The Graveyard
Geminosity
:3 Join Date: 2003-09-08 Member: 20667Members
:3 Join Date: 2003-09-08 Member: 20667Members
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">too high art for you :p</div>I'm guessing some of you will have heard of it but for those who haven't you might be interested by a recent... uh... 'Game' released by Tale of Tales.
It's called 'The Graveyard'.
<a href="http://tale-of-tales.com/TheGraveyard/" target="_blank">http://tale-of-tales.com/TheGraveyard/</a>
I won't say anything as half the fun with these things is finding out their nuances yourself :p
Long story short though Tale of Tales have released this as an 'art' game and have made a lengthy Post Mortem on Gama Sutra about it:
<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3865/postmortem_tale_of_tales_the_.php" target="_blank">http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3865..._tales_the_.php</a>
The highlight being:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->"Overall, the reactions to the game (gathered from the articles, their comments sections and personal messages), fall into three categories.
Of course there is the expected response of the typical gamers whose desire for zombies whenever they see a cemetery is apparently insatiable. They tended to describe The Graveyard as "boring". Of course.
A little bit up the ladder of human civilisation, we find the people who were turned on by the idea but turned off by the actual experience. They were "disappointed". From what we can see, this was either caused by a failure on our part to maximize the qualities of the game or by certain expectations coming from the player.
Despite the fact that games are supposed to be interactive, many gamers still seem to be incredibly passive when it comes to the meaning of their entertainment. They expect to be spoonfed and don't seem to have any experience with literature, modern theater or fine art (or even art films) which require active participation, not just of thumbs and index fingers but also of heart and brain.
A final type of response was the simply "delighted" one. These people really enjoyed the game. And/or they were happy to see the experimentation that we're doing with the medium."<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Most intriguingly you can pay $5 for the full version in which the only difference is that the old lady might die. Kinda morbid huh?
It's called 'The Graveyard'.
<a href="http://tale-of-tales.com/TheGraveyard/" target="_blank">http://tale-of-tales.com/TheGraveyard/</a>
I won't say anything as half the fun with these things is finding out their nuances yourself :p
Long story short though Tale of Tales have released this as an 'art' game and have made a lengthy Post Mortem on Gama Sutra about it:
<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3865/postmortem_tale_of_tales_the_.php" target="_blank">http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3865..._tales_the_.php</a>
The highlight being:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->"Overall, the reactions to the game (gathered from the articles, their comments sections and personal messages), fall into three categories.
Of course there is the expected response of the typical gamers whose desire for zombies whenever they see a cemetery is apparently insatiable. They tended to describe The Graveyard as "boring". Of course.
A little bit up the ladder of human civilisation, we find the people who were turned on by the idea but turned off by the actual experience. They were "disappointed". From what we can see, this was either caused by a failure on our part to maximize the qualities of the game or by certain expectations coming from the player.
Despite the fact that games are supposed to be interactive, many gamers still seem to be incredibly passive when it comes to the meaning of their entertainment. They expect to be spoonfed and don't seem to have any experience with literature, modern theater or fine art (or even art films) which require active participation, not just of thumbs and index fingers but also of heart and brain.
A final type of response was the simply "delighted" one. These people really enjoyed the game. And/or they were happy to see the experimentation that we're doing with the medium."<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Most intriguingly you can pay $5 for the full version in which the only difference is that the old lady might die. Kinda morbid huh?
Comments
Also, yeah what lolf said. Their quotes in the post mortem makes them sound ass hattish.
The game is indeed not really a game, <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>it does give you an insight into what its like to be that age and see all your relatives and friends die around you, resulting in your world becomming ever smaller with each person who passes away.</span> Nothing much more to say about it though...
Truthfully I thought this thing was a failure. The control (getting the old lady to sit, being able to walk off camera, etc) get in the way of immersion/the message. The Lady herself has no emotional expression. The song is a discordant mess to my ears.
I've been reading various discussions on it all over the net and while most people don't seem impressed (I don't blame them) there are one or two who find deeper meaning in it and maybe even praise it. I have no idea how <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
I understand what they were trying to do but I really feel they missed the boat. The piece I quoted is their defence but quite frankly I've always believed that name-calling the audience is a poor show.
