Drakensang: TRoT - Release Confirmed for US, UK, RU & Benelux
- Thread starter Gorath
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Ovenall
SasqWatch
Dwagginz: Thanks. But the running speed wasn't the only slow part. It was just overall sort of dull. I was happy it wasn't a loot-fest. But there was hardly anything of any interest to find -- ever. I played a mage as the main character and his spells were underwhelming to say the least. I didn't find it all that difficult (which is good IMO) but it seemed pointless to even have a mage. Maybe this changes later in the game, but an all melee party with one thief would do better from what I saw. And it felt like the same fights over and over.
Again, I think there was a lot of potential there, and hopefully the second one addresses some of the issues I had with the first. If not, then I'll pass.
Again, I think there was a lot of potential there, and hopefully the second one addresses some of the issues I had with the first. If not, then I'll pass.
Oh, how often do I have to repeat it myself ?
Read here : http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1061025569&postcount=115
And that : http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1061025647&postcount=118
Can we have that sticky ?
Because every now and then someone drops in and asks the same question.
Or - make a feature for the front page out of that.
It's part of the setting.
Note that this ain't (A)D&D. Aventuria is a world with "low magic" and therefore relatively few magic and better items. Several fans even said there were too many magical items in Drakensang 1 already !
People who are used to (A)D&D-style games are also used to find extraordinary items along the way. It's because (A)D&D is often "high fantasy", whereas TDE is rather "low-fantasy".
Can we have that sticky, too ?
Ovenall
SasqWatch
Oh please. You have your opinions, I have mine. I have no gripe about it being a low magic world.
You can design a low magic world and still have interesting things turn up, or at least have some other way of gripping the person sitting in front of the computer slogging through the damn thing.
And will anyone address the point that the fights were repetitive? How many amoeba do you fight in the dungeon under the temple? 50? All exactly the same. And that's just one example. Drakensang was dull, but there was so much potential there.
You can design a low magic world and still have interesting things turn up, or at least have some other way of gripping the person sitting in front of the computer slogging through the damn thing.
And will anyone address the point that the fights were repetitive? How many amoeba do you fight in the dungeon under the temple? 50? All exactly the same. And that's just one example. Drakensang was dull, but there was so much potential there.
bemushroomed
outlander
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Good to know. How is it improved? I kind of liked the first one, but it didnt keep me interested to the end (few games does though hehe).
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Dwagginz
Tea Addict
All I've heard, personally, is that it allows for more variation in gameplay. Over on the dtp boards, I was quite strongly dissuaded from playing a rogue-like class for DraSa, whereas it's supposed to be a better suited class for TRoT.
Quite odd, I know.
It is improved yet it's not. There are quite a few nice minor tweaks and additions, an odd fast travel system (you can fast travel from one fast travel point to annother fast travel point of your choice, but not from anywhere to one of the fast travel points), you can customize the appearance of your character, equiped weapons don't vanish into your infinitly deep pockets anymore, the abbility to revisit locations, more than one shot at pickpocketing a NPC … etc. But where TRoT utterly fails is in story (the player character has almost nothing to do with the plot, he or she could be cut without any major impact. It really shows this is the second half of a tie-in novel) and the incredibly limited character pool:
the player character and three out of one spellcaster (a mage or an halfelf), one mercenary, one thief and one warrior
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This is a case of NOT being the center of the universe.
Those who love to be the center of the universe won't like this game too much, perhaps.
The plot is still important, though. It is just not the center of the universe
, NOT the almighty hero who grows so much he's in the end able to battle even Gods or become one. This has been changed. Less fights, bigger "bosses". Except a single quest, where you've got to do some "dungeon crawling", and - as far as I know - the Add-On, which is said to be very combat-heavy.
Plus a little bit more exploration. Imho, but that's subjective anyway.
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Full voice overs, much better storytelling, less repetitive battles, better pace, ca. 80% less walking due to a weird quick travel system and more intelligent level design, a couple of minor tweaks here and there, slightly but clearly improved graphics. Plus it seems the devs simply understood their game better now.
The basic game is still the same. RoT gets rolling earlier than DraSa, but there's still the limitation of low level characters. TDE is very interesting for reasonably developed chars, but early on it lacks variety.
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I once called Drakensang a "TDE 3 game with TDE 4 rules". A few pople agreed to that, because TDE 3 (as a rules set)was used for a period of time within Aventuria which was about the same time than Drakensang 2 takes place.
