Do you use walkthroughs?

How many folks use walkthroughs? I love adventure games but I guess I've not played enough to sometimes figure out what can be combined with what to do something else. I hate having to consult a walkthrough, because after I find the answer I either go, oh sure, because that's logical (NOT) or ugh, I should have thought of that! I find myself having to use them less and less the more games I play though, which is good news, but still consult them several times throughout a game. My strategy is to scroll slowly and only read enough to give me a hint in the right direction without reading the entire answer.

Yes, yes ,yes

Some games I can go most off the way without help, and there are some that I use the walkthrough a lot. I try not to print it out, because then I use it more than I should; usually I keep the walkthrough on a separate screen and use it sparingly.
There are some games I would never finish without a walkthrough.

I use walkthroughs or hints whenever I feel like it.
Sometimes when I need a hint what to do next.
Sometimes to get past a "puzzle" I don't feel like doing, and want to get over with as quickly as possible -- for example a pixel hunt or sewer maze.

I really don't understand why people feel they have to make excuses for using walkthroughs, or feel there's something wrong with using one. Use one, don't use one, it's all the same to me. Whichever way helps you enjoy your game more.

Hi, Patricia

I do use hints & walkthroughs to help me finish difficult parts of the game....Thank heavens for MaG..

so well written jenny i coulnt agree with every word you wrote more

In a word, yes!

MaG is a lifesaver for walkthroughs. Quite often I use WT from MaG.
Richard

I am constantly thankful that we have MaG to help us out in time of need. I try to get through the game without using the walkthrough but I sure am glad it's there when I get stuck and need it. Yay to all the walkthroughs!

I occasionally use walkthroughs but I prefer not to use them. I just enjoy working on the challenge. That's part of the fun of gaming to me. I do find, most often, that I use them when I am very tired (late at night) and don't have the attention I usually do. Often, I find that if I quit the game and return to it when I am more alert, I don't need the walkthrough at all.

PMcOuntry, have you tried using the "Universal Hint System?" (I think the site uhshints.com or something like that.) Instead of a walkthrough they will lead you to just a hint, or a slight nudge in the correct direction. This is a great way to get some help without reading the whole answer.

A BIG thanks to MaG and all of the other walkthrough authors here at Boomers. I can't imagine writing one and they do a superior job!!!

I try to not use them but if I can't figure it out I cave in and get some help. I always feel guilty when I use them and I do feel better if I can get through the game without one, but if it gets too frustrating I think it is better to get back to enjoying the game instead of stressing myself out.

I know I'm the minority here (and everywhere else), but if it was up to me I'd gather all the walkthroughs of the world and make a large bonfire.

I try not to use them- but sometimes my thought process and the makers of the games are just not on the same wave length. I want to enjoy the game- yes try to work it out but when I just can't and it becomes frustrating- then I peek-- I don't believe I would be the player of games that I am today if not for a nudge now and then---
alkis21--- perhaps we should just email you for a hint instead.....

I always use walkthroughs. Hail MaG, Queen of the Walkthrough!

Dadguy

Maybe I'm a big chicken, but I love walkthroughs. I play to go on an adventure. I have enough challenges and frustrations in my life and I sure don't need any more in my dearly loved hobby. I want my adventure to go smoothly and with as much pleasure as possible. I don't have to worry about working myself in a corner or a dead end. It's amazing that I kept playing games before I even knew there was such a thing as a walkthrough. To me, a W/T is a luxury. Opinions on this subject are just as varied as the folks who play the games. If a gamer is happy, what difference does it make? Teddo

I think the walkthroughs are great, but i use only when i really need, because if you always use for any problem, will become a habit and will always having to consult the walkthroughs.

Love Maria

I'm a sucker for walkthroughs!
I even collect different WT's for the same game and save them as a group in my browser Maxthon.

I don't always use them. Mostly when I'm tired and the puzzles requires too much thinking or walking back and forth - remembering tons of stuff, lol.

A sidenote:
Wondered why there's no WT for The Big Red Adventure here on Gameboomers?
And is this game a sequel to Nippon Safe Inc.?
(A game I remember back in the days I had a lot of trouble with. Came on tons of floppies)

Yes I do.

Misslilo -- I don't think many of us played The Big Red Adventure. I found out a bit of info here at Moby Games.

