OneTimePoster
Level: Roachling
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Registered: 10-12-2003
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I wanted to say thanks to those involved in making this game and also for having it avalible to evryone.

The majority of people who have been enjoying this game will probably not get around to posting here or contacting those who have contributed to DROD, please do consider this a "thank you" from not just me but a bunch of people who are enjoying the game but will not be part of the DROD community for various reasons, so thanks for making a great game avalible for evryone!

Times-a-wasting, now its back to level 8 for me.

ggglhfkthxbye

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leroy00
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 155
Registered: 09-30-2003
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Didn't want to start a new thread, but having finished DROD yesterday, I wanted to express my general opinion of the game.

favourite level: If I had to pick one, I would probably say 23. Somehow I felt these puzzles opened up a whole new dimension of DROD. And luckily 1S,2W left room for error.

level with the most playtime: certainly 8, although I don't know for sure

level most inconsistent with Beethro's contract: I think it was 11. At any rate, there was one in which the rooms weren't required, you just had to plow your way through the tar. It didn't matter how many tar babies you left behind. But then again, one could argue it from the angle of "when you reenter the room, they are gone" kinda thing, but that would drift off into the metaphysical DROD-reality discussion that I am sure has been held hundreds of times.

room that took me the most time to conquer (by which I mean: longest real-time interval from first entering to finishing, lots of days I had only 15 minutes, but I remember the room being very dastardly): 7:1S in the Webfoot version (no checkpoints). By the time I finished this room, I could do the first hundred movements with my eyes closed. Of course, none of the rooms on 24 was a cake-walk, but


most frustrating room: Hard to say, maybe 15:2W with that lone Wraith that somehow didn't want to cooperate even after I had discovered the solution. Or 23:2W. I never was a very good dancer, even in my younger days.



scariest room in DROD: 12:2S,2E. It reminds me of the original Wolfenstein 3D with the Frankenstein monsters. The colours are pretty creepy.

Since I wimped out on the webfoot version after having gotten stuck on level 8,
(possible spoiler: )


I made mental notes of this sort of thing once I discovered the forum in order to share them, but seems I wrote them in disappearing ink. Two things disappointed me. I kept looking for the Big Picture on the level maps, some kind of Inca Drawing only visible high above the Eigth, but there didn't seem to be any. I guess considering the original Webfoot version had no such level viewer, that this expectation was unwarranted. And one day after having read parts of the web site and getting to know Erik's sense of humour a bit, I answered the "Do you really have something more important to do than playing DROD?" question for the first time with "No", expecting some wise-*ss answer, but, alas.

I also wanted to ask whether there are any trivial solutions in the Caravel version. Considering the complicated development process of the game, I wouldn't expect any, but two or three times I sorta had the feeling I had found one. At this point I have to mention my mental note problem. Anyway, it was a great game, thanks Erik, (and free, I still can't really believe that), and I am looking forward to the player holds, and maybe one day I will be able to make my own contribution, but I am sure that will take a while. So now I'm off to do 5 through 7 and get the entire ending.

leroy

Edit: Oh yeah, I forgot to say one thing. My favourite aspect of DROD in general was the slightly paranoid feeling it gave on the higher levels, when I stood with my swordpoint on some goblin's throat or some roach's chitin shell or a tar mother's eyeball and wondered (without wanting to give a spoiler here): "Can I afford to kill this guy or might I need him later on?" I think this reflects the combination of puzzle and hack-and-slash that is pretty much unique to DROD and which is responsible for a large part of my fascination with the game.

Edit (I gotta start writing outlines before I post): For some reason I was expecting the 'Neather to be a really big, very pernicious version of a tar mother. There's some sort of verbal association in the depths of my subconscience that lead to this, I am sure, but I haven't been able to localise it, yet.

[Edited by leroy00 on 11-06-2003 at 09:20 AM GMT]

[Edited by leroy00 on 11-06-2003 at 09:43 AM GMT: forgot sumpthin]

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Atch
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 81
Registered: 08-29-2003
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That is quite a post leroy, it looks like DROD has bewitched you in much the same way it did me. It probably deserves a fuller answer but I will just throw in my pennyworth.

