-
Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.
"This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.
Faux Gothic: Let's play ArcaniA: Fall of Setarrif! (Done!!)
- Thread starter Crooked Bee
- Start date
Havoc said:
Yep.
See, this is just soooo deep.
Skittles said:
I sure do.
It's magic!Skittles
He ruins the fun.
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2011
- Messages
- 983
I see that the Derridean deconstruction of the divinites of Gothic has been applied to the combat engine as well. After all, neither melee nor ranged combat would make sense without the other to contrast with, and isn't melee just ranged combat except you keep your hand on the weapon?
I'm glad for the philosophical turn the series has taken.
I'm glad for the philosophical turn the series has taken.
GarfunkeL
Racism Expert
Thanks for taking one for the team, Bee. This looks absolutely awful.
Let's get this shit over and done with.
The magic barrier had been weakened, and it's not like I had anywhere else to go.
So I went down the non-non-linear path...
...leading to the volcano entrance.
Archdemon, beware!
The first thing I saw was a group of the possessed working on fortifications. Realistic!
Then I came across a most gruesome sight: a dismembered troll. Did they plan on... eating that thing?
Unholy rituals were obviously practised there. I had to eradicate the evil (tm)!
Poisonous gases abounded there.
My life energy diminished as I stepped on the pools of green, so I had to carefully make my way by jumping across like a grasshopper.
The surroundings were becoming quite surreal. Happens when you inhale certain substances.
There also were some electricity-spewing machines attached to the wall. I had to make my way around those too.
Mining for sulphur was a priority as well.
And then I saw it...
...the possessed troll! :yikes:
Good thing my weapon was overpowered as hell, paralysing the troll every couple of hits.
The troll ears were my epic trophy.
Another troll was accompanied by a possessed mage.
A burden? I was about to relieve him of it.
And the third troll was cooperating with... two mages! That made perfect sense.
The bastard was trying to block my blows, but I paralysed him and then -- chop-chop.
The defence mechanisms were getting more and more complicated: fire and electricity. Ouch.
And then it began.
Trash mobs upon trash mobs.
Up above and down below.
They were having fun. I wasn't.
Ewww.
I started wondering if that was ever going to end.
But the cannon fodder just kept on coming.
The descent to the undermountain was long, with poisonous stuff all around me.
The trash mobs ceased to arrive, but the path was long. Too long.
And again, I had to hop and hop around.
"All over my body"? The words still echo in my ear... I shudder to think of it.
They were even trying to bombard me from above, duh.
I was finally approaching... something.
Along the way, I found and equipped a new shiny ring. So cool.
Magma spiders and more electricity. One good thing about it was, the electricity harmed not just me, but the spider as well.
Fancy.
A prisoner, huh? I decided to take a look.
Who are you? Has Karella sent you?
No, Rhobar sent me to help you.
So that's how low we've stooped. Now even our worst enemies need to help us.
You are Ethorn?!
Yes, the king of Aargan, and a cursed man.
I know. Now I know.
We are lost. You, me, the whole world.
No, we can still defeat the demon with the power of my smile.
Ha! Have you ever seen a creature so powerful that it can conjure fire to make the whole mountain burst?
No, I haven't.
I have. I have seen it with my own eyes.
I have recovered the holy artefacts from the burial temple of the Setarrifian kings underneath the town.
Why do you lie?
Yes, there is. The earthquake revealed it.
(Convenient, wasn't it?)
And how are these artefacts from that temple supposed to help us?
Your ancestors used them to fight against the Jharkendar and their demons.
The Seal of the Goddess? A shield?
Yes. Have you seen it?
A servant of the demon recently passed by my cell. He had a shield on him, but... he took it to the demon.
Why did you summon the demon to Setarrif?
It was the last chance I saw to save Setarrif from the Myrtanians.
I understand, but... How did you learn about the demon in the first place?
Thorus brought an Orc to my court, a shaman. He knew about the demon, he knew how to summon and control it...
How did he know all this?
An old Orcish prophecy mentioned it, and... it was right!
Why did you lose control over the demon?
The shaman... He interrupted his magic after the demon had defeated the Myrtanians.
And then the demon descended on Setarrif. It all went so fast, I didn't have the time to behead Grosh.
The Orc shaman was called Grosh?
Yes.
Then Lester killed him for you.
Lester?
The Mor-Grash with war paint? The friendly guy with the tattoos on his face?
So did the demon drag you here?
No, I followed the demon, when it entered the mountain. I was going to kill it roll, but...
A rock hit me and knocked me down, and then... I woke up in this cell.
Sad story, bro. But I must be off.
So let's see where that demon is hiding... oh my, behind lots of stationary firepower.
This must be the place.
Yup. The exclamation mark never lies.
This... is the dreaded super duper powerful archdemon that made the volcano split in two?
