Arcanum Arcanum is, by far, one of the worst *games* I've ever played... emphasis on "game" and not "RPG"

[cherry blossom]

I'm certain that not one of us who grew up and lived through the natural progression of these games, had such a beef with crap like interface in Arcanum. It's not because we are blind to design that could have been improved but because we came to appreciate and value the things that really matter in our RPGs. It is not the interface.

That's why I was saying that it is a matter of priorities and that you are being a little shit for dramatizing interface issues for conveniences and comforts. Your issues are valid so far as yes, those are things that certainly could have been done better, but they really aren't the kinds of things that disrupt the game experience. That it does for you is a problem of perspective and priorities that you have. You need to shift your frame of mind.

I wonder if this is a general issue with any who have become over accustomed to shit games like Bethesda's that encourage accumulation of useless junk such that they also provide the tools for cataloguing them.

 

[Q]

I love tetris-llike inventory, so I do like it in Arcanum. When I was playing M&M6 I really thought they should add a button to autosort inventory to gain free space. So it was nice to have in Arcanum.
It feels like real backpack for me, not some fucking lists. And when you kill an enemy you could even undress him to take his armor and weapon. But not for every enemy - inventory size is limiting. So it's good and immersive. And you hover an item to get an appraisal from trader.
Maybe it's just easier nowadays. But that systems fit Arcanum. And it was a step forward from such systems in Fallout, Ultima VII, or Might & Magic VI.

 

[Reapa]

tl;dr. the game had a sorting button, you just had to understand the complex symbolism behind the button eplanation which didn't come with a tutorial popup so your brain wasn't able to aknowledge it on it's own. before you question the game, question your IQ.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Anyway, the character development system is awesome because it gives you a billion choices and each and every one of them makes some kind of a difference (with very few exceptions).

Yeah, and giving 2 billion choices (obviously making the game even more broken) would make it 2x as awesomeBottom line is - don't add shit to your game if you cannot make it work.

 

[Irenaeus III]

Kill and undress your enemies.

 

[Sjukob]

Kill and undress your enemies

What's the point if you can't rape the corpse ?

 

[Irenaeus III]

This guy gets it.

 

[Leshy]

I think one of the reasons why people have so contrasting opinions about the game is because of how many different choices it gives you. I remember playing an engineer, ranged kind of guy. Loved every minute of it.
Combat, inventory, character progression, while not perfect, I wouldn't call any of them shit. In my playthrough all of them at least decent. Good enough to be fun.

I still enjoyed this game much more than Fallout 1,2 or Baldur's Gate 1,2.

 

[CptMace]

I don't know if I'm being trolled or people in the Codex are really retarded.

These are the ways of the codex indeed.

 

[Sigourn]

tl;dr. the game had a sorting button, you just had to understand the complex symbolism behind the button eplanation which didn't come with a tutorial popup so your brain wasn't able to aknowledge it on it's own. before you question the game, question your IQ.

Too bad the sorting button doesn't do what I want it to do, so...

 

[Daemongar]

Too bad the sorting button doesn't do what I want it to do, so...

this thread is nitpicky and retarded.

Is it ever.

 

[Xor]

tl;dr. the game had a sorting button, you just had to understand the complex symbolism behind the button eplanation which didn't come with a tutorial popup so your brain wasn't able to aknowledge it on it's own. before you question the game, question your IQ.

Too bad the sorting button doesn't do what I want it to do, so...

 

[Saduj]

Convincing me to try Arcanum again after a couple of earlier aborted attempts is the best thing the Codex has done for me.

 

[Daemongar]

Convincing me to try Arcanum again after a couple of earlier aborted attempts is the best thing the Codex has done for me.

It's not as bad as folks like to make it out to be. But it does have it's faults:

• It's imbalanced and broken between classes like every RPGs ever
  
• It has it's own style that a lot of folks don't like because monitors no longer have contrast controls
  
• It's interface sucks because fuck if I know: it appears Japanese RPGs are better at something.
  
• It has a real-time combat that people turn off, and people still bitch about it like its required.
• It gets dull at some points, and it has this part in a mountain that can break even the mightiest player upon it's mighty enemies, unless you have blunt weapons. Then they are pushovers.
  
