Blackguards - Review @ The Escapist
- Thread starter Couchpotato
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I only remember that one of the tutorial tips said that there's often useful stuff in crates. How many crates are there? One in every 5th level?
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GothicGothicness
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Regarding collecting loot during combat, that is more or less the standard for this type of games, it is in some of the most high profile titles like:
Kings Bounty
Final Fantasy Tactics
you could actually imagine that there are looters or such which would steel the stuff while you are fighting or some such. Anyway it is not much different from almost any RPG where you kill the enormous monster with a huge awesome sword only to find a silly hat in looting him and the sword is gone.
Kings Bounty
Final Fantasy Tactics
you could actually imagine that there are looters or such which would steel the stuff while you are fighting or some such. Anyway it is not much different from almost any RPG where you kill the enormous monster with a huge awesome sword only to find a silly hat in looting him and the sword is gone.
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JonNik
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You mean the game has invisible ninja looters too 
Hey, no biggy
If its not forced upon me (i.e. all the loot came from there and it was a sort of break the chests in time minigame) then I can overlook it…
I believe everyone buying this game at this point should have long come to the conclusion that this is about the tactical TB combat (and just that), and have adjusted his expectations accordingly (it was actually rather obvious from the first couple of vids, not to mention the Codex preview).
I am sure the game will be decent fun
Hey, no biggy
If its not forced upon me (i.e. all the loot came from there and it was a sort of break the chests in time minigame) then I can overlook it…I believe everyone buying this game at this point should have long come to the conclusion that this is about the tactical TB combat (and just that), and have adjusted his expectations accordingly (it was actually rather obvious from the first couple of vids, not to mention the Codex preview).
I am sure the game will be decent fun
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rikus
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Whatever floats your boat kid
Lets hope the rest of the game is less silly as I have already bought it myself too
all good, but I'm probably older than you and with more kids…
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Whatever floats your boat kid
Lets hope the rest of the game is less silly as I have already bought it myself too
Yeah, the game is released less than a day after the demo. I wonder why? I couldn't get the demo to install last night, and wake up this morning: game is out! Somebody in another thread said if you don't like the combat, there's nothing else to like. Well, I suspect I would like the combat. I've liked that kind of combat since I first saw it 20 some years ago. But that's not enough in an RPG. Another thing that has bugged me is there doesn't seem to be any exploration in this game. You teleport from one screen to another using an overhead zone map? And as far as I can tell the maps are literally sized to fit on your screen, no more and no less. Just big enough for a fight, and that's all? Even strategy games like Jagged Alliance offer more depth on the tactical maps than that. Also, even some of the fanboys whose vids I watched last night were making comments after hearing the brief little dialogs that they had no idea what was going on. Which didn't seem to matter much to them.
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Thrasher
Wheeee!
wut? How much loot have I missed out on by not smashing crates? Damn. That may explain the loot variance between replays - smashing vs no-smashing. I am not restarting again. :/
Another sort of nonsensical design point is that you can't cast heal spells or regen mana out of combat. But you can rest at outdoor locations to get the same effect. Go figure.
EDIT: I hope the official release update doesn't invalidate my save files… Steam is auto-downloading the 1 GB update as I type…
Another sort of nonsensical design point is that you can't cast heal spells or regen mana out of combat. But you can rest at outdoor locations to get the same effect. Go figure.
EDIT: I hope the official release update doesn't invalidate my save files… Steam is auto-downloading the 1 GB update as I type…
A little surprised by the (imo) overreaction to the combat loot. The chests/crates add yet another strategic aspect to the battles. I like it.
Thrasher
Wheeee!
Well, I was able to load my latest save, so nothing obviously catastrophic on that front.
JonNik
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Well to be fair most of that was pretty much already known before hand, so I can't really complain after buying it. A lot of people gave fair impressions about it on the forums. Might be a bit more simple than expected…
I still expect to have a fair amount of fun and get my money's worth out of it. This should tide me over until more involved stuff is coming out, hopefully in the next few months. Will see around the weekend at any rate…
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Actually you can use potions, etc. outside of combat. You should for example use poison that way to save a turn.
The maps get bigger later on.
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Thrasher
Wheeee!
Yes, potions and resting, but no spells, and no mana regeneration. Odd gamey system, but it works.
Yeah, some of the arena maps are quite large.
