Ideas for interesting articles?

[red_avatar]

Everyone is invited to throw some ideas into this topic.
My ideas:

A VERSUS article (already written one) where a modern and an old game are put side to side. Compare the two, explain what made the old game so good, check to see how the modern game has changed (in approach, not just the technological improvements), etc.

A "longplay" article where someone writes about his/her experiences with a favorite game which (s)he has played for a long time. (This was actually an old idea of mine that inspired a similar article in PC Gamer UK magazine - seems all my complaining to them that they needed some retro content paid off :p ). In any case, it would be perfect for AT.

Interviews: this will be harder and take more work but we *could* hunt down developers of old games. Since I bet a lot of these old developers have pursued other jobs since then, it might be possible to hunt them down. We don't have to go for the big guns like Ron Gilbert or Romero but we can go for the underdog developers. Al Lowe for example. This would simply mean sending them a list of questions for them to answer.

A retro hardware article: this is an interesting bit. Hardware has changed so much since then and it would be nice to write about the changes. For example, compare CGA to VGA/SVGA (with plenty of screenshots) and about what changes it's brought about. Or about soundcards - from PC speaker to Adlib to Sound Blaster. Or even monitors, printers, mice, keyboards, CD drives, floppy drives, etc. Not just the boring technical side but especially the human side: stories about your first sound card, about when you first used a mouse, etc.

Funny screenshots: Well it's obvious: make or find funny moments in games or write captions for screenshots.

Any more ideas? Shoot!

[Tomekk]

Statistics about Abandonia: How many posts have been in the chatbox or the forum? Who are the top 10 chatters? How many bots people visit Abandonia everyday? ; etc...

Multi-Shot!: Articles about old mutliplayer games and how to play them today.

Good game, bad Movie: Reviews about movies that were based on popular games.

[Acethor]

I don't think anyone cares about the top 10 chatters :hihihi:... but the other ideas are good! Especially the Good game, bad Movie one :) ... although there were some movies made from games that were extremely popular (Mortal Kombat)

An idea of my own -

Troubleshooting Section: Have an informative step-by-step section to help people get the games running perfectly. As well as inform of any oddities or anomalies that they would need to know, for example: Keen Dreams not having any music, or Abandoned Places needing a SAVE folder inside the main directory or you can't play past the character selection screen (not many people know this). Stuff like that.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Humour section with various weird quotes from the forum (often completely out of context).

[TheChosen]

As for Romero being a big shot or whatever, he's really very reachable guy. Thats the reason his name popped up years ago when this project started.

Anyway, I got ideas too, and dont gimme any "Abandonware/PC games only" crap.

Console corner
Self-explanatory. If were doing a gaming mag, I want console games in too.

Once upon a time, in the arcade...
Stuff about old arcade games.

"Other" computers
Yes. Commodore 64, Amiga 500, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum and such go here.

I would love to promise to do some stuff, but Im currently getting lot of pressure from both school and theater. If I support, its probably a comic or an article.

@Tomekk: Not necessarily all the games have bad movies. Street Fighter and Hitman for example. Maybe vise versa?

[Fubb]

I have an idea for the versus article, you know, make it have some sorta flashy title like "SHOWDOWN" or sumfin, with some sort of wrestling style mood like thingy......

Speakign of which, i got something on Fallout and Fallout 3 I need to write.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Freeloaders
Freeware gaming, nuff said.

Mods and modding
For articles on any particularly noteworthy mods / fan-patches / total conversions. If there are any people with particular experience in the field, some articles on the actual task of modifying old / creating new content can also be placed there.

And I second TC's idea about console gaming.

[Tomekk]

As for Romero being a big shot or whatever, he's really very reachable guy. Thats the reason his name popped up years ago when this project started.

Anyway, I got ideas too, and dont gimme any "Abandonware/PC games only" crap.

Console corner
Self-explanatory. If were doing a gaming mag, I want console games in too.

Once upon a time, in the arcade...
Stuff about old arcade games.

"Other" computers
Yes. Commodore 64, Amiga 500, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum and such go here.

I would love to promise to do some stuff, but Im currently getting lot of pressure from both school and theater. If I support, its probably a comic or an article.

@Tomekk: Not necessarily all the games have bad movies. Street Fighter and Hitman for example. Maybe vise versa?

The ideas are of consoles and old computers are great :) How naming the article about the old PCs to "OldWare".

@TC: I never saw the Street Fighter movie. I saw the 1st Mortal Kombat movie, that was quite fun. MK: Annihilation was probably the cheesiest and worst fighting movie I ever saw... But the Hitman movie was a F***ing Piece of S***. It was nothing like the Hitman games, and the actor was nothing like Hitman, it was horrible to look at.

[red_avatar]

Okay, I'm not too sure about adding too much technical stuff because people tend to prefer forums and sites for that, where they can cut & paste text.

Still, plenty of ideas I like:

- Multi-Shot: I like old multi player games being covered but "how to make them work now" may take up too much space and make things too technical. I know that, using Dosbox, it would take at least two pages to go through all the steps, make sure people got the same version, add a troubleshoot section, etc. Suggestion: we could make a topic where people can ask questions about how to run the game and we can put the guide on the forum as well. The actual article could then freely talk about the game itself and include stories, past experiences, mods, etc.

- Good game, bad movie: I'd actually just drop the good & bad. There aren't many movies based on games and even less so on PC games so it would mean you'd run out of material much too quickly. There are a load of games being based on movies, however, and the articles could take a look at how well the movies were translated to a game.

- Forum quotes: good idea but I'd keep this to a single page tops. The "funny screenshots" idea above would have been limited to one or two per issue as well - better a few good ones than to drown them in mediocrity ;).

- Freeloader: a single page review about one good freeware game. One each issue.


And TC: I don't mind having a console/arcade corner of a page or 3 as long as the rest remains PC games only. I especially would like PC games and console/arcade games to be compared from time to time. Also, some game series only had a few games released on PC. Take the Dizzy collection. In fact, dibs on an article about Dizzy and its many console/PC games ;).