I only use a walk through when really stuck or some times there may be a puzzal I cant do .I will try though and some times I just have to know what I am doing in a puzzal then I can work it out but most times I got to the hints forum as reading to much of a walkthrough can confuse you more and I find that for some reason we all solve a mystery differant and what one person can work out another is stumped .I don t know why but its the simple ones that get me .I just think to hard some times ,Then some times you have a brain block or just to tired .I walk away leave it then go back Becky can I have more info on the big red adventure please sounds familliar

Yes it is. Nippon Safes Inc. takes place in Tokyo, Big Red Adventure in Moscow.

sorry alkis i disagree with you 200% and think you are great extreme.but its your opinion only and all are entitled

btw i adored your game diamonds inthe rough

Yes indeed I use walkthroughs as a guide to help me when I get stuck or confused or just to help me understand how a particular puzzle or clue is to be used.

All the time. Puzzles bore me.

Dragon -- that's all the info I have. You could google it -- that might bring up more info.

Yes! I confess I rely pretty heavily on walkthroughs. I need all the direction and guidance I can get when facing a tough spot or puzzle. I always need the navigation help - go forward here, right here, etc or I can get hopelessly lost - lol. MaG's walkthroughs rock - the best! For me personally I don't find a walkthrough "spoils" the game. It actually helps me enjoy it more and complete the game successfully with less fustration and my sanity still in tact.

MMmmm!Walkthrough!
(with the voice of Homer Simson when he thinks of food.)
My brain is very sharp on one side (strange combinations! :D, surprising solutions) and very dull on the logical side.

robert

Use them? First, I wait for a review but then I wait for a walkthrough before buying a game. I cannot thank the people who write walkthroughs enough!! Without them I would lose my very best form of entertainment.

Thanks Becky

Here's a Walk for the Big Red Adventure misslilo.

http://www.the-spoiler.com/ADVENTURE/Dynabyte/big.red.adventure.1.html

I always use them as I have a very low frustration level (hate sliders, mazes and action sequences and practically everytime I use walks for them. The Universal Hint System (as mentioned before) is excellent for just getting a gentle nudge in the right direction or the full solution (the hints are set up going from slight nudges to progressively more detailed answers up to the full solution). This is a paysite though I think it's 15.00 now (won't give full solutions or leave you hanging in the middle of the game if you haven't paid). Still MaG's walks and the Hint board are excellent for getting hints and full solutions (don't know what I'd do a great many times without your walkthroughs Oh Great Queen of Walkthroughs ).

Regards,

Barry

I recently finished Art of Murder and I played it without a walkthrough, but with lots of great help over at the Hints Forum. I did the same with Diamonds In The Rough. These are the best games I played in 2008 and enjoyed both very much. Does this say something about walkthroughs, do you think? Like did I enjoy the games more because I didn't bother with walkthroughs, or were the games so enjoyable right from the start that I didn't want to take the chance and spoil anything by reading too much in a walkthrough? The jury is still out, I just can't decide which it was!

UHS hints are still free if you use them online. Click the "View Hints" link for the game you want at http://www.uhs-hints.com/hints/allhints.php

If you're not seeing hints, there may be a problem with your browser settings.

I use walkthroughs if I get really stuck and spent many hours and days and getting no where. I also find sometimes walkthroughs can confuse me even more, as all of us have a different way to describe how to get something solve. It helps to enjoy the game more and not to be frustrated over certain types of puzzles in the games.

I have to give a lot of credit to all those people who wright WT.
It tales a lot of time and hard work to do a WT. I don't always use them but I know if I needed them I know where to look. I hope you never stop MaG. Love your walkthroughs. Thanks
Richard

I have to agree with you, Richard..

I too am partial to MaG's Wt's..

I use them much to often.
And I love yours, MaG!
Normally I play a good game the first time with walkthrough, because I' m a impatient person and want to know the story. When I'm stuck I don't have the endurance to try for hours.
The second time I play a game to enjoy it - then I take pictures, make more notes, look at the details ...
I now, I'm a imperfect person.

It depends on the game and if I'm enjoying trying to work it out or am ready to just toss the computer out the window.

I play for fun, so when it stops being fun, I reach for help.

I like the hints site too (uhs-hints.com)so I don't read more than I want to know, but sometimes I just want to finish something and a WT is great there.

