Do the people who write walkarounds for games have access to the game developers files (with all the answers) or do they just play the game and figure it out themselves, then write it down? Also, are walkarounds produced by the developer also?

MaG is our resident walkthrough guru and she won't admit is but she is unbelievably talented and smart. If the clues are there, she'll find them.

Ana

she is something else isn't she Ana. I use her WT all the time if I get stuck. One of a kind.
Richard

MaG is amazing! I never could have completeed some games without help from her walkthrus!

Before I buy a game, I alway's look to see if MaG has written the walkthrough for it.The other people who write walkthroughs are good I just prefer MaG's

I have her walthroughs for every game I own. I just can't seem to get through a game without her. I hate being stuck and frustrated, it spoils the game for me. So thanks to MaG, I am one happy gamer.

thracia

for Mag

Thanks, guys.

benny,

I can not speak for other walkthrough writers but usually they play the game and write how-what happened to get them through the game.
Like any gamers, they get stumped and have to take time to think the puzzle over or get into an action part that they can't do
They get help from other gamers, yell SOS to developers or chew on the problem themselves.
Developers sometimes have walkthroughs of their games and if you check their game site, it is posted. There are developers that do not like walkthroughs and some that welcomes them.

Thanks everyone. Yes, the walkthroughs are excellent. I got frustrated for awhile with Lost Crown. Going over every scene many times before I could move on drove me crazy. But I am now starting to get the drift, maily paying attention to what you have and what things are said. I started writing things down so I remembered what I had. I guess if you are a long time gamer you eventually know how to proceed.

I look for not to consult walkthroughs, but he has times that i must to see...
I love walkthroughs of the Mag, that wonderful and very well explained of the beginning to end.
Congrts Mag and thanks for excellent walkthroughs.

Love Maria

And then ...

there are those developers [us and many others]

who send their code to Mags to write the official WT for their game. I mean if you want the best - don't settle for anything less

and for walkarounds ( I love that word )

Mags IS the best.

There are some games I would rather just walk around and admire, than get entangled in the puzzles!

"Riven" comes to mind as one contender where having a walkaround would be neat rather than a walkthrough!

AnaCapri: The Dream has the best "walkaround" one could wish for - an audio tour guide talking you through all the beautiful sights of the island! Very different to a walkthrough, and the first game I've played to have such a feature.

I think one or two games in the past had 'walkaround' modes - I want to say "Buried in Time" but I might be wrong there.

Well...

Usually games are set to be played and solved. There are of course exceptions and idiotic puzzles, but the fact remains that most games are... solvable, especially for someone like MaG who knows what they're doing...

The company's walkthrough (Ditr has one, which just came out and actually the walkthrough was online before the release of the game, which seems bizzare), sometimes serves other purposes. Walkthroughs come with plenty of spoilers usually. If one wants to avoid putting spoilers, he must go first, create the walkthrouh without the spoilers and set it online, so as to prevent other people from working on something which is already there (the walkthrough). Seeking controlled reactions I guess...

I agree with everyone----MaG is the best! If I need help I know I can count on her walkthroughs to get me unstuck.

Thanks, Laura, Nikolas and Gail. That's sweet.

It's interesting that developers have such differing attitudes toward walkthroughs. My experience (admittedly limited) in dropping by the developers' website forums right after a game is released is that developers are often too busy to answer the pleas from gamers who are stuck. This has always surprised me.

Do developers enjoy helping gamers who are stuck while playing their games?

DELETED.

A thread already exists for the subject.

Mad I second what you say.
If my memory serves me right MaG wrote 3 WTs within the space of a month.
She and the other creators are leaders , I am but a follower.

I think the best thing about GameBoomers Is MaG & her Wt's...

I am so proud to belong to a site that has an Administrator That does Wt's...

What a treat...

We are a lucky bunch :pumpkin:

For me as a developer it's a big privilege to have such a great walkthrough written by Mag. It so much puts the stress of my neck because there are gamers who (being stuck) automatically attacks with "your game has bug, I've reached a dead-end"

I think one of the most important choices for the developer is the purpose of their game:

1, Do they want gamers to enjoy the gameplay experience
or
2, Do they want to win over the gamers and show them that they were able to design such puzzles, nobody else can beat?

When I was younger I was sort of walkthrough basher, but being a bit older now (having less time for games) I no longer have any specific pleasure in being stuck for weeks in a game trying to solve everything on my own. While I still avoid WT as much as possible, I sometimes have a quick peek to see if I'm on the right track.

But back on the topic. Gamers are "sui juris" beings and they can decide if (and how much) they want to consult walkthroughs. And here having great walkthroughs really help a lot.

Thank you Mag for what you're doing not only for the players but also for us developers!

Knowing one's on the right track is sometimes what one needs to know most. Even from the UHS style of walkthrough it can be hard to discern this without learning more than you wanted. The game itself is going to have the information to be able to tell if the player is barking up the wrong tree.

I think there is mileage in games providing more nudges to players, perhaps on some kind of timed basis. I don't pretend this to be an easy thing to do (I have an understanding of game programming.)

Just to reassure the Mags of this world there will still be walkthroughs even if games provided more nudges.

I agree Peter. I enjoyed that feature of the latest Sam and Max episode.

Good to hear that Telltale are looking after the player! Thanks for the heads up, looney4labs, I'm not managing to keep abreast of all the games coming out.

You are welcome Peter. I can't keep up with them either, but isn't it fun to try

There are so many its a gameing heaven .I think its brill because this means there will be a little compertition between the makers and hopefully this means better games .Lets face it if ever the lost crown 2 comes out they are going to be indated with orders .It sure helps to get it right