Of Grim Rocks and Mages

[Blackcompany]

Greetings all. So just the other day I caught myself wishing for a good long game of Legend of Grimrock. So I turned it on, created my new party...and immediately remembered why this excellent game has sat unplayed on my hard drive for months.

I hate the Mage.

Now I know I can create my own party. Sans mage, even. But I am worried I will reach some mysterious puzzle and find I need the mage in order to continue. I was hoping that someone from the RPS community could lend a hand here and assure me that I in fact do not absolutely need the mage. Since I don't enjoy using one. Playing with a mage in the party is almost as little fun as many of the puzzles (to me - this is entirely subjective, I know, and only a matter of taste.) I have no problem with the quality of puzzles in Grimrock, mind. Rather, I suck at them.

Which leads to my other question about this game: Does anyone have any recommendations for good modded maps that have no puzzles? Or perhaps that are light on complex puzzles? Maps which are just straight forward, dungeon crawling fun? I would very much appreciate any recommendations. I enjoy the game; I loathe the mage; I hate puzzles in most any game, but that is, again, a matter of taste, not quality.

Thanks.

[gundato]

....

YOU ARE NOT HASING THE FUN WITH THE PUZZLES!!! WHAT HTEH ELL IS WRONG WITH YOU YOU DAMNED DIRTY FREAK!!!!!!


Errr. Sorry. Reflex :p

Honestly, if you don't like the puzzles I would suggest a different game. The combat is average for its genre/style, but the real fun is solving the puzzles and what nots.

But from a quick skimming of the forums, it looks like a mage is not absolutely necessary. It helps for the purpose of utility spells (light comes to mind), but isnit a necessity. In fact, at least when I was checking, the power parties didn't even use them.

[Blackcompany]

Thanks Gundato. And maybe it is just the wrong game for me. I played an Android game a while back that is a lot like this though, and loved it. Granted you only controlled one party member not four and only had melee combat to worry over. But I enjoyed it and wanted something like it on the PC.

Alas...I has a frustration: Puzzles. Wandering to and fro, starving in the dark and flipping switches and levers and teleporting round and round the same halls for hours. Not much fun. For me personally, anyway.

But again I appreciate the information. I shall give it a try on my long and freezing weekend coming up.

[internetonsetadd]

Without the puzzles and the mage, I would have found Grimrock considerably more boring. I don't even really play puzzle games. But I am a wizard.

Edit: I expressed myself terribly here. I loved Grimrock. I would have found it lacking, is what I meant to say.

[gundato]

Consider giving TES: Arena a shot. Was pretty light on puzzles and was single-party-member. Although, that had freedom of movement instead of a grid system (I think. Been a while).

[Drake Sigar]

Don't you like the runes? I found as you become more adept at using Grimrock's interface, the runes give you something to do between clicks. I took to it much more naturally than casting spells in say, Magicka or Arx Fatalis.

You cannot claim to like dungeon crawlers and loathe puzzles! Yesterday I was working on a mod where a mad wizard kidnaps the party, and they wake up in a cell with a locked door that'll mysteriously open once they go to sleep. Just as well I've already given up on the scripting language I suppose, some people would've never gotten out of that room.

[jrodman]

You cannot claim to like dungeon crawlers and loathe puzzles!

I like dungeon crawlers and loathe puzzles! Rogue, Moria, Angband, Crawl, Wizardry, Ultima 1, Arcana... I could go on.

[Alphabet]

I loved the magic system in Grimrock. :) If I were to play it again, I'd play two mages - the rogue didn't add anything to my party at all; I don't see much use for rogue skills where the party is always together. (I wasn't maximinning or anything I should add). But then I always play a mage so that's probably why. I don't think you need a mage to complete the game, and there are if I recall correctly an item or two that can deliver certain magical effects.

Slightly off-topic, I was delighted to hear about the expansion/sequel that's coming sometime. It will be a day One purchase for me.

[Mohorovicic]

I loved the magic system in Grimrock. :)

It's okay to like things, but don't be a dick about it.

[Alphabet]

It's okay to like things, but don't be a dick about it.

Is this an in-joke? I don't get it, unfortunately. :(

[SanguineAngel]

I really love the puzzley nature of Grimrock - I've long found rpgs that focus purely on combat to be not entirely to my tastes.

I can understand the frustration though - especially if you get stuck on them. Your described situation is very familiar to my younger self!

There was a similarly tile & party based rpg before grimrock - i can't remember what it was called unfortunately - i think it had a cartoony/cel shaded visual style. If this is ringing any bells it might be worth a look Blackcompany - i seem to recall it was less puzzle-focused

[Shooop]

Is this an in-joke? I don't get it, unfortunately. :(

Mohorovicic is our resident angry "gotta go against the flow" poster. I've now gotten so used to him it's hard for me to imagine the forum without him.