Tonweya

First, I owe you an appology in that I found that I did, indeed, have a "Guide"... one from 1998, or there aboutts. When I first joined BoE I had a question about a Scenario distributed by TRK and went to this board to ask about it. Someone who resided on t"The Big Blue Marble" responded with an answer and that set me to making "Walk-Throughs" of Scenarios as I played them so that I might be able to answer questions that others might have. This Scenario has quite a few "Flaws" and because I have never like the word, "Section", (I use the word, "Sector" for all Outdoor Areas), I guess I was confused between that term and that I couldn't make the Scenario work when I made the change, (correction). * I've been able to see that a change works If I restart a Scenario from "Scratch", but not by just re-entering the town. I don't know if that's a "normal" way to verify the change, or not, but it has worked for me in the past. Lastly, I thank you for the response. I was afraid that there might not be very many people still around after all these years. ;-} me

This Node has four possible location values: X Outdoor Section Y Outdoor Section X Indoor Section Y Indoor Section Without an Editing Manual, I assume that the X & Y Outdor Section co-ordinates are for the Outdoor "SECTOR" where the Author ould want the party to be relocated, y/n? If this is so, then do I enter the co-ordinates for the Indoor Section as the present location of the Party, do I leave them "Blank", or what? Since the Party is already "Indoors", it makes no sense to ask for Indoor co-ordinates. I've tried as many combinations of values that I can think of for all four entries and still cannot correct this Node. tx, me p.s. I've also found that when making a 'change' I usually need to start a "New" Game to assure that the change works, too, and I still don't know why I cannot get this Node to work.

F.W.I.W.: There is a trilogy created by "Shy Guy". It's very clean and neat and will give you a good run through most all the facets of Blades of Exile. Drizzt created a trilogy that incorporates some special programming styles that you should find interesting. And, last, but surely the BEST you'll find, are the ten scenarios that e known throughout the Blades of Exile community as, "THE ARC", by "Alcritas". They document a5,000 year history of a "World"of his creation and each of his scenarios is a unique, stand-alone story which you will remember for years to come. P.S. If you run into any problems with any of these scenarios, post a question as I'm certain that there are numerous "Old Timers" still around with any possible answers for any possible questions. me

To C.M. I started a Download of the latest File, (BoE-WIN-aecbea0.zip). On a 'Land-Line' it indicated that the download time would be nearly 4.0 hrs. At present, today, that is not impossible, but seriously impractical. We have a 5G account w/ Verizon for Wireless service, but at present but both of us have chosen to NOT UPLOAD Updates. I will, probably, give another attempt on the "Land Line" after the holidays and will run the Program on this 'XP". As to the statement that I don't like the Laptop, that was a mis-statement on my part. I think the Laptop works fine; it's the overly redundant, busy operation of the 'Social-Networking' Modern Operating Systems that I don't like. I'm a "Nature-Boy, born in a small mid-west town in 1941 and would probably be much happier on a '386' or, maybe better on a "C-64', or 'C-128'. ;^} And, back to the original problem I've had a few times now... I've used a couple of different upgrades over the years, (I've been here since 2004), and the only problem that I've had is that a very few Scenarios don't give me a "SCENTEXT" file when I do a "Text Dump" with the Scenario Editor. All other functions work as they should. As I said previously, when I do a textdump and go to retrieve the File, I find the "SCENNAME" with only a "0" or "!" indicating the volume of that File. Also, obviously, when I try to open that File, nothing happens. Other than that, I've had no problems and am ecstatically happy with all the work all of you have done with this system. For reference: The BLADES.EXE 'Application' file I've been using for quite a while now is 2,327K in it's 'opened' state and is dated 18 May 98 14:35. P.S. I feel like I'm overworking this 'Board'. If I/we should be discussing this problem via E-mail, or whatever, let me know and I'll be glad to change. again, tx, me

