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Post by lordomnibok on Oct 12, 2017 7:48:33 GMT
I watched it on Youtube. A curious piece. Very well animated. Thanks offm.
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Post by lordomnibok on Oct 5, 2017 8:22:45 GMT
I've been idly wondering about recreating this adventure on YouTube – essentially in the way that peteravastrat was considering doing for TWoFM except without the utter madness of 400 videos and significantly less chance of being shut down for copyright infringement. Would people actually be interested in that? I think if I were to create 35-40 videos I'd want to know they're going to get some views. This is interesting. I had not seen this Youtube-Gamebook idea before. I would no doubt look at it if you created it, but as you said, it's a fair bit of work if you're not certain that you will get the views. But isn't that a chance people take when creating anything new? It just depends on how compelled you feel to do it and most importantly whether you will enjoy the process. If you enjoy doing it, I would wager that you cannot lose either way. It also depends how long it will take you to create. If it will take ages, you might get more from investing your time in another short Gamebook. But that's just my thoughts/biased musings.
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Post by lordomnibok on Sept 15, 2017 7:14:46 GMT
It's another which book question but I remember reading a gamebook when younger and early in the book you were in a corridor with the floor pattern of stars and hands. You could ignore the pattern, walk on the stars or walk on the hands... If you walked on the hands you had to fight the hand. What book was it because I thought it was Citadel but it wasnt. I am certain it is Warlock of Firetop Mountain. Para 311? Sorry, I didn't realise two people had answered this already. Sorry! There's no need to apologise, especially as your answer was more specific. I believe that the para in question also comes with a jazzy little drawing. Slightly off topic, but I still enjoy comparing my solutions to yours, so I am wondering what your general impression was regarding pop. Any personal thoughts on how you think it fared in the series, in context of enjoyability and gameplay?
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Post by lordomnibok on Sept 14, 2017 8:51:15 GMT
Peter Hoskin released the full transcript of his interview for the TLS with Ian Livingstone, which is much longer and more informative on the history. As to the future, IL is intending to write another book set in Blacksand at some point (aside from being committed to writing one for the 40th anniversary with SJ). The main problem I have with Blacksand is why anyone would live there...even if you make money Azzur has your ass kicked. ha ha well, I wouldn't fancy retiring there either, but there have also been some alarming stories that have come out of Juarez for instance, with death scenes that would have to be banned from a horror movie, so I'm not fazed by the idea that people would live in Blacksand, but I know what you mean.
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Post by lordomnibok on Sept 4, 2017 20:49:03 GMT
Are the illustrations the ones from the original books? I'm afraid not. Discussion about the new art can be found on the port of peril threads.
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Post by lordomnibok on Sept 3, 2017 21:03:21 GMT
I have altered my solution due to the disclarity regarding the provisions situation. It has been mentioned elsewhere the beginning implies you are without food hence the bizarre opening stamina issues. Also your partner hunts for food later on. Why would this be necessary if you could share provisions a la Caverns of the Snow Witch? The irritating thing is the instructions seem to be lifted from a standard book. Yet another brickbat. This makes the book much harder. A good thing? I assumed that you start with NO provisions at all. No money, no potions, no shield. Paragraph 1 tells you what you start with - just a load of odds and ends.
Yes- I think you are right when you say instructions seem to be lifted from a standard book. Agreed, they haven't adjusted the rules properly. I have also been playing with no food or potions. Because I appear to be starving at the start I also took a couple of Stamina off of my character right at the beginning, which clears up some of the other little oddities. Do you think that was what Ian had intended for the rules, but someone just copied and pasted the instructions and therefore caused all these little anomalies?
