Grimrock

Mychaelh wrote:It's all about the need to concentrate on the runes and switch away awareness from the surroundings for a moment.
Casting strong spells needs practice and sometimes fails. But it's not the game RNG, that makes the determination here.
It's all about your own ability 'to pull the stunt'.
That is good game mechanic design and not bad UI design.

Exactly this. I think people have become spoiled by the "recent" fantasy games development. I mean, it's not like DM/EotB created that casting system because there was no other way. Look at "Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny"/ "DSA:Schicksalsklinge", which had been released only one year after EotB. They had a "quick cast" system. Then again, the RoA/DSA games had a whole different combat system altogether. Removing the mechanic to manually choose the runes for every cast is like removing the mechanic to only walk in squares. It IS not the most efficient way, or the most fun way. But it is part of the game's mechanics and part of which the game's mechanics (e.g. AI) are designed around. It is what makes LoG, EotB, DM and all those games what they are. It's their flavour and appeal.

If there's something I'd actually would want to change, then that LoG seems to save input when moving. Going one square ahead than intended (or running against a wall) happened to me so often it's getting annoying. And that is not a game mechanic. That is - what I'd call - input sensitivity. I release the button and my characters should stop moving. But THAT is a big difference to the magic system.
If you want to easy-cast, I'd suggest WoW. They've got shortcuts.

Same here, I'm against an "easy casting" way.
Having to run around monsters while casting is part of the fun, even if it ends up with a wrong spell or my death.

Because complaining for that compares to complaining for real time action VS turn based. It's the same, you could just argue that moving AND clicking your weapons is boring and ask for a pause each time you or the mobs move. And... welcome to turn by turn games...

Please no easy way, just manage yourself so you have time to cast, if it's hard, it's good, isn't it ? Feeling the pressure is goooood !

People, that have problems with casting, just have to spent some time to practice it.

-> A 4 mage party, with 2 skill points in fire magic for everyone - just to train on the first level against the snails.
Start with easy and improve to hard setting.

I'm a fan of DM and CSB since they came out.
I can say without problem that what pleased me most is the magic system. This is what really exited me when I discovered LoG.
Beside this I can say the rune system needs little tunning to be perfect.
The fact is, in DM/CSB you can cast spells for all your player in the same place, that is not as easy in LoG, what may be disappoint some persons.
When you cast a 4 runes spell, you click the grid five times (4runes+cast button), that, in a middle of a fight is really troublesome.
To be honnest, i've never used 'enchanted arrows' spell other than to try it once.

IMHO, what could be done:

- select runes with the left Mouse button
- cast the spell with the RMB (if the mouse is on the rune grid)
- add a button to remove all the runes selected at a time.

That's not an heavy modification, but again, it could add more fun. PLEASE DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING ELSE, ALL IS PERFECT!!!!!!

By the way, the fireball is a 3 runes spell when others bolt are 2 runes spell. Why?

It's so whacky how fanboys say they love a game, but then spend all their time scanning the forums for "awful" threads that may harm their poor, poor game instead of playing it. Then they go in, post message after message telling people (and this is the good part) "NO, you do not feel the feelings about the game you wrote. You feel about the game the way I feel. Your feelings and opionion about the game are wrong".

Sorry guys, don't know if you knowticed from your basements or ivory towers, but you can't tell people what they can and can't feel. And here's a science shocker for you: Just cause you like it does not mean there is not something very wrong with it. I know, I know, it's hard to beleive, but thinking a horrible mechanic in a game is great, does not make it great.

I "feel" the spell UI is a clunky pita that gets in the way me enjoying the game. My friends feel the same. And if playing "memory match" and "whack a mole" while trying to enjoy a game is how it's suppose to be, then they should put the game in stores accross the street from elementry shcools, because only children those ages get giggles and fun from such brainless repitition in games. We don't.

Ok, step right up fanboys, tell everyone how their feelings and opinions are wrong, and yours are right. . . The lack of 2 sales already, from people that WERE very excited to buy the game tells otherwise.

Varil wrote:As a whole, the magic system isn't very appealing as is. Like others have said, repeatedly entering the runes isn't a challenge or tactically engaging, it's just a hassle. It's certainly doable, I used two mages on my run through the game and was pretty much relying on their firepower by the end, but I never felt like the magic system was doing anything but getting in my way. If I had some way of either automatically casting the same spell I used previously, then at least the runes would only slow things down when I had to change spells on the fly...which seems reasonable.

As for "it'll take all the challenge out", I don't know if you've noticed, but there's already a cool down on spells, it isn't as if you'd be able to machine gun them one after the other. I'd rather plan for a fight, pick my 'preferred' spell, and then go at it without fussing over random mis-clicks when I'm trying to watch the screen, my other 3 characters, AND my rune display.

The rune system is a good idea, but forcing players to trip over it every time they want to fireball something isn't going to endear it to the masses. It'd be better used as a way for players to be able to rapidly adjust their spells on the fly, rather than a way to hold players back during a frantic fight. Remember that the UI is there to facilitate player interaction with the game, not to frustrate them with tedium.

My advice is move around and actually use some strategy instead of trying to stand there toe to toe, and fight. There is plenty of time to set another spell, and you actually take a lot less damage. Heaven forbid the game should actually take some skills.

"knowticed"

dude... relax
lots of old schoolers will like the game as is
personally i find it cumbersome as far as spell casting goes, but i don't feel the need to attack anyone
you will get your point of view across a lot better without raging so bad you lose all sense of reason or spelling

You are in a very very small minority grim Paladin. I have seen nothing but great reviews and glowing comments about this game. If you think there are a lot of people running around dissing the game. Its not happening....Your actually the very first one I have seen, from any reviewer or forum. Call people fanboys if you want ..But I think its sad that you cannot get excited about a game and want to compliment it , like normal people do.
By the way ..I am sorry you have no skills to play the game the way it is intended to be played. I am having a blast..Stick and move, stick and move.

The first thing you do when attacked is just start spamming buttons. Oh suprise..You get surrounded or killed. lol. Must be doing something wrong.

DAKlives wrote:"knowticed"

.... so bad .... spelling

No wonder he has problems with magic.

For those of you who have problems with casting repetition, just use the AutoHotKey script. It works really well.
It took me about five minutes to download and set up the scripts. I created a "quick cast" button (basic nuke) for each of my mages, and still use the right click ==> select rune for special circumstances.