tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post3899049599077145995..comments2024-03-29T09:18:29.803-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Time Horn: Summary and RatingCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-66225763566371935522017-12-26T18:13:43.377-05:002017-12-26T18:13:43.377-05:00Let me echo PK, Igor: great comment. Thanks for po...Let me echo PK, Igor: great comment. Thanks for popping in. As much detail as I try to get into about each game, commenters like you make me realize that I can only scratch the surface and I depend on you to help document each game completely.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-91867167914819200572017-12-24T10:45:26.554-05:002017-12-24T10:45:26.554-05:00What a great post, Igor! I love getting answers to...What a great post, Igor! I love getting answers to mysteries.<br /><br />Fascinating that the resistenza works in a way that's the exact opposite of what you'd expect (if I understand correctly), and that food eaten isn't deducted from base weight. (I'm assuming there isn't a dedicated excretion command, as if there were that dynamic would almost make sense.)<br /><br />If it turns out to be a bug, that sounds like the kind of thing an intrepid coder could fix; if a bad dump or emulator issue, that's well worth knowing too.<br /><br />"The more food and water are given...the quicker they will need more food and water" -- sounds like the food industry's dream, or a world in which salt & vinegar potato chips are the only sustenance.PK Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14416777230563913195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34324431181313667182017-12-24T09:32:52.891-05:002017-12-24T09:32:52.891-05:00Hi Chet! First, thanks for your great blog. I had ...Hi Chet! First, thanks for your great blog. I had played this game as a kid. I remember I was very excited about it, since it was the first RPG in Italian and I could finally understand a story without searching words in a dictionary every 5 minutes. I was then very disappointed, when I realized that I could not finish any mission, due to the insane difficulty. This year I decided that I should redeem myself from this failure and try again. Actually I thank your blog for this chance, since I could not remember the exact name of this game. So, in the last week I have spent several hours with Time Horn. I figured out some interesting things. First, the fatigue system is totally counter intuitive. The amount of weight each character can carry without getting too tired is inversely proportional to his resistenza. This means that if the amazon (initial resistenza 20) and Mordred (30) carry the same weight, Mordred is likely to need much more water and food. I say likely as the system is "quantized" and intervals of weight correspond to different speeds of depletion of water and food. For example Mordred will be completely thirsty in about 14 turns if he carries 0-to-12 or in about 11 turns if he carries 12-to-55. Hunger and thirst can be tackled with food, water and milk, and reasonable resources are found during each mission. By starting with 4 characters, each carrying 5 latte (each fills about 66% of the water bar) and 3 prosciutto (each fills about 45% of the food bar) I could finish the mission of the gnomes without cheating. From combat point of view, one has to be careful to handle the spells of the gnomes, since they kill the weak characters in one shot. The key trick is giving to 2 "tough" characters the best armor and shield, and then send them directly into the fight as soon as a gnome is seen (or a spell is cast from far away). The gnomes do not use spells at close range and the fights become much easier. Moreover, all those in front of the group should always have full health, so one should use "medicine" or "erbe" as soon as a character is hit. By the way, I had the same problem you had with being unable to finish the mission. The problem is that the game is not so smart, so if the quest item is not hold by Mordred, the mission will not be considered as completed. This is very annoying and took me some time to understand what was wrong. Now I have also some bad news. As you noticed, there seem to be a sort of internal clock of fatigue, which makes the characters more and more exhausted as the mission unfolds. This is, in fact, a horrible bug. When a character consumes food, the weight of the food is not removed from the weight carried by the character! This means that the more food and water are given to tired characters during the mission, the more their "base weight" (with empty inventory) will grow and the quicker they will need more food and water. Even worse, this weight is not reset at the end of the mission, which makes all subsequent missions impossible. I do not know if this is a problem of the game versions I am using, a problem of the emulator or a real bug of the code. In any case, without solving this issue the game is unplayable. It is a pity, since I honestly appreciated the first mission, despite the steep learning curve, and I was curious to see the rest of the game.Igornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67897815888262566632017-12-12T16:13:50.940-05:002017-12-12T16:13:50.940-05:00Missions embarked upon from a central hub where yo...Missions embarked upon from a central hub where you can rest and buy stuff will be the layout of Amulets and Armor when you get to it.