Avernum V
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Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
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written Wednesday, March 22 2006 22:00
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That was a continuity question, I believe. The question is: since scrying exists in the Avernum universe (where and in what context? I remember hearing about it but have forgotten), how can there be a "new" part of the caves? Any part of the caves anywhere near Avernum would've been discovered already. The answer, I suspect, is that there are parts of the caves that are not currently inhabited (and not accessible in A1 or A2) that are also habitable and reachable by devious means not available to A1/2/4 adventurers. Therefore, there will not be a continuity problem. But then, if Jeff pulls another ZKR ("Here's a new part of the cave not related to anything you know about the caves! Just go with it!"), I will be mildly annoyed. -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Wednesday, March 22 2006 22:09
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Scrying only works on what you look for, presumably. Excess population looking for new frontiers has never been Avernum's problem. Excess frontiers with horrible monsters are the problem. As soon as Avernum ran out of obvious sources for new terrors, the mages probably breathed a collective sigh of relief and put the covers back on their crystal balls. In times of peace, exploration becomes more interesting, especially when you could find untold riches or, even better, exciting new dungeons to delve into. Maybe both! Heck, all it requries is another portal to Lower Avernum, a small quake that opens new tunnels, or a newly dug cellar that ends up being more exciting than first expected. —Alorael, who didn't hear anyone crying foul at the sudden appearance of cave systems beneath the Great Cave and the Eastern Gallery. Another layer below that could be found, and another, and another, and whoops, it looks like there's a Greater Cave down there! Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 4153
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written Wednesday, March 22 2006 22:20
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quote:I was under the impression that chitrachs dug them out... at least in the Eastern Gallery. I just want to blame chitrachs, honestly... -------------------- Thuryl: "Runescape: for people who are too stupid to save their games." Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 6401
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written Wednesday, March 22 2006 23:18
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I seem to remember Erica scrying in A1 or A2 (seems like the sort of thing she'd do), and Aimee and probably some of the dragons (Khoth/Sulfras?). If so then it's perfectly possible that they all knew about plenty of other caves that were undiscovered by the rest of Avernum, including the Triad mages. The dragons at least knew about the vahnatai lands, and Erica wouldn't necessarily have any reason to let on about all the other stuff she knows. I got the feeling she likes to keep an air of mystery. -------------------- I think this is really wonderful. Posts: 147 | Registered: Tuesday, October 18 2005 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 6785
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written Thursday, March 23 2006 00:17
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There are other areas to Avernum. Most of the explorers were looking for a route to the surface. All those messages about miles of tunnels leading upward to dead ends. Between that and the demons, monsters, etc., the others areas wouldn't have been important enough to include in earlier maps. All you need is a reason to go there. Posts: 4643 | Registered: Friday, February 10 2006 08:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Thursday, March 23 2006 08:13
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Caves are really like that: little inconspicuous holes occasionally lead to enormous new areas. For instance, everyone should visit Carlsbad Caverns, in New Mexico, if they possibly can. And if you go, register online (far in advance) to take the 'Hall of the White Giant' extra guided tour. (The other extra guided tours are also worth taking, but it is the best.) You'll walk to a nondescript corner of the public access route from the surface, wait until no-one is around, then duck into a crack in the wall -- and be gone for hours. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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BANNED
Member # 5219
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written Thursday, March 23 2006 08:22
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Caves are really cool. They're one of the better things about games, exploring wise. I loved the fact that there would be a hidden wall in the Exile series, which sometimes led to a cave. You just get that much more to explore. Avernum wasn't so much like that, I think, as I don't recall there being any hidden cave walls outside of towns and dungeons. -------------------- You can take my Windows XP when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 394 | Registered: Saturday, November 20 2004 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 4153
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written Thursday, March 23 2006 08:24
