Avadon 4: Rain and Beasts . . . and Turtles

As I wandered around looking for the Shadow Beast, I noticed a really nice, new effect that Jeff has added to this new game: rain. OK, we've had rain before, but this is really convincing rain. If you're on a sandy surface it leaves little gray spots for just a moment that then dry up.


Very convincing graphic for a game that's supposed to be deficient on graphics. (I've never found Spiderweb games deficient on graphics--but that's the charge from people who like big-budget corporate games.)


This was a pretty bland area. Fights with spiders, wolves, a coupla giant rats, and the occasional charmed party of hostile humans. One egotistical, cannibalistic ogre. Normal stuff. I believe there were a couple of mature hellhounds in the mix, but I dispatched those very easily. They should have been more difficult.


The boss battle with the Shadow Beast was more challenging. I really liked that. Had to do it in two tries. Got my sorceress killed the first time because I didn't place my party properly. On the second try I backed her up against a wall. That was better.


Also, I must remember not to put all the group heal scrolls with one person. That person might be dazed or ensnared when I need it. (Proof that after all this time, I'm still a putz at these games)


At the end of the battle I was just making real progress with the Beast when the evil wizard intervened. I think we know who's behind all the evil magic in this area, don't we. Well, that's been obvious. Maybe Jeff will surprise us.


One thing I really did not like. After you win your boss battle, all the trapdoors in the neighborhood lock shut. You can't get down into the tunnels again. I missed one trapdoor before I found the Beast, and don't know if that made me miss more goodies underneath. Probably not, but normally you can get back into places once you're finished with them in these games. I don't like it when you can't. (In Nethergate, you can't get back into a major, major dungeon after you've escaped. Marvelous loot languishes behind a closed portcullis, tantalizingly close, never to be regained. You can loot the place and drop the loot outside the portcullis, but if you don't know that going in, you're going to miss out on all that loot. Not good.)


So now I'm back in Avadon, being sent to Kva lands again. I have to use some of these magical enhancements on my equipment before I go, though. In this game you find stones that can be combined with your choice of armor or weapon that will give you extra points in, say, dexterity, or whatever your stone supplies. Problem is that you're going to find much better equipment as you go along in the game, so you hate to enhance something this early. Of course, I'll find lots better enhancements too, so, I guess I'll go for it!


AND! Thanks to a poster called "The Turtle Moves" on the Spiderweb Forum, I was able to add a cheat to the game. You need lockpicks to get into lots of doors and chests. You have to find all these lockpicks. But alas, the lockpicks are a light gray color that almost perfectly matches the backgrounds you normally find them on. They are very easy to miss. So, a guy on the Forum added some lines to the game script that makes them glow! (Did the same with the teensy secret switches, too). I tried to add the lines by typing them in, but crashed the game. Restored my original backup copies and the game ran perfectly again. So, I went back and did a copy and paste job instead, and that worked!


So now I have glowing lockpicks! Hooray! Wheee!


I don't yet know about the switches, and I wonder if I should have done that one because those really ought be hard to find, as part of the game. However, my eyes are weaker than most, so I can justify it. Sort of.


But I really needed those glowing lockpicks. No apologies for that!


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Avadon 3: Spiders and Bats, etc.

Lots of spiders. And bats. And basilisks. In caves.


Slaughtered.


I'm good.


Actually, at one point I had to look on the Spiderweb Forum because I was experiencing a serious stuckness, and a good thing I did, too. Would have been there all night. Turned out I had to re-visit a character I'd already talked to, and that opened up another area.


I am hunting the Shadow Beast. I've figured out that this is a poor enchanted soul who does not really have murder in his heart, but is frustrated, and so does commit the occasional massacre. Probably because he's misunderstood (literally, apparently).


I have met the beast once, and tried to communicate with it. The local shaman doesn't think it deserves to be killed. I'm betting the local evil wizard is responsible, but we may not find that out for awhile yet, as I think the inevitable mission to the wizard's tower is almost certainly somewhere down the road.