About the modding: while I like the idea, very few abandonware games really had a lot of modding capabilities sadly enough. Doom, Duke, Quake and a few more games left and right but most games had hacks instead of mods back then. It might be hard to find enough examples to use

[The Fifth Horseman]

Mods, hacks... however you name it, it's the same thing - taking a game and changing it to fit your idea.

- Forum quotes: good idea but I'd keep this to a single page tops. The "funny screenshots" idea above would have been limited to one or two per issue as well - better a few good ones than to drown them in mediocrity
Both the quotes, humour and screenshots could share the same page. Gives a nice size limit.

Comic
The comic idea has been brought up before. Not sure if TheBard is still up to it or not.

[red_avatar]

Mods, hacks... however you name it, it's the same thing - taking a game and changing it to fit your idea.

Well hacks tend to be simple and mods can be complex which makes quite a big difference if you want to write an interesting article. Most hacks involved changing stats like how fast you can run, unlimited lives, etc. They were really trainers.

However you want to see it, there weren't many editors back then so, unless we mostly look at the late 90's and early part of the 21st century, we'll quickly run out of material.

That's not to say we can't have at least a few articles but I fear we'll run out of material soon. It's quite hard these days to find old mods as well. I still have a bunch of ancient Doom & Duke 3D CDs that are filled with old mods but that's about it. Most of these are maps, extra sounds, etc. so I dunno if that would even translate well to an article.

[Simoneer]

A ''Game of the Month'' section (with the latter part changed depending on how often the issues are pumping out)? I love those.

Hmm... Perhaps...

!

Game Guides/Tips/Cheats

Exactly what the title suggests; A section featuring guides, cheats or tips on one or more games. If guides, it could include a small section per issue. That would help getting material, too. Imagine having this game guide on 7 pages, and split it up to fit half a page per issue... or so. Unless that would just bore people... :p

Challenge of the Month (Name could be changed to whatever, really...)

A section featuring a challenge for the people. Perhaps ''What a certain person said at a certain point in a certain game'', or ask them to take a screenshot of a specific enemy - and they'd have to reply (with the quote, screenshot, or whatever) in a specifically made topic somewhere on the forums.

Challenges are FUN!

Special Thanks

A section thanking the top contributer/s (to the site) of that month. Or just random thanks to people who have helped. Could just be on the back cover, inside the first page, or whatever. They would deserve it, either way!



That's all I can come up with right now. I'm boring, I know.

[TheChosen]

And TC: I don't mind having a console/arcade corner of a page or 3 as long as the rest remains PC games only. I especially would like PC games and console/arcade games to be compared from time to time. Also, some game series only had a few games released on PC. Take the Dizzy collection. In fact, dibs on an article about Dizzy and its many console/PC games ;)

Um, 3 pages? C'mon! Thats not cool! I thought we were making something like Retrogamer rather than PCGamer.

Its not fair that PC games have whole magazine, while couple of console games only get their own corner, and they're probably in the same article too.

[red_avatar]

Um, 3 pages? C'mon! Thats not cool! I thought we were making something like Retrogamer rather than PCGamer.

Its not fair that PC games have whole magazine, while couple of console games only get their own corner, and they're probably in the same article too.

Well the mag is supposed to be an extension of the site and since Abandonia doesn't host console games ... Besides, I think it will make things too confusing by mixing it all up since many games had releases on different formats. 3 pages is not bad if you ask me.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Let's not forget we're testing the waters with the 1st issue.
Worry about filling these 3 pages in the first place.
If we have more console reviews than that, then the section might warrant expanding.

Aye or Nay?
A single question is presented to each member of the magazine staff and the contributors - eg "Is Diablo a role-playing game?". Meanwhile, an anonymous poll on the same subject is presented on the forums.
There's a limited amount of space for each contributor to explain his opinion on the subject, (4 lines of text or so) and on the end of the article we summarize which opinion was more prevealant among us and what did the AB community have to say on the subject.
The logo for that feature could be a yin-yang symbol, except replacing the dots with a thumb up and thumb down .

Unplugged
Non-computer, non-console, non-arcade gaming. Role-playing, boardgames, tabletop wargames and so on.

[Simoneer]

Oh God... More Diablo talk. Will it ever end? I regret writing the title of that thread so much. It reminded people. Gah.


I like the idea, however. But pleeeeeaaase, forget about Diablo; It's enough discussed already.

[Acethor]

Diablo is not a role-playing game. I hope we have established that already.

[Simoneer]

...You had to, didn't you? Don't start the discussion here.

[Acethor]

I was agreeing with Fifth. Don't make this into something ugly.

[Simoneer]

...*sigh*

[The Fifth Horseman]

*sigh*
It was just the nearest example I could come up with.

[Simoneer]

Yeah. I understand.

[Acethor]

Just forget about it Simon.

:wall:

[Simoneer]

...Forget about what?

[Acethor]

It.

[Simoneer]

Stop reminding me!

Really, though - let's get back on topic.

[TotalAnarchy]

I just checked my profile and remembered **** Is it possible to send AT as a newsletter?

[red_avatar]

I just checked my profile and remembered **** Is it possible to send AT as a newsletter?
Nope - we can send out newsletters with a link to the topic that holds the files, however.

[Saccade]

I still can't figure out if AT is for people who come to Abandonia only or if it's something that is for others too.

Having a section that holds some reader interaction, if it's to be on the net, would be good.
Like the caption competition that was suggested.

That's if there's no chance of a page 3?

[red_avatar]

Page 3?

The idea I had in mind was this:

Make a topic with all magazine releases in both PDF and ZIP form. The ZIP would contain JPEG files of the mag. I could also make a separate topic for every magazine and post all pages to read in there.

