tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post4150368249546919581..comments2024-03-28T09:10:48.790-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Prophecy of the Shadow: Won! (with Summary and Rating)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32650350373315081672022-08-30T16:00:08.402-04:002022-08-30T16:00:08.402-04:00Since no one commented on it back then and I alway...Since no one commented on it back then and I always appreciate the thought and humour you put into subtitles and captions, I'll note I chuckled at "This is one mean-ass morgoth." - a (combined) Tolkien reference from you, of all people! <br /><br />Honorable mention for "Um . . . where did that last line come from?" Yeah, just replace "Ylowinn" with "the Galaxy" and you have the famous scene where ... no, wait, I won't spoil what DV says to LS (maybe I should put it in ROT13?).Buscanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50996658667081947622022-07-06T09:43:37.565-04:002022-07-06T09:43:37.565-04:00I've been hoping for a more-polished and deepe...I've been hoping for a more-polished and deeper version of Recettear for a decade now, and keep getting my hopes up when I hear about Shoppe Keep and Moonlighter and such, but never find what I'm looking forCanageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-41264350786987016112019-07-23T21:12:34.862-04:002019-07-23T21:12:34.862-04:00You would be correct - We were really making it al...You would be correct - We were really making it all up as we went along. The actors were captured with a video camera straight to the computer via a targa board - hideously expensive at the time. We really had no idea what we were doing. Jaimihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06824448749334828799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73882345297279868322019-07-23T15:33:56.226-04:002019-07-23T15:33:56.226-04:00By the way, Addict, have you played enough 3D game...By the way, Addict, have you played enough 3D games (especially action games) to know that you don't get simulation sickness?<br /><br />It probably won't be much of an issue in RPGs but then again I've played at least one that made me ill (Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm on Dreamcast). But if you're one of the lucky majority, and especially if you've played Skyrim et al. with no problems, you'll probably be fine.PK Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14416777230563913195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-19943371728152611262019-07-23T13:44:52.571-04:002019-07-23T13:44:52.571-04:00Yes, of course. I don't have enough comprehens...Yes, of course. I don't have enough comprehensive experience with more modern games. And in modern games, I tend to value the "storyline" (which by its very nature is linear) less than the overall game world. Sometimes the former even gets in the way of the latter. CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-31640681296139919822019-07-23T13:30:31.496-04:002019-07-23T13:30:31.496-04:00I assume this shortlist includes only games you ha...I assume this shortlist includes only games you have played as part of the blog, correct?<br /><br />If not, it would quite damning for more modern games.Vincenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-10810533443930857442019-07-22T15:42:22.538-04:002019-07-22T15:42:22.538-04:00I guess, but quite a few other games with photos o...I guess, but quite a few other games with photos of real people managed to look much better around and before this time. A-10 Tank Killer, for instance, looked much better with its FMV than this, despite coming out three years earlier at the dawn of VGA, and thus having nothing to compare it to. A lot of those straight FMV games looked better too. There's technical difficulties and just having a bad photography department. I think this one can be chalked up to the latter. I also don't think the source material was VHS, it was more likely that they just used a regular photograph camera.MorpheusKitamihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16591271981112642781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-77591390036789918822019-07-22T13:19:04.112-04:002019-07-22T13:19:04.112-04:00Possibly, but this is also 1992. Even in expensive...Possibly, but this is also 1992. Even in expensive studios most of the editing was analog. Local tv stations and such might have had boards with 4 video tracks. Source material was likely VHS, and in any case on tape. Considering you're going to encode the material to some digital format you probably want the source material to be as simple as possible.<br /><br />Yes, a lot of the 90ies FMV likely was pure amateur hour, but it also was a lot harder. Especially given the budgets.<br /><br />Kids these days with their fancy timelines have it so easy. Why I remember when (in my summer job) I first got my hands on an analog timeline editor. We had to rewind our tapes ourselves! <br /><br />Et cetera. It really is amazing how powerful and easy it all is these days!unimuralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06987909304909067445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63067927342052236862019-07-22T09:58:38.793-04:002019-07-22T09:58:38.793-04:00most board games are experienced almost fully in o...<i>most board games are experienced almost fully in one or two play session.</i><br /><br />This could not be more wrong. We're not talking about Yahtzee or Settlers, we're talking about the real games. One or two plays just scratch the surface and get you familiar with the mechanisms. There's nothing wrong with being a collector. Collectors put a lot of money into their hobbies and keep the industry running.<br /><br /><i>That is a claim that would be a lot better if you had anything approaching evidence to back it up.