Bored of the Rings
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- Author(s): stomper
- Categories: D-Mod, Quest
- Downloads: 265
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I really wanted to enjoy Bored of the Rings, mostly because I am of the belief that the dmod subgenre of unlicensed book adaptations is one that should be explored much more thoroughly by developers and players alike. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to finish it for multiple reasons despite its unique charm.
The first thing one is struck by in BOTR is the bizarre presentation of just about everything. The various NPC sprites, which include the likes of Peter Griffin and Elvira, among many others, are worth checking out just to see who makes an appearance. Unfortunately, amidst this is a somewhat confusing party system along with a narrative that only really makes sense if you've read the original book, which I haven't. I doubt you have either. In any sort of adaptation it's important to straddle a fine line in which uninitiated individuals are suitably drip-fed enough information to keep things interesting and enjoyable, while allowing for those intimately familiar with the source material to experience the more substantial aspects. Unfortunately, this is done incredibly poorly, if at all, to the point where I didn't know what was going on and eventually didn't care.
Other problems relate to map design, which even by my lax standards is offensively bad on many screens, as well as the apparent ability to softlock during a maze with a yellow grid. Not only is this maze a bland time-waster, you'll find that if you get to the end without picking up some sort of key, you'll end up in a jail without any way to apparently escape or return. I assume the author is from the Apple II Wizardry era in which punishing the player was acceptable and encouraged, however such things reek of oversight in design and lack of foresight regarding player choice these days.
If you're looking for something unconventional and unique, BOTR is more than worth a download. If you're planning to get the most out of it, however, you may need to read the book from which its derived before you start.
The first thing one is struck by in BOTR is the bizarre presentation of just about everything. The various NPC sprites, which include the likes of Peter Griffin and Elvira, among many others, are worth checking out just to see who makes an appearance. Unfortunately, amidst this is a somewhat confusing party system along with a narrative that only really makes sense if you've read the original book, which I haven't. I doubt you have either. In any sort of adaptation it's important to straddle a fine line in which uninitiated individuals are suitably drip-fed enough information to keep things interesting and enjoyable, while allowing for those intimately familiar with the source material to experience the more substantial aspects. Unfortunately, this is done incredibly poorly, if at all, to the point where I didn't know what was going on and eventually didn't care.
Other problems relate to map design, which even by my lax standards is offensively bad on many screens, as well as the apparent ability to softlock during a maze with a yellow grid. Not only is this maze a bland time-waster, you'll find that if you get to the end without picking up some sort of key, you'll end up in a jail without any way to apparently escape or return. I assume the author is from the Apple II Wizardry era in which punishing the player was acceptable and encouraged, however such things reek of oversight in design and lack of foresight regarding player choice these days.
If you're looking for something unconventional and unique, BOTR is more than worth a download. If you're planning to get the most out of it, however, you may need to read the book from which its derived before you start.
I think Bored of The Rings was released too early. It's suffering from so much. **I have not fully beaten the game yet but I believe I have played enough to assume the following holds true**
This game suffers so much from empty map syndrome/empty map effect/ whatever you want to call it. The game uses 760 of 768 total screens. But the majority of them lack sprites. Some without any at all. There's also an issue where the borders aren't clearly defined so if an area looks like you can keep walking about an area but can't, it's because there's some weird hardness blockage going on.
Another thing this game lacks is midis. DMODS REALLY NEED MIDIS, okay!? It's just something you don't leave out. Here and there you'll hear one, but most of the game is silent. Yeah it's kind of painful.
My last major criticism of this game is how rushed the story feels. Hm, perhaps that's not the right way to describe it. Perhaps if I said it had a targeted audience it would be described better. The story can really only be grasped by those familiar with the Lord of the Rings. If you're not familiar with that story you're kind of screwed. Hell, even if you've seen the movies you're still kind of screwed. It wouldn't hurt to cover the story a bit more instead of jumping from one major plot point to the next.
If none of those criticisms throw you off you'll be in for a good time. Stomper clearly put a lot of work into this and I respect and appreciate that. Also, this dmod is not all bad.
I'm thoroughly enjoying the humor in this dmod. It really is quite good. There are all these allusions to things that have absolutely nothing to do with anything because why not? There are a whole lot of sprites that don't really mesh well with dink sprites, but I'm okay with that because it's an interesting change.
This game is really long and very funny, and I really recommend trying it. I also very much hope Stomper puts more work into it- because it really needs it.
This game suffers so much from empty map syndrome/empty map effect/ whatever you want to call it. The game uses 760 of 768 total screens. But the majority of them lack sprites. Some without any at all. There's also an issue where the borders aren't clearly defined so if an area looks like you can keep walking about an area but can't, it's because there's some weird hardness blockage going on.
Another thing this game lacks is midis. DMODS REALLY NEED MIDIS, okay!? It's just something you don't leave out. Here and there you'll hear one, but most of the game is silent. Yeah it's kind of painful.
My last major criticism of this game is how rushed the story feels. Hm, perhaps that's not the right way to describe it. Perhaps if I said it had a targeted audience it would be described better. The story can really only be grasped by those familiar with the Lord of the Rings. If you're not familiar with that story you're kind of screwed. Hell, even if you've seen the movies you're still kind of screwed. It wouldn't hurt to cover the story a bit more instead of jumping from one major plot point to the next.
If none of those criticisms throw you off you'll be in for a good time. Stomper clearly put a lot of work into this and I respect and appreciate that. Also, this dmod is not all bad.
I'm thoroughly enjoying the humor in this dmod. It really is quite good. There are all these allusions to things that have absolutely nothing to do with anything because why not? There are a whole lot of sprites that don't really mesh well with dink sprites, but I'm okay with that because it's an interesting change.
This game is really long and very funny, and I really recommend trying it. I also very much hope Stomper puts more work into it- because it really needs it.
