Puzzle Quest for DS/PSP

[Pharaoh]

While its not a game breaking bug IMO, the fact that they shipped a title without checking if the companion bonuses worked makes me worry big time.

Hmm........guess I'll try the DS version after all.

[shon]

Went to their forums and read a little.  It seems they put a bug fix in at the last minute that broke that feature on the PSP.  Companions give you certain advantages when battling like -10 against undead so you wont get that added effect.  Not that big of deal but they are upset over that and not sure how to get a patch to fix that. 

[depward]

Went out & purchased a "new" gutted copy @ Gamestop.  This is the DS version.  Should be able to play some the next couple of days & will provide some impressions (I'm sort of a Bejeweled NEWB) sometime.

[JCC]

I saw this for $30 tonight at a local EB. I was surprised to see it. I have too big a backlog right now, and have not yet tried the demo, so I passed for now. This means that I'll certainly be dying for it soon and won't be able to find it.

[depward]

Put in about an hour & I'm very intrigued!  Obviously the DS version (like the gamestop review states) lacks the visual bells & whistles the PC demo has, but it's a very nice port over to the DS.  Love the touch screen functionality when it comes to battling.  It's a LITTLE hard to distinguish the green & yellow, but after examing the screen for a second or two you're able to distinguish the colors.

I'm just impressed how they put together a puzzle game & an RPG that, thus far, is working quite well.

Overall, yep, enjoyed it very much.  Can't wait to play more.  Though, I'm not going to lie - I created a girlie named Offred because I didn't want to stare at some dude's portrait the whole game   

[Bob]

Oh no! It looks like the PSP version released with some companion features not working properly.  See the developer's comments here.

http://www.infinite-interactive.com/InfiniteForums/viewtopic.php?t=327&sid=9dca15cfd8a88bf5c602f96ccafc8a97

Guess that I'll wait for the PC version.

Crap.  I was planning on getting this for the PSP over the DS because the graphics are supposedly crisper and because I hear that the playfield where you do the stylus touching is cramped and the tiles are kind of small.  Now I may just skip out on the game altogether.

The folks saying the DS play screen is cramped and difficult to use with the stylus are far-sighted or something.  It's no more "cramped" than any other DS game.  I have no problem playing with the stylus.

[Eduardo X]

Oh no! It looks like the PSP version released with some companion features not working properly.  See the developer's comments here.

http://www.infinite-interactive.com/InfiniteForums/viewtopic.php?t=327&sid=9dca15cfd8a88bf5c602f96ccafc8a97

Guess that I'll wait for the PC version.

Crap.  I was planning on getting this for the PSP over the DS because the graphics are supposedly crisper and because I hear that the playfield where you do the stylus touching is cramped and the tiles are kind of small.  Now I may just skip out on the game altogether.

The folks saying the DS play screen is cramped and difficult to use with the stylus are far-sighted or something.  It's no more "cramped" than any other DS game.  I have no problem playing with the stylus.

I can see it all fine, but when a crucial move gets messed up due to the screen being extra small, I call it cramped.

[Bob]

I can see it all fine, but when a crucial move gets messed up due to the screen being extra small, I call it cramped.

I won't disagree.  That can happen in any stylus controlled game.

My main point is this: Don't let the "cramped" screen stand in the way of a purchase if you enjoy the PC demo. It's not a game-wrecking issue by any means.

That Gamespot review spends so many words on the cramped nature of the DS screens that I think people are getting the wrong idea.

[Devil]

Anyone grab it for PSP beside me? Haven't touched it yet...

[unbreakable]

1. this game is fun as hell
2. this game f'ing cheats

[Pharaoh]

As much as I love the game, like Unbreakable says, it cheats far too much.

I know Bejeweled is at its core a luck game, but the computer cheats. It has to. I am a lvl 19 Warrior, and fights now are trivial stupidity.

At this point, the mobs I fight usually get the first turn, and will almost always proceed to get 3 and 4 combo skull hits, which end up in giant chains of 4's, giving them tons of mana and knocking me for like 20+ before I even get to move. At this point, even if I try to build up mana, the computer will usually start to move pieces at the bottom, and somehow magically whatever falls from the top is EXACTLY what it needs for giant chains and tons of mana/skull spam. It knows exactly what to move to get different tiers to fall exactly into 4 and 5 chains, and even starts to anticipate the moves. I knew the game was a cheating son of a bitch when I watched it avoid a 4 skull chain, move a yellow for a 3 the opposite direction for no seeming reason, only to see what dropped new from the top of the screen was more skulls, which then auto proc'ed and kicked my ass.

The fact no matter what mob I fight can get full mana in each category by turn 14 pretty regularly...well, I give up.

Its fun when you start out, but then it becomes a clusterfuck of so many abilities and items, that the computer is just too good and has a clairvoiant anticipation of the board. Thats not fun.

