Our favorite guide to one of our favorite games has recently resurfaced.  Unfortunately the maps section doesn't appear to be working (despite the files being there), and I haven't had time to determine why.  For now, you can download the guide below.

helherron_guide

At a later date we will probably do proper hosting (the guide is in HTML).  I'll post an update once the maps are working.

Update: maps should be working now.

How long has it been since I've done a post about computer games? I just haven't been moved to post. Now some tasty crpg news moves me (and if you don't know what a crpg is, this post will bore you to tears).

Jeff Vogel, creator and chief designer of the indie gaming company Spiderweb Software, has a new blog, The Bottom Feeder. Jeff and Spiderweb Software have produced about 20 great indie computer role playing games — low-res-graphics but high-quality-gameplay games that take me back to 1983, when I was playing Ultima III around the clock. They're well-known and respected among gamers who favor classic-style crpgs.

Jeff's new blog promises to give us interesting glimpses of life as an indie game designer. Today he's given us some cold, hard facts by discussing how much it cost to produce the late 2006/early 2007 game Geneforge IV (which, if memory serves, our co-blogger Grandy beta-tested) and then comparing that to revenues on the game. It's an eye-opener. Spiderweb is probably the best known indie developer of crpgs, but he developed an ambitious game (albeit one built on an existing engine) for around $120k, with revenue as of now just under that, and presumably more to come.

So you're not going to get filthy rich as an indie game designer, clearly. In fact, you're going to have to be a stand-out like Vogel just to break even. But if you choose that path (and it's on my list, behind opera singer and masked superhero), Vogel's blog should offer good advice.

Tales of the Rampant Coyote has a great roundup of indie crpg news. Check it out.

We've drooled previously over the upcoming indie crpg Age of Decadence. Now via Scorpia I see that RPGWatch has put up its third playtest AAR. This one showcases NPC interaction and multiple solutions to quests. Still very much looking forward to this one.

Roguelike games (which, for the non-geeks among you, are computer role-playing games that usually involve randomly generated challenges, usually involve primitive graphics, and are usually limited to hack-and-slash) are not my favorite subtype of crpgs — I prefer stuff with more tactical combat. That said, I enjoy a good roguelike game now and then. In that spirit, enjoy the Beta of Caverns of Underkeep, a browser-based roguelike spotted in the forums at Basilisk Games. It's well-executed and fun.

For a while now, Grandy and I have been talking about putting up a wiki with comprehensive-as-possible coverage of indie/shareware/freeware computer role playing games. It would be a resource linking to downloads, guides, reviews, and the like, with screenshots and a brief description of each game. We'll solicit independent reviews of games, opinions on strategy, etc.

The idea isn't to cover the mainstream published games, but the labors of love: the Spiderweb Software games (like the Avernum and Geneforge series), Tom Proudfoot's games (Nahlakh, Natuk, etc.), Helherron, Eschalon, Mount & Blade, and many more. We'll cover games in development as well, like Age of Decadence.

Watch for it here. We'll be keeping more control over the wiki than is standard, because we're control freaks. But if you'd like to make sure we covered your favorite game (or one you developed yourself) drop us a line at ken at popehat dot com and we'll include it and maybe let you write the page.

Edit: Discuss the project in our forums here.

Torn between the quasi-social allure of the latest massively-multiplayer-online-role-playing-game and the nostalgic experience of a classic or indie computer role playing game? Well, maybe you can have both. EUO appears well worth a look — it's a top-down tile-based crpg that combines a classic style (it appears very much like Ultima 4 or 5) with the irresistible -to-some, appalling-to-others charms of a massively multiplayer game. I was surprised to see it is five years old; I've never heard of it, and I'm an Ultima groupie. It's got a detailed manual suggesting a fair amount of gameplay depth and it's free, so what do you have to lose? Check it out! Here's a screenshot from their page to whet your classic-gaming appetite:

Via Rampant Coyote I caught this informative short playtest of Age of Decadence, an indie crpg that I've been drooling over for some time. Check it out.

Good news on the indie crpg front: indie leader Spiderweb Software has just released Avernum V for Windows. I'm downloading the demo now.

Spiderweb Software has developed the impressive Exile, Geneforge, and Avernum lines of indie crpgs. They're perfect for people hankering back to the golden era of Ultima and Wizardry — big on gameplay without so much eye candy. The mechanics and gameplay of the Avernum line of games has become increasingly polished, and it still offers the joy of discovery that you often don't get with the big-budget graphics-card-taxing titles. Enjoy in good health. Look for a review later.

Good news on the indie crpg front. Eschalon: Book I, which I've had my eye on for some time, will bereleased on November 19. The screenshots look great and the features sound like classic crpg goodness. Watch for early impressions here after the release.