custom dungeon for dungeon master 1

[meynaf]

Hi all,


I'm actually making a nasty dungeon, coming straight out of a nightmare.
This was supposed to be for ordinary DM game, but it ended up not entirely doable and I had to modify the code.

It is located there :
http://meynaf.free.fr/tmp/customdungeon.lzx

But, before getting it, please note that :
1. it'll require 68020+ and OS 3.x
2. it is VERY difficult and not meant for beginners
3. it is unfinished and needs some feedback before I can really continue (LOTS of feedback if possible)

Soooooo, if you're interested, don't hesitate. My friend Thorham tried an early version, got his ass kicked and said "holy shit". What will YOU say ?

Bug reports, stories of what happened to you, and whatever you can say is welcome here.

I hope it won't get too frustrating, but you guys love challenges, eh ?


Notes :
1. if this thread is misplaced, admins are welcome to move it
2. if coders or graphists want to enhance it (new monsters, new objects...), they are welcome too.

[alexh]

Ooooo looking forward to it.

Out of interest, why did you back-port the Atari ST version of DM to the Amiga?

What was wrong with the Amiga version?

[Selur]

hi
may i ask if it's not an extension of original DM so what exactly is it, new remake or what ? ...and what this is written in, if it require 68020+ and OS3.x??

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by alexh

Ooooo looking forward to it.

Out of interest, why did you back-port the Atari ST version of DM to the Amiga?

What was wrong with the Amiga version?

When I started the port, I had no Amiga version and couldn't find one (I didn't search very hard though )

As the Atari ST is a much simpler machine, the program is also much easier to understand / hack.
Btw CSB for Windows is also based on an ST version.

Originally Posted by Selur

hi
may i ask if it's not an extension of original DM so what exactly is it, new remake or what ? ...and what this is written in, if it require 68020+ and OS3.x??

It is an extension. That is, the same program with new features, but all old ones are still here.
It requires 020+ probably because I'm quite lazy, and V39+ for vertical screen centering.


So now... did you try playing ?

[Marcuz]

that's a cool feat, but sadly i never could play dungeon master all the times i tried it (loved the maps but didn't like the gameplay)

but top of my hat to you sir nevertheless

[skan]

Congratulations!!!
There's plenty of potential in it, I think this could open some paths to very interesting future developments! =)

Now, the bad part:
I loved (and still do) DM and CSB, so I quickly tried your custom dungeon.
Sadly, I found it pretty unfair and unplayable, but I'll give it another try anyway.
(beware: there's a huge difference between "nasty" and "unfair")

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by skan

Sadly, I found it pretty unfair and unplayable, but I'll give it another try anyway.

If you found it unfair and unplayable, then tell me what happened to you exactly, or it's like saying nothing at all.

[gimbal]

to be honest, sometimes I found the original DM unfair as well, especially when tough monsters spawn right behind you and block you off from escaping from the tiny little niche you are locked up in

[skan]

Originally Posted by meynaf

If you found it unfair and unplayable, then tell me what happened to you exactly, or it's like saying nothing at all.

Haha, sorry I didn't mean to offend you and it wasn't meant as a personal attack!
I tell you, maybe it's just me who's getting too old and rusty to play games, or I should simply give your custom dungeon another try...
Anyway, let's see...mhmh...where do I start? Oh, ok:

being kicked in the a$$ by shitloads of bloodthirsty monsters as soon as you resurrect one champion with almost no items and mana skills, well, ain't exactly my ideal of a fair game!
(or again: it's just me being an old lazy hopeless fart!)

That said, I think the great thing about your effort is the chance it opens for further developments. DM needed that badly and I will never thank you enough for this!

Edit:
@Gimbal: well, that happened rarely IIRC and not at the very beginning of the game anyway!

[alexh]

Originally Posted by gimbal

to be honest, sometimes I found the original DM unfair as well, especially when tough monsters spawn right behind you and block you off from escaping from the tiny little niche you are locked up in

I dont remember that happening in DM, CSB maybe but not DM.

As long as you train hard on the upper levels and explore everywhere instead of making a mad dash for the next downward staircase then DM is relatively easy and great fun.

I still think the genre could be a big hit on something like XBL or Virtual Console for an independent developer who brings DM into the 21st century.

Anyone tried "Orcs & Elves" on a cell phone or DS? Is it anything like DM?

[Angus]

Originally Posted by meynaf

Hi all,


I hope it won't get too frustrating, but you guys love challenges, eh ?

Well first of all congratulations on the work you have done on this classic among classics.

On my 060 it took about 20-25 seconds to generate the control window from the doorway. I noticed that the pointer doesn't work properly in the renaming window, if you reincarnate a hero. No big deal, but I thought you might want to know.

Apart from that everything seemed fine, I was able to save and reload correctly, its a bit of a nuisance if you haven't saved because _when_ your party is killed the game exits and you have to reload it from scratch.

Oh yes, and the gameplay - too tough for this wimpy adventurer.

I got past the stone golem and shut the door behind me, only to find a locked door beyond that. Ouch! Even in conjunction with the door slamming technique and several rapid blows, I could not even dent a skeleton.

So, I hope that is some help, in any case, great work.

I don't suppose you fancy having a look at the ST EPT demo from Realtime to see if it can be converted to Amiga?

Pretty please with sugar on it?

[alexh]

Originally Posted by Angus

I don't suppose you fancy having a look at the ST EPT demo from Realtime to see if it can be converted to Amiga?

What is that?

[Angus]

Originally Posted by alexh

What is that?

The guys that did Carrier Command decided to do a massive space trading/combat game with the working title of EPT (Elite Piss Take). It was nvere finished but quite a lot of the game was programmed I gather.

A playable demonstration of the ST version has recently been made available by Rainbird Rich.

[alexh]

Ricardo Pinto?

His colleage Adrian Stephens is one of my childhood heroes.

[Angus]

Originally Posted by alexh

Ricardo Pinto?

His colleage Adrian Stephens is one of my childhood heroes.

No, Richard Hewison.

Check his excellent website out:

http://www.birdsanctuary.co.uk/ept/i.php

There's loads of stuff about EPT - and lots more about Rainbird.

By the way Adrian Stephens (and Andy Beveridge and Ricardo Pinto) were the guys behind EPT. And thet were (are) heroes to me too.

[alexh]

Anyone know why the keypad keys in WinUAE dont seem to map to strafe left, strafe right, forward, back?

Only 7 (turn left) and 8 (turn right) seem to work...

I'm sure it's a configuration thing

[Marcuz]

some BlocNum (what's the name of the key in english keyboard, the top left one in the keypad) problem or re-binding in Winuae?

[alexh]

I'll try see if it is Numlock

Edit: Nope. And I cannot work out how the WinUAE keybinding works to tie them to other keys.

Edit 2: Figured out how to remap the keys to QWR... strange that the keypad doesnt work straight off!

[Marcuz]

if it isn't this particular game issue, or windows' then it may be a problem with Winuae, maybe are you using a recent beta?
Toni made some change to the input panels, but i'm the usual clueless about tech, so i may not be the right people to help you.

[gimbal]

I had the same problem with ishar 3 - for me it was because joystick keyboard layout A was set (I cleared it, but restarting winuae and loading a savestate reset it).