Yeah, some of the arena maps are quite large.
rikus
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oh thank you, finally. not alone in this.
i was merely stating that logic has nothing to do with having fun. i'm a gamer since 1980(c64 days)
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JonNik
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Well I generally agree there. But one can state what he likes or not and construct a logical argument why it may lessen the experience or otherwise dilute a certain type of design (not that I was arguing mind you)
Anyways, too many words typed over a couple of barrels
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D
DArtagnan
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It's not about logic being fun, it's about fun being fun.
Personally, I think it's stupid and unfun to focus on loot during combat. The fact that it makes no sense at all doesn't help - but my primary issue is how "gamey" it feels. It's like the designers were drunk one day and no one in the room was sober to dissuade them, and the day after the designers were too stubborn to change it - because now it's decided. Kinda like some higher-ups at my job
I feel exactly the same way about the medikit/healing ability in the recent X-Com, where you have to actually heal your team when in combat - since they apparently can't use their kits once the fighting stops.
It's STUPID and GAMEY. Sorry
I like to immerse myself into pretty much any game I play, and when you shove stupidity in my face like that - it bothers me.
Doesn't mean it's a big deal overall - but it's most definitely a completely moronic design decision from where I'm sitting.
No one has to agree, though - and I know that "gamey" stuff doesn't bother everyone. I'm big on immersion, what can I say.
Beyond that, I know there's lots of stupid stuff in most games - but most of it you're conditioned to and some of it you just don't mind. This is not something I'm conditioned to, and that's the gist of it.
Personally, I think it's stupid and unfun to focus on loot during combat. The fact that it makes no sense at all doesn't help - but my primary issue is how "gamey" it feels. It's like the designers were drunk one day and no one in the room was sober to dissuade them, and the day after the designers were too stubborn to change it - because now it's decided. Kinda like some higher-ups at my job
I feel exactly the same way about the medikit/healing ability in the recent X-Com, where you have to actually heal your team when in combat - since they apparently can't use their kits once the fighting stops.
It's STUPID and GAMEY. Sorry
I like to immerse myself into pretty much any game I play, and when you shove stupidity in my face like that - it bothers me.
Doesn't mean it's a big deal overall - but it's most definitely a completely moronic design decision from where I'm sitting.
No one has to agree, though - and I know that "gamey" stuff doesn't bother everyone. I'm big on immersion, what can I say.
Beyond that, I know there's lots of stupid stuff in most games - but most of it you're conditioned to and some of it you just don't mind. This is not something I'm conditioned to, and that's the gist of it.
JonNik
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That is indeed actually worse. There is something pretty much like that on Eador i.e. and it ticked me off a bit too. In the end a lot of strategy or hybrid games (*) have certain gamey conventions inside them as part of the design/gameplay balance, that you sort of accept if the game is indeed fun and for as long as it stays fun, as I usually struggle to finish them (Like KB i.e. although I did get many hours of fun out of it too). I do pick them up again once in a while and play a bit more (when things are slow) and that works pretty well for me…
(* and most certainly SRPGs and that is part of what makes them mostly side games for me, until something better comes up as I was saying back in the Codex preview thread )
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My thoughts exactly.It's not about logic being fun, it's about fun being fun.
Personally, I think it's stupid and unfun to focus on loot during combat. The fact that it makes no sense at all doesn't help - but my primary issue is how "gamey" it feels. It's like the designers were drunk one day and no one in the room was sober to dissuade them, and the day after the designers were too stubborn to change it - because now it's decided. Kinda like some higher-ups at my job
I feel exactly the same way about the medikit/healing ability in the recent X-Com, where you have to actually heal your team when in combat - since they apparently can't use their kits once the fighting stops.
It's STUPID and GAMEY. Sorry
I like to immerse myself into pretty much any game I play, and when you shove stupidity in my face like that - it bothers me.
Doesn't mean it's a big deal overall - but it's most definitely a completely moronic design decision from where I'm sitting.
No one has to agree, though - and I know that "gamey" stuff doesn't bother everyone. I'm big on immersion, what can I say.
Beyond that, I know there's lots of stupid stuff in most games - but most of it you're conditioned to and some of it you just don't mind. This is not something I'm conditioned to, and that's the gist of it.
So guess I should leave the weakest enemy alive so at the end of the fight I can loot the chests, and then kill him. Yeah, this actually is my only real complaint on an otherwise great D&D game I played on my PSP, same system, still hated it there.
Yeah, one strategy would be to cast an "Armatrutz" (don't know the English name… it's the spell improving damage reduction) on the tank, letting the last enemy attack him, not doing anything except with the other guys looting.
What I wonder about… does destroying crates and barrels really improve loot? Or is it just about opening chests?
What I wonder about… does destroying crates and barrels really improve loot? Or is it just about opening chests?