Indie Swords and Sorcery - Underworld: Definitive Edition

[Bubbles]

however in order for Quote #1 to actually WORK the keys have to be concentrated strategically, i.e. everything done with my left hand and right hand always in the same places and hitting the same keys. If the hotkeys are spread out all over the place or in the middle of the keyboard then building muscle memory will not occur.

Actually with the current SSU spell system:

- in combat, on the priest's turn: TAB, Q
- out of combat, 5, TAB, Q



OK I do get it though, it isn't always going to be Q.

Also this thread might end up helping me with the karate training so it's getting better than ever

Eh, Tab+K for the Wizard, Tab+D for the Priest is good enough for most battles, although I liked to use Tab+A for the Wizard on the early levels and Tab+B for tougher enemies. E:G might make it easier to build "muscle memory", but memorizing key presses is also more important when it takes nine key presses to cast a simple healing spell. The fact that SS:U requires a maximum of four key presses (optionally select caster - select spellbook - select spell - optionally select target) for any spellcast helps a lot with that.

 

[aweigh]

you'\re forgetting that the same order of buttons for elminage: gothic is the same one for every single other game in its genre. main benefit of standardized control schemes.

if i have to re-learn hotkeys for every dungeon crawler i play then i will not play them. if the game is good enough i use AutoHotkey to set it up to a similar buttton-arrangement as elminage or wizardry, like i've done with swords and sorcery.

if S*S allowed usage of WASD to move through menu options then i would actually finish the game.

 

[Bubbles]

"Tab opens the spellbook" - "Fuck off, it's supposed to be C-Q-Enter-Q!"

 

[aweigh]

what's the problem with letting the player assign the hotkey? these japanese games i'm talking about allow you to do so and they're originally released on consoles before making their way to Windows PC.

elminage: gothic on PC allows me to assign the Camp button to whatever button on the keyboard I wish; same with the spells menu button. anything less than freely assignable hotkeys is simply locking yourself out of future players.

original wizardry utilized WAD, (S)status, (e)nter [confirm button], (L)eave [cancel button] only and that came out in 1987 and features easier UI management than S*S does. ESC also double-duty as the cancel button in all cases. its ui is PERFECT and NEVER changes which is the single most important thing: the control scehem should NEVER be changing depending on the game state. that's just lazy design.

it's not about the amount of button presses: it's about the ease of the player the achive those button pressses. GTFO of here with saying that a game that requires me to do a combo hold of buttons (this button + this button does this!) fuck that: people have wrist problems in real life. if i can avoid doing a combination button press i will avoid it.

buttons should do the same thing in every single situation to and be loc

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

I would imagine the number of people who would halt playing a perfectly good crawler based on staunch principles of control scheme design would be very small. Probably comes with obsessive focus on the topic and likely many thousands of hours of shit Japanese crawlers simply because they allow said individual to carry on with ritual.

Don't worry aweigh you can be you here.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Found reproducible item duplication, equiping and inventory bugs.

I am not in a position to detail them now but will try to this week. I can basically equip anything I want and duplicate any item as many times as I want (I don't want to spoil the game at all). If you prefer I can PM the bugs Charles-cgr

 

[Charles-cgr]

Found reproducible item duplication, equiping and inventory bugs.

I am not in a position to detail them now but will try to this week. I can basically equip anything I want and duplicate any item as many times as I want (I don't want to spoil the game at all). If you prefer I can PM the bugs Charles-cgr

Pm is good... I thought those were long gone :/

 

[janior]

Will it ever be on sale ?

 

[Dorateen]

The game is worth whatever price he has it at. Help fund the sequel, Sovereign.

 

[janior]

How long it is though?

 

[Charles-cgr]

How long it is though?

About 20-40 hours, sorry for the late reply!

 

[jungl]

One thing I noticed about these Dungeon crawler games on steam they have terrible UI like Elminage gothic. If the main thing I remember from a game is its a horrible UI something went very wrong. Doesn't help elminage gothic is the worst game in the series and the original for psp is 100x better with its item finding, dungeons, class balance etc. UI is very important!

