Monday, January 4, 2010

Returning New

Welcome back everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the new year. The office is back up and running. Everyone has returned and begun clearing the cobwebs off of their desks. ^.~ It's back to production on the ND universe.

We've begun the year with meetings -.- That's how it always goes, discussing the daring adventures of Ms. Drew and where we might take her during this annual trip around the sun. How about we start off in much the same manner. Often times we ask you where you'd like to see Nancy Drew solve her next case but I think there's another excellent question we discuss here in the office that I don't usually bring up...

What's your favorite kind of case to solve?


Is it haunted mysteries, filled with scares and masked marauders? Or perhaps kidnappings and ransoms, with the criminal element keeping the suspense high by hiding in plain site. If I had to guess, I'm going to say that historical mysteries rank very highly on many of your lists, an exhilarating treasure hunt that explores the unsolved secrets of the world would be any detective's dream. But hey, I could be wrong. Whatever your taste, I'd love to hear about it. ^.^

So far we've had a good start to the new decade, I'm excited to see how it plays out. Till then!

- Novel -

20 comments:

Kelly Anne said...

I'd definitely say the historic mysteries, although I did love following a trail left by someone still living in Danger on Deception Island. I guess the biggest thing is the setting. I do love spooky.

Firewing3333 said...

I would definitely agree with historical cases. There's also something addicting about mysteries like Blue Moon Canyon, but I can't put my finger on why...

Anonymous said...

like you said, historical is one of the best, but I like the haunting ones, too. Almost any mystery is good as long as it has a good heart pounding end!

Anonymous said...

I like a mix of haunted and something like WAC. [:

Anonymous said...

How about a haunted historical kidnapping? =D

Anonymous said...

NO NO NO! Sorry, not yelling but, NO MORE TREASURES!!! I'm sick and tired of those. Lets count how many ND games have had treasures: MHM, TRT, DOG, CAR, SHA, CUR, TRN, ICE, CRY, RAN, WAC. That's HALF of the ND games. And notice only historical, kidnapping, and hauntings were mentioned. We've had plenty of all of these. We want real mysteries! In my opinion, only SCK, STFD, and FIN had real mysteries. Murder, death threats, and a kidnapping not involving a treasure. I want another murder. I want more death threats sent by a crazy pyscopath. And when I say death threats, not ''Go back to France" Sent by a black cat. I want something like poisoned chocolates and a broken watch. We want bombs. Real things. If Nancy was a real detective, as she supposedly is, every other mystery wouldn't revolve around finding a treasure! She would solve real mysteries, like murders, and death threats! No more ghosts either! We've had let's see: MHM, DOG, CAR, SHA, HAU. That's plenty. How many murders have we had? SCK. How many REAL death threats? STFD. Bring this back HER. Bring back the real mysteries.

Anonymous said...

I like a mixture of spooky, and historical games. It's fun to play a game that send chills down your spine.

Anonymous said...

Any mystery that has a strong and believable plot line, WITHOUT treasure; she's not a fortune hunter.

Novel_Sleuth said...

I'm quite pleased to hear the response, particularly in the field of "less treasure." I'd like to see a return to a more dangerous style of mystery, but for us that's a hard decision. Murder, while a very present plot of detective stories, often doesn't fit within our current ND universe. (SCK does prove that it is a possibility however.) There are good alternatives, think CRY. Many of you also seem to convey a thematic element as well which does certainly affect the outcome of the plot. It'll be interesting to see what you think of TOT and ND23. I have a feeling that the two games will be worlds apart in these areas! ^.~

- Novel -

Anonymous said...

I agree with the no treasure. I also agree with the real mysteries like murder and threats. I also think that more content would be better. "Warnings at Waverly Academy" was really short and didn't have much content. I'd prefer more puzzles like the older games, and I would also like the in-game hints that you had in the first two games. Why did you guys get rid of that? I'd prefer more games like "Curse of Blackmoor Manor." Those puzzles were great, the scares were there, but it did involve a treasure. Murder can be a bit gory, but you used to make these games for 10 and up. It seems to me that you guys have watered down the product to make it more acceptable to younger children, but there is nothing more directed to older children and teens. You have the dossier series for the younger ones, couldn't the adventure series be a little bit older? And no more history lessons!

Anonymous said...

I don't see how murder doesn't fit in the ND universe since many of the books have murder in them, particularly the files. Also, CRY has a treasure. Its a treasure hunt! Finding the skull, so novel i don't know how you can say CRY is a good alternative when its exactly what we don't want anymore! Bring back the old stuff. Murders and death threats. If you don't, the treasure thing will get old quick. Actually, it has already! You will lose your old fans, age and time they've played HER games, if you don't give us the good, solid, dangerous mysteries that we ask for.

Novel_Sleuth said...

I'm quite pleased at the continuation of the discussion, as always you've given us many things to consider. I believe in my post I stated that murder had become "dissociated" with the ND universe, in this case, I meant HI's ND universe. Though perhaps this is part of the issue; that we've created a sort of schism between the "books" and the "games." Also I intended for CRY to serve as an alternative to murder schemes, not necessarily as a good meter for plot novelty (though it is one that I very much like.)

One of the many things we often discuss in the office is the content of the game and its intended audience. The games have been somewhat diluted compared to the originals. Part of that is reaction to commentary (fan-based and society-based,) some from the regulations of the ND brand, and some from the ESRB (as we tend to shoot for an E rating [it's about accessibility, not necessarily creating content for a younger audience.]) We have to balance these and try to maintain a consistent level of quality to you. The other challenge is trying to keep our games suited for fans as they grow older. Hopefully we'll continue to strive for improvement and that we can maintain our promise of quality, integrity, and most important of all, fun!

