tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post5339538793856647930..comments2024-03-29T09:18:29.803-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Game 235: Legend of Lothian (1991)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-17540424500267463992017-03-22T13:02:46.822-04:002017-03-22T13:02:46.822-04:00Laurence: Finally got around to checking, and none...Laurence: Finally got around to checking, and none of them are RPGs, sadly. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-28198171791392576222017-01-10T23:23:39.798-05:002017-01-10T23:23:39.798-05:00In an interesting coincidence, Larkspur is also a ...In an interesting coincidence, Larkspur is also a small town about 45 minutes south of Denver where the state's renaissance fair is held. In the minds of the average Coloradan, at least, I expect the name is closely aligned with pseudo-medieval stuff.Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08098875250377735658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-84291536293317948852016-12-12T17:03:05.067-05:002016-12-12T17:03:05.067-05:00When he reaches 2012, we can force him to play vim...When he reaches 2012, we can force him to play vim-adventures.com.Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-75444881554661136632016-12-12T16:04:54.275-05:002016-12-12T16:04:54.275-05:00https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/CategoryGames
Wil...https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/CategoryGames<br /><br />Will this do?tlhonmeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03256644187305759072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68921631660910249912016-12-12T11:53:57.748-05:002016-12-12T11:53:57.748-05:00Paladin's Legacy on the TRS-80 Color Computer ...Paladin's Legacy on the TRS-80 Color Computer has the same problem of food-to-gold at the beginning... I literally gave up playing because it was impossible to advance. Apparently there was some elven lord who would heal you a fair clip away from the starting location, but how would you even know to find it?<br /><br />I think this particular issue comes about from the lack of playtesting. Specifically, by someone NOT involved in the game's design and coding. Just having one person play the game who doesn't automatically know where to go and what to do can reveal all sorts of pacing and balance issues that you'd never have noticed as the designer.Adamantyrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14962009901412877763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8077953668675130302016-12-12T07:47:47.825-05:002016-12-12T07:47:47.825-05:00Rogue's features that lead to its replayabilit...Rogue's features that lead to its replayability came from its combination of permadeath, randomly generated content and interesting strategic and tactical concerns. I think if a game has all those features it can be considered part of the lineage.<br /><br />I like this breakdown: http://gaming.stackexchange.com/a/246909Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-80128935760429584272016-12-11T20:58:23.674-05:002016-12-11T20:58:23.674-05:00A character sheet with stats fir improvement? Like...A character sheet with stats fir improvement? Like temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, etc.? Franklin did that nearly 300 years ago.Quirkzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42798029887471263392016-12-11T20:26:50.566-05:002016-12-11T20:26:50.566-05:00> I read descriptions of several Mystery Dungeo...> I read descriptions of several Mystery Dungeon games. The only claim they seem to have on the "roguelike" title is a) being inspired to some degree by Rogue and b) being very hard.<br /><br />Luckily for us, someone has solved this problem of the right name to use for one of the umpteen different categories of "roguelike" that people all call roguelike.<br /><br />http://bp.io/howroguelike/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14874291376019276497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-66188160113208552432016-12-11T20:13:07.325-05:002016-12-11T20:13:07.325-05:00There's no inherent limitation that prevents a...There's no inherent limitation that prevents a true roguelike -even according to the Addict's strict definition- from appearing on a console. The biggest issue would be control limitations, but most* of the time the more complex control elements are redundant (Angband derived games have a different control bound to activating several different kinds of magic item, for example) or seldom used commands ("wipe face" in ADOM, for example) that would be easy to shove in a menu without becoming cumbersome. Indeed, fully functional versions of some games have been ported to the DS if you can get it onto the console in the first place.<br /><br />The primary issue is that consoles don't let you run just any software the way PCs do and circumventing this isn't exactly easy (or, depending on location, legal), so there's little development incentive for what is, almost by definition, a primarily homemade product.Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-12458760653721038382016-12-11T18:44:06.313-05:002016-12-11T18:44:06.313-05:00What is interesting is that while I have a very st...What is interesting is that while I have a very strict definition of a RL, I don't count permadeath as one of my criteria. Castle of the Winds fits my definition very well, but does not have permadeath. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26095739495840044202016-12-11T18:42:22.703-05:002016-12-11T18:42:22.703-05:00I'd say that the fact the two of you thought t...I'd say that the fact the two of you thought this up independently lends credence to it. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-41487114003754677552016-12-11T17:39:28.891-05:002016-12-11T17:39:28.891-05:00Well, it does seem to do that. I tested it out wit...Well, it does seem to do that. I tested it out with my own game. Using the Orb makes it go from 100 to 1, but that doesn't prevent you from immediately using the Orb again. So I still don't know what the statistic is really FOR.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-84586797127898043112016-12-11T16:45:28.295-05:002016-12-11T16:45:28.295-05:00Yes, but this being my blog, discussions about rog...Yes, but this being my blog, discussions about roguelikes on it have the benefit of using my definitions. See also: "What is an RPG."CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37695559256546944972016-12-11T16:28:30.808-05:002016-12-11T16:28:30.808-05:00The "what is a roguelike" discussion is ...The "what is a roguelike" discussion is always made obfuscated by a list of necessary criteria that is entirely in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I think a roguelike is any dungeon crawler that features that "you move one space, the enemy moves one space" format, with permadeath and randomized floors (and potion effects, preferably) as important traits too. To insist a genre should adhere to the graphical limitations of a game made in 1980 always struck me as unnecessary.<br /><br />Speaking of beholders, you've got one of the first "fake roguelikes" coming up in 1993 with Dungeon Hack. I'd be curious to hear your take on it. After EotB 2 and 3, of course.Mentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12666135395522594894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-80903185972004460722016-12-11T15:48:42.450-05:002016-12-11T15:48:42.450-05:00By the way, none of this should take away from Xeo...By the way, none of this should take away from XeoG's original point, which is that in this particular series, enemies can actually level up by killing other enemies. The only place I've ever seen this is in Stuart Smith's <i>Fracas</i> and more recently in <i>Shadow of Mordor</i>. That's a pretty cool mechanic.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-27974415560713682632016-12-11T15:46:54.752-05:002016-12-11T15:46:54.752-05:00I read descriptions of several Mystery Dungeon gam...I read descriptions of several <i>Mystery Dungeon</i> games. The only claim they seem to have on the "roguelike" title is a) being inspired to some degree by <i>Rogue</i> and b) being very hard.<br /><br />A roguelike features permadeath, randomly-generated dungeons, permadeath, complex inventory management, ASCII graphics, and a large variety of commands to interact with the game world. If they have graphics, then they have tilesets that sit on top of the ASCII graphics. I will accept the subtraction of one of these items and still call it a "roguelike" if it otherwise feels that way. No more. Given this list, I don't believe a true roguelike for a console is possible.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34289719941259790032016-12-11T15:16:31.077-05:002016-12-11T15:16:31.077-05:00As someone who themselves wrote a very short Ultim...As someone who themselves wrote a very short Ultima clone in high school for an IT unit, I should say that the attraction in cloning the overworld aspects of Ultima I is that it is exceptionally simple to code and the graphics are very simple for non-artists to generate. <br /><br />The wireframe dungeon aspects of Ultima I are tougher. The AI and targeting aspects of the top-down battle systems are tougher again. Not sure if this all really matters to people who are ostensibly professional programmers but it mattered to me.GregThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01532920274312703426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20168742851179703412016-12-11T14:51:25.536-05:002016-12-11T14:51:25.536-05:00I guess as is the trend on this blog it depends wh...I guess as is the trend on this blog it depends where you draw the line. Many games identified as rogue-like (or possibly "rogue-lite," depending on whom you ask) are in the modern genre played in real time with smaller control sets than you'd find in something like Nethack. Side-scrolling setups, even, are common. You could totally play something like Risk of Rain on a console.waretaringonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-59154580922176655782016-12-11T14:22:05.362-05:002016-12-11T14:22:05.362-05:00No one wants to be alone with a prejudice, but if ...No one wants to be alone with a prejudice, but if there's any group of people out there who thinks "console roguelike" is an oxymoron, I'll flirt with membership.