Discussion Point: Linear Games

 Written by The TAG Team

While not really adventure games, the Grand Theft Auto series are sandbox games, which by definition is not linear.

Continuing with our series of discussion questions, let's have a chat about game worlds.

In some adventure games, you have to complete area A before you can have access to area B.  In other games, you have free rein to go nearly everywhere you want, exploring along the way. 

Sometimes, it was done for logistical reasons.  Leisure Suit Larry 2, for example, was specifically designed to avoid disk swaps, with each area fitting on a different floppy.  When you advanced, you would change the floppy, and not have to flip disks back and forth.

In Maniac Mansion, you could explore nearly everywhere in the mansion from the beginning, although sometimes you might get caught by the Edisons and get to visit a special room in the basement.

Some games are a hybrid.  In The Legend of Kyrandia, for example, you can explore a large area, and then when you solve a puzzle, you can explore the previous area as well as a new large area combined -- and you need to go back and forth to solve some puzzles.

Does a linear path make the game easier?  Harder?

Is there a thrill in opening up new areas, or more joy in seeing things you can’t access yet?

Which games handled their choice well?  And are there any games that handled it poorly?

There’s pros and cons to each approach, but what are your thoughts?

In Leisure Suit Larry 2, you can't access one area until you finish the previous one.

Black Sect - Infiltrating the cult

By Ilmari

Well of the devil

Discussion Point: Arcade Sequences

 Written by The TAG Team

What happens if I put playing cards into the spokes?

Back when the blog became a collaborative team effort, we started posing questions to you, the readers.  If you don’t remember about this, that’s understandable.  It’s been a little bit longer than we anticipated since our last post.

But we’re back, and plan to make this a regular feature of the blog once again.  And we’d like to start the conversation with one of the most polarizing additions to adventure games: the arcade sequence.

They started creeping into our genre back when computers weren’t quite so powerful, so maybe they weren’t as challenging.  Or were they?  No mice, instead just clunky keyboards that went click-click-click.  

So many questions:

• Did they add any value to the adventure games?  

• Would the games be as fun or as well revered without them?

• Are they better or worse than gambling sequences?

• What were some good arcade sequences?

• Are there any games that could benefit from having them added?

Or, what other thoughts do you have?

Some arcade sequences seem to, ahem, DRIVE gamers crazy.

Black Sect - Village of fetch quests

By Ilmari

What I like about Black Sect, compared to Le Secte Noire, is that from the start there’s things to do and try. The black cat seems still just decoration, but I did manage to open a window and find some cheese and a metal bar.

Sam & Max Hit the Road - Final Rating

Written by Michael

I asked OpenAI for “a tall anthropomorphic dog wearing a blue sports jacket and wide tie with a shorter anthropomorphic white rabbit as a sidekick.”

So, our road trip was successful, I guess.  We set out to find the stolen bigfoot from the carnival, and found him.  We were tasked with restoring the exhibit, so the carnival wouldn’t go out of business.  We did that.  Of course, the Kushmans probably expected us to do it a different way, but a win is a win, am I right?

Actually, I’m kind of sad to be done.

And so with that, we come to an end.  How does this game stack up to the past?