tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post749576351346853670..comments2024-03-18T23:49:34.681-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Questron: Some Messed-Up ValuesCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-39687278793101585242016-07-24T21:17:53.680-04:002016-07-24T21:17:53.680-04:00The king's line about being a worthy adversary...The king's line about being a worthy adversary and belonging in his service is extremely similar to a line that Lord Soth says near the end of Death Knights of Krynn. Kind of an odd coincidence.Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08098875250377735658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65676657885325781482016-07-24T13:59:23.863-04:002016-07-24T13:59:23.863-04:00I figure if the gaurds are beating up and stealing...I figure if the gaurds are beating up and stealing from random citizens you shouldn't feel bad slot giving them a free iron supplement and piercing package. As for the king asking you to join his forces- quite possibly he'd lost control of his corrupt forces. You've killed broken their power enough for him to have a chance of remaining control, and having you on staff is a lingering threat.Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65167646156944904472015-09-06T09:32:27.021-04:002015-09-06T09:32:27.021-04:00I will say this about the Questron games. Even if ...I will say this about the Questron games. Even if you come to them without nostalgia, they are very, very playable and very addictive. I finished the series a few years ago and I never even had a c64 as a child or anything. <br /><br />I enjoy how simple they are while still retaining the 'go anywhere, do whatever' element of proper Ultima games. I enjoy minigames for increasing stats. I enjoy silly gambling and then the guards swarming on the big winner. <br /><br />The moral issue of guard killing I got through by thinking that the guards were all corrupt and oppressive, a 'state within the state' that even the King was leery of.<br /><br />Also, <br /><br />"A princess increased my charisma from 15 to 35 for 2,000 gold. Thanks to her father's coffers, I had plenty!"<br /><br />I found this hilarious and I imagined that the princess sat the hero down for a three-week course in good manners, leadership training and savoir vivreHelmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-1826119595263500672015-09-01T07:28:42.170-04:002015-09-01T07:28:42.170-04:00I didn't really experience that in my playthro...I didn't really experience that in my playthroughs. Most of my significant gear upgrades came from stores.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-45455824681174555622015-09-01T05:54:02.578-04:002015-09-01T05:54:02.578-04:00I dunno about being "slightly upgraded"....I dunno about being "slightly upgraded". An additional damage point is always an additional damage point.<br /><br />What if your current weapon does 60 DMG while Super Mutants roaming around the lands all have 63 HPs and there's a "slightly upgraded" version of your current weapon that does an additional 5 DMG?<br /><br />Would it not be a game changer if those Super Mutants could only fire back at you after you empty one round on them?Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-24230607501314828252015-09-01T01:23:39.541-04:002015-09-01T01:23:39.541-04:00Maybe in TES, but in the FO titles, the 'best&...Maybe in TES, but in the FO titles, the 'best' weapons are slightly upgraded versions of store-bought gear, and they're generally one-ofs in out-of-the-way or high-level locations. This means you want to make a bee-line for the best shops (unless you know the game inside out and exactly where to find top-level easy-to-reach gear).. Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-88077569126755260242015-08-31T23:21:17.733-04:002015-08-31T23:21:17.733-04:00Yeah. Like one-of-a-kind artifacts, family heirloo...Yeah. Like one-of-a-kind artifacts, family heirlooms and whatnots kept under lock-&-key by affluent & paranoid nouveau-riche or old-money families. A thieves' guild that actually recognizes you for what you stole and who you robbed from; a prestige system of sort.<br /><br />Something like Thief, but less mission-based and more open-world RPG. It'd be fun to have a CRPG with a stealth-heavy game mechanic that have only stealth-based classes like Thief, Ninja, Assassin, Monk, Scout, Ranger (the Archer type, not the twin-glowing-scimitar-dark-elf type) and whatnots to make up a party.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-69756709178010475002015-08-31T18:48:27.003-04:002015-08-31T18:48:27.003-04:00In Bethesda games, the best items you can find wil...In Bethesda games, the best items you can find will always be better than the best items you can craft, the best items you can craft will always be better than the best items you can buy.