tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post6899740226283150354..comments2024-03-19T06:03:57.317-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Vengeance of Excalibur: Won!* (with Final Rating)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86740703097557103012022-06-24T12:48:32.236-04:002022-06-24T12:48:32.236-04:00A "Ciudad Encantada" northeast of Cadiz?...A "Ciudad Encantada" northeast of Cadiz? This seems to be another instance of just throwing names into the mix without caring too much about context or (historical or geographical) accuracy.<br /><br />The only "Ciudad Encantada" I know of is not a city, but an ensemble of rock formations near Cuenca in central Spain - quite well-known at least in Spain (it has also served as backdrop to a couple movies, including Conan and a James Bond one): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciudad_Encantada.Buscanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61642520638039335502019-05-22T08:17:50.909-04:002019-05-22T08:17:50.909-04:00In Space Quest 1 you can ignore some items (cartri...In Space Quest 1 you can ignore some items (cartridge, gadget) that are needed later. If you don't use cartrige in another location you won't be able to win the game.<br />Similar in King's Quest V: don't rescue rat or forget rope and it's game over.<br />In KQ2 there's a bridge that can be crossed only limited times so you can solve 3/4 of the game and just die. <br />I can remeber all of them but yeah, there are many dead-ends in Sierra adventure games :)Koksnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-57150672019916107632016-07-31T14:24:04.272-04:002016-07-31T14:24:04.272-04:00Silkworms and their cultivation could be found in ...Silkworms and their cultivation could be found in Constantinople starting around 550AD. The production of silk might have been a closely guarded secret, but it's not like it was totally unknown in Europe.Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08098875250377735658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34229387291759388732016-03-30T16:44:07.282-04:002016-03-30T16:44:07.282-04:00Okay, I appreciate the research. I'll add it.Okay, I appreciate the research. I'll add it.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-38947071185693287992016-03-28T00:17:36.772-04:002016-03-28T00:17:36.772-04:00Okay, so I researched this a bit, watched a few yo...Okay, so I researched this a bit, watched a few youtube videos, and found the manual, since I honestly can't recall the specifics from close to 25 years ago.<br /><br />Here's what I'm getting from the Manual, what I remember, and what I say on youtube.<br /><br />There is Stamina, which is hit points, and it raises automatically after each "episode".<br /><br />There is defense, which raises with each episode.<br /><br />There are the sword swings (techniques) he knows, which he must learn from NPCs, and his points in each, which are raised through training with Master Quan.<br /><br />There is his theft skill, which increases with each successful use.<br /><br />There is his Damage rating, which is really just showing how good his equipped sword is.<br /><br />You sometimes have the option to use bribery to get past an obstacle such as a guard.<br /><br />So, yes, I think it qualifies as an RPG, if a bit lighter in some aspects than others. I do recall always having to scrounge for money to buy helpful items, so there's at least an economy, which is something I know you seem to find a lot of games lacking. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14874291376019276497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37307671839505027972016-03-27T13:56:24.377-04:002016-03-27T13:56:24.377-04:00It wasn't on my list because none of my source...It wasn't on my list because none of my sources categorize it as an RPG. I guess the key questions are:<br /><br />1. Does Conan have attributes that improve as the game progresses?<br /><br />2. Does combat draw from these underlying attributes for accuracy and damage, or is it all action-based?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-10218805256885880372016-03-25T17:29:46.093-04:002016-03-25T17:29:46.093-04:00So, are you planning to do the Conan - The Cimmeri...So, are you planning to do the Conan - The Cimmerian game? As far as I can tell, it's essentially the same engine, with the map and the side-scroller in-building and fighting action, but there's a zelda-esque city exploration mode where you get to steal (Conan being a thief and all) from houses depending on lockpick still and key types owned. I think it's at least as much an RPG as the Excalibur series, possibly much more so (alas, I never got very far in it).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14874291376019276497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-19677808503413107642016-02-29T18:10:10.566-05:002016-02-29T18:10:10.566-05:00The dragon's teeth may be a reference to a par...The dragon's teeth may be a reference to a particular story in Greek mythology wherein planting a properly-prepared field with the teeth of a particular dragon would cause fully-armed warriors to sprout from the ground to do battle with the planter.tlhonmeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03256644187305759072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-69644926973559769572016-02-29T17:32:10.000-05:002016-02-29T17:32:10.000-05:00There was a patch I remember seeing for Morrowind ...There was a patch I remember seeing for Morrowind that makes the main storyline's progression time driven rather than event driven, and slowly adjusts what maps monsters are allowed to spawn in. Ignore the rise of Dagoth Ur long enough, and somebody critical to the plot will eventually get killed, leaving you to figure out what's going on for yourself...tlhonmeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03256644187305759072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-59303757469914182102016-02-29T00:00:01.371-05:002016-02-29T00:00:01.371-05:00This may be more useful than Tristan's link.
