Game News Swords and Sorcery – Underworld Gold Released

[Jaesun]

Fast... Actually I was getting a bit nervous about the time it was taking. Good then, people weren't getting impatient

Naw take your time. Quality over quantity as they say.

EDIT: I'ma dumb. Reading comprehension check FAIL. Didn't realize this new version WAS available now.

 

[Charles-cgr]

Good stuff. Not patching yet, I think I'll want to finish this playthrough with the same version, but I like the changes to the interface.

How long is the game approximately? I just killed the necromancer and started heading down the River of Fire.

I'd say very roughly about 1/2, maybe a bit less... It's hard to say because things aren't necessarily done in a specific order. And the later maps are a bit... "different"

Fast... Actually I was getting a bit nervous about the time it was taking. Good then, people weren't getting impatient

Naw take your time. Quality over quantity as they say.

"They" have so much wisdom

 

[Jaesun]

So I downloaded the new 2.04 version and started a new Codex party and MAN! These new changes are awesome @Charles-cg! The spellpoint and runes/holy water bars are great. And the new trade system is fast and easy now. Geat job!@ :D

 

[Charles-cgr]

Thank you, Good Sir

 

[Stabwound]

Ah, this game looks great. How much of the game does the demo cover - any rough estimate?

 

[Jaesun]

Charles-cgr some questions, when you have the time:

1. If a fighter is doing 0 damage to a certain creature, that is because he does not have enough STR to damage the creature?
2, Are archers penalized with shooting when they are engaged in melee?
3. Is Distance actually.... calculated? I know missile weapons have a range stat stated on the weapon, but it seems more like the more range a weapon has the more damage it does. I assume Distance is just a damage modifier as opposed to say, Archer is shooting Monster A (which is closer) than shooting Monster F (which is farther away)?
4. When a 1st level Sorcerer casts Animal Hide on the party, and the party is using the inn to rest and heal (in that they NEVER rest in the dungeon), and say the Sorcerer is now level 5, is the Animal Hide spell still at a Level 1 of effectiveness? (I assume so).

 

[zer]

Downloaded updated demo. Changes is really cool.

1. If a fighter is doing 0 damage to a certain creature, that is because he does not have enough STR to damage the creature?

Second that question. Can you explain how damage is calculated, because zero damage a little annoying . Also strange to see monsters physical resistance but no any trace magic resistance in game - lowlevel mages spells offten do a lot more damage that my tanks

 

[Jaesun]

Downloaded updated demo. Changes is really cool.

1. If a fighter is doing 0 damage to a certain creature, that is because he does not have enough STR to damage the creature?

Second that question. Can you explain how damage is calculated, because zero damage a little annoying . It little strange to monsters physical resistance but no trace any magic resistance - lowlevel mages spells offten do a lot more damage that my tanks

Yeah I stupidly thought something like D&D and blew some money on magic items... then went oops. (because there was no difference).

 

[Charles-cgr]

Ah, this game looks great. How much of the game does the demo cover - any rough estimate?

Very little actually. Which is kind of a problem because someone that dwells on the demo will then start in the catacombs with a level 4 party, making it too easy... Might have to include catacombs in the demo in which case it'll be about 10%, give or take.

Charles-cgr some questions, when you have the time:

1. If a fighter is doing 0 damage to a certain creature, that is because he does not have enough STR to damage the creature?

Not enough damage score compared to the monster's armor. Since strength represents a good deal of the damage score, the answer is partially yes.

2, Are archers penalized with shooting when they are engaged in melee?

Nope. That is their class's main perk: no misses with ranged attacks and no impediment for point blank shots between the eyes

3. Is Distance actually.... calculated? I know missile weapons have a range stat stated on the weapon, but it seems more like the more range a weapon has the more damage it does. I assume Distance is just a damage modifier as opposed to say, Archer is shooting Monster A (which is closer) than shooting Monster F (which is farther away)?

No distance is exactly the same as damage, but for ranged attacks, given the character has a ranged weapon. It's actually short for "distance damage". This actually doesn't have anything to do with the target's distance from the shooter, which is not taken into account. The battle area being quite small, even out of melee targets are considered quite close. (This is now briefly explained in the Att(r)ibutes popup.)

4. When a 1st level Sorcerer casts Animal Hide on the party, and the party is using the inn to rest and heal (in that they NEVER rest in the dungeon), and say the Sorcerer is now level 5, is the Animal Hide spell still at a Level 1 of effectiveness? (I assume so).

No because animal hide is +5 +10% armor no matter what level the caster is. The same applies to Bless. Unlike Arcane Bolt and the sorcerer's AOEs, caster level has no impact on those spells' effectiveness (or cost). But the target character's original armor and damage values do.

Downloaded updated demo. Changes is really cool.

1. If a fighter is doing 0 damage to a certain creature, that is because he does not have enough STR to damage the creature?

Second that question. Can you explain how damage is calculated, because zero damage a little annoying . Also strange to see monsters physical resistance but no any trace magic resistance in game - lowlevel mages spells offten do a lot more damage that my tanks

Spells are more effective because armor is only partially deducted from the inflicted damage. The idea being that armor is going to work fully against an axe blow but will only be able to partially deflect damage from arcane, electricity or fire, while not being totally ineffective. The rogue and the sorcerer (and later the priest) therefore have a real edge against high armor mobs like the mummy & vampyr. The rogue circumvents armor entirely when assassinating.

