Comments - dark_matter_mobius

I have noticed that I tend to use the armor shop, the alchemist, and the priest spell shop. The armor shop because you have 5 armor slots and you have a 1 out of 3 chance of finding armor (if I remember right), the alchemist because magic vials are deadly serious business (gotta keep your casters in the fight), and priest spells keep the party not only alive, but allow you to tackle those harder dungeons. Casting shield and resistance on all of your party members could make the difference between playing monster pinata and being a monster's pinata.

On issue #1, that did it. Can you include that suggestion in the zip? Hopefully other people will be smart enough to look for the solution, but this could end up buried.

On issue #2: Excellent, excellent.

1) I am having problems installing this on my linux machine. When I try and run it it, my comp states that it requires PyPar2. After running pypar2 I end up with a bunch of par2 files, which, I am not really able to get open (I have little experience with the Par2 utility). Any suggestions on how to get them working? I am running Ubuntu 32 bit, which might be useless information in this case (but you never know).

2) I also have a windows machine (desktop) which I am able to run hobl on. However, I am unable to get mood improving/alliance quests when I have heroes sitting on towns. I passed multiple turns with no change. I started up a new game in a different slot to verify that it wasn't an issue with that save game, and same result. I get the info screen with their relationship towards me (neutral), their enemy, and that they are having problems with monsters. What am I missing here?

P.S. When I try and install from Desura on linux (the only machine I can get internet on) I get an error message stating that my OS is not supported. I downloaded the ZIP, of course, but figured I would report that just in case it is an issue.

P.P.S. Great game by the way. I enjoy sending my heroes out and finding new stuff. I especially like the town building aspect.

I don't know if the devs are still 'haunting' the comments section, but any specific reason for the slow update?

Does anyone remember Worms? This game, while not too pleasing to my eyes, is about on par with Worms in the graphics department.

And you do need to keep the graphics just 'good enough' or it can run players out the door just as easily as bad mechanics. I recently tried to pick up an MMORPG, but the game was so horrible graphically that I put it down seconds after trying it and I'm not a graphics gamer!

As it is, I can probably stomach what you've got going for now. Depends on the animations.

I can't try this latest update out right now (due to lacking home internets), but I want to try out your job designation system asap. It sounds like an awesome system . . . Which makes me want to find all the little bugs with it. I mean, if I shift-click for a move order, will that force my guy(s) to hang out around the original spot every time I finish giving them other orders or will they try and 'complete' every move order I give (I can see both cases being handy in different scenarios)? What about shift-clicking on traders? Etc.

I completely expect the new job system will work wonderfully, I just wonder how it'll react to 'unexpected' job designations . . . And what sorts of funny bug stories I can get out of it.

Recently bought and installed 3089 for linux, but it doesn't boot when I go to launch it. Anything special Linux users have to do?

P.S. Played 3079 as well. Is it just me or is dev for this game progressing much more rapidly?

Almost seems like a 3D version of Dwarf Fortress. Is there a demo available?

So far all I can think is: Dungeon Keeper rip off? The original series had it pretty solid and the devs of this one haven't really written anything that impresses me. Pretty much sounds like they ripped story and mechanics from the original game. If somebody could post a comment/review that compared and contrasted this game vs Dungeon Keeper I'd be appreciative.

Hmmmm, seems a bit too much like DF. Can anyone who has played this tell me about some of the unique attributes of this game when compared to DF (outside of the graphical-ness, of course).

I'm tempted to buy this, but I'd like to try it out first . . . Are there any plans for a demo?

Ack! Apple has easily become more evil than Microsoft. Don't understand why anyone would buy their computers in this day and age. The dividing line (in hardware) between the three primary operating systems is being lost and its all coming down to questions of morality and what you can do with an operating system.

Apple intentionally limits what their clients can do and declares it as, "Usablity," meanwhile rendering certain popular features unusable. They used to have to charge more because there wasn't a lot of demand for their systems. They haven't changed their price despite the increase in demand, which lead them to have the biggest profit margins in the last quarter.

Absolutely despicable company.

I'd rather have Linux over any of the other systems, but its too easy to encounter difficulties and not have a lot of outside assistance for it. So, Microsoft is a good balance between usability and morality because their clients call bs on the company whenever they screw up (unlike Apple).

If you read it you'll realize the guy writing the article doesn't work on PZ fulltime. And what, you expect these guys to give up on the rest of their life to make the game?

Just because other companies pretend their employees are mindless drones that only code all day doesn't mean that's the actual situation. They're as human as the rest of us and do random goofy things when they're not working.

I think it is the amount of effort to accomplish such a task vs how much sales will go up due to it. It is far better, for the bigger game companies, to replicate old results and just add new shiny features.

Indie is the true birthplace for innovation because you HAVE to stand out and you're free to develop how you want to despite how the thing will sell. This game likely won't appeal to the large population of casual gamers out there. Even if we gave it really shiny graphics. However, I think it'll hold a place in the heart of any hardcore/DF fan once it is finished.

