tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post7903487234571061798..comments2024-03-29T02:34:55.592-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Fallthru: Final RatingCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-23553731871029601632023-12-15T06:21:08.819-05:002023-12-15T06:21:08.819-05:00As far as not having a single joke in the entirety...As far as not having a single joke in the entirety of the game, it seems like the place names themselves were often either jokes or attempts at showing how even mundane English names for things would evolve over hundreds of years through an isolated community. Though "Oasib" and "Oasif" certainly leaned towards the "joke" side. The gentlest jokes ever, of course. What I used to call "grandpa jokes" for not even having the cutting edge of a dad jokeQuarexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32205047258261117192023-02-18T18:09:54.211-05:002023-02-18T18:09:54.211-05:00this really does seem like it was a unique experie...this really does seem like it was a unique experience in your travels [up to this point.]<br /><br />it's a pity there wasn't more to it [and it's certainly a shame that the ending was just deadpanned like that.]<br /><br />it seems like - with just a few quality of life improvements and some tweaks to the writing, it could have been an amazing game.<br /><br />it's certainly one of the games where - while i'm aware you weren't exactly having fun playing it - i was riveted as i read about it.<br /><br />it's a pity that someone didn't come along and take this strand of rpg and work with it, because there's definitely a kernel of something very cool here.<br /><br />i love the notion of surviving in a world with rpg statistics - building your own way and carving out your place in the fabric of a little pocket universe the developers have dreamed up and this gets at least some of the way there, at least. <br /><br />this strand of rpg seems so interesting and so sadly underused.lostwolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697299839262994456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-21369751163557720782022-06-03T00:06:00.083-04:002022-06-03T00:06:00.083-04:00The only thing I know about it, is that was the fi...The only thing I know about it, is that was the first computer Elite was published for, though according to one of it's creators later versions were better. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62403622722170724132022-05-30T03:19:52.948-04:002022-05-30T03:19:52.948-04:00Fallthru was also sold through "The Software ...Fallthru was also sold through "The Software Labs" (TSL) - which surprisingly is still around today, albeit with a different focus - as can be seen from their 1990 catalogue which also described it as "text-adventure game" and called it "VERY challenging".<br />(https://colorcomputerarchive.com/repo/Documents/Magazines/Compute%20(Clean)/Compute_Issue_118_1990_Mar.pdf, page 108 = 56ax).<br /><br />Fun fact: Probably due to automatic word-recognition, the version converted to a text file at archive.org changed "Faland" to "Poland" which results in the following text:<br />"you become an adventurer in a strange land: Poland. You don't know how you got there, but your goal Is to find your way home. Poland Is very large, complex, sparsely inhabited, and made up of farmland, rongeiand [sic], deserts, badlands, mountains, forests, etc. Much is inhabited by wild animals, demons, warriors, and renegades."<br />(https://archive.org/stream/1990-03-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_118_1990_Mar_djvu.txt)<br /><br />If anyone from Poland ever reads this, maybe that person can confirm... .Buscanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-43356455486078646082022-05-29T13:32:24.166-04:002022-05-29T13:32:24.166-04:00To be fair, at least the "Intro" documen...To be fair, at least the "Intro" document warns: "Playing time can be MANY hours" and the "Pamphlet" explained: "The territory of Faland is comprised of several million square legons, one legon being the distance King Mordat of the Ancients was able to walk in 1000 paces." Not saying this makes the design of a huge mostly empty game world any better... . <br /><br />Re death not having any consequences: The "Intro" document states: "There is no formal scoring because the accumulation of 'points' would be largely meaningless in the context of the simulation. However, if a player is 'killed' and elects to continue with a new life, the number of 'lives' used is recorded and displayed at the end of the game. This number can serve as an informal score with the object being to keep this number as low as possible."<br />So while there were no immediate in-game consequences, it was apparently designed to enhance competitive gaming. Again, hard to imagine nowadays with this game, same as you already point out for the cooperative multiplayer option.Buscanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4334455795749638792022-03-19T21:53:58.214-04:002022-03-19T21:53:58.214-04:00Yes, I'm referring to the BBC Micro. Despite i...Yes, I'm referring to the BBC Micro. Despite its popularity in the UK, it's never come up. MobyGames says there was only one RPG released for it, a version of <i>The Valley</i>, for which I played the C64 version.