Speaking of the road, I am on it in Avadon, which is the point of the game anyway. I did go back to the Kva lands and settled a few things I'd missed. Also was able, rather easily, to find the prisoner in the dungeon and the room under the dining hall. So those are done.


Am beginning to collect some decent magical items, but no named weapons yet (such as the hallowed "Demonslayer" of the Avernum games). Well, I'm only at level 8 out of 30, so I'm still just a toddler in this game.


One thing that is easier about this game but I actually don't like much (and was the same in Avernum VI): you don't have to find arrows, or razordisks, or javelins. Once you've equipped your missile weapon, it has unlimited ammunition. OK, yes, it's easier. But I kinda liked the more real-world idea of hunting for ammo all the time. I rarely ran out even when I had to do it. But in this game, it's all simplified. 


That's probably good for sales, and I greatly hope this becomes a major hit and introduces many more folks to Spiderweb! The game is selling as an iPad App, and is on Steam, too, so Jeff should get many new fans.


Tomorrow: the main hunt for the Shadow Beast (and whatever else crawls out of the goo).


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Avadon 2: Out into the Cruel World

Having completed the tutorial, I'm out into the World, taking two companions along with me. This time I took the tank (the blademaster) and the shaman. Here's something truly neat: all the characters, this time, have distinct personalities. The sorceress is vain and overly enthusiastic, the blademaster is a stoic guy from the desert, etc. In Nethergate and Avernum, your four characters were just your four characters, with different skills, but that's all. You traveled as a pack, always, and that was "you." Now, only the lead character is "you."


Also, as you always have to leave two characters behind, the ones left behind gain skill points to match those in the field. They're constantly "training." That only makes sense--otherwise the intrepid player would just travel with the same two companions always. That's an option, I would guess (although perhaps Jeff built something into the game to stop us from doing that?), but it's fun to meet these different folks.


And, a major innovation, the "junk bag." At last, we can just plop sellable items into the "junk bag," which appears, so far, to have infinite capacity, then you just sell all the contents all at once. Major timesaver. Keeps the inventory clean. Find an emerald, plop it into the junk bag, don't worry about clogging the inventory. That is really nice. 


Although at first, I didn't know what the junk bag was. It just sorta appeared somehow. I put stuff into it, not knowing it should all be sellable stuff. I wound up inadvertently selling some bows I'd picked up, and had to wait to get all my characters equipped with missile weapons. In fact, I went through most of the first mission with only my character having a missile weapon. Finally found the weapons the others could use.


What I don't like: we can still steal stuff, but we can't get caught doing it. Advice for newbies to Spiderweb games: always rip off everything that isn't nailed down--especially stuff labeled "NY," or, "not yours." Take the meal bags from the basement of the starving peasants (um, they are little computer animations; they are not real; take their stuff), grab the loot from the guy who just helped you. Take it all and sell it, sell it, sell it. But, in the previous games, you could get caught. When you got caught, the whole town would turn against you. I always just shut the door when I pilfered places so nobody could see me doing it. Now, the game won't let you steal if you'd be seen doing it.


Plus, and I suppose this makes sense if you think about it--you can't equip weapons and armor on characters unless they're the right type of character (the old mages-can't-wear-armor stuff), and until they've advanced enough in skill points to wear certain stuff. I found a good breastplate for my blademaster, but I couldn't equip it until he'd gained more points. Frustrating, at first. You've just got to cart the stuff around until you finally can use it.


Anyway! I met Redbeard, a pleasant enough fellow, but with menace. "You're allowed one mistake, and you just made it." (And I have a suspicion: I know Vogel got his inspiration for this game from "Bluebeard," the wife-murderer. Redbeard appears not to age, and nobody knows why. Three of his closest aides are called his "wives." Could he be consuming their life essences, once they're no longer useful to him? Just a speculation.)


Also, I have completed the first major mission, but with several minor quests so far undone. I traveled to the Kva lands, and wiped out a nest of "wretches," this game's upgrade of goblins. We always have some weak enemies to slaughter at the beginning in order to build up skill points. These, of course, have bosses, who also must be slaughtered. 


