Tonweya

tx, me

Naive as this may sound to all of you... Is there a list of all the 'Hot-Keys', 'ctrl + char', and 'alt + char' keys; including what you can do in the 'debug' mode? (Hopefully included in the new, 'BoE Classic') I've never used 'Hot-Keys', nor the 'debug mode' except for the time recently that Chokboyz told me to use it to verify my problem with "Spy's Quest" for fear of fouling something up. I've learned to 'live with' the BSOD showing up a few times a week when running the Original BoE on XP. I probably won't use any of these functions, but it's nice to know what they are and that they're there. The idea of 'mult-look' has to be a lot easier than moving around a room to 'look' at every object individually, eh? tx, me

It was just a passing comment. The idea has come up before and I guess I was just re-stating it in case anyone who is working on the programming might have thought about it. If I were able to program, I'd probably give the three screens variable size and border colors that each player could set to their preference; something similar to what I think are called, "skins". I can only imagine how all of you are trying to update a program of this size while trying to live your normal lives. The work you all are doing is much appreciated. tx, me

I, for one, have always wished there were a better option to set the size and location of the three windows used by the Game. My preference would be to put the playing screen on the top left with the text screen under it, leaving the entire right side for the automap. (else, the automap utilizing the bottom half with the other two on the top) I prefer to search caves in the dark to minimize contact with the 'bad guys', but feel that seeing more area lets you better know which direction you should go. The major reason is though, I make pictures of areas by taking screen shots of the automap, (alt + print screen). A larger automap would make putting the shots together much easier. tx, me

Although he doesn't state the version in the included *.txt File, when you start BoE and choose, "Custom Scenario", it will display "v 2.0.0". Also, if you read the two *.txt files for both versions, the wording is different. The Files for the Scenarios are dated differently, too. In V 1.0 the *.exs file is dated: 20 Sep 99, the *.bmp file is dated: 18 Aug 99 and the *.txt file is dated 14 Sep 99. In V 2.0 the *.exs file is dated: 01 Mar 01, the *.bmp file is dated: 20 Feb 00 and eh *.txt file is dated 19 Mar 00. I haven't specifically compared the full "scentext" files to know what was changed, although that might make a good reference item for the updated "Walk-Through". me

Windows, also. Thanks for asking. PS: I just noticed the "Servile"; looks a lot like "Senile" doesn't it? ;^}

I just received a 'private message' from one of the members who gave me another address and I sent the Scenario there. Hopefully, it'll make it through. tx, me

I looked at all the above places, including his 'Home Page'. All point to the same Berkeley address, as does the KPPP site. I'll wait a couple of days and try it again. In the meantime, the V 2.0 should be at Tru-Site, or if not, and anyone's interested, just post and I'll forward it. me

If I might borrow a time-worn phrase, "it's in the mail". ;^} me PS: I mailed this Scenario to both "Tru-Site" and "Kelandon's Archive". Today I found a 'bounce-back' from Kelandon. I had sent it to the Berkeley address that I found on his site. Does anyone have a different address for him? No 'bounce-back' from "Tru-Site" should indicate that one made it through. me, again

Hi, Check your E-mail, (yahoo). I checked my stock, opened it in BoE '98 and it displays that it's V 2.0. Hope it is. I've sent it to Tru-Site and Kelandon's Archive. IIRC, it came from Alcritas' web-site. me

I originally kept a paper and pencil notepad alongside the computer for notes, but now use 'Word', 'Excel' and 'Paint' to keep notes. I type faster than I can write and don't have a problem reading what I noted. ;^} I'd find it more confusing to 'click' on another space on the Game Screen, then type into that screen, than bouncing back and forth between open programs. Making a working Walk-Through with screen-shots and comments makes keeping notes seem an easy task by comparison. ;^} me

You guys left me so far behind that after the dust settled I felt like I'm standing in a desert. ;^{ I do seriously thank you for the response. What I was hoping for was a way to know which Flags may have been tripped inadvertently, or if a Node wasn't being called, and why. "scentext" and "specdata" have been a God-send to someone with my limited abilities. I can "Find" an item with these and was hoping I could "Find" the actual "Status" of the Flags and Nodes. When I couldn't cast "Ritual Sanctification" on an Evil Altar, I had no idea if the Flag had been inadvertently tripped, or if the Node was non-functional. N-E-ways, Again, thanks, me

