I just don't know. I enjoyed games from each catagory, particularly LHoD series, but maybe that was because I have only played them recently. I remember thinking that Syberia felt like reading a book, which is a solitary enjoyment. I guess I am the(weak)silent type, but there are always exceptions....Discworld, for one. I loved that.

Nice quiz Becky.

Story: C Love those cutscenes, feels like a reward after doing something hard.

Puzzles: B&D All tho I really don't like musical related ones.

Environments: B

Atmosphere: B

Looks like I'm mostly a B person.
The order of importance to me is:
Puzzles
Environments and Exploration
Atmosphere
Story

Sassy

I guess I'm most like type "A"
Like an imaginative, immersive story that I can understand with puzzles that make sense and move the plot along. Don't have a lot of patience with difficult, unsolvable(for me) puzzles and will turn to a WT to avoid having the story spoiled by too much stuckness.
Appearance (eye candy) and atmosphere are a must.
Interesting or offbeat characters plus a little humor.
Really enjoyed the Syberia games-they have all these elements. also TLJ and Dreamfall.

I am basically a "D" person too with B in the story part. For me, I love a good story that weaves it together, but with an interesting enviroment to explore and challenging puzzles. The best part for me is the puzzles with a great enviroment. The story should make sense, but I do a lot of reading, and that is when the story is important. For games, the puzzles and exploring are paradise for me.

Thanks Becky!

ETA, But I do love most of the games on all the lists, including the crazy funny ones....go figure

Story -- Mostly B
Gamer B -- Story: The story should unfold gradually, and parts can remain in the background. Not all the plot threads need to be tied up by the game's end. The story should be told via characters, texts, puzzles, and the gameworld itself.

but also bits of others

Gamer C -- Story: ...The story should be fresh, original and deep...

Gamer D -- Story: ...If the story enhances the puzzles and makes sense of the gameworld, then it's a plus. If cut scenes or dialogs or diary/journal entries are too frequent or too long, the story has become a hindrance.

And I'd want to add that a "story" where the fourth wall is constantly being broken by a wisecracking main character is often rendered useless.
________________________________

Puzzles -- Again mostly B
Gamer B -- Puzzles: Good puzzles are innovative, don't require the gamer to undergo a lot of repetition, and are fairly clued... I like puzzles that require pattern analysis, especially the kind that involve color or sound, and I also enjoy mechanical puzzles. It's a bonus if the puzzle fits into the gameworld and story, but the cleverness of the puzzle itself is more important than how it happens to "fit in."

but also bits of D
Gamer D -- Puzzles: I like variety and innovation in puzzles, but I also like traditional puzzles, especially if they have a new "take" or are approached in a slightly different fashion. I like sliders, tone-matching, decoding ... I don't like timed puzzles -- I want to test my brain, not my reflexes, at least when playing an adventure game.
(I really don't like Tower of Hanoi because it is usually more an exercise in repetition than a real puzzle).

______________________________

Environments and Exploration -- mostly B
Gamer B -- Environments and Exploration: The environments should provide an alternate reality that's fun to explore. The more exploration the better. The environments should be eye-catching, detailed, and compelling. I like to observe the surroundings, and prefer a large environment with fewer hotspots (or a way to tell which hotspots are essential), rather than a smaller environment loaded with hotspots. Stylized graphics, cartoon-like graphics, photorealistic graphics -- they're all enjoyable. I drink it all in. The best gaming reward is a new area opening up to explore.

and parts of D

Gamer D -- Environments and Exploration: The environment should be fully integrated into the puzzles, so much so that often it IS the puzzles. ... I don't mind back-and-forthing if it's logical and adds to the challenge. Show me an environment with intricate paths, locked doors, tunnels, rail switchbacks and underwater caverns -- and I'm in paradise ...Photorealism is much (I'd say usually) preferred to cartoon-like graphics.

And what doesn't seem to be mentioned for any of the above is that I prefer colorful environments -- not necessarily brightly colored, but certainly not monochromatic.
______________________________________

For Atmosphere I agree with almost everything A, B, C, and D say, except I do not think that random obstacles having "nothing" to do with the story necessarily destroys the game's atmosphere. After all, in real life if I take time out to work a Sudoku (or some other puzzle), it doesn't have anything to do with the "story" of what I do the rest of the day, but at the same time it doesn't take anything away from what sort of a day I'm having and usually enhances it by giving me a break from the norm.

I'd also stress what B said here:
"Atmospheric" is not the same thing as "dark."
______________________________

I liked
The Syberia series
The first Still Life
The first Broken Sword
The first Return to Mysterious Island
The first and second Dark Fall games
Uru
Sherlock Holmes
The first and third Monkey Islands
The first Runaway
The Myst games (especially the first three)
The RHEM series
The Schizm series (and Sentinel)

Order of importance would be

Environments and Exploration with Atmosphere (I find it hard to separate them since an interesting environment will always have some sort of atmosphere)
Puzzles
Story

Also, for comedy games like Monkey Island, I'd say Characters are usually more important than anything else.