We get trapped in the wretchs' dungeon, and must battle our way out. At one point it looks as though we're really trapped, but I finally found the route out. It was pretty straightforward battle-your-way-out stuff. I vanquished the wolves, one "young hellhound" (no doubt we'll meet more mature hellhounds as the game progresses) and a "very bad bat." Along with, of course, assorted ogres and bad-guy shamans (take those out first or they will get ya). 


But this game is much easier than previous Spiderweb games. Even in the boss battle I was never in any real danger.  Yes, I had to gulp down a fairly good supply of health potions, but I never even came close to running out of "vitality." I used to just stockpile those potions and used them only when I really needed them. No matter how many games I played, I tried not to use them. Nonsense! You find them everywhere. You can buy them if you don't find them. Use 'em! You'll find more. (Well, obviously you don't gulp down a massive healing potion to cure you whenever you just get nicked, but watch the health meters on your characters and when they get low, gulp.) Vogel is very good about planting things like battle crystals and potions in areas leading up to big battles. If you don't have enough supplies going into a battle, then you deserve to lose.


I was able to finish some minor quests. Easy stuff for locals in the area. A couple more are still out there, and I suspect (actually, it's obvious) that I'll be returning to that area later.


After a couple of boss battles I had a couple of keys. These are just automatically picked up and become part of your "special items" inventory. You don't see the keys, they just work to let you into areas that previously were inaccessible. So, after the battle, you go back and clean out the loot. That task, with the junk bag, is much easier than before. In Avernum I'd often have to make several trips to town to sell the loot, then go back for more.


I started on the next major quest, but I think I'll go back and see if I can't do a couple of the minor quests in the castle. I need to find a guy in the dungeon, and a room "under" the dining room. It won't hurt to backtrack. I'm sure I missed stuff.


So far this is playing very much like a combo of Avernum and Geneforge. We travel to different loadable "areas" as in Geneforge (a concept Vogel got from Baldur's Gate), but the quests are more Avernum style. So far we don't "clear" areas, as in Geneforge, but we have to perform certain actions before new areas open up. And, I can jump from the entry point, across several areas, and into the one I want.


The major problem with Spiderweb games, is, of course, that you can't seem to stop playing them. I didn't fully waste the day yesterday, but I did spend most of it with Avadon. I must get a grip.


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Avadon 1: Back to Spiderweb!

In my first post on this blog, I was just finishing up Avernum VI. At last, I have started Avadon, the first game in the new adventure series from my favorite RPG company, Spiderweb. Jeff Vogel has been making these games in his Seattle basement for about 15 years now, I believe. They all run on pretty much the same principles, and they're all massive fun.


Spiderweb's games are all downloadable from the Spiderweb site, all with the free demos usually comprising about a fifth of the whole game. Also, they're pretty cheap for what you get. It's a darned good business model. You can play the game for a week or more, get thoroughly hooked, and then just try to keep from buying it. But also, you certainly know what you're getting. I love the whole idea.


A warning to the curious: these are lowish budget independent games. So, you don't get massively gorgeous graphics--you get some decently rendered cartoons, addicting play, and massive gaming areas. You don't get music, but you do get some sound effects. You don't get to pay $50 for the game, but you get to pay half that and you actually get a real plot, done by a talented human instead of a committee. (Update: Avadon is now on Steam for $9.99, but will be $20 on the website. See this for the reasoning behind that. Personally, I'd still buy it from the website. We need Vogel to stay in business, and his customer service--Linda--is awesome.) You don't get voice acting. Instead, you'll be reading everything, including all the dialogue, but do you get actual imagination and quirky humor. Way worth it and way better than industrially designed games, in my humble opinion. Way more fun.


These games are not, strictly speaking, adventures, because they rely on combat. Combat isn't normally my scene, but I've been playing these Spiderweb games for a good decade now, starting with Nethergate, and I am fully addicted. The combat in these games is all turn-based, so it becomes a puzzle rather than a thumb-wrestling exercise. I leave those to my nephew, highly skilled at thumb-wrestling.


However, these really are adventures in the sense that they are puzzly (with the combat and sometimes with actual puzzles) and you wander around all over a huge world discovering things. We get plenty of loot, which we have to find in nearly the same way as in graphic adventures. RPGs are Adventure's sister category. If you find one you like, joy!


