tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post1351763561186958307..comments2024-03-28T20:51:01.807-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Abandoned Places: Won! (with Summary and Rating)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44764013334384974712020-06-19T16:22:05.380-04:002020-06-19T16:22:05.380-04:00Thanks. I just looked it up and I understand why y...Thanks. I just looked it up and I understand why you're not asking people to help you run it ;-) Didiernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-10355400546675438432020-06-19T16:02:54.353-04:002020-06-19T16:02:54.353-04:00I DON'T want people coming along offering help...I DON'T want people coming along offering help for how to run <i>Dandy</i>. I'm past it.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-18482068190966824502020-06-19T16:02:26.844-04:002020-06-19T16:02:26.844-04:00It was something called Dandy. It was just a rando...It was something called <i>Dandy</i>. It was just a random selection.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22278079927223291032020-06-19T15:47:34.188-04:002020-06-19T15:47:34.188-04:00I suppose all this has nothing to do with your Fin...I suppose all this has nothing to do with your Final Fantasy entry? Otherwise you really tricked us with that "largely unknown" part in your reply. Will we ever know what game you were thinking of? Didiernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85336065698135987502020-06-10T19:17:43.875-04:002020-06-10T19:17:43.875-04:00This is a difficult hypothetical to imagine. In th...This is a difficult hypothetical to imagine. In this world, Ultima IV would be released now, as-is, and therefore it would have never existed to influence RPGs for the past 25 years? What would that world look like?<br /><br />One would have to assume Ultima successors were never made. I think it's only a meaningful exercise if predecessors were never made, as well. Otherwise, while U4 introduced a lot of plot-related innovation, it wasn't mechanically all that different enough from U3 for that to matter. But we could say Wing Commander and other Origin games might have existed, I don't think it changes the result.<br /><br />I argue that it would be much the same as our world. If it wasn't Ultima, then someone else would have put together much the same elements and the industry would have moved on. <br /><br />There are plenty of low-fi indie games that are not reviewed or noticed. I mean REALLY indie. Modern equivalent of typical shareware in the 80s. Kids are still out there making games, and they are generally terrible. Now there are a lot more of them.<br /><br />I would imagine that no one would notice anything like U4, even with its philosophical position. Who's going to find it and suffer through its rough edges to find the value inside?<br /><br />That said, even now it's hard to find works targeted at the masses but with a real thought-provoking message or concept behind it. (The Good Place isn't a game, but it comes to mind.) It still has that value, in my opinion. I just think no one would find it for it to have a rating.Iffy Bonzooliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07519858732154180575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63873313506957096712020-06-10T06:42:18.156-04:002020-06-10T06:42:18.156-04:00"Amigas were superior to DOS in some ways. Th..."Amigas were superior to DOS in some ways. There is virtually no difference between the two in this case."<br /><br />By 1992 PCs had pretty much catched up with the Amiga, and then some.<br /><br />Both 256 colors VGA and audio cards had widespread adoption by then, and PCs had better CPUs and Hard Disks by default.<br /><br />Major companies like Origin, Lucasarts, Sierra, pretty much started dropping Amiga support in 1992/1993 (Ultima 7, Wing Commander 2, Day of the Tentacle, Gabriel Knight had no Amiga release), and the writing was pretty much on the wall.<br />Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05019892418296525854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79174655248346807052020-06-09T06:20:20.208-04:002020-06-09T06:20:20.208-04:00Abandoned Places 2 is much better. Not without fla...Abandoned Places 2 is much better. Not without flaws, but more close to Eye of the Beholder 1. And I love graphic and atmosphere of Abandoned Places 2. Graphic 85%, Atmosphere 85%, Sound 50%, Story: 50%, Gameplay: 75%. Some levels are very good with good puzzles, but another looks like a little empty, only for fights. Only bug, which is little frustrating is, that in sometimes arrows for moving didnt react and I had to press it twice or more. Ringohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02793506834727465042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20528202365869512152020-06-08T17:51:43.477-04:002020-06-08T17:51:43.477-04:00The closest I could think of to a recent graphical...The closest I could think of to a recent graphical Ultima IV clone is the Henry VIII simulator Fit for a King. (It's a comedy, and it even parodies the virtue-selection thing. "Marry everything. Execute everything. SPEND IT ALL. Live the ultimate fantasy in this Henry VIII simulator, and humiliate France with your wealth and excess, or die trying. Who's going to stop you? God? Nope. You're also the Pope.")