Author Topic: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)  (Read 35721 times)

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Monster

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Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« on: August 22, 2012, 08:31:09 AM »
I've been enjoying the Demo here and there, but I don't get enough free time.

Well, I recently found the time to actually complete it.  I also watched the Let's Play video by GameHorder, and I've come up with some observations and thoughts on the game (or at least the Demo).

First, I'd like to say that I love the concept of the game, and have been waiting to play it since I first heard of the idea ages ago.  I've never been an active poster in the Adventure Gaming community, but I've always lurked and watched out for certain games.  So far, this one has delivered on its promise of fun, and I wanted to let the team know that they have done an incredible job.

Art:

- I love the backgrounds.  The art is definitely reminiscent of the old Sierra classics, with a nice, updated rendering.  I want to see more of the town and it's surrounding area.  The forest and flowers are beautiful, and sets a very particular scene.  The use of the day and night cycles really adds a lot to the game.  I love the sunsets in Volksville.

- The same goes for the sprite art, which really captures that old Adventure feel.  The Character Designs are fantastic, and the animations are excellent.  Also, the portraits really add an extra dynamic to the characters.  There's a sense that you get to know them.  Brattle is my favourite, I think, but I'm also partial to Prospero (naturally, who isn't?).

Audio:

- The voice work in this game is somewhat inconsistent (some of it is a bit echoed and a couple of characters are more forced), but all in all it is quite commendable, and in fact fantastic for a project at the Demo stage.  There are some nice highlights in the mix, and I find myself growing more attached to different characters.

- Roehm's voice is great, no complaints there.  I particularly like the Narrator, however.  His snarkiness and sarcasm are awesome, and capture the essence of the game world and characters.  I also love the guy in the beginning, Swart: "We can sing songs together."  Fantastic delivery.

- Prospero is another highlight here.  His detachment from anything non-magical is apparent.  He has the cynical tone to go with his experience and wisdom.  Brattle's voice is another I love, because it has loads of character, and I love the character.  Markus' was a great voice as well, and clearly portrayed the indignant attitude of the character.

- The music is very well done.  The moods are conveyed nicely, and I get a sense of what it would be like to live in Volksville.  The songs add just enough ambiance to the game without distracting the player.

Story:

- The story works well so far.  I like that we are following a vagabond with an unknown past full of many possible kinds of debauchery.  We pick up with very little information on Roehm or the world around us, and we learn little bits as we go along.  It's a great way to deliver the story.

- The humour is present and I find myself chuckling as I play.  The pivotal scene with Markus shows another side to the town, and one that threatens our anti-hero.  Rayford seems to have quite a hold on the town, and he clearly has no tolerance for the criminal element.

- I really want to get into that Tobacconist's shop to see what that's all about.  I hope to find grass I can do more than look at (and hope it turns out to be just as funny).

- I played through the Rogue story, and I watched the Sorcerer in the video.  I can imagine where the other path leads, having spoken to the guys in the Pub.  Great job introducing the 3 character types.  Each seems to have it's own independent motives and goals in the world, but they are accomplished via very similar means.  I think that the Demo was wonderfully executed, and hope for more deviations in paths in the future.

- The final scene is wonderful, and hints at even more fantastic things to come.  I can't wait to find out how much bigger this world will become.  The darker, spookier overtones of that section are of much interest to me.  What the hell was that guy's name?  I can only imagine it means something mind-bogglingly Cthulic.

Programming:

- Great Programming means a seamless experience.  Everything should feel like a natural extension of the game world.  In Quest for Infamy, this is definitely true.  I found the puzzles and games to be fun, and they made sense in context.  Combat was a little tough, but I imagine that was a particularly tough Beast, and that Roehm still has some puny Statistics.  I found no Bugs at all, and I know that's no small feat in any project.

All in all, it's a fantastic start, and I'm looking forward to more.  I anticipate that the next Demo will be a fair improvement, but I also understand that these things take time to do properly.  You're all doing great so far, and I have faith that the next Demo (and the final product) will be worth the wait.

Small criticisms:

- The town was rather difficult to navigate.  I had difficulty with the Tongs as a result of this, but was finally able to return them.  I also had some trouble with Brattle, since he is gone at night.  Unfortunately, I couldn't simply wait until he was back, so I was in somewhat of an unwinnable state.  I obviously managed to finish it in the end anyways.

To everyone on the team, congratulations!  I am among many others that are very impressed by this Demo.  It is quite obvious that you have all been working hard, and I am happy that your efforts are paying off.  I hope that your success on KickStarter continues beyond this game, and that we can enjoy more Infamous Quests in the future.

 ;D

I encourage others to post their thoughts or impressions of the Demo as well.

