tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post2893457368979715944..comments2024-03-29T02:34:55.592-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: The Bard's Tale: AAAAAAAARGH!!!CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44692591023865650252020-01-02T05:22:56.575-05:002020-01-02T05:22:56.575-05:00The 4x99 berserkers means that once you have a lvl...The 4x99 berserkers means that once you have a lvl 10 or so sorcerer and three heroes with LO AC (i just begin with 3x elf monks and a mage), XP is easy to grind and level loss is an important, desirable feature. <br /><br />Level drain/loss is important to get warrior classes to have high HP like mage classes. Force your warrior classes to lose all levels (e.g., fight vampires in Mangar 4 rooms), then re-level them fast (esp. lvls 1 to 13) at the berserkers. Once they have 400hp or so, then just get them to level 36 by leveling them alone with a mage and a red dragon/wind giant at the berserkers (360k xp in total, split across group). Once warrior classes have level 36, most spells bounce (all spells for Paladins/Mages) and the only real problem then is melee attacks that stone/crits/possess/wither. Mattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-16240388013204524502017-07-03T22:57:54.429-04:002017-07-03T22:57:54.429-04:00"I wanted a most unusual race as the main pow..."I wanted a most unusual race as the main power in the Underdark, so used the reference to 'dark elves' from the dictionary to create the Drow." - Gygax<br /><br />Despite being the eponyms though, Trow aren't anything like D&D drow.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85691499191085547042017-07-03T15:35:54.531-04:002017-07-03T15:35:54.531-04:00Hey, I saw that quote, too. It was an email for an...Hey, I saw that quote, too. It was an email for an update about Bard's Tale IV, which was kickstarted and in the works. Insightful, for sure. Though then he went on to explain how, trying to be more consistent now, they're focusing on Celtic lore, and using creatures like trow, which are authentic and not over-used anywhere. (Unless Forgotten Realms' drow are derived from the trow, in which case they're about as over-used as it gets.)Quirkzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-43559700834311540852017-07-03T14:37:14.469-04:002017-07-03T14:37:14.469-04:00A good quote that explains 75% of the games of the...A good quote that explains 75% of the games of the era.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37009670839114189772017-06-17T05:07:04.066-04:002017-06-17T05:07:04.066-04:00Brian Fargo:
"When we created Bard’s Tale bac...Brian Fargo:<br />"When we created Bard’s Tale back in 1985 we were young and excitable...more interested in mapping dungeons and torturing our players with teleporters, brutal combats, spinners, and darkness areas, than we were in telling a coherent story. We threw everything except the kitchen sink into those games - Nazis, ninjas, zen masters, robots, vampires, lizard men. We weren't exactly concerned with it making sense."TorbenBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15196875053146024621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-61724372653033599492015-08-04T14:11:47.178-04:002015-08-04T14:11:47.178-04:00NES port report: I might have gotten lucky, but I ...NES port report: I might have gotten lucky, but I never had any of my characters lose levels from draining. Also, there's a stone-to-flesh spell, but once again, I never had any of my guys turned to stone. There is mention of stone status effect and level draining monsters in the manual, but they may be hold-overs from the original game.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-6243910395457154992015-07-22T19:54:00.345-04:002015-07-22T19:54:00.345-04:00Level draining by vampires and other fatal attacks...Level draining by vampires and other fatal attacks are mainly responsible for me stopping to play BT in the 80s. That and teleportation fields making me draw broken maps. A few years back, when I tried to level up as fast as possible I constantly was in need of money (for healing and restoing MP) and quit again.<br />The only thing I find more annoying in many (C)RPGs is permanent poisoning which can often be fatal (in the first few hours) when you lack the right resources (money, time, reagents, priest, ...) or experience with a new game. Eriknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67565090158747872172015-04-08T12:29:37.118-04:002015-04-08T12:29:37.118-04:00Technically, I think this was the 1987 DOS version...Technically, I think this was the 1987 DOS version, but I agree. The graphics look very good for any point in the 1980s or even today, at least for an independent game.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-64582517959188748682015-04-07T11:38:04.908-04:002015-04-07T11:38:04.908-04:00Just looking at the picture of the spectre and the...Just looking at the picture of the spectre and the other shots you've placed on here...