Turn Based Mode is Awesome! + Some Requests to Improve It.

Falkor

Falkor

Well-known member
During my last login, I got to experience turn based DDO.

I really appreciate the slower base of this mode and hope it becomes a regular feature. Between turns I get to drink coffee, go on walks, make dinner, and contemplate the greater mysteries of life and how cheese is made.

Having the opportunity to strategize where my character should be during the next turn and what actions to take has taken my joy to a whole new level. As an old school fan of strategic turn based games like the original Fallout and Heroes of Might and Magic IV, I'm glad to reexperience this nostalgia in its full glory.

I have yet to figure out the movement features. Sometimes I am certain that I've moved to the left, yet will end up hitting an invisible wall and be right back where I started! Or I'll run forward and end up right back where I started?! Or I'll dodge right, and end up not actually moving.

Is there an option to disable this movement mode, or is this WAI? Perhaps I've missed something in the controls and have to change some experimental settings?

The monsters in this game are devious, throwing up invisible walls everywhere. I'm sure I've heard more than one kobold mage utter 'Rubberbando!' with diabolical glee. So perhaps I'm the victim of a spell, and it's not a movement issue?

As for preparing spells and attacks, this part is really unique. The best approach seems to be like playing an old nintendo game, just mash buttons. Reminds me of being a novice player at Mortal Kombat, and getting my tookus kicked in an eyeblink. To prevent that, just mash buttons. It works sometimes. Sometimes I die, sometimes the monsters die. It's a crap shoot!

The monsters have amazing dodge mechanics too. I'll be swinging a sword or casting at them, and then they are suddenly elsewhere. When do player characters get this blink ability? It's defensive utility is top notch, and it's not fair that only mobs get it.

My hope is that we get a hexgrid system implemented soon. I believe that will help with knowing what direction to turn and move my character each turn.

Those green dots added in these last two updates, those are the amount of movement points my character has each turn, right? Can I get more than two movement points per turn? Two seems really lacking, especially for a dextrous nimble giant of a dwarf like me. Once that belly gets rolling, there is no stopping it. Two movement points just doesn't cut it.

And since we have turn based mode, could we also implement game saves between each turn? I'd like to start scum loading before looting chests.

I'd also like to see numbers over each player and mob on screen that indicate whose turn it is. This would help a lot, thank you.

And a better ability to screenshot in game would be awesome! I love when my character is suspended in a mid-air jump like a Marvel superhero and wish for an easy system to share this visual glory!

Thank you all for sharing your joy and love of this game. May you have a wonderful day. :)
 
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Falkor

Falkor

Well-known member
Had to reign in the oldschoolness. HommIV was my favorite in that series. :)

I mean, if DDO continues with its improvements, we may be back to text based games like Zork before long.
 
S

Sylla

Well-known member
Falkor said:
Had to reign in the oldschoolness. HommIV was my favorite in that series. :)

I mean, if DDO continues with its improvements, we may be back to text based games like Zork before long.
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I did not hated IV, played it alot actually. But III is head and shoulders above any other from the series.

To each their own i guess :)
 
dur

dur

aka Cybersquirt
Falkor said:
The monsters in this game are devious, throwing up invisible walls everywhere. I'm sure I've heard more than one kobold mage utter 'Rubberbando!' with diabolical glee. So perhaps I'm the victim of a spell, and it's not a movement issue?
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I don't know but my paly has been dealing with this since I returned to regular play in Feb.. it's driving me batty!
 
Falkor

Falkor

Well-known member
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

Another fun old school game was Hunt the Wumpus. And the original Rogue on Unix was something else. In the 80s I'd use a green screen terminal on a 300 baud modem to remote login and play. Death by 'phone picked up' was all too common.

One of the first multiplayer games I got to experience were on the WAR BBS sites. There was a local who had 8!!! lines and this really neat space sim shooter game. The turns were on an autotic.

Ah, nostalgia. This is why turn based DDO just brings a smile to my soul.
 
