A Beta Tester's Observations

Ask questions, share hints or chat in general about Eschalon: Book I.
almondblight
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Post by almondblight »

Gallifrey wrote:Could you be more specific?
Pretty much, what can you do besides the "kill monsters, talk to people, get loot". Like it looks like you can bash open doors in the screenshots (and I think this has been mentioned). Are there objects you can manipulate and the like? Things in dungeons besides monsters and traps? And what are traps like?

Thanks!
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Gallifrey
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Post by Gallifrey »

Yes, you can bash open containers and doors (which does damage your weapon and can even cause it to break), and most containers I came across in the demo (barrels, cabinets, coffins, sarcophagi and the like) were openable. Also, all doors were accessible that I saw, there were none that were just decoration.
Dungeons had of course monsters and traps, but there are levers, chests and other assorted goodies.

Traps show up if you have the skills as a red square, and if you can disarm them you get that option when you step on it.
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BasiliskWrangler
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Post by BasiliskWrangler »

Also...Portcullises, operated by levers and floor plates. They can crush enemies like in Dungeon Master. All signs/plaques can be read, as can tombstones. Weeds can be burned away by Demon Oil (our version of Greek Fire), and anything breakable like Doors and Chests can also be damaged/broken when set afire with Demon Oil.

I'll elaborate a bit more on traps because the demo doesn't have a whole lot: traps are completely hidden from the player. Your character's Perception (Attribute) and Spot Hidden (Skill) are checked every step you take to see if you spot a trap on the floor or on a nearby object. When you do spot one, the system stops you instantly (to prevent you from accidentally walking into the trap) and the tile/object gets highlighted in red. Clicking on it at that point gives you the option to disarm it and the % chance of success. If you don't notice the trap via Spot Hidden/Perception then it is triggered when you step on it or use the trapped object.
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GSV3MiaC
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Post by GSV3MiaC »

My turn (hah, turn based interrogation!) for question - what's the movement system? Purely manual (early Avernum model ... forward, forward, left, forward, etc.) or 'autorouted' ('go THERE') like Geneforge (and BG, and most other recent games)??

If it's autorouted, I hope it has less bugs than the norm, or failing that at least a 'No No, that's really stupid, I want to take that back and do it manually' key (c.f. various D&D combat engines where you character uses all their movement points walking in quite the wrong direction because the autorouter failed).

Even Geneforge occasional gets that wrong with a 'you can't get there from here', which is intensely annoying when you've just COME from 'there'.
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Gallifrey
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Post by Gallifrey »

Thanks for elaborating on the trap info, Thomas.. I wrote my reply during a commercial break while watching TV :p

As for movement, it's manual and mouse-controlled. You steer with the mouse and move forward by either holding the left button or by hitting the middle button to activate "walk lock" so all you have to do is steer.

There is no pathfinding auto-route or waypoint/click to move destination implementation.
While I prefer a pathfinding system, they are far too often just as you said, frustrating and generally barely functional.
There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. And the sea's asleep and the rivers dream … People made of smoke and cities made of song … Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold!
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Post by floppymoose »

Howdy folks,

I just learned about this game and am very interested. A few of questions I have:

1) I notice you say that any class can pursue any skill. Is there any kind of weighting in skill acquisition by class? Is it easier for spellcasting classes to acquire spellcasting skills, for instance?

2) What kind of replay value is anticipated?

3) Does the game play in a window? I don't do fullscreen games.

Thanks!
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BasiliskWrangler
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Post by BasiliskWrangler »

Gallifrey: if I am "stepping on your toes" let me know...I am just trying to answer questions that you may not have the answer to because of the shortness of the demo. :)

floppymoose:
1) There is no skill weighing, but you are freely given the primary skill of your class, so the Magick User is given the Arcane Elemental skill; the Ranger is given the Bow skill, etc.
2) Moderate replay value. The plot line and NPC dialogue will not change between games, nor will the quests. But, playing the game as a different character (for example, a Thief rather than Healer) is a contrasting experience, and since 95% of containers pay out random loot it would probably take 2-3 passes through the game before you saw every item.
3) Yes
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Gallifrey
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Post by Gallifrey »

