It's interesting that some of you are posting about the walkthrough process. I was just thinking before I logged on that it would be cool to hear from someone who does walkthroughs and how the process works.

Such as Is it time consuming? Does it take the enjoyment out of the game having to catch every detail, and take snapshots of everything. How long does it take to do one?

Anyone game to share with us how it's done and how it impacts your gameplay and enjoyment?

We seem to take it for granted that these walkthroughs are done perfectly, but in order to have them perfect, one must have to replay and replay the game. Especially the puzzles.

I can tell you from my experience, that it is very time consuming. Depending on the length of the game, it can take 3 days to a week of at least 8-12 hour days.

It takes an average of 250-300 screenshots cut and pasted to do a casual game.

Writing the steps to a puzzle in the shortest amount of moves is hair pulling at times to say the least. It is easy to solve the puzzles, but not so easy when you have to note each step.

You play the game 3 - 4 times before you are finished. THe final time is to literally play the game doing nothing else but using the walkthrough so you know it's right.

It really does not take the enjoyment out of it anymore, but it did in the beginning.

I actually love writing them, I feel a great accomplishment when I am done. The only downside is when someone says the walkthrough is useless or says they are not right etc when they did not read the wt correctly or bother to follow it. I need a thicker skin when that happens.

Ana

Thanks Ana for your response. I think this will certainly cause one to appreciate the walkthrough more, know there is a person behind it and what it takes to create one.

I started out playing adventure games, which is how I found Gameboomers, and MaG's walkthroughs were the best and mainly the only ones I wanted to see.

I applaud you all for the hard work you put into these walkthrough's. Would love to see a little signature of sorts so we could know who actually did it.

It was so interesting to hear what it is like to put a walkthrough together.
It is so very time consuming.
I have always appreciated the people who do this even though I try my hardest not to consult one during a game.

The thing that always annoys me, Ana, is (literally) 10 minutes after a game is released someone bemoans the fact that there's no walkthrough yet. I hope those people read the first line in your post and give you a break!!

Barb

I'm in agreement with FloNS in playing adventure games with MaG's walkthroughs and very much appreciate them regardless of who creates them as Meryl stated. What a great subject to put on the board! I for one, will never take them for granted ever again.

Thank you walkthrough creators!

Attention to detail, patience, dedication, self discipline, and intelligence; that's just some of what it takes to write a good walkthrough.

Marian, do you also do walkthroughs. I seem to remember you mentioning doing sme.

FloNS, on the BF walkthroughs you can tell who did a walkthrough by looking at the first screen of the strategy guide and see who's name is in the profile spot. Also when they are in the blog, the name is in the paragraph right before the walkthrough menu in bold.

MaG is a great inspiration with her abilities to write and organize the chronological order of what to do in her WT's without the aid of pictures. Adventure games, particularly not being as linear as casual games are very difficult. MaG is a rock stars of WT writing.

MargieB is the shining star of casual game walkthroughs. She is a whiz!

The other thing many do not realize is that we get the game before it comes out and that means we have to figure it out alone. There are no forums to get cheats on or asking for help at. That adds to the time it takes. The fact that the games do not have save spots also makes it harder too.

All in all, it really is fun to do and I find myself taking screenshots of games I am playing for fun because I forget.

Ana

Flo, I haven't done any walkthroughs thus far, unless I wanted to count my own personal scribblings while playing a game.

I bet it's even worse when you accidentally "solve" the puzzle in a casual game with autosaves and have to replay the whole game up to that point.

That's when you cry, suffer from a bit of gaming tourettes and carry on.

Ana

Thanks, Ana.

Ana is a wonder doing walkthroughs with a time schedule. She can do them one after another. Those difficult puzzles are easy for her. The step by steps on her walkthroughs are clear and neatly done.

I hate time schedules - it's a fun killer.
I agree with Ana about the downside especially since those comments are mostly from pilot errors.

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All I can say is that I sincerely appreciate the work that goes into doing a wt. I know I wouldn't have the patience. Not to mention that I'd likely lose interest in gaming all together if it was my job to play.

I sincerely applaud all of you that are able to write walkthroughs! It would seem to be a very daunting task indeed. Add to that meeting a deadline, and it certainly could turn a fun experience into a unpleasant chore. I wouldn't even attempt anything like that, and my hat's off to all of you! The wt's here at GB are the best, and also the wt's and SG's at BFG. They are my main source of help and I never would have gotten through some games without them!

