The Dark Eye Blackguards 2

[felipepepe]

Is that kind of thing you want to punch whoever is in charge...

Seriously, the first game was really nice for old-school fans, but complex for popamoles. Now they have a "hardcore tactical RPG" fame, decide to make things more convoluted (factions, recruits, conquest, etc) BUT dumb down the game. FFS, if the casuals didn't like the first, they will avoid like the plague your convoluted sequel. And the ones that enjoyed some complexity will be dissapointed at the decline.

 

[Bubbles]

Is that kind of thing you want to punch whoever is in charge...

Seriously, the first game was really nice for old-school fans, but complex for popamoles. Now they have a "hardcore tactical RPG" fame, decide to make things more convoluted (factions, recruits, conquest, etc) BUT dumb down the game. FFS, if the casuals didn't like the first, they will avoid like the plague your convoluted sequel. And the ones that enjoyed some complexity will be dissapointed at the decline.

On the upside, you'll have a much easier time writing the help section this time.

 

[SarcasticUndertones]

Is that kind of thing you want to punch whoever is in charge...

Seriously, the first game was really nice for old-school fans, but complex for popamoles. Now they have a "hardcore tactical RPG" fame, decide to make things more convoluted (factions, recruits, conquest, etc) BUT dumb down the game. FFS, if the casuals didn't like the first, they will avoid like the plague your convoluted sequel. And the ones that enjoyed some complexity will be dissapointed at the decline.

I'm part way through this again, over the border, and tbh, and it bloody hard.. but not hard because of complexity, there is a lot to it skills and stats wise but it's not particularly difficult to understand, it's made difficult because of the shitty RNG.. when you can fail rolls (and let's face it every move is necessary) 4 times on the trot with a 95% hit rate and no wounds or status effects, on a regualr basis (!), it's pretty damn broken inside.... and it was waaay worse pre-patching.

It's a nice (-ish) game but it always feels as if you are being purposefully hobbled. You pretty much have to build pretty specifically and cut out all the crap, there are only a few viable builds for the game, and when you have to avoid mechanics and content just to get through it, it kinda points to perhaps not the best of designs. I realise that some with find this 'hobbling' very attractive and most of the draw, but it's a very small audience that's drawn to frustration, it's pretty obvious they'd seek to 'expand' that audience and the only way they can do that is make it more accessible..

This was a day one purchases for me, but I'll probably just snatch B2 in a sale.. maybe, if I bother with it.

 

[Darth Roxor]

no offense Roxor, but I hope it's just you driving the hyperbole-train

I wish, faget, I wish

Well, it might end up making it harder

Lolololololo, yeah right.

FFS, if the casuals didn't like the first, they will avoid like the plague your convoluted sequel.

TBH there's something even worse at play here. The casuals would definitely see these new shits as a """step up""" from Blaggardz 1, but they will likely never see it. Why? Because the prologue is so mindnumbingly fucking boring and horrible, I suspect about 80% of them would never go past it due to loss of interest. We all know what short attention spans popamolefags have and how important are first impressions for them. Everything here is a lose-lose situation.

And speaking of which, the fights after the prologue aren't all that much better either... Not a single one has even made me break a sweat, while Blaggardz would already pit me against the bayliff's men once and the baroness rescue at this point, both of which were at least challenging.

 

[Markman]

Aaaah, it burns. Really hope that Roxorowski is full of shit and the game turns out alright.
First game was not made in mind for casual popamolers, I thought they were just gonna fix interface and add a new metagame on the map.
Why fuck up the whole system, streamlining was not needed, add more items and more skills, call it a sequel and I would be happy.

I will still buy it, but I'm not hyped now as I was before reading last few pages in this thread.

 

[Scroo]

Well Roxor's preview sounds like shit. It's like they are teasing us. Make a game that is OMG HAEVAENZ for stats and character building fanatics and then completely remove attributes in the second game and axe a bunch of skills.
And all because people were too dumb to understand how the game works? Blargh!

 

[Nihiliste]

I will never in my life understand why so many developers and publishers think streamlining is a good thing. Yeah, accessibility could mean more buyers, but shit game means less unless you're a AAA powerhouse with the media behind you. Like I was complaining in the PoE thread, people need to stop trying fix what isn't fucking broken.

Spoiler

 

[Gord]

I'll withhold final judgement until I've read more impressions than just Roxor's, but if they did fuck it up so badly, one has really to wonder why.
Even if they want to attract more casuals, couldn't they just make a basic and an expert mode, where expert keeps the old system largely intact?
Going for the very vague promise of a larger audience at the expense of alienating those fans that could appreciate the old systems seems very

to me...

Thinking about it... this comes shortly after they have been acquired by another publisher, right? Coincidence?

 

[Infinitron]

Thinking about it... this comes shortly after they have been acquired by another publisher, right? Coincidence?

I dunno. There was a bit of a "too good to be true" quality to the first Blackguards. Like I said, contra Roxor, the game's systems were extremely complex. "I can't believe they allowed this to be released" levels of complex. Especially considering the lack of a proper tutorial.

Much like how Bioware under EA just couldn't make another game like DA:O, a title that was sort of a relic from the early 2000s that had somehow survived to be released in 2009, there may be an element of inevitability to this.

But, I'm sure it won't be that bad.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

But, I'm sure it won't be that bad.

 

[Infinitron]

Wow, I spotted this five minutes after it was uploaded:



Crooked Bee Any press releases?

 

[Infinitron]

Softpedia preview: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Quick-Look-Blackguards-2-with-Gameplay-Video-and-Gallery-466440.shtml

Blackguards 2 starts with a moment of confusion as gamers find themselves in control of a woman thrown in a dungeon, with apparently no chance of escaping, as forces hostile to her conquer the world and then drop a basilisk in the same underground location as her.

This serves as a sort of tutorial for the title, designed to make sure that players understand the core mechanics of the action role-playing game series and its turn-based battle system.

The old gang of Takate, Zurbaran and Naurim gets reunited, and with new member Cassia, they start a new adventure, which for the first actual full battle means running away from enemies rather than facing them head on.

Blackguards 2 seems more focused on making the battlefield into a puzzle, with players only able to be successful if they manage to understand how they need to use the environment in order to take out enemies or put themselves in a favorable position.

Each character needs to carefully plot his moves around the battlefield in order to make sure that he does not remain exposed, while also placing himself in a position on the hex grid where he can deliver a lot of damage to enemies.

Between battles, characters need to be equipped with better weapons, and the overland map also offers different paths to take, each of them with its own set of challenges and objectives.

Blackguards 2 delivers both positives and negatives

The complex levelling up system from the first title is still present, allowing gamers to choose exactly how they want their character to evolve as he gains experience, with a lot of potential options that might seem a little overwhelming at first.

The experience looks good and the levels are bigger than before and with plenty more avenues for exploration, but the story, despite having an interesting tonality, still feels murky and relies on knowledge of the previous game a little too much.

Blackguards 2 is not too different from the first experience created using the Dark Eye fantasy universe and it can offer some very cool tactical moments, but before launch the development team needs to deliver at least some new features that fans can fall in love with.

Take a look at the video and the gallery attached to this article in order to get a better idea of how Blackguards 2 presents itself and plays out, but keep in mind the fact that changes can still be made before the 1.0 version of the title is out.

 

[Infinitron]

More previews:
http://www.entertainmentbuddha.com/blackguards-2-hands-on-preview/
http://www.biogamergirl.com/2014/12/blackguards-2-video-game-preview.html

 

[Darth Roxor]

The complex levelling up system from the first title is still present

with a lot of potential options that might seem a little overwhelming at first.

If this crap is still overwhelming, then I really rest my fucking case. Jesus.

 

[Morkar Left]

An "action role-playing game series" with "turn-based battle system"?

Wow...

 

[Cyberarmy]

An "action role-playing game series" with "turn-based battle system"?

Wow...

Thus a new genre has been born. Behold the mighty turn based action RPG!

 

[Crooked Bee]

Lots of people mean "combat-focused" when they say "action". That's pretty retarded, but what can you do.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Blackguards leveling system was anything but complex, convoluted yes, complex no.

The only thing that made it bearable were some of the more puzzle like fights, else everything else was mediocre, from the writing to the idiotic UI to the overworld and locations.

Now they are turning it into this mix of grand strategy game and tactical rpg, this can only end badly.

 

[SarcasticUndertones]

So it turns out B1 does purposefully hobble you, when you have 'hit percentages' but also a (spell) skill that makes you 'miss less often' that doesn't actually raise the hit percentage then it's obvious that there is some number fudging going on in the background that makes the skill relevant, if the numbers were real, the skill would be irrelevant (especially when you reach something like 95% but still fail at least 50% of the time..

Ultimately B1 is fail, simply because of artificial constraints on a number system.

People have every right to like it if this is what floats your boat, but any arguement about it being only for 'superior hardcore .. lol, look at the popamoles' is ridiculous when shit like this goes on behind the scenes.

Blackguards2 will probably only take away the hobble, that alone is certainly enough to make it more accessible.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Calling BG2 an 'action' RPG is actually not that far from the truth. I will elaborate upon this in my article.

Because it has a lot of really fucking stupid design decisions that I see are not being mentioned anywhere and it really rustles my jimmies. And I mean fundamental design decisions, and not just minor stuff.

 

[Infinitron]

Blackguards 2 SteamDB page: https://steamdb.info/app/314830/subs/

 

[Renevent]

Wow, I spotted this five minutes after it was uploaded:



Crooked Bee Any press releases?

That looks great actually.

 

[Bubbles]

Yeah, it's looking more and more like Roxor is full of shit. Make sure you proof yourselves against libel charges before you publish his "preview".

 

[Darth Roxor]

The prophet is never welcome in his homeland.

You will rue the day you refused to listen to me, unbelievers.

 

[Duellist_D]

Looking great != Plays great

Will Play a Demo before i get this (bought 1 on early Access and loved it).