Bard's Tale The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep - Director's Cut

[Sacred82]

Kodex whining about BT puzzles is hilarious. They're good enough on the first playthrough and easily remembered on subsequent playthroughs, you can just blast past them. Also combat isn't great enough that it should be happening all the time. Pacing is gud.

“Subsequent playthroughs.” Bitch, please.

are you... are you suggesting puzzles should be removed even though you never touched the game again?

 

[ProphetSword]

are you... are you suggesting puzzles should be removed even though you never touched the game again?

I'm suggesting that anyone who would consider playing this game twice should probably seek medical attention.

 

[Sacred82]

are you... are you suggesting puzzles should be removed even though you never touched the game again?

I'm suggesting that anyone who would consider playing this game twice should probably seek medical attention.

again, then why would you care about what they're doing about the puzzles?

srsly this just seems to be the oldfag "hurr durr this isn't a Bard's Tale" meme in a new disguise. Like when people went apeshit that there won't be 99 Owlbear trashmobs.

 

[ProphetSword]

srsly this just seems to be the oldfag "hurr durr this isn't a Bard's Tale" meme in a new disguise. Like when people went apeshit that there won't be 99 Owlbear trashmobs.

Oh, it's not even in disguise. I'm outright saying this isn't a Bard's Tale game. It's not even fit to bear the name "Bard's Tale," let alone be mentioned in the same sentence as the original game series. It irritates the living shit out of me that people will consider this a sequel of any sort to the originals, and that newfags want to instruct me on how I should just bend over and accept that this is the modern Bard's Tale. I accept that in about the same way that I accepted that the game "Arcania" was a worthy Gothic sequel.

So, let me be 100% clear about what I'm saying, since you don't seem to understand it: Bard's Tale IV sucks flaming balls and should take a flying fuck off a rolling doughnut straight into a pit of rusty razor blades. It's not a worthy successor to the 1980s trilogy and is a puzzle game with card mechanics attempting to disguise itself as a modern CRPG, and should be left to fester in the hot sun before buried in the same landfill where those Atari E.T. cartridges were put to rest over thirty years ago.

Hopefully, this clears up any ambiguity you might have about where I stand.

 

[Saxon1974]

I am glad they are still working on the game even though I agree it isn't the proper BT follow up I was hoping for. I have a huge backlog of games and not enough time to play so I am happy to wait months/years anyway.

I happen to like puzzles and limited saves; I think they made changes to these items after release but they are optional right? (One can still play that style if you like?)

I think I saw there will be a bard song that will auto solve all puzzles (dumb but I guess ok for puzzle hating morons)

 

[Sacred82]

srsly this just seems to be the oldfag "hurr durr this isn't a Bard's Tale" meme in a new disguise. Like when people went apeshit that there won't be 99 Owlbear trashmobs.

Oh, it's not even in disguise. I'm outright saying this isn't a Bard's Tale game. It's not even fit to bear the name "Bard's Tale," let alone be mentioned in the same sentence as the original game series. It irritates the living shit out of me that people will consider this a sequel of any sort to the originals, and that newfags want to instruct me on how I should just bend over and accept that this is the modern Bard's Tale. I accept that in about the same way that I accepted that the game "Arcania" was a worthy Gothic sequel.

So, let me be 100% clear about what I'm saying, since you don't seem to understand it: Bard's Tale IV sucks flaming balls and should take a flying fuck off a rolling doughnut straight into a pit of rusty razor blades. It's not a worthy successor to the 1980s trilogy and is a puzzle game with card mechanics attempting to disguise itself as a modern CRPG, and should be left to fester in the hot sun before buried in the same landfill where those Atari E.T. cartridges were put to rest over thirty years ago.

So first you go full oldtard with fucking huge nostalgia glasses, and then you go on to say the game sucks. Hrrm. Can't really take that seriously in the light of oldfag butthurt.

"a puzzle game with card mechanics" well buddy, I'm not even really disagreeing there. Puzzle elements and card mechanics stronk. "Is not a modern CRPG" might be doing a bit too much service to "the modern CRPG", wouldn't you say?

Hopefully, this clears up any ambiguity you might have about where I stand.

nop son it dint

 

[theSavant]

One key feature to show that we are listening is an extra Song of Exploration “Struggler's Lament” which can instantly resolve most doors that are locked by puzzles. The ability will not resolve optional content that can be rewarding and could be critical in your adventures, so make sure to still learn our different puzzles systems because that knowledge will come in handy eventually! Best of luck and thank you!

Sounds good! "Struggler's Lament" is straight to the point. No offense taken
Though I wonder how they implement it. Just along with the other songs?

I'm also not sure this is the right way to go: to add yet-another-feature to solve the puzzles, instead of actually removing some of the puzzles. When I think of the Siege of Castle Langskaal it might have been better to remove half of the ruins+puzzles, because this area was not only tedious by puzzles, but also visually: a ruin, then another ruin, then another ruin, then another ruin. Removing some ruins (+puzzles) completely would be a cleaner way than to add yet-another-feature to solve it. But so they're just making a Frankenstein game out of it...

Though I'm just guessing and not really sure what they are really changing.

