Why won't I buy the game...

[rakenan]

Much as I would love at least binding spell runes to the numeric keypad so I could dial them more quickly, I also recognize that it would make the game, or at least the part that involves casting spells, *MUCH* easier and more effective.

There is a solution to this, although it would require playtesting to find the correct balance. If enabling the option to bind runes to keypad, increase the cooldown time for spellcasting, or reduce the effectiveness (and cost) of spellcasting. In DM, I don't recall any cooldown, so I would fire off spells as fast as I could find the runes - but the game was designed this way. If LoG II, + or whatever was to include this option, there is a way of balancing it. I'm not sure if there is any way to eliminate mouse for finding hidden switches, performing inventory management, etc... It would be hard to go back to pre-mouse days.

Cheers

The problem with this solution is that it is resource intensive, and Almost Human has, what, 4 people? Extensive playtesting on anything less than a completely revamped spell casting system is probably not in the cards. They don't have the resources to throw that much at a relatively minor change - at least, that would be my guess. This isn't Blizzard where the lead dev can put half a dozen interns on a tiny sub-project without diverting experienced programmers from doing core stuff.

Much as I love indie developers for their ability and willingness to make, well, games like Legend of Grimrock, I also recognize the huge advantage a big developer has when it comes to dealing with the pesky details. Having lots of minions comes in handy sometimes.

[Crash]

I was just speculating as to a possible means of addressing the OP's request, while not necessarily endorsing it, since I believe this type of game necessitates the use of a mouse. I think by saying it would require another round of playtesting and balancing, I am acknowledging the resource cost, and my personal opinion is that the developer's efforts are better spent on an editor and additional content, rather than trying to make LoG into a type of game that it isn't.

Cheers

[Thels]

It's simple: the GUI is a huge step back from Eye of the Beholder!

1. Mouse requirement. Why does LoG require a mouse? This genre does not mandate it. EotB was best played from the keyboard with two hands: one hand on the numeric keypad, navigating/dodging, the other on the WASZ+SPACE keys. Most players wouldn't know about these last ones, because they were only available if the player didn't have a mouse (or disabled it). Their function was to jump between the hands of the characters. Using both weapons of the fighter characters were only a mere 3 keypress, and a split second, no eye movement required at all. Playing LoG the player (or at least I) spend more time looking at weapon icons (while painstakingly jerking the mouse around to hit them) than the actual monster! Wanna see what the enemy is doing? Have fun positioning the mouse blindly. This alone is a dealbreaker.

2. Also, EotB had the 'M' key mapped to manipulating doors, objects, and... yes, hidden switches. And it was still a worthy quest to 'M' all the walls of a dungeon, but not cripplingly so with a mouse. (imagine if Wolfenstein 3D required a mouse to open secret walls.)

In all fairness to EoB, it came out in an era that while most users had a mouse attached to their PC, some did not. It was therefor mandatory that the game was playable without a mouse. However, the developers were quite aware that the use of the M key to tap all walls for secret buttons wasn't the optimal way, so the keyboard buttons only worked if you actually disabled the mouse, so people that were playing with the mouse had to do it the proper way. Disabling the mouse was more or less a cheat.

4. If all the above falls on deaf ears: at least add an "All Attack" on-screen button which was a new feature in EotB3, precisely because players were needlessly annoyed of the badly designed mouse-controlled GUI that LoG has faithfully reproduced...

All Attack didn't arrive until EoB3 and well, EoB3 wasn't really the best of the trilogy. Still, the All Attack button was nice, since you had 6 party members, and you could have your party members dual-wielding, so you could easily have 8 attacks, whereas LoG allows at most 4 attacks. In LoG, you'd also have to point out which of the two hands would be used for the All Attack command. Add the fact that the cooldown differs from one attack to another, makes this much less optimal for LoG than it was for EoB.

[Shismar]

I am very sad that there is no comprehensive keyboard support in LoG. This does put a noticeable damper on my enthusiasm to buy the game (which is actually the reason I came to this site). I usually play a mix of mouse and keyboard control, the later becoming more important when my wrist starts acting up.

Another big minus is the fanboy crowd infesting these forums. The sneering and condescending comments to the OPs suggestion do not bode well for the future of this game. This surely smells of a rabid mob that tries to put down any suggestions but their own in fear that someone else could find the developers ears. In this case, bad reading comprehension or purposeful misrepresentation of the OPs ideas give away the intent.

Every idea deserves to be discussed respectfully.

I'll continue to look for answers to my questions. I hope that other threads are more civilized than this one.

[cacodaemon]

I am very sad that there is no comprehensive keyboard support in LoG. This does put a noticeable damper on my enthusiasm to buy the game (which is actually the reason I came to this site). I usually play a mix of mouse and keyboard control, the later becoming more important when my wrist starts acting up.

Another big minus is the fanboy crowd infesting these forums. The sneering and condescending comments to the OPs suggestion do not bode well for the future of this game. This surely smells of a rabid mob that tries to put down any suggestions but their own in fear that someone else could find the developers ears. In this case, bad reading comprehension or purposeful misrepresentation of the OPs ideas give away the intent.

Every idea deserves to be discussed respectfully.

I'll continue to look for answers to my questions. I hope that other threads are more civilized than this one.

My guess is had the OP not come off line a whining crybaby he would not have been treated like one.

[Gabucino]

My guess is had the OP not come off line a whining crybaby he would not have been treated like one.

Dear Sir,

If you mistook my thoughts as such, then either:

- my english is quite imperfect (it is not my native tongue, so this may very well be true)
- your english is quite imperfect (I wouldn't know, nor judge)
- you have never met whining crybabies, and in this case: good for you.

[Darklord]

Ok this doesn't seem to be going anywhere...

Locked.

Daniel.