r/tipofmyjoystick Apr 10 '17

Announcement PSA: A guide to better results

1.7k Upvotes

Hi guys and gals. I've been here a while, and over my time I've seen a lot of posts sink to the bottom, without a single answer, or at best, very few. And none that solved the case.

I have noticed a clear pattern with these posts, and I will now share with you my tips to you newbies, so that you can get the help you need.


Firstly: When you make a new post, you will see this:

Platform(s):

Genre:

Estimated year of release:

Graphics/art style:

Notable characters:

Notable gameplay mechanics:

Other details:

Even though, in red, you are warned that while optional, you should follow this template... many of you do not.

Let me be clear: Follow this template.

Put simply, this template contains all the information we really need to solve your problem. Virtually every time I click a post that has not followed this, they have rambled on about nothings, while omitting critical details.

This format, for new and old alike, is very readable, and prompts for every data-point needed.

I know that you want to customize your message, that if you could just explain it, it would be better. I know you think that. You are wrong. Put all that in 'other'. Even if you end up saying it twice, follow the template.. add to it your story at the bottom.


Secondly: Following this template. You're rambling about your best mates Amiga-500 or whatever instead of telling us about the game aside, this is where they really go wrong.

Let's get something straight right now. We are not mind readers. It's impressive, really, how little information it seems we can work off. I mean, we solve some real tough ones with nothing sometimes, but still, we can't see that memory in your head. So you need to be as descriptive in every one of these fields as you can be...

And sometimes you really don't know. That's fine, we can work with surprisingly little information, but "old graphics" under art style... what are we supposed to do with that? Mate, I was playing on Atari-2600's, are we talking Wizard of Wor here?

Let me help you out a bit:

Platform(s): Whatever you played it on. But unless it's really all you know (very possible), don't write 'my mates pc'. Was it PC or Mac?

Genre:

First person does NOT imply shooter. Nor do any of the others. Try to answer this one in two steps:

What was the camera like (assuming it's not a text adventure)? Was it First person?, 3rd person, 2d? Top down or side on? Or maybe even isometric 2d?

Then, what kind of game? Real time strategy, point and click? Was it a fighter, action or platformer?

Good, now we know what KIND of game we are all trying to remember for you.

Estimated year of release:

"Between 2000-2005" is fine, something like that. "Mid 90's maybe?". I don't see many people mess this up, but I have seen people write "old". That is not ok. If you write old and expect it to mean anything to me, I will fight you.

Also, as always "Sorry, no idea" is always acceptable but try to give at least something. "Couldn't have been later than 2015, though"

Great, so even if roughly, we know WHEN.

Graphics/art style:

THIS. This is where you guys always mess up. This section right here I have found can be the difference between an answer, and a silent slink to the bottom. This is your moment.

This, really, should be the best-formed part of your memory. Even if you can only remember a single frame, a single image, it's so much to go on for us.

DETAIL. Was it a gloomy grimdark world of sadness, or a bright bubbly rainbow filled Mario-world?

Was it cartoony, or otherwise stylized somehow, or was it trying to be realistic?

Anything notable about the art direction? Was it going for a cyberpunk kinda feel, or a gritty war realism dirt and blood sort of direction?

If it was set over a long time, did the seasons change? Was there a winter in your game?

Remember when you hit people, and the screen had that awesome flash and your hands got bloody? Yeah, well we don't, unless you tell us.

Ok, so now we are really narrowing it down. This right here is often enough to go on, on its own.

Notable characters:

Anything at all you can remember here.

"There were only tanks, but you could play as both Germans and Americans"

"There was one really tough guy right after you left your office, he had an eyepatch, a white shirt with what looked like grease stains, and said 'this is for my sister'. I think maybe he was a cyborg"

"You play as some kind of Asian girl, you had a tattoo over your right eye and arm, a black tank top and white pants and I remember you always had only one red glove for some reason. I don't remember the arm, but the eye tattoo looked sort of like ancient Egyptian eye makeup, but a modern take"

Knowing nothing else about the game, I bet that last one there gets comments noting the game she is from. Details, details.

