UGLY SIDE of KQIII Redux

[Sledgy]

The thread about minuses of this remake. What don't you like in this game? What do you think better to change/improve?

Compare KQ3 Redux with KQ3 by IA.

***

Minuses:

- Awful animation sprites for main hero. It's really suxx. Ugly, pixelaty, blurry. It's not VGA style yet.
- Some backgrounds are dead. See scene Mannanan with Gwydion. When old talks, only his mouth is alive... O_o He doesn't pop eyes, he doesn't move somehow, just mouth ... moves.
- In the intro during scrolling inside the forest location screen shakes, when Mannanan moves. i.e. there's not smooth scrolling in wide locations. Screen shakes (trembles) when character reaches border of the screen.
- Sometimes in the intro actions of characters look very unnaturally; as if these characters (Mannanan, Gwydion) are some bots which connected to certain walk path. (Of course, in fact characters are 'bots', but it's too bad here)


But (pluses):

+ Good voicepack
+ Good music (Brandon is cool)
+ Beauty backgrounds

[MusicallyInspired]

These things are pretty small nitpicks considering the rest of the game.

And what are you talking about with the screen shakes? Does the screen shake every time you change a screen or something?

+ Good music (Brandon is cool)

Thank you.

[edenwaith]

If there is something I could have changed in KQ3, it would be to remove the desert. It just doesn't make much sense to have an ocean, a few screens of green pastures and forest, and then...a desert. Perhaps if Manannan's mansion was on the top of a mountain range, and another path went down to the other side, and perhaps a more barren area could be found over there.

I did quite like the new area with "Medusa".

[Gronagor]

If there is something I could have changed in KQ3, it would be to remove the desert. It just doesn't make much sense to have an ocean, a few screens of green pastures and forest, and then...a desert. Perhaps if Manannan's mansion was on the top of a mountain range, and another path went down to the other side, and perhaps a more barren area could be found over there.

Huh? What do you mean? That's pretty common.

[GwydionGR]

Well, there's one thing that got me really stuck in the game. SPOILERS AHEAD.


I thought that the bandit inside the bandit's house was ALWAYS awake! I mean, i went back and forth from the outside of the bandit's hut , to "downstairs" and up again, and I always got the message that "There's someone moving in the hut". I thought there was another puzzle , having to get the bandit out of the hut. I even thought about carrying some bees from the bee hive, 2 screens south, to get him out... Blimey!

[Bobbin Threadbare]

that part was actually left untouched from the original.

[oberonqa]

For that particular encounter, I just saved my game at the base of the tree, climbed the ladder, then turned into a fly and entered the hideout. If the bandit was awake, restore game and repeat. Once the bandit was asleep, I changed back into Alexander, grabbed the bag of gold, then left.

I only had to restore 2 times doing this method.

[Erpy]

And what are you talking about with the screen shakes? Does the screen shake every time you change a screen or something?

The screen shakes just a little bit when a wide screen scrolls. This is actually a little quirk in AGS.

[Fender178]

If there is something I could have changed in KQ3, it would be to remove the desert. It just doesn't make much sense to have an ocean, a few screens of green pastures and forest, and then...a desert. Perhaps if Manannan's mansion was on the top of a mountain range, and another path went down to the other side, and perhaps a more barren area could be found over there.

I did quite like the new area with "Medusa".

If you removed the desert then you have altered how to get the spell components which is one of the main plots of the game.

[Gronagor]

- Awful animation sprites for main hero. It's really suxx. Ugly, pixelaty, blurry. It's not VGA style yet.

I guess you're talking about the resizing of the sprite.

[Fender178]

The thread about minuses of this remake. What don't you like in this game? What do you think better to change/improve?

Compare KQ3 Redux with KQ3 by IA.

***

Minuses:

- Awful animation sprites for main hero. It's really suxx. Ugly, pixelaty, blurry. It's not VGA style yet.
- Some backgrounds are dead. See scene Mannanan with Gwydion. When old talks, only his mouth is alive... O_o He doesn't pop eyes, he doesn't move somehow, just mouth ... moves.
- In the intro during scrolling inside the forest location screen shakes, when Mannanan moves. i.e. there's not smooth scrolling in wide locations. Screen shakes (trembles) when character reaches border of the screen.
- Sometimes in the intro actions of characters look very unnaturally; as if these characters (Mannanan, Gwydion) are some bots which connected to certain walk path. (Of course, in fact characters are 'bots', but it's too bad here)


But (pluses):

+ Good voicepack
+ Good music (Brandon is cool)
+ Beauty backgrounds

Way too nickpicky. and the graphics look very VGA.

[DrJones]

For that particular encounter, I just saved my game at the base of the tree, climbed the ladder, then turned into a fly and entered the hideout. If the bandit was awake, restore game and repeat. Once the bandit was asleep, I changed back into Alexander, grabbed the bag of gold, then left.

I only had to restore 2 times doing this method.

You can look at the door before entering to know if the bandit is asleep or awake, his state appears on the description.

[Radogol]

It's hard to complain when there's so much to love, but my two main gripes are:

- The game is much less interactive than KQ2+. There are many more "canned" responses from the narrator ("Combining these items has no effect" or "You can't use this item here"). In KQ2+, the narrator most often understood what I was trying to do and could convincingly explain why it wouldn't work, often adding a hint or a joke. Here, he was much more machine-like.

- The graphics are very inconsistent. I probably wouldn't notice the lows if the highs weren't so damn high Most outdoor scenes look, with no exaggeration at all, as if they came straight from a lost Sierra game made in the 90s. In contrast, areas such as the pirate ship or the dragon's den at the end appear to be of rather low quality. They would be absolutely fine in any other fan-game, but when put next to such masterpieces as the snowy mountain or the treasure island, they seem very out of place.