[Frodo]

I would love to see a 'Where Are They Now' article with Oliver Twins, who created Dizzy. Although I don't know how accesible they are.


How about a 'mock' interview with a classic computer character, for example Simon The Sorceror. He's a sarcastic guy, and it would be funny to read about how he is such a hero. He could also keep insulting the interviewer. Doesn't have to be Simon though. It could be, for example, Malcolm from Kyrandia games, or anyone really.


On a similar note, how about talking to a minor charactor, about how being in a computer game has scarred him for life. Example, the hamster from Maniac Mansion \ Day Of The Tentacle could tell of the abuse he suffered at the hands of Bernard and Wierd Ed... how he was cooked in a microwave, then frozen in a freezer only to get unthawed in the future... how he was used as slave labour to powr the Chry-O-John etc.

[TheChosen]

Well the mag is supposed to be an extension of the site and since Abandonia doesn't host console games ... Besides, I think it will make things too confusing by mixing it all up since many games had releases on different formats. 3 pages is not bad if you ask me.

Considering that we already have a whole website for PC games, this should contain different stuff too.

[red_avatar]

Considering that we already have a whole website for PC games, this should contain different stuff too.
Well if you can get enough content, be my guest to go over those 3 pages, but I won't stuff it in along with the rest of the content because with the multi-platform releases, that would just be too confusing. Abandonware is a term mainly used with PC games after all (don't believe me - google Abandonware and see how many console sites you'll find compared to PC games sites).

[red_avatar]

I would love to see a 'Where Are They Now' article with Oliver Twins, who created Dizzy. Although I don't know how accesible they are.

How about a 'mock' interview with a classic computer character, for example Simon The Sorceror. He's a sarcastic guy, and it would be funny to read about how he is such a hero. He could also keep insulting the interviewer. Doesn't have to be Simon though. It could be, for example, Malcolm from Kyrandia games, or anyone really.

On a similar note, how about talking to a minor charactor, about how being in a computer game has scarred him for life. Example, the hamster from Maniac Mansion \ Day Of The Tentacle could tell of the abuse he suffered at the hands of Bernard and Wierd Ed... how he was cooked in a microwave, then frozen in a freezer only to get unthawed in the future... how he was used as slave labour to powr the Chry-O-John etc.
They're good ideas but you need a good and creative writer for all of them. The interview is the "easiest" to pull off, provided we can actually get in touch with the people we want.

But writing comedy (which the other ideas would be) is a lot harder to do.

[Simoneer]

Well if you can get enough content, be my guest to go over those 3 pages, but I won't stuff it in along with the rest of the content because with the multi-platform releases, that would just be too confusing. Abandonware is a term mainly used with PC games after all (don't believe me - google Abandonware and see how many console sites you'll find compared to PC games sites).

The mag itself is called ''Abandoned Times'', though, not ''Abandonware Times,'' even if it's supposed to be some sort of extention to the site. Just saying.

But I'm not complaining. Just having a small section that covers console games is good enough to me.

[Acethor]

Just like Red said, isnt the mag supposed to be an extension of the site? Which is dedicated to classic dos games. The thing is though that if the section on console games is too small it would look out of place .. so better to either integrate it into the mag... or not.

[Simoneer]

Well, if it's an extention to the site it doesn't really need its own tagline, either.

But that's a topic for another day.

[The Fifth Horseman]

The first issue is supposed to be a test, isn't it?
We'll see what works. What the readers want more of. And so on.

That most people are reviewing PC games doesn't mean you can't review console ones. As Red already mentioned, the size of the console section can be increased if we have more content for it than required to fill the minimum.

[Simoneer]

Yeah. Good point.

[Simoneer]

To sort of alter or build on Frodo's ''mock'' article idea a bit; Why not have, in any corner of a random page, the text ''Always remembered...'' next to the sprite of a character from some classic game/s? Perhaps Guybrush Thriftweed (wink wink)? We could do one per issue. Would flow along nice with the magazine title and the potentional slogan (''Abandoned but not forgotten'', which seems to be the most loved).

I might be the only one who actually cares for small details like that in magazines, though. But I actually love them, in all honesty. It just adds a nice touch.

[red_avatar]

To sort of alter or build on Frodo's ''mock'' article idea a bit; Why not have, in any corner of a random page, the text ''Always remembered...'' next to the sprite of a character from some classic game/s? Perhaps Guybrush Thriftweed (wink wink)? We could do one per issue. Would flow along nice with the magazine title and the potentional slogan (''Abandoned but not forgotten'', which seems to be the most loved).

I might be the only one who actually cares for small details like that in magazines, though. But I actually love them, in all honesty. It just adds a nice touch.
I'm not sure what you mean with "in any corner of a random page".

It does seem like a good idea:

A section called "In Loving Memory" (a classic line on a tombstone) and then have, as said, one character from a classic. Some examples:

Larry (from LSL)
Boo (from Baldur's Gate)
Green Tentacle (Day of the Tentacle)
Joey/Ken (robot Beneath A Steel Sky)
Duke Nukem
Doom space marine
Commander Keen
Dizzy
etc.

TONS of good characters to use. But like I said, it would take a good writer to pull it off.

[Simoneer]

By ''in any corner of a random page'' I mean exactly that; The sprite and text being located at the bottom right, bottom left, upper right or upper left - of any page.

I don't care where it's located, or even exactly how it's done, though. I was just giving an example of something I'd find nice.

Nice to see that someone thought it was a good idea, though!

Oh, and it wouldn't need an all that spectacular writer, though; It could just say ''In Loving Memory'', have a sprite under, and under that a few words that roughly defines that character's personality, or say whatever a character in the same game has said about or to him/her. If anything at all.


For an example:



In Loving Memory
http://i41.tinypic.com/2e4j3u8.gif
That ''hyperkinetic rabbity thing.''

[red_avatar]

By ''in any corner of a random page'' I mean exactly that; The sprite and text being located at the bottom right, bottom left, upper right or upper left - of any page.

