tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post2066601978955994837..comments2024-03-28T09:10:48.790-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Legends of Valour: A Man of Means by No MeansCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-75034669073174558382022-04-10T19:13:15.290-04:002022-04-10T19:13:15.290-04:00Yeah, I'm not claiming that I was right, just ...Yeah, I'm not claiming that I was right, just what my thinking was. Breaking the main quest is a bit of a different issue, though. U7 DOES reward random exploration and LoV doesn't.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44025599229591188532022-04-09T00:13:49.486-04:002022-04-09T00:13:49.486-04:00That's funny, because from a technical standpo...That's funny, because from a technical standpoint you got it exactly backwards. Ultima 7 keeps so much information about the state of the world, and is so buggy about it, that it's a miracle it can be completed at all if you deviate even slightly from the intended order of doing things. (Remember how you complained that quest items exist statically in the world from the beginning instead of being placed there dynamically based on your progress; I suspect the developers wanted to do the latter but couldn't make it work reliably because of all the bugs in the game engine.) In contrast to that, LoV keeps so little information about the state of the world that I don't think it's even possible to get into an unwinnable situation. And when I say little, I mean absurdly little. Suppose you enter a dungeon room with a troll in it, kill the troll, and exit the room. The game immediately forgets that happened, so you can enter the room again and kill the exact same troll again; the game forgets it again as soon as you leave the room. You can repeat this indefinitely, though I don't know why you would want to; it's not like you get rewarded with XP or anything.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-74747410189087359642022-04-08T11:59:12.788-04:002022-04-08T11:59:12.788-04:00That's a good question, and maybe worthy of a ...That's a good question, and maybe worthy of a topic by itself. I think it comes down to the level of trust I have with the game and its developers. That trust comes from experience with the same developers in other games or, in the case of U7, the same game (I had played it before). I knew that Origin developers were experts in open-world game design and probably would find ways to reward nonlinear exploration. I didn't have that level of trust with a new developer, particularly a British one.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63400894910535257682022-04-08T10:31:50.356-04:002022-04-08T10:31:50.356-04:00Chet, I am curious as to how you determine your pl...Chet, I am curious as to how you determine your play-through approach to open ended games. I see a clear distinction between this one and how you approached Ultima 7. In the latter, you did not seem to care about following the main quest and doing things out of order, but in this one you mentioned you don't want to risk it.<br /><br />Nothing wrong with any approach, in my mind, but I am just curious as to what makes you take one path or the other (I tried to figure that out by going back to Ultima 7 and reading it again, but I am unable to come to a doubtless conclusion).Marcelo Treinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03324606915818536432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-3068735679114938132021-01-01T14:54:51.826-05:002021-01-01T14:54:51.826-05:00I don't know, man. The hand is in a different ...I don't know, man. The hand is in a different position and I don't think the face looks much like Patrick Stewart. I think more likely all the NPCs in the game are digitizations of members of the production team and/or people they knew. I haven't seen anyone else who looks like a celebrity.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76636599901777741892020-12-31T06:29:19.073-05:002020-12-31T06:29:19.073-05:00In your first article about this game, P-7ux comme...In your first article about this game, P-7ux commented that "That first NPC portrait when you commented on their digitization, that looks like Patrick Stewart. He'll truly sell out to anyone, won't he?"<br /><br />I also noticed the resemblance to Patrick Stewart, and I was almost sure that the image was taken from "The Next Generation". Looking through "Captain Picard memes", I found this image, which seems to be from the same scene from which the digitized image was taken.<br /><br />https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b0/c0/50/b0c050d21155ab4cd75097d1beb0520a.jpgAgrivarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01733066579117350220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-5211672121150249742020-12-26T12:27:29.028-05:002020-12-26T12:27:29.028-05:00" I was in the mood for a cookie-cutter weste..." I was in the mood for a cookie-cutter western fantasy RPG. I searched MobyGames for Xbox One releases for the last 3 years and couldn't find a single thing that a) wasn't questionable as an RPG in the first place; b) didn't have an anime teenaged girl on the cover; and c) didn't seem like a poorly-ported PC game"<br /><br />You want Operencia: The Stolen Sun. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11969566477795377152020-12-24T05:00:06.482-05:002020-12-24T05:00:06.482-05:00It seems to me that a Manic Bear Trainer might not...It seems to me that a Manic Bear Trainer might not last long... I don't know if that is the best character trait for that profession.Piltdown Filmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17315593326618677718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37177687133086508212020-12-21T11:10:58.506-05:002020-12-21T11:10:58.506-05:00Wait, did you seriously just explain to us who Mic...Wait, did you seriously just explain to us who Microsoft are? :DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4012300028365147972020-12-21T11:03:02.990-05:002020-12-21T11:03:02.990-05:00I'm thinking this revival will probably fizzle...I'm thinking this revival will probably fizzle, Microsoft (the company behind Xbox) recently bought Beteshda after all (and already own the company behind Pillars). One possible alternative for old school crpg gamers might be solitaire roleplaying, but it does need some imagination (and also discipline and structure).