Thanks Ana, I usually just pass by that stuff and get right into the game itself. Now I know to check it out.

A big round of appreciation to MaG, Ana, MargieB and all others who spend their time making games more enjoyable for us by keeping us from pulling out our hair . I found GB by looking for walkthroughs when I played adventure games and I agree that MaG's were best!
Thank you all so much for spending time playing and writing.
Kathy

I've never written one. I've been annoyed by a few. The ones that don't give details on how to solve a puzzle. Saying "solve the puzzle" isn't helpful. If they're random I wish walk through writers would always say so. Also "Return to <insert room name>" isn't helpful in games in which you can move in many directions because I sometimes get lost.

Writing the walkthroughs to take the shortest amount of time doesn't always make sense because the story doesn't flow the way the walkthrough goes.

Guybrush -- since (especially in nonlinear games) everybody plays a game a bit differently, it's impossible for a walkthrough writer to write it exactly the way each individual would prefer.

Many gamers want the quickest route without long explanations or directions to and from locations -- they complain if the walkthrough is too long (especially if they want to print it up).

When I need to consult a walkthrough, I'm just grateful that the writer has taken time to give me a hand!

Excellent video walkthroughs here for Nancy Drew games.

Michael is so amusing as well. If any of the written walkthroughs don't work for you, these will.

http://www.youtube.com/user/arglefumph#p/u/0/UAbV8wIDLW8

Guybrush, if puzzles are random in a game on BF, it is noted in the general tips section of the WT. It is not necessary to repeat it for each puzzle if noted in the beginning. Solutions are always given except in the very, very small incidences that we have spent hours on one puzzle and a thousand moves and it is too long to video tape or write. These are very rare, but you have to remember that the writers are real people, solving puzzles the same way you do and sometimes we too cannot find a short way to explain or do a puzzle and the best we can do is to show a completed screenshot. I can assure you it's the last thing we want to do, especially because there are always people waiting to pounce on the writer for not providing the answer. Some remarks are particularly brutal and believe it or not we take it to heart when we see them.

The WT's are written so that if you need 5 items to complete a task, you will hang on to those 5 items till you can complete it unless you need to use one in order to trigger something. That is one of the reasons you have to replay so many times and reorganize the flow of the walkthrough. YOu can't be dropping the items off here and there willy nilly when doing a WT. When I play a game for fun, I empty my inventory as much as possible. We all play differently.

Ana

We do indeed play games differently.

I don't remember the name of the game, but I solved one of the puzzles by trial and error; not how the WT said, when I eventually read the WT when stuck on another puzzle.

It was one of those turn the dials so the pointers are in the correct position puzzles. Three separate pulls and it would have been solved in a few moments. Instead, I went through all possible dial positions before finally hitting the correct positions.

I disagree its very necessary to repeat that puzzle is random in the puzzle sections.

Guybrush, the WT is written to be read. The general tips tell you instructions on how the guide and the game work. It is not the writers fault if the WT is not read. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make everyone happy in anything in life including strategy guides.

Ana

First I would like to Thank Ana, MargieB and Mag for all they do to make playing our Casual and Adventuring gaming experience more pleasurable. IMHO they are 3 of the Best Walk-Thru writers currently producing this much demanded product. I would venture to say that there are very few among us (be truly honest with yourself before you answer in the negative) that have NEVER wished for or resorted to a walk-thru for a game you were playing. I, for one, can't Thank You enough for what you do.

Whether we use them to determine the length of a game before deciding if we should buy or not, getting a hint as to what to do next in a game, understanding a particularly difficult puzzle (or in some cases "What the heck is the game asking me to do here???"), or simply wanting a roadmap for the game. Even the worst of the walk-thus currently out there are a Godsend when you have beat your head against that proverbial "brick wall" for hours on end trying to solve a particularly difficult or poorly explained puzzle. If for no other reason than they give you a break and maybe…just maybe… get you thinking in a different direction.

The 3 individuals mentioned above produce the most comprehensive, detailed and well thought out WT's available today. Examples of their work should be given to ALL new (and maybe to some of the older ones too) of how to do a good walk-thru.

Happy Gaming All,
OldMan44

P.S. Ana, Thank You for your answer to this thread. Like your WT's, it was very well done. Any negative comments as to your WT's, send them to me and I'll take them "out behind the woodshed" and talk to them. LOL