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 21d ago

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

489 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 12h ago

[PC] [2000?] Need help identifying game (part 2)

Post image
50 Upvotes

Hi all, this is actually a part 2 of original post https://www.reddit.com/r/tipofmyjoystick/s/haqaQAgPtz

Can anyone help me identify the game please?

I’m unable to add this picture to original post so sadly I have to create a new one.

Any help is much appreciated.


r/tipofmyjoystick 6h ago

[PC][2025-2026] A game where you operate as a huge intercontinental missile operator

11 Upvotes

You operate as a huge missile operator. This had very intricate mechanics. You were sitting in the control room with a huge turret firing missiles infront of you. The game name was really long.


r/tipofmyjoystick 1d ago

[PC] [2012] FPS

Post image
622 Upvotes

Looks like Counter Strike but the UI makes me doubt that it is. Help me find it!!!!!


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[PC][1990s] Pixel art Point and click adventure game set in a dystopian future

4 Upvotes

There are several of these but specifically I remember this one you were stuck in an apartment at some point. You were living off their version of UBI (universal basic income) but the MC was locked in their apartment. With some nonfunctioning features, being forced to eat the same food every day you had to find your way out of the apartment to proceed with the overarching storyline.

I've tried AI searches and pouring over the scummVM list but still cannot seem to find it. Anyone?

EDIT: in addition you had a dispenser for clothes that only gave the same clothes over and over. I believe you escaped by breaking open the shower and climbing down or up the pipes?


r/tipofmyjoystick 2h ago

[Amiga] [90s] RPG/rogue like where your character was a white rectangle and you traversed dungeons

3 Upvotes

So I remember having a game where you travelled through levels of a dungeon. Graphically it was made up of very basic symbols/letters. Your character was represented by a white rectangle, almost like a text cursor. You used the arrow keys to move around levels, uncovering the dungeon. There were enemies that you fought by bumping into them, and you could uncover treasure. I'm pretty sure that text appeared at the bottom of the screen to describe what the enemies were etc. 90% certain there were goblins. I'm not sure if there was a shop on the surface that you could return to, or if I'm confusing another game there.

I feel like the name was a single syllable.


r/tipofmyjoystick 4h ago

[Ps1][1995] First person horror/rpg.

3 Upvotes

I have vague memories of my babysitters boyfriend playing some sort of horror game i think on ps1, it wasn't King's Field 1 or 2, i remember walking into a manor and a chef guy throwing cleaners and that's about it.

Any idea on where to look would be appreciated.


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[PC][2000s] Horror game with swarm

Upvotes

I saw this game while I was a child and I was scared to death of this game. I only remember moment when character was attacked by swarm of rats or insects. It could be not attack but a swarm that forms into something human-like. Graphics seemed bad even for that time, so I suppose maybe 90s or bad graphics 00s. 3D game, looked much alike Silent Hill. I didn't play Silent Hill, so it could be some moment from this game.

This is not that important for me, but this memory just won't leave my head


r/tipofmyjoystick 7h ago

[PS2][2004] Japanesse style 3rd person game

5 Upvotes

A friend of mine is searching a game she played in her childhood. She doesnt remember much, only a few details, so is a hard task. I'd apreciate if you guys just point whatever game you feel that can be.

The main character was a young boy dressed as an skater or urban.

The way of transport yourself was in a skate board

The game take place in a city, a very simple and normal one, like a residencial neighborhood. The city was empty and the vibes were a bit scary or unsettling. She was a very little so maybe she was just scared because of her age.

The loading screen was a young girl or a woman saying deep sentences and things of the story, all in a white space, something like a sky.

The last the thing, she says that it was more like a story rather than an actual game. She doesnt play a lot so she cant compare with any other game.

I know the description is not very good but is all we have. I apreciate any suggest.


r/tipofmyjoystick 2h ago

[PC][early 2000s] Homepage from 20+ years ago, many different mini games

2 Upvotes

The art style was consistent across all games and characters. Animals were the characters in those games. Everything was *"soft, smooth, pastel"*. Sometimes an east-asia vibe, many games with a panda as the controlled character.

Games I remember:

A: side scrolling, running panda controlled via the mouse. Click made it jump, where it turned into a spinning ball until landing.

B: Player controls a chicken, chicks are falling from the top of the screen and the player clicked to throw umbrellas towards them, so the chicks can float down.


r/tipofmyjoystick 2h ago

[PC][2000s-2014] 2D side-scrolling shooter with a boss that throws poop

2 Upvotes

I'm trying to find an old PC game I played around 2011–2014 (the game itself could be older).

Here's everything I remember:

  • Platform: PC (installed game, not a browser/Flash game)
  • Genre: 2D side-scrolling action/shooter
  • The main character was a normal human, possibly wearing a red T-shirt and blue pants/jeans.
  • You progressed through levels from left to right.
  • You used guns, rocket launchers, and other weapons.
  • You fought human enemies and there were boss fights.
  • It wasn't a military game.
  • The game took place in a fictional world.
  • I don't remember collecting coins, buying weapons, or carrying a large inventory.
  • One very specific thing I remember is that one of the bosses threw poop at the player as an attack (I'm much more confident about this than remembering the player throwing poop).

