Game News Knights of the Chalice is Here

[getter77]

Yet more substantial patching in 1.12 now, with apparently even more AI improvements in the works.

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

Extraordinary game. Never thought I would play an excellent, old school game again without turning to old favourites.

So, Ventilator, how are you finding this 'meh' game? You seem to be quite enthusiastic as the thread wears on.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

The game is awesome. The fact that there are no skills and only 3 classes is still meh though. And no Undead Turning. Another meh.
There is a lot of potential improvement, like abandon the simplistic writing and write some decent dialogue for instance. But as far as combat goes it's top notch.

 

[Ashery]

The game is awesome. The fact that there are no skills and only 3 classes is still meh though. And no Undead Turning. Another meh.
There is a lot of potential improvement, like abandon the simplistic writing and write some decent dialogue for instance. But as far as combat goes it's top notch.

The dialogue may be simplistic, but the immediate consequences of decisions made inside the dialogue for the encounters are extremely well done.

Most of the games faults deal with the overall lack of customization/variety for the played characters.

 

[kenney bounces]

Let's be honest here guys.. it's a dungeon crawler.. but it's a damned good dungeon crawler.
There's no significant C&C, but it is a damned good dungeon crawler with complicated tactics.

 

[Ashery]

Let's be honest here guys.. it's a dungeon crawler.. but it's a damned good dungeon crawler.
There's no significant C&C, but it is a damned good dungeon crawler with complicated tactics.

I suppose I made the wrong choice by using the word consequences there due to that connection, but one is frequently faced with instances where they must decided whether or not to trust whatever creature they encounter.

And there are definitely some decisions you can make that pretty much guarantee the death of your party.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Let's be honest here guys.. it's a dungeon crawler.. but it's a damned good dungeon crawler.
There's no significant C&C, but it is a damned good dungeon crawler with complicated tactics.

I suppose I made the wrong choice by using the word consequences there due to that connection, but one is frequently faced with instances where they must decided whether or not to trust whatever creature they encounter.

And there are definitely some decisions you can make that pretty much guarantee the death of your party.

Yes - but again... speaking of simplicity. Those choices are either: kill something or don't kill something, or in the other case trust someone and be at a disadvantage in the inevitable fight or don't trust and be at an advantage.

 

[Ashery]

Or don't trust someone and completely fuck over someone who actually had good intentions.

What happens if you attack the bears in the cave instead of waiting?

Or, if you want a spoiler for the hill giant area, if you walk into the leader's throne room (If you could call it that) confidently instead of just barging in, you can claim to be an agent from the fire giants and demand payment for something or other (I forgot some of the details), payment that results in getting 4k gold that the party would've otherwise not gotten.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

2 examples , OK. But I guess you have to fight the Giant King anyway, eh? To progess the story... but maybe it's a nice flavor. The point is it's mostly insignificant, because you'll fight anyway. There is another such example in the Orc Stockade where you can trick some slaver into paying you 1000 gold, this one you don't even have to fight.

 

[Darth Roxor]

2 examples , OK. But I guess you have to fight the Giant King anyway, eh?

Nope. After tricking him that you're a messenger from the Fire Giants, he gives you his word that he'll stop attacking the city.

 

[kenney bounces]

Ya as i said, no "significant" C&C here. Still a damned good dungeon crawler though.
Was playing it iron-man mode.. however, I found that CTRL-S lets me save the game so it's no longer iron man. pfft.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

2 examples , OK. But I guess you have to fight the Giant King anyway, eh?

Nope. After tricking him that you're a messenger from the Fire Giants, he gives you his word that he'll stop attacking the city.

OK, well that's p. cool then. So how do you get his treasure key to get the letter for teleport to the Frost Giants (which was in the Kings treasure room)?

 

[Darth Roxor]

OK, well that's p. cool then. So how do you get his treasure key to get the letter for teleport to the Frost Giants (which was in the Kings treasure room)?

I wish I remembered. It's *somewhere* in the dungeon below the fort, but no idea where specifically.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Ok, if you take that route it's probably somewhere else or the door is not locked.

btw does anyone know how long it took to develope that game?

 

[getter77]

I think he mentions is somewhere on the general discussion forum...want to say 2+ years...

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Eh, I hoped for another game in say a year or so...

 

[getter77]

That may happen depending. I mean, now that there is an engine from scratch that wasn't there and all in the first place. Depends on how things go with continued patching/refinement, sales, and all that good stuff.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Do you know how sales are going - imo he should make a bigger effort at marketing

 

[Gragt]

From what I gathered, he is mostly fixing the game now that a larger audience plays it, adding requested features such as the font or improving the interface, as well as fixing bugs. He'll be a bit more "aggressive" on the marketting side once the game receives a bit more polish.

 

[buccaroobonzai]

Another issue with the rules in the game is that the Line of Sight rules for spells are not used. You cannot aim a spell at a target you do not have line of site to. In several instances my characters were individually targeted by spells like acid arrow etc. THROUGH darkness spells.

Besides that adding druids, rogues, and rangers and cleric turning would make this game better then ToEE!

 

[Ashery]

Besides that adding druids, rogues, and rangers and cleric turning would make this game better then ToEE!

Except that would either require adding in skill points (Esp for the rogue) or coming up with classes that are based around specific builds for each class.

 

[Elwro]

It'd also probably require redesigning the dungeons.

Although, personally, not having turn undead is a turn off for me...

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Yes I meant the sealed tomb in the Thri-keen cave (I'm still there in the first dungeon but at lvl6 now), the insect king gave me the key after I "negotiated" peace with the dwarves beneath. That fight also was a bit unfair because - of course - all dwarves made a beeline for the dwarf you had to protect->reload->reload->reload->oh, i managed to open the fight with casting Displacement on the dwarf, success

I did the same but the thri-keen didn't give me the key

Maybe you forgot to speak to the dwarf once again afterwards, happened to me too now that I'm replaying, therefore I mention it after all these days.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

So, I played again this time I managed to save both allies. This time I had 1 knight, 2 clerics, 1 wizard. I bet 2 wizard will be even better.

(tip: if you kill the Vrock in the tomb and don't banish him, he won't be there... one foe less to worry about)

 

[getter77]

There's been a few more patches now, up to 1.14 I believe. Still more various tweaks and fixes, and hilariously the enemy AI has seen yet more improvements overall.