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What is happening to Adventure Games? #116473
01/28/05 09:00 PM
01/28/05 09:00 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 915
Elk Grove Il.
SOLVER Offline OP
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SOLVER  Offline OP
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Posts: 915
Elk Grove Il.
I am totally frustrated with today's Adventure
Games...in scanning the posts in so many of our
forums I see the same problem popping up in the
fact that members have difficulty installing or
playing most Games and not just 'older' Games...

I would think that with all the sophisticaction
in the Computer world you would not have to re-
hab an entire Computer just to play a Game that
happens to be a couple of years old...
Is there not a method that would permit [with a
minimum of effort]someone to bring a Game up to
speed...
Or perhaps we are left at the mercy of the Game
developers...it's almost as if no two Games can
be installed the same way...
What do you think?...SOLVER

Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116474
01/28/05 09:54 PM
01/28/05 09:54 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 608
qadventuregames Offline
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Hi Solver,

I guess I'm fortunate that I kept my old computers so that I have a wide variety of operating systems available for "older" games, 95, 98, 98SE in addition to my XP SP1.

I must say that all the recent games I have purchased have installed on my XP PRO SP1 computer. I don't seem to have the problems that a lot of the other posts seem to have. I don't know what the difference could be, except that when I purchase a computer, I get a Lot of ram up-front, the fastest machine available at that time, and really good video and audio cards. When I install a game, I also check the game site for available patches and read the "Read Me" file for helpful tips.


You do not get Harmony, if you all sing the same note.
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116475
01/28/05 10:36 PM
01/28/05 10:36 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 915
Elk Grove Il.
SOLVER Offline OP
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SOLVER  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 915
Elk Grove Il.
Hello 'qadventuregames'...

You are the unique exception...I mean in having
the variety of systems available to you...
I was refering to the guy or gal who drops into
their local 'Best Buy' and picks out a new title,
takes it home and attempts to install it on their
[one] Computer...thats where I think there should
be some possible installation uniformity..SOLVER

Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116476
01/28/05 10:45 PM
01/28/05 10:45 PM
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,027
USA
Advpuzlov Offline
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USA
DREAMER!


It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -- Aristotle
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116477
01/28/05 11:09 PM
01/28/05 11:09 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 608
qadventuregames Offline
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Hi Solver,

I know I'm really fortunate to have many operating systems available.

However, the general public (not necessarily me) seems to want more and more from their games (more graphics, more speed, etc.). If they have not upgraded their computer system accordingly, they must read the game requirements carefully before buying the games. The requirements are not just a suggestion they are a reality. If the computer doesn't meet or exceed those requirements, you are in for trouble.

I guess the only way to have every game be uniform, would be to never have any changes and/or improvements. We would still be playing DOS text games. Which might not necessarily be bad, but I guess I'll take some glitches to advance.


You do not get Harmony, if you all sing the same note.
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116478
01/29/05 07:00 AM
01/29/05 07:00 AM
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,693
Isle of Man
gremlin Offline
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Posts: 1,693
Isle of Man
Like qadventuregames I use XP Pro SP1 on the main gaming system at home. I've not had serious problems installing a new game in ages. I do still have 98SE on that machine as an option, but haven't booted into 98 in ages.

If you want to play the 'A'-grade games as soon as they hit the shelves, always check the minimum requirements. Sorry, top rate games often require top rate machinery, because they attempt to get the most out of the current state of the art in graphics/sound/media technologies available at the time of writing.

It's as simple as 'Buyer beware'. Know what you've got, read what the game requires, and there should be no problem.

Gremlin

Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116479
01/29/05 08:32 AM
01/29/05 08:32 AM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,764
Kentwood, Left my heart in New...
JohnBoy Offline
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JohnBoy  Offline
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,764
Kentwood, Left my heart in New...
I also have multiple computers with different OS's.(From dos to xp) And I still have trouble getting some old games to run on the OS they were made for. So I gather this is an old problem that will be around as long as there are computers, OS's, and games.


I Baag, Therefore I Am. Update: I Don't Baag Anymore, Therefore I Ain't! Update: I'm baaging again but just a little.
JohnBoy
----------------
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116480
01/29/05 11:05 AM
01/29/05 11:05 AM
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,337
CNY
trudysgarden Offline
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CNY
This has always been and always will be a problem. I think it's actually LESS of a problem now than it was 15 or 20 years ago when some of us were playing text adventures. Then we had to track down the Atari, Amiga, Apple or C64/C128 version of a game to play and we were paying major big bucks for the privilege - like $50 a game. Then we hoped and prayed we could get it to run with our sound cards, etc.

At least now we can start out with just 2 real decisions - PC or Mac - and many games are hybrids of those. XP at least makes the attempt by giving us compatibility mode so we've got a shot at it. Then, thanks to technology we can find patches and things like DOSBOX on the internet to help us further. Last but not least we have access to amazing places like this forum and others and manufactures via the net.