Some credit is due though as the audio is pretty darn good :3
It's always fun to see what people make of it though...
That's because you're not artsy enough. Climb to a higher rung on the "ladder of human civilization" and try again!
If I didn't play games, I never would have thought to even try this...
Even though I do play games, and did think to try that, it didn't work, and I decided that while it was a good idea to try, wasn't the correct solution.
My synopsis:
Boring "game"<!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--> (1)<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->, bad control<!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--> (2)<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->, bad camera<!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--> (3)<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->...
Their attempt at making this into a game got in the way of getting across any message.
<!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->
1. lets walk at a granny-pace up to a bench. yay.
2. lets walk like a granny and then not actually let them sit down
3. if they do anything else, make the camera freak out so they have a very hard time getting back "in bounds" due to bad control
4. Charge $5 to give players the ability to end their suffering (and kill themselves)
5. Profit!
<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Walk to a bench at granny pace as Psyke described then sit on that bench, which is triggered automaticly and can only happen if granny is a correct location/position (doesn't work very well). Then you wait for a song/dialogue to start playing, telling a sad story about the people who RIP. After that you get up and walk out of the cemetary...
I was bored and spiced it up a bit with some fitting music:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8zFyROi9_g&eurl=http://www.existence-unknown.com/news/_article/tale-of-tales-the-gaveyard.html" target="_blank"><!--coloro:#000000--><span style="color:#000000"><!--/coloro-->Youtube link<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--></a>
That is the whole game, unless you get the full version. Then you get the possibility that granny dies and this probably happens when she is sitting on the bench...</span>
Keeping that in mind, here's what your $5 buys you for the curious :p
<a href="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ocY1ei5lAog" target="_blank">http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ocY1ei5lAog</a>
I think calling it 'The Bench', or 'The Walk' would have been better, as it would then at least offer some kind of goal or intent for the player. 'The Graveyard' is a bit...well...dur.
What bothered me was that this was aiming to provide a greater level of experience through a game-style environment, yet the animation was repetetive and the experience just somewhat lacking due to that and other little things, such as birds landing halfway up a gravestone in mid-air. The lady is really what the game is all about, so more attention to her should have been paid rather than making the graveyard all pretty with cloud shadows and birds flying across the screen. <b><!--coloro:red--><span style="color:red"><!--/coloro-->*update*<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--></b> I just played again, and actually she walks smoothly for the first 5 steps or so, then starts hobbling unless you stop and rest before carrying on, where she walks smoothly for another 5 steps. This is good, I like this, though I did not notice the first time playing and assumed the hobbling walk was her normal one, so gameplay wise that is a fail.
The paths leading off the side are frustrating because she can walk down them but the game does not help the player do this, and actually fights it due to the fixed camera.
Lastly is that the player interaction with the game is completely bollocks. Hold W to walk forward... press A or D to turn around....press W to walk back out again. Okay, this is a natural control system to be used...but if I am to try and get into the experience of the lady, perhaps a repeated combination of keys could be used to simulate the mental requirements for walking. For example, press W and A in succession for the left foot and cane, then F for the right foot, and repeat. This at least requires some mental input from the player (although explaining this mechanic would briefly detract from the 'art').
I guess what I am getting at with that idea is that it is not a game at all unless the player is required to interact with it in a manner that requires actual thought (holding down W being the main mechanic of the game does not qualify).
The hobbling thing was good. They should have made it so that you have to take rests on the way to the bench, if this hobbling was meant to indicate that she has trouble walking for distances. That would at introduced at least an element of game into it, and made the acomplishment of reaching the bench more pronounced.
<b>So my conclusion is that I admire the intent, and I think the execution is okay but nothing special, possibly because the creator(s) got too caught up in the high-art bollocks to actually consider ways to really make it a compelling experience.</b> (bolded for those who won't read my lengthy spasm of a review)
Damn, I just posted this and realised that I have written more than twice what anyone else has.
You know, that statement holds no ground without comic book guy's seal of approval!