An Aeophian Adventure: Dink goes to Aeophia
- Download Info
-
- Author(s): Patrunjelu
- Categories: D-Mod, Romp
- Downloads: 342
- Main
- Reviews
- Versions
- Screenshots
- File Discussion
- Contribute
- Add a Screenshot
- Write a Review
For me playing a game is a pretty narcissistic experience. I want to feel that I am the best there is, I want to fight dragons, save damsels in distress and vie for victory. This means a game has to reward me occasionally with a pat on the shoulder and let me feel that I have achieved something unique. Of course anyone can beat the game, but my narcissistic inner self doesn't need to know that...
Unfortunately 'An Aeophian adventure' failed to deliver me this experience. After playing through this DMOD I hardly had the feeling I had even played a game. The reason is that this DMOD doesn't reward you for anything. The entire DMOD consist out of a little village in which you can run some errands for the local population. None of the inhabitants are particularly thankful after you helped them, one of them even went as far as telling me "Just leave me alone..." and then never spoke to me again.
The only thing you can 'achieve' in this DMOD is becoming owner of the local pub. But the ridiculously small amount of effort it takes to become owner means this really can't be called a reward either. Any villager could have become owner if they'd shown the least bit of interest.
This lack of game-experienced is aggravated by the lack of an ending. It is left up to the player to decide when he has seen enough. And when the player makes this decision the game just quits, there is no fancy cutscene, no credits and no goodies.
Technically the game is sound though. I found no bugs in the scripting and in general the scripting is well done. There are no spectacular scripting tricks, but the basic elements are used very well.
Unfortunately the mapping is different. The map has quite a bit of hardness, but it all seems pretty much redundant as there are so many holes. Especially the fence around the village is a bit of a joke as it is absolutely riddled with holes. A lot of the screens also don't have any natural borders. This means that you just run into the edge of a screen and notice you can't continue any further, there is no way of telling in advance if the next screen will exist or not.
The decoration of the map is reasonable. The original screenshots I saw in the development thread looked quite promising, but they don't work out very well in the DMOD itself. The most important problem is that this DMOD has a lot of trees, but no screenmatch. This means that screens never really line up, I found this annoying. The decoration itself consist mostly of trees. Removing some trees and adding some other decoration would really improve the map, just add the occasional flower or a patch of grass.
On the positive side the atmosphere in this DMOD was relaxing and the conversations are quite well written. I liked the way you could run your own pub as well, though earning up to 40 gold a time when you can't buy anything is a bit of a letdown.
Final verdict:
So this DMOD is a bit of a disappointment for me. Especially as I feel that the DMOD's author could do better. The DMOD's concept isn't bad, it just lacks polish and an objective. If the sequel is a bit longer with more rewarding quests and has some sort of objective it could still end up quite nicely.
4.7
Unfortunately 'An Aeophian adventure' failed to deliver me this experience. After playing through this DMOD I hardly had the feeling I had even played a game. The reason is that this DMOD doesn't reward you for anything. The entire DMOD consist out of a little village in which you can run some errands for the local population. None of the inhabitants are particularly thankful after you helped them, one of them even went as far as telling me "Just leave me alone..." and then never spoke to me again.
The only thing you can 'achieve' in this DMOD is becoming owner of the local pub. But the ridiculously small amount of effort it takes to become owner means this really can't be called a reward either. Any villager could have become owner if they'd shown the least bit of interest.
This lack of game-experienced is aggravated by the lack of an ending. It is left up to the player to decide when he has seen enough. And when the player makes this decision the game just quits, there is no fancy cutscene, no credits and no goodies.
Technically the game is sound though. I found no bugs in the scripting and in general the scripting is well done. There are no spectacular scripting tricks, but the basic elements are used very well.
Unfortunately the mapping is different. The map has quite a bit of hardness, but it all seems pretty much redundant as there are so many holes. Especially the fence around the village is a bit of a joke as it is absolutely riddled with holes. A lot of the screens also don't have any natural borders. This means that you just run into the edge of a screen and notice you can't continue any further, there is no way of telling in advance if the next screen will exist or not.
The decoration of the map is reasonable. The original screenshots I saw in the development thread looked quite promising, but they don't work out very well in the DMOD itself. The most important problem is that this DMOD has a lot of trees, but no screenmatch. This means that screens never really line up, I found this annoying. The decoration itself consist mostly of trees. Removing some trees and adding some other decoration would really improve the map, just add the occasional flower or a patch of grass.
On the positive side the atmosphere in this DMOD was relaxing and the conversations are quite well written. I liked the way you could run your own pub as well, though earning up to 40 gold a time when you can't buy anything is a bit of a letdown.
