Originally Posted By Traveller

Each to his own... I found Sacred 2 to be very Diablo-like action-ish and it has a painful save system.  Glad other people are enjoying it, though.

 

Anyway, I got quite a few games at GOG (plus a gift or 2 there) while the sale is still on.  I've just installed Creatures and wondering how it all works..- I guess I'm going to have to read the manual with this one..

Like the original game, Sacred 2 is a pure action-RPG with a single auto-save slot. You can save anywhere, but it overwrites the single slot. While that would normally bother me, the game has no real dialog options other than to accept or decline optional quests, which can apparently be done in any order. Also, the main quests don't seem to be affected by side quests or any sort of reputation / faction system. As far as I can see, there are really just two primary mission paths, light or dark depending on the type of character you initially create. Otherwise, there are several overall difficulty levels you can choose, as well as numerous abilities and skills to develop as you see fit with tons of gear to play with. 

Not sure about the other character classes, but my generic Seraphim has no stealth or thieving skills, no graphic customizations for appearance, and I've seen no options for having her learn to forge weapons, armor, etc. She is just a straight-up warrior pinned to the preset path of light.

Also, Sacred 1 and 2 are solo affairs with no party system or henchmen. However, there are some temporary companions that you need to escort to safety or follow for the duration of their limited quests. The latter can be problematic though as they tend to run off and attack anything that moves within a very wide radius. Otherwise, they simply follow you at safe distance, run away at the first sign of danger and then rejoin you after combat.  Speaking of combat, the auto-save feature and numerous respawn points don't allow you to lose much progress and there is an abundance of health potions to loot or buy.

So yes, it has a very simple, streamlined scheme and is focused almost 100% on action.  But that action is fun - plus the game world is expansive, beautiful and teaming with life.  Better still, the game was under $10 on Steam and it runs smooth as silk with Windows 7 (once you implement an easy, three-step workaround).

Cheers, Terry   

I think I'm nearing the end of Advent rising. The current stage that I'm on feels like a typical end for a first part of a planed trilogy that seeks some form of closure while still leaving things open for a part 2, and as Advent Rising was planed to be the first part of a trilogy, I'm almost certain that I'm very close to the end of the game. 

Awww, you are fast, i am still back at the start, after re installing, just have not had time to catch up yet...hope you have enjoyed it.

Terry your description of Sacred 2 has me interested but I am wary of dificult cameras after Neverwinter 2...can you tell me what you adjusted for the camera to get it to work well? it really does sound interesitng and i love seeing new game worlds. I assume the three step work around wont be necessary for XP?  thanks for the info on that.

I'll be glad when these Steam Daily Deals are over.

Alice MR is 75% off ($7.49) There was one other candidate but I felt it necessary to draw the line.

I'm trying out Realms of Arcania3 now.  Whew, the graphics are very nice for the age of the game, but I'm a bit spoilt by modern game interfaces...

What Terry says about Sacred 2 sounds like a fair description of the game.

However, may I just point out that while both Sacreds are pure action-RPGs, Sacred 1 not only didn't have a single auto-save slot, it had the most versatile, effective, sophisticated save game options in any action-RPG, allowing you unlimited save slots, and the ability to give each one your own description.  ...so after having such a convenient and sophisticated saving system, I felt pretty let down by the one-slot "restart at spawn point" system that you find in Sacred 2.

Chris, have you tried out Dragon Knight Saga yet?  It has very pretty graphics and a camera and UI and movement system that you might just appreciate and find comfortable. 

I feel a bit sad that the 75% off on the game on steam might have passed by already..

Lucky I have a disc version of the game, and will be starting a replay as soon as I finish up with Skyrim, which might not be soon, with all the other distractions going on...

Originally Posted By CrisGer

Awww, you are fast, i am still back at the start, after re installing, just have not had time to catch up yet...hope you have enjoyed it.

 

Terry your description of Sacred 2 has me interested but I am wary of dificult cameras after Neverwinter 2...can you tell me what you adjusted for the camera to get it to work well? it really does sound interesitng and i love seeing new game worlds. I assume the three step work around wont be necessary for XP?  thanks for the info on that.

