I just don't know what to make of this game...

[tigersfan]

Missions - These things are REALLY subjective. Seriously, some folks absolutely LOVE every mission type. And others absolutely LOATHE them. Quite frankly, this is perfectly fine, since the game goes out of the way to make sure that you aren't forced to play the mission styles you don't like. That said, we love specific feedback about specific improvements we can make.

I mentioned in another thread that all the missions I had available to me (4 of 4) were anachronism missions, which I was having problems with. Is there a convenient way to swap or wait them out that I missed?

If you have other things you want to do, they will eventually expire. Or if you have the sunrise or nightfall spells, casting those will speed up time and bring you closer to the missions expiration.

Also, if you are getting all missions the same, are you still running on version 1.0? If so, you should update your game, as this won't happen with the most recent versions.

[Misery]

If you have other things you want to do, they will eventually expire. Or if you have the sunrise or nightfall spells, casting those will speed up time and bring you closer to the missions expiration.

......you might wanna consider mentioning this in the tutorial or somewhere in the encyclopedia or..... I dunno, somewhere.   I dont recall hearing about it in-game anywhere.

I had NO idea this was doable, and I wish I had known, because it woulda helped immensely.   

Now that I DO know I'll be using those 2 spells for that very reason.

[tigersfan]

If you have other things you want to do, they will eventually expire. Or if you have the sunrise or nightfall spells, casting those will speed up time and bring you closer to the missions expiration.

......you might wanna consider mentioning this in the tutorial or somewhere in the encyclopedia or..... I dunno, somewhere.   I dont recall hearing about it in-game anywhere.

I had NO idea this was doable, and I wish I had known, because it woulda helped immensely.   

Now that I DO know I'll be using those 2 spells for that very reason.

Fair point. I'll add that today.

[Misery]

Gee, that sure was fast.

More reason why you guys are such great devs    I swear, few developers CARE as much as you guys seem to.

[The Wuggly Ump]

I agree with pretty much everything the OP says, with the semi-exception of the combat - while I agree with the points individually, the combat still feels fun to me despite those complaints. It helps that the platforming is so good - in my opinion it's the most polished aspect of the game, which is actually kinda odd since this game wasn't always a platformer.

Oh, and I guess I disagree about the music, but that's a pretty subjective. It doesn't give me headaches like the graphics, I just prefer listening to stuff that's a bit more ambient (when exploring) or catchy (when fighting).

[PatDay]

The comments about the light source:
I could certainly tell it was a specific decision by the Arcen to make light sources a tactic choice - Use light enchants or cast spells.

What I'm saying it's that it's a bogus choice. "Well, you can either see what you're doing or be forced to constantly cast light spells." That's a pretty weak in my opinion.

That's way I made my suggestion. Not because I couldn't grasp the designer's concept

Here's a suggestion that is a "real" choice - Passive spells. I think it would be pretty sweet if certain spells, like light, are made into passive spells that can be switched on or off. If you chose to enable light, a small amount of your mana is made unavailable until you disable it again.

This opens up possibility for other neat spells like defense, group buffs, etc.

Just a thought.

[zebramatt]

Yes but part of my point was that the bogus 'other option' is my preferred choice! So not so bogus for me, then. 

[postmanmanman]

Yes but part of my point was that the bogus 'other option' is my preferred choice! So not so bogus for me, then. 

How? Do you enjoy mashing a button to repeatedly lay down light spells? Is that engaging somehow?

Ugh, I foresee another issue that reminds me of EYE: the fans are too dedicated to admit the game's not, well, all that great. It has issues. A number of forum-ers here have said they like the graphics, but that's because you're clearly Arcen fans. If you want, I'll make a little poll on a bunch of other forums I regular and we'll see just how many people like the graphics. Same thing with the dumb light mechanics. There's no good reason for them.

Of course there's not going to be many dissenting opinions here, you're all dedicated fans. If Arcen really wants feedback, they need to go somewhere unbiased.

Anyways, I think I might buy the game right now to get that 10% off deal. I do still love parts of the game, obviously.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Yes but part of my point was that the bogus 'other option' is my preferred choice! So not so bogus for me, then. 

How? Do you enjoy mashing a button to repeatedly lay down light spells? Is that engaging somehow?

