When do you ask for a saved game?
#308867
04/10/08 07:33 PM
04/10/08 07:33 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 557 Dublin, Ireland
metzomagic
OP
Settled Boomer
|
OP
Settled Boomer
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 557
Dublin, Ireland
|
Boomers, hi, OK, so today I'm prolific. I don't think I've started a new topic in like a year, and then I manage to produce two in one day. Go figure Now... there are two very good reasons I can think of why you might ask for a saved game, so let's get them out of the way straight off: 1. A bug causes the game to consistently crash at a certain point in the game on your machine, and you cannot progress unless someone sends you a saved game from somewhere past that point 2. You're not good at arcade sequences, and you just can't get past a certain sequence that the developer put into what is otherwise a thinking person's game. Prime example: the Still Life spider bot sequence So... I noticed a lot of people asking for saved games for The Lost Crown, and was curious as to why someone would ask for a saved game just to get by a... cerebral challenge? (in other words, for neither of the reasons posited above) Wouldn't you, instead of asking for a saved game, just consult a walkthrough to find out what you haven't done yet in order to progress the game? Doesn't asking for a saved game when you don't really need one completely spoil the game for you? Just a discussion point, MetzO'Magic
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: metzomagic]
#308872
04/10/08 07:41 PM
04/10/08 07:41 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 83,353 In the Naughty Corner
BrownEyedTigre
The Sassy Admin and PR Liaison
|
The Sassy Admin and PR Liaison
Sonic Boomer
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 83,353
In the Naughty Corner
|
Hi Metzo....I have asked for a saved game twice in my many years of gaming. One was the #$#&% robot puzzle in Still Life and the other was the timed puzzles in Next Life. The robot I really tried for days and the Next Life one was because I despised the game so much I just wanted to finish it. I try real hard to not need a walkthrough but I'm not too proud to use one if need be, but a save for me would be a real last resort. EDIT: Make that 3 times...the stupid fox and geese game in Nancy Drew. Ana
Last edited by BrownEyedTigre; 04/10/08 09:33 PM.
Don't feed the Trolls
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: metzomagic]
#308875
04/10/08 07:46 PM
04/10/08 07:46 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 15,022 Northeast NJ
Darleen03
Graduate Boomer
|
Graduate Boomer
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 15,022
Northeast NJ
|
Hi..metzomagic.. Can I ask you a question? Why are you so triggered to ask all these questions about Lost Crown? There were so many other games previous to this one that was very hard for a "Newbie" as well as the "Pros" I think there are many reasons...Why people ask for sav games besides the Bug factor.... Maybe some just can't or won't want to do something...Maybe they can't see things very well on a puzzle.. Or maybe some just get confused...But for whatever the reasons...Its mostly cause They Need a Save Game And Thats ..That
Luv Dar
GameBoomers "Games Are More Enticing Because Of Our "MaG"nificent Efficient Radiant Site"
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: metzomagic]
#308877
04/10/08 07:49 PM
04/10/08 07:49 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644 southeast USA
Jenny100
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
|
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
|
So... I noticed a lot of people asking for saved games for The Lost Crown, and was curious as to why someone would ask for a saved game just to get by a... cerebral challenge? With Lost Crown it's not a matter of a cerebral challenge. It's trial and error hunting around to find whatever it is you didn't notice and neglected to click on. It's a test of patience and trust (that the problem isn't a bug) rather than a test of puzzling ability.
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: metzomagic]
#308879
04/10/08 07:50 PM
04/10/08 07:50 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,853 Rockford, Illinois
sierramindy
Addicted Boomer
|
Addicted Boomer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,853
Rockford, Illinois
|
Hi metzomagic, It strikes me as rather odd that your example of needing a saved game was the Still Life spider bot sequence. As it turned out for me when I was trying to do it, I found a map (I've forgotten where!) that showed where all the safe spots were so you could move the bot there and rest while you figured out the move to the next safe spot. I had a hard time with the spider as I did not know which way it was facing much of the time (both ends looked alike to me, my eyes not being 20/20) but with those safe spots I had all the time I needed. It still took me several tries, but each time I got a little farther and actually made it to the end. Which made me feel very unbearably smug when I read your comment about the need for a saved game. Can you tell?
To love is to be happy with!
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: Jenny100]
#308920
04/10/08 09:28 PM
04/10/08 09:28 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 162 Vienna, Austria
Jehane
Settled Boomer
|
Settled Boomer
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 162
Vienna, Austria
|
I've used a savegame only twice and both times with good reason. The first was necessary for The Final Curse (The Messenger) - the version I played had a nasty bug towards the end that caused the game to crash. There was no way to avoid that; I even contacted the publisher and they said that all issues of the game had the same problem. It was a technical issue they couldn't fix because it was a budget release of the game, the original developer didn't exist anymore by that time. So the only way to finish the game was to install a savegame that had been made with the original (full price) version of the game.
