Dungeon crawler recomendations

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
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Licorice
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Licorice »

BareKnuckleRoo wrote:Roguelikes and Diablo-style top-down action RPG games did get mentioned here too despite feeling fairly distinct from what's usually classified as a dungeon crawler, so obviously it's not about being opposed to discussing games that straddle the boundaries of genres or give similar vibes
Yeah this was also my understanding. But I just went one step further. Maybe one step too far, it seems.

As you said, obviously perspective isn't the discriminator, as we've discussed roguelikes. I myself discussed Labyrinth of Touhou 2, and no one complained.

And having space and time divided discretely into squares and turns isn't important either, cause also as you mentioned, we've talked about Diablo.

So rather than going with something wishy washy like "give similar vibes" as you say, I went with a hard discriminator, and the definition I mentioned earlier is what I came up with.
BareKnuckleRoo wrote: Their controls and movement are simply too different to be categorized as the same genre. There are plenty of great 2D action adventure platforming games like this such as Legend of Zelda II and Battle of Olympus with varying degrees of RPG/puzzle elements
...
But the importance of how everything handles such as player movement, environment physics, spacing in attacks, etc, in something like La Mulana make 2D action adventure games very different I think
Sure, but Maze of Galious and La Mulana are a step closer to the acceptable Rogue format than Zelda 2 and Battle of Olympus.

Let's look at it historically, cause I think it might be fruitful to the discussion:

In the first Dragon Slayer (1984), your locus of control is exactly one tile in size, and you move tile by tile in world composed of tiles you can or cannot occupy. Spatially it's exactly the same as Rogue. Temporally it's different, because if you sit still other things will still move.

In Dragon Slayer 2 (1985), you also move tile by tile, and the world scrolls tile by tile, but now you will fall through some tiles. You can also "jump" ~3 tiles into these before you begin to fall. This makes it feel like a side scroller, but really it's just the addition of special tiles your character will fall through. There's also various one way tiles without the "falling". The tile world and its rules play a big part in navigating the game.

By 1987 you have Dragon Slayer 4, which is still a distinctly tile world, but now your character can straddle a state between tiles. Nevertheless your character is still exactly one tile in size, and it's really just a more granular variant of Dragon Slayer 2's rules.

This is where contemporary Maze of Galious (also 1987) fits in. It's exactly the same as Dragon Slayer 4 as far as the basics of movement and navigation are concerned - a granular Dragon Slayer 2.

Note that in none of these games do you ever die from falling. The world either scrolls down or flips. At worst, e.g. in Maze of Galious, you wind up in a water tile that may initially start to do damage over time, but by default you can completely mitigate that with 2 button clicks. Also note the presence of "ladders" that facilitate vertical movement. Sometimes the ladders are even right next to each other, and you can move left and right and up and down completely freely, blurring the line between "top down" and "side view" - it's all just tile world and tile rules.

Zelda 2 (again 1987) also obviously takes after Dragon Slayer 2, even the towns look similar. But, IMO, it's a more radical departure marked by two key differences. First, Link occupies 2 tiles, not 1, like Simon Belmont, and secondly, also like Simon Belmont, if he falls down a pit the world doesn't simply scroll down (or flip screens), he dies.

Now as for La Mulana, the game just is Maze of Galious. It started out as a straight up clone of Maze of Galious, but then they just decided to add more puzzles and make a more organic graph of "worlds" (20 screen maps) rather than the strict star topology of Galious. Those are really the biggest difference. I detail more differences in the post that started this discussion, and they add up, but they are still almost the exact same game.

So, my question to you is, where do you draw the line?

Is it simply the first Dragon Slayer? (can't imagine it would be!) Is 2 already too far removed? Maybe it's exactly at Maze of Galious and Dragon Slayer 4 (AKA Legacy of the Wizard)? Or maybe Zelda 2, due to the addition of platforming (I would say this is fair).
BryanM wrote:I've grown to loathe that term, "Metroidvania". Omits stuff like Cadash and Zelda 2. Both of which deserve more popularity
Strongly agree. It's a horrible term. Very ignorant, very biased.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

Yeah, I ain't getting baited into responding to this like the poor shmucks in the other "Dark Souls is a JRPG" thread.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Licorice »

Prffft. You wrote that it's about "how it controls" in addition to what you called "elements". So, keeping the elements constant, I pointed out a spectrum of different controls from the first Dragon Slayer to Zelda 2 and simply asked where you drew the line.