And I take joy in Vogel's games, even though I'm far from the most intrepid RPG fanatic out there. I could care less about the statistics for the characters. I just have fun. My skill level is better than a newbie, obviously, but really, I'm not very good. Fairly typical casual player. I was hesitant to start this right now because Bracken Tor is due out in less than a month, and I'll certainly want to grab that as soon as I can. These Spiderweb games easily take weeks to play, and that's when you devote most of your waking hours to them. Plus, I have Kirkus books coming, although I'm way ahead on those at the moment.


But I decided to wait for awhile after I bought Avadon because the typeface was too small for me to read comfortably. Fortunately, Vogel fixed that problem a good while back. I've just been too busy recently to commit myself to the game.


But it's been calling to me for a good week now, so I decided to just jump in!


I have completed the first task, clearing out the dungeon. In this game you choose to play one character--I chose the shadowwalker because he has the ability to open locks more easily than others, and I'm more than familiar with blademasters, thank you very much. 


In order to do our quests, we get to choose one or two other characters to go with us. We always have to leave one behind, but apparently we can switch the other characters fairly often. For the dungeon quest I chose the sorceress, just to get to know how she works. The other choice was the blademaster, and as I said, those are pretty straightforward. 


This is a new system to Spiderweb games. It's about halfway between the Avernum and the Geneforge games. (Avernum has a party of four--although you can go it alone if you want--and Geneforge is a party of one, but you can create your own little helpers as you go.)


This first dungeon quest was typical of these games. You have to do some easy-peasy combat to build strength. While there is some trash combat--against rats and spiders--in this quest most of it is plot based, which is very nice. Vogel normally does try to keep his plots bubbling. Also, I've picked up some nice armor and a good weapon for the sorceress.


Of course, in the beginnings of these games you are so weak, as Vogel once put it, that you can barely flush a toilet with both hands, but that is the nature of RPGs. You gain strength as you go until by the end of the game you are strong enough to face down dragons. Vogel keeps the enemies nicely balanced to your evolving strength, so most combat is a bit of a challenge all the way through the game.


Anyway, I have subdued one enemy and slaughtered two others. A fourth escaped (that's part of the plot). So far this is going just about as per normal. 


Tomorrow I will meet the infamous Redbeard, the master of Avadon. So we shall see . . .


Next Entry

Blue Madonna 5: REVIEW

Coming soon.

Blue Madonna 4: Endgame

Yup, I was pretty close to the end. Opening the unopenable box was a cinch. I remembered that I'd encountered an inventory item that I wasn't allowed to keep in my inventory. But why was it there? Perfect for opening unopenable boxes.


Then we have the death mystery to solve. Carol is confronted by a bad guy. I remember that in one of the earlier games it was possible for Carol to die. Not any longer. In this game and the last one, Mikael allows you to stand there being threatened, for hours apparently, until you figure out the necessary steps to vanquish your foe.


This particular vanquishing doesn't really make much sense, requiring the bad guy really to stand there until you do something, but hey, these games are for old broads like me who don't like mayhem. (Although my plan is to start a game full of mayhem this very night!) I think he must have got some bad comments from the older game, even though it gave you infinite chances to go back and do it right.


And after we vanquish the bad guy, we still have a bit of mystery to solve. Very satisfying.


I never used a couple of inventory items, as I recall: a pool cue and a pencil. Either I missed a couple of non-essential puzzles, or Mikael planned some things that didn't make it into the final cut, but left the items in the inventory. Happens sometimes.


Also, the handless clocks theme continues. I wonder if that ever will be explained? (Perhaps because Mikael doesn't know where the player will go next, he needs to keep the time a mystery? If you went to one place and it was 10:00, then in the next place it was 9:00, that might be a bit disorienting. Is that why?)


This one is, I think, the best so far in the series. In the last three games Mikael finally has allowed the player to finish, rather than just ending the game abruptly, as he did the first few. Much, much more satisfying. So I'll dash off a little review soon.


I really should replay the first four games and blog them, just to have the set.