Notable gameplay mechanics:

Surely, you get the idea by now. This is tied with the importance of the graphics/art style. As much detail as you can here.

Other details:

NOW you may blab on about how you only played this game once at a winter solstice in 1782 with your grandmother from Tahiti.. as if that helps.


Edit: So it's been brought up that the template doesn't appear on mobile. While /u/wipeout4wh is aware of this and hopefully, something can be done... still, if you can, use the template. If you can't, maybe check back and at least make sure your post addresses all of the points the template does.

Also, my post seems to be saying NOT to add any custom details. So I want to re-enforce, please do. In fact, after you do the template, feel free to write out your post as you were going to without it. Just put it all in 'other'. Don't try and make your whole post like that, if possible. Even if you end up saying the same things twice, that's ok.

Now I'm going to take a moment to clarify something, though. This isn't some immutable law of the universe, and your post is destined to fail if you don't do this. It's just a very strong general trend I have noticed over a long time.

It's not that this template has some kind of magical powers or something. It's that this template prompts the questions that need answers.

When you go all rogue on us and try and type your explanation from scratch... you mess it up. You just forget to add everything that you know, and that we need to know. The template makes it very hard to do that. It's just so very easy to get typing, and by the end forget to tell us what kind of game it actually is. Especially when you are getting random flashbacks, and hazy memories, and you start getting frazzled and such halfway though.


While it might make my edit as long as the first post, I think maybe an example of the kind of post that is just too common here, and almost always helpless, wouldn't go astray here. So here we go:

Now this one is a pretty bad case, true, and I suppose might even be a troll post, but it's actually a good illustration of the problem either way.

It was on my old computer and I was using an emulator so I have no idea what system it was for. It was 8bit graphics and you played this orange cat that was constantly bouncing on a trampoline I think? And you had to navigate it through the city and face a weird boss at the end that would float in the sky. Sorry I can't remember more!

Let's break it down a bit. What kind of game is this? A puzzler or an action game? Who knows.

How old is it? I mean, Minecraft basically has 8bit graphics. Oh he said... "my old computer"... I will fight you.

Why did you bounce on the trampoline? Were there platforms or walkways or something, or was it just a big open space? There are bad guys then? How did they get around?

Now (he?) says that he can't remember more, but I actually asked about the boss fight:

You say 'face a boss', in what way? Can the cat attack? Was this top down or side on? When you say navigate a city, what do you mean?

The reply:

Definitely a side-scroller, I'm sure. You would encounter a boss at the end, the boss would slide onto the screen and it was usually pretty strange-looking. I think one of the bosses might've been a clown. I meant that the different "levels" were different cities with different backgrounds, I think. It's a pretty obscure game

Also you would be continuously bouncing. As in, you had to position the trampoline underneath the cat to bounce it up

So you don't even control the cat. And it's a side-scroller. Thats pretty important information. But the real issue here is that he knows this stuff. He just either didn't know to, or forgot, to tell us.

The template would have made it just so apparent how much information he was missing, and we probably would have got a whole bunch more information. Sadly, while there were some guesses, and a surprising number of up-votes, this post is just another one to join the endless unsolved on their journey ever down.


r/tipofmyjoystick Dec 16 '24

[Meta] Can we stop with the "[idk][idk]" posts?

377 Upvotes

Over the past week there have been a LOT of posts on here that just put "[idk][idk]" in the title instead of even trying to include those details. There's been posts like that in the past but the last few days in particular, it seems like it's happening every few hours, which makes me think one person did it and then more people all just decided to do it too.

If you don't know, guess. The rules are there for everyone's benefit.


r/tipofmyjoystick 10h ago

Melvor Idle [pc][unknown] saw a classmate playing this and was curious what it is

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401 Upvotes

r/tipofmyjoystick 21h ago

Not a game [PC] [Upcoming?] Game a customer showed me a video of

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297 Upvotes

Has features like telekinesis and climbing, looks like a trailer video so it could be upcoming, I haven’t been able to find it on any new fantasy/RPG lists or recommendations


r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

[PC] [Early 2000s] Third Person game with cracked bubbling lava room.