First, I want to thank all of you for the responses, but you're all light years ahead of me. I dropped out of the binary part of computers somewyere when they went from C-64 to MS-DOS. (That's a joke, son.) Seriously, We have three sons and the oldest who ran BBs on the C-64 & C-128 now is a Programmer for a living and will turn 60 next October. I'm 74 and feel quite comfortable with the MS Office Programs, so when I joined this Community, it didn't take me long to start making "Walk-Throughs" of Scenarios. I originally intended to turn them over to the Community, specifically to Traci, but soon felt that if I did it would undermine the work done by some really good Authors, so now I just keep an eye on this Board and answer if/when i can. Althouth I was hoping for a "Quick-Fix" to my problem, it may not be possible. 1.) I'm on an "XP" which is a 32bit machine. (I think that's the right term), so I can't use the 64bit stuff. 2.) I bought an "8.1" laptop, fearing I was going to end up "in the dark" some day soon and really DO NOT LIKE it and wish someone had created a simple Office-Style machine with only a Web-Mail connection. Right now I'm using the laptop as a 'Storage Device" while I try to "Clean-up the "XP" so I can "Recover" the original System. On the "XP", I have the Original Blades Program and the CBOE version that is dated as '2012'. I used to have a version of BoE that was, I believe, 2009, but it also had the same problem with a "Text Dump" that, on ocasion there would be no data in the 'Filename' and I'm not knowledgeable enough about programming to know why the Files arrive, but are, (apparently), empty. Since I first noticed this problem, I now "Read" the Data I want from Nodes, etc. by going through the "Back-Door", the 'Scenario Editor'. I have two "Windows" on the Screen while I'm playing. One is the BoE "Game" Screen and the other is the BoE 'Scenario Editor' Screen. I have to "click' on words, or "Specials", but it works, even though it takes a bit longer. I then transfer the information to *.XLS", or "Word" Files I run along with the Game Files. Lastly, I'm sorry to run-on so, but it's a cold,dreary day here and I'm a reasonable good typiist. ;^} Thanks a bunch for listening and answering the posts, me

I've been running what, I believe, is the "CBOE 2012" probram, (the one that places the three Icons on the Screen), on Windows 'XP' with a "Land Line" and, recently, an "8.1 laptop" for a few years now and have had an occasional problem with accessing the 'scentext' of a couple of scenarios. The latest one in particular is "Dragon Within". The Scenairo loads and plays just fine. However, when I run the "Scenario Editor" and do a "Full Text Dump" and then go to retrieve that "Text Dump", what I find is a File named, "Dragon Within 1" which displays, "0 KB". And, of course, nothing is displayed when I try to "Open" that File, because, I presume, there is nothing in it. Although most of the Scenarios dump and display the "ScenText as expected, this one, and a few others, won't "Open" because, I assume", there is nothing in the File. Any help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED. Much thanx, me

My bad. I just asked about a ".jpg" without looking. It is, indeed, a "gif". My "expertise" is about on the "C-64", or "286" level. ;^{ And, again, Thanks a bunch, me F.W.I.W. I found it after, as the song says, "looking in all the wrong places". ;^{ Again, thanx to everyone. me

Again, I really thank you, both, for these responses. If I may... Could anyone tell me how to convert a *.jpg file to a *.bmp file. I statred Inn of Blades and could not find some of the important NPC's. I then realized that TM only included a *.jpg file for those NPC's. He tells any potential player that needs to be done, but I can't find anything anywhere that tells me how to do that. Again; thanks, thanks and more thanks me

First, thanks for the reply. However, I have a list of 16 Scenarios created by TM. I have opened them and listed them in sequence by the latest file in each. They are: 1.) Unbalanced Accounts 2.) Strella Spies 3.) Inn of Blades 4.) teh grich !!! 5.) Echoes 6.) Echoes, Assault 7.( teh grich2 8.) Echoes, Pawns 9.) Echoes, Black Horse - Hyperion 10.) Bandits 11.) Echoes, Combat aka Combat 12.) Roses of Reckonong 13.) Ballad of the Red Star 14.) Two Strands 15.) Nebulous Times Hence 16.) Minimalism I was hoping that with several similar titles, there might be some sort of an overall Story-Line for some of them. tx, me