The second case in which I needed a savegame came up when I played Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon. I don't know how many times I tried and failed at the stealth sequence beneath Montfaucon - you know, the one where you had to sneak past the guards three times just in order to set a stupid clock. I couldn't do it, it was impossible; even when I thought, yes, made it, the guards turned around and shot George. Eventually, I gave up, put the game back on the shelf and didn't touch it again until months later. I attempted this sequence once more and still couldn't do it so I downloaded a savegame.
Apart from severe bugs or impossible stealth/action sequences, I can't really think of a good reason to use a savegame. I've seen people ask for savegames that allow them to skip a certain puzzle - e.g. the cigar box in Agon - Lost Sword of Toledo - and I just don't understand why. If I cannot solve a puzzle, there's always the possibility of consulting a walkthrough, and usually there's at least one w/t out there that can help solving the problem.
Shiny.
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: oldmariner]
#308946
04/10/08 10:36 PM
04/10/08 10:36 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 6,448 Long Beach, Australia
flotsam
Staff Reviewer
|
Staff Reviewer
BAAG Specialist
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 6,448
Long Beach, Australia
|
Same as you metzo, its a bug (the end of Monet springs to mind) or I cannot do a dexterity solve (the elevator in Traitors Gate 2 is one such angst bringer). Some cerebral solves though you can't do with a walkthrough. The bridge puzzle in Schizm is one of those, so a save game would be needed as opposed to just checking the walkthrough.
Quantity has a quality all of its own
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: Becky]
#308961
04/10/08 11:50 PM
04/10/08 11:50 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,186 Montreal
Retired at last
Addicted Boomer
|
Addicted Boomer
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,186
Montreal
|
Find this to be an odd question. Players need the help of a saved game for different reasons. Poor eyesight (can't see all the details), poor hand movement (can't use the keyboard - WASD - quick enough in certain games, just can't do slider puzzles, get frustrated and ready to take a hammer to the computer - better to ask for a saved game than to smash the computer. There are puzzles that I could never do and without the help of a saved game from a fellow boomer, would never have finished the game. Sure I have sent saved game to boomer who would not have finished the game without it. So, that's why this great site exits - to help and to be helped.
Not admitting defeat... is the beginning of the solution. But sometimes asking for help is not a bad idea! ==================================
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: chrissie]
#309026
04/11/08 06:41 AM
04/11/08 06:41 AM
|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 23,997 UK
Rushes
True Blue Boomer
|
True Blue Boomer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 23,997
UK
|
I've asked for a saved game just once. I encountered a bug in The Longest Journey, where the game would crash to desktop whenever I tried to enter the police station. Luckily I found a way around the glitch with texaslady's help, so didn't need the save after all. If I get impossibly stuck with a timed puzzle or an arcade sequence, then a nudge from a walkthrough always puts me back on track. I refuse to give in. Mind you, I did come pretty close with the Fox & Geese puzzle in White Wolf. Hours & hours of torment! Happyhappyhappy when I beat it.
"Bleat, Watson -- unmitigated bleat!" ~ Sherlock Holmes
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: sierramindy]
#309040
04/11/08 07:17 AM
04/11/08 07:17 AM
|
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 557 Dublin, Ireland
metzomagic
OP
Settled Boomer
|
OP
Settled Boomer
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 557
Dublin, Ireland
|
sierramindy, hi, Hi metzomagic, It strikes me as rather odd that your example of needing a saved game was the Still Life spider bot sequence. As it turned out for me when I was trying to do it, I found a map (I've forgotten where!) that showed where all the safe spots were so you could move the bot there and rest while you figured out the move to the next safe spot. I had a hard time with the spider as I did not know which way it was facing much of the time (both ends looked alike to me, my eyes not being 20/20) but with those safe spots I had all the time I needed. It still took me several tries, but each time I got a little farther and actually made it to the end. Which made me feel very unbearably smug when I read your comment about the need for a saved game. Can you tell? You misunderstood. It wasn't ME who needed a saved game for the spider bot puzzle. It was dozens and dozens of other Boomers. In fact, I play shooters and RPGs quite a lot and my reflexes are pretty good for an old guy. And... my walkthrough of Still Life gives a very detailed account of how to get past that challenge, with pictures: http://www.quandaryland.com/jsp/dispArticle.jsp?index=721So my reference to that particular puzzle was as a direct result of seeing so many requests for saved games up here on Boomers. Regards, MetzO'Magic ------------------ Jenny, hi, With Lost Crown it's not a matter of a cerebral challenge. It's trial and error hunting around to find whatever it is you didn't notice and neglected to click on. It's a test of patience and trust (that the problem isn't a bug) rather than a test of puzzling ability. And that's my point. So you're stuck, be it either on a puzzle or trying to get to the end of a location/time frame. Then consult a walkthrough to figure out what you need do, and do it. Why bother even playing the game otherwise? To me, asking for a saved game unnecessarily is like having other people play the game for you Regards, MetzO'Magic ----------------- Retired at last, hi, Find this to be an odd question. Players need the help of a saved game for different reasons. Poor eyesight (can't see all the details), poor hand movement (can't use the keyboard - WASD - quick enough in certain games, just can't do slider puzzles, get frustrated and ready to take a hammer to the computer - better to ask for a saved game than to smash the computer. There are puzzles that I could never do and without the help of a saved game from a fellow boomer, would never have finished the game. Sure I have sent saved game to boomer who would not have finished the game without it. So, that's why this great site exits - to help and to be helped. Granted, forgot about the dreaded slider puzzles which some people just can't solve, and the poor eyesight. Good points. But I already had the dexterity issue covered with the Still Life spider bot example. Thanks for the feedback, MetzO'Magic ---------------------------- Well, most of you seem to be in accord. You'll only ask for a saved game as an absolute last resort. But then, most of you who responded are pretty much adventure game veterans, so I would expect no less Regards, MetzO'Magic
Last edited by metzomagic; 04/11/08 07:56 AM. Reason: Summary after MaG stacked the posts.