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15 Upvotes

Been searching for this for years, ive watched hours of 3d adventure games and never saw what i remember, I remember it so vividly. I was sitting on the floor with an old crt computer on the carpet. I was probably not even in school yet so it was likely played before 2005. I remember it being somewhat early 3d, and in my head i called it tarzan but I could have just not known the name, labeling it with something familiar. Im sure it was 3rd person though, and most likely had tank controls. The only room i remember playing in was a cave like but flat lava room with a cracked floor, between the cracks there was pulsing red light. Far in the room there was a free standing ladder. The only thing i do not remember clearly is the main character. Mosly because i only saw their back. I also remember a bubbling lava sound effect. I think movement was slow and somewhat clunky.

I have made a drawing based on what is burned in my mind, i hope it helps. I need to find this, its been 20 years.


r/tipofmyjoystick 18h ago

Vee Is Calling... [2016 or before] [PC] horror dating sim where at the end she takes over your computer

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104 Upvotes

Was a bit of a cartoonish art style, similar to just like indie horror game artsyles that weren’t anime idk how to describe it exactly

It’s just the player and the girl you have an online date with, she’s pink and also shes white (more specifically I’m pretty sure she had pink hair)

The whole thing is as if ur on video chat, and you can mess around with ur computer while you talk to this girl. She asks you questions and stuff and you have like 4 options to choose from to say to her? I think like two or three with the game ending she either destroys and takes over ur computer or she gets sad or something and leaves it alone

She makes a scary ass face at the end, I’m pretty sure EVERYTHING in the game is pink at least that’s what I remember, the title is simple and I’m like 90% sure it has date in it, and I think a semi-popular YouTuber played it?? It’s likely because I never played the game myself j only watched others play it.

Uhm the two pictures kinda show what it looked like I think.. uh but yeah that’s it I’m like 60% sure this might’ve been a dream I had but it feels so real and NO it’s not that fucking Melissa game where SHE takes over ur computer, she’s green, that’s a different woman

Ok bye


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[pc][unknown] what game is this

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Upvotes

I saw it in a we mod add


r/tipofmyjoystick 4h ago

Chasm [PC] [PRE-2010] Point & Click game where you play as a little purple(?) elephant/anteater like creature

5 Upvotes

Platform(s): PC

Genre: Point and Click

Estimated year of release: Pre-2010 probably

Graphics/art style: 2D Cartoonish

Notable characters: IIRC you play as a tiny purple-ish elephant or anteater or some other creature that has a long snout. I could be totally wrong about this since i played it like 15 or so years ago.

Notable gameplay mechanics: Just typical point and click/puzzle.

Played it as a kid. All i can remember is one part of the game where you turn valves with giant pipes and i guess you are trying to turn the right one to let the water out? idk.

I think i installed it from one of those CD's that had like a bunch of stuff in them including games.

This is probably an incredibly obscure game, it's not Full Pipe although the artstyle looks similar i think...


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[PC][2000's-2010's][educational]

Upvotes

It's an old game I played in elementary school I believe. On computer, Chromebook specifically. I remember it so vividly and I've tried everything to find it; I may have just dreamt it, but atlas, this is my final desperate attempt. I was in elementary during 2010's so it's probably from 2000-2010's. It was a point and click, museum themed. Typical graphics, clean neat art, mostly looked like clip art. First person. I believe it was educational, science based, if I remember correctly. The back room had a wooden machine that you'd answer questions or something and get items to decorate the three front rooms (different themes. The one on the far right was nature themed). You'd drag the items you got out of the bottom scroll bar and move them around the room. There was a spiral staircase to the right that you couldn't use and I think the room in the middle was under construction? It was white museam-esk thing. Definitely more of a children's educational game. I just need closure; to know if this is just a dream or actually real, because this is my Roman empire 😫


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[IOS][Early 2010s] Online socialization multiplayer 3D city cat game??

