Talk about it HERE
(srsly)
Note: I uploaded a new file that contains the DLLs that I'd forgotten to include as well as a few very minor fixes. There's no need to redownload if you already have a copy that works for you
Curse of Vampire
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There's very little plotscripting involved in the game. Primarily the scripting is just to figure out if there's, for example, a tree in front of the player. The bulk of the work is done with tags.
I told RMZ on CP that I'd post a slight hint here. This isn't a puzzle solution so much as a nudge in the right direction and while it isn't much of a spoiler, I'm spoiler-tagging it to avoid ruining anything for you puzzle purists. I recommend at least playing a little before reading on.
One of your first orders of business is to find a light source. It's not strictly necessary in order to beat the game, but the caves are very hard to navigate without one.
And if you can't figure out how to do that (it's one of the hardest puzzles in fact), here's a larger hint.
Where else have you seen a light source?
I told RMZ on CP that I'd post a slight hint here. This isn't a puzzle solution so much as a nudge in the right direction and while it isn't much of a spoiler, I'm spoiler-tagging it to avoid ruining anything for you puzzle purists. I recommend at least playing a little before reading on.
One of your first orders of business is to find a light source. It's not strictly necessary in order to beat the game, but the caves are very hard to navigate without one.
And if you can't figure out how to do that (it's one of the hardest puzzles in fact), here's a larger hint.
Where else have you seen a light source?
A question.
When the key falls into the hole after you escape from your cell, are you supposed to be able to get it? Cause it says "there's a key down there" or whatever but I don't actually get the item, and the only other item I have at that time doesn't seem to do anything.
The game is alright. Once I got the torch everything else was easy, though I haven't beaten it yet. I only went through the cave once, every other time I just FF11'd across the river. The maps are big and full of nothing, and there's a lot of going back and forth. They definitely need to be smaller.
It was a little annoying that I couldn't save without sleeping at the inn. I don't mean that I should be able to save anywhere, just that I should be able to save without it going from day to night or vice versa.
When the key falls into the hole after you escape from your cell, are you supposed to be able to get it? Cause it says "there's a key down there" or whatever but I don't actually get the item, and the only other item I have at that time doesn't seem to do anything.
The game is alright. Once I got the torch everything else was easy, though I haven't beaten it yet. I only went through the cave once, every other time I just FF11'd across the river. The maps are big and full of nothing, and there's a lot of going back and forth. They definitely need to be smaller.
It was a little annoying that I couldn't save without sleeping at the inn. I don't mean that I should be able to save anywhere, just that I should be able to save without it going from day to night or vice versa.
Non-spoiling answer:
That's the other hardest puzzle in the game. The difficulty is mitigated by the fact that you only have one item to choose from.
And a little hint:
Try using the item somewhere else. It's obviously not working on the hole.
About the size of the maps... I agree that crossing the cave is the most annoying part of the game, especially given that you have to do it several times. However, I'm not too concerned about that since I'm able to beat the game in under 15 minutes. It's not like the game is unnecessarily padded due to map size.
The inn "feature" is a minor annoyance at most. I'd keep it even if it's annoying just so that the player realizes he can switch between night and day.
Overall, the game is kind of easy, saving for the two puzzles that have been spoilered here. The endgame is a lot of fun, IMO, even if it still isn't that challenging.
That's the other hardest puzzle in the game. The difficulty is mitigated by the fact that you only have one item to choose from.
And a little hint:
Try using the item somewhere else. It's obviously not working on the hole.
About the size of the maps... I agree that crossing the cave is the most annoying part of the game, especially given that you have to do it several times. However, I'm not too concerned about that since I'm able to beat the game in under 15 minutes. It's not like the game is unnecessarily padded due to map size.
The inn "feature" is a minor annoyance at most. I'd keep it even if it's annoying just so that the player realizes he can switch between night and day.
Overall, the game is kind of easy, saving for the two puzzles that have been spoilered here. The endgame is a lot of fun, IMO, even if it still isn't that challenging.
