Balrum: Why RPGWatch isn't playing?

Couchpotato · April 10, 2016

Well just like a few other members my backlog is huge due to a four month break from gaming. Also I seem to have lost interest in playing a lot of games lately.

So for now I mostly read books and watch K-Dramas online in my spare time.

pibbur who · April 10, 2016

Couchpotato said:
.... Also I seem to have lost interest in playing a lot of games lately.

So for now I mostly read books and watch K-Dramas online in my spare time.

Surely that must be a reason to be banned... Myrthos?

pibbur who claims (it's actually true) that he only makes fun of people he likes.

PS. Honestlly, I think I should spend more time reading books and do other things like drawing and painting DS.

crpgnut · April 11, 2016

redman5427 said:
I am still trying to figure out a way to harvest seeds so CRPGnut, how about a little spoiler?

Seeds are randomly harvested every time you dig up a plant. You'll also find tons of seeds in the barrels around the fields. As far as stealing; it is best to wait until everyone is in bed to take everything outside. I always save before stealing and then walk up to whomever I stole from. If they don't chase me, I re-save.

redman5427 · April 11, 2016

Seeds are randomly harvested every time you dig up a plant. You'll also find tons of seeds in the barrels around the fields. As far as stealing; it is best to wait until everyone is in bed to take everything outside. I always save before stealing and then walk up to whomever I stole from. If they don't chase me, I re-save.

Thank you.
By the way I caught some of your you tubes last night. Didn't know you were into doing that. Good stuff.

crpgnut · April 11, 2016

Couchpotato said:
Well just like a few other members my backlog is huge due to a four month break from gaming. Also I seem to have lost interest in playing a lot of games lately.

So for now I mostly read books and watch K-Dramas online in my spare time.

This is a back to basics game, Couch, so it might be a good one to rejuvenate your crpg juices

crpgnut · April 11, 2016

I'm not a youtuber, so maybe someone stole my nick. It's not like I copyrighted it

I've been using it for 10+ years though, so I might have a common law right of some kind

It also might be Wave of Darkness stuff. I did some voice work for them and they might be using my nick in their vids.

redman5427 · April 11, 2016

That was it.

ChienAboyeur · April 14, 2016

forgottenlor said:
I haven't played the game, but the system you're critiquing is rather prevalent in RPGS, isn't it?
Reporting a situation is not critiquing. Reporting that a car that does not start does not start is not critiquing.

Off the top of my head Morrowind, Oblivion, Might and Magic 6-8, and Eschalon all have similar mechanics and are generally considered good RPGS.

Click to expand...

Part of the legacy of the crowdfunding movement is that habit of bringing up games in order to justify the crowdfunded products.

The mechanics are not similar, as much it is possible. Neither are their implementation.

The implementation of the mechanics in Balrum is a disaster. So little works.

redman5427 said:

i don't know, Its only 15 bucks and other then here the only negative review I could find on steam lists more pros then cons and the dude has 63 hrs into it.

Click to expand...

$15 is seven days in the life of a $2 per day person.

The steam review system is a system to spur sales. Negative reviews are hard to come by, especially for this kind of crowdfunded products.

Because of this bias, it is better to look at what positive reviews tell.
For example, positive reviews might apply to a product that often crashes and while crashing, wipes out saves (while saving progression is a mandatory for the product)

Positive reviews based on 0 hours 0 minutes played might also be found.

CelticFrost · April 14, 2016

Not interested any more in games that remind of games that I played 30 years ago.

ElderGnome · April 25, 2016

*lol* I'm loving games that remind me of games released 30 years ago still.

crpgnut · April 25, 2016

Me too, Gnome. I'd rather play Might and Magic III than Final Fantasy XXXVIII.

ChienAboyeur · May 6, 2016

Usually, FF games have a lot of secrets.

One consequence of the crowdfunding movement is the comparison to old games.
Balrum has little to do with old games. Neither in execution, design etc

Balrum graphics are under par by choice as it was supposed to free work time to developp other sides.

Old games have the graphics of their times.

A product of the balrum quality would not have been published.

forgottenlor · May 6, 2016

ChienAboyeur said:
Reporting a situation is not critiquing. Reporting that a car that does not start does not start is not critiquing.

Part of the legacy of the crowdfunding movement is that habit of bringing up games in order to justify the crowdfunded products.

The mechanics are not similar, as much it is possible. Neither are their implementation.

The implementation of the mechanics in Balrum is a disaster. So little works.

O.k., ChienAboyeur, you were reporting it, but don't like it, if you prefer. Like I said, I haven't played Balrum, so I'm only going on what you've said, which is that you need to buy skills at trainers. In The Elder Scrolls System, you can buy skill points (5 per level) at extremely high costs. Eschelon makes buying new skills with skill points extremely costly, but you can buy 5 levels of most skills at the appropriate trainer for cash. Might and Magic makes you pay both to level up and to raise your skill points in any skill beyond a certain level. I'd like to know how Balrum compares to these systems, and why you feel the system in Balrum is so much worse.

JDR13 · May 8, 2016

What resolution does the game run in, and did the dev ever implement the zoom function he talked about?

Sanglon · May 30, 2016

There's a zoom but on my computer it generates a serious blurry, on Mac, and with the setup I use, the game seems manage in a bizarre way the resolution fullscreen on Mac. I haven't yet pinpoint the point.

