tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post1255323239273832676..comments2024-03-29T09:18:29.803-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Captive: Final RatingCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79582366956680951412020-10-25T10:50:37.750-04:002020-10-25T10:50:37.750-04:00Short review with guide and walkthroug found in po...Short review with guide and walkthroug found in polish game magazine Gambler #2 01/1994.<br />Rating:<br />Graphic: 80%. Audio: 75%, Playability: 85%, Concept: 90%, Overall: 85%. Atari ST version.<br /><br />We can learn that Captive is one of the best games in it's genre with good graphic, nice sound and interesting plot. Author praises game's s-f world for not using typical AD&D shell.Odyseja Przygodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00496869341236658077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-17590235646786646532015-07-08T23:14:22.261-04:002015-07-08T23:14:22.261-04:00See? There's always some game devotees who wou...See? There's always some game devotees who would go to insane lengths to make weird stuff happen!<br /><br />What next? A real Shadowrun Cyberdeck? Oh wait... there already is one! <br />http://www.instructables.com/id/Portable-PC-project-inspired-by-Shadowrun-Cyberdec/step4/Project-complete-Final-touch-ups/Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-75110778466821743812015-07-08T19:40:15.489-04:002015-07-08T19:40:15.489-04:00X-COM: Alien Invasion, the first one. There is an ...X-COM: Alien Invasion, the first one. There is an Open Source engine rewrite that copies the data out of your install file (Automatically if you use steam, with a little work otherwise) and adds a bunch of gameplay improvements. One of them is you can put in your own music. Someone recorded the original music playing on an actual bit of MT-32 hardware so you can put that into the game. <br /><br />This has just about every sound card you can imagine playing the music, the MT-32 recording, the inspired-by music Cydonia's Fall, and all the console versions: http://users.atw.hu/xcom-sounds/Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44888936331316928162015-07-02T21:01:32.635-04:002015-07-02T21:01:32.635-04:00You don't know! There are people out there who...You don't know! There are people out there who enshrines the first Macintosh like a Mother Mary statuette! The lengths that people will go through to make sh!t like this happen! You just don't know! https://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en-GB&v=gFwdeYm3Eo0&gl=SGKenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22276637195583411752015-07-01T01:06:06.303-04:002015-07-01T01:06:06.303-04:00I'm not sure the 2k release has MT-32 support ...I'm not sure the 2k release has MT-32 support ;)Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62060002267916094022015-06-30T22:45:13.245-04:002015-06-30T22:45:13.245-04:00You mean the Microprose one or the 2K one?You mean the Microprose one or the 2K one?Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-39803803630676159542015-06-30T02:55:38.797-04:002015-06-30T02:55:38.797-04:00Someone just put out a recording of the X-Com soun...Someone just put out a recording of the X-Com sound track on the MT-32. WOW does that sound better. I'm tempted to put it in my OpenXcom install it sounds so good<br /> ) I'm going to give to updated Cydonia's Fall files a chance first though.Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-84989551553707787212015-05-03T10:26:40.210-04:002015-05-03T10:26:40.210-04:00Heh. This is funny. I have the exact opposite disp...Heh. This is funny. I have the exact opposite disposition to loot. I always try to buy the best weapon and armor I can find, while I often sell everything I find without really looking at it.<br /><br />This method of course has it's own drawbacks. Libluinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15524606710871977666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-170994283424619672014-09-18T16:03:47.862-04:002014-09-18T16:03:47.862-04:00@Bioware:
I never said that I play only one kind ...@Bioware:<br /><br />I never said that I play only one kind of computer game. I tend to play CRPGs, text adventures, 4X/war games, nostalgic favorites (including console games), and "revenge games" (that is, stuff that I could never beat as a kid, or that I knew of, but never got around to buying back then; these come in all kinds of genres). The non-computerized games that I play are mostly TRPGs and Diplomacy. Other kinds of games tend not to have a high enough fun-per-minute rate for me to bother with them. It's not that I'm BAD at them necessarily, but they don't do it for me. I have no fear of burning out on what I do play.<br /><br />I acknowledge that action games can feature the kind of tension that you described, but turn-based games can feature the very same thing. <br /><br />As for save bottlenecks, my sense of the majority of JRPGs is that they are so pathetically easy that saving at inns (or whatever) is barely a challenge. But as bd and Noman noted earlier in this thread, instakills are trivial when the tactics are dead simple ("This screen has a fire monster, so I'll use cold attacks and buff my fire resistance" -- yawn) and cheesy resurrections are commonplace. Save restrictions are likewise trivial under such circumstances.