[Gratch]

As much as I love the game, like Unbreakable says, it cheats far too much.

I know Bejeweled is at its core a luck game, but the computer cheats. It has to. I am a lvl 19 Warrior, and fights now are trivial stupidity.

At this point, the mobs I fight usually get the first turn, and will almost always proceed to get 3 and 4 combo skull hits, which end up in giant chains of 4's, giving them tons of mana and knocking me for like 20+ before I even get to move. At this point, even if I try to build up mana, the computer will usually start to move pieces at the bottom, and somehow magically whatever falls from the top is EXACTLY what it needs for giant chains and tons of mana/skull spam. It knows exactly what to move to get different tiers to fall exactly into 4 and 5 chains, and even starts to anticipate the moves. I knew the game was a cheating son of a bitch when I watched it avoid a 4 skull chain, move a yellow for a 3 the opposite direction for no seeming reason, only to see what dropped new from the top of the screen was more skulls, which then auto proc'ed and kicked my ass.

The fact no matter what mob I fight can get full mana in each category by turn 14 pretty regularly...well, I give up.

Its fun when you start out, but then it becomes a clusterfuck of so many abilities and items, that the computer is just too good and has a clairvoiant anticipation of the board. Thats not fun.

I haven't played quite as much, but I'm starting to agree here.  My level 7 characters just got taken from 56 hit points to 3 in the space of 2 opponent moves.  Suppose it wouldn't be as frustrating if I saw something even close happen for me instead of just against me.  It's not a game-wrecker yet, but I can see how this could become a problem pretty quickly.

[depward]

My level 11 wizard & I are still enjoying it.... though, yeah I can see some little A.I. cheating here & there.  I can't beat this f'n BAT on this quest!  ARGH!

[Qantaga]

My level 11 wizard & I are still enjoying it.... though, yeah I can see some little A.I. cheating here & there.  I can't beat this f'n BAT on this quest!  ARGH!

That bat has been kicking my tail since level 6 and I'm now level 11, like you. The fact that he levels as I level, makes me wonder if I'll ever be able to beat him.
 
As for the cheating aspect, I'm sorry to hear that. I was starting to get suspicious. I think I've had two heroic efforts so far, while the AI has had dozens. In a recent fight, I had 78 health and the AI had 24. Within 2 turns, it got me down to 3 health.  I was hoping that it was incredible luck, but it looks like that's not the case.
 
I'm still enjoying the game immensely, it's just a shame that the AI wasn't programmed to only be aware of the visible board. 

[T]

Glad you guys mentioned the cheating, I'm seeing it in the demo and I thought it might just be dumb luck.  It's very frustrating to get whacked at the beginning of every game and then to see these annoying multi-turn bashings.  If they can't make an AI that is competitive, how about just giving the AI a resource bonus?  I was enjoying this game, but this could be a deal breaker.

[Eduardo X]

As I leveled up, the game got easier. That doesn't mean the game is a cakewalk, but my different specializations mean I get more extra turns here and there so that I can take on a 104 HP monster with my 71 HP Wizard. It isn't easy, but it works out.

There are difficulty settings, so I'd recommend turning down the difficulty to see if that helps.

[Misguided]

Raise your Cunning score, Panzer.
I got two Heroic Efforts in one fight a while ago. No doubt the computer thought I was cheating.
The move with the yellows by the computer does sound odd though.

[Misguided]

My level 11 wizard & I are still enjoying it.... though, yeah I can see some little A.I. cheating here & there.  I can't beat this f'n BAT on this quest!  ARGH!

A vampire bat with regen? You've got to keep it from gaining red mana. Grab any red you see...and yellow too if you can. As long as it can't cast regen, he's toast.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I saw this posted at Qt3 and thought it might be useful for those that are having problems with the AI getting lucky drops:

RE: Convenient Skulls

I've wanted to throw my DS at the wall several times today, as it seemed that no matter what move I made, skulls would fall in precisely the right position for the enemy, especially if +5s were involved. Zzzzzzaaaaaapppp! It happened so many times in a row that I was convinced that the AI must be cheating.

However, I now think that columns that have skulls in them or those immediately adjacent have a higher chance to spawn skulls than those that don't. That's speculation, of course, but when I changed my strategy to avoid skull columns once two or more skulls got close to each other, the rate of "lucky draws" for the enemy dropped dramatically.

So I don't think the AI is cheating. I just think it's a calculated risk for either player to mess with skull columns once the skulls start to group up.

[Canuck]

Well the cheating issue would definitely be a deal breaker for me.  I admit that I suck at Bejeweled (actually this is the first time I ever played this game) but I think I got one four chain the entire time I played and sometimes the computer would get 4 four chains all in one move-I couldn't even really tell what was going on to be perfectly honest.  If only they had used the Puzzle Fighter sort of gameplay-then I would totally be in.

