Necris Omega

Send an email to Mr. Vogel explaining the situation, complete with new registration numbers and, importantly, with the original billing address you bought the games under and he'll cheerfully send you new codes. Or so the legend goes.

Could be, but usually that detail is omitted from most magical anti-sun like curses. Is the world aware of that detail, that lunar light is reflected sunlight? Heck, is it even a detail in the world of Avernum? When you've magic as literal and dominating as said world, who's to say? Maybe it's a geocentric cosmology...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but do not the later Avernum's go with the heroic sacrifice angle? Also, she could technically go out at night, am I wrong? You know, going with the whole "vampirism" bit?

Hm... X was wacky, but as much as I enjoyed him, I could never take him seriously. I did like Solberg, and love how he went out in the very end, but... the whole "cowering in a tower for two games" kinda knocks him down a few points. What, Avernum can't be buggered to arm, oh... say, some elite adventurers with a certain demonslaying blade and get him out of there? ... Still, probably #2 on my list. Linda... Ah, Linda. If at first you don't succeed, endanger even MORE innocent lives! ... She had a fitting end, though, so points to her. Garzhad... Honestly, I loved the concept, and, while the Graphic kind of reminds me of one of the seven dwarfs, I always pictured him as kinda a Lo Pan type villain. #3. Rentar-Ihrno... Bleh, I never liked this wench in any incarnation. Even her death was unsatisfying. Mahdavi? I always thought she was underused and had potential that never got off the ground. Also, the whole "Empire teleporter" quest she gives in Avernum 2 really felt like the least significant of the three "big" quests in the game. Aimee? ... the whole "astral planeswalker" thing really feels out of place in Avernum, so I never warmed to this character in her few scant appearances. Silverlocke? I don't know if she qualifies, but god bless this lovable bartender of the gods... My #1 favorite mage, however? Erika Redmark. Yeah, she's an archetype, but I love her all the same. She's the most badass mage on the list with pretty much the most impact of any of them. Vengeful, productive, has a few really neat towers (Avernum 2's tower seemed kinda lame, I thought honestly), and she can blast you into oblivion with a fiery stare. She went out in a literal blaze of glory (though it would have been nice if she could have taken Rentar with her) and allowed Avernum to finally have a place in the sun with her sacrifice. She is the ultimate mage.

Honestly, I cannot say anything good about this fight I'm afraid... It's long, it's tedious, it cowers behind a scripted wall of invulnerability, constant dancing between two room hunting for stupidly resilient off switches that distracts from the action... it has everything I hate... And the fight really feels static. There doesn't feel like there is any actual meaningful development during the fight, just a long, grueling game of "wack a mob that's not the boss". Same exact mechanic through the entire fight without end. I would much rather face something that heals, or simply has mind googling amounts of health, rather than one that persistently drops my effectiveness to a soft gentle nudging. The end boss should be a chance to showcase how powerful I've become - instead, Redbeard constantly and repeatedly busts me back down to a trivial nuisance. That's not any fun. Yeah, I overcame the fight without lowering the difficulty - I used the same strategy Eljah described in the end basically. Did I enjoy it? No. Did I have fun? No. Was it worth it? Not really. It was all just too tedious and, honestly, I would have been happier with just a straightforward Hack n' Slash type fight. Call me a philistine if you will, but I don't see why a boss has to be a synchronized dance routine.

Well from A3 you knew she had -children- (plural) but only one of them makes a named comeback. Maybe they ate eachother... But, in the interest of not spoiling anything further... yeah. *Shuts up*

I think if anything ill befell any of the other dragons, Athron would both have been aware of it, and used it as leverage in arguing for her son to stop playing with the humans. Seeing as she didn't make a point to bring up any such events, I'd assume Khoth and Sulfras are alive, well, and perhaps deep into some hellish revenge plot against the Empire. Who knows? Maybe they're the ones who ultimately cause it to dissolve.

They all escaped to a land called Honah Lee.