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20268964411150702982015-08-31T17:41:02.294-04:002015-08-31T17:41:02.294-04:00They're interesting questions, but there aren&...They're interesting questions, but there aren't a lot of games that they apply to--that is, games with identifiably "bad" NPCs who aren't enemies that you kill. <br /><br />I tend to avoid taking things from NPC houses and persons in any event, not so much for role-playing reasons, but because most games already over-reward you with both the economy and the inventory, so any value you get from stealing simply reduces the value you get from dungeon-crawling and whatnot. I wish that games provided a true INCENTIVE to steal, which would make for a stronger role-playing choice.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-2764592090883209902015-08-31T17:34:06.120-04:002015-08-31T17:34:06.120-04:00It flagged the original as spam, probably because ...It flagged the original as spam, probably because of the link. I had to manually rescue it.<br /><br />Thanks for the information--that saved me a lot of frustration.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61127903866180645702015-08-31T16:16:02.121-04:002015-08-31T16:16:02.121-04:00I still really appreciate that you can steal in Li...I still really appreciate that you can steal in Link's Awakening, but if you do your character's name changes to "THIEF" and therefore that's how NPCs refer to you for the rest of the game.Fryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07805219432946673379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-345069552427682472015-08-31T16:12:28.431-04:002015-08-31T16:12:28.431-04:00Virginia is chock full of Nameville, Nametown, and...Virginia is chock full of Nameville, Nametown, and Nameburg, too.Fryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07805219432946673379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-84521202853689622432015-08-31T14:05:43.359-04:002015-08-31T14:05:43.359-04:00Thanks for mentioning that. I accidentally overloo...Thanks for mentioning that. I accidentally overlooked that one.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-24721518051100660422015-08-31T13:56:31.561-04:002015-08-31T13:56:31.561-04:00Wow, that's quite a spam message from Alhena A...Wow, that's quite a spam message from Alhena Amber. I read it all (silly me!) and felt my brain turn to mush.Corey Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16772474266362396768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-5467804669382717342015-08-31T13:42:17.271-04:002015-08-31T13:42:17.271-04:00It could be selective observation, but it always s...It could be selective observation, but it always struck me that western Pennyslvania has more examples than most places of some guy's name with "town" or "burg" or "ville" stuck after it. Blairsville, Johnstown, Martinsburg, Phillipsburg, Lewisburg, Adamstown, and so forth. CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-66046081505222575592015-08-31T11:39:44.730-04:002015-08-31T11:39:44.730-04:00As a lifelong western Pennsylvanian, I'm hones...As a lifelong western Pennsylvanian, I'm honestly not sure what you mean by that. I mean, sure, Western PA is has its share of rednecks, but I don't really get the Geraldtown comment. Is there something specific that you're referencing? Or is West PA just your go-to whipping boy for this sort of thing?killias2https://www.blogger.com/profile/00398131197947456691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-71979740936364445812015-08-31T07:04:01.659-04:002015-08-31T07:04:01.659-04:00I guess the guards still hit you and grab your gol...I guess the guards still hit you and grab your gold because of what you did to their peers/brothers-in-arms, you murderous scumbag. XDKenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-28810937053378157862015-08-31T05:55:18.461-04:002015-08-31T05:55:18.461-04:00Looks like my comment got eaten. Since Enchantasy ...Looks like my comment got eaten. Since Enchantasy is coming up, a quick instruction on how to overcome shareware limitations:<br />1) Delete all the .sav files.<br />2) Hexedit stats.dat and change the last two bytes to FF 7F.VKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-88281221610728071612015-08-31T04:57:21.605-04:002015-08-31T04:57:21.605-04:00Since Enchantasy is coming up on the list, I guess...Since Enchantasy is coming up on the list, I guess I should tell you about the hack. The version you can find on the net (<a href="http://freelicensegames.com/Enchantasy.htm" rel="nofollow">here, for example</a>) is shareware, which limits you to 5 saves (not save slots, just 5 saves total) and starts you somewhere midgame. To overcome that, first delete all .sav files, then hexedit stats.dat and change the last two bytes to FF 7F. This will start you a new game and give you 32767 saves, which should be more than enough. Hopefully, the game will be worth the fuss.VKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-89341634469565590212015-08-31T03:10:18.258-04:002015-08-31T03:10:18.258-04:00(Maybe a post on CRPG ethics would be interesting)...