tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post8021873806868312127..comments2024-03-29T09:18:29.803-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Might & Magic & QuestsCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4212761622076371222018-08-14T08:32:59.439-04:002018-08-14T08:32:59.439-04:00Just saying that I started playing it with a helpe...Just saying that I started playing it with a helper (the wonderful app "Where are we" and there was a point where I stood up scared because this game sucked up 14 hours of the day straight. Risingson Carloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08915480026187953569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-59539724390027103892015-04-10T15:25:23.010-04:002015-04-10T15:25:23.010-04:00I am from the era. I played a fair amount of these...I am from the era. I played a fair amount of these games when they were new. But this particular game doesn't sound like my cup of tea. <br /><br />Wizardry is different (and I'm talking about the first one here). It doesn't have many cheap deaths. When I get killed in Wizardry, I'm usually aware beforehand that I'm pushing it a bit, like exploring deeper than I ever did before - getting those few extra squares that you're talking about. When I open a chest or I go to an unmarked square, I know there's a chance that I'm going to hit something that I won't like. If someone winds up dead in those situations, fair play.<br /><br />The Wizardry system is also not replaying... time continues to move forward. The sun comes up the next day, your 'A' party has been wiped out, and now you have to go and get them (which is a quest in itself), so it's a different situation. <br /><br />You've said yourself that you feel the constant tension as you move through the dungeon in Wizardry. That tension is what immersion is all about. Did you feel that level of tension in this game?<br /><br />Though of course everyone has their own play style. You look like you enjoy some good puzzles in your games, whereas I'm more of a wargamer hybrid. To give you an idea, I really liked the original XCOM, where you could get attached to characters, but they could also get killed.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-53236113698314256902015-04-10T12:37:10.713-04:002015-04-10T12:37:10.713-04:00It may be that you have to play it to truly unders...It may be that you have to play it to truly understand it, or that you have to, as Tristan says, have come from the era.<br /><br />When I was writing in these early days, I wasn't putting everything in its proper historical context, so I didn't emphasize enough how mapping is a part of the process. You have to essentially step on every square of the game to ensure that you face every encounter, and thus mapping a dozen squares and annotating a couple of encounters is a type of "progress" even if you lose your character levels. <br /><br />Losing a party still sucks, but the game still finds a decent balance. Even with all the deaths, leveling is rapid enough that you feel a strong sense of character progression.<br /><br />If you don't like to replay areas, I can't imagine how you like the permadeath of <i>Wizardry</i>. I can see why the permadeath of a roguelike wouldn't bother you, since every dungeon is generated anew. For me, I'd rather have M&M's compromise: no permadeath, but only allow saving in limited places. The worst that you lose is the current expedition.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61966421018706196342015-04-10T12:15:11.201-04:002015-04-10T12:15:11.201-04:00Yeah, bad design for sure. Unbalanced, unfair and ...Yeah, bad design for sure. Unbalanced, unfair and grindy. I guess it's appealing if you grew up with unbalanced, unfair, grindy RPGs and feel anything else is hand-holding. Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-28776586331517196712015-04-10T11:13:46.403-04:002015-04-10T11:13:46.403-04:00That said, I'm sure there's some redeeming...That said, I'm sure there's some redeeming characteristic that I'm missing. I'll see what the next posts have to say.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-90455209197664066272015-04-10T11:12:12.652-04:002015-04-10T11:12:12.652-04:00I'm seeing all these comments about how great ...I'm seeing all these comments about how great the game is, and I'm reading through your review which sounds like it will be incredibly positive, but to me this game just looks incredibly frustrating so far. I'm not seeing the allure at all. I mean, invisible walls?<br /><br />There are a lot of points where you can get stuck - I doubt I'd have figured out the Sudoku thing, and it seems like you spent at least a third of your time replaying stuff you just did before because you died and had to reload.<br /><br />It looks like Wizardry, except there is no permadeath, a bunch of puzzles, less direction, and a flawed difficulty system which wipes out your party way too often.<br /><br />Games like this, at least if it is the way you described it, are why I like permadeath. I never have to replay the same thing over and over again, and because of the nature of permadeath, developers are more careful about the types of monsters you can encounter. I've littered dungeon floors with several thousand characters in ADOM, and I'm accepting of that. Because almost none of those deaths felt 'unfair'. It seems like there are a lot of bullshit deaths in games like this and it's just bad design IMO.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-13577235226521415242014-01-28T20:20:38.822-05:002014-01-28T20:20:38.822-05:00This was the game that started it all for me. Tha...This was the game that started it all for me. Thank you for taking the time to relive and document it for me. It was so much fun to read.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50015679817103759582010-07-20T02:09:29.452-04:002010-07-20T02:09:29.452-04:00Thanks, Ziad! Everything you said turned out to be...Thanks, Ziad! Everything you said turned out to be true, and yet I didn't get around to reading the comment until after I had won. Your last paragraph is particularly vexing. Some games beat you over the head with their mythology; others leave you to piece it together from vague clues. This is definitely one of the latter.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65017636828770437042010-07-18T01:46:30.052-04:002010-07-18T01:46:30.052-04:00Good thing you didn't wait - the narrative nev...Good thing you didn't wait - the narrative never really settles into something cohesive, probably not until MM3. I did warn you about the maps!<br /><br />0. Alignment has to do with the prisoners you find in the 6 castles (one each). You must treat the prisoners in a way that matches the alignment of the character you choose. Then you visit a giant somewhere on the surface and get an XP reward.<br /><br />1. You are correct, these have to do with Og. They have either items or information you need. If you didn't see a message there I'm not really sure what you need to do to activate it...<br /><br />2. I love the Magic Square. It's fun and quite unexpected in this type of game.<br /><br />3. The messages by themselves aren't much help until you find the interleaves (yes, there are 2). Decoding them will give you some good hints about what you're supposed to do to win the game.<br /><br />4. Corak is all over the place in MM 1-5. He's only barely referenced in 1, makes a short appearance in 2, but his role in the series will only start to make sense in 3 (that's really the game where the story started to become cohesive).<br /><br />5. You can forget about this one for a while - you'll know when you need to come back. This is one dungeon where Etherealize (a spell you don't have yet) makes things MUCH easier - as long as you know/see where you're going you don't need to map at all. I think one of the disadvantages of your method of exploration (going through somewhere until you get stuck, as opposed to being sent there on a quest) is that you'll have to revisit many of these locations. But whatever's more fun for you!<br /><br />6. I think all MM games have this, certainly 2 and 3 and 6.<br /><br />Be advised: not all your questions will be answered in this game, though you will get at least a partial answer to the othersZiadnoreply@blogger.com