tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post5014940168869557890..comments2024-03-18T23:49:34.681-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Death Knights of Krynn: Final RatingCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-7841583262623280402024-01-23T12:30:31.587-05:002024-01-23T12:30:31.587-05:00I wonder now if games could do more with the way h...I wonder now if games could do more with the way having money could facilitate the fantasy of power. It's very common in RPGs to spend a part of the game scrounging for money to buy necessary things, then hit a point where money becomes irrelevant because there's nothing left to buy at the rate you're bringing in income, but it usually just makes you stop thinking about money. Given that "Not having enough money to go on living" is a nigh-universal tension for real-world humans, there ought to be a way for a game to actually make it feel actively GOOD to reach that "You don't have to worry about being able to afford your lifestyle" point - some way to give "You can always afford a full heal whenever you want" the same feeling of power as "You can now one-shot the enemy that used to be a serious threat"Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09703211229982182936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32462023126389788332024-01-22T20:01:39.212-05:002024-01-22T20:01:39.212-05:00Sure, those are good thoughts to help roll with th...Sure, those are good thoughts to help roll with the punches and perhaps make yourself feel better about that aspect of the game. But it's still not a great solution for players like me who enjoy the economic aspects of RPGs.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60451347486925502742024-01-22T00:46:36.878-05:002024-01-22T00:46:36.878-05:00I think the excessive money issue makes an interes...I think the excessive money issue makes an interesting philosophical point. Ursula Le Guin, in her book The Tombs of Atuan, had the protagonist enter a tomb and ignore all of the gems and other finery so that he could obtain a single item. Similarly, when he faced a dragon in another book in the Earthsea series, the dragon offered all sorts of similar finery. He refused. Having more money than you can carry gives the gamer the understanding that there are more important things than riches. It's hard for us to relate to this because we're trained from birth to think hoarding money is the main goal. Even if the Gold Box designers hadn't thought of things in this manner the player still can find this insight. I did. Ever heard the expression "You can't take it with you"?SRSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-41291428067394315112020-05-19T15:32:04.414-04:002020-05-19T15:32:04.414-04:00There's a 1991 Rainbow Arts game called Mad TV...There's a 1991 Rainbow Arts game called Mad TV where you have to improve the ratings of a run down TV station. Part of the game is getting advertisement contracts, and one of those is for SSI's new RPG hit "Citadel of the Black Sun". I never thought much about that reference, I figured it was just a made up name. But coming across the article over two decades later, I immediatelly remembered it.<br /><br />It really looks like it could have been a fantastic game, or at least engine, back then.Buckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07270991090065636515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-74752909757685889622018-02-01T21:11:48.647-05:002018-02-01T21:11:48.647-05:00Having played through this game once more, I thoug...Having played through this game once more, I thought I would give my review. For the most part I agree with our host Chet, but want to give my input as well. As with other games I use four catégories: story, interface, graphics and nitpicks, i.e. sign. <br /><br />Story: 0-Death Knights of Krynn seems more about how Soth creates an army, rather than giving his aime as a potential ruler. Undead knights or soldiers are his means, but his goal is never stated beyond a vague suzeranity. His relationship with other powers, such as Kitiara are vague and the whole thing seems to have a disconnect between the stated aims of NPCs, like Sebas, and the actual évents of the game. The whole feel of the game seems to be after a war rather than during one. <br /><br />Interface: 1- I have always liked the Gold Box game system for the redundancy in keyboard, mouse and joystick options. This game improves things. Targeting, memorizing spells and ending combat are much simplefied.