I do remember Athron having some issues, and I vaguely remember Pyrog maybe being referenced as female maybe once or twice in the original, but I can't remember Khoth ever having a problem. Sulfras is the one that really, really sticks out in my mind, as even Avernum seems to have folks confused. Maybe, as people have said, it's just not overtly obvious what gender a dragon is, and in earlier encounters it's just never definitively revealed... You could be right about them ALL leaving us poor mortals confused, though. It's been an eon and a day since I last picked up Exile. Here's hoping they all get their... crotches on straight this time around. :x

Wow, this topic has really flown off the rails… Hum… well I read someone mentioned that the "outdoors" mode thing is still in, which, frankly, was my #1 hope for Avernum: We Remembered the Subtitle This Time. As much as I loved Geneforge for its quirky uniqueness, taking Avernum, a game so massive it really makes you feel as tiny as the 6px high outdoors graphic your PCs get, and squashing it down to something the size of… well, Avernum 4, just really does NOT do it justice. So yeah, I like my Avernum big and epic and vertigo inducing, and having the outdoors mode stay intact is the best way to do that. Sorry new Avernums, but you're just not appropriate for the series I remember and love. I hope, of course, that they take ALL the graphics of Blades of Avernum, and bring them in. Sulfras, the magic gender confused dragon, looking like Average Drake #234523784569q435 is really underwhelming. Also, platemail that looks like chainmail is a letdown as well. In short, while I'm not looking for a Geneforge strength Graphics revamp, there's a lot that could be added simply from future installments of the series that would give the game a major boost. On that note, some of the Avadon graphics wouldn't be a bad thing to bring in either in terms of items, at least. I don't know if it makes sense for the original Avernum to have a multi-ethnic party with Slithzerkai and Nephilim. Honestly, I find humans boring, and will generally opt for an all Slith or Nephil party, plot be damned. Still I can definitely see it causing some continuity issues, at least with the first installment. Wouldn't stop me from building my human-free party if that were the case, however. Like a lot of people, though, there are a lot of favorites from the original, ORIGINAL series I'd love to see come back, not least of all being dual wielding and weapon poison. Axes… I couldn't give two farts about, I'm not an orc nor a lumberjack, but… "utility" spells from the original, like 50 sp Identify and Ritual of Sanctification spells, Scry Monster, and monster map tracking, would all be nice to see make a comeback… Curses! Dispelling! A massive, MASSIVE library of fun area spells to throw down, from walls of fire, to balls of lingering frost, fields of static, to spheres of anti-magic. There was so much Exile offered in terms of spell effects that Avernum just culled, it's a tragedy. Even if you CAN'T bring back all these wonderful spells in spellform, at least give us a wand or two. If nothing else, please bring back Divine Thud. On that note, someone else suggested it would be nice to be able to select individual spell levels along their line, and that's something I can see with some spells, particularly bind foe – I've turned down the final rank in most cases in favor of being able to repeatedly web my enemies into uselessness. You may be able to fend of paralysis, Mr. Wizard, but EAT MY GOO OF JUSTICE!!! … Ah, if Spiderman had the personality of The Tick… A greater diversity of character graphics would be nice too – a bandit was a bandit and by no means mistaken for a soldier. You could instantly tell a Bladesman from a Champion, and Empire Archers were more menacing when they weren't every other archer ever I know graphics aren't free, but it added a lot, and made Exile seem all the more massive… Diversity trumped simplicity, the opposite of Oblivion, and a much better option…Unless we're going WAAAAAY back to the first iteration of Exile, but that's… let's not stress test the Flux Capacitor… A big one I'd love to see come back is item descriptions. What is it with games and not having item descriptions anymore? Okay, maybe you can get away with it if you're some highrolling multibillion dollar developer whose graphics would make Da Vinci fall to his knees and cry, but Spiderweb isn't that developer, and even those who think they are, would be better if they didn't. If I've a legendary, ancient blade of Damascus steel with gold wiring wrapped around a dragon's hide grip, that weapon's going to come out all the more epic if the description is more than, "this is a generic greatsword with a textbook description every greatsword has. +2 to Genericness" I like the concept of "food" I guess – adds a sense of realism to the game. In Exile it was a requirement, and, maybe if it wasn't taking up inventory space ala Avernum, but a basic number as in Exile, it could work again. Junk Shops! I loved the junk shops in Exile that would REGULARLY refresh, often with very shiny, tempting things. Yummy, tasty, powerful things. In Avernum they seem much more static, their stock unchanging. Maybe it's just me… One specific thing… put the Waterfall Warren back to the way it was when it was actual waterfalls… if possible. Those dinky rapids were disappointing, especially after Avernum 2 gave us REAL Waterfalls. I miss the hilarious scream too… But… enough nostalgia banging from me. Yeah, there's a lot from "the days of yore" Avernum would do well to harken back too, but there's been years of development since then. Let's talk NEW stuff! I love it when my melee characters are more than just "walk into badguy" in terms of mechanics We already saw it in the "modern" Avernums, and I personally hope it makes a comeback. The endless bag of endless loot from Avadon was probably one of my favorite things from that game. Playing through Avernum 2 again saw me making umpteen billion trips back and forth between Limoceli's grave and the pawnshop as removing all the fillings from his dead soldiers was really tedious. A bag of infinite goodies would be nice. Barring that, and not everyone would agree, maybe going to a system were most of what's dropped is just raw gold, or stackable vendorables, gems and the like… OH, before I forget, and this is a really, really nitpicky thing, but it's said in Avernum 2, when you get the Amber Key from… I forget where, that there IS no Amber in Avernum… which makes a lot of sense. Yet, Amber is one of the default "gems" to run into. Something to perhaps change, for details sake. Exile had sapphires! … and there I go again back down nostalgia lane. Avadon's sense of character drive isn't something I'm sure would fit within the Avernum framework, but… perhaps fleshing out some of the main characters more could make things more