 

[victim]

I haven't replayed the game in a LOOOOOONG time -- I think I played it before it got the Sword& Sorcery name and was just called Underworld Gold. I personally thought the original art (which seemed to change drastically from the bit of the newer updates I played) and UI were pretty good.

 

[Charles-cgr]

One thing I noticed about these Dungeon crawler games on steam they have terrible UI like Elminage gothic. If the main thing I remember from a game is its a horrible UI something went very wrong. Doesn't help elminage gothic is the worst game in the series and the original for psp is 100x better with its item finding, dungeons, class balance etc. UI is very important!

Party based with portraits has specific difficulties concerning UI. UI blocks have set widths and heights (they don't respond well to stretching). Having 6 portraits, and up to 10 monster icons means you have to either choose the lowest possible resolution (people playing on notebooks) and have small UIs on large screens, or set everything at a percentage of screen width and height to accomodate everything. That is what i chose to do, and went with the transparent UI which, granted, isn't the best aesthetic choice. Also the stretching shows on very large screens which isn't great either. It's kind of a headache. victim This wasn't an issue with gold because the game was set at 1024*768 which was fine for some, but got lots of criticism for its non-compliance to wide screens.

I hope to be able to work out something better for Sovereign, but for now I'm sticking to my current solution.

 

[Charles-cgr]

There's a demo up on Steam now, if anyone's been curious but still on the fence. I figured it might also help with the Greenlight campaign, when I finally decide to launch that.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/408400

 

[Mustawd]

I figured it might also help with the Greenlight campaign, when I finally decide to launch that.

Huh? This game is on steam...what are you talking about Frenchie?

 

[Charles-cgr]

I figured it might also help with the Greenlight campaign, when I finally decide to launch that.

Huh? This game is on steam...what are you talking about Frenchie?

I've been preparing the greenlight campaign for the sequel.

 

[Mustawd]

Oh ok. Will buy.

 

[Trias_Betrayed]

Unrelated to previous stuff, I turned in like 2 stolen jewels earlier and now it doesn't seem like I can find the guard did I jew myself out of a lot golds or is he somewhere else and I'm just wrong?

EDIT : Yep found him I'm dumb nevermind

 

[Lord Azlan]

Apologies for necrophilia here - could not find a newer thread - blame my incompetence or forum search facility.

Giving this one a try at the moment - seems quite polished and actually enjoying. Just mapping the first town (and maybe only town) and it gives me a Bards Tale feeling.

Any comments about it to help my way?

Question about the Runes - are they like capacity to memorise spells akin to older D&D - Eye of the Beholder or Pools of Radiance? can you run out of them - can you purchase more.

Basically how does magic work?

Very grateful and thanks to Steam Curator on decent find.

 

[Charles-cgr]

Hey Lord Azlan,

There are three towns actually, and Runes are comps like gems were in the Might and Magics. No need to memorize spells here, just have the required SPs, Runes for Sorcerer spells and Holy Water for Priest spells. You create Holy Water yourself, out of regular water and SPs, using the lvl1 Priest Holy Water spell.

Beyond that, magic is pretty straightforward.

Thanks to the Steam curator from me as well

 

[Lord Azlan]

Hey Lord Azlan,

There are three towns actually, and Runes are comps like gems were in the Might and Magics. No need to memorize spells here, just have the required SPs, Runes for Sorcerer spells and Holy Water for Priest spells. You create Holy Water yourself, out of regular water and SPs, using the lvl1 Priest Holy Water spell.

Beyond that, magic is pretty straightforward.

Thanks to the Steam curator from me as well

Thanks for the advice. Nearly 10 hours in and I am really liking the game. Seems streamlined and efficient.

Slight difficulty in overcoming anything at all in Catacombs level 1 but seems to be sorted now.

Do you know how the front/ back/ melee system works? I am a bit confused when my two mages in the back row, the third row, can sometime engage in melee, how is that possible unless they are being attacked in the rear?