I don't care where it's located, or even exactly how it's done, though. I was just giving an example of something I'd find nice.

Nice to see that someone thought it was a good idea, though!

Oh, and it wouldn't need an all that spectacular writer, though; It could just say ''In Loving Memory'', have a sprite under, and under that a few words that roughly defines that character's personality, or say whatever a character in the same game has said about or to him/her. If anything at all.


For an example:

It would screw with the layout though which I'm kind of worried about since a "corner" is easier said than done. The layout is already the biggest problem so far since it easily soaks up the most time to get done well (we're talking 40-50 hours per magazine easily) so anything that has to change existing layouts is a bit iffy for me. I'd rather add it on the comic/funny screenshots page where it would kinda fit in.

[Simoneer]

Like I said, it was just an idea. Alter it as much as you want to. ;)

[red_avatar]

Like I said, it was just an idea. Alter it as much as you want to. ;)

This is what I had in mind:

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/3515/ilmtest.png

I still need to finish writing the text of course but the idea is to make up some funny stuff about what happened after their hit games and then how they died.

[Chris]

As you are talking about using Commander Keen for one of your articles, another idea came to my mind: The Dopefish and it's various appearances in gaming history. There a several games which refer to this character.

Mobygames has listed them as the Games with Dopefish - Collection (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/games-with-dopefish).

[red_avatar]

As you are talking about using Commander Keen for one of your articles, another idea came to my mind: The Dopefish and it's various appearances in gaming history. There a several games which refer to this character.

Mobygames has listed them as the Games with Dopefish - Collection (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/games-with-dopefish).

We could use that for an article on its own - good idea. There's a Dopefish site as well. Feel like writing it?

[red_avatar]

I'd like a single page article about a remake of a classic. One I just found:

http://www.asc-hq.org/

Based on the Battle Isle series and it looks quite good.

"Extreme Game Make Over" is the title I had in mind.

[Simoneer]

This is what I had in mind:

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/3515/ilmtest.png

I still need to finish writing the text of course but the idea is to make up some funny stuff about what happened after their hit games and then how they died.

Looks nice!

[The Fifth Horseman]

"Extreme Game Make Over" is the title I had in mind.
How about "Extreme Remake". :P

[Chris]

We could use that for an article on its own - good idea. There's a Dopefish site as well. Feel like writing it?

At the moment I'd rather stay with writing reviews and updating the site. Maybe I can do something for a later issue. Thanks for the offer, anyway. :)

[The Fifth Horseman]

"Set bowel disruptors to prolapse" (yes, Transmetropolitan reference...)
Rants and raves about gaming, media, pop culture... and almost anything else, barring the writers' personal lives.
A group column with about half page per each individual who wants to write for it. The "check your political correctness at the door" kind.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Also, regarding ILM.
I'm not so sure presenting it in the form of necrologue is a good idea.
A "missing person" poster followed by fictional "investigation" into what happened with the character after their diappearance would be a little more interesting.
Besides, who can resist the opportunity to ask Duke N. about three best things in life and hear "Hot water, good teeth and soft toilet paper."? :p
(Okay, it was actually said by Cohen the Barbarian, but who cares?)

[red_avatar]

"Bowel disruptors set to prolapse" (yes, Transmetropolitan reference...)
Rants and raves about gaming, media, pop culture... and almost anything else, barring the writers' personal lives.
A group column with about half page per each individual who wants to write for it. The "check your political correctness at the door" kind.
A group column might be too unwieldy. It would require a great deal of discipline and a lot of cutting and then some people might get annoyed that part of their response got cut, making their point seem weaker, etc. etc. etc. It might create more problems than we can handle, to be honest.

Over at Rock Paper Scissors they use a similar format for game reviews and I know that they can be a nightmare to make and those are professional writers!

[red_avatar]

Also, regarding ILM.
I'm not so sure presenting it in the form of necrologue is a good idea.
A "missing person" poster followed by fictional "investigation" into what happened with the character after their diappearance would be a little more interesting.
Besides, who can resist the opportunity to ask Duke N. about three best things in life and hear "Hot water, good teeth and soft toilet paper."? :p
(Okay, it was actually said by Cohen the Barbarian, but who cares?)
I personally wasn't too sure about the morbid nature of the article - I was planning to alter it a bit to leave out the death scene and make it so he's missing presumed dead.

[red_avatar]

Another idea: how about mentioning a normal piece of software from the DOS days? Give it some attention. Some suggestions:

- Neopaint
- Windows 3.1
- Qbasic
- early MS Word
- Paintbrush
- a MOD player
- shareware software
etc.

[Saccade]

Scratch what I said.
I have no idea.
I can't even get into a bloody tabloid, let alone something more complex that "old lady stalls electric wheelchair: causes community bus service to run 5 minutes late".

[The Fifth Horseman]

Another idea: how about mentioning a normal piece of software from the DOS days? Give it some attention.
Hm.
Norton Commander, anyone? :p

[AlumiuN]

XTree? PKUNZIP? :p

[red_avatar]

Come on, there's better stuff than that crap :p.

[El Quia]

PC Globe! God, I love those sexy PC Speaker anthems!

[AlumiuN]

Okay, PKUNZIP maybe not. But what was wrong with XTree?

[The Fifth Horseman]

Deluxe Paint? :p

[red_avatar]

Okay, PKUNZIP maybe not. But what was wrong with XTree?
Xtree is fine :p although it's a bit dry don't you think?

[AlumiuN]

Xtree is fine :p although it's a bit dry don't you think?

:oh:

Dry? Not really.

[red_avatar]

:oh:

Dry? Not really.

Well if you can make it sound interesting, go ahead ;).

[AlumiuN]

...

Okay, you got me there. But how do you do that with something like Norton Commander, or other useful utilities. When one is accustomed to doing such a thing for games, it becomes somewhat harder to do so. :p

[red_avatar]

...

