One thing you would have changed in Sacred 2

[Silver_fox 397]

Well, I never asked for the story to be epic, did I? Actually, there are so many stories trying to be epic nowadays, so it becomes too ordinary. I just want it to be more thought through, more detailed, less predictable. Maybe it'd be better to make it less epic (why saving the world again!) yet more 'real', more believable. In Sacred 1 the storyline required to run all over the world, to visit different places, to meet several characters who can be remembered after the game. Actually, I stopped playing S1 four years ago, but I still can name and describe all the NPCs who play more or less major role in the plot. During the mentioned four years I finished the Light campaign of Sacred 2 several times, but I can name only one person from this story and can say quite a few facts about this person (yes, I remember the story, but I don't remember any names or personaltites for other NPCs). Of course, Sacred needs to stay Sacred, but speaking of he story I compare Sacred 2 mostly to S1, not to different franchises.

 

And yes, Sacred 2 keeps getting my attention - it's interesting to explore this world and find out new things. But I have a strong feeling that all the effort went to the level design and side quests - and there were nothing left for the main story. At the same time it s called 'main', so people pay more attention to it than to side quests, and when the main story is short and plain it makes the opinion about the game a bit worse. I love exploring - so I liked this game, but I know people who focused on the main story, and their opinions about the world developing were worse than mine.

 

By the way, speaking of Blizzard games, I agree about WarCraft, but the storyline of Diablo is... sometimes I want to say that it isn't (like in almost isn't present at all).

Edited March 12, 2011 by Silver_fox

[Ysne58 236]

I agree that S1 is just crying for a remake/update.

 

I think the main quest on both sides is lacking in depth. Almost cookie cutter in feeling.

[podgie_bear 184]

I don't know what I would change, but Sacred 2 just hasn't got the same grab on my heart as the original Sacred. Whether it is that the characters have not got the personality of the first game (I weep for the lack of my grumpy, bad tempered and utterly sarcastic little dwarf, "Cook me a goblin, I'll be back for breakfast!"), or whether the whole game seems to encourage building super-heroic, unstoppable killing machines, rather than quirky, individual builds that can still muddle through (God how I laughed at the 'kangaroo build' of a galdiator using only Stomping Jump, as we sang "Skippy the bush kangaroo). It somehow just doesn't feel like a spiritual successor to Sacred, like it is lacking the heart, the emotional hook that kept me coming back for more and searching for new ways of doing things. It may also have a lot to do with the fact that multiplayer was far, far better in the original too.

 

Don't get me wrong, it is a great game, it just isn't as emotionally satisfying as the first one and given a choice between playing either one, I would pick the first 90% of the time.

[gogoblender 3,071]

there are so many stories trying to be epic nowadays, so it becomes too ordinary. I just want it to be more thought through, more detailed, less predictable. Maybe it'd be better to make it less epic (why saving the world again!) yet more 'real', more believable.

 

So better quality writing, from every day moments in our lives? This makes me think about how all of us have potentially quest worthy moments that bear chronicling.

 

 

By the way, speaking of Blizzard games, I agree about WarCraft, but the storyline of Diablo is... sometimes I want to say that it isn't (like in almost isn't present at all).

 

heh, never got to play any game from the Diablo series, and I know it's the whole basis of the sacred franchise. I'd actually heard though that the main story was gripping. I saw a trailer once of a man on top of a war cart (I think?) as it is moved along ground, or something like that... just that made me want to get into the story!

 

 

 

I think the main quest on both sides is lacking in depth. Almost cookie cutter in feeling.

 

This is a cry for better writing...are we talking about the prose or quality of story that details the plot. Or are the plots themselves just boring?

 

 

It somehow just doesn't feel like a spiritual successor to Sacred, like it is lacking the heart, the emotional hook that kept me coming back for more and searching for new ways of doing things. It may also have a lot to do with the fact that multiplayer was far, far better in the original too.

