• Diablo IV

    From =?UTF-8?B?U2FtdWVsIFPDtmRlcmJlcmc=?=@samuel@samuelsoderberg.se to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Thu Jul 18 18:28:34 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    The best RPG is the ARPG.

    It is the only thing in the genre that I like.

    Anyway, we did not get a Paladin class in Diablo IV.

    The classes are the weak point of the game.

    The upcoming expansion, Vessel of Hatred, had to give us a religious themed class.

    Instead of the Crusader or the Monk, as in Diablo III, we will get the Spiritborn...

    They have now released some gameplay.

    I am not impressed.

    There should be a knight with auras and hammers and things!

    However, since this is "the first expansion", there could still be hope.
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  • From ant@ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Fri Jul 19 19:45:24 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    I quit D4 after finishing its single player campaign as a barbarian a few weeks ago.


    Samuel Söderberg <samuel@samuelsoderberg.se> wrote:
    The best RPG is the ARPG.

    It is the only thing in the genre that I like.

    Anyway, we did not get a Paladin class in Diablo IV.

    The classes are the weak point of the game.

    The upcoming expansion, Vessel of Hatred, had to give us a religious themed class.

    Instead of the Crusader or the Monk, as in Diablo III, we will get the Spiritborn...

    They have now released some gameplay.

    I am not impressed.

    There should be a knight with auras and hammers and things!

    However, since this is "the first expansion", there could still be hope.
    --
    "[Moses addressed Israel, reminding them of God's deliverance of them from Egypt, and his commands given to them:] 'You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out [from bondage and delivered you.]. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.'" --Deuteronomy 7:19. CrowdStrike should had hired me instead of rejecting me. :P
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  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Fri Jul 19 18:08:00 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Fri, 19 Jul 2024 19:45:24 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    I quit D4 after finishing its single player campaign as a barbarian a few weeks ago.



    I quit Diablo on the PC after the second game. Blizzard's antics with
    D3 were enough to turn me off from a franchise I was never that crazy
    about to begin with. Nothing I've seen about D4 made me regret that
    decision.

    If I want to play an action-RPG, there are plenty of alternatives that
    are as good or better. "Path of Exile" gets a lot of praise, but I was
    quite satisfied with "Titan Quest".

    But I'd much rather play something like "The Witcher 3". ;-)






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  • From ant@ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Fri Jul 19 23:47:00 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
    On Fri, 19 Jul 2024 19:45:24 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    I quit D4 after finishing its single player campaign as a barbarian a few weeks ago.

    I quit Diablo on the PC after the second game. Blizzard's antics with
    D3 were enough to turn me off from a franchise I was never that crazy
    about to begin with. Nothing I've seen about D4 made me regret that
    decision.

    Yeah, D3 wasn't good.


    If I want to play an action-RPG, there are plenty of alternatives that
    are as good or better. "Path of Exile" gets a lot of praise, but I was
    quite satisfied with "Titan Quest".

    But I'd much rather play something like "The Witcher 3". ;-)

    Heck, I enjoyed Torchlight games. I couldn't get into The Witcher series.
    --
    "[Moses addressed Israel, reminding them of God's deliverance of them from Egypt, and his commands given to them:] 'You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out [from bondage and delivered you.]. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.'" --Deuteronomy 7:19. CrowdStrike should had hired me instead of rejecting me. :P
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  • From Mike S.@Mike_S@nowhere.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sat Jul 20 10:27:30 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Fri, 19 Jul 2024 23:47:00 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    Yeah, D3 wasn't good.

    I thought Diablo 3 was excellent but I didn't play it until the
    expansion pack came out.

    Heck, I enjoyed Torchlight games. I couldn't get into The Witcher series.

    The Witcher is a very different type of RPG. The original Torchlight
    is a bit simplistic but still fun for awhile. The sequel is a lot of
    fun.
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  • From Mike S.@Mike_S@nowhere.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sat Jul 20 10:30:59 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Fri, 19 Jul 2024 18:08:00 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

    If I want to play an action-RPG, there are plenty of alternatives that
    are as good or better. "Path of Exile" gets a lot of praise, but I was
    quite satisfied with "Titan Quest".