Does anyone know of a preferred sequence for playing the Scenarios created by Terror's Martyr? With numerous names, it would appear that not all are related, but that several are. I've opened them all and made a list of the latest date of any file within each, but as above, it appears that there is quite a variety and I'd like to follow each 'Story-Line' from beginning to end. many thanx, me

F.W.I.W. I have played a great number scenarios, making "Walk-Throughs" so that I might help any Player when possible. As to all the other ones you've mentioned, I don't remember anything wrong with them Although I have not yet done "The Killing Cave" I do have a copy and will send it to you if needed, although there should be other sites that have Scenarios for downloading. In the meantime, I'll start a "Walk-Through" for "The Killing Cave". me

It's in the Nelon Mountains., but it's hidden. You must first peak with the Witch, Kackle, in Glade. Go through the conversation until she mentions the graveyard. Ask graveyard and she will tell you the location for 4,000 gp. In Sector 3, 0 at O-(3, 0)-(168, 043) is a Secret Passage through the mountains. At O-3, 0)-(163, 044) you will have to battle a herd of Unicorns. After that, the Graveyard is at O-(3, 0)-(160, 042). Good Hunting, me

Dirty Gold Sorry I took so long. I still 'live' on my 'XP'. I bought a laptop a while back and HATE 8.1.Did I mention that I HATE 'XP'? The two words above should be the 'zip' file. If there's any problem, let me know and I'll try again. me

To the D.A. et al: I fear my comment about my game preferences was misunderstood. I love all the games. I'm 73, (Feb. '15), and have enjoyed them since our son(s) began playing them on a C'64, 'way back when. What I was trying to say is that I prefer to play them, find "Flaws", and correct them. I was/am an industrial electrician and, for most of my working years, was the guy who was called out in the middle of the night to fix "problems", sometimes in Control Panels equivalent to a board full of chips. Correcting "Flaws" is now "second-nature", (usually). PS. F.W.I.W. I am ETERNALLY grateful to all the people who worked on this "Classic" version of Blades. TX, me

I installed both and it looks like it could only be Dem-2. I'll start it today, but I still need to know which town you're stuck in. me

Sorry I'm slow getting back to you. I'm in the middle of another one that has some 'flaws'. I haven't played either of the two Demon's - which one are you stuck in and do you know which 'town' you're in, either by name or by number? me

After the Clearing, return to Mcnemier's Tower, L2. Sleep in your brother's bed. After he tells you to go home, and you notice the mirror is shimmering, walk into the mirror and you will be in "A Forgotten Dream". You will have to climb ladders. Somewhere around 04, 11 you will encounter the "Dream Bandit". When you finally kill him, (it), you will receive a sword; That sword is "Nightbane". Hope this is sufficient. If not, let me know. me

Hopefully, what I've listed above should be a MAJOR 'Clue Book". However, if needed, I can give you specific details. As stated above, I'm... Still here Tonweya

I believe I've asked this question before in one manner or another, so please excuse me if this sounds familiar, but... I often refer to the Editor Nodes to understand what an Author has done, especially when I run into a problem with a Scenario. The Original Editor had documentation of the Editor that, long ago, I printed out and often use to read the specifics of a particular Node to determine if a problem is a "Flaw" in the Scenario or in my understanding of what the Author had done. I can see that the updating to the "Classic" version has relocated some of the Nodes from one Heading to another, but that and a few minor word changes are all I can see without documentation of the new "Classic" version. One of the notes in the heading of this Forum is that the documentation was going to be incorporated into the new Editor itself, or words to that effect. Has that been done, and if I download an updated version of the Editor, will I be able to print out the Editor in its entirety; specifically all the details of every Node? Again, I'm sorry if this is a redundant question, but I hadn't noticed a posting of this item and would find it quite a help if there are changes in any Nodes. If so, do I need to again download the new "Classic" or is there a File of the Editor I can download? Thanks-a-bunch, me P.S. In my retirement years i spend a lot of my free time going through Scenairos and am regularly thankful for the work that all of you have accomplished. tx, me

