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Just how they used to make them.

Eschalon Book I, an old-school RPG with open world, isometric graphics, and classic gameplay mechanics, is available 50% off on GOG.com. That's only $2.99 for the first week!

If you're an old-time computer role-playing fan, the chances are that you said the following at least once in your life: "They don't make cRPGs as they used to, nowadays". For the better part, you would be correct. Most of the modern role-playing games don't look nor play like their classic predecessors. It doesn't necessarily mean they're not as good, but they are--well--different. For all gamers disappointed by that state of things, here's a title custom-tailored to their nostalgic needs!

Eschalon Book I was developed by people who are old-time hardcore computer role-players themselves, and you can see it in every aspect of their brilliant game. With classic isometric graphics, traditional gameplay mechanics, a large open-ended world, tons of quests, and randomly generated loot, this game is everything you need to get into that nostalgic mood only a fantasy adventure can induce. Highly recommended to all cRPG gamers!

Prepare for a truly old-school and satisfying cRPG experience with Eschalon Book I, for only $2.99! That's 50% off the regular price until Tuesday, May 14, at 9:59AM GMT.
I can recommend it as well. If you're a fan of the gameplay of Ultima 8 and the skill system of Might & Magic, this is for you. Even if not, it's a very playable, straightforward game, with great music, there is freedom in it, you can dictate your own pace. It is one of the greatest little things happened in recent years for the genre. Hard at first, yes, but once you know the system, you can progress without much headache. I mean, apart from the obviously welcome challenge it throws at you.

If you are a fan of developers with a heart, buy it, really, they deserve it. I have many hours in this game and I'm ashamed that I didn't buy Book II yet.
Post edited May 09, 2013 by tender
So... quick advise:

Does it make sense to start with the first part, is it necessary for the story progression or can you carry on with the same character from 1 to 2?

...or is 2 just better and I should directly start with that?
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Bloodygoodgames: LOL -- I think fluorescent green and pink is a bit much personally. Hurts my eyes :)
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mistermumbles: I thought girls like that kind of stuff. *ducks and covers* =P
ROTFL - nope, not all girls. My favorite color is actually green (color of my eyes) but not for a video game interface and not fluorescent. It's soooo hard to take the Spiderweb games seriously when you first start and see that blinding display. But...gameplay is very fun so you eventually learn to ignore it. It was nice though when the interface improved in later games :)
I wonder if we will see some stuff from Size Five Games on GoG at some point
So based on what I have read, it isn't unnecessary to play Book1 before Book2 because the story is so light. Is this true?
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Robette: So... quick advise:

Does it make sense to start with the first part, is it necessary for the story progression or can you carry on with the same character from 1 to 2?

...or is 2 just better and I should directly start with that?
You should start with 1 in my opinion. It's a good game, and the story continues in 2 as far as I remember. You cannot import your character, though.

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Celton88: So based on what I have read, it isn't unnecessary to play Book1 before Book2 because the story is so light. Is this true?
Sure, if you wanna miss out on a good game. I wouldn't recommend skipping it, though.
Post edited May 09, 2013 by adamzs
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BadDecissions: I just read that Eschalon uses a food mechanic? I guess there never has been an idea bad enough that someone doesn't feel nostalgic for it.
What nostalgia, friend? The first time I ever played a game with that mechanic was Fallout: New Vegas, and I loved it. It's a great idea, and I say that without nostalgia.

Nostalgia's not some catch-all concept to dismiss other people's preferences.
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BadDecissions: I just read that Eschalon uses a food mechanic? I guess there never has been an idea bad enough that someone doesn't feel nostalgic for it.
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touched: What nostalgia, friend? The first time I ever played a game with that mechanic was Fallout: New Vegas, and I loved it. It's a great idea, and I say that without nostalgia.
That is not super relevant to my view on food mechanics in old CRPGs.

But hey, it's apparently optional, so live and let live.
Post edited May 11, 2013 by BadDecissions
I've played through some of the demo a few times over the years.

Each time, my excitement would peak during character creation, and then the game itself would feel a bit ponderous. Fry or bash a couple of creatures, flee [slowly], rest, get attacked while resting, flee further [slowly], rest, return to continue the battle, fry or bash a sealed barrel for something like 50 rounds [slowly], resting as necessary, find an apple. Level up [eventually], invest points that don't increase my damage dealt per mana point at all, and so the fighting/resting cycle remains laborious.

Still, for $3 I figure it's worth attempting the full game, and I'm enjoying it well enough. I'm four hours in and I'm still tossing the same starter spell around (although at various strengths). I've found others, but they don't seem useful as yet, and I'm super hesitant to my waste my limited mana on anything other than dealing damage. I'm sustained by some sort of hopeful curiosity.

Goddammit, 30 fireballs [stopping to rest for a day] to blow open a drawer in some guy's bedside table while he's standing right there ignoring me. I'm wavering.
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grimwerk: I'm sustained by some sort of hopeful curiosity.
Same here.
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grimwerk: ...
it's just as in Gothic II for example - the beginning is hard! :)

but once you get a decent pool of mana, increase your "Elemental" skill to deal much more damage and also level up your regeneration rates (I believe it's "Survival" for health and "Meditation" for mana) you only need to sleep for a couple of hours to regain full health and mana and get into the battle again!

but yes, I too remember sleeping endlessly, or worse, playing catch with a monster only to regain some mana to hit it ;)
The movement speed in this game seems to linked to the frame rate, and v-sync is used to throttle the frame rate. This means that if your PC can't keep up at 60 FPS, and drops down to 30/20/15 FPS your character will walk across the screen at 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4 the expected speed!!!!

I was finding the movement speed intolerable while using the DirectX renderer, but switching to the OpenGL renderer helped make the game playable. I guess the OpenGL renderer achieves a better frame rate, or the DirectX renderer caps the frame rate at a lower value.

Forcing v-sync off from the graphics card control panel (AMD Catalyst Control Panel) makes the character run at a crazy speed across the screen. I'm tempted to play the game at this speed but think it might also cause other things to run too fast (eg. cut-scenes) so will stick to merely using OpenGL instead of DirectX for now.