Vince asked me to post my impressions. I completely suck at the combat but I'm still enjoying the beta.
"Sorry, I've been meaning to make a forum post about my exploits once I've progressed far enough. However, I kinda suck at this game (didn't get past the heavily armored fellow with the Storm sword - he finished me with only two strikes :shock: ) so I've held back my urge to respond until I've played at least a couple of builds past the three barbarians. I was also thinking of posting my impressions on other gaming boards.
Anyway, it's a tough but very satisfying demo. The presentation is top notch: the animations are smooth (I particularly like the way the opponents fall to the ground when they die. No other game does it as well Tongue ) and the attention to detail is very humbling. I loved walking around the district and marveling the diversity of the architecture (fallen towers, statues, pillars, archways etc.). Oscar did a phenomenal job there. The place doesn't just pretend to be the remains of a post-apocalyptic culture, it is all that and more. Seriously, looking at the "Interface redesign thread" at the Codex and comparing the crude color designs to the almost finished product is, again, very humbling.
I also love the fact that you went through the trouble of creating a huge assortment of exotic weapons with their own backgrounds and tactical pros & cons. Not only does it add an additional layer of depth to the combat mechanics but to the whole world of AoD as well. So on one hand you have all the wonderfull ruined cities built by Oscar, and on the other hand there are all these small pieces of backstory that you've written (be it in the form of exotic weapons or snippets of information in the dialogue with the arena master). One of my early fears was that world-building in this game wouldn't be on par with the role-playing options and the combat. I'm relieved to say that everything I've seen and read puts those fears to rest.
The dialogue with the arena master is both entertaining and informative. That's always a good balance. I'm not a native speaker so I can't comment on the quality of the text from the linguistic or "literary" point of view, but it sure as hell is a lot better than the corny shit that usually passes for RPG writing. I stopped playing Mass Effect after 20 minutes because I couldn't stomach the writing any more (luckily my roommate was able to get some enjoyment out of the game).
As for the combat, it's hard but fun. I love the fact that you added negative dodge and attack modifiers to armor; it forces the player to think of different kinds of builds. The fact that different weapons have their own unique properties seems to be working out great. I was stunned when the gladiator used his trident to keep me at a safe distance from himself. I was never so successful at triggering interruptions with the barbed spear.
I found that the best way to beat the three barbarians is to make a lightly armored fighter with high Dodge and 10-12 APs so that you can make a lot of fast attacks that are guaranteed to hit the opponents. High Dodge also has the bonus effect of automatic counter attacks, which is really handy. I couldn't get any of my more heavily armored, Blocking-focused characters past the barbarians. Any tips?
On the whole, for a single-player RPG whose main focus isn't combat your system is sufficiently tactical both in theory and practise. Not to mention that it's always good to have a breath of fresh air in an industry that has been so stagnant when it comes to combat design for so long.
There's an AI problem with the crossbow man that has happened twice so far. Usually he keeps his distance from me when he gets the first turn, but on those two occassions he walked a couple of squares towards me before firing a shot. This makes him easier to kill.
I'm sure I forgot something, but the important thing is that the beta is a very well executed piece of software that, from the technical point of view, doesn't pale in comparison to TTOEE or the IE games. The system is original and complex enough, the art direction is great, the world-building is interesting and both the camera and the controls feel intuitive. I have a feeling that the final product, the game itself, will blow even the naysayers away. Just make sure it's as stable as the beta.
So, a game where the combat is as strong as the role-playing and story department? When was the last time we had one of those? Never? Have you considered that you can make history here?
Some nitpicking: Get rid of the horrible background color used in the options window and the message windows. I get that you're going for a retro look, but try something like the one in Betrayal at Krondor.
Looting dead bodies becomes pixel hunting because the cursor only reacts to the feet of the body.
At some point my Norton anti-virus started doing its periodical system scan and the screen went back to Windows. The game crashed when I tried to resume it.
The picture of a gladiator shown after the PC's death has way too low resolution."
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Apparently the team is now implementing higher resolutions and sounds.
"Sorry, I've been meaning to make a forum post about my exploits once I've progressed far enough. However, I kinda suck at this game (didn't get past the heavily armored fellow with the Storm sword - he finished me with only two strikes :shock: ) so I've held back my urge to respond until I've played at least a couple of builds past the three barbarians. I was also thinking of posting my impressions on other gaming boards.
Anyway, it's a tough but very satisfying demo. The presentation is top notch: the animations are smooth (I particularly like the way the opponents fall to the ground when they die. No other game does it as well Tongue ) and the attention to detail is very humbling. I loved walking around the district and marveling the diversity of the architecture (fallen towers, statues, pillars, archways etc.). Oscar did a phenomenal job there. The place doesn't just pretend to be the remains of a post-apocalyptic culture, it is all that and more. Seriously, looking at the "Interface redesign thread" at the Codex and comparing the crude color designs to the almost finished product is, again, very humbling.
I also love the fact that you went through the trouble of creating a huge assortment of exotic weapons with their own backgrounds and tactical pros & cons. Not only does it add an additional layer of depth to the combat mechanics but to the whole world of AoD as well. So on one hand you have all the wonderfull ruined cities built by Oscar, and on the other hand there are all these small pieces of backstory that you've written (be it in the form of exotic weapons or snippets of information in the dialogue with the arena master). One of my early fears was that world-building in this game wouldn't be on par with the role-playing options and the combat. I'm relieved to say that everything I've seen and read puts those fears to rest.
The dialogue with the arena master is both entertaining and informative. That's always a good balance. I'm not a native speaker so I can't comment on the quality of the text from the linguistic or "literary" point of view, but it sure as hell is a lot better than the corny shit that usually passes for RPG writing. I stopped playing Mass Effect after 20 minutes because I couldn't stomach the writing any more (luckily my roommate was able to get some enjoyment out of the game).
As for the combat, it's hard but fun. I love the fact that you added negative dodge and attack modifiers to armor; it forces the player to think of different kinds of builds. The fact that different weapons have their own unique properties seems to be working out great. I was stunned when the gladiator used his trident to keep me at a safe distance from himself. I was never so successful at triggering interruptions with the barbed spear.
I found that the best way to beat the three barbarians is to make a lightly armored fighter with high Dodge and 10-12 APs so that you can make a lot of fast attacks that are guaranteed to hit the opponents. High Dodge also has the bonus effect of automatic counter attacks, which is really handy. I couldn't get any of my more heavily armored, Blocking-focused characters past the barbarians. Any tips?
On the whole, for a single-player RPG whose main focus isn't combat your system is sufficiently tactical both in theory and practise. Not to mention that it's always good to have a breath of fresh air in an industry that has been so stagnant when it comes to combat design for so long.
There's an AI problem with the crossbow man that has happened twice so far. Usually he keeps his distance from me when he gets the first turn, but on those two occassions he walked a couple of squares towards me before firing a shot. This makes him easier to kill.
I'm sure I forgot something, but the important thing is that the beta is a very well executed piece of software that, from the technical point of view, doesn't pale in comparison to TTOEE or the IE games. The system is original and complex enough, the art direction is great, the world-building is interesting and both the camera and the controls feel intuitive. I have a feeling that the final product, the game itself, will blow even the naysayers away. Just make sure it's as stable as the beta.
So, a game where the combat is as strong as the role-playing and story department? When was the last time we had one of those? Never? Have you considered that you can make history here?
Some nitpicking: Get rid of the horrible background color used in the options window and the message windows. I get that you're going for a retro look, but try something like the one in Betrayal at Krondor.
Looting dead bodies becomes pixel hunting because the cursor only reacts to the feet of the body.
At some point my Norton anti-virus started doing its periodical system scan and the screen went back to Windows. The game crashed when I tried to resume it.
The picture of a gladiator shown after the PC's death has way too low resolution."
---------
Apparently the team is now implementing higher resolutions and sounds.