This is nothing but a big scam!

[Fierce Deity]

Well I think I notice how many puzzles there are, if there are few puzzles to begin with. If it has a decent amount and they are well done I'm much less likely to notice.

Exactly. It's also hard to define a puzzle sometimes. Some things are so obvious for some, but confusing to others; it's hard to gauge what a puzzle is. But if I'm just progressing through the game at a steady pace with no stopping, I hardly notice what's a puzzle.

[KQIX-Team]

Owl's Quest cough cough was a complete game, but has less than ten puzzles :p...

I don't know Owl's Quest but I'm sure it makers didn't need a decade to make it or spam the internet how much puzzles and great gameplay is has.

[Allronix]

And what if you're in it for the story? Puzzles are well and good, but once the puzzles are solved, what keeps me coming back is a solid story. Right now, we have a real page-turner; ancient mysteries, a family in danger, a distraught patriarch, a long mythology coming back to haunt the family...

Even on the classic KQ games, the puzzles and amount of them didn't hold as much attention as the story. The puzzles were just things I had to solve in order to access more story. Ditto with Bioware games - you fight, you fetch, you might get a decent puzzle, but the star attraction is the beautifully-rendered world, the intriguing characters, a well-written and clever line of dialogue.

Your mileage may vary.

[Fierce Deity]

I don't think back and say, "This game had 10 puzzles, while that one has 4.

There are no games that have 4 or 10 puzzles. These things are called demos.

I would agree for the most part. But for the sake of argument, I would suggest that you not be so anal-retentive.

[KQIX-Team]

And what if you're in it for the story?

I can buy a KQ novel if I want to read a story. Here we are talking about adventure games and these promises:

Filled with more gameplay, more puzzles, more locations...

Seriously. Puzzles? Gameplay? What gameplay? You mainly talk and exchange some items. Did that "Demo 2 "showed us any locations we haven't already seen on screenshots or other games? What a joke!

[Fierce Deity]

Filled with more gameplay, more puzzles, more locations...

Seriously. Puzzles? Gameplay? What gameplay? You mainly talk and exchange some items. Did that "Demo 2 "showed us any locations we haven't already seen on screenshots or other games? What a joke!

I saw that as a comparison to Episode 1. It has more gameplay than Episode 1. It has more puzzles than Episode 1. It has more locations than Episode 1. I found the implication to be a given. The promises aren't broken if you're expectations supersede that which is established. 

[TheReturnofDMD]

Filled with more gameplay, more puzzles, more locations...

Seriously. Puzzles? Gameplay? What gameplay? You mainly talk and exchange some items. Did that "Demo 2 "showed us any locations we haven't already seen on screenshots or other games? What a joke!

I saw that as a comparison to Episode 1. It has more gameplay than Episode 1. It has more puzzles than Episode 1. It has more locations than Episode 1. I found the implication to be a given. The promises aren't broken if you're expectations supersede that which is established.  

It all depends on how high you set the bar.
I'd say it's a credit to KQIX Team guy that he expected so much of the game.

[Fierce Deity]

It all depends on how high you set the bar.
I'd say it's a credit to KQIX Team guy that he expected so much of the game.

There's no doubt in that. But if the game doesn't reach one's expectations, which is at fault, the product or the expectations?

[atec123]

It all depends on how high you set the bar.
I'd say it's a credit to KQIX Team guy that he expected so much of the game.

There's no doubt in that. But if the game doesn't reach one's expectations, which is at fault, the product or the expectations?

that is a legit point.  I am extremely happy with episode 2.  there are 3 episodes left.

I have replayed KQ6 so much.  I know it the whole way through just about.  The puzzles are no longer hard.  But I still keep coming back to it.  the game is still amazingly fun.

[TheReturnofDMD]

It all depends on how high you set the bar.
I'd say it's a credit to KQIX Team guy that he expected so much of the game.

There's no doubt in that. But if the game doesn't reach one's expectations, which is at fault, the product or the expectations?

That depends on how the product is and has historically been promoted--What level of quality one has come to expect due in large measure to how the producer claims the product is going to be.

[atec123]

You have till tomorrow at this same time

After this failure, noone will take you serious nor take orders from you anymore. You promised the fans a great adventure game and all we've got is a clumsy 3D mod of KQ6 locations. You flooded all boards with your "The Silver Lining episode 2 dated!"-threads and promiced "more gameplay, more puzzles, more locations". That was just cheating. Shame on you!

I think what you really mean is YOU will not take him seriously or take orders.