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There were many, many secret passages outdoors in Avernum. Just not in A4. I think the best element of that was finding the back entrance to various forts. The classic example would be the old nephilim fort SW of Formello. -------------------- Thuryl: "Runescape: for people who are too stupid to save their games." Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6943
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written Thursday, March 23 2006 12:21
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It'd be nice if the game showed experience gained after battle. For example: You all gain x experience. Aldous gains x experience. Aldous, Ssschah gains x experience. Just a thought. -------------------- Reality is overrated. Visit the official Amana site with this URL. www.freewebs.com/Richia4444 Posts: 15 | Registered: Wednesday, March 22 2006 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 6912
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written Thursday, March 23 2006 12:40
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also it would be nice to choose to go into combat mode. If there is no way that can happen, then can A5 atleast have monsters in packs instead of spread out. I hated going into combat mode going two steps and see a monster i didnt b4 and there u go combat mode again [ Thursday, March 23, 2006 17:03: Message edited by: rantalot ] Posts: 89 | Registered: Wednesday, March 15 2006 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 549
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written Thursday, March 23 2006 15:13
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Race specific traits and skills would be nice. Sliths could have a regeneration trait that lets them heal faster. Nephils could have trait or a skill that lets them use their tail to do stuff. Posts: 227 | Registered: Thursday, January 24 2002 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 6785
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written Thursday, March 23 2006 17:38
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Look at the map screen in the bottom left corner. The monsters show up as red dots and friendlies as blue. It really helps with chitrachs in the Eastern Gallery. Posts: 4643 | Registered: Friday, February 10 2006 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 6912
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written Thursday, March 23 2006 22:25
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i started playing A3 again shortly after finishing A4 i noticed that i really missed out doors and choosing to go into combat mode was just amazing (i missed bumping into enemies) this made me think that A5 would be better if it was more like A3 I did enjoy A4 but i enjoyed A3 so much more The world also felt so much bigger and it is packed with amazing weapons quests What i am trying to say is maybe we should go back to the old engine and graphics i doubt any of us play Jeffs games for how good stuff looks that was never spiderwebs strong point I relize how unlikely us going to the old engine is but perhaps strong support will atleast encourage jeff to fix up sevral things to make A5 feel like A3 Posts: 89 | Registered: Wednesday, March 15 2006 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6866
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written Friday, March 24 2006 07:24
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quote:I couldn't disagree more. As soon as I'd finished A4, I dloaded A3 with the intent of playing the demo then buying the rest of the game, but I just can't summon up the enthusiasm for it - I haven't even finished the demo part. I vastly prefer the new engine, and hope that A5 continues to use the same engine and graphics as A4. Posts: 17 | Registered: Monday, March 6 2006 08:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 6670
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written Friday, March 24 2006 07:28
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The engine you prefer is the engine you start out with. There are diehard Exile fans out there, even though the Nethergate engine used in A1-3 is superior, with better graphics. If you're used to the BoA interface, A4 will seem annoying, and vice versa. Besides, I think JV mentioned that he wouldn't be returning to the old engine. -------------------- IF I EVER BECOME AN EVIL OVERLORD: I will only employ bounty hunters who work for money. Those who work for the pleasure of the hunt tend to do dumb things like even the odds to give the other guy a sporting chance. Posts: 1509 | Registered: Tuesday, January 10 2006 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 6508
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written Friday, March 24 2006 09:00
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maybe there should be a have dog halve hum breed becuase the a halve human halve cat:nethilim halve human halve lizard:slith -------------------- Spiders,webs and software is great but Spiderwebsoftware is the best. Posts: 85 | Registered: Sunday, November 27 2005 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6954
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written Friday, March 24 2006 10:11
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One key feature of the older Avernum engine that I miss dearly in A4 is the ability to kill things without having to go into combat mode. Just bashing the front guy into whatever weak monster decided to amble up made exploring dungeons a lot less tedious, -particularly- ones that were a lower level than the characters (IE going back and cleaning something out). This is basically a request to put that back into Avernum 5. :3 Posts: 7 | Registered: Friday, March 24 2006 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 6912