Not at all Thomas! Your clarifications are incredibly useful. :)

I've played the demo through 3 times, so to address the replay value, I'd say it's pretty good. Depending on your character build and treasure finds, the game does play fairly differently on replays. Combat is different, you may find treasure caches you didn't see before because you lacked Spot Hidden, chests may contain different stuff that can dramatically change your fortunes, that sort of thing.
For example, my Ranger is fairly well-equipped, having decent gear, but my Rogue really lucked out with some treasure finds, obtaining two rings that each gave +5hp and an amulet that gave +5 to hit. So combining that and his sneaky, underhanded skill set really changed the dynamic of the game. Also depending on your Background (ie nationality, human "sub-race") and Axiom (sort of like alignment) you'll get different advantages and abilities which change gameplay.

So, things that impact your character build and his capabilities change, but as pointed out, dialogue and quests do not. So replays are a bit more "mechanical" because that's where you're focusing rather than on the dialogues and atmosphere/setting.

Now I have a question, following Floppymoose's first inquiry - I didn't notice during the demo, but does your class choice actually impact any NPC responses or your reputation during the adventure?

But I guess to add more detail to Thomas' response to #1, at character creation you have 20 points to spend on skills, and your class gives you a free skill that represents your class. Skills cost 3 points to buy and 1 point to increase, so your class essentially gives you 3 free points by providing a skill. So then you can choose to focus on a few skills or diversify with a larger amount of less developed skills. Either way, the free skill from your class is very handy.
There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. And the sea's asleep and the rivers dream … People made of smoke and cities made of song … Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold!
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BasiliskWrangler
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Post by BasiliskWrangler »

Gallifrey: not with any NPC in the demo, but later on...maybe...
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GianMarco
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Post by GianMarco »

What can you tell us about the landscapes you played through?
Snow, Swamp, Forest etc. (if they were in the demo) ;)
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Gallifrey
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Post by Gallifrey »

The demo was limited to grassy/forest areas with bodies of water and a small town and a few dungeons.
The map you can purchase from a vendor shows a good variety of regions and terrain however.
There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. And the sea's asleep and the rivers dream … People made of smoke and cities made of song … Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold!
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Saxon1974
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Post by Saxon1974 »

Gallifrey,

Couple of questions;

1) Would you say from what you saw in the demo that this game is combat heavy? medium or light?

2) Does the combat make sense in the scope of the game? For example, its pretty safe in and around towns but the further out you explore it gets more dangerous...?

3) Also, in the forrests and other places away from town was it periodic combat or lots of hack and slash?

4) (not sure if anyone asked this) Were you able to sell items and weapons found in the game to a shopkeeper? Did you like the inventory management?

5) Did you accumulate much gold? Was gold sparce and hard to come buy or did you earn it rather easily?

I realize you played a short demo so it might be hard to answer some of these.

Glad you got to play the demo and thanks for all your feedback!
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Gallifrey
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Post by Gallifrey »

1) I'd say medium. You can actively seek out fights and go head-strong into dangerous situations, but combat to the death is not always required, and some fights you can navigate around. But there is a fair bit of fighting still, but it's not wave after wave of baddies.

2) Yes, I'd say so.

3) Periodic.

4) Yep, you sure can. And inventory management was good, for both vendor and PC. Not all vendors will buy everything, and when you go to sell you're shown the item's full worth, so you can gauge that against what the shopkeeper is willing to give you. I believe the Mercantile skill will help you here. You can see what a shopkeeper has for sale as well as how much money they have, too.

5) I made enough to get what I *needed* but perhaps not to get what I *wanted*. So accumulation isn't scarce but nor is it over the top.
There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. And the sea's asleep and the rivers dream … People made of smoke and cities made of song … Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold!
bargeral
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Post by bargeral »

You guys are making it very difficult to wait patiently.

:lol:
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GianMarco
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Post by GianMarco »

bargeral wrote:You guys are making it very difficult to wait patiently.

:lol:
haha true, the more i read the more i slowly go insane - this game is gonna kick ass. the wait is going to be worth it dude ;)
"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him." - Helios
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