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How should a noob approach blobbers?

hackncrazy

Savant
Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Messages
415
I really like the idea of blobbers.

I've read a lot about them for the past few months and I'm always excited to try one. I've read twice the Wizardry IV Let's Play that Crooked Bee made and it's definitely one of the best things I've read in a long time.

The problem is, as it happens with classic roguelikes, the blobbers I've tried so far (Elminage Original and SMT: Strange Journey) don't seem very "noob-friendly", so after about 10 hours into each one I gave up because I realized that the problem wasn't the difficulty, but the fact that I had a shitty/non balanced party. Even after gaving up, the games stood with me, because I loved the first person perspective of exploring dungeons and found that really immersive.

So, with that in mind, where should I start in the genre? What are the games designed for babies in the genre?

Also, just a curiosity: Is the dying/resetting a lot a feature of the genre or I'm just really, REALLY bad?
 

MRY

Wormwood Studios
Developer
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
5,703
Location
California
You could play Shining in the Darkness for the Sega Genesis. It doesn't have party creation and, being a console game, is much less complicated. I was able to beat it as a young kid, despite generally not being very good at blobbers and being too lazy to map. I think the Codex blobber crowd generally thinks it's not a bad game, too.
 

hackncrazy

Savant
Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Messages
415
You could play Shining in the Darkness for the Sega Genesis. It doesn't have party creation and, being a console game, is much less complicated. I was able to beat it as a young kid, despite generally not being very good at blobbers and being too lazy to map. I think the Codex blobber crowd generally thinks it's not a bad game, too.

Ow, never thought about trying that, I'll definitely give it a try!
 

Kahr

Guest
Might and Magic 3 is pretty easy and extremely modern and fast.
Also no random appearing enemies if you hate that.
 

hackncrazy

Savant
Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Messages
415
As far as TB blobbers go, you can start with Wizardry 8, should be friendly enough.

Oh, since you mentioned TB, I forgot to say that I've played and finished both Grimrock 1 and 2, but since they're real time, I feel like they're very forgiving with a bad party creation.
 

hackncrazy

Savant
Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Messages
415
Might and Magic 3 is pretty easy and extremely modern and fast.
Also no random appearing enemies if you hate that.

I didn't even knew that no random enemies was a thing. I thought they were in every blobber.
 

hackncrazy

Savant
Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Messages
415
Might and Magic 3 is pretty easy and extremely modern and fast.
Also no random appearing enemies if you hate that.

I didn't even knew that no random enemies was a thing. I thought they were in every blobber.
Yeah, you can clear the whole dungeon out without any respawns. It's satisfying af.

What version would you recommend?

Us the NES/SNES any good?
 

SausageInYourFace

Angelic Reinforcement
Patron
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
3,858
Location
In your face
Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. My team has the sexiest and deadliest waifus you can recruit. Pathfinder: Wrath
Might & Magic III Isles of Terra. You can just take the pregen party and wont miss out on anything. It has wonderful music and colorful graphics, the combat is fast (but turn based) and it has tons of secrets and stuff to explore. It also has the neat feature of automapping. Excellent entry blobber!
 

pippin

Guest
Just play the DOS version, get the 1-6 pack from gog or get it from abandonware sites if you don't feel like paying (yet). The money goes to ubisoft after all.

Also, when you play the actual games, just use trial and error. While most blobbers seem intimidating, they are usually just a tweaked version of dnd in the end. Even games which seemed "intimidating" for me like the Wizardries aren't that complicated to understand once you read the manual, or a guide. Also make the maps yourself, it's half of the fun.
 

Kahr

Guest
Might and Magic 3 is pretty easy and extremely modern and fast.
Also no random appearing enemies if you hate that.

I didn't even knew that no random enemies was a thing. I thought they were in every blobber.
Yeah, you can clear the whole dungeon out without any respawns. It's satisfying af.

What version would you recommend?

Us the NES/SNES any good?
Don't know about SNES one.
Just play the DOS version. It's alright.
 

Kahr

Guest
If MM3 is too hard (which it shouldn't be) you could always start with Might and Magic 4.
 

pippin

Guest
Another good choice could be the first Lands of Lore, a game which is ok for beginners but still great.
 

Delterius

Arcane
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
15,956
Location
Entre a serra e o mar.
As a noob I had fun with Stranger of Sword City. The game is pretty and the ruleset is pretty basic. At most you'll plan your class changes but even that isn't mandatory to make it through the main story.

A pro tip from another thread: if the party bunnyhops, its too hardcore for the likes of us.
 

octavius

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
19,184
Location
Bjørgvin
World of Xeen is probably the most newbie friendly TB blobber, but like Might&Magic 3 it's a not a typical blobber, with its simplistic combat and rather straightforward dungeon maps.
You may want to consider Wizardry 1, the original blobber and a "true" blobber experience, and one of the easier TB blobbers after MM 3-5.
 

ore clover

Learned
Joined
Mar 25, 2017
Messages
171
What version would you recommend?

Us the NES/SNES any good?
nononononononono don't play the snes version of MM3! It's incredibly unresponsive and navigating through menus is a complete chore. The dos version is superior in every way. Look up snes gameplay on youtube if you're curious, but I guarantee you won't regret sticking to dos.

MM4 and 5 are a bit easier, if only because they have an easy difficulty mode. But with a little dedication I think you'll do just fine in MM3.
 

hackncrazy

Savant
Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Messages
415
Thanks a lot for all recommendations. I'll try MM3 and Shining In The Darkness to see if I'll go well and probably get Strangers of Sword City on a sale.

I'll try Wizardry at some point, but first I want to finish something more friendly, because even though it seems like a great series, it also seems like it requires a level of knowledge that I don't have at the moment.
 

Wayward Son

Fails to keep valuable team members alive
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
1,866,294
Location
Anytown, USA
Wizardry I or Might and Magic I; alternatively, Wizardry V, Wizardry VI or Might and Magic IV (personally I'm not too much of a fan of the last two, but they're generally regarded as good, and I don't disagree, they just aren't my cup of tea).
 

Wayward Son

Fails to keep valuable team members alive
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
1,866,294
Location
Anytown, USA
I really think you should start with Wizardry 1. That is where you'd learn everything about how to play blobbers.
I agree 100%, even though Wizardry V is my favorite in the series so far that I've played a significant amount of.
 

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