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Post by lordomnibok on Aug 30, 2017 14:03:31 GMT
Port of Peril is a weak shadow of the original FF! The paper of the book is thin and tears easily, the cover is bad and crude, the interior art is appallingly childish and looks like it was created on a 1985 version of MS Paint. The artwork is shockingly poor, compared to the original series, and lacks fine detail in the images. Disappointing and cheap; but comes with a bumper six pound price tag! I must admit I was disappointed with the "jotter" paper and the simplistic internal illustrations (Freeway Fighter's looks polished by comparison!). I liked the covers and had ordered the set of 6 books from Amazon. But after seeing POP and COT, I decided to cancel my order of the others. I'll get any other new books they release but I'll stick to the Puffin and Wizard editions for the originals. I'm doing the same. I've even read that some people have not bought pop due to the artwork, which is a shame. The publisher should look closer at their sales and decide if their customers are predominantly kids or adults in the late 30, early 40 bracket
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Post by lordomnibok on Aug 25, 2017 23:27:27 GMT
Port of Peril is a weak shadow of the original FF! The paper of the book is thin and tears easily, the cover is bad and crude, the interior art is appallingly childish and looks like it was created on a 1985 version of MS Paint. The artwork is shockingly poor, compared to the original series, and lacks fine detail in the images. Disappointing and cheap; but comes with a bumper six pound price tag! Regarding quality in general, unfortunately my spine's golden strip started wearing off after just a few hours of reading In regards to the art, your post has made me wonder about the schedule in a bit more detail. I don't know for sure, but if the same artist illustrated 6 gold spine books with roughly 20 illustrations per book, he would have been hammering out one illustration pretty much every day over a four month time frame to be ready for the release date. (Apologies if I've got that wrong as its a quickly worked out bit of supposition on my part) but, if that's right, you'd have to be a pretty experienced pro to pull that off in style.
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Post by lordomnibok on Aug 13, 2017 10:13:40 GMT
The rules of Star Strider lack the usual restrictions on exceeding Initial scores, so the Stamina gain from eating the food cubes can be applied. The rules of Port of Peril forbid exceeding Initial scores without explicit permission, so the earliest instances of Stamina gain are an authorial and/or editorial blunder. I appreciate your response because I seem to recall liking the food cubes & exceeding my initial scores. Strange how I can remember that from thirty years ago. I'm now wondering if there are other possible errors right near the start of POP, such as money problems & skill boosts, but I am only on my third attempt so it would be unfair to make such judgments yet. I'll find out as I go along, but I bet you would never see these type of errors if some core fans on here had proof read it. Anyway, as long as the book can be completed fairly, that's the main thing, and I'm finding the writing fairly enjoyable at the moment.
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Post by lordomnibok on Aug 12, 2017 9:46:57 GMT
I don't own the book, but isn't this roughly what happens at the start of Star Strider? You eat food cubes right at the start for no good reason. Homer Simpson tries to eat food cubes on full STAMINA Maybe this is a super cunning reference back to this book. Ian Livingstone mentioned that there are any number of Easter Eggs hidden in the book for older readers. (No doubt you're only allowed to eat the Easter Eggs when already on full STAMINA.) Haha. Thanks for the clip. Yes, I remember those food cubes. In POP you seem to get a few useless boosts in quick succession near the start. Maybe it is a reference to food cubes... Or maybe my mind will be blown in a few weeks when I realise that these anomalies form part of a secret code which allows me to complete Crypt of the Sorcerer without cheating, whilst also solving world hunger issues... Then again, maybe it is just a puzzling set of glitches that have no excuse to be here. I have my suspicions, but I'm still on my first play through, so I shall refrain from making accusations at the moment.
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Post by lordomnibok on Aug 12, 2017 0:20:56 GMT
Add one stam on page 1? I presume that I can go above my initial stats straight away then... or is there a time loop that sends me back here. Sorry, not sure if I'm being dim but its just a curious start. Unfortunately no. This is either an oversight or a deliberate joke. The only times you are allowed to exceed Initial stats as instructed by text is when Yaztromo gives you a power up, and when you use a certain weapon against a certain demon. Wow. That's a heck of an oversight, especially as the exact same error seems to be repeated more than once right near the start. Very odd - I'm somewhat bemused - but okay, thanks for the clarification Sylas. I shall read on.