<br /><br />Oh, and the multiplayer option for that one can be quite fun if you have any friends who enjoy FPSRPG games. The abilities of the various classes compliment each other nicely.tlhonmeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03256644187305759072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-80663776875392841212017-07-03T14:03:57.001-04:002017-07-03T14:03:57.001-04:00BloodFest suffers from the same problem as above. ...<i>BloodFest</i> suffers from the same problem as above. Tiled movement through mossy corridors do not make an RPG under my definitions. It has to have character development (usually experience and levels) as well as attribute-based combat (not solely reliant on action).CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-89115411695330543002017-07-03T14:00:57.008-04:002017-07-03T14:00:57.008-04:00I rejected it as an RPG for not having character d...I rejected it as an RPG for not having character development. Judging from the manual, it's one of a small group of pre-<i>Doom</i> action games that use tiled movement. Let me know if I'm wrong, but the manual didn't give any sense of attributes, experience, or leveling.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37739055149674455682017-07-02T14:05:31.682-04:002017-07-02T14:05:31.682-04:00...Actually, with some trepidation, I'd like t......Actually, with some trepidation, I'd like to suggest that it may be worth looking through http://www.dungeoncrawlers.org/ , which seems to have quite a few obscure games not on the master list. For instance, the charming Bloodfest: http://www.dungeoncrawlers.org/game/bloodfest/sorpigalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-43605376402930757612017-07-02T14:00:02.940-04:002017-07-02T14:00:02.940-04:00Hi Chet! Thanks for the amazing blog. I noticed th...Hi Chet! Thanks for the amazing blog. I noticed that the 1990 Amiga/DOS sci-fi dungeon crawler Federation Quest 1 – B.S.S. Jane Seymour was absent from your list. You can read about it here: http://www.dungeoncrawlers.org/game/federation-quest-1-b-s-s-jane-seymour/sorpigalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55469655909390744082017-06-30T00:00:49.211-04:002017-06-30T00:00:49.211-04:00Star Wars Battlefront was a train wreck. I can'...Star Wars Battlefront was a train wreck. I can't believe you would even pay any attention to the sequel.<br /><br />The only game I'm watching out for is Dynasty Warriors 9. From what was shown, the new addition to the franchise is basically a grand real-time strategy historically-simulated persistent open-world action-RPG.<br /><br />You buy/upgrade your weapons and armor at the smithy, buy/train horses at the stables, manage/recruit troops at barracks, invest/build new shops at the town hall, discuss strategies with the generals in the palace (if you are playing as the adviser/ruler) and trading.<br /><br />Weather and terrain will affect troop morale & effectiveness and the strategies you can employ (fire can't work in a storm but a flooding tactic would be great).<br /><br />Koei did a lot of historical research to make the citizens dress and act as culturally accurate as possible for that time period.<br /><br />I guess the massive beratings they got from the public finally woke them up and made Kou Shibusawa do something.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42711346702558955192017-06-26T19:47:45.716-04:002017-06-26T19:47:45.716-04:00@Steve Weidig
My experience with it was rather bug...@Steve Weidig<br />My experience with it was rather buggy. I believe most bugs were squashed with patches/expansion packs. Since I got neither, it's possible I got the worst of it.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-31692100808701282772017-06-25T13:49:57.368-04:002017-06-25T13:49:57.368-04:00Keep in mind, reading up on games on the internet ...Keep in mind, reading up on games on the internet was much less common back then. I played a lot of HoMM without ever reading up on it; I didn't even know HoMM HAD expansion packs until after both of them were out, and didn't know it was related to an RPG series until later. So that isn't unreasonable, doubly so if you've been a fan since say, HoMM2. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-75817392504454605192017-06-24T16:44:33.819-04:002017-06-24T16:44:33.819-04:00@Kenny: Buggy, really? It's basically the only...@Kenny: Buggy, really? It's basically the only M&M game under 3DO where I didn't experience any gamebreaking bugs. I didn't get it at relase though, so maybe they got ironed out later.<br /><br />@Canageek: I remember how that went.