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Messages - maheusz

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1
Site Feedback & Suggestions / Re: Alternative captcha option...
« on: October 19, 2013, 11:33:01 pm »
The captcha stuff will go away after few posts ;). There was time when the forum was assaulted by spambots and this was the only thing that stopped them. So don't worry you won't have to deal with these all the time!

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Suggestions / Re: Feedback and requests
« on: October 01, 2013, 08:57:32 pm »
Of course there were tons of old school games that were bad.

Shadowrun returns was horrible.  You can't even put Shadowrun and Wasteland in the same sentence in my book.  Wasteland 1 was a true sandbox - go anywhere do what you want, even if it means walking into a high level area and getting wasted at level 1.  The new Shadowrun is completely linear and boring.  However, it has prescripted dialogue trees the same way that Underrail does so in that sense they are the same (and the NPC interaction is horribly boring for me in both).

Every single core element of Underrail was implemented, at least in part, by one or another c64 game back in the 80's.  I have no idea how you are going to talk about letting old ideas rest in peace.... if you like Underrail that means you like the old ideas.  You can not name one new innovation in Underrail, and that is perfectly fine.  It has 90% of the best elements from the old games.  But there is still another 10% of the (good) old ideas that could be added imo.  Hybrid dialogues is one of them. 

Do me a favor:  spend 10 minutes and download a c64 emulator, and track down the roms for a game called 'newcomer'.  It is, I think, one of the most complex/deep/interesting/difficult RPG's in the history of cRPG's (orders of magnitude more difficult than Underrail).  If you play this for a bit and still think the complexity of hybrid dialogue is a bad thing, I will be surprised.  Then again, many would only see the graphics and write it off.

I see you're not getting the point I'm making about the Shadowrun - it's a KS made game which didn't really work. It has the same world, similar karma system and tries hard to emulate 'good old times'. It failed. The only new game I can think of (maybe there are some indies, I guess Spiderweb Software games) using 'typing in' kind of interface is just the Wasteland 2 which conveniently hasn't been released. Why should it work? Because 'it's sandbox game'? Because it worked before? Look how Duke Nukem failed when it tried to answer the nostalgia call (I'm not saying it's crash is only this... nope). And here you are asking it to be put into the game again... to add eastereggs. To add more content only for those foolhardy enough to find the little bit of dialogue hidden from us. Like somebody asked up in the thread - what is the point? Other people will feel like being cut off from the meat of the game. Not everybody likes hunting for little hints. For me it's too much of a reminder how poetry lessons were in school or at college.

Getting out to the masses isn't a bad thing. Artificially making game harder is. I'm not talking about Dark Souls style of difficulty. More like when you can only save at checkpoints. Badly put checkpoints. Or forcing player to learn new language just to play the game (it's kinda okay in puzzle games tho). Our hobby is no longer just a few guys in a room with a dice. It's for others too. I don't care for elitism in any form, and it sure smells like one.

Every single core element... do you mean every single core element of RPGs? Because if that's the case then we can be bold and say that cRPGs are just RL RPGs. The only thing changed is medium right? Inventory, skills, statistics, talking to NPCs... and mind you even when playing paper RPGs you're forced to do sentences. To 'talk', not just spew numbers and 'critical' single words. At least that's how it worked when my GM was having fun with us... so if we're going about what was first, then obviously the 'word is a key' is something that was cut down, right? ;]. To met the expectations of computer gaming...

It's all about the implementation. It's true that the things that you're dismissing with 'if only graphic matter for you' are important too! Hell. I play roguelikes when I need one thing. Skyrim when other, and Counter Strike or some MMO when another. Yes sometimes graphic matter too. You know, immersion? How the dragon roars, the screen shakes and fire sizzles? It's a lot different then it's just written on the screen. We are beings who use our touch and our eyes to maximum.

