Silverfall - Demo Available

[Dhruin]

As expected, GameSpot has released the Silverfall demo (http://au.gamespot.com/pages/event/file_premiere/index.php?premiere=silverfall&cmbox), although you can also head to Worthplaying (http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=40236&mode=thread&order=0), 3D Gamers (http://www.3dgamers.com/news/more/1096486761/), Strategy Informer (http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/silverfall/demo/11359.html) and GameGuru Mania (http://www.ggmania.com/?smsid=23133) (1.4Gb).
More information. (http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=3669)

[araczynski]

forgot about the demo, thanks for reminding me. i think the download should complete by the weekend... :)

[Moriendor]

Well, this game might maybe have some (limited) potential if they would at the very least get rid of the WoW-style corpse-camping :) . WTF? I picked up a bunch of quests, ventured off into the swamps, leveled up a couple times, then got gang-jumped and gang-raped by a bunch of zombies, ghouls and some giant bugs and then got stuck in an endless loop of corpse recovery attempts.
Too bad that -contrary to WoW- you can't just log out and hope that the gankers will get bored and leave. Them NPCs have quite a bit of patience. I didn't. I uninstalled.

/pass
...
/next

[txa1265]

Too bad that -contrary to WoW- you can't just log out and hope that the gankers will get bored and leave. Them NPCs have quite a bit of patience. I didn't. I uninstalled.

/pass
...
/next

You have a problem running in your undies back to the same horde that just took you out fully armored? ;)

[Maylander]

I've got a flying mount, so I just run behind a tree, mount up and fly away.

[Dr. A]

LOL

I had to run in my undies one time too

For the life of me, I can't find a merchant in the refugee camp to sell my loot to. I only found the skill merchant. Anybody know where to find one?

[Acleacius]

I can't recall for sure but I think EQ2 you only have to zone into the level you died in to automaticly recieve all you stuff, been too long.

[JDR13]

Just played Silverfall for the first time.

Ugh! I can't believe this is a game I've been hyped to try for almost a year now. I'm very disappointed to say the least.

I hate the interface. Simply being point and click makes me feel like I have less control over the character, and why no camera options other than zoom and turn? I wish they had at least included an option to be able to use the keyboard to move your character.

Combat is very generic, and the atmosphere in general seemed very consolish to me. It looks and feels like a PS2 game.

Also, the game seemed a little sluggish at times, unacceptable for a rig with a Core 2 Duo 6700, 2 gigs of PC6400, and a Radeon X1950XTX. Especially considering the graphics are nothing to be blown away by.

Sorry to be so negative, I guess I was just expecting something different.
I'll pass on this one.

[Dr. A]

Oh, i didn't think it was that bad. Not very professional but I find it quite charming

[Corwin]

Doesn't sound like a game for me so far!! Think I'll wait awhile longer for more opinions!!

[Dr. A]

Oh C'mon, Corwin. The demo is only 1.4Gb in size. You can give it a whirl.
Unless your running low on harddisk space.

Edit: Sorry, Corwin. I was just kidding around - didn't mean any disrespect.

[Corwin]

I find your final comment offensive. Do it again and I will take appropriate action!!!!

[txa1265]

Not disagreeing with you, just highlighting a couple of things:
I hate the interface. Simply being point and click makes me feel like I have less control over the character, and why no camera options other than zoom and turn? I wish they had at least included an option to be able to use the keyboard to move your character.
That is pretty typical for the sub-genre - the games where you have the click-or-keyboard options are pretty few and far between.

Combat is very generic, and the atmosphere in general seemed very consolish to me. It looks and feels like a PS2 game.
Combat aside, i think that what you are referring to is the art style. It reminds me of the Tony Hawk vs. ... something... example in the "culture wars" article I had linked in a thread here. The art direction reminds me of the mediocre shooter XIII, with a mix of cartoonish and realistic graphics.

[Lethal Weapon]

Another Diablo clone. But the original Diablo remains unequalled, both in terms of atmosphere and gameplay. Hack'n slash games are not my kind of games anyway.

[aries100]

I've played the demo when it was first available in French. And I must admit that I
really liked the game. Sure, the combat system is somewhat equal, to Diablo, but this goes for many games as well, (imo).

