arx fatalis review?
David Hamilton
Anyone who has it care to offer up some comments, or anyone know what the
german reviews are saying about it? I'm pretty curious about it, Ultima
Underworld I+II are a couple of my all-time favorite games and Arx is the
first game I've seen in a long time to really capture the same feel as the
underworlds.
Werner Purrer
Can't comment on the games mags (I don't trust any of them anymore, they
were bought out by the publishers years ago, and with PC Player the last
really good one went down), however I posted my first impressiones
yesterday. And I liked it a lot, and yes it is Underworld with
modifications (the biggest one is the spellcasting system which I now like
more than the one from Underworld cause it blends better into the VR
environment, others might hate it though) all over again. Even the
environental interaction to the extreme of the U7 series and Underworld is
there again (I cooked meat yesterday after igniting a fireplace with a fire
spell and threw around a few dishes and bones and one of the bones broke
during slaying a giant rat, but others reported that you even can bake a
cake, speaking of baking breat...)
And the game (I can't comment about the deeper stuff of the game, since I
fired it up yesterday and today I won't have time to play), itself even
starts very equal to underworld, you basically are in a hopeless situation,
not knowing who you are and where you are (except that you are in a prison,
and there is another inmate) and then the story begins to unfold the deeper
you get into the game.
As for the handling, a little bit weird sometimes in the beginning but the
in game tutorial which is blended into the story gives a good start (the
manual is pointless in this regard, it definitely needs a key mapping
sheet!)
So I guess if you liked Underworld you will love this gem. And if you liked
Gothic you will like it as well. Lets say it that way. Gothic was Ultima 7
shifted into modern technology, and Arx is even closer to Underworld than
othic was to Ultima (basically a similar improved engine and lots of design
choices both in story and engine design)
But that are just my first impressions, maybe the whole thing screws itself
up more in the game, but given how close the whole thing starts to the
underworld series with taking all the good elements and improving on them,
I doubt it. Anyway, I will comment on that in one or two weeks. NWN now has
to wait.
--
Wenn ich eine Windows CD an einen Politiker binde und ihm Geld dafür
gebe, dass er einmal um den Block rennt und dabei grunzt, dann läuft
Windows endlich ohne unerklärliche Abstürze.
Tina Fisher
"Werner Purrer" <we...@operamail.com> wrote in
news:ag3hsm$igv67$1...@ID-22385.news.dfncis.de...
> So I guess if you liked Underworld you will love this gem. And if you
liked
> Gothic you will like it as well. Lets say it that way. Gothic was Ultima 7
> shifted into modern technology, and Arx is even closer to Underworld than
> othic was to Ultima (basically a similar improved engine and lots of
design
> choices both in story and engine design)
uh... Werner, I loved both Underworlds (in fact both are in my all time top
ten) but I hated Gothic (because of the controls, the brownish graphics, the
anti-hero prison setting and the voice acting) - will I like Arx ? :-)
<<< Tini >>>
Andreas Baus
> David Hamilton wrote:
> Even the
> environental interaction to the extreme of the U7 series and Underworld is
> there again (I cooked meat yesterday after igniting a fireplace with a fire
> spell and threw around a few dishes and bones and one of the bones broke
> during slaying a giant rat, but others reported that you even can bake a
> cake, speaking of baking breat...)
Hmmm... can you make Rotworm Stew? ^_^
--
----
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[Insert joke here.] ----
--
an...@studcs.uni-sb.de (Andreas Baus)
David Hamilton
22385.news.dfncis.de:
> however I posted my first impressiones
> yesterday.
Yeah, after I posted I found your comments. Thanks much for both sets. This
sounds like a must-buy for me.
joe#3838
:)
Andreas Baus <an...@cip123.studcs.uni-sb.de> wrote in message
news:ag40s1$o3f$1...@lnx107.hrz.tu-darmstadt.de...
Werner Purrer
>
> uh... Werner, I loved both Underworlds (in fact both are in my all time
> top ten) but I hated Gothic (because of the controls, the brownish
> graphics, the
> anti-hero prison setting and the voice acting) - will I like Arx ? :-)
>
Mhh hard to say, I'm not very far into the story yet, so I really cant
comment on the anti-hero setting. You definitely start off in a prison cell
but the world is not a prison, it is more like the original underworld
setting, a huge dungeon with different races and fractions living side by
side (although the original underworld was a prison sort of). The controls
are different to the original underworld, but they integrated the better
parts of the original controls, and tried to avoid the icon cluttering, so
you might dislike the new spellcasting system, but the rest feels very
familiar.
I always thought Gothic had many ideas from the original underworld so both
games might target the same fanbase, you are definitely an exception to
this. My best guess is, yes you might like it, it doesn't have, when I
remember your old posts, the elements you disliked in Gothic most.