Of course, our hint forum is wonderful--just state that you want an hint or a nudge, and that is all you will get. If you just want the solution, you'll get that (provided there is one and it's not random)

If it's a game with tons of back and forth, I will consult a WT when I think I'm done in one area to be sure I'm not going to have to come back later

I have been using walkthroughs from here for years, long before I started posting here. I look for MaG's, her walkthroughs are so good and easy for me to follow. MaG for your wonderful walkthroughs!

I usually research the game here to see if it is one I would like to play (instead of running out and buying ones that just aren't my "style", like I have done way too many times) and then come home and print out the walkthrough. I have it next to me while I play, sort of a safety net or security blanket I guess. I found out if I get too frustrated, I will quit a perfectly good or even great game because I couldn't figure out something. I use to save and exit out and go look for a hint, but I got tired of spending time going back and forth to find a hint or a walkthrough.

I used to feel like I didn't really win or wasn't smart if I checked for hints or a walkthrough. But I realized I just wanted to enjoy the game. For me, I needed help sometimes. I might have a family member read the walkthrough part for me to give me a hint even. The security of knowing that I have an answer nearby saves my sanity and helps me enjoy the game better. For me, a walkthrough is like a friend helping me with a problem, and I am thankful for the help. I may not even use the walkthrough or just a few times, but it is there just in case.

Koalanut

same with me koalanut and very many thanks to all those who take time effort and trouble to write them forus.

I have to admit, that I can get picky about the form of the walkthrough.

I sometimes come across WT's that's written in one looong paragraph!! The worst

Next I prefer html over text documents - because of Bold text, slightly colored background, images etc

That's wrong information Jenny about UHS. It's free online for as far as it goes but then as I stated before it leaves you stranded at some point if your not a paid up member. I know because a while back I got an email from them that my membership had expired and I had to pay again, so I tried the online method you mentioned with a game and after some hints in it told me I couldn't get anymore unless I paid for a membership.

Barry

Actually when it comes down to it what does it matter what format a walkthrough has as long as it solves the point you're stuck at. I've used barebone walks of older games that didn't have a MaG walkthrough or other well done ones like hers, but had just one line for each action you had to take in light type but they did supply the solutionms to where I was stuck. My point is what does the format matter as long as it gives you the answer to a part you're stuck at.

Aklis I realize everyone's entitled to their opinions but I couldn't disagree with you more. Would you rather have countless gamers give up games because they're tearing their hair out in frustration not being able to solve a puzzle or sequence in a game. I've had a few situations like that where there weren't any walkthroughs and gave up swearing I'd never buy another game from that developer if there wasn't a walkthrough for it. Now how would you feel if gamers felt the same way about DITTR? Thank god for Len Green and his walkthrough which got me through some rough parts in your game. If there weren't a walkthrough for it would you give the solution to someone who contacted you considering the way you feel about walkthroughs. Sorry if I came across a little hard here a I loved DITTR and am waiting for your next game but I feel that without walks there'd be a ton of unfinised games.

Regards,

Barry

How long have they been doing that? I've never bought a membership from them, and I've never had the problem you describe. Some hints are for subscribers only, but they've never told me I couldn't get more hints.

Jenny100, I've never had that happen at uhs-hints. I'm going over to check.

Hmmmm, I just clicked and clicked and clicked. I wonder if it's because you bought the reader???? Anyway, I'm thankful it doesn't happen when I go there

Umm Barry, maybe I wasn't clear enough.
I take what I can get, when I'm stuck - no matter what format it comes in.

As for one-liners, they are A-Okay with me. Nice and easy to read.

I was more talking of those, where I have to read through a lot of the writers own babbling wrapped around the actual hint - making the WT hard to go over quickly and double/tripple the lenght it needed to be.
Don't get me wrong - sometime they are even ok too, but again, it depends how nice they have set it up.

Not sure if I explain myself good enough.
With a setup I mean, headlines, semiheadlines etc....
Sometimes my english just isn't good enough, lol

I only use one when I am completely stuck, The most I'll spend on a puzzle is at least an hour if I cant solve it then I'll go away from the computer, have a coffee, or smoke a cigarette, come back refreshed and start again, if I still cant solve what I need to do to progress and am getting frustrated then I'll take a little peak at the walkthrough.