• There are shitty builds and ridiculous builds. It appears everyone who ever played the game broke the game somehow by creating a spell-caster that spammed harm. Nobody every played it any other way, and if they did, they are idiots for not using the harm-spamming build
  
• Some skills and attributes suck, unlike every game ever created.
• There are Fedex quests and the main quest revolves around the player character in a conventional way, which annoys people when Arcanum did it

If you can wade through this mire of horror, well, don't say you weren't warned! Like every rpg in the top 50 rpgs here, it's as shitty as Oblivion!

 

[FeelTheRads]

Unless someone modded mouse control in, they also have a huge list that you have to scroll with the keyboard. Absolutely retarded.

Who plays a console RPG on a computer?

OK, who's alt is this retard?

I'm sorry you think a fixed camera angle that obstructs a lot of things is a good thing. I, personally, didn't enjoy Fallout's "go into corners to find hidden stuff". At all. I'm not going to hold it against Interplay because that would be simply unfair.

"obstructs a lot of things"

"can't find sort buttan!!!!"

GTFO and go spin the camera in some consoletard "RPGs".

 

[Sigourn]

It's not my fault people can't read. "Make everything fit" =/= "Sort by type"

 

[Makabb]

Yes Arcanum is shit.

 

[Murk]

Not reading the other shit but posting about necromancy. I think I enjoyed playing a necromancer in Arcanum more than I did playing a caster in any non super-tactical-game.

I always wanted to use necromancy as this kind of utilitarian amoral means to an end (really, it makes no sense why zombies and skeletons wouldn't be put to slave labor assuming that they aren't being spiritually tortured at the time of use.) Arcanum lets you do that -- in fact, other necromancers are already doing that. You read Kergan's journal and you realize that all that time ago, black necromancy was considered a type of heresy in the magical community -- funny considering that magic itself is a corruption of natural law/order -- and then you realize that now there are whole schools dedicated to necromancy and established wealthy families use it on a regular basis, all within the laws and confines of civilization. It was like a weird time lapse in which you read something that used to be taboo but then see how society slowly adapted it and used it because of its utility, like say the world accepting evolution or heavier-than-air flight. It had this nice sense of internal cohesiveness that even minor details like having the main healing magic be 'white necromancy' supported.

Having said all that, tech is absolutely the way to go.

Unrelated question: has anyone made an idiot savant type character who is a master of persuasion? Does the final quest have retardo text still? That'd be such a nice little bit to have.

Anyway, Arcanum is awesome and I feel bad for you chumps who can't enjoy it. It's like telling me that you think blowjobs suck cuz this one time a girl accidentally rubbed her tooth on your dong.

 

[Sigourn]

Anyway, Arcanum is awesome and I feel bad for you chumps who can't enjoy it. It's like telling me that you think blowjobs suck cuz this one time a girl accidentally rubbed her tooth on your dong.

I do enjoy it, as long as I'm out of the interface. It's a thing I just got to get used to before I completely forget it's there. Hell, I even enjoy the combat though some people just hate it.

 

[Neanderthal]

It's like telling me that you think blowjobs suck cuz this one time a girl accidentally rubbed her tooth on your dong.

Bit o nibbling and rubbin against teeth an tongue studs is fuckin dogs bollocks when it comes to blow jobs, least for me anyway, then again me old lad likes a bit o rough stuff.

 

[Lhynn]

I do enjoy it, as long as I'm out of the interface. It's a thing I just got to get used to before I completely forget it's there. Hell, I even enjoy the combat though some people just hate it.

The combat is alright. Some people just have unreasonable standards. Especially for a game that isnt about the combat.

 

[Excidium II]

unreasonable standards = having standards at all

 

[Lhynn]

unreasonable standards = having standards at all

This is nonsense and you know it.
Looking only for the very best and classifying everything else as shit is unreasonable and doesnt let you give fair criticism.

 

[Excidium II]

unreasonable standards = having standards at all

This is nonsense and you know it.
Looking only for the very best and classifying everything else as shit is unreasonable and doesnt let you give fair criticism.

Looking at approaches that manage to not fail at a fundamental level despite similar circumstances and expecting others to also show basic competence is p. reasonable.

 

[Lhynn]

But it didnt fail, biggest criticism you can elevate about the combat is that its not balanced.
Sure, its nothing memorable, but its not gothic or the equivalent of wrestling with the camera in nwn2 or any of that abysmal crap.