♥♥♥♥ this game is garbage

[Treetop69]

Lets see;

Ducats so scarce that spending them feels more like "unlocking an ability" than buying gear. It feels like saving talent points to unlock the "brigaindine armor" ability. It does not help that vendors have VERY limited goods, in NON unlimited amounts. So you always feel broke or fearful to buy anything.

Traps. Traps ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ everwhere. The devs really like to make every other hex a 13dmg+posion trap. Then they want to make you spend multiple turns detecting, and disarming them, while the enemy hits you with magic and aarows and bolts!

As if the traps arent enough, then you get into the "survival" quests. The Dwarf Game, the Gladiators in Menbilla, the Baroness Timer. You pit the player vs much higher strength enemies, in situations that heavily favor the enemy and punish the player.

It feels excessivly hard, and this is coming from a Demon Souls/Dark Souls player. This is not difficulty via stratagey or skill, this is difficulty via burden of knowledge and rote memorization.


One of the first things i do on any new battle now is just suicide right away. Find out where the traps are (they are there, you just cant see them) and how badly each enemy is going to rape me. Then reload and take my first "real" try.

Often i find myself exposing all the traps, then screen shotting the game. alt tabbing, and making a cheat sheet in MS paint.

Then you have the segments where it forces you to go match after match without resting, all vs enemies HEAVILY slated to kill you, in trap filled tight areas. It is enough to make me rage-uninstall the game.



I really wanted to like this game, almost like a fantasy skinned x-com meets rpg. But the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ traps are gamebreakingly bad.


You need to raise a spell up ino lvl 10-13 to get the lvl 1 version of the spell to not fail more than 20% of the time. so you are casting lvl 1 spells at 13 skill points (when lvl 3 spells become avalible)

and when a spell fails? ohh boy. thats a wasted turn, and turns are SO SO SO precious.... you can not squander them finding traps with perception, you also cant bother to put points INTO perception to begin with, you need Body Control to not slip and fall and get knocked down by dwarvs with aarows.

you need will power to not get raped by wounding enemies and weapons

You need Balm of Healing/Posion cure/Fastnessof Body on one support guy to help keep the dwarf fighter healthy and buffs.

the fire mage can only really go DPS, hits for marginally more than the fighters, can miss, and can ONLY do their spells a maximum of twice in a single match... man i have never before seen mages be worse than fighters in fantasy games, but HERE IT IS



I could go on and on, this is just the tip of a very large iceberg.

[Phantus]

I've beat this game 3 times on various difficulties and various classes. It's just a matter of creating a balanced party. Don't look to be good at everything, just what your class dictates. Don't waste points on abilities you'll never use. Money becomes a non-issue later in the game. Focus on killing one enemy at a time and you should be able to muddle your way through it. I had my magic using characters also levle up in Crossbow/Bow so they cold continue to be effective from a distance without having to cast spells every turn. Much like Dark Souls, it's a matter of learning from your mistakes and having the perseverance to try again. Good luck.

[DANK EMPIRAR]

Ew, I've played JRPGs like what the OP describes, do not want.

[Treetop69]

Honk, it takes a combination of 3 different main abilitys as well as a points into the spell in order ot get a spells sucess rate ABOVE 60%.

every spell has its own set of abilitys, so you cant just make a generic mage. if you make an Agility, Dexterity, Consitution mage then you can use the 2 fire spells, and the armor spell. If you go Intuition, Inteligence, and Charisma, then you get the heal spell. but no damage spells.


it turns mages into a game of balancing 5 stats that you need at 10-13 and 3 or 4 spells with matching stats to get them above 70% chance to og off.

[imminence]

Well, the OP does not like the game, so what?

As posted some months ago, when the game was "early access", I have the opinion, too, that the devs really love to frustrate the player during the first two chapters.

Of course there are many ways to overcome all the nonsens with traps, poisons, ever hitting and dodging enemies and so on. But is it fun? For me it feels more like work to reach chapter 3.

Difficulty and challenge are ok and badly needed in a time of so called "games for the casual gamer". But aren't there better ways of design than just to overpower the enemy and give any thinkable disadvantage to the player?

All in all I consider the game as "good", but it could be "great", if the "die-hard-menthality" of some devs wouldn't have that strong impact.

BTW, I realized, that the OP seems not to have the slightest idea of the ruleset and the game mechanics. For this kind of player ... well, there are other games :)

[Rannell]

The issue I see here is that the game is different enough compared to similar games that it can be frustrating. The learning curve is a little high, but to me that's the fun of it.

One of the main things that you state about your frustration is all the traps. Make anyone in your party a bow person, level up perception on that character because it gives a bonus to ranged and alakazam you have someone who can see all the traps for you.