</i><br /><br />I recognize this argument. It is a dismissal, an instruction to go and find multiple peer-reviewed studies. And even if I do, you'll investigate the political background of the scientists involved until you find something objectionable that will allow you to dismiss the claim. Been down this road before.<br /><br /><i>a comparison that can be rejected without consideration.</i><br /><br />I can't help but notice an emotional reaction. This isn't a personal attack, although you seem to be reacting to it as if it were. It's an observation I've made, and I believe it to be true. It explains a lot of behavior that was inexplicable before, such as why people buy so many games they don't play, or why they happily buy terrible games. I'll let you know when my funding for a study comes through. In the meantime, meditate on my theory of of game collectors vs. game players and start noticing when it fits observable behavior.Harlandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-23718881732131205182019-07-22T08:37:37.281-04:002019-07-22T08:37:37.281-04:00You didn't mention the most common one - "...You didn't mention the most common one - "The devs clearly ran out of ideas halfway through and just padded the rest of the game with copy-pasted content". <b>All</b> games that last over 25 hours suffer from it.<br /><br />@CRPGAddict, I think you're misinterpreting the context of that discussion. TES games have been running on the iterations of the same engine since Morrowind. And it's an engine that comes with some obvious legacy limitations like e.g. separating interior from exterior. And although I personally never had any problems with optimization in TES games, many people seem to have them. So it's not entirely unreasonable to demand a change to a different engine after almost 20 years.VKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62021413630139914562019-07-22T03:19:15.016-04:002019-07-22T03:19:15.016-04:00That is a claim that would be a lot better if you ...That is a claim that would be a lot better if you had anything approaching evidence to back it up.<br /><br />You're basing your entire argument on a small number of people from a fundamentally different hobby - most board games are experienced almost fully in one or two play session. You don't get all the nuances, and players get better at the strategy, but your 940th game of Settlers of Catan is going to be extremely similar to your 1st game of Settlers of Catan. <br /><br />Computer games don't work that way. Virtually all require multiple game sessions to complete, and that alone means that any comparison to the sort of board game people you are referring to is a comparison that can be rejected without consideration.<br /><br />Most people don't finish most of the games they buy, because that game isn't enough to hold their interest. That does not mean that they have a terminal case of "OOH! SHINY! OOH! NEW SHINY!" disorder, but merely that some factor made them decide that a game was not worth playing anymore. There's a lot of reasons, ranging from "I got too busy to play for awhile, don't remember where I was, and can't stomach going through the beginning again" to "Well, I'm basically guaranteed to complete this without difficulty because I've gotten too good at it, and the lack of challenge has made it boring. I could force my way through to the end, maybe making up some sort of self-imposed challenge to make it tolerable, OR I could spend my limited gaming time on something else" all the way through "these systems looked great when I started, but they don't actually work that well now that the complexity's ramped up."<br /><br />Insisting that most companies are catering to gaming magpies with no attention span is nothing but elitism.Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-80763844048596137772019-07-22T01:53:09.509-04:002019-07-22T01:53:09.509-04:00Yeah. You called it. It's being a game collect...Yeah. You called it. It's being a game <i>collector</i> rather than a game player. There's a big difference there. Different motivations, different goals, they want different things from games.<br /><br />I first noticed this phenomenon in board gaming. There are people out there who will only ever play any game once. "Why play again when there are so many other games out there waiting to be discovered" is their battle cry. After watching them for a while (they're very active on BGG and tend to dominate the discourse) I noticed they loved novelty above all else. They'll go off about the wooden game pieces, the metal coins, the laminated board, and gush with praise about games that are stinkers. When I saw someone rush off with joy to spend on a kickstarter for a game that was well-known to have big rules problems, something clicked. Great games have great gameplay, and he just wasn't interested in that part of the hobby. What those kickstarter backers wanted was a new toy to play with, not a great game.<br /><br />When you understand the difference between collectors who want novelty above all else, and players who want to play great games, you start understanding the way the computer game industry is the way it is. Collectors support their goals with cold hard cash. They buy a TON of games. This gives them a lot of leverage, and explains why the game industry can crap out anything and it still sells. As long as it satisfies that desire for novelty, collectors will buy it. Harlandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-59306133065512657822019-07-21T17:19:00.623-04:002019-07-21T17:19:00.623-04:00"Once the system becomes transparent to me - ..."Once the system becomes transparent to me - I can see how the bits interact, with predictable and easily manipulatable consequences - it doesn't scratch the itch"<br /><br />One of the reasons I didn't like AD&D-based games as much. You more or less know what to expect in terms of character creation and progression, builds, spells, monsters. That doesn't mean an AD&D-based game can't be great, but it's one less thing to explore.Buckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07270991090065636515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-39695782600411538842019-07-21T17:13:02.800-04:002019-07-21T17:13:02.800-04:00I kind of agree with Harland. I see commenters all...I kind of agree with Harland. I see commenters all the time on Reddit who post memes suggesting nothing short of civil war if Bethessda DARES release <i>The Elder Scrolls VI</i> without a "new engine." These same commenters are the first to say that they never play the main quest; they just "walk off in a random direction." <br /><br />I mean, screw you. There should have been 4 more games since 2011 using the company's existing technology. Not everything has to be brand new.