White Birds article (and Sinking Island preview) - Page 2

eriq · 07-31-2007, 03:38 PM

I, too, thoroughly enjoyed reading these articles. Great stuff. More photos behind the scenes!

AFGNCAAP · 08-01-2007, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurufinwe

That's not completely true. You'll note that Bams said that they felt they had reached the end of the road for Syberia-like gameplay. And I think that was included in the "too close to Syberia" criticism he had against Paradise.

Do you refer to this sentence: "And maybe we didn't manage to get away from Syberia as much as we should have."? Seeing as it appears in a passage in which he talks exclusively about the narrative, I never read it as referring to anything more than Syberia's and Paradise's stories.

Quote:

I don't want to spoil my preview here, but I was very, very favourably impressed by Sinking Island. As I said above, detective stories lend themselves well to adventure games. Still, getting detective gameplay to work well is actually quite difficult to do, and most detective games I've played failed to do it well. But what I saw of Sinking Island really worked. The gameplay wasn't bearable: it was fun. Obviously, I've just played a short part of the game, and it may start sucking after a while. But my first impression is definitely favourable, and, if it's not crippled by bugs, I feel SI will do well.

Great to hear!

Kurufinwe · 08-01-2007, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

Do you refer to this sentence: "And maybe we didn't manage to get away from Syberia as much as we should have."? Seeing as it appears in a passage in which he talks exclusively about the narrative, I never read it as referring to anything more than Syberia's and Paradise's stories.

I think he was referring to the general style of the game (therefore including the gameplay) rather than just the plot.

Wouter · 08-07-2007, 09:42 AM

Enjoyed the articles and the Sinking Island preview. Sounds interesting and it's nice to see that they added a mode which doesn't involve playing against time. If it's interesting, maybe it'll be cool to try both.

I like the setting and i'm quite surprised that the atmosphere is so dark and moody. I saw it raining in the last screenshots and i'm a sucker for atmospheric wheather effects in adventures.

I wonder when it will be released in Belgium. Paradise was released at the same time in france and belgium and it was english spoken so i'm still hoping for a late september release. And i'm hoping that they are going to play test it until there is no bug left.

Certainly more and more interested in this one. Thanks for the articles.

Kurufinwe · 08-07-2007, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wouter

Enjoyed the articles and the Sinking Island preview. Sounds interesting and it's nice to see that they added a mode which doesn't involve playing against time. If it's interesting, maybe it'll be cool to try both.

I still don't know which I'll play for my first playthrough. The timed mode should logically be experienced the first time around (rather than when you already know what to do), but I'm still afraid it'll be too hard and I'll get frustrated with it eventually and will end up running for a walkthrough (note that this fear is not in any way based on anything I saw when I played some of it at White Birds' offices). One question I really should have asked is whether it was possible to give up on the timed mode during the game and switch to the easy one without having to restart everything...

Wouter · 08-07-2007, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurufinwe

I still don't know which I'll play for my first playthrough. The timed mode should logically be experienced the first time around (rather than when you already know what to do), but I'm still afraid it'll be too hard and I'll get frustrated with it eventually and will end up running for a walkthrough (note that this fear is not in any way based on anything I saw when I played some of it at White Birds' offices). One question I really should have asked is whether it was possible to give up on the timed mode during the game and switch to the easy one without having to restart everything...

Doh... didn't think of that. It seems indeed pointless to play the timed mode if you already know the solution. But i'm curious: does it mean that in the adventure mode the island doesn't drown in water? Or does it drown based on how far you are in the game instead of on how much time you have actually played?

Since you have played the game, how would you describe it graphics wise. Is it on a par with Paradise (although obviously in a complete different setting), meaning does it look as good?

*Melanie68* · 08-07-2007, 12:34 PM

You're a civilian now Johann.

Kurufinwe · 08-07-2007, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wouter

Doh... didn't think of that. It seems indeed pointless to play the timed mode if you already know the solution. But i'm curious: does it mean that in the adventure mode the island doesn't drown in water? Or does it drown based on how far you are in the game instead of on how much time you have actually played?

As far as I understand, more or less the latter. The clock moves in both modes, but in the non-timed mode it just stops at certain points until the game considers you've fulfilled the necessary steps (and then it starts moving again) (whereas in the timed mode, you lose if you don't meet certain deadlines). So, to take a completely made-up example, the beach gets drowned at 8 AM on day 2 in both modes; but in the "easy" mode, the clock will get frozen when it reaches 7 AM until the game decides you have everything and can proceed to the rest of the story.

