Wiglaf |
When I first bought this game I was high off of Diablo and Diablo II. Because of that I probably didn't give it a fare shake. Now over the past few days I booted it up again and have found myself rather enjoying it. The replay value is low, but better then Dungeon Siege.
I find myself really liking the character creation options, although I wish they had more options for hair style and color, not to mention clothing. Still, there is a certain joy that can be found watching a half orc fighter in half-plate and wielding a greatsword Great-Cleave through a row of enemies.
Has anybody else played this game? What do you think about it? And no, I couldn't find a better forum for this so stuck it under OGL since the game runs on 3.0 rules.
dlirao |
Wiglaf, IF you use all the patches (include there the fan-made ones), you will discover a real jewel of a game hidden inside it´s REALLY-REALLY-bug full shell ;) Specifically, the best D&D computer simulator around. When patched, it uses the D&D combat rules to perfection (hey, I´ve even learned a thing or two about the rules playing it!).
Niko77 |
I love this game too - it's how I learned how to play 3rd edition D & D.
Defenitely get those patches for it - as stated they open up some cool possibilities such as removing the level restriction, etc.
I've replayed it all the way through at least half a dozen times now. It's a good one to whip out every six months or so.
Have fun!
modus0 |
Enjoyed the game, hate Atari for refusing to allow Troika to have additional time to adjust to the 3.5 rules change, and then pushing the game out early with more bugs than an Arthropod exhibit.
Definitely check out the Circle of Eight forums, they've got a couple of mods for the games that are quite nice.
Jeremy Mac Donald |
I was just starting to play it when my comp fried on me. Didn't seem to bad, but I did see a couple things I disagreed with, such as zombies using AoO(to me, those should be limited to intelegent creatures).
Geez - your pretty demanding of your CRPGs.
I did not play the patched version but found this game to be a tad to much endless hacking. I was also extraordinarily frustrated - Some where around the second level of the Temple you can find an item you absolutely must keep to finish the game. Catch is the item seems pretty mundane and its worth gold if you sell it. Well I sold it and only realized maybe 25 hours of gaming later that I really needed this item to keep playing and that there was no way to get the item again.
Oh and this thread belongs in the off topic section.
Jal Dorak |
I was searching for this game for about a year (since 2007), as it flew under my radar when it came out.
Last week I was in a Rogers Video with my friend and on a whim, I went into the in-built Elecronics Boutique and asked the clerk if he had the game. He checks the computer, and they had it!
I haven't gotten around to playing outside Hommlet, but currently have a party of a Cleric (St. Cuthbert), Transmuter, Barbarian, Ranger, and Rogue.
Jeremy Mac Donald |
One point of advice I have, is try to do as many "quests" in 'omelt as you can before heading out to the Deklo Grove.
Those quests will advance you to at least 2nd level, which is nice for spending a couple of hours engaging in only one combat.
I find that part of the problem is that there is no switching things up. You spend hours on rather interesting Fedex quests with no fights or anything really exciting for the initial part of the game and then you mostly spend the rest of the game doing nothing but fights with few real quests. Better if there had been more of a mix.
Grimcleaver |
I'm an old school Baldur's Gate junkie, so I loved the interaction. The game totally made me fall in love with Homlett and was as much my introduction to Greyhawk as Baldur's Gate was to Faerun--with similar results. I fell in love.
I wish it was bigger, and that you could explore it a little more fully without having to have people "mark your map" to get you from place to place.
It is a beautiful game though, and horribly brutal. I've never been killed as mercilessly as I was by that game. It made me fear travel in ways I usually don't. Likewise I love that the signature characters from the D&D core books are playable characters in the game. That's a really smooth touch. I also like that unlike most games, this one is slanted for an evil party. There's a ton of internecine politics and backstabbing that goes on in the temple--about half of the game's deep roleplay content, that I don't know if you'd even run into if you played it as a party of good players. Certainly my wife hasn't. She's more or less going room by room killing everything. It makes me laugh, cause she's just hacking through guys that I remember fondly as cool characters I did some jobs for.
Then again, I love that one legitimate ending of the game (and the first one I got) is to meet with the head of the Temple and go ahead and change sides and become a member of the cult. I really dig that. So often it's like you're bound to be enemies with folks in games that you really shouldn't and they just don't give you the choice. I love that these guys took that as a serious option and let you end the game that way if you wanted.
Cato Novus |
Cato Novus wrote:I was just starting to play it when my comp fried on me. Didn't seem to bad, but I did see a couple things I disagreed with, such as zombies using AoO(to me, those should be limited to intelegent creatures).Geez - your pretty demanding of your CRPGs.
YES! I MUST HAVE PERFECTION!
Actually, I thought the game(what little I played of it) was really well made. Its just that when you're playing a good game, the little things stick out much easier. Like sitting down in a nice leather chair, and discovering the tip of a nail protruding through the frame but was hiding just beneath the leather. You may like the chair, and not wish to get rid of it, but you will notice that nail every time you sit down.