 

[ProphetSword]

nop son it dint

Can't help you, then. Game was promised to be one thing, game ended up being something else, game sucks. End of story.

 

[Sacred82]

nop son it dint

Can't help you, then. Game was promised to be one thing, game ended up being something else, game sucks. End of story.

I see you persist in using dumbfuck logic. Well then, good day to you, sir.

 

[ProphetSword]

I see you persist in using dumbfuck logic. Well then, good day to you, sir.

It's the only logic I felt you would understand.

 

[Sacred82]

I see you persist in using dumbfuck logic. Well then, good day to you, sir.

It's the only logic I felt you would understand.

since you repeated yourself I'm sure you actually believe that shit

game not as promised = sucks, and Fargo is probably a snake oil salesman

total tinfoil hat material.

 

[Sinatar]

How was the game not what was promised? The original kickstarter pitch showed the combat system and the puzzles exactly as they are in the final game.

 

[theSavant]

How was the game not what was promised? The original kickstarter pitch showed the combat system and the puzzles exactly as they are in the final game.

Uhm, no. You're wrong.

The original kickstarter pitch did not show how combat looks like. The only thing shown was an in-engine video zooming out into a 3rd person / isometric view showing 4 characters standing around and throwing spells.
And the only puzzle that was shown, was opening a cave with an Adventure Spell or so. Which is eventually the same in the final game, but did not forecast the endless repetitive other puzzles.

 

[Infinitron]

The original kickstarter pitch did not show how combat looks like. The only thing shown was an in-engine video zooming out into a 3rd person / isometric view showing 4 characters standing around and throwing spells.

There was also this Kickstarter update during the campaign: https://rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=9977

 

[theSavant]

The original kickstarter pitch did not show how combat looks like. The only thing shown was an in-engine video zooming out into a 3rd person / isometric view showing 4 characters standing around and throwing spells.

There was also this Kickstarter update during the campaign: https://rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=9977

That's not the point. The point is, that "shown" (in regard to Sinatar's statement) was basically nothing.

The only valuable information was their description and even that was vague (even though it did not seem vague at first glance!). As it was all under the name of Bard's Tale and games with similar mechanics, backers had no other choice than to imagine the game likewise in their heads. And that's how backers fell into the "trap". When they eventually began to "show" how they implement things in the game, like the cartoonish characters or sci-fi combat grid or cardgame mechanics, criticisms and doubts began to rise. And then it was too late to pull back.
And backers would have pulled back much earlier if they had shown, that the game contains 70% repetitive pointless filler puzzles just for the sake of puzzles. Or that the characters in the final game, which was announced as an AAA game, look like dolls in the quality of Doom 3 monsters.

It's funny (not really) in what strange ways promised features can actually be implemented...

 

[Zombra]

The point is, that "shown" (in regard to Sinatar's statement) was basically nothing.

You may disagree with Sinatar's method of getting there, but you agree with the main point: the "promise" of what the game would be was not broken. I agree with you that what was described wasn't very specific, and I also agree with Sinatar that what was described was actually fulfilled. Everything else is pretty much "I dreamed a game and inXile didn't obey my dreams! Liars!!"

 

[theSavant]

Let me clear something up before we are talking cross purposes:

When Sinatar claimed "they have shown us combat and puzzles exactly how it's gonna be at the kickstarter pitch" I assumed he meant *shown* by actually showing them in ingame footage. And that was not the case. And that's why I said he's incorrect and that they've shown us basically nothing (except that raw ingame video... you know that very first video walking through the woods and ending on a platform with camera zooming out).

But if he just meant: "they kept their promises which they made in their pitch" (within the 30 days of the pitch) by actually delivering all features listed there - then he was right, and I would have never argued with him. Did he want to say that? If yes, then my answer was a result of his ambiguous wording.

And because Infinitron misinterpreted my answer as well, I thought I needed to elaborate even more (and re-open that can of worms which I actually didn't want to open again) to make it clearer, that things were not *shown* (visually, animated, video context) back then at the kickstarter as how they're looking now.

Hope I made myself clear.

 

[aweigh]

guys did you hear they're adding turn-based combat to the game via a patch

 

[Darth Canoli]

guys did you hear they're adding turn-based combat to the game via a patch

I've heard they turning it into

Spoiler

a game*

via patch.

Spoiler

*something you're supposed to play for fun

 

[theSavant]

guys did you hear they're adding turn-based combat to the game via a patch

Wtf are you talking about? Bard's Tale IV is already turn-based.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Wtf are you talking about? Bard's Tale IV is already turn-based.

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/turn-based-combat-mode-in-deadfire.125336/

 

[theSavant]

And what does Deadfire have to do with Bard's Tale IV? Nothing. Therefore doesn't belong in this thread.
Also aweigh didn't mention Deadfire at all. And not everyone cares about Deadfire to guess that reference.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Swigen]

Heard a lot of good things about this series. Noticed #4 is only $35 on steam, think I’m ready to take the plunge.

 

[ProphetSword]

Heard a lot of good things about this series. Noticed #4 is only $35 on steam, think I’m ready to take the plunge.

You should just give the $35 to a prostitute and ask her to punch you in the stomach several times. It's about the same feeling you would get from playing this game.