Comments on: Photopia http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:44:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: cleaner reviews http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-358965 cleaner reviews Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:17:29 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-358965 Thanks for sharing. Thanks for sharing.

]]> By: insurance http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-348935 insurance Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:21:23 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-348935 Meh. I thought Photopia *had* beautiful prose. And the interactivity (limited though it was) made for a more profound impact (for me, obviously). Adam Cadre has written a novel, btw. It’s called Ready, Okay! and is one of the best things I had ever read at the time. (Haven’t read it recently enough to say “period”.) Meh. I thought Photopia *had* beautiful prose. And the interactivity (limited though it was) made for a more profound impact (for me, obviously). Adam Cadre has written a novel, btw. It’s called Ready, Okay! and is one of the best things I had ever read at the time. (Haven’t read it recently enough to say “period”.)

]]> By: Club Penguin Cheats http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-312256 Club Penguin Cheats Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:31:27 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-312256 It amplifies the feeling of helplessness, and of inevitability. In the form of a short story Photopia would have had far less impact. But this isn’t a case of games being able to get away with poorer storylines, but one in which the gameplay itself is an intergral part of the readers reaction to the story.. It amplifies the feeling of helplessness, and of inevitability. In the form of a short story Photopia would have had far less impact. But this isn’t a case of games being able to get away with poorer storylines, but one in which the gameplay itself is an intergral part of the readers reaction to the story..

]]> By: laptop battery http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-121196 laptop battery Mon, 08 Dec 2008 02:45:38 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-121196 it felt somehow uplifting to realize that I had only failed because I made limiting assumptions about myself. After all, at that point you know you’re an astronaut on a strange planet in a children’s story, why should you assume you’re a normal human being? It’s not that you should have been able to solve the “puzzle”, but that it shows you you might have more freedom and abilities than you think. it felt somehow uplifting to realize that I had only failed because I made limiting assumptions about myself. After all, at that point you know you’re an astronaut on a strange planet in a children’s story, why should you assume you’re a normal human being? It’s not that you should have been able to solve the “puzzle”, but that it shows you you might have more freedom and abilities than you think.

]]> By: Therum http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-44803 Therum Sun, 04 May 2008 19:41:40 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-44803 Holy shit. I got linked on Rock, Paper, Shotgun? How did I miss this? Holy shit. I got linked on Rock, Paper, Shotgun? How did I miss this?

]]> By: MedO http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-35714 MedO Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:41:25 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-35714 It's really interesting that a lot of what people don't like about this game were the things I found very good. It's not very interactive, yes, but that means you won't get stuck in frustrating puzzles as much, which would distract from exploring the story. --- spoilers below --- I liked the maze escape a lot. It's crappy if you think about it as a puzzle. You try to solve it, only to have the game give you the completely unpredictable solution when you fail after a while. But that's not what I experienced at the point. Instead, it felt somehow uplifting to realize that I had only failed because I made limiting assumptions about myself. After all, at that point you know you're an astronaut on a strange planet in a children's story, why should you assume you're a normal human being? It's not that you should have been able to solve the "puzzle", but that it shows you you might have more freedom and abilities than you think. --- spoilers above --- It’s really interesting that a lot of what people don’t like about this game were the things I found very good. It’s not very interactive, yes, but that means you won’t get stuck in frustrating puzzles as much, which would distract from exploring the story.

— spoilers below —

I liked the maze escape a lot. It’s crappy if you think about it as a puzzle. You try to solve it, only to have the game give you the completely unpredictable solution when you fail after a while. But that’s not what I experienced at the point. Instead, it felt somehow uplifting to realize that I had only failed because I made limiting assumptions about myself. After all, at that point you know you’re an astronaut on a strange planet in a children’s story, why should you assume you’re a normal human being? It’s not that you should have been able to solve the “puzzle”, but that it shows you you might have more freedom and abilities than you think.

