Review GameSpot slams Dungeon Lords

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Dungeon Lords; Heuristic Park Inc.

Another site kicks Dung Lords. <a href=http://www.gamespot.com>GameSpot</a> has posted a <a href=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/dungeonlords/review.html>review</a> of Dungeon Lords. The score is 6.8 and the verdict is "the game can still be worth getting into, if you aren't particularly bothered by the parts of it that aren't there"
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<blockquote>So what's the problem? The problem is the game surrounding all this action isn't that good. A rudimentary quest system locks you into long-winded conversations with the occasional non-player character who might eventually tell you to go somewhere, find something, or whack somebody. And a sprawling, thinly detailed wilderness threatens to knock you off course every step of the way. Dungeon Lords isn't a short game, so you won't finish it in a weekend. But how long it ultimately takes you will greatly depend on how much time you spend getting lost.</blockquote>
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DW Bradley, <a href=http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6807>Interview, Mar 2005</a>: Dungeon Lords is the culmination of 20+ years experience making RPGs. There were a number of things we felt could be improved upon from previous games, and Dungeon Lords is an attempt to bring all of those improvements and refinements together.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.rpgdot.com">RPG Dot</A>

 

[Sol Invictus]

I bet a 20 year old could culminate all of his 2 years in mod development to make a far, far superior game than this piece of shit. Oh, wait - that actually happens all the time. Day of Defeat, CounterStrike...

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

And in all of this I keep laughing hard at those that defend this game's state. It's like Bioware games. It's not a bug, it's a feature.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

So crap design is really a part of todays game features? Makes sense. Hey, where do I sign up for work? :wink:

 

[Mefi]

I'm just sad that so many people believe that this sort of thing should be expected as the norm. Still can't get my head around that.

I do believe that DL could be modded up to some form of respectability - with one exception. Combat. And for an action RPG that's a killer.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

That review paragraph is fairly shitty. It says the action is good, which it's not, while saying that the long dialogue is a problem. At least, that's how it reads. The problem with the dialogue isn't with the length of the discussions, it's with the interface and implimentation of dialogue in the game that makes it suck.

 

[Markman]

Are they reviewing the same game? How the hell can a game that is incomplete get a score as high as 6.8??
I dont get it.

 

[Second Chance]

I honestly don't understand how people can diss Dungeon Lords combat. For an action-oriented RPG, it's pretty damn good. In fact, it's 100x better than other "action-oriented" combat systems like Morrowind and the likes.

Once you understand the moves and the necessary tactics to defeat specific monsters, the combat becomes enjoyable.

The game has serious flaws and feels extremely incomplete. It surely needs at least 472 patches to fix all the problems. But combat is definitely not one of them.

On a sidenote, the game runs way worse on my machine after having installed patch 1.1

 

[space captain]

you have got to be fucking kidding if you think Dung Lords combat is "pretty damn good"

Gothic combat was good, Fable combat was better - this combat is GARBAGE

100x better? lay off the crack

 

[Volourn]

"It's like Bioware games. It's not a bug, it's a feature."

You got the wrong company, moron. That would be Troika, and their item identification from TOEE. :D

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

"It's like Bioware games. It's not a bug, it's a feature."

You got the wrong company, moron. That would be Troika, and their item identification from TOEE. :D

No, I got the right company. Or rather, the reaction of fans of said company.

 

[Volourn]

Really? Which bug was called a feature and by how many fans? I surely haven't called a 'bug' a 'feature'? I think you trying to discuss the one or two morons who will call soemthing what it isn't and try to make it seem like most think that way.

Then again, I do the same with Troika fnaboys. Then aagin, they did say what I claimed they did.

I win. You lose.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Really? Which bug was called a feature and by how many fans? I surely haven't called a 'bug' a 'feature'? I think you trying to discuss the one or two morons who will call soemthing what it isn't and try to make it seem like most think that way.

Then again, I do the same with Troika fnaboys. Then aagin, they did say what I claimed they did.

I win. You lose.

No, you lose by showing how you sink to their level, I win by exposing you. Again.

