User friendliness?

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I know I'm probably in for a tirade of flames for this, but am I the only person that finds the mechanics of this game really awkward and not user friendly?

Eg. The casting of spells is a ball ache. When fighting you can't actually see which of your party members has hit and how much damage each one is doing. The general 'playing' of this game is a bit awkward to grasp and too basic almost.

The story can't be faulted andthe dialogue is probably the best dialogue I have ever seen in a game. The makers really poured their hearts and souls into this game in regards to story, and that shows... If only they sweated as much blood over the actual game mechanics (make the fights etc. more like BG in other words) and this game would have probably been the all time best RPG.

What are you thoughts?

 

Well fights are not the focus of Torment. Personally I've never had a problem with the controlling side of things, though I'll grant you that things do get pretty hectic if you end up surrounded in a fight. The ability to run (away) is invaluable lol.

 

Although I am not too far into the game and my partysize is only three now, I try to watch the very well done animations of my character during a fight. Usually I can tell that way who hit and how much damage it caused, though I can imagine that it will probably be anything else than easy to determine once the fights involve more opponents and my party is bigger.

 

well, though I do agree that casting spells can be a real pain, I have to disagree that a more BG like interface would be better. This interface melts better with the actual playing field and so is less annoying then that of BG. In BG, the interface is too pronounced, taking away from the immersion of the game. But like I also said, some quickslots or somesuch for the spells, could have been a great help.

 

Well, sometimes the engine is pretty lame.
For example when you cast missile of patience and you got some 20 shots, you canť stop until all are spent or cancel the spell. In the meantime you have no other controll over the figt. They should have used Melf's MMs mechanics, but the spell is overpowered anyway, so it's OK I guess.

 

@ArrynMorgerim, well Torment seems, not sure if it was intended as such (the complete lack of advertising does suggest it though), like a testing unit for certain things in BG2 (particularly romances) as well as being a brilliant (and in my opinon the better of the two) game. Missile of patience, and frost knife has the same sort of thing, probably would have used the Melf meteor way of working if Ps:t had come out after BG2.

I think that right clicking when missile of patience (or spells like it) wants more targets cancels the spell and allows you to carry on as normal.

 

I never had a problem with the fights, It's not that different from Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale.

 

I like the right-click interface wheel better than the BG2 interface for some things, but not for others. And I thouht you could see how much damage you do -- doesn't the damage number float up the screen after the hit?

 

Yes.

 

Yes. But you cant see whos actually doing the damage.

 

True, but if it's red then it's hitting you or a party member, and if its white(or blue. cant remember) then its damage you are causing the enemy.

 

Not in the text. But when you hit someone, you can usually tell who connected because there is a blood splatter.

Edited to include a further note on mechanics:
Torment has a toggle feature that will lock the view on Nameless, so that you can use a view akin to BG2 (unlocked) or a view akin to Neverwinter Nights (locked). I like this feature when I have to run across the screen. It allows me to pick a distant spot on the map as a target location, then effortlessly to stay centered on Nameless as he runs there. I like this feature a lot.

[ April 23, 2004, 18:07: Message edited by: Bombur ]