Thanks, I've downloaded it to try at some point.
I'll message you if I get stuck (when I get around to trying it), I don't hold out much hope at being any good as I sucked at Caves of Qud (which seems a similar proposition at least)

On topic, ADOM ruined a lot of games for me. The fact that one man could make a game so deep and fun without even using graphics has somewhat spoiled me for many other RPGs. I love the fact that's its a game where you improve your sword skills by hitting things with a sword, and your strength improves the more you carry etc.
I know other games do this too, but very few get it right (I'm looking at you Oblivion) and make it feel so right and natural.

Oh I still have to try that game at some point, though I'm staying away from now. As I've seen with Nethack, Dwarf Fortress and CDDA, once one of these games get its hooks in you you're screwed :)
From what I've read though I don't think CDDA is nearly as difficult as ADOM. I don't believe there are much or anything along the lines of 'cheap deaths' in CDDA like there is in Nethack and, I believe I've read, ADOM. Well except perhaps when a Moose decide it doesn't like you when you are out foraging in the woods :P

edit: actually that is one of the things that kind of put be off about ADOM when first I read up on it. I read that it was very easy to suffer a quick and unexpected death? In Nethack I don't mind so much because of the whole format of the game, but in ADOM with its big world and more 'traditional' rpg approach I'm not sure I would tolerate it that well.
Hmmm, come to think of it I might not have tolerated it that well in Nethack either. I kinda gave up after my last character: a very powerful ranger that stepped on a polymorph trap and met his end as a rodent being pummpeled to death inside an air elemental :P

It ruined my impression that I was a skillful gamer :P It also ruined my reputation at the video store: I rented the game and forgot to take it back. When I eventually remembered and returned it the cashier yelled at me and almost banned me from the store. Actually, come to think of it, perhaps I was banned and just didn't know it because I never went back there :\

This seems backwards. Wouldn't RTS seem more hardcore due to the challenge of real time coordination?

YES
RTS ruined TBS for me.

Arma 2 sorta ruined other FPSs for me. I wasn't interested in other FPS after that. Maybe because I'm older.

FF9 was my favorite Final Fantasy. FF10 was so-so. I didn't like the story in FF8, but great music though. The Balamb Garden theme music is so catchy. I can't be bothered with deal with new jRPGs today, that needs hundreds of hours to finish. Or to replay FF7 and FF8.

I happen to like this sort of mechanic, and I wish more games would adopt it.

By the way, have you played any of the SaGa games? Many of them use this sort of mechanic for stat/skill growth.

Also, Wizardry 8 combines this sort of mechanic (for skill growth) with traditional leveling (for stat/hp growth and other things, including spell learning).

I'll repeat everything said about Starcraft for Universe at War. Such a masterpiece with its 3 truly unique and creative factions, after playing that I just couldn't enjoy the alternatives that lack variety & balance at the same time. Too bad the game was also truly garbage in its terribly designed single player campaign -- more akin to a tutorial -- and skirmish AI bugs. What a waste, I still think it has the potential to become the ultimate RTS of all times if re-engineered properly. But instead we got the mediocrity that is Grey Goo...

I don't think ADOM is too unfair.. it's a roguelike so it's tough, but no more than usual for the genre.
There are areas that are very difficult and will likely earn you a swift death if you visit them too early, but with a bit of trial & error you soon learn where is safe and where isn't.
To be honest when I played it regularly (years ago) I was a save scummer and that's the only way I've ever progressed reasonably in it, but these days if I give it a try I do it properly (and die lots).
No, I haven't played any of them. I'll probably give them a try at some point, they do sound interesting.

I've not played any Wizardry games either, they've never really been of interest to me.

RTS also can have a 'pause' function. At the moment, I play S.W.I.N.E and used that to tell the artillery when it should shoot to save ammo (else you have to order extra ammo and will lack that money for new units) - shelling moving targets is ineffective. TBS (say Panzer General) allows get behind enemy lines and cause havoc if the tanks can move 5 or more hexes per turn and creating such a situation is very satisfying. Also the contrary - that objectives or own units are in danger and you try to save them - gives a thrill. For RTS where all sides face (heavy) losses (and that's how it in my opinion should be), it's too often a bigger stack or one with better tech that wins.

Fallout 2 (played it first) ruined Fallout 1 for me....I REALLY hoped that f1 has different tracks from f2

For me, a good parody can all but destroy the original. In film, this means stuff like the first Austin Powers taking the piss out of Thunderball? in games, the big stand-out has always been Super Mario RPG for me. Square just runs its own games through the ringer with that one, it's kind of hard to go back to anything made before 1996 without a little disappointment.

"Ruined" would be an exaggeration, but playing the Freespace games made me realize that Starfleet academy is actually mediocre at best as a space combat game.

I didn't know they were doing this. Kinda bummed to hear it. I've been waiting for this one
but I do like highlighted hotspots. Pixel hunting is such a drag.

Oh well, as long as there are no dead ends I'll muddle through.


*Crossing my fingers that there are no mazes or slider puzzles* ;)

New games ruined the old games in a genre?