Randomizer

Avernum 4 made MACWorld's Hall of Fame for 2006 - article I think we all know our opinions on the game but this is theirs.

Finishing up chapter 3 with the following: Level 34, health 213 (152 with gruesome charm), essence 193, spell energy 383, strength 7 (+4 from girdle of might and guardian claymore), dexterity 3 (+4 from nimble sandals and gruesome charm), intelligence 5 (+2 from gruesome charm), endurance 5 (-2 from gruesome charm), melee wpns. 5 (+5 from legs of the tyrant), missle wpns. 6, quick action 5 (+2 from guardian claymore), parry 6, battle magic 9 (+4 from ring of eye's purity and agent's cloak), mental magic 6 (+2 from gloves of succor and agent's cloak), blessing magic 6 (+3 from Captain's shiv and agent's cloak when needed), spellcraft 8 (+4 from 2 mental health charms. agent's cloak, and runed jaded necklace and I trained for 2), starting shaping, healing craft 5 (+2 from phsycian's charm and gloves of succor), leadership 10 (+2 from infiltrator's cloak and tunic), mechanics 10 (+5 from infiltrator's cloak and tunic and tinker's gloves and bauble), luck 3 (+1 from lucky charm and from Dillame's mayor). Took a while to get enough money for spells and all of Captain Archibald's training before I could turn him in for the reward. Starting to get nasty destroying things now that I'm in Burwood and I can kill a wingbolt with 2 icy spray's. Still running out of spell energy fairly quickly.

The only items that can't be made as a Shaper loyalist are the ones using the deep focus orb since that involves killing Eliza. Legs of the Tyrant can be made using Shaftoe's recipe that you get for helping him and items that you find by the Golem's Fen. Synergy showed and I also found that you can slip into the place in Turabi Gate to the south of the gate past the Shapers to get the essence infused skin. Getting the second blood poison from the Western Morass is hard but with terror and a lot of work you can get to it so you can also have gloves of Savergy. You need a lot of strength and combat boosting items as a melee fighter. By concentrating on mental magic you can deal with mobs of creations.

Jeff is working on the Windows version and there have been less problems with the final Mac version so it should be out sooner. I guess Jeff will be calling for Windows beta testers after New Year's Day. It's a lot better written than the earlier Geneforge games. I do think he should have left some of the challenges of the early betas in for northern Illya and made the end harder, In the mean time we Mac users can taunt the Windows users to go away or we'll be forced to taunt you some more. Now go and chop down the tallest tree in the forest with ----- a herringbone.

In old Avernum games you had the areas where lighting established how far you could attack. The Mertis Spiral had the section where your torch always went out if you took a step so you were always being attacked at close range. It would be a change, but something could be done where you could only attack within a certain radius.

I don't remember any weapons that have the higher damage die than 1-5, but the weapons in chapter 3 start doing better special damage. You really need to get strength and melee damaging items. The guardian claymore from killing Shaftoe is +2 strength, legs of the tyrant gives +3 damage levels, piercing gloves, girdle of might, etc. You do need high strength for the better armor. It kind of levels off with the inability to target mutiple opponents that an infiltrator can with essence orbs, acid shower, and aura of flames. You have to increase mental magic throughout the game so you can use daze, strong daze, and mass madness to give you time to fight. Even terror, dominate, and charm can even the odds.

First time I faced a servile with a venom baton I thought Slarty's going to love that the damage is back. The old betas had some nasty areas like North Illya Woods where you were in fight mode from the start facing swarms of vlish. Jeff toned down most of the game and I'm still looking for where he made it harder.

I think there are a few areas where it's really dark like the Wrecked Lab where it helps in giving you a greater attack distance, but I stopped using light early on and never really cared. It doesn't have a noticeable effect and it frees up one more slot in your backpack.

Go tick off the drakons in Khima-Uss by stealing the Drakon specification from Quessa-Uss or steal from the cryodrayks in Gesselin Freehold. It's possible to clear out Poryphra Ruins and the Western Morass which were supposed to be impossible challenges. The expert area behind Monarch's Black Door is a lot easier than Jeff thinks it is. Too bad you can't play the older betas. Northforge Warrens as a Rebel trying to take out the Shaper infiltrators is a challenge because of the time element to complete the battle before you get killed by malfunctioning machinery.