I hate to sound like a "Johnny-come-lately", but after seeing how handy the "specdata" file is, just like the "scentext" file, is is practical, or possible, to create a file that would show, in the same manner, the data of any selected ".sav" file? Recently I had a problem with a 'corrupt(?)' ".sav" and it may have been a real help to identify the status of the game components, (Flags, etc), so I could identify where the problem, (corruption), was? If this is impractical then I'm sorry for asking, but it could be a big help for occasions like I mentioned. Thanks for listening, me

* Note the 'cry' icon. I've learned a little about the 'debug' mode, now; thanks. I used a new party and, in 'debug', was able to Sanctify the Altar in Town 19, Aquarius. Since this was done in a 'new' Scenario downloaded from Brian's Site and a 'new' copy of your 'Classic Blades', with a 'new' Party, it appears that my 'sav' file must be corrupt. As stated above, I've gone back a couple of saves to the beginning of the last mission and wasn't able to Sanctify the Altar. Since I have no idea where or how it became corrupt, it would seem that I'll have to start the scenario all over, from the beginning. I don't think I can trust any of the saved files because I don't know how the problem arose. I guess it's a good thing I'm in the 'Retirement Mode', eh? The reason I got started with these things was to keep my mind occupied. Again, thanks, me

"you accidentally messed with the scenario file (for example, modifying it while running the scenario)" Although I've tried changes to the scenario, I've also completely erased it from my computer, defragged the computer and then downloaded the scenario once from Kelandon's Archive with the same problem and then from Brian's Web-Site and played it to be sure I wasn't using a corrupt file... and I've done this a couple of times, enough to be sure I was using a 'clean' scenario. I've even re-played twice from earlier saves, having to battle through the Doom Slimes a couple of times. ;^{ Although I've seen the term, 'debug', I've never tried it because of warnings that it may make a scenario un-playable, or un-winable. I don't recognize any of the other "Short-Cuts", but will try what you describe and let you know how things work out. The "White-Out" problem makes sense, (as little as I understand), and is not a problem; rather an item of 'curiosity'. Lastly, I see what the reason for text being 'cut off' from the display window. The original BoE Program only has a blue border on the top of it and this new Program has a border completely around it. The border is probably what is cutting off the text because it 'fills' the space in the window. I'm off to try the 'short-cuts' and will get back to you ASAP. Again, many, many thanks, me

In Brian's "Spy's Quest" I've had a problem with the Evil Altar in Town 19, "Shrine of Aquarius". (* I've also had the same problem in the following Town, "Shrine of Glacius'.) Assuming it was something I was doing, I've tried everything I could think of, including rewriting the Nodes in a dozen different ways, but cannot get the 'Ritual Sanctification' Spell to work on this Altar. Finally, I went back to the Original BoE Program and went through this Town without any problems - four times. I find no other explanation except that there must be a problem in the New Classic BoE Edition. Could someone who knows the programming please verify that this is, indeed, a problem, or at least let me know what I can do to get past this? Many thanks, me

Additional FYI; In 'Spy's Quest', the Automap went white during the battle at the entrance to Nephinis.

FWIW: Because I'm having a problem with the Altar in the Shrine of Aquarius, (Spy's Quest), I went back a couple of saves to the re-enter this Quest in the hopes that doing so would resolve the problem. From Imperius, I did the Pixie Quest, (paid them the bribe), and took the road north through the area where you fight the Undead. In the ensuing battle, the Automap went blank, (white-out), when one of the Spirits cast a Summon Spell. Once that round of the battle was over, it returned to normal. Later, in Arkran, during the battle in the open grounds, the same thing happened; the Automap went blank. I don't remember what NPC made what casting, but it was definitely when an NPC did so during a battle. Later, when I was in the Town Hall and was battling 'War', the main 'bad guy', both the Automap and the background went blank, (again, white-out), when the NPC cast a spell but returned to normal once that round in the battle was over. Again, this is only for reference purposes in case it's something within the new Program. Playing through it is not a problem, it just appears to be a 'bug'. tx, me