<br /><br />@sucinum:<br /><br />I didn't deny that DM clones require some intelligence. By all accounts, the original Dungeon Master was the pick of the litter, partly because it incorporated great depth of play, including hundreds of little puzzles. This is partly because you get occasional breathing space wherein you have the luxury of avoiding continual random encounters from wandering monsters etc. (You get the same sort of respite in certain areas of Wizardry IV, NetHack, Dark Heart of Uukrul, Bloodstone, Gold Boxes, etc.)<br /><br />But note that I said "HIGHER-ORDER mental challenges". You yourself said that the individual puzzles in DM aren't horribly tough, but they enliven the proceedings by giving you something a little different to do, with a ding of satisfaction whenever you solve one. But as I said, fiendishly difficult puzzles are the hallmark of time-insensitive games (e.g. chess in its standard form). I happen to like those -- not because my dexterity and reflexes are garbage-stat level, but because those aren't my prime attributes. (For what it's worth, I've beaten Minesweeper on Expert level in 99 seconds or less, several times; so I'm hardly a klutz.)<br /><br />I'm not saying that DM clones just plain suck, tout court. But people are entitled to say that they don't much enjoy them, without getting treated like inferiors by fanboys. If someone says, "This is not the kind of game that I enjoy, for reasons X, Y, and Z", then there's no point arguing. But if someone says, "This game is fit only for sub-Epsilon morons" or "limp-wristed pencil-necked nerds" or "twitchy freaks on crystal meth", then it's appropriate to be indignant. Likewise, if someone says, "You just don't like this game because you're a [mouth-breather, or whatever]", then they should be smacked down.<br /><br />By the way, I love hexmaps. They're the gold standard for wargames, and I'm glad that Civ made the conversion. I'd love to see more CRPGs with hextiles.Gaguumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54105038389549938032014-09-18T09:18:31.300-04:002014-09-18T09:18:31.300-04:00"intelligence is defined as brain output per ..."intelligence is defined as brain output per time"<br /><br />Where?Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47215648639523511812014-09-18T07:15:16.972-04:002014-09-18T07:15:16.972-04:00>>You can claim till the cows come home that...>>You can claim till the cows come home that DM clones require brains too, but you can't deny that, all things being equal, difficult turn-based games will ALWAYS provide higher-order mental challenges than anything time-sensitive.<br /><br />Well, intelligence is defined as brain output per time, so that isn't a real argument unless your dexterity is so low that you can't bring your thoughts into the game. In that case that's surely frustrating. But to be honest, I don't see that in DM which has a great interface and helps you playing bihanded. Not sure about Captive, though.<br /><br />>>a strategy game like Civilization or Simcity, even though I usually find those too slow and complicated. <br /><br />You can play Civilization quite quickly, it usually takes me about 3-4 hours per session of Civ 4/BtS, ended in a tank war (and I could be faster). There is a useful speed gaming guide by TMIT at the civaddicts board. That requires a lot of organization (setting reminders, using signs/waypoints/production queues, etc.), quick decission making and a profound knowledge of the game, but increases the fun a lot since you have more success/time. Also you get more experience with Civ and don't lose your strategy too easy by being distracted with micromanagement and tactics.<br />That mainly works for Civ 4 and helps you handling the "specialities" of this game (lots of cities, large stacks of armies) very well. Not too sure about Civ 5, never played that since my brain isn't wired for hexagons.sucinumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-139649360861365302014-09-17T18:59:26.945-04:002014-09-17T18:59:26.945-04:00I'm about to borrow some tabletop RPG terms fo...I'm about to borrow some tabletop RPG terms for a minute, but you all should get my drift.<br /><br />Obvious facts: Some people are DEX monsters, some people are INT monsters, some people are CHA monsters, and so on. People like games that they are good at and dislike games that they are bad at. Certain games are geared specifically to challenge certain types of people, and the designers and players of such games shouldn't care that nobody else likes the games in question.<br /><br />Now, I think of myself as an INT monster, and I choose to play (or not play) certain games accordingly. I've played a fair number of mass-market platformers and acquitted myself honorably (note that they were mass-market, not hard-core). But I don't adore them, because they don't stimulate me in the ways that I care about. If I want nail-biting tension, I get it from games like NetHack, where I have to carefully rack my brains if I want to survive, and there's never the "WTF just happened?!" problem.