However, I've found the quests to be more well crafted, well written and fleshed out more than the thin quests in Diablo which only served to get the hack N slash fest going. In Silverfall, at least, imo, the quests have some sort of meaning and they are bound together with and in a fascinating story line, which you unlock by doing the quests.

It is true, however, that Silverfall does not look that great visually compared to other games, and certainly not, if you compare it to how well polished, Oblivion
look or even the way NWN2 does. However, I like the way Silverfall looks. I like the fact the the visuals are kind of cartoony, kind of gritty, as this makes me think, I'm playing a game, not participating in (real) life world simulator.

[txa1265]

However, I like the way Silverfall looks. I like the fact the the visuals are kind of cartoony, kind of gritty, as this makes me think, I'm playing a game, not participating in (real) life world simulator.

I know what you're saying - there is something to that 'graphic novel' feel that I do like. I cited XIII before, and I think of it again and again as I play this.

I like the nature vs. technology thing, and how it plays out in terms of equipment and skills.

Question for those playing the demo - about how much stuff is there in terms of quests and time?

[chamr]

I've played a bit. I like the art style. Their artists have really hit on a great comic book/graphic novel look without going overboard and getting too cartoony *cough*warcraft*cough*. I also like the camera system (reminiscent of Spellforce 2), but they need a few improvements such as a lock/follow toggle, a return to behind the avatar key and the option to use WASD.

The rest of the game doesn't have much else that stands out to me, so far. I'm a bit disappointed in the tech vs. nature thing, albeit it's really early. First, the "I'm a nature-lover"/"I'm a tech-lover" personality you present in the dialogue is already fully formed and unequivocal. I was hoping for a build up over time rather than starting off solidly in one camp or the other from the git-go. Secondly, they missed an opportunity with differentiating the weapons that have alignment requirements. At least the melee ones I've come across so far are only different in appearance. I was hoping for some mods or stats that would be only available or much better on one kind versus the other (for instance, maybe only tech weapons can cause an open wounds effect and only nature weapons can have poison mods, or maybe nature weapons tend to be light on damage but fast while tech weapons tend to be heavy on damage but slow). Also, when I used the tech saw blade or the wheel two handed thing, I expected to hear something akin to a chainsaw or ripsaw sound as I layed into the baddies. What a let-down to hear the same "clang-whoosh-thump" as I got with my short sword. :(

[Lucky Day]

They've provided us with a demo and I think we should take advantage of it.

I like this game.

There are some niggles I have with it. The "graphic novel" look you've been talking about is basically a black outline on the characters. Also, they don't seem to blend in with the lighting. However, they make this work. One of the benefits of not overdoing the graphics like in NWN2 is that its actually playable on my machine and it still looks good.

I find it irritating too that devs continue to foist fixed camera angles on us. One of hte best hacks in the history of NWN1 removed the fixed cameras. It took them a long time and thousands of emails that the patch couldn't be updated for them to change their minds but the fans finally spoke. If devs would just listen to the players on this issue and not insist the game has to be a certain way they could get more intangible sales.

There are no keyboard controls? Dang I hate that.

I did have a tendency to overrun my intended target. Also you have to engage combat with multiple clicks. it doesn't assume you are in combat mode until your enemy is dead.

I found it challenging. Several times I found myself in my undies too. This is a good thing and not for what you think ;).

It means you have to pay attention and be careful. You can't just kill everything in site, you have to know your opponent and know when to run.

It also means debating on taking healing magic and if how this will affect you going the tech route.

It seems to be quest focussed. This is very good. It reminds of Divine Divinity in that way.

Its not just a random throw the next monster at you get to the next meaningless cutscene I could care less about.

Also its not throwing oodles and oodles of stupid treasure at you. It also has a sense of of longterm cost on how it will effect the economy, similar to GuildWars.

The NPC's are hard to find. Those with something to say have the the yellow ! that is popular these days, but they dont' jsut go away. They turn gray after to let you know they are still meaningful or you have a quest to finish.

To find NPC's consult your minimap. They are hard to see but they show up as blue.

I'm going to have another crack at the demo. I'll probably buy this game if its priced right.

[Acleacius]

Since this seems to be the download list thread, I just wanted to add the fastest free download, though you do need to just regester as a forum member is http://www.fileshack.com/
Shacknews's download site and they usually have every file up fast, but the most important part is the cap for nonpaying is 500k which is pretty fast, for free. ;)

[Role-Player]

HAs anyone else had problems trying to configure graphical options? I always seem to be an automatic low quality level.

