Broken Age - Double Fine's Kickstarter Adventure Game

[evdk]

All I can say is that, having just gone through the process of releasing Primordia, the market for old school adventure games isn't what you think it is. Almost every review, even the good ones, criticized the game's low resolution and low frames of animation. Almost all of them asserted the puzzles were too hard (which seems incorrect), or involved pixel hunting (which is just factually untrue). A great number of them said there were too many inventory items (you seldom have more than five or six and cap out at like 15, and then only if you're metagaming to max out inventory) or too many puzzles (what else do you want in an adventure game? it's like complaining about Medal of Honor because it involves too much shooting). All of them praised where we removed classic adventure tropes (removing "adventure game logic," backtracking, deaths, impossible situations, and writing stuff down); if people overlooked the ways in which we eliminated these tropes, they tended to criticize them. Several criticized the game for requiring you to write stuff down, which the game doesn't (it has an autonote feature).

Yeah, I've read some of those sites and they're pretty horrible. Sad to say, but RPG grognards are better adventure game fans than adventure game fans.

That's because cRPGs are just adventure games with stats

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Alex]

Well, adventure gaming, once upon a time, meant something a little different.

 

[Irenaeus]

I don't know if you have played those games, but Stacking is not a sweet little children game, like Sesame street for example. Custom Quest is more lighthearted, but still not Kinect Adventrue category.

I haven't, but both from the covers and from what I've seen of the gameplay videos, I don't like the art direction. Too childlike, even if the game isn't. I don't mind one or two games like that, but unfortunately this has become the trade mark of Double Fine, since Psychonauts. Bleh.

 

[MRY]

In my view, there are really three things that would outrage me regarding one of the big Kickstarters: (1) they don't complete the game; (2) they breach a core promise (for example, if DFA turned into an action-adventure or Eternity switched to using a chase camera and a three-member party); or (3) they compromise one of their own core visions in order to make the game more marketable. Hard to know when #3 happens, but it would be pretty shitty to ask people who are generally less wealthy than the KS project managers themselves to give up their own money in order to finance the KSer's dream, only to have the KSer not actually pursue his dream because he'd rather get even richer. I haven't really seen any evidence that that's what's going on with DFA though, hence my lack of outrage.

I appreciate the Primordia solidarity, but I wasn't trying to turn this into a pity party. (Or was I. . . . ?)

 

[J_C]

I don't know if you have played those games, but Stacking is not a sweet little children game, like Sesame street for example. Custom Quest is more lighthearted, but still not Kinect Adventrue category.

I haven't, but both from the covers and from what I've seen of the gameplay videos, I don't like the art direction. Too childlike, even if the game isn't. I don't mind one or two games like that, but unfortunately this has become the trade mark of Double Fine, since Psychonauts. Bleh.

Well the art direction of DF's games was always wacky, colorful and not serious. Maybe what you really dislike is that from full blown games they went to small downloadable titles, which are not as complex as Psychonauts for example. About this, I can only say that I think they did the right decision to survive after their games (which were amazing) tanked at the box office. Thanks to these smaller games, they are doing quite well. I just hope they will be doing something big once in a while.

 

[Redlands]

Well the art direction of DF's games was always wacky, colorful and not serious. Maybe what you really dislike is that from full blown games they went to small downloadable titles, which are not as complex as Psychonauts for example. About this, I can only say that I think they did the right decision to survive after their games (which were amazing) tanked at the box office. Thanks to these smaller games, they are doing quite well. I just hope they will be doing something big once in a while.

Way to put words into other people's... mouth?

People can hate both the (maybe necessary for survival, Wikipedia reading on Double Fine was quite interesting in that regard) trend in smaller, less complex games as well as the art direction. This is the RPG Codex, we can hate anything!

If you wish they'd make games of different sizes, you can hardly begrudge someone else for wanting them to make games of different art styles. After all, if the art direction is turning people off from playing games, then it might be even worth considering whether trying something different may be worthwhile (assuming it's manageable, of course).

 

[J_C]

Well the art direction of DF's games was always wacky, colorful and not serious. Maybe what you really dislike is that from full blown games they went to small downloadable titles, which are not as complex as Psychonauts for example. About this, I can only say that I think they did the right decision to survive after their games (which were amazing) tanked at the box office. Thanks to these smaller games, they are doing quite well. I just hope they will be doing something big once in a while.

Way to put words into other people's... mouth?

People can hate both the (maybe necessary for survival, Wikipedia reading on Double Fine was quite interesting in that regard) trend in smaller, less complex games as well as the art direction. This is the RPG Codex, we can hate anything!

If you wish they'd make games of different sizes, you can hardly begrudge someone else for wanting them to make games of different art styles. After all, if the art direction is turning people off from playing games, then it might be even worth considering whether trying something different may be worthwhile (assuming it's manageable, of course).

Of course. I'm not begrudgeing anyone if they don't like the new DF game's art direction. I just think that they are not as childish as they seem.

 

[toro]

In my view, there are really three things that would outrage me regarding one of the big Kickstarters: (1) they don't complete the game; (2) they breach a core promise (for example, if DFA turned into an action-adventure or Eternity switched to using a chase camera and a three-member party); or (3) they compromise one of their own core visions in order to make the game more marketable. Hard to know when #3 happens, but it would be pretty shitty to ask people who are generally less wealthy than the KS project managers themselves to give up their own money in order to finance the KSer's dream, only to have the KSer not actually pursue his dream because he'd rather get even richer. I haven't really seen any evidence that that's what's going on with DFA though, hence my lack of outrage.