<br /><br />(heavy spoilers ahead for M&M canon!) In short, the evil ending of M&M VII was meant to be canonical, reviving the Forge and thus Mass-producing the "ancient" weapons (Blaster pistols and rifles, among other things). However, the HoMM community went crazy about getting some Sci-Fi stuff getting shoved into their games "for no reason" (the complainers obviously didn't play the mainline games and thus where unaware of the overarching Sci-Fi plot - or that the demons where actually mostly Kreegan Aliens) and basically forced JVC and 3DO to change the canon, instead tying it more in with M&M VIII with the hastily created Conflux faction.<br />(spoilers end)<br /><br />To be fair, the units looked a bit too much over the top (Goblins with blasters, Minotaurs with Jetpacks, Zombies with Chainsaws as hands and freaking Naga Tanks) and would have been very hard to balance against the other factions, especially the lower level units. Still, I would have largely preferred this over the ConfluxSteve Weidighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18364340751762357858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-53515922411849654742017-06-23T21:31:10.198-04:002017-06-23T21:31:10.198-04:00I didn't mind HOMM4, despite the different tre...I didn't mind HOMM4, despite the different treatment of heroes (and the ability to send out forces without a hero). Mostly, I tended to ignore that option unless forced into it, and when I had to use it it felt weird. I really hated 5 at first, for a lot of reasons, including the terrible graphics (going 3D meant a step back in overall quality) and awful acting. The quirky skill tree (even going to a spoiler site, I still couldn't always understand it) was awful, too. Eventually I decided that despite those glaring flaws, I actually enjoyed the rest of the gameplay. One thing they did well was the combat queue, where you could see the order in which all combatants would act, allowing for better planning. It was also neat to have the turn structure broken down into a more interleaved progression, where fast creatures could act two or three times before slow creatures went once.Quirkzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-14918685071348172312017-06-22T12:26:56.602-04:002017-06-22T12:26:56.602-04:00They tried to bring the SF elements in during one ...They tried to bring the SF elements in during one of the expansion to HoMM3. However, when they tested it, it went over like a lead balloon with the HoMM community. So they had to quickly remake it using existing units as much as possible which is why Conflux was all elemental units. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-14005916559762632162017-06-22T07:11:24.255-04:002017-06-22T07:11:24.255-04:00There's a lot of flak heaped on HoMM 4 because...There's a lot of flak heaped on HoMM 4 because it's different (Heroes can die and involve themselves directly in battle, 8 different Home units but you can only use 5) and, let's face it, pretty buggy and not a very good implementation of this new system.<br /><br />With direct involvement from Heroes, you can literally use ONLY Heroes in a single party throughout a scenario. The campaigns even forces you to do so, basically making you play Might & Magic in a grand-strategy 4x game.<br /><br />I guess that may be the worst complaint. Then again, when we look at RTS trying that, we get what-we-call-them-now Multiplayer Online Battle Arena.<br /><br />Maybe HoMM4 was just ahead of its time.<br />Maybe it was misunderstood and it didn't have a chance to prove itself right in a sequel (in 3DO).<br /><br />I, for one, am also a black sheep. I enjoyed the game for what it was, an ambitious strategy-RPG hybrid that allows you to create your own campaigns without the usual RPG logistic annoyances (Encumbrance, Hunger\Thirst Bar, Stamina\Endurance, Party vs. Character Alignment) and distilling all the high adventures of one into <br />a game more concerned about the destination than how you got there.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-45724195432512891542017-06-22T01:43:43.432-04:002017-06-22T01:43:43.432-04:00I hated hoMM 5 because it didn't continue the ...I hated hoMM 5 because it didn't continue the science fantasy setting of Might&Magic, instead turning it into a pretty lame standard high fantasy setting.<br /><br />I love HoMM 4, but I know I'm in a minority when I say it's my favorite HoMM title. The King's Bounty reboot was pretty good imo, just the mind hero was a bit underwhelming apart from starting with a resurrection scroll which drastically lowered my losses once I learned the spellSteve Weidighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18364340751762357858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-21075560368595279692017-06-19T14:14:22.284-04:002017-06-19T14:14:22.284-04:00The campaign didn't feel fun when I tried it, ...The campaign didn't feel fun when I tried it, and the voice acting and attempt to do in-engine cutscenes were too much. So pretty much what you described. They used 'throw hands over head' for pretty much every emotion in the book since it was one of the few things they had animated. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-30778598254240669442017-06-18T21:23:34.258-04:002017-06-18T21:23:34.258-04:00Nah, KB reboot.
