Spidweb

The Dexterity tooltip is fixed in v1.0.1. I would like to tweak the boss fights to manage the difficulty. If you have a boss fight you think you should be able to beat but can't (especially if you are being one-shot killed), save the game just before the fight in the upper left save slot. Go to the saved game folder and compress the folder Save0. Send it to support@spiderwebsoftware.com. I will play it and see what is going on and, very likely, make changes. However, without the specific information I can get from a saved game, I am not going to act. Making fixes blind only leads to creating more problems. - Jeff Vogel

I've been kind of following this discussion, but the honest truth is this. I have not been getting e-mail complaints about difficulty. At all. The only inkling I have had that this game is hard is a few in this thread, and two of them has already mentioned that they played on Hard. (I tend to automatically tune out, for my own sanity, any bug report that reads, "The game on Hard difficulty is Hard!") So I'm reading a lot of theory and vagueness, but anyone who really wants to see changes in the game needs to send a saved game with an explanation like "I have only a 5% chance to hit these enemies," or "This encounter has completely blocked me in the game and it's too hard for my level." Then I can make changes. - Jeff Vogel

Hey! Everyone who complains when I make a game linear so that people are forced to spend a while in lower level areas before they can proceed to tougher areas! READ THIS THREAD!!!!! Wow. It's almost as if there are reasons to do things the way I do them. Weird, that. Anyway. Avernum is a very open-ended game (like, say, Skyrim). If you charge straight into tough areas without spending time in the lower level areas, you will be slaughtered. If you are totally getting killed somewhere, go somewhere else. And, without more specific information about where people are running into trouble, there isn't much I can do. If you say "The game is too tough and bosses are killing me," that actually tells me almost nothing about your problem. What level are you? What are you fighting? Do you have potions? Are you using them? If you are finding yourself totally overmatched, you can e-mail me a saved game (support@spiderwebsoftware.com) I can look at to see what is going on. I am interested, and the data I can get from that will be very useful. It might result in changes in future versions. But I can't make sweeping changes to something as important as balance without hard data. Similarly, if you are finding you are facing foes and you have a very very low chance of hitting, send a saved game. This is probably a bug. Hit chances were intended to never get very low. I will fix this if I can get some data from the field. - Jeff Vogel Edit: It is also possible that I made the experience from killing monsters too low, so you aren't gaining levels as fast as you should. I'll consider this for v1.0.1. However, I'm not going to do anything until I can play with a few saved games and figure out exactly what the problem is. If there's a glitch in calculating to-hit probabilities that makes change of hitting enemies too low, giving you more experience won't solve that.

We hope that Steam chooses to accept Avernum, and we think they will. If they do, it will be released on the platform most likely some time in April (though the exact date, once we gets builds to them, is up to them). - Jeff Vogel

"Why it's there I have no idea." Because that is where Apple says they have to be. And it will continue to be that way until Apple tells me to put them somewhere else. (Which will happen in, if memory serves, March, 2012.) - Jeff Vogel

Due to complicated technical reasons, we are unable to put the Mac Geneforge games on Steam. Sorry about that. We know it sucks. (Short explanation for the tech-savvy: Their system cannot handle Macintosh files with resource forks, and our older games are full of those. It would take a ton of reworking to get them to work, and we don't have time.) - Jeff Vogel

Avadon on Steam does require OpenGL compatibility. If you buy Avadon on Steam and it doesn't work, you can try the DirectX version from our site. To obtain it, read the section on DirectX here ... http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/avadon/techsupp.html If only the DirectX version works, we can provide you with a registered copy. Contact us at support@spiderwebsoftware.com, and we can provide you with a key to register the DirectX version from our site. This will not provide steam achievements and such, as it's not a Steam app, but it will provide a working game. - Jeff Vogel

Please try reinstalling your graphics drivers anyway ... The files and their settings can become corrupted or damaged. Even if you haven't had problems recently, Avadon uses OpenGL, which uses a different part of the drivers. - Jeff Vogel

If this is Windows (I suspect it's not), install the newest version of your graphics drivers. If that doesn't help, or you are on a mac, have Steam delete your copy and then download a fresh copy. I suspect one of the title screen graphics is corrupted and the game is freaking out trying to load/draw it. - Jeff Vogel

I just wrote a bunch about this on my blog. http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2011/08/avadon-is-out-on-steam.html Includes a detailed discussion of pricing, both for now and in future games. TL;DR version: Everything will be cheaper in the future, so don't yell at me. :-) - Jeff Vogel