<br /><br />The Metacritic reviews are 85 and 40 respectively. The other second-tier blog sites I found all scored at 4/5 or 80%.Jason Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292199216981320170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-3530141203119486132020-06-08T16:53:52.607-04:002020-06-08T16:53:52.607-04:00I don't know, I'm sure there are plenty of...I don't know, I'm sure there are plenty of sites and independent reviewers that would give an alternate reality modern-day U4 a high score just because it <i>looks</i> old. Retro aesthetic, particularly pixel art, is hugely marketable and has carried plenty of otherwise unremarkable games to "cult classic" status. If the controls were changed to something more sensible for modern players, I could easily see it scoring 90s and 100s from wide-eyed YouTubers and fansite admins who still hope to wake up and find themselves back in the 1980s again.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14025511634630902101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-74043966899260439002020-06-08T15:47:54.449-04:002020-06-08T15:47:54.449-04:00How did the second one compare to what I've de...How did the second one compare to what I've described here?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61712524776564680642020-06-08T15:45:43.146-04:002020-06-08T15:45:43.146-04:00I finished the second Abandoned Places last year. ...I finished the second Abandoned Places last year. It was hard work to map it, but i had like this game. For playing Abandoned Places 1 I haven´t found courage still :-) Ringohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02793506834727465042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65706180244770714972020-06-08T13:39:45.346-04:002020-06-08T13:39:45.346-04:00I allow that I probably look for different things ...I allow that I probably look for different things in graphics and sound than most players. I want them to be functional first of all. If I can't see a door to my right then I don't care how pretty they are. You don't get much more "functional" than the crisp iconographic graphics of a game like <i>Ultima IV</i>. After "functional," I tend not to get excited about graphics until they become truly immersive, and that's mostly in the future.<br /><br />As for sound, I prize truly good sound as we have it today. In 1980s and 1990s, it doesn't take much to annoy me and make me turn the sound off. One bad effect will do it if I have to hear it more than once. <br /><br />So yes, I suppose you're right that in this era, anyway, the ease of the interface takes priority.<br /><br />As for your final comment, maybe I wasn't clear in what I said. I was arguing the opposite. I think if U4 was released today, and review sites rated it honestly in comparison to other games released today, we'd see scores close to what I gave it in the 50s. It's not a great analogy because if U4 was released today, no site would even bother to review it. It would be treated like an independent "retro" RPG and, if reviewed at all, only reviewed on sites that cater to such titles.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-52400826339505464712020-06-08T13:32:17.328-04:002020-06-08T13:32:17.328-04:00I rejected it a long time ago for not having any c...I rejected it a long time ago for not having any character development.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-39753888715637512022020-06-08T11:11:16.776-04:002020-06-08T11:11:16.776-04:00Addict, a game you might consider adding to your l...Addict, a game you might consider adding to your list - http://www.terrygreer.com/xenomorph.html.ududyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14097534740684313565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-81078089161231976852020-06-08T10:36:39.984-04:002020-06-08T10:36:39.984-04:00The later books in Feist's work also go heavy ...The later books in Feist's work also go heavy on the mary sue characters. All of his main characters are pretty much guaranteed to succeed at everything they try, often at their first attempt and sometimes quite randomly; and to always get a number of attractive sex partners about halfway through the book. Both are true even if the character is supposed to be plain-to-ugly and not much of a fighter, such as Roo Avery.<br /><br />Admittedly it's decently written, but I'd also call it pulp and "forgettable" is a good term. Although his early works, before he became formulaic, are very good; that includes both Magician and Faerie Tale.