Now you might think this is a stupid discussion and that people should just be able to "feel the vibes" or whatever to determine the genre (problem is, to me La Mulana and Labyrinth of Touhou 2 vibe much the same, hence why I discussed both here), and that's your perogative, but it's a bit annoying you used the word "baited" as if I was trolling, because I'm not.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by BryanM »

I always thought it was cool how it's possible to create new games using the same engine. Tower Defense from Starcraft, dungeon crawler/shooter/puzzle levels in Mario Maker.

It's kind of an interesting exercise to see how irreducible a control interface is - roguelikes and Grand Theft Auto clones can do a ton of things, their generic freedom of movement is huge, but how much can you change a golf game?
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Blinge »

Licorice wrote:Now you might think this is a stupid discussion
It is. Genre definitions are used for their function and to facilitate easy communication. You just shit all over that with your personally curated game histories.

Symphony of the Night is my favourite dungeon crawler.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by BIL »

I don't think Licorice means any harm with the genealogy posts. Then again I dig that stuff too. :wink:

RE "Metroidvania." IDGAF what the mainstream does or thinks. As a fan of the latter series, though, the label does rankle me a bit - as SOTN's action (while I am very fond of it) has sweet fuck-all to do with its series' preceding decade. And no, it's nothing to do with free jump arcs! X68k and even goofy IV are no less traditional for theirs! It's the lack of perilous footing, or any consistent need to watch your step while battling. As immortally addictive as SOTN's smooth, hard-hitting action is, it plays nearer Spartan X than trad CV.

Which brings me to another free jumper, the TRVE & HONEST Metroidvania: Holy Diver. Now, sadly, its controls are bugged to fuck. And it has godawful sprite dropout. But pardoning those, it's a categorically truer hybrid: Metroid's search-driven upgrades and projectile combat with CV's discrete Treachery Platformer stage design.

I can't recommend it unreservedly, because irl IREM body-horror - the muscle memory workarounds rewired my neurosystem to the point I temporarily forgot how to play Castlevania - but even at safe distance, it's worth a look. Someone should fix the control and graphical issues, so it'd be merely tougher than the average console action game, as opposed to fucking Videodrome.

Then again, casual shitbirds would bitch anyway! L2P you fuckin noobs! Image

(I suspect IREM wanted to make an arcade-compact Zelda II, with Samus swapped in for Link - HD even blags Zelda II's HUD, and 1UP design, and Fairy spell, albeit metallised into DARGON Image Plus, a few of its heavies behave rather like the Great Palace's feared Fokker knights. However, Zelda II doesn't play all that differently from trad CV, when it comes to treacherous battling, so the comparison still holds)
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

Licorice wrote:but it's a bit annoying you used the word "baited" as if I was trolling, because I'm not.
I fully believe in your sincerity when asserting your rejection of the gaming community's existing labels. It's still not an argument I want to get drawn into deeply and thus potentially derail the thread with.

Personally, I think the thread title ought to have been "First person dungeon crawler recommendations". All of the titles mentioned in the first post were first person perspective. Of course, first person turn-based RPGs like Wizardry are different enough from real-time tile-based RPGs like Dungeon Master/Grimrock or first person action RPGs like Ultima Underworld or King's Field, that they're technically three separate subgenres, but they're nevertheless related by their perspective and unique enough to merit dedicated discussion.

2D platformers and top-down action games with dungeon crawling/rpg elements are fine, but they are distinct genres in terms of how they play, how much of the playfield is visible, and what skills mechanically are required to succeed (traditional roguelikes also feel a bit too distinct to be in the same category, IMO). However, I suppose if the thread wants to expand the games discussed to anything involving dungeon crawling/exploration elements including these kinds of 2D platformers (which are very distinct from arcade-style platformers), it'd be petty of me to argue against it given, as I mentioned previously, there's not really a dedicated thread elsewhere on the forum for these sort of games. And there probably ought to be as they're cool games worth discussing.

tl;dr: you win, La Mulana is nifty, carry on
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by SriK »

I love the Japanese label for Metroidvanias: "search action". It really explains the whole genre. You search for a little bit of action, and then you find some, and then it's back to searching again :mrgreen: And isn't searching the exact opposite of action, anyway? Maybe the "sleep action" genre would go even further, and I hear some of the newer Metroidvanias are even pioneering it, but you get my point.