Falkor

Falkor

Well-known member
If anyone is interested in stealth games ... THIEF is the original and best stealth game ever created and is free on Epic until April 11. It appears to be a remake of the original, and not one of the sequels.

if any other stealth game has come even close to the gameplay offered in THIEF, I'm not aware of it. If you know of one, please let me know. THIEF is my favorite game of all times, hands down.

FYI. It's not turn based, but certainly strategic.
 
Shardrena

Shardrena

Well-known member
Eh, I'd say Metal Gear is possibly the original stealth game. Yes, a PC Engine/NES game.

Also, that game isn't a remake of the original Thief game, it's a reboot. Entirely different storyline, for one. And dialog in it implies the events of previous games did happen already. Not a bad game, although a lot of people bash it for some reason.
 
Falkor

Falkor

Well-known member
Yep, it is the reboot. Which is good, yet the original had something special about it.

Metal gear, forgot about that one. yes, had stealth elements, but was never made to be a stealth game.

If we want to talk about any and all games that had stealth, there are alot more. Even the original Rogue on unix had stealth aspects, and it was a text base. Im not talking about games that have stealth added to it.

Thief is the first game designed with the vision and intention of it being a stealth game. Stealth is its primary gameplay.

Funny story about the metal gear game you are referring to. In 7th grade I had a bully. Iiterally looked like malfoy. He used to bring his nes games to school and brag about how rich his parents were and awesome he was. One day, he brought in metal gear... and he had been a particular little pos thst day. So i lifted the game out of hs backpack when he wasnt looking, and tossed it in the trash. I did this two more times that year because he kept bringing games in, bragging about it, and bullying people bc he thought he was better than others. I didnt have a nes at the time. “Why would i steal a game i cant play?”, is what I told the principal when asked. No proof, no evidence, nothing they could do.

My hatred of bullies and arrogant bragging trash is long lived. They deserve only vitriol.

Hmmm, maybe it was my original stealth game after all.
 
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Shardrena

Shardrena

Well-known member
Falkor said:
Metal gear, forgot about that one. yes, had stealth elements, but was never made to be a stealth game.
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I take it you never played the original Metal Gear game. Both the original version and the NES version basically required you to be stealthy, because if an alarm sounded you got swarmed with infinite enemies. And with how keycards worked, it was impossible to get through many doors if an alarm sounded.

While the Metal Gear Solid games can be played in a reckless non-stealth manner (usually), they too are stealth games. And often require you to sneak through certain areas, because getting spotted prevents you from moving forward. Speedrunners might ignore stealth in the series, but for anyone else stealth is not an option, it's a requirement.

Also, you were aware the full title for the series is Stealth Espionage Action: Metal Gear, right? Stealth was a core gameplay mechanic right from the start. It was limited and basic, but that was more due to limitations of the systems the game was on.

EDIT:
Hell, Thief wasn't even the first "modern" stealth game on PC. That would arguably be Castle Wolfenstein. It is considered the first 3d stealth game by many. It's not actually true however. Thief: The Dark Project came out in December of 1998, while Metal Gear Solid came out in September of 1998. They were both works in progress at the same time, but Metal Gear Solid isn't the first 3d stealth game either.
 
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Falkor

Falkor

Well-known member
You are accurate in your assessment. :) I've never played metal gear, and thank you for suggesting it.

As for wolfenstein, having played it, stealthing never crossed my mind. Was more interested in shooting everything in sight. :D Perhaps it's time to revsist some classics.
 
Shardrena

Shardrena

Well-known member
The Original Castle Wolfenstein, not Wolfenstein 3d, I should point out. The original was a top down 2d game where you were encouraged to sneak past enemies since ammo was scarce, and later game enemies required a lot more ammo to kill. That game is considered the codifier for how modern stealth games work. Metal Gear iterated on the formula, adding boss battles and other systems that have since become standard.
 
dur

dur

aka Cybersquirt
Falkor said:
If we want to talk about any and all games that had stealth, there are alot more. Even the original Rogue on unix had stealth aspects, and it was a text base. Im not talking about games that have stealth added to it.
Click to expand...
Imoen.
 
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