Yeah I stupidly thought something like D&D and blew some money on magic items... then went oops. (because there was no difference).[/quote]
That was... fixed. Sorry. There was a glitch in damage calculations that didn't take into account the extra strength / accuracy given by enchanted items. It incremented the strength score for instance but did so after damage was calculated.

 

[Jaesun]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Achilles]

Charles-cgr your game is kicking my ass. It seems to enjoy throwing curve balls in my direction every so often, usually a bit after I've leveled up and started feeling good about my abilities :D Nice bit of balancing work there, combat stays consistently challenging the further you progress.

I want to post some first impressions for the game from my experience so far. I've cleared (as in, uncovered the full map of) the city and three Underworld maps (Catacombs, Barracks and the next one - can't remember what's it called). There are things Iliked and things that made the experience a bit cumbersome, I'll try and keep it brief .

Things I liked:

- The need for preparation before heading into the depths of the underworld. This is great, it really makes you feel that you are embarking on a dangerous adventure.
- Combat is challenging and requires tactics, especially when facing a diverse group of enemies.
- I like the art, monsters are beautifully designed and have a great deal of character.
- Levelling up is meaningful, your character get a lot stronger with each level up.
- The managing of resources like holy water and spell points adds another element of tactics, as you have to use spells sparingly and only when necessary.
- It's a big game from the looks of it!

Things that occasionally frustrated me:

- Random encounters frequently made me close the PC in frustration after having one difficult battle over another without a chance to rest. It's more of a personal preference, I don't really like random encounters in RPGs so YMMV.
- Is there a way to quickly return to the place that you left from? While exploring the Barracks for instance, I used the mage's spell to return to the surface but then I had to slog through already cleared dungeons just to get back. It seemed like needless busywork, maybe a spell like Mark & Recall would help in alleviating some of the backtracking?

 

[Jaesun]

There is a level 5 spell where you can mark and recall to 3 specific locations. However you won't be getting that for a LONG time.

Also onece you are high enough, when dealing with trash mobs, just click on the skull. That with do the auto combat (Hold SPACE to cancel it).

 

[Charles-cgr]

There is a level 5 spell where you can mark and recall to 3 specific locations. However you won't be getting that for a LONG time.

Yes that pretty much covers it... There's a portal spell. As for the encounters without a chance to rest there is a lvl3 priest spell for that (the resting part). I'm pretty sure you have it if you have lvl3 sorcerer spells. There was Spirit Guard which was a weak version but I scratched it in favor of a priest offensive spell.

Now I have another idea for improvement. :shakes fists: stop giving me ideas so I can work on the next one! :D

Also onece you are high enough, when dealing with trash mobs, just click on the skull. That with do the auto combat (Hold SPACE to cancel it).

CTRL+A is the keyboard hotkey for autofight. Clicking on the skull is the mouse version.

Once you are even higher your archer will have trash mobs for breakfast. And he will gain much weight.

 

[Achilles]

Thanks guys, I already know about the auto combat and the guard spell. Most of the time I have to go back to restock on water as I make heavy use of my cleric. Maybe it would be nice to add a couple of (depletable) water sources in the underword? I think that would eliminate a lot of the needless backtracking without unbalancing the game.

 

[Charles-cgr]

Thanks guys, I already know about the auto combat and the guard spell. Most of the time I have to go back to restock on water as I make heavy use of my cleric. Maybe it would be nice to add a couple of (depletable) water sources in the underword? I think that would eliminate a lot of the needless backtracking without unbalancing the game.

You're quite close to one. There are two water spots below. Perhaps I'll increase the max though. 180 doesn't make much sense now that I think about it with priests allowed to carry 40 HW.

 

[Achilles]

Awesome

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Just gave the demo a try. I easily slew a bandit, but then got my butt handed to me in the next room by a vigilante I was unable to harm.

Pros:
- Love the art.
- I like how the races have small, but important bonuses. It makes you think during character creation, though rogue and gnome going together seems to be a no-brainer.
- The information on the encounter before fighting starts is a nice touch. The bandit attacked because he didn't like me walking around his room. Makes sense.

Cons:
- Some of the information screens take a couple seconds to load or to disappear, which slows me down as I'm still getting used to the interface.
- It's ridiculously easy to reroll until you get really high stats during character creation. Then again, since I was forced to flee two combats in, maybe some high stats are necessary.

 

[Jaesun]

If you cannot hit things with your fighters, that is usually an indication it is a creature MUCH more higher level than you. You can either try to (R)un or try to beat it.

 

[Charles-cgr]

Thanks for trying it out Deuce Traveler

The encounter levels can indeed vary in one given area. Sometimes running is the best option. Vigilantes aren't dangerous with their one hit one down but take a while to beat down.

Sorry about the screen loads. This has improved a bit over the last updates but it will always be rather resource hungry.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I did indeed run. Better to have a party of cowards than a party of corpses. I'll give it another try soon.