What makes this game worth $40 more than any other roguelike?

DakaSha · #1 December 19th, 2014, 07:17 AM

I'm not trying to be an ***, but I really can not see why I would purchase a roguelike for this amount. I'm not saying they all need to be free.. but $40?

What makes this game so much better than ADoM, Tome2/4, Dwarf Fortress, Any of the angband variants, etc?

ibol · #2 December 19th, 2014, 09:25 AM

I will respond. (With a lot of words, apparently.)
Also please keep in mind I'm not trying to be an @$$ either, just talking.

Approaching Infinity is a game, first and foremost.
Regardless of its genre. It is a deep, long, detailed game that is a lot of fun.

It is very well supported. My comments on this forum are a testament to that. That support will continue. Every (reasonable) request I have ever gotten from a player has been considered (though not necessarily implemented).

I have heard this comment about *roguelikes* before, and I have a few things to say on that subject as well:

Roguelikes have been coming into the spotlight quite a lot over the past few years. The genre is evolving. It is also becoming more watered down. So, while there are actually quite a lot of commercial roguelikes on steam and such for $10-$15 , they're not true roguelikes; they are 'lites' or 'like-likes'. AI is RL, to its core. I come from roguelikes, not the recent wave of popularity.

Does any other genre of pc game have a built in price limit? RTS, FPS, 4X ?
Why then should roguelikes, the genre that we love so much, whose core principles are argued over heatedly from fierce believers on every side?
Why a built in price limit?

One key design principle is "ease of use". That does not mean it's an easy game, it means that you can learn to play it in 10 minutes. There are not 75 different esoteric commands. The challenge lies in the choices, not in trying to figure out what to do, or how to do it.

Personally, my game-buying budget is limited. I buy a few games every year, and that's it. But I play the hell out of those games. For me, replay value is king. And AI delivers that like crazy.

I strongly recommend you play the demo. Then consider that I have had reports from people in sector 350, still finding challenge and strange new things.

Bob

Cyberis · #3 December 19th, 2014, 12:51 PM

I'm going to second all of Ibol's points here. I was thrown off at first because AI has a sort of retrographics feel (which is completely in line with the roguelike genre). I suppose we are so used to Hollywood grade graphics (in both movies and games) that we've forgotten that story matters, as does execution and gameplay mechanics.

I downloaded the demo and after my first 15 hours with it, I bought the game back in early November before there was a release date. Really the depth, attention to detail and replayability of the DEMO would have been enough to shell out 10 or 15 bucks.

Imagine what the full game is like! I'm just beginning playing through that now, on 3 machines simultaneously, just to see as much variety early on so I can make good choices to get up through the sectors in good shape. So, am I getting 40 bucks worth from a game I want to play 3 of at the same time? Yes!

boatrigm · #4 December 19th, 2014, 02:38 PM

I had the same problem with $40. I played the demo a lot. This game has so much attention to details it's just great to play. It really feels like a living universe. I have spent more than $40 for multiple games on Steam and GOG and I'm actually playing AI much more. Best of all you can play for short periods of time if needed which is great. I don't always have an hour or more at a given time to sit down and just play a game. This game is great.

Replay of this game is great. No two games are the same. Well worth the $40 price tag IMHO. Just play the demo awhile and it will grow on you. It did me!

-Mike

DakaSha · #5 December 19th, 2014, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibol

I have heard this comment about *roguelikes* before, and I have a few things to say on that subject as well:

Roguelikes have been coming into the spotlight quite a lot over the past few years. The genre is evolving. It is also becoming more watered down. So, while there are actually quite a lot of commercial roguelikes on steam and such for $10-$15 , they're not true roguelikes; they are 'lites' or 'like-likes'. AI is RL, to its core. I come from roguelikes, not the recent wave of popularity.

I'm not sure what gave you the impression that I come form this new generation of roguelite players. I'm incredibly well versed in both the old, the new, and even roguelike development.

Quote:

Does any other genre of pc game have a built in price limit? RTS, FPS, 4X ?
Why then should roguelikes, the genre that we love so much, whose core principles are argued over heatedly from fierce believers on every side?
Why a built in price limit?

It's not about a price limit per se. It's about the genre already being host to a myriad of amazing titles that are not only cheap but free. I don't actually 'believe' in free games and would be more than willing to pay even for the ascii titles out there, but the point is that games that are (very likely) just as'deep' go for much less, or are even free. Seeing that shrapnel overcharges for virtually every game, I'm guessing that the $40 price tag is more due to them than the actual game designer, but that doesn't change my decision making as a consumer. Again, my original question is what makes this game stand out so much that it deserves my $40, when I can just as easily go and download something else for free, that is (up this point) seemingly on par, if not better.

Quote:

One key design principle is "ease of use". That does not mean it's an easy game, it means that you can learn to play it in 10 minutes. There are not 75 different esoteric commands. The challenge lies in the choices, not in trying to figure out what to do, or how to do it.

Nothing new, and unimportant (to me of course only) in any case.

I'll try the demo. Maybe the game really is worth it.

edit:

Quote:

Gruff instigator says: "Hey, you! Wanna fight?"

Cyberis · #6 December 19th, 2014, 11:08 PM

DakaSha
Are you a member of The Church of the SubGenius?

Quote:

'Raol the knight shall now be known as the prophet of Bob'
Sorry I think stuff like thats funny

DakaSha · #7 December 19th, 2014, 11:46 PM

I have no idea what you are talking about

Cyberis · #8 December 20th, 2014, 02:06 AM

Yeah, that's a bit of weird nerdology. It was "prophet of bob" that made me wonder. The link given will provide some context. This Wikipedia entry would provide more. Its sort of an irreligious site. I don't recommend it, I just don't usually see the phrase "prophet of bob" in other contexts. It's really OT so enough said.

DakaSha · #9 December 20th, 2014, 03:13 AM

My sig is just a reference to the Dominions franchise, and being able to name your pretender god whatever you want.

Also based on my (given limited) time on the demo, this game is definitely not anywhere close to worth $40 (in my world), but meh. I haven't tried it much. Not sure I will though.

ibol · #10 December 22nd, 2014, 05:53 PM

DakaSha,
You might not be back for a while, but I must respond to this:

Quote:

"I'm not sure what gave you the impression that I come form this new generation of roguelite players. I'm incredibly well versed in both the old, the new, and even roguelike development."

If you read what I wrote, you will see that I never said you were part of it. The only group I put you in was the one of rogue-like-lovers, which I am also a part of.