Sorry but you completley missed the point: there is not a single TDE publication out there with the player character(s)/protagonist(s) is/are the center of the universe. I personally dislike such things with a passion and that's why I liked TDE in the first place. To explain it further I need to get into spoiler territory:This is a case of NOT being the center of the universe.
Those who love to be the center of the universe won't like this game too much, perhaps.
The plot is still important, though. It is just not the center of the universe
The plot of The River of Time is the second half of the backstory around Ardo, Cuano and Forgrimm. The first part is the novel "Das Ferdoker Pergament". The main character is Ardo. It's his life that's on the line should the crown not be recovered.
1st: there is no way in the netherhells that the player character would get recuited into the garetian secret service like that. He/She is too inexperienced and more importantly he/she has not proven to be loyal to the garetian throne especially considering the non-garetian archtypes (complete with dialog options to tell Ardo you don't care).
2nd: the most likley person to die in the save Gerling mission is the player character and not Fayris or Jaakon; as they are proven intelligence operatives.
3rd, and this is the cruncher: while I can see one of Gerlings secret service agents commanding Cuano and Forgimm while Ardo is out. There is absolutely no adequately explained reason for Ardo not taking command once he is all better. To think that he hands the ship and his life into the hands of the player character is simply ludicrous. And the game outright admits this as Ardo makes his participation in the final arc of the main quest mandatory.
2nd: the most likley person to die in the save Gerling mission is the player character and not Fayris or Jaakon; as they are proven intelligence operatives.
3rd, and this is the cruncher: while I can see one of Gerlings secret service agents commanding Cuano and Forgimm while Ardo is out. There is absolutely no adequately explained reason for Ardo not taking command once he is all better. To think that he hands the ship and his life into the hands of the player character is simply ludicrous. And the game outright admits this as Ardo makes his participation in the final arc of the main quest mandatory.
Well that is simply not true: the period in question 1009 BF (first half of earthly 1991) was actually the ingame present during shelf life of the 2nd edition of the rule set (1988-1993). Besides nobody catagorizes the ingame time by the rule set since later editions heavily expand the ingame past.
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Ergonpandilus
The Preacher
RoT is clearly improved over DraSa.
The add-on got slaughtered by in the reviews. I haven't played it yet, but what I take from the reviews is that it's too combat-heavy, and has too little content for a 30€ add-on. Which still makes it better than the average 10$ DLC.
I think it would be a good idea to add it to the international releases for free. It's totally clear the add-on will never see a retail release outside of Germany.
Trials of Luremasters, anyone?!
I was speaking of Drakensang 2, of nothing more.
Compare Drakensang 2 to let's say Baldur's Gate. What happens to the protagonist at the end of the game ? He or she has become an Über-mighty hero, even tending towards god-like status.
The plot usually goes into the direction of "the hero saves the world, nothing less". In Drakensang 2, he does NOT save the world, he or she just helps solving a … politically *very* difficult situation, but it does *not* mean he saves the world.
The problem is, that past adventures are very dificult to play nowadays with the 4th edition rule set where there are specifically given specs of NPCs and of monsters and other things … At least I have understood it so that adapting older adventures to the 4th edition rules becomes difficult, so no-one does that.
Exceptions are things like 7 and the Philleasson Saga - which were edited and expanded speficically for the 4th edition.
I don't know how far new adventures are plyable with older TDE rule set editions, though.
And just look at Ardo in Drakensang 2 : Isn't he a full TDE3 "Krieger" class instead of a TDE4 archetype ? To me, he's just so much retro, he simply just can't be a TDE4 character. This is my personal opinion.
Again, I know what you mean. my point was that this was the case in Drakensang too, only done better. The River of Time-Plot did not improve over the Drakensang-plot thats all.
Actually a lot of the older TDE advantures (especially form the 1980s) are simply not as good as the more recent ones: they are too short, wacky and too much railroading. As for rule edition if you intend to play any adventures with annother rule edition is not as difficult as you make it sound. The editions are not that far apart when it comes to playing, the differences are in details (formulas etc) and character creation options really.
Those five books were actually expanded quite a bit when they were rereleased the newer rules are a just a minor change in comparison.
Ardo is closer to a TDE4 race/culture/profession-combination than a TDE3 class.
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Okay, I'll stop it here, or otherwise we'll get into a "TDE3 vs TDE4" flamewar.
I just read that Drakensang 2 will be available on steam at one point, too : http://forum.dtp-entertainment.com/viewtopic.php?p=180502#p180502
Cm
Sentinel of Light
I am still just glad to see the "YES" part of that answer show up...I can be patient.....sort of.....
