What's been happening?

[Blackthorne519]

Those were the days.  I mean, I was really excited to find communities that stilll loved adventure games - I happened upon things like AGS and AGDI around 2001 - and I was surprised by the traffic.  I looked forward to my daily forum visits and had many wonderful conversations and met many awesome people.  (Meeting people on forums directly lead to the creation of Infamous Adventures!)

I miss the busier times, and I realize people grow, change and move on.  I think that when several of the new projects on the horizon come out (QFG2VGA, SQ2VGA, Hero6) the forums will fill back up again - and suddenly, we'll find ourselves in another rennaisance.

Bt

[Outchanter]

I sort of get what you're saying, Phattie, but I'm not sure that game scripting and story writing have all that much in common. A lot of people seem to think the Monkey Island game series is fantastic, but would you want to read the story in book form?

I think the ESSENCE of a story and a game script are identical; but unquestionably a book and a game script are very different otherwise.  I'm simply saying that what makes a book good, and what makes a movie good are the same thing.  I wouldn't want to read Monkey Island as a book, that's true.  But if Schafer, Grossman and Gilbert converted their idea into a book format, I'd want to read it, and I'd want to see it as a movie too... (incidently, there is already a publish novel about monkey island)

Anyway, a story is a story.  A good author definitely has to understand the medium for which they are telling it.  Writing a novel and then trying to make a game out of it would result in a boring game.  But my point is: if your idea/story sucks, it doesn't matter if it is a game, movie, book, or play; it's gonna continue to suck.  The same is true if the story is: bland, unoriginal, uninteresting, cliche, boring, too complex, unrelatable, so-so, etc

There are too many people who read a lot fiction, and then start day dreaming about being an elf, and then start thinking they are good writers.

Sure. Writing is something almost anyone can get better at, but like any skill it takes time and dedication.

And I agree there are commonalities between games and stories. E.g. your comment on the use of backstory to provide mystery - the whole point of backstory is to make the world seem more real; to give it depth. It shouldn't be dumped on the reader, but rather allowed to peek out through the surface description.

But games can go even further than books. A common phrase in writing circles is 'show, don't tell'. E.g. don't just say that Ron feels angry - rather describe how his jaw and fists are clenched and his eyes narrowed. This goes doubly in games. Why state or even describe something passively on the screen when you have a real player? If you want to describe anger, you need to do something that makes the player angry. (Preferably at a game character, not at the game's lameness). If you have a backstory to tell, let the user play through it, discovering (or even better, creating) it on their own.

This was one of the awesome things about the Quest for Glory series - when you hear characters in later games referring to the Hero's exploits from earlier games, those were things you'd done. That kind of thing really makes a difference, or at least it did in my opinion.

[Paladin0707077]

I think that when several of the new projects on the horizon come out (QFG2VGA, SQ2VGA, Hero6) the forums will fill back up again - and suddenly, we'll find ourselves in another rennaisance.

One can only hope.
I, too, was stunned and amazed that others shared my passion for adventure games of old. I can't count the number of times I've played and beaten the likes of QFG or KQ, or Space or Police quest, only to go back and beat them again. They were just so much FUN, and a lot of my good memorries of childhood are tied to them. Problem was, nobody around me had even HEARD of them, let alone played them, even those my age or older. It was like I was the only one who knew of these treasures.
And then, shortly after beating QFG5 for the 5th time, I happened across this site. And it was like my childhood was back, and it shined anew! True, I only posted ONCE during that long stretch of time, but I read much of the posts of others, simply never feeling the need or desire to comment myself. What's more, this forum has a very special place in my heart, as that one post was actually THE post, my first ever contribution to the internet community. I had never posted before, out of fear that what I had to say was a waste of everyone else's time and oxygen, but the people here were so much like me...surely they'd understand. And they did, and accepted me (I think they argued a little with me, but it was all in good fun). Many other forums and posts followed...but this forum stuck with me, as I was no longer just a forum ghost. And it stuck well
For a while, I left the forums and made my way about the world of the living. But eventually, I came back, and found myself wanting to talk even more. I was no longer afraid of rejection, and so found it easier to "talk" on a consistent basis. Soon, I'd made real forum buddies, and the drama was fantastic! It was almost a game in and of itself, and I enjoyed it.
Then I left, thanks to my final year in college and job seeking. I left most of my internet world behind and went out and found the real world. I took the lessons learned here and elsewhere on the interwebs and applied them to real life. So my time here became even MORE valuable: not only did it help me open up, it taught me to communicate with and relax around others. I wouldn't be in the job I'm in now if it weren't for the sojourns here.
At last, now that I've become adapt at navigating the real world, I remembered my old friends here, and came back. I have full confidence that this game will be good, but I have more confidence that, in time, this forum will grow anew. Even if the old have trully moved on, others will come. They always do.
Until then...the Forum Ghost Paladin shall wait...and watch.