tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post4600435378593848215..comments2024-03-28T15:25:30.216-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Brief BRIEFs, Part 1 (plus some notes on Elden Ring)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22272823093852786122023-04-01T14:38:23.332-04:002023-04-01T14:38:23.332-04:00My brother owned Legacy of the Wizard for NES, and...My brother owned Legacy of the Wizard for NES, and I played and won it back in the day. I think without walk-throughs as well.<br /><br />It's definitely not a CRPG, I'd classify it as an "action RPG" similar to Zelda. Each of the five family members represents a class of sorts. The son is the only one who can wield the dragon slayer sword, so you use him last; the dragon it right near the entrance and can only be freed when you obtain the four crowns.<br /><br />The game rather cleverly gatekeeps the different sections of the dungeon so that only one character can advance through it to get one of the crowns. The pet is left alone by monsters and there is a section where he can walk through stationary invulnerable monsters where anyone else dies. The father can get a mattock and break blocks to reach his section. The mother gets a float spell that lets her walk across a spike field no one else can traverse. And the daughter has a high jump that only she can make. The only advancement is getting various trinkets to give special abilities, plus there's lots of generic ones like magic restore potions, bread for health, and so forth.Adamantyrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14962009901412877763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50927087415958460452023-03-08T13:47:33.242-05:002023-03-08T13:47:33.242-05:00The funniest thing I have read in ages!
I’ve gone...The funniest thing I have read in ages!<br /><br />I’ve gone through this and escaped to become a museum curator where I am not only in my personal Tanelorn, but actually even found time to finish my painting habilitation.Florian (FincasKhalmoril)https://www.instagram.com/FincasKhalmoril noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-862784432377937192023-03-08T11:32:05.394-05:002023-03-08T11:32:05.394-05:00Speaking of Elden Ring, this hit home:
https://ww...Speaking of <i>Elden Ring</i>, this hit home:<br /><br />https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/elden-ring-or-tenure-track-professorCRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86887236312451299952023-03-08T11:31:01.311-05:002023-03-08T11:31:01.311-05:00I ended up rage-uninstalling it, so you won't ...I ended up rage-uninstalling it, so you won't have any more updates on it from me.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83553376058605195742023-03-08T06:05:34.751-05:002023-03-08T06:05:34.751-05:00I had the impression of Elden Ring being a mindles...I had the impression of Elden Ring being a mindless arcade game. The only thing you do is killing swarms of enemies, but it even doen't matter, since they just respawn.Nifft Batuffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50422094514760799482023-02-27T10:49:30.565-05:002023-02-27T10:49:30.565-05:00I had the same reaction. The profile doesn't l...I had the same reaction. The profile doesn't like to anything, so I'm not sure what the endgame would be.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11547065870976891382023-02-26T23:31:32.409-05:002023-02-26T23:31:32.409-05:00ChatGPT vibes.ChatGPT vibes.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83444407082739838172023-02-26T20:43:25.273-05:002023-02-26T20:43:25.273-05:00It sounds like you are finding Elden Ring's ba...It sounds like you are finding Elden Ring's backstory and setting to be quite complex and difficult to understand. FromSoftware games are known for their deep lore and complex narratives, and it's not uncommon for players to feel a bit lost when they first start playing.<br /><br />The game's introductory cinematic, while visually stunning, may not provide a lot of context or explanation for the various terms and concepts it introduces. This can make it difficult to understand the game's lore and world-building, especially if you are new to FromSoftware's games.idiomahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18232128112734989224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-72636612406847335302023-02-15T05:00:03.029-05:002023-02-15T05:00:03.029-05:00On Legacy of the Wizard and the Dragon Slayer seri...On Legacy of the Wizard and the Dragon Slayer series turning into not-RPGs: the sixth game, Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes, is a full-on turn-based RPG, and was so popular that The Legend of Heroes was spun off into its own series. With the exception of a couple of Xanadu spin offs, The Legend of Heroes series, is the part of Dragon Slayer that remains in production to this day. For the past 20 years, the series has been in a long-running arc known as the Trails series, that in turn has spawned several sub-series of its own set in different countries on a continent called Zemuria. The various games all fit together and reference each other, with characters crossing over. It's a level of continuity that gives Britannia a run for its money.Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73936626085836793922023-02-11T22:27:23.215-05:002023-02-11T22:27:23.215-05:00I don’t comment frequently admittedly, and I’m a l...I don’t comment frequently admittedly, and I’m a little hesitant to comment on the difficulty of FromSoft’s games because my general stance is “most camps have a valid point in either direction”. That said I think it’s important to consider developer goals. The Souls games (and this has been explicitly stated by Miyazaki, the creative lead) are literally a fantasy story, but thematically a story about suffering and catharsis, which is an experience he wants conveyed via gameplay. I think there’s a certain merit in difficulty options (particularly with Sekiro, since it’s much more tightly tuned), but the hostility of the games is a plot element as much if not moreso than any cutscene or dialogue.