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I beat the game earlier today. I liked the ending, but a couple of the last puzzles before Dracula were frustrating because there was no possible way to get through them on the first go. You had to die first and then try again, which isn't how good puzzles work.
The darts were easy to figure out after they killed me once and so they weren't THAT big a deal, but the invisible pits in the next halls were terrible. "Die without warning and then memorize where the invisible traps are" is an awful idea for a puzzle.
Also, I never used the Garlic for anything. What was it for?
Also, the "I EAT BUGS" priest was great.
The darts were easy to figure out after they killed me once and so they weren't THAT big a deal, but the invisible pits in the next halls were terrible. "Die without warning and then memorize where the invisible traps are" is an awful idea for a puzzle.
Also, I never used the Garlic for anything. What was it for?
Also, the "I EAT BUGS" priest was great.
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I strangely had trouble with this as well. It may be that you don't get enough time to register the locations in your head (I cheated by taking screenshots).The darts were easy to figure out after they killed me once and so they weren't THAT big a deal, but the invisible pits in the next halls were terrible. "Die without warning and then memorize where the invisible traps are" is an awful idea for a puzzle.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHOY
Re: Dracula's second puzzle
No memorization needed. There is a clear visual difference between the deathtraps and the normal tiles. Memorization makes it very difficult on the escape, too (though the visual method is also more difficult because of the shaky screen).
Yes, you will probably die on this and the dart trap. I agree that this is poor design, but the proximity of the save point makes me less concerned about this.
Did you like the third puzzle? I'm proudest of that one. It's still possible to die there, but it's more your fault if you do.
Re: Garlic
It's a red herring. The general philosophy is that you shouldn't go out of your way to buy things whose use you aren't sure of. The roast is also a red herring, albeit a more obvious one.
Re: BUGS
There's a story behind this -- my fiancee insists that Dracula always has a bug-eating servant. He used to say "SAVE YOUR GAME" or something like that, but she kept insisting that Dracula needed a bug-eating servant or people would wonder why he doesn't have one. I changed his text to "I EAT BUGS" and this seems to have made her happy.
(There's a Buffy vs Dracula episode where Dracula makes Xander his servant and he starts eating bugs. Also, she insists that all the Dracula books and movies have bug-eating servants. What do I know? My Dracula experience largely comes from hitting things with whips. She's probably right.)
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Anyone who liked this game should check out Mazin's Locked, a stylistically similar game. The graphics are still NES-style, but better quality. The puzzles are simpler, but the game is quick and delightful. I can't remember if it was a direct influence on Curse of Vampire, but I'd like to pretend it was for purposes of this thread.
Re: Dracula's second puzzle
No memorization needed. There is a clear visual difference between the deathtraps and the normal tiles. Memorization makes it very difficult on the escape, too (though the visual method is also more difficult because of the shaky screen).
Yes, you will probably die on this and the dart trap. I agree that this is poor design, but the proximity of the save point makes me less concerned about this.
Did you like the third puzzle? I'm proudest of that one. It's still possible to die there, but it's more your fault if you do.
Re: Garlic
It's a red herring. The general philosophy is that you shouldn't go out of your way to buy things whose use you aren't sure of. The roast is also a red herring, albeit a more obvious one.
Re: BUGS
There's a story behind this -- my fiancee insists that Dracula always has a bug-eating servant. He used to say "SAVE YOUR GAME" or something like that, but she kept insisting that Dracula needed a bug-eating servant or people would wonder why he doesn't have one. I changed his text to "I EAT BUGS" and this seems to have made her happy.
(There's a Buffy vs Dracula episode where Dracula makes Xander his servant and he starts eating bugs. Also, she insists that all the Dracula books and movies have bug-eating servants. What do I know? My Dracula experience largely comes from hitting things with whips. She's probably right.)
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Anyone who liked this game should check out Mazin's Locked, a stylistically similar game. The graphics are still NES-style, but better quality. The puzzles are simpler, but the game is quick and delightful. I can't remember if it was a direct influence on Curse of Vampire, but I'd like to pretend it was for purposes of this thread.