[TiLT]

I'm almost level 16 now  (wizard), and I don't get the impression that the computer is cheating. I pull off almost as many insane combo drops as it does. The computer is very good at judging the odds for drops in the upper rows, something I've started to do myself. I sometimes choose one move over another only because I see there's a chance I'm going to be able to pull off something awesome if the correct gem drops.

[TiLT]

Btw, I have noticed that there seems to be a limited amount of base layouts for the board. I've seen a specific board layout plenty of times now, and only the spells being cast and the order things are picked changes how the board develops. If you learn the layouts it would probably be easier to predict what gems will drop.

[wonderpug]

I'm almost level 16 now  (wizard), and I don't get the impression that the computer is cheating. I pull off almost as many insane combo drops as it does. The computer is very good at judging the odds for drops in the upper rows, something I've started to do myself. I sometimes choose one move over another only because I see there's a chance I'm going to be able to pull off something awesome if the correct gem drops.

This is my experience as well, it seems like I'm "cheating" as much as the computer is with some really long chains.

Are you sure you guys aren't going against the rune holder people in the battles that feel like cheating?  The rune bearer equipment makes it so that combos easily give them max mana, and max mana lets them do 50+ damage in one attack--so with some lucky chains they can easily bring you down in one turn. 

[TiLT]

Some further elaboration on my post above: I've now noticed that the first board layout after booting the game is *always* the same. This is kind of annoying and gives me the impression that they didn't properly seed the random number generator in the game.

[depward]

The fireball spell for the wizard kicks ASS.  Love it.  It really helps.

Thanks for the bat advice - that bat will go down.  I'm also stuck on a runeholder who has regeneration via blue.

I have some quibbles with the game, but I'm REALLY enjoying it.  It has that addictive "just one more..." nature to it.

[Jarrodhk]

<sigh> I am defeated in my efforts to track this down locally... so I ordered it online.  Should be in around wednesday or thursday.

[Misguided]

Some further elaboration on my post above: I've now noticed that the first board layout after booting the game is *always* the same. This is kind of annoying and gives me the impression that they didn't properly seed the random number generator in the game.

The board is literally identical each time?

[JCC]

This game is crack.

[TiLT]

Some further elaboration on my post above: I've now noticed that the first board layout after booting the game is *always* the same. This is kind of annoying and gives me the impression that they didn't properly seed the random number generator in the game.

The board is literally identical each time?

Yes. Every single gem, but only the first round after booting up. After that, it's all random. As I said above, I think they just forgot to seed their random number generator so that the same pattern of random numbers are going to be generated every time you play this game.

[Misguided]

Wow...that's inexcusable. 

[Chaz]

After playing the demo, I was already annoyed by the computer's psychic abilities.  All the posts here reporting that it just gets worse have made my final decision for me, and I won't be getting any version of the game.  I absolutely can't stand playing games where the computer has access to info I don't have, and doesn't make any effort to hide it.

Oh well, it was a neat concept.

[TiLT]

But except for the initial board layout, things will quickly deviate and feel random again since no two games develop in the same way. However, if my theory is correct, fighting a specific enemy and making the same moves will lead to the same result every time if you reboot the DS between the fights.

[TiLT]

After playing the demo, I was already annoyed by the computer's psychic abilities.  All the posts here reporting that it just gets worse have made my final decision for me, and I won't be getting any version of the game.  I absolutely can't stand playing games where the computer has access to info I don't have, and doesn't make any effort to hide it.

Oh well, it was a neat concept.

I'm up to level 20 now, and I strongly disagree. The computer has no "psychic abilities" at all. I'd venture to say that anyone who claims otherwise is a sore loser.

[Misguided]

I'm up to level 20 now, and I strongly disagree. The computer has no "psychic abilities" at all. I'd venture to say that anyone who claims otherwise is a sore loser.

Yeah, I don't get this complaint either. This happens in Bejeweled all the time...the only difference is you don't suffer defeat because of it.
I find that there are cases you really have to play defensively. If there are some skulls stacked up on one side of the board, don't make moves over there. Wait for the computer to do so, then you can take advantage of it.

One other interesting thing I've noticed. I haven't done anything scientific, but it seems like there's a decent chance that if I don't take the computer's suggested move, that it will.

[Gratch]

I'm now at Level 19, and have been having a really good time with it.  Switching to Easy mode seems to alleviate much of the "cheating" feeling, although the AI can be pretty suspect (i.e. sometimes passing up obvious major damage combos for lesser mana).  In general though,  switching levels has made the game playable for me, where it was simply an exercise in frustration before.  I actually won my first city siege last night, which I though was pretty impressive since the city started out with 100 more HP than me!  With my upgraded towers and keep, that'll be a nice gold-producing addition. 

