Hint system

[Candle]

What would be a good way to put a hint system into the game?
Anyone ever think about doing this or has done it.

[Mystery]

Yes, I have thought about it, but I haven't figured out yet what would be a good way doing it.
So I am also curious if anybody has realized such a hint system and how.

[Candle]

Did you play out Out From Boneville's
http://www.telltalegames.com/products/bn0102
It has a help system.

[Mystery]

No, thanks for the tipp. One more game to play as soon as I have some time

[Imari]

I wouldn't mind a hint system when really really stuck. When it reaches the point of frustration, I go to a walkthrough. How about linking to a webpage for it?

[Harvester]

Phantasmagoria had a hint system: it was okay because at the harder parts it didn't say everything, really just guided the player's mind in the correct direction. So it didn't say 'go here and do that', but made some suggestions. The player could click on an icon on the inventory bar to reach the hints, and it was recorded speech. At different parts of the game of course you got different helps. But it was not always useful because there were some parts where player had no clue and the hint system helped neither.
I think the solution would be to make something like a '3-stepped-hint-system': if the player asks for help first time, he don't get direct orders but suggestions; at the second time it's more precise, and if the player is really stuck, he can ask for a third help which says hip exactly what to do. And perhaps if the game has a point-system, at different levels of help a specific amount of score would be lost.

[Mystery]

Of course it is useful if your players know where they find a walkthrough, you are right Imari. However especially in games that are not linear a walkthrough can give away too much as players have to go through more information than they would really need.

I'm primarily interested in the techniques. Of course I have played games with a hint/help system so I got an idea what kind of help systems have been realized so far in other games (not done with AM).
But now I would like to figure out a good way doing it in AM. I'm sure that there is a good solution (or maybe even different good solutions) but I have to get into it again as soon as I have more time.

This is a very interesting topic

[AncientRein]

well ,
you could just simplify things buy adding a skip puzzle feature
to advance to the next frame with the completed puzzle
I believe others have implemented this sort of
thing already.

[Mystery]

No Really? I haven't seen this in games yet.
Not the kind of hint system I would think of, my players should complete the whole game

So I will keep on thinking about it

[Candle]

Do you remember some of the games that had 800 numbers you could call to get hints that you had to pay for.

[Mystery]

No.
But good idea to let pay for hints

[AncientRein]

I dont think I would want to over complicate
a game interface with a elaborate hint system.
You can easily implement one in am.
Players like it simple and right in front of them.
Simple sells believe me.
Simple and pretty. thats just the way it seems to be

good luck

[AncientRein]

candle , i remember those 800 numbers many years ago
back when games were on floppys , i even called a few

where have the years gone.

[Candle]

I think if the dialogue system for AM work with a hotspot that would make a good help system.