tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post1436526376195017251..comments2024-03-28T10:19:08.172-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Captive: A Long StretchCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32485557603993255042014-09-09T14:48:53.076-04:002014-09-09T14:48:53.076-04:00Yes, I'm going to merge that with the original...Yes, I'm going to merge that with the original <i>Bloodwych</i>, consistent with my policy of regarding games as "expansions" if they require an original game.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8759604401057413672014-09-09T14:47:25.910-04:002014-09-09T14:47:25.910-04:00No, lasers require $1000 laser packs that have 20 ...No, lasers require $1000 laser packs that have 20 shots each. They're quite expensive.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-7934528792906411142014-09-08T15:21:38.364-04:002014-09-08T15:21:38.364-04:00When I had an A500 I had the game Black Crypt. In ...When I had an A500 I had the game Black Crypt. In the manual to the game, they actually gave you all the maps to every dungeon, every level. Why? Oh my GOD, it's trap inside trap inside puzzle inside trap inside puzzle. I could never get any distance at all in it- a friend of mine beat it in ONE NIGHT, while high on LSD, because he is a lunatic like that.williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13165046805752023823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-21542001749731180362014-09-08T13:25:23.239-04:002014-09-08T13:25:23.239-04:00Just reread this and found a critical error: I mea...Just reread this and found a critical error: I meant "skip Bloodwych: Data Disk"! Huge difference!sucinumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198771998880365061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-51371232811296275672014-09-02T00:47:56.586-04:002014-09-02T00:47:56.586-04:00I'd actually describe it as Legend Of Zelda me...I'd actually describe it as Legend Of Zelda meets... I dunno, any Single-Character RPG. I vaguely remember having to heave sacks of stuff around.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44749083919231014032014-09-02T00:43:46.930-04:002014-09-02T00:43:46.930-04:00So did I, man! The adverts of them in Dragon Magaz...So did I, man! The adverts of them in Dragon Magazine was so goddamn awesome! You could go adventuring ala Might & Magic 6 style, rule the Kingdom like Romance of the 3 Kingdoms, and go to war like Sword of Aragon.<br /><br />As it turns out, I guess the game just wasn't big enough to contain that much awesomeness. When technology is finally able to handle shit like this, nobody (except Koei with their Dynasty Warriors: Empires expansions which comes the closest) have dared to touch this revolutionary idea with a million foot pole.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35672454677953814422014-09-01T10:20:46.099-04:002014-09-01T10:20:46.099-04:00About the skills above 24, eh, I misremembered. My...About the skills above 24, eh, I misremembered. My mistake. Apparently only Robotics can be raised above 24.MOZAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-166926586755538532014-08-30T04:22:15.227-04:002014-08-30T04:22:15.227-04:00The Summoning isn't a DM clone, but it was cer...The Summoning isn't a DM clone, but it was certainly heavily influenced by it. It has the same gameplay focus: navigational puzzles and resource management under heavy stress. I'd describe it as DM meets Ultima.VKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65012102465556887422014-08-30T03:23:26.764-04:002014-08-30T03:23:26.764-04:00Try this: http://www.projectaon.org/staff/david/Try this: http://www.projectaon.org/staff/david/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37897771567901946882014-08-30T00:17:23.965-04:002014-08-30T00:17:23.965-04:00I really wouldn't describe The Summoning as be...I really wouldn't describe The Summoning as being particularly like Dungeon Master. For starters, it's a single character isometric game instead of a first person party-based game, which is a rather significant difference. It's a definite classic, though, and I was absolutely obsessed with it as a child.malkav11https://www.blogger.com/profile/06785046340353526574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49369022996211630492014-08-29T16:13:28.690-04:002014-08-29T16:13:28.690-04:00"Petri--no idea why I was so annoyed over som..."Petri--no idea why I was so annoyed over something so trivial. Probably because I was up at 04:30 after wasting 6 straight hours on Captive."<br /><br />I take that as an apology and no I wasn't really offended, so all good.<br /><br />Anyway I was going to mention that 'freeze' feature you found on your own. <br />Also alt + tab releases the mouse as default.<br />Personally I've found that freezing feature quite handy on occasions when I get an urgent phone call in a middle of action.<br /><br />I also had a vague memory of being able to save WinUAE screenshots in more sensible fashion but that might be VICE or some other emulator that I'm remembering.Petri R.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-66891166759081584202014-08-29T10:42:46.812-04:002014-08-29T10:42:46.812-04:00Yeah, you can probably just upgrade directly to la...Yeah, you can probably just upgrade directly to lasers and skip the intermediate tiers without much trouble (they do have some interesting/useful properties though: most rifles "aim high" and allow you to gun down flying enemies without the Anti-Grav, while the best automatic fires a three-bullet spray in front of you, hitting enemies regardless of their horizontal placement). Your points spent on those skills won't be wasted either, since you'll soon start finding disposable versions of them. Lasers should outclass all earlier weapons in raw per-shot damage, but I can't tell if jumping directly to them causes trouble with ammo or such, as I went through the planned weapon progression myself.