<br /><br />I tend to be far more critical of games that fail to do what the developer desired than games that fail to do what the player desired, admittedly (which is why I applaud Death Stranding even though I’m not a fan myself).Qaenyinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11248861865409016123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32922583065638012832023-02-09T20:01:53.347-05:002023-02-09T20:01:53.347-05:00Re: story, I'd highly recommend watching Vaati...Re: story, I'd highly recommend watching Vaatividya on YouTube. Even if you have no interest in actually playing any Fromsoft games themselves, his videos on their lore are amazing.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17469733830517678716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-57520397606983080842023-02-09T19:02:35.856-05:002023-02-09T19:02:35.856-05:00“Just choose the default! That's their way of ...“Just choose the default! That's their way of saying: if we could only have included one setting, this would be it.”<br /><br />I’m not confident that a game with a single difficulty setting is necessarily going to balanced the same way as the ‘default’ option in a game with multiple difficulty settings.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-59375797301078521782023-02-09T13:17:21.287-05:002023-02-09T13:17:21.287-05:00I'm not sure how you're interpreting my st...I'm not sure how you're interpreting my stance as that I alone have the mandate to criticize a developer's intentional decisions. If you want to say that From made the wrong call in not having quicksaves, or in anything else, that's your prerogative. Just be prepared to face an avalanche of scrutiny.Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04131989140638867919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42442444023399311902023-02-09T13:14:43.574-05:002023-02-09T13:14:43.574-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04131989140638867919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49787169319452024222023-02-09T12:42:19.282-05:002023-02-09T12:42:19.282-05:00Bitmap: I'd offer Celeste as a contrast. This ...Bitmap: I'd offer Celeste as a contrast. This is a challenging game. It also has accessibility options that allow you infinite stamina or jumps, invulnerability, or even slower game speeds. This didn't seem to destroy the game or take away its edge. Some people used them and some people didn't. There's still a well made, difficult game there for anyone who wants it.<br /><br />So I'm skeptical that something similar would undermine other games the way you suggest. I can't know for sure, and I can't prove it, but I don't see much evidence to support it.asimpkinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-90590433527537158032023-02-09T12:26:51.876-05:002023-02-09T12:26:51.876-05:00Harwin: "The "default" isn't al...Harwin: "The "default" isn't always the best option either."<br /><br />Exactly. And if you can't trust the developer to choose the best option as the default, then how does it make sense to trust them to choose the right option as the ONLY option?<br /><br />Developers can do whatever they want. I hope it's obvious that I'm not talking about forcing anyone to do anything. And I understand that developers also have finite resources and can't offer everything. But it seems to me that more options, available in non-intrusive ways, is generally better than fewer.<br /><br />Ahab: "I think Doug Smith made the completely wrong call in giving the player so few lives for 50 absolutely diabolical levels"<br /><br />So I get lost when you think you have the judgement to make call this about Championship Loderunner, but other players lack the judgement to make it about other games?asimpkinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-66662419591585539042023-02-09T12:26:03.351-05:002023-02-09T12:26:03.351-05:00The question I'm more interested in, which for...The question I'm more interested in, which fork of the road is better for the individual development team. The team of Demon's Souls chose to follow their vision to such an extent that they even kept quiet about their game's high difficulty in their meetings with their publisher Sony because they feared that they'd be overruled. They happened to find success, with quite a bit of luck -- the game wasn't much of a success in Japan and was more successful in the west. If they had been forced to lower the difficulty, including in their later games, they might still be an obscure company. If they had switched to making easy mass-market mobile games, who knows whether they would still exist. Of course it's hard to say, and there's the survivorship bias to keep in mind, but their path *is* an undeniable example of success that came from sticking to their guns.<br /><br />"When these alternative modes could have easily been provided"<br />Implementing a lower difficulty that is also well-balanced would have required a lot of work of the development team, especially the balance testers. The risk is that both modes could have ended up less well-balanced.<br /><br />"treat their players like small children that can't make their own decisions and seek their own challenges on their own terms."<br />One, a high difficulty level forces every player to really master the game systems and to try to take advantage of every possible tactic. At a lower difficulty level, players often wouldn't even see the possibilities (because they're not necessary to proceed), so they'd consider the game to be less deep and interesting.