Well, I did like the game alot.
Experience increasing for inactive party member.. big plus.
Splitting the game.. not knowing of course what is coming it would have seemed to me I would have liked to get back to Thais and at least begin the conversation with the King.. So he could have said, job well done, or something..

Regarding Aisling's comment back on page 6...

Oh, believe me, I'm well aware that some people prefer every step to be spelled out in clear English (no confusing hints or herrings, please!), and derive enjoyment from the game by watching the story unfold from beginning to end. And a small subset of these make a lot of noise asking for help on the forums. I see you do a great job keeping them all sorted out.

Others, including myself, truly enjoy sorting out the hints and herrings given in the game ourselves. We don't make a lot of noise, but we're here!

But just to clarify, my criticism wasn't that Lord of Twilight contains too many or too few clues. What bothers me is that such a large fraction of the given clues look so juicy and tempting, but in fact are useless in this chapter. They apparently apply to Gates of Night, not Lord of Twilight. This is very frustrating to people who enjoy using the clues to solve puzzles.

I looooovvvveeeeddd LoT!! got disappointed with the cliffhanger tho but im sure that GoN will b so much better. I like the characters except Stella (love the name tho its my username backwards, not including the 5) shes soooo anoying! But im not really into defensive characters anyways im more of an offensive player. I can't wait till all of the books come out im gunna buy all of them!!!

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The original game, AV3, is not being broken into 6 chapters.

AV3, which would have originally cost $20 and was a complete story in itself, was broken into 2 chapters, which will cost $10 each (and chapter 2 IS longer than chapter 1 and much more exciting - but you might have to wait to see feedback from others as I probably won't be able to convince you anyway).

AV4, which was to be a continuation of the story, and would have originally cost $20 and been the same length as AV1 or AV2, is being broken up, probably into 2 chapters, that will cost $10 each.

AV5, which was originally to be the third part of the story (but a complete story in itself) and would have cost $20, and again the same length as AV1, is being broken up, probably into 2 chapters, that will cost $10 each.


So what is NOW AV3, the series, IS a single game in potentially 6 chapters, with each chapter costing $10. $60 all up. But if it wasn't broken into chapters, it would not be one game for $20. It would be 3 games, released over 6 years, costing $20 each.

You're still paying $60 for the lot, whether you get them as 6 chapters, or 3 full games - each one the length of AV1 or AV2. But with chapters, you get them sooner.

I'm seriously confused by some people who are complaining about AV1 chapter 1 being too short, yes if you just do the main quests you can complete in around 6 hours, but takes longer if you do all the side quests.

I'm a BFG member have been for quite a long time and I've purchased games from them that after I've played the free hour and thought this is great only to find I only had another hour of game play left now to me that is a rip off but that’s my fault for not checking before I got burned. I guess it all goes back to perspective and expectations that some want something for nothing. We have to remember that AV games are bigger and better than most of the games on most of the games portals out there and have a loyal following.

I for one, am willing to pay more if needed to support the developer, even though in this case that is not the issue as we will only be paying $10 per chapter each game having 2 chapter so all equates to $60 we'd have paid if they were released as complete and separate games and may have taken longer to reach the portals due to this.

BFG are at fault for not announcing that AV3 was chapter 1 not Amaranth please can we stop assaulting and insulting the developer, Amanda does have to make a living after all and is trying hard to continue to develop AV instead of closing them off and turning to developing more profitable games.

Eagerly awaiting chapter 2.......which will be purchase from this site!

I'm glad you think that way, bodeia! I got really sad when so many people were upset about Aveyond 3 book 1 and threatened not to buy anymore of the chapters. They will miss out so much... I really loved the whole game. It made me laugh so much at points and even break into tears at other times... it's really amazing.

I loved the game! I downloaded the trial a few days ago, and I was sad when it ended D: Te'ijal's appearance made me happy for some reason. I love that she's still weird and quirky, calling Mel rabbit.

The graphics are beautiful, and the music is awesome. I prefer the battle music in AV2 to the one in LoT though.