<br /><br />Graphics: 1- Despite the EGA graphics, I really like the colors used in the game. The overland map is evocative of the setting. It is a pity that they did not feature this as a Ravenloft title, rather than Dragonlance. This game probably has my favorite color schème of all the Gold Box games. It is colorful and yet subtle. It is hard for me to put it any other way. <br /><br />Nitpicks: 1- I was going to dock a point hère due to the constant level draining my party faced. It was like 2 steps forward; one step back and so on. Also, I find the idea of fighting multiple vampires to be ridiculous as fighting multiple medusas. How Krynn could support such a large vampire population is beyond me. Despite that, I liked the equipment upgrades, especially named items like the Mace of Disruption or Olin's Staff. I also liked the free-wheeling nature of the landscape. You can go to most places at any time and I have never experienced a walking dead situation when going my own way. All in all a good game, but a better story would have helped it immensely. 3/4<br /><br />JJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-43964649993437642102017-09-06T13:50:42.220-04:002017-09-06T13:50:42.220-04:00Now, on the one hand, I find these comments a litt...<i>Now, on the one hand, I find these comments a little mystifying. This was 1991. What games was she playing that did offer "true role-playing"?</i><br /><br />Presumably she just means it's not an actual RPG. huthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502682297320819595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-72441937534891273702016-10-02T13:30:25.521-04:002016-10-02T13:30:25.521-04:00Hah, you're not a jerk, just a tad tetchy now ...Hah, you're not a jerk, just a tad tetchy now and then ;)<br />Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44051787212588209322016-10-02T12:02:44.320-04:002016-10-02T12:02:44.320-04:00Ah, well. It's funny to read over this thread....Ah, well. It's funny to read over this thread. I guess it's a good example of what happens when you can't hear "tone" in written correspondence. I mean, I immediately conceded his point but questioned whether anyone every really played that way. There were a couple more substantive comments that seemed to me to be generating the type of "discourse" that JA wanted in the first place. JA comes back and accuses everyone of being "rude," which I don't see, but again it might be a tone thing. At that point, I do become, admittedly, a bit rude.<br /><br />In any event, from his comments on RPGWatch, JA really seems invested in this idea that the Gold Box games were designed to swap players in and out of tabletop D&D. While I agree that the manuals make a minor concession to this possibility (in the context of editing your created character's statistics), I can't believe the entire economy was designed around a gameplay option that 90% of the characters were never going to use and 90% of DMs would never have allowed.<br /><br />Anyway, jerk though I may be, I do feel bad when someone comments on my blog and has a bad experience. But for a few emoticons, this thread might have gone differently.<br /><br />CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68915725153002144432016-10-02T11:48:06.289-04:002016-10-02T11:48:06.289-04:00The butt-hurt "Jeremy ALexander" above s...The butt-hurt "Jeremy ALexander" above shows up in another site's discussion thread, calling the Addict a "Jerk":<br /><br />https://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34422Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-19373129187053621782016-09-08T11:32:11.787-04:002016-09-08T11:32:11.787-04:00Amiga Power was infamous for being rather irrevere...Amiga Power was infamous for being rather irreverent and nonsensical :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-12830250150005127442016-07-24T07:55:04.934-04:002016-07-24T07:55:04.934-04:00I tried playing Fallout 2 once. In the first town ...I tried playing Fallout 2 once. In the first town a kid and my companion decided to stand in a doorway forever, locking me in. I figured any game that would effectively kill me in a town at random want worth playing. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61676900001060407732015-12-08T18:30:11.821-05:002015-12-08T18:30:11.821-05:00The problem is, the probability of getting attacke...The problem is, the probability of getting attacked during a FIX is much lower than getting attacked during multiple cycles of resting, memorizing, casting, and resting again. Thus, it still feels a bit like cheating.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67928502228402187662015-12-07T05:05:24.456-05:002015-12-07T05:05:24.456-05:00It's not really a cheat, all it does is automa...It's not really a cheat, all it does is automatically cast healing spells and rest them back. You can still be attacked before it's done.Zardasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-58675184279552107492015-12-07T05:00:14.852-05:002015-12-07T05:00:14.852-05:00"I mourn the loss of the non-Sivak Draconians..."I mourn the loss of the non-Sivak Draconians and I hope they reappear in Dark Queen."