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Author Topic: Drakensang: The Dark Eye  (Read 35841 times)
Yoru
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on: December 26, 2008, 07:58:05 AM

I was poking around for new PC-RPGs to play the other day and remembered Drakensang - a German RPG franchise being given the Tron treatment by a German game developer. It apparently released in Germany early in the fall season this year, and an English version will be coming out in a month or two.

They've also recently released a demo in English (500MB), which I decided to try out yesterday. Personally, I was less than impressed.

The graphics and environments (well, the two that I saw) are pretty good. Major characters are voice-acted, at least to some degree - in the demo, they'll speak their first lines and then lip-sync the rest with accompanying text.

The game itself is obviously and deeply informed by MMOs. You run around with either point-to-click movement or WASD, and can move the camera independently of your characters. Combat basically means autoattacking and hitting hotkeys to queue up actions, which then execute over a short number of combat ticks. Kill things, get loot and XP.

I can't really judge the quality of the quests, as I didn't get too far into the game. This was largely the fault of the interface and partly the fault of my character creation choices. The interface, while MMO-like, feels pretty clunky. I had a hard time getting moves properly queued up in combat for chain execution. Movement and camera manipulation feel clumsy. Target selection requires you to click directly on the target, which can be a problem in crowded forest areas or indoors.

Also, I chose a spellcaster straight off, and I expect this made combat a good deal more difficult than a basic fighter character. I had no armor and a weak weapon, so enemies chewed me up pretty easily. Once I picked up a hireling to tank, things got a bit easier, but not by much.

The description of DSA's magic system (DSA being the PnP RPG system on which the game is based) made me think the spell effects would be neat and flashy, with cool verbal and somatic components. In the game, your dude points his finger at something and a stream of particles comes out. Red-orange streams for fire, white streams for lightning. Whee.

I think the demo is probably worth playing for PC-RPG enthusiasts, but I doubt it'd be worth it for the general population. Perhaps some of our German posters have played farther into the game and can shed some light into the bits that I didn't bother trying out (e.g. alchemy/crafting).

Edit: tidying up.
« Last Edit: December 26, 2008, 08:19:29 AM by Yoru »
stray
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Reply #1 on: December 26, 2008, 08:08:16 AM

The artwork is actually kind of cool. Almost Team Fortress like...except Fantasy. Or maybe I should say a little whimsical like Bard's Tale. I like fantasy that looks like this.

MMO-like though...? Bleh.

[edit] As an aside, I expect this from typical users, but why the fuck do people RAR video files? The shit is already compressed!

I see a lot of Europeans do this too. They can't seem to get enough of RAR over there, apparently.
« Last Edit: December 26, 2008, 08:26:17 AM by Stray »
Tebonas
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Reply #2 on: December 26, 2008, 03:29:38 PM

I didn't dislike it, but then I'm an oldschool RPG enthusiast. And that is basically what I got. Also, I may be biased because I played DSA in the past, and had quite a few "Been there, cool to finally see it in picture" moments.

I always go melee/healer, so the combat system didn't bother me. You can do all tradeskills, because you don't need the tradeskillers in you party, they can do their thing in your homebase. I didn't bother with most of them, you find better stuff. The interface could be better, but I played it directly after the Witcher (pre-patch) and compared to that I felt elated with the experience. Some very stupid design decisions, though. Worst of all the fact that you can't reenter most areas after you finished their part of the main quest and left them. Pretty basic story which can't compare to the aforementioned game. Nothing to write home about, I didn't waste another thought on it after finishing it. Definitely nothing for two playthroughs. Solid workmanship, but no jawdropping "This is so cool" moments.

Yoru
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Reply #3 on: December 26, 2008, 08:33:10 PM

I tried it again, this time as a melee character, and the game was - surprise surprise - a whole lot easier. I also figured out how to control my party better, so there was less main-character-gets-raped-while-hirelings-stand-around shittiness. That said, I still feel the UI is a bit clunky, and I still have no idea what all the stats on my weapons meant.

It seemed solid, if relatively uninspired. I'd say it's something like the drunken lovechild of WOW, NWN and Baldur's Gate. If you really wanted to see an RPG system like the Black Isle Baldur's Gate games in an engine that was a mishmash of WOW's over-the-shoulder Actiony-MMO with some of the party aspects and questing of NWN, you should try this game out.

I'll probably be giving it a pass unless I find it in a €5 bargain bin somewhere.
schild
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Reply #4 on: February 26, 2009, 02:31:26 PM

Lum clued me in that this is a continuation of a hardcore german series from Back in The Day.

Either way, this shit is HARD TO THE CORE.

