iPad Avernum versus iPad Avadon.

[Avadon]

Got both. Just completed Avernum and almost completed Avadon before the bug of doom ate it. My brief thoughts on the pair.

 

Technically, Avernum is more polished. There were no out of sequence so the quest is borked designs like the smuggler's quest in Avadon. Also no weird pauses during combat, my save games did not disappear and the app did not become unstable to the point of being unable to be started. Winner: Avernum.

 

The storyline in Avadon, however, triumphs over the ho hum been there done that Avernum plot. It was the exploration that kept me going in Avernum. Winner: Avadon.

 

Exploring Avernum is fun, if you enjoyed exploring the world in the Ultimas or Questrons. I did and so it was great. Winner: Avernum.

 

Being able to edit my characters off the bat was a boon too. I am more of the touristy gamer who is there for the sights and plot, so that and the cheats really helped. If you enjoy minmaxing your own way through, then the editor could be a hindrance instead. I hope Avadon 2 incorporates an editor too. Winner: Avernum.

 

Somehow though, the graphics in Avernum looks more cartoony than Avernum's? It is like the difference between EGA graphics and VGA graphics. Did anyone else feel the same way? Winner: Avadon.

 

In all, Avernum was the more technically polished game that was great for exploring, unlike Avadon's confusing hub system, but Avadon's story was leaps and bounds more thought provoking than Avernum's.

 

I hope the developer, Jeff, will be able to use the optimizations discovered in Avernum for Avadon 2. Till then, that means no more Spiderweb CRPGs to play, unless I want to try playing Avadon and hope that it doesn't eat my saves or bork the installation again.

 

Avernum is a solid 4/5 in my book, where 5/5 is Ultima V-VII.

[Student of Trinity]

Hmmm. A nice analysis. I think maybe I agree. Whatever your taste, though, I think this is a good expression of how the games differ.

 

One point to note is that Jeff seems to moving more toward plot-driven games like Avadon, and away from sprawling world exploration games like Avernum, just because they take less time to produce. So Avernum is the past and Avadon the future.

[Randomizer]

Since Avadon was ported to iPad after being written for regular computers it has lots of interface flaws. Avernum had months of complaints about what was wrong from users so the interface will keep getting better.

 

Avadon 2 will be much better for iPad users.

[MechaTofuPirate]

So it sounds like if I wanted to get someone to try out a Spiderweb Software rpg for the first time ever and through the ipad, go with Avernum?

[Actaeon]

That's probably the answer most (but not all) members of the community would give, yes.

[Avadon]

@MechaTofuPirate

 

Go with Avadon if your mark enjoys thought provoking stories, but ride him until he has unlocked at least the first two areas as it starts out slow.

 

Push Avernum if he enjoys exploration over plot.

 

By the way, Avernum is the more technically polished of the two, so if he can't stand bugs or weird pauses in gameplay, go with Avernum.

 

For what it's worth, I started with Avadon on the iPad, with prior Geneforge etc experience on the PC, and totally shelved it until Avernum was released. Make what you will of it.