Topics

1

A Valley Without Wind 1 & 2 / 0.550 and up: concerns about future of AVWW

« on: December 14, 2011, 02:31:05 PM »

Well, maybe I am too dubious, but I began to lose vision of the project.

Half of my pleasure from AVWW was from exploring. I love to explore, in all senses. I love to see new places, love to discover new recipes, love to uncover some secrets and acquire new things... that' because I love Terraria, and that's was I seen in AVWW before this major changes.

But now it is different, and keep to deviate more and more. And I don't understand now, how it will be kept together. As exploring and terrain - some of most important aspects of AVWW for me before - now mostly stripped. Or is it only seems so for me? Let me see it for you (and I am speaking not about 0.550, but rather of announced changes in 0.550 patch notes):

1. Global map.

Well, obviously, no exploring here anymore. You are always see everything right from the start - and new "continent" will not much help with it, as it will be the same fully visible island.

Oh, but map is not only for tile exploring! On map I can build wind shelters, plan to acquire resources, open new ways or rescue NPCs... Or rather I could. Before changes.

Shelters will go to missions. Resources will go to missions. Oh, NPC rescuing and vortices go to missions too! What will remain? Wood and stone only? And it are obviously can be mined only two tiles around settlement. Oh, well, it seems like whole overland map lose any meaningful purpose.

But wait, you always can go in any chunk that you want and do here... something! Well, let's see, what remained at chunks.

2. Chunk map. It connects local maps together and also have some resources. Also there is mini-bosses and trash monsters here!

Well, resources are mostly not needed, as you need only one type of each for every spell - and that's all of it. Missions, I am sure, will fulfill all your needs of it.

Bosses, just as spawning monsters, now are simply obstacles. It will not give you anything that you couldn't get everywhere. It even haven't EXP.

So on chunk level map now only for "connection" purpose.

3. Cave maps. It had bosses, resources and lost NPCs!

Well, resources are the same as with chunk maps. Not needed.

Bosses are the same as in chunk. Not needed.

NPCs will gone, as it is mission objective.

Oh, well, why we need the caves now?

4. Surface - buildings maps. It had EXP containers, bosses, some resources, scrolls, healing potions and mana potions. Before changes.

Resources and bosses are viewed already. EXP containers will gone. Scrolls are gone already. Healing and mana potions gone too.

Well, what remained? Several items that cannot be aquired otherwise (as snow suit), health pods and some teleport potions. Well... looks not worth farming for me.

So, as it seems now for me, everything on map - and map itself - haven't any purpose. It's only... decorations. Well, rich decorations, definitely, but without any need of it. Essentially game now looks like settlement management plus several mission selection plus some redundant details. Well, put stone/wood production in mission type too, set crafting results and health stones as auto-reward for any type of mission, and you will not need any sort of map at all. Settlement with 7-point menu where each choice will send you to appropriate mission directly will be enough for everything.

Please, say to me that I am horribly mistaken, and didn't notice something really important? Or that I am too grim and underestimate power of health stone grinding? Or something like that? Pretty please? Because now it's look too grim...

2

A Valley Without Wind 1 & 2 / Ice Age names

« on: November 19, 2011, 03:55:37 AM »

I have a question that bothers me almost from the first start of the game: most (or maybe even all) characters in Ice Age zone have Russian-like names. But it is not true full Russian ones. Mostly it's the 'kid names' that never used oficially. So I am curious, what was source of that names? And was it intentionally Russian-like?

3

A Valley Without Wind 1 & 2 / Too artificial buildings maps?

« on: October 11, 2011, 12:15:21 AM »

I am love to search all this dungeons and buildings. But one issue catches my attention now and again: simple graph structure of most dungeons. I tried to rise question in bug tracker, but it was closed because, well, it's too minor to consider right now, in 0.5 versions. They are right - bug tracker is not very appropriate place to discuss such things in general, apart of immediate use. So I created this theme.

So, for me (I am only L5 yet) there is only two types of structures: buildings and caves.

Caves looks almost normal ("almost", because it's always one-way, from up till down and no turns and twists). It have "even" distribution of places and bosses, so it's ok for me for now.

But buildings are another case.

Of course, it's one-way too. That is slightly strange, but bearable. But why it is such right-hand-oriented? I don't see much use of it (except obvious consequence: if you need highest point, always select far right entrance to next floor). Why such pyramid-like design? Most buildings known to me are "even", having sometimes narrowing close to roof - but often it's not a case. And in world of AVWW, it seems, all buildings are designed by pyramid maniacs. Also, yes, it's slightly strange that all this ruined rooms tend to be on the edge of graph, and never in the middle. In reality it would be random, including, of course, stairs and hallways. Yes, I can understood that it's not "real map", it's only graph, organized like map - but why? Is there any in-game reason of it?

So for me in first it must be randomization of room in floor plan (no auto-grouping stairs to right and ruined rooms to left) - actually, I would be totally happy if "real" doors would be more or less directly projected on map in terms of relative positions.  And in second, it would be good to have more variety of building plans (not only pyramids, but even blocks, trees and bushes too . Current design is too predicable, and boring, and artificial (in bad sense of the word - I am aware that buildings itself are artificial objects .

Am I only one who troubled by this issue?

4

A Valley Without Wind 1 & 2 / Noob question or how am I suppose to survive?

« on: October 10, 2011, 04:54:43 AM »

Well, I played AVWW three days in row and think that I will buy it anyway.

But there is one question that I don't understand: how am I supposed to evolve? Well, I have counter that shows map level/my settlement level... but my hero always the same! So up to level 5 (I am still not hit L6) my settlement level means nothing for hero: I have the same (very limited) range of low-level spells, no additional equipment and no new abilities for my hero.

At the same time game bravely reported that I became stronger and stronger. And mini-bosses of L2 and 3 gives less and less experience. Being the same tough as in the beginning. Simply great.

So... am I missing something? What I need to do to became stronger and try stronger zones and bosses?