Flaw in story.

[Candy]

Hi, I am new to the game, but really liking it so far.

On starting the game you are thrown into the pit and the text says that you are all alone, yet, you have 3 companions with you. How come your 3 companions are not accountable? It sort of throws the story out, right from the start.

 

 

Followed up by a question.

Can you import your characters from one episode to the next?

[Lilith]

Well, I mean, there's nobody there other than the four of you, so in that sense all of you are alone. A group of people can still be alone if there's nobody around other than that group.

[Candy]

Well, I mean, there's nobody there other than the four of you, so in that sense all of you are alone. A group of people can still be alone if there's nobody around other than that group.

 

Okay, but it should say you, and three other bedraggled people are thrown in the pit alone to face whatever, you know? Make some sort of reference to the fact that they are there.

Seeing how the story telling is quite in-depth, I thought this to be a pretty big flaw.

[Rugila]

Okay, but it should say you, and three other bedraggled people are thrown in the pit alone to face whatever, you know? Make some sort of reference to the fact that they are there.

Seeing how the story telling is quite in-depth, I thought this to be a pretty big flaw.

 

Leave your sanity at the door. You don't need it.

Once you are thrown into Avernum there's no easy way out.

[Candy]

Leave your sanity at the door. You don't need it.

Once you are thrown into Avernum there's no easy way out.

 

Whaaa! stopit, I'm scared enough as it is.

 

I was just reading about Spiderweb, and it looks like the Avadon series concentrates more on character relations. I guess this is where the two stories/games differ. You know, I think I might buy those as well, if they are as good as this one I wants them.

[Forget it]

Well, suspension of disbelief and all that. Luckily since "you" is technically acceptable as either plural or singular, it works: believe it or not there are some folks insane enough to want to play a singleton run of this game, so the wording as is, is actually pretty good for keeping the immersion going for that kind of playthrough.

[Sade]

Yeah, it feels a bit funny how your groups of adventurers in Avernum games are little more than mindless drones, walking everywhere in perfect unison and never having disagreements over the most controversial of acts.

 

It is not easy to recognize your characters’ identities in the spirit of roleplaying, when they even themselves fail to do that: the dialog-speaker of your party (whoever he or she is supposed to be) always talks of, say, the slith(s) present in third person, even when everyone in the group belongs to the corresponding race.

 

The above, in addition to the facts that

 

1) other people refer to your party collectively as ‘humans’, regardless of its actual composition (which is understandable in the case of the ignorant vahnatai, but as for others, not so much)

2) your characters always seem to be better-acquainted with human lore and customs than with their own, possibly differing ones

3) they never show signs of non-human mannerisms (e.g. the slith-esque sibilant voice)

4) PC nephilim and slithzerikai are basically strictly weaker than humans, in A2:CS at least, barring a minor resistance boost

 

makes me think that the player-controlled “non-human races” are really just human cosplayers. With clunky and not-highly-convincing costumes.

[Lilith]

In fairness, I'm pretty sure she's talking about A:EftP, which didn't have non-human party members as an option in the first place.

 

But yeah, a lot of the issues you point to arise from the fact that the Exile trilogy originally had keyword-based dialogue, and was retrofitted with an option-based dialogue system when it was remade as the Avernum trilogy. There were a few places where writing dialogue options that would make the already-written responses make sense resulted in some awkwardness under some circumstances.

[Edgwyn]

You cannot import characters from one episode to the next in any of Jeff's series. Each one is independent of each other and starts with a group of level one characters (Avernum) or single level one character who joins with other level one characters (Avadon). This is essentially a balance thing as your team who successfully completes the three endings of A:EFTP could skip around 80% of the material in A:CS and be overpowered.

 

In Avadon, you control the actions of the other characters besides your own, and their dialogue reflects their personal opinions in sometimes interesting and sometimes annoying and interesting manners, but ultimately they will still do what you tell them to do. They look up to you.

[Jerakeen]

And actually there are places where the dialogue doesn't make sense for a singleton either, referring to "all of you", or whatever. But it would be a big undertaking to write and code different dialogue strings for every possible party configuration. Just rewrite it in your head.

[Candy]

It's the first room really, where you are taking close notice and your character goes to great lengths to explain how lonely he is. And how he wonders if he will ever set eyes on a human face again, and how he craves human company once more. Meanwhile his mates are looking at him like he is daft in the head.

 

This is not a complaint, more a observation, the game is fantastic and really draws you in, so-much-so that it is easy to pick up on these types of things.

[ĐªгŦĦ Єяŋϊε]

You should have played exile where you have the same dialogue about being lonely but your party is SIX characters!