 

 

If you're advocating a better mp game as a way to bring back the emotional hook of the original game, you'll get my vote on this as well. Maybe one day we can jot down everything in Sacred 2 MP that Ascaron missed the boat out on. This would actually be a useful set of notes for a future game I would hope.

 

 

 

gogo

[Ysne58 236]

It's a combination Gogo -- not real good quality writing and parts of the plot are boring.

[gogoblender 3,071]

It's a combination Gogo -- not real good quality writing and parts of the plot are boring.

 

The skimpy plot criticisms has been leveled at Ascaron since the first game came out. I know so many peeps have complained about this over the years., and yet... with so many years in tween the game launches, it seems we've got the lack of quality quests complaining starting again.

 

What was the payoff for Ascaron to do this. Surely they knew the fans were asking for better quests that were more interesting and different. Do good writers really cost that much more?

 

 

gogo

[essjayehm 58]

A lot of good points in this thread... good thread period! The biggest thing for me is the pace of the levelling - over 100 hours to get to level 100, for my typical toons - so I'll go with my secondary wish.

 

The other thing that I would change in the game would be to have more interesting enemy "combinations"; I'm not really sure how to perfectly describe it. Things like having root-casting enemies surrounded by ranged attackers (instead of melee) or maybe more than 2 enemy types per "vicinity". The way it is now, it's pretty much when you enter an area, you can be sure you will face X & Y damage types and A and B armour types, so relics and damage converters are very easily chosen for a large portion of the map. Put some fen fires in the swamps with the Olms. Or some ghosts in the dragon caves. Keep the randomization interesting so I cannot predict "moslty X, with Y & Z"... sometimes its lots of Z with very little X and some Y... sometimes equal amount of each... etc.

 

Frustration edit: I have to have an internet connection just to play Sacred 2? That is the one thing I would change.

edit edit: OkOk, there are workarounds to this, apparently.

Edited March 18, 2011 by essjayehm

[masteff 64]

1) They totally screwed up w/ the split publishers having split servers... 1/2 the US players jumped ship and went to the EU servers which ultimately doomed US.

 

2) Did they ever fix the horrid flaws in the MP buddy system? I know in beta, it was by toon and not by user. So in hardcore, the moment you died, you couldn't find your buddies again because they're all linked to a dead toon. Same for making a new toon, or having a mule/forger/shopper.

[slyborg 0]

My first post here (and howdy!). Just a small quibble,really-no XBox360 controller support? I picked up the PC version to get the better graphics/anti-aliasing/etc. While the mouse/keyboard setup works well enough,I was hoping to use my controller with the game...and I can't.

Edited March 18, 2011 by slyborg

[lujate 578]

My first post here (and howdy!). Just a small quibble,really-no XBox360 controller support? I picked up the PC version to get the better graphics/anti-aliasing/etc. While the mouse/keyboard setup works well enough,I was hoping to use my controller with the game...and I can't.

I think you will find that the keyboard and mouse give better control. It just takes some getting used to.

[mr.ioes 0]

multiple predefined skill layouts. many games offer that and I never ever use it, but in sacred 2 it would be nice to shuffle between two of them for boss fights/mod fights. just annoying resembling your skills every time

[gogoblender 3,071]

A lot of good points in this thread... good thread period!

yay!

 

The way it is now, it's pretty much when you enter an area, you can be sure you will face X & Y damage types and A and B armour types, so relics and damage converters are very easily chosen for a large portion of the map. Put some fen fires in the swamps with the Olms. Or some ghosts in the dragon caves. Keep the randomization interesting so I cannot predict "moslty X, with Y & Z"... sometimes its lots of Z with very little X and some Y...

 

I like the idea of variety...but consider also what having a set type of enemies in a slated area offers us. The ability to predict elemental damages and resistances so that we can build to make runs with certain classes having certain gear. Damage types is a fundamental concept in this game. And damage types can be classed in

 

Combat Arts

Weapons

Monsters, via geographic locales

 

This makes me think of a project I had wanted to put together for a while... a gegraphic map of damage types that would be the most successful in areas...so that this way a person can build, lets say a poison build... and be able to see a map of areas where this kind of build would work.

