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Post by brianc on Feb 20, 2010 23:59:45 GMT -5
You've gotta remember, though, a LOT of Atari 2600 games were virtually impossible to play without the manual. Look at Raiders of the Lost Ark, for example - a game I absolutely *loved* as a kid, but without the manual, there was NO WAY you'd ever have the slightest clue what you were doing! Not quite to the same extent as Swordquest, though those games are confusing even with the manual. And what I was talking about was more the way the game integrates clues with the gameplay, though to be fair, that was only for the contest (but it was what the gameplay was designed around). But Earthworld especially is vague with in game clues, though WaterWorld at least, gave you some. I have no problems with reading manuals for information about the game (or the game variations), but I rather some obscure thing in the manual not be a requirement to progress in the game. BTW, we were like 4 when Earthworld came out (and I started playing games at 5)? I know at that age, I didn't always know the difference between a good and bad game.
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Post by wyrdwad on Feb 21, 2010 0:18:15 GMT -5
That's the thing, though... SwordQuest was an experiment. I actually find the fact that it was designed around linking you with clues in a comic book REALLY INTERESTING, and consider that to be pretty damn awesome, almost postmodern game design. It's AMAZINGLY forward-thinking for 1982, and if I'd've known about that as a kid, SwordQuest would've been my FAVORITE GAME EVER. (:
There's certainly nothing wrong with that approach - it's just not the kind of thing YOU want to see. But as I've been arguing in another topic, whether or not a game is "good" all comes down to target audience. If you fall within SwordQuest's target audience, you're GOING to think of it as a really good game.
I always did. And I do more than ever, after learning more about it! I think I'm pretty much exactly the kind of person SwordQuest was designed for - the sort of kid who always wished he could've been a Goonie, solving riddles on treasure maps and finding hidden clues in everything. (:
-Tom
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Post by jorpho on Feb 21, 2010 2:36:20 GMT -5
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Post by Garamoth on Feb 22, 2010 17:05:11 GMT -5
Speaking of which... did I tell you the latest tale of the One True Nerd?
The One True Nerd was at a LAN party one day. A man approached him and told the Nerd : "Dude, these guys totally suxors, but I sure love pawning these little noobz again and again. Like shooting fish in a barrel. How about you, do you pwn noobs for the lulz?"
The One True Nerd felt anger at these remarks, but it did not show on his impassible face. He replied thusly : "I do not prey upon the weak, for such an action also reflects equal weakness in oneself. There is but one noob, and it is he who refuses to learn and progress to the next level."
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Post by NamelessFragger on Feb 23, 2010 14:04:39 GMT -5
Nice.
While we're at it, I've heard that the One True Nerd beat I Wanna Be The Guy, Mushihime-sama Futari, and some pro players in IL-2 and CS:S. Simultaneously. Without dying. His first time.
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Post by brianc on Feb 23, 2010 17:30:48 GMT -5
I watched the video. I usually don't watch AVGN because of the frequent cursing, but this one was light on that and very interesting to watch. I liked that it had some info on the Airworld prize, since I usually don't hear much about that (and I assumed that it wasn't announced because the game was canceled). I was mistaken about the game requiring the comic to play. That was only for words hidden in the comic, not gameplay clues (and I have to admit that hidden word thing was kind of cool, though it seems it was exploited). I was tricked because of the confusing nature of the game itself. Still not fond of the game itself, but the history is interesting (though the game may have been a REAL Adventure sequel if it wasn't for Atari's corporate shenanigans). One cool thing is that the winner of the FireWorld contest posts at the AtariAge forums. He posted in the topic about an interview with him and he posted some tips on the game, as well. Actually, the thing I don't like is when some odd thing in the manual is needed to progress somewhere in the middle or even the end of the game. I still play and like many of these games, but I found the copy protection in some older DOS games to be very annoying. Rocket Ranger's was especially annoying since you have to use it to progress anywhere in the game (NES version improved on this, but lacks the same charm due to the censorship). Cinemaware's site also had the wrong information for the RR copy protection, so I had to look that up elsewhere. Not fun. I like it when comics are included with games, though they vary in quality. The Centipede one was cheesy and bad, but I thought the F-Zero one was pretty cool.
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Post by Garamoth on Feb 23, 2010 20:02:12 GMT -5
Yeah, from what I can gather from the AVGN video and GameFaqs, the solution to the contest and the ending of the games are actually two different things. It's a nice touch, but it still doesn't make me want to touch the games... time has not been fair to them.
. .. ...
If you're not bored yet, the One True Nerd still has more wisdom to impart!
He was typing away his impressions on the latest arcades ports on an Internet forum when someone asked him : "D00dz, why d0n't y0u sp34k l33t? 1t's sup3r c00l!"
The One True Nerd shook his head and typed: "I do not use numbers to pepper my words. I use them to count my victories."
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Post by derboo on Feb 23, 2010 21:04:17 GMT -5
He actually lied that time. His victories are uncountable.
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RT-55J
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by RT-55J on Feb 23, 2010 21:07:07 GMT -5
He still uses the numbers anyways. Particularly, that rotated "8" symbol.
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Post by Garamoth on Feb 24, 2010 15:54:10 GMT -5
He actually lied that time. His victories are uncountable. Well, he is a notorious paragon of humility... that's what makes him totally fucking badass!
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Post by Ike on Feb 24, 2010 18:44:49 GMT -5
The OTN's initials are A. S. S. so he's the guy that has the high score on every arcade machine ever.
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