GAMEBOOMERS provides you with all the latest PC adventure computer games information, forum, walkthroughs, reviews and news.

GB Reviews

Latest & Upcoming Adventure Games

GB Annual Game Lists

GB Interviews

BAAGS

GB @ acebook

About Us

Walkthroughs

free games galore

Game Publishers & Developers

World of Adventure

Patches

GB @ witter

GameBoomers Store

Print Thread
Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123130
06/14/03 02:55 AM
06/14/03 02:55 AM
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 26,918
Stony Brook, New York, USA
Becky Offline OP
The Medieval Lady
Becky  Offline OP
The Medieval Lady
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 26,918
Stony Brook, New York, USA
I've been thinking about dying in games -- I've been encountering it fairly regularly and it was mentioned in the Action Elements thread as something of a Pet Peeve for adventure gamers.

Is dying over and over again really worse than having to try over and over again to solve a puzzle? If so, why?

If the game brings you back to the point at which you died without having to reload a saved game, does this eliminate the frustration? Or is the implied violence in itself a particular problem?

Does the "You Have Died" screen give the impression that the game is exulting in the inevitability of the gamer's failure?

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123131
06/14/03 04:12 AM
06/14/03 04:12 AM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 735
Sydney, Australia
M
Magician Offline
Settled Boomer
Magician  Offline
Settled Boomer
M

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 735
Sydney, Australia
I've never had problems with dying in (adventure) games - as long as I don't die excessively, die without warning, and/or die without a good reason. If the game can take me back to the point just before I died (like in Cryo's Atlantis), then that's even better because if I forget to save my progress then there's less of a consequence.

Trying over and over to solve a puzzle is not frustrating for me - as I know what it is I am aiming for. I find it more frustrating if I don't know what to do next and walk around aimlessly. However, I do admit that certain puzzles in Jewels of the Oracle were HIGHLY frustrating (especially the one where you're suppose to somehow identify pairs of objects that are related - I eventually resorted to using online cheats).

I also dislike how some games allow a player to end up at a deadend but doesn't tell you when you get to that point - so you end up walking around endlessly in frustration.

Finally, I don't believe a "You Have Died" message is intended to (in your words) "exult in the inevitability of the gamer's failure" - if done right. However, I do admit I've not played many games where the player dies a lot as I've not been terribly keen of adventure games where you die, like tomb raider.

Hope this response helps smile

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123132
06/14/03 08:16 AM
06/14/03 08:16 AM
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 85
Sacramento, Ca. USA
G
gsd Offline
Shy Boomer
gsd  Offline
Shy Boomer
G

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 85
Sacramento, Ca. USA
If dieing is a logical consequence of poor decision making on my part, I can live with it just fine. However, if I die because I stepped into a dark hole or something with no warning or for some other completely illogical reason it really gets to me fast!

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123133
06/14/03 10:27 AM
06/14/03 10:27 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,565
Colden,N.Y.
Rckasea Offline
Addicted Boomer
Rckasea  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,565
Colden,N.Y.
Hello,
I have heard ALICE scream so much,that I am ready
to either turn the sound off or use a cheat code.
Some games go to black and say your Dead. This little girl screams in agony,most disconcerning!


" If you decide not to chose, You still have made a choice"....Getty Lee
Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123134
06/14/03 11:56 AM
06/14/03 11:56 AM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Quote:
Originally posted by Becky:

Is dying over and over again really worse than having to try over and over again to solve a puzzle?
Yes

Quote:

If so, why?
For one thing you have to wait to reload, which isn't usually instantaneous.
Also it kills the immersiveness. It jerks you out of the story and reminds in no uncertain terms that you're just playing a game. This isn't such a big deal in unrealistic cartoony games where humor is more important than story. But it's very important in more realistic games with realistic characters.

Quote:

If the game brings you back to the point at which you died without having to reload a saved game, does this eliminate the frustration?
Depends on the game. In a cartoony game like Gold and Glory it wasn't even obvious that you'd died. You were just instantly taken back to before you messed up. So you didn't have to see the character die over and over. But this was not a realistic game.

Quote:

Or is the implied violence in itself a particular problem?
Sometimes. It depends on the game.

Quote:

Does the "You Have Died" screen give the impression that the game is exulting in the inevitability of the gamer's failure?
I've never considered that at all.