Nothing much to contribute on the actual topic of this thread, I know almost nothing about dungeon crawlers. I will say that I don't think La Mulana or Maze of Galious count, except in the most superficial way... if these games are only categorized as "dungeon crawlers" because they take place in a dungeon, then what if I edit La Mulana to take place on, say, an alien planet (like Super Metroid)? It's no longer a dungeon crawler because you can see some green sky pixels? Genres aren't supposed to work this way, they're based on mechanics and feel not theme. (A zebra is just a horse with tertiary tiger elements, and so on.)
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Blinge »

Licorice there's probably enough interest in your genre definitions to warrant their own separate thread and discussion.

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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Immryr »

i don't think 'dungeon crawler' is really a game genre, it's a much broader term and certainly doesn't just refer to first person turn based rpgs like wizardry or etrian odyssey. all of these game with the one town -> one big dungeon set up definitely have a lot of shared heritage and i don't have a problem with loosely grouping them together as 'dungeon crawlers', despite their differences of perspective or whatever else.

-edit- i also agree that 'search action' is a great label for metroidvania type games.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Vanguard »

Found an interesting game called Ruina - Fairy Tale of the Forgotten Ruins.

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Ruina is a doujin RPG about exploring ancient ruins that seems to take heavy inspiration from tabletop roleplaying games. You don't directly move your party around. Instead you control a cursor which you can use to interact with various points of interest on the map. Click on a room in a dungeon and your party will travel there, click on an NPC to talk to him. Since you're always looking at a map, the game makes heavy use of descriptive text to set the atmosphere and it works really well. The tone feels closer to dark fairy tales than modern high fantasy stories, which I appreciate. Most rooms have some sort of unique event and it never feels like you're wasting your time with filler content. Traveling long distances is quick too since you just click on the edge of one map to move to the next one. It's a good system.

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You can use tools to aid in your exploration in various ways. Use a lantern and you can see better, which might help your character spot things they'd otherwise miss, but carrying a lit lantern makes you easier to spot, meaning you have a higher random encounter rate. A pickaxe can help you unearth treasures, find crafting materials, and access new rooms. Your party members also have useful exploration abilities, such as the lockpicking skill or the ability to read ancient languages. There are also times when having a specific character around will change the outcome of an event.

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You're allowed to save freely in town, and once per day you can save inside the dungeon with a reusable item called the forgotten stone. Your HP and MP don't regenerate over time and to recover you'll need to find a safe place to sleep. While you have the option to constantly return to town so you can savescum and rest, the game discourages this through two interesting systems. First, certain story events, like defeating a boss, are considered "checkpoints," though the term doesn't mean here what it usually means in gaming. When you reach a checkpoint you are awarded SP which you can spend to train your protagonist in various classes. The game keeps track of how many days it has been since you last reached a checkpoint, and if you reach another soon enough - within 3 days is a common limit - you're awarded more SP. The second system is that the game tracks how many experience points you've gained during the current trip into the dungeon. Earn enough in one shot and you get SP. This doesn't really encourage you to grind because fighting awards very little experience. The real experience comes from exploring and solving events, so you'll want to bring plenty of supplies, carefully conserve your resources, and get as much done at once as you possibly can.

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Ruina's combat uses the usual JRPG system, but its focus on attrition makes it a bit more interesting than it otherwise would be. You're still alternating between attacking and healing, but because you want to stretch every bit of MP as far as it can go, there are a lot of choices and risks you otherwise wouldn't have to think about. You want to end fights quickly so you don't have to heal too much, but you also don't want to blow all your MP on your biggest attacks. Maybe you'll be better off not spending resources on healing minor damage after a fight, and maybe that thinking will get you killed. Buffs are very very strong. They're both a good way to punch above your weight class and they tend to be underpriced compared to their benefits. An attack buff followed by regular attacks is a lot more efficient than using attack skills every round.