(Maybe a post on CRPG ethics would be interesting)Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-29946538951939506022015-08-31T03:03:50.308-04:002015-08-31T03:03:50.308-04:00Speaking of messed-up values, what is your (and th...Speaking of messed-up values, what is your (and that of other commenters) general stance when it comes to theft in RPGs.<br /><br />When will you take stuff owned by a 'bad guy', even if a game calls it stealing?<br /><br />When will you take stuff owned by a 'good guy', even if a game doesn't react when you do it right in front of her nose?<br /><br />Do you ever go 'complete jerk', ala Questron, if the game doesn't force you to?Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60018694087831509152015-08-31T02:51:37.438-04:002015-08-31T02:51:37.438-04:00The Gun Runners Vendortron in Freeside only sells ...The Gun Runners Vendortron in Freeside only sells the top tier weapons to characters of at least level 16. I think the situation is similar for the Brotherhood vendor and Silver Rush. Maybe others as well.<br /><br />Interesting that we had such different experiences. I found that I always had funds in significant excess of what I needed. Even if I only cleared a few of the quest locations and some ambush encounters on my way to Vegas I'd be able to buy the top quality combat armor and guns pretty much immediately. From that point, the only significant money sinks are the implants - if you think the trade-off is even worth it.<br /><br />I scavenge pretty thoroughly but I don't play to maximise my cash (I'll use repair to condense item stacks even if it costs me a bit of value, and I don't bother with paperweights and empty bottle and such), and my barter is usually 25.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68397744093459677242015-08-31T01:06:12.864-04:002015-08-31T01:06:12.864-04:00Progression based on reaching certain goals in the...Progression based on reaching certain goals in the game, and not necessarily experience points, does raise the question of whether games like Zelda could be considered RPG's.<br /><br />Player-Skill vs Character-Skill is I think the deciding factor in those cases, but it does muddy the definition of the already loose "role-playing game" quite a bit.BelatedGamerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00897424082545246646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63876488296669962642015-08-30T18:36:09.971-04:002015-08-30T18:36:09.971-04:00Yes, that's a good point. I'll let the ba...Yes, that's a good point. I'll let the baffling un-heroic decisions pass - I could be wrong but I can't recall TOO many games you've covered from the period where this was approached with any kind of consistency or common sense, and it may be almost a post-Avatar anachronism to even *notice* that the hero seems to be killing off all the other forces for order in the kingdom. "It's a game, you kill things" was probably as far as I would have thought about it at the time!<br /><br />The other stuff, however - buying hit points, the weird leveling - do indeed seem super strange and not at all like something you'd expect from a tabletop role-playing fan. I can't remember - was Garriott a D&Der in addition to being a RenFest/SCA type? Perhaps this is another reason I thought of Zelda as a comparison; all increases in stats and abilities in that kind of game are basically quest items in that they are located at specific unchanging points. At least it means there's something worth spending the money on, which has clearly been a problem even for designers of games that have much more extensive stat and combat systems, where you'd think it would be hard to run OUT of possible tempting goodies for the player.doctorcasinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14185814652737703042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73965526922502821442015-08-30T14:22:33.695-04:002015-08-30T14:22:33.695-04:00Huh. I've played through the game twice, and I...Huh. I've played through the game twice, and I didn't know that. I tend not to buy weapons and armor in games like <i>Fallout</i> or TES, though, as I find it so much more satisfying to loot it.<br /><br />I'm not sure what you mean by "given the economy," though. I didn't think FO:NV was particularly broken. I thought it took me a satisfyingly long time to get rich, particularly if I paid for repairs.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.com