tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post9032172009421876126..comments2024-03-28T10:19:08.172-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Game 147: Dragonflight (1990)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86795979301516345672015-11-15T14:46:24.162-05:002015-11-15T14:46:24.162-05:00Where in god's name are you people coming from...Where in god's name are you people coming from? CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-31933433459530978602015-11-15T07:31:28.443-05:002015-11-15T07:31:28.443-05:00So you are trying to say that the European graphic...So you are trying to say that the European graphics is not professional? That's prejudiced as hell.IS4https://www.blogger.com/profile/14192184320112098930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-27126439001323413212015-01-02T13:48:16.992-05:002015-01-02T13:48:16.992-05:00Well, congratulations on the girlfriend in any eve...Well, congratulations on the girlfriend in any event!CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-45196022908702700562015-01-02T13:06:01.857-05:002015-01-02T13:06:01.857-05:00I let myself get a bit behind when I got busy. The...I let myself get a bit behind when I got busy. Then I got a girlfriend and suddenly had a LOT less time for blog reading. Now I'm making time for it, reading on my cell phone, stuff like that, and trying to catch up. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85712605316241089042015-01-02T13:04:10.021-05:002015-01-02T13:04:10.021-05:00Why are you always about six months behind these d...Why are you always about six months behind these days?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44816029181404826452015-01-02T11:54:40.468-05:002015-01-02T11:54:40.468-05:00This is why in game settings like Eberron almost e...This is why in game settings like Eberron almost everyone is a NPC class with basically no combat skills. Even the head of the local temple probably isn't a Cleric, they are an NPC class which has some healing, but not attack spells or armour skills. <br /><br />Also: Have the lvl 20 Paladin missing a leg, from his final battle. Sure, he knows how to fight like nobodies business, but getting to the battlefield would be a challenge unless their name is Terry Fox. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-19851161021784571982015-01-01T18:37:09.433-05:002015-01-01T18:37:09.433-05:00Huh, you might want to have a listen to http://sup...Huh, you might want to have a listen to http://supermarcatobros.com/podcast/ sometime. It analyzes a lot of video game music from a composers perspective, and explains why you'd want to use specific music in a specific place. <br /><br />Sure, it won't magically make you start liking the music, but might help you review music when you get to games with it, from a technical standpoint. Or at least help you respect some of the composers who worked on it. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-38494389217129421332015-01-01T18:18:39.522-05:002015-01-01T18:18:39.522-05:00There is a way to do it on Windows Vista and up re...There is a way to do it on Windows Vista and up regardless of emulator: Go to the sound icon in the bottom right (you might have to click the up arrow. Right click on it, open Volume Mixer. Then you can mute things on a per-application basis. VERY useful trick I've found. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-41675429346489328712014-06-10T08:04:09.738-04:002014-06-10T08:04:09.738-04:00PS. This is the previous poster, the wordpress com...PS. This is the previous poster, the wordpress comments integration for Blogger is appalling (forcing my name as my blog ID) So i'll be posting under this display name for any future comments.Nihilushttp://www.arodgersblog.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-12754294766082466302014-06-10T07:54:04.753-04:002014-06-10T07:54:04.753-04:00Not at all, I recently found your blog and it'...Not at all, I recently found your blog and it's nice to find someone taking the time to play undiscovered gems such as this and write about it, especially in this era of super casual gaming.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-70090624756483042042014-06-09T20:01:09.693-04:002014-06-09T20:01:09.693-04:00Even Fallout? Wait, you probably haven't playe...Even Fallout? Wait, you probably haven't played 1 or 2 yet. Fallout 3's BGM (not the radio broadcasts) may be a little too intrusive for your standards. But the BGM for 1 & 2 are pretty atmospheric.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-74300530400158461172014-06-09T18:08:26.964-04:002014-06-09T18:08:26.964-04:00I appreciate your comment, and I agree that the Am...I appreciate your comment, and I agree that the Amiga version of the music sounds better, but I would turn off the music no matter how good it sounds, so there's really no point in my sacrificing several hours of play for that reason.