How interesting!
Well, I'm too an hybrid, I can recognize myself in A and B, probably more B!
And it suits me fine, I like all the games of group A and B and much less the games from the other groups.
Like Bigmamma, I haven't got patience for puzzles, for me the important thing is the story and the atmosphere, puzzles for me are just an impediment to the unfolding of the story!
I loved all the Dark Fall games, TLJ, Syberia and of course all the Gabriel Knight.
:StPats:

I am definately a B Story, and B and D Puzzler..

I have been thinking on this, there are some games, that pull me into being or caring about things I normally would not, its like movies ,
the ones that are the best of the best,
then the story is as important as the Puzzles, to me,
so far, that is how Darkfall:the Souls is, its amazing, the artwork in it should win an award, this game is one of the best of the best,

anyway, so maybe its more like
Puzzles first, but Story close second, that is for the Best Games...

Marcia

Hi Becky. Hears my list.
Story = A & D
Puzzles = A
Environments & Exploration = B
Atmosphere = D

Throughout I would probably say D for every question, but some variables are close, the next most frequently close letter is B.

This is pretty accurate for what games I would like considering that my favorite adventure game series are all listed under D, and about half of the series listed in B are ones I like.

Becky's article reminded me of one I read on a indie game designer's blog about types of adventure games designers. Some really fun ideas there:

http://ghostglimpse.blogspot.com/2009/06/on-puzzle-design.html

For me:
Story B
Puzzles B and a bit of D
Atmosphere B
For environments I'm not so sure. This part of B: Stylized graphics, cartoon-like graphics, photorealistic graphics -- they're all enjoyable. I drink it all in. The best gaming reward is a new area opening up to explore.
But not this: The more exploration the better. The environments should be eye-catching, detailed, and compelling.

So that's B overall.
I think Tex Murphy is the founding father of B-gaming.
But I like the games mentioned under C also.

Thanks Becky ,

This is interesting .
This is me .

Story = B
Puzzles = C
Environments & Exploration = B
Atmosphere = A

I loved SH Awakened and Jack the Ripper .
Also enjoyed these games =
AC Games ( but didn't like a lot of walking back and forth and a whole lot of talking.)
Syberia 1 & 2
Secret Files 1 & 2 (number 1 was the best )
Chronicles of Mystery (Played number 1, also have number 2 but haven't played it yet.)
Art of Murder games(Played numbers 1 & 2, have 3 but haven't played it yet.)
Enjoyed Still Life Games but did not like timed puzzles.
Also played Dark Falls Pins and Needles Edition, and The Last Half of Darkness Beyond the Spirit Eye, I enjoyed playing them too, but I rather play in 3rd person. Right now I am playing Tomb of Zojir.

I guess you would say I am a hybrid too .

I'm enjoying these great responses, and looking forward to seeing how it ties into people's votes on the upcoming List in June.

Ascovel -- I've read the article at the link you provided, and these are my guesses:

I have met The Puzzle Collector type of developer, and he designs for Gamer D.

The Puzzle Evolver and the Backtracker sound like like they are designing for Gamer C, and the The Puzzle Researcher, who emphasizes detail, especially detail in the gameworld, I think designs for Gamer B.

The Magnetic Plot Creator, with the emphasis on overarching theme and atmosphere, strikes me as designing for Gamer A, who tends to look at the Big Picture and the way everything fits together.

The Frankenstein has me perplexed. I suspect the Of Light and Darkness designer was a Frankenstein. Not sure if he fits any category, and perhaps ought not.

Gamer B -- Story:

{The only thing I disagree on is replayability,
as there are very few novels I would wish to re-read once I know The Butler Did It.}
I thoroughly enjoy sinking my teeth into a good mystery novel,
but diabetes seems to be affecting my vision so Mystery Adventure Gaming
is now my 'Virtual' Novel of Choice.

Gamer C -- Puzzles:

I have had to place too many wonderful games back on the shelf because of this.

Gamer B -- Environments and Exploration:

Whether it's a novel/movie/adventure game...
This is my opportunity to explore people/places/cultures
I would otherwise not have a chance to.

Gamer B -- Atmosphere:

Atmosphere development is just as important as character or storyline development,
and all should blend together smoothly....
Gratutious sex/vulgarity/violence/jockularity/etc, have no place in my gameworld.



Looks like I'm a "B" w/a dash of "C"!

Hi,
I would say I was an A,B, with a pinch of C thrown in, for good measure. Not much of a D. Myst, Uru, sill loaded on an older XP, but never finished. Gabriel Knights, Broken Swords, and Tex Murphy, Riddle of the Sphinx are favorites, but Delaware St. John, Art of Murder group get a play, and get finished. Still it's stories, like a good book worth a replay.
Charllotte