— spoilers above —

]]> By: roBurky http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-35686 roBurky Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:40:58 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-35686 I didn't like this at all. Although I don't understand the purpose of the early non-coloured scenes, so maybe I'm missing something. I didn’t like this at all. Although I don’t understand the purpose of the early non-coloured scenes, so maybe I’m missing something.

]]> By: malkav11 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-35683 malkav11 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:33:41 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-35683 Meh. I thought Photopia *had* beautiful prose. And the interactivity (limited though it was) made for a more profound impact (for me, obviously). Adam Cadre has written a novel, btw. It's called Ready, Okay! and is one of the best things I had ever read at the time. (Haven't read it recently enough to say "period".) Meh. I thought Photopia *had* beautiful prose. And the interactivity (limited though it was) made for a more profound impact (for me, obviously). Adam Cadre has written a novel, btw. It’s called Ready, Okay! and is one of the best things I had ever read at the time. (Haven’t read it recently enough to say “period”.)

]]> By: Guy http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-35654 Guy Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:21:38 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-35654 Well, I went back and finished it, then ran through again to see if you can change anything (spoiler: nope). It's irritating to read and to play, but it was interesting to figure it out once you've finished it. It's definitely better than the first impression it gives, but considering you can get the same positive experience from a book and also have a pleasant minute-to-minute time reading beautiful prose I wouldn't recommend this. Well, I went back and finished it, then ran through again to see if you can change anything (spoiler: nope). It’s irritating to read and to play, but it was interesting to figure it out once you’ve finished it. It’s definitely better than the first impression it gives, but considering you can get the same positive experience from a book and also have a pleasant minute-to-minute time reading beautiful prose I wouldn’t recommend this.

]]> By: Smee http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-35652 Smee Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:21:22 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-35652 Just finished it, am seriously depressed. Thanks, I guess. Just finished it, am seriously depressed. Thanks, I guess.

]]> By: Dracko http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-35629 Dracko Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:20:23 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-35629 Try the shorter games first, perhaps. I find IF can work at its best in short quarter of an hour doses. The main issue with IF is that it takes some time to get into, especially if not written properly. <a href="http://www.inform-fiction.org/I7/" rel="nofollow">Inform 7</a> elegantly tries to make writing IF natural, but it's still clearly a work in progress. Try the shorter games first, perhaps. I find IF can work at its best in short quarter of an hour doses. The main issue with IF is that it takes some time to get into, especially if not written properly. Inform 7 elegantly tries to make writing IF natural, but it’s still clearly a work in progress.

]]> By: mrrobsa http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/03/31/photopia/comment-page-1/#comment-35622 mrrobsa Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:06:54 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1440#comment-35622 Really did not enjoy. Was like reading a book where every twenty words the author stops to ask 'Guess what word I'm thinking of now!', 'Ermm...shovel?', 'Wrong it was pickaxe!'. Listing this as interactive is an oversell, I was given next to no choices, and the ones I did get to make made no difference to anything. Some of the emotive language seemed a little heavy handed too, and I found it hard to build any attachment to anything in the story because half the time I didn't know who I was, or what my relationship to anyone else was. If I ever did start to figure out who I was- PRESTO-CHANGE-O now I'm someone else. Also did not like maze escape. Sorry for sounding like a whinging bastard. I do have a heart. Promise. Really did not enjoy. Was like reading a book where every twenty words the author stops to ask ‘Guess what word I’m thinking of now!’, ‘Ermm…shovel?’, ‘Wrong it was pickaxe!’.
Listing this as interactive is an oversell, I was given next to no choices, and the ones I did get to make made no difference to anything.
Some of the emotive language seemed a little heavy handed too, and I found it hard to build any attachment to anything in the story because half the time I didn’t know who I was, or what my relationship to anyone else was. If I ever did start to figure out who I was- PRESTO-CHANGE-O now I’m someone else.
Also did not like maze escape.
Sorry for sounding like a whinging bastard. I do have a heart. Promise.

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