ASALIERI'S PROFILE

We're off! We have just begun.

Meet us in IRC if you're game!

ciao.

Oh god, my wife's posting pics of herself. :-\

Hey kid, can I suggest something to you?

There's a place called Gaia Online. You'll find it at gaiaonline.com. I think that place might be better for someone like you. Check it out, i'm sure you'll love it!

But please... you're making too many inane topics here with very little answer-to value.
Calm down, will ya?

3 more hours til' the three hour thing!

get ready, folks. I'll be back!

author=Max McGee link=topic=1918.msg37863#msg37863 date=1224004577
Asalieri, many thanks for all your feedback and support and that zany yet strangely helpful review! May I rebut some points? I think that I may.

Cool! And let me emphasize the review was taking Act I all by itself, obviously.
The finished product I expect will put everything into better context.

1. Story
I promise you that in Act II there is MORE STORY and the normal battle intros get shorter as the game goes on. The game is structured to be 70% Battles/Character Customization, 25% story (i.e. main plot, as told through cutscenes and advancing the main story battles) and 5% other, i.e. there is some exploration to do around the underworks and also a (very little) bit of exploration later on, although the game never leaves the arena. The reason there is so little plot advancement is because, well, not because I am actively trying to avoid story (trust me, I'm not, I'm a writer by trade) but that because of all the branching options (depending on your response, gender, and sometimes class) make writing cutscenes where the Protagonist says ANYTHING to be a truly monumental undertaking. That said, the plot will be simple, but have multiple endings.

I understand the reason you decided not to emphasize too much story. I had the opportunity to see the event coding and you have to basically say the same thing 8 times for each character possibility and 32 times if you make a fourway choice.
That takes some work, I realize. Hats off, my friend.

That said, it would be nice to have more to talk to downstairs, and perhaps a little more verve in the announcer's descriptions. For color alone, really.

2. Backstory

Can we at least have a "this is what you were doing before some guys came and kidnapped you" type-flashback please?

If you've ever played an Elder Scrolls game (my favorite!) the deliberate omission of backstory should not be a surprise to you! The idea is that you are supposed to fill in your character's past yourself, with your IMAGINATION! Choosing an evocative/nonsilly name should help you get started on this.

Right, but your game starts abruptly, with your man (or woman) just walking around the arena. Then you're all of a sudden in the pit with Burl. It wouldn't hurt to
have a quick "Well, N, you've got nowhere to run. This *scroll thru the castle*
is your new home. You've just been beaten unconscious and thrown into the pit. The next morning you awaken and are told to meet Burl in the main hallway..."
You know, slight exposition other than just a scroll through the castle is really all I would suggest. It needn't be DETAILED, but some flavor text could help the mood set in, you know?

A) In response to all the gripes about it, panning/scrolling is faster and more varied in Act II onwards. Also all major fights (mini-bosses and bosses) have different intros, which you neglected to mention.

There's two. I was concentrating on the other 18 fights, where there is very little
difference in each intro save to say who you're fighting. When Algus says "Overwrought theatrics", I'd like to see what he's supposedly paying for!

And I won't bust your balls on that topic anymore, as i'm sure you've heard enough
about that.

B) I am surprised only by the bolded text. There is a colorful and individualized description of each monster/enemy mage you face! As to the announcer's opening shpiel, well, that is just his copy, he is in fact required to say that every time. And as for his description of you, it gets way, way better as the game goes on, as you make a reputation for yourself as more than just a generic Novice (Class).

See above for the announcer gripe... as for the descriptions, they're very light
and undetailed. It boils down to flavor text. Sure, you could say "So and so, a novice evoker, who is fighting his second fight" or... "SO AND SO, a demented
Evoker we scraped from the pits of HELL! He's a KILLER who has destroyed so many mages he's been called SATAN's BUTCHER! llllllllllllllllllets get ready to RRRUMBLEEEE!!!" I mean... Overrought theatrics, after all. You're not doing that
kick ass Black Mages music justice with "dude. he's an evoker. he's new. now fight."

Yeah, that's just a f'rinstance, of course. I do expect that you'll get more recognition in the second and third acts, though.

A) It actually makes perfect sense. They pay the gladiators in gold to increase their morale so they fight with more verve, making for a better fight, but charge them increasingly jacked up prices on Magical Equipment to make sure that the gold they "pay them" really just goes back to line their own pockets. Why not just...not pay them, you ask? Well then they would not fight as well. A man who knows he has no hope of escape won't fight as hard as a man who thinks he can get out, although whether the 10,000 Gold buy-out is even possible to reach is called into question as soon as the very beginning of Act II.

Well, let's talk about that. There are several driving motivators, not just monetary ones. The threat of fighting for your life is motivator alone to get moving in the ring. Just the act of wanting to live is enough to drive a fight. I would argue that it actually would give the gladiators a false sense of hope and thus make them lazy and not try very hard if they know they've got food and shelter waiting AFTER the fight. Some may see the truth and REALIZE there's no way out. They'll still be fed whether they fight hard or not. Giving the illusion of "This is IT, your life or NOTHING" would up the excitement values. Maybe having to barter with what you got on you for whatever you can scrape in the pit could prove more poignant.

B) You could watch frail young kids/bearded old men fight with their bare hands in real life, and while it might be good for a laugh (if you're INCREDIBLY CRUEL) it wouldn't be all that entertaining for all that long. On the other hand, who wouldn't pay to watch arcane badasses throw ridiculously flashy spells at each other in a mind-numbingly violent fireworks show, a pure display of ELDRITCH ASS KICKING? 'nuff said.

I dunno, it seemed to work for the Romans back in the day. Crowds eat that violence up, I tell ya. Nothing sells tickets better than the chance to see someone get the SHIT beat outta them. Boxing as a BUSINESS proves that. But if the crowds know the mages are fighting for dear life with only their magic and little else, it makes it
REALLY exciting. That's why Lord Algus had a 4 on 2. People LOVE beatdowns and mismatched fights and will pay through the nose to see that shit. Besides, it's not
like Algus would be making a profit off the sales downstairs. I mean, it's his equipment, and his gold anyway! The REAL profit is made on the fans!

Anyway, once again, thank you for the review.

It was my pleasure, Max. I love the mechanics, I love the ingenuity and simpleness of it. I love the no-nonsense feel. I figured you oughtta know that. But some
flavortext never hurts, as long as it doesn't go too stupid, i'm sure you know.