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-87907170736306664202020-06-08T10:08:41.985-04:002020-06-08T10:08:41.985-04:00Funny thing to learn about a dungeon crawler I nev...Funny thing to learn about a dungeon crawler I never heard of. I would have if it was mentionable, though...<br /><br />I suggest starting Amberstar not before you finished (being fed up with) Ultima. There are similarities in game play.sucinumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11365357680686583322020-06-08T07:45:03.775-04:002020-06-08T07:45:03.775-04:00And if I will keep my exapmle, I must say that als...And if I will keep my exapmle, I must say that also your answer to bobsy is little in contradict. Or really do you think, that if Ultima IV would be released today, it would get that let´s say 80s or 70s?Tygrnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-70727803701755587342020-06-08T07:40:33.756-04:002020-06-08T07:40:33.756-04:00I don´t mean it in a bad way, but somehow I can´t ...I don´t mean it in a bad way, but somehow I can´t put away the feeling, that in category "graphic, sound and interface" the far most important is for you interface. Because sound you quite often turn off and graphic is for you not so important, which is maybe little affected by the way how you see the colors. I really hope you will not take it in a bad way, I am not so good in English and I would be not happy, if my post would sound touchy in any way. But just like this is possible that you gave AP 3 in this category and for example Ultima IV has 4. I didn´t play any of these two games but just looking on the screenshots and reading your comment that U4 sounds are just some beeps makes me feel like this. Or in time maybe you start to be more harsh in some categories.Tygrnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-18719898850901504702020-06-07T23:52:26.825-04:002020-06-07T23:52:26.825-04:00Contemporary ratings are always based on their tim...Contemporary ratings are always based on their times. Mine are based on their times and the 30 years of development since then. If the game were released TODAY, what do you think it would earn on any current magazine's rating scale? 80s? 90s? or closer to the 31 that I gave it?<br /><br />Amigas were superior to DOS in some ways. There is virtually no difference between the two in this case.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35505856349533048382020-06-07T23:50:26.451-04:002020-06-07T23:50:26.451-04:00Wow, that's even worse than what's written...Wow, that's even worse than what's written on the site that I linked. But I still don't know if they're talking about just the second game or the first, and whether there's a distinction to be made between Electronic Zoo and ICE.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61303835743124642532020-06-07T23:26:25.778-04:002020-06-07T23:26:25.778-04:00I also enjoyed Feist's fantasy books when I wa...I also enjoyed Feist's fantasy books when I was a young teen, the first few were good, but after about 3 or 4 it became clear he didn't really have an arc in mind, and was kind of just making it up as he went along, kind of like Card with the Ender series.<br /><br />But Faerie Tale on the other hand, that was a phenomenal book, I was terrified reading that one in the dark at night...JBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42180487253076298412020-06-07T19:49:53.276-04:002020-06-07T19:49:53.276-04:00Hehe 69Hehe 69JarlFrankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08139422412722665286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-71369477040633625862020-06-07T18:31:18.293-04:002020-06-07T18:31:18.293-04:00If it was Qrrc Qhatrba: Znqō Fraxv, I have a worki...If it was Qrrc Qhatrba: Znqō Fraxv, I have a working file for it that I can send you.Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65341539716963340752020-06-07T10:15:49.266-04:002020-06-07T10:15:49.266-04:00That seems to assume that a score higher than 69 i...That seems to assume that a score higher than 69 isn't possible just because he hasn't awarded one yet. At least some of the factors he considers for an improved GIMLET are likely to improve as greater levels of technology and investment allow more ambitious games down the line, albeit graphics and sound unlikely to be a major factor in the ratings increase (as they would be for many players). Bruce Brenneisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11322005049442981571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-3349641136616298152020-06-07T07:59:29.762-04:002020-06-07T07:59:29.762-04:0031 out of 69--the highest rating you´ve ever done ...31 out of 69--the highest rating you´ve ever done Chet--means you give this 44.93 as a percentage. It may interest to say that the Amiga version was rated substantially higher than the pc/dos one that you´ve played. I guess you hinted at this but let´s just highlight that Amigas for a time were certainly superior to dos games. On that 44.93% scale I would be tempted to say it´s not worth playing.bobsynoreply@blogger.com