Martian Memorandum at...There was some resentment of Martian Memorandum at Sierra. Ken Williams and others did not consider it an actual adventure game. He felt the publisher had "bought off" the gaming press and SPA voters by sending out a very expensive press kit (I think it cost like $40 or $50 each) to all of the voters. Sierra won the "Best Fantasy Role-Playing/Adventure Game" category for the previous four years running, so Ken probably felt Sierra "owned" the category.<br /><br />That was the year Castle of Dr. Brain was nominated as best educational game, so the only time I attended the SPA award ceremony. I got really excited when they announced there was a tie for the winner, but alas, two other titles won. (Apparently "What's My Angle?" and "Interactive Nova: The Miracle of Life" - https://www.siia.net/codie/About-the-Awards/Past-Winners/1992-Winners)<br />Corey Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16772474266362396768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-70375627030866789542015-11-18T06:04:00.753+11:002015-11-18T06:04:00.753+11:00Access has an unappealing interface (not clicking...Access has an unappealing interface (not clicking on the responses, yellow goes with everything) around an interesting shell as always it seems - they focused so hard on having compressed video and images into their games they forgot to worry about gameplay first. Is there music throughout this one, or is it still an 'intro only' schtick?<br /><br />As to the Mars terraforming mission in 2019? They're only off by 5 years - though apparently the lander they're putting there to set everything up will be there by 2018.. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/feb/09/mars-one-mission-a-one-way-trip-to-the-red-planet-in-2024Aperamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13669724908141286435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3387495443226852794.post-9394737087120753872015-11-18T03:09:06.694+11:002015-11-18T03:09:06.694+11:00I am pretty sure I could give Rhonda the rose, but...I am pretty sure I could give Rhonda the rose, but the outcome appears to have been same. I hope I haven't screwed myself by losing it.<br /><br />I haven't really had that much time to play the game yet - I don't think I have even interrogated all the people you have.Ilmari Jauhiainenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01655841880034965950noreply@blogger.com