tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post4146192234864776815..comments2024-03-19T06:03:57.317-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Tunnels & Trolls: Might & MagicCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79254350536507642082014-04-27T18:56:40.596-04:002014-04-27T18:56:40.596-04:00I really appreciate the way the progress of games ...I really appreciate the way the progress of games is revealed in these games that you write about in chronological order. I find it hard to find anything really interesting in obscure 1980s titles but in these it's really fun to see progress (or lack of it) in game design and user interfaces. Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-25146556827550766052014-04-18T09:06:59.047-04:002014-04-18T09:06:59.047-04:00I was also wondering if I should mention Baldur...I was also wondering if I should mention Baldur's Gate, but decided against it, for the mentioned reasons. Theoretically, you could skip most of the maps and side quests and still win the game.Alexander Sebastian Schulzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15135338616598357444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-5897413411164832532014-04-17T22:27:08.056-04:002014-04-17T22:27:08.056-04:00Alright, so I'm one of those people who did a ...Alright, so I'm one of those people who did a full grid search in Baldur's Gate. I also used a map site to help me find caves and things (Sadly, this is now offline). That one I didn't find boring as the maps were so pretty, and I'd find cool things that I would have otherwise missed, like the sunken house. That said, I did get bored of samey wilderness, and annoyed at being way overleveled. <br /><br />The other ones are 3d, first person games. They do it at various levels of skill (Oblivion had way too much empty forest, but had some great underwater stuff if I remember right, Skryim had some really cool stuff, but not much of it. On the other hand, there were lots of different types of geography. Fallout 3 had very samey geography and much worse art direction then either of them, but had the best things to find; lots of environmental story telling, empty bomb shelters, etc.<br /><br />Now, in none of them did you HAVE to explore that way. Even I never tried to grid search Fallout or Skyrim (Though my Dad set out to fill in his whole map in Skyrim, not sure if he did or not before getting bored).<br /><br />But in all of these I could miss things: I'd almost beaten Fallout 3 (I think) and there are HUGE areas of the map I've never even looked at. In Baldur's Gate I could always go do a sidequest or two to take a break from my search. I didn't have to do it in order, it wasn't forced on me to finish the game. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35508130018706513762014-04-16T15:30:22.311-04:002014-04-16T15:30:22.311-04:00On NES, Wizards & Warriors as well, for allite...On NES, Wizards & Warriors as well, for alliterative &Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13431741012966569454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85563628479862092162014-04-11T16:33:19.419-04:002014-04-11T16:33:19.419-04:00Of course, the Gold Box games have quite the same ...Of course, the Gold Box games have quite the same problem. You really should design your campaign around your spells, or your spells around your campaign-- but when you do neither, you just give gamers false options which cloud the gaming experience.<br /><br />I think MM1 was a great example from the era of a game where you did use the majority of the spells by the end of the game. Joe Pranevichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12997014242774219758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49252341045618932292014-04-11T13:19:18.283-04:002014-04-11T13:19:18.283-04:00Henry, I had the same feeling playing BG1--it alwa...Henry, I had the same feeling playing BG1--it always pissed me off that there were little areas around cliffs and rocks that you couldn't fully reveal without a spell--but it's still a different dynamic. In BG, you're not going to be wandering along and suddenly get a spontaneous encounter, that you didn't see coming, just because you stepped on a particular tile. Thus, while we might feel compelled to mow the lawn in BG for aesthetic reasons, we don't have to do it for gameplay reasons the way you have to in the MM games and CoK.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-24652393883869633412014-04-11T13:16:23.362-04:002014-04-11T13:16:23.362-04:00I have no doubt. Still one of the dumbest reasons ...I have no doubt. Still one of the dumbest reasons to put it in the computer version of the game, though. CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49463855067078682272014-04-11T11:18:38.302-04:002014-04-11T11:18:38.302-04:00Regarding the uses for available spells, such as &...Regarding the uses for available spells, such as "Lock Tight": they might just be in the game because they are in the T&T rule book.<br /><br />Fiendishgameshttp://www.fbgames.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-81505891387919178232014-04-11T07:58:15.162-04:002014-04-11T07:58:15.162-04:00bbc.com article about "The great D&D pani...bbc.com article about "The great D&D panic of the 80's":<br /><br />http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26328105Alexander Sebastian Schulzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15135338616598357444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-19423767926872858052014-04-10T08:09:50.828-04:002014-04-10T08:09:50.828-04:00Don't let the lack of mandatory exploration st...Don't let the lack of mandatory exploration stop you from playing MM6, the game requires a lot of travel and has a ton of locations on every map. I would go as far to say that MM6 is the pinnacle of the series and needs to be at least attempted by fans of the genre.Raifieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08478524519453417677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-15617568341024227032014-04-10T06:43:26.093-04:002014-04-10T06:43:26.093-04:00Actually what I meant specifically by lawnmower is...Actually what I meant specifically by lawnmower is when you systematically explore every space in a wide open area, without, walls, obstructions, rooms, etc. In the M&M games, once you get all the necessary skills/spells to traverse forests, mountains, water, etc. you can go anywhere in the outdoors. So I would always just go up and down an area until I explored every space. <br /><br />I don't mind exploring every space when there is some variety like in a dungeon, town, etc. I wouldn't say that you do lawnmower stuff in the Wizardry games or the Etrian Odyssey games. You do want to explore every space, but there are few areas of gigantically open spaces. Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79706175926598092072014-04-09T22:18:28.765-04:002014-04-09T22:18:28.765-04:00Games like the Etrian Odyssey series for the DS/3D...Games like the Etrian Odyssey series for the DS/3DS capitalize on gamers who love the "lawnmower" aspect, since the player is expected to step on and draw a map of every last square (with the stylus).<br /><br />I really should try MM6+ one of these days, but I have to admit that losing the "lawnmower" aspect is a minor personal turn-off...Victarhttp://www.victarfanfics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47560596861119019252014-04-09T20:17:02.584-04:002014-04-09T20:17:02.584-04:00What if the Darkness is in Riyadh?
