My Gold Rush playthrough

[Tawmis]

I did encounter some random deaths along the way. [snip] I'm not sure I how feel about this from a game design standpoint. On one hand, death being random *is* the point. And they do make it clear that these events just happen. Just try again. I'm just not sure how the intended audience might see this, especially if they've played other Sierra games. "I died. I must've done something wrong."

I played Gold Rush when it first came out (and by then was already experienced with other Sierra games) - and I never thought that I had done something wrong. I think because the game gives you a hint of you died "incorrectly" vs "random." Say, you forget to buy something and go into a place later on, and something happens. It will say, "Hey, only if you had a way to protect your face." Rather than you walking, and simply dying of a disease.

Another little oddity. Sometimes text ends up on the bottom of the screen instead of in a box. I've seen text placed there in other games so it doesn't look completely out of place, but not this frequently. Was this and the "period" thing I mentioned earlier always in the game, or did it crop up when the developers rereleased it?

Grab a screen shot next time it happens? So I can see what you mean.

[Collector]

BBP, that bug only occurs in the cracked abandonware version. There is a CP patch by HWM that does not cause it. Also, v3.0 of the game has no CP.

[Rath Darkblade]

How often can you save in this game? Can you save at any point (e.g. while you're the trail), or can you only save when you're in a town?

[notbobsmith]

How often can you save in this game? Can you save at any point (e.g. while you're the trail), or can you only save when you're in a town?

I didn't think of that. I tried just now and you can save while on the trail. I just thought of it as a cutscene and assumed you couldn't save. That would have saved me a little trouble.

The first three images are examples of the "phantom period". The last two have text that I think belong in a text box but end up at the bottom of the screen. I could be wrong about this being an error.

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[Tawmis]

So, yes, I have seen the phantom "." before - and the text at the bottom - the one with the wagon, is normal.

I can't remember if the mailroom one is normal...

[Tawmis]

Confirmed the phantom "." is there in the Sierra version; couldn't get the text to display at the bottom on the Sierra one for the Postal Office.
In yours where it says "So sorry..." is he talking about "So sorry there's nothing in your mailbox?"
Because I don't see him saying "So sorry..." He says something else. But maybe that dialog is from something else?

[BBP]

I have that with my copy, except since there was a letter straight away I had the text "Fantastic!" in black. At the death scenes I can appreciate it since this text doesn't disappear when you press enter.

[Tawmis]

I have that with my copy, except since there was a letter straight away I had the text "Fantastic!" in black.

You had a letter even though you went straight to the Postal Office (not even going in the house and such?)

[BBP]

No, I just meant the letter was there when I entered the post office.

[Tawmis]

I can also verify that in the remake by "The Software Farm" - the "." is there.

[notbobsmith]

Confirmed the phantom "." is there in the Sierra version; couldn't get the text to display at the bottom on the Sierra one for the Postal Office.
In yours where it says "So sorry..." is he talking about "So sorry there's nothing in your mailbox?"
Because I don't see him saying "So sorry..." He says something else. But maybe that dialog is from something else?

I can also verify that in the remake by "The Software Farm" - the "." is there.

My version is the remake (reissue?) from "The Software Farm." So the period is there in the original version. Interesting. I was thinking that perhaps it was a tiny bug that crept in when they were removing all of the references to Sierra.

The scene in the post office is after I already have the letter. The postman says "Nothing in your mailbox, Jerrod." then the "So sorry..." appears at the bottom. It's accompanied by the first few notes of Beethoven's 5th.

[Collector]

I can also verify that in the remake by "The Software Farm" - the "." is there.

It is not a remake. It is just a re-release by the authors and copyright owners, the MacNeill brothers. The Software Farm is theirs. They just replaced the Sierra logo with their own and removed the copy protection for version three. Like the Manhunter games it was developed out of house using the Sierra AGI tools, but originally published by Sierra.

[notbobsmith]

A teeny bit stuck at the moment. I'm trying to get a mule from the corral without ending up hanged, which is one of the more amusing deaths that I've seen. I don't think I've encounter other Sierra deaths where you can still control the character a little. "Any last words?" is just begging for abuse. Anyway, I have the branding iron from the blacksmith and I found the mule with the same brand. I just want to tell the mule guy "Hey, this is my brother's mule. I have the brand.", but nothing I do seems to let me do that or get any indication of what he wants. So I thought I was missing something so I went to the town, found the hotel, found the room, sent the picture with the bird and was told... to use the mule to find the brother. I feel like I'm missing something simple.

[Tawmis]

O'Father who art in Heaven, have you checked for any grave mistakes?

(If I remember correctly my subtle clue might be what you're missing)...

[BBP]

There's one item that you're missing - and once you get it you might want to use F5 a lot more. Remember your conversation with the Sutter's Ford guard?

Considering you've made it to room 12 the stuff Tawm's hinting you to is already past you.