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[ramparter]

This game was too hard to be playable by the masses sadly.

It was too demanding for my work dell

 

[Sinatar]

From the RPG Codex interview:

Nothing I didn't already know... but man.

 

[Lanrutcon]

It was too demanding for my work dell

Oh, the optimsation was fucking terrible. They just didn't have the funds/time to do another pass and get it running better. They admitted as much.

Lovely game though. Incredibly satisfying to get your party to the point where you dominate. I butchered everything in the last 20% of the game without breaking a sweat.

 

[hooijdonk17]

So why does this game have terrible reviews on Steam?

 

[Sinatar]

So why does this game have terrible reviews on Steam?

Uplay

 

[hooijdonk17]

Uplay

*SIGH* OK, that figures. From Dust had a similar problem.

 

[archnemesis]

I loved the game, but I also experienced some performance issues. That's also one of those things that make people go for low scores.

The PC version of From Dust was capped at 30 FPS.

 

[Llyranor]

Finally started the game properly! My party consists of:
- Crusader for sword/shield/heavy armor with some light magic
- Scout for axe/shield/medium armor with crossbow allowing some ranged damage and some fire magic
- Rest of the spell schools split between a druid and a freemage

Pondering whether to reroll and replace the druid with a ranger for more consistent ranged dmg. So, 2 questions:
1) Can hybrids become good spellcasters?
2) Do full mages usually have enough mana to be able to cast some spells for most of the encounters, or is it more about retaining mana for big fights and using the tiny wand the rest of the time?

 

[Sinatar]

Finally started the game properly! My party consists of:
- Crusader for sword/shield/heavy armor with some light magic
- Scout for axe/shield/medium armor with crossbow allowing some ranged damage and some fire magic
- Rest of the spell schools split between a druid and a freemage

Pondering whether to reroll and replace the druid with a ranger for more consistent ranged dmg. So, 2 questions:
1) Can hybrids become good spellcasters?
2) Do full mages usually have enough mana to be able to cast some spells for most of the encounters, or is it more about retaining mana for big fights and using the tiny wand the rest of the time?

Hybrids can't get Grandmaster in spellcasting which keeps them from using the best spells. As for mana the fights are pretty tough so you'll be using your magic consistently and resting up to refill.

 

[Maledict]

Well, apart from Human Crusaders who grandmaster light. That makes them more viable imo than the other hybrids.

 

[Sinatar]

Well, apart from Human Crusaders who grandmaster light. That makes them more viable imo than the other hybrids.

True.

 

[Llyranor]

But from what I can see, there is only one grandmaster spell per school?

Also, for an average playthrough, how many skills can I expect to 'grandmaster' (or equivalent) per character?

 

[Maledict]

But from what I can see, there is only one grandmaster spell per school?

Also, for an average playthrough, how many skills can I expect to 'grandmaster' (or equivalent) per character?

There's an extra bonus per rank level. So the difference between Master and Grandmaster is that the grandmaster an extra 10 resistance pentration plus 5% extra spellpower per point of skill (which is quite a lot!).

Has been a while since I played, but fairly sure you can get all skills to grandmaster for an individual character?

 

[Arulan]

If you want a challenge, I recommend fighting the optional bosses (mostly found alone in caves if I recall) right around the time you first encounter them.

I'm still so disappointed we won't be seeing a sequel to this.

 

[Llyranor]

I opted to stay with my crusader/scout/druid/freemage party. Been exploring the first open area, clearing the lighthouse and so on. Fun brisk-paced combat (I do like how fast it flies), and leveling up the party has been fun.

I think the last time I played something like this (discounting Etrian Odyssey which I never finished and somehow I could not get into) was Wizardry 8 - over 15 yrs ago. I should replay that game again at some point...

 

[archnemesis]

I opted to stay with my crusader/scout/druid/freemage party. Been exploring the first open area, clearing the lighthouse and so on. Fun brisk-paced combat (I do like how fast it flies), and leveling up the party has been fun.

I think the last time I played something like this (discounting Etrian Odyssey which I never finished and somehow I could not get into) was Wizardry 8 - over 15 yrs ago. I should replay that game again at some point...

Have you played Legend of Grimrock and its sequel? They are also really great modern takes on classic dungeon crawlers.

 

[Llyranor]

Have you played Legend of Grimrock and its sequel? They are also really great modern takes on classic dungeon crawlers.

I passed on those because I wasn't interested in real-time combat for the genre

 

[archnemesis]

I passed on those because I wasn't interested in real-time combat for the genre

The combat is semi real-time. The in-game time moves in ticks and each tick the enemy performs an action. Enemy behaviors are easy to read and game almost plays like a puzzle game where you have to lure enemies into suitable positions and exploit their movement patterns to your advantage. Even though it's not your preferred system, you might want to give it a try at some point.

 

[Llyranor]

Finished Act 1 and just got to Seahaven. This game is quite good. The combat is simple but a lot of fun. Really enjoy building up the party as it levels up.

EDIT: This is making me want to re-visit the old M&M games. Maybe 4-8? Maybe the old Wizardry (adore 8) and Ultima games as well, hmmmmm.

 

[Llyranor]

Is there a better way to display spells during combat (other than using the limited number of hotkey slots or going through the pages of the spellbook)? That's my main HUD gripe so far.

Otherwise loving it. Exploring around Kharthal right now. The exploration and party-building is just so much fun.

 

[Sinatar]

Is there a better way to display spells during combat (other than using the limited number of hotkey slots or going through the pages of the spellbook)? That's my main HUD gripe so far.

Don't think so.

 

[Llyranor]

Reached The Crag, explored most of the worldmap with a few dungeons remaining and yet to get the air dragon blessing.

I quite love this game. The exploration is just grand. I'm writing down a lot of notes on my maps about areas I need to get back to later due to missing abilities, enemies being too tough at the moment, etc. It's a big adventure!

Is it just me or does Explosion do massive damage compared to other Master-tier spells?
EDIT: Actually, nvm, I forgot I didn't really have any other offensive master-tier spells since I couldn't train most of the elemental schools until I reached The Crag

 

[Llyranor]

Finally finished the game (perfect timing, hello Torment!). I thought the final fight had an interesting gimmick. Ultimately, this was a great adventure, really enjoyed it. My favorite part was exploring the world map, uncovering dungeons and secrets and puzzles (though some of the puzzles were occasionally a bit obtuse).

I grew quite attached to my party members too, each one became an essential part of the team. My druid and freemage were splitting different magic schools between themselves and were always extremely useful (and their promotion spells were very good too). My crusader was great as a secondary healer, and a big damage dealer too once he got a good sword (from both

Spoiler

the forged meteorite and the obelisk treasure

. My scout was my primary damage dealer on a consistent basis (until the mages caught up late-game) with a crossbow, even at point-blank; the promotion extra range and grandmaster piercing made it amazing at ripping through crowds.

Great game. Highly recommended to anyone lookinh for an old-school RPG. Thanks for making this game happen, Ubisoft!