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-69294485240184170702019-07-21T16:58:00.678-04:002019-07-21T16:58:00.678-04:00As a game collector I know most games that I have ...As a game collector I know most games that I have will only get played for a limited time, this means that I actually appriciate some games for an halfhour and then move on and some games stay with me for years and I like both as equally, concidering my main goal in collecting is getting stuff really cheap or for free. If I had paid full price for the games it would have probavly influenced my enjoyment of itstmpnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67879549634893305022019-07-21T15:54:03.198-04:002019-07-21T15:54:03.198-04:00Considering the time, it wouldn't surprise me ...Considering the time, it wouldn't surprise me if the FMV parts were all done by people that had absolutely no experienceTwibathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11872080022551062309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-24977699926708998512019-07-21T15:06:41.942-04:002019-07-21T15:06:41.942-04:00[Citation Needed]
[Citation Needed]<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-51381760171806311042019-07-21T12:00:23.947-04:002019-07-21T12:00:23.947-04:00Thanks for supplementing my own experience. Resurr...Thanks for supplementing my own experience. Resurrecting slain foes was a cute idea. I also never found "Tempestas" or "Nictare," and I just took a look at the hint book and it has nothing to say about either of them.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55205726359527671542019-07-21T11:56:41.975-04:002019-07-21T11:56:41.975-04:00With the help of my ratings sheet, I think I'd...With the help of my ratings sheet, I think I'd go with:<br /><br />1. Starflight (1986)<br />2. Ultima IV (1985)<br />3. Starflight II (1989)<br />4. The Magic Candle (1989)<br />5. Quest for Glory I-III (1989-1992, ties)<br />8. Pool of Radiance (1988)<br />9. Ultima V (1988)<br />10. Curse of the Azure Bonds (1989)<br /><br /><i>Star Control II</i> would be 11, or you might be able to convince me to displace one of the others. None of the <i>Might and Magic</i> games make the top of the list just because of how obscurely they unfold. The recent <i>Wizardry</i> games have detailed stories, but they're also needlessly complex and goofy.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-13841282476726996062019-07-21T10:58:18.665-04:002019-07-21T10:58:18.665-04:00"It's worth pointing out at this time tha..."It's worth pointing out at this time that the game world is not dynamic, and after Elspeth left, she was nowhere to be found. All NPCs reacted to her name as if she was still missing and as if Tethe was still alive."<br /><br />I think this could be actually a point on the realism side too - the island didn't have news or social media. Realistically, it could take weeks for news - even as big as the princess being freed or cam being killed - to trickle down to their neck of the woods.gamerindreamsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83214200743377914772019-07-21T07:59:42.988-04:002019-07-21T07:59:42.988-04:00What would be your top 10 for computer game Storyl...What would be your top 10 for computer game Storyline?Dan2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-24528968289339620232019-07-21T06:14:46.470-04:002019-07-21T06:14:46.470-04:00Tower of Doom for Intellivision lets you play as a...Tower of Doom for Intellivision lets you play as a merchant ("Trader") character, who starts out with a bunch of valuable treasures and ranks high in bribery/charm. Clearly the intention was that theoretically you could bribe your way through the game, or at least through most enemies (probably not all), but I've always just settled for hacking my way through.PK Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14416777230563913195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20121357164057672552019-07-21T04:51:17.769-04:002019-07-21T04:51:17.769-04:00Sure, I'm not talking about playing a game out...Sure, I'm not talking about playing a game out and moving on to the next one. Every game has only got so much in it. Some games will be evergreen, always want to play. Others not so much. But certainly games get played out. I wouldn't want to play Dungeon Master or nethack again, for example, as I've seen everything they have to show and have overcome everything they have to throw at the player. Yet both are outstanding games.<br /><br />My meaning was that there are a lot of players out there who play games for the novelty. Buy a game, ooh and ahh at it for a few hours, then on to the next one. Great game, lousy game, doesn't matter as long as it's new.<br /><br />Too many people crap on a game if it's going to be solid and reliable, like Treasures of the Savage Frontier. It's not <i>new</i>, and therefore doesn't satisfy the reason that they play games. Harlandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-64538578376898611182019-07-20T20:30:48.093-04:002019-07-20T20:30:48.093-04:00I found the crystal ball especially helpful in nav...I found the crystal ball especially helpful in navigating the Great Forest maze. It seemed to double the field of view, quadrupling the visible area. <br /><br />After acquiring the gold catalyst, I wandered about the map trying to undo some of the damage that this era had unleashed upon the people of Ylowinn.