Oops, homing missiles. All right, I take that back!
Blah blah. Let me just kill you.
Oh damn, it summons the minions.
Golems, skeletons, you know the drill.
Fuuuck, I'm being attacked from all sides.
Being a melee guy, I can only whack the demon during the short moments he descends to the surface.
I have seen your end! Why don't you die?
'Cause I'm the chosen one, silly.
Die!
Devour him!
I want to be a dragon!
And then it ends. The arch demon is defeated.
I was just getting ready for a proper (derpy) ending, in which our smiling hero would recover the Seal of the Goddess and banish the demon with everyone cheering him up, but it looks like the devs had no time to flesh it out, so only a brief ending cutscene ensues.
Bye-bye, nasty demon!
The demon goes down.
Disappearing in the sea of lava.
And the screen fades to black.
and even though the traces of its corrupting presence could be seen all over
In a field where their armies had clashed time and time again
Peace, ladies and gents.
Smile, dammit.
You don't have to do that! We can defeat them!
And all's right with the world.
*Flash of light*
Time and weather have taken their toll on the wooden path between your house and the pit surrounded by a circle of scary stone faces. For a long time you stand near the circle, dazed and lost, overcome by the disorienting journey between worlds. But these woods are too familiar to lead you far astray. Turning away from the morning sun, a short walk brings you to the doorstep of your own long-deserted house.
Much time has passed since the night you left, but your front door is unlocked and opens at a touch, as if to finally greet you home. Entering, you lay to rest your arms that served you in your quest. Gone are the dark feelings, the dizziness, the nausea, and the despair. Gone is the pain of being in the world of ArcaniA. Gone also are your TV set, stereo, and living-room furniture; a reminder that Evil dwells still within your own world. This Evil, however, is to you much preferable to what you've been through.
That night you lie safe and warm in your own bed, and the comfort of your home offers you peace. All questions in your mind have been laid to rest. Who cares about ArcaniA's fate? Who cares how King Rhobar fares? Who cares if the demon has been irreversibly banished and the truce between Rhobar and Ethorn lasts, or if innocent blood is going to be spilt again? You no longer seek any answers; all the answers you might want are to be found in this, not that world. Sleep quickly comes and you embrace it willingly, dreaming only the sweetest dreams.
The nightmare is over at last. Hopefully there won't be a third adventure. The world of ArcaniA can rest in peace.
The magic barrier had been weakened, and it's not like I had anywhere else to go.
So I went down the non-non-linear path...
...leading to the volcano entrance.
Archdemon, beware!
The first thing I saw was a group of the possessed working on fortifications. Realistic!
Then I came across a most gruesome sight: a dismembered troll. Did they plan on... eating that thing?
Unholy rituals were obviously practised there. I had to eradicate the evil (tm)!
Poisonous gases abounded there.
My life energy diminished as I stepped on the pools of green, so I had to carefully make my way by jumping across like a grasshopper.
The surroundings were becoming quite surreal. Happens when you inhale certain substances.
There also were some electricity-spewing machines attached to the wall. I had to make my way around those too.
Mining for sulphur was a priority as well.
And then I saw it...
...the possessed troll! :yikes:
Good thing my weapon was overpowered as hell, paralysing the troll every couple of hits.
The troll ears were my epic trophy.
Another troll was accompanied by a possessed mage.
A burden? I was about to relieve him of it.
And the third troll was cooperating with... two mages! That made perfect sense.
The bastard was trying to block my blows, but I paralysed him and then -- chop-chop.
The defence mechanisms were getting more and more complicated: fire and electricity. Ouch.
And then it began.
Trash mobs upon trash mobs.
Up above and down below.
They were having fun. I wasn't.
Ewww.
I started wondering if that was ever going to end.
But the cannon fodder just kept on coming.
The descent to the undermountain was long, with poisonous stuff all around me.
The trash mobs ceased to arrive, but the path was long. Too long.
And again, I had to hop and hop around.
"All over my body"? The words still echo in my ear... I shudder to think of it.
They were even trying to bombard me from above, duh.
I was finally approaching... something.
Along the way, I found and equipped a new shiny ring. So cool.
Magma spiders and more electricity. One good thing about it was, the electricity harmed not just me, but the spider as well.
Fancy.
A prisoner, huh? I decided to take a look.
(Convenient, wasn't it?)
roll, but...
Sad story, bro. But I must be off.
So let's see where that demon is hiding... oh my, behind lots of stationary firepower.
This must be the place.
Yup. The exclamation mark never lies.
This... is the dreaded super duper powerful archdemon that made the volcano split in two?
Oops, homing missiles. All right, I take that back!
Blah blah. Let me just kill you.
Oh damn, it summons the minions.
Golems, skeletons, you know the drill.
