From: jferra@buscard.fidonet.org (Jim Ferraiolo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
Subject: Re: Darklands is here!!
Date: Wed, 09 Sep 92 10:57:18 EDT
Reply-To: jferra@buscard.fidonet.org (Jim Ferraiolo)
Organization: The Business Card (BBS), Lawrence, MA - Data: 508-682-5329

wyman@rtsg.mot.com (Mark S. Wyman) writes:

> gt7994a@prism.gatech.EDU (ORMOND) writes:
> 
> >>> >> >> Darklands is finally available in stores. Has anyone begun playing 
> >>> >> >
> >>> >> > [Negative comments deleted]
> >>> >> 
> >>> >>   [Positive comments deleted]
> >>> >
> >>> >    [Negative comments deleted]
> >>> 
> >>>      [Positive comments deleted]
> >>
> >>I had a fame of 350, I was NOT just killing thieves. You see, its all the 
> >>same no matter what you do in that game. You get fame, to get audiences, 
> >>to get more stupid quests, to get more fame, etc etc etc... It never 
> >>ends! I had wasted the witches at their Sabbat's, defeated the Wild  Hunt 
> >>EVERY time, beat the dragon to a pulp... Everything.. For naught.. A 
> >>waste!
> >>
> >	Dammit Jim! (I always wanted to say that! :-) ) That's your fourth
> >post bashing DL since my last login!  I mean...how do you really feel?
> >Don't hold back!  It doesn't seem logical that one would spend two weeks
> >playing a game and then launch a one-man crusade to convince everyone of
> >just how stupid that game is - who's the fool here?  Surely within those
> >fourteen days of sheer hell, you found something you liked.  Regarding the
> >ending, or lack thereof, sorry you didn't get the +5 Rubber Cookie for
> >killing the "Evil Wizard(tm)".  If you're the veteran RPG'er which you
> >profess, you'll have experienced a P&P campaign in which scenario after
> >scenario is played and the characters are eventually simply retired -
> >replaced by 1st levels.  You have that option in DL, by the way.  To top
> >it off, in another thread you call The Legend of Kyrandia wonderful and
> >have nothing but praise for it!  It probably took you three days tops to
> >solve TLoK, yet it took two weeks before you realized how much you hated
> >DL.  I'd wager if TLoK dragged out to two weeks worth of gaming, you'd 
> >get pretty damn sick of picking flowers and planting acorns!  The simple
> >fact that you fanatically bash DL while so strongly advocating TLoK speaks
> >volumes about your taste in computer games! 
> 
> >Sean Ormond
> >DL Anti-Defamation League
> >Personal Assault Dept.
> >Insert :-)'s, as needed!
> 
> >-- 
> >Sean P. Ormond
> >Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
> >uucp:	  ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt7994a
> >Internet: gt7994a@prism.gatech.edu
> 
> 
> AMEN!!!!!!!!
> 
> He may be an experienced CRPGer not a P&P RPGer :)
> 
> I would like to hear from others about possible bug problems, not
> a million posts from the same person saying "There is no plot".
> 
> Mark Wyman

Ok then.. You tell me that TLOK is NOT a linear game. I am also a P&P 
RPGer, but there has always been some goal, something you are readily 
aware of.. You know what you have to do and all you have to do is figure 
out how to do it! I do not mind that, I have played numerous RPG
's , stuck beyond your wildest dreams, but I do not give up, because:
a) I know there will be something or a way out of it
b) I know once I do get out of the jam, I will continue towards a GOAL
c) I will be congratulated at the end by a nice ending sequence.
 
Darklands has absolutely total open endedness which simply should NOT be 
in a CRPG. I am not trying to convince everyone on the net not to buy the 
game, that would be a Herculean task. But it comparing TLOK to DL, TLOK 
has better graphics, better sound, and an actual plot sprinkled with 
humor. And it wasn't too tough to beat except for the work I had to do in 
the maze. 
I said it before and I will say it again. I _LIKED_ Darklands when I 
first got it. I thought it was a good change of pace. Once you play it 
for a while, that change of pace gets to you enough so that your 
enjoyment steadily declines. "Oh,  go beat the witches south of Salzburg 
on December 25th.. " Gee, I'm in Munchen on November 19th. I think I have 
a shot!" RIGHT. I got tired of all the wandering aimlessly. Simple as 
that.

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