4 is the black sheep of the HoMM ...Nah, KB reboot.<br /><br />4 is the black sheep of the HoMM family - I liked it but it had a non-functioning AI.<br /><br />What were your issues with 5? The campaign isn't very balanced, and features perhaps the worst dialogue (and voice acting) of its decade - were there other reasons?Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11270663426695451682017-06-17T23:11:55.808-04:002017-06-17T23:11:55.808-04:00HoMM reboot? Do you mean 4 or 5? I've never pl...HoMM reboot? Do you mean 4 or 5? I've never played 4, but 5....that was NOT a good game. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-87184023531332331062017-06-17T21:14:59.919-04:002017-06-17T21:14:59.919-04:00Mr. Popo, I agree with your sentiment. I have been...Mr. Popo, I agree with your sentiment. I have been waiting for M&M3 for awhile! M&M2 was the first real CRPG I played growing up, and since I never took advantage of the Cuisinart exploit (and still refuse to this day) I find it fun to go back to. I was initially not a fan of M&M 3-5 (and 6+ for that matter) because they changed things so much and I never gave them a fair shake (the magic system seemed so limited by comparison), but they have really grown on me now that I have given them a fair shot and I have realized that there really are only a handful of go-to spells anyway! Actually, one of these days, I want to play M&M 1-10 in order back-to-back and write up an article on each in succession...or possibly do the reverse, M&M 10-1 in descending order and write from that perspective, which could be an interesting twist!<br /><br />For now, though, I think I will fire up M&M 3 so it is fresh in my mind again!Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13431741012966569454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-88216975745397704742017-06-17T05:22:44.304-04:002017-06-17T05:22:44.304-04:00I only want to see Chet play important console gam...I only want to see Chet play important console games to add a bit of context; to observe a bit of the back and forth influence across the pond. I've barely played the early JRPG entries (or JRPGs generally).<br /><br />In terms of games I personally want to see - I want to see some of the comparisons that inspired the blog in the first place. Old vs new. Fallout vs Wasteland 2 vs Underrail. DM vs LoG. King's Bounty vs HoMM 3 vs the reboot. Daggerfall vs Skyrim. Ultima VII vs Divinity: Original Sin.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62609104538158839802017-06-17T05:18:16.667-04:002017-06-17T05:18:16.667-04:00We've had a few games so far that had missions...We've had a few games so far that had missions without the hub IIRC. Before he did X-com, Julian Gollop was responsible for a number of squad level tactics games that featured unconnected missions - X-com was a breakout game because it provided a macro level context for those missions, both in terms of story and character progression.<br /><br />In general terms, the original x-com plays similarly to the reboot. One of the main differences is that the original featured multiple potential hubs - as rather than just filling the sky with satellites, you needed to build new bases to cover additional radar space.<br /><br />Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-58013446246840247432017-06-16T22:34:00.667-04:002017-06-16T22:34:00.667-04:00I would presume X-COM (1994) is also like this, al...I would presume X-COM (1994) is also like this, although I have never played the original, only the reboots (EU/EW and 2).Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13431741012966569454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-30947236012013113762017-06-16T22:31:43.714-04:002017-06-16T22:31:43.714-04:00Not "completed", but "beaten"....Not "completed", but "beaten". You can beat the "final" boss, but it is an open world RPG so you do not actually win...you can keep questing beyond that point if you wish! I am not sure if the game can ever be "completed"...I think new quests still come even after you have beaten the final boss, they just are side quests not related to the main story anymore.Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13431741012966569454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-41301304268581388192017-06-16T13:12:33.099-04:002017-06-16T13:12:33.099-04:00I would pay money to see Chet's opinion of a f...I would pay money to see Chet's opinion of a few console RPGs. While I want to see him play say, classic Final Fantasy games, I wouldn't pay money for it. However, I'd probably throw $20 into a hat to read his opinion on Ogre Battle 64 or Hybrid Heaven. Ogre Battle is a great game, though I kind of fear putting Chet near something that addictive, as he'd probably try to get all the different troop types and whatnot. That said, he doesn't use spoilers, so chances are he'd never know most of them existed. But I'd love his opinion on the story, gameplay and whatnot. <br /><br />Hybrid heaven would just be to watch Chet have to deal with a combat system based on wrestling, and have to deal with levelling up each part of your body one by one. I might be a bad person. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.com