unforum

redct · Entrenched Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 1233

What do you look for in an ARG?

**Posted:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:02 pm

xnbomb

Re: What do you look for in an ARG?

**Posted:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:48 pm

_________________
My location is a little tricky, but sooner or later, you'll get the knack.

{J302B S8JDC, 8996N M8L4W, 92D40 Q1JX5, 4PPRN R2B97, 8DC7C NZJNV, 8CH7V Q891H}

redct · Entrenched Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 1233

Re: What do you look for in an ARG?

**Posted:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:36 pm

Rogi Ocnorb

I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potato.
Seriously, I'm pretty much onboard with xnbomb. I check the new stuff over pretty well and see where it goes. I'd like to see more techno/spy/sci-fi and less mystical/fantasy. But that's just me.
Biggest turn-offs:
PMs who disrespect their players.(Or don't acknowledge their errors and work to rectify misdirection caused by them).
Games where it feels like I have no way to impact the story.

**Posted:** Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:39 am

_________________
I'm telling you now, so you can't say, "Oh, I didn't know...Nobody told me!"

catherwood

since you asked...

I don't like trailheads at all. I much prefer a rabbithole. What's the difference -- to me -- you might ask?

A trailhead looks like a deliberate attempt to grab my attention, usually with a puzzle, and starts me down a narrow trail of more puzzles; a trail is a linear path, which may or may not branch. A trailhead says, "here is the beginning of a game and/or story, start here then proceed to the next station."

A rabbithole is something one might stumble upon, but definitely fall down. It leads to a cavern, wide and deep, which can be explored in a non-linear fashion. There has to be a pre-existing world on the other side of a rabbithole, like Alice's looking glass too, with evidence of a past. I want to have the option of poking around like an archaeologist, looking for clues to who lives/lived there and what they did.

Well, you get the idea, i hope.

**Posted:** Sat Sep 22, 2007 11:24 am

_________________
meh. whatever.

Rekidk

I'm not going to get into specifics, but one thing I like is evidence of a universe. At the beginning, there should be something to explore--but not too much. I don't like being overwhelmed, but I like to explore. If there is something to explore at the beginning which later expands into a big universe, IMO that's better than having the whole universe thrown at you right at the beginning.

There must be a balance between 'not enough information' and 'too much information,' especially when you start thinking about your casual audience.

Also, poor grammar is a major turn-off for players. Please, please, please proofread the first thing you let players see. Silly mistakes tend to indicate a lack of concern for the game (and by extension, the audience).

**Posted:** Sat Sep 22, 2007 4:01 pm

_________________
iTube - iTweet - iNetwork

Boy Blue · Boot Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 21

To chime in with my two cents:

Well researched stories are the hook for me (and probably most of the community). A premise that shows promise and hints at numberous possibilities as to where that premise may lead to. As for puzzles, I enjoy something that actually makes sense to the story; something that fits in with what the character does or what is occurring. One example is a scene in Blade Runner where Deckard is analyzing the photos he finds in an apartment and from zooming in on a mirror discovers another suspect. Not complex, but clever and opens up a new avenue in the story.

Ingenuity to how the PMs react to their players is also a great thing to have along with constingency plans for when things go wrong or when players take things in a completely unexpected direction. Smile

**Posted:** Sat Sep 22, 2007 5:53 pm

promethean

Just chiming in agreement with everyone

1) I don't like puzzle trails. Puzzle after puzzle after puzzle, all I'm thinking is, in the context of the story, who put these here? why do they want anyone poking around? Why this level of puzzle solving skills? Of course in the end we rarely find out, and if the journey's good you don't mind a bumpy start, but for me at least, i'd be more likely to go somewhere else if a trailhead was another sub cypher.

2) As someone said, moderation of information is the key. The main problem I find is overload rather than underload. Dropping us in the deep end means we probably have a wealth of characters, their relationships, and events, all occuring simultaneously. This seems like a great idea to you, who knows these men and their histories inside out, but to a newcomer it can be daunting. Have a few fresh beta-testers to throw your trailhead at and see if it sticks, I'm sure some of the more veteran unfs will cast a beady eye over it.

So my perfect trailhead would focus in on one person or event, before the main ARG starts to dilate this, pulling out like a microscope to reveal the big pattern. Start with the nucleus, then hit us with the beauty of a whole cell.

3) Professionalism. God, make your trailhead pretty. Folk will fuss and fuss over big nothings like the trailer for the roleplaying game and Cloverfield just because they look and sound great. If you can capture the amateur spirit and imagination with quality design and effort then you've got them for the ride.

It's not easy

**Posted:** Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:26 am

Shiningfist · Unfettered Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 316

Well, in my ARGs I like to see thousands of twists and turns, and unexpected deaths and stuff like that. I want a storyline wit ha lot of characters and plenty of interaction. But interaction being my main thing. I like the feeling of talking to a character, and knowing that by doing this you have the fate of a fictional world all in your hands. Its one of the greatest feelings for me, and that is what really got me into ARGS. My first game being Iris, because i got all hyped over the AdjutantReflex fiasco. But anyways, yeah. I enjoy talking to characters, I enjoy making relationships with them, so it makes it all the worse when they die to make the bad guy harder to fight and make the puzzles more difficult. But as for genre. I would really like to stop seeing paranormal/freaky/horror ARGs. Such as SilverLadder, The Human Pet, Eldritch Errors (although i am a Lovecraft fan), and Bristal Goodman. I would really like to see more games that are more on the sci fi mystery or government conspiracy side. I'm kind of a sci-fi guy. Even though I'm becoming slightly opposed to the weird/horror games, I am enjoying Tom Tooman. But anyways, yeah. I like to see more interaction, storyline, and character development in ARGs, then puzzles, and creepiness. So there's my 2 cents for ya. I hope that answered your "marketing research".

**Posted:** Thu Sep 27, 2007 8:40 pm

vpisteve

I look for a hot nerdy brunette chick whose first name begins with the letter L, who needs our help. But then, I'm a creature of habit.

Mr. Green

**Posted:** Fri Sep 28, 2007 12:11 am

_________________
Making the world a better place, one less mime at a time.

konamouse

He's secretly in love with LOKI.

**Posted:** Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:02 am

_________________
'squeek'
r u a Sammeeeee? I am Forever!