But rather stick to the german version or turn off the gore in the
international version.
Werner Purrer
>
> Hmmm... can you make Rotworm Stew? ^_^
Haven't encountered a rotworm yet (since I only had time to do a short
play), but I made charbroiled giant rat meat :-). It was tasty....
mr bernard langham
"David Hamilton" <fa...@none.com> wrote in message
news:YbhV8.128927$Ca2.6...@bin2.nnrp.aus1.giganews.com...
Grab the demo if it's still available. It was *very* promising indeed.
--
>^..^<
Bernard
www.cs.uwa.edu.au/~langhb01
"Acts of rebellious solidarity/Can bring sense to this world/La Resistance!"
Stereolab "French Disko" 1995
Tina Fisher
> I always thought Gothic had many ideas from the original underworld so
both
> games might target the same fanbase, you are definitely an exception to
> this. My best guess is, yes you might like it, it doesn't have, when I
> remember your old posts, the elements you disliked in Gothic most.
> But rather stick to the german version or turn off the gore in the
> international version.
holy s**t, you remember my anti-Gothic posts? Oh my you have to be careful
these days--- hope no one recorded my post where I suggested the president
(<- NSA, FBI and CIA please listen!) should be considered for the leading
role in Forrest Gump? *ggg* ok...
<<< Tini >>>
Werner Purrer
>
>
> holy s**t, you remember my anti-Gothic posts? Oh my you have to be careful
> these days--- hope no one recorded my post where I suggested the president
> (<- NSA, FBI and CIA please listen!) should be considered for the leading
> role in Forrest Gump? ggg ok...
>
Hehehe don't worry, my brain just works really well.
I'm now further into the game and I'm still undecided if you might like it
or not. The setting now is definitely not a prison anymore, but it isn't
cute, although there is lots of humor in it. But the game is definitely
target to adult tastes. For instance (no spoiler here since it is not
important to the game) I tried to use the money on a local barmaid, and she
said that she doesn't have time for that now. Afterwards I talked to her
again and she told me, that I'm not the kind of person she would love to
have relaxation with, my purse simply is to small. But on the other hand
there are children in the game as well.
The game becomes more and more interesting (in my taste), it definitely
isn't hack and slay, the fights are there but placed in a natural way where
they should occur, and some of them are rough, but most of them are easy
just like Underworld was.
It definitely is like Underworld brought into the year 2002, but it has a
really dark undertone, and the colors, oh well, it is a huge dungeon so
they are brown and grey mostly, basically the same colorscheme as
underworld, currently I'm at a setting where I thought I'm playing a second
Dark Projekt, just on the good side :-).
I almost forgot, yesterday I was not sure if you could bake bread. Yes you
can, just the same way you could in Ultima 7! (heck even the symbols from
the inventory look like good old Ultima7 / Underworld, just to give you an
explanation how close this thing to the Underworld series is!
Tina Fisher
> Hehehe don't worry, my brain just works really well.
please post an algorithm... I am close to 30...
> I'm now further into the game and I'm still undecided if you might like it
> or not. The setting now is definitely not a prison anymore, but it isn't
> cute, although there is lots of humor in it. But the game is definitely
> target to adult tastes.
you mean full frontal nudity? oh dear.
>For instance (no spoiler here since it is not
> important to the game) I tried to use the money on a local barmaid, and
she
> said that she doesn't have time for that now. Afterwards I talked to her
> again and she told me, that I'm not the kind of person she would love to
> have relaxation with, my purse simply is to small. But on the other hand
> there are children in the game as well.
WHAT? child porn? geeeeeeez
> The game becomes more and more interesting (in my taste), it definitely
> isn't hack and slay, the fights are there but placed in a natural way
where
> they should occur, and some of them are rough, but most of them are easy
> just like Underworld was.
>
> It definitely is like Underworld brought into the year 2002, but it has a
> really dark undertone, and the colors, oh well, it is a huge dungeon so
> they are brown and grey mostly, basically the same colorscheme as
> underworld, currently I'm at a setting where I thought I'm playing a
second
> Dark Projekt, just on the good side :-).
one thing I liked so much about UUW has been the fractal looking graphics -
surely, this was before the 3d-card-polygon era, but that way the dungeons
looked extremely realistic, such as the landscape in Outcast or the first
Comanche games...
> I almost forgot, yesterday I was not sure if you could bake bread. Yes you
> can, just the same way you could in Ultima 7! (heck even the symbols from
> the inventory look like good old Ultima7 / Underworld, just to give you an
> explanation how close this thing to the Underworld series is!
well, as said, what is bread compared to rotworm stew..
> Wenn ich eine Windows CD an einen Politiker binde und ihm Geld dafür
> gebe, dass er einmal um den Block rennt und dabei grunzt, dann läuft
> Windows endlich ohne unerklärliche Abstürze.
hab gestern 3 cds auf einmal kopiert... schneide sie gerade aus...