Due to it's budget price, I could not help myself and I fear I will sink many, many hours into it. I like the art direction a good deal, it's well-written, and there's more to do than even Bethesda could possibly come up with. I am stoked.

What say you? Anyone else playing? Do want to talk about it.
Hindenburg
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Itto


Reply #5 on: February 26, 2009, 02:40:48 PM

Hardcore in what sense? Dick in a meatgrinder?

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schild
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Reply #6 on: February 26, 2009, 02:42:24 PM

Hardcore in what sense?

Very stat heavy, tons and tons and tons of shit to do, difficulty is harder than normal, there's a bunch of classes (A BUNCH) and they're all quite different once you get into the nitty gritty.

Here, I'll put it this way, I can't even pick a class to play from beginning to end. The amount of content is freaking daunting.

On the bright side, it runs like a dream, looks great, and has made me put down The Witcher.
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Reply #7 on: February 26, 2009, 02:53:25 PM

Because at f.13 we also provide links.

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Yoru
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Reply #8 on: February 26, 2009, 03:11:37 PM

We also search for threads on the exact same game from two months ago. Merged.
Murgos
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Reply #9 on: February 26, 2009, 03:17:51 PM

I played some of the Realms of Arkania stuff waaaay back when.  It wasn't great.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that this one comes out more, uh, engrossing.

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Reply #10 on: February 26, 2009, 03:37:17 PM

I might have to radicalthon this. I survived the first scripted battle.

Both of my characters have broken arms and a minor gangrene infection.
Hindenburg
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Reply #11 on: February 26, 2009, 03:42:45 PM

You are aware that you could've just said that your characters can have their limbs broken and infected, and we'd all rush to buy the thing?

"Who uses Outlook anyway?  People who get what they deserve, that's who." - Ard.
schild
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Reply #12 on: February 26, 2009, 03:58:40 PM

You are aware that you could've just said that your characters can have their limbs broken and infected, and we'd all rush to buy the thing?
I couldn't hear you over the sound of my characters walking slowly and the sound of gangrene rotting my skin.

Walking speed is my number one complaint with the game atm.
Tebonas
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Reply #13 on: February 26, 2009, 10:34:27 PM

Can you return back to previous locations now?
Megrim
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Reply #14 on: February 27, 2009, 12:16:23 AM

Can you return back to previous locations now?
lol, and i was searching for a way to fast travel to locations on the minimap. Just ran through the demo, this game is impressive in the amount of character customization. Though as Yoru said in the initial post, i think this will appeal in the majority to rpg-enthusiasts. Which is fine for me because i think i'll be picking this game up.

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Mrbloodworth
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Reply #15 on: February 27, 2009, 07:18:56 AM

Multiplayer?

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Yoru
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Reply #16 on: February 27, 2009, 10:26:20 AM

Mrbloodworth
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Reply #17 on: February 27, 2009, 10:47:20 AM

Bummer.

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Sky
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Reply #18 on: February 27, 2009, 11:25:05 AM

Ah, finally released? I'm on it. I'm an eastern euro rpg lovah. Played at least one of the RoA games back in the day, but remember very little about it.
FatuousTwat
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Reply #19 on: February 27, 2009, 05:19:23 PM

Thank you for bringing this to my attention, it is relevant to my interests.

Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?
schild
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Reply #20 on: February 27, 2009, 05:36:04 PM

I need a runspeed mod. Someone make one. With double the runspeed I'd be playing this 4+ hours a night. >_<
ffc
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Reply #21 on: February 28, 2009, 11:45:56 AM

You are aware that you could've just said that your characters can have their limbs broken and infected, and we'd all rush to buy the thing?

Heard about this game, ignored it, but now I'm interested again.
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Reply #22 on: February 28, 2009, 12:14:01 PM

I need a runspeed mod. Someone make one. With double the runspeed I'd be playing this 4+ hours a night. >_<

I found this with info on editing the save game file to increase the run speed.  It seems to work.

I like this game and for some reason I'm fascinated with the name generator.
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Reply #23 on: March 01, 2009, 08:47:13 AM

I need a runspeed mod. Someone make one. With double the runspeed I'd be playing this 4+ hours a night. >_<

I found this with info on editing the save game file to increase the run speed.  It seems to work.

I like this game and for some reason I'm fascinated with the name generator.

sigh. tht sounds overly complicated, shouldnt' there be a universal default run speed value we can just edit? This game looks nice , but 15 min into the game and I felt reallllllllllllly sleepy. I made a big burly pirate. Gona go 2 hand axes to smash harder since defense doesn't really matter much.  Ohhhhh, I see.

and how do u detect traps btw? I gave the amazon trap skill but we kept tripping on them in the first dungeon.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2009, 08:53:26 AM by rk47 »

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Hindenburg
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Reply #24 on: March 01, 2009, 10:12:23 AM

Takes about 10 seconds using the save editor they linked.
Run speed 5.5 seems a tad fast. 4 should be better.