Blackthorne

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2012, 08:39:20 AM »
Monster - thanks for that very flattering and well written review on the demo.  I really appreciate that you took the time to write that!  We learned a lot in making the demo, and are trying to improve upon it. 

Again, man, thanks.  It was a great read!


Bt
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mitsymckenzie777

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2012, 02:37:43 AM »
I love what y'all got so far. The art,the jokes and touching the dead guy a few times to immaturely  hear (highlight text for spoilers)you should leave the poor b alone now. I loved the TV reference when talking to the horse or at least trying to. I wonder what TV show y'all got that from though. :P But anyways I'll play the demo some more later. Keep up the good work guys. ;D

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2012, 11:40:43 AM »
Wow, I missed this thread until now.  Thanks so much for the kind, and indepth comments, Monster, and to you too, Mitsy.  We are all still working our butts off to make this game a real winner but it's great to know we're striking the right chord with people so far :)
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oglor

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2012, 06:41:01 PM »
Hi, I just finished the demo, so I want to share some opinions too ;)
Generally I agree with most of what Monster said. I totally love the graphics and music, which really feel like the QfG series. Most of the voice acting is brilliant too (I especially like the narrator, as many others do).
The city seemed kind of empty and not much was going on, but that is completely understandable in a demo.

But one thing i kind of missed in the game (and that is the reason why I'm making this post) was the option to do random mischief like punching someone, insulting people, doing irresponsible stuff like knocking down the city sign, hitting the obnoxious crow with a rock, burning stuff for fun and so on. Except for the intro, the whole thing felt more like quest for glory. The hero won't do stuff like this and you would just get a sarcastic comment saying, that doing something like that wouldn't be wise, or that you don't want to do it. I guess some things like that are planned, but I still wanted to point it out, because there aren't many games, where you can play a scumbag and I think, that combined with the humor that this game definitely has, it might be really enjoyable. Also situations stemming from this, might be good starts for minor quests (like investigating some little crime you've done yourself or  just getting caught doing something bad and finding a way out of it). I just hope this game is going to be a real Quest for Infamy ;)

(and i noticed a minor bug while doing the sorcerer quest - i returned to the mage just with the beast's head, but when i climbed back out of the city with the glass to get the blood, the hero seemed kind of invisible, but i managed to get the blood alright, so no big deal;)

Good luck with the game, keep up the great work!

Blackthorne

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2012, 07:19:42 PM »
Well - the size of town is a bit smaller in the demo than it is in the final version - and yes, interactions with some things in the game aren't there.  Programming every conceivable thing one could do would take forever, but we do plan a good level of interactivity with your environment.

What you'll find about Quest For Infamy is that you're a man who's more interested in self-preservation that just wanton destruction.  For instance, causing random mayhem - yeah, you could do it, but there's consequences to that in certain situations - especially in a town where there's a Sheriff just looking to make people's heads roll.  You'll find the more infamous things you can do occur in the choices of your interactions with people - and the courses of action you choose in dealing with them. 

Being infamous is less about just being a random jackass that just causes mayhem.  You'll never get anywhere in life that way!  Sure, you could do it - but you'd just end up in jail, and that's not where Roehm wants to be.

Heh, I will say, though, at points and places in the game - you could, if you were so inclined, randomly "punch" someone or something.  That's what the attack icon is for. 

And, of course, based on your choices and actions - you sure could play Roehm as a scumbag, or you could play him is a slick, clever and sly guy who's out to make himself some loot and a place in this world - even if it isn't by the most kosher means possible....

Thanks for grabbing the bug - I'll be sure to pass it along to Chuck, our lead programmer extraordinaire, and thanks for playing the demo!  We've been working really hard on this for a while, and we're totally stoked to be able to show more to people.


Bt
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oglor

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2012, 07:35:56 AM »
Thanks for the reply.
I'll be waiting for the full game then to see what interactions are going to be made possible.
I just thought that Roehm would be the kind of guy who does as he pleases and that it might be fun, if the decisions were left to the player in these little things (like "you've already stabbed the head once, you don't want do do it again" - well maybe i want to ;). Of course I'm not talking about doing things that would largely influence the story, or downright evil deeds. I'd just love to be able to do little things just for the fun of it. And exploring these options might be even more fun.
It's just a suggestion and I'm sure I'll love the game even without things like that. And maybe when the story continues, Roehm won't even think of doing stuff like that, when some real goal appears ;)

Blackthorne

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2012, 07:54:23 AM »
Heh - trust me, I get ya.  There are a lot of little things you can do for fun - we're all about the ancillary actions here.  But I also did have to consider, as a designer, what kind of story or plot is there to a character who just runs amok, causing destruction?  Not much - I mean, there's games like that, and it's fun for a while, but after the 30th time I stole a police car, got a bazooka and got the army and helicoptors to come after me in Grand Theft Auto, I decided I wanted to play the story!