Howdy Chris - 

There are three basic camera settings in Sacred 2 (fixed, follow and free) with no mouselook option that I can find. But you can freely pan around 360 degrees (left with the A key and right with the D key by default). The W and S keys are used to move forward and backwards respectively . However, the mouse cursor also drives your character in any direction you want. Clicking the LMB on screen moves your character to a specific point and holding down the LMB causes constant movement. Also, the screen scrolls automatically as your character moves in any given direction and the mouse wheel is used to zoom from a fairly close-in, third-person view to way out for a near overhead / isometric view.

One other detail: There are evidently some extra save slots, but they are for different character types and difficulty levels only. In other words, you can save different characters / campaigns in different slots. You can not however change the difficulty level in mid campaign. You must select that option during the initial character-creation process. 

Hope that helps...

Cheers, Terry 

P.S. to Traveller:  I had forgotten that the original Sacred provided unlimited custom save slots. Thanks for the correction. 

.

Originally Posted By CB

I'll be glad when these Steam Daily Deals are over.

 

Alice MR is 75% off ($7.49) There was one other candidate but I felt it necessary to draw the line.

Now I'm very curious as to what that candidate is.

I've been going a bit dilly over at GOG with games being $2.99 each.

I bought 6 more games yesterday: LOL 1 & 2, ROA3, The Last Express, Phantasmagoria 2, Gobliiins pack, Twinsen's Adventure, and got gifted Battlechess collection of 3 games. 

I'm thinking I should get Beyond Good and Evil too while the going is good.

Originally Posted By Traveller

Now I'm very curious as to what that candidate is.

I've been going a bit dilly over at GOG with games being $2.99 each.

 

I bought 6 more games yesterday: LOL 1 & 2, ROA3, The Last Express, Phantasmagoria 2, Gobliiins pack, Twinsen's Adventure, and got gifted Battlechess collection of 3 games. 

 

I'm thinking I should get Beyond Good and Evil too while the going is good.

That would have been Batman Arkhim Asylum. In my defense I'm not sure how well I would fare with many of these console based action games. Of course it's only $4.99 and I still have 20 hours to finalize any decisions. Rest assured I will be visiting GOG at least one more time before that sale ends.

Mmm, it's not all that hard, even for me, and there are difficulty settings, from easy to hard, of course.  Well, you go look at a few vids of the game and decide if it's your cuppa.  If you used to enjoy the comics, and think it's your thing to swing and jump around in a very nicely done graphically and atmospheric rendition of the Batman world, then go for it! 

If not, you'll at least be saving $5 to spend at GOG. 

..and i do so hope that at least you got DKS now when it was so cheap.  I was hoping to have a few buddies play with me when I start my replay.  I cannot help wondering why this game didn't "take" here at JA.  it's popular enough at other RPG forums.  I thought maybe it was the price, but it went for very cheaply recently on Steam.   Perhaps it's the unfortunate fact that the demo consists of the opening and most boring part of the entire game? 

RoA3 is a very unforgiving game in general. It is great, and has a very deep character customization system, but it is also one of those games that will wipe your party if you are not careful. Healing spells is a must have, and you should preferably have multiple casters in your party (I had a witch & a magician, though once I got a bit further into the game, I really wish I had picked a 3rd one). 

There are spells that can make the enemy retreat from battle. These are very handy. I don't think you get any EXP for using those, but there are points in the game where you really want to end a fight quickly. 

Also, as there is a huge random element to character creation, don't be afraid to spend a bit of time creating your perfect party. It will make the game a lot more manageable. 

*edit* Advent Rising is now beaten. The last boss bugged out on me 3 times before I was able to finish it, which was a bit frustrating. Overall, the game was quite good. It could have used a few more months in production, to smooth out some of its rough edges, but the story was good, and the sound design was excellent. Shame we won't see the rest of the trilogy

Too many games.. AAARRGGH HELPP!!!  I'm being drowned in Gaaaaammmeeeesss!!!!