Yeah, I agree that it would be great to buy a game and put it in the drive and play it with no worries or cares about equipment. It's so frustrating when you have to upgrade to play newer games. That's usually when I sit back and play the older games (there's only about a million)and eventually upgrade to a newer system about every 3-5 years. Come to think of it, that's also why I have 5 working computers with different versions of Windows, soundcards, etc. Oops slapforehead

happy trails,

Carolyn


www.spyglassguides.com Pop in and say hi!
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116481
01/29/05 11:33 AM
01/29/05 11:33 AM
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,345
McClure P.A. USA.
ron.etti Offline
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McClure P.A. USA.
HEAR HEAR,,I think Johnboy is right.
I hate to agree but a long as there ard more then one
computer company you will have this........

Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116482
01/29/05 01:15 PM
01/29/05 01:15 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 915
Elk Grove Il.
SOLVER Offline OP
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SOLVER  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 915
Elk Grove Il.
I apologize to one and all if I gave the
impression that I didn't see much difference
between a Windows 95 and an XP system...
My mini-tirade was aimed mainly at what it takes
to complete 'Return to Mysterious Island'and then
try to lnstall 'Atlantis-the lost tales'...

Must it not be so complicated?...SOLVER

Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116483
01/29/05 02:05 PM
01/29/05 02:05 PM
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,723
Neptune,NJ
Bonnie Offline
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Bonnie  Offline
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Neptune,NJ
I have to admit-I have a computer that plays both older games and the newer ones-but I'm like qadventures-when I buy computers-I create a computer based on the things I know I'll need-the best video card I can buy-lots of RAM-etc-so I know it will last for a few years-I've had my present system 4 years and still have no problems-


It never bodes well to leave a live dragon out of your calculations-
J.R.R Tolkien
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116484
01/29/05 02:16 PM
01/29/05 02:16 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Quote:
Originally posted by SOLVER:

My mini-tirade was aimed mainly at what it takes
to complete 'Return to Mysterious Island'and then
try to lnstall 'Atlantis-the lost tales'...
Thing is, it doesn't take a top of the line computer to run those two games. SOLVER's computer should have run them with no problem.

SOLVER's computer specs are

Quote:

SOLVER wrote:
I have a hp pavilion a530n
AMD Athlon64 processor
3200+operating at 2.00GHz
512MB PC2700 DDR SDRAM memory
200GB 7200 RPM ULTRA DMA hard drive
DVD+RW/CD-RW
CD-ROM drive 48x max.speed
NVIDIA GeForce FX5200XT AGP 8X
graphics card w/128MB DDR video memory
They certainly meet the specs listed on the boxes for Atlantis: Lost Tales and Return to Mysterious Island.

Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116485
01/29/05 02:29 PM
01/29/05 02:29 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,312
United Kingdom
Mad Offline
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Mad  Offline
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Posts: 34,312
United Kingdom
"However, the general public (not necessarily me) seems to want more and more from their games (more graphics, more speed, etc.)."

Hi smile

That's definitely NOT me laugh

I want a good story, a sensible interface and loads of interesting puzzles before more graphics and more speed wink

Cheers.

Mad wave


Time : The Most Precious Commodity
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116486
01/29/05 02:45 PM
01/29/05 02:45 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 608
qadventuregames Offline
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Posts: 608
Hi Mad

I could not agree with you more!! That is also exactly what I want in a game. To me, the rest is just window dressing.


You do not get Harmony, if you all sing the same note.
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116487
01/29/05 03:04 PM
01/29/05 03:04 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 15,679
England
tigger Offline
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Posts: 15,679
England
I do like pretty graphics, but have had as much fun with some of the older games and free games which are not 'state of the art' .


A bounce a day keeps the doctor away!!
Playing Sims2, Sherlock, Phantom of Venice
Reading Storm Breaking
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116488
01/29/05 03:50 PM
01/29/05 03:50 PM
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 3,669
New York
Mary Offline
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New York
What we need to add to this conversation is the copy protection schemes the companies are putting into their games. I have a machine that is only a couple of years old, and quite capable or playing almost, if not all, new games, but since I have a CD/DVD combo drive on the machine, URU won't even install! This has nothing to do with the specs of my computer: only that I happen to have a CD/DVD drive that is not compatible. I never saw that one coming when I got my computer. I actually thought I was doing myself a favor getting it.
So even if your computer is up to date, you still may not be able to play some of the games coming out. Just another thing to worry about. And since I pre-ordered URU, they didn't even know there would be a problem: said it had to do with "older" systems. My computer at that time was 1 year old.


The answer is....chocolate! Who cares what the question is.....
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116489
01/29/05 05:08 PM
01/29/05 05:08 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 915
Elk Grove Il.
SOLVER Offline OP
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SOLVER  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 915
Elk Grove Il.
Jenny100...

