tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post676385643315894034..comments2024-03-29T10:21:29.354-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: The Legacy: Plan All Your Moves in AdvanceCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62273980029056179282020-07-16T07:48:02.689-04:002020-07-16T07:48:02.689-04:00"RPGs add an element of randomness, of indete..."RPGs add an element of randomness, of indeterminism, that I would think an adventure gamer might find unwelcome."<br /><br />As a friend of adventure games, I agree. An adventure should be winnable by deducing solutions to puzzles only from the clues the game gives you.<br /><br />The worst case is when you need mechanical skills. If such scenes exist, a puzzle-based solution should be available as well.<br /><br />A really bad example is Star Trek 25th Anniversary. The whole game is a point-and-click adventure, but the game's final objective is to win a space battle. There's no way of solving the game in point-and-click style, you have to shoot down the enemy spacecraft in a bad spaceflight sim.<br /><br />A really good example is Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Indiana Jones being an action franchise, there are brawling scenes, but each has a puzzle solution as well. The game even asks if you want brawling or not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-91482084267264343712020-06-15T01:57:10.735-04:002020-06-15T01:57:10.735-04:00In case nobody else mentioned it, it's 'Co...In case nobody else mentioned it, it's 'Computerkunst'. With a 'C'.<br />Germans call computers all sort of things, sometimes even 'Rechner' (calculator), but never 'Komputer'. <br />Probably because that sounds too much like 'kaputt'.<br />No one wants to jinx anything...minandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447689252911339858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79205609336095344422020-06-11T08:29:06.488-04:002020-06-11T08:29:06.488-04:00@BastyCDGS and @Alex:
Both of you are wrong. At l...@BastyCDGS and @Alex:<br /><br />Both of you are wrong. At least in the PC version you can definitely open that door without Knock - I never ever memorized that spell.<br /><br />And Sir Dargaard's Tomb while requiring a Knight is optional - I think only Gargath, Jelek and Neraka are mandatory to progress the plot in that part of the game (when you are based at the 2nd outpost).Erikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00947258450306994754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79782540054197693622020-06-11T05:48:02.159-04:002020-06-11T05:48:02.159-04:00Calling Legend of Kyrandia an adventure-RPG hybrid...Calling Legend of Kyrandia an adventure-RPG hybrid, or even just "a dungeon crawler", because of how its puzzles are set up is quite far out there. This is the first time I've seen it done. I can see where it comes from (it does have re-spawning items for kind-of-like-crafting puzzles), but to be considered a dungeon crawler, even merely on the puzzle-exploration side of things (as it has no combat, character development or loot), LoK would have needed at least much more complex maps and switch and trigger puzzles, which it doesn't really have beyond a simple case or two. <br /><br />In a way this is all semantics, we can agree that Kyrandia has some dungeon crawler type puzzle design, it's just that bringing it into an adventure-RPG hybrid discussion seems unproductive. All genres influenced one another in many subtle ways, doesn't mean we could use any game as example for any genre-mix.ududyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14097534740684313565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-77786367337565936082020-06-11T00:50:31.683-04:002020-06-11T00:50:31.683-04:00Not just on the cars--it's the official police...Not just on the cars--it's the official police patch. A stereotypical witch in a pointed hat riding a broomstick.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-13562606095732926122020-06-11T00:48:23.511-04:002020-06-11T00:48:23.511-04:00I think "declared that Ultima 7 is an adventu...I think "declared that Ultima 7 is an adventure game" might be over-stating it. They made a good case for why it has a place on the blog, but the main title of the entry is "Genre Hopping," after all. CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-84411879586160551542020-06-10T19:05:13.756-04:002020-06-10T19:05:13.756-04:00The RPG elements in Quest for Glory are stronger i...The RPG elements in Quest for Glory are stronger in its non-combat problem solving gameplay than in its combat. Which solution is the best for you depends on your character. Some puzzles have entirely different solutions depending on your class and skills. A thief will approach a puzzle differently from a wizard or a fighter. Combat really isn't even that necessary for a game to be an RPG (and especially not for it to be a hybrid). JarlFrankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08139422412722665286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-53651083580819030202020-06-10T16:14:20.035-04:002020-06-10T16:14:20.035-04:00It's been a long time - but I thought the tomb...It's been a long time - but I thought the tomb was optional?Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-53934971482626796532020-06-10T13:23:00.873-04:002020-06-10T13:23:00.873-04:00This game sounds fun. I've always liked the id...This game sounds fun. I've always liked the idea of survival horror, but can't handle the terrible controls (yes, I know it's part of the experience) and the pointlessness of the combat. Silent Hill springs to mind - the game teaches you pretty early to run away/past everything, but then confronts you with long, boring boss battles that require fighting (as much with the controls as the boss).<br /><br />Anyway, this seems like a nice sort of proto-survival horror game, with controls that work and combat that contributes to character development. I wish there were more of these.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08236674968994362673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-51874171962585211142020-06-10T12:21:59.416-04:002020-06-10T12:21:59.416-04:00@Alex:
You can solve COK without the Dragonlance. ...@Alex:<br />You can solve COK without the Dragonlance. I did it back in time with medium difficulty. The dragon fights are harder, of course.<br /><br />Since you lose the Dragonlance at the end anyway, there is not even a disadvantage when continuing on with DKK.<br /><br />However, while we are at it, you can't solve COK without a knight, because only a knight can solve the tasks in Sir Dargaard's Tomb.BastyCDGSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68739534495208613052020-06-10T12:02:06.259-04:002020-06-10T12:02:06.259-04:00In light of this discussion, it's interesting ...In light of this discussion, it's interesting to note that the Adventure Gamer blog has declared that Ultima 7 is an adventure game, and has started a playthrough.Radianthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03866535042372152723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-84611672013114372422020-06-10T10:24:59.571-04:002020-06-10T10:24:59.571-04:00Combat in Zork I isn't too bad since there'...Combat in Zork I isn't too bad since there's three possible fights total, only one is required, one has a puzzle solution and they can all be knocked off near the start of the game. It's actually slightly more annoying in Zork III (II doesn't have any) as even though there's only one, it's dragged out longer. Beyond Zork is a little better in being a full hybrid and giving most enemies a secondary puzzle solution, but I think that game has other well known problems e.g. the hungus. <br /><br />I wouldn’t necessarily hold up Quest for Glory too high for adventure games with good combat as that’s a pretty low bar and there are certainly problems with it in III to V. I found combat to be a total joke the entire game in III with a paladin. Some of my stats got a boost to the new minimums when I started so I think it would still be very easy with a new character. <br /><br />Combat in IV was a complete nightmare at first with combat against the common wyvern enemy leaving you completely exerted and near death. Then I got the Frost Bite spell and combat became completely trivial as you can just hold down the B key until whatever you’re fighting dies without having to do anything else. That was my entire strategy the rest of the game. The only exceptions were zombies as they’re immune and rabbits because they’re too short, but both are very easy enemies. <br /><br />V is the only one that I’d say has decent combat, but the Frost Bite spell is still insanely overpowered even though it switched from being ranged bolt to a “breath” attack. Every magic capable character starts out with Frost Bite. It even completely trivialized the final boss even though I focused on melee combat as I thought it was pretty fun despite still being overly easy.<br /><br />Adding adventure elements to an RPG works better in general as it’s really just enhancing elements that are likely already there in the first place. Trying to add RPG elements to an adventure is tricky because it’s like having to make two games at once while also potentially increasing the adventure workload if multiple play styles are possible. There’s a whole lot more examples of adventure games with regular action combat since it’s easier to implement. The combat/action sequences are still generally terrible and unobtrusive is the low bar most can’t even clear. <br /><br />Quest for Glory does manage to do better because they were designed from the outset to cater to multiple possible character builds with different paths for fighters, thieves and wizards with paladins occasionally getting a variation too. That’s a lot of work and they aren’t always 100% successful. I haven’t had a chance to play too much of Hero U, but that seems to more or less lock you into a predominately thief-like character rather than having a wider array of possible solutions for the entire game. dsparilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-36581324766652868942020-06-10T09:41:21.132-04:002020-06-10T09:41:21.132-04:00I meant the RPG elements in adventure games (skill...I meant the RPG elements in adventure games (skillchecks etc.) tend to be *more* of a problem for puzzles, obviously.Gerry Quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04078394659680797175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54757502073309021572020-06-10T09:30:03.478-04:002020-06-10T09:30:03.478-04:00The point is that there's a WIDE difference be...The point is that there's a WIDE difference between a game that contains some elements also found in a different genre (which is trivially true for almost every game), and a game that is widely considered a hybrid between two genres (which is very rare, and I don't see how self-proclaimed "authority" Risingson can credibly claim otherwise). <br /><br />Yes, there's a gray area here, but merely having puzzles of some sort is not sufficient to declare a game a hybrid adventure game.