interesting. Solberg proved in the later stages of Avernum (I liked 5 and 6 a lot more than 4) that he was more than just the crazy cat man in the far flung tower, so seeing some of the major players play a greater role does work, at least there. You had this in Avernum 3 in Lorelei, Hawke's Manse, but some sort of independent "home base" would be a potential feature. Whether it's there or in Oblivion, I can't resist the draw of my characters having their own little "house"… mansion, or castle, as it were. I would love it if the inventory system was much better sorted, especially when looting. With so much graphic repetition, being able to sort by name, value, type, or whether or not something is IDed would make looting things so much easier… This is going on the iPad, right? Pillaging – there's an app. for that! Some way to look over everyone's inventory, easily track who has what across all characters… that would be nice as well. I like how "item enhancement" is handled in later Spiderweb games, and REALLY like it when I'm given something epic to "craft" – that Starfire Broadsword is so much more satisfying when I had to kill a dragon, a genie, a small horde of demons, plumb the depths of oblivion, and climb to the top of Mount Rawr to create it. So long as it's suitably epic, I mean. Just, say… BUYING the best gear in the game, like how I landed a pair of Blessed Plate Mails from Misc. shops in my last Avernum game, seems somehow hallow. While the "hotbar" of Geneforge and the like may be small, Avernum could make use of it. Also, quickuse items are nice for making sure me the ultra conservative miser doesn't let things perpetually go to waste. I liked how in Avadon people would address you by name – maybe you could take a page from… ugh, I can't believe I'm saying this, Neverwinter Nights 2 and give your entire party a name. "Random Gaggle of Adventurers" is just about as faceless as it comes, but being referenced as "Hand of the Scimitar" or some other personalized name for your group could work. I'm going to be very, very cautious in this suggestion, because the later games really overdo this to an extent I really hate, but some more unique "boss" battles might work in the Avernum setting. No, no, NO I do NOT want to have to hop on one foot and honk my nose while hunting for some ridiculous "shut off the invulnerability" switch for Sss-thss, but giving appropriate bosses some unique spells, skills, or the like would make things more interesting. I don't mind, "phased" bosses either. Just don't use the tired gimmick of "invulnerability unless X" and don't overdo it. Remember, if you've 9hp left and I land a 2500 Arcane Apocalypse smackdown that converts your torso to the Holy Church of Unidenfitiable Goo, to hell with the script, you are DEAD. You should have spent less time editing your death monolog and more time preparing your defenses. A balance between enough spice to make the bosses bite back a little more with more flavor, and not completely throwing the game out in favor of square dancing around some MMO lifted dodge mechanic or the like would be optimal. This is perhaps the tallest order of all, but an Oblivion-esque style of Spell customization would be too awesome. I can see it being a nightmare to set up and balance, but it would add so much and open so many doors… Being able to throw a fireball that leaves a lasting cloud of flame, walls of fire AND ice, spells that not only remove mental effects but also protect against them… ah, the possibilities! I like wands/rods that function as default mage weapons, giving them a mana-saving option. That's not to say I want to see wands stripped of their current role, of course not. But having something added, magical staffs that act as equipable weapons, that would be a good addition. My mages and priests… honestly, couldn't care less about what weapons they usually ended up using for most of the game. Inventory expansion – if we're NOT going to go with Avadon's fantastic bag of holding, which I can see, it would be awesome if you could expand on the maximum number of items a character can hold. Or, even better, just leave it straight up to max weight carrying capacity via strength – if I can carry a suit of chainmail consisting of HUNDREDS of rings, carrying 21 rings in a jerkin pocket (jerkins have pockets, right?) isn't too much of a tall order. Games that make contact lenses as much of a hassle to carry as entire suits of armor have really begun to wear on me. Day night dynam--- … we're in a cave. Right… Well… How about things that are day-dependant, like that one tomb, but perhaps more on a casual basis. Maybe the Tower of Magi could have a Friday special on spells, or some NPCs would do things differently dependant on what day it is. A big one for me, would be a much greater impact of "reputation" in general. Here I am, a 98 reputation "True Hero" and some grumpy mage is giving me lip? Boy, I've seen and done and even forgotten things that would give your nightmares nightmares, I've accomplished more in two months than your entire family will in three generations, and my socks have done more for this country than you have. And I'm humble too. Show some respect!!! More history! I'd love to see an Avernum "codex" so to speak, laying out characters, details, and events that, while they might not happen on stage, would just breathe life into the gave. I loved Avadon's codex, and even with as much detail as there is with Avernum as we know it, there's always room for more. Who really were the doomed explorers of the First Expedition? When was Fort Duvno established? How about how Avernum and Motrax became such good buddies? There's infinite room for expansion, and this is something we all know Jeff could readily do. Finally… I'd love to see more of a sense of interconnectivity. When I've done something, the more people who know about it, the bigger of an accomplishment it feels. This really ties in with the reputation thing, but on a more specific scale, having my accomplishments have more of a "global" impact and less one of a "localized" nature would make things have so much greater impact. Yeah, it's a lot to ask, a lot to sift through, and much of it is either completely unfeasible, or simply not with the times. Unfortunately, for all us nostalgia junkies, there are limits to how retro a game can be and still be successful. Supposedly. Personally, I think a cavernously huge game that takes place in a cavern filled with misfits targeted at misfits who're behind the times might make sense, but I'm not in the business, so what do I know? Still, we've all the license to dream, and talk hurts nothing. Worst case, false information shows up and we're all disappointed. Best cast, Jeff pokes his head in, sees something that makes him muse thoughtfully, and Super Exile I Turbo ultimately showcases something someone here brought up. Either way, it's fun to think about, no? Ah well, tl:dr