Make sure to apply to the whole party.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2009, 10:16:21 AM by Itto »

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NiX
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Reply #25 on: March 01, 2009, 10:16:13 AM

Takes about 10 seconds using the save editor they linked.
10 seconds!? Far too long.
GenVec
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Reply #26 on: March 01, 2009, 01:24:04 PM

Disclaimer: I'm only halfway through the game.

It seems i'm in the minority here, but I find the game to be pretty dreadful. Never having played RoA or "Der Auger Schwarz" or whatever the hell it is, the rule system is pretty esoteric, though that's really the least of the game's problems. I won't hesitate to say that it has the worst voice acting I have ever encountered, seemingly styling every character as a drunken yokel, weird child (see the drunken apprentices from the demo), or over-the-top harbinger of doom. Even by the standards of European dubbing, it shatters my immersion; the evil sorcerer's lines are delivered like he's Wizard NoHeart. It would have been much better if there was an option to keep the original German voice acting, with English subtitles.

The 'high fantasy' of it all is also a little mind-boggling. My character is on the "Dragon Quest" for the "Dragon Oracle" to find the "Dragon Armor" and stop the "Dragon cult" from dragon dragon dragon. A succession of buttery innkeeps, stubborn dwarves, mysterious elves and charming rogues makes the game world a generic fantasy land with utterly forgettable characters. Presumably my lack of familiarity with the Dark Eye might have something to do with this, but I was similarly unfamiliar with the world of the Witcher, or even Forgotten Realms when BG came out, and I found those games to both be very immersive. A lack of dialogue choices (or any story choice at all, seemingly) means that you'll be playing Constance McGoodheart from start to finish. There are one or two exceptions to this, such as whether you want to side with one trading company or another, but they seem mostly cosmetic.

The final nail in Drakensang's coffin is the combat. Though I find it challenging (possibly because I am utterly clueless towards the game system and may have created a total gimp), the lack of collision detection means that every battle is inevitably a mad dash to keep the more lightly-armored characters out of reach of swarms of enemies. The lack of a "taunt" skill makes this even more frustrating.

If anything this game reminds me of Chapter 1 from NWN2. Sixty hours of autumn-colored countryside and harvest fairs, and you've got Drakensang.
 

« Last Edit: March 01, 2009, 01:55:46 PM by GenVec »
Hindenburg
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Reply #27 on: March 01, 2009, 01:29:55 PM

with gangrene.

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rk47
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Reply #28 on: March 01, 2009, 05:30:41 PM

Takes about 10 seconds using the save editor they linked.
Run speed 5.5 seems a tad fast. 4 should be better.

Make sure to apply to the whole party.

hmmm ok ! looks good. Too bad I can't swim across a small stream, seems silly having to circle around to find the path into the town. And what's with the barrel smashing even in towns. Wth are these devs thinking? Why can't I open it up like a normal person?

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Reply #29 on: March 01, 2009, 06:03:21 PM

This is much better.
rk47
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Reply #30 on: March 01, 2009, 11:34:42 PM

Too bad, as far as replayability goes, it's not really a lot. It suffers due to the small gameworld, most of the social skills you pick hardly make a difference (Oh, milk the shit out of the rogue in the first town. PICKPOCKET EVERYONE!). I created a charlatan to see how the first part of the game goes and noticed very minor differences except I wave my hand and make pretty sparks before faceplanting in 3 hits instead of being the god of melee when I played a Pirate.

Edit:
Y'know fuck it, I'll just be blunt, this game's writing is really amazing. Although I could've sworn I read it before in a less darker tone. Just these out.

« Last Edit: March 02, 2009, 03:39:07 AM by rk47 »

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vex
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Reply #31 on: March 02, 2009, 04:56:15 AM


Y'know fuck it, I'll just be blunt, this game's writing is really amazing. Although I could've sworn I read it before in a less darker tone. Just these out.

Well done.
ffc
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Reply #32 on: March 02, 2009, 12:11:29 PM

I was going to Radicalthon my playtime with Drakensang but I might not last very long. 

[C]harming rogues makes the game world a generic fantasy land with utterly forgettable characters.

You mean like this Rogue_01?



Nonsense!
raydeen
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Reply #33 on: March 02, 2009, 02:22:11 PM

"Inconceivable" was the word that sprang to my mind.  awesome, for real

I was drinking when I wrote this, so sue me if it goes astray.
ffc
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Reply #34 on: March 02, 2009, 04:59:55 PM

"Inconceivable" was the word that sprang to my mind.  awesome, for real

Nice.
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