 

[Volourn]

How did you expose me? I've been a hypocrite for ever. That ain't new.

 

[Shagnak]

Gothic combat was good

Actually, I must confess to being one of the ones that think that Gothic 1's combat was poo. There is so much else I love about the game though, so it's still on my "I really must finish this some time" list.
I don't find DL's combat to be any worse than Gothic's, or Morrowind's for that matter. It reminds of the "flailing away" style combat of the likes of Rune, but less responsive and with less combos. There seems to be some wierd pause/delay when you are moving and want to hit something (them pesky bats! dammit!).
It also irks me that my character sometimes insists on thrusting with his mace. I haven't seem many different weapon types (I'm still in the Fargrove sewers and theatre bits), but all the 1-handed melee weapons seem to use the same animations so far.
If they had improved the responsiveness a little, added some more animations, then it could have been okay as far as RT action combat goes. So far it feels a little cheap and rushed.

 

[space captain]

actually - you need some kind of console style gamepad to enjoy Gothic's combat... i forgot to mention that

on the keyboard it was fairly wack

but Dung Lords is just screwed from the get go - the collision detection is TOTALLY fucked, and the physics seems like things are taking place on the moon or some low grav environment - or maybe the animations are just shit

whatever it is its more like some kind of amateur mod than an actual retail game

i cant believe people are still defending this steaming pile... fuck it, if you wanna grovel for shit, be my guest

 

[Elwro]

actually - you need some kind of console style gamepad to enjoy Gothic's combat... i forgot to mention that

on the keyboard it was fairly wack

What? I found Gothic combat to be very playable with the keyboard only. Just remember that the goal isn't to hit the keys as fast as possible; timing is the key.

 

[Shagnak]

the collision detection is TOTALLY fucked

Yup. There seems to be some sort of foot-wide force field around a lot of objects. And you can be 'snagged' by objects even though you don't seem to be touching them. And there is some reported wierdness with people jumping at the wrong time and being stuck in rooves and similar. Bad, just bad.

and the physics seems like things are taking place on the moon or some low grav environment - or maybe the animations are just shit

When creatures drop stuff the items can end up stuck mid-way up on a wall. In fact dying creatures can even end up stuck half way up a wall if the timing of their animation has them at that height when they hit said wall.
There is no physics as such, other than "falling objects get stuck on the surface they land on....even if that surface is vertical". Kinda shoddy for this day and age.

i cant believe people are still defending this steaming pile... fuck it, if you wanna grovel for shit, be my guest

Haha. Don't be so uptight. :wink:
Even I, captain optimist, recognise the game for being a massive disappointment ("steaming pile" in your lingo), but can still understand why people might enjoy it for a brief fling. Especially if they didn't pay for it! Heh.
Don't worry about other peoples' shit taste. You will never convince them otherwise and will give yourself an ulcer.
:D

 

[Sol Invictus]

I'd rather watch a video of two homosexual old men do hot carls on each others faces than play any more of Dungeon Lords after I tried the demo.

 

[Shagnak]

I'd rather watch a video of two homosexual old men do hot carls on each others faces than play any more of Dungeon Lords after I tried the demo.

I can confidently say that I would play ANY game (even from mistland) than watch that :shock:

I have no idea what a "hot carl" is. But I can guess.
I had no idea you were so sexually deviant. Who would've known?
(I guess the Roman name should've given it away. Decadence and all that)

 

[Sol Invictus]

Those were the Greeks. And no, I would never be into hot carls. That's scatology.

 

[Volourn]

"fuck it, if you wanna grovel for shit, be my guest"

Says the one who actually likes Gothic combat which I *know* is one of the shittiest combat ever!

Only someone who prefers shitty combat would actually be able to enjoy Gothic combat.

That's a FACT!

 

[Calis]

Oh Volly, where would we be without you and your facts. (or periods.)

 

[Shagnak]

We could make a book about Volourn's facts.
"Volly's World of Facts" or something. Pages and pages of wisdom n stuff.

 

[Calis]

And then do a find-replace where we replace all instances of . with . Period. r00fles