Talos on 6/5/2003 at 21:50
Just wanted to say i really enjoyed Arx Fatalis and i'm eagerly awaiting for Arx 2. These are some of the things i would like to see in Arx 2...
1. Change the interface a bit. It got a little annoying constantly right clicking to get the "Pointer" view to search for items and secret buttons on walls etc. I'd like it to be more like the Thief games where objects will automatically highlight as long as the playing screen is centered on the object, then simply right click to pick things up etc.
2. Make the journal more informative. I had to resort to the walkthrough many times when i didn't have a clue where to go next.
3. Give us the ability to write notes on the map.
4. Here is something i've never seen anyone ask for... An Autorun button ;)
5. More slots for spells. Also having the spells to be able to stay permanently in the slots (until you overwrite them with different spells) so you don't have to keep drawing the runes would be cool.
6. Boost up the volume levels on the voices during cutscenes. Half the time i couldn't make out what they were saying. Had to rely on reading what was said.
7. More fluff - armor, weapons etc.
8. Streamline some of the spellcasting. Some of the spells you have to actually cast the spell first, right click on the target, than left click to cast the spell. Going through all these steps in the heat of battle made it real tough to actually land the spell on the correct target.
That's all i can think of for now...
Darkwarrior_II on 7/5/2003 at 00:27
Holy crap, I just shat my parents three times in a row.
I need to beat Arx now. NOW!
Lurox on 7/5/2003 at 01:53
I'm at the dwarves mines, right now. :D
Beating it soon...
twisty on 7/5/2003 at 08:18
Cool. Most of the points that Raf has mentioned are quite good, but there's a few that have puzzled me, such as the point on backstabbing and the two-state lockpicking skill.
Cybernide on 7/5/2003 at 23:22
You can smack me all you want for this, but I'm really looking forward to seeing your character's looks change depending on the skills you use.
OUCH!
It's an interesting idea!
Spitter on 9/5/2003 at 18:08
There are two things which I really didn't like in Arx. Other than that, though, it was rather great.
First, I really loved the idea of drawing the magic glyphs in air in order to cast the spells. However, the system which interpreted the drawings was a bit too picky for my tastes. Thus, I hardly ever actually casted anything other than the spells in the pre-cast slots during battles.
Second, I really hate the fighting system - swinging swords and such, that is. The fact is, after the beginning of the game, battling became way too easy. The only tactic is to take steps backwards while loading up the strike, then quickly running towards the enemy, swinging the sword and taking a few steps back again. This is not fun - it is repetitive.
How to make it work? Err, I've only got some ideas, really.
It would be fun to actually use your shield, instead of it just boosting some ethereal statistic. A separate key for blocking, that is.
Forgetting everything about loading and boosting up the swings might work, too - I found most of the swing times in Arx to be unrealistically long (not that I know anything about it). I would like to execute more moves, and be able to control them with better finesse. I've never really been hot on the idea of player's movement direction ordering the type of swing to use. Better stats in close combat skills might increase the available combat moves.
That's it. I have no idea if those would make a good game, but they're worth considering. At least a bit.
Now, if only any of the Arx developers would read this...
twisty on 10/5/2003 at 00:32
Raf and some of the Arkane Studio gang visit here frequently Spitter, so I'm sure that your suggestions will get read :).
Personally, I liked combat in the game but I agree that it could get a whole lot better.
Chade on 10/5/2003 at 12:05
Whee! Arx 2 ... now that is good. Arx had a sort of flawed brilliance, and there are very few games around where I think a sequel could do more to improve the franchaise ... :thumb:
I think the one thing that I'd really REALLY want (there are lot's of things I'd like, but this is the main one) ... and I don't have any concrete idea's of how you might go about this ... is a less delicate system for the receipt and completion of missions.
Arx was one of those games where the free-form gameplay clashed really badly with the scripted nature of the missions ... definately don't make it so easy to get into situations where you stuff something up. The automatic communication of the monsters in arx, the way in which people didn't give you any warnings at all that you were doing somehting wrong before attacking you, it was hard to tell what actions would precipitate an attack, and once you had been identified as an enemy, that was it. There was no going back.
Furthermore, I even got one message telling where I could find some treasure ... cool, an alternate quest! At that stage I had no way of knowing it was the snake people's hideout, and that the people in it were necesary later on.
I think basically what I'm trying to get at is separate the "monsters" from the "NPC's" (terms used loosly, as a lot of thing I normally look upon as monsters were NPC's in Arx ... which was cool), and ALWAYS make sure the NPC's forgive the player the first time he makes a certain mistake. It's the second time he makes that mistake that he can be held accountable.
Also, try to avoid conflicting mission goals unless there is a situation where player is actually making a deliberate choice as to which mission he wants to do.
Or don't do that, maybe you will do something even better: A system where information about the existence of quests, or the conditions for completing them, are concrete items in the world, and can be transfered from person to person (if they are the right sort of person to hear about it), or even from contact with items to people (if they are the right sort of person to hear about it), would be even cooler. (So the person you gives you the quest asking you to find a murderer may be gone, but contact with the body of the victem is enough to make someone aware of the quest to find the murderer, as long as that person is a member of the guard, and proof plus the murderer's body is enough to complete that quest, as long as the person you show it too know's the quest exists)
Or whatever you can imagine and program ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One other minor thing: please don't make the player guess between using an item on a NPC or just talking to him when starting up an important conversation. Use one thing the entire way through.
Now ... of to play Arx! You can tell why I went so hard on the scripting, I royally mucked the game up last time ... this time I'll be less impulsive, and take note of less notes!
Talos on 11/5/2003 at 08:30
There are a few of other things that come to mind that i'd like to see in Arx 2...
1. I'd like to be able to carry around Alchemy tools so we can create potions while we're out adventuring instead of having to go to an alchemy lab. Also, make it so we can fill empty bottles with water from streams and ponds.
2. I'm no fan of "jumping platform" type games. I see in the "scoop" review they are going to make the jumping more realistic. If they're going to insist on putting jumping in the game please don't make it so it needs to be so precise. I almost quit playing the game at the level 8 platforms because i couldnt make it across. I'm playing Arx for the 3rd time now and it still takes me around 20 tries of jumping ( than loading a saved game ) to get across.
3. No more "Hell Hound" episodes please. These type of encounters dont belong in a game like this IMHO.
On a side note, i think the appeal of this game is the way it resembles the Ultima Underworld games. When i got to the first campfire by the running stream and was able to cook some fish while listening to the running water and frogs croaking, i was hooked. Arx has great level designs and excellent atmospheric sound effects. Here's hoping Arx 2 has the same kind of qualities...
Cheers
