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Kingdoms of Amalur demo impressions thread [Up On 360/Origin/Steam/U.S. PSN]

Dartastic

Member
Is there a list of the issues that they identified and addressed? I am not taking anything in good faith anymore, as I just refuse to pay for broken games (skyrim.....)
I vaguely remember seeing one, and they specifically said that they addressed the sound, freezing, key bindings for PC... and some others. I'll see if I can find it, but yeah. These are the kinds of issues that get fixed in the last months of development anyway. Regardless, I'm sure reviews will call this kinda stuff out if it still exists, and I sincerely doubt it'll be as broken as Skyrim... Bethesda is NOTORIOUS for broken games.
 
Q

Queen of Hunting

Unconfirmed Member
people are saying its possible to stop the timer similar to just cause 2 demo i guess
 

burgerdog

Member
people are saying its possible to stop the timer similar to just cause 2 demo i guess

Most of the quests cannot be finished in the demo, the later stages require the full game. It would also be incredibly boring redoing all those things again in the retail game.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
people are saying its possible to stop the timer similar to just cause 2 demo i guess

Doesn't really matter too much, I dont think. There's a limited amount of stuff you can do in the demo. You're only given access to like 70% of the very first area.

Or wait, does that mean you could theoretically keep leveling up?
 
Well the demo got me to preorder, I enjoyed the look of the game quite a bit but then again I think WoW looks good. The only problem I had with the game was the slight freeze when hitting a large number of boxes. Fraps was reporting that the game never went below 60 FPS so I wonder if it was a stylistic thing or just a demo bug.
 
Q

Queen of Hunting

Unconfirmed Member
Doesn't really matter too much, I dont think. There's a limited amount of stuff you can do in the demo. You're only given access to like 70% of the very first area.

Or wait, does that mean you could theoretically keep leveling up?

there isnt a cap on leavling. they capped how long ur able to play for instead is what people on the forums say. but u can stop the timer is what they are saying
 
Might just be me, but I hate 'disappearing' gear. Why can't I see knives and my bow and my shield on my model at the same time?

Especially for a loot based game. Might just be me though.
 
Might just be me, but I hate 'disappearing' gear. Why can't I see knives and my bow and my shield on my model at the same time?

Especially for a loot based game. Might just be me though.

The shield not appearing until you use it is quite jarring. Especially since the shield you get in the demo is huge.
 

Khezu

Member
Its in all versions? Nice, since the demo is so old, maybe it won't be as bad, or at all in the final build.

In the machnima video from a week ago, they were playing on a preview build of the game on a dev unit, well not the final build, its probably pretty close. There were about 2 or 3 instances of pop in, seemed to happen right after fast traveling and only lasted for like 2 seconds.
 

Maffis

Member
The shield not appearing until you use it is quite jarring. Especially since the shield you get in the demo is huge.

Because then the shield would take up your back the entire game. Shield is extremely necessary in this game, and how fun would it be to stare at it the entire game? They also made it "pop-up" like that because when you press the block button you instantly block (they want it to be very responsive and reflex based). The animation of bringing up the shield from the back would look quite weird.
 

Mindman

Member
I got out of the tutorial dungeon into the green grassy area, and shortly after, my game froze and I had to go to bed. Will it let me continue after the Well of Souls if I didn't complete the whole demo?
 

Tomat

Wanna hear a good joke? Waste your time helping me! LOL!
Because then the shield would take up your back the entire game. Shield is extremely necessary in this game, and how fun would it be to stare at it the entire game? They also made it "pop-up" like that because when you press the block button you instantly block (they want it to be very responsive and reflex based). The animation of bringing up the shield from the back would look quite weird.

I dunno, maybe the character could like, hold it in his left hand? Put it on back when using two hander, or don't show it.
 
Because then the shield would take up your back the entire game. Shield is extremely necessary in this game, and how fun would it be to stare at it the entire game? They also made it "pop-up" like that because when you press the block button you instantly block (they want it to be very responsive and reflex based). The animation of bringing up the shield from the back would look quite weird.

Make the block function be something less traditional than a shield and more magical then. It looks stupid stuff appearing out of thin air like that.
 

jogarrr

Member
Make the block function be something less traditional than a shield and more magical then. It looks stupid stuff appearing out of thin air like that.

I was reading NullPointer's post (here) and it seems like there may be alternate types of shields. At least that's what I think the following is referring to.

10.) Hit the block button to bring up her Frost Talisman and block attacks.
10b.) Hit the block button right as an attack is incoming and she'll parry it, discharging the frost magic of her Talisman into the enemy for a few seconds. If other enemies are clustered close, it can affect them too.

Seems nice as a Mage pulling out a huge kite shield to block is weird. It would be great if there was a parrying dagger or something for Finesse characters as well.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
Make the block function be something less traditional than a shield and more magical then. It looks stupid stuff appearing out of thin air like that.