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-38986817601835521322020-12-21T08:31:18.283-05:002020-12-21T08:31:18.283-05:00"The other day, I wanted to download and play..."The other day, I wanted to download and play something on the console. I was in the mood for a cookie-cutter western fantasy RPG. I searched MobyGames for Xbox One releases for the last 3 years and couldn't find a single thing that a) wasn't questionable as an RPG in the first place; b) didn't have an anime teenaged girl on the cover; and c) didn't seem like a poorly-ported PC game (I came close to trying Pillars of Eternity but for the reviews). That really makes me think something is fundamentally broken with the industry."<br /><br />At the risk of sounding like I'm ragging on Skyrim too much, I think Skyrim is incidentally responsible for this in a lot of ways - not because of any intentional action on Bethesda's part, but because Skyrim was such a bold statement of what a "western RPG" *could* be, wide swaths of the market - notably including all the PR people and investors - expect everything to be "the next Skyrim" and so you frequently see western RPGs getting savaged by critics and fans alike for not being enough of an open world sandbox. Heck, when you filter out all the news about Cyberpunk 2077's terrible console port problems or wacky bugs, one of the enduring complaints I see about its actual substance is that it isn't cyberpunk Skyrim.<br /><br />We're only barely starting to see the first hints of a resurgence in turn-based western RPGs over the last couple of years or so, with releases such as the Divinity games, Pathfinder: Kingmaker (which was originally RTWP like the Infinity Engine but added a turn-based mode option in its enhanced edition release), and Solasta: Crown of the Magister (an early-access release that isn't actually finished yet), but most of these games are primarily targeted at the PC market. Reiskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09444824451578560746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54803699015866353502020-12-21T08:13:50.071-05:002020-12-21T08:13:50.071-05:00I think another element overlooked here may simply...I think another element overlooked here may simply also be just the differences in the means by which game and movie studios interact with the public. From what I recall, for the most part, it's pretty rare that films even have a release date *set* before they are more or less complete. Even so, there are a couple big high-profile films that have been perennially delayed (Avatar 2, for instance).<br /><br />I think Bruce makes a very good point re: the extensive unionization of the film industry as well.Reiskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09444824451578560746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54058203035017562692020-12-16T16:13:38.302-05:002020-12-16T16:13:38.302-05:00buffy and angel tv shows addressed vampires feedin...buffy and angel tv shows addressed vampires feeding off drug users deliberately to get high or sometimes accidentallyarmagan tuzcuogluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04597311550662390146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-19974131376693930022020-12-16T15:57:29.473-05:002020-12-16T15:57:29.473-05:00I loved this game when I played it back in the day...I loved this game when I played it back in the day. The promise of having the freedom to wander around a big, fantasy city living another life was just amazing for the time. Never really lived up to its promise, but I still have fond memories of it. I must have spent weeks and weeks just wandering around Mitteldorf, filling in the map, avoiding the city guard, drinking in the taverns, occassionally doing a quest or two. I played it again a year or two ago and it was like returning to a place of my childhood. <br /><br />That said, it is a deeply flawed game - unfinished really. I think you're right about it not meeting your criteria for an RPG, though I really want you to keep playing it.<br /><br />As far as I can tell, the stats you roll at the start of the game have no bearing on the game itself, and they don't improve. You can pay to train in combat levels, and that does make fighting easier, plus advancing in the temples or mages guilds will give you new spells, but there's no levelling as such. Same with the armour. There is none to buy, and I am unconvinced the stuff you buy at the start of the game has any impact on combat within the game itself.<br /><br />There is a main quest though.<br /><br />Also, I know you prefer keyboard to mouse, but the button in the bottom-left of the panel of movement buttons makes you do a 180 turn, which is handy for following people.CousinSvennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37224411050923836762020-12-15T15:23:09.866-05:002020-12-15T15:23:09.866-05:00Yeah, that's why I asked.
Stmp, you've gi...Yeah, that's why I asked.<br /><br />Stmp, you've given me the mental image of a vampire trying to drink off someone who's fainted in the street but yuck, he tastes awful due to being drunk! I wonder if any vampire literature has addressed how someone's blood alcohol level affects feeding off of them. A vampire "pub crawl" where one can just get drunk for free off of drunk people's blood at bars sounds like something out of Discworld.P-Tux7https://www.blogger.com/profile/03201162995038006540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-81432528506169893562020-12-15T12:29:52.548-05:002020-12-15T12:29:52.548-05:00Angela Lansbury has got to be Maine's worst pu...Angela Lansbury has got to be Maine's worst publicist, every single resident in Cabot Cove has been directly affected by murder in one way or another.Wonkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05147422102351323674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26403932148179442592020-12-15T11:24:54.100-05:002020-12-15T11:24:54.100-05:00That would make them anime women.That would make them anime women.Buckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07270991090065636515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-71952529824157649822020-12-15T06:34:55.312-05:002020-12-15T06:34:55.312-05:00"I have to learn how to use this new super-po..."I have to learn how to use this new super-power to compel people to hallucinate in my real life. I wonder what my superhero name will be."