Quote:

Since you have played the game, how would you describe it graphics wise. Is it on a par with Paradise (although obviously in a complete different setting), meaning does it look as good?

It's quite different. It's extremely gloomy, and I certainly wasn't really expecting that. The weather's dreadful (storm, wind, rain), the tower's interiors hardly lit at all, etc. So don't expect the sort of wow effect you could have got from the Prince of Madargane's gardens (or Barrockstadt university, etc.). The resolution's higher than in Paradise (1024*768 instead of 800*600), the 3D models seem to fit better in the landscapes (though still not perfectly, I thought), and there are lots of animations in exterior settings (wind, rain...). So it's technically better. Stylistically, it's different (darker), and seems to go more for atmosphere than pure eye-candy. At least, that's what I felt from the bit I played.

Wouter · 08-07-2007, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurufinwe

It's quite different. It's extremely gloomy, and I certainly wasn't really expecting that. The weather's dreadful (storm, wind, rain), the tower's interiors hardly lit at all, etc. So don't expect the sort of wow effect you could have got from the Prince of Madargane's gardens (or Barrockstadt university, etc.). The resolution's higher than in Paradise (1024*768 instead of 800*600), the 3D models seem to fit better in the landscapes (though still not perfectly, I thought), and there are lots of animations in exterior settings (wind, rain...). So it's technically better. Stylistically, it's different (darker), and seems to go more for atmosphere than pure eye-candy. At least, that's what I felt from the bit I played.

Storm, wind, rain on an island which is about to be flooded, solving a murdery mystery, with a lot of (gloomy dark) atmosphere and graphics by Sokal... sounds great actually!

Ksandra · 08-08-2007, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurufinwe

I still don't know which I'll play for my first playthrough. The timed mode should logically be experienced the first time around (rather than when you already know what to do), but I'm still afraid it'll be too hard and I'll get frustrated with it eventually and will end up running for a walkthrough (note that this fear is not in any way based on anything I saw when I played some of it at White Birds' offices). One question I really should have asked is whether it was possible to give up on the timed mode during the game and switch to the easy one without having to restart everything...

I don't think I'll bother with the timed mode, to be honest. I can see why it's there, and I have seen it work in AGs before (The Last Express, for example), but personally I like being able to take my time and explore everything in an adventure game. A timer may add a sense of urgency, but it also means you'll probably miss out on some of the other things the game has to offer. At any rate, it's good that they're giving players a choice - I wish more developers would do that.

tsa · 08-08-2007, 09:46 AM

I'm not sure. From the article I gather timed mode makes the game more realistic. So it may be interesting to first play the game in 'relaxed' mode. And when you've finished it you can replay the game in timed mode.

Ksandra · 08-08-2007, 10:10 AM

I doubt I'll want to replay the game immediately once I've finished it, especially when I've seen how the plot develops.

tsa · 08-08-2007, 10:44 AM

I usually replay games after 5 years or so

***fov*** · 08-09-2007, 08:39 PM

I enjoyed the Sinking Island preview. Thanks, Johann.

I was intrigued by the little we saw of this game at E3 last year and I'm glad to know it's coming close to release. The fact that they've added in a non-timed mode seems like a good idea, because that's the one thing I was really worried about. Racing against time is a cool concept but also something that has the potential to get really frustrating.

The preview mentioned that things happen in real-time, and I could see replaying to catch some stuff you might have missed the first time. Gabriel Knight 3 had a lot of stuff going on in real time that was easy to miss unless you played it a second time. Granted, you might be able to see everything that's happening in the non-timed mode just by traveling to all the different locations, but if there turns out to be content you can only uncover in the timed mode, that would provide a good reason to replay even after you know what to do.

Is the DS version basically the same game with scaled down graphics, etc., or is it a companion game set in the same universe?

Kurufinwe · 08-09-2007, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fov

The fact that they've added in a non-timed mode seems like a good idea, because that's the one thing I was really worried about. Racing against time is a cool concept but also something that has the potential to get really frustrating.

That's also something I was afraid of, and I too am glad they're giving players the choice. I know they have a group of fans playtesting the game, and are listening to their feedback, so maybe the idea for two modes actually came from there.

Quote:

Is the DS version basically the same game with scaled down graphics, etc., or is it a companion game set in the same universe?