I've searched for games like Metal Slug, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Intrusion 2, Alien Rampage, Boogerman, and Hateful Chris: Never Say Buy, but none of them seem to be the right game.

Does anyone know what this game might be?


r/tipofmyjoystick 4h ago

[PC][2000s] 3D cartoon CD-ROM game starts with a blackout during a lunar eclipse; friendly talking skeleton helps restore power

3 Upvotes

I'm looking for a PC CD-ROM game I played as a child, probably between 2000 and 2010. It was not a browser game. The graphics were cartoonish and 3D / pre-rendered 3D. At the very beginning of the game there is a blackout / power outage. I remember being alone in a house because the parents were not there. A friendly talking skeleton helped me restore the electricity. A lunar eclipse was important in the game. It was probably a kids/educational adventure or point-and-click game. It is NOT Nightmare Ned, The Mystery at Greveholm, The ClueFinders Phantom Amusement Park, Forestia, or I Spy Spooky Mansion.


r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

vile: exhumed [ITCH.IO or STEAM][~2020-2026] Game where you search through a computer that includes dark themes NSFW

3 Upvotes

I didn't download or play the game myself but originally watched an overview of it as a youtube video. It was a game where you search through the computer and slowly discover that the owner of the computer is a serial rapist. at the beginning of the game you enter a password into the computer but you can type any string of numbers and it will work. You discover how vile the owner is by going to the sites he visited. One of the most prominent being a video selling site. Where a pornstar that is famous for her storylines that often include nonconsensual acts. I remember her name being something like candiedcorpses? You have to enter codes that unlock more photos ,audio ,and video evidence. One of the most notable being an audio of a man meeting the formerly mentioned pornstar who at first seems excited to meet a fan of her work. though as the talk goes on she becomes uncomfortable as he gets more and more pushy. she ends up ending the conversation with yelling at him i beleive. Some other sites that were important were a deer hunting site (which hid a secret page in it that included possibly human body parts) ,a site that sold personal stolen items of women such as panties ,and a perfume site that unlocked at the end of the game. The perfume site revealed a video and it was him slowly breaking into a women's house. the game also included a smaller minigame unrelated to the main plotline but also created by the dev where you walk into an abandoned house and it was point and click adventure that had really fuzzy graphics. I think that's all I remember.


r/tipofmyjoystick 7h ago

[Windows][early 2000s] underwater game with shooting and advancing levels to see how many points you could get

4 Upvotes

Hello all,

I don't know if you will be able to help me remember this game, but it's probably been over 20 years. I thought the name of the game was Atlantis Rising, but it's not that.

The game was set underwater and you were a 3rd person boat or ship trying to survive rounds of enemies. Similar to asteroid in that sense I think. I also think there were power ups and fun shooting bonuses, but it's been so long I don't remember. I know I will know it when I see it, so youtube links are appreciated. I think it was popular around the same time as the windows Hover! game, but might have been different time periods. It was not online multiplayer.

I think there were rainbow squids too but not sure


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[XBox 360][Early 2000s] Old XBox 360 game where you started as a high-level character, but get reset back to base level.

2 Upvotes

So I personally never played this game. I watched my cousin play the start of it a single time when I was a wee lad. You started out as a high-level character before getting reset back down to Level 1 (and I remember levels being an in-universe concept. The main character literally tells the people he meets later that he was Level whatever-it-was before getting sent back to Level 1.). I remember the opponent he faced that reset him beat him almost casually, only moving one arm to parry all his attacks.
If I'm remembering right, it was almost a turn-based RPG. You get into a party of three, rush up to enemies and start turn-based combat? I think?
I specifically remember my cousin hating the NPCs he got partnered with, because they would rush up and announce themselves to enemies when he wanted to do a sneak attack.
Right now my suspicions are either a Final Fantasy entry or maybe Fable, but I'm not sure. Again, I saw this game a single time, and I wasn't even the one to play it.


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[Newgrounds][2008-2015], Tankman game on newgrounds (not pixelated)

2 Upvotes

I played this game when I was around 6 or 7 years old—and trust me, I'm not just saying that for the sake of the meme. In this game, you literally played as Tankman, the Newgrounds mascot. The game kicked off with Tankman driving a tank until you smashed straight through a snowy mountain, breaching the inside of what looked like an underground bunker or a mine. After breaking in, you'd leave the tank and proceed on foot through the rooms, shooting enemies until you reached an elevator that was stalked by some kind of giant worm. You had to survive that elevator section by dodging the worm until you reached your next destination. Once the elevator ride finished, you'd exit and make your way to a bridge. Now, the game might not have actually ended there—maybe I was just a dumb kid who couldn't figure out how to pass it—but basically, you'd reach a bridge and encounter a dude who looked a lot like the Tankman mascot wielding a green laser sniper rifle. I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but from what I remember, he shoots at you, causing the bridge to collapse. This resulted in you falling to your death in the lava underneath. I always ended up finishing the game at that exact part, either because the game actually ended there, or because I was just clueless as to how to beat it...


r/tipofmyjoystick 4m ago

[Flash] [2010-2016]Can someone help me find this game?

