Blue Outlines Are the New Sparkles
#1134049
12/04/17 05:30 PM
12/04/17 05:30 PM
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 906 deep south
8dognight
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In both Dead Reckoning: Lethal Knowledge and Dark Cities: London, there are places where the inventory object necessary is shown in the hotspot by a blue outline. What was the point of getting rid of sparkles if developers and publishers are going to diminish the game play like that? I'm pretty sure those blue outlines can't be turned off; I've turned off everything except icon changes. Why introduce a brand new shiny spoiler?
Last edited by 8dognight; 12/04/17 05:31 PM.
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Re: Blue Outlines Are the New Sparkles
[Re: 8dognight]
#1134079
12/05/17 01:17 AM
12/05/17 01:17 AM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 4,940 Lincoln, NE
GuybrushThreepwood
Addicted Boomer
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Addicted Boomer
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Lincoln, NE
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Why do you want to make the games harder?
Currently Playing: Adventure Game: Broken Age Darkside: Star Wars: The Old Republic
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Re: Blue Outlines Are the New Sparkles
[Re: 8dognight]
#1134107
12/05/17 10:23 AM
12/05/17 10:23 AM
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 906 deep south
8dognight
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I'm going to change the objects and setting in this example so that I don't include spoilers.
You have these inventory items: a metal finger from a gauntlet; a modern stirrup leather from an English saddle which is a long leather strap with holes and a buckle like a belt; a standard issue ruby eye; a kriss, which is one of those wavy bladed daggers, that has a curiously wrench shaped section on the handle; an elephant folio sized book that clearly and amusingly needs an elephant to open its lock; a brass turtle; and a brass partridge you have previously detached from a pear tree.
You are in the center of a topiary garden near a pond surrounded by statuary. At the base of the pond is a faucet or maybe a valve with a missing handle.
When you run the cursor across the close-up of the faucet area or click on it or if you experiment with the wrench end of your kriss or try your ornamental turtle, do you want a blue outline showing the shape of a partridge to appear?
I don't unless I have clicked on a hint which in the actual game I had not.
Edited to add: Dark Cities: London has potential as an immersive series. I want to be able to play and experiment with inventory items without blue outlines spoiling my fun, just as I want to be able to play without sparkles.
Apparently the elimination of the option of having objectives displayed on the map fails to communicate that in-game quest goal banners are also unwelcome as interruptions in immersion. In fact those banners are worse because in the game itself and not just on the map. Blue outlines on hotspots are much the same and a step too far for me.
Last edited by 8dognight; 12/05/17 11:27 AM.
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Re: Blue Outlines Are the New Sparkles
[Re: 8dognight]
#1134897
12/12/17 10:43 AM
12/12/17 10:43 AM
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 906 deep south
8dognight
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I should not have limited the topic to blue outlines. Living Legends: Beasts of Bremen has purple outlines in quite rudimentary puzzles and a chalk drawing to show you where to put a bell. It's as bad as not being able to turn off the sparkles. If I wanted big hints, I could leave on sparkles or check the included strategy guide. I'm going to make myself finish this one, then review it on the theory that it is new enough for the review to matter to developers.
Last edited by 8dognight; 12/12/17 10:44 AM.
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Re: Blue Outlines Are the New Sparkles
[Re: 8dognight]
#1134912
12/12/17 11:38 AM
12/12/17 11:38 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,376 United Kingdom
Mad
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Sonic Boomer
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" What makes all these games so widely appealing has been the increasing options to tailor the difficulty to suit a wide variety of playing styles." Definitely agree, Reenie I play Adventures to tax my brain and RPGs to try and hone my reflexes. But I mainly play Casuals to relax for a few hours.
Time : The Most Precious Commodity
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