TarSpartan |
I'm casting "Resurrection" on this thread as I have recently started playing this game after GOG ran a good sale and I heard that the patches really cleaned it up. So far I am level 2 and I have made it through a few encounters in the Moathouse without dying. My thoughts so far:
1. This game is *really* diligent about the rules. I like that you can right-click on a character and run through all of the options, from fighting defensively to skills to charging attacks. It was a bit of a pain to realize what switching up weapons in-combat really did to your movement abilities, and that reloading crossbows is so much more of a pain than using a bow.
2. This game is very hard on characters. I initially played it like any other game, taking my staring party out to the first monster interactions. I was quickly killed by four or five giant frogs. After a few attempts and a few quick deaths, I started paying more attention to the in-town quests. I was able to reach Level 2 by finishing up some in-town quests, which greatly improved my odds of survival.
3. I have learned the value of taking on NPCs. Even if they aren't terribly powerful, just running through another set of actions and another target for the "bad guys" is a big help.
4. Money is hard to come by early in the game. I never thought I'd reach second level and be scrounging for crossbow bolts, let alone decent armor and weapons for my characters. I'm not even thinking about MWK gear yet.
In all, the game is really fun so far, and I look forward to the rest of it. I have still encountered a few bugs (most notably the broken tutorial), but I keep plenty of save games handy so if something screwy (like a disappearing shield) happens, I can reset and go back to my previous save.
Imbicatus |
3. I have learned the value of taking on NPCs. Even if they aren't terribly powerful, just running through another set of actions and another target for the "bad guys" is a big help..
Especially since some of the NPCs are higher level or have custom magic items. Oh, I love the cleaver.
Kalshane |
The Circle of Eight Mod Pack (co8.org) adds a lot more fixes as well as improved enemy tactics and extra content for the game. They even give you different options for how much extra stuff you want to install. (Full disclosure: I worked with their modding team for awhile as the rules/creature expert, though it's probably been close to 10 years since I last did any work with them. Started a family and suddenly didn't have the free time to pore over the enormous spreadsheets the game keeps all its numbers in.)
The early game is definitely brutal though (unless you recruit Elmo.)
TarSpartan |
The Circle of Eight Mod Pack (co8.org) adds a lot more fixes as well as improved enemy tactics and extra content for the game. They even give you different options for how much extra stuff you want to install. (Full disclosure: I worked with their modding team for awhile as the rules/creature expert, though it's probably been close to 10 years since I last did any work with them. Started a family and suddenly didn't have the free time to pore over the enormous spreadsheets the game keeps all its numbers in.)
The early game is definitely brutal though (unless you recruit Elmo.)
First, let me thank you for your work on the Mod Pack. I installed that right after installing the game, and so far my experience has been mostly bug free. Second, Elmo is really that good? I just laughed him off as a "town drunk" type. Maybe I should start saving my gold. Right now I have the swindler thief from the inn and the eager level 1 cleric just because they were free and not obviously evil types (I'm playing a NG party).
Oh, and Imbicatus, I'll keep my eye out for the cleaver. While my one NPC is 4th level, he hasn't yet been terribly useful other than being an "extra body." That's what I get for only picking up the free NPCs, I guess...
Kalshane |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kalshane wrote:The Circle of Eight Mod Pack (co8.org) adds a lot more fixes as well as improved enemy tactics and extra content for the game. They even give you different options for how much extra stuff you want to install. (Full disclosure: I worked with their modding team for awhile as the rules/creature expert, though it's probably been close to 10 years since I last did any work with them. Started a family and suddenly didn't have the free time to pore over the enormous spreadsheets the game keeps all its numbers in.)
The early game is definitely brutal though (unless you recruit Elmo.)
First, let me thank you for your work on the Mod Pack. I installed that right after installing the game, and so far my experience has been mostly bug free. Second, Elmo is really that good? I just laughed him off as a "town drunk" type. Maybe I should start saving my gold. Right now I have the swindler thief from the inn and the eager level 1 cleric just because they were free and not obviously evil types (I'm playing a NG party).
Oh, and Imbicatus, I'll keep my eye out for the cleaver. While my one NPC is 4th level, he hasn't yet been terribly useful other than being an "extra body." That's what I get for only picking up the free NPCs, I guess...
Glad to hear you're using the Mod Pack. After having found it back in the day (well before I started helping them) I couldn't imagine playing without it.
And yes, Elmo is. And if you get tired of his drunken swaying, the Mod Pack adds a dialogue option after you recruit him to convince him to sober up. (Or at least it did. Not sure if it's still there.) Though it doesn't have any effect on his speech, since re-recording dialogue is a bit beyond the scope of the mod pack (though it does add a lot of voices to NPCs that were previously silent.)
TarSpartan |
And yes, Elmo is. And if you get tired of his drunken swaying, the Mod Pack adds a dialogue option after you recruit him to convince him to sober up. (Or at least it did. Not sure if it's still there.) Though it doesn't have any effect on his speech, since re-recording dialogue is a bit beyond the scope of the mod pack (though it does add a lot of voices to NPCs that were previously silent.)
