Prosper Realms of Arkania: Shovelware Edition

[NotAGolfer]

In the old trilogy you needed a character with a high alchemy skill (magic user, maybe it even has to be a mage, dunno anymore), an alchemy set (or whatever the translation is, in German it's Alchemieset), the recipe (you have to find it in the game world and keep it) and the ingredients/stuff listed on the recipe. To finally brew the potion or poison you have to rent a room in an inn (depending on the potion maybe for more than a day) and use the skill from there.
And yes, that's way too much hassle to bother, so nobody used alchemy in the old games except for trying it out for the first time.

 

[Darth Roxor]

What?

People are discussing this turd non-ironically?

 

[Mary Sue Leigh]

Ironically? This is srs stuff, they're gonna "re-make" Star Trail and Shadows over Riva too if nobody stops them. And then I'll have to play those as well. X(

 

[Sceptic]

What?

People are discussing this turd non-ironically?

Says the guy who non-ironically wrote a review on it

 

[Mary Sue Leigh]

Wow this is plain amazing, at least by my standards.

The developer/s (How many are there left by now anyway?) apparently liked my LP of their game enough to give me a free key to the freshly and controversially released DLC ('For the Gods') that this game actually got before it was even patched into 'Gold' status.
So I guess now I just have to take a look at this all-new content as well that wasn't even in the original '92 game!
The DLC is also said to have introduced a plethora of brand-new bugs, so naturally I am quite thrilled.

Where does it end..

More news on this as the story develops!

Aw, who am I kidding, I'm the only one who still loses sleep over this.. :D

 

[Bubbles]

There were never more than two developers on this project, the programmer/CEO and the programmer/artist. I doubt one of them could have quit without the whole company collapsing.

 

[Markman]

I think I have a spare steam key for this game, wanted to try it then read Roxors review and said fuck it.

 

[Bubbles]

Roxor has recanted after the latest patches. Most people who've played the patched game enjoy it greatly.

 

[NotAGolfer]

And monkeys enjoy throwing feces at each other. So what?

 

[Abelian]

Roxor has recanted after the latest patches. Most people who've played the patched game enjoy it greatly.

I don't think his comment after you announced the last patch counts as recanting:

es majestic

 

[Mary Sue Leigh]

It is okay now. I had some good laughs.

 

[MicoSelva]

Here, get it in a bundle for 3.49.

http://www.bundlestars.com/all-bundles/fusion-bundle/

Ah, I was wondering why Steam keys for this appeared at a very low price on a local internet auction site. That would explain it.

 

[Bubbles]

New patch:

Patch 1.33a - March 8th, 2014 7:30pm (GMT+2)
8 March - Chris Firefox

• Taverndialogue made cancelable without the need to leave the tavern
• Introduced absolute carrylimit (strength x 140 in ounces)
• Introduced sleeping in camp battles (depending on how good the guard was)
• Weathersystem respects sound volume setting
• Introduced helptext for the aventurian calendar (see Questbook -> Help -> Date and Time)
• Haggle-checks for traders are now harder, kicking out is a lot sooner
• Enchanted druid dagger “heal” now only works for Druids
• Female trader names now are also female avatars (at General Goods, Weapons, Herbs)

• Prevented changing faces (e.g. for Barkeeps, Innkeepers)
• School of Farsight identify item dialogue fixed
• Deactivated voiceover for female house owners
• Fixed witch battle sound samples
• Fixed battle hangs for enemies with two attacks (e.g. Sabretooth tigers)
• Hylailan Fire is now a ranged weapon
• Pirate cave fixed open door blocking movement
• Missing battletexts in pirate cave fixed
• Fixed magic staff loses enchantment when lost and then picked up with “take all”
• Various text placeholders fixed
• Various double icon displays on minimaps fixed
• Fixed close window at the blacksmith
• Fixed various clipping errors in towns
• Fixed time bug after camps without battles
• Fixed item info window (grey font color, item descriptions sometimes too long)
• Fixed initiative base display in characterscreen
• Fixed shifted voiceovers for second unicorn encounter
• Pause travel button deactivated on leaving town fixed
• Fixed several Thorwal sounds
• Fixed various Dialogues (Hunters Hut, The Call in simple houses, Abandoned Hut and more)
• Group item effects (e.g. Light) only work if coming from active characters (e.g. not dead)
• Camp treat sickness endless loop fixed
• DLC FtG: Baerhag-Quest-Bugs fixed
• DLC FtG: Various Dialogues fixed (Zerif, In the woods and more)
• DLC FtG: Forest Abvenenum fixed
• DLC OD: Various Dialogues fixed (Challenge near Bodir, Sweet Erika, Axe to groin and more)
• DLC OD: Dungeonexit Groenvelden fixed

• Modding: Carrylimit configurable (globalsettings/system/maxcarryweightmultiplier)
• Modding: Movement point progression configurable (globalsettings/system/movement)
• Modding: Adding of new talents enabled
• Modding: Globalsettings/character is now modable additively (so far: only completely)

Looks like these guys won't stop until the game is absolutely perfect.