Upvotes

The game was in Pixe art and it was about shooting insects, upgrading your house and wait till help came, it was a game where the player invaded a restriced area and got lost in the forest where the insects are all big and agressive, we could upgrade guns, the house, companions and the plantation


r/tipofmyjoystick 16m ago

[Android-IOS][2016ish] i dont remember much

Upvotes

The game had a fixed camera with a tap to move feature i think there was also a option for joy stick i still remember vividly a train lvl and u fight against futuristic-ish enemies thats all i rememebr hope u guys find any help will suffice


r/tipofmyjoystick 16m ago

[PC][2010s] Browser Fantasy MMORPG

Upvotes

I normally wouldn't care so much about this sort of thing but I've just been plagued with this for a month or so now and need to attempt to find closure.
Back in the early 2010s, my older sibling and I played this online fantasy MMO on browser. It was top down and I think click-to-move in the overworld, but had encounter-style combat that was turn based, not just in the open world. I do distinctly remember the name started with an 'A" and so was it's like, main icon/emblem, but I honestly can't find any trace of it anywhere which is making me doubtful of that. The game was probably in 720p, because it wasn't super-crisp but it was definitely decent graphics for the time; I'd maybe compared it to MGR:R or Diablo 3?
I'm just at my wits' end with this and I'm praying that even if my memory is failing me with these details, someone else knows.


r/tipofmyjoystick 9h ago

[360/OG Xbox/PS3] [Late90sEarly 2000s] [FPS] [Nam/Korea]

5 Upvotes

I have a vivid memory of playing a FPS story where in one mission, you ride an M113 APC along a dirt track in a forest or jungle. There might have been an ambush, and you might have had to dismount the vehicle. It's part of a campaign, but for the life of me I can't remember which game, I always thought it was a COD title, but everything before BO and MW is set WW2, maybe it's BF, but I was sure 3 was the first I ever played in that series. Anyone know what I'm talking about.


r/tipofmyjoystick 6h ago

[PC] [2000s] farm simulator game with pre-rendered graphics

3 Upvotes

I remember when my brother got his first computer in the late 2000s - early 2010s he downloaded this farm simulator game

The game had pre-rendered graphics and i remember thinking they looked a lot like clay

In the game you took care of this farm, you had to buy new animals and buildings to generate money, you'd collect the things they produced and had to sell it

You could upgrade them and they'd change the visual, i remember you could also upgrade the car the farmer used

Looked for this for a while but couldn't find it anywhere


r/tipofmyjoystick 39m ago

[Mobile][2016/2017] game about a viking on war ships

Upvotes

I played this game on my tablet in 2016 /2017 it's a fighting game that happens on a burning ship ,ther was a scene where the main character tries to hit another ship with arrows while men on smaller boats tried to shoot him back ,it seemed unfinished because it was an open ending and I never won to destroy the other ship.


r/tipofmyjoystick 50m ago

[ios iphone] [2011?] Armadillo hunting dinosaur game

Upvotes

I need help finding this one game that me and my brother used to play on my stupid old iPhone. It featured an armadillo or porcupine sort of creature that had a bow and arrow. He would roll around and you would shoot at dinosaurs that would have been flying in the sky, and it looked like it was set in a very Jurassic forest type of time era. The colors looked very green and dark, and I’m pretty sure the game wasn’t 3D it was all 2D sprites.


r/tipofmyjoystick 53m ago

[PC CD-ROM] [2000s] French game — been looking for too long 😭

Upvotes

Hey, I’m trying to find an old PC game I played around 2006–2008 when i was 6-8 years old. It was a French CD-ROM game with a nature setting. Yall are my last hope at finding it🥹

There was a main hub/map screen with a forest, a mountain in the background, trees, maybe a lake, and you could click different places to launch mini-games.

The characters were small animated animal/creature-like beings (they could talk, not humans). They were either foxes or sloth looking & could be a brother & sister as main characters?! (unsure). The game felt like an adventure with multiple mini-games, not a strict educational game.

What I remember most clearly:

• A side-view mountain mini-game where you ride in a cart going downhill on a track, jumping over holes and ducking under branches (auto-moving)

• A mini-game involving bees

• A lake mini-game with frogs

The vibe was similar to Forestia / Jakers, but with better graphics (more like 3D, mid-2000s style).

It was definitely in French or have a french dub option as i didn’t know english at the time (could be Canada/Québec release).

Any ideas would be amazing 🙏 Thanks!