Lands of Lore: Timing and Balance

A game that doesn't really have "acting" per se still manages to ham up a death scene.

          

My most recent session with Lands of Lore left me angry and frustrated, all the more so because I couldn't put my finger on exactly why. I continue to admire the various elements of the game, but this week they somehow didn't come together well. I nearly didn't even say anything about it because it could be that I was just in a bad mood. It's happened before.

As we continue into the 1990s, this is probably going to happen more often. During the formative years of CRPGs, it's not hard to pinpoint what makes a game fail to work. It's usually missing some key element or has implemented another one poorly. I can write something like, "There aren't enough tactics in combat" or "There's no economy," and you all know exactly what I mean. I don't really need to analyze it. But by this era, I have to say things like, "The animation that provides the illusion of continuous movement rather than tiled movement leaves ambiguity as to the exact moment the enemy enters melee range, leading to a frustrating number of missed attacks, only you can't be certain that they missed for that reason because accuracy against certain enemies is extremely low in the first place." I don't know--did that make any sense?

   

Writing this blog has given me a lot of sympathy for game developers. It has to be a tough craft. On the one hand, there's no purpose to a game that doesn't offer any kind of challenge. On the other hand, there's a fine line between the type of challenge that you delight in overcoming and the type of challenge that just pisses you off. The variables are subtle, often coming down to timing and balance, plus an x variable that depends upon the mood and energy level of the player. All I can say is that in the Draracle's caves, either Lands of Lore managed to seriously piss me off, or I was already pissed off from something else and probably shouldn't have been playing Lands of Lore.

          

This guy was a little easier than he looks.

        

The session started pleasantly enough in the forest. At the end of my first session, Conrad had been killed by some thugs guarding a cave. I spent about 20 minutes using the thugs to test out various combat options and how they differ from other Dungeon Master-style games. In doing so, I first noticed the problem I described above. Like Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder, the world of Lore is divided into fixed tiles. But where enemies in those games would advance a tile, pause, and then advance to the next tile, the creators of Lore managed to animate the enemies in a way that makes it look like they're moving continuously. This makes it hard to tell exactly when they've entered the tile in front of you and are thus vulnerable to melee attacks. It also means that classic strategies like the "combat waltz" are harder. Strike too soon and your attacks miss. Strike too late and the enemy has time to turn and strike you back.

  

The waltz also doesn't work for reasons I'll have to analyze later, but some other tried-and-true tactics are available, including the retreat in which you throw objects. Throwing in this game is completely independent of attacking, so you can do it during cool downs even if the enemies are right in front of you. In fact, you can pick up and throw the same item repeatedly, since it just lands at the enemies' feet. By the time I had three characters, it didn't seem to make sense to throw things in melee combat anymore, since the cool down for one character is usually lifting by the time you've attacked with the third.

   

Throwing remains useful when the enemy is far away, but wow is it slow. It takes a second or two for a thrown item to travel through a single square. If you're tossing something at an enemy at the end of a long hall, they'll likely advance a couple squares by the time it hits them. Fortunately, this is also true of items fired or thrown at you. You see crossbow bolts coming a mile away and can easily dodge them unless you're at the end of a dead-end corridor.

    

Using a key to open a chest in the thugs' lair.

        

Anyway, I killed the thugs and entered the cave they were guarding, a very small map that nonetheless had several mechanical puzzles. The game has Beholder's penchant for putting nearly invisible buttons on its walls, but the difference here is that such buttons show up on the automap. By checking the automap frequently, you can identify buttons and levers that you otherwise may have missed. Buttons sometimes open passages or sometimes just make other buttons appear. There was also a pressure plate that I had to weigh down with rocks to keep a door open. In the end, the caverns gave me a brass lantern, a lockpick, a "bezel cup," 15 crowns, and some salve.

       

Fortunately, buttons are clearly notated on the map.

        

I later found some oil flasks for the lamp. In general, the lamp seems to be optional. When it's newly-refilled and the flame is bright, it increases the detail that you see and the distance you can view, and it generally makes everything more pleasant. But even without it, you can see well enough to navigate and fight. I can't remember any previous games in which light has mostly aesthetic rather than utilitarian value. I suppose that may change later in some dungeons.

        

The dungeon gets momentarily brighter and more pleasant.

