Profile for Or else o'erleap.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Or else o'erleap. |
| Member number | 335 |
| Title | Law Bringer |
| Postcount | 14579 |
| Homepage | http://www.polarisboard.net |
| Registered | Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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| Author | Recent posts |
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| what is your group make up? in The Avernum Trilogy | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 08:59
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Since the damage cap is 200, you either had a mage as your first character or you cheated more than can possible be necessary to inflict feisty slaps of pain. —Alorael, who never used archery much until A4. Suddenly it became extraordinarily useful. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Is this game nothing but combat? in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 08:55
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But not all RPGs are based on D&D. Avernum borrows nothing from Tolkien or Vance. There are no elves and there is no Excellent Prismatic Spray. Besides, both Tolkien and Vance were authors, not RPG designers. What makes a good book does not make a good game, and what makes a good game does not make a good book. RPGs can borrow elements, but not everything. —Alorael, who also doesn't love puzzles. That said, A4 could stand to have one or two small ones. Maybe even some exploration that requires a moment of thought. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Formello's Shade in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, December 17 2005 08:48
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quote:Can we award prizes for best vahnatai spelling? —Alorael, who believes shades switch position whenever a new section is loaded. If it's not in Formello and you can't get to Silvar instead, go somewhere several map sections away and then come back. Later, the easiest way will be to go through a pylon and then back into the town until the shade appears. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| ROAR!! I'm trapped!! in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, December 16 2005 23:53
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I can't find any other ways out. Pressing Shift-D and entering "backtostart" (without the quotes) will return you to Fort Monastery, which will have to be good enough. —Alorael, who is sure that won't break the plot or do other messy things. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Bow Before Me as if I Were Your God in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, December 16 2005 23:49
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 —Alorael, who will leave the topless pictures to others. [ Friday, December 16, 2005 23:49: Message edited by: Poker of Powerful Pylons ] Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Athron's lair key in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, December 16 2005 23:47
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The more poisoned or acided (neologism!) you are, the more Curing is required to heal you. That can mean lots of low level cures or a few high level cures. Magery, Spellcraft, and Priest skill also increase the ameliorative powers of each Cure. —Alorael, who did indeed use ameliorative. In English. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| We Live on Ermarian in General | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, December 16 2005 23:45
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I'm ahead of Thuryl for the first time in a very long time! Now the top of the listing is dominated by names that start with A, which is as it should be. —Alorael, who doesn't think a silly endeavor like post rate tabulation would be complete without silly rivalries. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| How I rank A4 and why in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, December 16 2005 18:26
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All the other games hinge on some element of surprise. Everything is a surprise in A1. The point of the game really isn't the plot, because it's barely there. The point is discovering the strange new world of Avernum. The vahnatai are the big surprise of A2, and they're one of the best additions to Avernum. The big mystery of who's behind the plagues drives most of A3. It's not a good plot, but at least it's a surprise. A4 follows too logically from A3. There's no surprise. It's not all linear any more than A2 is. Note that A2's demo is also a beeline to the vahnatai lands. A4 has the same setup: once you reach the Eastern Gallery just past Formello, you're free to meander. It's just that there's no cool new thing like the vahnatai, or even the surface, to appreciate. It's not A3's fault that A4 is boring. Jeff could have stuck in plot twists. In fact, I was hoping for them. The plagues seemed like a perfect setup as a parody of A3 from which something interesting would emerge. But no, nothing came of it. —Alorael, who doesn't think he'd prefer A4 to A3 if it used the old Avernum engine. Only the new combat and better tactical challenges make the game worth playing. Well, that and the usual indefinable air of Avernum, which A3 spectacularly lacked. He currently thinks A4 is superior to A3 but inferior to A1 and A2. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Gremlin Whine in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, December 16 2005 15:28
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He's from the grove in A1, and no, I haven't ever found anything useful to do with him. He's a gremlin! —Alorael, who was disappointed by the lack of confusion rays and gremlin graphics. Gremlins that look like shades aren't creepy in a giggly way at all! Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| hey there will be nethergate2? in Nethergate | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, December 16 2005 15:25
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I disagree without any humility whatsoever. Nethergate has Spiderweb's best plot, uses height very well, has a nice spell system and a very entertaining skill system, and has naked people painted blue and howling battle cries. And there are faeries. With swords. And wands! —Alorael, who simply can't understand not liking Nethergate unless you don't like Avernum either. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| A Light in the Dark in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, December 16 2005 15:23
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Because each casting of Light adds to the total duration of your light without any limit, I'd just cast light literally a few hundred times in a row and then never think about it until a totally dark area undid all my hard work. In one of his Grumpy Gamer columns (no longer available online, apparently), Jeff complained about the games that make you manage irritating little things, then cited torches as a specific example. I found it highly ironic and I'm happier without them. —Alorael, who was fine with the gloom or lack thereof in A4. Pitch darkness doesn't add much of anything except irritation. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Athron's lair key in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Friday, December 16 2005 09:28
