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Everything posted by Emmisary of Immanence
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Requests for future games
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Raemon777's topic in Avernum Trilogy (2000-2002 original versions)
I'm also one of the people who prefer Avernum to Exile. The dialogue system happens to be a large part of it: I just like Avernum's setup more. Nethergate was okay, but I prefer full sentences and I prefer having new conversation options presented when they should be available so I don't have to go through a list of buzzwords I've picked up. Equally importantly, Avernum doesn't let you skip plot because you already know the right words. "Divu" in E1 and so on. I already explained why Jeff is opposed to putting music in his games. As long as he has septuagenarian Eskimo customers on dialup, no music. —Alorael, who admits that Nethergate was huge step forward over E3/BoA for dialogue. Exile had clickable dialogue words, but seeing blue prompt words instead of having to click at random is much, much nicer. -
Requests for future games
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Raemon777's topic in Avernum Trilogy (2000-2002 original versions)
Avernum was definitely a step down in graphics, but I happen to think that Geneforge looks okay, and A4 looks fine. It's definitely not the same style as Exile, but I like it. The button change is a matter of taste. I don't really care that much, although now that you point it out I suppose E3/BoE does have the prettier buttons. The font I don't care so much about. If it's legible, it's fine. I don't particularly need even modest frills like serif fonts. On title screens I disagree: Avernums 1 and 2 have the best, although the humor of the E3 "Yarik's Temple" adventure is a plus. I'm not sure why Jeff has chosen to make the intro screens less exciting. I do know why music is out: MIDI doesn't sound all that good, and Jeff doesn't want to bloat downloads by adding nice music. Even if it's not much of an expense, adding a single piece of music doesn't add much you can't do yourself with your own music, and adding a track for all different environments and occurrences would add a lot of size to the downloads, which would hurt those dialup users who download Spiderweb games. —Alorael, who also liked Exile. It fit with part of the slight deliberately generic air of Exile/Avernum, and it also gave the E3 opening a better beginning: "Exile - v.t. to banish or expel..." -
A4 - whats this?!
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Skribbane Freak's topic in Second Avernum Trilogy
I am not SMoE. Although we are strikingly similar, we can always be distinguished by our respective choices of instrument and the degree of zeal with which we pursue the musical arts. And a few other things. —Alorael, who should stop deleting his double posts so everyone can keep tabs on them. There really aren't that many! Honest! -
A4 - whats this?!
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Skribbane Freak's topic in Second Avernum Trilogy
A few months after, depending on how long it takes to work the bugs out. —Alorael, who is filled with the unutteraeble joy of being able to dispense wisdom and, more importantly, actually talk about the details of A4. -
I didn't even really process the fact that the screen layout is different. It doesn't bother me. The thing that confuses me now is that small stalagmites are passable in A1-3 and impassable in A4, but that's life. If you read the A4 threads, you will see some of the critical differences between A4 and previous Avernums and between A4 and Geneforge. It's a very different engine. —Alorael, who is quite certain that the game would still have a different engine (and a remarkably different atmosphere) if all the graphics were replaced with two-dimensional stick figures.
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Jesus gets the thanks. TM gets the blame. —Alorael, who would also like to blame Linda Strout, the U.S. Public Health Service, and kidney beans.
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Being a mod isn't only causing threads and sometimes offenders to die the death. You have to know when to do it. Here's a question to ponder: The account Spidweb, member #1, posts something that can only be spam. Let's suppose it discusses mangos, requests for free registration codes, and clubbing baby seals. Now you have several choices. a) Lock the topic. Delete the topic c) Move the topic to a forum you don't moderate so it's someone else's problem. d) Leave the topic open. e) Edit the post and leave the topic open. f) Some combination of the above. Furthermore, you must decide among the following: a) Reprimand Spidweb. Deliver an official warning of Dire consequences. c) Request that an admin ban Spidweb temporarily. d) Request that an admin ban Spidweb permanently. e) Hire a hitman to figure out which Spidweb posted, go to his or her house, and break his or her fingers. f) Hire a hitman, but don't tell him to stop with fingers. g) Blame TM h) Blame George W. Bush i) Blame Jesus Christ. —Alorael, who wants all answers to come in the form of a sestina. Any other answers will not be considered.
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It's always good to add to the mod armory. We've got waveblades, rifles, and horrific images, and I think tentacles fit right in. —Alorael, who doesn't feel any need to mention tea sampler. They're not weapons except in certain hands.
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You can actually look for yourself and see what's changed. Kel already has made it. —Alorael, who nominated Alcritas. It's never too late!
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Beta Testing Testing One Two Three Four
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Synergy's topic in Second Avernum Trilogy
Thought 1: Fear on a singleton is a nuisance, but charm isn't so bad. You won't hurt yourself. It just wastes a few turns. Paralysis is the problem. Thought 2: In a party with at least one fighter and at least one priest who is a different character, the fighter is the more likely target of nasty mind spells and the priest can cure them. The experience penalty of Strong WIll is heftier than the loss of energy from Unshackle Mind every now and then. The door southwest of Formello is indeed unlocked with a key. I'll PM you the way to get it to avoid spoilers and NDA violations. —Alorael, who posted this mainly to prevent floods of PMs to Synergy. -
Beta Testing Testing One Two Three Four
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Synergy's topic in Second Avernum Trilogy
Tool Use needs to be somewhere around 15 for traps. There are locks that require up to 30, but most don't ever have to be unlocked (keys, ways around, quests, etc.) and by the time you can plausibly have that much Tool Use your spellcasters can probably Unlock better than a thief can pick. You need to put a fair number of points in, but Nimble Fingers will keep boosting Tool Use as you level. I never encountered a barrier that I couldn't Dispel, but I went for extreme magic. A singleton might have a little trouble, but probably not too much. Paralysis would be a problem, though. There were definitely fights where I spent most of my time depending on the one or two characters still able to move. Actually, a singleton might be entirely impossible given the way a certain battle you have to fight to get Dispel Barrier goes. —Alorael, who thinks that fight may have been slightly altered between versions. It involved even more excrutiatingly frozen characters before. -
Beta Testing Testing One Two Three Four
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Synergy's topic in Second Avernum Trilogy
I'm not willing to rule out a singleton with Elite Warrior (or maybe Divinely Touched) and Nimble Fingers until someone competent tries it. Where's luthien when you need him? —Alorael, who definitely can see some decent opportunities for doubletons. Challenging, maybe, but doable. -
Beta Testing Testing One Two Three Four
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Synergy's topic in Second Avernum Trilogy
I don't know of any reliable Mac emulators, but A4 is, like all Spiderweb games, light on system requirements. It's worth a try. Movement can be done with the keyboard or the mouse. No letters appear on targets, though, so all aiming and other selection has to be done by clicking except for spells targeting your party members, who can be chosen by number. —Alorael, who very rarely targeted by letter anyway. Not having to press l in order to search various items is nice. -
I disagree about the graphics. Geneforge and A4 aren't realistic, they're recognizable. I'll accept that 2D Exile or 3D Geneforge is a matter of taste, but Avernum is just poor in the graphics department. Combat engine, spells, and equipment are not the same. As Drakey has said, A4 does not have the Geneforge spell system, and it doesn't really have Avernum's system either. It's closer to Exile, but it's still different. There are definitely choices to be made on which spell to cast, and even bigger decisions on which weapons to use, and whether to use melee or missile attacks. A4 has been more of a tactical challenge than any Avernum or Geneforge game (although I never got far in Geneforge). [Edit: Take a look at this topic . The bottom of the first page and the rest are about tactics in A4.] —Alorael, who won't claim that average enemies require tactics. Hacking and blasting will take care of most of what you have to fight. The difficult battles are, well, difficult, and picking the wrong way to fight can make them nearly impossible. Picking the right way to fight can make them manageable.
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Slow is still crippling as it's meant to be, but remember that you have a party of four now (unless you're playing a singleton). That makes slow less painful, and another adjustment also keeps battles from becoming absurd circular chases. —Alorael, who will also add that if you think getting slowed is bad, try slowing your enemies. Sure, a lot of the time they can haste themselves and each other, but when they can't you can cripple supposedly powerful enemies.
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Combat is closer to Geneforge than to Avernum. It took some adjustment, but I've come to like it. Fighting requires a little more tactical thinking and a little less charging and hacking now. —Alorael, who is happy to say that melee is far from useless, although trying to play with melee only is definitely a tough proposition.
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Beta Testing Testing One Two Three Four
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Synergy's topic in Second Avernum Trilogy
I take it that you've discovered that two fingers on the trackpad let you choose twice as many targets for the spells? It took me a while to get it to work right, though. Aiming is tough when you only have distance ratios to work with. —Alorael, who never put enough points in throwing to be any good with the razordisks. The wand that summons explosive chitrachs is a lot of fun, though! -
Beta Testing Testing One Two Three Four
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Synergy's topic in Second Avernum Trilogy
I don't think anything substantial has been disclosed. A few opinions, maybe, but nothing that tells you much about the game. —Alorael, who also must caution that there have been a few changes since the posts made. Melee skill is now modified by cursor velocity in klicks (har har). -
I have a new pet peeve: people who see Geneforge graphics and decide that A4 must be just like Geneforge. It really, really isn't. —Alorael, who also doesn't understand how anyone can like the Avernum graphics more than the Geneforge ones. Avernums 1, 2, and 3 are great games, but they are graphically apalling. Geneforge actually has monsters that can be distinguished from one another.
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You can always appeal to the higher power of Linda. It's an option. —Alorael, who promises never to delete any epigrams. He'll snipe the perpetrators, but an epigram is forever.
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That's crass and uncultured. Proper skribbane must be properly prepared and guzzled in the manner dictated by polite society. —Alorael, who must be slipping if people can get that wrong after more than a year. Only zombies in Gale chew skribbane, nobody injects it, and nobody tries to smoke it twice.
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There is no double post here. —Alorael, who did not just delete it and then post again.
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You're basing your analysis on a few screenshots. Yes, the graphics are more like Geneforge. The game engine itself borrows a little bit from Geneforge, but it plays very much like Avernum. I didn't like Geneforge all that much for engine reasons, and I think A4 is just fine. —Alorael, who would in fact say that A4 strikes a balance between Geneforge and Avernum that is close to optimal. The graphics are much prettier, the movement is still entirely turn-based and nice, and combat is more tactically interesting and challenging than Avernum's.
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Beta Testing Testing One Two Three Four
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Synergy's topic in Second Avernum Trilogy
I don't think the game was finishable in alpha testing. —Alorael, who just realized that he made it through the game without quaffing any potions. This makes him a bad tester. What if there is a reprise of BoE invulnerability? -
Beta Testing Testing One Two Three Four
Emmisary of Immanence replied to Synergy's topic in Second Avernum Trilogy
There are definitely tricks to good party building, and even so I found that the balance was very different from Exile and Avernum. Casters are much more essential and melee much more restricted to just supplying a barrier to protect those casters. —Alorael, who stuck with his starting party through the end of the game but who will construct any new parties differently.
