Giveaway of the Day - Undercroft

Unfortunately I’ve only received notification that Sunday’s game had been changed at the last minute. There just wasn’t enough time for me to play the game then review it, so I’m just going to basically post what you can find over on Rake in Grasses web site including a link to a video of game play.

From my very limited experience of this game, which was released three years ago, it reminds me of the earliest Elder scrolls rpg games, though the graphics are of a slightly higher resolution in Undercroft. You’ll actually find several free abandonware and freeware games similar to this in the forums, most of which are based on the DOOM engine. (see the free games synopsis over in the forums for details) The two Elder Scrolls games that are available as freeware are brilliant and contain much more in game content than undercroft.

Its unfortunate that I’ve missed this one as it looks so different to the usual games we get. Maybe I’ll add something later in the day.

For a r.p.g. its a very small download at only 6.27Mb, so a reasonable size for downloading even for those on dial up. It actually installs as a smaller file than the downloaded zip file. For a change we get a desktop and Start Menu program folder shortcut for this game and you’ll also find an uninstaller in the Start Menu short cut.

b.t.w. the price quoted above is odd. They are selling this for only $4.99 at Rake in Grass and their partner 300AD it’s up for $19.95???? Unles the advertised game at Rake is the iphone version as those tend to be cheaper than the PC version.

Todays game:

Rumors go around the land that a great evil has risen on an old abandoned graveyard near the city Dolbrad. Dead are walking around the place killing everybody, who try to explore secrets of the tombs.

You get control of the party of hotheaded adventurers, who start twists of erratic events with just one unwise bet. Lead them to the horror graveyard only to prepare future, they could never expect.

Undercroft is a great epic adventure in fantasy world full of magic and monsters. It brings together atmosphere of classic role playing games with plenty of new features packed together with cool graphics and sophisticated level design.

Reference accessed 3.45am Sunday 29th Nov 09: http://undercroft.rakeingrass.com/index.php

The game unusually starts in a window on first start up. Looking through the options menu it looks like there’s no full screen mode and checking through the files in the installed folder there’s no configuration file that will allow you to change to full screen. Looking at the graphic, it does look like this is actually the iphone version that’s been configured to play on a PC (see my conclusion for the reasons).

When you first start the game the menus are in English but you can change the language via the options menu to Deutch and Czech as well. On starting a new game you are then given the option of changing the difficulty level. Once this is done you have to select your party. To the top right of the playing area are four question marks, just click on one of those. This brings up several character portraits. You can select any one of these to choose the first characters appearance, once this is done you have to name your hero using a screen keyboard (I tried using the normal keyboard but it doesn’t work). Once you’ve decided on a name and typed it in click on the return button.

You then have to choose the heroes occupation from a list of 5. these include Warrior, Mage, Priest, Summoner and Assassin. Then you have to distribute all the free points into the character skills and statistics You get 2 skill point and 3 stat points to distribute at the start of the game. You do this by selecting one of the skill icons that are valid (red ones can’t be used until you attain higher levels) then click on the + sign to attribute the spare skill pointsTo attribute the stat points click on the icons to the bottom right that are situated just above the OK and Start buttons. Again click on the desired stat such as strength (depicted by a strong arm) then click on the + sign. Each occupation will give different stats for example the Warrior class can improve on Strength which adds to the heroes health and attack power, , Constitution which raises the heroes stamina and resistance to fire, cold and poison and finally Dexterity which improves the heroes defence and ranged attacks (ranged attacks are crossbows and bows or any throwing weapon such as a spear). Take care when attributning your skill and stat point because once used you cant undo the change, so make sure you’ve though about what the particular characters strengths should be before you attribute the points. The developer should have added a remove points button as well IMO, but only for the initial points sharing. Once you’ve completed the stats and skill points for your first character click on OK then repeat the process with the other three empty slots. It’s good to select a diverse range of occupations for your party otherwise you may find yourselves at a disadvantage at some point in the game.

Once the character selection is complete you can choose to watch the introduction which is so like the old rpgs of 10 or more years ago or you can skip the dialogue and still images and jump straight into your first adventure.

The game field is divided into an information bar at the bottom of the screen that shows your heroes health and constitution (the red and blue indicators, which should be full at the start of the game). You’ll also find to the right of the character mug shots your weapon selection button and a skill button ( arrow pointing down) which is used to select spells etc. The crossed swords changes the fighting style of the character selected to an offensive hero who concentrates on causing damage, wheras the shield will indicate a defensive hero who concentrates on avoiding damage. this is an ideal setting for the weaker members of the party. A end of turn button that looks like a hour glass to the right of these are six movement and look buttons which are activated by your mouse.

You will get tutorial screens popping up at the beginning of your first quest, so I wont go into any more details. It will take a little getting used to, but I think if you persevere this will be a rewarding game to play. From my memory of he video (see elow) there are five quests to complete.

Video of Gameplay:

There was no video of the PC version of the game so I’ve posted videos of the iphone version of the game. The graphics in the PC version are okay, though somewhat pixillated. I think they are basically the same game with some configuration files that enable it to play on PC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZIN-_8JJbA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXZCIu2ZsfU

GAME FEATURES

• 20 hours of gameplay with great replay value!

• A party of heroes – because the whole is more than a sum of its parts! Enjoy building of unique specialised classes that do not blend. Combine their powers to overcome their weaknesses and make them a horde to remember!

• Intricate plot with dozens of quests and plenty sidequests to gather extra experience!

• Unique turn-based combat system suitable for well thought out strategic moves as well as for fast fluent attacks!

• 5 hero classes with great wariety of skills and spells for unique development!

• More than 750 items and 60 enemies!

• Sophisticated interface with all the extensive functionality quickly on hand!

• Many environments ranging from fiery pits and dark underground to forests, snowy mountains and large city!

Conclusion:

Something different from the usual stuff is always welcome, though I do think this game will only interest a small minority of the community despite it being a decent game from Rake in Grass. However I hope I’m wrong. It’s unusual to see a r.p.g. adventure game in the guise of an arcade game. I do think the lack of a full screen mode detracts from the game play. I personally don’t particularly like playing in windowed mode. However that said it looks like this is basically the iPhone version that’s been configured to play on a PC because the graphics remind me of games of 10 years ago in that they are pixilated quite distinctly. I do think if you enjoy this game you should check out the games I mentioned above which can be found via the free games synopsis HERE. That said I do like this type of game, so would tentatively give it 8 out of 10 despite its limitations.

The game is free standing which means you can play it via a flash drive.

I find it odd that a game that hasn’t been given away before can get any sort of negative points within minutes of it being released. There’s no way anyone could have installed and played this game effectively within that time frame. That’s why I think we should adopt a similar system to the giveaway side of the project. You’d have to be logged on to vote. That would stop the fly by night voter and those bothered enough to sign it would probably give a more erudite and fairer vote. (Just my opinion). I think that would give the developer and the community a much better measure of what the community though about the game play and not the idea or what it looks like from images. Some of the ugliest games I’ve seen have actually been brilliant games with respect to game play.