There is already one year without major updates about the game. They seem more interested in that retarded documentary. They complain about money in their videos and they try to monetize unfinished prototypes.

Sorry to say this, but I feel exactly the opposite. This is not the adequate way to chase a dream. They made a circus out of developing the game and frankly, they suck.

And one more question: Who told them that a retro adventure game requires a brand new graphic engine? It doesn't compute.

 

[tuluse]

It's not a brand new engine. They licensed an existing engine, Moai. Which they did because they don't have experience developing on the platforms they promised, and Moai has built in support for all of them.

 

[J_C]

In my view, there are really three things that would outrage me regarding one of the big Kickstarters: (1) they don't complete the game; (2) they breach a core promise (for example, if DFA turned into an action-adventure or Eternity switched to using a chase camera and a three-member party); or (3) they compromise one of their own core visions in order to make the game more marketable. Hard to know when #3 happens, but it would be pretty shitty to ask people who are generally less wealthy than the KS project managers themselves to give up their own money in order to finance the KSer's dream, only to have the KSer not actually pursue his dream because he'd rather get even richer. I haven't really seen any evidence that that's what's going on with DFA though, hence my lack of outrage.

There is already one year without major updates about the game. They seem more interested in that retarded documentary. They complain about money in their videos and they try to monetize unfinished prototypes.

Sorry to say this, but I feel exactly the opposite. This is not the adequate way to chase a dream. They made a circus out of developing the game and frankly, they suck.

And one more question: Who told them that a retro adventure game requires a brand new graphic engine? It doesn't compute.

I think the documentary episodes are the updates. And you learn a lot of things about them, like art style, the state of the game, some story and character tidbits. I don't know what you expect about them. A point 'n click adventure is different from an RPG where you can talk about story, rules, magic, gods, lore, armor mechanics etc. An adventure game is much simpler. What do you expect, to spoil the story in the updates? Or talk about what kind of puzzles are there going to be? They cover a lot of things in the documentaries by the way.

 

[Metro]

Stop being such an apologist.

 

[J_C]

Stop being such a whiner.

 

[Kosmonaut]

Stop being such an apologist.

 

[Metro]

Stop being such a whiner.

Nothing to do with whining and everything to do with calling a spade a spade. Try some intellectual honesty now and then and stop letting your game journalism instincts dominate your opinion.

 

[kaizoku]

I've been wondering about DFA.
I'm really curious about this month's update.
It seems they were really starting to feel the heat from the huge delay (ie, money running out) and I'm suspecting this last month was under a major crunch mode.
Added to that, judging by Steam's rating, is the fact that The Cave didn't sold very well.

Not sure if this game will represent a life line for DF or not, but if it fails I don't see them ever doing an adventure game again. Not that they did anyway...

In either case, I doubt anyone else besides Tim would be able to ignite this KS rocket, that is (hopefully) bringing us many good games.
So even if it flops, I'm thankful. (just butthurt that I pledged)

 

[Jaesun]

When is the game supposed to be coming out?

 

[kaizoku]

IDK

Maybe they'll talk about that in the next update.

 

[J_C]

I've been wondering about DFA.
I'm really curious about this month's update.
It seems they were really starting to feel the heat from the huge delay (ie, money running out) and I'm suspecting this last month was under a major crunch mode.
is the fact that The Cave didn't sold very well.

Not sure if this game will represent a life line for DF or not, but if it fails I don't see them ever doing an adventure game again. Not that they did anyway...

In either case, I doubt anyone else besides Tim would be able to ignite this KS rocket, that is (hopefully) bringing us many good games.
So even if it flops, I'm thankful. (just butthurt that I pledged)

The Cave was Ron Gilbert's children, DFA is Tim's. It has a lot of hype going on, I think it will sell relativly well.

Added to that, judging by Steam's rating,

Where can you see that?

 

[kaizoku]

The Cave was Ron Gilbert's children, DFA is Tim's. It has a lot of hype going on, I think it will sell relativly well.

Financially, that doesn't matter.

Where can you see that?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/221810/

It has improved, last month or so it was at 65.
(it's a metascore, not steams)

 

[J_C]

Where can you see that?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/221810/

It has improved, last month or so it was at 65.
(it's a metascore, not steams)

I thought you were talking about how much did it sell, not its Metascore. Metascore doesn't mean shit. I'm not saying you are wrong though, I also think it sold poorly.

 

[DalekFlay]

It sold poorly because it has no real market. Classic genre-bending that turns off both sides.

 

[J_C]

The next documentary is up:
- the game should use some additional funding (don't worry, it seems they can handle it)
- stuff about design
- hour of fun (impressions about the game after everybody at DF played it).

All in all, good stuff.

 

[toro]

It sold poorly because it has no real market. Classic genre-bending that turns off both sides.

Not true. Only shitty genre-bending games are turning off people.

PS. And to preempt the question about games who actually managed to be genre-bending and good at the same time: Planescape Torment, Omikron, Outcast, Dark Earth, Little Big Adventure, Magic Carpet and more.

 

[toro]

The next documentary is up:
- the game should use some additional funding (don't worry, it seems they can handle it)
- stuff about design
- hour of fun (impressions about the game after everybody at DF played it).

All in all, good stuff.

Wow, the documentary features a fucking Excel spreadsheet. So exciting ...