<br /><br />I hope I didn't give the impression that I thought the portraits were ugly or unappealing. I though they were just clearly a different aesthetic, but I couldn't put my finger on why.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-59424724343468906682014-06-09T17:36:20.702-04:002014-06-09T17:36:20.702-04:00Dragonflight was one of my favorite childhood game...Dragonflight was one of my favorite childhood games despite it's unorthodox approaches to certain things such as UI and combat.<br /><br />Firstly, it's a great shame your playing it on the ST because this game has a fantastic soundtrack by Jochen Hippel (One of the best Amiga music composers), that unfortunately sounds horrendous on the ST. Here's a couple of samples of how it SHOULD sound if played on the Amiga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhuaU-WNQb4 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBTDMy0ng1I<br /><br />I have had Dragonflight running fine on WinUAE, I can maybe try and find the correct settings and post them. Regarding the game itself, it's a hugely epic and hardcore game with great complex dungeons, challenging combat and non-linear progression. It's very much a game where you have explore and investigate things yourself with very little hand holding or direction. It's not an easy game by any stretch but it always reminded me of a good blend of Ultima and Dungeon Master with it's own very distinct atmosphere. It's a highly underrated game in my opinion and one that has very much remained obscure.<br /><br />I've personally never had a problem with the visual aesthetics, I love that the characters all have a very Nordic appearance and despite the portraits not necessarily being classical in the sense of what you'd find in EOTB, they have something emotive and stylised about them that I always loved. This was an Amiga game first and foremost, and many perhaps don't realise that the Amiga platform was commercially more successful in Europe and the UK than the US (I pin this down to the dominance of the Arcade gaming culture at the time) and as a result there were huge amounts of games produced in Europe that I (being from the UK) spent my childhood playing where this art style is quite typical; It's not bad, just different, clearly to what some of you guys were/are used to. Someone mentioned Speedball 2, well the UK's Bitmap Brothers pixel art was iconic, featuring some of the best looking games on the Amiga (Chaos Engine, Xenon 2, Gods, Magic Pockets etc) and its likely some of the colourful art used in Dragonflight was inspired by that style.<br /><br />Anyway, I hope you do continue to persevere with the game and perhaps try and see if you can get it working on WinUAE for the Amiga version. Pretty sure the default settings worked more or less last time I tried it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-60243811595045364352014-06-09T14:09:51.942-04:002014-06-09T14:09:51.942-04:00Movies are different. The music is carefully compo...Movies are different. The music is carefully composed, timed, and modulated in volume to match the scene of the movie. If the movie is made well, it never overwhelms the foreground. If films had a constantly-looping tune playing in the background with no regard for what was happening on the screen, it would suck.<br /><br />As for BGM being a "staple part" of video games, I don't know what to tell you. I turn it off. I turn it off even in modern games where it reaches cinematic quality and they hire academy-award winning composers to create it. I don't want to hear music when I play a game. The only exception is brief introductory and victory tunes, like <i>Hero's Quest</i>'s little leitmotifs.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-89547351588955116292014-06-08T19:29:08.234-04:002014-06-08T19:29:08.234-04:00I didn't do my research but another rather wel...I didn't do my research but another rather well-received European RPG (The Dark Eye franchise) series under the name of Realms of Arkania also had similar portrait art.<br /><br />http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/f/f/d/gfs_45845_2_1.jpg<br /><br />Same artist or same influence? *shrug*Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34446448917199866652014-06-08T19:27:13.707-04:002014-06-08T19:27:13.707-04:00Come on, BGM is a staple part of every movie and v...Come on, BGM is a staple part of every movie and video game ever made. Back in the time where it wasn't possible for speech, music was the only audio input you could get from both.<br /><br />Done well, a video/movie BGM would sound like... I dunno, elevator music? Puts you in the mood but doesn't catch your attention.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47113320591641798962014-06-08T19:10:17.234-04:002014-06-08T19:10:17.234-04:00I never played much of either, but I know Ambersta...I never played much of either, but I know Amberstar has the reputation of "best RPG ever for the Amiga" for many fans. Why Amiga? Apparently the sound/music is much better than on other platforms.Pedro Q.