First steps aren't bad (very first steps) but those first steps are really a common life, no heroic stuff, except hinted, plus a cavern to explore with a friend. For me it's a plus, I doubt it will be for all players, at least it's a change.

The farming doesn't seem mandatory, myself I'll try skip it totally, even if probably the dev put a lot of work in it.

ChienAboyeur · May 30, 2016

forgottenlor said:
O.k., ChienAboyeur, you were reporting it, but don't like it, if you prefer.

Even better. You must not like a non working feature to report it does not work.

Like I said, I haven't played Balrum, so I'm only going on what you've said, which is that you need to buy skills at trainers. In The Elder Scrolls System, you can buy skill points (5 per level) at extremely high costs.

Stopping at this one.

This was answered already

The main cause to trade is to acquire what cant be found that easily: coins. Coins are mandatory to level up. Without that pressure, that would not be trading in this product.

The Elder Scrolls system is at the opposite. In that system, trainers exist to provide players who do not want to level up through pratice with a different option.

Stating that the trainers exist to justify a trading system would be incorrect. There are other causes to trade.

In Balrum, trainers exist to justify trading. If Balrum had levelling up through practise, as TES, trading would be utterless irrelevant.

How people manage to compare, it is beyond. Sure, both have trainers in common, the philosophy is opposite. In TES, it is about relieving, in Balrum, it is about forcing.

Sanglon · May 30, 2016

Use Elder Scroll as a paragon of good mechanisms and good balances is pretty weird, it's clearly not right for Morrowind the best of the series, or is it about Skyrim? I don't remind much Skyrim details, but overall tedious main story, stupid abuse of dragons up to destroy the myth, most secondary quests non interesting, no noteworthy characters, exploration rather weak with one exception the landscape tourism value. On that last point I admit easily it was rather impressive, visual tourism simulator, not my cup fo the, but very well done.

So what? Combats a tedious crap, economy lol, crafting seriously all those games just implement a boring crafting it seems it's now a required feature I hope a day that it's fun will be required, tricks and puzzles if there was any none marked me it's saying all.

And the skills training, common, it works well for 10% of them, for 40% it's just tedious and half working by generating plenty stupid "training" actions, and for 50% it's just broken and a boredom.

Sanglon · May 30, 2016

CelticFrost said:
Not interested any more in games that remind of games that I played 30 years ago.

The only game I remind that really tried reproduce a game as it's been done in mid 90's, is Serpent in the Staglands. I only tried the demo and gave up because of the awful combats and crap UI, a day I'll perhaps try it with more persistence.

All other are just trying implement gameplay elements they believe implemented in old RPG and not anymore in modern RPG. For me in indie CRPG it's Eschalon Book the first that did it and used it as a com. Clearly Spiderweb games was doing it since a long time but I don't remind they was using it as a com like they could do now and since some years.

Anyway none but Staglands tried make a CRPG like it's been done in first half of 90's.

Sanglon · May 31, 2016

ChienAboyeur said:
The Elder Scrolls system is at the opposite. In that system, trainers exist to provide players who do not want to level up through pratice with a different option.

Stating that the trainers exist to justify a trading system would be incorrect. There are other causes to trade.

In Balrum, trainers exist to justify trading. If Balrum had levelling up through practise, as TES, trading would be utterless irrelevant.

How people manage to compare, it is beyond. Sure, both have trainers in common, the philosophy is opposite. In TES, it is about relieving, in Balrum, it is about forcing.

You are very vehement against the game, you just compared yourself so why complain it's not possible? Myself I read such comment, it's not comparable, as a hidden bash, one is a marvel the other is a crap they can't be compared. Other than that this remark makes no sense for me.

Well a team of pro writer, an army of pro graphic artists, a legion of little hands worked on Skyrim, it's not a surprise it's hard compare Balrum to it.

I had read all your negative comments about the game when I hadn't yet played it more than a quick try and it was really chocking. I have now played few hours and can see from what comes your bashing. For now first hours I found fun discover the game, discover the possibilities, even explore a bit, some combats, many tiny quests, teh story that progresses slowly, bother about my equipment, money, consumables, more.

But I see the negative points you listed, but in general you just see the negative.

For example, exploration, it's the arena syndrome, so it can hardly be great, but the woods asset is quite well done, much better than in games like Echalon Book, Avadon, Avernum, and it helps the exploration. Also there's many little special places that setup the exploration, the density about that is better than in games quoted above. But it's not tricky exploration, the main cause of that is the arena syndrome. Ok but it's light charming exploration, it's not good but it's not that bad. At least for now I feel it pleasant, but there's also definitely the mood of a game for kids.

I just answered one of your point, I think I could for more, but it's just to explain, you aren't purely wrong, but you see only the wrong aspects or quote only the wrong aspects, and that's wrong and unfair for the game. Just my opinion.

ChienAboyeur · June 1, 2016

An opinion based on tastes. Some people want to discuss and impose their tastes on other people.

Some other people do not want discuss tastes. People who discuss tastes usually speak of themselves, not of the thing they say to like.

The knowledge of people's tastes is demanded in certain situations, mostly when they imply intimacy. Reading video products reports by unknown people on an internet forum is not one of those situations.

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