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Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:31 am

I would be in the camp of saying Eye of the Beholder would be a Dungeon Master clone. Now I never really mention that as its not a game I've been able to sink my teeth into and get much further than the first area before I lose interest. So I don't have a special love for DM where I would for EoB. But just because I didn't happen to love it enough to beat it (yet) does not mean I can't recognize what it is. We had it and I can still remember the disk label as well as my father sinking a lot of time into it. I also remember attempting it as a kid and I could not get further than the party selection area... hahha... I think that's still my problem. I know how to gather my party and get on with the game, I just can't stand how you're forced to choose your party from that selection. As a kid I didn't know what the hell was going on there, but I had no problem creating a party in Might and Magic 2 as a kid, so certainly not intuitive on that end. But as an adult with many role playing games under my belt - I can spend over an hour or more crafting my party in these games... I don't want to choose between your predetermined characters!

At least those are my overall memories. Haven't even attempted it in many years. For all I know I have the kid memories creeping into the adult ones and there's is a special way to create your own members. Either way I do know as an adult I collected my party but quickly lost all interest. But I of course remember my dad playing, mapping, and the sounds... I really remember the sounds... No doubt about it though he spent a lot more time on EoB than DM, and so have I. But I always knew what EoB was going for, even as a kid, it was certainly going after DM, and that was a very well known game then, later (on the Computer Gaming World Hall of Fame list), and today. It has always been a rare example of today's European based Amiga YouTubers actually showing off an RPG of some sort. Now they don't care enough to beat it either, but it seems to be a required game to throw in by many people.

- I've been taking a break since the music videos/article. For many reasons; but I currently have no desire to do even a small game or topic. While I am sometimes all for putting those in-between things or doing a couple in a row, for some reason I want my next game to be a big one in some way. It might not be on the Amiga and it might not even be a great game, but it's going to suck time out of me... And I've already finished half of it. Or maybe I'll edit together the TVFootball one on the Amiga, that certainly sucked a lot of time out of me... But I was so pissed off at my reward for having sucked in all this time that nobody else has ever bothered to do - That I have not bothered to really touch the footage for it. I was really excited to go that extra step further, which I did... oh, and, I'm sure you're all going to love the one and only "reward" I got for that... son of aaa.....

Or I have already uploaded but have yet to publish a guide on installing a real SCSI drive using the GVP500. It's there and it's good... But my last video was on making music on the Amiga and I just hate giving people what they want... I got a bunch of new subscribers from that video and part of me thinks its about time to release another Super8 film just to make sure I purge the ones who don't really care. :D

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intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed Apr 26, 2017 12:02 pm

DM: Putting a party together in DM is truly unique, and no doubt bizarre. It reminded me very strongly of another game very dear to my heart, but with a whole new twist on it. It forces you to map (and get used to mapping) the "Hall of Champions" so you can see who all is there to choose in the first place. By the time you've done that, you should have a pretty good handle on how to get around in DM and keep track of your progress.

I think that was probably their thinking originally, because as far as I can tell, this type of view and navigation was wholly unique in 1987 in this form and fashion.

Next: I figured you were taking a break after you released your album. That was such an outpouring of creativity, effort and dedication. Hell, you deserved a full-fledged vacation as far as I'm concerned. Good to hear from you, Shot!

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Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Wed May 10, 2017 8:18 am

Guess who's back?! I was getting tired of Intric8 having all the fun... The first GoldBox game; one of the best GoldBox games, and the Amiga has the best version. Top seller, yet underlooked. I'd say I'm a little over half done here, and this is one of the longest of the series. Haven't touched it in months, haven't touched the Amiga in over a month. Finally feeling some inspiration! Got through 3 areas yesterday. Looking forward to being able to edit this review together. It's going to be a good one!

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intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed May 10, 2017 9:02 am

PoR?! Sweet!! Looking GOOD!
I'd say I'm a little over half done here
Well, dang. You might just finish PoR before I finish Curse. You know what you're doing, though (how many times have you finished it?).

Hey - quick question. How the heck do you identify magical items properly in these games? I can detect magic and see an * next to items after a battle is done. But I can't see the typical "long sword +5" anywhere. I've been stuck in a wizard's tower for a while now and found a ton of stuff. But the only way I can see what's what is by looking at my character sheet/stats, equipping an item, then looking at the stats again. Surely there's a place somewhere I can take all of my stuff and properly identify things?