<br /><br />That sounds like a supervillain, not a superhero.Kishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11456086726407491007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-23208361121114430532020-12-15T05:35:29.969-05:002020-12-15T05:35:29.969-05:00All good points, but to add to that last one: when...All good points, but to add to that last one: when your business model is to churn through and burn out new developers on the regular, it's probably going to cause a loss of quite a bit of institutional experience that could go towards fixing some of the common problems that game releases experience. Film, by comparison, probably due to extensive unionization, doesn't seem to have the same problem.Bruce Brenneisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11322005049442981571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-53389145142748424582020-12-15T05:24:32.681-05:002020-12-15T05:24:32.681-05:00"I need to research more about the business, ..."I need to research more about the business, because I don't understand why the game industry doesn't seem to have the equivalent of, say, Walt Disney Studios--a massive outfit that employs thousands of people and can reliably turn out at least several crowd-pleasers per year without missing six target dates first."<br /><br />There are a few examples of that in the industry. <br /><br />Ubisoft has been churning Assassin's Creed games to the rythm of one each year or two, for the last 10+ years, using multiple development teams in different locations. Usually it has at least 1 or 2 major releases from other IPs every year.<br /><br />Activision with Call of Duty, has been releasing a new title each year like clockwork. <br /><br />EA has been doing the same for decades with its sports games.<br /><br />The closest thing to your example is maybe Sony, which through its first party studios or agreements with third parties, usually manages to release 2/3 major AAA platform exclusives each year.Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05019892418296525854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-58187326930296839252020-12-15T03:49:44.292-05:002020-12-15T03:49:44.292-05:00Those anime girls are getting old.Those anime girls are getting old.PetrusOctavianusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-45473346567913427542020-12-15T02:52:18.983-05:002020-12-15T02:52:18.983-05:00" I was in the mood for a cookie-cutter weste..." I was in the mood for a cookie-cutter western fantasy RPG. I searched MobyGames for Xbox One releases for the last 3 years and couldn't find a single thing that a) wasn't questionable as an RPG in the first place; b) didn't have an anime teenaged girl on the cover; and c) didn't seem like a poorly-ported PC game"<br /><br />These are very high requirements, unfortunately. <br /><br />If you waive the "3 years" one, my main suggestion would be Divinity: Original Sin. Although developed on PC, its combat is strictly turn-based, so playing with a controller should not be terrible. <br /><br />In general, most of classically inspired RPGs that came out in the last few years are "indie" games coming out of kickstarter or early access on PC.<br /><br />If you waive the "Fantasy" requirement, you could do worse than "Outer Worlds" from last year, given how much it is inspired to Fallout. <br /><br />The newly released Cyberpunk 2077 is amazing on PC, but apparently an hot mess on consoles.Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05019892418296525854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-27212447932171930502020-12-15T02:03:34.225-05:002020-12-15T02:03:34.225-05:00Yes, reviews of the Xbox port. I'll eventually...Yes, reviews of the Xbox port. I'll eventually try the PC version, but I was looking for something I could doze off to while playing on the couch.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35460231914695002012020-12-15T01:57:04.786-05:002020-12-15T01:57:04.786-05:00"I came close to trying Pillars of Eternity b..."I came close to trying Pillars of Eternity but for the reviews."<br /><br />I assume you mean reviews of the Xbox port? That game and its sequel are pretty close to flawless recreations of the Infinity Engine 'feel', and both (2 more so than 1) found interesting things to say as stories, I think. Highly recommend. <br />Bruce Brenneisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11322005049442981571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-18767115630925750712020-12-15T00:02:23.432-05:002020-12-15T00:02:23.432-05:00"It does seem to me that there's somethin..."It does seem to me that there's something wrong in the gaming industry that isn't wrong in, say, the film industry. I can't imagine that making films is that much easier than making games, and yet we don't see the same industry-wide systemic delays in Hollywood that we do among game developers."<br /><br />The fundamental difference between movies and games is that even the most linear game has an uncertainty due to player action that no movie has. A film is by definition a fixed sequence from a fixed viewpoint. <br /><br />Even a simple "run down the corridor and shoot everything in sight" game isn't that restricted. They don't know what you're going to shoot in what order, and any kind of monster AI means that the position of the enemies will not be fixed.<br /><br />Expand that to even a basic RPG, and the variables you have to account for (and thus the potential bugs and conflicts) expands dramatically. Make it open world, and you're basically making a hundred or a thousand films at once.<br /><br />There is the fundamental issue of game developers having a really awful view toward labor, exacerbated by an endless pool of recruits who think that game development is their dream job. That doesn't change the fact that the very nature of the business means unique challenges.<br />Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.com