tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post6331933772683927638..comments2024-03-28T10:19:08.172-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Fate: Quick Update, Long SessionCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-57666554572657905012022-02-10T13:22:17.165-05:002022-02-10T13:22:17.165-05:00This is an excellent post.This is an excellent post.Zack Macomberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18077050078436768492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-82058111665759886612017-01-22T00:22:30.515-05:002017-01-22T00:22:30.515-05:00On the one hand, I'm mostly bored with Fate (t...On the one hand, I'm mostly bored with Fate (though plenty seem to disagree with me). On the other hand, there would be a certain symmetrical beauty in coming to the "Fate: Won!" article in proper alphabetical order. So, if it doesn't wrap up quickly, I guess I'm hoping for precisely 7 more (including gimlet). Quirkzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09989728120278053705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-27859523995193103462017-01-21T14:01:15.369-05:002017-01-21T14:01:15.369-05:00That assumes you can tell what an "essential ...That assumes you can tell what an "essential map" is. Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35993783433489454952017-01-21T06:50:47.047-05:002017-01-21T06:50:47.047-05:00One thing to keep in mind: few players would be so...One thing to keep in mind: few players would be so obsessive about the mapping. Hard to judge, but my impression is that probably a third of the gaming time could be cut out if you only do essential maps.Andreas Matternhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09354645637567670994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8224949773970130532017-01-21T03:02:57.913-05:002017-01-21T03:02:57.913-05:00I think some of the gimlet categories will need to...I think some of the gimlet categories will need to reflect variety of content divided by total content.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65669098517315389982017-01-20T23:22:21.387-05:002017-01-20T23:22:21.387-05:00Darklands has a pretty big world but is structured...Darklands has a pretty big world but is structured so you don't have to visit a lot of it if you don't want to, and mapping is entirely superfluous as the in game world map is already filled in and tells you where everything is. Technically you could consider it similar in scope but it doesn't place the kinds of demands this game does. You never have to search the world map randomly to find a particular important island or town like this one requires of you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34849414531631231302017-01-20T20:59:56.768-05:002017-01-20T20:59:56.768-05:00I'd feel better about the size of the game wor...I'd feel better about the size of the game world if it DID have more side-quests. It's far too large to support this shallow and repetitive of a main quest. A game this large could only be fun if it had a lot of special encounters, fixed NPCs, and special missions. CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-91406034743080279422017-01-20T20:57:51.086-05:002017-01-20T20:57:51.086-05:00I don't want this to linger much longer. I'...I don't want this to linger much longer. I'll try to alternate posts, but I'm going to keep <i>Fate</i> at every other post until I win.<br /><br />The problem is that the world is large but not very deep. There isn't enough character, detail, special encounters, side-quests, or role-playing opportunities to support a world this big. That'll be a major theme of the final post.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-69082631915662077932017-01-20T19:14:05.628-05:002017-01-20T19:14:05.628-05:00Here's a little more research on random encoun...Here's a little more research on random encounter names:<br /><br />WinUAE’s built in Debugger can be accessed by pressing shift-F12 from within WinUAE. It’s command line is across the bottom of the Debugger window. The normal debugging view is accessed by pressing F1 (this is the default view).<br /><br />The Debugger has located new encounter names at memory location $466A (e.g., when a new random encounter says his name is "Theoderich," then search for that name by typing [s "Theoderich"] on the Debugger command line, without the brackets, and followed by enter). Setting a short (10-byte) memory watchpoint at $466A (e.g. [w 1 466a 10]) and then stepping through the code (e.g. [t] or [g]) after the watchpoint triggers will reveal three different ways that names are generated. <br /> <br />(1) Fate sometimes chooses a pre-made name from the table of 120 names located at $EC032 (e.g. [m ec032 5a]). This list starts with "Suzy" and ends with "Jeremias," and yes, includes "Theoderich." Interestingly, in my early version of Fate, "George" is repeated twice in this list, which you might think of as either an programming oversight or else somebody really likes to see "George" twice as frequently.<br /><br />(2) Fate sometimes randomly generates a name by scrambling up pieces from that same table of names located at $EC032.<br /><br />(3) Fate sometimes randomly generate a name from the table of syllables located at $E8966 (e.g. m e8966 72]).