Slawbug

Did you definitely learn about the portal augmenter from Aydin before talking to Erika? That's the other relevant trigger. (I'm not sure how you could have gotten "Slay the Emperor" without that, but maybe it's possible, especially if you're absolutely sure you've selected every single option in Erika's entire dialogue tree.) This is a 12 year old game and no one's reported this previously, so it's pretty unlikely this is a bug. (Also, I assume you haven't used any cheat engines or edited game files or anything? Just say so if you have...)

what security software do you use that demands a keyboard-only response without switching out of an app first?

Yeah, it definitely sounds like you haven't progressed the quest adequately with Erika. Have you gone through her entire dialogue tree? That option might not be there are the very start of the conversation.

It's a little weird that this site has more statistics on AEFTP than on the other two games -- I have to wonder why, and if this could be related to any discrepancy. Also, with an peak of 11 active players out of 15,000, I have to imagine these statistics aren't that reliable, or at the very least don't go back to 2018. I would not be so quick to assume these sites provide accurate info.

In G4 and G5 that was because you'd been Geneforged. G3 must have had some explanation for this? Right? Maybe? Or maybe G3 just gonna G3...

He did give in and create the option of a satisfying ending for Geneforge 5, after G3 and G4's endings (where frankly 55% sounds generous). I'd expect the same thing to happen here, especially if it is in fact Spiderweb's last new game story. With the possible exception of the G5 protagonist

I see the possible applicability to Afghanistan, sure. But I mean, "inhospitable terrain for an invasion" applies to lots of places; "decadence" has been used as a moral attack against foreign enemies for pretty much the entire scope of human history; and likewise the oppression of women has, unfortunately, been a thing in almost every part of the world. I don't think there's any shortage of places this can apply to. On the flip side, SW describes the Ro as "wild," "brutal," and as "barbarians." Seems pretty unlikely they'd do that if they had a comparison with a specific area of the modern world in mind.

Really? This is such a classic and widespread CRPG foible. Seriously, google any variation of "NPC blocking your path", "NPC get out of my way", "NPC blocking door", "RPG pathfinding failure", "drone jam"... etc. You'll find tons of games, often really big-name games. Endless random threads on gamefaqs. Etc. It's been less common in the last 20-25 years because RPGs aren't all tile-based by default, anymore. That's the big reason. Truly not specific to Spiderweb games.

Exile/Avernum 1-3 definitely have very happy, heroic endings. Uh... wow! Interesting idea, but based on google, it appears that literally no people have expressed this idea. I can see the applicability. But what makes you feel like it's such a targeted metaphor for Afghanistan specifically? Once upon a time the vast majority of RPGs had simple, happy endings. There's more variety now, but I'd argue that the majority of them still do. I don't think every RPG needs to be the same in this regard.

I haven't heard of this happening before. Arum won't leave on his own, but many NPCs wander around a little. If you left the door open and left guards alive somewhere in the vicinity of the cells, I guess you could have had the ill luck of Arum and a guard somehow ending up in each other's line of sight, at which point the guard would attack and probably kill Arum. If you didn't do either of those things, then how this could happen is a bit of a mystery. Either way, this is probably a good reminder to keep multiple save files...

A lot of this info is compiled here, up through 2007 anyway: https://web.archive.org/web/20090403085320/http://home.comcast.net/~tom_05/contests.html Which should at least get past the last time the BoE forum here was pruned.

Doh. Thanks for trying, that's too bad. Reading through the OP again... It occurs to me that the "never work" key is something you use in walkabout mode, while the "occasionally or delayed" keys are things you press in dialogue. This combination could be plausible if the issue is one of being constantly bombarded with other keyboard input, like a function key, that the game checks for a potential use in walkabout mode, but mostly ignores in dialogue mode. Years ago (as google reminded me) this came up in a single user's copy of G4, where it was constantly receiving an F12 input. (We never did figure that one out how to make it stop; their laptop was very old and they dumped it a few months later.) So followup question: can you give a complete (as complete as reasonable, anyway) list of keys that (1) work, (2) never work, and (3) sometimes work or have a delay? (my only other thought is to look at anything else you have installed that could cause a conflict. Keymapping or controller software (even LED keyboard software), a particularly zealous antivirus, anything that runs in the background... but that's a slog and it's hard to know what the culprit might be anyway)

Steam can mess around with keyboard input if its controller settings are active. If you find and run the application from outside of Steam, i.e. opening it directly from File Explorer, do you have the same issues?

This is not a known issue AFAIK. That said, G4 is a 17 year old game at this point (!) (even if we love it) so it's definitely possible there's a conflict with a piece of software that did not exist 17 years ago. A few questions: 1. What platform did you get the game through (Steam, GOG, direct from Spiderweb, etc)? 2. What version of Windows? I'd ask about keymapping software, controllers, etc., but the fact that some of the keys work inconsistently or with a delay suggests the problem might not be about input being recognized specifically. Do you notice any kind of other slowdowns, graphics stuttering, anything like that? Or is it solely keyboard commands?

"You reach the end of the passage, and find it has been sealed. Thousands of tons of shattered rock close the tunnel off. You look at the ceiling and see the signs of a massive magical blow, used to cause the rockfall... It is clear that the Vahnatai have left your lands, and left for good. Two chilling questions hang in the thick, dusty air: Where did they go, and can they be stopped?" This is how they leave Ghikra. It's not entirely clear if it's the way they came, though it's a definite possibility. You can't actually find it until they're gone.

On the last question, almost certainly not. It's never made explicit, but of the ToM/Olgai portal, we do get: "This portal was Exile's connection to the lands of the Vahnatai. It still exists, but just barely. It flickers in and out of existance, and is clearly far too weak to use. The room is filled with dust. Nobody has been here in a while." It also seems unlikely that they would have been willing to send all those Crystal Souls through the portal to Upper Exile. And we know they had other ways up, since obviously none of the magic behind the Plagues went through the ToM.

I think this is very true -- with the caveat that not every society is brutal and shallow in the same ways, or even equally brutal or shallow or whatever overall. But there are lots of ways to be harmful. So I think the romanticizing is really about seeing something that is compensatory to contemporary society. It's sort of the opposite project of dystopian literature, which is almost always applicable to something harmful in contemporary society. I'm not sure how interested Asimov was in either one, but Bradbury definitely tried to do both, sometimes at the same time. (The other thing that strikes me, sitting here reading this, is how much the two lines I quoted sound like Bradbury.)

I think, in the original game code, sanctuary only affects melee and missile attacks. I don't think that missile routine is used by spellcasters (except possibly for missile-based spells like Flame Arrows?) but boy it's been a long time.

Bradbury does have some pretty great psychological/human stuff, but it's in his novels. I found the Martian Chronicles to be empty and listless. I don't know why they are held in the regard they are.

I use the flaming weapon augment in Tevrono extensively. (The extra-flame-damage-on-hit, not the use-charges-to-cast-Flame, which is terrible.) Abusing Bless means accuracy isn't an issue, so the higher damage increase is as good as it gets. Gale has a higher +, I want to say +3? The blessing is worthless too, it just uses charges to cast Bless.

@Ess-Eschas please check your messages.

I believe just those two tasks removes the requirement entirely. I'm not sure, but I think the requirement actually starts at just 2 tests, if you didn't do either of those things on the trip down the river.

Ooh, that makes a lot of sense. That's gotta be it.

Yup.