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20235377731533577832020-06-10T09:07:40.909-04:002020-06-10T09:07:40.909-04:00Did the police cars have silhouettes of a cartoon ...Did the police cars have silhouettes of a cartoon witch on them then? It's such a weird place these days. The Peabody Essex Museum is great though.dsparilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60884480528744169462020-06-10T07:48:55.011-04:002020-06-10T07:48:55.011-04:00Regarding Demons: IIRC Ubyl jngre fubhyq uryc ntnv...Regarding Demons: IIRC Ubyl jngre fubhyq uryc ntnvafg gubfr gbbPeerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02297963116849711354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-46802274857851583212020-06-09T22:23:18.908-04:002020-06-09T22:23:18.908-04:00In Curse of the Azure Bonds, you can only trigger ...In Curse of the Azure Bonds, you can only trigger the sequence which properly starts the game if you visit all the NPCs (including the useless store). Caused me a bit of consternation in later playthroughs when I couldnt figure out wth was going on.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35005020240546104762020-06-09T21:37:51.920-04:002020-06-09T21:37:51.920-04:00Got it. I appreciate the vagueness, but I'm pl...Got it. I appreciate the vagueness, but I'm playing well ahead of my blogging, so the likelihood of spoilers was low anyway. Most of the puzzles in this game seem to be solved via the "keep looking" strategy.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73517573106727406422020-06-09T21:35:46.765-04:002020-06-09T21:35:46.765-04:00I completely agree. I feel like I've made that...I completely agree. I feel like I've made that exact argument before, in reference to another game. When I lived in Salem, Massachusetts, I felt that there was a very weird blend of the respectful and the profane. Most of the museums, even if they called themselves something lurid ("the Witch Dungeon Museum") would tell a straight story of innocent people being executed by a corrupt local government. Then you'd be walking along and find 6 half-naked women writhing beneath a tree in a circle of candles, calling upon the spirit of Sarah Wildes to grant them power.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-16256030291094671682020-06-09T21:27:54.052-04:002020-06-09T21:27:54.052-04:00Even worse in Champions of Krynn, you NEED a Red M...Even worse in Champions of Krynn, you NEED a Red Mage with "Knock" memorized in order to get the Dragonlance. There are no other doors in the game that require Knock. Get all the way through the game without it? No Dragonlance for you, download a save editor or start over.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14025511634630902101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-25952894691266159892020-06-09T21:10:53.812-04:002020-06-09T21:10:53.812-04:00"So you try throwing the holy water, and you ..."So you try throwing the holy water, and you miss or it doesn't work, and now it's not clear whether you got the puzzle wrong or your character just failed."<br /><br />.. I mean, this is an interface failure, not an inherent problem with that kind of gameplay. There's no good reason a game can't tell you clearly - and it should - that your solution is correct but your stats need improvement.GregThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01532920274312703426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54784426888136379752020-06-09T20:13:33.586-04:002020-06-09T20:13:33.586-04:00Real magic combined with witch trials in a story h...Real magic combined with witch trials in a story has always made me feel iffy. The moral of the real life witch trials that we should remember today is that they were about something that wasn't even real and was entirely based on emotions instead of facts, so having witches be real would give the persecution some sort of truth or justification. Stories like that feel like they're disrespecting the real people who experienced suffering for no real reason.P-Tux7https://www.blogger.com/profile/03201162995038006540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11907104995181438212020-06-09T19:25:07.936-04:002020-06-09T19:25:07.936-04:00Yeah, sure hybridization is more a continuum than ...Yeah, sure hybridization is more a continuum than a set 'third state' between adventures and CRPGs. But I have to agree that Kyrandia was a bizarre choice of example. Bruce Brenneisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11322005049442981571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-72321051831917791602020-06-09T18:49:20.888-04:002020-06-09T18:49:20.888-04:00I understood that, just didn't want to give an...I understood that, just didn't want to give an explicit spoiler because I don't completely know where that line is drawn. And maybe there is a prybar, I genuinely don't remember. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61064855964454092992020-06-09T18:26:27.811-04:002020-06-09T18:26:27.811-04:00"Someone" was a fan of Norma Tanega long..."Someone" was a fan of Norma Tanega long before some New Zealanders re-discovered her a few years ago.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.com