Final verdict:
So this DMOD is a bit of a disappointment for me. Especially as I feel that the DMOD's author could do better. The DMOD's concept isn't bad, it just lacks polish and an objective. If the sequel is a bit longer with more rewarding quests and has some sort of objective it could still end up quite nicely.
4.7
An Aeophian Adventure: Dink goes to Aeophia (short: Aeophia) is Patrunjelu's first D-Mod. It's all about a "relaxing adventure" where Dink wanders around Woodshire and helps people out with their needs.
Having followed Aeophia's development thread, I was really looking forward to it. It seemed innovative and reminded me of a little game for the Nintendo DS called Rune Factory. In this game, combat takes a backseat to the social element of helping out other villagers and doing small chores like working on the land.
Unfortunately, Aeophia is nothing like Rune Factory.
For a first D-Mod, Aeophia isn't half bad. It has a nice style to it. It indeed feels relaxing. The music, although just consisting of the original Dink tunes, really set the mood and were a natural fit for Aeophia's atmosphere. It started off strong, too, with several villagers having -seemingly- interesting quests for you.
However, this is where the D-Mod falls apart. The quests don't have any substance to them. They end much too soon. For example, Patrunjelu stated Dink is able to run the local pub. While technically true, it's so simple you won't even be knowing you really are running the pub. The gameplay has a severe lack of depth.
The game is also unbalanced, with the final confrontation being much too hard. There are numerous hardness bugs, although the scripting was done quite well. And the game ended very abruptly. In fact, it didn't really end at all. In the end I was aimlessly wandering around wondering what to do next, but, the game was over: I did everyting there was to do.
I may come across a tad harsh here, but that's only because I was actually anticipating this D-Mod. I expected an innovative, relaxing, and in-depth adventure, but the game was shallow and too short. But, if we take Aeophia for what it is: a very small romp, but a good effort for a first timer, it's pretty decent. The game at least shows that Patrunjelu is an able mapper and scripter, and has the right ideas to really make something awesome.
Let's hope Patrunjelu starts working on a sequel soon, and this time, make it right!
Ratings:
GRAPHICS 5.5: Game lacked a title screen, and didn't offer anything new. Still, the map looked decent.
SOUND 7.5: Good use of the standard midis. No new sound effects.
GAMEPLAY 6.0: Interesting concept, and it was fun for 10 minutes. Lacks a real hook.
LASTING APPEAL 4.0: Should have been much better. The game ended much too soon.
OVERALL: 5.9 (not an average)
Having followed Aeophia's development thread, I was really looking forward to it. It seemed innovative and reminded me of a little game for the Nintendo DS called Rune Factory. In this game, combat takes a backseat to the social element of helping out other villagers and doing small chores like working on the land.
Unfortunately, Aeophia is nothing like Rune Factory.
For a first D-Mod, Aeophia isn't half bad. It has a nice style to it. It indeed feels relaxing. The music, although just consisting of the original Dink tunes, really set the mood and were a natural fit for Aeophia's atmosphere. It started off strong, too, with several villagers having -seemingly- interesting quests for you.
However, this is where the D-Mod falls apart. The quests don't have any substance to them. They end much too soon. For example, Patrunjelu stated Dink is able to run the local pub. While technically true, it's so simple you won't even be knowing you really are running the pub. The gameplay has a severe lack of depth.
The game is also unbalanced, with the final confrontation being much too hard. There are numerous hardness bugs, although the scripting was done quite well. And the game ended very abruptly. In fact, it didn't really end at all. In the end I was aimlessly wandering around wondering what to do next, but, the game was over: I did everyting there was to do.
I may come across a tad harsh here, but that's only because I was actually anticipating this D-Mod. I expected an innovative, relaxing, and in-depth adventure, but the game was shallow and too short. But, if we take Aeophia for what it is: a very small romp, but a good effort for a first timer, it's pretty decent. The game at least shows that Patrunjelu is an able mapper and scripter, and has the right ideas to really make something awesome.
Let's hope Patrunjelu starts working on a sequel soon, and this time, make it right!
Ratings:
GRAPHICS 5.5: Game lacked a title screen, and didn't offer anything new. Still, the map looked decent.
SOUND 7.5: Good use of the standard midis. No new sound effects.
GAMEPLAY 6.0: Interesting concept, and it was fun for 10 minutes. Lacks a real hook.
LASTING APPEAL 4.0: Should have been much better. The game ended much too soon.
OVERALL: 5.9 (not an average)
In this D-Mod Dink visits a village. The main point of the plot is that a priestess sends Dink a letter because her sister is missing. You can get over the main plot in a copule of minutes. There are a few sidequests but they are not rewarding. You can choose to run a tavern to earn money, but you can't lose money and there's no point to use the money you earned. The mapping is okay I guess but there are a few hardness errors. I can't really recommend this to anyone, unless you seek a very short D-Mod.