Okay, you got me there. But how do you do that with something like Norton Commander, or other useful utilities. When one is accustomed to doing such a thing for games, it becomes somewhat harder to do so. :p
Well Neopaint isn't hard to do - you can always relate stories of when you used to tinker with them and stuff. It's not supposed to be a dry review. You can compare it to recent software and such as well.

[TotalAnarchy]

Idea: An article discussing the franchises that should have never died (and had sequels in the works) like Call of Cthulhu and Sin Episodes.

[aarne]

how bout
DosBox - How to? I know many...many people who can't use it and keep annoing me -.-
Allstars The best best best heroes of games like Da doom guy, Earthworm jim?, History, Game, Has occured somwhere else? or stuff like that
And i liked someones idea of Challenge(was it simoneer?)
Like give the game download place, then challenge like score 9999999999999999 in pacman( EEEK???) If you complete that then you really have no life oO

[AlumiuN]

Well Neopaint isn't hard to do - you can always relate stories of when you used to tinker with them and stuff. It's not supposed to be a dry review. You can compare it to recent software and such as well.

Let me rephrase that as 'purely useful'. :p

[The Fifth Horseman]

Technically, my "Beginner's Guide to DOSBox" was written for one of the earlier attempts to produce the zine.
If you think it needs any changes and/or trimming, just tell me.

[GTX2GvO]

Just a whack question here.

Do you Guy's/Gals think AB Times might need some stories? (Fiction)
I'm willing to write some.
(Just look @ my AB: Apoc & AB: Aftermath posts for examples)

All I need is a story pitch and a location to send the stuff to.
I'm Worthless when it comes to STARTING a story on my own, but I CAN continue when I have something to build on.

As you can notice I haven't said anything about the length of such story.
For that my comment is that ALL my AB: Apoc & AB: Aftermath posts are slightly reduced in length, so it would be easier to post them and that others could read them.

So. Interested?

[The Fifth Horseman]

Fan-fiction should be OK, as long as it's decently written. :)

[Simoneer]

O.o

Reading the title of a certain thread (''Pub''), I got an idea: Why not have a section with rumors? Like ''Bla bla might get back into the business'' or ''there might be a sequel to *whatever*''?

[red_avatar]

O.o

Reading the title of a certain thread (''Pub''), I got an idea: Why not have a section with rumors? Like ''Bla bla might get back into the business'' or ''there might be a sequel to *whatever*''?
The problem is that the mag is a 3-4 monthly thing and any news would be either outdated or have to be added towards the release of the mag. A monthly mag is already outdated thanks to the Internet ...

[red_avatar]

Another idea I had which would be very interesting (I say so because it's very interesting to me, anyway :p):

Articles about

- games that got cancelled
- games that looked completely different in early stages of development.

We can have a feature showing off early art for the latter and for the former, we can show screens and parts of previews and what went wrong. We might even try to contact some of the old development team to find out what went wrong and if they still have some things they can share with us.

[TotalAnarchy]

Those that never got a chance :(

-Call of Cthulhu: Destiny's End (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/callofcthulhudestinysend/index.html?tag=result;title;1)
-Call of Cthulhu: Tainted Legacy (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/callofcthulhutaintedlegacy/index.html?tag=result;title;3)
-Call of Cthulhu: Beyond the Mountains of Madness (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/callofcthulhubeyondtmom/index.html?tag=result;title;1)

[red_avatar]

Those that never got a chance :(

-Call of Cthulhu: Destiny's End (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/callofcthulhudestinysend/index.html?tag=result;title;1)
-Call of Cthulhu: Tainted Legacy (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/callofcthulhutaintedlegacy/index.html?tag=result;title;3)
-Call of Cthulhu: Beyond the Mountains of Madness (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/callofcthulhubeyondtmom/index.html?tag=result;title;1)
I'd prefer games in a further state of development though - where there's plenty of screenshots to be found and enough info to write an article about it - Destiny's End would work this way I believe.

But what about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDKfX5Hwuoc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxz5_zH6EIc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ey31YCsJ5E&feature=related

There's tons of info on the game Secret of Vulcan Fury - screenshots, trailers, etc.

[El Quia]

I'd prefer games in a further state of development though - where there's plenty of screenshots to be found and enough info to write an article about it - Destiny's End would work this way I believe.

But what about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDKfX5Hwuoc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxz5_zH6EIc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ey31YCsJ5E&feature=related

There's tons of info on the game Secret of Vulcan Fury - screenshots, trailers, etc.

Duke Nukem Forever!

[The Fifth Horseman]

Already in progress. :p

[JudgeDeadd]

I've seen someone suggest "game guides".

Nice idea, but not for games like Doom or Civilization that already have tons of guides and walkthrus all over the internet, because then it would be pretty pointless. Instead, a guide for some obscure game which wasn't yet satisfactorily covered on GameFAQs or somewhere else. That would be nice.

[AlumiuN]

Wrath of Earth could do with one. :)

[The Fifth Horseman]

We could open "challenges" for writing guides for a purposefully restricted gameplay - eg, "beat Fallout without firing a gun".
Or we could have guides covering easter eggs and secrets inside games.

I'm convinced we could review a modern game once per issue - under condition that it's faithful to the classic gaming spirit. Secret Files: Tunguska, anyone?

In addition, inclusion of handheld platforms (GBA, NDS, perhaps - but not neccesarily - PSP) may have a point. Why? Because a lot of games for them are treading in the paths of computer gaming from a decade or so back.
Have a look at Tom Clancy's EndWar for NDS. It's a Battle Isle clone with only slightly improved graphics and almost identical gameplay mechanic (minus one change, which is actually a really nice improvement).
Have a look at Metroid Fusion for GBA. It's in many ways a follower of the SNES Super Metroid.
And on it goes.

[El Quia]

I've seen someone suggest "game guides".