http://www.crac...What if the Darkness is in Riyadh?<br />http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-most-baffling-subtitles-in-foreign-action-movie-history/Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65142440765956347052014-04-09T07:22:34.832-04:002014-04-09T07:22:34.832-04:00>at some point you have to play virtual lawnmov...>at some point you have to play virtual lawnmover and systematically explore every single square in the game<br /><br />The compulsion to do this in dungeons, where you're likely to be about to get murdered by Random Encounter Group C, is terrible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68285066993577195162014-04-09T07:13:48.607-04:002014-04-09T07:13:48.607-04:00I´m just replaying Baldur's Gate and since I´m...I´m just replaying Baldur's Gate and since I´m a bit compulsive about getting rid of all the fog-of-war I can't help but getting that lawnmower-feeling all the time..Henryvonkleisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11614744623860886548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50545575502030241522014-04-08T20:24:39.723-04:002014-04-08T20:24:39.723-04:00Magic Candle comes to mind. I remember doing that ...Magic Candle comes to mind. I remember doing that to search for mushroom patches.<br /><br />Also, Dark Heart of Uukrul. Not because it requires you to do that, but the Automap denotes which square you have not stepped in, which triggers the latent OCD which every CRPGers have, to just trudge on those empty unlit squares like we're trying to find the correct alphabets on Wheel Of Fortune.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-82429216735157872402014-04-08T19:57:44.226-04:002014-04-08T19:57:44.226-04:00Might & Magic VI remains my favorite of the se...Might & Magic VI remains my favorite of the series simply for getting rid of the square-by-square movement system. It still retained the need to explore every square meter of the gameworld, but being able to move freeform took the sting out of it quite a bit. That and obliterating an entire horizon worth of enemies in real-time via meteor strike. Ah, the simple joys of life.Raifieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08478524519453417677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76308211436520592502014-04-08T18:00:06.426-04:002014-04-08T18:00:06.426-04:00I'll just throw my two cents in to strongly re...I'll just throw my two cents in to strongly recommend playing Clouds of Xeen first. The level difference is so enormous that playing Darkside first, and then playing through Clouds, would be like using a hexedited party in any other CRPG.<br /><br />I loved the Xeen games, though. Even Swords of Xeen, as bland and empty as it was. I'm looking forward to them, in the faraway future.Victarhttp://www.victarfanfics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-10886630197479662552014-04-08T16:16:33.286-04:002014-04-08T16:16:33.286-04:00Not always. There's a fair number of games (th...Not always. There's a fair number of games (the one in particular I'm thinking of is AdoM, but I know there's other ones), where a lot of enemies lose their standard seek-attack AI to simulate their inability to see, making it a powerful "poor man's invisibility". Nomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02317814736043426457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-69353151461226947802014-04-08T15:22:11.677-04:002014-04-08T15:22:11.677-04:00I hadn't heard the "lawnmower" metap...I hadn't heard the "lawnmower" metaphor before, but it does describe it reasonably well. Any game in which the encounter is based on stepping in the right square--including the first two MMs, <i>Wizardry</i>, and even the Gold Box games--share this characteristic. <br /><br />Top-down games usually give you some ability to see what's in the area so you don't have to explore every tile. This game is unique in being a top-down game where you still have to mow the lawn, so to speak.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83234471304111900762014-04-08T15:19:58.696-04:002014-04-08T15:19:58.696-04:00I haven't quite figured out how I'm going ...I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to approach it, but it's pretty far in the future.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86128406818834822822014-04-08T15:19:19.512-04:002014-04-08T15:19:19.512-04:00You are correct about 1. I thought the maps did wr...You are correct about 1. I thought the maps did wrap, but I just loaded it up to verify and the game blocks you from walking off the edges. If you teleport from the edges, you just wrap around on the current map, not the world as a whole.<br /><br />What are we to make of this? Each VARN is flat but the central CRON is three-dimensional?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49385251285647541832014-04-08T14:20:05.033-04:002014-04-08T14:20:05.033-04:00I remember doing the same thing in the Bard's ...I remember doing the same thing in the Bard's Tales and PoR, putting small dots to denote which squares I'd searched completely.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-25151121405693842272014-04-08T11:48:58.145-04:002014-04-08T11:48:58.145-04:00Darkness is one of those spells that invariably is...Darkness is one of those spells that invariably is more useful for the enemies than the party.Ragnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-53200361304750168292014-04-08T08:36:04.481-04:002014-04-08T08:36:04.481-04:00I think it's 2 different experiences; playing ...I think it's 2 different experiences; playing Darkside first or Clouds first.<br /><br />I personally enjoy what vladimir-v-y suggested. It was a freaking power-trip and I loved it.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.com