<br /><br />“…a ghost wanders. I tried talking to him, but it didn't work.” I also tried a few things with this ghost, but nothing paid off. I tried to resurrect the ghost, and when that failed, to resurrect several of the gravestones in his vicinity. When that failed, I tried casting Umbra, becoming “but a shadow” much like the ghost, but I still could not talk to him. *sigh* I suppose he’s just there for ambiance.<br /><br />I was able to resurrect the bandits and the mage hunter in the northern forest and in Robin’s hideout. The newly raised wandered off without a thanks, but at least they no longer attacked on sight.<br /><br />In Larf’s tower, while skeletons strapped to tables could not be resurrected, the zombie remains could be … as zombies. Similarly for the zombie butler. Pity the poor townsfolk who can never return to their former lives. <br /><br />Recalling your comment, I really had high hopes for Ash and Elihem, the beloved son and wife of Berrin who had been killed by guardsmen, but sadly, just like Larkin’s grave, Larf’s skeletons, and the ghost’s graves, Berrin’s family’s graves seem to be tiles with no actionable content. “There isn’t anyone there” to cast respirare upon.<br /><br />Granite Keep’s guards resuscitated easily, except the peculiar one right outside the sealed entrance to the keep -- the one that had been dead when I arrived, without any agency on my part.<br /><br />Cam Tethe was particularly fun to resurrect. “Prepare to meet thy fate, worm!” he threatens, but it’s all bluster: his aggressiveness is gone, unless you initiate an attack. If you are fortunate enough to defeat him again, there is not another ebon axe to be found, but you can resurrect him yet again, with his aggressiveness gone again. <br /><br />The Dire Wolves, Torloks, Morgoths and Spectral Monks followed the by-now boring variation on the same theme, restored to their creature or spectral selves without incident. The real fun might have been to raise Abraxis (again!), but there is no opportunity to do so because once that struggle is complete, you go straight to the end of the game, with that pretty little princess in the painfully cute Li’l Rascals pose.<br /><br />I never found the spell, Nictare, which (according to the manual) would teleport to any location in view. Although I found the two “time stop” scrolls you mention, I also never found the Tempestas spell.<br /><br />I discovered an undeveloped stub in the Great Library. You can Enter the basement after moving three steps North and seven steps East immediately after entering the library. As soon as you Enter the basement, you are attacked by a Torlok and his pet Dire Wolf. There doesn’t seem to be anything else of interest down there, though.<br /> <br />Did you happen to notice that "Cam Tethe" is an anagram for "Chet Team"? I mean, together with Chester the Great, it's amazing how Strategic Simulations, Inc. seemed to have foretold this moment in your blog!<br /><br />Thanks yet again for all the research and the very enjoyable writing. <br /><br />Until later, Rangerous the Second<br />Rangeroushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384980667033682190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68507244030649182902019-07-20T20:30:26.327-04:002019-07-20T20:30:26.327-04:00So, this was a fun game that I had never heard of ...So, this was a fun game that I had never heard of before. Thanks again, CRPG Addict, for bringing these little nuggets to light! You bring us many hours of enjoyment, both reading and playing along.<br /><br />“In the game's opening moments--so sudden as to be comical, particularly with the accompanying scream--Larkin is assassinated…”<br /><br />Your writing really captures this moment – it was very brief, but so unexpectedly funny (and more than a little puzzling) that I restarted a few times just to see it again. Maia’s supercilious head toss provided another humorous FMV :)<br /><br />“It's probably going to turn out that Cam Tethe is the Lord of the Shadows, but it would be nice if the game had some kind of twist on the standard template, like maybe it's me (I did kind-of come out of the wilderness).” Wow, nice insight!<br /><br />As mentioned previously, I made a run designed to maximize attributes. With only a few hours of practice, Magic reached its maximum value of 127. Then I labored at the inn, scrimping and saving for acrobatics training until Chester the Great could teach me no more (at the low 80s). Finally (thanks for the suggestion), I saved to buy the three strength potions in Granite.<br /><br />By the time I reached Cam Tethe's chambers, my health had risen to 116. Imagine my joy on discovering another potion of strength there! I quaffed it, but it had no effect whatsoever! This was a fairly big disappointment, given my focus on maximizing stats throughout the game. I wonder if it was a bug, or if, as with Chester the Great, stats simply could not rise above the 80s except through practice? <br /><br />I recovered the Shadow Sword fairly early in the game, and, as you noted, it was a real disadvantage. Beyond suppressing personal magic, it somewhat unpredictably inhibited portal travel. Eventually I dropped it at the portal in the Great Forest, only coming back for it much later, at the end game. Fortunately, the game has a comforting and reliable item persistence, without the sort of garbage collection routines you see in some games.<br /><br />... (continued)Rangeroushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384980667033682190noreply@blogger.com