edwardhuggett on 3/3/2002 at 15:51
Well, i wont be able to download the demo till Monday. It seems like there is divided opinion........
Raf - It seems like most of the problems can be rectified that have been mentioned. Don't lose spirit! If it has anything like the atmosphere of the underworld series I will be happy!
Will post my views 2 morrow (hopefully!)
Fuinelen on 3/3/2002 at 15:52
Nice to see you read us Raf :)
Hmm ... you implement suggestions that aren't too much trouble? Cool :) When does the MMORPG Patch come out? ;))
Just Jk,
Fuinelen
xman on 3/3/2002 at 16:14
It's always easier to say what is wrong because everybody thinks that a game should be perfect; so even if it is perfect, they won't say it as they consider it as "normal".
BTW, I've just sent you (well not exactly you but information@arkane) a list of bugs/suggestions.
Raf on 3/3/2002 at 16:16
Quote:
Originally posted by Fuinelen
Hmm ... you implement suggestions that aren't too much trouble? Cool :) When does the MMORPG Patch come out? ;))
sure, just give me 5 minutes ;)
Xman: I'll read them soon :) thx
xman on 3/3/2002 at 16:21
Quote:
Originally posted by Fuinelen hmm ... France has quite a record on very good (and very often innovative) games btw , the 'Twinsen' serie being my personal favourite :)
Apart from that, I agree ;)
Fuinelen I think "Ray Man 2" is a reference in terms of platform games.
But yes, there aren't that much excellent games coming from France but we are a small country so it's normal that we don't produce many games (hence many hits).
Le Magot d'Oz on 3/3/2002 at 16:59
you cannot pick up useless object (like skull, corpse, fork...) : this only mean there's no specific use for them (cannot be used on something else), so it don't worth to carrying them (you cannot sells corpse or make an helmet from a skull ;) ) : it's not a bug, it just mean you don't have to bother for this object : it's only here for immersion !
you DO have interaction with NPC (you could buy ale with 2 gold coin for instance)
physic is nice (when you throw object away : otherwise you just put it precisely somewhere, despite it's sometimes difficult -> object positioning needs improvement) : gravity seems to work pretty well... but only when the object is in the air : a realistic fall curve, even if it hit a wall : but if it touch the ceiling, it falls on it ! and sometimes it's the same for other vertical objects...
some elements are moving to fast to be impressive :
- in the intro :
* camera when the ratman flees need to stop before changing direction (ex 0.2 or 0.5 s) to make us think it's the view from a living being
* the portculis of the cell when closing
- in 2D cutsene while speaking to the guard, need a more pause to put emphase
- the mice (moving at the same speed)
[EDIT] oups nevermind ! it was surely a bug that every mice running so fast all the time ! now they move at differents speed, and even stop sometime : I now believe that IS mice ! [EDIT]
- the text disapear to fast IMO either in the dialog or the help text (not to annoying for me, but you have to not be disturb too much...)
Fintilgin on 3/3/2002 at 18:08
Firstly, the Ultima Underworlds are still on my list of the five all time greatest games ever made, so I'm quite happy that a new game is being made in the same vein!
Things I liked:
1.) Level design. The environments were very real and interesting, the half-collapsed look was great and there was lots of interesting clutter and trash lying about. There were lots of neat side areas and secrets to discover too, so I really enjoyed the sense of exploration.
2.) The magic system. It took a bit of fooling around before I was able to draw the two runes that weren't straight lines, but I really like the drawing system. Having to memorize the symbols and their order adds alot of immersion to playing a mage. I also like the creepy chanting in the background.
3.) Gameplay. A good mix of friendly NPCs, exploring, and combat. Kept me interested and eager to keep going. BTW: Did anyone else notice all the fun things you say if you keep trying to guess the password in the tavern? :)
4.) Object interactivity. Yay! Making apple pies is silly, but fun. (BTW: Not once did I ever have my character complain about being hungry... I didn't know he could!) I'm sure there will be lots of neat tricks and secrets to be discovered by playing around with our inventory in the full game. I was a little disapointed that stools and buckets didn't burn when I put them in the fire, but you can't have everything. High object interactivity is a big plus, so I suspect I'll have tons of fun with this in the final game. (Did anyone else wish we could have made human/goblin steaks as well? :ebil: )
Things I didn't like:
1.) The intro. For a series of events that should be breathtakingly epic and awe-inspiring (after all, how often does the Sun die?) the intro was very short and banal. I think the key here is the old saying `show, don't tell'. Show us the world before it freezes so we care about it. Show us the long lines of freezing refugees shuffling into the caves. Show us the towers of great fortresses barely sticking out of the ice. Show us the last feeble sunset over an empty snow sweapt city. Hammer us with the dark and the cold, so that the tiny spark of civilization left huddling under the earth seems doomed and terribly alone. DON'T just say `Once upon a time there was a fantasy world that froze'.
Ahem. :) That being said, the artwork in the intro was nifty.