I dont see it as a problem. They aren't exactly going for a 'believable' vibe with the game like Skyrim or anything.
 

spirity

Member
I'd rather it didn't look like WoW so much (seriously.. squint in some areas and you're in Ashenvale again). You can see the artists have been heavily inspired by Blizzard here. But I do concede WoW has got that whole fantasy/dream-like magical forest thing down to a 't', and by extention so has Amalur.

Doesn't detract too much from the experience however, I'm really addicted to exploring every nook and cranny and delighted to find there are rewards for doing so. Can't fricken wait for this.
 

spirity

Member
I was reading NullPointer's post (here) and it seems like there may be alternate types of shields. At least that's what I think the following is referring to.



Seems nice as a Mage pulling out a huge kite shield to block is weird. It would be great if there was a parrying dagger or something for Finesse characters as well.

Yeah, it looks like a transparent round disc rather than a kite shield. Suitably magical looking for mages imo.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I'd rather it didn't look like WoW so much (seriously.. squint in some areas and you're in Ashenvale again). You can see the artists have been heavily inspired by Blizzard here. But I do concede WoW has got that whole fantasy/dream-like magical forest thing down to a 't', and by extention so has Amalur.

I'm actually surprised so many people are against that type of aesthetic. I actually feel like too few games take a crack at it.

I really love how bright and vibrant the outdoor sections are. I play way too many games where everything is drab and muted.
 

Leezard

Member
I was reading NullPointer's post (here) and it seems like there may be alternate types of shields. At least that's what I think the following is referring to.



Seems nice as a Mage pulling out a huge kite shield to block is weird. It would be great if there was a parrying dagger or something for Finesse characters as well.

There's a small buckler type of shield for Finesse characters.
 

spirity

Member
I'm actually surprised so many people are against that type of aesthetic. I actually feel like too few games take a crack at it.

I can't speak for others but for me at least, it doesn't help that I got fed up of WoW after a year. I suspect a bit of bias is part of my opinion. I'd like to see Amalur with perhaps more demanding graphics, not necessarily realistic looking but better textures. I dunno, its not a huge deal though.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I can't speak for others but for me at least, it doesn't help that I got fed up of WoW after a year. I suspect a bit of bias is part of my opinion. I'd like to see Amalur with perhaps more demanding graphics, not necessarily realistic looking but better textures. I dunno, its not a huge deal though.

I played WoW for years and I'm more burned out now than I ever was. That said, I always did and always will love the art. The gameplay was mostly what I got fed up with.
 

Fredescu

Member
Loved the demo. I've played it twice now and the scope for character customisation and exploration have me itching to play more.
 
After experiencing the FFXIII-2 demo's godawful camera, this one is not that bad, and suits the 3rd person combat. I'm glad they went with the stylized cartoon art, instead of trying to chase realism. Skyrim's lo-res textures make everyone look like they have shitstained chickenwire pressed against their skin.
 

spirity

Member
So is it like Skyrim with WoW graphics?

Kinda. But it isn't as open world as a Bethesda game. Its probably more akin to Fable 2/3 with Blizzards talent trees. I'd definitely advise you try the demo, its really good.

Wait. You've blown your bandwith on mods again haven't you!
 

Omikaru

Member
Really enjoyed the demo of this. It's like Fable 2/3 gameplay (with an interesting, talent/skills tree), only it's not complete and utter dogshite like those games.

I may have to rejigg my budget and cancel a pre-order to get this instead. But I may wait a few months, since I still have Skyrim and The Witcher 2 installed on my PC, dying to be played.
 
So is it like Skyrim with WoW graphics?
Skyrim in terms of game systems like stealth, alchemy, lockpicking, and the large open world aspects.

Fable + Wow in terms of graphical style, although with a little less charm than both of those.

Fable + God of War in terms of combat. God of War style and speed (and finishers/rage mode) with Fable like single-button press simplicity, only it actually works here and can get very complex if you want.

Diablo-esque loot with prefixes and suffixes and color coded rarities.

And not sure exactly what to compare the skill system to except to say maybe Borderlands, only in this game you aren't limited to what skill tree you can spend points in. So you can create pure classes or any hybrid classes you want. Maybe that makes it kind of Elder Scrolls-ish.
 

Shepard

Member
The game is good, not as good as I was expecting, but good. Here are my thoughts:

The Good
- It runs great on my old PC at 1080p, 60 fps with almost no drops.
- The Battle system. It's fluid, fast, but I'm afraid it might get a little repetitive.
- The Music. Even if not great, it really adds to the experience.
- Looting. For a looting heavy game they did an amazing job with the menus and inventory (being able to compare and equip items on the fly is great).

