Adventure games and walkthroughs

[Thaurin]

Hi, long time no see. ;)

Been playing Sam & Max 201 (awesome!) and The Secret of Monkey Island (awesome!). This got me to my age-old problem: the urge to grab that walkthrough. Now, I've resisted that urge for these two games for the most part. For the most part? I'll explain.

The problem is all about my impatience. In the end, the solution will most of the time something I would have figured out myself, except that I always fear that the solution is something else than what I expect (like a pixel-hunt or random clue from one of many screens). What happens is that I go looking for subtle clues; and even reading that a problem may have something to do with X usually triggers the complete solution. That is, the actual logic part of it is figured out by me.

The clue may be that I indeed miss an inventory item that I missed, involves a certain kind of solution (like: clues can be found for this around the environment or from an NPC) or that I'm looking in the right direction (so I don't get disheartened). Sites like uhs-hints.com are great for this, but often something even more subtle will do.

I've read posts from people who actually LIKE getting stuck in their games and may be stuck for MONTHS without going for a hint. To them, that's the entire point of playing, even if the reason they're stuck is entirely silly. So I guess what I'm getting at is this: are you as an adventure game player "allowed" to get hints? With Sam & Max 201 and TSOMI I still have the feeling that I did it myself, because the <click> of the solutions to the puzzles were made without help (i.e. item X is used for something in the game and isn't just useless decoration => hey, what if I used it like this so I can do that?-- rather than having it spelled out for you).

Do you get what I mean? Maybe those first pointers are the hardest and I'm a cheat. Maybe I just need someone to say: "Hey, it's okay. Relax." ;)

[Crapstorm]

Yeah, I used to completely refuse to use walkthroughs or hints of any kind. But that resulted in me never finishing 75% of the games that I started. Now I use walkthroughs heavily to help me find all those things that the developers hide to make their games more challenging. I also use walkthroughs to save me the frustration of using exhaustive guesswork to figure out which inventory item I need to combine with the monkey to make him climb up the telephone pole and knock the brass key out of the bird's nest (for example).

If a puzzle requires nothing but logical thought, then I don't need a walkthrough. However, it is seldom clear when that is the case.

[The Will]

Hey, it's okay. Relax.

Let's get back to the reason why you're playing games: to enjoy yourself. You need to stop worrying about what other people think, and think about yourself. If you can't stand being stuck for hours/days/weeks and enjoy the game more if you get a hint, then that's fine. You're playing this game for yourself, not for other people.

As for me, it really depends on the game. I usually play games in the evening, and when I get stuck, I just go to bed and try to figure it out the next day. Quite halfway through the day I get a surge of brilliance and figure out the solution. However, if by the end of the next day I still don't know what to do, I get annoyed and more often than not grab a hint from UHS or a walkthrough.

[Melanie68]

There are no rules in adventure gaming (regardless of what others will say). If anyone puts you on a guilt trip for using hints or a walkthrough, ignore them. :devil:

I use them, probably more often lately as I've been more impatient. I probably could have solved some puzzles if I had been more patient but sometimes the mental energy is drained by the end of the day.

[Thaurin]

If a puzzle requires nothing but logical thought, then I don't need a walkthrough. However, it is seldom clear when that is the case.

What you say is truth. I get sweaty just thinking about those tedious tasks that some of the more illogical puzzles need and I don't want to spend hours thinking logically if that will never result in the correct solution. So I fear that what I'm doing is useless and start thinking about some outside help. However, a lot of the time, it turns out that the puzzle was actually very simple and clever.

I also hate those times when there are 15 rooms for you to explore and you have no idea where your next progression will be. Running around the same rooms for the tenth time trying the same things gets to me. So when you get a hint like, hey: that's about where it's at, my thinking becomes more focused and it all starts to fall in place. Much more fun.

Let's get back to the reason why you're playing games: to enjoy yourself. You need to stop worrying about what other people think, and think about yourself. If you can't stand being stuck for hours/days/weeks and enjoy the game more if you get a hint, then that's fine. You're playing this game for yourself, not for other people.