         

My inventory line started filling up fast, and I reached the end of this section without finding time to really organize it. Having it scroll left and right is a cute idea, but I wouldn't have minded if it had shown two rows at once.

  

I noted that Conrad continued to narrate even small things ("There are silver coins in here!" upon discovering a pouch), which I rather enjoy. Late in the session, when I had three characters, rarely did 10 seconds pass without one of them making some comment or another. These comments enhance the sense of individuality among the characters, which is often absent in classic "blobbers."

    

Back out in the wilderness, I met a young woman on the road. To his credit, Conrad was immediately suspicious. When she asked Conrad to escort her to King Richard's keep because she had "forgotten the password," he balked. I would have preferred that the game offer me the role-playing choice, but I would have done the same thing. Revealing herself as Scotia, she called me a "timid fool," turned into a jackdaw, and flew off.

       

I just had mandatory security training about exactly this kind of scenario.

     

I finished exploring the woods. In this game, paths often end at static scenes like shops, taverns, and dungeon doors. You can usually click around these screens to get individual descriptive messages, much like you can click around with the "eye" icon in a Sierra adventure game. If there are people, clicking on them will usually get you a line or two of dialogue. I really enjoy this aspect of the game. For years, I've been enjoying the mechanics of Dungeon Master-style games but wishing they would occasionally provide a little more lore, flavor, and NPC dialogue. Eye of the Beholder started the trend, but Lore realizes it much more fully. 

   

In the woods area, I found a lake called Lake Dread, a closed cave entrance, a few tree hollows with miscellaneous items, and a ferry terminal in which a woman accepted my writ from the king for passage to the "south lands." After a quick boat animation, I found myself in another wooded area swarming with orc-like enemies and giant lizards.

 

Cool animation of a ship.

            

Combat was a lot harder than the previous areas. When I started playing the game, I wondered if there was any drawback to simply resting whenever you can. Time doesn't seem to have any effect on anything, and there's no hunger/thirst mechanic. I ultimately concluded that resting continually between combats is possible but perhaps a bit abusive. By the end of this session, I had realized that it's essential. Spell points and mana deplete too quickly.

  

It was also in these woods that I came to realize that enemies respawn. I still haven't nailed down the exact rate at which they respawn or where they respawn, but they definitely do. I'm a bit torn on the issue, because as you know, I don't like games that have a fixed number of enemies and thus ensure that every player reaches the end in exactly the same place. On the other hand, the inability to ever clear an area and feel safe gets annoying. It wasn't so bad in these woods, but later, respawning contributed to my growing aggravation with the game.

        

This guy is about to give me a level up in "fighting."

     

My fighting and magic skills hit Level 2 in the woods, and throughout the game, I tried my best to keep them balanced. The game simply doesn't use thief skills enough that it's easy to prioritize thief development.

   

I eventually found my way to Roland's Manor, which had been invaded by orcs, or whatever they are; the game regrettably shares Dungeon Master's reticence to put names to the creatures you face. It was a relatively small map, made long by the sheer number of combats. I eventually killed what must have been the orc chief and found a magic axe called "Dominance," although it mysteriously contributed less to my strength than the mace I was already using. 

 

Creatures burst through a door in Roland mansion.

      

A burnt scroll in the fireplace held a message from Roland to Richard, explaining that something would have to be joined with the Ruby of Truth to combat the Nether Mask. This will surely be the Shard of Truth described in the texts in Richard's library.

       

A partial message.

     

Eventually, I found Roland himself, wounded and hiding in a closet behind a secret door. Before he bled out, he said that the Dark Army had stolen the Ruby of Truth. A nearby chest held some coins, a compass (which grafted on to the interface), and a saber.

     

Conrad, read the room.

      

I finished exploring the southern forest before returning to the ferry. There was a trapper named Buck who bought and sold items from his cabin in the woods. I sold some excess weapons and purchased some boots and a shield from him. 

      

Buck is uninterested in a rock.

       

Elsewhere was a tavern called the Grey Eagle, and it had more things to click on than any other screen so far, including several NPCs. One guy drinking at the bar named Timothy seemed important; he had a lot of dialogue and description, and he had some things to say about Scotia (nothing new), but I otherwise couldn't do anything productive with him.

     

The tavern screen had a message for practically everything.

