Arcanum Arcanum is, by far, one of the worst *games* I've ever played... emphasis on "game" and not "RPG"

[FeelTheRads]

All good games have combat that can be exploited.

It seems inevitable that a complex enough system will have issues. And that's fine, really.

With that in mind, getting back to magic... I think it would've been so much better if they made more spells usable outside of combat or support spells rather than direct damage or buffs/debuffs. The ones that are there unfortunately don't have that many uses. Conjure Spirit could've been so much better, for example. See Contents too could've also been integrated into quests. Body Of Air instead of lockpick to get into houses? Why not?

 

[thesheeep]

Tech is the best way of playing Arcanum. You actually have to think a bit and looking for schematics and components is actually fun. Nobody should believe those who tell you that the best way is mage with harm...and then complain the game is shit because you spam 1 spell over and over again.

The problem is just that almost all schematics are totally useless.
Take that spider-robot-thing (what was the name?). If you build it early, it really rocks. Build it later, though and it is almost useless.
It simply doesn't scale as you level up, and that is the biggest problem with the schematics stuff in Arcanum.
The guns are useful, as you get better in shooting, same with grenades. But everything else? Meh...

My feeling playing techies was always a pretty large disappointment.
Which is why a dumb overpowered barbarian is really the only valid thing to play.

 

[Sjukob]

I don't understand people saying guns are good . My neutral warrior was much more fearsome with his bare hands than my sharpshooter with elephant gun .

 

[thesheeep]

Guns are good. They are certainly not the best, though.
But that is something I like, you can basically choose to play something more challenging by picking a different "class". I prefer that to "everything is equally good" design.

Great.
I know what I'll have to replay soon... This is worse than talking about System Shock 2.

 

[Sigourn]

Have you read this thread that I posted to you earlier?
http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...multiple-characters-in-an-rpg-larping.106393/

Oh, I hadn't noticed it. I'm reading it right now.

EDIT:

To be honest, I don't think you can truly roleplay a character in ANY computer RPG. You have a set of limitations put forward by the game itself. Some games are much better (Fallout, Arcanum), some are much worse (Fallout 3, Skyrim). When I mean limitations, I say it in both ways: realistically, a character shouldn't be able to do everything in one playthrough. Yet at the same time, the game can't address for every possible idea the player thinks of. I read someone roleplayed an archeologist in Morrowind. Just how do you do that? Enter the tombs, explore but not take anything? Sure, it's "entertaining", but a real archeologist does much more, and Morrowind just doesn't offer you the tools needed to make that experience believable and entertaining. A DM (and I talk out of my ass since I've never played p&p RPGs) could actually give you an incentive because the game takes place in our imaginations and you can do almost everything you want to.

About the topic in that discussion: you can try to roleplay multiple characters at once (like I mentioned, I don't think it is truly possible to accurately roleplay even one character in a videogame). Whether you enjoy it or not is another issue, frankly.

EDIT 2:

Post number 11 on that thread by shihonage exemplifies what I mean. Except I don't consider any cRPG to be a true RPG, since for every build you can correctly roleplay in a game (mercenary in Fallout), you have thousands you can't (roleplay a doctor that cures people, a toilet repairman, and so on). You can LARP both of those (use a stimpak on a sick person and watch as he isn't cured at all, use a Doctor's Bag on a cripple and see him limp for eternity), but can't actually roleplay those roles.

I'm not suggesting cRPGs are not fun, but everyone who thinks they are true RPGs are kidding themselves, fuck I kid myself before typing this out and thinking things logically.

 

[Lhynn]

Mage with anything is just boring. Even just a regular melee character (no inclination towards either tech or magic) is way more fun.

Melee with time and electric magic was hella fun, a tank that could slow down time and destroy everything in his path. Plus there were some nice magical items around to find.

 

[Baron Dupek]

I don't understand people saying guns are good

 

[Fowyr]

Oh, I hadn't noticed it. I'm reading it right now.
To be honest, I don't think you can truly roleplay a character in ANY computer RPG.

Newsflash, you can't "truly roleplay" a character in PnP as well. Say to your DM that you want to smell flowers instead of exploring dungeon because you are druid. See how long it takes him to deposit you in the said dungeon using giant flytraps.
That's why I would rather DM party of power gamers while having hangover and using some inane system like FATAL or, hell, Ponyfinder, than DM party of "true roleplayers". You are so annoying.

 

[Sigourn]

Newsflash, you can't "truly roleplay" a character in PnP as well. Say to your DM that you want to smell flowers instead of exploring dungeon because you are druid. See how long it takes him to deposit you in the said dungeon using giant flytraps.
That's why I would rather DM party of power gamers while having hangover and using some inane system like FATAL or, hell, Ponyfinder, than DM party of "true roleplayers". You are so annoying.

Well, what a shit game.

 

[Fowyr]

Well, what a shit game.

Quod erat demonstrandum. Larpers never change.
I can only add that your DM crafted this dungeon for several weeks and it had challenges specially made for druid. Ungrateful whelp.

 

[Sigourn]

Quod erat demonstrandum. Larpers never change.
I can only add that your DM crafted this dungeon for several weeks and it had challenges specially made for druid. Ungrateful whelp.

Nah, I don't LARP. I think it's retarded, if I'm going to use my imagination to achieve what can't be achieved in a game I may as well write a book.

That said, a DM could very well allow you to do what you want it, even if very, very rarely.

 

[Diggfinger]

Gothic melee combat is excellent. Strong player skill involvement but also great sense of progression. Find other ARPGs that get that right.

Dark Souls

 

[Diggfinger]

lmao, troika drones on life support

Bethesda loverS: Go suck cow tits.