<<< Tini >>>
joe#3838
Americans will never see it anyway, not unless theres a 'fix' heh heh
Tina Fisher <tini@doesntlikespam> wrote in message
news:3d271f0a$0$33062$91ce...@newsreader02.highway.telekom.at...
Tina Fisher
"joe#3838" <jo...@earthlink.net> wrote in
news:NhLV8.5180$Yx5....@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> what's wrong with frontal nudity?
> Americans will never see it anyway, not unless theres a 'fix' heh heh
yes, that's one strange thing about american movies - goshing blood is ok,
but beware if there is a bare breast... not talking about other body parts
<<< Tini >>>
ka
you're not watching the right american movies
joe#3838
us if there is a bare breast , but plenty of blood;
and in europe , plenty of boobs , but no blood...........,
heh heh, maybe somewhere in the middle they have both? England? ha ha
Tina Fisher <tini@doesntlikespam> wrote in message
news:3d27fe4e$0$24002$91ce...@newsreader02.highway.telekom.at...
Memnoch
Yeah. Even Harvey Keitel did a full frontal in Bad Lieutenant. ;-)
joe#3838
ka <fa...@fake.com> wrote in message
news:Xns924471FC1A...@64.154.60.171...
Werner Purrer
wrote:
>
>"Werner Purrer" <we...@operamail.com> wrote in
>news:ag73p2$ipnk3$1...@ID-22385.news.dfncis.de...
>
>> Hehehe don't worry, my brain just works really well.
>
>please post an algorithm... I am close to 30...
>
Mhh brain intensive work is my algorithm.... (I´m 31 btw...)
>> I'm now further into the game and I'm still undecided if you might like it
>> or not. The setting now is definitely not a prison anymore, but it isn't
>> cute, although there is lots of humor in it. But the game is definitely
>> target to adult tastes.
>
>you mean full frontal nudity? oh dear.
>
None of that... but the situations and locations are definitely
targeted towards adults. This is no porn game.
>>For instance (no spoiler here since it is not
>> important to the game) I tried to use the money on a local barmaid, and
>she
>> said that she doesn't have time for that now. Afterwards I talked to her
>> again and she told me, that I'm not the kind of person she would love to
>> have relaxation with, my purse simply is to small. But on the other hand
>> there are children in the game as well.
>
>WHAT? child porn? geeeeeeez
>
Heavens sake, no, there are just some children running around at
certain locations.
>> The game becomes more and more interesting (in my taste), it definitely
>> isn't hack and slay, the fights are there but placed in a natural way
>where
>> they should occur, and some of them are rough, but most of them are easy
>> just like Underworld was.
>>
>> It definitely is like Underworld brought into the year 2002, but it has a
>> really dark undertone, and the colors, oh well, it is a huge dungeon so
>> they are brown and grey mostly, basically the same colorscheme as
>> underworld, currently I'm at a setting where I thought I'm playing a
>second
>> Dark Projekt, just on the good side :-).
>
>one thing I liked so much about UUW has been the fractal looking graphics -
>surely, this was before the 3d-card-polygon era, but that way the dungeons
>looked extremely realistic, such as the landscape in Outcast or the first
>Comanche games...
>
No fractal looking graphics. Just plain polygons.
Werner Purrer
wrote:
>
>well, as said, what is bread compared to rotworm stew..
>
Haven´t found a rotworm yet :-(. Had to slaughter a chicken...
Werner Purrer
wrote:
>>> I'm now further into the game and I'm still undecided if you might like it
>>> or not. The setting now is definitely not a prison anymore, but it isn't
>>> cute, although there is lots of humor in it. But the game is definitely
>>> target to adult tastes.
>>
>>you mean full frontal nudity? oh dear.
>>
>None of that... but the situations and locations are definitely
>targeted towards adults. This is no porn game.
>
don´t want to spoil anybody. But lets say it that way. No cute
Snowwhite and the seven dwarfs, although lots of the locations remind
on underworld they are many times on the really rough side, but there
is lots of humor in it which gives a comic relief very often.
joe#3838
mmm, good too...............
Werner Purrer <we...@operamail.com> wrote in message
news:3d29544a....@news-east.newscene.com...
Werner Purrer
wrote:
>Hey Werner, rotworm stew is in Gothic !
>mmm, good too...............
>
Well it first appeared in Underworld 1 and back then I caused me to
stop the game. I got the Rotworm Stew recipe and ditched it, due to
thinking it was utterly useless. And suddenly a few levels later I was
in need for the recipe and no savegame to go back. :-(
Werner Purrer
>
> uh... Werner, I loved both Underworlds (in fact both are in my all time
> top ten) but I hated Gothic (because of the controls, the brownish
> graphics, the
> anti-hero prison setting and the voice acting) - will I like Arx ? :-)
>
Ok, I'm now about 30-40% into the game, I think you definitely will like it.
