Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post - Dungeon Lords review... first thoughts, possible spoilers

Bungleau · 05-13-2005, 01:33 AM

I installed DL and immediately got the patch before trying to play. After the things I'd heard, I really didn't want to run without it, frankly.

That being said, it was quite a pleasant surprise! You start off in the same place as the demo, only with far fewer monsters than the demo. Quite handy, really. The interface was roughly the same (as you might expect), and things like gamma are now properly implemented. I have to say I bumped up my gamma from the default of 1 to around 2. I just like to be able to see what's going on, in all honesty. I know they're the sewers, but... c'mon, I don't need *that* much realism!

The User's Manual can be called the First Tome of Misinformation. It addresses things that apparently didn't make the cutoff to the release (like character portraits and such) and also skips things that did (like the Fool heraldic trait for new characters). So take what it says with a grain of salt...

First thing I noticed: skills cost a LOT more than in the demo! There, everything started at 500 points. Only my primary skills started there; Int was almost five times higher! Makes deciding what you're going to learn more important, really.

Second thing: I had some minor graphics glitches with a flickering mouse box and lots of black screen time while waiting for things to load. Fortunately, the flicker still works when lockpicking...

One big bummer: I didn't start with a bow. Man, was I excited when I finally found one! They are still worth it

One minor change to skills: there are still prerequisites (like light armor 3 before you can get medium armor). However, your skill can't exceed your prerequisite. So you can't get medium armor 4 until you've got light armor 4. That will certainly delay leveling up...

Critters can drop the nether katals now... things like rat tails and bat wings have come around so far. Originally attached to rats and bats, of course. We'll see what other things show up.

I did discover a hidden passage that may have been there in the demo. It led to a treasure room with a sewer key, which unlocked many doors. Quite a handy critter, actually.

So far, I'm enjoying the game. Skill development, like W&W, will be a major part of gameplay. I haven't determined what the good path is yet... I'm still a little scatterbrained.

Oh, and the lockpicking skill is still very, very important

I'm tired. It's late. More after I get a chance to play later.

05-13-2005, 01:33 AM	#1
Bungleau 40th Level Warrior Join Date: October 29, 2001 Location: Western Wilds of Michigan Posts: 11,752	I installed DL and immediately got the patch before trying to play. After the things I'd heard, I really didn't want to run without it, frankly. That being said, it was quite a pleasant surprise! You start off in the same place as the demo, only with far fewer monsters than the demo. Quite handy, really. The interface was roughly the same (as you might expect), and things like gamma are now properly implemented. I have to say I bumped up my gamma from the default of 1 to around 2. I just like to be able to see what's going on, in all honesty. I know they're the sewers, but... c'mon, I don't need that much realism! The User's Manual can be called the First Tome of Misinformation. It addresses things that apparently didn't make the cutoff to the release (like character portraits and such) and also skips things that did (like the Fool heraldic trait for new characters). So take what it says with a grain of salt... First thing I noticed: skills cost a LOT more than in the demo! There, everything started at 500 points. Only my primary skills started there; Int was almost five times higher! Makes deciding what you're going to learn more important, really. Second thing: I had some minor graphics glitches with a flickering mouse box and lots of black screen time while waiting for things to load. Fortunately, the flicker still works when lockpicking... One big bummer: I didn't start with a bow. Man, was I excited when I finally found one! They are still worth it One minor change to skills: there are still prerequisites (like light armor 3 before you can get medium armor). However, your skill can't exceed your prerequisite. So you can't get medium armor 4 until you've got light armor 4. That will certainly delay leveling up... Critters can drop the nether katals now... things like rat tails and bat wings have come around so far. Originally attached to rats and bats, of course. We'll see what other things show up. I did discover a hidden passage that may have been there in the demo. It led to a treasure room with a sewer key, which unlocked many doors. Quite a handy critter, actually. So far, I'm enjoying the game. Skill development, like W&W, will be a major part of gameplay. I haven't determined what the good path is yet... I'm still a little scatterbrained. Oh, and the lockpicking skill is still very, very important I'm tired. It's late. More after I get a chance to play later. __________________ B Save Early, Save Often Save Before, Save After Two-Star General, Spelling Soldiers -+-+-+ Give 'em a hug one more time. It might be the last.