With all the things that you are frustrated with I would suggest 2 things. Do expert mode when creating your character so you have more control of your build and also the tooltips will better help you understand how things work. Also lower the difficulty until you get the hang of it.

I dunno I just hate to see you waste the opportunity to play such a fun game. Lastly X-COM is too high of a standard against this game. X-COM is a game that would contend for the best of the last 10 years, or possibly longer. I have 100% of the achievements so I agree with you on your opinion of X-COM.

[guruhuyu]

Originally posted by madaje7117:

The issue I see here is that the game is different enough compared to similar games that it can be frustrating.

Absolutly agree with that. Disappointment out of wrong expectations doesn't mean at all, that the game is bad. Where is the point in the trap detection skill, if it not had to be used? There is no achievement for leveling it up... Limitations in AP, money and goods make you think how to use them. Hit and miss discussions have been on this forum since EA, it gets kind of boring... Why would anyone not always use special skills, if they had no downside. What would weapon proficiencies be good for? In short: Removing all the obstacles the OP mentioned means making lot's of Blackguards rules and concepts obsolete.
Btw, I wonder why OP likes Darksouls then: Most enemies are overpowered, rare resources (leveling up / upgrading soon gets expensive). A least there is no poisoning (Blight be wrong with that:). So challenging realtime rpgs like darksouls are o.k., and challenging tactical rpgs aren't? Thanks for sharing your taste.

[Treetop69]

Originally posted by illustrious.jfunk:

lol @ "Dark Souls, so I know difficulty". Typical modern gamer. Anything without an "autowin" button to too difficult.

You know you can use a skill to detect traps right? Oh, you didn't read the manual or pay attenion to the tutorial so you have no idea how to actually play the game?

Never disarmed a single trap in the game...just don't run over them. Beat at least 80% of the battles on first try. Never had to attempt a single one more than 4 times. This game isn't that hard, you just need a three digit IQ.

Whats that? Wasting turns and AP on perception to first sense, then another set of AP to disarm the traps while the enemy mage drinks unlimited Astral Pots and spams 17 dmg fireballs without ever failing?

Whats that, you did not disarm them and instead walked into them and learned via rote memorization where they are? Go you. Thats not fun, nor difficult, it is monotonous.

I am also nearly 3 and have been gaming since Pong. Go play battletoads and do the jetbike level 1000 times as a kid, then come back without the attitude kiddo.

[Treetop69]

Originally posted by imminence:

Well, the OP does not like the game, so what?

As posted some months ago, when the game was "early access", I have the opinion, too, that the devs really love to frustrate the player during the first two chapters.

Of course there are many ways to overcome all the nonsens with traps, poisons, ever hitting and dodging enemies and so on. But is it fun? For me it feels more like work to reach chapter 3.

Difficulty and challenge are ok and badly needed in a time of so called "games for the casual gamer". But aren't there better ways of design than just to overpower the enemy and give any thinkable disadvantage to the player?

All in all I consider the game as "good", but it could be "great", if the "die-hard-menthality" of some devs wouldn't have that strong impact.

BTW, I realized, that the OP seems not to have the slightest idea of the ruleset and the game mechanics. For this kind of player ... well, there are other games :)

this post says it perfectly i feel. Its like they dont want it to be difficult but fun, they just want it to be so against the player in ways that you do NOT have the AP to handle yet.

An example is giving you the "dwarf games" where you go through 3 maps rapid fire, and at the end face two high level dwarvs. One has a poison mace, the other has a crossbow that hits for like 10dmg and knocks whoever he shoots down EVERY SINGLE TIME. I went in with 10 Body Control for my whole party, no help. they still just tip over.

i wait and come back with a party of 4, rather than 3, still no help. one guy tanks the mace, another guy just stands and refalls over, and my last 2 guys try to burst the crossbow guy down. Then he pulls out 20hp pots, 3 or 4 of them, one after the other. The same pots that cost me 25 ducats to buy (out of my 100 or so ducats gathered and saved. see how it feels like an unlock and not a purchase at a store?)


http://i.imgur.com/ZVtRTv1.jpg


♥♥♥♥ like pic related is rampant. Each of those is INVISIBLE when it starts, they all hit for 15 or so dmg and posion you for about 6 turns, for 6 or so dmg a turn. That is 45+ damage.

Your guys only have avg 30hp.

[Treetop69]

Originally posted by madaje7117:

The issue I see here is that the game is different enough compared to similar games that it can be frustrating. The learning curve is a little high, but to me that's the fun of it.

One of the main things that you state about your frustration is all the traps. Make anyone in your party a bow person, level up perception on that character because it gives a bonus to ranged and alakazam you have someone who can see all the traps for you.

With all the things that you are frustrated with I would suggest 2 things. Do expert mode when creating your character so you have more control of your build and also the tooltips will better help you understand how things work. Also lower the difficulty until you get the hang of it.