 

I hear you about having more different types of enemies...but perhaps the devs asked questions that they wanted the specific mix of monsters in that area to be answer. A majority of same elemental resistances? An ability for certain monsters to trap players in a way that another area would trap in a different way? For example...spiders and reflecting turtles in swamp...if I see a group of this combination...I run. My Dryad will try to target the turtles while there are spiders in tweenst them scurrying towards me throwing insanely monstrous levels of damage via their dots. That particular combination of monsters has always tickled me and gotten my heart racing a few times.

 

 

1) They totally screwed up w/ the split publishers having split servers... 1/2 the US players jumped ship and went to the EU servers which ultimately doomed US.

 

 

This was an almost big game breaker for me. Did you know that the way they had split up areas BEFORE INFORMING US that they had split Europe. I was livid when I found out that Tommy and Telari were not able to get into our EU servers because they were part of an Eastern Server.. !? We eventually were able to help get them accounts with some nasty letters written to the company and we had friends who were able to help out. But not telling us this? It basically split our clan, and by the time we were able to get new EU keys to our members, their interests had changed. Who blames?

 

yeah I'm still rankled.

 

 

My first post here (and howdy!). Just a small quibble,really-no XBox360 controller support? I picked up the PC version to get the better graphics/anti-aliasing/etc. While the mouse/keyboard setup works well enough,I was hoping to use my controller with the game...and I can't.

 

Firstly Slyborg, COOL you got the PC version, and welcome to DarkMatters! (Make an intro post for our community why dontcha ) I've found that a lot of peeps who come to PC from Console say the same thing about control being so different. Really cool thing though is that, yeah it's a pain having to use keyboard...but you can actually use BOTH. Try using WASD and mouse... the amount of control you can get over your toon is fantastic. You'll never look back. (I hope!)

 

multiple predefined skill layouts. many games offer that and I never ever use it, but in sacred 2 it would be nice to shuffle between two of them for boss fights/mod fights. just annoying resembling your skills every time

 

 

I think I may know what you mean by this, but I want to make sure. In Guild Wars, they let us, before every campaign, choose how we wanted to spec our skills...is this what you mean? So...instead of being able to do this before every campaign...u think there there should be an option to respec all your skills?

 

 

gogo

[Aegis 256]

I gotta hand it to them, this is a game that is filled with some of the most annoying flaws you could find in a game, and yet all of that doesn't stop people from playing it relentlessly for hours upon hours. I've put down less flawed games sooner than Sacred 2, so they're done something right.

 

Well, how about I just throw in one flaw I would like to see corrected that hasn't been mentioned. Voice acting. With the exception of the children, they're horrid. And it doesn't help that your own character is constantly TALKING during battle. It's sheer pain listening to them constantly chatter. And then we have the NPCs, particularly those that insist on walking up to you to strike a conversation. Minor thing? Yes, but being someone who has a bit of an affinity to audio, it would be a nice thing to see a little more effort put into the acting. I mean, really, when the children are better actors, it tells you something.

[lildozer74 0]

great thread! my wish would be a respec option. when I first got into this game I made some stupid choices early, and had to live with them forever. kinda like real life. ive scrapped or played with skills I didnt need too many times. and one word: DWARF!

[Antitrust 32]

I would have made all escort NPCs invincible. It would have been a very simple fix, and it would have made the quests much less frustrating

[Dragon Brother 619]

I would have made all escort NPCs invincible. It would have been a very simple fix, and it would have made the quests much less frustrating

Not even invincible...but they always seem so weak in comparison to any enemies that they die in only a couple of hits. They at least need to be either stronger or make the rewards for getting them to point A to B alive be worth much more.