And I do think that getting back to the 'write the word and hope it's the correct one' minigame each time I'm talking to NPC (and guessing which has a line attached to it) is going back to old ways. That is why I said that we should let old ideas rest. Or pixelunting if we're talking about old, stupid rituals. Also the 'writing the stuff down' idea... if a company will give me compelling story I will just sit down and live this story. You don't need to use keywords to get lore done. Like in Baldur's Gate each unique magical item had it's history. Like people living in town weren't just bland NPCs. Like books in Elder Scrolls series. Even like wretched audiologs. There are much more things that can immerse in the story. I just think that some things from the older games - just like keyword searching - are just a headache and they really don't do much. And yes. It's tedious. It's not fun.

That is what I'm saying about letting the old rest. There are new things that can carry the story. In the past it wasn't possible - just because computer power limitations. Now it is... so why forcing people to turn back? Even greatest graphical fidelity won't swallow the great story. For people who came for the story.

Rant end, lol.

Anyway, I didn't play the Newcomer, but there are other ones, using this system I did (I'm more Amiga generation). And, to be honest most of the time I had the feeling that RPG I'm playing is getting out the great story omitting the awful player interface. Of course I wasn't thinking that at the time I was playing it for the first time... but then I didn't know anything better that existed. I do now. That is why I react so violently to anyone trying to backtrack :P.

3
Suggestions / Re: Feedback and requests
« on: October 01, 2013, 05:37:46 pm »
While I do agree with the opinion that the newest generation of gamers is indeed focused on speed, getting fast satisfaction and 'easy points' (this is of course a bit of generalisation), but the answer to this isn't going back in time. I don't know if I should remind you that most of the solutions used in early RPGs/adventure games were there because: it was easier to implement (from the technical and writing standpoint), everybody was doing it and of course nobody expected anything else. They're not ideal. Neither are of course dialogue trees. But I do see them as advance...

Underrail isn't the same as Wasteland 2. It's stands on it's own. Returning to your suggestion - while kickstarter for W2 indeed gave expectations of remaking the old type of RPG with the Underrail it isn't the case. Styg already said that most of the mechanics are already implemented and what is left - the content - is something else entirely. I also don't know if you researched this before but Styg is only one guy. It's one man project. Wanting such big change and saying: 'Underrail could add this to the existing system without needing to change any of the old content' is a bit you know... thoughtless?

And while I do get what are you saying with the W2 and Shadowrun being remade with Kickstarter it still just means that there are some people who like this stuff. Older games. Better times for developer. And this whole 'the grass was greener' deal. But what does it mean? Did you play Shadowrun Returns? How rehashing the nostalgia worked? For me it was bland as soup without salt. I can't speak for Wastelands 2. Yet. But sometimes people should let old ideas and games rest in peace.

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Suggestions / Re: Feedback and requests
« on: October 01, 2013, 11:07:05 am »
Sounds like you have never played a cRPG with keyword dialogues.  It is pretty scary to me that RPG's are made so easy and have been dumbed down so much over the years.  This may be a shock to you but gamers actually used to take notes on what NPC's said so that they did NOT forget, and this complexity was actually part of the fun of the design.  If you think that is 'hard' to do, well it is something I did with RPG's when I was 8 years old.

When people will learn that 'being hard' or 'being tedious' isn't necessary definition of fun? Also is taking notes fun for you? Not getting immersed enough to know what should you do next? Keeping a piece of paper full of puzzles which may or may not be useful and hoping it gets you further into the game? That is not my definition of fun. You may be one of the people who play 'Legend of Grimrock' with 'no map option' and think writing it down is all fun and games, but it clearly isn't such joy for everyone else, eh? So forcing it down their throat in the name 'RPGs should be hard, like old times' isn't gonna work.

And sorry, but glorification won't work on me. I did play some later 'keyword based' RPGs and I clearly think they sucked. I much more prefer a coherent story with you know, dialogue and personalities not keyword shooting when you're stuck!

Lastly... I do kinda agree with dumbing down and making games more approachable, but seriously I have enough selfconfidence to just ignore the games made for 'casual crowd' (with big wink!). And BTW since when RPGs became something we must toil in sweat and blood to aquire? They used to be, you know... fun? So please don't don't feel resentful - I do get it's your personal opinion, but so is mine. And I do feel that asking some things you wanted to, at this stage of developement is just nostalgia glasses which get forced on the game...