Went to the download page and there's nothing there. Did you take down 0.1.0 download?

I was just naming Dwarfs in Dwarf Fortress off of Bacillus today!

I am now compelled to give you moneys. Though I do have a few questions. Do we choose which species (and genera) we play as or are we forced into playing as Bacillus (subtillus)? If we do get a choice do different species (and genera) have different genus and species specific traits? IE, all Bacilli would have the capability to create endospores, but another genera would have microbial cysts and some other trait instead (since microbial cysts are kind of a step down from endospores).

If we are forced into only playing Bacillus do we get to play in any other forms? IE, with disrupting the right gene sequence, we could potentially 'play' as a spherical bacteria. Though, I'm no expert so I'm not exactly certain how that would affect gameplay, but I imagine several play styles could easily develop out of that capability and what it would entail.

Personally, I don't mind that we can place NPCs anywhere we want. I don't want to be able to place them mid-air, but I'd like to place them outdoors next to fountains and other random things. Makes me feel like I'm playing an old school Nintendo game (even more so with some of the music). :)

NPCs
Traders: Reduce # of chests generated and make it so we can't build any chests. We can buy our equipment from them which will scale in quality and price with our level (making it so those millions might be spent really quickly at higher levels). This will also partially solve infinite money issue.

Fast Travel/Portal keepers: Make it so that we can instantly travel between any location that has one of these guys available. Only one in a 1000 Tile radius.

Guards: Protects NPCs. Make it so that enemies will actively hunt NPCs making it so guards will be handy the deeper you go.

Miners: Will hunt down (either actively or via 'simulation') any resources (ie coal) they can 'get to' and then return home. If these resources are in a location where monsters are located, chance they will die. Can be 'escorted' by guards. Need to speak to in order to get resources.

Farmers: Will maintain our cash farms. Maybe make them a requirement?

Harbor master: Can repair or upgrade ships via blueprint. Takes 'time' (need to leave line of sight). Ship needs to be close enough to harbor master to be repaired. Also, add wear and tear on ships.

The issues that really need to be dealt with are: Money and Power and NPCs. Making those grab our attention will make the rest of the issues minor in comparsion.

So I started in on some elements that need some work in my review. Pretty much the game just doesn't have enough long term grab. Money and power are too easy to acquire, equipment is TOO simplified, fighting is too easy, and there are too few PC created NPCs for us to really want to make a whole bunch of towns. To fix this, I have a few suggestions.

Money and Power: 1) Make some form of limitations on structures that produce these resources by connecting them to more expensive structures (like NPCs) or actual limitations on #s. 2) Add creatures that'll actively seek and destroy farms or power plants. 3) Make them run out after X amount of time.

Equipment:
More variety, special equipment that is hard to get, and something more than 'this is better than that' equipment system. Make it so players can hoarde stuff and maybe add some sort of crafting system.

Fighting:
We need harder fights that require more complicated tactics. Also adding some level scaling might help so that we still have hard fights no matter which level we are at.

(Two parter: NPCs in next part

I also support the idea of stealth. It only makes sense that certain situations can be resolved with stealth.

Also, this is just a suggestion, but for large equipable items, such as breastplates or other such things, you'd need to knock out your intended target to actually 'pickpocket' them. In Skyrim and other such games you could steal large items that were practically straped onto a character, which, to me, just doesn't make sense.

This could also tie into quests: kidnapping or retrieval quests. You have to knock out and then transport unwilling targets.

I 100% support this project and will be buying scrumbleship asap. Not only do I like the idea, but I also like the fact that you will be providing the source code.

Are you planning on making it so players can build anything other than the ship, like stations or other random things? Ever since I've played X3 I've been a bit obsessed with more realistic economics in space sim games.

I find that strange since 3079, which was very recently released from alphafunding, had a demo long before its final release on Desura. Maybe they were grandfathered in and the issue you are encountering is a recent policy change?

To be fair DF is still in development. And to be completely fair, some of your ideas seem to be ideas Toady intends to implement down the line in DF, IE adventurers setting up their own little settlements/empires.

I think any game that happens to want to do an RPG with city building/empire building will share elements in common with Toady's dev page though (lol).

It looks sort of like Terraria . . . which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Still plenty of ways to differentiate this game from both minecraft and Terraria. Tracking.

It is too bad you couldn't incorporate the real time combat mechanics of the later versions :(.

Still, it is good to see someone working on something Might and Magic-esque :).

Just out of curiosity was some of the inspiration for this from Dwarf Fortress? Only asking because I can definitely see some similar lines of thought here.

P.S. Can't wait til this is released in an alpha :).

Can we get the ability to force NPCs to stay at our fort so we can get vendors (ie, always able to find a vendor), the ability to store/craft items (crafting based on engineering), etc eventually? Hmm, it would also be cool if we could eventually build cannons into our forts :D. Really tear up the landscape with explosions.I think all of that would be awesome to include after the items listed on this page (not in this comment) are put into place.

Though, I'll admit, can't wait to just build my own little fort.