 

[Jaesun]

Enemies can engage characters in the back row, just move the back row character(s) out of melee when it is their turn.

 

[Charles-cgr]

Hey Lord Azlan,

There are three towns actually, and Runes are comps like gems were in the Might and Magics. No need to memorize spells here, just have the required SPs, Runes for Sorcerer spells and Holy Water for Priest spells. You create Holy Water yourself, out of regular water and SPs, using the lvl1 Priest Holy Water spell.

Beyond that, magic is pretty straightforward.

Thanks to the Steam curator from me as well

Thanks for the advice. Nearly 10 hours in and I am really liking the game. Seems streamlined and efficient.

Slight difficulty in overcoming anything at all in Catacombs level 1 but seems to be sorted now.

Do you know how the front/ back/ melee system works? I am a bit confused when my two mages in the back row, the third row, can sometime engage in melee, how is that possible unless they are being attacked in the rear?

Rows do not determine anything, being or not being in melee does. If your character isn't in the fray, his/her portrait will be slightly grayed.

 

[Lord Azlan]

20 hours in and I hand in my apologies.

I disrespected the game and I disrespected the developer. I thought it was a basic Bards Tale clone playable on modern computers but it's MUCH MORE than that.

Suspicions. Something vague stirred in my brain when my party gathered water in the first town - ho hum. What's the point right? The tavern is just a few steps away. Then I learnt that Holy Water was required for some spells and then in the bottom of a deep, deep dungeon infested with unholy monsters I came across a river and my party gathered water again. My brain began to connect the dots.

15 hours in I thought maybe this game would be better if it had a map since I kept on forgetting where things were in the catacombs - hey presto - there is a map.

Underestimating. I am guilty of it. So many other things as well.

Really lovely graphics.
Quite varied depictions of the various souls you meet who try and eat your brains.
A handy little spell that allows your priest to read their minds. Yuck.
A complexity to combat that I had not appreciated and sort of explains why I was dying a lot at one stage.
A thief that is sort of important to your party - when did that become a thing?
A priest that can cast healing spells in the middle of combat and leads you to a merry jig of "WHO TO HEAL FIRST"

So I went to GOG and added to the wish list, 448 votes so far - onwards and upwards!

20 hours in and I have sort of completed the first town, catacombs, barracks, met an alchemist and now exploring Dwarfsville.

Hopefully quite a few more hours to go. No bugs (Windows 8) but some freezing in the middle of hectic combat.

Now then. My only point so far. I admit it might become redundant as I play and learn more. The save mechanic and the one hit kills.

I had the good fun to play Bards Tale 1 again a few years ago. There was no save mechanic apart from resting in the Guild Offices. Despite that I remember (and quite recently) that your party could leave the Guild and adventure for hours and hours without saving - without the need for saving.

Here - because I meet so many creatures can one hit my party members - it is making me mad. I save after every fight and after every fight and after etc.

Maybe it's my incompetence, maybe because the save feature is there. I dunno. Maybe I need to run away more. But how do you know who to run away from until you die and then it is too late. I dunno. Shrug. Maybe this is a M&M clone and not a Bards Tale clone.

Finally, huge salutes and respect to the developer. I have been looking for a game like this for a very long time and only Lords of Xulima and M&M X have done that need some justice. You could say I have been addicted to this game. You might even say I have rediscovered my addiction. Thank you for that.

Really happy we have an active developer and looking forward to the next game.

Really like the ascend and descend spell. Really like the Holy Water fiascos. Really like the "Who should I heal first?" mini game.
Really like the "oh crap my pants - is that a dragon?"
Really like that I managed to beat one tough customer by ensuring the scum was out of range by use of Sonic. Yes I sonicked it to death.

Would really like better descriptions or explanations. For example, does increasing Intelligence do ANYTHING for priests?

Would really like more varied loot as the barracks mostly had stuff for fighters.

PS. More EFFICIENT than Paper Sorcerer and Elminage Gothic IMHO