    As far as praise goes, I think Path of Exile and Grim Dawn get the
    most if you ignore Diablo 2.

    But I'd much rather play something like "The Witcher 3". ;-)

    Like Ant, I am not sure if I would like the Witcher series. I never
    played any of them.
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  • From ant@ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sat Jul 20 17:41:15 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> wrote:
    On Fri, 19 Jul 2024 23:47:00 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    Yeah, D3 wasn't good.

    I thought Diablo 3 was excellent but I didn't play it until the
    expansion pack came out.

    Interesting. Did it expansion make D3 better?


    Heck, I enjoyed Torchlight games. I couldn't get into The Witcher series.

    The Witcher is a very different type of RPG. The original Torchlight
    is a bit simplistic but still fun for awhile. The sequel is a lot of
    fun.

    I can't wait for the new one.
    --
    "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins." --Ecclesiastes 7:20. Hot weekend. :(
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  • From ant@ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sat Jul 20 17:41:53 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> wrote:
    On Fri, 19 Jul 2024 18:08:00 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

    If I want to play an action-RPG, there are plenty of alternatives that
    are as good or better. "Path of Exile" gets a lot of praise, but I was >quite satisfied with "Titan Quest".

    As far as praise goes, I think Path of Exile and Grim Dawn get the
    most if you ignore Diablo 2.

    But I'd much rather play something like "The Witcher 3". ;-)

    Like Ant, I am not sure if I would like the Witcher series. I never
    played any of them.

    I only played its playable demo. I remember its cutscene show the guy naked in the bath tub. Ha!
    --
    "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins." --Ecclesiastes 7:20. Hot weekend. :(
    Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
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  • From Mike S.@Mike_S@nowhere.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sat Jul 20 19:37:37 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    on Sat, 20 July 2024 17:41:15 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    Interesting. Did it expansion make D3 better?

    Yes, but this is just because the game itself had been out for awhile
    by this point and Blizzard was fixing it.

    I actually had no intentions of getting the game due to the bad press
    it received at launch but the game was on sale when a friend asked me
    to buy it so we could play together. I never saw the login issues, the
    broken loot table or the real money AH because that stuff was fixed
    and gone by the time I purchased it.
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  • From Mike S.@Mike_S@nowhere.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sat Jul 20 19:39:12 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Sat, 20 Jul 2024 17:41:53 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    I only played its playable demo. I remember its cutscene show the guy naked in the bath tub. Ha!

    I remember him naked in the bath tub as well. I guess I saw the same
    cutscene.
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  • From =?UTF-8?Q?Samuel_S=C3=B6derberg?=@samuel@samuelsoderberg.se to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sun Jul 21 15:35:57 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    Den 2024-07-20 kl. 16:27, skrev Mike S.:

    I thought Diablo 3 was excellent but I didn't play it until the
    expansion pack came out.
    I was disappointed when it released for PC, but then I bought it on the
    Xbox and played with a controller... It was great!

    When Diablo IV released on Steam I did not hesitate to buy a controller.
    The recommended way of playing the game.

    Unfortunately the rolling mechanic from III is gone, instead we got the
    dash with a cooldown, which is worse.

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  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sun Jul 21 13:12:48 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Sun, 21 Jul 2024 15:35:57 +0200, Samuel Söderberg <samuel@samuelsoderberg.se> wrote:

    Den 2024-07-20 kl. 16:27, skrev Mike S.:

    I thought Diablo 3 was excellent but I didn't play it until the
    expansion pack came out.
    I was disappointed when it released for PC, but then I bought it on the
    Xbox and played with a controller... It was great!

    When Diablo IV released on Steam I did not hesitate to buy a controller.
    The recommended way of playing the game.

    Unfortunately the rolling mechanic from III is gone, instead we got the
    dash with a cooldown, which is worse.

