Bigred's Video Game Thread

[micalupagoo]

my video games are obsolete like my poker skills...
I still like the old rome-total war

[KoRnholio]

my video games are obsolete like my poker skills...
I still like the old rome-total war

I recently reinstalled DosBox so that I could play the most awesome rpg game ever: Darklands (Microprose, 1992). Loosely set in medieval Germany with robber knights and some fantasy elements such as dragons, elves, demons. No "magic" per say, but there is alchemy for potions (healing, damaging, disabling, weapon/armor buffs), as well as praying to various saints for divine aide. It was the game which pioneered "real time" combat, using space bar to pause and issue orders. Baldur's Gate 6 years later made great use of this mechanic.

The best part is there is no character levelling. When you start off making a character, you choose their background eg rural commoner with more base stats to distribute, nobility with more skill points, etc. And then choose their life path such as soldier (high amounts of skill points for weapons skills), labourer (retains higher strength/health), student (more skill points for intellectual pursuits), monk, etc. Characters start at the age of 20, and you can keep choosing life paths (adds 5 years to their age) and giving them more skill points based on the path you choose. As age increases, strength and endurance get lower.

When you're ready you choose to start adventuring, the actual game. Throughout the game you can only increase your skills by actually using them. You can have a bunch of meathead warriors with a maxed out weapons class. But if you are trying to do a quest which requires stealth, woodwise, climbing or streetwise skills, you're probably boned.

A must play if you were a fan of old school dos rpg games such as AD&D gold box games, Baldur's Gate, etc. There are some bugs in it and a bit of a steep learning curve, but its worth it if you can put up with cutting edge 1992 graphics. Changing your desktop resolution to 800x600 helps, but the window will still take up take up less than half your monitor.