If you really want to challenge yourself, try Stareye's "Spy's Quest". I'd advise you begin with a lot of patience. It begins rather "Normally", but becomes really difficult, if not impossible by the ending. He advertises it as probably the most difficult Scenario ever made and that he feels that "E-3" was too small. However, I must warn you that there are a couple of 'Flaws'. If you play this Scenario and hit a "Snag", post it and I'll tell you what I found. I'm still watching this board and expect to outlast the W-98 you spoke of in the other post. ;^} me

D.A.: I still have an older W-98 in the Basement Rec. Room. I kept it because it's the last TRUE DOS. During the Winter, it's a great way to relive some of the original games like the TSR D&D 9-pack while listening to Doo-Wop. Yeah...I'm 73 and really don't enjoy the new Lap-Top I just bought, but ya' just have to peddle harder to keep up. ;^} me

Hi again, finally... I have several excuses, (dare I say, "reasons"), for taking so long, but I do have a couple of items you may appreciate. First: I don't know how familiar you are with the BoE Editor, but times have changed and the new 'Classic' has changed numerous items bringing surprises when they are least expected. I.I.R.C. In the original version, a "Rest", or "Wait" was 370 moves outdoors and 3700 moves indoors. When you deliver the Tablets to Zarmond he tells you he wants to study them and that you should come back tomorrow and he should be complete. A 'Timer' counts 500 moves before things change. 500 moves @ 370 per day should make this a one day wait, but with the new, 'Classic' it took me three days. He then tells you he's still not finished, to come back later. This time there is a 500 move counter and a 2,500 move counter. It took me TEN days of 'Resting' to complete this 'Wait'. Finally, he will tell you that they provide no clues, you may be leaving now. At this point, you should be able to access where he has hidden the Tablets and take them to have them analyzed. I could not access the Tablets, but feel I will when I get back to the Scenario. I've had to follow this Quest from the Imperial Palace through obtaining the Tablets to learn the following. I don't know how much you understand about the BoE Editor, but to make NPC's appear, disappear and become something different, a 'Flag' (indicator), is used. It's called a "Life Flag" because when it equals "0", the NPC is 'Alive' and when it's set to '1' they're 'Dead'. (Actually they exist, or don't exist.) When Astervis sends you on the mission to find out about the disappearing Mages, a Flag is set; (Flag 17, 8) to 1. This makes all the NPC's in Rune that use this Flag as a 'Life Flag', disappear because, as the mission states, Mages are disappearing and he needs you to learn why. The problem, (FLAW), here is that the Author gave ALL the NPC's in Rune this same Flag but one of the NPC's has the conversation clues you need, (plus affecting a couple of other items.) Hoping you understand what I've said here... You need to REMOVE the 'Life Flag' for one of the NPC's so he's 'Alive' when you enter Rune. FIRST: Create a "Game Save" before you go into Rune. Now, You need to go into the Editor, to Town 38. You will see numerous Apprentices, a Wizard, two Mages and two Order Mages. 'Click' on the Order Mage in the Office at 19, 02, NOT the one in the Work Room above the Office. This NPC is named, 'Coblin' and is pers. 382. When you 'click' on the Icon, a 'window' should come up with some characteristics of the NPC. Next, 'Click' on the Bar titled, "Attributes". Another window should come up with more characteristics. On the bottom of this Window, you should see a few "Boxes" with numbers in them. If you read the text to the left of these boxes, you should understand why you need to REMOVE the '17' from the left box and the '8' from the right box and then place a '-1' in each of the boxes. Now, this version of Coblin will be alive when you enter Rune. You can now leave these 'windows' and find yourself back in the School for Mages, in the Office with Coblin. !!! STOP !!! Before you do anything else, "SAVE" the Scenario within the Editor. I have modified the Scenario that I'm using and it seems to be working as it should. Well, I've only just begun re-playing it and still have to "Prove" the problem accessing the Tablets, but from all the searching, writing, etc. I think it will prove out, too. I could not access the Tablets initially because I needed to advance Game Flag 17, 3 one more peg and that happens after you've talked to Coblin. Lastly... I only posted this on the "Big Board" instead of an E-mail to you because I wanted it to be known for the Community to be able to Modify their copies of the Scenario should they have had this same problem in the past. If you have any further problems, send me an E-mail or the Community will soon have me paying rent here. ;^} Be Well, me