     

When I got back to the ferry terminal, I was annoyed to find that I had to pay 100 silver crowns to return to Richard's kingdom. It's a good thing I didn't buy more at Buck's place.

   

I hurried back to Richard's keep and walked right into another cinematic. The king was kneeling on the floor while Scotia did something to his arm. The white-robed woman I'd seen in the king's chambers before was confronting her. Scotia called the other woman "Dawn." The two women exchanged spells, and Scotia once again turned into a crow and flew away.

        

Scotia spills her plan.

       

This scene transitioned directly to a small conference attended by Dawn, Geron Arbroath (the chamberlain), the herbalist, some knight named Paulson, and Dawn's apprentice, a Thomgog named Baccata. Dawn said that Richard was poisoned and near death. She cast a spell to put him in stasis until an antidote could be found. The group otherwise debated how Scotia got into the castle in the first place and what to do next. Paulson announced his intention to lead a force into the Urbish Mines (where Scotia found the mask). Dawn asked me to go to the "Draracle" and ask about anything that might cure Richard. Baccata joined my party.

         

Dawn puts the king in carbon freezing until he can be cured.

   

Dawn gave me an "album" to hold spell scrolls, and it came with "Heal." It appears in the upper-left corner, and you just click on the spell you want before casting it. I guess everyone in the party has the same spells. Later, I had cause to use "Heal" quite a bit, since characters never die in this game but rather get knocked unconscious. When they're unconscious, resting doesn't heal them; only the "Heal" spell does.

Baccata started as a Level 3 mage (Level 1 in everything else). He speaks in a deep, slightly slurred British accent, sounding more cultured than he looks, which I guess makes sense for a mage. He directed me to the entrance to the Draracle's caves, even though I had already found them.

    

Do you mean (bear east and then proceed north) as soon as possible, or (bear east) and (then proceed north as soon as possible)?

       

I've explored two levels of the Draracle's caves and found two types of enemies. The first are giant rat men, the second some kind of barbarians. Both are annoying in their own ways. The rat men simply will not be hit. At least four out of five of my attacks miss. Worse, they cause poison, which causes a loss of a hit point every second. Ginseng cures it, but I ran out of it fast. The only other thing that cures it is "Heal" cast at Level 3, but for some reason only by Conrad. A Level 3 heal takes most of my spell points, so every time I get poisoned, I have to find a place to rest until Conrad restores his mana enough to cast it. If Conrad himself is poisoned, I have to keep his health from draining too much (via "Heal" from Baccata) until Conrad can cast it. Adding to the problem is that I really need to save my mana for "Spark" spells to use against the rats.

       

Conrad is poisoned again.

      

The barbarians are a bit easier, but they hit so hard that you need to take them out as quickly as possible which also favors "Spark" over melee attacks. Inevitably, I end up having to rest a lot, which causes more enemies to spawn, ultimately keeping me trapped in a loop. I had hoped to finish this session with my triumphant exit from the caves, but I got so annoyed with the game the other night that I just had to stop playing.

      

The barbarians knock away Conrad's health in two hits.

       

At these times, of course, I have to wonder: What do I really want? An easy game? No, of course not. It's just that sometimes, a game's challenge feels like a vaccination needle. It hurts a bit, but you know it's going to make you healthier. And there are sometimes that a game's challenge feels like someone putting a wet finger in your ear. It doesn't hurt at all, but get the #$& away from me. Again, though, it might have just been my mood.

    

Speaking of disgusting things.

        

I did find a third companion in the caves. At one point, we descended to a chamber in which there were three disgusting sacs. Two of them had nothing but blood and gore, but one had a living thief named Lara. She said that her people had chosen her to serve the Draracle so he would continue to provide their farmers with forecasts. She starts as a Level 4 thief, but that hasn't been terribly useful so far. Mostly, her purpose is to suck up one or two hits from enemies before she gets knocked unconscious.

       

Lara's statistics are pretty bad.

      

One final note: it's becoming clear that this game is going to be linear a.f., as the kids say today. What I've described above is the exact reason I prefer nonlinearity--get stuck or annoyed in one place, move on to another. That's going to hurt it in the end.

   

As you can see, I have found plenty of things to like about the game, and I'm sure I'll like the combat again after I take a couple of days to cool off.

   

Time so far: 5 hours