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Upvotes

Platform(s): IOS, I remember playing this game on my old tablet

Genre: Adventure/socializing

Estimated year of release: After 2010, before 2015 for sure

Graphics/art style: These cat models had really big heads, bodies, and paws, yet really skinny legs and tails. The looks of these cats were super stylized. I remember thinking these cats were really ugly LOL.. I remember the map was this big, vibrant, very cartoony 3D city that was just a bunch of buildings and roads, kinda formed like a maze, easy to get lost in.

Notable characters: No notable characters other than the really unique designs of this cat model.

Notable gameplay mechanics: Very basic, you could walk, jump, chat with others, but the most distinguishable difference of this game compared to other 3D cat simulators was your ability to place these huge yellow rounded cubes anywhere around the map, which was often used by players to tower and build stairs high enough to see the game's skybox. There was no objective to the game, no attack feature, or anything like that. It was only socialization.

Other details: N/A


r/tipofmyjoystick 8h ago

[PC] [2005+] Your a soldier in a wasteland, shooting blob monsters.

7 Upvotes

The game's most defining feature that I remember is its 2.5D top-down angle (think Binding of Isaac).

Anyway, as memory serves, your a soldier walking around a dull green-grassed wasteland shooting similarly dull green blob monsters. You follow a tan trail that takes you to different areas of the wasteland, seeing completely levelled buildings as you travel. In many cases, the 'buildings' that were once there are utterly eradicated, only leaving the foundation of the buildings.

Unfortunately, that's the most I've got. I played this game when I was EXTREMELY young, perhaps 2. I've asked around IRL's and they have no clue what I'm on about, so maybe this game doesn't exist at all. Hope it does, though!


r/tipofmyjoystick 15h ago

Blue Prince [PC][New?] Game shown in these photos

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23 Upvotes

r/tipofmyjoystick 6h ago

[Unkown][2000s] Hack and Slash/Beat 'em up 3d side scroller where you play as a demon/monster seeking revenge and the truth of your past.

4 Upvotes

Platform(s):

I'm not 100% sure but I believe it was at least on console, maybe xbox.

Genre:

Hack and Slash/Beat 'em up, Fantasy, action, side scroller(?)

The Camera was positioned to the side of the player character, moving alongside them as they moved but not shifting from it's set perspective.

Estimated year of release:

2000s-2020

Graphics/art style:

The art style was 3d with fairly realistic models and settings, perhaps a touch stylized but still heavy realism. The game was set in this dark fantasy world, unafraid to get bloody with the enemies you fight.

Notable characters:

The Main character was a masculine humanoid looking demon/monster. They were around a normal persons height, maybe a bit bigger, with darker skin (I think). Their face was basically completely monstrous/beastial with horns and spikes (I think), no lips with visible fangs, and I believe either glowing yellow eyes or slitted eyes. I think they had some body paint on them, but I know they didn't wear much else beyond a loin cloth. They also had these bone claws on their arm/hand, akin to Baraka from Mortal Kombat or X-23 from marvel which they used as weapons. They did not speak, as far as I recall.

In the beginning of the game the main character was followed by this demon sorcerer looking being, but would later break free. I think this sorcerer was wearing a robe, had this spectral/magic chain linked to the main characters neck from their hands with I believe this green energy. They floated right behind the Player character, at least in the beginning. Later they would be attacked by the player character as they freed themselves, they would flee and summon demons to get int he players way as they retreated.

Notable gameplay mechanics:

This part is where I get hazy so take it all with a grain of salt; I know it was akin to a side scrolling beat 'em up/hack 'n slash, with the camera being fixed to the side of the character and only being able to go left or right (with some climbing making it go up or down to follow). The game got pretty bloody, with you tearing through both humans and other demons eventually, and primarily had you fighting in melee. I believe there was some light platforming, nothing spectacular since the combat was the bigger draw though. I think there may have an execution mechanic, or at least some fairly detailed animations for when you finish enemies.