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Post by lordomnibok on Aug 11, 2017 22:20:48 GMT
Add one stam on page 1? I presume that I can go above my initial stats straight away then... or is there a time loop that sends me back here. Sorry, not sure if I'm being dim but its just a curious start.
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Post by lordomnibok on Aug 9, 2017 13:22:43 GMT
what in the world is going on here? The reviewer is right, the citadel of chaos image looks like a quick tracing of the original. I wonder if Krizan was told to do this, or was this his own idea? I shall avoid the urge to rant because its not implausible that the artist was given a horrific time schedule to work with, but if so, WHY? Good art isn't created in 5 minutes, so give the artist some time! I have decided to stick with my well read, well loved green spine classics, no matter how rough they are getting around the edges.
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Post by lordomnibok on Aug 8, 2017 23:08:53 GMT
Regarding the problem of inventory data not saving , i have studied the problem with the fightingfantasy.net owner and finally get to a conclusion, people simply do not log in once they create a user , so we a studying a way for people to auto login once they create an user,and for the users already created they will also auto login once they log in for the 1st time (like on facebook). So this will be the next feature to be implemented, meanwhile dont forget to login once you enter the site.And Happy adventuring!! Good work offm. I just read 'kill the beast' by the way. Cool mini adventure
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Post by lordomnibok on Aug 7, 2017 16:48:48 GMT
Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson signing new books at Forbidden Planet Also, an article in the Times Literary Supplement : Orcs and Oulipo (mild spoilers about PoP) '“It’s like sprinkling petals towards quicksand”, is how Livingstone described the process when I spoke with him recently. “I really enjoy that”.' Nice little article. I'm not sure why they put the spoiler in there though. Tut tut.
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Post by lordomnibok on Aug 1, 2017 13:27:29 GMT
Despite their charcoal look, I think the POP illustrations may well be digital, drawn up using a Wacom-esq tool straight into Photoshop. I might be wrong, but that is my guess. I shan't be negative as I do like some of the illustrations (ref 11 for example) but many characters do look identical in style to the work of my animation friends who design cartoons for very young audiences. I'm not saying its bad, so this is not a jab at the artist, its merely that the cartoon style doesn't sit well with me in an ff book. I would have also liked the hardback cover on the softback to compliment less toony pen or pencil work inside. I think younger audiences would have preferred that too, but this is obviously subjective so hopefully I am wrong. Either way, these are just my personal preferences; how I would have loved it to be. But i am still very much looking forward to reading the book now that its arrived
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Post by lordomnibok on Jul 31, 2017 2:13:24 GMT
They're not really sword trees. They are a hybrid being. Created as the result of someone misusing the Biantai spell from the Isles of the Dawn when an army of swordsmen - who had taken on the Swamp despite its reputation - were pressed against ordinary trees when hiding from an assault by one of the Masters and their creatures. That's a very interesting thought (I assume it's your idea?). It would make a lot more sense that way though I doubt Steve Jackson had anything as sophisticated as that in mind. For slightly unclear reasons, it reminded me of this bit in The Simpsons. (Mind you, everything reminds me of something in The Simpsons.) Sorry for going off topic, but as you evidently live near London like me & you are posting at 3 in the morning, I presume that you, like me, also require no sleep
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Post by lordomnibok on Jul 31, 2017 1:05:38 GMT
Its a shame to be hearing bad things about the interior artwork. I didn't mind losing out on the POP illustration job (my crosshatch pen drawings are quite dark) but I was hoping the book would be graced with some really inspiring visuals. My copy comes in a couple of days so I'm rather eager to make my own mind up.
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Post by lordomnibok on Jul 29, 2017 22:54:44 GMT
Under four weeks to write a first draft of that length seems very quick to me. I don't know if that is common. My last gamebook took me about nine months to write, but maybe I am just a slow writer. Either way, well done.
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Post by lordomnibok on Jul 29, 2017 22:40:38 GMT
I was hoping to be able to put some thought into this but unfortunately life has just got very busy for me. For what it's worth though, I agree with everything in the previous post. The intro is very much a sketch but if you decide to rewrite it & infuse more of a story into it then I'm sure you'll do a good job Mudworm. If it gets off the ground I won't be able to contribute for an untold while but I still think it has a nice premise.
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Post by lordomnibok on Jul 28, 2017 10:20:47 GMT
Each Gamebook series has its own rules. Some are simple like Golden Dragon whilst others have complex character building elements (Destiny Quest's 'special abilities glossary' alone is nine pages long.) I think what you do with your own story depends on your ultimate intentions. 1. If you are writing fan FF you will want to adopt FF rules. 2. If you want to craft your own unique world, you should invent your own rules. 3. If you want to get a book published by a company, well, that's a different can of worms. I'd advise reading a few different Gamebooks; Crypt of the Vampire by Morris first (the edition with the dark moody cover with the tree in the foreground), then Fire on the Water by Dever, then Heart of Ice by Morris again. I only suggest those ones because they aren't time eaters and will give you a sense of variety (plus they are all great.)
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Post by lordomnibok on Jul 21, 2017 11:43:04 GMT
The design is very sneaky, particularly towards the end – you have been warned. It did seem a bit sneaky towards the end, but not in a bad way; I might give it another go at some point and come at it from a different angle if time allows. Well done to Ed for putting this together, it is a well written and enjoyable yarn. I liked having travelling companions (it seemed to be in the spirit of the book's predecessor,) and I found it interesting that Champskees solution leaves a tiny possibility for more trouble to erupt in the future. I'm going to give a nod to the artist as well, as I enjoyed the illustrations. How long did it take to write this Ed, from when you first started planning it on paper? I'm always curious as to time scales on these things.
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Post by lordomnibok on Jul 19, 2017 22:35:34 GMT
Wow. I wish this was the cover for the paperback as well; it really tells a story, and Ian Livingstone even posed as the bartender. When I was a kid, what first drew me to ff was the fact that the covers looked so grown up and serious; this cover would definitely have got my interest.
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Post by lordomnibok on Jul 5, 2017 12:18:25 GMT
This is interesting, not least because I was considering sending you a message about a writing collaboration idea myself. But I will stick to this theme for now… I like the concept of many good endings scattered throughout the work. Theses are my thoughts on it: - Each section could be a mini trial of sorts, with a victory or non fatal failure before a jump to the next location. An initial opening sequence to set up how the character came across the artifact would also be good. - A list would need to be created and constantly updated to show any special items that the character could obtain in any of the mini adventures, so that any writers would be aware of what the character might be carrying when they write their next scene (this would help to keep it consistent and avoid errors.) -A list of books and scenes that have been covered should be available to those who want to add to the work so as not to repeat scenes too often. I have a mini idea for a brief Deathtrap Dungeon leap already, though I’m not sure if I’ve got the time right now to do it. With some thought though, (and assuming that enough people would be interested) I believe this could be a fun idea. P.S. Just as I was about to post this I saw Kieran's ideas; very nice
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Post by lordomnibok on Jun 29, 2017 22:32:10 GMT
Thanks Hynrek and Greenspine for the encouragement. I enjoy writing gamebooks myself so I know how much effort goes into creating these things, that's why I usually try to play them as the author intended. I was determined to see if this book could be beaten without cheating. I now know that it can. I actually completed it fairly comfortably once I had figured out how to do it, but it took nineteen attempts compared to Crypt of the Vampire which took me a reasonable six. TOF is well written, has great atmosphere, is adult and wonderfully creative at times, but is unashamedly brutal. I think it might be hard for an author to appreciate how difficult their work is because they already know the optimal route, and it makes me wonder how many legitimate attempts it should take for a reader to complete a gamebook before it can be deemed "too hard"... I guess that's a personal preference? Anyway, I did get a buzz when I finally beat it and I'll be getting the next one, but I might wait for Hynrek's review first. Here's my painful death toll if you are interested to see how badly I did, haha. Attempt 1: Killed near the start by the sentry (absurdly bad luck on the dice!) Attempt 2: Quicksand! Attempt 3: Impaled in the jungle trap Attempt 4: Death by searing energy beam Attempt 5: Death by energy beam (again) Attempt 6: Boiled alive Attempt 7: Crushed by rolling stone Attempt 8: Slain by Smoke Wraiths Attempt 9: Slain by Smoke Wraiths (again) Attempt 10: Could not cross the lake Attempt 11: Squashed by dais Attempt 12: Squashed by dais (again) Attempt 13: Could not cross lake Attempt 14: Suffocated Attempt 15: Could not cross lake Attempt 16: Could not cross lake Attempt 17: Death by quicksand Attempt 18: Detonated & ripped apart Attempt 19: Success (I now need a holiday.)
