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Re: Let's Play Sierra Games - Codename: Iceman
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2022 11:46 pm
by Tawmis
notbobsmith wrote: ↑Mon Oct 17, 2022 11:28 pm
Tawmis wrote: ↑Sun Oct 16, 2022 10:36 pm
Also - according to a walk through I found (after beating the game, I always look to see what I missed - especially since I missed 40 points here!) -
It says that whole repair of the missile and stuff isn't mandatory. It's there for points?
Has anyone ever confirmed that?
If so it makes adding that whole drilling area kind of weird.
My first playthrough, I made the repairs, so I can't confirm. It would be cruel and bad game design to make your weapons malfunction later in the game because you failed to do this. In other words, it would be totally possible for Codename: Iceman to do just that.
It feels like exactly what Codename: Iceman would do... because you have time to walk around.
Re: Let's Play Sierra Games - Codename: Iceman
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 4:16 pm
by DeadPoolX
notbobsmith wrote: ↑Mon Oct 17, 2022 11:28 pm
My first playthrough, I made the repairs, so I can't confirm. It would be cruel and bad game design to make your weapons malfunction later in the game because you failed to do this. In other words, it would be totally possible for Codename: Iceman to do just that.
Reminds of something that happens in Police Quest 2. At some point an
explosion knocks your gun's alignment off, but you don't know this at the time. Despite not knowing it, you're expected to go to the
police shooting range and re-adjust your gun's sights. If you don't, later in the game when
the plane you're on is hijacked by terrorists, you can't shoot and hit them, so you die in a "no-win scenario" where you have no idea what went wrong.
The first time that happened to me years ago, I was incredibly annoyed, especially since I'd saved over a bunch of earlier saves. Fortunately, the save I needed to go back to hadn't been overwritten yet, but if it had, I would've needed to start the entire game over.
Yes, I know I could've set up different folders and directories for saves (I was probably 10 or so when I first played it so doing that didn't occur to me), but that's missing the point. A dead-end scenario where the player has NO IDEA he's supposed to correct or do something AND has NO IDEA what even went wrong is simply terrible game design.
Re: Let's Play Sierra Games - Codename: Iceman
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 5:14 pm
by Rath Darkblade
Hmm ... I haven't played LB1 and KQ7 yet (they're on my list...) so, I thought I'd ask: are there any moments like that in those games? *curious*
Re: Let's Play Sierra Games - Codename: Iceman
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 10:40 pm
by notbobsmith
DeadPoolX wrote: ↑Tue Oct 18, 2022 4:16 pm
notbobsmith wrote: ↑Mon Oct 17, 2022 11:28 pm
My first playthrough, I made the repairs, so I can't confirm. It would be cruel and bad game design to make your weapons malfunction later in the game because you failed to do this. In other words, it would be totally possible for Codename: Iceman to do just that.
Reminds of something that happens in Police Quest 2. At some point an
explosion knocks your gun's alignment off, but you don't know this at the time. Despite not knowing it, you're expected to go to the
police shooting range and re-adjust your gun's sights. If you don't, later in the game when
the plane you're on is hijacked by terrorists, you can't shoot and hit them, so you die in a "no-win scenario" where you have no idea what went wrong.
The first time that happened to me years ago, I was incredibly annoyed, especially since I'd saved over a bunch of earlier saves. Fortunately, the save I needed to go back to hadn't been overwritten yet, but if it had, I would've needed to start the entire game over.
Yes, I know I could've set up different folders and directories for saves (I was probably 10 or so when I first played it so doing that didn't occur to me), but that's missing the point. A dead-end scenario where the player has NO IDEA he's supposed to correct or do something AND has NO IDEA what even went wrong is simply terrible game design.
Ah yes. That is a bad bit of design. I don't think I experience this because I first played bits of the game at a friends house and was already spoiled. For me it was the bridge in KQ2. I had no idea when I made the mistake so restoring was pretty much useless. I had to start over.
Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Tue Oct 18, 2022 5:14 pm
Hmm ... I haven't played LB1 and KQ7 yet (they're on my list...) so, I thought I'd ask: are there any moments like that in those games? *curious*
I don't think so. By KQ7, most games had figured out not to do things like this. LB1 is... odd as far as adventure games are concerned. You technically don't even need to do anything.
Re: Let's Play Sierra Games - Codename: Iceman
Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2022 4:11 am
by Rath Darkblade
notbobsmith wrote: ↑Tue Oct 18, 2022 10:40 pm
LB1 is... odd as far as adventure games are concerned. You technically don't even need to do anything.
You don't? But if you do nothing, the game doesn't progress, does it?
I thought that in the LB games, like in GK3, you need to do certain things within a time period. Right? That's what LB2 was like.
Re: Let's Play Sierra Games - Codename: Iceman
Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:07 pm
by Tawmis
Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Wed Oct 19, 2022 4:11 am
notbobsmith wrote: ↑Tue Oct 18, 2022 10:40 pm
LB1 is... odd as far as adventure games are concerned. You technically don't even need to do anything.
You don't? But if you do nothing, the game doesn't progress, does it?
It does. All you need to see is the dead bodies; and you can keep triggering those without really doing much else, from what I remember.
I think the only thing you need to figure out is the hidden section in the garden to see the hidden bodies.
I think otherwise if you wait and wander around and see various convos - people will start dropping.
And technically, up to the secret garden part, you don't need to do much.
Re: Let's Play Sierra Games - Codename: Iceman
Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 5:17 pm
by Rath Darkblade
Tawmis wrote: ↑Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:07 pm
...technically, up to the secret garden part, you don't need to do much.
What, not even pick up inventory objects? Or listen to Colonel Dijon explain the plot?
Re: Let's Play Sierra Games - Codename: Iceman
Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:00 pm
by Tawmis
Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Thu Oct 20, 2022 5:17 pm
Tawmis wrote: ↑Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:07 pm
...technically, up to the secret garden part, you don't need to do much.
What, not even pick up inventory objects? Or listen to Colonel Dijon explain the plot?
You literally just need to walk around the house and pick up conversations to keep the clock moving to the end, from what I remember.
This is why in my
play through sometimes I'd stumble into two people talking and the time would move forward; and I'd restore, because there might be more to see or better conversations to overhear.
Re: Let's Play Sierra Games - Codename: Iceman
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2022 12:26 pm
by Semi-Happy Partygoer
It’s true, The Colonel’s Bequest technically can’t be made unwinnable. At no point will Laura be in a position where she can’t view one of the necessary time-jump events. If you just have her repeatedly enter the right rooms as the proper moments, you can breeze to the end of the game very fast without having experienced any of the plot.
Of course, you’ll be punished with a very low score, and certain optional side quests can be permanently missed if the right actions aren’t performed in time.