Eh, my preference is to have more insight into an enemy than less. You're supposed to be an elite enforcer of the world's greatest alliance - being able to gauge an enemy's strength seems like it would be covered in the earlier chapters of your training. While having to guess how much more abuse an enemy can take might add to the pressure of a fight, or the mystique of the enemy, for me it's just plain annoying, especially when fights turn into an Austin Powers routine where I end up demanding "WHY WON'T YOU DIE!?" more than once.

The greatest difference between Avadon and every other Spiderweb based game is how decisively character driven it is. The game isn't written as such you are "Random Brave Adventurers" and the NPCs aren't "there strictly to service said Adventurers" - it really takes a (I have got to stop using this reference, even if it's true) more Dragon Age type angle, where its the people and specifically your companions who decide the plot of the game. The environment is there, sure, but it's not the primary driving factor behind the mechanizations of what's going on. It's very different from Spiderweb's classics, but definitely worth a look.

The whole idea of "unconsciousness" seems to be a major shift in convenience for players in recent games (Dragon Age). Some old timey RPG purists (which I can honestly qualify for in a lot of cases) might find it disturbing, but I really like the idea. The infinite Junk Bag is... possibly my favorite concept from Avadon as a whole. In any other game, this would be considered, not a convenience, but a damn, dirty cheat. Yet... how much do you REALLY gain from having to make umteen trips between whatever looty Dungeon you're marauding through and the pawn shop? Does having to "take inventory" like a supermarket stock boy really make the adventure that much more adventurous? Some attempts at simplifying an inventory system have failed in the past (Dragon Age 2), but this? Honestly, I think deep down developers all knew this would be something that would make our gaming lives easier, but were afraid to stand up and do anything because that's "now how things are done". Me? I'd just like a more auto-organized and clean inventory interface (again, invoking Dragon Ag-- no, actually, I'll invoke Oblivion here because I've used Dragon Age enough) that puts things into neat little sorted categories and what not. The Grid idea is fine if you're working with a more Diablo/NwN-ish inventory where items take up varying amounts of space, but once everything is standardized, there's no real reason to keep the sprawling grid UI.