Many events have multiple outcomes based on your abilities and choices. I'm told that the game remembers a lot more about your choices than it lets on and it uses that to influence various things. Having done only one playthrough I couldn't say how far that goes. Your background choice at the beginning of the game seems to affect a lot too. I went with fighter but I'm told that the thief background has the most unique content. I'll have to try that next time.

It's a cool game, I recommend it.

Ruina is freeware and you can pick up the English version here. To play the game, go into the game folder and run player.exe rather than start.exe or start_window.exe in the main folder. If there are missing graphics or sounds or any problems like that, install the missing assets by running rpg2000_rtp_installer.exe, which is included in the download.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Klatrymadon »

Very much enjoying what seems to be a growing trend of Japanese Wizardry games being localised after a decade of obscurity. Hoping this means the PC port of Labyrinth of Lost Souls did alright.

https://twitter.com/scarletmoon_/status ... 93060?s=20
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by CMoon »

Klatrymadon wrote:Intriguing tweets from Yuzo Koshiro regarding the Etrian Odyssey series' future:

https://twitter.com/yuzokoshiro/status/ ... 98752?s=19
I really think Atlus needs to consider making a 'software platform/OS' for their DS/3DS games. They have way too many solid titles on those too consoles to just let them be stranded there. Also, neither of them have 'legit' methods for playing on a monitor, so yeah!
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by CMoon »

I finished Wiz 6 (SNES) over quarantine with a massive amount of scum saves. Tons of nostalgia from both wiz7 & 8 (still need to finish the latter.)
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

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CMoon wrote:I really think Atlus needs to consider making a 'software platform/OS' for their DS/3DS games. They have way too many solid titles on those too consoles to just let them be stranded there. Also, neither of them have 'legit' methods for playing on a monitor, so yeah!
It's still crazy how console games just die. No other form of media comes with an expiration date.

At least their Wizardry engine hosted an absolute shitton of games that even I feel like there are too many of them. (And will get followups eventually for the Switch onward.) Last Bible didn't get to live that long. Devil Children didn't get to live that long. My spider sense says Devil Survivor will join them too, and it's way too good to die on the vine like that!
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by CMoon »

BryanM wrote:
It's still crazy how console games just die. No other form of media comes with an expiration date.
For me the problem is my eyesight has gotten worse as I've gotten older and even with an XL, it's a pain in the ass to play those games on those tiny screens. If the 3/DS had a video out this would have resolved the problem. I know there are some work arounds and hacks, but at this point it is easier to emulate a 3/DS game than it is to project it to a monitor. I'd definitely like to play Etrian Odyssey 3 again at some point, and never got around to 5--but I'm getting really tired of buying games that are locked to dead end consoles.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by cj iwakura »

CMoon wrote:
BryanM wrote:
It's still crazy how console games just die. No other form of media comes with an expiration date.
For me the problem is my eyesight has gotten worse as I've gotten older and even with an XL, it's a pain in the ass to play those games on those tiny screens. If the 3/DS had a video out this would have resolved the problem. I know there are some work arounds and hacks, but at this point it is easier to emulate a 3/DS game than it is to project it to a monitor. I'd definitely like to play Etrian Odyssey 3 again at some point, and never got around to 5--but I'm getting really tired of buying games that are locked to dead end consoles.
I never did get to pick up V or Nexus, and they've become absurdly expensive.

I feel like the formula already got stale around 3, though, and adding the airship/overworld stuff just drags it down.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by BryanM »

CMoon wrote:If the 3/DS had a video out this would have resolved the problem. I know there are some work arounds and hacks, but at this point it is easier to emulate a 3/DS game than it is to project it to a monitor. I'd definitely like to play Etrian Odyssey 3 again at some point, and never got around to 5--but I'm getting really tired of buying games that are locked to dead end consoles.
Pew, pretty much no console gains as much visual benefits from emulation than the DS. The DeSmuME guy for years and years and years kept constantly saying "you don't want high resolution geometry on DS games, they're designed for a shit resolution and would look like shit!" as an excuse not to implement the feature. But then someone wrote a prescaling module, and without a doubt proved what everyone has known since the UltraHLE days: straight lines are better looking than jaggy lines, being able to see textures looks better than grinding them into moosh.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Blinge »