Excellent! I'll have to pick him up then, as soon as I can get the 200 GP. Money is really tight in the early game. I guess worst case I can sell some of my equipment.
Kalshane |
If, once you get that 200gp, you feel like you're having an easier time of things, don't feel like you have to recruit him. He's really helpful as a meat shield early on but it will be less meaningful the more levels you have under your belt.
Two things to know, if you're finding money is tough:
1) have a character with a maxed out Appraise skill. What items cost and what you sell them for is tied to Appraise.
2) Only sell items to the vendor who specializes in that type of item (leather goods to the leather-maker, metal goods to the smith, gems to the jeweler, etc, etc). Vendors will give you very poor returns on items they don't normally sell.
Voss |
What kind of options does the game allow for a Neutral party?
The same options is offers for a good or evil party. You can mess about in town for a bit doing trivial tasks, then go classic dungeoneering: kill everything and take their stuff. There really isn't anything else.
It is an almost entirely literal translation of the original module, with a few things changed for 3.0 rules, and a few other things changed for the medium. As such, it is kill-em-all dungeon delve with minimal interaction.
TarSpartan |
Another gameplay tip: The longspear is godly in this game. Due to a problem with the engine, all reach weapons are able to attack adjacent enemies. AoOs and Trip builds are very, very strong.
That, and have your archers ready vs spellcasting if you see a wizard.
Interesting on both counts -- so reach weapons threaten 10' inclusive instead of leaving the 5' square unthreatened? Cool.
Ready vs. spellcasting is a good idea, although I haven't encountered much spellcasting yet.
As an update, I spent most of the weekend trying to kill an ogre barbarian without losing the party. I ended up losing my 4th level thief NPC with the loaded dice, so no big loss. However, in the process I earned enough to hire Elmo. I also picked up the Cleaver. My "extra" cleric can cast Enlarge Person, so I now mow down enemies with some combination of enlarged Elmo and/or Cleaver. Good times! I also discovered the signpost outside the inn, so I can instantly go anywhere in Homlett without trudging through town and trying to remember which building is which. Yes, I can be a little slow sometimes...
Alex Martin |
Remember playing it ways back, and was considering starting it again.
I have a copy off GOG and then added the CO8 mod-pack. Having some trouble in that when I launch it on my 17" laptop, it looks really... small. I assume it is trying the emulate the original game's resolution and I can't seem to get it to fill the screen properly. Any thoughts or tinkering anyone can fill me in on.
Secondly, and slightly related, is that I believe the guys from CO8 also did a mod-pack that lets the game emulate the old Keep on the Borderlands module as well. Haven't gotten that far yet, but that really tempts my old-school module itch.
Triphoppenskip |
Secondly, and slightly related, is that I believe the guys from CO8 also did a mod-pack that lets the game emulate the old Keep on the Borderlands module as well. Haven't gotten that far yet, but that really tempts my old-school module itch.
Please someone tell me this is true and if so please direct me to where I can get it.
Alex Martin |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Please someone tell me this is true and if so please direct me to where I can get it.
You can find details and the download here: Circle of Eight Modding
It will give you guidelines under downloads with step-by-step directions. You will need to own a copy of TOEE to work off the mod. For the record, I haven't tried this nor do I know how well it plays (I was just curious at this stage). So, maybe check the forum posts under Keep on the Borderlands for feedback first.
Hope that helps.
Sharoth |
Triphoppenskip wrote:
Please someone tell me this is true and if so please direct me to where I can get it.You can find details and the download here: Circle of Eight Modding
It will give you guidelines under downloads with step-by-step directions. You will need to own a copy of TOEE to work off the mod. For the record, I haven't tried this nor do I know how well it plays (I was just curious at this stage). So, maybe check the forum posts under Keep on the Borderlands for feedback first.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for that link, Alex.
Alex Martin |
Thanks a million. I'll look into it when I get home.
Glad to help; I'll be curious to hear some feedback on how it plays. I loved TOEE's setup for game mechanics on combat and spells. The game setup as a whole does a good job of capturing 1st Ed DD/ADD gaming to me.
TarSpartan |
I am still trudging my way through the game, and have finally made it through part of the Temple proper. I am finding some difficulty in facing enemies in the Fire Temple. Specifically, I find a leader who summons a bunch of elemental types and two giant salamanders that spam me with fireball. Any suggestions other than "go heavy on the protection spells" before starting? I have "Craft Wondrous Item" for my cleric & wizard, and haven't really used that yet because I hate to lose the XP. However, perhaps some Protection items are in order.
TarSpartan |
I think I used area of effect spells like multiple ice storms to soften up the mob, and then focused on the salamanders first to limit castings of fireball.
Thanks -- that was pretty much the way I ended up winning. I decided that I shouldn't be sportsmanlike and talk first, just ambush with an ice storm. It took out the lesser creatures and softened up the main baddies. Then, I concentrated on the fireball-casting salamanders with my melee fighters while having everyone else spread out enough that no more than one person could be caught by a fireball.
I am amazed at how tactical some of these fights become.