<br /><br />You can claim till the cows come home that DM clones require brains too, but you can't deny that, all things being equal, difficult turn-based games will ALWAYS provide higher-order mental challenges than anything time-sensitive. I care about time-insensitive challenges, because I am not a reflex monster. Which is fine, and should not upset anyone.<br /><br />But if anyone dares to tell me that I am at fault for this, or that I ought to "get good" or else shut up, or that I have no standing to make any critique, then my first thought is "Your rhetoric oppresses me." What I think of next is too profane and vicious to write here.<br /><br />So you might want to rethink your sneering attitude.Gaguumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11885584798845966102014-09-17T01:32:41.935-04:002014-09-17T01:32:41.935-04:00In DOS version (and in some other videos as well) ...In DOS version (and in some other videos as well) that I played hills were white & red, might actually be a driver or version issue instead of a bug.<br /><br />Interesting.Petri Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-30121041420702431142014-09-17T00:40:44.361-04:002014-09-17T00:40:44.361-04:00The thing is... Is this f*cking game an Action RPG...The thing is... Is this f*cking game an Action RPG? Can that Instant Kill be warded with Saving Throws because of your character's own attributes? No? Then f*ck this game and let's get on with the next one.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-74749641986057834202014-09-16T14:58:48.329-04:002014-09-16T14:58:48.329-04:00The colors look right here to me, am I missing som...The colors look right here to me, am I missing something?<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSeRieiAVs0Helmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-9728471570629053672014-09-16T03:12:41.376-04:002014-09-16T03:12:41.376-04:00Did Mega Man feature one-hit kills? (Other than fa...Did Mega Man feature one-hit kills? (Other than falling off ledges)<br /><br />Neither VK nor MOZA is 'right', they just have different preferences. One woman's unfair fight is another woman's saturday evening stroll, as they say.<br /><br />Games generally have a difficulty demographic, and if you are not of that demographic, you probably won't enjoy the game much.<br /><br />A poorly balanced game is one where difficulty spikes or plateaus such that a player wants to change difficulty settings mid-game.<br /><br />My example is one I consider a masterpiece of RPGs, KotOR. There are several fights in the early to mid game that a player can find legitimately difficult, (the first boss is a ratbag) but from about the 50% mark, the entire game is a cakewalk (even on the hard setting).Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85284026447077190542014-09-15T17:43:44.461-04:002014-09-15T17:43:44.461-04:00Instant-kill attacks have a place in an RPG if use...Instant-kill attacks have a place in an RPG if used properly. The nice thing about instant-kill attacks in an RPG is that they can be completely independent of your character power, meaning that a given encounter can't simply be powered through. Just as an example, in FF8 it is actually quite easy to become extremely powerful just by utilizing in-game advice, so (ROT13'd from here because the game is on the Addict's play list, although he won't get to it for a very long time) gur Obahf Obff Bzrtn jrncba jbhyq or n chfubire jvgubhg gur vafgnag-xvyy Yvtug Cvyyne nggnpx (juvpu sbeprf lbh gb fcraq na npgvba erivivat gur qrnq punenpgre) be gur 1-yrff-guna-znk-qnzntr-gb-nyy-punenpgref Zrtvqqb Synzr (juvpu erdhverf lbh gb fcraq n srj npgvbaf gb shyyl urny fb gung gur cnegl vfa'g jvcrq bhg ol gur arkg nggnpx. Guvf xrrcf lbh sebz tbvat nyy-bhg bssrafviryl naq zbccvat gur sybbe jvgu gur obff hayrff lbh'ir tbar gb fvtavsvpnag rssbeg gb bognva gur irel ener Ubyl Jne (znxrf rirelbar vaivapvoyr sbe n irel fubeg gvzr) be Ubyl Jne Gevny (fnzr, ohg gb bar punenpgre) vgrzf (juvpu pna, VVEP, bayl or bognvarq ivn gur Cbpxrgfgngvba Pupbpbob tnzr (vagrtengrq vagb gur CP irefvba) be ol ersvavat n uneq-gb-trg pneq jba va gur pneq tnzr). <br /><br />Of course, in this particular example, ressurection is cheap and easy, so the only real effect is disrupting the action economy. Even then, outside of bosses and certain random encounters that are intended to function almost as minibosses, such attacks are generally defendable. When they're on almost every random fight, and it is a huge hassle and expense to ressurect a lost character, that is when you have a problem.Nomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02317814736043426457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-14596396349330182662014-09-15T15:46:11.968-04:002014-09-15T15:46:11.968-04:00Strange, maybe my memory of SS2 is fuzzy, but I do...Strange, maybe my memory of SS2 is fuzzy, but I don't remember any enemies that could outright one-hit you there, at least if you were healthy and prepared and didn't screw up your build. There were difficult enemies but they were difficult in a fair way, allowing for a variety of tactics to deal with them. Not to mention that SS2 allowed for playstyles that didn't require a lot of direct confrontations.VKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-29236410846552431322014-09-15T15:30:00.703-04:002014-09-15T15:30:00.703-04:00I don't know... One of my most enjoyable