<br /><br />So, by all means go for it.MOZAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68310015320127516052014-08-29T10:19:48.037-04:002014-08-29T10:19:48.037-04:00MOZA, I probably didn't miss the SHOPS. I was ...MOZA, I probably didn't miss the SHOPS. I was several bases in before I realized that each shop sold different inventory items, so I probably just missed the particular shop that sold those weapons (In the last base I was in, there was only one). It's moot now that I have shops selling laser weapons, right?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-29586804644516534542014-08-29T10:17:52.676-04:002014-08-29T10:17:52.676-04:00Petri--no idea why I was so annoyed over something...Petri--no idea why I was so annoyed over something so trivial. Probably because I was up at 04:30 after wasting 6 straight hours on <i>Captive</i>.<br /><br />You are correct that as long as you don't have something else open that's captured the key, ALT-PRNTSCR does not capture the window borders in WinUAE. Nonetheless, the process of then pasting it into some other application and saving the shot does not significantly improve the speed over my solution, which automatically saves in .png format to my chosen directory.<br /><br />While I was looking at options, though, I did find a couple of handy WinUAE settings that aren't enabled by default. There's an option to use the middle mouse button to immediately release the captured mouse, thus avoiding having to hold down ESC for a couple seconds. There's also an option to pause emulation when the emulator loses the focus. Between the two, I think I've solved the problem of not being able to take a screenshot while in active combat.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-15436823952590273752014-08-29T09:44:01.070-04:002014-08-29T09:44:01.070-04:00Well no harm done then. I'm unabashedly a fan ...Well no harm done then. I'm unabashedly a fan of the game (fan of most DM clones actually - I just really like the genre), and while I acknowledge there's a gaping hole where story and puzzles should be, what actually <i>is</i> in the game is super well done.* Captive's filled with innovative ideas, and the straight gunplay action can be immensely satisfying.<br /><br />*) In my opinion.<br /><br /><i>"Is there any way that the Addict can go back and grind (not on dinosaurs) to make money for upgrading droids?"</i><br /><br />If you're asking if there's a way to replay bases, the answer is no. You blow them up, after all. Only way to grind is dinosaurs, and that's kind of a desperation option, as the gains are small.<br /><br />(Side note: having the recharger device makes it possible to grind on random planets indefinitely without running out of electricity - this is where the sleep mode becomes handy. It's still a huge fuss though, and not really worth it.)<br /><br />Still, I don't think the Addict is irrevocably screwed in any way. As long as he can survive fights, he can replenish his money and can catch up the next time he finds a weapon upgrade. The thing he really needs the most at this point is better weapons. Best defense is a good offense, as they say. I have no idea how he managed to miss every shop that sells rifles and automatics - granted, some of them are hidden behind secret walls and such, but an experienced RPG player should have no trouble with those.MOZAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-46013575405358521872014-08-29T09:38:29.632-04:002014-08-29T09:38:29.632-04:00I feel that the Birthright game setting was design...I feel that the Birthright game setting was designed as the "next step" for players. You reached level 15? Off to Cerilia you go!<br /><br />I love the Birthright setting and wish Sierra had done better with the video game. Like Ravenloft, it just seems like a game world that had a failure to thrive.Raifieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08478524519453417677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60945385757794330582014-08-29T09:01:34.012-04:002014-08-29T09:01:34.012-04:00Zapping enemies with electricity is a useful trick...Zapping enemies with electricity is a useful trick for early game, but the damage output is quickly outpaced by just about any real weapon.MOZAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26212234011053904542014-08-29T08:56:29.304-04:002014-08-29T08:56:29.304-04:00Many roguelikes have predefined rooms or levels fo...Many roguelikes have predefined rooms or levels for exactly that reason. Captive and Dungeon Hack could have done the same.sucinumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-30688139356145420432014-08-29T08:48:08.479-04:002014-08-29T08:48:08.479-04:00@MOZA
You'll notice I haven't actually of...@MOZA<br /><br />You'll notice I haven't actually offered any opinions on the game, only my perception of how the game is playing based on the Addict's posts. I asked for a counterbalancing point of view from the pro-Captive community, and you've made a fairly convincing case.<br /><br />Is there any way that the Addict can go back and grind (not on dinosaurs) to make money for upgrading droids?Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08236674968994362673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61011882123339424622014-08-29T07:16:36.063-04:002014-08-29T07:16:36.063-04:00There's actually one rare exception to the lev...There's actually one rare exception to the level design in Dungeon Hack - once every dungeon, you'll get one level that's nothing but corrdiors, inhabited by minotaurs, which is kind of cute. I don't recall any other variations though.<br /><br />I think the repetitiveness of procedural mazes - or anything generated randomly - is an inherent problem and probably one that can't ever be fully overcome. *All* games with random set ups are kind of fascinating at first, then almost instantly flip over to dull-as-dish-water once you've played for long enough to get an insight to have the mechanics of the random generation works.