<br /><br />Be careful what you wish for :) Oh they return, and with a vengeance. All of them are now 'enchanted' draconians, with tons more HP and damage, plus all sorts of nasty effects:<br /><br />- Bozak: Innate Fire Shield plus they explode for 20+ unstoppable damage each when killed<br />- Sivak: Explode into a Meteor Swarm when killed (4 small fireballs each doing 5-10 damage)<br />- Kapak: Paralyzes targets with its attack unless a saving throw is made, leaves puddles of acid on the floor when dying (1-5 damage)<br />- Aurak: Casts Delayed Blast Fireball, has extreme magic resistance, has to be killed twice, its second form can't move or attack but has a nasty energy shield that zaps everyone next to them, and they explode into a 16d8 (yes, 16-128 damage) small fireball.Zardasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-39123809247951515972015-09-26T18:14:26.064-04:002015-09-26T18:14:26.064-04:00Another excellent suggestion. It would have bolste...Another excellent suggestion. It would have bolstered its equipment, economy, and replayability ratings.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55528083291052946482015-09-24T11:11:19.666-04:002015-09-24T11:11:19.666-04:00I have played most of the Gold Box games. I have f...I have played most of the Gold Box games. I have finished Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Secret of the Silver Blades, Champions of Krynn, Death Knights of Krynn and Treasures of the Savage Frontier. I keep failing at pools of darkness. JJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73626233257897909682015-09-24T11:08:12.543-04:002015-09-24T11:08:12.543-04:00Another thing they could have added, and its promi...Another thing they could have added, and its prominent in the paper D+D games I have played are artifacts. These rare one of a kind magic items could appear in a shop for a fantastic amount of money. Nor would the fun stop there. Artifacts had a habit of giving the possessor side effects. Adding three or four in random shops - like the bazaar in Kalaman - would have increased the replay ability of the game. Games steeped in Medieval lore need more of such items rather than the generic Long Sword +2. Maybe it would have been too difficult. I do not know how a "Deck of Many Things" would function in a gold box. Still I do remember an artifact in Wizardry VII, which reminded me of the Hand of Vecna. Imagine have your character cut off his or her own hand for such power!JJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-28951486319834146482015-09-13T03:03:20.818-04:002015-09-13T03:03:20.818-04:00I rarely use the Fix command myself, as it feels t...I rarely use the Fix command myself, as it feels too much like a cheat. In PoR I rely on temple service as long as my party is in the Phlan area, since it takes less game time to run to the temple and back to whichever block my party was clearing, than to rest and heal.<br />In later games I always try to stock up on healing potions.PetrusOctavianusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8218350952840458762015-09-12T15:10:30.105-04:002015-09-12T15:10:30.105-04:00You know what would have been a good idea? Manuals...You know what would have been a good idea? Manuals! Make them cost a ridiculous amount of money, of course, but they'd offer an awesome reason to save as much money as you could.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26022173831399100412015-09-12T15:08:59.737-04:002015-09-12T15:08:59.737-04:00I'm glad you stumbled upon us, Johannes.
The ...I'm glad you stumbled upon us, Johannes.<br /><br />The more I think about it, the more I think that the "Fix" command was a mistake. It makes it too easy to heal. It removes any serious choice in taking healing spells versus other spells of the same level, and it just encourages you to stop and heal after every battle, no matter how little sense it makes in terms of the plot.<br /><br />The command is also implemented poorly. Something about it doesn't use the same mechanics of the regular rest/memorize process. It works when it shouldn't.<br /><br />Once you get higher level "cure wounds" spells (including "Heal"), repeated memorizing wouldn't have been as annoying as in PoR.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22634495243631164402015-09-11T02:59:22.187-04:002015-09-11T02:59:22.187-04:00I agree about the economy issues. This is ridiculo...I agree about the economy issues. This is ridiculous in most of those games (only PoR is harder because one needs to pay for training and healing, but when I played this 25 years ago I must have encountered a bug at some stage and suddenly had more gems than I could carry and enough money for ever).