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123135
06/14/03 01:32 PM
06/14/03 01:32 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,312
United Kingdom
Mad Offline
Sonic Boomer
Mad  Offline
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,312
United Kingdom
Hi smile

I don't mind dying in an adventure game if, as others have already said, there is a "retry" button or some other "second chance" facility wave


Time : The Most Precious Commodity
Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123136
06/14/03 01:43 PM
06/14/03 01:43 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,026
Toronto, Canada
Rowan Offline
Addicted Boomer
Rowan  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,026
Toronto, Canada
A bad place to die is after a disk change, as in Shivers2, where you have to reload the previous disk to return to your safe place, and then proceed to solve the puzzle on the next disk. There was no save option on the 2nd disk.

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123137
06/14/03 02:22 PM
06/14/03 02:22 PM
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,006
New Hampshire
SuMac Offline
Addicted Boomer
SuMac  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,006
New Hampshire
Rowan, I was just going to mention the ending of Shivers II, as the absolute worst puzzle to fail in, because of having to go back to a previous disk to reload, then change to the next disk to try the puzzle again. And it had an impossibly short length of time to get it right. I tried it 5 or 6 times, and then said "The heck with it!" (I actually said something else, but I can't post it here. LOL)

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123138
06/14/03 03:01 PM
06/14/03 03:01 PM
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,027
USA
Advpuzlov Offline
Addicted Boomer
Advpuzlov  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,027
USA
Interesting thread about "dying in Adventure games." In action sequences, where you have to accomplish something (not necessarily obvious) in a very limited amount of time, and failure to do so causes you to "die" and you have to restore to an earlier save, it can become most annoying. "Dying" is not so bad if you are automatically brought back to the critical step, particularly if you do not have to change a CD or watch an extensive video before you can even try a different approach. Even so, I do recall my frustration in the tavern scene in ATLANTIS I. Even after I knew what to do and arranged to do it very quickly, the positioning of that very last click eluded me, and then things happened so fast that in a repeat I had trouble remembering where exactly was that critical clicking position, since I was desperately clicking all over the place. Was I glad to get out of there!

Another type is the "timed puzzle", when you really have to get your brain in high gear to get through it. I guess I am in the "more contemplative" class and, when, as sometimes happens, I don't even know that something is being timed (no "clock" or "thermometer" or other countdown indicators), I will die while I am in the process of taking notes. That irks me. "Hey, you didn't tell me this was timed!"

If you know the puzzle is timed and if you don't have to go back too far when "timed out," then it is not so bad if you can learn something about the puzzle after each "death," so that after a bit one can work it out. I can live with these as long as the "solution" is rational.

Now I go to the other end of the spectrum. I played a game some years back in which I died so many times I no longer even recorded the event. It was great fun because of the imaginative variety of ways you could die. This game was SECRETS OF THE LUXOR. I found myself looking for "ways to die," and did all sorts of things "wrong" just so that I would see in what innovative way the developers had devised for my demise. It has been quite a while since I have played the game and I intend to replay it with someone who hasn't played it before. Then we can joyously go to our doom together. laugh


It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -- Aristotle
Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123139
06/14/03 03:12 PM
06/14/03 03:12 PM
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 26,918
Stony Brook, New York, USA
Becky Offline OP
The Medieval Lady
Becky  Offline OP
The Medieval Lady
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 26,918
Stony Brook, New York, USA
Quote:
I've never had problems with dying in (adventure) games - as long as I don't die excessively, die without warning, and/or die without a good reason.
Quote:
However, if I die because I stepped into a dark hole or something with no warning or for some other completely illogical reason it really gets to me fast!
Dying without warning and without a good, logical reason may be akin to running into a puzzle that's there without a good reason -- it seems like an arbitrary barrier stuck haphazardly in the middle of the game. I wonder if excessive dying is a way on the designer's part to extend game play. I haven't played a lot of action games, but I have watched my son play them, and dying without warning seems to happen so frequently that it leads me to the conclusion that there must be gamers out there who enjoy it.

Quote:
Also it kills the immersiveness. It jerks you out of the story and reminds in no uncertain terms that you're just playing a game.
I feel the same way, especially in a first person game. I find it easier to deal with death in a third person game because I feel more at a distance in a third person game.

