What does everyone think of Myst Clones? Not nescessarily Myst clones, but games with the same type cursors and stuff? Do you like it? Do you hate it? I have a secret that is secret, but I'll tell you it later on in the year. Near the end maybe. If someone manages to guess, don't give it away to anyone, in fact just e-mail me, and tell me what you think I am talking about.

Your making a myst like game perhaps Darrin?

Iam iffy about the Myst clones, some games suit it well like Myst itself Lighthouse aswell guess iam just used to 3rd person games

<img border="0" alt="" title="" src="graemlins/pacify.gif" />

-Polo

Iffy eh? I see. Anyone else want to leave their comments about Myst Clones.

I feel that Myst Clones are only dull if you don't know what you're doing and why you're there. And I agree with Polo - I think you're secret is the fact that you're making a game for us!

Everyone knows my secret. True, I am. I am getting help from Jonathon (Dark Fall maker) I am not going to tell you the story, but I worked on the story hard and there are lots of twists to it, and it's a suspenseful game. I am guessing I'll have it done around Spring 2003. I just barely started the game. It's going to be a lot like Dark Fall, as I am using Strata Studio, which is what Jonathon did. I'll release a demo around the end of this year, a little preview of the game. It's going to have mostly outdoor enviroments, and a few indoor enviroments too. I also would like some suggestions on puzzles. What are your favourite puzzles? I don't want to sell a [blip] game, so I need to know what you guys like in an adventure game. All I can say is, with this adventure game, I won't let anyone down. I might've never made one before, but I do know what I am doing when it comes to cool sound effects. The music will be made by me actually. My band. Although we play rock, this is going to be little catchy suspenseful music that will loop in the background. Our site is here: www.listen.to/no-offence
We're going to have some crazy music, but don't get me wrong, it won't be rock. Rock doesn't really fit in an adventure game. I hope I make this game good enough, so that DreamCatcher will publish it. Jonathan tells me that he was approached by 2 publishers, and turned them down. I want to get approached. I'll let you guys judge if my game is good enough, when I release a demo. I'll have a site with updates on the project, and screenshots of the game as it progresses through the year.

As some of you might've noticed, my name is Alex. Darrin, is my idol.

I think me personally you should make a "Shivers" type game <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="tongue.gif" />

Unofficial Shivers III Woohaa!!

-Polo

I love Myst clones! I know the term is used as a negative, but to me it screams "play me!" I'm not too big on inventory based games becasue many times the stuff is used in completely illogical ways and I really hate the "just try everything until something works algorithm of puzzle solving". It's also not a real-world type of approach. If you were really in the game environment would you just pick up a bunch of stuff at random without knowing what it was needed for? Wouldn't you look at some problem and say "gee I need a screwdriver, or knife, or matches, or...." and go find what you need?

Give me a good first person Myst clone any day! I am not totally against 3rd person game as I liked Broken Sword and Circle of Blood and King's Quest 7. I guess I'm more into figuring things out than hunting for stuff to use.
Ed

I love Myst-type games. Keep us posted about your project.

Well I kinda hate to tell you this EdA, but there will be a lot of stuff with inventory, as a lot of people like that kinda stuff. Myself for one. It's going to be a game though where you pick up something and say, could be useful. It's not one of those games where you go and pick up one thing, and say this definantly goes here. I am still developing some of the puzzles on paper. I need some more challenging ideas...

I could see myself getting sued for making a Shivers 3. It depends on how good I sell this game. If I sell this game a lot, I'll make an unofficial sequel to something by popular demand... maybe. I was thinking I might make The Others, but with no The, so I won't get sued. I loved the movie, and the game would be a great hit.

Hi,
Congratulations Dangerous Darrin - I'm looking foward to playing your game.

I love Myst, and I do enjoy Myst clones. Sometimes I want to play a third person game, but sometimes I really want to play first person, as myself. I like 3D engines, but slide shows games are good too.

I think it's great that you are doing a game with just yourself, or a small team. That way it will really have the mark of the designer. I look for a game that looks like the same game all the way through, not "done by a committe". I'm also looking forward to your music.

