Cepp

3 hours ago, arch_8ngel said:

Figuring how how the grinding works in Ultima is a really steep curve compared to other classic RPGs, IMO.

I don't think I've beaten any Ultima games other than Pagan, and it was much more conventional than the classics.

Yeah it's tough, almost obtuse. The series is a bit of a blindspot for me as well, but that's one of the reasons I wanted to play this really.

Ultima III is kicking my arse, it's been a very tough learning experience. I've never played an RPG where increasing your level increases your HP and no other stats while the levels of the monsters you fight do continue to increase. It has a lot of quirks, as does the NES port itself (pressing select to open the second page of your command menu?).

Still, I'm getting to grips with it now. I have a boat which has made combat a lot easier since I can funnel enemies down the two planks and I created 4 new characters to farm Gold from low levels monsters to pass on to my main party members. I did try my hand at one of the caves (the cave of fire) but had to retreat after making my way through a good chunk of the 1st floor.

I also ended up in Ambrosia with no way to return at one point (no magic keys at the time) and ended up resetting. I do have the keys now and nearly have the cash so I'll be picking up the flower to give to the girl to get the amulet that can transport you back to Lord British's castle, and then work on increasing my stats at the shrines.

Then I can try my hand at some of the caves again.

3 hours ago, Estil said:

Umm, what exactly constitutes a "dungeon crawler"?  I'll probably look/sound stupid for asking...

Just about any RPG where you spend most/all of the game making your way through dungeons killing monsters and grabbing loot.

6 hours ago, Tanooki said:

You're not alone I really want to play those old Doom/Wolf RPG games from the pre-iOS/Android days but they're just nasty to come by, emulators are garbage, and good luck getting an original phone to throw it on there as it's just not worth the harassment.  It seems just stupid and negligent on Bethesdas part who own iD now as they love to pump out mobile app games to squeeze for money or for advertising too depending.

  Yeah they're a pain. There's also different versions tailored to different phones with improved/lessened graphical quality depending on the model. I'm just glad Orcs & Elves made it to DS at least. I think part of the issue is that the devs that made them are owned by EA now but I'm sure they could work something out if they wanted to.

8 hours ago, arch_8ngel said:

There is a sci-fi crawler in the vein of Grimrock that scratches that itch...

What's the name?

double post

On 2/11/2020 at 6:32 PM, The Strangest said:

I’ve been interested in the “roots” of RPGs for awhile now and first person dungeon crawlers (Wizardry, etc.) are a favorite of mine.

The ones I’ve been playing lately are:

Wizardry 6 (PC/GOG)

Dark Spire (DS)

Orcs and Elves (DS)

I’ve also played some of the various Vita dungeon crawlers, but they haven’t hooked me as much. Maybe I’ll give them another shot. I think I’m going to get Etrian Odyssey V soon, and I’d kill for a CIB copy of Fighting Fantasy (DS).

Okay, clearly I’ve spent most of my dungeon crawling on Nintendo’s handhelds. What are some of your favorites?

Give Paper Sorcerer a try if you haven't already. It's only a couple of quid on Steam and was done by one guy.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/263560/Paper_Sorcerer/

Super fun and stylish.

As for myself, I just got done with Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers which was a blast. Not too long either at 35 hours. I really want to play DOOM RPG but I'm going to have to pick up an old phone to do it (I've tried java emulators and its just not the same).

I replaced the battery last night and everything seems to be working fine. Fingers crossed there's no further issues  

The only item I truly regret selling is Retro Game Challenge which isn't too expensive to pick up again, it's more that I sold it for very little at the time and paying more than that to rebuy it hurts.

Just now, Estil said:

Well, isn't that a JRPG?

CJRPG  

It actually would be cool to own that some day.

1 hour ago, Estil said:

But...but...the girls in many of these JRPGs are so cute though...  

There's always Knights of Xentar 

5 hours ago, arch_8ngel said:

The nice thing about crpgs is that there has been a steady flow if good content pretty much since the beginning.

And major Indies like Spiderweb have more or less maintained their classic styles through the years.

Aye, I had a great time with Paper Sorceror last year and that's under a fiver on Steam! RPGs are in a great place right now, there's actually too many for me to play.

4 hours ago, arch_8ngel said:

Wouldn't "golden age" of crpgs be contemporary to the SSI gold box games? (Also the time of Might and Magic, Wizardry, Ultima)

On a personal level its the late 90s-early 2000s for me but I've seen the 80s and late 90s be described as the first and second golden age of RPGs more than a few times

3 hours ago, Estil said:

Well isn't the 16-bit era (SNES in particular) the golden age of RPGs?

The golden age of JRPGs for sure.

It's the late 90s-early 2000s on PC.

Probably Diablo: Hellfire and my 12MB SLI Voodoo 2s.

I have far more attachment to those two (three, really) items than pretty much anything else.

11 hours ago, Californication said:

I think I will sell the game and use the $45 USPS shipping service with $1000 of insurance. It says guaranteed. 

Do customs fees get added on at the post office?

Customs fees get added in the country you're sending the package to, unless you use the eBay Global Shipping Program in which case I believe eBay charges it up front (it's one of the issues people have with it, no chance of your package slipping through with no charges if it's used).

Must admit I am tempted by the AVS. I'm using an OSSC with my RGB NES anyway but have no way to fully enjoy games like Just Breed on it.

Still playing SMT Soul Hackers and just had a brutal battle with a boss in the Algon Microelectronics building. Dude was wrecking my shit to the point I had to retreat back to base and fuse some more demons that had the required healing, buff and debuff spells to handle his attacks. I admit I got a little lazy when it came to status related spells in my pursuit of stronger demons, a mistake I won't make twice!

He's down now though, onwards and upwards  

Hmm, It's probably best that I just replace it to be on the safe side. I might start holding the rest button for this game at least as well. I do not want to get to the end of the game and lose my save heh.

Just wondering if anyone actually does this. I pulled out Ultima 3 to play on my NES the other day, deleted the old saves from the previous owner and got myself accustomed to the menus and gameplay. It saved/loaded without issue.

Yesterday I encountered a graphical glitch while playing so I turned my NES off by just pressing the power button like I've always done. I then turned it back on and my save was gone!

Could turning it off without holding reset have cause the saves to wipe? Or is it more likely just the battery finally giving out? 

Oh, I didn't know about this thread. Looking over these scores there's some good games for me to challenge.

I really enjoyed playing the demo on my friend's PS4. I don't have a console so I'll have to wait for the PC release but I love the original. I replayed it on my Vita last year and loved every second of it.

In the early 2000s I was tempted to go for a complete UK Neo Geo Pocket Color set. These days there isn't anything I'd be tempted by. I'd consider it a waste of time, money and space tbh.

Making my way through SMT: Soul Hackers. It's quite brisk and has a cool look, although I just had a slog of a fight with a demon dolphin. I'm sure there was a trick to the fight but I ended up winning via battle of attrition in the end with my magic doing no damage, my physical attacks doing very little damage and the boss spamming sleep spells until he ran out of MP.

Usually I restart, just because I don't remember where I'm at. I did carry on with my nearly 20 year old FF9 save a year or so back, but I was literally at the end boss when I put it down in 2000

Somewhat yes, space is just an issue really and I recently had to put my CRT monitor into storage (currently looking at connecting my Win 98 PC via the OSSC). There's a lot of good stuff out there that doesn't go for very much. Most Apogee stuff doesn't interest me but I would like to pick up all of Sierra's JP localisations and the Gold Box games at some point.

I'm definitley my own worst enemy when it comes to retro gaming. I'm never going to get round to playing everything I own and that does bother me. I'm actually coming round to the idea of going flashcart only or even emulation only. I can still enjoy the games and put my money to better use.