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03572150497835442981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65699561136142755472014-06-08T16:04:01.830-04:002014-06-08T16:04:01.830-04:00Your description of a "novella" makes me...Your description of a "novella" makes me realize I don't have all the documentation for the game. The manual I have only has a brief snippet of the novella. I found a full one online, and I'll try to read it for the next post.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79775069256550342822014-06-08T15:48:12.788-04:002014-06-08T15:48:12.788-04:00I think it's just my own quirk. I don't li...I think it's just my own quirk. I don't like background music in general. I love jazz, but I never have it going in the background while I work; I only listen to jazz when it's the only thing I'm doing at the time.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8342213505499101332014-06-08T15:47:09.104-04:002014-06-08T15:47:09.104-04:00As we'll see next time, the creators DO acknow...As we'll see next time, the creators DO acknowledge a debt to McCaffrey for the title.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-46248530005945030092014-06-08T12:42:37.086-04:002014-06-08T12:42:37.086-04:00I don't think US releases of the era are compl...I don't think US releases of the era are completely consistent, but they did have a lot more professional graphic artists, people who might have jumped from comics or illustration to game graphics (Ultima Series and other Origin games spring to mind) to do the best art there. European releases, esp. on Amiga at the time were made by hobbyists with deluxe paint who learned as they went.<br /><br />Of course there's wonderful pixel artists with distinct styles on the Amiga, a lot of them in the demoscene - other Thalion alumni, Henk Nieborg, who is responsible for a lot of art in Lionheart, then some in Amberstar/moon and later on Adventures of Flink and Lomax and a lot of gma and nds titles is an amazing pixel artist that came from the amiga era - but it's worth noting that he also can't draw a human face to save his life. <br /><br />I am a pixel artist professionally and I've seen a lot of wonderful pixel artists with shoddy fundamental art skills, which they're hiding via good pixel technique. Then you look at the art in, say, U7 <br /><br />http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/ultima-vii-part-two-serpent-isle/screenshots/gameShotId,23590/ <br /><br />where this pixel art is not the best, but it's clearly the work of someone with an illustrative background. <br /><br />http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/ultima-vii-part-two-the-silver-seed/screenshots/gameShotId,165492/Helmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73071246660140513142014-06-08T08:59:10.717-04:002014-06-08T08:59:10.717-04:00One reason is for sure that it was far easier in 1...One reason is for sure that it was far easier in 1990 to add some music than sound. Music composer software ("Mod tracker") had been around since 1987 and was quite easy to use. Recording digital sound effects was much more difficult and disk space consuming.<br /><br />I checked some Let's Play videos and it seems that Amberstar and even Ambermoon just had music too. <br /><br />That said, I actually enjoy the background music while playing. It sets a retro mood and brings back memories.Jannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-43087365790987745872014-06-08T02:53:26.403-04:002014-06-08T02:53:26.403-04:00*or simply trying to survive.
Sending out some o...*or simply trying to survive. <br /><br />Sending out some orphans is basically the last-ditch effort. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35637023160179289352014-06-08T02:43:45.221-04:002014-06-08T02:43:45.221-04:00To be fair, there doesn't seem to be anyone el...To be fair, there doesn't seem to be anyone else left.<br /><br />The novella that came with the game explains it: this is near-apocalyptic fantasy. Magic has been mostly forgotten. Veteran heroes are either dead, insane, or too old and frail to do anything. Surviving civilizations are on decline, either warring with each other or simply to survive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4127219388553869472014-06-08T01:29:27.188-04:002014-06-08T01:29:27.188-04:00I think it might actually be the faces themselves....I think it might actually be the faces themselves. First, they're somewhat "realistic"--none of them are impossibly attractive or goofy-looking the way we often see in U.S. games. Second, they all have a certain . . . Teutonic quality, with prominent facial features (especially cheekbones). They're like the opposite of anime.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.com