I keep them Alt-Tab ready (open under the game), but only use them if I feel like I've tried absolutely everything I can think of. I think of them as my 'safety nets'. Also, as Jenny100 does, I use them to zip through frustrating parts, like mazes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
August 10th edit: So that I don't see more info than I need, I do a keyword search (Ctrl-F) and focus in on just that one bit of help. The WT is, after all, simply my last-ditch reference. Or if the problem is more complex, I'll ask here in the Help & Hints area.

MaG's walkthroughs are the most thorough I've seen. That's not to put down walkthroughs from other contributors. I appreciate and am grateful for all. There is apparently something wrong with my brain or how I interpret words and direction. Sometimes I read something on a W/T and it doesn't work for me. Then I read someone else's W/T and it becomes clear. Has anyone also experienced this? Teddo

I'll try to explain the logic behind my radical opinion as well as I can, Barry.

Although I'm not older than most people here (33), I've been playing adventure games for 22 years. That's several years before the internet gave easy access to walkthroughs to everyone. Furthermore, keep in mind that games in the 80s were nothing like the walk in the park they are today. They required excellent knowledge of the English language and they were crawling with dead ends and pixel hunting. And yet, not only did we play them, they were much more popular compared to other genres.

So I don't agree that if walkthroughs suddenly disappeared it would be such a tragedy. They were extremely rare in the old days and we learned to survive without them. I do not believe that they are as essential as most people seem to think. In fact, why don't you (not Barry; all of you) try an experiment and convince yourself not to use a walkthrough at all in the next game you play. You may be surprised by discovering puzzle solving capabilities you didn't know you possessed, because you never gave them a fair chance. And to me, nothing beats the satisfaction one gets after solving a really tough puzzle. If you feel that you have done everything you could and still cannot proceed, the Hints forum of Gameboomers is a much better solution than a complete walkthrough. Its existence pretty much guarantees that no game will be left unfinished.

To answer your question, when someone asks me the solution to a puzzle in a game I made I try to assist by giving subtle hints. And I wanted Len to write the walkthrough because after beta testing DITR since its initial stages, I knew he could write a comprehensive guide to understanding the game as opposed to simply getting to the end of it. I'd prefer it if people didn't use a walkthrough at all, but if they have to they might as well use one I approve of. I spend a lot of time trying to think of good, original, fair puzzles. That is why I write adventure game instead of novels or movie scripts. The customers are of course entitled to use the products any way they like; as games, movies, or coasters. But when someone compliments me on a particular puzzle and explains the reasoning he/she followed to solve it, that makes me proud.

I'm not trying to convince anyone, I'm just trying to make you see where I'm standing.

can i suggest a method of using a (good) walkthrough which is imho as good as uhs which i also use and also has its troubles. for exampl when you open full uhs file you get a main list of chapters places puzzles which you dont want to know and this also in sub sections.nothuing is perfect

I never print walkhtroughs or read them thro.when i see i'm getting into real stukness i upload a walkthrough in case i need it and i can quickly go there with alt-tab.
when im absolute stuck i alttab and go to Edit/Find.then i choose a keyword as close to where im stuck as possible that way i only see the soluton without anything else i dont want to see.
its probably non clear.if im in a haunted house and stuck somewhere near a bathroom ill type towel or soap or something which i know is there and most times ill get just the hint i need without giving away any other spoilers

Another use for a walk is if you're really stuck somewhere in a game there's a possibility that you might not have done something required to get out of where you're currently at, so by looking at a game wt from the begining and read to where you're at it might reveal something you missed and and give you the answer as to why you can't advance in a game.

As for your reply Alkis (sorry I spelled your name wrong earlier) I'm 37 but have been playing adv's since the late 80's. In those days here was many a night my sister and I along with our parents would go nuts and my father or mother would order the game guideboks for us, if one was available, if we totally wiped out all ideas as to how to solve the point where we were stuck. There were quite a few fames that just hung in limbo if there wasn't a guide and we couldn't solve the problem we were having. In later years with the creation of walkthroughs I often went back to these games and played them in full, sometimes screaming at the computer when the solution where we were stuck at defied logic. So in answer to your experiment comment I've been there and done that.