Well part of the appeal with this game is that, at least on the "normal" difficulties, you should be able to get away with playing whatever kind of party you want at a given moment. If Hard and Masochist are more the "THOU SHALT PLAYETH THINE HEALER AND THINE TANK OR ELSE THOU SHALT SUFFER" type of game then so be it, but I suggest choosing a character based off what looks coolest (the Shadowwalker) and then juggle your party according to what you find works best.

I'unno. I never used that lance (or any polearm, really...) but I do like the idea of breaking the "classical" image mold. I just wish Jeff would put back some diversity in this item catalog for these games. Why? Because Backstabbing my enemies WITH A GREATSWORD!!!!!! ... sounds equal parts fun and ridiculous. And yes, there's a nice Katana-y sword later on your Shadowwalker will love to their de facto ninja-y heart's content. If nothing else, though, you have to admit it at least sounds cool. "Shadowwalker's Lance." - I like it.

Originally Posted By: Master1 Nathalie doesn't care at all what Redbeard could have said. No matter how much he could have promised her regarding that drake, she would have gone after it on her own. Redbeard isn't responsible for his agent's childlike ambition. She needs to learn some control. Heck, maybe Redbeard should be punishing her! I'm not going to defend the hot headed mage mind you, but Redbeard's handling of the situation seemed both rash and arguably out of character. Hear me out on this. This Drake was part of the friction between two countries whose peace was part of his personal pet project and why Avadon was left to go to hell. Its actions and intervention could easily have complicated relations between Kellemderiel and Holklanda, especially with how the Kellem soldiers ended out there while Monitor Shingraz just kinda… stayed behind. Did he honestly think that the Drake wouldn't have been the source of more complications in the long run? Yeah, you can say Avadon certainly had more important things to do, but the Drake did need to be dealt with in the long run. That Adadon had other things to worry about, which is true, doesn't mean that the Drake shouldn't at least have made the to do list. And yes, Nathalie probably would have been reckless and stupid none the less, but had Redbeard not have been so dismissive about the matter he would have come off smelling a whole lot cleaner. Originally Posted By: Master1 I was quite disturbed by this quest line. I don't think that your responses were always the best. (Then again, that problem plagued me with all 4 character quests.) So, Redbeard's note says: Code: I pardon you for your crimes, as long as you avoid my servants. Hide, creature. Cross me again, and you will be brought before me. Well, it seems to be that Cahil has failed at avoiding servants. My interpretation of this indicates that I now get to bring Cahil into Redbeard for murder of hands and failing to stay hidden. But is this an option? Unfortunately not. Eh… it's true that the pardoning of Cahil was about as flimsy as the paper it was written on, it's more of a matter of principle in my eyes. I guess one could argue that by NOT telling any of the Hands that this guy was to be left alone, and NOT doing anything more than giving the guy his autograph, Redbeard was just setting him up to be liquidated in the long run. Oh well. Good riddance to the both of them.

I'unno. I just put a big goofy red arrow above the graphic myself.

While this could be an issue of the question of Avadon, the concept and practice of it as an organization, the topic seems to focus more on Redbeard directly, so let me keep to that alone. Is Redbeard right or wrong in his policies? I think it goes hit or miss, some cases more justified than others. Heart Miranda - While I'm fine with the idea of executing someone who attempted to assassinate you, keeping Miranda on and turning her into one of his most trusted allies, only to be blindsided by her betrayal at the end... he pretty much walked right into this one. It might have been merciful, but that really showed a lack of foresight on Redbeard's part. Point goes against Redbeard. The Threespear - While practical, whenever you have one political organization engineering the coup and downfall of another for lack of support, you're going to have a severe ethics crisis. Was it Avadon's place to manipulate a country like that? "All for the greater good" you might say. In the end, I don't buy it. Point goes against Redbeard. Zhossa Mindtaker - While his diplomacy here was severely off, I'm inclined to agree with the idea of NOT assigning resources to this. He should have handled the issue with far more grace, but in the end, it was still a drake, and hadn't really posed much of a threat to the Pact or Avadon's role. Sure, he should have assured Nathalie that it would be taken care of once the current crisis was handled, and that if she wanted she could lead the effort, but at this time there were just bigger things he needed the hands to deal with. Point goes for Redbeard. Pardoning Cahil – Maybe I'm just not practical enough, but murder cannot be erased due to practicality. In the end, his message says that you can do whatever you want to Avadon, so long as your contributions outweigh your detractions in the end. Once again, the end justifies the means, another grizzly sentiment. Further, I'd argue that the longtime damage posed to Avadon's reputation would be greater than the one time benefit of one spy's knowledge. Point goes against Redbeard. The Wyldrylm – I really see no justification here other than Redbeard's prejudices and frailty. Turning a blind eye towards modes of discontent within the Pact is the direct opposite of his job. His failings here were pretty obvious, and his dismissive sentiment against the Wyldrylm makes it even worse. Two points against Redbeard. Castle Vebeaux – While the disaster that occurred there was pretty dramatic, I have to give the man credit for trying to stabilize the Pact between the two rival nations. He had agents there to keep him informed, and he had an active hand in the whole proceedings. Things went wrong, but it wasn't his fault. Point goes for Redbeard Final Score? -3. From what little we've seen, Redbeard is… not fit for leadership. Too many mistakes, too little foresight, too quick to press for the most aggressive or undiplomatic solution, and not enough merits to forgive his more ethically questionable qualities. Yeah, his beard is pretty awesome, but it isn't enough. Sorry, but the pirateyiest named fort commander really should go.