So yeah.

5
Suggestions / Re: Feedback and requests
« on: September 30, 2013, 10:36:02 pm »
As far as I know energy shields are one of the things that are still waiting for implementation. Also, while I do kinda agree on keyword search the game is already focused on the different kind of dialogue. I would guess that demanding such radical change now won't work. And, ending my two cents, I would say that using keywords to talk with NPCs isn't really that interesting as you're painting it. Especially if player forgot something (like you know, saving the game and leaving it for some time) and then remembers it and returns to playing.

It's hard enough to do that thing with normal RPGs... I wouldn't even dare to try with keyword ones.

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Suggestions / Re: Thoughts on Traps (And Grenades)
« on: September 28, 2013, 11:52:37 am »
I approve of this message! :D

It sure makes sense that arsenal of mines and traps gets wider and wider with game progress, but making simple ones should still be nice. Also I could add that there also may be shotgun/weapon traps - where they shot a passerby who triggers it (it could be used only on doors and similar entryways, to make it more realistic). There are also simple naiboard traps - just nails sticking out of the ground. Really simple and really painful, but not damaging in any way. I could also thing about all these 'Bouncing Betty's' mines - specialized to deal area damage by 'jumping' on the level of about 1,5 metre. Devastating. Also there could be a possibility to use feromone trap - ie. to utilize some of wild animals on the map as deterrent. And sight of two groups of enemies fighting always warms my heart :D.

So these are my suggestions :).

7
Suggestions / Re: First impressions
« on: September 27, 2013, 12:43:06 am »
But then again from the lore standpoint - Fallout was all about getting stuff in after apocalypse America, right? Underrail is more in the vein of underground Metro/bunker tunnel systems, where it wasn't really that available. So it's quite obvious that there will be some problems with ammunition, it will be more scarce and (once again going after Metro reality) lower quality. Besides you're doing okay, right? There wasn't a moment where you though: 'oh, God I'm fucked', ya? With careful checking or even making due with what's in the inventory you can beat the odds.

So let's have fun and find more ways to break the game :P.

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Other Games / Re: List of sandbox games?
« on: September 25, 2013, 06:19:01 pm »
Well Terraria is nice and all, but I also heard some rumors that 1.2 version patch will be the last one. Which in turn kinda forced me to rethink my buy. I'm still waiting for it to be confirmed, but I heard that great plans were made for new versions and now they end into a dust bin.

I guess Terraria could be classified as an RPG, but as far as I know there is only change in equipment, not in skills of characters... more of an adventure game (which too can have interesting story). If you're talking about this type of games there is also Realm Explorer, Kenshi and few others - very sandboxy games where exploration is everything. Ah, but of course Terraria is one of the only ones (not counting Minecraft) which are out of alpha/beta stage.

9
Hells yeah! The game gets really fleshed out and I love it! There will be some playing to do I guess :P, getting used to changes and stuff, but armored Juggernaut with a hammer starts looking even more interesting. And grenades. Can't forget about these.

And congrats for Greenliting! For me it's a whatever if I'll get the game on Desura or Steam, but I do understand of the appeal of getting into spotlight :). So keep up the good work and show them people how proper turn based RPG looks like! :D

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Other Games / Re: Wasteland 2
« on: August 30, 2013, 11:40:03 am »
I don't know how the rest of the guys reacts to it, but for me it's a big 'meh' until it's not released. I'm not exactly player who had contact with Wasteland (even though I started my gaming with Amiga era), so there is no sentiment factor for me :P. It's like with Shadowrun - it's rather good game, but nothing amazing. And buzz about it was pretty big.

Don't get me wrong - I too sponsored few things through Kickstarter, but I'm keeping my emotions in check until they come out. Not getting hot over teasers and trailers is pretty sensible thing to do :D. Yet I kinda can understand the enthusiasm...

So my answer is just waiting, I guess :P.

