The White Wolf of Icicle Creek

[Noone]

Do you have any info on this title (or maybe even screenshots)? What this episode will be about? Will there be some technical improvements to enigne?

[krolmeister]

Alex,

I'll russle up some screenshots. Some technical changes are:

* Compliance with Vista
* New/streamlined User Interface
* Increased image resolution
* Improved graphics pipeline (although this affects production more than the end user experience)
* New puzzles

The game is set in the Canadian Rockies during the dead of winter. A lodge is experiencing accidents which seem to always occur after a white wolf shows up and howls. There'll be a lot of outdoor activities, including my very favorite, death by hypothermia!

[Virgo Celltharion]

including my very favorite, death by hypothermia!

There will be only way to die in this game ?

[krolmeister]

Hello Virgo,

Oh no no no. There'll be PLENTY of ways to die. How can it be a Nancy Drew game without a kajillions ways of knocking out, killing and mortally wounding our favorite detective?!?

[Noone]

> Increased image resolution
What resolution it will be now? Will there still be left-to-right panoramic view? Will the models still be used as sprites?

What time period will the game be set on? Our times or earlier years?

>death by hypothermia!
Will it be as a trigger or you'll get colder with each step you make?

[krolmeister]

> Increased image resolution
What resolution it will be now? Will there still be left-to-right panoramic view? Will the models still be used as sprites?

Ack - the engineers are out today (snow day) and I don't want to say something for which I'm wrong. We increased the resolution in order to improve color accuracy especially on flat-screen monitors. We're still doing left-right panoramic and we're processing our modesl the same.

What time period will the game be set on? Our times or earlier years?

Current day.

>death by hypothermia!
Will it be as a trigger or you'll get colder with each step you make?

Hypothermia will be dependent on how cold it is (which will vary depending on time of day) what you're wearing, the amount of time you're spending outside and what you may have.

[Noone]

Is there a chance that "what you're wearing, the amount of time you're spending outside and what you may have" will affect gameplay more and lead to non-linearity (i.e. you haven't met someone and that is why he'll act in another way then if he meet you)?

[krolmeister]

There will be some non-linearity based on your investigations and choices that you make. We experimented with this in Danger by Design. Sadly, though, most players and reviewers didn't pick up on this or point this out. The problem with non-linearity is cost. For each alternative path, you have to create assets (voice overs, text, environments, etc.) that may not get a 'pay off' in that all of your audience experiences it.

[Noone]

maybe nonlinearity was not much promoted by you and people just missed it?

[HIddenSanctum]

Amen to that. Let's not forget that once you appease the non-linear fans, you'll then have another group pop up criticizing the open-ended game play and how you can't run through the game cleanly and catch everything.

Hehehe, although I do like the idea of giving walkthrough writers a serious headache. (insert evil smiley here...)

[krolmeister]

Amen to that. Let's not forget that once you appease the non-linear fans, you'll then have another group pop up criticizing the open-ended game play and how you can't run through the game cleanly and catch everything.

Hehehe, although I do like the idea of giving walkthrough writers a serious headache. (insert evil smiley here...)

Ugh! There's no way to win!!

In an earlier attempt at non-linearity we actually got a BAD review b/c the author, so used to poorly made games, thought that an aspect of non-linearity was a bug. So, because he couldnt' explicitly follow the walkthrough, he started over again and railed at us for such poor design! I've tried to get a detraction, but to no avail. :-[

[HIddenSanctum]

You've got me laughing over here. It's kind of like reviewers who use a walkthrough and then comment on how short the game is!

[Noone]

a real reviewer doesn't use a walkthrough... ok, maybe only when he's really really stuck :-)))

hmm, forgot to ask, will nancy be alone in this episode or with Hardy Boys?

[krolmeister]

Not only reviewers - but players too! I just hate when these intricate plot relevant items are missed - or especially vague references, although that's more my fault and I believe that perhaps on a vague subconscious level, references to dead 19th C. French novelists have some sort of effect.... somewhere... :

[krolmeister]

a real reviewer doesn't use a walkthrough... ok, maybe only when he's really really stuck :-)))

hmm, forgot to ask, will nancy be alone in this episode or with Hardy Boys?

yeah - and I really think that a reviewer or anyone shouldn't ever get stuck. But there are times. And also, if the reviewer is under a deadline, they have to use the walkthrough.

Nancy will be alone in ICE - no Hardy Boys this time, but Ned is back. AND, a VERY special GUEST appearance from a dearly beloved character. ;D

[HIddenSanctum]

I totally agree with you guys. I was alarmed to also find that many players will refuse to purchase a game unless and until a walkthrough is available. I can understand getting 'stuck', but refusing to even play unless you have a walkthrough?

[krolmeister]

I totally agree with you guys. I was alarmed to also find that many players will refuse to purchase a game unless and until a walkthrough is available. I can understand getting 'stuck', but refusing to even play unless you have a walkthrough?

Some of our users have Nancy Drew Support Centers where they call their friends and family if they're stuck. Surprisingly, it's a rare occasion when no one can figure out the next step or puzzle solution.

[bevstar204]

Do we really get to meet Ned? And can you give some clues as to who the ' dearly beloved character' is?

Oh and, are we going to meet Bess Marvin and George Fayne? If not, can you please consider it for another game.

[krolmeister]

Howdy Bevstar,

Ned is going to be telephonic this game. Although, I can say that for ND17, a dear friend will be tagging along with Nancy. Hmmm, I suppose I can say the same for ICE, but it's definitely NOT as exciting as the ND17 friend.

I cannot give any more clues as to the guest star. I'm keeping that VERY secret! :

[Agustin]

Not only reviewers - but players too! I just hate when these intricate plot relevant items are missed - or especially vague references, although that's more my fault and I believe that perhaps on a vague subconscious level, references to dead 19th C. French novelists have some sort of effect.... somewhere... :

I hear you... we suffered a lot of this as well in Scratches. I guess that catching the attention of gamers (and reviewers) nowadays can be an awfully difficult thing to achieve. Unless you insert some big drama, or better then, some nasty explosions, they will criticize that nothing is happening in the game. I can't remember which review it was, but some guy was complaining that the zombies he was expecting at the turn of the corner never showed up. It wasn't a gamer who said that... a reviewer, for crying out loud!!