Matala has to be the hardest battle against a single foe. The amount of effort for a lifecrafter army is incredible and I still have to do it as a single servile, Mystithus is just a drag out fight as a single character being damaged and slowed by multiple vlish. Someday I'm going to dig out an old file of my lifecrafter at that point in the game and face the original beta version. I don't know if I want to try it as a servile.

One trick with the servile technicians is to find a safe place to stash them out of harm's way. If you come through the Northern Fens, then there are rooms along the north edge that they can sit in using inactive mode. If you come from Southern Grosch, then stash them in a corner to the east or west away from the creations pouring out of the center and heading south. It's not possible to get past the mine trigger to get to Kristol. You pretty much need at least 2 servile techs to get a chance with disarming mines.

Depending upon how many vampiric touch items you are using, it gives a regenetation effect less than half the time equal to the total amount. It does work when you do non-damaging attacks like essence shackles, wrack, etc. Not really worth equipping if you have better items.

The quests that need to be resolved, usually by reporting to someone that it's done are: 1) Escort/Betray Caravan 2) Repair/Kill Moseh 3) Kill/Defeat Monarch 4) Fulfill Drakon requirements in Quessa-Uss with a duel 5) Last battle in Inner Shaping Hall before using control panel

I was amazed at the telepathic mental controller. It beats Windows speech recognition system for using the computer.

You get one level in create fyora from using the Geneforge and you train for two levels in Upper Southforge Citadel from Jared.

It seems to be more of a server problem judging from the number of double posts in the last few days.

You're welcome.

The Sunstone belt is better defensively while the Girdle of Succor gives better bonuses if you don't want to spend skill points in raising the spell types. Or you could just stick with the stat belt that best fits your playing style.

Only mods or admins can delete topics and they just usually lock one since it's easier. There was a problem last spring with the UBB using the original topic starter's PDN when a topic is deleted and the next person starts one.

Shaftoe can be attacked at a distance especially with poison or acid attacks. The problem with going into melee with him is remembering to runaway before his essence attack fries you. For Eliza only one of the pylons is difficulty 14. They range from 10 to 14 and you can avoid the highest one.

Quote: Originally written by I Am Damo Suzuki: Quote: Originally written by Dikiyoba: I've accidentally done that before, only it was after poking around in the data file a bit. Changed all item graphics to bits of grass. It was kind of funny. I must confess to being a bit shocked: a self-reference in the the first person? Alorael's departure has unhinged this board more than I expected. Dikiyoba has done this before.

I've used both and for damage a wingbolt is better for missle and the poison bonus in melee. A kyshakk is better for defense since it has higher health. If you are using it a shield against heavy damaging opponents then a kyshakk can just stand there and suck it up. Spine shield a kyshakk and then stand back and heal it from a distance. I always like the wingbolt graphics better and thought that was the coolest new one that Jeff added.

It depends what you are using and when you do it. Eliza is easier to kill just after you finish her 2 quests, but then the other two go hostile. Eliza's health seem to be higher after repairing or killing Moseh. I guess he wasn't a distraction anymore. With lots of creations as a lifecrafter it's easier to keep attacking her and destroy her summoned creations. With Shaftoe you go after the servant minds while he does nothing and then you only have to concentrate on killing him and staying alive.

Whatever you play you need to pump up mental magic to get all the spells. This is the one spell category that you need to deal with the big fights. It helps to have a creation in certain fights. With the right items you can delay until after chapter 3 making a creation like in Sandros Mines expert area on the way to the Forgotten One. With the changes in making creations between the early betas and the final version, making a powerful creation is easier for all the classes. This reduces the advantage that lifecrafters had and made shapers so powerful in the earlier games.

The three barred/banned creations are drayk, drakon, and gazer plus their higher creation level versions cryodrayk, ur-drakon, and eyebeast. You can't buy training in them from the Shapers.