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I still remember having to look into a French-English dictionary to find the right word for 'spacesuit'... Old games are like legos, less sophistication = more

by cedsav 17y ago

I still remember having to look into a French-English dictionary to find the right word for 'spacesuit'... Old games are like legos, less sophistication = more imagination.

modoc 17y ago
I HATE how hard it is to find Legos that aren't just part of a kit that builds ONE thing and has step by step instructions. My nephew has several of these, but I think they're such a waste compared to the old days where you had a bucket of blocks, and you built whatever you wanted. I also have fond memories of Capsela, Constructs, and old Erector Sets.
- jswinghammer 17y ago
  I have the same reaction whenever I go to the Lego store. I think the stuff looks great but I wonder if I'll be able to find sets that can do anything for my daughter when she's old enough to not eat them.
- rkowalick 17y ago
  The buckets of basic blocks can still be found in quite a lot of places. Sam's Club, Walmart, etc. around where I live still stock pretty sizable buckets.
  - modoc 17y ago
    Good to know. Mostly I've just been hitting Toys R Us and similar places and haven't found any basic blocks available there. I'll look harder:)
- wmf 17y ago
  Counterpoint from a few days ago: http://www.quietbabylon.com/2009/there-is-no-single-use-lego/ http://www.quietbabylon.com/2009/there-is-no-single-use-lego...
pavlov 17y ago
I still remember having to look into a French-English dictionary to find the right word for 'spacesuit'... I had the same experience playing Space Quest I as an 8-year-old kid with my friend. Except that it didn't occur to us to look up words in a dictionary; instead we kept calling an older friend who actually knew English and could tell us the magic incantations we needed to type to get somewhere in the game. I'll never forget that you need to "fasten seatbelt" before launching the escape pod.
- bd 17y ago
  Oh memories. It was not just about English - even if you knew what to do, you had to use the exact phrase game creators intended. It could become very frustrating, especially as in those days you couldn't just go to web and find the walkthrough. I remember being stuck on the top of volcano in Larry 2, trying to create a bomb to get inside: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQRuRiPp6I#t=50s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQRuRiPp6I#t=50s Sometimes, the only option was to search through the game resource files, looking for strings that could be used.
gurraman 17y ago
That's exactly how i feel about EverQuest. I have yet to find a game that I like even half as much. The unrealistic graphics really lets your imagination fill in the gaps. This becomes increasingly hard with more realistic physics/models/movement as you start concerning yourself with flaws only in the details.
- jcw 17y ago
  I feel the same way. Too bad no company in their right mind would release a game with intentionally outdated graphics and physics. Imagine the public outcry. Maybe the current game-playing mainstream is so devoid of imagination that they're unable to play games that leave things to it.
enki 17y ago
ha, i remember learning english with SQ1 and a dictionary :p

by cedsav 17y ago

I still remember having to look into a French-English dictionary to find the right word for 'spacesuit'... Old games are like legos, less sophistication = more imagination.

modoc 17y ago

I HATE how hard it is to find Legos that aren't just part of a kit that builds ONE thing and has step by step instructions. My nephew has several of these, but I think they're such a waste compared to the old days where you had a bucket of blocks, and you built whatever you wanted. I also have fond memories of Capsela, Constructs, and old Erector Sets.

jswinghammer 17y ago
I have the same reaction whenever I go to the Lego store. I think the stuff looks great but I wonder if I'll be able to find sets that can do anything for my daughter when she's old enough to not eat them.
rkowalick 17y ago
The buckets of basic blocks can still be found in quite a lot of places. Sam's Club, Walmart, etc. around where I live still stock pretty sizable buckets.
- modoc 17y ago
  Good to know. Mostly I've just been hitting Toys R Us and similar places and haven't found any basic blocks available there. I'll look harder:)
wmf 17y ago
Counterpoint from a few days ago: http://www.quietbabylon.com/2009/there-is-no-single-use-lego/ http://www.quietbabylon.com/2009/there-is-no-single-use-lego...

pavlov 17y ago

I still remember having to look into a French-English dictionary to find the right word for 'spacesuit'... I had the same experience playing Space Quest I as an 8-year-old kid with my friend. Except that it didn't occur to us to look up words in a dictionary; instead we kept calling an older friend who actually knew English and could tell us the magic incantations we needed to type to get somewhere in the game. I'll never forget that you need to "fasten seatbelt" before launching the escape pod.

bd 17y ago
Oh memories. It was not just about English - even if you knew what to do, you had to use the exact phrase game creators intended. It could become very frustrating, especially as in those days you couldn't just go to web and find the walkthrough. I remember being stuck on the top of volcano in Larry 2, trying to create a bomb to get inside: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQRuRiPp6I#t=50s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQRuRiPp6I#t=50s Sometimes, the only option was to search through the game resource files, looking for strings that could be used.

gurraman 17y ago

That's exactly how i feel about EverQuest. I have yet to find a game that I like even half as much. The unrealistic graphics really lets your imagination fill in the gaps. This becomes increasingly hard with more realistic physics/models/movement as you start concerning yourself with flaws only in the details.

jcw 17y ago
I feel the same way. Too bad no company in their right mind would release a game with intentionally outdated graphics and physics. Imagine the public outcry. Maybe the current game-playing mainstream is so devoid of imagination that they're unable to play games that leave things to it.

enki 17y ago

ha, i remember learning english with SQ1 and a dictionary :p