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: metzomagic]
#309079
04/11/08 08:40 AM
04/11/08 08:40 AM
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644 southeast USA
Jenny100
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
|
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
|
------------------ Jenny, hi, With Lost Crown it's not a matter of a cerebral challenge. It's trial and error hunting around to find whatever it is you didn't notice and neglected to click on. It's a test of patience and trust (that the problem isn't a bug) rather than a test of puzzling ability. And that's my point. So you're stuck, be it either on a puzzle or trying to get to the end of a location/time frame. Then consult a walkthrough to figure out what you need do, and do it. Why bother even playing the game otherwise? To me, asking for a saved game unnecessarily is like having other people play the game for you And once you've used the walkthrough and still can't figure out what you missed, having someone else play past the problem is exactly what you want. Replaying large sections of the game, over and over, with or without a walkthrough, trying to find whatever trigger you missed that will let you progress in the game is boring boring boring. And you can never be sure the problem isn't due to a bug, and that an event isn't triggering because you did things in a different order from what the developer expected you to. You don't have to enjoy every single puzzle in a game to enjoy the bulk of it. And people who play games more for the story than the puzzles are even less likely to want to devote time to figuring out why they can't progress in the game.
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: JennyP]
#309087
04/11/08 09:09 AM
04/11/08 09:09 AM
|
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,392 United Kingdom
Mad
Sonic Boomer
|
Sonic Boomer
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,392
United Kingdom
|
Hi I started playing PC games in an era when walkthrough and saved game help simply didn't exist so sometimes it could take me weeks to solve one puzzle Although obviously very happy if I DID eventually get past my sticking point I can't say that the taking weeks part was particularly enjoyable and these days, in similar circumstances and with help available should I need it, I would have no compunction whatsoever in seeking help much sooner - be it via a walkthrough or the very occasional saved game I have always played my games for fun and not as a "test" and if help had been available in the past I would most definitely have used it Cheers. Mad
Time : The Most Precious Commodity
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: Bernard]
#309173
04/11/08 12:13 PM
04/11/08 12:13 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,853 Rockford, Illinois
sierramindy
Addicted Boomer
|
Addicted Boomer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,853
Rockford, Illinois
|
Hi metzomagic, I didn't think it was you who needed the saved game, it was just the example that you used. I was bragging, I guess (that smug feeling) because I also know how many gamers complained about that stupid spider robot! I remember when I was playing I was glad that I could get yet another robot (I was afraid maybe there was a limited amount) because I had to do it over so many times before I found the map and even then it took a few extra tries. In fact, I recall I goofed on the very last move to the end square, which really annoyed me although I knew I would get it, finally!, with one more try, and I did. See, with all that work, don't you think I'm entitled to brag a little here, since it will be my only chance, I'm sure. BTW, the walkthrough I used back then (July, 2005) was by Steve Metzler at quandaryland.
To love is to be happy with!
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: sierramindy]
#309251
04/11/08 03:15 PM
04/11/08 03:15 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,773 california
catsmom
Addicted Boomer
|
Addicted Boomer
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,773
california
|
I ask for a saved game rarely. With the lost crown my sound went out and I had to play it on my XP instead of the Vista. Didnt want to start over from the begining and the saved game I transfered over wouldnt work, so I had to ask. Sometimes with timed sequences If I have to keep repeating them my Arthritis in my right hand acts up and hurts too much to continue. I know how to do it but my hand doesnt cooperate sometimes. If I didnt get a saved game I would throw the game in the garbage, frustrated. So I am happy there are still people willing to help others
smile
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: catsmom]
#309523
04/12/08 06:03 AM
04/12/08 06:03 AM
|
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 557 Dublin, Ireland
metzomagic
OP
Settled Boomer
|
OP
Settled Boomer
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 557
Dublin, Ireland
|
sierramindy, hi, BTW, the walkthrough I used back then (July, 2005) was by Steve Metzler at quandaryland. That's me! Cheers, Steve
|
|
|
Re: When do you ask for a saved game?
[Re: metzomagic]
#309607
04/12/08 10:08 AM
04/12/08 10:08 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,264 Greece
Volkana
Addicted Boomer
|
Addicted Boomer
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,264
Greece
|
I asked for a save game when i'm really stuck and i can't make it even with the help of the walkthrough... I asked twice for a save game... The first one was when i was playing Next Life and the second one with ND Icicle Wolf.
Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
|
|
|
|
|