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-53004751039068980592016-12-11T14:20:42.803-05:002016-12-11T14:20:42.803-05:00Well, I've been scooped. I've had a postin...Well, I've been scooped. I've had a posting in draft form for about half a year that argues so closely what this article argues that if I had actually published it, you would have thought I plagiarized it.<br /><br />My thesis was that D&Ds-style fantasy more closely represents the American myths of the Old West than any medieval source. I can't imagine I would have come up with a better ending line: "A swords-and-sorcery world, empty of government, where anyone can pick up a sword, become a hero, and live the American dream."<br /><br />However, in my comment above, I was alluding to more than just the flexibility of societal role and the lack of government. I was also talking about the somewhat-uniquely American fad for "self-improvement" as embodied by the 6 thousand books you'll find on the subject in every bookstore, Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, and so forth. It seems an accepted part of our culture that we can target desirable traits and exercise them like biceps. The act of quantifying those attributes is a natural outgrowth. I'm actually surprised that someone hasn't published a popular series of books that attempt to give real-life individuals a "character sheet" on which they quantify strength, endurance, personality, etc.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-37838273796331584512016-12-11T09:32:36.105-05:002016-12-11T09:32:36.105-05:00In the Mysterious Dungeon series--console roguelik...In the Mysterious Dungeon series--console roguelikes--monsters occasionally kill one another and level up. This can screw you over but good.GeoX, one of the GeoX boys.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14658452994152399308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-75438185164737585612016-12-11T09:14:09.650-05:002016-12-11T09:14:09.650-05:00I like to think that the monsters can spot when yo...I like to think that the monsters can spot when you go from level x to level x+1 because of some metaphysical glow or perhaps extra bulging and throbbing meatflesh muscles growing on you immediately to give you extra HP. They know they're weaker than you and avoid you.<br /><br />Doesn't explain why you're not attacked by a level 8 monster while you're still level 1, though.Helmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-69373335081477614612016-12-10T23:32:24.283-05:002016-12-10T23:32:24.283-05:00I think it was by accident rather than design - Gr...I think it was by accident rather than design - Greyhawk was iteratively created based on the needs of a dungeon-delving boardgame. 'What do we do with this treasure? Better create a town for you to spend it in'. The world is incoherent for the same reason Wizardry's is. It's just a bolted together sequence of areas for players to die in. :)<br /><br />Because D&D is very player-centric, it's inevitably going to have less focus on an established order. After all, if there are already kingdoms each exerting a monopoly of force within their borders, what are players to do? Any problem of sufficient size will just be squashed by the local lord. That's why the action regularly takes place in the frontiers of human civilisation - and why it has a rather colonialist feel to it. The PCs are 'taming' the wilderness and its native inhabitants.<br /><br />Also, consider two of his influences: Conan and LotR. Conan takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting. Atlantic was destroyed and pockets of humanity survived, and are now returning to strength, reclaiming the wilderness. Middle-Earth is a world in decline. Human, elven and dwarven society are all echoes of what they were and the ancient and unknown and evil things are encroaching on the land.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-5060405858721745982016-12-10T20:57:10.087-05:002016-12-10T20:57:10.087-05:00Now we need a game based on emacs.Now we need a game based on emacs.Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-64121988721562732372016-12-10T18:44:13.078-05:002016-12-10T18:44:13.078-05:00Ancients 1: Death Watch was one of the few games I...Ancients 1: Death Watch was one of the few games I legitimately purchased back then. It's an odd game and manages to be horrifically ugly. That's all I remember about it, actually. There was a sequel, so it must have done alright somehow.Raifieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08478524519453417677noreply@blogger.com