Fuuuck, I'm being attacked from all sides.
Being a melee guy, I can only whack the demon during the short moments he descends to the surface.
'Cause I'm the chosen one, silly.
And then it ends. The arch demon is defeated.
I was just getting ready for a proper (derpy) ending, in which our smiling hero would recover the Seal of the Goddess and banish the demon with everyone cheering him up, but it looks like the devs had no time to flesh it out, so only a brief ending cutscene ensues.
Bye-bye, nasty demon!
The demon goes down.
Disappearing in the sea of lava.
And the screen fades to black.
and even though the traces of its corrupting presence could be seen all over
In a field where their armies had clashed time and time again
Peace, ladies and gents.
Smile, dammit.
You don't have to do that! We can defeat them!
And all's right with the world.
*Flash of light*
Time and weather have taken their toll on the wooden path between your house and the pit surrounded by a circle of scary stone faces. For a long time you stand near the circle, dazed and lost, overcome by the disorienting journey between worlds. But these woods are too familiar to lead you far astray. Turning away from the morning sun, a short walk brings you to the doorstep of your own long-deserted house.
Much time has passed since the night you left, but your front door is unlocked and opens at a touch, as if to finally greet you home. Entering, you lay to rest your arms that served you in your quest. Gone are the dark feelings, the dizziness, the nausea, and the despair. Gone is the pain of being in the world of ArcaniA. Gone also are your TV set, stereo, and living-room furniture; a reminder that Evil dwells still within your own world. This Evil, however, is to you much preferable to what you've been through.
That night you lie safe and warm in your own bed, and the comfort of your home offers you peace. All questions in your mind have been laid to rest. Who cares about ArcaniA's fate? Who cares how King Rhobar fares? Who cares if the demon has been irreversibly banished and the truce between Rhobar and Ethorn lasts, or if innocent blood is going to be spilt again? You no longer seek any answers; all the answers you might want are to be found in this, not that world. Sleep quickly comes and you embrace it willingly, dreaming only the sweetest dreams.
The nightmare is over at last. Hopefully there won't be a third adventure. The world of ArcaniA can rest in peace.
DarthBehemoth
Learned
All I can say is 
lightbane
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2008
- Messages
- 10,228
Awesome.
Even though the endgame is filled with trash mobs and linear corridors, it's still better than the latest DA2's DLCs, which should tell you something about Bioware's audience.
I miss the old-school trolls that were impossible to harm until you used a special spell.
The Nameless Bearded Hero (mage version): *Laughs and spams Rain of Fire, burning an entire city to ashes*
I like how the (pitiful) Archdemon has an exclamation sign so that you can't miss it
Even though the endgame is filled with trash mobs and linear corridors, it's still better than the latest DA2's DLCs, which should tell you something about Bioware's audience.
I miss the old-school trolls that were impossible to harm until you used a special spell.
The Nameless Bearded Hero (mage version): *Laughs and spams Rain of Fire, burning an entire city to ashes*
I like how the (pitiful) Archdemon has an exclamation sign so that you can't miss it
ironyuri
Guest
5/5 4/5 (9/10)
Beautiful
procrastinator
Arcane
- Joined
- May 10, 2011
- Messages
- 1,060
Skittles
He ruins the fun.
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2011
- Messages
- 983
I don't understand why this needed the Gothic name. Value judgement aside for a minute, it seems like a dramatically different game than its predecessors. I don't object to RTS games on principle, but it'd be silly to call it a Civilization game... (Revolutions, damn it.) Likewise, why call this Gothic? It's clearly not intended to appeal to long-time fans of the series, so the marketing angle makes little sense to me.
MAJESTIC
Brother None
inXile Entertainment
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2004
- Messages
- 5,673
Awesome. That was the perfect right amount of derp in the final sequences, including the grossly underwhelming archdemon.
Great job, Bee, a grateful nation thanks thee.
Great job, Bee, a grateful nation thanks thee.
In following the teachings of this LP, I have found the blessing of Retardo (permanent -1 INT and WIS).
Wet and raving
The exclamation keeps calling me back
To bloody my hands forever
Carved my cure with the blade
That left me in scars
Now every time I'm weak
Words scream from my arm
Also, I think Lord British mumbled something about the ending pastiche inspiring him for the next release... But it's hard to say, he's not exactly easy to hear through that damn space suit...
Reptilian Shapeshifter
Educated
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2011
- Messages
- 385
This LP has almost convinced me to do a Skyrim LP. Our drain bamage quota has not been reached yet.
DaveO
Erudite
- Joined
- May 30, 2007
- Messages
- 1,252
That final boss fight looked ludicrously easy. I guess it's better to make sure nobody cries that they can't complete this, although I have to wonder what audience would buy it. I think most Codexers could come up with more inspired content in their sleep.
As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.