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written Friday, March 24 2006 11:35
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yeah i so miss bumping into enemies instead of going into combat mode I tend to get sort of intrested in the plot and try 2 get to the end as fast as posible and forget the lesser caves...i always visit them at the very end and going into a combat mode over a goblin makes me cry Posts: 89 | Registered: Wednesday, March 15 2006 08:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 5410
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written Friday, March 24 2006 11:51
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I wonder if a simple graphic(S) could be made so that walls don't appear so vertical. Although I play the games to unravel the story, its always been disconcerting to me that the world appears so uniform/straight edged - in a place which spends most of its time being obviously out of whack. -------------------- "Dikiyoba ... is demon ... drives people mad and ... do all sorts of strange things." "You Spiderwebbians are mad, mad, mad as March hares." Posts: 687 | Registered: Wednesday, January 19 2005 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6954
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written Sunday, March 26 2006 10:23
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I've noticed on this thread a lot of people asking for new playable races. The Vahnati are right out, and making up an entirely new race would throw a wrench into the games' continuity. But what already exists that is probably intelligent enough to be a PC? GoblinsEyebeastsDrakes/DragonsSpidersRoachesGiantsTroglodytesOgresDemons/ImpsAnd what of those is actually humanoid enough and the right size to, at least, wear the same equipment as everyone else? GoblinsTroglodytesDemons/ImpsAND have, at some point, been known to cooperate for one reason or another with someone besides themselves? Uh. GoblinsI think they'd be our best bet for a new race, and I don't even like them very much. (maybe I've missed someone though..) But hey, if there can be Goblin Bandits and Goblin Shamans, maybe in some time and place there could be Goblin Adventurers. It's a long stretch, but who knows. Posts: 7 | Registered: Friday, March 24 2006 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6943
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written Sunday, March 26 2006 12:17
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quote:I suppose troglodytes could work too. -------------------- Reality is overrated. Visit the official Amana site with this URL. www.freewebs.com/Richia4444 Posts: 15 | Registered: Wednesday, March 22 2006 08:00 |
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Shaper
Member # 32
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written Sunday, March 26 2006 12:44
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The Experience bonus for choosing a goblin would have to be quite large though. You'd have a level 30 character before finishing the first quarter of the game... -------------------- Lt. Sullust Cogito Ergo Sum Polaris Posts: 2462 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6924
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written Monday, March 27 2006 08:46
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Ok my summary of what I thought of Avernum 4: The indoor/outdoor unification: - It was an interesting experiment, but I think I prefer the way it was in the previous games. It just feels so much bigger in the previous games, and the towns are so disproportionate in size. The lack of elevation: - This added a whole new dimension to the previous games (literally, heh). No arrows: - This is definitely an improvement No food: - This is also definitely an improvement No boats: - Obviously the different exploration boats give you is more fun. What I think I'd prefer in Av 5 would be that not most items can't be sold for 1gp, I can't help myself going back and forth collecting all of them! Posts: 30 | Registered: Friday, March 17 2006 08:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 6670
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written Monday, March 27 2006 09:03
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By Reve: quote:Obsessive-compulsive? Seriously, visit a psychologist, unless you find spending ten minutes to net your party twenty more gold time well spend. -------------------- IF I EVER BECOME AN EVIL OVERLORD: If an advisor says to me "My liege, he is but one man. What can one man possibly do?", I will reply "This." and kill the advisor. Posts: 1509 | Registered: Tuesday, January 10 2006 08:00 |
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Councilor
Member # 6600
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written Monday, March 27 2006 10:12
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It doesn't take ten minutes of extra time! Just kill everything in the zone, run around picking up everything in the zone, and then run back and dump everything into three piles: keep, sell, and trash. Run off to another zone and repeat. Once there are decent piles of goods to keep and sell, just run them back to the nearest town. Sell what needs to be sold and dump the rest by a pylon. Dikiyoba is not obsessive-compulsive. The fact that Dikiyoba's colored T-shirts are hung on matching hangers and arranged in groups according to color means nothing. Posts: 4346 | Registered: Friday, December 23 2005 08:00 |