Last edited by Mogri on Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Haha, I recall when I first released Locked Mogri was none too impressed with it (except for its graphics and map design). It's interesting to compare the two, because they seem to have opposite focuses. The main selling point of Locked was the style, really. There's no story and the puzzles for the most part don't really connect to each other in any logical way. Curse of Vampire, on the other hand, has much more sensible puzzles and provides a motive for the player, but is graphically unpolished. But I suspect they were both made for the same reason: to quickly make a complete game.
If by "the third puzzle" you mean the one with the switches, that one was fine. I did die on it once, but that was just because I wasn't paying attention.
Dracula's puzzle was good too. It took me a few tries hitting esc before I could open the menu while I was walking towards the window though.
If by "the third puzzle" you mean the one with the switches, that one was fine. I did die on it once, but that was just because I wasn't paying attention.
Dracula's puzzle was good too. It took me a few tries hitting esc before I could open the menu while I was walking towards the window though.
Locked isn't impressive. I guess Curse of Vampire isn't too impressive either. Locked is charming. That's the real selling point. And Curse of Vampire is... well, it's out of my system now, if nothing else 
I guess it's got its charm. It's not difficult, but the puzzle solutions are satisfying (none of the "use the syrup on the door so you can get cat fur to make a fake mustache" nonsense you see in more convoluted adventure games) and the pacing is good: you never feel like you're doing something completely unrelated to the main goal of slaying Dracula.
In the end, it was more about finishing it than anything. I was stalled a few times in making the game -- notably before getting around to anything outside of the town (I started the game a year ago and stopped working on it at that point. I had a complete draft for the game flow which I unfortunately lost. I think there were some good puzzle ideas on there, and the few I remembered I did include) and after Dracula's first puzzle (which is why the second puzzle is far less satisfying than the first and third). I also wanted there to be more to the Dracula battle, but in the end I decided it was better just to finish the game. The endgame sequence is still satisfying, I think, and I'm happy to call the game complete.
Re the Dracula battle issue:
I'm really not sure why the menu locks up during that part. The script looks like this:
while(check tag(tag:spell)) do (
if (key is pressed(key:left) ||
key is pressed(key:right) ||
key is pressed(key:up) ||
key is pressed(key:down))
then (suspend player)
wait(1)
ctr += 1
if (ctr >> 10) then (
walk hero (me, hero direction, 1)
ctr := 0
)
resume player
)
Obviously if you're holding down a direction key, the menu should freeze, but otherwise it should be fine.
That said, I kind of like it the way it is. It makes it feel like you're struggling to break the spell and creates kind of a panic on an otherwise easy puzzle.
I guess it's got its charm. It's not difficult, but the puzzle solutions are satisfying (none of the "use the syrup on the door so you can get cat fur to make a fake mustache" nonsense you see in more convoluted adventure games) and the pacing is good: you never feel like you're doing something completely unrelated to the main goal of slaying Dracula.
In the end, it was more about finishing it than anything. I was stalled a few times in making the game -- notably before getting around to anything outside of the town (I started the game a year ago and stopped working on it at that point. I had a complete draft for the game flow which I unfortunately lost. I think there were some good puzzle ideas on there, and the few I remembered I did include) and after Dracula's first puzzle (which is why the second puzzle is far less satisfying than the first and third). I also wanted there to be more to the Dracula battle, but in the end I decided it was better just to finish the game. The endgame sequence is still satisfying, I think, and I'm happy to call the game complete.
Re the Dracula battle issue:
I'm really not sure why the menu locks up during that part. The script looks like this:
while(check tag(tag:spell)) do (
if (key is pressed(key:left) ||
key is pressed(key:right) ||
key is pressed(key:up) ||
key is pressed(key:down))
then (suspend player)
wait(1)
ctr += 1
if (ctr >> 10) then (
walk hero (me, hero direction, 1)
ctr := 0
)
resume player
)
Obviously if you're holding down a direction key, the menu should freeze, but otherwise it should be fine.
That said, I kind of like it the way it is. It makes it feel like you're struggling to break the spell and creates kind of a panic on an otherwise easy puzzle.