Randomizer

For torment I still prefer agent for the multiple attacks of essence orbs. I did try guardian for the first dozen zones and could see playing it out as a missle guardian. Maybe when I finish GF3.

Intelligence is useful for range attacking creatures like fyora, artila, and vlish to increase the number of times they can use their attacks. When hasted they can run out during long combats.

I had trouble with the rune not working only after I killed Dorikas and was going back to finish looting. This only happened once so I'm not sure what triggered it.

 

I recommend saving the game before entering the ruins and using another save file as you go through it.

I know a couple of pylons aren't obvious, so some people might like a list.

You could always get the Windows versions and run them in the Windows mode. Although it might be a waste of money just to have them all on one machine.

A fist works as a weapon. I found out by accident when I sold all my weapons on my spellcaster intending to get some from the goblins. Blademaster increases the damage. However the amount never gets that high that you could use a fist through out the game.

 

I think I got around 22 at blademaster 12 with blessing vs. Crain. Goblins were about 8 damage.

 

Mad monks aren't the only ones that can give a fiesty slap of pain.

Jeff could tweak the AI for torment to keep targeting a character instead of retargetting each round on the last one that damaged. It would end the strategy of two widely spaced characters alternating attacks to keep monsters running back and forth.

 

Also have monsters not run past a character to get at another. Although that prevents them from wasting attacks on a shield character.

I'm partial to vlish and the way the wave their tentacles when attacking. Do they raise a middle one? It depends on the starting point when you count.

Alwan's got the basic problem of all melee guardians in that he wastes AP getting up to attack. With daze to stun a group, then he can stroll up to the monsters and pick them off one at a time. Pumping strength and some endurance makes him useable early on in the game, but he sucks up damage worse than a sponge with water.

Pyroroamers are probably the easiest thing to kill in the game since one shot of anything is enough, Just stay a few paces back from the closest.

If you are going the battle shaping route, then thahds are cheaper and you won't feel as bad about them dying. Vlish are great for the stun and can replace beginning artila.

Guardians vs. Vlishs - try getting into melee range when the range attack is so stunning (bad pun intended)

Once an area is hostile, they do stupid things like attack you.

Avernum is even worse than Geneforge in how they go after you.

Start with 8 skill points to buy 2 levels of missle weapons, raise mechanics to 6 and leadership to 2 at the start. Kill everything that you can in the first 2 map sections (rats add up). Remember to switch from dagger to javelins before you see the first fyora. Open every locked door that requires only 1 living tool. It's possible to get to 2000 experience before leaving the 2nd section if you are lucky and kill all the rats before Shanti gets bored and nails them and rush to the main encounter.

 

When you get to the Dry Peaks Warren go to the southwest corner to get the venom baton (you can fight almost anything). This should get you up to level 3 before the fighting gets hard. Then get the iron bars for experience.

 

If you want to wait on creations, then you need 2 levels more of quick action from your early levels.

 

At this point you can raise your leadership to 5 and do the options for experience for another level. Talking to serviles, guards, etc.

 

Then you can decide whether to go with a fyora or artila. Either one will help. If you are careful you can do the Dry Peaks Fields and the east part of the mines without help from a creation. If you can do that then the Infested Forest (get the Vat Thrad) and Sharon's Grove are possible. I've done all of them before creating anything and it makes it easier to start with a cyora or a decent artila. Speed pods, icy crystals and daze help to even thing up.

 

The hard part is slipping through the Salt Marsh without getting swarmed by clawbugs and roamers. Once you can do that it's easy to reach Medab and later Magus Complex to get Vlish.

There's the Castle's treasury if you want to see the king's stuff. Jeff just put a high difficulty lock on the door so he didn't have to fill it in.

Everything I hate about A4 came from Geneforge except Rentar-Ihnro. Hopefully A5 will go back to a more Avernum style and just keep the combat engine and only a few of the graphics. There were too many Geneforge items replacing what were good Avernum types just to save time in getting the game ready.

After reading some of the threads on characters I was playing with missle based types.

 

I thought in GF2 that I could make a shaper where I started with 2 extra levels in dexterity (8 skill points) instead of 2 extra levels of missle weapons and get the same result. After 3 tries I found that the attack bonus from dexterity was so much less than missle weapons that I missed about 20% of the time, The damage bonus only occurs with missle weapons. Killing fyoras in the tutorial section shouldn't have been so difficult. Each level of missle weapons adds a die of damage.

 

Still for the beginning part of the game, having missle weapon skill at 4 and later raised benefits all classes. Using a baton is better at the start unless you are an agent. Before the end of the demo, an agent has raised battle magic and spellcraft so he has a higher average damage. Once an agent gets a multiple attack spell like essence orbs the advantage is definite. Shapers can't get spells raised as easily so missle weapons is better because batons do 6 dice of damage as a base so the skill point cost is as high to match spell damage.

Have a few saves going back to different areas. In GF2 the Magus Complex turned hostile just because I killed a few submission turrets in the Experimental Area next to it. If I hadn't had a saved file from before then I would have had to start over.

You don't get more XP for the higher level. The monster's level for calculating XP remains the same, but the difficulty in killing it increases and its ability to hit you increases.

When you try for augmented creations, you should have a good chance of getting it to turn rogue like in GF1 with the Sholai researcher killed by the beta. Of course save/reload would eliminate any bad result so Jeff would need to make it hard to get to the point where you learn enough to try augmentation of creations,

The earlier engines were alot better in getting the monsters out of there when the going got tough. In A4 the monsters ran up to get whacked and only ran away when they were almost dead. My favorite was to acid spray a monster so it ran up and died at my feet. It saved time in getting their treasure.

 

In A1, the monsters used to pick up items that appeared when another monster died and if useful they used it. So there would be in the Nephilim castle west of Formello a goblin would pick up a healing potion for it action and use it in the next round if you didn't kill it.

It means that you will have to work harder to stay the same as an easier level. It's supposed to be a challenge,

I found summon shade useful only as a singleton. There were a few encounters where I needed a friend like Nodicuas, the dragon under Reptile Island, and to block the chitrachs from coming out near Fort Remote (if I had kept summoning shades I might have kept that lieutenant alive). When you have a full party then they aren't as helpful.

 

Divine host spell is weaken from the earlier games where you got a group of shades at one time. Shades are nice because they can't be charmed or take cold damage. The mage summons don't give you the control over what will come.

I can't remember if slow works on that shade, but a hasted party can outrun it. Just have one priest type around to heal and destroy the creatures that form when you hit the shade. It's not that hard to attack and retreat if you're buffed to start. I got out with almost no injuries. You can use ranged attacks without any problems.

The idea is that agents are the invisible assassins and the enforcers of the Shapers. Shanti in GF2 is there to intimidate the shaper and guardian as well as get information. They don't need anybody else to do their job.

 

First thing the shaper did in GF1 was create an army to protect him and mine the route in to his area. In GF2 there are all those turrets and guardians as bodyguards. Even in GF1 there was a mention that the shaper going to investigate the ruined temple area of the Spirit City needed guardians to protect him.

 

Agents are sent in to enforce the Shaper Council's decisions. There may not be many of them because of the difficulties in training them (they die in a strong wind). Guardians are the bodyguards and army. Shapers create serviles and other creatures so they can't go anywhere without their creations.