admin
Level: Legendary Smitemaster
Rank Points: 8
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File: The Forgotten Castle.drh (124.1 KB)
Downloaded 894 times.
License: Other
From: Unspecified

Completed after more than 1 year since I started it.

Thanks to people who contributed to the hold:

Chaco
Komachi
Gordius

I'm specially grateful to Blondbeard, whose videos corrected many bugs, and to Nuntar, who did a great job with the story of the hold.

Note: You need the last build, if not you'll get a goblin biter in the tunnel labyrinth when you are supposed to get a long sword. The patch can be downloaded here

Blondbeard
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1486
Registered: 03-31-2005
IP: Logged

This is a really nice hold! Lots of room for optimization, and tough choises. It is also one of few examples where a great hold have gotten a great help with the story from a member other than the architect. A minus is that some secrets are kind of necesarry to find. Also you need a patch that is not yet oficial, due to bugs in the current oficial build.

Red-XIII
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 651
Registered: 08-05-2012
IP: Logged

I downloaded the patch and it says that it upgrades the version 1.2.0 to the one needed for this hold, but I have the 1.1.0.54 (infact I can't even import the file) version so when I open the patch it says that "the required directory is missing". If I need the 1.2.0 version first, where can I find it? If no, why does the patch installation doesn't work?

For Tendry's Tale I only have the demo version but I'm not sure that's a problem related to the patch, or is it?

____________________________
There's not some other world out there where everything's gonna be okay.
There's just this one, just this rock.
-33th Skywatcher

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[Last edited by Red-XIII at 12-08-2013 02:37 PM]

Suwako
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 146
Registered: 04-29-2011
IP: Logged

Red-XIII wrote:
I downloaded the patch and it says that it upgrades the version 1.2.0 to the one needed for this hold, but I have the 1.1.0.54 (infact I can't even import the file) version so when I open the patch it says that "the required directory is missing". If I need the 1.2.0 version first, where can I find it? If no, why does the patch installation doesn't work?

For Tendry's Tale I only have the demo version but I'm not sure that's a problem related to the patch, or is it?

I installed the patch with the basic demo instalation, so 1.2.0 isn't needed.

Make sure of the directory of the patch

is like C:\program files\DROD RPG - Tendry's Tale Demo
and not C:\program files\DROD RPG - Tendry's Tale Demo\DROD RPG - Tendry's Tale

____________________________
A moment last forever, an eternity passes in an instant, the time I spent here was inevitable...

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[Last edited by Suwako at 12-08-2013 03:50 PM]

Red-XIII
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 651
Registered: 08-05-2012
IP: Logged

Ok now everything works fine, thanks!

____________________________
There's not some other world out there where everything's gonna be okay.
There's just this one, just this rock.
-33th Skywatcher

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3659
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

Yeah, this is a pretty neat RPG hold. I'd almost call it Suwako's "magnum opus" except I'm sure he's already got even grander plans for his next work.

Anyway, one of the things that sets this hold apart from many others is that the level structure is a bit more open than many other more linear holds, where you have to progress from level 1 to level 2, level 2 to level 3, etc. and you always have the one progression goal of opening the stairs to level 4. Not so here - you can be simultaneously working on as many as four or five different levels, looking for routes into the endgame area.

The structure returns to a more linear form as the endgame approaches, but the level layout and enemies get much more challenging around then, too, and there's still cleanup to do in earlier levels, so like in Tendry's Tale, you never really feel like you're running out of things to do - there's always subgoals to optimize or clever ways of avoiding difficult fights.

Anyway, if you enjoyed most other RPG holds but wanted a bit more emphasis on route planning, then this is it.

____________________________
Quick links to my stuff (in case you forgot where it was):

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5153
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

That's a helpful description. Mind if I quote you in the Illumination?

____________________________
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.

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3659
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

Wow, er, I wasn't expecting that.

Go ahead.

____________________________
Quick links to my stuff (in case you forgot where it was):

Midootje
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 110
Registered: 03-05-2011
IP: Logged

Oh.. My... God. What an adventure. I played through the entire hold in the three days I had off - and what a great three days it were.
As you might understand, three days hasn't given me enough time to optimize to the fullest; I will be posting my best possible stats later on. For now, I just have two questions:

1. When Werl meets Daron for the second time (in the Prison), he is told to rendez-vous with Daron at 'that last island we visited'. This is not shown in the epilogue, however, and Daron is not seen again throughout the hold. Werl also never speaks of him in either epilogue. What happened to Daron?
2. In Forgotten Dungeon 8S, killing the brain raises two black doors, on the ATK and the DEF gem. This causes those powerups to be unreachable, as there is no way to get to them before killing the brain. Or am I missing something?

Anyhow, great hold! I will continue to play it until I've optimized it down to the last hitpoint. That's the least this kickass hold deserves.

____________________________
Don't worry, be happy, and slice monsters. You'll probably do better than me at all three.

Nuntar
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 4764
Registered: 02-20-2007
IP: Logged

I'll answer the Daron question, since that was one of my additions to the storyline.