Was Monarch difficult? For me, yes. Infact, he was easily the most frustrating issue in the game. The final battle was worlds of easier, and that fact alone should tell you enough. The Fens themselves are annoying and tedius; a general plus to the unfun catagory of the game, and Monarch himself is just too difficult an encounter for his position in the game. I'd seriously suggest lightening up on the number and quality of creations he spawns as well as his health points.

Thank you for the reply. I was wondering what was beyond that psychotic Rotghroth... As for the Ur-Drakon, well... I've already gotten 2 Cans O' Drakon, so why not? One was purchased from the Dryak Merchant, the other was found in the Cryodryak's Hold. Something tells me the third will be somewhere extremely unpleasant, however...

's been forever and a day since I was last on these forums, but I could use some help. I'm Northforge Deep into the Geneforge 4 campaign and I was wondering about how I could go about enhancing my skill in shaping Dryaks. I'm really hoping to get to the point where I can make Cryodryaks, but at this point I'm not even sure it's possible. I could simply resort to shaping a Drakon, but I've enough fire based damage as it is. Falling back to the Gazer is another option, but one I'm not terribly thrilled with. In any case, any advise would be welcomed.

Forgot something- A massive, MASSIVE Area of Effect, blow -everything- up spell like Shockwave would also be welcomed in Avernum 4. Shockwave, Quickfire, Major Summon... who needs Godhood to create a truly apocalyptic scene of ultimate destruction?