    Although I boycotted D3 on the PC, eventually I broke down and got it
    on... I think it was the Playstation 3? (I'd have to dig out the disks
    and check). I'm pretty sure I bought it used to keep Blizzard from
    getting any cash out of the deal.

    It... was fine. It was Diablo; the same shallow gameplay as in one and
    two and go-nowhere plot. It was a little bit prettier than D2 but
    lacked the character of that older game. It felt completely average in
    every respect. Arguably I may have worsened the experience by playing
    it on a console (honestly, any game that demands I use a gamepad feels
    worse to me) but I don't think I'd have had more fun on a PC.

    Then again, a lot of Blizzard's concern with D3 and D4 was focused on
    aspects I just don't give a damn about: the multiplayer and grinding
    levels and loot. And I get that's popular with a lot of people, so if
    that's where Blizzard wanted to put most of the effort, fine. But it
    did nothing to encourage me to keep with the franchise. I'd only
    picked up D3 on console just to see what it was like; a whim of
    curiousity more than any real desire to play. But I've not even that
    much interest in D4.

    But that's okay; I've a different taste in games. And if I really want
    to play an ARPG, there are some that actually manage to squeeze in
    some aspects of gameplay I find engaging. But the Diablo franchise is
    up there with "Call of Duty" games for me; over-hyped, unexceptional
    and wildly popular for reasons I'll never quite understand.


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  • From =?UTF-8?B?U2FtdWVsIFPDtmRlcmJlcmc=?=@samuel@samuelsoderberg.se to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sun Jul 21 18:28:22 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On 21 Jul 2024 at 19:12:48 CEST, "Spalls Hurgenson"
    <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

    Then again, a lot of Blizzard's concern with D3 and D4 was focused on
    aspects I just don't give a damn about: the multiplayer and grinding
    levels and loot.

    The multiplayer elements in Diablo IV were interesting for an ARPG. It borrows from the MMO genre, with world bosses and so on. You kill a monster with some random people, and then you let go of them.

    Now there are too many ways of manipulating items in the game, and in the latest season they added yet another.

    I got 70 hours out of the game, and if it goes on sale, I would advise you to pick it up!
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  • From ant@ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Mon Jul 22 00:22:58 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> wrote:
    on Sat, 20 July 2024 17:41:15 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    Interesting. Did it expansion make D3 better?

    Yes, but this is just because the game itself had been out for awhile
    by this point and Blizzard was fixing it.

    I actually had no intentions of getting the game due to the bad press
    it received at launch but the game was on sale when a friend asked me
    to buy it so we could play together. I never saw the login issues, the
    broken loot table or the real money AH because that stuff was fixed
    and gone by the time I purchased it.

    Hmm, maybe I will retry it as a Diablo fan.
    --
    "[Speaking to the Israelites about their enemies, Moses said:] 'Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.'" --Deuteronomy 7:21. ST: Prodigy rocked! Finally, Pres. JB!
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  • From ant@ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Mon Jul 22 00:23:44 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> wrote:
    On Sat, 20 Jul 2024 17:41:53 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    I only played its playable demo. I remember its cutscene show the guy naked in the bath tub. Ha!

    I remember him naked in the bath tub as well. I guess I saw the same cutscene.

    Which Witcher game was it? Original?
    --
    "[Speaking to the Israelites about their enemies, Moses said:] 'Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.'" --Deuteronomy 7:21. ST: Prodigy rocked! Finally, Pres. JB!
    Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
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    / /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
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    \ _ /
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  • From Mike S.@Mike_S@nowhere.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Mon Jul 22 16:52:45 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Mon, 22 Jul 2024 00:23:44 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    Which Witcher game was it? Original?

    I am pretty sure that scene was in Witcher 3.
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  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Tue Jul 23 13:49:59 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:52:45 -0400, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
    wrote:

    On Mon, 22 Jul 2024 00:23:44 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    Which Witcher game was it? Original?

    I am pretty sure that scene was in Witcher 3.