Roehm is the kind of guy who does as he pleases - but what pleases him doesn't always get him into trouble or cause mayhem.  It serves him - it gives him more comfort, safety, pleasure, power.... villains don't always think they're doing bad, and they have some kind of charisma to attract other people to want to be around them and serve them.  Sure, you can buy lackeys if you're rich - but Roehm's not (at this point).  He's a self made man, on an early path to what would surely be the good life.

So, yeah - you can break some stuff, attack some people - but there are repercussions to your actions.  In the end, Roehm just wants to get out of a scrape with his neck intact, and maybe some more gold in his pocket than he previously had!

If you're looking for "little things" to do, try attacking the beast's body after you killed it and taken the head!



Bt
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oglor

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2012, 09:10:40 AM »
wow, that's exactly what i was talking about. if you include some things like that here and there, i'll be completely happy. i wasn't asking for anything bigger than that. and even bad consequences for minor things like this would be fun - if only the shady guy knew i not only killed his pet... ;)
looking for jokes like this always makes me want to explore a game completely. i'm really getting excited about this. i backed via paypal and can't wait for the next demo and the full game!

Blackthorne

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2012, 09:13:22 AM »
Hahah.. yeah, the game will be full of little things like that - hopefully it'll take people a while to find all of them.... we've got a few planned in there that we THINK will be harder to find, but they're really just fun little things to do.  Who knows, though - the internets are full of crafty people who find EVERYTHING in games!  Hahah.

I promise, you're going to love what we've got cooking.  Seriously, we have a team full of crazy people who dream up some fun stuff to do in our game - in addition to all the plot and puzzle related elements!


Bt
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Bad2DaBone

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2013, 02:40:47 AM »
I liked it.

One thing I do wish- more skills to level up.  That was always something fun to do in QFG.

Also, it might be nice if there was a quest log of tasks to do on hand, based on requests/jobs your character is assigned.


Finally, I hope the game lets you buy lots of stuff if you ever get to the point of having tons of excess money. (or at least applies it somewhere positively like the ending)

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2013, 04:55:03 AM »
Glad you liked it!

The full game does have a lot of skills to level up, and a lot of places to level them. I'm not sure whether we'll do a quest log or not, I don't know if we've even discussed it to be honest! And yes, there is plenty of stuff to buy both in Volksville and at other places in the valley.
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Bad2DaBone

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2013, 12:09:09 PM »
Awesome!  Few last things.... it'd be nice if there were multiple romance options (like QFG 5) and some more fan service from some of the girls. (like Nawar/Sheema dancing or that jungle girl in the bikini in QFG3)  Nawar was always the hardest to romance in that game, (not counting the thief-phobia of two other girls) so that made things interesting.

It'd be nice to have some secret bosses, like the "Pizza Elemental" in the QFG2 VGA remake.  And hopefully there can be enough super-tough enemies so that even high-stat characters won't get too bored near end-game.

One other idea- 4 scoring systems.  One for fighter points, thief points, mage points and general points.  The final score for each may open certain unlockables for new games, encouraging more than one playthrough. (like magic unlock for pure mage characters)  Also, it might encourage players to RP as one type during the game instead of a smorgsaboard like QFG always did. (unless you guys are going with one class option per game, which you might be or it may have just been a demo choice)


Finally, I have no idea how the game would end but, why not include an import life just in case a sequel is ever made?  At the very least, even if the main character doesn't return, it could be someone trained by him or related to him who has lesser skills of his.  No spoilers on the ending though, but if it's feasible just think about it.

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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #13 on: January 30, 2013, 04:58:55 PM »
Yes, Roehm has some romantic options, but he's more interested in staying alive and progressing his own infamous goals.

I'm not sure about secret bosses, there are some bosses that aren't required to be killed to complete the game, and there's plenty of hard bosses with their own mechanics throughout the game.

Although your scoring idea has merit, we're not using a points system in QFI. Each sub-class is unique in itself and has it's own abilities to solve problems with.

I'll not comment on the end of the game! :)

~ Shawn

Keep in mind that although we're fans of the Quest for Glory series, Quest for Infamy has nothing to do with it besides a casual nod and general inspiration. The mechanics are all original works and we don't base everything we do through a "QFG filter."
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Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)
« Reply #14 on: January 30, 2013, 05:43:19 PM »
Ah I see, thanks for the info!


The one advantage to a scoring system that I'll miss (aside from that happy noise it makes when you accomplish something) is that it's a way of telling you there's a few extra things you can still do in the game.

Of course, scoring systems actually are annoying in cases like LSL2 where it's virtually impossible to get those final few points or have any idea what enables you to do so since the solutions are so obscure.



One more demo question- how do I get the gaming window to maximize.  Unfortunately, I don't have an alt button on my keyboard so I can't use alt+enter.