Nice idea, but not for games like Doom or Civilization that already have tons of guides and walkthrus all over the internet, because then it would be pretty pointless. Instead, a guide for some obscure game which wasn't yet satisfactorily covered on GameFAQs or somewhere else. That would be nice.


Yeah, I think that this is a great idea. I'd like to see the magazine used to increase awareness of the forgotten old games. That way, making guide to not well known games will make the games better known and the other games still have it's presence in the magazine.


In addition, inclusion of handheld platforms (GBA, NDS, perhaps - but not neccesarily - PSP) may have a point. Why? Because a lot of games for them are treading in the paths of computer gaming from a decade or so back.


I agree with him, because we do not only like the old for being old (nostalgia) but because its gameplay it's better, compared to a lot of nowadays games.

[Japo]

As long as there are retro elements... A game could be for Solaris Itanium. :P Although I think it would be best if most of the content was still about actually old games.

[seanex]

OK, please don't laugh me off the board if this idea is completely awful.
How about a book review? There are plenty of games on Abandonia that are based on novels or series of novels. A quick glance I had through some of the categories reveals the following:
Alone in the Dark, Call of Cthulhu, Discworld, Dune, Frederik Pohl's Gateway, The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes, Neuromancer, Ringworld - Revenge of the Patriarch...
And that is without even checking the text-adventures. I'm pretty sure there is a Hitchiker's Guide one for example. I have read all these books and would be happy to attempt a review. If however they were to be linked to the game-of-the-novel I would have to play through them. Although, obviously, someone could well have a head start on this. I don't know if there would be a lack of interest in the review though? Hopefully, the article would encourage people to read some of these excellent books. Thanks for listening!

[red_avatar]

OK, please don't laugh me off the board if this idea is completely awful.
How about a book review? There are plenty of games on Abandonia that are based on novels or series of novels. A quick glance I had through some of the categories reveals the following:
Alone in the Dark, Call of Cthulhu, Discworld, Dune, Frederik Pohl's Gateway, The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes, Neuromancer, Ringworld - Revenge of the Patriarch...
And that is without even checking the text-adventures. I'm pretty sure there is a Hitchiker's Guide one for example. I have read all these books and would be happy to attempt a review. If however they were to be linked to the game-of-the-novel I would have to play through them. Although, obviously, someone could well have a head start on this. I don't know if there would be a lack of interest in the review though? Hopefully, the article would encourage people to read some of these excellent books. Thanks for listening!
Next issue will have an article about games based on books, actually :p. All the games you mentioned except for Neuromancer and Alone In The Dark are mentioned.

[Simoneer]

So... it went from not thinking console reviews would fit in because it's ''an extention of the site''... To even considering to include reviews of modern handheld games, because they play like old games? Games that are, in other words, neither abandoned, nor for computers, or any stationary platform for that matter.

Fuck me sideways.


...I disagree with the idea. I mean, sticking to old games should be required, seeing as it's called ''Abandoned Times'' and has the slogan ''Abandoned but not forgotten''. I know it was just an idea, but ohhhhh no. If people were sceptical of including old console games, I can't see having modern handheld games in the mag.


Sorry for being contradictive so much. I'm quite sure it's not appreciated. But the line has to be drawn somewhere.

[The Fifth Horseman]

How about a book review? There are plenty of games on Abandonia that are based on novels or series of novels.Definitely so.
In fact... I just found my copy of "The Kraken Wakes" by John Wyndham. X-Com 2 might not have been based on it directly... but it's pretty damn similar.

[red_avatar]

So... it went from not thinking console reviews would fit in because it's ''an extention of the site''... To even considering to include reviews of modern handheld games, because they play like old games? Games that are, in other words, neither abandoned, nor for computers, or any stationary platform for that matter.

Fuck me sideways.


...I disagree with the idea. I mean, sticking to old games should be required, seeing as it's called ''Abandoned Times'' and has the slogan ''Abandoned but not forgotten''. I know it was just an idea, but ohhhhh no. If people were sceptical of including old console games, I can't see having modern handheld games in the mag.


Sorry for being contradictive so much. I'm quite sure it's not appreciated. But the line has to be drawn somewhere.
We already have indie/freeware games. Even if it's just one review per issue, it's still there. Personally, I wouldn't mind reviews of NDS remakes like Settlers, Theme Park, James Pond, etc. They were originally PC games so why not?

[Acethor]

For me personally I feel like we should stick to old games since this is what the site is dedicated to - not old books or old movies (I think movie>game and game>movie reviews were suggested). Older consoles like NES/SNES or Atari2600 are ok with me.

[Simoneer]

We already have indie/freeware games. Even if it's just one review per issue, it's still there. Personally, I wouldn't mind reviews of NDS remakes like Settlers, Theme Park, James Pond, etc. They were originally PC games so why not?

So... you're basically contradicting yourself, knowing it?

*gasp* Time to get hated...

''They were originally PC games so why not'' is a pretty lame excuse, IMO. They're still new if they've recently been remade. Besides, those games that have been remade aren't abandoned then, are they? The remaking of them shows that they still support them, doesn't it? So many contradictions. I think that, if you're gonna have so much not-abandoned-whatsoever-stuff, rename the magazine, and change its slogan. But that's just me. You guys can do whatever you want. I'm not particularly involved anyways. Besides, it's still good reading.

[red_avatar]

So... you're basically contradicting yourself, knowing it?

*gasp* Time to get hated...

''They were originally PC games so why not'' is a pretty lame excuse, IMO. They're still new if they've recently been remade. Besides, those games that have been remade aren't abandoned then, are they? The remaking of them shows that they still support them, doesn't it? So many contradictions. I think that, if you're gonna have so much not-abandoned-whatsoever-stuff, rename the magazine, and change its slogan. But that's just me. You guys can do whatever you want. I'm not particularly involved anyways. Besides, it's still good reading.