Ugh, I foresee another issue that reminds me of EYE: the fans are too dedicated to admit the game's not, well, all that great. It has issues. A number of forum-ers here have said they like the graphics, but that's because you're clearly Arcen fans. If you want, I'll make a little poll on a bunch of other forums I regular and we'll see just how many people like the graphics. Same thing with the dumb light mechanics. There's no good reason for them.

Of course there's not going to be many dissenting opinions here, you're all dedicated fans. If Arcen really wants feedback, they need to go somewhere unbiased.

Anyways, I think I might buy the game right now to get that 10% off deal. I do still love parts of the game, obviously.

There have been plenty of reviewers who are unbiased to Arcen that have said the graphic style looks good, I'm not entirely sure the point that your trying to make. Arcen can only do so much to fix and improve and at this point, spending time on the graphic style would be a bad idea.  Arcen tried again and again to make it better and to no avail.

I even pointed out in my review that the graphic style will be polarizing to people. You'll either love it or hate it and I love it. Take that for what you will.

King

[zebramatt]

@postmanmanman: I think you're barking up a rather odd tree here!

I've had to fight tooth and nail since day dot to keep the interplay of darkness and minor light spells (like ball of light) as prevalent as it is now. I find it immensely interesting and atmospheric. Chris - head of Arcen - thinks it might be interesting as a major component of future DLC (in a brand new region type or such) but right now agrees with you: eliminate the busywork, provide it as an aspect of plenty of enchants, marginalise if not remove it completely. So, far from this particular point being my brand loyalty blinding me to a crap feature, the fact that it still exists as a feature is an example of Arcen's responsiveness to the views of their playerbase (in this case me and a few others).

As for the graphics, I'm more in your camp - they hurt my brain a little - than the converse; as are a good number of dyed-in-the-wool Arcen old boys. But plenty of other people love them. Warring opinions are rife throughout the forum, especially of late - I'm not sure how you've not noticed!

Basically, the reason there's so much for some to dislike in the game is precisely because it tries to be all things for all people. Too ambitious? I don't think so. Maybe you do. The difference between us is I only presume to talk for myself - whereas you seem to be determined to represent every gamer on the planet with your own opinions.

All that said, your viewpoint (and even your snark) is appreciated probably more than you know!

[postmanmanman]

Yes but part of my point was that the bogus 'other option' is my preferred choice! So not so bogus for me, then. 

How? Do you enjoy mashing a button to repeatedly lay down light spells? Is that engaging somehow?

Ugh, I foresee another issue that reminds me of EYE: the fans are too dedicated to admit the game's not, well, all that great. It has issues. A number of forum-ers here have said they like the graphics, but that's because you're clearly Arcen fans. If you want, I'll make a little poll on a bunch of other forums I regular and we'll see just how many people like the graphics. Same thing with the dumb light mechanics. There's no good reason for them.

Of course there's not going to be many dissenting opinions here, you're all dedicated fans. If Arcen really wants feedback, they need to go somewhere unbiased.

Anyways, I think I might buy the game right now to get that 10% off deal. I do still love parts of the game, obviously.

There have been plenty of reviewers who are unbiased to Arcen that have said the graphic style looks good, I'm not entirely sure the point that your trying to make. Arcen can only do so much to fix and improve and at this point, spending time on the graphic style would be a bad idea.  Arcen tried again and again to make it better and to no avail.

I even pointed out in my review that the graphic style will be polarizing to people. You'll either love it or hate it and I love it. Take that for what you will.

King

Well, if you would kindly quote these "plenty of reviews' claiming the art is "good", then maybe I'll be convinced. I just know that every other forum and news site I go to, the first thing people say about the game is that it's ugly.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

I honestly am not going to look up each article and link it here for you.  You can, however, go to the Arcen blog here: http://arcengames.blogspot.com/and look up some of the reviews of the game and what they say. Or google search. This is actually going to be the last post I make for defending the graphics in threads like these. I've said my piece more than once on the matter and its getting tiring and unproductive. Its actually beating a horse to death. The devs have gotten plenty of positive comments. They have also heard about the negative ones too. Otherwise, if it was all negative, do you think the game would sell as well as it has or that Arcen would continue to use the graphic style?  I don't think so. Not even AAA devs would be so stupid. At this point though, they've done what they can and want to focus on more important issues, such as gameplay. I would rather time and energy was spent on making the game better, not completely revamping the game's looks.

And if it sounds like I'm being blunt, I am. I'm here on the AVWW forums to assist, talk with people and think up new ways to improve the game. The insinuation of being called a "fanboy" is insulting and not appreciated.

King