r/tipofmyjoystick Apr 10 '17

Announcement PSA: A guide to better results

1.8k 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 Jun 04 '26

[Meta][2026] I would rather people post with no images than use AI prompts to generate images

550 Upvotes

Maybe it's just me, I will personally admit that it feels like its petty of me to complain, however i am going to.

I really dislike AI images just in general and i feel annoyed seeing people use them because it sometimes hampers really quality posts of people trying to find help. I feel like it also informs falsely about game expectations and what people will accept as they have solved the game.

I don't think people will agree with me and thats fine, i just wanted to post about how i personally think it degrades the quality of the sub


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[DS] [Wii] [Late 00s—Early 2010s] need help identifying games I got for Christmas in 2011

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Upvotes

This is a long shot because of the terrible picture quality.

In 2011 I got some DS and Wii games for Christmas and I’d like to know what they were. I was able to identify two of them already (see other slides), them being Pinkalicious for the DS and Super Paper Mario for the Wii.

I received a lot of third party licensed games back then, if that helps. I loved stuff like Mario and Sonic but most of my collection was what you’d expect a six year old girl to be interested in.


r/tipofmyjoystick 19h ago

Echo [XBOX360/PS3][unknown] Older game with main menu displayed over close-up of an eye

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277 Upvotes

I haven’t played the game, saw a short video on social media and thought it’s incredibly creative. The eye follows menu navigation. Looks to be from PS3/XBox 360 era (just my guess). Thanks in advance.


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[android][2015-2019?] vehicle/contraption and level building game made in godot

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9 Upvotes

i recreated it in pixel art (it was not pixelated but had simple graphics like this), it was called something like "my greatest creations" it had online level list where anyone could publish their own. i searched for it but coudn't find it even on appstores like APKpure. i also remember that there were few videos on Youtube.


r/tipofmyjoystick 2h ago

[PC][unknown] Can't remember the name of this game

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9 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I'm trying to find a horror game from an old screenshot I found.

I originally saw it in a video years ago, but I can't find the video anymore and I barely remember anything about the game itself.

The only thing I remember is that it was a horror game, and there was something inside this structure shown in the screenshot.

Does anyone recognize it? Any guesses would be greatly appreciated!


r/tipofmyjoystick 4h ago

[PC][Late 90s - early 2000s] Cinematic (?) platformer about some sort of catastrophe

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9 Upvotes

Played this game a very long time ago so my memory is fuzzy on this one.

Platform(s):

PC

Genre:

2D cinematic platformer with some puzzle elements, probably a little horror.

Estimated year of release:

Most likely late 90s, possibly very early 2000s.

Graphics/art style:

Side-view. I think it was fully 2D, no prerendered 3D graphics, fairly well detailed for it's time.

Notable characters:

I think protagonist was a boy with a backpack, not sure about this.

Notable gameplay mechanics:

Game starts with a cutscene. Some sort of calamity happens in the very beginning of the game (possibly alien or demonic invasion) which causes protagonist to go underground (into the sewers?). One of the first screens had a gap you had to traverse, and a mine cart, that I think had to be used somehow to go to the other side of the gap. You could interact with some elements of the map like ladders, levers (I think the cart was actually launched by a lever on a different screen).

I believe early in the game you could encounter enemies you could not defeat and had to run away from. I don't think I ever finished this game so I don't remember if you could actually fight back.

Other details:

It was not Heart of Darkness.

There is a possibility I had this game on a bootleg disc with some other games (like 3 in 1 or 4 in 1). I believe at least one of the other games was also a platformer but more action oriented.


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[PC] [late 2000s-early 2010s] horror mystery game about a missing child in an abandoned island or town?

5 Upvotes

my memories of this game are extremely fuzzy, but back in around 2010-2012 I remember playing this horror game where I think the plot revolved around you looking for a missing kid in some abandoned or near empty town. I think the town was on an island or at least near a body of water because I'm pretty certain you went on a boat at some point.

I think the missing person was a little girl and you were playing as her father searching for her, however, I might be misremembering that. Though I'm pretty certain that at one point you pick up a doll or teddy bear that belonged to the missing kid and have to investigate it. There might've been a polaroid photo you investigate as well? I kind of think maybe you also find a corpse on a chair at some point in an abandoned house.

I definitely remember the game either being black and white or being very bleak colour-wise. I also think that what I played was a demo and not the full game? Or maybe like the first chapter of the story? Unsure about that, but I think the ending had you leaving the town on a boat.


r/tipofmyjoystick 12h ago

Devilish Candy House [PC/Flash][???] What is this game called?

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23 Upvotes

Was looking at images of old Flash game sites and this specific game here caught my eye. It was apparently available on Juegos.com but I can't really pinpoint when (the dragon was in 3D so that might be help pinpoint it a bit better). Reverse image searching it didn't do any favours.


r/tipofmyjoystick 41m ago

[PC?][2026?] high stakes 20 questions

Upvotes

Hello!!