Anyone got hands-on or tried the port of Baroque on Switch?
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Immryr »

i think it's JP only. no idea if it has english language options
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by WelshMegalodon »

It's just one of those days where you want to screw around with DOS Wizardry again...
Spoiler
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It's funny how nobody on the Internet can seem to agree on whether or not stat decreases are actually bugged in this version. A couple sites point to the possibility of a porting error since the RANDOM function doesn't quite work the same in Apple Pascal as it does in regular Pascal, and a handful even claim that the issue is either isolated to the version from the Ultimate Wizardry Archives or caused by having a high cycle count in DOSBox. I could have sworn I saw this guy claim that he actually looked through the game's code to confirm that Pascal was to blame because he couldn't believe such a classic could be so unfair, but the claim was a random comment under a random article about Wizardry that I can't for the life of me dig up.

I ended up having to back up my character disk early on since I kept getting party members slaughtered before they were worth the hassle to recover, but once I hit level 3 or 4 I was able to march down to Murphy's Ghost and grind pretty reliably.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Mortificator »

WelshMegalodon wrote:I could have sworn I saw this guy claim that he actually looked through the game's code to confirm that Pascal was to blame because he couldn't believe such a classic could be so unfair, but the claim was a random comment under a random article about Wizardry that I can't for the life of me dig up.
Fortunately there's also the life of me! ...unless there was a different comment / blog combination specifically about Pascal on DOS I haven't found yet...
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by WelshMegalodon »

Sadly, the comment was not from that blog (which I do read regularly), The Digital Antiquarian, or Data Driven Gamer, though I do appreciate you trying.

In addition to the more common version of DOS Wizardry, I've also been playing this older release that looks and feels more like the Apple ][ version. For example, it requires you to kick doors in and manually type in the name of a character you want to add to your party in Gilgamesh's Tavern, though it doesn't allow enemies or party members to cast spells during a surprise round like that version does. KATINO also seems to be far less likely to work.
Spoiler
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I first became interested in this version after I saw a comment on The CRPG Addict's blog claiming that it didn't have borked stat increases like the newer DOS version. I honestly have no idea, though.

What do you guys think? Is this too soon to tell?
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Blinge »

Now that's an all star team :lol:

Ah Welshy, these ancient ancient games, I dunno how you do it.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Immryr »

Blinge wrote:Anyone got hands-on or tried the port of Baroque on Switch?
i wish you hadn't reminded me that this game was a thing. it looks great. i really don't want to try and fumble my way round it in japanese though.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

I first became interested in this version after I saw a comment on The CRPG Addict's blog claiming that it didn't have borked stat increases like the newer DOS version. I honestly have no idea, though.

What do you guys think? Is this too soon to tell?
Interesting, where did you locate this DOS version? I remember going through an extensive Wizardry kick years ago where I played through most versions of the first game (the PS1 ver is the best release imo) and the MS-DOS one I played must have been the newer one. Didn't know multiple releases existed. I once had a character drop to 0 then rollover to 31 Wisdom in that version, and never managed to promote any characters to the advanced prestige classes. Wasn't sure if it was emulator issues (doubtful, DOSBox is pretty damn good) but at any rate on versions where stat growth works properly, the upward stat trend means you should see a fresh character's stats be at or near the maximum for their race by level 15 or so. This holds true for basically any version except the MS-DOS, where the only stat that reliably increases is max HP and spell charges. Level 5 is too soon to see for sure as far as I remember, sorry.

I wonder how Haman/Mahaman work? As mentioned previously, the original Apple II version is unique from what I recall, in that the effect you get is chosen totally at random instead of three possible effects being chosen at random, and being allowed to pick one. Add to that how enemies can use spells and breath attacks during surprise encounters, and the Apple II version is perhaps the hardest one (even including the NES version where AC does nothing; you can still Haman/Mahaman your way to Werdna after lots of tedious Murphy's Ghost grinding).

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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by WelshMegalodon »

BareKnuckleRoo wrote:Interesting, where did you locate this DOS version?
Obviously I can't tell you publicly, but I'll shoot you a PM in a second. :wink:
BareKnuckleRoo wrote:I remember going through an extensive Wizardry kick years ago where I played through most versions of the first game (the PS1 ver is the best release imo) and the MS-DOS one I played must have been the newer one.
Yes, the various notes you've left around the web came in quite useful when I was looking around for info! Llylgamyn Saga is an absolutely luxurious package with its automap that reveals all the hidden traps and its lack of any autosave whatsoever.