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-51902434817949982892022-03-18T10:09:22.389-04:002022-03-18T10:09:22.389-04:00PS:Sorry, correction to my post: BBC Micro actuall...PS:Sorry, correction to my post: BBC Micro actually has its own category on mobygames.Buscanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-33558478676673388772022-03-18T10:00:57.010-04:002022-03-18T10:00:57.010-04:00Chet, with "this platform", are you refe...Chet, with "this platform", are you referring to the BBC Micro? In the early 80s it was quite popular in the UK. According to Wikipedia, 1.5 million were sold in total and at some point in time about 80% of British schools had one. "Elite" was originally written and first published for (inter alia) the BBC Micro. <br /><br />Maybe you haven't come across it yet because the respective games are listed in mobygames under the category "Acorn 32-bit" and/or there weren't many CRPGs.<br /><br />If you're interested, Jimmy Maher wrote an article about it: https://www.filfre.net/2012/10/the-bbc-micro/.Buscanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-6419492494741911812022-03-17T23:44:32.675-04:002022-03-17T23:44:32.675-04:00Interesting. In all my years of playing and emulat...Interesting. In all my years of playing and emulating, I've never encountered this platform. Did anyone play it back in the day, or did you just sit on it for 40 years?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34726739036347830072022-03-15T17:11:03.143-04:002022-03-15T17:11:03.143-04:00Re: Text RPGs, in the 1980s, I wrote a CRPG for my...Re: Text RPGs, in the 1980s, I wrote a CRPG for my 8-bit BBC micro computer that attempted to combine the mechanics of a text adventure with an Ultima-style RPG. I think it was commercial quality, but could never have been released due to the text/graphics/plot etc being lifted directly from a book/D&D module of the period (involving large winged serpents and long spears, the property of a famously litigious company).<br />If anyone is interested, you can play it on an emulator - I've posted a thread about it here:<br />https://stardot.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20078<br />From the forum thread, you can then contact me (PlunderBunny) for more information on how to set-up the emulator and get the game running.PlunderBunnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-56831375353847741232022-01-30T22:08:45.645-05:002022-01-30T22:08:45.645-05:00Anyone whose is interested by this type of game pl...Anyone whose is interested by this type of game play and would like to try something similar but more compact should definitely check out “A Dark Room” for iOS by Amirali Rajan. I think it (and some of his later games like “The Ensign”) qualify as RPGs too, despite also looking a bit like a survival-strategy adventure. They have evocative, minimalist writing and strong story-telling. There’s an event near the start of A Dark Room that made me cry out loud “No! What have I done?” I respect and admire the ability of the author to provoke that kind of response in me.PlunderBunnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-31045390282190080842018-07-22T14:24:53.743-04:002018-07-22T14:24:53.743-04:00Perhaps this is a game that someone could use as a...Perhaps this is a game that someone could use as a base for expansion. It would be interesting if someone were to create Fallthru 2.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-808345835622675962015-06-19T12:07:53.686-04:002015-06-19T12:07:53.686-04:00True, I guess you don't see much on terrible d...True, I guess you don't see much on terrible drawing on Metafilter (Great site that I'd love to see more of you on: Chet, I'm making a standing offer of buying you a membership as a thank you for all the time I've spent reading this blog.)<br /><br />That said, a ton of it, while terrible looking, is really creative. Also has a charming purity to it, since so little of it is made for sale or even to show others. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35443669782547241652015-06-19T04:23:01.471-04:002015-06-19T04:23:01.471-04:00Both you and Gaguum are correct. There are only a ...Both you and Gaguum are correct. There are only a very few good stuff created by "outsiders". Those really aren't the norm. Most suck terribly.<br /><br />I guess it's like radiation. To most people, it causes cancer. But to a certain individual, it gives him superpowers.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-9462797290367723362015-06-19T03:18:09.277-04:002015-06-19T03:18:09.277-04:00I've actually seen a few things on outsider ar...I've actually seen a few things on outsider art. It tends to be incredibly creative and original, but very, very strange. Worth looking up if you ever have a chance or stumble across it, even if it isn't traditionally good. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79003950064531960602014-07-22T13:34:27.229-04:002014-07-22T13:34:27.229-04:00Writing games when you don't play any is like ...Writing games when you don't play any is like writing music when you don't listen to any, or writing books when you don't read any. It tends not to turn out well.Gaguumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-87230333900673764742014-07-22T13:26:31.455-04:002014-07-22T13:26:31.455-04:00That would have been expecting a bit much from a 1...That would have been expecting a bit much from a 1990 shareware game, but as I said in the post, I think the developer could have added a FEW improvements without a lot of programming trouble.<br /><br />I honestly wonder if Paul Deal ever played another computer RPG. Nothing about <i>Fallthru</i> suggests awareness of any previous game. On the plus side, this produced a highly original experience; on the negative side, he probably could have learned something from other games' conventions.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-24781274161177480572014-07-22T13:24:34.966-04:002014-07-22T13:24:34.966-04:00Well, he didn't say he was a scientist, just t...Well, he didn't say he was a scientist, just that he worked at NASA. They do have receptionists and janitors and such (I know one). Naturally, at parties they tell people, "Yeah, I work for NASA", and tell them "It's classified" if they ask what they do there, and let people draw their own conclusions.<br /><br />Of course, the NSA is already among us.<br /><br />As for mutant talking rabbits, do you mean Usagi Yojimbo?Gaguumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-38253766605590522222014-07-22T13:21:37.123-04:002014-07-22T13:21:37.123-04:00Indeed. I assume you've been reading my posts ...Indeed. I assume you've been reading my posts and had the game spoiled anyway. It would be interesting to read someone else's account of getting through the game--in particular, his or her slow discovery that the game map is limitless and there's nothing to be found by wandering randomly.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76699470220592730252014-07-22T13:19:56.261-04:002014-07-22T13:19:56.261-04:00Just out of curiosity, what do you do for NASA? An...Just out of curiosity, what do you do for NASA? Any chance I could get something named after me?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-2617602181013528622014-07-22T13:19:24.740-04:002014-07-22T13:19:24.740-04:00Thanks for checking. Deal is 78 now, so I would ha...Thanks for checking. Deal is 78 now, so I would have been surprised if he was still active. My guess is he retired at some point in his mid-60s, which explains his sudden self-publishing productivity in the last decade.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63009068302543563342014-07-22T12:43:28.386-04:002014-07-22T12:43:28.386-04:00I don't mind useful fetch quests. After all, a...I don't mind useful fetch quests. After all, a lot of games have fetch quests as their main quests (Ultima IV, for one). The rescue-the-princess quest amounts to the same thing (for example, Ultima V's main quest, with Lord British as the princess!).<br /><br />As side quests, I don't mind fetch quests if they're rewarding and/or they further your progress. If a wizard asks you to find his cat and teaches you a new spell as a reward, great. If it's just a question of clearing something out of your quest log and adjusting your karma meter, forget it.<br /><br />The thing about fetch quests is that they're ridiculously easy for devs to code and design. Making a player walk across the overworld and back is a great way to extend play time without requiring the programmer to do much more than create a bit flag. That's why poorly coded and designed games depend on fetch quests so much; they provide quantity at the expense of quality. (I'm looking at you, Paragon Software Corporation.)<br /><br />Fetch quests can be real content or fake content. The latter predominates, but it doesn't have to be that way. I'd like to see a game like Mindcraft's Bloodstone (Magic Candle 4 or 0, 1993) in which all umpteen quest items should give palpable effects to a party that held on to them (whereas in Bloodstone, they don't).Gaguumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-17190452088318226562014-07-22T02:57:11.800-04:002014-07-22T02:57:11.800-04:00A NASA scientist here?
At the rate were going, we...A NASA scientist here?<br /><br />At the rate were going, we're gonna have people among us who works for MI6, a criminal overlord, a mutant talking rabbit or a costumed superhero.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-5217827062409250682014-07-22T02:53:56.908-04:002014-07-22T02:53:56.908-04:00Better, if you can use them. Worse, if you are to ...Better, if you can use them. Worse, if you are to collect them for a goddamn fetch quest.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55234335282199074392014-07-22T02:52:31.661-04:002014-07-22T02:52:31.661-04:00This game had a lot of potential though. It could&...This game had a lot of potential though. It could've been a text-based open-ended persistent-world survival RPG with thousands of side-quests.<br /><br />What a waste.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.com