Got Gobliins installed.  Tried out Battlechess 4ooo, but the animations and 'turns' are going too slow for me.  Now I have Game of Thrones as well, and it's really , really looking cool.  But I've hardly played Skyrim yet.  ..and i'm going away for a week on friday, with no PC.  Help me, help me... what do I play next?  I must . not. look. at. any. more. games. or sales.

..and to think i wanted HOMM 6 as well...  

  .......    

yes, indeed CB can't wait for those steam sales to end, toooo many good games on sale.

These are the ones i've bought and played a bit so far:

The Next Big Thing (AG by pendulo studios )

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Tropico 4

Portal 2

Shattered Union

Renegade Ops

RAGE

Rage turns out to be more fun then I expected, i was let down by the reviews who wrote that it didn't offer a lot of freedom and that it wasn't an open world fps.

ok, there's a lot less freedom compared to other bethesda's games, but the environments are pretty and the world is filled with colorful characters. There isn't much use to enter 'dungeons' unless you've found the appropriate quest, but still  there's some fun driving around the world with your buggy. The added racing element is nicely blend into gameplay

..and to think i wanted HOMM 6 as well...  

  .......    

DRM is known to be a big issue with this one. It is a rather sneaky DRM, based on Ubisofts "always online" DRM that they have used for a while now. And while you don't have to be online for this one, it gives you some advantages that theg ame is balanced around, so unless you stay online at all time and use the online save feature, the game will be punishingly difficult. The problem people have had is that Ubisoft have lost their save games, so that they have had to restart the game, or that the game does not always save its online progress correctly, which has resulted in people loosing progress. I was tempted to pick up HoMM6, but I won't, not with the problematic DRM in place at least. 

Originally Posted By Fnord

..and to think i wanted HOMM 6 as well...  

  .......    

DRM is known to be a big issue with this one. It is a rather sneaky DRM, based on Ubisofts "always online" DRM that they have used for a while now. And while you don't have to be online for this one, it gives you some advantages that theg ame is balanced around, so unless you stay online at all time and use the online save feature, the game will be punishingly difficult. The problem people have had is that Ubisoft have lost their save games, so that they have had to restart the game, or that the game does not always save its online progress correctly, which has resulted in people loosing progress. I was tempted to pick up HoMM6, but I won't, not with the problematic DRM in place at least. 

I'm very, very sad to hear this...  I do love the HOMM series so much.

Anyway, thanks for the warning, Fnord, you've saved me some money.

I guess in the meantime, there is enough to carry on with.  I haven't even finished the HOMM 5 campaign yet.  ..and now I have GOT, which I must say is looking nice, but I'm going to push everything aside for now to play a bit of Skyrim. 

wow lotso games !!!

no havent done the Knights yet Trav but i will as i looked a vid and it looks very nice.

thanks terry for the info on the camera that will help a lot.

Originally Posted By markornikov

yes, indeed CB can't wait for those steam sales to end, toooo many good games on sale.

These are the ones i've bought and played a bit so far:

 

The Next Big Thing (AG by pendulo studios )

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Tropico 4

Portal 2

Shattered Union

Renegade Ops

RAGE

Rage turns out to be more fun then I expected, i was let down by the reviews who wrote that it didn't offer a lot of freedom and that it wasn't an open world fps.

ok, there's a lot less freedom compared to other bethesda's games, but the environments are pretty and the world is filled with colorful characters. There isn't much use to enter 'dungeons' unless you've found the appropriate quest, but still  there's some fun driving around the world with your buggy. The added racing element is nicely blend into gameplay

Marko, when you've played TNBT, won't you be so good as to mention it in the similar thread to this one in the AG forum?  I've been wondering if it's any good. 

King's Bounty PE is now up at 75% off ($8.74). Seems favorably reviewed, well, at least on Amazon though with limited responses. My only concern is my understanding that it is not voiced, something I'm usually accustomed to, at least on one side that is. :/ ??

what is HOMMMM?