As a side note, did you know that the Dossier Series was originally intended for an older audience (~30s)? Part of the equation was to actually make the games easier! Crazy huh?

Thanks for the comments!
- Novel -

Shorty12 said...

Ok! so what about an african safari mystery!!!

Kaitie said...

I certainly agree with the 'No More Treasure!' thing. I mean, a treasure hunt is fine every now and then, [look at how successful SHA was!] but I personally do think you're pushing it a bit far. I, myself, much prefer hauntings/kidnappings/threats. I'm not asking for a gory murder mystery, but rather something that will appeal to slightly older audiences[say for example, 14-18] while still maintaining appropriateness for an 'E' rating. This doesn't mean you have to use a safe & sound treasure hunt or "sabotaged equipment" for a plot, you could dive much deeper! Even if you were to use these for plots, there is just SO much you could do with it. Add more of a sense of danger, like something terrible could happen at any moment, or a major plot twist! The possibilities are endless. :)
Also, another thing, is the puzzles. Honestly, I would much rather deal with a typical jigsaw puzzle, or a [normal] slider, than trying to figure out all of these new, modern ones.
As far as the amount, I liked in the older games, where there were anywhere between 4 and 10 puzzles per game. [uh - I'm not a huge puzzle person] Lengthening a game can be done in different ways, instead of just cramming it with puzzles. Add more adventure! More sleuthing & snooping! More secret passageways! Oooh, there's a good point - more secret passageways! The last time I recall there ever being a real, true secret passageway that we could explore, was CLK. [which, upon the release of TOT, will have been 10 games ago!]
Oh-kayyy, lecture over. x) Just giving you some more to think about!

Anonymous said...

My favorite ND games are the ones that involve more than one location, such as Danger on Deception Island or Phantom of Venice. Understanding that you must aim for that E rating, I think that somewhere in the future it would be a great idea to develop a new ND series aimed towards adults who are seeking a much more difficult challenge (not that ND games are easy by any means!) in addition to the current series'. Considering that Secrets Can Kill was released over a decade ago, the original ND game fans are somewhere in their twenties (or more) and are ready for more intense content. I'm not talking blood and gore or anything, just perhaps a more complex plot with more dangerous events to have a rating of no higher than T.

So, to answer the question, I like to solve cases that involve settings that are unique and fresh (no more snowy areas, foreign countries are always great), require the player to interact with the other characters often to advance the story (meaningfully of course), and that force the player to use the knowledge they acquired from earlier in the game in order to complete puzzles etc. I tend to enjoy the games that take longer periods of time to complete.

Victoria said...

I agree with a previous post...more secret passageways! I've always favored the games like Message in a Haunted Mansion and Curse of Blackmoor Manor. I have been playing these games since the very first came out (I believe on Win 98), and been addicted ever since! Unfortunatly both my sister and I have been a bit dissappointed in the reacent games that have been out. WAC was a step in the right direction though; the story and setting had a good looming feel to it, that had you wondering what was waiting for you around ever turn. But in the end there wasn't really any scenes in which the computer takes over and something interesting happens. The puzzles of the game were actually pretty good also. Many of the recent games' puzzles, before it, have been too inticate and actually bore on, and were un-enjoyable. So try to avoid putting those in the new ones. No matter what though, I will never get too old for these games. Already about to hit 21, and still looking to pick these up at the store as soon as they are released. Keep them coming!

Anonymous said...

Well I for one have loved all the games so far.
I had some new ideas. What if Nancy were on a cruise and someone wanted to sink the ship, or even take it over and become captain.
Or what if they got ship wrecked?

Also maybe have one where they are camping for a week battling the elements.
Or maybe one where there on a safari.....
I think that would be a lot of fun.

Anonymous said...

I would like to suggest that you look to the original Nancy Drew books.
I mean theres hundreds of good ND books.
You did do that some what with Secret of the Old Clock, and Secret of Shadow Ranch.
But maybe try some more and try to as much as possible stick to the "original" story line of the book, and try to fit in as much of the book as possible.
And hey if you did that it would help you lengthen the game too.

wodedrawling said...

The ability to skip through a conversation would be nice, because sometimes there are people in the room who don't like the sound, etc. and then I read the dialogue (very handy). However, I often finish reading before the characters are done talking and I wonder when they'll be done. Plus, some conversations they have continue on automatically and if I walked away while they finish that bit of dialogue, I might miss something important.

Rachel said...

I've sat here writing and rewriting my comment, and can't seem to find a way to say what I want, graciously or succinctly. :) So here goes, and I'm really sorry if I step on anyone's toes, or come across too strongly. :)

Personally, I don't want more 'scary' games, not if they're like Crystal Skull. However, I love the suspense and intrigue, like we got a taste of in Phantom of Venice. I also love the history, like Treasure in the Royal Tower, or Curse of the Scarlet Hand. And I love puzzles! Ransom of the Seven Ships was an excellent game for that. But then Warnings at Waverly Academy was just plain boring. Not enough plot, few puzzles, and too much waiting around for the time to go by, imo.

I don't play these games to be scared, to waste time, or to do something easy for a feeling of accomplishment. I play them to learn, to have my brain stretched in new and interesting ways, and to have fun! One of the things that I loved as a kid about the books was that I got to learn about a whole bunch of new places and things. For a number of years, whenever I would come out with a strange piece of information, whether it was historical, scientific, or just plain random, and my mom would just look at me and laugh, I could almost always trace it back to a Nancy Drew book. Please don't lose that in the new games!

May God bless you. :)