I understand this. What I'm asking is; is there a location that I can read what happens when the Party 'Looks', or 'Casts' at an object? Specifically, in Stareye's Spy's Quest, Town 19, Shrine of Aquarius, there is an Evil Altar that has been giving me the heebie jeebies. If all Flags start at 'zero', then the Flag associated with this should be at zero when first encountered. If I 'Look', the response is, "You see an Evil Altar". There is a 'Ritual of Sanctification Block', jump to the next Node which checks to see if Flag 19, 4 is "0", the Altar is destroyed and, in the process, a Haakai is standing beside the Party which they must defeat. When I cast, 'Ritual Sanctification', nothing happens. Looking at the Town Nodes, there are only three places where Flag 19, 4 occurs and none of them would change this Flag from the 'Zero' status. I've gone back two saves to the mission from General Oxford in Estusian and am playing back to the Shrine of Aquarius in the hopes that I somehow did something wrong. A similar event happens in the Shrine of Glacius in that Evil Altar also won't react to the 'Ritual Sanctification' Spell, but I'm still not sure of what's wrong at the Shrine of Aquarius that I'm not yet concerned with Glacius until I figure out what happened in Aquarius. P.S. I've deliberately not done Walk-Throughs for Stareye's Scenarios because they were tedious for me to try to play and now I know why. ;^} N-E-ways... All I wanted to know was; is there a location that I can see what happens when the Party either 'looks', or 'casts'? tx, me

I've looked all through the 'Instruction Manual' that comes with the BoE Editor and cannot find anything describing PC functions such as; 'Look', 'Cast', etc. I understand that placing a Node on something like a Chest, Bookshelf, Good or Evil Altar starts an event whereby the PC is given a message regarding the Item, thus encouraging the Player to respond accordingly. However, I don't understand how Looking, or Casting are differentiated from Stepping on the object, or 'Special'. For instance; if a chest is on the floor, the PC cannot step on it to trigger the Node; they must 'Look' at it, the same with a Bookcase. If there is an Evil Altar, how do you differentiate one that can be Sanctified from one that cannot, Etc., etc., etc. Is there some 'Appendix', or 'Volume II' for the Editor, or have I missed something in the one that accompanies the original program; and if there is, where can I find/access it? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Tx, me

I can only humbly beg your forgiveness because it did not happen again. I played the section through three times and everything worked as it should. Although I've learned to live with the BSOD for the last few years, this was a new experience; it has never happened before and did not happen again. As I stated originally, I was only posting this in case it happens to someone else. For the record: The area you describe is where it occured and it only happened at the three interior battles, not at the "Welcoming Committee". The background screen, (looks like a bunch of purple Teepees in a blizzard), was completely white as was the Automap Screen. Both the Active, (playing), Screen and the Status Screen were fine. I was using the new Classic BoE, two MS Word Files and one MS Paint File on a Windows XP Professional OS. Again, I'm sorry for bothering you, but I had never seen this before and just wanted to document it. tx, me

I've been away for a couple of days and just read this. I'll re-play the section tomorrow and try to be more specific; ie: which windows did what. tx, me

FWIW; I'm at a loggerhead with the Zarmond's Hut section of ATG, so I reverted back to Spy's Quest and I ran into what appears to be a graphics problem. It doesn't appear to affect the game in any way; it's just a 'bug(?)'. Outdoor Section 6, 1 in the 'Icy Mountains'. This is the first time I noticed this, but when going into the 'Combat Mode' the background graphic went all white, as did the 'Auto-Map'. The window that changes from the Player Status to the Battle Scene seems intact, but this happened at each of the three battles encountered in the tunnel leading to the Cave Entrance. Again, I don't know if it has something to do with the new Program, or the Scenario, but it's the first time I've ever encountered this and just wanted to pass it along in case anyone else has experinced it. Thanks for being here, me

I can give you specifics if needed, but this is the 'gist' of the solution: There are six Rooms on this Level, not counting the two Control Stations – North and South Center. The Insects will swarm in a couple of turns and in a couple more turns will start biting you, causing damage and soon, death. You can keep casting ‘Mass Repel’, but as the instructions said, the insects will adapt quickly and you will eventually be overcome. You should immediately go into the ‘Combat Mode’ and cast ‘Major Haste’. When the Insects appear, cast, ‘Protection’, or use Invulnerability Potions on the Party because the Insects will begin attacking you. Send one Party Member to each Room. Get the Gemstones you find, and then leave, heading to the East Center Room. During the “Combat Mode”, the Room to the East, Center, will be inaccessible, but will be available when you return to ‘Normal Mode’. When all Party Members are there, return to the ‘Normal Mode’ and enter the Room. The Insects cannot enter. Speak with the Character there and you will be able to continue. Again, if you need specific details, just ask. me

If there are more important items to be modified in programming, remember that there are other ways to 'possess' wealth than an amount of gold, limited to 30,000. Not only are there already Standard Items such as Gems, Weapons, Armor, Real Estate, etc. that have financial value, an Author can create Special Items that could have exceptional value, such as Alcrita's 'Coins'. It seems to me that re-writing the program is unnecessary when these alternatives already exist. me