From: robtu@itx.isc.com (Rob Tulloh)
Subject: EOB II -- comments so far
Summary: not as good as DM/CSB
Keywords: EOB, DM, CSB, AD&D
Organization: Interactive Systems Corporation, Boulder, CO
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 16:52:18 GMT

Thanks to everyone who responded to my post concerning whether to buy
Black Crypt or EOB II. I caved into market availability and bought the only
thing the local Software Etc. had -- EOB II. I was kind of excited
at first, but that is starting to wear off now that I have played the
game for a few hours. Here are my opinions about EOB II so far.

+   hard disk installs (yeah!)
-   Cannot run game by double clicking on the game icon (my suped up A500
    just freezes with a black screen). I can run the game from 
    CLI (thank goodness).
-   Dungeon sound is bad. Monster noises are heard, but the sound of them is
    very inconsistent. I loved the way DM/CSB monsters were heard -- fade
    in and out, mixed sounds, etc. Gone is that nervousness which
	comes with the constant clanking of Deth Knights somewhere nearby...
-   Other sounds are inconsistent. Why do some spells make sounds only some
    of the time?
-   Characters generated to create a new party get walloped. Maybe I
    am not as good a fighter in this game as DM/CSB, but I find myself dying
    quite a bit so far.
+   Multiple saved game slots -- quick to load up too! Also, saves to
	the hard disk (very nice).
-   Keypad used for moving the party. I am right handed and the keypad and
    the mouse are too close to each other in this situation. Also, the keypad 
	makes it much too easy to mistakenly hit the wrong key. I have numerous 
	times hit the wrong key and stepped into a place where my party subsequently
    gets hacked to death (right now by those 10 zillion bloody skeletons
    in the 3rd level catacomb). I guess I just like the DM/CSB use of
	arrow keys to move and the DEL/HELP keys to change facing.
-   Monster movement is jerked and uneven. No DM 2-stepping here (at
	least by my account).
-   Monsters don't have killer instinct. Why do monsters only follow
	you a little way? In DM/CSB, you better close the door or run
	upstairs if you plan on running away to heal up. In this game, you just 
	run around a few corners and camp for 52 hours (get real). I expect to get
	hammered if I open the door on a room full of nasties, opening
	the door should flood the level with angry mobs... IMHO! Also, why
	do only a few monsters at a time come out from a room to chase you?
+/- Handling of character classes. I like the idea of characters sticking
	to pre-selected class (or classes), I don't like the way experience
	points are distributed to everyone in the party when it is primarily
	one character who does a deed (or at least this seems to be how
	it works).
+/- NPC - why do they only appear when you step into the adjacent
	square? Why can't you *hear* them rather than have your characters
	talk about hearing them? Having them in the game is kind of nice
	though. I am a little disturbed that the NPC's are higher level
	characters than heroes in my party...
+   Race/Class hints -- I like it when the dwarf notices something that
	only a dwarf would notice. I also like it when a thief points out
	something about a trap.
+/- Specialists. in DM, when I want to bash a door, I have to choose
	the strongest character and let him/her/it try to bash down a door
	or pick up a heavy object. In EOB II, this is all swept into a
	black box (the game assumes the right person for the job is chosen).
-   Secret Walls hard to find. This was bad in DM too, but in CSB, when
	you touch a fake wall, you hand passes through it. When you touch
	a real wall, you hear a thump.

These are my opinions so far. I am only a little way into the game so
far and I wonder whether I will finish it or not. Opinions anyone? 

:-) Rob
--
INTERACTIVE Systems Corp.         Tel: (512) 343 0376 Ext. 116
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games