Crewdroog: I don't like where the mana/health is located. it would be easier if they were low so i could monitor it better than up in the left corner. also the character screen for equipping weapons and armor is meh. i can't put my finger on why i don't like it, but I don't. plus, the loot stats are just not put in a way that is easy to read. font? color? dunno. I don't mind the bag system, I got used to that with MMOs.
I thought I wouldn't like the graphics, but actually they aren't that bad and the pics on the website don't do the game justice. though, that's what happens when you zoom in in games like this. the combat isn't too bad, and I like being able to use keys to spam spells/attacks.
I'm ok with having a boring, ok story, but this one seems to have NONE. why am i collecting ears? 'cause I said so! i mean, we can try a little harder than that, yes? though i did like that I didn't get to a quest done fast enough and the folks got pissed and i lost reputation. that put a fire under my ass to get things done. hahahaha
As far as the interface along the bottom goes, I guess if you're used to other setups, it could be annoying that you can't unlock and move it. Unless the on-screen interface is actually confusing or hard to read or something, I can usually adapt pretty well. One thing I dislike about the equipment window is that it isn't always obvious at a glance what items go in which slots ("Ooh, a hood! Great, I needed a head-slot item! ...No, wait, it's for the 'shoulders' slot, damn..."), but that's really it.
Graphically, the monsters and people are fine -- especially for me, as I tend to play zoomed out most of the way, for a better field of view -- but the item icons in inventory are usually rather lackluster, and what's worse, many icons don't look anything like the corresponding models that appear on your character when equipped. Example: weapon icon looks like a multi-headed flail, item is called a morningstar, item's model when equipped looks like a big hammer or maul.
I do agree that they didn't even try to have a story; I've found that I actually don't really mind the lack, though, as there's a never-ending string of dungeons to explore and craploads of loot to gather. I've gotten used to the likes of
NetHack in recent years, though, so I don't really mind; I think I've gotten to the point where having no story is
preferable to having a bad/hackneyed story. To each their own, I suppose. :) Also, there is more going on in town in the expansion, but some of the added stuff (fights between townspeople, for example, and people starving) can get annoying -- at least judging by what I played of the
Din's Curse demo, which includes
Demon War content. (I own the expansion, but have not yet installed it, partly for that reason.)
I will say that you should NOT worry about failing some quests; even if you gimp all options to give yourself the easiest, most stress-free experience possible, there will be townsfolk in the dungeons who will die or leave before you can find or get to them. Eventually, you get used to prioritizing quests based on which ones would pose the most danger should you fail. I've had to break my long-ingrained habit of
"Must clear out this entire level of all loot and monsters before going on to the next!" Though I sometimes relapse. :)
P.S. In case you weren't aware, there is an extra row of skill/item slots that will pop up above your hotbar if you click the little arrow. Notice I said "skill/
item slots": you can in fact put most any health/mana restorative, bomb, weapon, or skill you want to in any of those twenty slots -- even passives, if you really feel like wasting slots. =) (I think it's skills only for the three right-click "quick slots", though.)
Finally, the orb on the left side of the heath/mana HUD can be clicked once per town to teleport you back. Use it wisely! (I think in
Demon War you can also get an optional quest to restore that ability after you've used it in a given town.)
Sorry, all, for the WoT!