Well now, as he appears to do one per year, I wonder when the next one will come out? I certainly hope he keeps making these games. They are short, but always enjoyable.


And except for the derelict buildings, gad, they have great scenery!


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Blue Madonna 3: Workin' it Out

Wow. I am truly zooming along. Have had great success and much fun as I figured out puzzles and matched inventory items to their hotspots. Lots of 'em. Yay!


"Bigge" showed up--the comic relief in most of the games. I think he came in pretty early, and has been somewhere in every game. A couple of times, including in this one, he's sent us out on a multi-layered puzzle in order to get information out of him.


Most of the puzzles are easy. As long as you accept the fact that these games are mostly about the scenery and that you're going to go places and look all over the place just to find one item that will be useful somewhere else, it's fine. Otherwise many intrepid adventurers would become a bit peeved. Not me. I enjoy success, and I enjoy the scenery.


Finding major clues is great--but picking up a blowtorch from somebody's garage? At least I figured out right away just where to use it--but only because I'd recently visited that location. Otherwise I indeed would have been stumped.


However, I got through the musical puzzle with no worries. Apparently there is a help area you can access if you need to do it, but I was fine.


The in-game hint system can be quite useful as along as you don't go for the actual hints. Often you just don't know where to go next, and Carol's diary can steer you in the right direction.


I know I'm closing in on the endgame, because I've just about filled up the locations map, I've solved some major puzzles and have acquired the "unopenable box." But it's late and I just don't want to finish tonight.


So. Till the morrow.


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Blue Madonna 2: History Lessons

Yes, a typical Carol Reed mystery! I'm traveling all around Norrköping and environs. Gosh, Mikael likes that Industrial Park. I think it's been in every one of the games. I marvel at all the new points of interest he finds, though.


I also marvel that he keeps finding derelict buildings. At least one of those, normally more, are in every game too.


Nice in this one, there appears to be more of an emphasis on history. Just toured a historic settlement, filled with handmade wooden furniture and implements. Very interesting. I love that kinda stuff.


But as usual, all the inventory items that you need will be in a completely different location from the place where you need to use the thing. So, we just travel, poke around, look at stuff, and find the occasional item that goes into the inventory. Sometimes you know just where to use the things you find. Sometimes you just have to try stuff. So far I've been able to make connections with several items and remembered where to go to use them.


For example, I figured out how to open the puzzle chest in the art studio. Not straightforward--you need to really look at the clue--but certainly not all that difficult. 


It's pretty clear now that the theme of this game will be finding and opening all the puzzle boxes, and learning about the dead client's life.


Actually, I'm quite sure, going by past experience, that I'm at least halfway done, if not more. One fun thing about these games is that you can really zoom along in them. 


So, tomorrow I will do more zooming! 


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Blue Madonna 1: Let's Go!

So here we go with the latest Carol Reed Mystery! 


As usual, we have abundant places to go tromping about in. Lots of those are indoors and extremely cluttered, also as usual.


The game starts with Carol's new client committing suicide, but we don't believe that for an instant, do we? Of course, we can't immediately just assume that she was murdered, but right now it seems a good bet.


So, I took off to the client's house. These places are fairly easy to find, because the options are so limited that you're bound to stumble across the clue fairly soon, which makes these games fun. Also, I've already found several puzzle boxes to unlock. The clues to these aren't always obvious, but again, options are few. I have managed to unlock one of the boxes, and have found a couple of clues that I suspect will help me with others, but so far they haven't.


I've been to the ruins of the monastery. Nice place, and clearly it's going to take at least one more visit, as there are a couple of things I haven't found the inventory items for yet.


So far this is a completely typical Carol Reed mystery, which is what I enjoy. These games tend to be pretty easy, with just a few mega-frustrating areas. The scenery, as always, is lovely. Damn I'd like to visit Norrköping someday.


But in the meantime I'm having fun just wandering around. I've made it to an old factory for which I must somewhere find a key. Hmmm. Bet it's in one of those puzzle boxes. Bet I know which one (or not).


Started the game late, though, and now it's time for beddie-bye.


Till tomorrow!


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