Oh, great, a wrangling
the graphics, well, is bearable.
Don't forget the system requirements for the game. The graphics are good considering this game can run on an old sys.
I ran BD on a 800mhz system (old), and yes, it's runnable, But the game is more playable on higher end spec, without the frame rate plummeting below 20. Now I am running it on a 2.0ghz system.
Arugably, Sacred got better graphics and I got it to run on the 800mhz system. So if you want to compare on a scale, BD's graphics and effects are not as impressive as Sacred. But Sacred's animation is not up to my cuts.
1) The designers have obiviously put in heart and effort to make the game more than 'hack and slash', but unfortunately hack and slash is still the optimal solution to go.
What if you're not alone in the universe? What if other people think unlike you? What if many members here bought Beyond Divinity because it was NOT hack and slash?
I never did say BD is not about hack and slash. Read my words carefully, and watch out before you stuff an entire horse into my mouth.
The designers have obiviously put in heart and effort to make the game more than 'hack and slash'BD consists of hack and slash, but the developers did try to make it more than a dungeon roam, but are not successful at that. I have more of Fallout II in mind when I stated that. See, the designer provides way to avoid H&S, but some how end up rewarding H&S acton more than the "unconventional" and "creative" methods to solve quest.
A neat diversion from the usual H&S action is the Metal Gear Solid-style sneaking on one level of the citadel. But many players have pointed out - it is frustrating, and it is even better in the long run to kill all the patrols!! You get experience, you get the freedom to roam the corridors at will and you may get some cool items!
Metal Gear Solid is a pitful excuse for a sneaker.
As that is not an objective statement, and something of an entirely of your own personal preference, yeah you are granted that. Anyway, I am not praising MGS at all. I just stating the example. Why the unwarranted Death Ray pointing at me? (Quote from Kill Bill 2 "You...Overeacted!?")
2. The Battlefields are cool concept, but sadly lacking. THe random dungeon generation code needs some tweaking - not the map-generation, but rooms-generation. The dungeons are boring. Oh, for a hack and slash portion of the game, it doesn't seem to matter, but it does. Diablo mostly features random dungeons generation, and it is really varied. You get shrines, mana pools, fountains, champion packs and objects related to the theme of the dungeon
Oh, interesting to know. I though the dungeons in Diablo were all the same. (sarcasm) Wow a fountain if mana! IT CHANGES COMPLETELY THE DUNGEON! YAAAY!(sarcasm off). Non sequitur argument: first you whine about the lack of hack and slash, then you say that there's TOO MUCH hack and slash. Are you one of those window shoppers who can't decide what they want?
I see what you say as a diverison. So here's what I meant -- The Random Dungeon Generation for the battlefields suck. There are not enough variety. I am using Diablo as a comparison of Random Dungeon Generation. If you don't like D2, well, how about Nethack? I could have pointed this out without using D2 as an example. Whatever it is, my point remains - The random dungeon generator code for the BF is not up to most games' cut.
The random dungeons in BD lacks theme. Please, if there ever is going to be a Battlefield in DD2, please make it more exciting and varied. And the monsters...if Act I mainly consists of skeletons, perhaps we shall fight less of those in the Act I Battlefields?
You were comparing the game to diablo so I'll use your comparison. When I played Diablo, I thought that the game has only two monsters: skeletons and burning skeletons. Ah, and some bosses. Diablo 2 had those annoying little red munchkins. Bad comparison again.
Diablo I or II has nothing to do with this point. In the context of BD, we are fighting a lot of skeletons in Act I, and are fighting skeletons against in the Act I BF. That's the point. The designer can consider changing the monsters in the BF so that we get a more varied H&S.
I am not comparing the game to Diablo. I am comparing the game's BF and random dungeon generation to BF.
3. The One-Handed with Shield, and One-Handed Weapon skill seperation. This may be one dead horse being pounded to death, but this seperation is one of the most insane, INSANE concept I have ever heard off. No other RPGs I know (computer or pen and paper) practise this.
Well, it meas you shall start playing more RPGs. Actually I am not surprised since you want Hack and Slash, which is a pitful excuse for RPGs (diablo and such). I give you an example: in Baldur's Gate 2, there's "Sword and Shield" skill and "One Weapon" skill.
Don't pull wool over my eyes. Baldur's Gate based on D&D system. There are no weapon skills. All classes have a THACO0 rating. If they are using weapons which they are not proeffecient with, they can't even use the weapon at all. Without the shield proeffiency, you cannot use shield at all. Weapon specialisation exists for weapons and gives bonus to the to-hit roll. There's no "Weapon Specialisation when fighting with Shield" and "Weapon Specialisation when fighting without shield".
There are no skills in Baldur's Gate II. There are in NWN because NWN is D20 and based on the D&D 3rd edition rules. And even now there's no weapon skill, only feats to increase the attack rating of weapons. Whether you use a shield or not those feats work.
How do I know all this? I am a certified DM for D&D!
4. Lack of information does not make a game challenging. Some games, such as FF, thinks to by leaving out information about spells and etc and let the players find out by trial and error makes the game 'challenging'. I don't agree. Sure, the manual describes the spells. But what about Alchemly and Charms?
Comparing to FF, but FF isn't the only game. Take Wizardry or Might and Magic: when you mix a potion, it's never identified and you have to test it yourself.
Did M&M and Wizardy teaches you how to mix a potion in the first place?
There are a lot more I could raise up -- improving the AI of the 'other' party member so that they don't have to be babysitted all the time.
Spare me.
You are having a bad day, whether you are denying it or not. You are over-reacting. I am just raising certain aspects of Diablo in comparison to BD and you are accusing me of comparing the game with Diablo? You are over-reacting.