[txa1265]

HAs anyone else had problems trying to configure graphical options? I always seem to be an automatic low quality level.

I'm on a preview build rather than the demo, but I have a GameSetup.exe in the app directory.

[darklord]

Is the world meant to be suddenly cut off by water? I tried to do the Zepplin quest only to find an ocean in the way, and oddly it's not on my map... (map shows the land continuing)

I assume this is there as it's only a demo.

Incidently I'm really enjoying the game, I've got a mad goblin warrior with a cowboy hat! :-) Can't wait to get a big gun of some sort!

Daniel.

[Role-Player]

I'm on a preview build rather than the demo, but I have a GameSetup.exe in the app directory.

Thanks, didn't notice that :)

Unfortunately after mucho tweaking I've noticed the game won't run well or at all in my PC. It locks up on the splash screen with the big tit... Erm, female warrior totally not made to tailore teenage fantasies, and doesn't go anywhere. I only managed to get through it once but the performance was horrible. When I exited and launched it again, it locked and hasn't been allowing me to go past that screen. Even with all graphical options lowered or disabled, this still happens.

I'll try downloading the demo again when my new PC arrives.

[magerette]

The load times are unreal--and I have 2 gigs ram/dual core & fast processor---but the game itself runs fine. The camera angle is hard to get used to--keep getting ambushed by things I can't see til they have almost killed me. Looks like it could be a fun game, tho.

[aries100]

You go can into start - programs - monte christo- silverfall demo - silverfall demo
options - then click on 'advanced options'. In these, you can set the video quality
to either high, medium or low as well as change some other stuff.

I think I've read on the French forum (took a lot of time ;) ) that the zeppelin quest can't be finished in the game, since you can't go to Cloudworks in the demo. The same goes for the none collector quest.

PS:
Daniel ---

If you're in the Elf Village --- try getting the quest to get a box to assemble something. Your Goblin warrior might be useful to someone when the box is
delivered.

[crpgnut]

Okay. I finished the demo. The game seems almost as empty as Dungeon Lords. If you don't count mobs, there is VERY little covering the vast landscape. I actually bothered to clear a whole map just to see what was on it besides mobs. Nada. A few chests, a couple of ruins that can't be entered, and an occasional barrel or debris that can be smashed. That's it. The only reason to clear a map is if you want to kill stuff at level 30 instead of level 10. The game has level scaling that is exactly like Oblivions. You might fight a level 1, 10, 40 zombie in the same exact location.

If I were to compare Silverfall to Titan Quest, I'd say that TQ is a retail game while Silverfall plays like a shareware game. This is definitely a bargain shelf game unless the final build is lightyears ahead of the demo.

[Moriendor]

Okay. I finished the demo.

Already??? :biggrin:

The game seems almost as empty as Dungeon Lords. If you don't count mobs, there is VERY little covering the vast landscape. I actually bothered to clear a whole map just to see what was on it besides mobs. Nada. A few chests, a couple of ruins that can't be entered, and an occasional barrel or debris that can be smashed. That's it. The only reason to clear a map is if you want to kill stuff at level 30 instead of level 10. The game has level scaling that is exactly like Oblivions. You might fight a level 1, 10, 40 zombie in the same exact location.

If I were to compare Silverfall to Titan Quest, I'd say that TQ is a retail game while Silverfall plays like a shareware game. This is definitely a bargain shelf game unless the final build is lightyears ahead of the demo.

Fully agree with you. I'll get this when it's EUR 9.99 just to play around with it for a little while but they ain't getting full price for a click fest game with weird graphics, respawning monsters and corpse-camping from moi :) .

[crpgnut]

Okay, somebody here at work has the full game. I'm not sure if it's pirated or if he bought the UK version. He has a character that went to Cloudworks and the game has a ton of quests in that city. There were lots of submaps (sewers, mines, robot factory, etc) all within the one map area. If the rest of the game is this full, it will make me totally rethink my purchase. I also noticed that his level 20 Troll was wiping out the marsh area creatures. They only level up with you to level 10. After that, they stop matching you and they become fodder. You can also just ignore them and run past, that's what he did. I ordered the game from Gogamer. It is only 34.90 with $4 for shipping. I should have it in a few days.