A few things irk me: one, when you level up, there are weird fireworks and a sound like people are cheering. It kind of distracts from the whole sort of medieval atmosphere of the game. It's pretty annoying. Second, there's the bar at the bottom of the screen. I'm not really sure if you can remove it, so I wasn't able to keep from letting my eyes drift to the bar the whole sixty minutes. It's just.. distracting, really.

I think the whole dividing into chapters is a good choice. Paying $10 for a chapter is good, in case you don't like the game. Better than using $20 for a game you don't feel like playing, right?

Well, I finally had a chance to finish LoT and I figured I'd throw my input out there as well. Fair warning, it's a bit long-winded!

Likes:
Graphics-The graphics in this game are the best of the Aveyond series so far, IMO.

Music-As usual, Aaron Walz has produced some amazing music for the game. In-game music is a big deal to me, and the music in the Aveyond series has never disappointed me.

Initial plot development-I like the initial development of the characters and the plot for the series in general. I don't mind there being hanging plot points for the next chapter - it's like reading book one of a series, you know there's more coming. There are great teasers to get you looking forward to more.

World expansion-The in-game worlds have expanded for every Aveyond game so far, and this one is no exception. Seeing all of the world map places where docks are has gotten me excited to see how big the rest of this game world is!

Galahad and Te'ijal-I'm glad Te'ijal is back and has a more interesting role! I'm also very happy to see the development with Galahad. He was my least favorite character (barring Mad Marge) from AV1 because he seemed to me to be rather cliched and one-dimensional, and the only reason I kept him around was because of the ridiculous boost he gave to Te'ijal (I think I remember someone else saying this too?). Now, he's one of my favorites.

Dislikes:
Cutoff point-I understand that the decision was made late in development to split this into chapters, but I still don't think this was a good cutoff point. There are natural cliffhanger points and there are forced cliffhanger points - this was obviously a forced one, IMO. I've read that the next part of the game is longer, and I wonder if a better, later cutoff point could've been found. I guess I'll find out when the next chapter comes out.

Unresolvable quests-I don't like the fact that there are some quests you are unable to go back and resolve in the second chapter if you missed them in the first one. For example, I had no idea that the quest with Gladamere's (I think that's his name) soul *had* to be resolved the first time in the Underworld - from what I saw in the Underworld I knew I'd be back, and had assumed I could resolve the quest then. I know I can go back and play again, but I really don't think that should be necessary.

Linear gameplay-The gameplay in this chapter was very linear, IMO. There wasn't as much freedom to wander, etc., as there was in previous games. I'll chalk that up to the late decision to split into chapters, though, so I won't belabor this point.

Leveling/monsters-I'm of two minds here. I definitely understand the desire not to make the monsters worth too much experience in order to keep the party from being overleveled when starting GoN, but I think that some of the quests that (as far as I can tell) have to be completed in this chapter (or else not be able to complete them) are a bit difficult without more leveling, and that can take a long time with the amount of experience the monsters are worth. The best example I have here is the quest to get Ralph his family memento from the Catacombs. Those critters are tough! I ended up having to use the level goodie (which I am very loath to do on my first go-around of gameplay) in order to be able to make it through, and even then I depended on luck and judicious use of Mel's Trip skill. I know this can be done with a lot of time, patience, and fighting, but I don't remember it being this time-consuming in the first two Aveyond games.

Other:
Unhappy BFG customers-I don't blame BFG customers for feeling like the chapter thing was sprung on them and is unwelcome. Many players don't know about this website and forum, and shouldn't be forced to feel like they should. There are a lot of players of games from portals that rarely, if ever, go to the developer's website for anything. I am also a BFG member (although I buy the Aveyond games from this site), and none of the information released by them (until recently) has mentioned that this game was chapter 1. I know that the in-game intro screen mentions that this is chapter 1, but people who are already fans of a series tend to buy the game without using the trial because they already know what to expect (or so they think) and might feel a bit put-out when they start to play their highly anticipated game and see that it's only part 1, and had no prior knowledge of this. That being said, I place any blame for that squarely on BFG, not Amanda. BFG knew that the game was chapter 1, Amanda gave them all of the information they used to advertise and make the game guide, and it was BFG's call not to notify their customers that this game was chapter 1. It looks like BFG is finally publicizing that this is chapter 1 (the most recent BFG email I got mentions it), but it's still their fault that they waited to mention it.