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Other Games / Re: List of sandbox games?
« on: August 30, 2013, 11:30:23 am »
Well from the top of my head I can only name few: 'It's hard to be God' (or something like it) is a name of a RPG game with a bit oldschool graphic and focused on telling sci-fi story in fantasy setting. It's also a continuation of a book... yup, you heard right - the game pretty much takes up from where book author ended (btw. book title is the same as the game). There is also 'Last of the Grey Dogs' - at least it's the name of the book that they used as an inspiration. It's a bit of 3rd person hack&slash RPG which is a bit nationalistic (about how to russians, or more like slavic people are chosen and great and stuff...), but still can be fun. 'Inqusitor' was put on the Steam lately and it's made by czech people (as far as I remember). It's isometric hack&slash with TONS of dialogue. And weird, dark story. It's interesting, even if the combat is quite dull.

There are few more titles, but I can't really remember their names - I was playing them, had fun, but promptly forgotten titles ;]. I remember the plot, but nobody wants spoilers, right? :P

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Other Games / Re: List of sandbox games?
« on: August 28, 2013, 11:27:29 am »
Well you might then try of course some of these games:

Two Worlds & Two Worlds 2 - they're a part of open world german RPGs with a lot of action.
In the same vein - Risen and Risen 2 both feel like a bit upgraded Gothic games with keyboard movement and different pathes to the goal, still pretty nice even if gameplay is a bit wonky... and of course these level disprepancies... you can beat some monster few levels higher, but it's gonna be monstrous task.

I would also say Baldur's Gate series, Gothic, etc., but we aren't talking about obvious choices, right?

In roguelike department I would say Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead takes a cake - it's pretty awesome and hard game in which zombie apocalypse practically torn down the old world. It's now full of monsters and your only priority is to survive. There are tons of options, food, skills, even vehicles - from simple bikes or motocycles to even giant trucks! There are guns, gun mods, heat and cold in the world, need to sleep, need to eat and drink... pretty interesting stuff anyway!

If you're interested there are also few Russian RPGs out there which tend to be weird at best, but at the same time also trying something new and exciting. Some even built around books, but of course most of these are some kind of dark fantasy variant.

Well I can't say anything more. There is also Divine Divinity 2 coming out, so it may be also a bit of sanbox/open world game.

Ah and if you got an emulator try Suikoden series - it's pretty neat in story department and gives a feeling of collecting the pokemons :P. All these characters to get to know and lead into battle :D.

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Other Games / Re: Dwarf Fortress
« on: August 28, 2013, 11:18:29 am »
Well Jeff is still taking tender care of the save, as far as I can tell :P. So I guess his? :)

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Development Log / Re: Dev Log #20: Combat Gloves
« on: August 11, 2013, 01:58:26 am »
Maybe the poisonous clawed gloves will cover this AoE difficiency? Because this type of damage, coupled with o2 filter would be something that would make single hand to hand fighter more viable. Of course it won't change combat against any robotic opponents... but the game is not finished, yet, right? :D.

Anyway, nice progress on the one vs one combat, and the damage that can be dealt in it. I'm personally still waiting for Deep Caverns and the stuff that can be crated from beasts from beyond :D

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General / Re: Mega-noob doesn't have a clue...
« on: July 10, 2013, 10:59:27 am »
The demo build is kinda out of date, so there may be things that doesn't work as intended (I remember that stealth was reworked quite a lot so it may be not the best idea to focus on in in your build). As tips I can say to you that focusing on pistols/submachineguns get you pretty much through the most of the demo. Grenades too are very OP in that version. You can heal all your damage (but not psi) when talking to the doctor on the level with psi trainer for free. Guy in Quatermaster Office has your gun and the bullets. Hmmm... what's more... It is a hard game, so save often and on different slots (because demo can crash a lot...). Ah... and remember about crafting - it can really give you neat stuff :).

You can use bandages to heal when above some damage treshold... and also psi abilities are pretty strong (there is one which holds down your enemies - you may look into that). You may also check some of the topics on the forums - it's kinda slow, because new build is coming along and Styg in number-crunching at the moment. Some people also published builds here - try them. Of course most of them are for newest (not demo - alpha) version so some things may not be working. Like really awesome melee damage system and reworked stealth. Or new zones quite far away.

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