h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I liked it. I really do.

I didn't know they were considering making another sequel to the game. My old Myst CD is packed away for the upcoming move next week, but I unpacked it and played around in the various worlds a bit the other night.

*gets misty-eyed and takes a trip down memory lane*

You might want to add some mention of Douglas Adams' products - like the text-based Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy game and Starship Titanic which took the crown away from Myst in my opinion as the *best* game in this genre.

You might also want to cut down on the parenthetical asides a bit. Either put some in footnotes or cut a few out - that can get distracting.

- X

Hmmm... I haven't played any of the Douglas Adams-related stuff, though I did look at the Starship Titanic website. I'm not sure how to work any of that in... maybe a sentence that says something along the lines of "Myst is generally regarded as the best in it's genre, in relation to technological restraints at the time" and an accompanying footnote "Though some claim that the Douglas Adams-based title Starship Titanic snatched the crown."
Mmmm, maybe not. It kind of looks like I'm snubbing it or it's fans or something. Well, if I think of the right wording, I'll work it in there somehow.

So, do you think it's Edited Guide material? How would I go about doing so? This whole peer review thing has got me terminally confused! (Ah, the joys of being a newbie...)

You can play the Hitchhiker's game at DNA's website - http://www.douglasadams.com I think you can find it in the games section.

And Starship Titanic is brilliant - if you liked Myst and Riven, you should really try it out!!

And as far as getting it into the Edited Guide, go to the Peer Review page and follow the directions. You may want to check on the page for a few days to see if anyone else starts forums on it. Researchers there will give you additional feedback and as soon as the old queue is gone (555 and falling!) the Subeditors will get a chance to look at it for inclusion in the Edited Guide.

There's roughly 50 of us and we each get batches of 10 at a time, so it shouldn't be too much longer now and the queue will be gone forever!!

- X

Got rid of a lot of those parenthases... that entry got smaller--fast. (But hey, I'm talkin' to a sub-editor here. I've heard they like short entries. Short, spelled correctly, and sweet.) Thanks. (And if I run across SST I'll be sure to give it a spin!)

I agree with Jimi - a good article about a very satisfying game.

I'd like to hear more about why it was such a ground-breaking game: the stunning graphics, even in 256 colours, so beautifully textured that they took things on a couple of levels; the sound, haunting and atmospheric; and in particular the concept of a game where you get almost no hints as to what is going on - like life, you have to wander around trying to figure out what to do for the best.

I'd also echo his recommendation of Starship Titanic, if you're into games like this. It's not quite as aesthetically pleasing, and there's rather more traditional interaction with other characters, but the debt it owes to Myst is very evident.

In terms of structure, the only other comment I'd make is that the spoiler (albeit not *much* of a spoiler) should probably be at the end, so that people can read the rest of the article in a relaxed fashion.

Oh, and short entries are good - but as long as there's plenty to say, length is no disadvantage

Graphics, sound, concept-- got it.

I wanted to elaborate more on this, but I was afraid of scaring off people with a long entry on what I thought many people would think was doubtfully worthy of The Guide. With the reaction I'm seeing so far, I'm thinking that this is not nessesarily the case.

I'll try to work more in, but will you write something in the peer review page, where it counts? Thanks.

See how you like A417052-Riven, the Sequel to Myst, too. I'll be trying to get that into The Guide next.

It's okay, I'm a Scout - that's all you need

(Beaming again...)

I like the new opening sequence description - it gets across some of the mindset of the game. Nice work

...still beaming... (doesn't take much to make me happy...)

I see this entry is rounding the bend toward inclusion into the Edited Guide! Well done!!

To think we were there at the beginning!

Thanks for all the help and support, Jimi!

One question, though:
There is some time-sensitive text in this article (i.e. realMyst and Myst III are being released this spring). How would I go about updating this thing? Can it be updated? Pleeeeeese tell me it can be updated!

Contact your Subeditor and relay your concerns. If that fails, you could bring it up in the Feedback section of the Guide under Editorial Feedback. Or you could go to Anna the deputy editor at http://www.h2g2.com/U25. But I would do that last as messages can get lost on her page.

Hope tht helps!

- X

Hmmm, that could work.... Thanks!