So, I finally decided to install my copy of Silverfall, since I made actually some HD space for it and all.
BTW, I'm running (newest) patch 1.17.
The game is like Diablo meets Arcanum, but in full 3D. It's like Diablo b/c the action never ever really stops and that there is a lot of different loot to always pick up and find. It's like Arcanum just b/c of the actual setting itself with the whole technology vs. nature theme going on and the steampunk type of setting with the usual mix of fantasy characters (humans, elves, trolls, etc).
Performance
Lowest res' for the game is 1028x768 here just like HGL; it's worth noting that.
So, I tried jacking performance down w/ most stuff on low. Surprisingly, that did nothing to help me. Might as well blast the settings up a bit, if it gonna run the same w/ the some of the actual stuff on higher settings. So, I got it w/ some stuff on medium and some on low -- and it runs quite fine; 25 to 40 frames, all the time.
I'll edit this post later and talk about questing, in a bit. Got to go eat breakfast...
EDIT:
Questing & How It Relates To The Tech vs. Nature Meter
Pretty much, there's a good amount of quests I've seen, so far.
Most quests, there's the whole technology vs. nature theme going on attached with it. And yes, you have a meter that shows if you lean more towards technology or nature side of things.
If it's a straight-up affair -- say get this item, go slay this, or what have you -- you usually have a decision to either take the quest or not. Though, the twist is depending on who's giving it and what side they are representing (technology or nature), if you take them up or decide not to, you'll sway your Tech vs. Nature Meter in whatever direction a bit.
Also, in quests, sometimes you have options on how to finish them. You can talk your way to avoid a fight, you can attack them straight up, just walk away, etc etc. One quest is coming to mind, of where if you help out the nature-lover, she wants you to get some polluters off an actual piece of land -- and you have to decide what to do, depending on what you say when you confront them on the matter.
No Class System
Like Titan Quest, Silverfall has no class system. Everything here is learned from skill trees, all which are separated by type (such as Technology, Magic, Melee Weapons, Shooting Weapons, etc etc). You can choose what to upgrade, when you level up; no restrictions or anything.
And if you don't like what you already spent points on, you can go buy back some spent points from one of the "Skill Point Buyers" in town -- kind of like Titan Quest.
Voice-Acting
The game's voice-acting for the main stuff is decent -- and presented decently, too. So far, it looks like it takes on the theory of NWN for voice-acting -- it has full voice-acting for all the main quest stuff, yet some (of the more important) side quests might or might not have voice-acting. If only HGL learned from NWN and Silverfall in that regard, it really could've really helped that game out...
Graphics
I like them; I think they're quite different than most games. Depends on if you like the actual style or not, which to me reminds me of a graphic novel style here. And yes -- you can turn off the black-outlines, if you want the full-on comic-book look or not.
Inventory System & Journal System
The Inventory system is fine. But, like my complaint w/ HGL and The Witcher -- if only you could Auto-Sort your inventory. And, if only you could just show only certain item types (show only weapons, show only potions, show only armor, etc etc), life would be much easier here.
Journal system's fine. It's all split-up between quest types -- Campaign, Secondary, Companion, and Tombs. Highlight a quest -- boom, it shows you on the map where to go w/ a big "X". Also, on your mini-compass in the upper-right hand corner, it point you where to go. Couldn't be easier.
"Companion Quests" relate to possibly getting a companion into your party or they deal directly w/ a companion already in your party -- you can have a few companions, that you can have join you in your campaign. You don't control them; AI does. And it's based on what style you tell them to do, when you talk to them -- to be aggressive, to do more spellcasting, mixture of both, etc etc.
Death
About "Tomb Quests": When you die, a gravestone appears where you die and you're respawned back to the nearest town. You lose all of your equipped items, when you die -- and they are placed with your gravestone. You have to go back to the gravestone and get it, to get your items back. This is why the Journal System has its separate tab for "Tomb Quests" -- and yes, you can have multiple tombs floating, if you die and don't go back to some other tomb you got laying around.
Of course, you could always get your items back in town and pay the guy the fee for death insurance, to get your items back for your tomb instantly.
In Closing...
So far, I do like the game, despite some of my complaints such as the lack of some needed Inventory features (sorting by type and an auto-sort option). It's a fun, action-packed RPG game, where the player has to make actually make some decisions in the game -- yet, quests often have the player making a decision of some sort; whether it's on how to finish a quest and/or what side the player should lean towards (technology or nature). It's good, so far.
And I'll quite likely be looking forward to Silverfall: Earth Awakening (the upcoming stand-alone expansion), which will offer up not only new game content, but also a full crafting system (for modifying and making weapons, armor, and other items) and some Inventory improvements (such as ability to show items by type).
