Wazhack.

Anyone play this yet? It looks nice.
http://www.desura.com/games/wazhack

 

I tried it out -- it's a graphical rogue-like, with noticeable similarities to nethack, but the perspective is a bit different than what is typical. It's like you are looking at a cross-section of the dungeon instead of looking at each level top-down. It's kind of a cross between real-time and turn-based. What happens is that things happen in real-time so long as you are acting as well. So if you are resting, or eating food or reading a book, for example, critters can move around and attack you (though you can interrupt an action as well). Everything happens simultaneously.

It does have a free demo so you can try it before you buy it. It's not bad but it also feels a bit odd.

 

You can probably answer the one remaining question I have about it. Does it require that Unity junk to run the full version?

If it does then I will pass. But if not then I will likely buy a copy. It does look fun from the videos I have seen. (If a bit simplistic.)

 

Ignore my previous post asking if the standalone full version required Unity. It does. In fact, I see now that Unity is the engine itself. Now I guess I need to see if this is something I want to install or not.

I hate browser plug-ins. Java, Flash, Shockwave, Silverlight and now Unity... They are mostly terrible. They allow useful things to happen but they take the control of the system entirely out of the users hands and give unlimited control to the company developing the plugin.

I will investigate Unity and see if it is a well mannered one or another offender.

 

I installed and tried it. It actually was so painless and lean that I thought it had failed to install. I played the game down to the area where it asks you to register. Very nice. I will be buying a copy this next week.

You are right Daynab. This thing is going to kick Java and Flash and all that mess to the curb. Good riddance.

 

I bought it. It may run in a browser for the free version, but it runs as a true standalone for the full purchased version. Since I have already installed Unity, I cannot be certain one way or another if it uses it for the standalone. But I cannot imagine they would rewrite the entire game to work identically to the browser based Unity build for the standalone.

To be clear for any who still have doubts, it works just fine with my firewall blocking it access to the Internet.

And the game is good by the way. Very good.

 

I played a little of the demo and it was okay, but I don't like the side scrolling aspect of it. Plus the everything happens at once I could get used to but I prefer it otherwise. Probably not on my to buy list.

 

Both of those also made the game feel odd to me as well. The side-scrolling in particular didn't feel right, but then again, I haven't liked a single side-scrolling game I've played since the original arcade game from the early 1980's, Defender (not that I was much of a fan of that either, but I was never an arcade person to begin with).

 

Sadly it seems Desura is making a mess of things. I cannot download the standalone now. I already did once, but when I tried again, it keeps bouncing me back to the purchase screen even though I am logged in to an account with it purchased...

The current beta is 1.05 and the current standalone is 1.04. I only wanted to see if the download is more current than the last I grabbed. But Desura is being a bitch and will not allow this.

The game itself has *REAL* serious trouble understanding that I have purchased it. It will not accept my login 99 out of every 100 times I attempt it. So getting past 300 feet is all but impossible. And now it looks like it deleted my character since it cannot understand this mess. I had a nice run. But this game needs some work still. Lightening is awesome for killing things. Other than that, Identify is the second most useful spell.

I guess I will just check back in another few months and see if they manage to fix this mess.

 

I strongly dislike Desura and have had problems with them myself. I don't even know why I have their software installed in the first place -- I don't think anything I have requires it. I'm just going to deinstall it now that you've reminded me.

 

I do not have it installed at all. One of the big selling points they have is that you can download a standalone installer for the games you buy through them. Nothing they sell can require Desura be installed.

The game however is good. Once the bugs and login junk is worked out I bet it will be wondrously fun. I am going to have to check the wiki and see what sorts of loot to wish for after "Blessed Spellbook of Identify" for my characters that can cast worth a damn. I would resort to my usual Nethack wishes, but I cannot be certain those items exist in this game.

 

I am really liking this game. And oddly enough, now it seems to remember my login. I managed somewhere in the 18k points area earlier today with a White Witch. Never quite managed to get Identify though, but an early -2 gloves of power helped by maxing my strength so I could carry everything I wanted besides weapons and armor.

I put points in dwemor detection after magic power recovery. Next was magic power. (Sorry if I am using the wrong words, I forget what the game calls them.

The game is almost a Nethack clone except it is a side-scroller. Everything else seems intact. I am now spending more time playing this than DoD. That is impressive.

DavidB1111, check it out. You will love it.

 

I had a lucky run this time. Up until I was befallen by a polymorph trap and a few minor bugs. I had maxed Light and nearly maxed Polearms skill. But still woefully in need of Identify.

 

Okay, Omni convinced me (by linking this tread). Gana have to pick it up. Looks like it'll be a good way to pass some time while I wait for the DoD xpac...

 

Head over and play it first. It works just fine in the browser. By the way, I need to lure Waz over to these forums since I have a few unanswered questions about what exactly I actually paid for.

It seems that there are two seperate purchases to make. I chose what I thought was the only one and bought the standalone Desura copy of the game. It works fine, but the newest version is always a bugfix or ten ahead of that version. And it is the web based version. To use it you have to log in to your "Guild Account" that is not actually what it seems. Meaning I log in with my login details through Desura's website and "Link to Wazhack" from there. But it works. The problem is that I am unsure if I am doomed to run into "Waz the Hacker" later in the game since I did not buy the "Guild account" that costs the same but does not work with the perpetually outdated standalone version.

I do not expect them to give me a "Guild account" for free. But I would certainly like to know if I am doomed unless I cough up more money, meaning that the standalone was a bait-and-switch. And some transparency would be nice for others who may make the mistake I may have made.

https://wazhack.appspot.com/help/guild.html

 

Also, where the hell is my precious Elbereth? I had a nicely Blessed Fire Wand and was unable to do this... Unbalancing perhaps. But Elbereth was essential to survive in Nethack.

 

Oh, yeah, I played it in the browser a couple of times last night. I love how crazy random it is...But yeah, I saw the whole "guild" thing too, so I am gana do some research today after I get all my chores done. Who knew that when you became an adult you'd only have MORE chores?

 

I left a message on the Desura forums linking back here. If he ever clarifies on the whole Guild thing I will be sure to post the details here.