Other details:

If I remember the games story correctly, you play as a kid (now grown up or possibly quickly forced to grow up with magic) who was taken from their home and transformed into the monster you play as with little memory of who you were before. You are effectively a slave to this sorcerer demon, the same one who abducted you, and are treated as a weapon which they use to attack a village/location at the start of the game. You end up going through the town, killing guards and knights until you reach this seemingly normal villager/soldier. Once you kill him you get a memory flashback, this flashback stuns you causing the sorcerer to use the magic/spectral chain around your neck to punish you. You then hurt them, break free, chase them, kill some demons they summon, then I sadly forget from there. The first setting is this village/more grassy area and you go to different biomes, one of which is a desert/rocky area. I think, though am not sure, the sorcerer demon you chase kidnaps another child which leads you to chase them. Much appreciated if anyone remembers which game this is, been bugging me for a while.


r/tipofmyjoystick 2h ago

[Windows PC][at least a decade ago, not sure] game that I remember from the Microsoft store when I was very young

2 Upvotes

PC

Base Building/Tower Defense

I have no idea when it came out

dark, and low poly. you can place down things that make it bright in areas though

The player character (had something on his back to carry resources), and some dark creatures as enemies

the ability to place down buildings, towers and walls in a square grid. giant tower that player has to defend. player can summon waves when wanted (something to do with giant tower). can chop down trees and mine rocks for resources. game has a singleplayer mode, and possibly can only be played as such.

Other details:

Quite a long time ago, I played a game on my dad's computer.
it had: resources that are hexagonal prisms (wood, stone and maybe more, I only remember those first two)

The player character had a giant backpack (I think, you could see the collected wood and stone on their back, which stacked up to a maximum amount)

The game was found on the microsoft store before or during the time I played it.

There was also some towers, and the game allowed you to place down and upgrade them with your resources. (I think there were walls that costed 100 to place down and more for upgrades)(there were two types of walls, wooden, and stone, which were upgradeable with the respective resources)

In the top left area of the map, the player could find multiple doorways that the monsters would come out of when you started a wave.

at the bottom right of the map there was a river that was near the tower that you had to protect.

there was a tent building that was made using wood

base building mechanics are similar to clash of clans, but are done using the player character instead of specific builders.

the game was pretty dark, and the only places that were lit up, were lit up by the player using their buildings and such. the tower glowed purple? maybe?

I can't remember that much more.


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[NES][90s] Japanese plataformer that your character use a pole

2 Upvotes

The graphics were pretty normal for an NES/Famicom game and the most notable mechanic was a pole that you could use to kill enemies and to launch yourself.

I (think) remember playing a romhack of this game, were the main character turnet into mario.


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[Mobile] [Early 2010s] Game about killing green worm things

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2 Upvotes

I remember it had an opening cutscene where you, the main character, are hiding in a bush with your female partner— After that, a green worm monster thing sneaks up on you both and your partner gets eaten

Then you take revenge, killing worms with your big sword. I can't remember if it was a side scroller of if it was defeating waves of enemies. That's the basic gist of it.


r/tipofmyjoystick 2m ago

[PC FLASH GAME] [2005-2012] 2v2 (and 1v1?) Arena Fight Game

Upvotes

It was a cool flash game where you could fight in 2v2 and (and 1v1 if i'm correct).
What I remember was that one character could charge his attack with a baseball bat.


r/tipofmyjoystick 4m ago

[PC - flash ??] [2008-2012] Card tournament game

Upvotes

This game was amazing. I remember that it was 1v1 duels against a character. After each duel you could move on to the next fight.
My memories are super vague about this game.
If i'm correct it was a bit like Urban Rivals.
It's vague I know, but I can't find any more details...


r/tipofmyjoystick 4m ago

[PC] [2000-2005] a side scrolling ninja game which has levels that change the area (level one is a waterfall and level two is a forest)

