Paper Sorcerer - Now Available

Couchpotato

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According to a new Backer only post-funding update Paper Sorcerer is now finished and released to all backers. If your a backer the download link should be in your inbox.

Here is a trailer and a game recap for those that still have no idea what the game is. You can also purchase a copy from the games webpage for $5.00.



Paper Sorcerer is a first-person turn-based RPG with adventure game elements inspired by Wizardry, Dungeons and Dragons, and Shadowgate.

  • Play as a renegade sorcerer as he struggles to escape the book prison and regain his powers.
  • Escape a magical prison filled with heroes hunting you down at every turn.
  • Strategy over grinding battles, with a charge based spell system.
  • Create a party of summons to join you as allies in battle.
  • Discover open-ended puzzles and solve them with a combinations of spells, items, and your wits.
  • Hand-drawn high-resolution sprites inspired by the work of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century illustrators like Aubrey Beardsley and William Bradley.
  • DRM-free for PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, and possibly Xbox Live Indie Arcade and web-browser.
  • All-inclusive game, promise to never make you pay for DLC content.
More information.
 
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Looks interesting. I will be on the lookout for comments about the storyline etc., or a full review.
 
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Yeah I actually got this last night, but I'll be damned if I can figure out how to run it, lol. Getting all my games from Steam and GoG has spoiled me, I think. Or made me dumber.
 
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I'm a backer of this project, and I'd strongly recommend waiting for patches. There are lots of obvious, reproducible bugs that should have been found and fixed. The creator is an artist (as opposed to a programmer) who clearly bit off way more than he could chew. On the positive side, if these bugs are fixed, the game should provide some light-hearted fun.

Edit:

Carn,

Unzip to any directory (I have it under Program Files(x86)), and run the .exe directly. There is no actual installation.
 
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Yeah I actually got this last night, but I'll be damned if I can figure out how to run it, lol. Getting all my games from Steam and GoG has spoiled me, I think. Or made me dumber.

Hey, being a Windows gamer has made me a lot dumber. But I certainly don't miss the good ol days of using your noodle to get a game running. Hi-Mem indeed.

I was a KS backer and pledged for a limited edition DVD box. So I'll just wait for that or maybe Steam will get involved some where down the line.
 
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Yeah that's a good idea, I think I'll wait till it hits Steam and then beg for a key, since I backed it. Seriously, I'm not sure why they made it so difficult to install.
 
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Well they could of made the game into a setup file or installer. As it stands extracting the game isn't that hard. It's just rarely done nowadays for games.
 
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I really don't understand how unzipping a file and running an Exe is considered difficult. Come back when you need to write autoexec files to get enough base and extended memory to run Ultima 7 in dos :).
 
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Anyway, loving the game so far, I'm up to the fourth 'block' of the game. Haven't had more than a minor inventory bug yet. Not a very elaborate story yet but the gameplay is a lot of fun.
 
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I really don't understand how unzipping a file and running an Exe is considered difficult. Come back when you need to write autoexec files to get enough base and extended memory to run Ultima 7 in dos :).

I know, eh? Kids these days don't realize how easy they have it. AND
I still hear them complain that it's hard to run games on a PC as
opposed to a console. Bashing our heads against DOS for years
on end toughened us up. I still have nightmares about extended and
expanded memory....
 
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Oh, don't get me wrong.....when I sat down and thought about it, I solved it in about 3 minutes. Then, based on what 2 of my friends told me, I promptly went back to Fallout 3. I was just surprised it didn't give the option of putting an icon on the desktop or anything. It has been quite some time since I had to think back to the days of my Apple 2 E or Commodore.
 
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You kids and your new fangled dos; back in my day you had to write the programs yourself and had stacks of paper as far as the eye could see. Damn you lazy kids.
 
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Ugh... the Commodore Vic 20 'datasette' tape was the single worst piece of technology I ever had to endure. Then again, I was like 6 when I used it so I wasn't exactly the patient sort.

Of course, I have colleagues who still tell me I'm a 'youngin' since I didn't have to deal with punch cards.
 
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Since my last post, the only bugs I experienced (anecdotal, yes, maybe I'm just lucky) are:
- Some of the walls I was able to walk through in the optional 'catacombs' dungeon
- I wasn't able to equip a certain weapon (Iron Chain) on my ghost summon without it automatically unequipping the helmet I had him equipped with. This wasn't an issue for the upgraded weapon (Steel Iron Chain).
 
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I encountered those bugs, but you forgot a real doozy:

All character skills reset to level 1 when you load a saved game. Pretty game-breaking...
 
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finished the game…mini-review

I just finished the game. It took slightly over 14 hours. All in all, it was quite a fun experience.

Pros:
+ minimalistic but charming/unique presentation (perfect example of less-is-more philosophy)
+ surprising amount of depth in terms of RPG mechanics
+ ideal length (it doesn't overstay its welcome)
+ pleasant, catchy music
+ most encounters are hand-placed, so you won't be overwhelmed with tedious random battles
+ the game is quite addictive and lots of fun

Cons:
- initial release plagued by obvious, "happy-path" bugs, some of which were game-breaking (the current version is much, much better, but the game should never have been released in this state)
- sound effects are pretty limited
- there are still some bugs/UI/balance issues that need to be ironed out (none game-breaking)
- game mechanics aren't as clearly explained as they should be

Bottom line:

Despite feeling like a beta tester, I really loved my time spent with this game. For the $3 I spent on the Kickstarter, this was a steal. Give it a few more patches, and buy with confidence. Anyone who enjoys old school games should definitely give it a whirl.

Current
7/10 (Due to bugs)
Potential
8/10 (With additional patching)
 
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You kids and your new fangled dos; back in my day you had to write the programs yourself and had stacks of paper as far as the eye could see. Damn you lazy kids.

luxury!

I had to find used computer magazines and type the games in them out line by line on the school computer.

--

anyway, how hard is it to create a compressed file into an exe these days? there's whole systems of package loaders that can do this for you.
 
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luxury!

I had to find used computer magazines and type the games in them out line by line on the school computer.

luxury! you probably attended one of those 'rich kids' schools that had computers!
I had to look for trash bins for people that had discarded those magazines, read the code, and run it in my mind.
 
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