<br /><br />You don’t have to look at or even understand the computer instructions in order to just step through the name assignment code to notice which naming method is being used at any given time. Just watch the memory that holds the random encounter name to see if that name appears all at once (when drawn from the name list), or in pieces (when scrambled from the name list or the syllable table). If the name is showing up piecewise, watching the A registers at the top of the Debug window will reveal the source of the data each time that name extends another syllable. For example, if the name memory location shows "Th" and one of the A-registers points to "Theodorich," you know the "Th" originated from the name table, but instead, if an A-register points to "BrCrDrFlGrKrPlGrStTrThGhBrKr," you know the "Th" came from the syllables list. The program doesn’t seem to mix the methods – once started on a particular approach, it sticks with it until the name is complete.<br /><br />The three different approaches are a little bewildering: what is the benefit of three different name generation routines? However, I think Chet may have already provided the answer -- real-world names, and possibly even the names that are created from amalgamating portions of real names, credibly enhance the sense of realism, while randomly generated names extend the scope of the game and avoid repetition through hundreds or even thousands of encounters.Rangerous the Secondhttp://www.fategatesofdawn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-71144894947204264482017-01-20T17:23:10.264-05:002017-01-20T17:23:10.264-05:00It's really great that the world is full of fo...It's really great that the world is full of folks with very different preferences -- otherwise we'd all be fighting over just one toy! <br /><br />So, my personal preference was exactly the opposite: I really dug into Megatraveller I, but never got that excited about Megatraveller II. For my part, Megatraveller I really enhanced the Grognard experience by automating character creation for the pen and paper Traveller universe. That may be why I stuck with it and remember it more fondly than Megatraveller II, which just couldn't offer the novel breakthrough experience that Megatraveller I did.Rangerous the Secondhttp://www.fategatesofdawn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83924299634841773082017-01-20T12:53:09.961-05:002017-01-20T12:53:09.961-05:00You are correct. Fate's world map is about 20 ...You are correct. Fate's world map is about 20 times as large as both Xeen world maps taken together. The relation for the dungeons may not be as ridiculous, but still in favor of Fate. <br /><br />Seems excessive, doesn't it? I wonder what the creators set out to prove. In any case - Chester, what would your verdict be if the game was not about one absurdly titanic main quest, but split up into a bunch of primary quest lines instead, similar to Skyrim? The amount of content seems to be there.The Architecthttp://ancient-architects.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-23684732488861868402017-01-20T09:49:18.699-05:002017-01-20T09:49:18.699-05:00If it makes you feel any better, I remember enjoyi...If it makes you feel any better, I remember enjoying Megatraveller II. Its a LOT better than the first one.erikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05088258287586749431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60847357101257615112017-01-19T21:48:08.210-05:002017-01-19T21:48:08.210-05:00Just like to add another vote of interest in the F...Just like to add another vote of interest in the Fate posts. While I'd not want to play it, given its way-too-long flaw Chet has well documented, I think it's fascinating for having such an ambitious scope and actually *pulling off* that epic scope competently (if very flawed in game length). <br /><br />When so many other games of the era have clear signs of ambitious design docs that only got partially implemented once the crush of the actual project came to bear -- Fate's inspiration Alternate Reality being the most obvious example -- Fate seems to have pulled off the designers' ambitions...and in a tiny amount of disk space, to boot! As well as Winwood's journey, I like hearing about the nooks and crannies of how the software handles this vast world - like the naming system explored in this post, and Rangerous' comment about how that naming system interacts with the pool of random encounters, etc.Josh Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08736023883647078365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22157823255003912412017-01-19T17:48:57.730-05:002017-01-19T17:48:57.730-05:00IMO 1991-96ish is this weird period in CRPGs. I th...IMO 1991-96ish is this weird period in CRPGs. I think the games that came out then tended to be "products" as opposed to labors of love.