Dark Sun. Is it any good?

[ecliptic]

I beat the first one, loved it, and came close to beating the second, also loved it, but had a game crippling bug where one of my quest related keys just up and disappeared from my inventory.

 

[Hory]

For that matter, you can beat the game without any sort of super-party. The only reason I still theorize about it is my quest to win the final battle with all three useless NPC buddies alive and well.

I never managed this - one of them always dies.

Wow, I've barely managed to finish without one of my party members dying.

 

[Binary]

For that matter, you can beat the game without any sort of super-party. The only reason I still theorize about it is my quest to win the final battle with all three useless NPC buddies alive and well.

I never managed this - one of them always dies.

Wow, I've barely managed to finish without one of my party members dying.

I find that it's hard to get killed when the enemy doesn't see you Forgive me for not remembering the spell names, but you can cast a big cloud spell, in the middle of it place one of those entangle spells, and the enemies can be picked almost one by one

 

[Crichton]

Yeah, Dust Cloud makes the first two levels a breeze. The entangle spells are an interesting idea too, I wonder if I could keep the NPCs alive by entangling everyone (including them) sufficiently to keep them out of the way? I could, of course, use freedom of movement to keep my characters mobile.

 

[Andhaira]

Yah! binary that was one of my fave tactics in ds1; though I used stinking cloud. (the only dnd game in which the spell has been useful to me, for some reason).

Though it was not as useful in ds2; probably because the enemies were of a higher level and saving against stinking cloud was easier for 'em.

 

[Binary]

I really don't remember the name of the spell I used so it could have been stinking cloud... I remember using a cloud spell because I used it to divide the battle area in half, so that the enemy casters/archers couldn't target our party.

To get to us they had to enter the cloud, where entangle would slow them, and the occasional summon (was it the druids that summoned elementals?), our gladiator, and some spare spells would pick them one by one.

 

[gunman]

I've been following the discussions here for some months, and finally decided to register.
This thread made me download and start again DarkSun, having finished it some 12 years ago (what gaming times!). I keep restarting old games, playing several days then starting over another. For some reason I can't stand the new generation of RPG games. The most recent one that put a hook in me was Divine Divinity, chaotic combat but good atmosphere and that retro feeling.

Having said that, is DarkSun 2 worth giving a try? I remember trying it for the first time about an year ago, but it seemed too ugly to be bearable at the moment, so I quickly put an end to it. I also hear of bugs, but I suppose the last patch makes it finishable. So does it at least have an interesting storyline, or brings something new to DS 1? I also wonder why no fan-made remake for DarkSun, was it so unpopular? It looks like crap today but the story, the setting and the rules makes it more enjoyable than anything on the market in the last half decade or so.

 

[Andhaira]

gunman:

www.basiliskgames.com

Go there, download and play Eschalon.

And as to your other questions, I suggest you finish ds1, then import your party into ds2 (and yes the patch makes the game winnable)

 

[Binary]

Having said that, is DarkSun 2 worth giving a try? I remember trying it for the first time about an year ago, but it seemed too ugly to be bearable at the moment, so I quickly put an end to it. I also hear of bugs, but I suppose the last patch makes it finishable.

The game is finishable with the patch (1.1 iirc), but there are still some bugs. Expect for example some items (weapons mostly) do dissapear from your inventory. Save often!

So does it at least have an interesting storyline, or brings something new to DS 1?

As far as I know, DS2 was the first RPG to have unexpected events and u-turns. The story seems to be better than DS1 - I never got to the end though. It is one of the few RPGs I have thought it could have been a Ultima7-killer (it isn't though)

I also wonder why no fan-made remake for DarkSun, was it so unpopular? It looks like crap today but the story, the setting and the rules makes it more enjoyable than anything on the market in the last half decade or so.

There was a Darksun online, and there was (is?) a reattempt to do a remake of Darksun online. I think probably the setting doesn't please most cRPG fans and DS1+2 probably weren't much successful

 

[gunman]

gunman:

www.basiliskgames.com

Go there, download and play Eschalon.

Thanks! Played a little and it's superb for an indy game. My main concern is the combat system. Playing an archer, I can shoot until the enemy is one square away, then run in circles until the enemy remains behind at least two squares, then shoot again. Not much fun. With a melee character you need to lure one enemy at a time. You can find ways to exploit the engine, but it becames really boring. With the skill-driven development, it look like a Divine Divinity in miniature.

Binary, thanks for the hints !

 

[Gwendo]

Definitely, its combat system is it's Achilles heel. And it seems Book II will be the same. A real pity.

 

[Andhaira]

But very soon you will be fighting multiple foes, and so it will not be possible to use this 'exploit'. Furthermore, you will also come across enemieswho also use ranged attacks.