You're far too hooked on that title. Heck, Abandonia Reloaded only has remakes so you could argue "Abandonia" shouldn't be in the title. The mag was supposed to be all about good old days of gaming and remakes obviously classify here, since the gameplay is classic in design. It's a mag for people who are interested in the days of old and, seriously, I'm very interested in remakes because they allow us to play old games on new media with (often) improved graphics.

[Simoneer]

Okay then.

[seanex]

Next issue will have an article about games based on books, actually :p. All the games you mentioned except for Neuromancer and Alone In The Dark are mentioned.

Hooray! Sounds good, I look forward to reading it. Neuromancer should be included though, its a really good book that the game attempts to follow in both dialogue and story. Alone in the Dark wasn't actually a book, as far as I know, I just happened to remember that the review mentioned it was based loosely on H.P. Lovecraft's works.
Thanks for the mention of 'The Kraken Wakes', The Fifth Horseman, I will have to keep an eye open for that :).

[supergod]

suggestion for a versus article:
adventures then (in their gold time) and adventures now (as an "underground" genre). i think adventures deserve some attention

[El Quia]

It would be nice if there were a short comic in the magazine. It's the kind of thing that magazines have, isn't it? Although don't count on my for the drawing, I can't draw for shit. And, well, I guess I couldn't be counted upon on the written, either: I can be barely funny in my mother tongue, I guess I could be horrible in English :S


But yes, some nice comic could be fun :clap:

[Quintopotere]

I think that, in this great moment of the human history, to have an article about the return of Monkey Island: some kind of "preview and flashback"

[red_avatar]

I think that, in this great moment of the human history, to have an article about the return of Monkey Island: some kind of "preview and flashback"
Yeah I was thinking about that - but from more an aesthetic point of view: how has Monkey Island changed? Guybrush's looks, the world, the people, etc. Content wise we can't know much before the first episode is released (and incidentally I bought the first season so I can give a head's up on that).

[Quintopotere]

Yeah I was thinking about that - but from more an aesthetic point of view: how has Monkey Island changed? Guybrush's looks, the world, the people, etc. Content wise we can't know much before the first episode is released (and incidentally I bought the first season so I can give a head's up on that).

That's it.
About that, agood pic is the one used by Lucasart for their merchandising, the Guybrush evolution one (I don't post the link to don't make advertising..)

[CrybKeeper]

What about an article touting games that allow custom music files to play in the game enviroment. I spend alot of shopping time, simply searching for games, that will allow me to create a custom sound file, just for the sake of hearing my favorite music, while enjoying the game.

What about an article concerning customer service online? This is a VERY popular forum rant and would draw in nearly 100% of all people who have ever experienced the nightmare called Tech Support. Be it, games, software, hardware, or web communities, there are so many companies adopting an 'I don't care about you, only the money I can sucker you out of' attitude.

Also. a very very good way to draw new readership, is to have a periodic announcement, concerning member activities and accomplishments.

We need articles that cover broader topics, than simple single game reviews, or else, your mag will have no identity.

[El Quia]

But it's a magazine mostly about abandonware! Which, by definition, is not supported? ;)

[Saccade]

I've seen someone suggest "game guides".

Nice idea, but not for games like Doom or Civilization that already have tons of guides and walkthrus all over the internet, because then it would be pretty pointless. Instead, a guide for some obscure game which wasn't yet satisfactorily covered on GameFAQs or somewhere else. That would be nice.

There're a couple of us (well, Another_Guest and me...) who are starting to write a guide for the game Chaos Overlords. We're using its discussion thread as a starting point.
If you like the look and sound of it and want to download the game and give it a play, let us know what you think..!

Most of the best game guides I've seen for sale in Game stores, or independent game shops, are usually written by more than one person but never more than three or four.
Even then, it would be two groups of two on separate sections.

I'm trying to figure out multi-player that isn't hot seat as it is just not working on my network...
The discussion thread has AG's preliminary ideas on the strategy guide, but I haven't gotten around to writing my brainstorm yet.

[Saccade]

We could open "challenges" for writing guides for a purposefully restricted gameplay - eg, "beat Fallout without firing a gun".
Or we could have guides covering easter eggs and secrets inside games.

I'm convinced we could review a modern game once per issue - under condition that it's faithful to the classic gaming spirit. Secret Files: Tunguska, anyone?

I'm well with you on the idea of beating games by tightening the rules.
I do it for nearly every game I've got and play. After I've played it through once or twice, I'll start to add extra challenges for myself.

A bit like the Trophies - Platinum (of which I only have four), gold, silver and bronze - for some PS3 games.
Most of them will give you only a few trophies for playing the game through normally and only give you the reward if you do something extra or particularly well or adhere to certain conditions.
Some games just give you all the trophies just for finishing the game... Mind, that in itself can be worth a platinum trophy (for getting 100% of others) because those games are usually pretty naff. Like Dead Space. Well too easy.

eg - Mirror's Edge.
I must've finished it over a hundred times but am only a few trophies away from the Platinum. It is easy to finish the game on hard mode and to achieve all the trophies for special moves and accomplishments. But I just cannot do Level Three in less than eleven minutes to get the "Speed Run" trophy for that level.
Closest I've ever got was eleven minutes and eight seconds.
I'm going to be playing that game 'til I complete that level in under the time limit! There's got to be a short-cut I'm missing or something.

The guides thing:
See above post - I think it is a grand idea to have as a regular thing in AT.
Even if it is available on the web after a bit of searching, if ever the AT gets stuck for content on that section, it could be used as bulk filler. People will still read it and it'd give people more time to write the unique guides for games hosted here on AB.

Easter Eggs and Secrets kinda fit into the suggestion I fielded about the cheats and hacking stuff.
You need to know a game really well in order to know all the Eggs, but you can find secrets. Maybe even use a walkthru or FAQ or something..?

I think that there've been some really good ideas in here for the AT.
I like that there would be a new game, that stems from or is influenced heavily by a classic game or genre, is great!
There are so many out there that can be compared to earlier games that are not just FPS or new Monkey Island (at least, because of old monkey island - perhaps if it were more on SCUMM and point 'n' clicks) and stuff.