video...I don't know... One of my most enjoyable videogame, System Shock 2, an "action rpg", I think in the same vein of Dungeon Master or Ultima Underworld, has a lot of one-hit-killer encounters that bring the tension and immersion very high. I think it is a very delicate craft to be able to put effectively a very high difficulty, functional to the immersion and atmosphere, but it is possible. Another game that succeed in a similar effort was Thief (the 1999 one, not an rpg).Nifftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35461291871371998182014-09-15T03:59:07.031-04:002014-09-15T03:59:07.031-04:00I agree with Kenny and Id like to add: In an actio...I agree with Kenny and Id like to add: In an action/dexterity game like PacMan the whole point is to hold on as long as you can, but you die eventually. <br />A RPG on the other hand normally has a clear goal and fighting enemys are just a mean to that end. Its not the main purpose of the game. By making me repeat fights until I get them right is turning a game into a chore. and thats when things turn sour. Its just not what makes RPGs (of Ego shooters for that matter) interesting. Its just a cheap way of increasing the difficulty of a game without making it more interesting. Its akin of giving a opponent in a real-time-strategy (say) just more speed or ressouces instead of making him smarter.<br />Plus: To be honest what I really like is the tension of a fight: Can I come back and beat him? Does he has something up his sleeve? A one-hit-killer does not create this tension; either Im dead or I win. Peerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02297963116849711354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-41901858427841641352014-09-15T02:29:22.458-04:002014-09-15T02:29:22.458-04:00RPGs aside, I'm reminded of action games. In t...RPGs aside, I'm reminded of action games. In the 80s, it's totally natural to die in a single hit (Super Mario Bros, Pacman & etc.) for action games. It's basically a test on your manual dexterity over strategic planning.<br /><br />I think what peeves the crowd is this game bringing in the hardcore cruelty of such games into an RPG. A decent RPG should:<br /><br />1) Make combat more reliant of the attributes of the character; not the player.<br />2) If the character is supposed to be at a certain point facing a certain boss-level enemy/challenge, he/she should be strong enough to- at least- be able to stand toe-to-toe against it.<br />3) If there are instant-kill traps/puzzles, there must be hints somewhere to avoid/disarm them.<br /><br />Failing to accomplish any of the 3 is just the creator being an evil asshole or trying to pad the game's length by forcing the player to replay portions of the game over and over again.<br /><br />On that note, I'm currently playing an action game called Bionic Commando Rearmed (there's a life bar!). I played the original Bionic Commando on the NES more than 2.5 decades ago and it was a lot more unforgiving (1-shot-skills!).Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-91188026843642650762014-09-15T02:19:53.618-04:002014-09-15T02:19:53.618-04:00This crash can't be avoided like that but you ...This crash can't be avoided like that but you can avoid the crash by simply not using the secondary attack but that would be playing the game pretty much hard core because some of the enemies you face are immune to your primary attacks and that particular mission can also be skipped in the game as it's is a part of a crossroads in story line but that aforementioned bug would still be there.<br /><br />Petri R.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44908214477819215612014-09-14T16:46:18.916-04:002014-09-14T16:46:18.916-04:00As MOZA says, the dinosaurs are too infrequent and...As MOZA says, the dinosaurs are too infrequent and the rewards too low for me to regard it as a valid option for grinding, especially where you have to waste ammo (or take damage) fighting them. Nonetheless, technically speaking they ARE something of an option, and in that sense I'm wrong about the economy being completely closed--just functionally so.<br /><br />I generally agree with MOZA about grinding, at least when it comes to skills and experience. I think a player who a) is as klutzy and slow to respond as I am; and b) who plays straight, without reloading every time he takes significant damage would face a very difficult game, financially, unless he bought the "Fixer" early on (I'm not sure where it first appears) and was willing to explore/fight at 10% for much of the game.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73551837039580392102014-09-14T16:42:35.918-04:002014-09-14T16:42:35.918-04:00I should have a less busy week coming up, and I ho...I should have a less busy week coming up, and I hope to get back into it. Congratulations on your victory.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-28857048783621233562014-09-14T16:42:03.859-04:002014-09-14T16:42:03.859-04:00I appreciate the background investigation, Petri. ...I appreciate the background investigation, Petri. I'll spend a minute trying both versions before I settle on one. Without the stuff you found out, I probably would have given up on WinUAE early.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.com