Jemelby

For the iOS version - getting the "wrapped bugs" to the shrine seems to be a problem. I can't figure how to get across the lava to the north tower with my cargo. I went so far as to gather "move mountains" L3 hoping that the blocked passage at the back of the lava dome would hold the key. I'm moving on since it isn't critical to the game. Would be nice to complete it, though.

When a piece of armor has "-10% to hit chance", that's a penalty, right? Or is that to say my chance of BEING hit is -10%?

Could I implore the community to provide a list of crafters and recipies? I've been toting around the mats, but don't really know what's availabe. The usual sources seem to be lacking a list of what can be made.

I have played Diablo A LOT - mostly for the loot system. The availability of loot with randomly generated stats that follow general guidelines keeps me coming back again and again. Every loot drop is like Christmas! The story line is there as well, but gets a bit dry (and repetitive). LOOT - LOOT - LOOT - LOOT - LOOT - LOOT - LOOT - LOOT - LOOT - LOOT - LOOT - LOOT

Remember the days when you cranked up the Victrola, gently place the 78 RPM plater on the turn table, released the spring, and carefully lowered the resonator needle onto the first groove? Fantastic and melodic sounds would usher forth from horn, and you just knew that technology was here to stay... Trouble was, once you listened to the record a few times, you knew exactly what was coming next. There was no discovery - no surprise. It was the same old record, over and over and over. But not from the radio. Oh no! You never knew what that crazy announcer on the talkie-box would say next, or what music he would play. The outcome was seeming "random", and that fact was reason enough to listen hour after hour - day after day. So let's apply this analogy to video games. On one side, you have the scripted "theatrical game". The storyline can branch a couple different ways, but not infinitely so, and the "jewel encrust club of awesome whacking" is always going to be in the box outside the farmhouse near the "Pincard to Elba" road. You get one play through with discovery - that's it. Of course, you can play it through again (and plenty of folks do), but the only variation is going to be what you the player provides. Oh sure... There's going to be a quest/monster/item that you missed the first time trough, but in terms of discovery, it's pretty thin soup the second time around. Conversely, you have game where nothing is guaranteed. The box might have a club, or it might have a broken husk. You just don't know because the contents are random. The pitfall here, of course, is the irresistible necessity to save-open box-reload-repeat until the box gives you what you want. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. It is best exemplified by what is perhaps my favorite game of all time - the MUD Medievia. IRL legal drama aside, the game provided the perfect mix of predictability, discovery, and chance. Just about every item that the game created had a random tweak applied within a certain range. The coral necklace, for example would have a certain amount of HP & Mana applied. An average one would have 30/30. An extraordinary one would have 50+/50+. But since both tweaks are applied separately, you could just as easily end up with a 10/55 necklace. Not so hot, BUT, all the more reason to keep playing and trying for a better one. The point is that there was an Infinite supply of DISCOVERY! When you battle your way through the zone to get to the booger with the widget you want, he MIGHT have one, and it MIGHT be fantastic! Or you might just have to run the zone again. This philosophy can also be found in games like Age of Empires II (with the conquerors expansion, of course) and random map generation. Every game is new and exciting and ready to be eXplored (& eXpanded & eXploited & eXterminated) Random = replayability

Thanks for the reply, Lilith. On the iOS version, you only get base damage (min/max) and effects. Not the dice size. I understand how important the difference is between, say, a 1d20 (average 10) and a 4d5 (same) when you get to apply all your toons skills to each roll. Seems like critical information that should be considered for the next game to be ported for iOS. could you or someone possible tell me which bladed weapons have to best dice for a min/max DW meleer?

In conversations about the merits of various bows, the Heartstrike bow is universally touted as the "best" bow for the experienced archer. I understand how this can be true if the dice configuration is considered. What I would like to know is how do you determine the dice configuration? I thought that spiderweb games used a fixed sided dice and only adjusted the number of rolls - or was it the other way around? Anyway, if the dice configuration isn't obvious, and is determined by delving into the data files of the game, perhaps someone could point me to a list of tabular data for the various weapons in the game (playing on an iOS). It'd be great to know what weapons are REALLY best for my min/max toons.

I think what I like most about the spider web games is the user based support. In just a few short hours (minutes for the first reply), I have had a meaningful exchange of information that vastly expands my enjoyment of the game. Thanks all. Continuing along the OP theme, I have noted that I can learn a new spell from a tome. I had read earlier that there was a version/episode of the game where you had to have an initial knowledge of a spell, and a tome could only be used to improve the spell. Doesn't seem to be the case with A6 (or EftP) Also, I have noted that I can move and attack AFTER I have already attacked. This is welcome, since I built plenty of QA into my toons. Nothing worse than having your Melee/tank get bonus AP, and then not be able to reach anything.

NOTE: I'm going to type a bunch of crap below - please call me out where I have errored, or am obviously missing a point. I've played thru Avernum: Escape from the Pit on my iPad, and enjoyed it enough to purchase A6. I might be mistaken here, but I get the impression that EftP is more more developed (for iOS) than A6, though EftP pre-dates A6 story wise. EftP just seems to have a bit more thought and polish to it. For instance: • The miniaturized world map in EftP is godly compared to the 'everything's the same scale' in A6 • All the lore-ish skills (tool, arcane knowledge, first aid...) combine for the whole party in EftP. In A6, I believe this is true except for tool use, thus causing me to sacrifice the capabilities of ONE toon into which I sink all the TU points. • In EftP, the combat grid is only red around an enemy for a 9x9 square. In A6, there's no "hot spot" visible to help identify enemy location, or to offer a hint as to what is lurking just out of sight. The whole screen has a red grid. • in EftP, if a ranged toon (spell or missile) is instructed to attack a target, it will automatically close to maximum range and fire. Is A6, you have to manually move the toon within range and THEN fire. • EftP has an honest to goodness skill tree. For A6, I find that I have to consult the forums to see what skills are available, and what the prerequisite is for attaining them. (E.g. I wouldn't even know gymnastics exists if I didn't train an adequate number of points in other skills and have it appear in the list) All in all, I preferred EftP, but I suppose there is a "get used to it" factor that will eventually kick in. Regardless, the open world aspect both avernum games (on the iOS) are superior in design and play to that god-awful, scripted, go-here-then-go-there, if-you-need-to-discover-something-we'll-tell-you-about-it Avadon games.

That was most helpful. Exactly what I was looking for, and would have likely never found. Thank you very much. (And the second answer was helpful as well)

As an example: I have "mass healing". I don't recall if I trained it once or twice at the priest that trained it. How can I tell if it's lvl 1 or lvl 2? I am guessing that the desription will be a bit different, with added power of the second level, but without remembering what the description was before, this doesn't help much. Also, if I happen across a tome that teaches me lvl 3 of something, I don't need to go back and train lvl 1 & 2, huh?

I'm loot'in and fighting my way through the vault. I've killed and looted everything I can get too, but I can't seem to get over to the west park of the vault... What's the secret?

Disregard. Seems there was a time lag for the new membership

What is required of me to be able to make a new post in the "Avadon 2" forum?