Oh,. wow, King's Bounty is a lovely series of games, very highly regarded in some circles.  It's a mix of RPG and to some extent strategy, and from the bit i've played, i can't remember if at least some of it was voiced - I think it's partly voiced?   .or i could be wrong.  Anyway, just keep in mind that GOG is selling it for even cheaper than that at the moment, and there's no DRM on GOG's games.  GOG might not do the "cloud save' function for you, but they do keep your game forever linked to your account, and you can redownload it anytime you want, so it does have similar advantages like steam; but all without the DRM hassle.

Tell you what, I'll fire it up again tomorrow, and give you a verdict on the voicework.

@Chris - Did I say HOMMMM ?? Goodness, i must have been tired. #0#   I meant HOMM - Heroes of Might and Magic. 

Thanks Trav, very thoughtful.

The Platinum edition on Steam includes:

KB: The Legend (the game on GOG)

KB: Armored Princess (the sequel)

KB: Crossroads (an expansion pack for the sequel)

As for DRM issues I 'll have to investigate further.

Originally Posted By Traveller

 

Marko, when you've played TNBT, won't you be so good as to mention it in the similar thread to this one in the AG forum?  I've been wondering if it's any good. 

I will do that, i promise. But i'm not in an adventuring mood right now, so TNBT goes on the unfinished pile

Originally Posted By CB

Thanks Trav, very thoughtful.

 

The Platinum edition on Steam includes:

KB: The Legend (the game on GOG)

KB: Armored Princess (the sequel)

KB: Crossroads (an expansion pack for the sequel)

 

As for DRM issues I 'll have to investigate further.

 

 

Oh, boo, I have quite a lot of bad news:

1)  My old disk copy of KB did not want to initialise in 7.   I had to use XP in VMWare.  However, I expect that this problem would have been fixed in the Platinum edition.

2) Armoured Princess works fine in 7 though.

The really bad news is that the game(s) indeed do seem to be not voiced.  You have to read the dialogue.  Sorry! 

The main draw of the games is the combat though, it has a tactical HoMM-style combat (with a hex-grid, like the older HoMM games, and many different battlefield features that are not present in HoMM). The story is alright, if a bit cliche, but the gameplay is good and very addictive (it is one of those games that you can start playing at 7pm and suddenly notice that it is 11pm and the sun has set a long time ago)

*edit*

I'm currently playing the expansion to Defense grid called "You monster". It is a Portal/Defense grid crossover featuring GLaDOS, and it works surprisingly well. GLaDOS has the same personality as in Portal and she is just as funny, in fact many of the lines in Defense grid are just as good as the best lines from Portal. The expansion also mixes up the gameplay quite a lot. 

I watched some gameplay on utube so I understand now how the hex-grid integrated strategy combat style operates. It just seems rather slow though and then there's that persistent grunting sound.

I don't know. I'll wait and see what comes out today. At least they give some time after the new deals are revealed to buy from the previous set.

Oh, BTW I received an email asking if I was interested in placing a pre-order (with the usual bag of goodies) for Kingdoms of Avalur: Reckoning, scheduled for release Feb 7. Open world? There are videos, previews, etc. you can watch. I presume this game will be activated and managed via Origins but of course I am not familiar with that as of yet so the answer is no. 

No, no, no, noooooo - not EA, nooo!!

"
 Kingdoms of Avalur: Reckoning is an upcoming single-player role-playing video game for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows.[2] Ken Rolston, the lead designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, acts as the game's executive designer. Additionally, noted fantasy author R.A. Salvatore created the game universe and lore, with Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, working on the artwork.[3] It is being developed by 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. The game will be released on February 7, 2012 in North America and February 10, 2012 in Europe. "

We'll see how long I can hold out on boycotting this one, if it's going to be an Origins game...  I did say I'd boycot them, so we'll see if i can hold to that....  maybe the game won't be nice anyway. 

Sadly I'm stuck on playing quite an addictive puzzle game called Orbis Obulis  I got gifted for Christmas.  Now I'm still not playing Skyrim.  And the promise of HOMM-like combat in King's Bounty has suddenly hugely awakened my interest in trying that game out properly;- previously I'd only played a bit into the tutorial area.

Not to mention that I never got a chance to finish Arcanum.