Fate - RPG Hack-n-Slash (Diablo Style)

[Bee]

Has anyone else tried the computer game Fate? I picked it up yesterday and spent 5 1/2 hours with it (thank you for keeping track of the time I've been playing...*grumble*).

It's a lot like Diablo but with more cartoony graphics. The graphics are well done, but are a little too bright and child-like. I'm not a big fan of that style of graphics, but I've been able to set that aside and enjoy the game anyway. You're also forced into playing what appears to be a gnome or halfling like character. You have some limited adjustments you can make to their features but that's about it.

One of the things I loved about Diablo was the TONS of random loot generated in the game. This game is very similar. It also regenerates the dungeon so every game is unique and combined with the random loot generator, the game might have some legs for long term play. It doesn't have much of a story but I've found it to be a fun little game that has held my attention for longer than just about any CRPG since Divine Divinity. There's a free demo available that is the full game but limits you to level 6 and the 3rd level of the dungeon. The BBEG is usually on level 41-55 or so, to give you an idea of the amount of content. BBEG changes from game to game as well (One time he'll be a vampire, the next maybe a dragon, etc). Only 1 dungeon, only 1 town. You get quests from the locals (3 max at a time) and can sell/buy stuff from various venders in town (and a couple that travel throughout the dungeon). You can place gems into sockets to upgrade equipment and there's also a vender that will enchant equipment as well (but there's a chance he'll curse it or even remove all previous enchantments).

You also have a pet. You start with either a dog or cat, but if you feed them fish it can change them into other creatures for a certain period of time (depending on the type of fish it might even be permanent). You can buy fish or you can fish yourself at certain locations in town and in the dungeon if you have a fishing pole. In addition to fish, you can find other items while fishing (I've found gems and a couple of magic items). Another nice feature is that you can send your pet back to town while in the dungeon to sell gear. You just load him up and send him back to town where he'll sell everything that he doesn't have equipped (Pets can wear 2 rings and an amulet).

I figured there might be a couple people here who could be interested. The guy that developed the game seems like a decent guy and is pretty active on the forums. One warning though...the game was released by Wild Tangent and they use something a lot of people consider spyware for updates. The developer has instructions on their forum to show how to install the game and then uninstall the spyware editing the registry. Also when installing you can set updates to manual so the spyware supposedly doesn't report back to them. From what I understand the spyware reports back info on the games you are playing but doesn't contain any malicious code. I set updates to manual and haven't had any reports of the spyware trying to call home yet. If I do, I'll probably edit the registry and get rid of the spyware.

If that didn't scare you off, then I'll let you know that the demo is free and the full game is $20. Well worth it IMO. You can get more info and check the demo out at www.fatethegame.com.

[Blackadar]

Looks interesting...I wonder if it's any better or worse than Sacred.

[GroundCat]

DOOD!

I miss Diablo!!!!!

MAX XP GOGOGO!
LEGIT TRADE ONLY PLZ!

[sachmo71]

Looks a lot like Dungeon Keeper 2 graphics.

[Calis]

Sheesh, that interface looks directly ripped from Diablo.

That almost has to be illegal.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Looks interesting...I wonder if it's any better or worse than Sacred.

Funny you mention that. I picked up Sacred when it came out and spent about 2 hours with it and just couldn't get into it. I've been wanting to play a lite CRPG and was going to reload Sacred and try again when I came across a thread on another board about Fate. I decided to give it a go instead of reinstalling Sacred.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Bee

Funny you mention that. I picked up Sacred when it came out and spent about 2 hours with it and just couldn't get into it. I've been wanting to play a lite CRPG and was going to reload Sacred and try again when I came across a thread on another board about Fate. I decided to give it a go instead of reinstalling Sacred.

I loved Sacred...it got a lot more interesting once you got out of the newbie area. It was very free-form and open. It was buggy as hell, but the later patches make it rock-solid and they even came out with the free expansion (and later a paid expansion). I think you need 4-5 hours or so to get your character strong enough to really explore the world (which is very open). It's probably one of my All-Time favorite unsung games.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

I loved Sacred...it got a lot more interesting once you got out of the newbie area. It was very free-form and open. It was buggy as hell, but the later patches make it rock-solid and they even came out with the free expansion (and later a paid expansion). I think you need 4-5 hours or so to get your character strong enough to really explore the world (which is very open). It's probably one of my All-Time favorite unsung games.

Yep, that's what I've heard. When I first played Sacred, I was a little burned out on CRPGs and probably didn't give it enough time which was why I was going to go back and reinstall it.

[BrianD]

dola

I've been playing a bunch of Diablo lately. I'd forgotten how easy it was to have a whole evening slip by while playing that game. Oddly enough there were still over 100 games being played on Battle.net last night. More than I had expected.

[terpkristin]

Man if I could find my install CD's I'd probably try playing that one again. It's been a LOOONG time (ok, about a year) since I last played DII.

/tk

[Calis]

One thing that always seriously bugged me with Sacred was the camera, it was either way too close or way too far out.

Had a good time with the game overall though.

This Fate game has much more of a Nethack feel to it than Sacred, they're pretty different beasts.

Haven't played it a whole lot, but that's because most of my "Indie" playing time has been spent with Mount & Blade which is a fantastic game.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Calis

One thing that always seriously bugged me with Sacred was the camera, it was either way too close or way too far out.

Had a good time with the game overall though.

This Fate game has much more of a Nethack feel to it than Sacred, they're pretty different beasts.

Haven't played it a whole lot, but that's because most of my "Indie" playing time has been spent with Mount & Blade which is a fantastic game.

Agreed on the camera...to me, it's single biggest problem with Sacred.

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by BrianD

dola

I've been playing a bunch of Diablo lately. I'd forgotten how easy it was to have a whole evening slip by while playing that game. Oddly enough there were still over 100 games being played on Battle.net last night. More than I had expected.

i love diablo 2. Use to play it alot.

i havent try there recent patch. i remember waiting and waiting for the patch to come out.

does the latest patch make the game play different?

[Bee]

Fate update:

I beat the BBEG last night and have continued down further into the dungeon looking for a really nice family heirloom that I can leave my next character when I retire. I'm thinking my next character will concentrate on the bow instead of swords. I've changed my pet dog into a fire breathing salamander which works pretty well. I think there's a new patch coming up soon but I haven't looked to see what's being changed.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Im still waiting for Dungeon siege 2. I remember it was suppose to come out 2 years ago but I guess it's been delayed multiple times.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by CHEMICAL SOLDIER

Im still waiting for Dungeon siege 2. I remember it was suppose to come out 2 years ago but I guess it's been delayed multiple times.

I really think that's going to bomb. In the new PC Gamer, they do a short blurb about it. They say the graphics are dated...and that was the #1 thing going for the original.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

I really think that's going to bomb. In the new PC Gamer, they do a short blurb about it. They say the graphics are dated...and that was the #1 thing going for the original.

That's what I thought was gonna happen. Oh well I'll just wait for it to be on the $ 9.99 jewel case at wal mart.