Quote:
Finally, I don't believe a "You Have Died" message is intended to (in your words) "exult in the inevitability of the gamer's failure"
Did I really write this? Maybe I should resist the urge to post questions at 3:55 am.

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123140
06/14/03 04:45 PM
06/14/03 04:45 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 735
Sydney, Australia
M
Magician Offline
Settled Boomer
Magician  Offline
Settled Boomer
M

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 735
Sydney, Australia
hehe - I thought those words are fine and quite brilliantly worded actually wink Almost wish it's something I would've come up with myself...

I have to agree with Advpuzlov with regards to the tavern puzzle in Atlantis 1 - that's one of the few spots in the game that I highly disliked (eventually referred to the walkthrough but still kept dying, then I realised I clicked on the wrong hotspot, *blush*)...

In discussing this issue and re-organising my thoughts, I've come to the following decision about death in adventure games:
- the designer ought to give the player a chance to recover from an error (unless the error in itself was obviously unrecoverable)
- after failing the chance to recover from the error, then it'd be fair to kill off the player in a logical manner that outlines why the player died.

An example can be used from Return to Zork - if you wandered into any dark place without light - then you see a message about the grue... at this point in time, you have a few seconds to get out of that place. However, if you didn't get out in time, then there's a short message hinting why you died. Most importantly, the load game interface can be quickly access to make the whole process shorter.

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123141
06/15/03 06:55 AM
06/15/03 06:55 AM
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,006
New Hampshire
SuMac Offline
Addicted Boomer
SuMac  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,006
New Hampshire
Ah, yes, the taven scene in Atlantis I - the second worst timed puzzle ever. Or maybe THE worst, because I never got through it. Only Syd's saved game came to my rescue, and let me go on with the rest of the game.

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123142
06/15/03 01:17 PM
06/15/03 01:17 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,159
Arlington, WA, US
Cynch Offline
Addicted Boomer
Cynch  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,159
Arlington, WA, US
These are all great posts...I've enjoyed reading each & every one of them. laugh

I agree with the point someone brought up--it is less painful in the 3rd person games..or should I say less "personal"? lol

There is only one game that had a sequence in which the manner of dying was so offensive I almost gave up trying to get past it. I refer to the "pendulum" segment in GK3. I loved the game, but the thought of repeating that segment keeps me from replaying it. <img border="0" alt="cry" title="" src="graemlins/cry.gif" />
Cynch


"Life is not measured by the number of breaths
we take but by the moments that take our breath away."
Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123143
06/15/03 01:21 PM
06/15/03 01:21 PM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,798
Sweden
Drizzt Offline
Addicted Boomer
Drizzt  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,798
Sweden
I prefer dying.


Are they dead? Yes. Unlike you they have but one life...and they wasted it for your sake!
Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123144
06/15/03 02:55 PM
06/15/03 02:55 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,825
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Bristol Offline
Addicted Boomer
Bristol  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,825
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
I only find dying annoying when I've forgotten to save and have to go back, often having to do a really tricky bit over again. I'm in the middle of playing all the Tomb Raider games and have gotten quite hardened to Lara's screams as she falls off high places, gets shot, etc. etc. etc. Generally just say "dumb broad" and get on with it.

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123145
06/15/03 03:19 PM
06/15/03 03:19 PM
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3,424
WA. USA
lasanidine Offline
Addicted Boomer
lasanidine  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3,424
WA. USA
I think the two things I really dislike in an adventure game are dying and timed puzzles.

There are occasions where dying is unavoidable and if it is logical to the game I can live with it but I am not enchanted if this occurs over and over again in a game, since as Jenny said it interrupts the game play and takes you out of the story.

As for timed puzzles, I like to concentrate on the puzzle and not worry about the time it takes to solve it. I want an adventure not a contest.


"I am not young enough to know everything."

Oscar Wilde
Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123146
06/15/03 03:54 PM
06/15/03 03:54 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 848
florida
bigmamma1 Offline
Settled Boomer
bigmamma1  Offline
Settled Boomer

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 848
florida
I've gotten so used to "dying" in Action games that I try to save in places where I think I might die. This has become sort of like outwitting the game, at least cutting down on the time spent starting over from a point a long way from where I meet my demise.
Currently dying in Thief 1, which has a quick save as well as permanent save slots. There are tough enemies to beat and sometimmes it take a few tries to get it just right.Also do the same in the TR games.
Are there any action games that don't allow you to quick save whenever you want? If so, I would not play them-would be TOO frustrating.