Opinion on chapters- I am cautiously optimistic on the chapter format. I know this game is a tough one to use as a guide because the decision to split it was made very late in development, so it's hard to get a good feel for how Amanda would make specifically chapter-developed games play. I've seen some comparisons of the game chapter idea with chapters within a book, but I don't think that's entirely accurate. I compare it more to paired book series, where there are multiple series telling the same stories or a continuation of the same story (Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series or David Eddings' Belgariad and Malloreon series come to mind, just to name a few). I think that, if well planned and executed correctly, it could be a great addition to the Aveyond series. We have the potential to get game chapters that look to be longer than half of the Aveyond games we're used to (again, I'm not using LoT as a full example because of the late split) and we get the games far more frequently (a chapter every few months as opposed to a new game every year-plus) so people can stay excited. More frequent releases are a way to keep the interest of the casual gamer, so in that respect the chapter idea is a very good one. Also, as Amanda gets more comfortable with developing the Aveyond games and expands them more, the download size will keep getting larger, and the chapter idea is a good way to help keep that under control without forcing people to take many hours or even a day to download a game (which would definitely turn a lot of people off). Making a way to link the chapters later would be fun, but I'm not sure if that's possible.


That's all I have for now, but don't be surprised if I think of more to add. If you've read this far, I'm impressed with your patience and thanks for reading my long-winded opinion.

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Having already played GoN, I sympathize with people's frustration on this one. This is a side quest that can definitely wait until Book 2.

When LoT and GoN were still one game, I tried fighting those orcs in South Shadow Woods. I realized I was nowhere near ready for that area, so I went exploring with my ship (GoN) and acquired some better equipment that helped me fight those orcs and Catacomb monsters.
All the areas off of the mainland are definitely tougher than South Shadow Woods, but I at least was able to sneak into a town and purchase weapons/armor upgrades.
Those only with Book 1 obviously can't do that, so your only option is to try to power through the area. But, like I said, that family heirloom quest can wait.
Chalk this one up as another victim of the late chapter split.

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This was almost a mandatory place to divide the chapters. The first part was somewhat linear, but once you get a ship, it definitely isn't. It would have been difficult to either block off most of the world, or to know exactly what to 'allow' players to do after getting the ship. Some would have gotten to 'x' point, some to 'z'. There needed to be a definite dividing place so everyone could start at the same place, and before purchasing the ship makes total sense to us who beta tested through the entire game before it was split. Although I agree it did end very abruptly, and could have been handled a little differently, it was still by far the best place to divide the game.

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That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation, tiniponi. I'm sure it'll help a lot of other folks as well.

You're very welcome.

Yeah I agree I think that it was the best place to cut it off. The surprise of heptitus will definitely have people coming back for more. If they didn't cut it at that point where would they have? After getting 2 keys since we will get the remainder of them in the next chapter? Maybe it is really going to take a lot to get the 2nd key even after getting the 1st back. I imagine heptitus will be much harder than when we fought her in the ice castle so choosing to cut it after we find the 1st key is probably the best choice. We were only meant to get this started and to see the characters, the story development. It was abrupt, but not so much if you expected from the forum. I figured it would end with the first key cause the journal tells us where the first key is, but not with the others. I myself have decided to wait on the catacombs because I had too much difficulty. I wasn't expecting it to be that hard, but it is and being that we can't even get the blue chests until the chapter 2 why bother?

Beth: There is now only one blue chest in the Catacombs, but nothing in the others is crucial.

That's right, but there are others in the ice castle. Since that area is so hard I just assume wait until I'm at a higher level. Probably would have to be at least level 20 for all characters to handle it. I could do that, but I feel like I have played enough for now.

...but you'll need to complete the quests in the icy area in order to complete LoT and get your save file ready for GoN.

I finished the game in 2 days, and I love it. Here are my thoughts:

Chapters: I'm not sure how I feel about the chapter thing, but I'm sure GoN will clear things up. I think of LoT as a sort of "prologue", much like in a book, where the rest of the story has been set up by introducng characters and the main problem, without necessarily taking a long time. I also like how, periodically, there's a note from Mel keeping the whole story connected.

