The Drunken Lizard Pub

sorry.

this is so fundamental but absent. i will buy this game when/if the movement speed is quicker.

I suggest you give it some time. I think you will find its not that bad once you get into it. There is alot of fun to be had here, its not a diablo clone at all and is alot slower then that. Have you got very far in it?

Also, remember that this game is turn-based, and every move you make is a turn.

Thats a pitty you will be missing out.

I dont really understand why people want run so bad, i cant say i ever though the movement was to slow - guess thats just me.

When moving through Crakamore, press w ( autowalk key ) go and get some coffee go and watch the birds outside. Return to screen press w since a new map had been enetered, take a shower, get something to eat. Come back, now you can play again! It is much better for your health that way, you should always take a 10 minute break for each 1 hour you play in front of computer. It is not a flaw it is a feature!

I am sure that the lack of a run command is a deal breaker for some. I actually found the lack of a run command to be beneficial. I explored each area as completely as I could. I actually found items and areas going back that I had overlooked. Quick travel made traveling back and forth easier once you had initially been to the town. The portal spell , the goblin portal and the portal in Michael the priest retreat are useful. You can get around the map quickly if there ia a need. But, initially like any good adventurer you have to map out the terrain. If you think you need a run command to out distance the enemy,you do not. Your character can mostly outwalk them.

dudeman wrote:sorry.

this is so fundamental but absent. i will buy this game when/if the movement speed is quicker.

I FULLY agree and I DAMAND STRIPPERS in the Tavern or I will refuse to buy the game also..... . ...No wait I already did - DAMN!!!!

O.k then I REFUSE to play the game until a patch is made to allow this....?...! BUGGER I've already played the game ????

Well I REFUSE to ENJOY the game..!...!..? Bloody hell I did - I'm DOOMED I loved it.


fundamental my hairy BUTT and I don't believe you anyway even if it was implemented

Still, the strippers would be cool.

Yay +1 for strippers!

I have to admit that, though I love the game, the movement is sometimes a wee bit slow for my liking. Perhaps a Teleport spell/feature that could help move you to another part of a mapped area and speed up the process???

Nova you are from ridge? I grew up there...cool.

The movement speed is incredibly slow, it's true. It's single-handedly what's preventing me from purchasing the full game. An auto-walk is nice, but it does nothing to solve the problem; it still takes entirely too long to get anywhere. Turn-based does not factor into it; some turn-based games are so fast as to be like real-time, and some are glacial in speed. A teleport spell wouldn't do any good; I'm not worried about the amount of time it takes me to get to wherever I'm going, I'm worried about the amount of time it takes me to get to the next screen.

There's a theory of game design called "Sandwich game play". It refers to elements of a game which encourage or all but require the gamer to be doing something else (for example, make a sandwich) while he waits for something to happen in-game. This is Poor Game Design. Does your character have to sit down for ten minutes after battle to regenerate his mana? Go make a sandwich. Do you have a quest that requires you to wait for a certain time on an in-game day/night cycle with no time-skip functionality? Sandwich gameplay. Do you have to include a movement toggle because players can't be expected to hold a button for that long? Sandwich gameplay.

This isn't an issue inherent to turn-based gaming, nor is it a problem with not having a long enough attention span. If I am playing a video game, is it so unreasonable to expect that the game give me something to play with?

Nothing complicated is required, just a 1x/2x animation speed toggle. Zip around out of combat, move at the (very smooth) 1x speed in close-quarters combat, and there should be no BAAAAAAAWing about infringement on somebody's attempt to play the game on a "purist" level, because if you don't feel like you want to get anything done in the game today, you never have to press that toggle.

Too bad thats whats keeping you from the game because I think you are missing an excellent game. The game is not diablo, or a fast action rpg...it takes time. Its the speed the game goes at....and it does not take forever to reach one area to the next....

I'm astounded by the amount of "expert" game designers that come on and talk about poor game design.

The problem is not comparing Eschalon to Diablo.

The problem is comparing Eschalon to the old-school games that inspired it. None of them play this slowly. Ultima and Wizardry weren't this slow. Console derivatives like Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy weren't this slow. PC derivatives like the Gold Box games and Realmz weren't this slow. Contemporary retro-RPGs like Avernum 5 aren't this slow either.

I should highlight the console derivatives for a second, actually, because a decent chunk of the potential audience for spiffy retro-RPGs like Eschalon probably play old console RPGs every so often -- on emulators with speed-up functions. So they are used to a remarkably fast pacing and very little "sandwich time" at all. That may be "unrealistic" but it is nonetheless a fact of the retro-RPG audience.

You know this all reminds me of another game - People whined about a no save option and refused to buy the game till it was implemented - then when it was implemented did any of those dozen or more complainers even buy the game - NO .