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Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Wed May 10, 2017 9:54 am

Oh, I don't know if I'll finish Pool before you finish Curse. Curse is super short compared to this one. With over half of Pool done; I'd say I'd be about to where you were after getting out of those sewers. That's like half of Curse but it would really only be clearing out the Slums in Pool; which is the very first area of a great many. I'll take a picture of all my maps to give you an idea. lol - I have finished Pool of Radiance a total of 3 times, this would be my 4th when I'm done. The first time over 15 years ago through emulation. The other times on the Amiga herself, I'd say 4 years ago was the last time.

In regards to identifying items; You have the one and only use for shops in D&D games! Go into any kind of weapon shop and have them identify your items. It will cost like 200 gold pieces per item; but it's not like there is any shortage of cash in these games. This will give you the +5's you seek. Most major cities in Curse "should" have a shop that will do this for you. I'd reckon it's the only use Hillsfar has in that game :D

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intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed May 10, 2017 10:03 am

OK cool - whenever I get out of this tower that'll be my first goal: to get things identified. I'll run down to Hap and see if that can get done. I must be getting near the bottom of this tower I'm in by now.
it's not like there is any shortage of cash in these games.
To be honest, that's probably one of my only mild criticisms of Curse. The economy system seems really out of whack. I've got so much treasure, I'm leaving stacks of thousands of coins on the floor. Everyone is completely weighted down to the max to where encumbrance is becoming a real issue. I finished many battles last night and literally just left everything behind, money and all.

I need a freaking bank account somewhere (like they have in Questron) .:)

I pretty much only take gems and jewelry at this point (in the hopes some might be magical). If I cashed them in, I'd not have anywhere to put the money. Hell, in D&D terms I'm probably a millionaire!

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Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Wed May 10, 2017 10:10 am

Secret of the Silver Blades will finally give you the bank account you seek. Still not really needed. I keep 400 platinum on my two fighters and/or paladin, and then 200 platinum on the rest of them. I have the first person in my party carry all jewelery and gems (they don't weigh you down) and I have those appraised for more in a pinch. 200 platinum equals 1000 gold, enough for each person to train. Give the regular characters more than 200 platinum or the fighters more than 400 and you will lose your speed. Never use "share" if you have an NPC, as they keep anything you give them. No way to get them moving faster until you spend their money on training them. I never bother picking up gold or any of the other ones. They really weigh you down and gold is the only one of the other types of money that is valuable. But it's not as valuable as platinum.

Might and Magic had a much better economy system.

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intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed May 10, 2017 10:18 am

Never use "share" if you have an NPC, as they keep anything you give them.
Hell, I've pretty much been trained to avoid Share and Pool. At some stage some of my loot simply disappeared when I used those tools. Now I pretty much just hand stuff out one at a time (testing weapons for their stats by a process of looking, equipping, looking again, then usually throwing away). Jeez, I must have hundreds of gems. I should look...

It's just become part of my process now. I wish we had some Identify spells/scrolls floating around somewhere. I can't wait to get back to a town!

I feel like the last time I was in a town when I went to a weapon shop, he'd only "Appraise" my gems and jewelry. Maybe not all do Identify services.

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Shot97
Detroit, MI, USA

Posted Wed May 10, 2017 10:34 am

Correct; not all the shops in Curse will identify your items. But any shop that sells weapons/armor should. Still more places in Curse than the other 3 games in this series. Pool of Radiance and Secret of the Silver Blades only has 1 single place in the entire game that will do that. Well, Pool has a bunch but all of them are located in the one area, the civilized area of Phlan. Secret has one or two in the one and only city in the game, and that's a mighty big game... Luckily there are teleports in that game. And Pools of Darkness is really, really, really weird with how it handles weapons and stuff... That game... It's going to blow your mind when you get to it.

So hey; what do you think of these HAND DRAWN MAPS?! I think I count 9 16x16 maps completed, along with a small chunk of the enormous wilderness.

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intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Wed May 10, 2017 10:48 am

That's so awesome. You should laminate those suckers! I've got a stack like that for all of the dungeons in Legacy of the Ancients. I've actually got them next to my machines now, even though I'm not playing that game. Finished it at least 4 times and those maps make me breeze right through it!

The towns/dungeons in Curse are so small (at least right now they are) I haven't found the need to write it all down. I swear, I think the tower I'm in is maybe 10x10 or smaller. The sewers required more effort.

I read about some game recently (Keef the Thief?) where hallways would go under or over other hallways to really screw with your mapping, and each wall had to be searched along the way as there were secret doors everywhere. Sounded painful...





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