Arcanum is 2nd best game of all time after Fallout 1. Jason Anderson should rule teh universe.

Thread clozed.

Yes, not liking arcanum means you like bethesda games. Great logic.

 

[kwanzabot]

All good games have combat that can be exploited.

It seems inevitable that a complex enough system will have issues. And that's fine, really.

With that in mind, getting back to magic... I think it would've been so much better if they made more spells usable outside of combat or support spells rather than direct damage or buffs/debuffs. The ones that are there unfortunately don't have that many uses. Conjure Spirit could've been so much better, for example. See Contents too could've also been integrated into quests. Body Of Air instead of lockpick to get into houses? Why not?

good thing retards like you are sitting in mom's basement and not designing games then

 

[Fowyr]

I just finished my second playthrough of Arcanum. Gorgoth is hilarious, he devoured ten or twelve lizard carcasses until I met Kerghan.

 

[vortex]

Could one make a viable mage/tech build ?

 

[Delterius]

Anything is viable tbh.

 

[A user named cat]

Arcanum sucks? What?

 

[Xor]

Could one make a viable mage/tech build ?

Depends on your definition of "viable". It certainly wouldn't be very good, but you could probably beat the game with just about any build because Arcanum is really easy. For spells, you're relying on things that don't depend on magic aptitude, and there aren't many of those - the summon school comes to mind, as well as utilities like teleport, and not much else. For tech, you can't use the best items because your tech aptitude isn't high enough. You can still craft things like explosives, though. Your best bet would probably be maxing charisma, gathering a shitload of followers, summoning an ogre, and using buff spells (which will suck) and tech buffs on your allies while they kill everything. You'll be gimped on xp since you won't be doing any damage, though.

 

[Daemongar]

Actually, I just went ahead and started playing this character with 6 st, 9 dex, 16 beauty, etc. What a fucking nightmare. The first 9 levels so far had to be put in combat skills (Str/Dex/Combat) just to make even the simplest battle doable. Even with this, I have to get 12 points in Dex to get 3 points in combat. With 2 points in combat, I hit about 25% of the time on level 4 creatures.

At some point, maybe around level 20 I can start customizing my character, but trying to keep the NPCs alive is getting on my nerves. Here is a breakdown of fights:
* Virgil runs into the middle of fights and dies. I had to drop him from my party to make it through Schuylers, because he would not stop running into the middle while enemies started approaching me. I can't understand why that dwarf doesn't do this buy Virgil does. I now left that area and have gone to the "rat warehouse" and Virgil runs into the middle of the f-ing room and agros EVERYTHING. He won't let me kite, or attack the closest - he runs to the middle of the room. Now I have to drop him again... can't get rid of him, because I can't heal.
* In many fights, Virgil doesn't heal me and I die. No idea why he stops.
* Virgil or I crit ourselves unconscious, scar myself, drop weapon, break armor, or something equally stupid. Now I have a 11 Dex and the 8 required for my sword. You'd think it would stop. Fuck.

The thing that really sucks about trying to be creative in your design: you really have to invest your initial points in combat or magic. You can't start by being creative, or you'll just have to reinvest in a more painful manner. Since you get most xps by combat, combat becomes horrific, only relieved a little bit with each level up.

Combat got you down? Well, since you have a 9 Dex, it will be 4 levels until you can add that point to combat. Sorry, loser.

 

[Ninjerk]

Confirmed 0/10, worst game ever.

 

[vortex]

Depends on your definition of "viable". It certainly wouldn't be very good, but you could probably beat the game with just about any build because Arcanum is really easy.

That is capable to cheese everything and that is fun to play.

 

[Trashos]

....

I agree that non-controllable companions are often iinfuriating both in Arcanum and the Fallouts. You have some options though with "Back away" etc to control their behaviour. These options don't work perfectly, but sometimes they solve the problem.

On the other hand, did you get anyone else as a companion? There are much better tanks than Virgil, and you can get one in the first village you visit.

Since you are playing with a high beauty/ low combat skills character, it makes sense that you will have to depend on your companions in combat situations.

 

[Daemongar]

On the other hand, did you get anyone else as a companion? There are much better tanks than Virgil, and you can get one in the first village you visit.
Since you are playing with a high beauty/ low combat skills character, it makes sense that you will have to depend on your companions in combat situations.

Yeah. I got Sogg - he critted himself to death against some Kite Scouts in the first battle we faced.

I just created a Half-Orc. Gave him two points in melee, high Dex. Was level 5 in 30 or so minutes and on my way to Tarrant. Just beat up the gate guards. Almost feels like a completely different game. Virgil and Sogg almost never crit themselves, and I don't think I have once. Wondering if the companions skills in combat are based off of my skills or something. Virgil is the same level, same skills, but in my bad class creation, he can't hit anything. In this run through, he still can't hit, but he's not killing himself.

 

[aweigh]

why is having to invest initial points into combat skills equal non-creativity? i don't understand

the game has to be deep enough in the nature of its gameplay mechanics and how they interact with each other that every choice, such as which combat skill to boost, is meaningful.

if this is not ocurring and the choices are not meaningful (as is being implied by the person here) then what's the point of playing? the only choices that matter are the emergent choices the player makes based off necessity; one shaped by the underlying game systems.

choices made that alter story branches or alter rewards or dialog are mostly useless and are not a part of what makes an RPG an RPG. if that is your thing go read a book instead you'll feel much better. these type of choices can add a lot of immersion and flavor and add replayability but ONLY if they are added AFTER the underlying systems are as rock-solid as possible: i.e. the game features mechanics that will create fun gameplay 30 years later after its release.

the rpg game designer should never focus first on story shit; if that is the priority then please do not make an rpg and instead make a game that lends itself better to the literary like text adventures / adventure games.