Regards,

Barry

Hi alkis21,
I was older than you are now when I played those early adventure games in the 1980s and I would not trade those great memories for anything. After playing your game and another this year and not using a walkthrough, but instead going to the Hints Forum here, I am leaning more and more in your direction because the enjoyment of those 2 games was so much like those good old days. It is harder to ask for help than it is to read a walkthrough, but in the end very worthwhile. Does the harder work add to the final enjoyment that comes with making progress in the game? I'm still pondering this question! Remember, I play for fun not to prove anything, but fun is where you find it and that can be anywhere!

Relying entirely on the Hints forum instead of using walkthroughs has its own problems.
It's a lot more likely you'll read the answer to a puzzle you haven't come to yet if you read a community Hints thread for a game you're playing, where everyone is asking for hints at different points in the game -- wherever they happen to be stuck. It's easier to avoid reading too much in a walkthrough, where you at least have some idea when to stop. And if everyone currently using a walkthrough had their own separate Hints thread for every game they played, there would be so much traffic that the Hints forum would be swamped.

I give, which one is DITR?

Diamonds in the Rough.

Oh, I missed that one.

It's a great game with a mind blower of an ending. Give it a try Escakacs. The developer of the game is one of our members who put up some replies in this thread (Alkis).

Regards,

Barry

I just read the review it sounds interesting.#############
Can you get it on disc anywhere? Downloads are time prohibitve for me. I have a dial-up!

Thank God for Mag! I play games to lose myself in and forget my troubles which are horrific sometimes. So if I get stuck I don't want to get myself stressed I pick up one of Mags walkthroughs. I play to relax and stop my monkey mind, so if I get stuck Mag is right there to help me through the hard parts. Just like a little angel on your shoulder. I must admit I even get stuck sometimes with a walk though...now how bad is that..LOL

Joy

I seemto always agree with you jenny

do you use also that method i wrote above?
i mean, just to pinpoint the keyword on the walkthrough were im stuck so i dont see anything before or after that stucknes point?

You can order it from our web site.

Thanks for the replies everyone, especially sierramindy. If I can make a believer out of one person, I'll be happy.

I ALWAYS use a walkthrough. I print them out and file them in binders under the name of the game, complete with date started and finished. Why? I have no idea but I must have 10 x 3-ring binders full of walkthroughs, dating back to about 1995. In fact, when my printer stopped working years ago I wrote out, in longhand, the walkthroughs and even filed those.

I have never, ever, played a game again but feel that I may do. One of these days. Or, perhaps someone I know might want to play a game I have? Nobody does, they just think I am a little strange.

Whatever you do, however you play games, it is up to you. Adventure games are, really, for FUN, and however you play them ... with a walkthrough or not, doesn't matter. Does it?

Good for you Mysticfalls.
Sorry to disagree with you again Alkis special since i love youre game
you are probably brilliant but were not all like you.i can't spend weeks solving a single puzzl. also if all walks were on the bonfire id have to stop playing adventures wich i love.
many others too i believe

I am exactly like you Mystic Falls. I literally have thousands of pages of MaG's W/Ts. I print off the walkthrough and then install the game. I staple the pages together and write Date begun and Date completed. I have to say KUDOS to all the people who write these W/Ts. I have a hard enough time WITH a W/T. I don't know how you manage to play some of these games without one. I am a late comer to adventure games---only started playing them when I was in my 50s, so w/ts are a Godsend for me. I still only play point and click games, as keyboard controls are out of my league.

Thank you Mystic Falls and dorish, I too print out walkthroughs and I have a giant plastic box to store them alphabetically. I would love to get a file cabinet, but not sure where to put it. Too many shelves with games and two computer desks. I don't replay alot of games, but I have the old computer and new computer set up just in case and my walkthroughs are right there handy.

Koalanut

I mostly use walkthroughs backwards. I play alot of RPG's and Action/Adventure as well as Adventure games. Mostly I go through a certain amount of the game and then read the walkthrough about what I've just played so I don't miss anything. In some games when you leave an area you can't go back so before I leave I like to read the walkthrough to see if I missed anything fun.

I have so many games to play, I like to "Play Out" a game rather than replay it. Useing a walkthrough backwards really helps with playing that way and doesn't hurt the gameplay as I don't miss that much espacially once I get the hang of how the game makers minds work. If I think about what I missed in an area it teaches me to look in a different way in the next area.