<br /><br />The graphics really were remarkable for 1985. Sure, I remember them as being excellent, but I haven't opened Bard's Tale in about 25 years. I thought they would look terrible by my 2015 standards.<br /><br />But they don't look terrible. And they're not just 'good enough', either. They're 'good'. If a modern game came out on Steam that looked like that, I wouldn't bat an eye. <br /><br />I'm playing a game called Adventurer Manager right now. It came out in 2014, is not text-based in any way, and has graphics that are worse than this.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-36283339940972184332012-02-16T18:38:16.023-05:002012-02-16T18:38:16.023-05:00Haha! Been reading in chronological order up till ...Haha! Been reading in chronological order up till now and this. Oh this. Most entertaining post so far mate! Sat here cackling away to myself, I would have spat out my tea if I'd been drinking any.Nicemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15443826623119065645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-59808395780773841512012-01-20T10:11:10.731-05:002012-01-20T10:11:10.731-05:00Is Arcanum a person or a place? I'm not famili...Is Arcanum a person or a place? I'm not familiar with either one.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-48020704484167294412011-01-02T02:03:38.155-05:002011-01-02T02:03:38.155-05:00...which means that I'm old enough to have a s......which means that I'm old enough to have a son who's old enough to be "home for Christmas break." Crikey.<br /><br />I've actually more-or-less abandoned Wikipedia's list (despite what it says to the right) in favor of a more comprehensive list I put together with the help of Arcanum and MobyGames. Some of the selections are questionable as CRPGs (the upcoming <i>Pirates!</i> is Exhibit A) but I was missing too much with the Wikipedia list, which is why I had to do all of those "backtracking" posts in July.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-19089664873448020182011-01-02T00:29:57.522-05:002011-01-02T00:29:57.522-05:00Heh, I'm hope for the xmas break while reading...Heh, I'm hope for the xmas break while reading this, and my Dad was a C64 gamer, back in the day. So I've been asking him if he played any of these, as I saw Ultima III and Bard's Tale in his stuff and greatly enjoyed reading the manuals and such as a kid. However so far the only game that you've both played....has been Autoduel. As I recall from talking to him about it ages ago, he used to do duel after duel in the arena before going out on the roads. I have been enjoying these, can can't wait until you hit games that I have played. I may have to make sure that they are on wikipedia's list before you reach them though....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55316206202073116752010-10-14T16:55:24.386-04:002010-10-14T16:55:24.386-04:00Anonymous: AAAAAAARGH!
(No, I didn't eventual...Anonymous: AAAAAAARGH!<br /><br />(No, I didn't eventually realize that.)CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47113420905373821132010-10-14T11:24:56.617-04:002010-10-14T11:24:56.617-04:00re: Level drain, I'm hoping you eventually rea...re: Level drain, I'm hoping you eventually realized the temples can heal that? (If I remember it ends up being a fast way of _gaining_ levels somehow, but I don't recall how that works.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8843540514263364512010-08-10T23:53:05.022-04:002010-08-10T23:53:05.022-04:00I guess I figured that when one character got turn...I guess I figured that when one character got turned to stone, it was only a matter of time before the whole damned party got slaughtered. There seriously ought to have been SOMETHING to counter that.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79615211503189855682010-08-10T22:37:12.713-04:002010-08-10T22:37:12.713-04:00I'm having no trouble with money, but I agree ...I'm having no trouble with money, but I agree that not having a stone to flesh spell is brutal. I discovered your blog while going back to play BT. I just went up the stairs to Mangar 5, but one member of my party is stone. I'm pushing on without him. It's too much work to do the puzzles on levels 3&4 just to get 1 slot fixed up.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15818486325777240557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65037986375049093352010-04-09T21:14:37.096-04:002010-04-09T21:14:37.096-04:00I won't even allow myself to use walkthroughs...I won't even allow myself to use walkthroughs, let alone that kind of cheat! But thanks for the thought.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-31682958554306553012010-04-09T19:01:35.336-04:002010-04-09T19:01:35.336-04:00Ouch. I never played BT but this sounds rough.
...Ouch. I never played BT but this sounds rough. <br /><br />Hey, there are always hex editors...Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10920929049087593361noreply@blogger.com