People do not remember how much you know,only how you make them feel
finished Gray Matter, playing Alice Madness returns and Deponia
Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123147
06/15/03 04:56 PM
06/15/03 04:56 PM
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,006
New Hampshire
SuMac Offline
Addicted Boomer
SuMac  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,006
New Hampshire
Cynch, I kind of enjoyed the pendulum sequence in GK3. By the time I got to that part I was pretty fed up with Gabe's smart a** personality, and remember thinking, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. (Just kidding, just kidding!) LOL

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123148
06/15/03 05:34 PM
06/15/03 05:34 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 735
Sydney, Australia
M
Magician Offline
Settled Boomer
Magician  Offline
Settled Boomer
M

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 735
Sydney, Australia
Speaking of the end-game sequence for GK3, I never quite understood the puzzles found in the room after the pendulum (where you're suppose to make a choice between A and B and if you made the wrong choice then you die)... that bit was more of a trial and error thing for me...

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123149
06/15/03 06:27 PM
06/15/03 06:27 PM
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,964
San Francisco
fov Offline
Addicted Boomer
fov  Offline
Addicted Boomer

Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,964
San Francisco
as long as i can save as many times as i want, i don't care how many times i die. my first games were the sierra games, and i learned to save early and save often. what irks me, though, is when you can only save at certain points (more likely to happen in RPGs or action games) or when the game has a very limited number of save slots (X-Files, which I'm playing right now, only has THREE!)

i'm more bothered by dead ends than dying, and these don't happen very often anymore. i think the developers know we hate them!

i don't really care if a game brings me back to the point right before i died... in some cases i think it would be more fulfilling if it didn't, so i had to figure out what i'd done wrong and where to restore in order to fix the problem.

oh, and i think a well-integrated "game over" screen can enhance the story. i can think of a few games (Final Fantasy 8, GK2, Shadow of Destiny) where the game over screen gave me chills. a lot of the old sierra games also had humorous death messages, and some even gave hints on how to avoid the death the next time.

-emily

ps GK3 and the pendulum did drive me batty, though.

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123150
06/15/03 09:22 PM
06/15/03 09:22 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Quote:
Originally posted by bigmamma1:

Are there any action games that don't allow you to quick save whenever you want? If so, I would not play them-would be TOO frustrating.
Yes. Some have "level saves," which makes many gamers avoid the game. The only reason for "level saves" seems to be if the game is too short and the game makers want to extend the playing time by making the player repeat the whole level if they make a mistake. It's really obnoxious.

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123151
06/15/03 09:30 PM
06/15/03 09:30 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Quote:
Originally posted by Becky:
I find it easier to deal with death in a third person game because I feel more at a distance in a third person game.
I'm usually just the opposite. If I can't see the person on the screen it's more like this faceless bodyless thing died and I don't feel any pity for it. Only when I dislike the character do I not mind if they bite it. But mostly I just don't like dying in an adventure game at all.

Re: Is Dying the Most Annoying Way to Lose? #123152
06/16/03 04:22 PM
06/16/03 04:22 PM
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 691
London, UK
Clare Offline
Settled Boomer
Clare  Offline
Settled Boomer

Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 691
London, UK
I agree with Emily - I don't mind dying if there's a humorous death message. Eg in GK1 Gabe would laugh nervously and say "I really don't want to be dead - can we try that again?" lol

I don't like it when a third person character dies and there's no such message - and, even worse, you have to look at their dead body (in GK1 you just look at a skull). Eg in Indy and the Infernal Machine, if you miss a jump Indy falls to the floor and crumples up, or if you run out of air when swimming he floats face down in the water. Not only that, but the game plays some sad mournful death music while you look at his dead body! Yuk. oops

Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

Who's Online Now
0 registered members (), 232 guests, and 0 spiders.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Staff, Mod
Newest Members
PierreLombardo, Dux, WillPowerGoat, Ebalon, J7769mon
9388 Registered Users
Powered by UBB.threads™