<br /><br />BobbledogAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62614621099613959722014-08-29T06:30:36.092-04:002014-08-29T06:30:36.092-04:00Addict: "Well, I just upgraded a single droid...Addict: <i>"Well, I just upgraded a single droid's body parts to the highest level available and it cost me nearly all my remaining gold, so I think the solution "upgrade whenever you can" is a little simplistic. Deciding whether to buy one weapon or wait until you're skilled enough for a higher version in the same class isn't a trivial decision; I really don't think you can afford all of them."</i><br /><br />Well, obviously you have to make tradeoffs and plan your expenses (something I've understood you enjoy in games), you can't buy <i>everything</i> - but you really should have more goodies at your disposal than you appear to have. At the stage of the game you're at, I had equipped all my droids with rifles and automatics, and instead of hopeless "ladderscum or die"-matches, my fights with the hovercrafts were frenetic dances of death with both sides filling the air with lead while circle-strafing each other at lightning speed. It was exhilarating, not frustrating.<br /><br />I really wish I could point you directly to a shop that sells what you need, but this was many years ago.<br /><br /><i>"As for shields, I use them all the time."</i><br /><br />Very good. I trust you've noticed that multiple shields stack with each other. At the stage of the game you're at, I was carrying three shields and kept them simultaneously active against the hovercrafts. This, along with superior droid bodies, allowed me to survive multiple hits from them ("multiple" as in "about three" - they <i>are</i> hard-hitting SOBs).<br /><br />For acquisitions, I recommend offense over defense, and defense over utility. The battery you spent half your cash on was a bit wasteful purchase - I would have recommended the budget option of buying multiple extra chests and pre-charging them (heavier, but does the job). With the price of the battery you probably could have armed your entire team with firearms.<br /><br />Daniel: <i>"I haven't played the game."</i><br /><br />Well, I hope you realize your opinions on it don't count for much then.<br /><br /><i>Judging from the Addict's descriptions though, the bases and puzzles aren't really differentiated enough to create the kind of tension I enjoy.</i><br /><br />Puzzles I'll give, since the game doesn't really have any beyond "find the password, flip the switch, push the wall" level (and I too wish it did, but can't get everything I suppose), but I'm going to make the claim that the bases have a remarkable degree of character to them, far beyond what you'd expect from procedurally generated content. Their structure varies radically. In some bases you start next to the generator room, in some bases they're hidden in the furthest corner, behind a secret wall, seven ladders and three elevators away. And obviously the choice of enemies radically alters the tone - I knew in advance that base six with its massive shopless stretch in the beginning and those lovely little hovercrafts would have the Addict pulling hair, and felt the same giddiness I do when somebody meets the Capra Demon the first time. This wouldn't be possible if the bases were indistinguishable.<br /><br /><i>"The challenge also doesn't appear to scale well."</i><br /><br />I must protest - Captive has one of the best difficulty curves I've seen in games: a sawtooth where the player repeatedly goes from underdog to briefly dominant and back to underdog again. Of course, this presupposes a steady acquisition of new shiny death-toys. A player determined to save his money for retirement is a player who is permanently stuck in the "underdog" phase, not experiencing the satisfaction of meeting previously tough enemies while wielding new guns and finding out you can absolutely massacre them now.MOZAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-82275744803883358062014-08-29T05:28:11.535-04:002014-08-29T05:28:11.535-04:00Print screen works perfectly fine on my end with W...Print screen works perfectly fine on my end with WinUAE, can't say why it doesn't work for you ie. no title screens etc. just the game screen.<br />Tested on both full and windowed modes with a few different games.<br /><br />.bmp is uncompressed bitmap file similar to .raw from a digital camera and it kind of makes sense with these old games made of blocky bitmap graphics as .jpg creates a boatload of artefacts in low resolution images.Petri R.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60761326779857328822014-08-29T04:39:07.053-04:002014-08-29T04:39:07.053-04:00Jesus Christ. I love the assumptions that I'm ...Jesus Christ. I love the assumptions that I'm so dumb I can't take screen shots. Anonymous, I'm not using DOSBox. I'm playing the Amiga version. If I use the built-in screen-capture utility, it takes a .bmp and names it inconveniently.<br /><br />Petri, your suggestion captures the emulator title bar and buttons. All I want is the game screen.<br /><br />SOME benefit of the doubt would be nice for a change.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-88726995014855956012014-08-29T03:03:06.128-04:002014-08-29T03:03:06.128-04:00Yes, I remember Dungeon Hack as really boring and ...Yes, I remember Dungeon Hack as really boring and repetetive. It only had the most basic riddles, meaning locks and keys. But even that didn't work properly, sometimes there only was an empty room behind the locked door. Also there only 2 kind of monsters on any given level.<br /><br />That was a shame, I really wanted to like it.sucinumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-75750502621298535222014-08-29T02:58:25.750-04:002014-08-29T02:58:25.750-04:00Umm press print screen -> open any art program ...Umm press print screen -> open any art program like paint and crtl + V, voilá you have a screen shot ...<br /><br />It's not like you actually need a program for a screenshots in windows.Petri R.noreply@blogger.com