Temple Of Elemental Game Design Decisions

[EvoG]

WOW! Anyone love the FOG OF CANT-SEE-BEYOND-TEN-FEET!!? My screen is all black but this dot in the middle! In the dot is my party and like a big tree...and I can't even see the whole tree! God DAMNIT that is unecessary. RTS yes ( as Swordinstone pointed out ), but not an RPG. Its just not needed.

How about the lame generic conversations?!

Example :

"Hello, my name is Joshua. It is a pleasure to meet you"

"Why hello Joshua. My name is Fandril. It is also very much my pleasure to meet you"

"Fandril. Would you know of a good place to get a drink?"

"A good place to drink would be the Wenches Inn, over the hill to the south"

"Thank you Fandril. I will go to the Wenches Inn, over the hill to the south"

"You are most welcome. Take care"

"Take care Fandril"

It goes on an on like that...I'm so bored I have no desire to help the farmer and his brother or catch the cheater. Or I don't even know where the fuck I am exactly ( yay fog of war again ).

I have a fast machine and I get mr. sluggish cursor...you know the one, where you're afraid to move it too fast cuz you'll overshoot what you're trying to click, so you move the mouse now so slow and methodically you look lilke those tv ads for like some internet service, and they show the fake computer screen with the animated mouse cursor going ever so slowly in a straight line to whatever the hell it was to click!

The best part so far is the combat to a degree. The animations look good and the magic effects are kinda neat.

ARGH!!

Cheers

[bloodbathmaster2]

Heheh. I got to play it for a few hours before I let my friend who chipped in halfway take it for a few days. Runs fine on my computer. Combat is amusing. Graphics kick ass.

The only thing I found dissapointing in those three or so hours was a) the limited character portraits, and b) its full party control makes it feel more like BG than Fallout. That's not really a bad thing, just unexpected.

Troika: We fully support fashion-oriented genocide
Me: Yeeeeeeessssssssssssssss...

[Strap]

"Hello, my name is Joshua. It is a pleasure to meet you"

"Why hello Joshua. My name is Fandril. It is also very much my pleasure to meet you"

"Fandril. Would you know of a good place to get a drink?"

"A good place to drink would be the Wenches Inn, over the hill to the south"

"Thank you Fandril. I will go to the Wenches Inn, over the hill to the south"

"You are most welcome. Take care"

"Take care Fandril"

Thats so you don't forget where you're going after you have "conversed" (if you can call it that ) with someone.

Where is the bathroom?
The bathroom is down the hall and to the right.
I will go to the bathroom that is down the hall and to the right, thank you.
I hope you find the bathroom that is down the hall and to the right, have a good day.

[Kizmiaz]

"Hello, my name is Joshua. It is a pleasure to meet you"

"Why hello Joshua. My name is Fandril. It is also very much my pleasure to meet you"

"Fandril. Would you know of a good place to get a drink?"

"A good place to drink would be the Wenches Inn, over the hill to the south"

"Thank you Fandril. I will go to the Wenches Inn, over the hill to the south"

"You are most welcome. Take care"

"Take care Fandril"

WOW!!!
Leaning Englisch; Lesson 1!
I can hadley wäit.

Edit: So now a tried it a bit and I didn't find conversation so repetitive unless I bluffed or intimidated, but that didn't disturb me.
Neither did the fog-of-war. It' just like Baldur's Gate & relatives.
A bit sluggish, yes but I've only got an old P4/1.7 GHz, and it's okay with 1024*768 resolution. It's not worse than Freelancer.
The only thing I'm uncomfortable with is all messenger boy "quests".
Don't Hommlet citizens never talk to each other?
And I find the combat a bit tedious, but that's 'coz I'm inexperienced with D&D 3.5 and that radial menu thingie I guess.
A big + for Elmo. I don't think I've ever seen a more staggering fighter.