 

[Abelian]

These guys never give up, do they? :D

 

[Mary Sue Leigh]

They didn't mention the new bugs that got also added. Plus I have been poking through the DLC content and it's even worse than everything else in my opinion..
Ah well since I was asked to record it and comment while I play, I also did that.

 

[felipepepe]

I like how they are still fixing placeholder text, but already have a DLC out.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Deactivated voiceover for female house owners

Were they speaking with the male narrator voice before?

 

[jdinatale]

The game is only $3.50 on Bundlestars (plus you get 8 other AAA games)

 

[Darth Roxor]

Deactivated voiceover for female house owners

Were they speaking with the male narrator voice before?

yup

 

[Mary Sue Leigh]

Sometimes it seems the male voice actor had a day off, then you get text boxes with no voiceover, or, if it had a female speaking role, she only says that text and leaves out the flavor text around it. She must have been very very expensive to be used so sparingly. I'd have done it for free.

Careful though not to throw too much money at them, a lil bit is okay.. Just I don't want there ever to be a Star Trail or God forbid Shadows over Riva remake by those guys, which I also subsequently would have to play...
>_<

Here's my first hand experiences with the DLCs, I guess if I had paid for that, I would have felt ripped off and violated now:

A new quest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxQpIl84NEw

A new dungeon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_YVOeWmSgE

There's stuff I missed but heck it if I could be bothered to keep looking for it.... >_<

 

[Bubbles]

Ladies and Gentlemen... I take pride in introducing... the GREATEST NEWS ON EARTH:

Sternenschweif HD ist in Arbeit
Wir bei Crafty Studios freuen uns bekannt geben zu dürfen, dass wir gemeinsam mit unserem Publisher UIG ab sofort mit Hochtouren an Sternenschweif HD arbeiten! Der Release ist bisher mit "Ende dieses Jahres" geplant. Wir bitten euch auch weiterhin um tatkräftige Mithilfe, Vorschläge und aktive Teilnahme an den Diskussionen hier im Forum, da wir eure geschätzte Meinung wie schon bisher in unsere Entwicklung einfließen lassen wollen! Vielen Dank für eure Geduld, eure Treue und euren Einsatz!

tl;dsG:

STAR TRAIL HD HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR Q4 2014

YEAR OF YEAR OF

 

[Angelo85]

I'm still speechless after all these months. The Devs don't deserve to work on the other two games. Should go back to making browser games. The work they delivered with Blade of Destiny was an utter disgrace and judging from the Steam Forums as well as their official Forums, the game is still filled with plenty major (and tons of minor, of course) bugs.

The best thing the license holder could do is to hire another studio to work on the other two games. Even if they have a contract with the current Devs for all three games, any half decent lawyer should have no problems to nullify that contract given the circumstances.

 

[Abelian]

At least the devs won't have to fix the same bugs the second time around. Maybe the only reason why they both kept pushing patches was because once the engine was fixed, it would be easier to work on the sequels.

Still not going to buy it, though.

 

[Angelo85]

Of course that's the reason why they "supported" / tried fixing the game for so long. Not because they are so committed to their product or just good samaritans, they were continued to be financed and contractually obligated because of the console port and the sequels.
This whole thing smells like a cheap attempt at "milking the cow" so to speak. Give contract to small inexperienced, no-name and therefore cheap Dev team -> have them churn out remake of three games + DLC with established license, game system even dialogues, maps and quests. Only mistake was that the Devs were simply too inexperienced with real games to pull it off.

The game is out since mid 2013, and it still suffers from major game breaking and show stopping bugs. Now they started working on the sequel with their three man team aiming to release by the end of the year all the while still trying to fix basic problems with the original game.
Once again it appears to me that the Devs try to juggle too many geese at once.

 

[Abelian]

Give contract to small inexperienced, no-name and therefore cheap Dev team -> have them churn out remake of three games + DLC with established license, game system even dialogues, maps and quests. Only mistake was that the Devs were simply too inexperienced with real games to pull it off.

Well, it certainly seems that the IP owners got their money's worth