TSL has too many fans to go saying something like that.

[Fierce Deity]

It all depends on how high you set the bar.
I'd say it's a credit to KQIX Team guy that he expected so much of the game.

There's no doubt in that. But if the game doesn't reach one's expectations, which is at fault, the product or the expectations?

That depends on how the product is and has historically been promoted--What level of quality one has come to expect due in large measure to how the producer claims the product is going to be.

I believe it was different for everybody though. Not everybody reacted to the producer's claims, as well as the game itself, the exact same way. If there are those who were disappointed, then why should their reactions overbear the reactions of those who enjoyed it? There's no way anything can be determined as good or bad, as long as someone can carry their opinion.   

[koko_99_2001]

Ok, so KQIX-Team is determined to not be happy with this game. Nothing we can say or do will convince him that this is an amazing game that was made by people during their spare time. So let's not argue with him. Let's not try to convince him otherwise.

However, KQIX-Team, this is your warning. If you make any personal attacks, you will be banned. From the moment you joined this forum, you have been making digs and poking at the team with your sarcasm and discontent. We deleted one of your posts when you made a personal attack against Cez. You will not have another warning.

[Allronix]

I can buy a KQ novel if I want to read a story.

A game is just another medium to tell a story. A book wouldn't have voice acting, for example, or three-D graphics, or even a few puzzles to solve.

So, what puzzles would you add? And how would they be different from the usual fetch quests (find object, find owner, deliver object), Cardboard obstacles (where you can't proceed in anything unless you burn up a lot of time trying to find the trigger), or the infamous "sorry, should have got that object three screens ago. Now your last save is completely useless and you're in a zombie state."

[BjornBerendsen]

If I would have paid $100 for this game I would be very disappointed. However, this game was made by volunteers and it is freeware. The story is great and the graphics are nice. Let's not linger about this episode and just enjoy all the work these people did. Of course we are free to just hope for a few more puzzels or higher level puzzles  in the next chapters  .

[atec123]

If I would have paid $100 for this game I would be very disappointed. However, this game was made by volunteers and it is freeware. The story is great and the graphics are nice. Let's not linger about this episode and just enjoy all the work these people did. Of course we are free to just hope for a few more puzzels or higher level puzzles  in the next chapters  .

This.

now here is one thing, and I may be alone here, but I really dislike the episodic release.  I would have much rather gotten the whole thing, all at once in about a year.

I feel like with this, you beat the episode, then go crazy waiting for the next one.  you keep hoping the next one is longer, and if it isn't you go crazy waiting for the next one.  repeat this cycle until you are done.  It may be a glorious game and it may have been LOTS of fun in hindsight, and obviously you can play it again, all 5 episodes after they are all out, but I would rather have waited an extra year and get the whole thing.

I bet no one agrees with me though, it does sound kinda weird. (HAY!  Why did you release part of the game now when you could have waited a year?)

[wilco64256]

It makes perfect sense, but also think about it from our perspective - how nice it is for us as a team of volunteers to have finished products out there being downloaded and played and reviewed and getting all the feedback from everybody.  That's a tremendous motivator for the whole team and I guarantee the entire project will be finished far more quickly as a result.

[Blackthorne]

Yes, I think one really has to keep in mind that this is freeware game.  Perhaps if I'd paid full game price for Episode 2 and I received what was released, I'd be kind of mad.  But the game was free, and it only cost me my time.  

So, until Phoenix Online starts taking my money, I'll be very easy with my criticism.   I know KQIX is upset because of the promotion and grand-standing by the team (I have noticed threads all over forums we all visit) but that's just promotion!  And of course you're going to make bold claims and flowery statement when promoting your own game.  I'm not going to go out and say "Play My Game!  It's mediocre at best and you probably won't like it!  But here you go!"  I'm going to go out and promise more gameplay, more puzzles, etc.

Bt

[kindofdoon]

I agree with atec - I would have preferred one big release, but all the same, I completely understand why episodic releases make more sense for Phoenix Online. Besides, who knows - if there's a 3rd C&D, at least we can hold on to Episodes 1 and 2.

[MangoMercury]

You could all always wait until next year and download it all at once..?

Seriously though, I don't mind the Episodic release.  Yeah, it would be nice to play through as one big game, but, at the same time, the team are taking feedbacks of all natures into account in order to make the future episodes better gaming experiences (for example, they put in the running, the shorter narrations, and even patched the first episode for that!), and this probably wouldn't be so quickly and/or easily rectified, if it was, if we had one big game.