Interview Eschalon: Book II - Not Just Clicking

[denizsi]

But does it feature half-swording?

Yes and more.

But does it feature rape?

Fixed

Yes and more.

 

[Fez]

It's a shame that the writing in KOTC doesn't seem to be too good from what I've heard. I like good dialogue and an interesting story. It isn't too surprising though when you read the developer's opinions on other RPGs on his site.

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

It's a shame that the writing in KOTC doesn't seem to be too good from what I've heard. I like good dialogue and an interesting story. It isn't too surprising though when you read the developer's opinions on other RPGs on his site.

The writing isn't bad. If you enjoyed Eschalon writing Vogel writing, etc, you should enjoy KOTC writing. The story is a little formulaic, but again, it isn't bad. And with a system this good, I kind of totally and utterly forgave any story shortcomings...in fact I can't remember any because I had too much fun with the game!

 

[rpgcodexusername]

Has anyone tried to be a healer in Eschalon? freakin impossible.
Then I made a mage character and i destroyed the rats in 2 hits each, problem is the sherriff thought i had commited a crime when i hadnt so i gave up beacause the slow walking speed caused constant frustration.

 

[Castanova]

I would, considering that I played the demo with 3 characters and bought the game. I think the demo is a perfect indicator of what to expect. If you don't like the demo, there is no way you'd like the full game. If you liked the demo, you'll enjoy the game.

I didn't enjoy the demo but I loved the full game. I had the sense from the demo that I MIGHT like the full game but when I bought the game I felt I was taking a risk. Before I go on, I should also note that, because I didn't enjoy it much, I didn't progress much in the demo. Anyway, the demo drops you into some random map, with some random party, with random equipment, and random abilities. You walk around and get hit with some random encounters. There seemed to be no ability to rest anywhere, there was no game flow. It just felt like some tactical combat encounters thrown together. It didn't give me a good sense of how the game plays beyond the core tactical combat. I didn't get to build my characters, or buy their equipment, or decide how to approach the areas.

@ Raghar - I hope you're trolling. You do have to save/reload a fair amount but your other points are patently false.

 

[visions]

KotC is one of worst grinds and save load dependent games I seen in last few years.

I'm not very far into the game yet (just arrived at the mountain pass) but so far I've mostly had to reload when I've taken a wrong approach in combats, stormed into a combat without really giving it much attention or fought with enemies who were too tough for my party at the time. Of course I've also occasionally lost combats because of unlucky rolls but things like this happen in most games where there's an element of chance present.

I haven't had to do any mindless grinding.

The writing can be somewhat naive but it doesn't annoy me. The writing's not exactly impressive but i don't think there's really anything wrong with it either, it's perfectly appropriate for this kind of combat-oriented game.

I think that English maybe isn't the first language for the main guy behind the game though, KOTC homepage also left this kind of impression.

As for Eschalon, I liked the demo of the first game and bought the full version but haven't found time to play it yet. If i like it I'll consider buying the second one also, stuff like food and water requirements seem pretty cool.

EDIT: I got to the fight with the gnolls at the mountain pass today and am starting to see your point (concerning reloading), most frustrating fight I've encountered so far.

 

[PorkaMorka]

KotC is one of worst grinds

I never did any grinding what so ever, I don't know what you're talking about

I just progressed linearly through the intended route (there are 1-2 places where you can go to the wrong area and be too weak) and save-loaded as needed.

I like save loading in games, when I have to try over and over to beat a battle, it beats a game being too easy.

However there are a few flawed battles where you can lose on the first enemy turn and have to reload, wasn't that common though, and not like it takes long to try again.

 

[Elwro]

Well, I'm playing Eschalon II an hour daily after work and it's quite fun now that I figured out how to develop the character and have explored a bigger part of the world. It still is damn slow sometimes, but the skills work nicely and the world is interesting. Try the demo.