A couple questions:

1.  Is there an advantage to upgrading your mount?  I've upgraded my Giant Rat to level 8, and I don't see any noticeable difference.
2.  Is it just me, or is the "capture" mechanic endlessly frustrating?  I've pretty much given up on trying to capture enemies, since I can never figure out their stupid puzzles. 

Overall, I'm enjoying it much more that I expected I would.  I thought after the frustrating first few hours that I would be giving up on it quickly, but it's certainly got me hooked.

[TiLT]

I'm now at Level 19, and have been having a really good time with it.  Switching to Easy mode seems to alleviate much of the "cheating" feeling, although the AI can be pretty suspect (i.e. sometimes passing up obvious major damage combos for lesser mana).  In general though,  switching levels has made the game playable for me, where it was simply an exercise in frustration before.  I actually won my first city siege last night, which I though was pretty impressive since the city started out with 100 more HP than me!  With my upgraded towers and keep, that'll be a nice gold-producing addition. 

A couple questions:

1.  Is there an advantage to upgrading your mount?  I've upgraded my Giant Rat to level 8, and I don't see any noticeable difference.
2.  Is it just me, or is the "capture" mechanic endlessly frustrating?  I've pretty much given up on trying to capture enemies, since I can never figure out their stupid puzzles. 

Overall, I'm enjoying it much more that I expected I would.  I thought after the frustrating first few hours that I would be giving up on it quickly, but it's certainly got me hooked.

If you pay close attention to the hints the AI gives you during your own turns, you'll see that it sometimes recommend picking mana over damage as well. This happens when certain colors of mana becomes a rare commodity, or when it's vitally important that your opponent doesn't get any more mana of that color. Sometimes this stuff is far more important than a few points of extra damage, especially if your Battle is low.

As for the questions:

1: The mount's description shows what kind of bonus it gets from being upgraded. IIRC, the Giant Rat provides a +1 bonus to Cunning for every 4 levels it has, so it pays off getting it higher.

2: I've had no problems with the captures I've made so far. Then again, I'm pretty decent at puzzles like these in the first place. Perhaps there is something wrong in the approach you choose to take with these puzzles? In any case, I don't get the impression that capturing enemies is vitally important. So far I don't even use any of the spells I've been able to research from captured enemies; My own spells are simply better.

[Poomba]

For once I'm joining the party while it's going on; Grabbed a copy at a nearby EBGames yesterday. Fired it up last night and despite a pounding sinus headache and fighting exhaustion from cleaning the basement all day, I stayed up way too late playing this title.

It definitely has that "One more level" hook to it. I can see myself playing this one for a while.

Currently only a level 5 wizard, I've got some catching up to do!

[Gratch]

If you pay close attention to the hints the AI gives you during your own turns, you'll see that it sometimes recommend picking mana over damage as well. This happens when certain colors of mana becomes a rare commodity, or when it's vitally important that your opponent doesn't get any more mana of that color. Sometimes this stuff is far more important than a few points of extra damage, especially if your Battle is low.

Thanks Tilt.  Since I'm playing as a Knight and my Battle skill is pretty high (20, iirc plus a couple item bonuses), it's almost always better to take the damage.  I've found that trying to prevent the opponent from gaining a certain type of mana is damn near impossible (they're almost always going to get it on combos from the top anyways), so I go for damage 99% of the time.   Although I'm sure that playing a more magic focused character might change that play style a bit.

2: I've had no problems with the captures I've made so far. Then again, I'm pretty decent at puzzles like these in the first place. Perhaps there is something wrong in the approach you choose to take with these puzzles? In any case, I don't get the impression that capturing enemies is vitally important. So far I don't even use any of the spells I've been able to research from captured enemies; My own spells are simply better.

Yeah, I generally suck at those type of puzzles anyways, so I'm glad they're not really a "required" part of the game.  They're more frustration for me than anything.  Although I would like a cooler mount than a Giant Rat... 

[wonderpug]

Captures seemed completely impossible when I first saw them, but I've gotten used to them and have some powerful combos with the spells I've learned.

I've had good success taking an experimental approach, starting in prepared to lose my first bunch of tries.  I try to first simplify the field by looking for easy matches that don't bring much else out of alignment.  Once you clear out some of that camouflage, it becomes a lot simpler to figure out the rest.

My griffon mount works very well with my wizard.  I have a series of spells that basically turn every green and blue gem to red, and then destroys all red gems.  Besides the coins, XP, and skulls, that leaves the field with a ton of yellow gems.  The griffon's ability is to do 1 damage for every yellow gem on the field, so it ends up being pretty devastating.

I really don't think the computer is being clairvoyant.  The only "cheating" is that it can instantly spot 4-in-a-row possibilities while you have to search around or wait for the white arrow.

[JCC]

I don't think the computer cheats at all. I just think you're all a bunch of whining ninnys!