I dunno I just hate to see you waste the opportunity to play such a fun game. Lastly X-COM is too high of a standard against this game. X-COM is a game that would contend for the best of the last 10 years, or possibly longer. I have 100% of the achievements so I agree with you on your opinion of X-COM.

my part is as follows

PC: Support/Archer. Heavy use of Target Shot and Hawkeye, can also do Heal/Posion/Armor buffs.
Zubaran: fire mage. fire dmg spell, crossbows, magic res/dispell, and the aching limbs he has
Naurim: 1h mace/axe and sheild, going for tanky front liner to soak. heavy metal armor all over.
Archer girl: 2nd archer, similar to PC, only with move quick.


Opening turn, PC/Archer girl both armor/move quick the dwarf, the mage mag res him. Dwarf runs forward and soaks 8 enemys as they surround him.

Mage drops aoes, PC/archer girl hawkeye then turret, mage auto shoots after out of mana.

PC saves mana for heals for dwarf, outside of buffs in the start.

worked no problem against most things, save for ALL OF THE ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ STATUS DEBUFFS, TRAPS, KNOCKDOWNS, AND INFINITE POTIONS THE AI HAS.

I can beat Xenonauts, I can beat xcom with full 2nd wave and ironman, i can beat old xcom ufo defense. But this game is just frustertaing and not fun.


By the time i have enough AP to make my guys NOT get knocked down every time they walk across a tile of water, i no longer need it and instead have a different issue.

Imagine playing an RPG, you have no armor, so the orc hits you alot. You kill the orc, you get armor, looking forward to fighting the next orc and not being hit as much, you are dismayed to find that the next orc is a fighter with a sword that ignores armor.

you kill him, take his sword, and look forward to being an armored guy fighting an armored guy and ignoring his armor, only to find the next fight is a mage who one shots you.

and when you kill the mage and get his magic resistance necklace? no more mages, now the problem is archers who kite you in your heavy armor.

the game gives you loot and rewards, and then INSTANTLY MAKES THOSE REWARDS MOOT BY THROWING A DIFFERENT CHALLANGE AT YOU. never giving you a break...

[illustrious.jfunk]

Originally posted by Treetop69:

Whats that? Wasting turns and AP on perception to first sense, then another set of AP to disarm the traps while the enemy mage drinks unlimited Astral Pots and spams 17 dmg fireballs without ever failing?

Whats that, you did not disarm them and instead walked into them and learned via rote memorization where they are? Go you. Thats not fun, nor difficult, it is monotonous.

I am also nearly 3 and have been gaming since Pong. Go play battletoads and do the jetbike level 1000 times as a kid, then come back without the attitude kiddo.

The sad part is that you clearly equate twitch reflex tests with "difficulty", but something that makes you think beyond bashing a button over and over again is "too difficult".

Why is it that you think your only options are to disarm traps or walking into them? You know you can walk AROUND them right? YOU are the fool that walks into the traps and memorizes the map instead of USING THE MECHANICS PROVIDED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. Take 1 second to click the Perception skill, then AVOID the traps. You're not having fun because you're playing this game like an idiot. I don't know if you're actually an idiot, but you certainly play Blackguards like one.

My man, if you can't beat the vast majority of the battles in this game without repeatedly trying them on easy or normal difficulty, you suck at basic problem solving. Best stick to your action/arcade games...afterall repeatedly mashing the "X" button certainly doesn't suffer from the monotony of this game. :-/

[Treetop69]

Twitch Reflexs is not hard?
Citation: Jet Pilots(military), any pro-sport, any olympic sport, the list goes on.


Having traps placed in my path, that i can only avoid via rote memorization and trial-and-error, is not fun. If there was a valid way to find them ahead of time, sure(its called detect trap i most other games, and most other games give you enough points to get it as well as something else to keep yourself viable. they dont punish you into incompetence for branching out)

Trine 2 is a game with dificulty, but its not monotonous. You just need to solve the platformer puzzles to advance.

I can not afford to dump 13 skill points into perception, 13 skill points into trap removal, and still have enough AP to have that person be combat viable.

if i do dedicate them to trap detection and removal, then for the first 30% of the game i am running a 2 man party.

you tell me to walk around them, i ask you, when they are all invisible how do you avoid them WHEN THEY COAT THE ENTIRE MAP TO AN EXCESSSIVE DEGREE.

http://i.imgur.com/ZVtRTv1.jpg

i walk around, i ♥♥♥♥ up on purpose, i learn where they are at, then i screenshot it and use it as a legend to avoid them. the other options are;

1) use perception, soak hits from 2 archers and a mage, 10 10 and 17 dmg respectivly (37/45 of my main guys hp)

2) after perception, cant disarm these paticular traps

3) deal with traps.