...This may be more useful than Tristan's link.<br /><br />http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=006467;p=1Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76258354497424452312016-02-28T01:03:37.306-05:002016-02-28T01:03:37.306-05:00http://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+an+anorakhttp://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+an+anorakTristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-57775164325826314992016-02-27T17:04:37.069-05:002016-02-27T17:04:37.069-05:00What's an anorak?What's an anorak?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-58379703350898296252016-02-27T10:05:40.352-05:002016-02-27T10:05:40.352-05:00I've finished most of the Sierra adventures me...I've finished most of the Sierra adventures mentioned in the article and never reached a walking dead scenario. Why would you for example drop one of the items in King's Quest 1? That's nonsense. You must be stupid to do so. It's your goal to get them. Yes, the dwarf is annoying, but you know that when he steals the mirror, you are screwed. I think this is all about some players just being pus*ies and crying when the game is a little bit harder.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-40716932437189426212016-02-26T22:31:36.182-05:002016-02-26T22:31:36.182-05:00I can neither confirm nor deny rumors of the exist...I can neither confirm nor deny rumors of the existence of any, what did you call it, "Auric Cube" game.Quirkzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09989728120278053705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22617571564385210052016-02-26T19:37:42.678-05:002016-02-26T19:37:42.678-05:00It's really important not to lose all your cha...It's really important not to lose all your characters in combat in GSF, or the monsters will rejoice, for the party has been destroyed.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-56038888965071182712016-02-26T14:14:48.570-05:002016-02-26T14:14:48.570-05:00Some of them, maybe. But others I could see happe...Some of them, maybe. But others I could see happening as a result of natural experimentation (and these games usually require you to do outlandish things to solve puzzles). Zork can be unwinnable after six moves if you eat the garlic and forget to reload. It's very easy to let the candles or lantern run out, and if they do, too bad. You can't go back to a merchant and buy more.<br /><br />Apparently Infocom was aware of this issue in its early games:<br />"Many other early Infocom games deliberately had the same issues, as a means of extending playing time to justify their cost. Mike Dornbrook, Infocom's Head of Marketing, conducted a customer survey in late 1984 which showed a distinct correlation between the Infocom games players considered their favorites and the games they had actually finished. This piece of marketing intelligence led to the more foolproof design of Wishbringer and later games. Modern graphical adventures are much more resource-intensive, and it can be an arduous task to search through earlier parts of such a game for a missed object. Therefore, "dead ends" have recently come to be equated with design flaws that designers overlooked, bugs, or poor game design."Posidoniusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-29464385937633246792016-02-26T13:46:03.856-05:002016-02-26T13:46:03.856-05:00I read them. Most of them are things that you have...I read them. Most of them are things that you have to deliberately screw around with to cause the later walking dead scenario. They're not things like, "If you don't pick up the torch when you pass through the room the first time, you'll never be able to pick it up again."CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-52508228074467095912016-02-26T13:45:35.488-05:002016-02-26T13:45:35.488-05:00To be fair, it's normally very obvious when yo...To be fair, it's normally very obvious when you've screwed yourself in Zork -- it almost always results in breaking an item that you need to continue. I can only think of one instance where you can be walking dead by missing an obscure item in an area you can never return to.BelatedGamerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00897424082545246646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-57482819420625511002016-02-26T13:14:24.217-05:002016-02-26T13:14:24.217-05:00If you look at the TV Tropes page it gives you sev...If you look at the TV Tropes page it gives you seven ways that Zork I puts you in an unwinnable situation. It calls these "highlights," implying that there are more. A quick look at www.infiction.org shows that there are multiple ways Zork II and III put you in a walking dead situation. Posidoniusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37821133217743395752016-02-26T11:20:20.685-05:002016-02-26T11:20:20.685-05:00"Even if you have to replay the entire game b..."Even if you have to replay the entire game because of a bad puzzle, it's not nearly as nasty as in a 18 hour CRPG." Thank you for making the point I SHOULD have made.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-1449157646816073622016-02-26T11:18:55.179-05:002016-02-26T11:18:55.179-05:00Yes, ohorg, naturally when I said "the Zork s...Yes, ohorg, naturally when I said "the <i>Zork</i> series," I was primarily thinking of the weird one published 5 years after the others.<br /><br />Me: "Wow, <i>Star Wars</i> is a great franchise."<br /><br />You: "Seriously!? You like the Holiday Special?!"<br /><br />The previous games aren't "just as bad." You can wander all over the maps In Z1-Z3, Z0, BZ, but events aren't (generally) happening elsewhere in real-time while you do so, and you have plenty of time to take notes, figure out puzzles, and backtrack. If there are a couple of exceptions, they don't change the overall approach that the games take.<br /><br />People in the rest of this thread are talking about games that I don't have any experience with, and I admit I shouldn't have made a broad point about adventure games without having experienced them, but please don't nitpick me on <i>Zork</i>.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20797178469666585402016-02-26T11:12:58.029-05:002016-02-26T11:12:58.029-05:00For now. I'll look at The Dungeon in 1987.For now. I'll look at <i>The Dungeon</i> in 1987.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-30326113827646506052016-02-26T11:08:19.112-05:002016-02-26T11:08:19.112-05:00No worries. I am more interested in our host's...No worries. I am more interested in our host's retake of Alternate Reality. Chet are you just doing the City module?JJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4831996361801410202016-02-26T10:33:27.092-05:002016-02-26T10:33:27.092-05:00In the Dr. Who Episode, Pyramids of Mars, the vill...In the Dr. Who Episode, Pyramids of Mars, the villain, Sutek, just sits on his throne and watches T.V. all day, until Tom and Sarah Jane show up. One reviewer said it best, "Hey a villain all we anoraks can relate to!" JJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-74899168222584525162016-02-26T10:18:58.685-05:002016-02-26T10:18:58.685-05:00Almost the exact same puzzle as the Addict complai...Almost the exact same puzzle as the Addict complained about here showed up in a Lucasarts adventure game - in the first Indiana Jones game you have to collect a wine bottle (which you initially aren't allowed to pick up, for added annoyance) that is vital to finishing the game quite awhile later.<br /><br />These puzzles are usually not intended to be malicious, but arise from a combination of short deadlines, limited playtesting, and the fact that what looks blindingly obvious to a developer often isn't (and if you use the same playtesters a lot, they'll be so used to it that it will be perfectly obvious to them as well.)<br /><br />The biggest difference is time - an adventure game only lasts an hour or two at most, so even if you have to replay the entire game because of a bad puzzle, it's not nearly as nasty as in a 18 hour CRPG.Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.com