Same game. But it's not going to be released before more than a year, so I didn't get to see any of it.

***fov*** · 08-10-2007, 06:28 AM

Do you know if they're porting it or if they have another company porting it for them?

Marian · 08-10-2007, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fov

The fact that they've added in a non-timed mode seems like a good idea, because that's the one thing I was really worried about. Racing against time is a cool concept but also something that has the potential to get really frustrating.

Yes indeed! I think it's safe to say that this decision will guarantee increased sales among adventure gamers.

And thank you for all the info, Johann.

Kurufinwe · 08-10-2007, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fov

Do you know if they're porting it or if they have another company porting it for them?

Another company (though they have the means of doing it themselves, but for the moment they don't want to).

Wouter · 08-24-2007, 09:32 AM

For those interested, more info is starting to appear on the web, although mostly non-english. Adventure-treff.de has a video preview with ingame scenes and there is the official french website where you will also find 3 links to previews (also in french). There are a few in game videos on the gamekult site also.

07-31-2007, 03:38 PM	#21
eriq gaybrush threepwoody Last Online: 01-21-2012 03:12 PM Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,567	I, too, thoroughly enjoyed reading these articles. Great stuff. More photos behind the scenes! __________________ eriqchangstudio.com Facebook Connect

08-07-2007, 09:42 AM	#24
Wouter Senior Member Last Online: 11-23-2010 10:30 AM Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 153	Enjoyed the articles and the Sinking Island preview. Sounds interesting and it's nice to see that they added a mode which doesn't involve playing against time. If it's interesting, maybe it'll be cool to try both. I like the setting and i'm quite surprised that the atmosphere is so dark and moody. I saw it raining in the last screenshots and i'm a sucker for atmospheric wheather effects in adventures. I wonder when it will be released in Belgium. Paradise was released at the same time in france and belgium and it was english spoken so i'm still hoping for a late september release. And i'm hoping that they are going to play test it until there is no bug left. Certainly more and more interested in this one. Thanks for the articles.

08-07-2007, 12:34 PM	#27
Melanie68 Super Moderator Last Online: 05-19-2012 11:09 AM Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,907	You're a civilian now Johann.

08-08-2007, 09:46 AM	#31
tsa Playing character Last Online: 11-03-2017 01:10 AM Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Netherlands Posts: 7,472	I'm not sure. From the article I gather timed mode makes the game more realistic. So it may be interesting to first play the game in 'relaxed' mode. And when you've finished it you can replay the game in timed mode.

08-08-2007, 10:10 AM	#32
Ksandra Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: UK Posts: 124	I doubt I'll want to replay the game immediately once I've finished it, especially when I've seen how the plot develops.

08-08-2007, 10:44 AM	#33
tsa Playing character Last Online: 11-03-2017 01:10 AM Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Netherlands Posts: 7,472	I usually replay games after 5 years or so

08-09-2007, 08:39 PM	#34
*fov* Rattenmonster Last Online: 03-19-2013 04:05 PM Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: San Francisco Posts: 10,404	I enjoyed the Sinking Island preview. Thanks, Johann. I was intrigued by the little we saw of this game at E3 last year and I'm glad to know it's coming close to release. The fact that they've added in a non-timed mode seems like a good idea, because that's the one thing I was really worried about. Racing against time is a cool concept but also something that has the potential to get really frustrating. The preview mentioned that things happen in real-time, and I could see replaying to catch some stuff you might have missed the first time. Gabriel Knight 3 had a lot of stuff going on in real time that was easy to miss unless you played it a second time. Granted, you might be able to see everything that's happening in the non-timed mode just by traveling to all the different locations, but if there turns out to be content you can only uncover in the timed mode, that would provide a good reason to replay even after you know what to do. Is the DS version basically the same game with scaled down graphics, etc., or is it a companion game set in the same universe?

08-10-2007, 06:28 AM	#36
*fov* Rattenmonster Last Online: 03-19-2013 04:05 PM Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: San Francisco Posts: 10,404	Do you know if they're porting it or if they have another company porting it for them?

08-24-2007, 09:32 AM	#39
Wouter Senior Member Last Online: 11-23-2010 10:30 AM Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 153	For those interested, more info is starting to appear on the web, although mostly non-english. Adventure-treff.de has a video preview with ingame scenes and there is the official french website where you will also find 3 links to previews (also in french). There are a few in game videos on the gamekult site also.