    As far as I can recall, Geralt has been naked* in a bath in all three
    games. Apparently the guy likes a good scrub. ;-)

    But the third game starts with a prequel chapter that opens up with
    him lounging in a tub. It's almost literally the first thing you see
    in the game (and apparently the demo too) and thus it's the most
    memorable.

    (Geralt tubs it much later in games 1 and 2; it might even be
    skippable in both games)






    * presumably naked, anyway. The game didn't linger. He might have been
    wearing shorts beneath the soapy water. ;-)

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  • From Justisaur@justisaur@yahoo.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Thu Jul 25 14:52:55 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On 7/20/2024 4:37 PM, Mike S. wrote:
    on Sat, 20 July 2024 17:41:15 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    Interesting. Did it expansion make D3 better?

    Yes, but this is just because the game itself had been out for awhile
    by this point and Blizzard was fixing it.

    I actually had no intentions of getting the game due to the bad press
    it received at launch but the game was on sale when a friend asked me
    to buy it so we could play together. I never saw the login issues, the
    broken loot table or the real money AH because that stuff was fixed
    and gone by the time I purchased it.

    I missed the non-real money auction house once it was removed. Much
    easier than trying to find someone to trade with.

    I don't remember login issues, but I'm sure I didn't buy it day one. It
    was probably shortly after as a bunch of my friends were playing it and
    wanted to play with them.

    Looking back on my old posts I see there were a couple hacks against it
    early, one where people's accounts had been hacked and logged into and
    cleared out of all their items which were then being sold on the real
    money auction house. I wasn't affected by that one.

    The expansion was fun as I remember, but I was never into post game
    replaying over and over to get better gear, same as D1 & D2.
    --
    -Justisaur

    ø-ø
    (\_/)\
    `-'\ `--.___,
    ¶¬'\( ,_.-'
    \\
    ^'

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  • From Justisaur@justisaur@yahoo.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Thu Jul 25 14:57:33 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On 7/21/2024 10:12 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
    Arguably I may have worsened the experience by playing
    it on a console (honestly, any game that demands I use a gamepad feels
    worse to me) but I don't think I'd have had more fun on a PC.

    Ugh. I can't imagine. The game seems really set up for point and click.

    On the other hand I enjoyed Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance and Bard's Tale
    on the PS2 which are also ARPGs, so maybe I'm wrong.
    --
    -Justisaur

    ø-ø
    (\_/)\
    `-'\ `--.___,
    ¶¬'\( ,_.-'
    \\
    ^'

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  • From Justisaur@justisaur@yahoo.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Thu Jul 25 15:02:23 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On 7/23/2024 10:49 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
    On Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:52:45 -0400, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
    wrote:

    On Mon, 22 Jul 2024 00:23:44 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

    Which Witcher game was it? Original?

    I am pretty sure that scene was in Witcher 3.

    As far as I can recall, Geralt has been naked* in a bath in all three
    games. Apparently the guy likes a good scrub. ;-)

    But the third game starts with a prequel chapter that opens up with
    him lounging in a tub. It's almost literally the first thing you see
    in the game (and apparently the demo too) and thus it's the most
    memorable.

    (Geralt tubs it much later in games 1 and 2; it might even be
    skippable in both games)






    * presumably naked, anyway. The game didn't linger. He might have been wearing shorts beneath the soapy water. ;-)


    Eww, that'd be even weirder.


    I found the first area in W3 a slog, it's kind of a really long
    tutorial. If you do get it, and you find it a slog, I'd suggest trying
    the option to start in one of the DLCs so you don't have to go to the
    first area, you get to start with some gear and levels if you do that too.

    The combat's o.k. Way better than 1 or 2. The best part are the
    characters and interactions. It's very adult in bits so be wary if that
    turns you off or you've got kids around.
    --
    -Justisaur

    ø-ø
    (\_/)\
    `-'\ `--.___,
    ¶¬'\( ,_.-'
    \\
    ^'

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  • From Mark P. Nelson@markpnelson@sbcglobal.net to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Fri Jul 26 04:21:34 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com> wrote in news:v7ui1g$2esbt$7@dont-email.me:

    The combat's o.k. Way better than 1 or 2.

    I loved the combat in game one. It took me a little work to master it, but when I had, crank up
    the difficulty and never lose a fight. It was great once you figured it out.

    I hated that they changed it.

    Folks--strokes.
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  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Fri Jul 26 17:26:39 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:57:33 -0700, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
    wrote:

    On 7/21/2024 10:12 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
    Arguably I may have worsened the experience by playing
    it on a console (honestly, any game that demands I use a gamepad feels
    worse to me) but I don't think I'd have had more fun on a PC.

    Ugh. I can't imagine. The game seems really set up for point and click.

    On the other hand I enjoyed Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance and Bard's Tale
    on the PS2 which are also ARPGs, so maybe I'm wrong.

    Yeah, I got a lot of "Dark Alliance" vibes while playing D3 on
    console. I don't know how well the gameplay on console compares to the
    PC version, but it was... adequate. My problems with the game had more
    to do with the game's design (shallow gameworlds, linear quests, too
    much combat, unrewarding loot) than the fact I had to use a gamepad.
    The same problems, I'm pretty sure, I'd have had if I'd played "Diablo
    3" on PC.

    But I can't necessarily disagree that the gamepad might have made the
    game worse.

    I actually rather enjoyed the "Dark Alliance" games, although I think
    that was more because I was so surprised that the games were at all
    playable with a gamepad. I expected a totally horrific experience, and
    that... the "Dark Alliance" games weren't. They were simplistic, sure,
    but fun, in a mindless popcorn-movie way.

    [Yay for low expectations!]

    That said, I enjoyed "Diablo 3" a lot less than those older games.
    But, again, that's more because I just don't care for "Diablo's"
    design. Those games, it seems to me, are more focussed on their
    multplayer experience than the single-player, and this effects
    everything in the game: the equipment, the skills, the monster
    placement, the pacing. Everything is designed to be balanced in
    multiplayer. "Dark Alliance" is primarily a single-player experience,
    and this is reflected in how your character steadily becomes more and
    more powerful. It's just more rewarding gameplay as far as I'm
    concerned.

    But YMMV. A lot of people like the Diablo gameplay style. I'm not one
    of them, but I don't think it was the use of the gamepad that made the
    game less enjoyable for me.



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  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Fri Jul 26 17:37:42 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Fri, 26 Jul 2024 04:21:34 -0000 (UTC), "Mark P. Nelson" <markpnelson@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com> wrote in news:v7ui1g$2esbt$7@dont-email.me:

    The combat's o.k. Way better than 1 or 2.

    I loved the combat in game one. It took me a little work to master it, but when I had, crank up
    the difficulty and never lose a fight. It was great once you figured it out.

    I hated that they changed it.

    Folks--strokes.

    When I first played "The Witcher" in 2007, I detested the combat, but
    when I replayed it a year or so back

    [checks notes: good Gog, that was way back in 2016! Where has
    the time gone? It feels like just last year!]

    I enjoyed it a lot more.
    Possibly more than the combat in the third game. But then, I've never
    really enjoyed the combat in /any/ RPG, because that's always been the
    least important bit of the game for me.

    [It's one of the things I liked about the venerable "Ultima 7";
    you press a key and the combat just kind of sorts itself out
    for you. Sure, you /could/ micro-manage the fight if you wanted
    to, but it was almost never necessary. It let me focus on
    the exploration, the puzzling, the character interactions,
    the story. CRPG combat is almost always boring, if only
    because there's just so dang much of it!]

    Then again, I never really bother to master the mechanics. I just rush
    in, sword whipping about as I frantically mashed the keys. I'm sure
    that there was a lot of depth in "The Witcher 3's" combat system. I
    just had no desire to engage with it.


    --- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114
  • From Xocyll@Xocyll@gmx.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sat Jul 27 08:24:17 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
    say:

    On Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:57:33 -0700, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
    wrote:

    On 7/21/2024 10:12 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
    Arguably I may have worsened the experience by playing
    it on a console (honestly, any game that demands I use a gamepad feels
    worse to me) but I don't think I'd have had more fun on a PC.

    Ugh. I can't imagine. The game seems really set up for point and click.

    On the other hand I enjoyed Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance and Bard's Tale
    on the PS2 which are also ARPGs, so maybe I'm wrong.

    Yeah, I got a lot of "Dark Alliance" vibes while playing D3 on
    console. I don't know how well the gameplay on console compares to the
    PC version, but it was... adequate. My problems with the game had more
    to do with the game's design (shallow gameworlds, linear quests, too
    much combat, unrewarding loot) than the fact I had to use a gamepad.
    The same problems, I'm pretty sure, I'd have had if I'd played "Diablo
    3" on PC.

    But I can't necessarily disagree that the gamepad might have made the
    game worse.

    I actually rather enjoyed the "Dark Alliance" games, although I think
    that was more because I was so surprised that the games were at all
    playable with a gamepad. I expected a totally horrific experience, and >that... the "Dark Alliance" games weren't. They were simplistic, sure,
    but fun, in a mindless popcorn-movie way.

    [Yay for low expectations!]

    That said, I enjoyed "Diablo 3" a lot less than those older games.
    But, again, that's more because I just don't care for "Diablo's"
    design. Those games, it seems to me, are more focussed on their
    multplayer experience than the single-player, and this effects
    everything in the game: the equipment, the skills, the monster
    placement, the pacing. Everything is designed to be balanced in
    multiplayer. "Dark Alliance" is primarily a single-player experience,
    and this is reflected in how your character steadily becomes more and
    more powerful. It's just more rewarding gameplay as far as I'm
    concerned.

    I never got that from Diablo 1 and 2.
    I mostly played single player, once in a blue moon doing modem network
    games with a friend.
    We'd both start up a network game usually soloing, but if one ran into a problem that couldn't be dealt with solo, phone for help and the other
    would join the game to help.

    Not once did I set foot on battle.net until forced to with diablo3.

    Which I also played single player, only with a wait to log in, lag and
    random disconnects.

    This is also why I did NOT buy the upgraded hi-res Diablo2, because you
    have to be online on battle.net and I have literally zero interest in
    that, single player only and forcing me to be online for single player
    with all the issues blizzards online play comes with ... FUCK THAT!

    Sell me the upgraded graphics with what the original game came with, the freedom to not be online when I want to solo play. Freedom from lag,
    freedom from disconnects, freedom from waiting in line just to play.

    So they fucked up the play, upgraded the graphics and want $55 for it, I
    say again FUCK THAT!

    $30 max for the upgraded graphics, with original play.

    As it is, they'd have to pay me to take it with that battle.net
    albatross hanging from it.

    Xocyll
    --- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114
  • From Anssi Saari@anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Wed Jul 31 12:12:59 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com> writes:

    I found the first area in W3 a slog, it's kind of a really long
    tutorial. If you do get it, and you find it a slog, I'd suggest
    trying the option to start in one of the DLCs so you don't have to go
    to the first area, you get to start with some gear and levels if you
    do that too.

    Good to know. Yeah, I at least got bogged down in the first area of
    W3. Just didn't see the point although I liked the TV show well
    enough. Looks like I have the "Complete Edition" on GoG and I think it's
    even installed. So maybe there's another look into W3 in August.
    --- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114
  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Thu Aug 1 09:19:37 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Wed, 31 Jul 2024 12:12:59 +0300, Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote:

    Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com> writes:

    I found the first area in W3 a slog, it's kind of a really long
    tutorial. If you do get it, and you find it a slog, I'd suggest
    trying the option to start in one of the DLCs so you don't have to go
    to the first area, you get to start with some gear and levels if you
    do that too.

    Good to know. Yeah, I at least got bogged down in the first area of
    W3. Just didn't see the point although I liked the TV show well
    enough. Looks like I have the "Complete Edition" on GoG and I think it's
    even installed. So maybe there's another look into W3 in August.