I work long and hard on puzzles before I give up...mostly its a matter of my mind not meshing with the game writer. When the next puzzle comes up I have a much better chance of solving it because I know more about how the game writers mind works and I get a feel for how to go about solving it.

You can tell I hate missing stuff! I often look at 2 or 3 walkthroughs because even walkthroughs miss stuff and again getting a view of the game from a couple of angles helps you get a feel for the game makers minds and the game itself.

I like to pretend I've been droped in a new world and nothing is as it was and I need to be alert and sensitive and teach myself a whole new way of being. Useing the walkthroughs backwards is like doing reaserch about your new world. I don't mind playing games slowly and seeing everything.

Mystic Falls and Koalanut you are both WAY more organized than me. I have a filing cabinet drawer and when I finish a game the walkthrough just goes on the top of the pile. In the same drawer is a smaller pile of games I could not finish, mainly because of timed or arcade type puzzles that I am just not fast enough for.

Hi,
Without Mag, and the gameboomers, I would probably never even finished or bought another game. I couldn't get past a place in the Riddle of the Sphinx, and was going to quit and go back to just working via computers, using books as an escape. So yes I use and won't buy a game without a walkthrough, gaming is a way I relax. The walkthrough is there if I need it. No frustation or stress allowed. I can play older games and new ones and replay games, having a walkthough gives me and idea of what to try, and another route.
Have a great day.
Charllotte

Hello Everybody-
It seems that the majority of us do use walkthrus to some extent or all the time.
I agree with most of what's been said:

If not for WTs I would never have the patience to finish games-It seems that in all of them, there are places where I get stuck.

I don't print them out unless it's a really complicated game like Morrowind. I copy them to my "Walkthru" file, then call them up to desktop when needed.Try to just peek at the part where I'm stuck and go on my own until the next problem.

I try to play on my own and try things as much as possible, but don't spend hours and hours being stuck. I figure if I'm stuck, I'm stuck.

Walkthrus are good to check if you've overlooked anything and to keep track of progress.Helps avoid lots of time wasting backtracking.

for MaG and all the Walthru writers-You have made games fun instead of frustrating.

Just curious-do WT writers ever need help? If so where do you get it-or are you all just extra smart

I've always wondered that too. They must be really really good to make a walkthrough with no help.

I'm guessing a lot of the WT writers have contact with many game developers and through there get help.

I am glad that I as a walkthrough writer has helped some gamers enjoy their game.

It really depends on the walkthrough writer and/or the game if they need help.
I can go through a game with no help or I can be pulling my hair out too. I try to solve it myself and if I can't - I do ask other gamers or contact the developers.
I have played Kheops games or Nancy Drew Games (except for some arcadey puzzles) with no help but I do have some puzzles that I have asked for help; for example to: Knut for the Glass Maze puzzle in Rhem 2 or Maciek for the Sanselard's sound puzzle.

Hey, all!

Do I use walk-throughs?

Yes.

Hi everyone!
Yes.....I use WT's!! Many years ago I played the Myst series, and I bought the cheatbook to get through. Now I am into adventure games and use WT's all the time, and I am sure glad that they exist!
I just don't have the patience and skill to solve all those puzzles.
For me I have fun with a game using the WT's.
My heartfelt thanks for the WT writers, keep up the good work!

I use to use the phone tips to get hints for the game I was playing before I got my first computer. That was very expensive.
Then I found this site and a few others and I use walkthroughs for almost every game I play now.
I also play console RPG's and they have a lot of stuff to do and find in them. So YES I use walkthroughs all the time now. It makes frustrating games a lot more fun to play.
Game On Boomers !!!!!
Cathy

I use them all the time. Some games. like The Longest Journey, NEED a walkthrough. Otherwise I would just be going around in circles.

That is so much true Tsavorite... I would never finish this game without a walkthrough...

I have around 400 unplayed games staring at me right now and a list of about 100 more I've yet to buy - 50 or so of these are RPGs which can take me months to complete (I've been playing Morrowind for four months now). I work 10 and sometimes 12 hours a day in a job that has a stress level of 95 out of a hundred most days. I have very little time to play games, which I play to relax. So beating my head against a wall for days trying to figure out some nit picky thing so I can move on is not my idea of fun - and I am not knocking those that enjoy that - matter of fact I admire their sticktooitness - it's just I have neither the patience nor the time.

