Rogue's Tale
So onwards we march in the inexorable pursuit of happiness via the means of the Roguelike, and we land at the door of Epixx and Rogue's Tale. Getting the game started is an absolute doddle - just download the Client from the website, create an account (via the same Client) using a name and a password, and go!
A simple looking character creation system is presented to us which allows us to nudge a few points in to Strength, Agility, Charisma or Stamina, distributing 28 points between them, with limits of 6-8 as a starting point. There is a well considered system of mechanics in place, and these are all presented very transparently at the website, but 'in a nutshell' each 'skill check' revolves mainly around the roll of two six sided dice, trying to equal or beat a base score of 7. An 8 would give the character a +1 bonus in things related to that skill, so if you want to regularly hit things with sharp objects, for instance (which turns out to be a useful skill), it makes sense to get an 8 in agility.
All that's left is to give your little adventurer a name, and you are a Ready Rogue.
The nature of your Rogue is decided by the decisions you make whilst adventuring, in that your character grows by learning talents along his level progression. These give the character new ways to interact with the world; e.g. some talents give you different ways to attack (at the cost of energy) whilst others allow you to read scrolls of a particular nature. I grow tired of reading the manual so decide I can't really figure out anything more without just jumping right in and making some decisions of my own.
Staring at this bearded adventurer I have wrought from the earth; on the screen in front of me with his dagger in hand - there is a warm feeling running through me - I think this is going to be good.
A Tutorial Dog appears on the screen and tells me that he is annoying (he's not, really), but he is going to tell me what to do. I read intently, and I engage with the world. I feel great. Frostmourn Keep is mine.
I pick up some stuff, kill a giant snail and I loot a cabinet. I then proceed to shoo off the dog before I register how to access the inventory (he tried to tell me ... ). In a blind panic, I mash the keyboard to find that 'E' stands for 'Equipment' and - thankfully - my heart rate returns to normal, the wife hangs up from an emergency call and the world starts to turn again ...
... But then I get killed by a bat. Oh well, to be expected really, I got caught out experimenting with the game mechanics. Happens to the best of us.
And so Morten is reborn to the world, to empty this cave of all the vile beasts that inhabit the thing. And I actually do okay. (Kinda).
I figure out that lighting up wall torches gives you a single point of experience (very useful in taking you the first ten to the second level) and killing a few more vile creatures lifts me to the third level. I find a hat, some armour, and I wander down through the second level to encounter (and defeat) a few enemies. Resting between engagements keeps me in good order, and I plod on.
But then I get killed. Probably by a wolf, or a bat. I can't remember.
Because the next ten or twenty playthroughs are but a blur.
Morten living out such painful, pitiful, parallel existences.
5 turns. Dead. 6 turns. Dead. 14 Turns. Dead. 60 turns. Dead (extended because I spent most of that cowering next to a dog in the starting room).
And so on, and so forth.
There are glimmers of greatness in here, but I can't help but think the balancing in the early stages is a little unfair. Not ... you know ... 'Roguelike' unfair, but just plain and simple 'unfair'.
Get caught in the first room with a spider and a venomous snake - and I may be missing something or other - but unless you are very lucky you are dead. Next go you are target practice for an archer in the starting room, and get turned in to a pincushion in single figure turns. Some really hard Orcs and Humans smash your face in with a single critical hit, and the weapons you do find you feel compelled to equip - whether they are cursed or not.
You might argue that only a few characters should actually get to a position where they CAN compete - after all, if it is TRULY fair then shouldn't you have an equal chance against a human who is equal in equipment and skill? This is a reasonable point.
In the field of Gender Politics, anyway.
I have become frustrated.
This being a game, I find myself thinking that I want my decisions to make a difference. I want to be punished for my mistakes and rewarded for the occasional risky move - or just better tactical play (than a normally dumb AI). I just don't get that, and there appear to be too many situations that are a dead-loss for an early character.
The game is SUPER easy to pick up and play, with the modern mouse-driven interface and context sensitive left / right clicking. It runs smoothly, things happen as you expect them to (even if you quickly learn that most of it involves burying another corpse) and the whole things reeks of quality.
Another fifteen or so playthroughs and then it happens. I kill enough things to stumble across enough equipment so that I may become something dangerous - and I realise why I have persisted with this. I get the pay off, my character is working and I feel great again. A dual-wielding level 5 rogue, feared throughout all the World's End Mountains, cutting snakes, wolves and duelists in to tiny little pieces with a hatchet and a dagger. I die soon after, of course, but the progress IS there!
I'll leave you with the following thought;
If the younger brother from the TV series American Chopper came up to me, resplendent in a loose-fitting 'WEEN' t-shirt, and he were to ask:
"Paul, should I ask Charlize Theron out on a date?"
I would say:
"Yes."
And likewise, despite the fact that it will reject you IF IT TAKES NOTICE OF YOU AT ALL - if you are wondering whether you should take the chance to download and play Rogue's Tale, the answer is a categorical "Yes".
http://rogue.epixx.org/index.html - The Website (and a comprehensive manual)
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