The Bad
- Running great on my system had to come with a downside: the game looks dated. Lots of popins and blurry textures. Things that are 10mtrs away from you make it look like a ps2 game.
- Art style didn't click with me at all.
- World feels barren.
- Random freezings (I know this is still a demo, no ccrashes though)
- Had to turn off Post Processing to run the game (otherwise I'd get a black screen)
- 15mins playing and I was already feeling overpowered.
- Camera is too close to the character, and I missed some kind of lock-on system.

Yeah, I'll probably end up buying it, but it definitely isn't as good as expected.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Anybody know if there is a way to change the selected target after prepping your bow to fire?

Can't you just flick between targets with the left stick? (I played the PC demo with a 360 controller)
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
So is it like Skyrim with WoW graphics?

It's more like single player WoW in a way. It has Elder Scrolls style talent trees and skills, but to me, it feels like a single player MMO (which I love, though I can see why that turns off others)
 

Abylim

Member
Just finished the demo, I love it.
Definitely picking up day one!
I didnt have a problem with the camera at all, the combat is better than most RPG's. Pretty happy with it so far!
 
I only have three questions after getting the demo not to lock up on me.

Why is the camera so close to my character? This almost makes the game unplayable, the game specifically tells you to look around with the right stick so you don't miss stuff that is hidden. Well, if the camera was at a reasonable distance maybe I wouldn't have to play seek-and-find.

Is there really no lock-on system or am I missing something? These games really need a lock on system. Maybe it is just me, as I don't play consoles often, but the lack of a lock-on system just seems foolish on the console. I cannot speak for the PC version as I haven't played the demo on the PC.

Why is mana the main source for power in a Brawler and Finesse characters? Does anyone know if this changes later in the game? It just seems lazy and inefficient. Every loot-driven game now-a-days has a different resource for different play-styles. I find it frustrating that I need to manage mana, that doesn't regenerate, when I am playing a Rogue/Brawler character to use my powerful abilities. I would totally understand mana management if I was playing a spellcaster, because that is what the role entails but for a character that I want to play to stop in the middle of combat to refill my mana doesn't help the flow of combat.

That being said, I actually like the game. If only these things could be changed but that is extremely doubtful.
 

Ricker

Member
I got out of the tutorial dungeon into the green grassy area, and shortly after, my game froze and I had to go to bed. Will it let me continue after the Well of Souls if I didn't complete the whole demo?

Yes and give you all the items you had,even if you make a new character of a different class by the way.
 

Ceebs

Member
It totally reminds me of the solo questing runs in WoW where I bothered to read all the dialog and follow all the stories through to completion.
 
I've enjoyed the demo. Not had much of an issue with the camera.

Will wait for reviews, because I want to know how much variety there is later on (the vid at the end makes the combat look brilliant, but we all know what videos do...). I like the approach, the little tweaks and things to the standard formula. It's just, it could be too standard over a long period of time.
 
So, the game refuses to render the game world, which is kind of weird. Completely black, though the HUD is still drawn on top. Menus/etc. work just fine.

I assume it's something specific to my rig because I don't see anyone else bitching about this. It's kind of a huge dealbreaker, though, especially when I haven't had a single other system-specific bug since buying this computer over a year ago.

ATI 5770, updated with the drivers from the 12/30
 
The game is good, not as good as I was expecting, but good. Here are my thoughts:

The Good
- It runs great on my old PC at 1080p, 60 fps with almost no drops.
- The Battle system. It's fluid, fast, but I'm afraid it might get a little repetitive.
- The Music. Even if not great, it really adds to the experience.
- Looting. For a looting heavy game they did an amazing job with the menus and inventory (being able to compare and equip items on the fly is great).

The Bad
- Running great on my system had to come with a downside: the game looks dated. Lots of popins and blurry textures. Things that are 10mtrs away from you make it look like a ps2 game.
- Art style didn't click with me at all.
- World feels barren.
- Random freezings (I know this is still a demo, no ccrashes though)
- Had to turn off Post Processing to run the game (otherwise I'd get a black screen)
- 15mins playing and I was already feeling overpowered.
- Camera is too close to the character, and I missed some kind of lock-on system.

Yeah, I'll probably end up buying it, but it definitely isn't as good as expected.
I saw the demo's 2GB, said fuck it, and came here to read up on the impressions instead. Gotta say, all the negatives I'm reading sorta put a damper on my expectations. Camera issues are a real pet peeve of mine, so that's especially disappointing to hear.

Was planning on getting this day one, but unless they tweak around the stuff, I might hold off until reviews come in and/or price drop sales.
 
wasnt really looking forward to this game at all, tried the demo for the ME3 extras, it looks a lot better in motion then in stills, but I'm not fond of the gameplay
 
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