2.) Weird physics. Sticking bones, bricks, and buckets in the wall is amusing, but only the first time. Also, when I try to place fish or pies down near more complicated architecture like fireplaces, sometimes they'll seem to vanish, and are never found again. I also noticed, that sometimes after saving and returning to the game my character will hurl one of his items away. Considering I had to replay most of Ultima Underworld after accidently throwing the `artifact' ring into a lake and later saving the game, this is a bug close to my heart. :)
3.) Crashes. It crashed a lot for me. Nearly all of the crashes were in and around the area you land in after dropping through the trap. Every minute or so (literally) the game would completely lock up. The only thing I can think of is that the fog here was making it crash, as I didn't really have any problems anywhere else (one crash to desktop, but otherwise I was fine). Obviously a crash a minute renders the game unplayable, so I was pleased when I got out of that area and it seemed to be OK.
4.) No conversation choices. This must have been an early design choice, and I know it's far too late to change, but oh how it annoys me. No matter how great the rest of Arx is, this will probably keep it from being a classic (at least to me). Two things pull me out of being immersed in an RPG. Over the shoulder third-person `Tomb-Raider' style POV, and not having any dialogue choices. It makes me feel like I'm playing someone else's character, with their words forced into my mouth. For example, I wanted to accept the quest the dying guy gives me, not try to refuse and act all snippy. It's very jarring to have all the options you want in combat, and character building, and world interactivity, only to have them all snatched away and be forced to watch a non-interactive movie when you talk to someone.
Knowing my tastes in RPGs this will likely be Arx's greatest flaw. It's too late for Arx on this issue, but maybe not for Arx 2... :(
When all is said and done...
Not perfect, but fun. I'll buy it and am quite looking forward to the game. Even with some odd bugs and the inability to make my own conversation choices the rest of the game looks right up my alley.
I'm chomping at the bit to return to the underworld...
[SPOILER] I also thought the player was probably the rat-man assassin. The teleporation, blue-fire, and oh-so-convinent memory loss did the trick for me. Now, either we're all delusional or Fishtank botched their subtlty roll! ;) [/SPOILER]
Joe
ImmortalG on 3/3/2002 at 18:19
Coolest Intro. Ever.
I have watched it over a dozen times(by choice), its just so damn cool.
The lighting has some problems when bump-mapping is on (are you switching the lighting into the TFACTOR? ala per-pixel lighting).
bourrie on 3/3/2002 at 18:19
Quote:
Originally posted by Le Magot d'Oz
you DO have interaction with NPC (you could buy ale with 2 gold coin for instance)
You can even feed the dog, he'll follow you then for a while! Great demo, great game. No bugs for me and no crashes to desktop! I've played the demo four times (with different skillpower) discovered each time new stuff and possibilities! The mouseclick-control of the game reminds me a lot on Wizardry 8, so no complains on that part! I'll definitely gonna buy this pearl!
Nethawk on 3/3/2002 at 18:52
Raf, congrats on a good game. My post was intended to post some of the things that annoyed me - what is preventing me from purchasing the game. Guess I didn't point out the stuff I liked enough - the dark, dank atmosphere, the inventory ideas, etc. As a published author, I can tell you that I gave your game the exact same treatment that any critic/editor/publisher would to a manuscript. The first time I showed my finished book to a professional author/editor aquaintance, she immediately tore the cover I'd been working on for weeks and threw it on the floor in disgust. She then started reading it and instead of commenting on how original the intro was or anything like that she started pointing out punctuation errors. I was devastated - for five minutes. It only gave me the fuel to come out with a better product for the second run - not to satisfy her or redeem myself, but just to improve what I objectively felt WAS a subpar product. Her opinion didn't tear me down - it opened my eyes. Family memebers and friends all said my book was awesome and without fault. It took a complete stranger to make me let go of my naivite. Some of the posts in here mentioned that considering that the Arx Fatalis project wasn't well funded, your team did great. I agree, but this isn't a cooking fair or poetry reading - the game industry is more like the olympics; it's cutthroat and without mercy. It doesn't matter how much funding or crowd support an athlete has that decides whether or not she/he should win a medal, it's whether or not the end performance rocked. Same here. To my knowledge, it doesn't take large sums of money to include a quicksave hotkey game feature (this might sound like a little gripe, but hey - I work long hours at a regular job and have other projects on the go too. I dislike not having a quicksave feature) and a more intuitive interface action/movement control system - really the only two things that are preventing me from purchasing this game. For instance, one example might have been that instead of placing the belt and book icons on the screen (I actually had to look pretty closely at at them at first to even see what they were), hotkeys to bring them up might have been used instead. Otherwise, left as is, better high res - high detail graphics for the icons would have been better. Your team made a very wise decision not to make the game third person as well, that would have sucked (unless it was toggleable). So anyhow, there it is. I'm not kissing anyone's arse when it comes to a game review. I say it straight up based on first impressions. Overall, I rate it 75%. Go back to work on the finished product or make a sequel that kicks its ass, and I'll play Arx Fatalis until I get bags under my eyes.