I just turned the gore on (there seems to be an undocumented way), in the
german version. There isn't to much difference, just more blood and you can
chop body parts of, which gives kindof a sick comical relief when a goblin
falls down and his head flies through the air. Voice Acting: Many of the
voice actors, at least in the german version are the same as in Gothic, but
the dialogs are differnt much more stilized, and many of them on the funny
side, not the rough prison language you disliked. Story, definitely a hero
setting at least after you moved through the 10-15% of the game. In fact
there are so many things you just would have to replace a few names, and
bang you are in Britannia again. Like the name of the hero Ang Shagar with
Avatar and then you are there again. There also is a Lord British clone in
the game, again just exchange the name and bang you are in Britannia again.
You might even have a deja vu with some settings in the game.
The game starts out rather rough and harsh (which might turn you off), but
then becomes very funny. There is a long part which almost plays like an
adventure, aka you have to solve puzzles extensively. I now am in a part
where the fights again begin to start again. And the story, it unfolds in
quite an unusual way, but it looks as far as I am now very good. I won't
say anything but I'm pretty sure most players who have played the old
Underworlds won't be dissapointed.
Ah yes to the spellcasting. It seems I have mastered it. In the beginning
most spells simply fizzled, but now I almost don't fail with casting. The
trick like with pdas simply is,to draw the rune not to hastily then the
recognition system can work better (old palm trick). And there seem to be
several undocumented spells, some of them are really powerful, and I
already regret to have discovered one of them. I personally now think,
after mastering it totally, that the spellcasting system in this game is
the best I've encountered so far, it definitely is interesting, although it
was a constant cause of curses in the beginning.
Dialogs:No branching... Dialogs are basically in game sequences which drive
the story. There is also dialog between NPCs like in Thief.
Crashes:Not to often on my systems but it crashes sometimes. In about 15-20
hours playtime I've encountered about three crashes so far. Although I have
the feeling the further I get into the game them shorter is the crash
frequency :-(
Bugs:I encountered several smaller ones, but none of them has been a stopper
so far.
Linearity:So far very linar, although it really doesn't feel like being on
rails, cause you always have to go back to old locations and can solve
missed puzzles there (and sometimes encounter new things just by
conincidence-I just give an unimportant example, I went back to the
starting point today because I was looking for a passage down to the fourth
floor (which wasn't there anyway). Near the starting point I went to a
firesite,I had ignited, only to find 2 goblins camping there and roasting
fish. Those goblins weren't there before, and I don't have any clue how the
got there, and they were definitely not important to the game. My personal
guess is that the fireplace was their sleeping place on their daily
schedule, or they simply were on vacation.
Problems:So far only one, but this problem also existed in Underworld. The
fights sometimes are really hectical and often you simply don't know where
the enemy is because you turned to fast, aka, the mouse -> movement
reaction is something you have to get used to there simply is some
inaccuracy there, it also could be caused by the fact that, the more
persons run around the more drops the framerate, this could be a serious
problem for slower machines, since a more intensive AI seems to kick in in
fights, the hickups during fights are more severe than during normal
gameplay.
Knight37
> I just turned the gore on [snip] There isn't to much difference,
> just more blood and you can chop body parts of, which gives kindof a
> sick comical relief when a goblin falls down and his head flies
> through the air.
Wow, this bumps Arx Fatalis up on my list. I haven't seen a good gore RPG
in a long time. :)
--
Knight37
When you look around
You can't tell me honestly
You're happy with what you see
-- Depeche Mode, "Sometimes"
Memnoch
>It's elementary, my dear Werner Purrer <we...@operamail.com>:
>
>> I just turned the gore on [snip] There isn't to much difference,
>> just more blood and you can chop body parts of, which gives kindof a
>> sick comical relief when a goblin falls down and his head flies
>> through the air.
>
>Wow, this bumps Arx Fatalis up on my list. I haven't seen a good gore RPG
>in a long time. :)
That was one of the things I liked about Die by the Sword. Perfecting
techniques to successfully amputate body parts!
Werner Purrer
>
>
> Wow, this bumps Arx Fatalis up on my list. I haven't seen a good gore RPG
> in a long time. :)
Except to much gore, it definitely isn't on Fallout 2 standards (although I
imaging one part could be rather rough), it was just a little bit
surprising to me since I thought that the blood patch didn't work and
suddenly I cut a goblin into 2 halfs with a poisoned axe.
Slappy
movie, just as long as it's being cut off? Too true.
On Sun, 07 Jul 2002 15:14:38 GMT, "joe#3838" <jo...@earthlink.net>
wrote: