Adventure vs. Secret Quest

[Captain Beard]

I never understood the hype about Adventure, most likely because I never played and enjoyed it back then.

My thoughts exactly.

 

I scored Secret Quest a while ago but barely gave it a chance.

The scintillating descriptions of its gamplay on this thread aren't exactly getting me excited to give it another shot.

Edited April 4, 2007 by Captain Beard

[almightytodd]

I've created a Secret Quest web page with maps and codes for anyone who's interested. If you have additional information to what I've written there, reply to this post, PM me, send smoke signals... whatever.

 

Thanks ,

[Foxsolo2000]

You must get bored very fast. I find that I can explore the entire kingdom (minus the inside of the castles) in just a few minutes. In fact, I wish the kingdom were larger so it would be more challenging. BTW, level 3 is the only way to go.

 

I agree with the larger kingdom ideas. I have always liked the Adventure Plus and Suicide Adventure ideas for their more advanced dungeon layouts. Some one should add more kingdoms to explore or even add a couple of new dragons to spice things up a bit

[Ranthulfr]

I like both games for different reasons. I don't think it's nostalgia exactly, but to me, the the fact that Adventure was one of the earlier games does make it more impressive. The free-form (or non-linear, as someone called it) nature of the game was very appealing. There hasn't been another 2600 game quite like it, aside from homebrews and hacks. Superman is the closest thing I can think of. And the "easter-egg" in Adventure added another level of interest to the game.

 

The elements that keep Secret Quest interesting are the new weapon/power-up on each level and the desire to complete the game. The music gives it a Metroid kind of mood and frankly I like the graphics. Especially the little spud-creatures.

 

R

[Ranthulfr]

Oh and Secret Quest introduces new enemies as the game progresses. Can't remember if there's a new one on every level (eh... not to mention I haven't worked through every level).

 

R

[Foxsolo2000]

I like both games for different reasons. I don't think it's nostalgia exactly, but to me, the the fact that Adventure was one of the earlier games does make it more impressive. The free-form (or non-linear, as someone called it) nature of the game was very appealing. There hasn't been another 2600 game quite like it, aside from homebrews and hacks. Superman is the closest thing I can think of. And the "easter-egg" in Adventure added another level of interest to the game.

 

The elements that keep Secret Quest interesting are the new weapon/power-up on each level and the desire to complete the game. The music gives it a Metroid kind of mood and frankly I like the graphics. Especially the little spud-creatures.

 

R

 

 

Yes but unlike Superman Adventure was far easier to play for you knew exactly where you were at any point in the game. Even now I have trouble working where exactly I am in Superman

[Lord Thag]

I've created a Secret Quest web page with maps and codes for anyone who's interested. If you have additional information to what I've written there, reply to this post, PM me, send smoke signals... whatever.

 

Nice job! I look forward to seeing the complete walkthrough.

[accousticguitar]

You must get bored very fast. I find that I can explore the entire kingdom (minus the inside of the castles) in just a few minutes. In fact, I wish the kingdom were larger so it would be more challenging. BTW, level 3 is the only way to go.

 

I agree with the larger kingdom ideas. I have always liked the Adventure Plus and Suicide Adventure ideas for their more advanced dungeon layouts. Some one should add more kingdoms to explore or even add a couple of new dragons to spice things up a bit

 

Last year Yorgle made a hack of Adventure called Misadventure. It has 5 dragons and over 100 rooms. The only problem is he never finished it. I'm still waiting

[supercat]

Last year Yorgle made a hack of Adventure called Misadventure. It has 5 dragons and over 100 rooms. The only problem is he never finished it. I'm still waiting

 

There were some aspects if Misadventure I liked very much, and others I wasn't so keen on. I personally prefer games where going south is the opposite of going north, and likewise east and west. There are places where exceptions make sense, but in general they distract from a game. More significantly, I think the kingdom is too large for the number of objects that exist, and I don't think giving the bat such a large domain works well. Perhaps the game should use two movement tables--one for the player and one for NPC's, and have numerous bats each of which only operates within a certain domain.

 

In any case, I think the Adventure concept has a lot of potential which is not fully realized; I haven't seen anything from Secret Quest which is anywhere near as interesting.