<br />There should have been a magic shop somewhere for +3 arrows or better bracers (I am not sure if there are any better than AC 6 to be found, as one will probably not have a single class mage it is not a big deal in that game, though)JRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16342993408695554146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-6946200310733644592015-09-11T02:55:36.472-04:002015-09-11T02:55:36.472-04:00That's a nice coincidence; I finished DoK a we...That's a nice coincidence; I finished DoK a week ago or so and now I stumble over this blog... I am not a big gamer but some of the Gold Box games were among my first gaming (and especially CRPG) experiences, so I have a soft spot for them. <br />I played the 4 from Pool to Pools and the 3 Krynn Games, some of them several times. I think you make very good points about some of the problems. Pool of Radiance is one of the best in several respects; it is also rather difficult because training costs money and one starts with fairly weak characters. Also Healing without the FIX command and only Cure light wounds bc low level priests can be a pain. Still, the mix between open world exploration and the unfolding of the story is maybe the best in any of those games. Champions of Krynn is also a favorite, although it is too linear to be great. But it's a decent story and really feels like participating in another Dragonlance book. Unfortunately, for me Death Knights and Dark Queen are not as good. The plots are weak and confusing (and DQ has a problem late in the game with characters losing XP because they cannot be trained for such a long time that thay "skip" a level).<br />Of course all gold box games suffer from the fact that characters do not improve most of their main stats while advancing. So one needs to modify or re-roll forever to get characters with good values for the key attributes. I also reload around training if I get a bad roll for the additional HPs. It's a huge difference if your lvl 10/10 fighter/mage has around 50 HP or around 80. Especially in Games with Dragons "breathing" damage.<br /><br />Of the ones I played the ultimate tactical combat games is Pools of Darkness. There are some incredibly tough battles there, even with a good party and I needed more tactics and preparation spells than in most of the other games combined. Unfortunately, the story is also rather trite, but there is some open exploring.<br /> JRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16342993408695554146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42973794336873486562015-09-07T21:03:38.143-04:002015-09-07T21:03:38.143-04:00They need to significantly reduce the monetary rew...They need to significantly reduce the monetary rewards, to start. After that, yes--just more useful stuff to spend money on. Training, healing, magic items, some guy who will give you an extra "+" for 100,000 gold (that would be pretty advanced for this year, I realize). There are like two Scrolls of Restoration in the whole game; it could use someone selling a lot more. A lot of commenters claim that in tabletop D&D, you're meant to buy and outfit castles and whatnot--fine, let me establish an outpost in the middle of the map so I don't have to hike back to the southeast when I want to train and ID items.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-40308270476831074032015-09-06T20:47:09.240-04:002015-09-06T20:47:09.240-04:00Every time I play a Gold Box game, I enjoy the sat...Every time I play a Gold Box game, I enjoy the satisfaction of a good engine--perhaps the best of its time--and yet simultaneously lament what could have been. Perhaps that's where Scorpia is coming from. The Gold Box series is like a lazy genius who always tops the class in grades but still under-achieves.<br /><br />I suppose that is the best you can say about Gold Box in general, though I would swap the ratings for Death Knights and Secret. I prefer the plot and setting of Secret. <br /><br />On the economy, in your view, if they had made training, healing and offered another magic shop, in either Kalaman or Vingarrd, would that have gone some way to fix the economy? I was trying to think of things that could be done with the program. JJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-5227584234322699702015-09-03T02:49:52.541-04:002015-09-03T02:49:52.541-04:00Jeremy, I confess that I find your reactions a bit...Jeremy, I confess that I find your reactions a bit mystifying.<br />Despite his name, OWB did not seem to me, to be being a B.<br />On the other hand, you seemed to have found something to be slighted about, and kind of run with it, which not unsurprisingly earned you some ire. I'm not really into giving strangers advice, but dude....<br /><br />K-dog: I can -kind of- (but only kind of) imagine a gamer group playing PoR together, with the intention of continuing the adventure post Tyranthraxas, but in paper form. Doing that seems a bit far-fetched now, but remember that we're talking about 1988; 'twas strange times, people wore mullets and were frightened by homosexuality.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.com