Malevolence

[Nefaro]

Anyone see this indie turn/tile-based RPG went open beta?

http://www.malevolencegame.com/index.html

Looks like they have the full game up for a demo (just no save available in it), so I'll go check it out.  Might scratch ye olde M&M/Wizardry/Bard's Tale itch, especially since it says something about the campaign world being infinite with, supposedly, lots of stuff to find in it.  I've been pining over a new explore & fight type like this since purchasing Legend of Grimrock and being let down by it's big focus on annoying puzzle traps.

Decidedly indie-ish, but hopefully it has the goods under the hood.

[tgb]

$25 seems a little steep, given indie game prices these days, but I'll check it out.

[Nefaro]

I haven't found a screen resolution setting anywhere but it looks to be attempting to stretch way too far on mine.   :-\

I can see that there is potential in this thing but it's still rather rough & probably still needs more additions.

[magnus]

 I tried it but it was too old style for my taste. As you said it is rough around the edges.

Sometimes going back in time with games just doesn't work out well.

My experience with this one was like going back to my childhood and remembering why I hate circus peanuts.

[son_of_montfort]

I haven't found a screen resolution setting anywhere but it looks to be attempting to stretch way too far on mine.   :-\

I can see that there is potential in this thing but it's still rather rough & probably still needs more additions.

Yeah, this was a major problem for me too. It has a lot of potential and the dev team seem to be working very hard on improvements. I was in on the Kickstarter and have purposely stayed away due to some of the work that needs to get finished before I really sink time into it.

[Huw the Poo]

Hey, I almost skipped over this one, but none of you guys mentioned the persistent (and infinite) world!  Now I'm intrigued!  Downloading....

[Nefaro]

Regarding looks, their outdoor terrain looks pretty fugly.  But the dungeons look decent. 

I like the features list, even though a sizable chunk of it isn't in yet.  I also read some thing about the pseudo-online aspect of the game allowing some indirect interaction and randomly located stuff to be in the same place for everyone.  I guess the world's built as someone is tearing off into uncharted land, and all his/her new discoveries' locations are uploaded to the server, to extend the map for all?  Interesting stuff.

I'd say the turn- & tile-based gameplay, at the heart of the system, is what pulls me in the most.  As mentioned, it obviously doesn't focus on ridiculous traps like Grimlock but instead on exploring the unknown (and looting & pillaging it!).  So I may even donate early despite key features not even being in.  Sounds like they're currently working on magic item properties and that sounds like it would be a big step toward filling in their unfinished content.  I don't often toss money at an Alpha but I like what I'm seeing despite it being ugly in some parts and incomplete.

[Rayfer]

As others have mentioned it has a Grimlock look to it....and therein lies my concern.  I was so looking forward to Grimlock only to be let down big time with its endless head-scratching puzzles.

[Huw the Poo]

Are the puzzles in Grimrock really that bad?  It's on my wish list but I'm being seriously put off here...

[Gusington]

Thanks for posting Nefaro, I like the look of it. Is there any kind of plot to it yet?

[Rayfer]

Are the puzzles in Grimrock really that bad?  It's on my wish list but I'm being seriously put off here...

Well...to each his own, I'm sure there are those who loved them.  I was looking more for a dungeon exploration/monster bashing type game with rpg and story elements, but each level except the first couple were one long, confusing puzzle.....I was finding myself going online to get the solutions so after about the 6th level or so I gave up and moved on.  Again, others find that sort of gaming a lot of fun and a challenge, but not me.

[Huw the Poo]

I was looking more for a dungeon exploration/monster bashing type game with rpg and story elements

Me too, and that's what I thought Grimrock would be.

but each level except the first couple were one long, confusing puzzle

Well, that pretty much tells me all I need to know - and has saved me some money!  Thanks Rayfer.

[Nefaro]

Are the puzzles in Grimrock really that bad?  It's on my wish list but I'm being seriously put off here...

Yes.. they are IMO.  Grimrock looked like the kind of Explore & Hack dungeon crawl I enjoy, but it quickly devolves into too many annoying puzzles.

Thanks for posting Nefaro, I like the look of it. Is there any kind of plot to it yet?

There's not really any plot that I can see right now.  There are books you can find as loot, with various stories, or parts of stories, regarding some sense of lore.  But you're generally just exploring, killing, and looting.  Which is fine with me. 

I don't think I could currently recommend people run out and buy Malevolence, as it's not feature complete in many ways.  But it's obvious that the developers are emphasizing the kind of dungeon crawling I enjoy.  As SOM mentioned, they're moving at a decent pace with the game's development, so I decided to adopt a bit early.   A couple gameplay sessions have been a bit enjoyable, at least for the dungeon crawling aspect, despite current content limits.  I probably won't play it a whole lot until they get a couple more systems implemented such as the upcoming magic items stuff, and a more intricate spellcasting system.

[Yskonyn]

Intrigued by Malevolence.
Even if its not reallt feature complete yet, I do see the potential of the game.
There is one thing that bothers me, though; with the world being infinite I am afraid it will take away from the sense of being a hero character. because nothing really has any lasting effect on the world.
There is no story and definately no end.

[Toonces]

I downloaded it just now (haven't installed yet) to try the demo.  While I was waiting for the download to finish I went to their forums and browsed around a bit.

One thing I just do not like in games, any game, is when the developers brag about how hard the game is, or how much you're going to die in the game, or any iteration of that kind of stuff.

I was going to post a rant, but I realize now I don't feel like it.  Can one of you guys fill in my rant for me?