Review @Play with Incursion

Tags: Incursion

<a href="http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/01/column_play_cause_for_incursio.php" target="blank">The latest edition</a> of semi-regular, ASCII-worshipping GameSetWatch column @Play focuses on <b><a href="http://www.incursion-roguelike.net/" target="blank">Incursion</a></b>, a D&D Open Game License roguelike.
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<blockquote>As roguelike games get more ambitious, they get longer. As they get longer, the sense of loss when the player dies increases. As that happens, the player gets more likely to quit forever out of frustration. Designers, seeing this, make the game easier, which removes the challenge, the whole reason for playing a roguelike game in the first place.
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To Incursion's credit, it seems to recognize this. While its premise as a D&D 3rd Edition roguelike imposes an unavoidable complexity to startup time, the ability to use "reincarnated" characters cuts down on this drastically. The dungeon is unusually atmospheric for a roguelike, and the array of treasure and opponents seems to be above average. While there are problems to be found, some serious, we have every reason to think they will eventually be fixed. Incursion, and its expanded sequel should that ever see our hard drives, are unquestionably games to keep an eye on. </blockquote>
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And read on further for a supplemental article about Vancian magic in RPGs.
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<blockquote>The answer snaps into focus, however, once one reads <i>The Dying Earth</i>. Gygax must have been entranced by this vision of magic. But Vance's magicians are anything but weaklings: they are potent individuals, some with formidable physical skills. Your choice of class in D&D, unless you multiclassed which carried its own drawbacks and didn't exist until AD&D 1st edition, precludes having many hit points or the use of protective equipment. Vance's creations would not be so restricted.</blockquote>

 

Hey! Why the fuck the Incursion website isn't working ? I've played it long time ago, and suddenly, when reading this news, a will to play it once more arised. Anybody has a download link for it ?

 

Website works fine for me. I just downloaded the Windows version with no problem.

 

Thanks. Somehow website won't work for me but the download link works like a charm.

 

What ? @Play writing about something other than Nethack ? Highly unusual.

 

I haven't played ToEE, but I think Incursion has the best d20 combat ever.

 

I want to play a roguelike with c&c, great characters and dialog trees. Why is that every roguelike has to be a power gaming feast where you find a way to abuse the system in order to get your name in the top ten of those who have beaten the game? I suppose it would not be a roguelike if it wasn't like that but it could be a great game with a simple interface and a low budget and development time.

 

Gearhead is as close as you'll get.

Roguelikes are all about replayability and gameplay, c&c and dialog trees will be awesome the first 10 times you play the game, but roguelikes are games you play at least 100 times.

You could tone down the permadeath like GearHead did to lower the number of replays, but that takes away that special feeling only RLs have.

 

Well, because it's 'Roguelikes'? It's an established genre.
Diablo was named 'Roguelike' for a reason, you know. You might as well ask for deep story, dialogues and C&C in sports games.
While you CAN add all this to Roguelike, just like you can add strategy element to it (see DF) - but it would not be a 'roguelike' anymore, except for graphics (or lack of it).

And one thing you should remeber - making a deep, yet branching story, lots of meaningful dialogues, etc - it's a actually harder then making a game with stellar graphics.
We've seen a lot of games that (for the time) were considered 'top notch', but games with 'top notch C&C, story and dialogues'? You can count them by the fingers of one hand!
If rogulikes cannot afford splendid graphics, why should they be able to afford detailed story and dialogues? It is NOT something you can do all by yourself in a month or two.
Unless (or, daresay, even) you are a professional writer.

 

Of course roguelikes are not usually made to have great characters and c&c, which i mentioned before, but that doesn't meen they couldn't or that a genre which mixes the two game styles couldn't be interesting. Roguelikes are already very close to crpgs.

If you think that a roguelike is about permadeath, procedural dungeons, replayability and being able to beat the game system and survive then i don't see how it's so hard to fit c&c and developed characters and factions with those games. Just look at it as another way to beat the system that offers more lore and more ways to interact with the world.

3D graphics take much more time to work and master. C&C require only some good taste in writing and study games like Fallout to see how it's done.

 

At least Julian seems to be getting something done. I hope this rewriting the whole game-code is worth the effort.
Did anybody ever get past dungeon level 6-8? The game always freezes on me there when the battles get too big and summoned creatures start summoning creatures who start summoning creatures...