As for puzzles, I prefer "easy" puzzles, unlike many of our veteran gameboomers. I happen to like inventory puzzles, because I have a better chance of solving them. I think word puzzles are also kind of nice, but you don't see them in games very much - I think it's a translation issue. If you are getting a game translated into multiple languages a word puzzle isn't going to do it.

On the visuals (very important to me) I can't wait to see what you come up with. My request would be to not make the visuals too "perfect" - lots of computer generated art looks, well, computer generated. Having something that isn't always single point perspective would be great too. But, I'll be happy to play anything you come up with.

I don't think getting a big name publisher is a bad thing. A person has to eat, pay rent and have some fun! If it works for you, go for it.

Oh, forgot - are you submitting your game to the Independent Games Festival - http://www.igf.com/ .
The festival doesn't seem to be too kind to adventure games, though an adventure game did win last year. Of course, some people didn't think of "Bad Milk" as an adventure game!

I think this is wonderful, Alex, and you know we will be thrilled for you if you can accomplish this. I personally love inventory based games, rather than having to solve machinery puzzles, for instance. Another independent that you might wish to take a look at is Passage: Path of betrayal. I think it is absolutely wonderful that Jonathan is helping you, as well, as he surely knows the pitfalls to avoid.
I don't much like the style of play for Myst or Myst clones, just a personal preference, but some good ones (my opinion, of course) are Celtica, Gordak and Secrets of the Luxor, if you haven't taken a look at them. Outdoor scenery is wonderful if you're exploring, and set to a good musical score and good sound effects, could be a winner.

I think nearly all so-called Myst Clones aren't really much like Myst at all except for the interface. But a point-and-click, snapshot-type interface works fine for adventure games. And I never heard of anyone getting motion sickness from Myst.

Quote:

I also would like some suggestions on puzzles. What are your favourite puzzles? I don't want to sell a [blip] game, so I need to know what you guys like in an adventure game.

Well, you'll never please everybody. Some people like music puzzles, others hate them. Some people are colorblind so puzzles that depend on color recognition would be impossible for them. Some people like sliders, others hate them. If you include puzzles like that, it would be good to make them skippable so they won't hold up the gamers who are unable to do them.
Same goes for action sequences, timed sequences, or dying in the game. Anything that makes the gamer have to repeat the same bit of the game over and over and over again is undesirable. Personally I don't like action/timed sequences or dying and would happily do without them because they make me have to save and restore and mess up the immersiveness of the game.

One thing that is fun in a game is a humorous Easter egg or some other little surprises that you can find that may not be critical to finishing the game, but which make the gameworld seem richer and more like a real place.

I like first person games vey much, I like to be able to look around without having to cope with arcade type puzzles or pixel hunting. A good puzzle is a puzzle that makes you use your brain and not the one that is made ackwad just to make the game look longer. The same goes for tile puzzles and mazes. Lot of people do not like them I do if they are made interesting and relevant to the game.
Keep them coming!

I'm getting excited now!! Indie stuff is good.. who needs a big company telling you what your audience wants! Good luck with the project..

BTW, rock music can work in an adventure.. Full Throttle!! Rest my case! How about putting a cd player in one location as an easter egg with a couple of clips of your music on??

Hugs

Tig

There used to be a great thread will all sorts of do's and dont's aimed at gamemakers and designers, but I can't find it. It's been a while, but I figured you could get loads of good advice from that thread. Oh well...

I love Myst-like games also (note the deliberate use of -like not -clone ). I really don't enjoy timed puzzles, action elements or dying too often if at all!

Good luck in making the game! We will all be cheering you on!

I love Myst, Riven ... and try to get my hands on every Myst-Clone. Sometimes I am playing 3. person games, but my love belong to 1. person games. Hope one day I played them all

Can

Thanks a lot everybody, I have heard what you are saying, and you won't see any timed puzzles. There might be an action sequence, but don't get me wrong, it's not like, oh my god this is hard. It'd be more like take a gun from the inventory and click the man looking at you, action sequence completed. You might die once, but I'll not stop of giving you clues that it will be coming. Once is definantly enough, if at all. Once you hear my story of the game, you'll realize that these things you hate are kind of nescessary. Also, thanks Tigger, I might put a CD player in the game. One story hint, it's in the not too distant future, so some things will be high tech. A CD player, and it'll have a few songs from No-Offence, that'd be awesome.