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It's possible to kill shrubs without letting them spray you as long as your casters go after the shrub in combat order and your fighters go before it. Move your casters in range, throw Bolts of Fire (or whatever), then have your fighters swap places with casters to move them out of range and move your fighters out of range as well. It can take some careful moving, but it can be done almost everywhere you encounter shrubs, fungi, and even some pylons. —Alorael, who didn't figure out the key until after he had come up with enough magical power to Unlock the door. Oops. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| walkthrough in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 22:01
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If you killed all the pylons in the place where you get the Jade Halberd without dodging them even once, you're an inefficient masochist. If you killed all the many, many pylons in a certain very important area in which Jeff specifically made dodging pylons easier, then you don't need any help at all surviving on Torment because your party is clearly able to dodge bullets and death rays. —Alorael, who is very proud of his spoiler-free circumlocutions. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| This thread is a spoiler. in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 21:57
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Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers. This post is pure and unmitigated spoiler in a thread of spoilers. But you asked for it. The mysterious pylons in all towns and forts are revealed as a teleportation device once you reach Fort Avernum. They're convenient for quick travel. There's another teleportation pylon accessible after the last battle of the game, and it takes you to the ending. —Alorael, who believes a quick and unhelpful explanation is given in the game as well. Deus ex machina covers it, more or less. Actually, since the pylon is kind of a machine, and since Jeff can be considered a god of sorts over the Avernum world, would it be machina ex deus? Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| E3: certain places in The Exile Trilogy | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 21:53
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If you attack Erika with the Cooling Amulets from the Bunker you don't die instantly and can kill her. That doesn't help at all with her back room, though. There's another such unreachable room in Sulfras' lair. The room near Khoth is reachable if I'm thinking of the right one. —Alorael, who sort of remembers a few more unreachable rooms. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| So What Makes a Torment Capable Party? in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 19:38
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I'd build characters that way. Most skills are either always useful or become more useful as you go. The only exception that I can think of is throwing, really. —Alorael, who spent no skill points and a great deal of money on First Aid. Getting 3 energy after killing a single monster means that you can use Bolt of Fire and still end the battle with a net gain. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| walkthrough in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 19:35
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Oh, no. There are some pylons you will definitely want to dodge. Don't worry, it will be abundantly clear which is which. —Alorael, who did spent quite some time touching pylons too, and he didn't require a walkthrough for that either. He was even smart enough to touch them before he was told to, which saved him some boring backtracking. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| A4 Hidden Skills [SPOILERS] in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 13:44
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I kept track by the skill point cost of raising a skill, not the amount of skill displayed. It was much more accurate. For even more fun, I made sure to remove all equipment before training. —Alorael, who still loves Nethergate's stat system. It's pretty, clean, and you don't end up experience penaltied to death. Plus getting that clink sound so often is just so satisfying! Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| So What Makes a Torment Capable Party? in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 13:37
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There are many bows by the end of the game that are worthy of copious drool. There are some nice razordisks and javelins, but nothing really superior. Throwing hits its peak too early and becomes pretty much useless by the end. —Alorael, who also didn't want to waste the carrying capacity on many items when a bow could leave room for several thousand more potions and rings. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| walkthrough in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 13:35
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You know, I thought about writing a walkthrough for A4. I even started taking notes. Then I realized that, as neat as it would be to have something I wrote in a forum header, I'm just too lazy to do a good job. If you're really desperate for a walkthrough, buy the hintbook. If you're less desperate for a walkthrough, ask specific questions. —Alorael, who didn't find any of A4 as painfully confusing as, say, the Halls of Chaos, the Remote Cave (Black Halberd), or the Test of Mind. Most of it is straightforward. Move, kill, loot, repeat. Dodge some pylons on the way. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| So What Makes a Torment Capable Party? in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 10:06
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Many of the custom characters get more skill points, but the allocation is suboptimal. Berserker is pretty good, and I think Hedge Wizard is a decent choice for making a mage/priest, although I didn't use it. Other than that, most of the choices look nice except for the fact that a large number of points are put in places where you'll get no benefit from them. —Alorael, who twitches whenever he sees skill points in throwing. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Fossils & Diamonds in Richard White Games | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 10:02
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Done and done. —Alorael, who will have been Ricardo Blanco yesterday tomorrow. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| A4 Hidden Skills [SPOILERS] in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 09:56
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If you have the Natural Mage trait, the bonus to your Mage skill doesn't count towards special skills. —Alorael, who can't think of any other plausible reasons. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
| Editor avaliable in Avernum 4 | |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, December 15 2005 09:50
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That's also not all the equipment. Besides, what if I want wands, scrolls, and potions? —Alorael, who encourages everyone to look at the text files. It's not prohibitively difficult to figure out how to add things, and then you can give yourself a Rat Tail Band if you really want one. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |