A-EftP - Ipad version feedback for those on the fence

[Epyx]

For the record im an old school crpg gamer who at 40 was raised on the classics like Wizardry, Ultima. Phantasie and Bard's Tale. I have been lurking the site for almost a decade and a half but hadn't committed to a Spiderweb product until Avadon was released on Steam (I Know...shame on me)...it was a combination of frustration with the state of crpgs...Dragon Age 2 was the turning point as they took what last western crpgs elements were left in Dragon age 1 and ruined them...but i digress...

 

I then purchased Avadon for both Android (humble bundle) and my new Ipad (Im an IT geek so ya lots of gadgets). When I saw Avernum:EftP released today I scooped it immediately and without hesitation, penance for having neglected Spiderweb for so long...

 

First thoughts...the fantastic writing of Avadon and obviously previous titles is here in spades...this is the first game since Baldurs Gate 2 to make me feel like I was in a world and not just an amusement ride (Dragon Age...). I read some concerns about the graphics being the same etc. Let me say that the UI is different in a lot of ways and certainly feels both fresh and familiar but you will not mistake if for being the same game as Avadon. Even the colour palette, which in my opinion is much brighter and grimmer at the same time, is different. Lastly the art pieces while sharing some of the art with Avadon has enough new set pieces to feel fresh.

 

What elese do you get? You get tons of itemization and character customization like we used to get from the commercial products (really trying not to sound bitter about the state of crpgs...cmon wasteland 2...). The game certainly runs very smooth on the Ipad and i had no trouble with any selections of items, character options or dialogue trees. I will add that I personaly use a stylus for play and but even with finger the options are spaced and easy to access.

 

I am about 6 hours in and can't wait to play more...in fact I should have been in bed 2 hours ago and only now after this review will I actually sleep.

 

So if you are on the fence hopefully I have put you into the Spiderweb fields...don't make the mistake I made all these years...lamenting the state of crpgs and then letting these games slip me by. I am a fan now and will purchase future games without hesitation. We didn't need cut scenes and state of the art graphics then and we don't need them now...sure I like Skyrim but I can honestly say im not as immersed as I am when trudging around Avernum's dank recesses.

 

So if you are an older gamer like me who misses crpg games get this now! If you are an old school jrpg'r (games which were based on older crpgs) then get this game and lastly if you are a new gamer who wouldn't know Bard's Tale from Wizards Crown but like a good story and are getting sick of cut scenes and bland filler...get this game!

[Painted Lady]

The game plays just great on the iPad, doesn't it? And, best of all, it is just a terrific game on any platform.

[Maestro]

I'm very surprised at how smoothly the game plays on my iPad 1 (which apparently is now ancient). I have experienced zero bugs or issues, and like Epyx said, the "buttons" are perfectly spaced. I haven't once accidentally clicked the wrong option.

 

As for the game itself, it is precisely as awesome as I have come to expect and has received many stars on the App store.

[Epyx]

Ya I am much further in and just so impressed with the Ipad version. The game is just so well suited for Android and Ipad tablets. And agreed Maestro no bugs or issues for me either on the Ipad.

[Maestro]

Still wondering why I haven't seen this app on the front page. I noticed they resurrected the "Great RPG Games" section, so I assume they're finishing their analyses.

[Matic3d]

Game plays great on iPad here too.

 

My only suggestions for improvement are fairly trivial - if you click a button to open a page, for example the journal, it would be nice to be able to close it by hitting the button again rather than shifting over to click a checkmark

 

When you get to details like that, you've got a great game. Kudos.

[Clocknova]

Can anyone tell me if the iPad version supports iCloud saving so that I can continue my games between the Mac and iPad versions?

[mattgc]

I'm an old (but relatively casual) RPG'r that started with the orignal red box, AD&D, Ultima series on C64, etc. Baldur's Gate in the late 90s rekindled it for me, and the pending release of the iPad version is actually how I found Avernum.

 

I've read Jeff's blog posts (linked through HN and Gamasutra), but sadly never checked out the games. I stumbled onto Avernum while searching for more info on BG iPad. Decided to buy it and check it out, and wow! It's what I've been missing. I just can't get into AAA FPS RPGs that feel more like a Michael Bay flick than an RPG experience. (ok, Fallout 3 was a rare exception, but still didn't feel like an RPG to me).

 

I can't compare the iPad version to the desktop, but I do feel that 'touch-and-click' is simply more intuitive than 'point-and-click'. Keyboard shortcuts would be an awesome time saver, but I can live without them for the portability, battery life, and pretty IPS screen. I don't understand the criticisms (on App Store) that the characters are too small, but I guess I'm coming from a traditional perspective rather than a Pocket RPG perspective. I love, love love this game. I hope only BG iPad (given the budget...) can keep up!