It’s pretty clear that the overall mood is that people who are veterans of the Exile Series want to see a lot of what made the Exile series great that Avernum lacked put into Avernum. I couldn’t agree more. The following are my takes on the situation, and I apologize if they’ve already been stated- 9 pages is a lot to read through and chances are I’d forget what was said at the beginning by the time I reached the end anyways. ************************************************* Weapon variety in the Avernum series is disturbingly absent. You have “melee weapons” (swords) and pole weapons (spears). When I picked up Smite in the Avernum series for the first time to find it had been turned into a pointy stick called “Giantslayer,” I was disappointed. Maces are the staple for your classical clerical-priestly types, and sometimes I want the Thor-like hammer wielding Viking warrior instead of Mr. SwordNShield. Weapon poison, poison in general, and even more general: Ways to do nasty things to your opponents other than damage. Honestly, the Avernum series has no spell variety what so ever in comparison to Exile. Exile’s spell list was positively monstrous, and I loved it. “Should I blow him up, fry him up, freeze him, gas him, stop him, swear at him, zap him, summon horrible minions of darkness upon him, or simply Kill him?” Being able to do oh so much to your enemies was exhilarating. And Quickfire… tell me you didn’t enjoy this spell. Go ahead, tell me. Oh, wait, you can’t. I do think the graphic could stand to be a bit more fiery and less electric, but there you go. And everyone loves weapon poison. In fact, why stop at poison? Why not elemental oils or polishes to add temporary extra damage or other special effect like sleep or cursing? Ambidexterity: This is something I truly miss from Exile. Overpowered though it may have been, it lead to some of the most interesting combinations imagined. Honestly, my favorite view of the fighter type is the double sword wielding one. Unfortunately these are often a) unavailable, or “balanced” as to be completely useless in comparison (See “World of Warcraft”). I’m sure Jeff would do some serious balancing of this concept if he put it back into the Avernum series, but I hope he doesn’t “balance” it to the point of it being useless. What too many programmers fail to see when they balance two-weapon fighting is that to use a really nice two-handed weapon you only need to get your hands on ONE really nice two-handed weapon. To use a weapon in each hand effectively, you need twice the item power. There should be an advantage, but no one seems inclined to admit this. Item Crafting- Not only do I see this happening, but I do not see how this couldn’t happen. It was a thrilling success in Geneforge 3, people love putting their names on weapons of mass destruction that they create (not in a real-world sense of course), and there’s something satisfying about putting all those rare but seemingly useless reagents into some Deadly Axe of Ultimate Doomedness. Jeff has already proven he has the skills for this- I’m sure he’ll show them to a much greater extent in his next opus. Alchemy- I liked the alchemy system in Exile more… this generic “Healing Herbs,” “Energetic Herbs” “Spiritual Herbs” ect, thing really seems dumbed-down to me. The Vahnatai as a player race: eh, I could go either way. I don’t see it happening, however, unless Avernum 4 was all underground again. Remembering Avernum 3, they burn in sun light like Chevy Chase at a comedy roast. That, and I think being able to play as one would somewhat disillusion the race’s status… then again, that’s probably a good thing. They could stand to be taken down a peg or two. Races in general: I liked how Jeff did more and more with incorporating different racial reactions in the Avernum series. How the Empire freaked out at the Nephilim and worse at the Slithzerkai. I hope this trend continues, or even better, grows to be more encompassing. I’d honestly like to see differences between the races magnified myself (am I the only one who finds it strange that the Slithzerkai are said not to wear boots in Avernum 1, but do so happily in the sequel if in your party?) , and maybe some racial abilities would be nice, but probably too much to ask. Something random: Why was Demonslayer in Rentar’s personal chambers? Plot stuff – I honestly hope this isn’t too far in the future from Avernum 3. Four or five years maybe, a decade possibly, but I don’t want the events of the trilogy to be made into obscure history at this point. Regardless of how many community wishes or speculations appear in Avernum 4, I’m sure it’ll be great. Jeff’s been in the business for years – he knows what he’s doing by now.

1: Stupid Party Syndrome This seems to be a given. In any decently written plot, logic in the actions of the main party is a definite must. 2: Scooby Doo's Disease This depends upon several things. Sometimes it makes sense to have everything be explained, sometimes not. If you're making a scenario with multiple endings, maybe this isn't such a good idea. If you're making a scenario that will have definite follow ups, do not do this by any means. If you're winding up a series, or do not have anything futher planned in the given setting, it could be a feesible option to end things completely. Note this doesn't have to mean nicely. Wrapping everything up can still be done with barbed wire. 3: Verbal Diarrhea Depending on the character, the writing, and the situation, this might make sense, but use with extreme caution. 4: The Plague Avoiding the "plague" idea is extremely hard to do, but it can be done. But by all means do NOT make anything out to be a clone of either said games. You will fail and look unintelligent. 5: Monty Haul Gut Definitely. Don't unbalance your scenario by leaving around 20 greatswords of eternal death in every secret passage behind the local village blacksmith's shop. 6: Delusions of Grandeur No address is needed. 7: Knocker's Migrane Don't be afraid to use secret passages, but remember you're playing with nuclear material - be very careful. Poisonings are common. 8: Weapon Envy Very true. A medium powered weapon with a great story or creative twist is far more entertaining than some giant cannon of a sword, and the largest battle means nothing next to the cunning villian with crazy tactics and well coded gimmicks. 9: Insanity Uh, wrong. A poorly done insane character is no worse than a poorly done any character. Insanity is a trait just like any other major personality. 10: Linda's Condition Yes and no. Daemons can be horribly cliche` (this is comming from a former Diablo II adict mind you) but well done daemons are fine. Saying a character is controlled by daemons and doing it well is still better than using the generic magic excuse and doing it poorly. And yes, the Daemon Island series was awful. ---Your BoE-less for... gah, years now maniac, Necris Omega

'Spose I could do something up... Inspiration levels as of late for BoA Graphics have been below zero though. Maybe when the game finally comes out for the rest of us... ---Your Windowed maniac, Necris Omega