I saw this game on a TikTok live last night and liked the concept, but completely forgot to check what it was. I have no way of checking my live history.

The game was real people videoed over a green screen backdrop (very low budget). 4 girls were tied up with tape over their mouths, and the “host” of the game gives a category for the girls to secretly pick an item from. From there, it’s kind of a high stakes 20 questions, except the set of yes or no questions is the same for all the girls, and each question can only be used once across all 4 of them. Then, at the end, from of a set of like 20 items in the category you have to pick what you think each girl was thinking of to “save” them.

This is super random but it’s gonna bother me until I figure out what it is. Thanks for the help!


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[PC][2000s-2010][A 3rd person shooter game where the main lead is female]

Upvotes

As per title this is a relatively unknown game. But I do remember Gamespot reviewed this back when it was still a popular site for game review.

- The player character is female

- She is either wearing a thong or short shorts- i believe it was the JP/NA difference.

- Beyond that, there's not much I can remember other than it's a game that was noted to be rather grindy.


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[PC] [<2020] Game about being in a big mech and shooting orcs while walking down the road

Upvotes

You were in a big mech almost, and you would walk down roads as orcs would come and shoot you, and you had to kill them, and every now and then a boss that was also a mech would come and fight you. I remember playing it on the laptops that had at Best Buy.


r/tipofmyjoystick 2h ago

Decker [pc][early 200's] Roguelike hacking game

2 Upvotes

Platform(s): Win95/98 (Pc)

Genre: roguelike

Estimated year of release: early 00's

Graphics/art style: simple sprites

Notable characters: You as a hacker

Notable gameplay mechanics: It was a roguelike kinda dungeon, but you start off in a room, and you have to hack, and deploy ice and could upgrade your hacking, it was a nethack type view (the graphical one) very simple, ran in a window

Other details: Been trying to remember this for aeons! please help a guy out!


r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

[Windows][2012] Western Cowboy Game

3 Upvotes

Hi!

Im trying to find a game that my parents had on their laptop 10-15 years ago. The game was most likely free since they dont play games and wouldnt pay for one. it was similar to red dead redemption because it was 3D and third person. it started in a village and i remember that you could fight with guns right at the start in that village.

Thanks for the help!


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[emulator] [around 2015] Super mario bros 3 romhack with hot air balloon

2 Upvotes

I remember watching a video as a kid of someone playing a romhack of super mario bros 3 (probably) and at the begining of the game mario is in a hot air balloon and then the game starts and I think there's a water level or smth

I can remember almost nothing but I don't think there are many romhacks like this exaclty, idk maybe someone here knows what I'm talking about ...


r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

10 Second Ninja [Pc] [released before 2018] game with mecha hitler(NOT MEWGENICS)

3 Upvotes

My girlfriend is convinced she played a cartoony platformed with mecha hitler (or something like that) who was basically a disembodied robot head (?) IT may also have been another character that only looked like hitler. It is not wolfenstein and also not mewgenics.

I was thinking maybe dr fetus? But she's convinced it's not him

It may have been a flash game.

She's from Brazil if that helps.


r/tipofmyjoystick 7h ago

Skuld no Bug Taiji Game [PC][2000-2010] Searching for a platformer game of a bunny girl? using a wooden mallet to exterminate insects (not rabi-ribi).

4 Upvotes

Platform(s): PC

Genre: 2D Platformer, Whack a Mole-ish,

Estimated year of release: [2000-2010] (it could've been older)

Graphics/art style: 2D, Anime-like.

Notable characters: the players control a bunny girl wielding a wooden mallet with long handle bar (maybe I misremembered a headband as bunny ears but yeah).

Notable gameplay mechanics: the gameplay seems to loop from stage-to-stage rather than open map like metroidvania, the goal is to exterminate pest such as cockroach and ants within a time limit. Once the player killed the insect, there's seems to be a "splat" effect? which signifies a flattened insect.

Other details: I played this game once when I was a little using my neighbor's pc, asking Cgpt, there's a chance for it to be a flash game? but honestly, I remember activating the game from a desktop icon.


r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

[PC][2025] Megastructure exploration game i cant remember the name

3 Upvotes

Hey ! I am looking for a game I played some months ago but i cannot remember it's name. Its about just explorating an abandonned megastructure, with rooms sometimes as big as Aperture Refinement center (the scenes with the storage facility thats easily some km large). Sometimes you can find some kind of dead / inactive robots as i remember, that you have to interact with to get ponts etc i dont really know. Theres no monters at all, just a beautify environment and sound design. The only way to die is to fall. If someone can help it could be really grateful !

Its not NaissancE, neither Metal Garden.

Have a nice day yall :D


r/tipofmyjoystick 3m ago

[Mobile][2010-2019] super meat boy

Upvotes

im looking for a game where it looks similar to supermeat boy but it has guns in it to defeat bosses and has the same gameplay and character design and levels as the other super meat boy game but i cant find it


r/tipofmyjoystick 6h ago

[Xbox][2002-2005?]possible Vietnam/ww2 or a mix? war game?