Characters: Mel is awesome! She's quick to anger, and expects everyone else to be as self-sufficient as she is(as when she tells Eston "Oh well, I'm sure you'll find your way home eventually!) lol! I actually like her better than Rhen; Mel is more of a tomboy, take-no-prisoners person. Edward seems really strange, and doesn't seem to know what he's doing. Stella is just plain annoying! She's too sickening sweet for my taste. And, of course, I adore Te'ijal! I love how she calls Galahad "crumpet" and Mel "rabbit" or "my lamb". Galahad seems to have grown more, too, to where I actually like using him in battle. I'm dreading when clingy, spoiled Lydia joins the team.

Gameplay: The graphics in battle are amazing, and, as usual, Amanda and everyone else has done an amazing job drawing the environments. The music is much better, and the first sequence with the arrows is helpful for newbies.

Story: The story is a little linear, but that's to be expected. Otherwise, I was surprised at the choice of main character; in AV1 and 2, the main characters had a variety of skills that progress over time. Mel only has two skills to use.(Though maybe in future chapters she'll gain more?)
I can't begin to describe the joy and triumph when Te'ijal suddenly jumps out of the shadows to save Mel, and I also love that the developers gave her more useful skills than in AV1.

Little Stuff: Littlest of all, I like the fact that we can choose if Edward falls for Mel or Stella (or possibly...*cough*...Lydia?)I actually don't mind the menu setup, since I like using the arrow keys. But I was a little worried about the faces for the main characters. In AV1 and 2, the faces weren't appealing to me(I even opted for the face set goodie for AV1.)In LoT, the faces are great--especially Mel and Te'ijal. I also like the green meters below each character's HP/MP bars telling how many more points to go until leveling up. As for how the characters level up/use health spells and potions/rest/etc., I'm thrilled that the developers made it so that everyone leveled at the same time. I hated that in AV1, if I wanted to swap Te'ijal or Elini for Dameon(in real tough spots), if I had to use Dameon for a long time, when I went back for Te'ijal/Elini, they would be much weaker than the others. With AV3, I have more freedom to choose the characters I want. Lastly, I like that Galahad and Te'ijal are more leveled than the others; it enhances their characters and makes it more possible to get through tough patches since they were so strong.

Cut-off Point/Reasoning for Chapters: I agree that the cut-off point was a good spot(and if anyone recalls, someone here did say that LoT would end in a cliffhanger. I think it could have ended after talking to the King(hey: Star Wars always ends after coming off the climax) but seeing as the decision was made late in development, I think this choice was the best.
As for those who don't like the chapter idea, if it's true that Amanda is having difficulty making the long Aveyond games every few years, then I would certainly like having a short game every few months than none at all. Besides, the quality is still there, and shaz and aisling promise GoN is much longer. I think we can at least give GoN a try before deciding to hate the chapter idea. I'm completely open to this new method--just not entirely sure how it'll work out.

Thanks for reading my veeeeeery long response!

Well, I finished the game and it was great. But I have the feeling I missed something. What areas can you access in this game. My main question: Can Aveyond and the Catacombs be reached in this game? And another question, for someone who has beta tested: Is there a city in Istir Kingdom, as both the world map shows?

Anyways, I thought this game was excellent, very polished. Also very linear, but that is probably the result of this being only the first part (of six, is it, now?) of the game. I support the chapters idea because I know that overall we will get the full games more quickly, but it made the game feel too short... With an awful ending. From what I've heard, that is because of the fact that we will get the ship soon (or NEXT, as it seems). I do think that it could work if it could just be done what happened in the first game: shallow and deep areas, with the ship only being able to reach the shallow areas. But whatever. That may have been an elegant way to do it, but it is possible it would just leave us off worse than this ending. What truly annoyed me was that Beauty just happened to have the Quarter Key, but perhaps that was explained as well in some part of the game that I missed. Someone please clarify this for me too, please. Thanks.

You can access Aveyond, the Catacombs, South Shadow Woods, and maybe one other area. As for Beauty having the Quarter Key, I think it's explained in the cavern where the keys fit or by Te'ijal once you rescue her from her brother.

Aveyond and the Catacombs can be reached in this game.

No city. Quin castle is probably all that's left.

There are no shallow/deep waters.