You are so right...I installed 'return to myst-
erious Island' without a hitch...played the Game
without a flaw...when it was completed...I then
tried to install 'Atlantis-the lost tales'..Brand
new...fresh out of the box...
I couldn't and was steered to Inferno's setup...
[which as you know is no walk in the park]...
Now why must this installation be so complicated
compared to the first one...or does it have to
be? SOLVER

Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116490
01/29/05 08:06 PM
01/29/05 08:06 PM
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 88
Pennsylvania
EdA Offline
Shy Boomer
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Posts: 88
Pennsylvania
I just finished Sherlock Holmes The Mystery of the Mummy - hated it, but that will be the subject of another post..
I exceed the system minimums and even the system recommendeds by a large margin but it kept crashing to desktop or just locking me up entirely. Following some advice from searching Gameboomers here I reset my resolution to 640x480 (which resizes my desktop and rearranges all my program group icons, grrr!) and use my Ctrl-Alt-Delete task list to close everything except Explorer and Systray to get it to run. Of course this meant that I had to kill my virus software which made it seem prudent to turn off my DSL modem. So every time I finished a session with this game I had to restart my computer to get all the other programs back in place and reset my resolution, etc. And this game was published in 2003 so it could hardly be called old!
It shouldn't be this hard.

Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116491
01/30/05 11:37 PM
01/30/05 11:37 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,588
Oklahoma, USA
Homer6 Offline
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Posts: 5,588
Oklahoma, USA
Sounds as though some games were rushed through Beta testing, and didn't catch all the large bugs. I have to agree, installing a game shouldn't require you to stand on your head and hold your tongue just so.

I wonder if in trying to make new games snazzier they forget about keeping the installation process simple.


If something gets your goat, it just proves you have a goat to get.
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116492
01/31/05 07:42 AM
01/31/05 07:42 AM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 541
Ontario, Canada
teresa Offline
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Ontario, Canada
I'm with you the problems are with the companies which are not always as up front as they should be with their info and instructions, which I find are getting less and less. Most of us I am sure are just average joes who want to play a game for fun and to pass the time, but we dont have the facilities of the space station to install. I also find (not from boomers) but from companies when they offer help which is not often I get some info from a geek who give me instructions about programs to change and instruction on how to redo my computor and if it doesnt get done properly, usually because I dont understand, my computor is so messed up it takes weeks to get back. S i am frustrated to and am fast losing interest

Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116493
01/31/05 01:10 PM
01/31/05 01:10 PM
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 694
Stockholm, Sweden
Lagavulin Offline
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Stockholm, Sweden
think

So far so good. I have never had any problems installing/playing new games on my XP machine.

Never the less a lot of people have problems playing on their PC machine's. That's one of the reasons Playstation, XBox and Gamecube were developed. Making it real easy for people enjoying games without any patches etc.

Cheers


ON:Ether One Redux
Recent:Stasis,Gabriel Knight3(RP),Gabriel Knight2(RP),Barrow Hill D P,Syberia2(RP),Secret Files P C,Inner World,Eyes Of Ara
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116494
01/31/05 05:09 PM
01/31/05 05:09 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 3,971
Brooklyn, New York
housewife Offline
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Brooklyn, New York
I have two computers one with WINME, XP Pro SP1, And all my old games I play it on WINME and the new ones on XP..I haven't had any problems as of yet with the new games on XP, and some old games I could play on XP with compable mode...

I always look for the requirements before I buy..
want to make sure my computer can handle it..

But I find to be true some games, expect to much specs for the game to run...I bought my computer about 10 months ago, so I guess in the computer world it is about a couple years old already..

I have a few games I would love to play on XP but I know they won't...So it is good to keep your old computer in hand this way it get to enjoy those great old games..

Liz


Playing now: Still Life 2..Last Half of Darkness: Tomb of Zojir:
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116495
01/31/05 06:54 PM
01/31/05 06:54 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 915
Elk Grove Il.
SOLVER Offline OP
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SOLVER  Offline OP
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Posts: 915
Elk Grove Il.
I guess the secret of 'Adventure Gaming' is to
either create a fleet of Computers that cover all
bases or only play Games that play on XP...
[I have farmed out my older Computers to a Grand-
son or Grandaughter]...
I have installed many games on XP without a
problem but let me grab an older game [and I
don't mean 'old-old']and away we go...
Is there not a simpler method of installing? I
played 'Lighthouse' and loved it, but what it
took to get there was something else...SOLVER

Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116496
01/31/05 07:10 PM
01/31/05 07:10 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 4,644
New York
Leeana Offline
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New York
Give me Nancy Drew's galore and Im a happy camper smile


'Worry looks around, sorry looks back, Faith looks up.'
Re: What is happening to Adventure Games? #116497
01/31/05 09:56 PM
01/31/05 09:56 PM
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 38
Hermosa Beach, Calif.
beached Offline
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Posts: 38
Hermosa Beach, Calif.
I'm somewhat puzzled why so many people seem to have problems. It's just a fact that as computers get better and better, they just have problems running older games. You can always have both Windows 98 and XP installed. Many times, it's the newer graphics cards too. Oh well, we just have to get more games released. Seem's like things have slowed to a trickle.
Peace.

Playing: Secret of the Silver Earring and Atlantis: Evolution. I'm enjoying both a lot.

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