 

Also, in regards to the quest script. I think Sacred 2 tried for too much which was the issue. The devs wanted a huge quest, one light and one dark main campaign, then there are the class quests for each character and then there are all of the mini quests scattered everywhere. It felt more to me that whatever resources went to script writing was perhaps spread to thin; so instead of a good main campaign and a few good quest chains floating around with the usual quests everywhere we were simply given alot of filler to bulk out Ascarons vast plans.

[Little Faith 24]

I would implement some way for single players to mule gold between their chars.

[belgarathmth 21]

I would implement some way for single players to mule gold between their chars.

 

I figured out one somewhat inconvenient way to do it, at a cost.

 

Take one of your developed and rich characters and buy a whole bunch of junk at a merchant. Then put the junk into the shared part of the chest.

 

The new character can then sell the "junk" for an amount that will be a lot of money for a new character. What was "junk" to the advanced character is actually quite valuable to the new character.

 

Oh, and I second the gripe about the escorts. If I smell "escort" in the quest description, I say no, huh-uh, no way, get lost, solve your own darn problem! I only deal with them now when I pick them up by accident, they get forced on me ("Holdup"), or I know there's a great reward with a good chance for success (Mary Anne, Orpheus, and the Underworld).

Edited April 5, 2011 by belgarathmth

[lujate 578]

The escorts might not be so bad, if they were not all suicidal.

[belgarathmth 21]

The escorts might not be so bad, if they were not all suicidal.

 

Absolutely! It makes me facepalm and laugh and cry all at the same time at how ridiculous they are! It's like they are actually trying to die! I keep screaming "No, you idiot! Stay behind me! Don't run towards those spiders over there, we were 10 paces from the village gates! The road is over here - no, don't run into that skeleton army! AUGH!"

[gogoblender 3,071]

I gotta hand it to them, this is a game that is filled with some of the most annoying flaws you could find in a game, and yet all of that doesn't stop people from playing it relentlessly for hours upon hours. I've put down less flawed games sooner than Sacred 2, so they're done something right.

 

Well, how about I just throw in one flaw I would like to see corrected that hasn't been mentioned. Voice acting. With the exception of the children, they're horrid. And it doesn't help that your own character is constantly TALKING during battle. It's sheer pain listening to them constantly chatter. And then we have the NPCs, particularly those that insist on walking up to you to strike a conversation. Minor thing? Yes, but being someone who has a bit of an affinity to audio, it would be a nice thing to see a little more effort put into the acting. I mean, really, when the children are better actors, it tells you something.

 

 

zomgod, nooooooooooooo.. aegis are you serious? I LOVED the voice acting. Have you stuck it out with a Dryad? She's great! Though... I didn't care much for the Seraphim... but I also LOVED the High Elf as well. I think they did a great job on the voices no?

 

great thread! my wish would be a respec option. when I first got into this game I made some stupid choices early, and had to live with them forever. kinda like real life. ive scrapped or played with skills I didnt need too many times. and one word: DWARF!

 

 

oowah...the ole respec question... thing is, because there is no respec, this is Sacred 2...it could also be a reason why there is so much going on with a game that's like two years old...cuz once we mess up we pull out all our hair, dream about it for days afterward then get insidiously drawn back to the computer where we find ourselves compelled to play again on tenterhooks?

 

Maybe?

 

 

I would have made all escort NPCs invincible. It would have been a very simple fix, and it would have made the quests much less frustrating

 

muhahah I never did that many quests *ducks* But I do understand this has been frustrating for so many players...maybe they could have come up with some kind of compromise?

 

I would implement some way for single players to mule gold between their chars.

 

Actually, even having this in MP for ourselves to do would have been a cool option. I think the way it is right now, the fact we can't share gold tween our toons..it's more of an annoyance than any sort of strategy creator.

 

 

gogo

[Vampir 0]

I would have done away with the whole camera mode thing No Camera Period, just would have used the same thing as the original sacred no having to move or adjust your view while paying the game.