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...