I'm honestly not 100% sure when this version is from, but Mobygames states that there was a PC booter release in 1984, before the more familiar interface (“virtual machine” interface?) became standard in 1987, and the title screen labels this version as a “Version of 27-Feb-84/Created on Jan-23-87”. So this is probably the 1984 version. (MAME's software list for IBM compatibles also has a release date of 1984 listed for this version.) I've always wanted to try going through it to put my curiosity about its supposed lack of stat decreases to rest (especially since very few people seem to even acknowledge its existence), so if I won't know for sure until Level 15, I guess I'm for the long haul. :lol: At least I'll know how HAMAN and MAHAMAN work by then.

You know, someone actually claimed on the GOG forums that HAMAN and MAHAMAN are actually bugged in the Apple ][ release. It has me wondering whether the implementation in the DOS and PlayStation versions is actually the intended implementation. Given that other game-breaking bugs (like the famous “Identify 9” glitch) were fixed for the DOS release, it's not out of the question.

I'm convinced that there is definitely some kind of difference in the way RNG is implemented. Assuming I'm not just imagining things, the likelihood of being granted a large (>12) number of bonus points during character creation seems to be significantly lower in this version and the Apple ][ version than it is in the more common DOS version. This has me thinking that it really is misinterpreted Pascal code throwing off stat growth in the newer DOS version and not DOSBox cycles, though I am playing through said newer version in PCem emulating an 8088 just to cover my bases. Of course, one can never know for sure without looking at the underlying code.

BareKnuckleRoo wrote:EDIT: HOLY SHIT I JUST NOTICED THE PARTY NAMES AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~
Who else am I supposed to trust in the Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord? :P
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BareKnuckleRoo
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

WelshMegalodon wrote:You know, someone actually claimed on the GOG forums that HAMAN and MAHAMAN are actually bugged in the Apple ][ release. It has me wondering whether the implementation in the DOS and PlayStation versions is actually the intended implementation. Given that other game-breaking bugs (like the famous “Identify 9” glitch) were fixed for the DOS release, it's not out of the question.
Nah, it sounds like they're claiming the odds of rolling a particular outcome for Haman / Mahaman are skewed unevenly. If that's true, it may also be intentional that the odds for Haman's 5 possibilities are not evenly distributed? At any rate, I saw most of the effects pop up, in particular the immediate "Destroy all enemies" as well as "Mute all enemies" and "Destroy magic resistance" outcomes are the most important ones in battle and those all worked fine. If there were a bug where the selection menu weren't popping up when it should have, that would be much more immediately noticeable. I think they just decided to change it later because it's supposed to be based on the D&D "Wish" spell and it makes sense for you to be able to wish for a specific outcome (even if what 3 options you get is chosen at random).

I'd be more inclined to believe something like the Apple II version's "you can use magic on a surprise encounter" is a bug, but it's just as likely they changed it because it was leading to too many party wipes or something. But it's also possible it was because later releases were rewritten based on the mechanics of the later Wizardry games (W2 and W3 for Apple II apparently didn't have this). Kinda like how the SNES version of the early Wizardry games incorporated the thief's ability to make sneak attacks from the back row from later games.

That forum post suggests there's two MS-DOS versions, the old diskette one and then the CD based one from Wizardry Archives, so it may well be the CD based one introduced the stat drop bug that causes stats to drop far more frequently than intended, making it difficult to max out stats and promote (how will I ever become a Lord with Mage spells if I can't promote ;w;).
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by WelshMegalodon »

I believe the version included in The Ultimate Wizardry Archives was originally released as part of The Wizardry Trilogy in 1987. The Internet is not clear on whether the bug affects both releases of this version or just the CD release (possibly because the existence of this earlier compilation doesn't appear to be particularly well-known), but I'm leaning towards it being present in both.
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Re: Dungeon crawler recomendations

Post by Vanguard »

Labyrinth of Touhou 2 got an english release on steam. It's got quite possibly the best turn based combat of any dungeon crawler. Check it out.
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