Quote:
Originally Posted by red_avatar
NEVER make you lose the game based on pure chance NEVER NEVER EVER EVER EVER. Well you get the point  .
...Well it's realistic but it it has no place in a game.
The computer skill was practically useless as well except for a few times and then it was hardly essential.
...the game pushed people into using melee weapons at the start
...I died half a dozen times while fighting against those plants in the garden because my melee skill was so low for example.
The healing skill: add the doctor skill as well. You don't KNOW it will be useless. |
To say the games have no flaws or balancing issues would be silly, and there are several things which I would have changed if I had been in charge.
You may dislike the luck-based death, but you could avoid danger to a certain extent, and there were tactics in play to minimize death by random-number-god. Worst example I saw was in (I think!) The Aethra Chronicles, where you could be killed by a random act for no reason. Made you Save Now, Save Often!
I think the melee aspect could have been avoided if you couldn't find so much damn ammunition in the middle + end of the game, but of course it was partially necessary for the Big Bad, which in itself was an avoidable flaw. I'd also point out that those beginning missions are totally avoidable, you choose the work you do. Also, there are at least two places to get a gun in Klamath, so that's not so much of an issue. This was never meant to be a kill-everything game, so you have to appreciate running away! It does feel very wrong at times though. I think they wanted to give the impression you were but a grain of sand on a beach, but it is a very harsh beginning in many respects.
I tended to play a diplomat, so the Doctor and Science skills for me were there purely to open up alternate dialogue trees (which they do quite well), and allow for a few different quest resolutions (mostly science here, can only really think of one doctor example).
I guess balancing is truly the hardest thing to do in a game, especially when you want to give the player as much freedom as possible in a particularly harsh and tough world. I'm one of those perverse people who find such peculiarities nice, but dislike being forced into big tough fights when I'd rather talk or run away. I'd have preferred less combat, or at least less combat with gun toting persons.
Anyways, I've rambled on, and possibly contradicted myself, and certainly lost my chain of thought, but I can appreciate your point of view, I hope you can appreciate mine, if you can dig it out of my demented ramblings.