Where are the HOPA’s?

It seems that the HOPA’s being offered by BFG are few and far between lately. Instead we’re getting more time management, Match3, straight HO games, etc. I have plenty of HOPA’s stored up, but can’t help but wonder what’s going on. Are developers going in different directions and/or aiming for a new demographic. Anyone have thoughts on or insight into the matter?

I think the main thing that has happened is that there are more time management CEs being released (whereas before they were always standard versions) coupled with the fact that very few developers are bothering with standard-version HOPAs. I know of two developers (Daily Magic and EleFun) who have switched their focus elsewhere in the last one to two years and as far as I know do not plan on making any more HOPAs. All of this should help explain what seems like fewer HOPAs, although there have still been a lot this year and plenty more to come (the next three CEs will be HOPAs, based on what I have read).

I tend to buy mostly CE’s when there’s a good sale. Sorry to hear about Daily Magic in particular. I’m not one to buy mobile games. Usually, even on my iPad, things are too hard to see. However, I am addicted to Gummy Drop. Do you know which developers are likely to stick with HOPAS for PC?

I was sorry about both Daily Magic and EleFun (Fear for Sale, Witches' Legacy, etc.). I could not care less about mobile, but that's the way things have been trending. More and more mobile and console stuff is being given equal or more time to PC. This is also why we are seeing more and more games in general that use mouse and keyboard, because the games have been designed with consoles in mind first and foremost.

As far as which developers are likely to stick with HOPAs, that I would not know. Sometimes you can go to their websites (if they have one) to gain some insight into what directions they are taking. Some of these developers (Eipix and Mad Head are two examples) are diversifying, but I haven't seen any signs as yet that HOPAs are going to take a back seat to other things.

Anyway, those are just a few of my thoughts and I am far from being the oracle on this or any other matter.

Appreciate your input. 👍

I seem to have noticed more Time Management games also but that doesn't bother me. I don't play them, so less money being spent !

This " very few developers are bothering with standard-version HOPAs" I hope doesn't mean that you think SE versions won't be available. I am thinking to start buying SE's as a way to save some money. I like the bonus chapters and the guide being readily available but I don't use any of the other CE extras and I don't really think I'll miss the bonus chapters. Guides are usually around someplace and I am learning to use the Hint button more and even willing to Skip puzzles more these days.

When I said that, oldbroad, I was referring to new HOPA/HOG/IHOG games that never had a CE version in the first place. We used to see a lot more of those than we do now. Now, it's more likely that we see a puzzle game of nonograms instead. I wasn't referring to SE versions of Collector's Editions - far from it. I should have been more clear.

No, that's okay. I did think you might have meant those stand alone SE's, but wasn't sure.

Thanks for clarifying Marian!

Ha! I see we have a new HOPA CE from 4Friends as TGT for members. 4 Friends has been doing some good work.

Indeed.

This is an alarming trend, to me, since all I have played these past 20 years were CE versions of HOAs (when I wasn't playing full-length Adventure games, that is), and they still are all I am interested in playing. My idea of recreation is figuring out puzzles. All those bubble-poppers, shooters, matching games and Time Management series never appealed to me. I know that they are popular but I don't find them entertaining.

I hope you are right, Marian, and that there still will be a few HOAs issued from time to time. I also hope the quality doesn't drop when some of my favorite developers bail out of the scene.

Reenie, the first Collector's Edition came out in November 2009 (the first being Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove Collector's Edition). So, it's been ten years that Collector's Editions have been around. Quite a long time, though, nevertheless.

I also hope that HOPAs will continue for many years to come.

Seems to me there is always a new CE HOPA on a Thursday. I'm sure I've seen them on other days but always steady on Thursday!

Oldbroad, the time-management CEs have been coming out mostly on Saturdays, so that sounds right to me.

There's another CE HOPA coming out on Saturday this week.

Also, the Thursday games usually have a bonus or super sale and are available for purchase on Thursday even to non-members like me. I know because I sometimes do the Super sales when I have a large quantity of games on my "to buy" list and then I am able to bring the average game cost down even lower than the 65% off sale price.

I keep an eye on Thursdays!

[quote=Marian]Reenie, the first Collector's Edition came out in November 2009 (the first being Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove Collector's Edition). So, it's been ten years that Collector's Editions have been around. Quite a long time, though, nevertheless.

Yes, that is when my interest in these games REALLY picked up (as did my buying). I have replayed Dire Grove and many others, during the lean times.

HOPA and the likes are all offshoots of the adventure genre, and if the adventure genre has been around pretty much since the beginning of time, all the offshoots will remain - in one form or another. So I'm not worried about that.

Having said that, all these hidden object games are becoming cookie cutters of one another. These games are churned out like bunnies because of how little variation they have with one another. Many of them are made with the same software and procedures, and are often just new paint jobs. Many of you long-time players of these games MUST know that. This lack of innovation is what has plagued this kind of games for years. Customers have caught on to this, leading to lower sales, so no surprise fewer of these games are made. So I'm all for developers "going a new direction" or doing things, anything, of that nature.

I recently played an indie game called "Stories Untold," which is basically a series of mini-games involving various contraptions, not unlike what we see in some HOPAs. But it is done in a memorably creative and ingenious format that unlike anything you've played. Such innovation is what is DESPERATELY needed in the games from BFG.

Stories Untold screenshot

Yes. A lot of us ARE addicts - even though we are fully aware of what you are saying

GamingPhreak I get what you had to say about the repetitious nature of a lot of HOPA's, especially the storylines. But I still find enough variation to keep me interested. I especially appreciate appealing artwork and find some developers do this better than others. In the games I've currently been playing, there is more variety in HOS than in the past. I also notice some unique uses for inventory items which have provided some challenge. I began with straight adventure games - Syberia was the first, then Longest Journey, the Darkfall series, Black Mirror, and Lost Crown. But then a friend turned me on to HOPA's, and now I'm hooked and don't think I'd have the patience for straight adventure games anymore, although I have quite a collection which I haven't yet played.

@Sparkle, straight adventure games like Syberia, Longest Journey, etc. are pretty old too, and the adventure genre needs an absolute overhaul or it would really be dead for sure. The last few years saw a whole slew of adventure-like games that really broke the mold and are very enjoyable as well. "The Return of Obra Dinn" (2018) is a masterpiece where you discover the fate of an entire ship crew in the most innovative ways imaginable. "What Remains of Edith Finch" (2017) has a moving story where you re-visit your old home and its bittersweet memories. "Firewatch" (2015) explores loneliness and isolation in the unique setting of a national forest watch tower. "The Witness" (2016) is puzzle game where you connect dots on panels in very imaginative ways. These are just a tip of the iceberg. These games not only tell memorable stories, but they also have ground-breaking game designs that are fresh and exciting.

I still very much love and often re-play the games of "yesterday".
Adventures, RPG's and Casuals alike.

Not that many new-ish ones really do it for me, at all
[And I've tried plenty over many, many years.]

But it is purely a matter of taste.

What I might thoroughly enjoy, another person might totally hate

Looks like I spoke too soon. There’s been several released since I first posted this topic.

Yes, we are having a nice run of CE HOPAs. There are also more CE time management games being released too, though, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, so I can understand why you posted what you did.