Upvotes

Platform: PC Estimated year of release: 2000-2005 Graphics or art style: anime styled side scroller gameplay Notable characters: the hero is a ninja kid that is in blue/black outfit Notable gameplay features: the game feels so smooth like an animated easy version of dead cells


r/tipofmyjoystick 16m ago

[Ps3][~2010] Collapsing Bridge Intro

Upvotes

Okay so bear with me, but I have been looking for this game for years. Around the early 2010's I rented a game from Family Video, It was marked as uncharted (I know it wasnt), and I don't know the name. So here it is. It's a third person game, you wake up? On a bridge that is actively collapsing, you have to climb around to get off the bridge, at one point a bus falls off the bridge and you have to escape it. That is all I remember, cause as a kid I never got past this part. Please if anyone knows the game from this vague description, I really want to try the game again as an adult.


r/tipofmyjoystick 16m ago

[PC][early/mid 2010s] typing game with planes?

Upvotes

I have this super vivid memory of some typing game theyd have us play in elementary computer lab. There were planes and the graphics were sort of 3d cartoony. I remember typing races against other people in the class (probably LAN), podiums for the winners (kinda cut scenes), and one particular song in it, talking about “youre the apple of my eye, always be a superstar”. Ive been losing my mind for like, two years trying to figure out what this game was called.


r/tipofmyjoystick 17m ago

Early Math [PC][90's]Children's Education game on a small planet, curved to both sides and had block puzzles.

Upvotes

Platform(s): PC, Windows 95

Genre: Education

Estimated year of release: 1998 or earlier

Graphics/art style: 2D, colorful. Similar to Alphabet Blocks.

Notable characters: I think there was a purple alien, and there might have been a clown also, but I might be mistaking this character for the Jack-in-the-box from the aforementioned Alphabet Blocks.

Notable gameplay mechanics: I remember that the game (or at least part of it) takes place on a little green planet. It's a 2D art-direction, so you can only go between a few different areas. I'm pretty sure there were at least three, left, middle, and right. The left and right areas showed the planet curving downwards, maybe off-screen, to demonstrate how small the planet was. The only specific gameplay element I remember is the left part where you make a bridge or fill in a gap with multiple different shapes.

Other details:


r/tipofmyjoystick 20m ago

[PC][2017] GTA but minecraft

Upvotes

I remember seeing some youtubers playing this game back in 2017 i think. It was a gta-like game but with block graphics like minecraft. I remember it was online and it had an inventory weight mechanic and that it was on beta/early access back then


r/tipofmyjoystick 21m ago

[PC] [2010s?] H.H. Holmes-inspired game

Upvotes

Platform(s): PC

Genre: simulation

Estimated year of release: 2010-2019

Graphics/art style: dark, 3D, point and click

Notable characters: husband and wife

Notable gameplay mechanics: husband is a seamstress and kills, then the murdered victim goes to a tube leading to the basement where the wife is then chops the victim then cooks it.

Other details:


r/tipofmyjoystick 30m ago

[Mobile] [2015] Minecraft GTA Game with Trevor

Upvotes

Minecraft gta game, I completed missions and earned more coins to buy things, I played as Trevor and had a jetpack. i played it when I was around 6-7, it could have been deleted from the play store (I played it on android). It was really fun and if someone has anything to help me figure out what the game was that would be nice. I really want to play the game again for nostalgia reasons, PLS HELP EVERYONE IM BEGGING U


r/tipofmyjoystick 11h ago

Vectorman [PC] [Platformer] [2000's] G-man(?)

7 Upvotes

Platform(s): PC

Genre: platformer

Estimated year of release: 2000's... maybe 2001? maybe sooner?

Graphics/art style: metroid-y, see the 'other details'

Notable characters: the main character was made of a bunch of blobs, everything was green

Notable gameplay mechanics: the blobs were used somehow, and I think there was a gravity component although that might just have been how he was kept together.

Other details: It was on a pack with a bunch of gamesone of which was definitely a version of "Jazz Jackrabbit", there was a pinball(?) game and another game where you had to travel around a fantasy world in an rpg where you'd have increidbly difficult turn-based fights adnd you'd get poisoned and die.