Other than that, the game's a pure bliss.

[Sledgy]

In contrast, areas such as the pirate ship or the dragon's den at the end appear to be of rather low quality.

The same thing with the main character sprite. He is like low quality than backgrounds.

The screen shakes just a little bit when a wide screen scrolls. This is actually a little quirk in AGS.

I thought so. Maybe there're some plug-ins for smoothing this scrolling.

***

Anyway I've recently compared KQ3 from IA and from AGDI. And what I can say -- KQ3 AGDI, seems, looks more beautiful and cool.

In the AGDI version ... is (are) better:

+ music
+ backgrounds
+ face portraits
+ iconbar (yeah!)
+ room design and views (for example, I like more Gwy's room from AGDI (which separated from the hall location).


In IA opening sleeped Gwydion looks like girl...) pretty girl.

There're different openings in the both games. For example, there'snt that old woman from IA version in the AGDI one.


But AGDI have:

- very long titles (VERY LONG, you can't speed it up, just skip to the start game)
- probably, very light main character. He contrasts with other graphics, IMHO.


But really seems it's cool work. I was pleasantly surprised during comparing these two KQ3 VGAs. So thanks for your version of KQ3. Two's better than one.

[soulfire]

Only think I thought, and people often get it wrong, is hands, ie the portrait of alexander and graham.
Other than that, I thought Alexander just looked weird in all the portraits, that's just a personal opinion though.

All in all, the graphics were very VGA and arguably better than the portraits in most Sierra official ones.

End of the day, as if even start this thread, for a spare time effort this game is dead set amazing - if half of the titles on the Xbox360 or PS3 were this entertaining I wouldn't have to still play Sierra remakes.

[Chyron_8472]

Nitpicky...


The only thing I think could use some work are:

* The orb sprite needs more/better animation during the restoration.

* The AGDI logo at the beginning needs to have the 3D flythrough of the game world added (this isn't a minus, but I really REALLY would love to have it.)

[Anonymous Game Creator 2]

* The AGDI logo at the beginning needs to have the 3D flythrough of the game world added (this isn't a minus, but I really REALLY would love to have it.)

The 3D animators have literally been knocking down my door and duking it out with one another, fighting over who will take the job..

NOT!

Heh, we seem to be cursed when it comes to the animation departments of our games.

[Chyron_8472]

hmm...

[Erpy]

Yeah, I must admit I wonder where TSL got got those 20 additional 3D animators from all of a sudden.

[Eventide]

Because the thread is here...

My tiny nit pick:

Rosella sounded a lot older than 18. The actress had a great speech pattern and inflections, but her voice was so mature it made me do a double take. In comparison, Alexander sounded very youthful, but just the voices made the twins seem years apart in age. (I also never understood where Rosella got her blond hair since neither of her parents are blond, but that's on Sierra.)


That is my only issue. Nit picky but true. I don't even mind the absurdly hard puzzles (now that I know I can take my time and not have to restore if I screw up too many times.)

[ATMachine]

Because the thread is here...

My tiny nit pick:

Rosella sounded a lot older than 18. The actress had a great speech pattern and inflections, but her voice was so mature it made me do a double take. In comparison, Alexander sounded very youthful, but just the voices made the twins seem years apart in age. (I also never understood where Rosella got her blond hair since neither of her parents are blond, but that's on Sierra.)

Yeah, I too thought that the actress playing Rosella sounded a bit too mature at times. Not all the time, mind you, just at certain lines.

As for why Rosella is a blonde... Graham and Valanice must both be carriers of recessive blonde genes which passed down to Rosella. (It's actually not implausible; KQ4 shows that they both have blue eyes, so maybe they've inherited other recessive traits as well. Valanice in particular definitely has blue eyes in the KQ2 intro and in KQ4, though they changed to teal-green in KQ7--since they match her dress, the change was possibly to keep the sprite color palette small.)

Of course, the REAL reason that Rosella is a blonde is because she's a princess in a game based on fairy tales, and the stereotypical Western image of a fairy tale princess is typically golden-haired.

[Eventide]

Because the thread is here...

My tiny nit pick:

Rosella sounded a lot older than 18. The actress had a great speech pattern and inflections, but her voice was so mature it made me do a double take. In comparison, Alexander sounded very youthful, but just the voices made the twins seem years apart in age. (I also never understood where Rosella got her blond hair since neither of her parents are blond, but that's on Sierra.)

Yeah, I too thought that the actress playing Rosella sounded a bit too mature at times. Not all the time, mind you, just at certain lines.

As for why Rosella is a blonde... Graham and Valanice must both be carriers of recessive blonde genes which passed down to Rosella. (It's actually not implausible; KQ4 shows that they both have blue eyes, so maybe they've inherited other recessive traits as well. Valanice in particular definitely has blue eyes in the KQ2 intro and in KQ4, though they changed to teal-green in KQ7--since they match her dress, the change was possibly to keep the sprite color palette small.)

Of course, the REAL reason that Rosella is a blonde is because she's a princess in a game based on fairy tales, and the stereotypical Western image of a fairy tale princess is typically golden-haired.

I'm glad someone noticed the voice other than me. That first line of her dialogue just shocked me. But I do agree it was definitely line dependent.

And not that I don't love my golden haired (and overly busty) Rosella, but I was always a fan of the dark haired princesses. Perhaps I'm bias >.> (*is brunette)