[accousticguitar]

Those tricky places had me confused for a while, but once I figured it out I thought it was kind of cool. I got to the point where I knew the mazes almost as well as Adventure. The bad part of the unfinished game was that there was no reason to go into most of the castles since there was nothing there to find. That made the game smaller and less interesting. I'm still looking forward to the finished version, whenever that may be.

[Foxsolo2000]

You must get bored very fast. I find that I can explore the entire kingdom (minus the inside of the castles) in just a few minutes. In fact, I wish the kingdom were larger so it would be more challenging. BTW, level 3 is the only way to go.

 

I agree with the larger kingdom ideas. I have always liked the Adventure Plus and Suicide Adventure ideas for their more advanced dungeon layouts. Some one should add more kingdoms to explore or even add a couple of new dragons to spice things up a bit

 

Last year Yorgle made a hack of Adventure called Misadventure. It has 5 dragons and over 100 rooms. The only problem is he never finished it. I'm still waiting

 

Was it released as a cart or just as a rom file?

[accousticguitar]

Just a bin file. I don't think he plans on releasing it on cart even when it's finished (I asked).

[jpfalcon2003]

I've created a Secret Quest web page with maps and codes for anyone who's interested. If you have additional information to what I've written there, reply to this post, PM me, send smoke signals... whatever.

 

Thanks ,

thanks 4 the info.

[Evil Otto]

I like Secret Quest better myself. I really like the look and the dark atmosphere of the game. Plus I tend to like weirdness, and it's pretty weird to be fighting beartraps and potato men.

[bomberpunk]

adventure is quality. secret quest is quantity.

 

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Edited April 17, 2007 by bomberpunk

[yorgle]

Adventure IS the greatest game ever made. I only say that because...Adventure is the greatest game ever made!

 

I agree. So much so that without any real interest in videogames in general, I nevertheless bought a 2600 system just so that my daughters could play Adventure. I soon found myself staying up at night learning assembly so I could create my own additions to the game, (more dragons, rooms, etc). IMO, Adventure's success is because it's about as close as a person can get to being litterally "inside the game." It operates in real time. There are no arbitrary restrictions to the player's actions (except perhaps the line-barriers). It allows use of game tools (e.g., bridge) to go beyond simply winning the game itself (e.g., peeking into other rooms, secret room, etc). And the fellow inhabitants of the Kingdom have personality.

 

In theatre, there's a concept called "willing suspension of disbelief" which refers to the quality (or lack thereof) which prompts the viewers to forget the unreality of the stage and accept as "real" the actions they are seeing. Adventure has that quality. It doesn't matter that the dragons look like ducks-- because they act like dragons. Not mere representations of dragons, but real dragons. It doesn't matter that the walls and castles are just square blocks- because they consistently act like solid walls or blocks. Adventure is a great videogame for the same reason that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are great literature. Hats off to Mr. Robinett.

[accousticguitar]

Adventure IS the greatest game ever made. I only say that because...Adventure is the greatest game ever made!

 

I agree. So much so that without any real interest in videogames in general, I nevertheless bought a 2600 system just so that my daughters could play Adventure. I soon found myself staying up at night learning assembly so I could create my own additions to the game, (more dragons, rooms, etc). IMO, Adventure's success is because it's about as close as a person can get to being litterally "inside the game." It operates in real time. There are no arbitrary restrictions to the player's actions (except perhaps the line-barriers). It allows use of game tools (e.g., bridge) to go beyond simply winning the game itself (e.g., peeking into other rooms, secret room, etc). And the fellow inhabitants of the Kingdom have personality.

 

In theatre, there's a concept called "willing suspension of disbelief" which refers to the quality (or lack thereof) which prompts the viewers to forget the unreality of the stage and accept as "real" the actions they are seeing. Adventure has that quality. It doesn't matter that the dragons look like ducks-- because they act like dragons. Not mere representations of dragons, but real dragons. It doesn't matter that the walls and castles are just square blocks- because they consistently act like solid walls or blocks. Adventure is a great videogame for the same reason that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are great literature. Hats off to Mr. Robinett.

 

That is an interesting essay on WHY Adventure is the greatest game ever made. It makes me realize that I have not put much thought into it. All I know is I enjoy the challenge of looking for the various items while trying to avoid the threat of the dragons and the bat. It is satisfying to outsmart them all and win the game! I think there is an element of suspense in there that I like.

[Fretwobbler]

Secret Quest is a god amongst video games.

