Demo Comments
 

I took the demo for a quick spin. Pretty cool. I did have some comments:

Inventory space is WAY too small. The fact that some items don't stack (health potions, food), and that each scroll takes up a slot. I ran out of slot after about 10 minutes of playing. Part of the fun of these types of games is collecting all those cool items. I found the lack of inventory space to be a real pain in the butt. Maybe if all items stacked this wouldn't be so bad.

I didn't play all that long but I didn't find anywhere to store extra items. I also didn't find anyplace to sell/buy items. Do these places exists? I couldn't figure out how to write the scrolls into my book.

Tiles look like the ones from the Angband games I play, hehe. Even that game had a house where you could store extra items.

All in all I like the demo. I feel something needs to be done with the lack of inventory space, and the stacking needs to be fixed. Maybe it's just me...

I'm wondering what the full game comes with that the demo didn't. Like how many modules are going to be included that type of thing.

Re: Demo Comments
 

I have found many shops to buy and sell items in. There was even a bar where I bought food and drinks from.

Re: Demo Comments
 

In the default module, you should quickly find a road on your travels. When you do, follow it to the west, and you should quickly come across a town where you can sell your treasures and buy supplies.

I find that I generally ignore all non-enchanted items after the first few trips. Crowns, and Treasure are exceptions, since they are worth a hefty sum of cash.

Re: Demo Comments
 

I found the road, and travelled east and found a castle which I have been exploring. It's quite a bit roomier inside than it appears on the outside. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

So is there any way to "examine" stuff? I found somethings that look like signs, but I can't seem to find any way to read them. Are there characters in the game that you can interact with and speak to? SO far all I have found is monsters of varying varieties which I have had to kill. No puzzles or anything, but maybe they are in here somewhere. I haven't gone everywhere.

Geoschmo

Re: Demo Comments
 

Geoschmo - you went the wrong way http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Follow the road in the other direction and you will find a small town.

Re: Demo Comments
 

There's a lost boy in the castle....

Re: Demo Comments
 

After playing some more Last night I did find some shops to buy/sell stuff. I also found the little boy which was cool. I like the demo, but still would like to see more things stack or a larger inventory.

Does anyone know how to use the scrolls. I'm playing a Ranger and can't seem to get any of the scrolls to work.

Re: Demo Comments
 

To use a scroll as a ranger I just higlighted it in the spell list thing on the lower right of my screen and right clicked to activate the scroll.

I payed the demo from start to finish Last night and got to level 5, not bad but considering it says you can get to 100 in the full game I'd say it's planned on being rather long.

One problem I did see was that the shop keepers move...outside of their shops. I had the magic shop keeper wander all the way out to the back of his shop and into the farmer fields. It was a pain to go and track him down.

Another thing has already been mentioned, lack of space. I must have taken 40 trips between the town and the castle to sell stuff (yes I sold everything, had 30000 gold before the end).

Which leads me to my next point. Money is unbalanced as the most expensive thing I've seen were only just over 1000 gold and I got to 30000 extra by the end just be selling junk, but maybe that will get more understandable with the full game.

Other than that it looks good http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Re: Demo Comments
 

A fairly common RPG thingamabob is a bag or pack which will allow you to carry more bulk, while still staying within your weight limit. Perhaps this is something which can be modded in if it's not in the demo module.

I do rather miss being able to have an "adventure party" instead of being limited to one player character. Perhaps in a future update? Or is that possible now with the retail game and is just not in the demo module?

Geoschmo

Re: Demo Comments
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Make it a habit to close the doors behind you, and you won't have to worry http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif
A tweak to keep the shopkeepers closer to their stores would be good.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Most of the junk being sold in the stores is pretty cheap. However, anything that is enchanted is much more expensive. "Godling Merkand's Gloves of Armageddon" type items would be significantly out of your price range.

As you progress in the game, more enchanted items will turn up in the shops, and you will start spending your money faster and faster.

Re: Demo Comments
 

I like the idea of having containers that can hold many items but only take up on slot.

Magic bags of holding that play around with the weight of items inside would be cool. Not sure if this could be made as a Mod, this could be good or bad, depending on if the item was cursed, might be fun.

The other idea I have is to have a keg ring. The keys do stack which is nice, but all keys end up on the ring and it takes only one slot. I think food should stack, and potions should as well. Anything you are going to collect alot of should stack, this would include scrolls that are the same type.

Treasure should be converted to gold on the spot and added to your total, it shouldn't take up a slot. If this can't be done then treasure of the same type should stack.

One thing that would help is some sort of teleport back to town like Diablo 2 has. That way you can zip back and forth and it's no big deal. I have started dropping stuff because going back to town and coming back is a pain, and not very fun. Again not sure if this could be put in as a Mod.

Just a few ideas, and are as always, IMHO.

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The more I think about it though the whole idea of "slots" is just wrong. You should have a limit to the bulk you can handle, and the weight you can carry, but being under both and running out of "slots" jsut is something I have never seen before in an RPG. Hoperfully that it something that gets patched out fairly early.

Geoschmo

Re: Demo Comments
 

Yeah Geo. I tend to agree with you about the inventory. It seems now it's the worst of both worlds. I wonder if the Devs read this forum and what they have to say about this topic...

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A few more comments, I just got the demo...

The game does NOT like alt-tabbing!!! The graphics go all weird and all you can do is quit... either add a redraw screen command, make it do this automatically when alt-tabbed back to, or disable alt-tabbing!

"Hunger" should be labeled "Satiation" - +80 to hunger from food makes it sound like it makes you more hungry!

Re: Demo Comments
 

The inventory has had a lot of complaints by the beta testers too.

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Well, I am not worried about it. From my experience with Malfador's level of support of his games I have every confidence that this issue will be taken care of at some point.

Geoschmo

Re: Demo Comments
 

I too tried to minimize the game with the alt-tab function and got the garbled screen. It's a good thing that I had just saved or I would have lost my progress. I just hope that can be fixed but if not I'm going to be doing allot of save and reloading.

Re: Demo Comments
 

Earlier Versions of the beta had problems with alt-tab. Later Versions did not. I am sure the release Version will not have that problem.

Rollo

Re: Demo Comments
 

Cool. So that means that the demo wasn't built with the latest code. I wonder what other changes have been made.

What do you beta testers think about the lack of inventory space? Has it been a problem in the full Version of the game?

Re: Demo Comments
 

i agree inventory should be handled by levels of encumberence.IE a charecter can carry say 65 pounds and my carry as much crap as he or she wants up to 65 pounds.And geo i cant think of a game that uses slots:Diablo.And i dont know bout the main game but what you guys want are mostly in Anubis.All potions,kets,lumber,metals,gold,and scrolls of similer types stack.I am trieng to incorparate backpacks,sacks and other containers.You will have a house to store stuff and as you gain in wealth you house size,usefullness and ability to store crap will increase.

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Unfortunetly I have been unable to get the demo to run on my computer. I will try it on another system in a bit.