So do I use walkthroughs??? Darn right I do. If I didn't I'd be dead before I got through half my stack. Do I feel any sort of guilt whatsoever about using walkthroughs? Not on your life

My vocabulary increased by one today - sticktooitness
Love it.

syd!

I prefer hints to a WT, since you usually see too much with a WT.
But, there are times when it is necessary to find a path through the game (glass maze in Rhem 2 ), rather than just a nudge in the right direction. In those cases a WT is welcome.
So, the short answer is yes, and MaG's are some of the best.

Most definitely! And, kudos to MaG and the rest of those marvelously brainy people who are able to play through the uncharted territory of each new game, figuring out each turn and twist all on their own , and are kind enough to write those of us who cannot do that (me) a map, without which I would have to give up gaming because I'm generally stuck from the get-go.

Yes, I use walkthroughs. Although only as a last resort. First I come here for a search through the hints forum, sometimes I use a hints site. If I am really stuck then its definitely the walkthrough that stops me pulling my hair out.

Ditto, Teddo.....couldnt have said it any better. Stress free playing that is my gig. Eileen

Hi

When I started playing, walkthroughs were practically non existent so much determination was required to actually complete some games

I am very happy that walkthroughs are now so plentiful and when I am in need, it is usually MaG's selection I turn to first whether for just a nudge or a full, all-out solution

Cheers.

Mad

I always print a walkthrough before I even load a new game. Sometimes I don't need it, but most of the time I like to check my progress and make sure I'm on the right track.

I tried a computer game back in the early 80's - played it for endless hours on end night after night until I finally got the key from around the unicorn's neck. I raced to the secret room, put in the key, and nothing happened. I shut off the computer and never touched another game for 20 years. A friend insisted I try Myst and I really enjoyed it but when I got the sequel, I was hopelessly lost. That's when I discovered walkthroughs. I started buying adventure games and while searching for the best walkthroughs I found Gameboomers and my favorite writer, MaG.

I'm so glad to see that others copy, date, staple, file and otherwise organize their walkthroughs because that's what I do. When I loan out a game, I pull out the folder with my notes, diagrams, hints and the walkthrough to send along with the game.

I guess it's a matter of personal preference, but I'm not ashamed to say I use walkthroughs. They make games much less stressful.

Wait a minute... You played Myst without the walkthrough and it wasn't until you played Riven that you needed one?

Making it through Myst without any hints or help? Impressive!

I use walkthrough like I use tourist guide books. Most often, partitularly for adventure games, I would follow the walkthrough very closely. For other genre games such as Lego Indiana Jones, if I can keep my character from dying or if dying is not a problem, I will only use a walkthrough to find solutions for tough bits and to see what I missed out, such as secret items. In general I will print a walkthrough for every single game I play, if a walkthrough is available.

I use them, also less and less, getting better, try and not look till the game becomes more work than fun, because I cant find something pixel hunting or cant think what to do next,
I also use them to update me on a game I left off for awhile, like Dreamfall, I am Game short right now, Sweating in withdrawals, and
needed to finally finish it, even though its a pain, in the trolls, I get scared, when they find me, I dont want to do this part, PLEASE someone send me a save past the trolls !!!!!!
anyway, using the walkthrough to update myself to where Ive been, since April is been with the trolls for 5 months
I need more games!!!! getting ready to swap I think..
also like others, have used walkthoughs for just this type of area, HATE to do timed action puzzles and look for ways around those as FAST as possible

Marcia

Heavenly Joy -- 5 months with the trolls? Poor April. Get that girl out of there!

Have you posted in Hints for a save? I know others have been stuck there too.

Marcia,

Your heartfelt plea has been logged. A saved game is on its way to you. Five months! You owe April a written apology!

Poor April, THANKS RUSHES, APril and I are Happy to be free of TROLLS!!!!

I'm really glad that this thread was initiated. I thought was probably the only person who comes to this site that relies on walkthroughs as much as I do. I was afraid if anyone found out, I'd be banned from the site.

You're no longer alone escakacs. In fact, I bet most Gameboomers are like me and found this site while looking for hints and walkthroughs. Fortunately Gameboomers is much more than that, but it took me awhile to figure that out too.