<br /><br />old wow bastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13219195579845781590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79729565415392760242017-01-19T13:17:11.617-05:002017-01-19T13:17:11.617-05:00While I only know Fate from this blog, I've co...While I only know Fate from this blog, I've completed both Xeen and Darklands and I wouldn't consider them anywhere near as vast, demanding or unfathomable as Fate seems to be. Andreas Kaplanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627726032225417912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67285337770579923292017-01-18T16:03:08.324-05:002017-01-18T16:03:08.324-05:00My gaming habits are like waves. I can have a peri...My gaming habits are like waves. I can have a period of a couple of weeks or months that I do play games, but then other duties, work etc. come in and I am not gaming for a couple of months or half a year. I usually play games only in winter, when there is dark and not much else to do. When I play games, I follow your blog. When I don't, I do not follow any web sites about games. I am currently playing an awesome roguelike called Tales of Maj'Eyal and was interested what you wrote about Rogue and NetHackDrizztnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85360144610078937482017-01-18T14:45:54.172-05:002017-01-18T14:45:54.172-05:00I can confirm, there are a good number of 20 - 30 ...I can confirm, there are a good number of 20 - 30 range games left in 1991.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60766433216836708042017-01-18T11:08:11.871-05:002017-01-18T11:08:11.871-05:00This game amazes me with it's sheer size. The ...This game amazes me with it's sheer size. The thought that someone actually went through and designed and detailed that large of a world is astounding. <br /><br />I remember when I first decided I wanted to write my own cRPG, and I was going to do something similar. I still have the maps I made. I stopped when I did some calculations and realized I would have to detail around 20,000 individual maps, and buy around a million (literally) portraits, tiles, and other graphics to finish it. <br /><br />The map is still in use, but I focused on one area now instead. I just can't imagine creating a world with an area that size for a single player game at this point. <br /><br />I'll chime in though at this point I'm a little surprised this hasn't been relegated to the back burner a bit, if not done for early. You could have another 200 hours before finishing. I'm looking forward to your coverage of some of my other favorites, like Might and Magic 3, Magic Candle 3, Wizardry 7, as well as some of the others I never saw back in the day. While I've enjoyed reading the Fate posts, it's gone on quite awhile. <br /><br />As a side note, there is a completed map available online. I won't link it, but it is rather stunning once finished. DRGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03101990235685120060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-33994894969901986682017-01-18T11:05:40.310-05:002017-01-18T11:05:40.310-05:00If I were you I'd be much more uncomfortable k...If I were you I'd be much more uncomfortable knowing that there are guys like me, who check your blog every hour or so, even if it is because I regularly open few important links every hour or so, and I consider your blog to be one of them :)Mag Wielki i Szelkihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01807838665939928892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-36571756145121120462017-01-18T10:36:40.780-05:002017-01-18T10:36:40.780-05:00The idea that I have readers that only pop in ever...The idea that I have readers that only pop in every 6 months makes me uncomfortable for some reason.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-14850600804582121882017-01-18T01:45:39.547-05:002017-01-18T01:45:39.547-05:00Wow, you actually persevered in playing this game....Wow, you actually persevered in playing this game. Last time I checked here (I do not remember my nickname from back then) was summer and you were beginning to play this game and now you have 200 hours. I did not believe you would get this far and thought that you would give up. Beating this game is an accomplishment. I never did. Games of similar scope are World of Xeen, Wizardry 7 and Darklands. I finished only Wizardry 7 and consider it one of my best RPG experiences until today. (nostalgia?)Drizztnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-58031811389481264262017-01-17T22:10:22.366-05:002017-01-17T22:10:22.366-05:00Well, let me chime in as one of those who are a li...Well, let me chime in as one of those who are a little fed up with Fate. Your coverage is excellent, but most of what you have to cover is the same old stuff the game did aince the first post.<br /><br />I'm reading your blog a lot (though I don't comment much), and I love learning about new games, new mechanics, new quirks of RPG history through your writing. Unfortunately, by now, the only interesting thing about Fate is it's sheer size.Krajzegnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68218943911579184522017-01-17T19:55:32.152-05:002017-01-17T19:55:32.152-05:00Why not take a break? There's plenty of other...Why not take a break? There's plenty of other games to occupy yourself until Fate seems more interesting.<br /><br />Burnout is DEADLY.Rangerous the Secondhttp://www.fategatesofdawn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-30990020188427297592017-01-17T14:36:08.573-05:002017-01-17T14:36:08.573-05:00Ulrich is a common German name, but is mostly abbr...Ulrich is a common German name, but is mostly abbreviated to Uli. There is a trend at the moment to give names which were out of fashion for a long time like Emil or Paul.finnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-57525507731582716562017-01-17T13:56:17.738-05:002017-01-17T13:56:17.738-05:00Same here, Fate is becoming a trusted friend like ...Same here, Fate is becoming a trusted friend like a pair of well used sneakers. :)Andreas Matternhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09354645637567670994noreply@blogger.com