 

Heres my complete maps page for it.

 

And anybody stuck on the last level who doesnt want to spoil the challenge should not download this file!...

sq_escape_route_station_8.zip

[almightytodd]

Secret Quest is a god amongst video games.

 

Heres my complete maps page for it.

 

And anybody stuck on the last level who doesnt want to spoil the challenge should not download this file!...

That is WAY cool, Fretwobbler. You just saved me a TON of work redoing something that you've already done. I will modify my web page and put a link to your page right at the top with acknowledgement of how hard it must have been for you to create that.

 

Thanks,

[+Random Terrain]

I bought Secret Quest because it was supposed to be the greatest adventure game ever made, but then discovered when I brought it home that it wasn't fun at all. I don't like games that make you write things down. Adventure is better, but I like E.T. more than Adventure.

[supercat]

I don't like games that make you write things down.

 

Why do some game designers think writing stuff down is 'fun'? Myst has the same problem. I just don't get it.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Why do some game designers think writing stuff down is 'fun'? Myst has the same problem. I just don't get it.

New had a problem with that. Actually mapping e.g. Pitfall! was an important part of the fun for me.

[supercat]

New had a problem with that. Actually mapping e.g. Pitfall! was an important part of the fun for me.

 

True, there are some games where making maps and such can be part of the challenge, but...

 

-1- It's not necessary to write anything down to play Pitfall, even though it will be helpful for achieving a perfect score.

 

-2- A map of a game has some "real" significance, unlike a SQ detonation-code sequence. Further, a player has the freedom to decide what level of detail to incorporate into a map (e.g. from a practical perspective, a lake and a tar pit are identical, but marking them differently on the map may help one keep track of one's position).

 

-3- David Crane didn't go out of his way to use an annoying character set.

[Fretwobbler]

just saved me a TON of work

 

Lol, and half the coffee in Brazil!

 

Thanks for the link, there is one important bit that affects stations 4 to 8 that isnt on my maps so there is still work to do!

 

Its the matching up of each stairway on stations 4 to 8 that I havent got, I lost the bits of paper that had the info on so I couldnt put it on the maps. The idea being that on each Space Station the stairs (both up and down that correspond) would both be numbered A, then B, then C etc. I was going to revisit it at some point but never got around to it.

[Sardonyx]

Holy necro thread Batman!

 

Secret Quest was a game I played around the time it came out and it was "ok," never really hooked me. I was more into the arcade style games, mostly on the 5200. My favorite 2600 games, aside from the arcade classics, are mostly Activision games and a few like Star Raiders that just seemed really cool.

 

Fast forward to June 2017 and I've been on an Atari retro kick. I've tried Secret Quest a couple times as it's one of the games I have some nostalgia for. I've come to the conclusion that ... it sucks. It's just not fun to play. The real issue is the combat. It's very fiddly and unfortunately it's a critical part of the game. But really it just gets in the way.

 

Over the past 3-4 years I've seen a lot of Let's Plays of fan made JRPG games in the horror genre. One of the interesting things about them is that they get rid of the combat almost entirely and there are no random battles like most JRPGs (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, etc.) There's mechanics around item collection and the focus is on telling a story. The horror elements usually revolve around some quick action that the player needs to do - navigate a room, quickly activate something, etc.

 

But for the most part, the non-essential combat gets out of the way.

 

Having played Adventure a couple times in the last few years, I think it's a much better game than Secret Quest. There's a wide variety of items, they each do unique things to help the player in their quest and the combat is minimal. If I recall, there are only 3 dragons and all can be defeated when they touch the sword. They're quick and some running's involved if you're not prepared for them.

 

With Secret Quest, every room spawns a single enemy that moves erratically. It can be difficult to hit and if it hits you once negates any benefit you're going to get from killing it. Also it respawns a number of times. It's not very fun and it's repetitive...so repetitive. And long... I can handle repetitive as long as it's fun. I've had to turn off Atari 400 Defender somewhere after 5 million points because it just wasn't going to end, but I'd played for well over an hour and it was frentic fun. Usually by the third station in Secret Quest I'm bored and frustrated and there's so much left.

 

Adventure by contrast gets straight to the point, has fun little mechanics, and doesn't overstay its welcome.

 

That's my take. Obviously games are subjective and if you like something you like. To me, Secret Quest just doesn't follow one of the recipes for a good game.