Two Worlds - 15 Hours

Vendor loot also scales.

The vendor loot scaling has the silly side effect that you tend to run out of stacking material for everything but the very top end weapons

It has level scaling, but the scaling is capped (it might have a minimum as well, not sure about that) for each region, so the northern monsters will for instance never be as nasty as those in the south.

Cassius said:

The opponents are all level-scaled to different degrees. For example the cyclopes are completely tied to player level so they always kill in one or two blows. The insect things are similar. Like any level-scaled game it isn't an RPG.

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I'm aware of the scaling, but the ratio isnt 1:1 between monster and player growth. I got the feeling that the insects became easier over time, but the permanent HP potions you can make from their body parts might have something to do with that

And while I can understand questioning of TWs RPG status I disagree that level scaling is a disqualifying parameter when determining that status, or we'd have to dismiss lots of games, including Baldurs Gate 2, as non-RPGs. Two Worlds scaling isnt particularly obnoxious (I'd say it is slightly less obvious than Morrowind's scaling which still was bearable). The heavy handed implementation in Bethesda's more recent titles have opened the concept to harsher criticism than it deserves.

Zaleukos said:

The vendor loot scaling has the silly side effect that you tend to run out of stacking material for everything but the very top end weapons

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I never did quite understand the "stacking" in TW (keep in mind I haven't played very far), it just seems silly to me. Are we to believe that these items just magically merge together because you can drop them on each other? Is this ever explained in the game itself?

Not that I recall. It's simply a mechanic to make looting generic crap more interesting.

Edit: The worst part is that it actually works. I was looting like a madman hoping to find "generic axe of total boredom" in every chest and on every corpse. I don't think I've ever cheered for rubbish loot as many times as I did in TW.

I tend to simply visit all the vendors in two cities (the northern capital and the main city of the kingdom have less spread out vendors than the other cities, thus less walking) whenever I have cash burning in my pocket, and I ended up with a level 30 (or however that is counted) top of the line 2hander. The loot scaling from bandits/orcs and chests/closets is way over the top (much more noticeable than that of enemies) and from level 25 or so you'll have tonnes of money to spend…

JDR13 said:

I never did quite understand the "stacking" in TW (keep in mind I haven't played very far), it just seems silly to me. Are we to believe that these items just magically merge together because you can drop them on each other? Is this ever explained in the game itself?

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It is a silly concept at an intellectual level, but it works as a gameplay element, so I dont really mind it.

The stacking is pretty fun. They should have implemented repairing items ala Oblivion to add even more interest and make you ration a bit. Also arrows should have been rationed. My bow is painfully powerful (but that never gets old )

What kind of sucked with TW is that after awhile, the loot table just ended. So you would never get any new loot at a certain point, just the exact same stuff you saw 5 levels earlier. That completely ruined the loot aspect of it, which was my favorite part of the game.

Yep, I loved TW. Just finished it last week or so, after playing it straight for about 2 weeks on and off.

GREAT loot system. I loved it and that's basically what kept me playing. And although the dialogs were absolutely terrible, I loved the ridiculous things my character would occasionally yell out. Many, many memorable moments.

I worry that the new one will be way too complex, with everything they've added. If they can make the story better with a MUCH better voiceacting team, I'd be into it. But PLEASE don't change the loot/magic system. It rocked.

By the end, I was level 54 or so, carrying around 20 of those potions that give +20 vitality, +10 strength, +10 dexterity for 5 minutes. They stack, so I'd chug about 4 or 5 and then apply my +330% to strength spell... it was kinda ridiculous. I'd kill pretty much everything in the game in one hit.

But it was still awesome fun.

Offering a different perspective: I picked up Two Worlds for the Xbox 360. I paid $5. In my opinion, I overpaid by about $20. The game was so unplayably bad that I was positively angry they didn't compensate me for my time.

Maybe it's awesome on Windows, but on the consoles? Avoid avoid avoid.

And another perspective... I picked it up for the Xbox 360 for $10, and I felt like I got a good deal. I had heard all of the negative press, so I went in expecting an absolute disaster. Instead, I got a badly flawed game, but not one without its good qualities. The framerate, voice acting, and narrative were abysmal. The visuals were mediocre, and the constant framerate hitches were pretty annoying. On the other hand, I enjoyed the combat, upgrades, exploration, and stacking.

It had a whole range of shortcomings, I won't deny that. I just didn't think it was the worthless piece of crap other people did. I enjoyed it more than Sacred 2 and Borderlands, for instance. You have to be able to overlook a lot of technical shortcomings, but I'm usually able to do that. I think "lowered expectations" helped me enjoy the game, too.

Too bad you didnt get the PC version then, it had very few technical issues and wasnt all that demanding on the hardware.

Zaleukos said:

Too bad you didnt get the PC version then, it had very few technical issues and wasnt all that demanding on the hardware.

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So I've heard. Unfortunately, I don't like playing games on the PC.

Anderson said:

Unfortunately, I don't like playing games on the PC.

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So you don't like better graphics, more customization, higher resolutions, more control options, smoother framerates, more save space, etc.?

JDR13 said:

So you don't like better graphics, more customization, higher resolutions, more control options, smoother framerates, more save space, etc.?

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I've been waiting for the day that the console community realizes their "HD" gaming really means blurry textures.... in HD

JDR13 said:

So you don't like better graphics, more customization, higher resolutions, more control options, smoother framerates, more save space, etc.?

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Nope.

Ok, serious answer... Those things are good, but they aren't enough to persuade me to trade my comfy couch, big TV, and well-learned controller for a simple chair, computer desk, keyboard and mouse, and a monitor a foot away from my face. That whole setup reminds me too much of my work environment. I wouldn't be able to immerse myself in a game that way. Not to mention, I'd have to learn how to use the keyboard and mouse for movement, which seems really unintuitive to me. And then there's all the upgrade and patch and compatibility issues you PC guys have to deal with.

All that is way too much trouble for me. I've got enough complications in my life; I don't need them from gaming, too. I suppose if I were a tech-savvy 20 year old, I'd make the shift. But I'm not. I'm a late 40's psych/english/spiritual type, not technically inclined at all.

Fortunately, my lack of technological sophistication is accompanied by a lack of technological interest. That is, the technical shortcomings that drive other people up the wall, I barely notice. I easily ignore them, if the gameplay is fun. So I think that me and consoles are a good match, and me and PCs are not.