While that's true, there's a balance between overcoming a challenge and only frustrating yourself. I should realize that there isn't a global high score list for adventure games, but I feel a much deeper connection to the story and characters if I figured most of it out myself. It gives me a small feeling of satisfaction and pride. You, it's so easy to slide down the path of looking at a walkthrough for every little pause in story progression and that only hurt your enjoyment. That's why all those walkthroughs advise to try yourself first. :)

I usually play games in the evening, and when I get stuck, I just go to bed and try to figure it out the next day. Quite halfway through the day I get a surge of brilliance and figure out the solution.

Exactly, and that's fun to experience, right? So I feel there should at least be a border to overcome before you resolve to cheat. Online hint systems are great for that, I think.

Anyway, I thought this was an interesting, psychologically. It might not matter how I play the game, but it'd be a shame if every adventure game is reduced to a series of actions you got described from someone's walkthrough. The times when you're not even playing the game and go, "Hey, wait. What if I do that? That's got to be it!" are what differentiate adventure games from any other genre.

[cwapitm]

Yes, I get hints a lot because I'm very impatient. I'm anxious to see what happens next in the story. There are some games I played the whole game with a walkthrough. Those were mostly Sierra games because it's so easy to die and run into dead ends that I can't really enjoy them without a walkthrough. Still there are some puzzles that I solved where I was amazed I was able to solve them on my own. Most of the time I only resort to a walkthrough when I really have no clue what to do next or I want to see what happens. A lot of times I find out the solution was that there was some room I just didn't see that I had to go to, or that I had tried using something but I didn't use it the right way.:frusty:

[Merricat]

I use a walkthrough whenever I damn well feel like it, and I don't care who knows, or what they think about it. :D Really, when I play a game, I'm just trying to amuse, challenge, and/or divert myself, so when I run out of ideas, I don't mind consulting a walkthrough. In fact, I think it's nice that someone else went to so much trouble just to make my life less frustrating. If others prefer to let puzzles simmer in their brains until the solution comes roiling to the top, congratulations and good for them! :) It's not an application for Mensa.

[Squinky]

We've discussed this before, and my stance on the matter is the following:

1. Yes, it's cheating.
2. However, cheating is a morally neutral act, particularly in this case.
3. I do it all the time, because in the case of badly-designed puzzles, I perceive the rules to be unfair and detrimental to my enjoyment of the experience.
4. This is the fault of the designer, not the player.

[misa]

Back when I started playing AGs when I was very young (King's Quest 1 on a green monochrome monitor), there were no options for walkthroughs... just the pay per use hint line which of course I never used. Occasionally I would buy the official strategy guide for a game (pre-internet). And yes, I ended up playing KQ1 for months before I completed it!

Nowadays, I don't use a walkthrough unless I'm thoroughly not enjoying a game and just want to finish it and have it be over. I did this with Secrets of Atlantis... I just wasn't really grabbed by it and was bored and just used a walkthrough to get it over with.

If I'm enjoying a game and I get stuck on a particular puzzle or need to trigger the next sequence of events (and really don't want to backtrack), I will go to www.uhs-hints.com and just read what I need to progress.

Everyone has a different style of playing and I think using a walkthrough is fine and dandy. :)

[bleaksand]

I wouldn't HAVE to resort to using walkthroughs if I could just manipulate, bully, emotionally bribe … er … persuade some friend into playing an adventure game alongside WITH me! … Alas, it's all console or online-shooters with THAT crowd.

I only find time to game a couple hours on the weekends, so I can't afford to be stumped more than a day. There's gotta be progression or it ain't much fun.

However, I did waste an impressive amount of time playing tourist with the MYST series.

[Periglo]

1. Yes, it's cheating.

Actually, w/t is a way of cheating, perhaps the main one for AG, but there are others I use and enjoy: walking through walls, invisibility, invulnerability... I use what I can when I feel like it, with no regrets in general. Life's simply too short. Or, mine is, at least (the part of it I can devote to gaming).