Advpuzlov,

Thanks for the positive feedback. I do tend to wax on - when I admire a game - so the compliment is really appreciated.

Laura

Hi,
I loved this game - certainly on my top 10 list.
I agree with advpuzlov that gatorlaw summed it up nicely. "Dark" and "adult" are two of my favourite things, and you rarely get them so well done in a game (if at all).
At the same time, this game contains some of the most moving scenes I have come across, and it is the only game where I have had to leave a location because of the affect it was having on me - the subterranean room in the Casanova chapter was one hell of a creepy place and I had to "come up for air" on more than one occassion.
It was the first game I played with Arxel involvement and I have sought out many more on the strength of it.
A great game and thanks for your time Stephen.

flotsam

OK, I took a look at the RING manual credits........
ROTFL

Stephen did you have any involvement in Ring?

I'm still in the Twins wagon having a good ol'time now that I turned down the audio acceleration and got rid of the stuttering. Game is playing great now even with the bare minimum requirements, which is rare in a game. I love the menu and save features also, very thoughtful for multiple players.

Sassy

To everyone,

To answer many question in one answer is here a list of the games we have already done and who are their main author. But do understand that for each of them, it is really a team work. The "author" or "lead game designer" as it is called in this barbaric world of ours is just a first "worker" in a line of dozens of creative and highly involved persons. Forgive me this little comment but there are so many "important" people who never get direct credit for their immense work… well, thanks to your kind comments, they do now since they can read your appreciation. ;-)

SO, here it comes:

Firstly, games which are 100% ours

Already out

- Pilgrim
LGD : Stephen
- Ring
LGD : Stephen
- Faust
LGD : Stephen

- The legend of the prophet and the assassin
- The secrets of Alamut
LGD : Philippe Girou
(don't hesitate to contact him at philippe@arxel.com)

Upcoming
- Casanova, the Duel of the Black Rose
LGD : Bostjan Troha
(don't hesitate to contact him at Bostjan@arxeltribe.com)

- Hitchcock: The Final Cut
LGD : Benoit Rullier (don't hesitate to contact him at Benoit@arxel.com)

Then, games we developed as third parties:
- Timescape
- The messenger (we did the graphics and animations)

Upcoming
- Jerusalem (sequel to Timescape)

And finally for the kids:
- Big teddy
- Adada

Upcoming
- Paddington


Here it is. The persons mentiond here as LGD stand at your disposal (including myself). Don't be afraid to mail them if you have questions, comments or just if you want to share something about the games. Nevertheless, they are not the right contacts for special requests or marketing or communication (I am mainly addressing here to website reviewers or administrators). For this kind of needs, please contact our PRinChief, Sophie Rebours at this address: sophie@arxel.com.

That's it, fellow adventurers. Have a good play.

And now, for a personal favour… ;-)

It is very hard for us to know exactly who is buying and enjoying our games.
And it is a real frustration for the creators who would often love to have a clearer picture of their core audience.

So… you would greatly help us if you could provide me with some information about you (I swear I won't send it to the FBI, eurh I meant Marketing ;-)

Here are my questions to you. Whoever answers wins my eternal gratitude (I know, I know… but that's all I have to offer know ;-)

Name ? (any, true, false… it is only important to identify your profile)
Age?
Occupation?
Marital status?

Your computer configuration?
Your top five games ever?
Do you mainly play alone or with… ?
Why do you like adventure gaming?
What do you expect from this kind of games?
Top 5 reasons that will make you buy a game?
What will make you stop playing a game you've bought?
What is your position regarding graphic violence in games?
What is your position regarding erotic elements in games?
Where do you mainly buy your games (shops/on-line)?

What would you like to see in a game and you feel is still missing?

OK, I'll stop here. Those who want to answer me can do it either on Gameboomers (if you want to start a discussion about it) or on my private Email: stephen@arxel.com).

And, to you all, believe my sincerity when I say that knowing you a bit better is the only way to make better games for you.

Read you soon,

Stephen

I for one will have that (shhhhh marketing) data sent out today.

BTW (by the way) the err... marital question - does that mean you are available? heh-heh

Hmmm if I did have to do it all over again - an in house game designer would be fabulous!


sorry for the teasing, it's early and I haven't had enough coffee yet..

Laura

I too sent a mail to Stephen. It's rare to have the opportunity to actually have an input on decision of what games to make! I too was wondering about the single-question... But then, here it's late, and I have had way too much coffee...

It's early here right now, I'm on my first cup of coffee, as soon as I reach my second cup I will be sending my info to Stephen gladly. And Stephen, it is very gratifying to meet a designer who cares so much. I have the deepest admiration for all who have a hand in a games design.

~Dee

Thanks for so many answers in a day ;-))
Have a good week end.

PS for Laura : the main problem with having a game designer at home is that, basically, well... he is never at home. ;-) bye

Nice to see that list of upcoming titles!

I didn't know there was a Hitchcock game in the works! (I assume we ARE talking about THE Hitchcock!)

Wonder when we can expect these, and which is furthest along?

I checked arxel-tribe's web page, and found a little info (more like a teaser) on Hitchcock, including a short video of Hitchcock dancing to a jazz tune!

go to:

www.arxeltribe.com

then click on the orange box (3rd from left) at the bottom of the page for "works in progress", then click downloads for the video.

Stephen my reply will be sent to your email address tomorrow. Sorry for the delay but figuring out my top five all time games is tough. Thanks for your interest and please work on getting the Faust dvd released in the U.S. please. Just reading this thread really makes me want to try this game out.

------------------
It's nice to be important but it is much more important to be nice.

I have to admit that price is a BIG factor in the purchase of my games. I am very hesitant to purchase a $40 game but will quickly purchase a $20 game even if the reviews were so-so. I will purchase a $40 game if the reviews for that game state that it has a very GOOD story line and is not overly short. The Longest Journey is an example and also Grim Fandango and Curse of Monkey Island. I hate to say that money matters but it does. I was wanting to purchase Chateau but it seems as though it is rather short for the money, so I may wait a bit. I'm really looking forward to Schizm and will probably pay the full price for it.
Nancy

I consider money spent on games as an investment. I collect them and love looking at the boxes on my shelves.

I was only planning to get the regular box for the new Myst 3, but when I saw that darling little Squee toy, I had to have it! That, plus the fact that it also includes the Strategy Guide with it, made up my mind to pay the hefty price of $60 for the Collector's Edition! It will go with my 'signature' collector's edition of Riven! Had this been just any other sequel, I would have had to think twice before paying that much for a game. This is the exception, rather than the rule.

Like most people, I think nothing at spending $20 for a game. It's not much of a gamble when you consider that they used to go for about $40 or more a few years back. Dreamcatcher takes all the credit for that! I have every one of their games, I believe. A couple of them were disappointing, but they were still valuable as trades.

OTOH, I'd have to think long and hard before I'd purchase an Interplay game. I sent in a mail-in rebate for one and never did get it! So I guess it depends on the publisher as well.

I had to think about buying Faust, for that matter, as I wasn't that familiar with Arxel at the time. NOW, I can't wait for the Hitchcock games to come out! I'll stand in line for those... even without reading a preview first. They promise to be very interesting! ;-)

ha-ha-ha That's so true Stephen. I was married to a Cartoonist/ TV editorialist and he was never home - so I moved to the studio Most folks thought I was a producer.

I hope everyone noticed the Timescape sequal - Jeruselum. Now that is good news. I also have been folowing the Hitchcock game. It looks like another Arxel gem.

Laura