    "The Witcher 3" definitely doesn't put its best foot forward. The
    initial 'tutorial area' is one of the least interesting bits to look
    at, with little in the way of interesting characters and very few
    side-quests. It's not bad per se, but it is /dull/. Then you get
    hijacked to the Nilfgaard palace (another place with nothing to do)
    before you're /finally/ dumped into the big open world... with no
    clear idea where to go or what, really, your ultimate goal is. Even
    then, it takes a while before the game starts building steam; the
    initial monsters you encounter (wild dogs) aren't that exciting, the
    first few quests are fairly humdrum and the bits of the world you
    first encounter just doesn't seem very connected to each other. Oh,
    here's a farm house; there's an army camp, there's a mass grave,
    there's a bunch of people camped in front of a bridge; what the hell
    is this all?

    Eventually, though, as you pick up various quests and delve further
    into the world, you start to see how everything interrelates. Many of
    the quests are quite involved, and the combat mechanics become more
    fun as you gain new skills. There's a lot more variety to the world
    than it first seems too.

    But most of that isn't evident from the start. It feels very much
    'generic fantasy world #5662' and it gives you very little reason to
    care to explore it. People who persevere will enjoy it, but I wouldn't
    be surprised if a lot of players gave up before leaving the tutorial
    map. It doesn't onboard new players well at all.


    --- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114
  • From Mark P. Nelson@markpnelson@sbcglobal.net to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Fri Aug 2 15:51:34 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote in news:192najh9mjkh4j1nqn7795e7oedfjloj46@4ax.com:

    But most of that isn't evident from the start. It feels very much
    'generic fantasy world #5662' and it gives you very little reason to
    care to explore it. People who persevere will enjoy it, but I wouldn't
    be surprised if a lot of players gave up before leaving the tutorial
    map. It doesn't onboard new players well at all.

    That's what I did. More than once.
    --- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114
  • From Spalls Hurgenson@spallshurgenson@gmail.com to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg on Sat Aug 3 12:37:19 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg

    On Fri, 2 Aug 2024 15:51:34 -0000 (UTC), "Mark P. Nelson" <markpnelson@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote in >news:192najh9mjkh4j1nqn7795e7oedfjloj46@4ax.com:

    But most of that isn't evident from the start. It feels very much
    'generic fantasy world #5662' and it gives you very little reason to
    care to explore it. People who persevere will enjoy it, but I wouldn't
    be surprised if a lot of players gave up before leaving the tutorial
    map. It doesn't onboard new players well at all.

    That's what I did. More than once.

    I really enjoyed the Witcher games, but all of them dump you into the
    deep end from the start, especially regarding the games' setting and
    politics (well, the first game was a bit smoother in the transition).

    "Nilfgaard is attacking Temeria except Redenia is fighting back even
    though they're getting no support of Novigrad and there is in-fighting
    amongst the Lodge of Sorcereresses and Ciri is missing and the Wild
    Hunt is possibly hunting you and maybe her because she is a Source
    (which also interests the Lodge and also the Scoiatel) and you have at
    least two romantic interests and there's trouble a'brewing between the
    Wolf and Bear and Cat houses and Geralt is facing suspicion over the
    murder of King Demavend, and..."

    It's just a lot to take in, especially at the start if you've not
    played the first two games and don't have much familiarity with the
    franchise. I mean, even /I/ have problems keeping track of everything,
    and I've played the games, read the novels, watched the TV show, and
    own the tabletop RPG books! I'm _saturated_ with Witcher lore, and
    sometimes even I go, "Hey, wait, who's that guy and why should I
    care?"

    Once you start playing for a while, things start pulling together and
    you can begin to appreciate the depth of the setting. But it
    definitely makes for a rocky start. Yet I'm really not sure /how/ the developers could allieviate that. In a sense, that's exactly what they
    tried to do in "Witcher 3" by slow-burning the story in its
    introductory map, and everybody (myself included!) complained that
    it's boring and the least memorable part of the game. ;-)

    I guess that when the complexity of your game is its best part, it's
    really difficult to onboard new players without scaring them away with
    its complexity.



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