Calamarain wrote:
...
Blue, no, gr---AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
Fafnir wrote:
1) When can we get screenshots? 
Good idea. Either I or someone else on the team should whip some up. (Did you find the alpha build screen shot from the Christmas puzzle?)
2) Can we expect to see some monsters hitherto unknown in the DROD world?
We've tried to remake the DROD monsters we've seen before within the context of this game. They don't chase you around like in DROD, but most have similar fundamental attributes, often with different tactical implications. For instance, if you step in front of evil eyes, they will hit you, but they are weak to attack from behind. I could be mistaken, but I'm thinking fans of DROD should appreciate the crossover. It's also very easy to add new types of enemies with the level editor for this game engine.
3) In what time period is the game set? Is it contemporary with The City Beneath?
Roughly, it takes place during the same time period as the soon-to-be-released Smitemaster's Selection, "
Devilishly Dangerous Dungeons of Doom"
, which follows TCB.
4) How are you handling integration with CaravelNet?
Matt (Schik) is hard at work on developing CaravelNet features for DROD RPG. We plan to have similar architectural and hint-giving support boards as for DROD. Naturally, there won't be any existing level sets for DROD RPG besides the official hold when the game is released, but we'll include DROD RPG as a new game for which Smitemaster's Selection holds may be developed. In fact, I highly encourage it! Players will be able to use their CaravelNet credits to purchase SmS holds for DROD RPG as well as regular DROD SmS issues.
CaravelNet scoring involves a revamped system based on submitting your score -- based on the level of player stats -- at various "
score checkpoints"
spread throughout the game, such as after beating the boss of an area or even for some hidden achievements. Try to have the best score at each location! There will be no uploading of victory demos, since each and every demo would have to start from the very beginning of the game and extend until that score point to be meaningful. Also, they could be used as spoiler walkthroughs for the entire game, so to make scoring more bullet-proof, we won't include that feature. I realize this may be a controversial decision.
5) I know you're taking heavy inspiration from Tower of the Sorceror. One of the things that irked me about that game was that you didn't have perfect information on the first few playthroughs, and without (or even with) perfect information it was very easy to render the game unwinnable. How does DROD RPG deal with that?
Good question. As you know, this is still a technical possibility with this style of game play and a flexible level editor, so I've tried to make this as easy as possible for players to deal with in general. You can undo moves back to the beginning of a room (i.e. back to entering the current room) to allow for the possibility of more relaxed movement controls (you may now use the mouse to play!) and more experimentation without reloads. We've given the official levels a fairly smooth difficulty curve, and it should be possible to beat any of the levels in the first two-thirds of the game or so even if you messed up your play in earlier levels. So, the level design in
TT should be more forgiving. The save/restore system is fairly robust and easier to use than in DROD, and there are autosave points built into the levels (a new scripting feature, somewhat analogous to room checkpoints in DROD). Four of the game's thirteen levels actually have puzzles based on those found in TotS, but we've worked to make these a bit more forgiving as well.
____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.
[Last edited by mrimer at 07-11-2008 05:41 PM]
Therefore, we will now provide a completely different song for your listening pleasure that doesn't smack of internet meme.