Level 23: 2W



Trivial Solutions

There are some, possibly most notably Level 25: 2S, 1W:

There are others that, if not trivial, are a mere formality once you learn a certain knack such as Level 20: 3N, 1E:

The ‘Neather

I must say that I was expecting something far more malevolent and powerful in the ‘Neather but really he was just a darned nuisance with his mallet.

I had learnt that he could only be killed in one room but did manage to get my sword into him in 3W (using version 1.5). This didn’t kill him however and I got a message saying in effect that he can’t be killed here so there!

Favourites

My favourite level was 21 – I just love good hard roach battles – so these were also my favourite rooms. Level 7: 1S was good too in this respect – can you believe that they come far harder than this in the Holds? There were so many rooms that gave enormous pleasure but if I were to pick just one that was the most fun then it would be Level 11: 1S, 2E.

Holds

If you liked Dugan’s then you will just love the Holds I am just astounded by the sheer inventiveness to be found here. I have yet to play one that I haven’t enjoyed immensely at least in parts. As an intro might I recommend Tscott’s Impossible Cubes and Happy House.

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2936
Registered: 03-29-2003
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leroy00 wrote:

Click here to view the secret text

×(Although I've never done 5, since it is impossible to get to the normal exit on four after entering the secret room. In the Webfoot version, it would have been too much work to return to the normal exit.)

Although I apologize if there is a difference in this regard between Webfoot and Caravel, I don't remember well enough.

Game on,

[Edited by Oneiromancer on 11-06-2003 at 04:59 PM GMT]

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leroy00
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 155
Registered: 09-30-2003
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Oneiromancer wrote:

leroy00 wrote:

Click here to view the secret text

×(Although I've never done 5, since it is impossible to get to the normal exit on four after entering the secret room. In the Webfoot version, it would have been too much work to return to the normal exit.)

Click here to view the secret text

×You can return to the rest of the level from the secret room. It's actually rather simple, you should try it again.

Although I apologize if there is a difference in this regard between Webfoot and Caravel, I don't remember well enough.

Game on,

[Edited by Oneiromancer on 11-06-2003 at 04:59 PM GMT]

Oh yeah, I've seen the error of my ways. Got stuck in a thinking rut again.

leroy

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ClaytonW
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 961
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leroy00 wrote:I kept looking for the Big Picture on the level maps, some kind of Inca Drawing only visible high above the Eigth, but there didn't seem to be any.

I remember I was playing Webfoot DROD the first time through, and I was determined to get into that top corner of the level 10 exit. I tried desperately, and when I pasted the map together, I thought I noticed that Erik had tried to write his name in cursive using the map. If you look at the full map for level 10, you'll see it, With the top of the "E" starting with 1N,1W. However, there is no "k." In the VERY first e-mail I sent to Erik, I asked him if there was a connection between the missing "k" and the chamber near the exit. I don't remember exactly, but I think he said he knew nothing of his name in the map. I dunno. It's interesting.

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

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Heh. I can sort of see why one would think that Erik put his name (or 75% of it) on the map - though I'm guessing that if he really intended to write his name in a map, he would have succeeded fully.

I also find it amusing that you were the person to discover this, since you are the best map artist among us.

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agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
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ClaytonW wrote:

leroy00 wrote:I kept looking for the Big Picture on the level maps, some kind of Inca Drawing only visible high above the Eigth, but there didn't seem to be any.

I remember I was playing Webfoot DROD the first time through, and I was determined to get into that top corner of the level 10 exit. I tried desperately, and when I pasted the map together, I thought I noticed that Erik had tried to write his name in cursive using the map. If you look at the full map for level 10, you'll see it, With the top of the "E" starting with 1N,1W. However, there is no "k." In the VERY first e-mail I sent to Erik, I asked him if there was a connection between the missing "k" and the chamber near the exit. I don't remember exactly, but I think he said he knew nothing of his name in the map. I dunno. It's interesting.

Really? I always thought of the set of rooms as a sort of cross-section of a flower with a huge stigma/ovary and wobbly petals. Although I may be wrong.

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DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

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I always sort of thought level 7 looked like two snakes and their caves dug out with caverns and such.

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Mattcrampy
Level: Smitemaster

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DiMono wrote:
I always sort of thought level 7 looked like two snakes and their caves dug out with caverns and such.

I think that's deliberate - the exit room's a dead giveaway.

Matt

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