<br /><br />Secondly, Miyazaki wanted to create a community that shared a sense of overcoming adversity. Anyone who talks about struggling or overcoming one of the game's challenges will share a common understanding with everyone else who plays. You can expect that if you talk with your friend about the Tree Sentinel, you'll have a shared experience and you can motivate each other. But if you played on hard, struggling for hours, and your friend played on easy, beating that boss on the first try, the commonality of facing the same adversity is gone and the opportunity for mutual motivation is diminished.Bitmapnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-9840464647635198752023-02-09T11:38:44.301-05:002023-02-09T11:38:44.301-05:00Yes, and we win. These games reward skilled gamep...Yes, and we win. These games reward skilled gameplay. That's part of what makes Elden even better of an open world ARPG: You aren't required to grind for XP if your own, personal skill XP is high enough. The game gives you multiple options, which is pretty nifty, and open to a wider audience of players.Biff Rapperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17454119660922657098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62716460469048135672023-02-09T11:35:52.693-05:002023-02-09T11:35:52.693-05:00Sorry, but you don't "get" 'Soul...Sorry, but you don't "get" 'Souls games if you prefer saving wherever. These games aren't about save scumming. They aren't about second chances at choices. Every choice you make is permanent and there is no reversing your decision. The games are designed to encourage you to thoughtfully approach every situation and deal with the consequences of whatever you choose. Anything otherwise would be a violation of their game design. These aren't the games for you if this is an issue. Also, I absolutely prefer the 'Souls approach to respawning/progress continuation. So what if I have to grab my souls? I don't have to do x, y and z again, because I managed to obtain/do them before I got wasted. System Shock started this trend decades ago and is widely accepted as a great alternative to repetitive re-loading.Biff Rapperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17454119660922657098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-52870499788843895072023-02-09T11:30:55.684-05:002023-02-09T11:30:55.684-05:00Regarding "following your vision is more like...Regarding "following your vision is more likely to result in a megahit than following the masses" - that really depends on whether you define megahit as getting great reviews (Elden Ring does well by this metric), OR by brand recognition (the FIFA series is a good example here), OR by sales revenue (Candy Crush and similar simplistic games will win this by a wide mile).<br /><br />It has long been true that really hard games get a lot of press attention BUT really easy games get WAAAAAAY more players (and thus, revenue).Radianthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03866535042372152723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-38826459376501253562023-02-09T10:05:52.112-05:002023-02-09T10:05:52.112-05:00Supporting a developer's decision not to inclu...Supporting a developer's decision not to include certain options isn't the same thing as being anti-option. Just as one can support the modding community while also supporting a developer's decision not to include or endorse any mods.<br /><br />Yes, I use save states sometimes. Championship Lode Runner was the most recent example of this, where I backed up saves after each level. As I said in my summary, I think Doug Smith made the completely wrong call in giving the player so few lives for 50 absolutely diabolical levels, so many of which need trial and error to solve. Had he provided the option of an infinite lives cheat, I would have still said this should have been the default for this game (not for the original Lode Runner which is fine as-is).<br /><br />Regarding default difficulty, it's fairly common nowadays for developers to designate the "real" default difficulty that the game had been designed around as one of the harder settings, and scaling things back from that for what they call "normal" difficulty. The logic behind this is that the developers, who know the ins and outs and have plenty of practice, may think their game is easier than it really is.Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04131989140638867919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-58418560665327246262023-02-09T09:54:19.056-05:002023-02-09T09:54:19.056-05:00Did you use the NPC summon for either of the bosse...Did you use the NPC summon for either of the bosses? Each one has a bit of story you can find as to why they're there, and they can potentially make things easier as it makes the boss concentrate on something else for a bit. It does increase their hit points, though.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17469733830517678716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-13596657830853271482023-02-09T09:42:31.787-05:002023-02-09T09:42:31.787-05:00The "default" isn't always the best ...The "default" isn't always the best option either.<br />If you're not marketing your game as "difficult" (like Souls games) then you don't necessarily want to turn off your larger market with a difficulty spike at the beginning.<br /><br />So I think it's safer as the developer to err on the side of easier than harder for the default, if you're providing multiple options.<br />Harwinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-71540707712524730522023-02-09T09:33:24.714-05:002023-02-09T09:33:24.714-05:00They're referred to in game as "Ashes&quo...They're referred to in game as "Ashes".Harwinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-52605327750209196182023-02-09T08:43:19.407-05:002023-02-09T08:43:19.407-05:00I was thinking, are the anti-options folk equally ...I was thinking, are the anti-options folk equally horrified by what happens in the mod and romhacking communities, because it kind of all seems like the same thing to me? Is that a violation of authorial intent that would be better to not exist?<br /><br />Ahab, (I love your blog by the way!) I know you sometimes will use save-states to make certain games accessible to you. You could simply decide the game is not for you and play something else, but I'm glad you don't. Wouldn't it have been better if the game designers had just built in those options to begin with?<br /><br />Tristan: "I slightly prefer playing games without difficulty options - I don't like having to guess which setting is going to give me the best experience."<br /><br />Just choose the default! That's their way of saying: if we could only have included one setting, this would be it. Choose it if that's what you're looking for, otherwise here are some other options just in case. I find this argument so confusing?asimpkinsnoreply@blogger.com