____________________________
50th Skywatcher

Suwako
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 146
Registered: 04-29-2011
IP: Logged

Midootje wrote:
1. When Werl meets Daron for the second time (in the Prison), he is told to rendez-vous with Daron at 'that last island we visited'. This is not shown in the epilogue, however, and Daron is not seen again throughout the hold. Werl also never speaks of him in either epilogue. What happened to Daron?
2. In Forgotten Dungeon 8S, killing the brain raises two black doors, on the ATK and the DEF gem. This causes those powerups to be unreachable, as there is no way to get to them before killing the brain. Or am I missing something?

1.-That gave me an idea about to make a sequel of this hold. But right now I'm busy and I have another project for standard DROD before, so don't expect to see it soon.
2.-I'll see it, I don't have the hold now.
EDIT: Ok, it's a bug, it seems that after all the testing and playing i didn't resolve it. Luckily it don't affect the hold a lot (I think).

____________________________
A moment last forever, an eternity passes in an instant, the time I spent here was inevitable...

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[Last edited by Suwako at 12-11-2013 02:08 PM]

deftriver
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 77
Registered: 07-11-2007
IP: Logged

I have the full version, 1.1.0.54 and it's not working...

Suwako wrote:

Red-XIII wrote:
I downloaded the patch and it says that it upgrades the version 1.2.0 to the one needed for this hold, but I have the 1.1.0.54 (infact I can't even import the file) version so when I open the patch it says that "the required directory is missing". If I need the 1.2.0 version first, where can I find it? If no, why does the patch installation doesn't work?

For Tendry's Tale I only have the demo version but I'm not sure that's a problem related to the patch, or is it?

I installed the patch with the basic demo instalation, so 1.2.0 isn't needed.

Make sure of the directory of the patch

is like C:\program files\DROD RPG - Tendry's Tale Demo
and not C:\program files\DROD RPG - Tendry's Tale Demo\DROD RPG - Tendry's Tale

Angry Banana
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 15
Registered: 12-10-2009
IP: Logged

The link in the first post just takes me to a page with an error message that says Invalid Attachment ID. I've been looking all over this website for a link to the new version of this game and I cant find it. The downloads page only has the old 1.1.0.54 patch. Can someone please help me?

12th Archivist
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 789
Registered: 12-07-2008
IP: Logged

Patch 1.2 is a full version patch, so it shouldn't appear unless you've bought the game. If you have, then I'm sure Schik or Mike can help you out. Otherwise, I think you'll have to wait until 1.2 becomes official and a new demo installer comes out.

(In all the excitement over TSS, it seems like RPG has been forgotten. )

____________________________
It was going well until it exploded.
~Scott Manley

Check out the DROD Wikia project here!

kieranmillar
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 2868
Registered: 07-11-2014
IP: Logged

Phew! Finally beat this! That took a long time. Personally I'd say it's the second most difficult hold released so far, with Hold Anonymous way out in front on the difficulty league. I took quite a lot of attempts just to get past the Mud Chambers, and still had to restart a bunch of times after that, but man talk about satisfying once I finally got there.

I really enjoyed this hold and rate it very highly. The hold is massive, and the non-linear structure of it towards the middle can definitely make it feel a bit daunting at times, but this also means that if one area doesn't seem to be working out you know that there's always somewhere else you can go and explore. It always felt like each area had a different focus, so one place might overload you with keys while another gets you more health and stats, and when you bounce between areas it's a nice feeling to make a flurry of progress when the resources from one area push you through the other areas you were stuck on.

Greckle usage was interesting too and the hold excellently avoided the usual pitfall of having ludicrous sums of cash floating around, as many holds that use the default monsters but have no altars tend to have happen to them. At first it feels like you can spend it with impunity, but then the expensive grappling hook throws a total curve ball, and then it becomes freely spendable gain, and then suddenly you move to a new area and the greckle gates start costing thousands!

It's much appreciated that there are no hot tiles or beams so I can pick up health freely. If I had to micromanage my health in a hold with this much travelling it would have been a complete pain-in-the-ass.

If you're looking for a hold to sink a lot of time into, then this one is going to be perfect for you. Trust me, you can quite happily spend a long time on this hold if you want to.

Red-XIII
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 651
Registered: 08-05-2012
IP: Logged

At last, I conquered this great hold!

I first played this hold 2 years ago, but I got stuck on the chasm, then I played it again, but failed once more.
Two years later though (now) my skills improved a lot, which allowed me to finish this hold without even finding all secret and with good stats. Even so, the beginning is the hard part, but...

Definitely not a hold for beginners but once you acquired strategy skills from other easier holds this is the one you should play! I liked almost all of it, expecially the story and levels layout (but didn't appreciate that the secrets were almost impossible to spot).
As others mentioned, this is a non linear hold, in my opinion the biggest non linear RPG hold ever, which is nice because you can play more than 4 levels at once to optimize it. There were so many things going on that I sometimes forgot that I could have go somewhere else to take a gem for free and so on. I also had difficulty trying to understand which level was easier and which one was harder, because item multiplier is not the best indicator but it wasn't frustating at all, just challenging and fun.

There are no hot tiles and no aumtlich beams, which means you can immediately grab all health, I think this should be noted in the first post.

I wonder if there will ever be a sequel since the story was really catchy and playing another non linear hold like this would be awesome!

____________________________
There's not some other world out there where everything's gonna be okay.
There's just this one, just this rock.
-33th Skywatcher