I'll have a few Easter Eggs to put up my sleeve. It's not nescessarily a Myst Clone, I am just talking at the cursors. The cursors are going to remind you of Myst, with the hand gestures. But, the way I see it, Myst is the best selling adventure game of all time.

Also, http://www.igf.com/ I'm not sure what it is too much, but it'd be awesome to win it. Is it for beginner game makers or something? Thanks for all your support everyone, I really want to make a game that is fun, and, fun to make.

I buy any game that says it's Myst-like....

I love 1st person games.

Good luck with your game Alex and how nice of Jonathan to guide you. <img border="0" alt="[winky]" title="" src="graemlins/winky.gif" />

~Dee

Sweet. Maybe for the back I should put one of the features saying "A Myst like interface, for all Myst fans."

What do you guys/girls think of not nescessarily gore, but blood? Any objections or just don't like it much.

That depends, if it's important to the story or not. Remember, good storylines work when the writer holds true to the "laws" that he's set for his "world". Have you seen the DVD - The Sixth Sense? There's a great interview with the writer/director for this movie, in it he talks about why his story jumped out and grabed his audience. He mentions exactly about "the rules for his world" and how a writer should not break those rules. This way "the willing suspension of disblief" can not be compromised. In the Gaming world ...Dark Fall has it. So did Myst and it's sequels. Good luck, Darrin. We right here for you. You can do this! We believe in you.
Inferno

Oh Alex, I loved The Others! I was watching it and said, "This would make a great Adventure game". I saw a program in my local Hasting's that made Adventure games, but I can't remember the name of it. I think it was 39.95. I started to get it, and try a game based loosely on a cross of The Others and What Lies Beneath. I just have not been inspired yet, I have over 100 unplayed games, waiting for me in the cabinet. I just want to play. I hope you do something based on The Others too! Looking forward to whatever you are working on now. I saw your post before where you spoke of maybe making a game yourself.
I loved the trivia type puzzles in Cassandra Galleries.
Happy game making, Julie

Mist-like is good. But if you let your character die, please be sure to have him/her brought back to that same location. NO ' GAME OVER' !!!, or reloading!! , or "And poor Seth was never seen again" !!!
We might trade your Easter Eggs, and toss you some of the 'other' kind.

When I hear a game described as a "Myst clone", my first reaction oh no not another one. I do not like lonely games with static screens. I like to have a good story with character interaction. If you can't tell I am a 3rd person fan.

Alex, I do admire the fact that you do want to make a game and I do wish you the best of luck in it. Since you are set in making it a first person game, have full 3D movement where you steer(look left/right and up/down) with the mouse and move either with the arrow keys or the right mouse button.

If you decide to have some action elements in it, have it so that if you die, you are placed just back at the scene. Also if you die say three times in a row, give the person the option of either trying again or being able to skip it.

You said you are going to have inventory, so have items in your inventory with a name attached to it.

One last thing, if the game is going to be on more than one CD, one should be able to start the game on whatever CD they are on. Do not force us to start with disk one. Also have an option for a full install no matter how many CD's the game is on.

Lots of people have commented, regarding Syberia, that they wish more things in the environment were clickable... not neccessarily parts of the game, but clickable and a little bit interactive, just to thicken up the immersion level. An example might be a painting on the wall might well be irrelevent to the game & puzzles, but it is decoration. In a first/third person setting, it might be nice to have the protagonist comment on the picture.

I know I haven't expressed this very well... you might like to look at some of the Syberia threads to get a better idea of what I'm trying to say... I'm still on my first cup of coffee of the morning.

Ta-ra,
The Gremlin

Congrat.D.Darrin,
I'm looking forward to playing your game,but...
I do love Myst-clones,but I'd like more to talk about other classic games-clones,a.ex.Obsidian-Shivers-GK-Timelapse-TexMurphy-Azrael'sTear clones.
So my request is:
1)Refer to the above mentioned games
2)First person
3)DIFFICULT PUZZLES,please!!I want to rack my brain for one or two days to solve them, and many notes full on my desk!!Thanks Bombou