There is no dodge skill for them, no reflex save, nothing, there is 65% chance my cure posion goes off, an 90% chjance my heal goes off (and i have seen my heal fail 4 turns in a row)



You can not possibly defend this as good design. It is garbage design at best.

[illustrious.jfunk]

Originally posted by Treetop69:

Having traps placed in my path, that i can only avoid via rote memorization and trial-and-error, is not fun. If there was a valid way to find them ahead of time, sure(its called detect trap i most other games

I can not afford to dump 13 skill points into perception, 13 skill points into trap removal, and still have enough AP to have that person be combat viable.

you tell me to walk around them, i ask you, when they are all invisible how do you avoid them WHEN THEY COAT THE ENTIRE MAP TO AN EXCESSSIVE DEGREE.

i walk around, i ♥♥♥♥ up on purpose, i learn where they are at, then i screenshot it and use it as a legend to avoid them. the other options are;

1) use perception, soak hits from 2 archers and a mage, 10 10 and 17 dmg respectivly (37/45 of my main guys hp)

2) after perception, cant disarm these paticular traps

3) deal with traps.

Holy cow, you are truly daft.

You do not need to disarm the traps. Just detect them with perception and then walk around them.

This takes ONE action of ONE character at the start of the combat. You do not need 13 in Perception early in the game, because the traps aren't that high of a level. You only need to raise it gradually as you advance the game. There are PLENTY of AP in this game to max out tons of skills on each of your characters.

You are the only fool that deliberately walks into the traps then uses a map to avoid them. YOU are the one making the game tedious and monotonous because you're playing it like an idiot. The game developers are not making you do this. Nobody else does this. It's just you, my man. Level perception on one of your characters....see all traps. Wow, what a revelation...it's so unfortunate that only certified geniuses can figure out that incredibly difficult puzzle.

[Treetop69]

i have perception to 10.

it does not find them

13 is the next threshold.



The game also breaks its own rules. As an example, the level right before this has traps in a pattern around a middle tile. If you find the middle tile, you can tell where the traps are without uncovering them.

Then on this level, they add an independant extra trap RIGHT in the spot you would have walked in the level previous. After using this configuration i am willing to bet that these traps will not be used anymore, as i have beaten that one. The next time will be traps, but breaking all the trap rules established so far.


That way, by always breaking the rules of a game, you can always trick the player into failing.


Imagine if you played Mario, and one time instead of making you big, mushrooms killed you.

That is ♥♥♥♥ design. just like this is.

[illustrious.jfunk]

Originally posted by Treetop69:

i have perception to 10.

it does not find them

13 is the next threshold.



The game also breaks its own rules. As an example, the level right before this has traps in a pattern around a middle tile. If you find the middle tile, you can tell where the traps are without uncovering them.

Then on this level, they add an independant extra trap RIGHT in the spot you would have walked in the level previous. After using this configuration i am willing to bet that these traps will not be used anymore, as i have beaten that one. The next time will be traps, but breaking all the trap rules established so far.


That way, by always breaking the rules of a game, you can always trick the player into failing.


Imagine if you played Mario, and one time instead of making you big, mushrooms killed you.

That is ♥♥♥♥ design. just like this is.

Yes, and at that point in the game you've had PLENTY of time to get it to 13 without any of your primary skills suffering.

The "middle" tile you're referring to is a visible pressure plate, not some hidden secret. Why would you be running to step on a blank tile and think it would do the same thing a visible pressure plate did previously? Stepping on it activates the traps, it doesn't just show them. You can use these to cause the traps to fire and hit enemies a second time that are standing on one of the trap spots.

Again, these things are not mystical trial and error requiring puzzles as you make them out to be. You're either incredibly imperceptive (did you actually not notice that those tiles were not blank?), being deliberately daft for the lols, or this type of game really is too mentally challenging for you.

I assure you, many, many people have somehow managed to beat this game without going through the insane, illogical steps you're taking. Your approach to this game is bizarre and inexplicable. You're trying to cut wood with a hammer and blaming the lumber yard for your difficulties.

[Treetop69]

Map 1) pressur eplates that reveal the traps tied to them, and show you safe tiles. Activate all plates one time to see the traps.

Map 2) right after establishing how the traps work, do the exat same thing but add a 2nd set of invisible trap right in the middle of the "safe path" thus tricking the player into walking into them.


do you not see how they violate their own rule?

i also have been STRAPPED for AP. i have done every side quest i found. as an example, my PC has 11 in Fastness of Body, Cure, Witches Spit, Posion Cure, Hawkeye, Lightning Find You, with a 14 in bows, a 8 in spears, a 10 in body control, an 8 in will power, and a 13-14 in the 4 skills relevant to my ♥♥♥♥ with a 10 in the rest.

My other guys are similar.

Only the archer girl i got from the forest has any points into perception, and hers are almost as equally tied up with other things.