As many have noticed, Avadon: The Black Fortress just became available on Steam. If you came to these forums via a link from Steam, welcome! We're Spiderweb Software. We make really cool, old school RPGs for Windows and Mac. If you like Avadon, be sure to check out our other games. If you were already a fan and are interested to know some things about the move the Steam, included how the price was decided, I've written on my blog about it ... http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2011/08/avadon-is-out-on-steam.html Avadon on Steam is unusually cheap for one of our games, and I know from past experience that some people will be irked by this. If the explanation in the blog post doesn't satisfy you, bear in mind that our next game is going to be cheaper, so these developments will be saving our customers money in the future. - Jeff Vogel

I do not have the capacity to give unlimited copies of games out on iTunes and Steam. It's not an issue of what I would prefer or am willing to do ... It's just not possible on the systems. For example, on iTunes, I only get 50 promo codes for each release (iPad or App Store), total, period. - Jeff Vogel

I will be posting about this issue, here and on my blog, on the day that the Steam version comes out. Remember, our 3rd party distributors set prices, not us. We are only allowed to suggest prices. (This is what antitrust law allows.) The most likely outcome is that Avadon on Steam will be fairly cheap and that we will lower the price of the game on our site. In addition, future games directly from this site will be cheaper. For example, we've already announced that Avernum: Escape From the Pit will be $20. - Jeff Vogel

I just put up a blog post about design decisions I made for Avernum: Escape From the Pit and reasons behind them. It all concerns how training works. I hope you find it interesting. http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2011/08/dont-ask-questions-until-player-can.html - Jeff Vogel

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We'll get this fixed. - Jeff Vogel

There was indeed a bug where, if the beast died of poison, etc while waiting for Moritz'Kri to arrive, the game would be stuck. This is fixed in v1.0.1 on the ipad but the fix is not yet out yet for Mac/Windows. I'll get on that. In the meantime, redo the fight, and I'm sorry for the trouble. - Jeff Vogel

The icons are real. The skill tree is MUCH more relaxed than for Avadon. You can increase a skill up to the higher of the skills below it, not the lower. The skills match very closely with the skills in Avernum 6. For example, the top row combat skills are Riposte, Dual Wielding, Lethal Blow, Sniper. I will blog in much more detail about the skill system soon. - Jeff Vogel

We have finally announced our next title, Avernum: Escape From the Pit. You can learn more about this game at the main page: http://www.avernum.com/avernum/index.html We have created a FAQ to address some of the many questions Avernum fans will have: http://www.avernum.com/avernum/avernumFAQ.html Feel free to use this forum to ask questions, engage in wild speculation, and get ready for the glorious resurrection of the Avernum trilogy! - Jeff Vogel

Spells and Battle Discs. work like before. The former is bought from trainers. The latter is gained by training base weapon skills. - Jeff Vogel PS And yes, badass Level 3 versions of the spells are hidden everywhere, just like in original Avernum.

I would recommend going to http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/avadon/techsupp.html and reading the section "Avadon Is Not Working Correctly." We've sold a LOT of copies and you are the only person who has reported to me a problem with these quests. (There've been bugs that were definitely my fault, and I received multiple reports on them.) That you have had two problems of this sort makes me suspect that redownloading the app would be a very good idea. (Or upgrading to v1.0.1 if you have not already.) Also, I know this is a pain, but I would love it if you sent me a saved game where I can see the problems with Orian or with the Huntress. Save the game to the upper left save slot, use iphone Explorer to pull off the folder Save0, and send it to support@spiderwebsoftware.com. I could look at it and track down the exact source of your problem. - Jeff Vogel

Also, I just sent you a private message using the forum software. Be sure to read it. - Jeff Vogel

If your e-mails were sent on Saturday, we won't read them until today, as we're closed on weekends. If you haven't heard from us by tonight, send another e-mail. If that still doesn't work, call us tomorrow at 206 789 4438. The Avadon key e-mail is automatically generated, so I can guarantee it was sent. If it didn't arrive, something odd might be happening on e-mail between us and you. That means that any responses we send to you might get lost too. A phone call might be necessary in this case, but we'll make sure you get the game you paid for. - Jeff Vogel

Thank you ... Very interesting. I will add a link to here from the Compatibility Guide. - Jeff Vogel

Those maps are awesome. If you'd like for us to link to them on the NEat Stuff page, send a note to support@spiderwebsoftware.com. - Jeff Vogel

This can happen when the game is failing to load a graphic. Try loading a saved game in a different area and see if you get the problem. What area are you in when the lagging happens? If there is a corrupted graphic, a reinstall may be necessary. Go here http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/avadon/techsupp.html and read the "Not Working Correctly" section. - Jeff Vogel