Legacy: Dark Shadows
2004 Razbor Studios
Designed by Dravorin Horak, Zvonko Grseta, Zeljko Kos
*) Why buy the globe?
It's in-character for a tourist, but the specific motivation is weak,
especially since you have just arrived. It's not even used; it's just a
hidden trigger for something else.
*) city map
I want to go to see Hacker, but the map only has a location for Dolphin.
Fortunately, there are only two locations. This problem repeats later.
*) worker at Albert Hawking
The connection between him and the vehicle outside is not reasonable to the
player, since we can't see the connecting logos and colour scheme. The
relationship is told to us when we talk to him, already deduced by Ren.
Not a big problem, but it's a small break in imersion.
*) synchronous repair device (to open police barricade)
Why would I want this? I'm not repairing anything, I'm trying to (in effect)
crack a lock.
*) oil analysis
The connection to ACME and rocket fuel didn't appear in my game. This is
probably because the 'l'ook function wasn't working.
*) outside ACME power plant
The cursor didn't highlight to show that the panel buttons were active
objects. They worked, though.
*) use broom on trash
Just examining it should be sufficient, since I can use my feet or hands
if I want to look through the stuff.
*) using the tong on the open board
There's no indication of what the board is for, or what fooling with it
would do. You do it only because the game indicates that you can, and the
result is seredipitous (killing the monster).
*) shooting gate chain
Why can't I do it before killing the monster? If the monster is a problem,
why can't I just shoot it, too?
*) catacombs: rock and pipe
These are singletons in a group of plurals: they're very easy to miss,
since the highlighting for the plurals would appear to include the
singletons.
*) puzzles
These crufty puzzles are given a lame excuse, story wise (asteroid damaged
computer):
sokoban, vector addition (current lines), pipe routing
*) drilling through wall
The idea is okay, but the implementation of the action is poorly done.
Simple clicking on the wall should cause such action; there should be a
more direct indication that Ren should use the machine. E.g., examining
the wall triggers the drill to have an activating hotspot.
*) blowing up Pallas base
You don't indicate it, and it's not even certain that you initiated it
until you later talk with Hacker (or maybe read the log, I forget).
Similarly, you have to read the log to learn that Ted was now one of those
soldier/monsters: it wasn't discernable from the scene as presented.
So, as Ren leaves and appears before Hacker, you're left wondering where
Ted is, how Ted is. The story is good, but the storyTELLing is bad.
*) Ren learns about Stalingrad
Again, the info is presented to the player through the log, rather than
as presented to Ren.
*) searching for mines
How is she doing such a dangerous activity? It's too dangerous to be left
done abstractly. Also, it's amazing those mines still work nearly 200
years after they were buried.
*) high explosives in hole
Several problems here: First, the explosives are 200 years old and are
unlikely to still work. Second, they're from an early level of technology,
and wouldn't have the power to do much damage. Third, the soldiers are
behind the door, not down a hole which goes Ren-knows-not-where.