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Post by lordomnibok on Jun 28, 2017 23:10:53 GMT
The Temple of Flame is the most difficult book in the series. The later ones all have their own challenges, but they're nowhere near as harsh. Have you found the conch shell trumpet yet? If not, how many dice are you using for the PSI rolls against the Smoke Wraiths? Dave Morris has apologised for that bit, and said it should be 2 dice rather than 3 in the comments here. Thanks for the response. I purchased the 2013 reprint, which has two dice rolls against the smoke wraiths. They still killed me twice though. I found the trumpet on my last attempt but I didn't have the items to cross the lake. I'm not sure if I'm being daft, unlucky, or if I've just missed some shadowy nook somewhere. It's a brutal book when sticking to the rules but I'm glad to hear the others are not as punishing. I'll give it another shot.
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Post by lordomnibok on Jun 28, 2017 12:21:32 GMT
I agree with your reviews Hynreck, but my goodness, the number of potential insta-deaths in The Temple of Flame is mind boggling. The difficulty level in Crypt was beautiful for my taste, but I'm on my sixteenth attempt at Flame and I still haven't made it past the lake. I've avoided cheating so far, but I do hope the next book is more forgiving. (As you said, it is beautifully written & with an exceptional array of different paths for such a slim book, so I will try to persevere without rule bending... but maybe not for much longer)
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Post by lordomnibok on Jun 28, 2017 11:39:35 GMT
Hello
I plan to try playing as many Fighting Fantasy Books as possible this year and need suggestions for 3 books that would prove a worthy but not impossible challenge for characters with the following stats and used by a player who uses guides if needed, but always goes with whatever the dice say
1 has Skill 10, Stamina 19, Luck 10, A 6 for any other stat and either 5, 9 or 14GC depending on the number of D6's
1 has Skill 10, Stamina 16, Luck 8, A 4 for any other stat and either 3, 12 or 14GC depending on the number of D6's
And
The 3rd has Skill 12, Stamina 18 and Luck 8, A 4 for any other stat and either 1, 7 or 18GC depending on the number of D6's
Those are their stats and other stuff. Can you please suggest books that would be a worthy challenge, but not a impossible 1 for a character with those stat sets whose player is using a guide for all 3, but is going with what the dice rolls say? Hi JM, if you are using a walkthrough anyway, you could look at Champskee's solutions; at the start of each text, he gives an idea of the difficulty level of that adventure & whether it is viable without cheating. That should help you pick a book that fits nicely with your requirements & tastes. 'Statistics for Completion of Each Book' thread, that might help also.
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Post by lordomnibok on Jun 25, 2017 11:59:55 GMT
Thank you for sharing your work. Its a tricky business creating a decent Gamebook & you are very good at writing these mini adventures. On my last play through I fought him twice. I had a drink after the first fight to give me a boost, but i purposefully didn't get any of the other items on my last attempt: It just seemed more epic to do it that way. I doubt the brute force tactic would have worked if I hadn't had max skill & stam though, as I still came out of that room looking a lot less handsome than when I entered it. (P.S. I did find the other useful items on previous reads.)
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Post by lordomnibok on Jun 23, 2017 14:32:24 GMT
I agree. POP's cover is quite cool, but I'm not sure the comic book style works for me either. That's just my taste though. Regarding the others, the old Miller, McCaig covers are hard to beat but I can understand why they went for this new look. I obviously hope they sell well and reach a new generation. Have they got green spines though?
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