Avadon - Responding to Critics

Lol I'm nasty to give you more work by pinpointing codex members on some hunt board. They get on nerves, fine, oops not for mods?

I'm not surprised to see asshole word come back, it's codex looser, not a post to read, if I want read such crap, I just need wanderer at codex.

But again am I wandering at codex? In no way I'll lost my time here. Why the hell so many codex lovers feel the urge come here at the watch? Did they start find codex is a crap or what?

Originally Posted by Dhruin
I find the streamlining claims heavy-handed and often mis-directed. I found it pretty challenging at higher difficulty levels, which seems fair to me (Brother None seems to disagree - perhaps I've become a wimp in my older age).

Nah, I just didn't experiment enough before making that snap judgement call, my bad. I've been replaying going between hard and torment. It's kinda silly how easy some fights still are on torment but in the very first area you are sent to, you'll already find fights that require planning, use of skills and use of items. I don't know if it's pretty challenging overall as combat goes, but there does seem to be a challenge in smart planning and inventory management.

And later on the difficulty spikes were such that I even needed a few tries on normal. But I think the complaints on easiness stem from the character system, HP regenerating but vitality does not, which I believe to be a mistake.

I know what battles your talking about and can agree whole heartily. In the beginning most of the fights are simple, but then they get difficult very quickly. I soon ran out of scrolls, potions and my only gem and that still didn't help me. Went back tried something different and it worked.

Torment difficulty sounds just about right to me

Originally Posted by Brother None
Nah, I just didn't experiment enough before making that snap judgement call, my bad….

Good to read that. So still a dumbed down boring RPG in your opinion? And no thanks if you contributed to the anti hype, because of your superficiality and following a negative wave from codex. I mean if you change your mind, but yeah your right to think it's a bad RPG or something else.

Originally Posted by skavenhorde
I know what battles your talking about and can agree whole heartily. In the beginning most of the fights are simple, but then they get difficult very quickly. I soon ran out of scrolls, potions and my only gem and that still didn't help me. Went back tried something different and it worked.

Torment difficulty sounds just about right to me

I died a lot more than in Avernum 5 and part of 6 I played. But played a lot at Hard and then at Torment (but for few fights), and that isn't right. But I'm surprised everybody found too easy the final fight of first little dungeon. I had to replay it to beat it.

I'm stuck with the fight against multiple Drakes and I think I'll just switch to casual in hope this will allow me beat it, I can choose not make this fight but it's a hard option to accept. I have already switch back to Hard for this part of the game, it seems more difficult.

Originally Posted by ChienAboyeur
Sticking to the stream that a weak RPG (or a game that is not a RPG) is forcefully a bad game is beyond my ken.

People might want to play good games, no matter the genre.

Portal 2 is two fingers close from being labelled a RPG by convenient standards. It probably sells well. So what? Are good sales turning it into a RPG?

I am sorry, what did you just say?

Originally Posted by Superguest
I am sorry, what did you just say?

He comments other people comments, interesting concept, but that can make hard to understand him when the result is someone philosophizing about games he never played.

Originally Posted by Dasale
Good to read that. So still a dumbed down boring RPG in your opinion? And no thanks if you contributed to the anti hype, because of your superficiality and following a negative wave from codex. I mean if you change your mind, but yeah your right to think it's a bad RPG or something else.

Still writing the review. When writing such I'm more careful than just typing out forum post, but I don't think my conclusion there will be much different than yes, it's dumbed down compared to Geneforge or even Avernum, and it's a letdown after Avernum 6 and Geneforge 5.

Originally Posted by Dhruin
You think they offer "real" reviews? Interesting.

I have to ask. What's not real about the reviews on the Codex? E.g. the last one (I wrote it), which is the only detailed review of Sword & Sorcery: Underworld on the whole internet? Or the awesome work VD did regarding DA II?

Of all the criticism that could be raised against the Codex, this is the most surprising I have ever seen.

Hey Elwro, you forgot my review of S&SU here at the Watch, but I do agree that the only time I ever visit the Codex is to read your reviews!!

Originally Posted by Elwro
I have to ask. What's not real about the reviews on the Codex? E.g. the last one (I wrote it), which is the only detailed review of Sword & Sorcery: Underworld on the whole internet? Or the awesome work VD did regarding DA II?

Of all the criticism that could be raised against the Codex, this is the most surprising I have ever seen.

I think the problem with the reviews on the codex is that you would assume the negativety of the site would be also in the reviews, which then you would have to ask, does the reviewer share my point of view. I find I do not have the same views of lets say 70% of the codex users(just a number I pulled out of my ass).

I'm not sure how that makes them "reviews" though. That implicates untrustworthiness. The Codex is an amateur review site but so are many out there. Yes, they come for a certain angle but again, so do many out there. Agree or disagree, but it doesn't make them less valid as a whole. The editorial work seems to be more up to standard than a lot of sites out there.

So I, too, am not sure what Dhruin meant there.

Originally Posted by Dasale
Lol I'm nasty to give you more work by pinpointing codex members on some hunt board. They get on nerves, fine, oops not for mods?

I'm not surprised to see asshole word come back, it's codex looser, not a post to read, if I want read such crap, I just need wanderer at codex.

But again am I wandering at codex? In no way I'll lost my time here. Why the hell so many codex lovers feel the urge come here at the watch? Did they start find codex is a crap or what?

I'd respond to you if I could understand your grammar.

Originally Posted by Dicksmoker
I'd respond to you if I could understand your grammar.

Back to codex slave of the Hell!

Originally Posted by Elwro
I have to ask. What's not real about the reviews on the Codex? E.g. the last one (I wrote it), which is the only detailed review of Sword & Sorcery: Underworld on the whole internet? Or the awesome work VD did regarding DA II?

Of all the criticism that could be raised against the Codex, this is the most surprising I have ever seen.

Since the Codex doesn't review many titles, I took "reviews" to mean the general forum feedback on a game rather than the formal articles. I haven't had a chance to re-read the thread but perhaps I'm on a different track. I find their forums so hysterically reactionary they're no longer worth reading but didn't mean to impugn your articles, so my apologies.

Originally Posted by Corwin
Hey Elwro, you forgot my review of S&SU here at the Watch, but I do agree that the only time I ever visit the Codex is to read your reviews!!

Hehe Yes, your review certainly did a good job e.g. in bringing some publicity to the game, which is what all indie games need very much. My review took a long time but I wanted to focus on the details of the mechanics.

@Dhruin: thanks, no hard feelings.