Castle Paradox

[Leo]

The thing about the graphics is that when we started the game it was just an experiment. But when it starded to be a serious rpg, it was a little to late for a graphics reform. For example, all of the pallete colors are used on some npc so we can't reserve one for a dark line around the characters.

What is that horrible thing about the battles, by the way? You just say they're horrible, but is it the graphics or the balance?

As to the "strategy", it was kind of a joke. I have only updated it twice or so...

And the game itself isn't really 2 GB, the .zip contains VDMS as most people require it to play anyway.
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[Uncommon]

A better idea than including VDMS with your game, since a lot of people already have it, is to put a link to its gamelist entry in your description or where ever you're plugging your game.

That way, when people want to download any new updates, they won't have to download some random megabyte that they don't need anyway.

[Sparoku]

[Leo]

The game wasn't originally meant for Castle Paradox at least not the Swedish version. So it was easier to just include VDMS.

And the graphics aren't that terrible. We know we can't do exellent pixel graphics so we decided to make it more old-school style. Agree that it's better with good conventionalized* graphics than a fruitless attempt of shadings and stuff. We kind of like this style...

*I don't know if that word means what I think it means, directly from the wordlist...
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[Uncommon]

Whether it was "meant" for CP or not, it's just a suggestion for the next update.

[Leo]

Um... Sorry if I'm updating the game to often but I realized I should make the battles easier after playing it through once more.
I also made it possible to continue to the unfinished land of Hogland where everyone speak Swedish (with all the scandinavian letters messed up).
I also removed VDMS from the english version, so now it's just 800 kB or something.
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[Joe Man]

[Leo]

I did remove VDMS and balance the battles a bit. The problem with battle balance in this game is that the world map is so small so it either has to be balanced in the start and extremely easy after a while or extremely difficult in the start and balanced later. If you know what I mean...
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[Joe Man]

GAMES START EASY, AND GRADUALLY GET HARDER.

It's a simple rule, and should be simple to follow. Do something like, say, set up the battle maps so that certain areas have harder battles giving more experience. Also, you shouldn't be so stingy about spells. Spells and abilities are what make an RPG battle fun, like the abilities you gain in a platformer like Banjo-Kazooie.

Really. If the map is too small to have different areas, make more non-random battles that start easy and get harder.
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Last edited by Joe Man on Fri Dec 13, 1957 1:21 am; edited 2,892 time in total

[Uncommon]

I'm gonna be nitpicky with semantics here because with such a poorly worded phrase like that, you're only going to confuse the kid.

GAMES SHOULDN'T START EASY AND GET GRADUALLY HARDER.
not that way, at least

The way an RPG should be balanced (take note of that word, "balance"; note it's relation to the word "equilibrium") is so that the enemies will rise to the challenge of your higher levels as you progress. Not in such a way that levelling-up becomes pointless (final fantasy 8 comes to mind), but in a way that there will be a constant challenge.

If you're battles can be described as "easy" in any point of your game, you've failed, unless that battle was supposed to have no challenge at all (ie. ziegfried from final fantasy 6) or you're trying to let the player get a hang of the system (which is best an optional battle instead of what you put in the first dungeon).

Forget "easy". Forget "difficult".
The key words are "balance" and "challenge".

[Sephyroth]

Battle do inevitably get harder has the game progresses. A balanced battle where each hero has 10 abilities should be much harder than a balanced battle where each hero has 1 ability. A boss shouldn't be able to kill a hero in one hit when the player doesn't have and couldn't possibly have attained any items/abilities to bring heroes back to life.
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[Joe Man]

[Leo]

I can see the point in what you say, but I have actually never found battles in RPGs that amusing. They have always been an irritating break in the game when you just want to continue the roleplaying.
I guess thats why we didn't put that much effort into the battles and more into well written textboxes.
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[Uncommon]

...
...
...

Congratulations, Leo, you fail at game design. :(

[Leo]

A elegant, yet subtle remark, Uncommon. I most heartily thank you!
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