Be advised that if you try, "Prelude", there are a couple of "Flaws" that will give you problems. F.W.I.W. Three 'groups' of some best known Scenarios are: The ten by Alcritas; a 5,000 year history of a 'World' of his design. Each Scenario is written in a differnt style and they all carry strong ethical messages. (Universally, the best of all the BoE Scenarios) The three by Drizzt; 'The Foresaken', 'Brotherhood of the Hand' and 'Shadow of the Stranger. The Adventures' Club Trilogy by Shy Guy; 'The Presence', 'The Asylum', and 'Retribution'. They are all quality, enjoyable stories and should keep you busy and happy for a long time. me

Hi, I received your E-mail re this morning and decided that this was a better way to respond for all concerned; it just seems that any resolution would be best for all the BoE Community. Shortly after joining BoE I ran into a problem with a Scenario and came to the Board for help. None was really forthcoming, but I was told that most of the original authors had left for "greener pastures". So, I put the Scenario aside and worked on easier ones until I became more proficient with them. I'm not the traditional "Gamer"; I do not like the Imperialistic butchering of other peoples, places and things for personal gain. What I do like is to keep my mind and hands active. I've always been the "fix-it" type and enjoy the research, typing, etc. that it takes to make Walk-Throughs for these games, so I started a hobby in my retirement years doing just that. I intended giving them all to 'Traci's True Site for Blades', but then felt that I would be betraying the Authors by doing so, even now that the upgraded "Classic Blades" exists. Some Scenarios contain "Secrets" that, at least, originally, would betray the Authors if they were freely open to everyone. IIRC I became "stuck" in the same area that you are when I was doing ATG. I had just finished a complete Walk-Through, (with all the add-ons and corrections), of "Spy's Quest" which Brian, 'Stareye', advertises as the most difficult Scenario ever published in its intro. Despite the fact that my responses can be a bit elaborate, I found Spy's Quest to be really tedious and, if I hadn't put so much into it, I would have "canned" it. After doing a couple of other Walk-Throughs, I decided to give Brian another chance and began ATG. When I hit the point we're describing, I put the Scenario aside and decided to stay away from Brian's Scenarios. I presume that the list of "older" players is getting quite small, so you may be in for a long wait for any assistance with this Scenario. In the meantime, I can give you two means of assistance. One is addresses, (quite old); they are: http://stareye08.tripod.com and bckiedrowski@students.wisc.edu andbckiedrowski@wisc.edu and bkiedrowski@coredcs.com and bkiedrowski@gmail.com. The first is the address of his website and the last one is the latest, (to my knowledge. The other is that I will have another mug of coffee and go back to ATG and see if I can figure out what the problem is. If/when I figure something out, I'll let you know me.

Agnessa: You're correct about the "Fashion Show" in "Gathering Storm", but then most Scenarios have Quests that do not involve "Damage" to Life Forms. I, too, prefer Scenarios that at least minimize the "Damage". However, I play these "Short Stories" primarily for the Story-Line and as a way to keep my mind and hands active in my "Later Years". I make elaborate "Walk-Throughs" which include documenting the Scenes, Monsters, Items, etc. It began before the release of the Source Code when the number of experienced Authors and Players was rapidly dwindling. I try to keep an eye on this Board to assist any newer Player, if possible. There are many locations where we can voice "Non-Violent" preferences, but this is not one of them. The Platform for these Scenarios is one of "Imperialistiic" humanity and should not be take seriously. Although these are "Games", a great many are really great stories; dare I say "Novels"? I often refer to the series we all know as, "The Arrc" by Alcritas. Until you have played that series from beginning to end, to completion, you've missed the whole point of what I'm trying to say here. Please don't take these, or any others like these, seriously. In the long run,t will only bother you and no one else. me P.S. Imagine my surprise in "Gathering Storm" with an all-male party. ;^{