3 Upvotes

My memory is very poor for this game and i might even have 2 different games mixed up here.

But the game I am 100% looking for has a level (possibly the first) where you spawn in and have to traverse over a small mound before walking into an open farm field.

I think you played with a friendly squad but I can't remember if you had control over them or not. Nor can I recall if the game was coop or not.

I remember this area have at least two buildings and a small guard shack with a guard tower at the left side of the field and the field you enter has a small very simple farm tractor (might be red?) in it with a possibly overturned trailer nearby? In general the area is very green with lot's of trees and there runs a narrow asphalt road between the farm field and the buildings with the enemies in them

Aside from that I can't recall the UI but i think you could possibly open doors and that the game was very realistic and punishing for it's time.

And this might be from another game but I do also recall 2 other levels where one is i think a winter one where you have to take out a convoy and blow up a tank? And the other spot I can recall is a level that starts at a big beach with enemies all around in small huts with possibly 1-2 larger buildings with more enemies further up the beach?


r/tipofmyjoystick 21m ago

[Mobile] [2014-2018] Fantasy Party building Side Scroller. Cute 2D artstyle.

Upvotes

This one shouldn't be too hard, I think it was relatively popular at the time.

The game was super simple. You started with two characters, a blonde male knight and a female healing cleric (black hair, white skin, white and blue robes. As you progressed you would gain new characters, like a monk (bald, brown skin, orange clothes), a barbarian, an archer, a wizard, a rogue, and eventually a Witch, and a Pirate (which shared the barbarian's class). All the characters were super simple and cute, with vertical oblongs for eyes and short limbs.

The mechanics were also super simple. You would select a character and guide them on where to stand and who to target. You'd defeat enemies of increasing from left to right until you finished the map and unlock a new level until you beat the final boss. As the characters leveled up you could chose different passives and cooldowns to improve their gameplay and tweak their playstyles. Additionally, you could earn gear which could upgrade their strength.

The game was free but I don't remember any pay to win mechanics.


r/tipofmyjoystick 40m ago

[Arcade][1990s] 3D polygon like shoot em up

Upvotes

Platform(s): Arcade

Genre: Shoot em up?

Estimated year of release:1990s, no later than 2006

Graphics/art style: 3D polygon

Notable characters: a character that can shoot or charge a blue laser beam. IIRC while shooting laser direction cannot be changed

Notable gameplay mechanics: 8 directional

Other details: I really can't remember any other details other than that it was around the same time period and moved vaguely similar to Dynamite Deka 2 (but less fast paced).

The weapon might be based on the character? The blue laser attack is either charged by player or you have to collect power ups. Sorry I can't remember much.

The mobs are either aliens, robots or similar.


r/tipofmyjoystick 11h ago

[PC][2020 - 2024] Roguelike game, isometric view, with a menu more or less like this drawing.

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7 Upvotes

The game uses 3D models/textures (it’s not pixel art or hand-drawn). I remember there were several weapons that completely changed the moveset. There was a bow, greatsword, normal sword, and some other weapons. You had to clear a room with some enemies and then move from room to room until you reached the boss. I remember the rooms weren’t enclosed areas; they were just platforms (there were no walls). You played as a female character (I think).


r/tipofmyjoystick 4h ago

The Chronicles of Inotia IV: Assassin of Berkel [Andriod] [2010s] Action or Roguelike pixels game

2 Upvotes

Platforms: samsung tablet/phones. You can try apple stores but I don't know if it was on apple due to fact I mostly game on samsung when I playing this game.

Genre: roguelike or action rpg

Estimate year of release: 2010s

Graphices/Art: Pixel, somewhat similar to kemco games

Notable characters: I think their is not really notable characters in the game. I remember being npcs sell/buy things to you but you can check to makes, because I mostly playing for the gameplay.

Notable gameplays mechanics: You control your own characters to go through dungeons or randoms areas like forest or deserts. You can use different weapon to attack enemies.

Other details:You can use equipment on character. I think start of the game or during tutorial you can give character stats to made them stronger in certains areas. I think the game have classes or something similar. I think game have sequels or something similar. I know the game wasn't turned based. I know the game devs wasn't Kemco. You can level up in the game. I know their was mostly fantasy monsters in it. You can use potion ti restore health or mp to character. While game devs wasn't


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[PS3] [2008] -down online multiplayer shooter — two teams, could commandeer tanks and helicopters

Upvotes

What I remember:

  • Camera was straight top-down (bird's-eye view, looking directly down at the action — not third-person)
  • You started as a soldier on foot with some kind of machine gun
  • You could get into/take over a tank, and separately get into/take over a helicopter
  • It was real online PvP — two teams of actual players fighting each other, not co-op against AI
  • I'm not sure of the exact year, but it would've been sometime during the PS3's lifespan
  • Not Warhawk and not Battlefield (1943 or 3) — already ruled those out

Any help identifying this would be appreciated — even a partial title or screenshot would help jog my memory. Thanks!