Would they be PC games or console games? Both or either/or?
I have several in mind that could be reviewed and also have their gameplay and design, etc... compared to certain older and similar (if not quite how you'd expect to be similar!) games that I've played after downloading them from AB.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Would they be PC games or console games? Both or either/or?
I have several in mind that could be reviewed and also have their gameplay and design, etc... compared to certain older and similar (if not quite how you'd expect to be similar!) games that I've played after downloading them from AB.
Either.

[Tracker]

Hi! I think I have some good ideas for articles in Abandoned Times. Here are some:

Music SoundTracks
This would be about reviewing legendary game soundtracks from games.

Strangest Game Ideas
This article would be about strange game ideas. What would it be like to play a side-scrolling Wolfenstein 3D? A Super Mario Bros. MMORPG? Or a Simulator Simulator?!

Quote of The Month
Stupid comments, funny quotes from games & forums or from anywhere related would go there. Yikes!

[red_avatar]

What about an article touting games that allow custom music files to play in the game enviroment. I spend alot of shopping time, simply searching for games, that will allow me to create a custom sound file, just for the sake of hearing my favorite music, while enjoying the game.

How about changing that idea a little and recommending music for certain games? In the age of DOSBox, it's simple to be playing Doom with mp3 music playing in the background. For example: Highway to Hell, Bad To The Bone, etc.

What about an article concerning customer service online? This is a VERY popular forum rant and would draw in nearly 100% of all people who have ever experienced the nightmare called Tech Support. Be it, games, software, hardware, or web communities, there are so many companies adopting an 'I don't care about you, only the money I can sucker you out of' attitude.
Hmm I would like this idea to be a bit more specific. Tech Support is a HUGE angle so we should narrow it down. There's a billion Tech Support horror stories around the internet so we should try something different if we can.

We need articles that cover broader topics, than simple single game reviews, or else, your mag will have no identity.
Identity comes from specific topics, not broad ones. By trying to be everything, you'll end up being nothing if you're not careful. There's a gazillion websites out there that try to combine reviews of all kinds of consoles with articles, interviews, and they all blend together and barely get by. Abandoned Times survives by being linked to Abandonia and as such, we got to target the Abandonia audience. It's not meant to be a magazine for everyone.

So: we already will deal with a lot of gaming angles and I think we should not move outside that line or we risk losing our identity (and we don't even have one yet - we need more issues for that).

[Tracker]

Most of the games have their own music I think. Only CD-rips or old ones don't have, or maybe there are some games which are lack of great tunes. For example, while playing Death Gate, or something good game, like Discworld, I didn't try to turn off the music, simply beacuse I liked it. On the other hand, I recently played Elite, and it doesn't have any music - except the "Blau Donau Walzer", which isn't really enjoyable (for me). So I used the Dosbox & Winamp combination, which really payed off. But I think the 90s are memorable for their great MIDI music, not to mention the 80s with the C64 musics... But this kind of advices would be good for those who don't enjoy the "beeping" music of the old games:D

[El Quia]

Some old games had an absolutely INCREDIBLE PC Speaker music. Sierra and Lucas Arts games comes to mind. I wish there were a repository of that old music... I have the one from Zak mckraken and the "for your thighs only", the famous Larry theme.

[red_avatar]

Hi! I think I have some good ideas for articles in Abandoned Times. Here are some:

Music SoundTracks
This would be about reviewing legendary game soundtracks from games.

Strangest Game Ideas
This article would be about strange game ideas. What would it be like to play a side-scrolling Wolfenstein 3D? A Super Mario Bros. MMORPG? Or a Simulator Simulator?!

Quote of The Month
Stupid comments, funny quotes from games & forums or from anywhere related would go there. Yikes!
Music Soundtracks would be better suited for a site where people can hear a fragment of the song. Even if we put the songs on the website for people to listen to, it will be too inconvenient to really work well.

Strange game ideas: the title sucks but it might make a nice article but I would really give it a comic angle with doctored screenshots to illustrate.

Quote: this has been said before - if someone else wants to take on this part and make it something interesting, no problem - but I wouldn't have time to do it.

[Tracker]

I see it would take some time do these - the second one (the "stupid ideas" - with some better name) is probably the most practicable. Like you said, only with illustrations, of course!

[dumbguy]

Help Me!

Someone sends in where they are stuck in a game and someone from the staff(maybe a forum member) will reply back on how to get "unstuck' and continue.

[red_avatar]

Help Me!

Someone sends in where they are stuck in a game and someone from the staff(maybe a forum member) will reply back on how to get "unstuck' and continue.
Thanks for the idea :) You're not the only one who has asked for this but I fear the 3-4 monthly cycle would be too long for people to wait.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Actually, it might not be a bad idea.
Altough instead of answering specific questions, the article should act more like a FAQ for points in the game at which the players often get "stuck".

[SorEddie]

I haven't gone though this whole thread yet, so I don't know if this idea has already been said. If it has, sorry.

Behind the Pixels
It'd be like a parody of the VH1 Behind the Music specials, where someone would write an article pretending to interview a famous character from Abandonware games, and find out what they'd been up to since there's no more games with them and such.

[red_avatar]

I haven't gone though this whole thread yet, so I don't know if this idea has already been said. If it has, sorry.

Behind the Pixels
It'd be like a parody of the VH1 Behind the Music specials, where someone would write an article pretending to interview a famous character from Abandonware games, and find out what they'd been up to since there's no more games with them and such.

That's identical to the "Where are they now" article PC Gamer used to feature and I think that this has already been mentioned before? It can work well as long as it's written well too. Thanks for posting your idea though :)

[Saccade]

We'll open another thread like this when we're a bit further along...

We have ideas and concepts coming out of our ears!!!
More needed, now, is some actual work on these :D