Emperor Tullegolar

But surely Jeff would take advantage of such a story in the actual game. Monarch would have been more interesting if it was revealed that he was Phariton or Goetssch or Spharon or whoever. The fact that Jeff left it ambiguous mean he is probably not anyone we already know.

It doesn't really make sense for Monarch to be a returning NPC. After all, why wouldn't Jeff just keep the name the same if it were the same guy? Name recognition is powerful, and it makes no sense to change a character's name and give no hints to it being the same person, it loses it's power. The PC, on the other hand, does not have a specified name.

What is so good about Dark Waters? Hydras and undead? Crystal soul tombs and Vahnatai sleeping chambers? Rapids? Do you just really like boats? Please explain the fascination to me. I enjoyed Avernum 2 as well, but mostly because of the bizarre Empire forts. I loved those. But even those were surpassed by Avernum 3's dungeons. You just can't beat the Filth Factory. Rentar is a genius.

Clearly there is no cure because there is no problem to be cured. You can cloud your mind with emotions and sympathy if you try really hard like Litalia (who also became annoyingly aloof in the process), but that's really just a step backwards.

Alright, now you're all just picking Avernum 2 out of peer pressure. This is a mispole.

Averum 3 had the biggest world, the best dungeons, and the most interesting plot. I don't understand why people prefer Avernum 2. Is it because it introduced the vahnatai? No, most people always complain about the vahnatai, and how they are always used as a deus ex machina.

Shaping is just learned like anything else is learned, requiring much patience and skill. The games never really say anthing about certain people being born more naturally adept at shaping than others, so it's probably just largly based on your intelligence. As for shapers tending to be loners, that's probably a side affect of the arrogance that comes with the job. Lord Rahul was a lord as well, so his marriage could also have been a legal or customary matter rather than a romantic one.

Well, you wouldn't need to save and buff up if you just used more canisters, lots more. Same applies to all those situations. There are not really better ways to resolve them, the only people you ever really attack are rogues and bandits and things like that. They all deserve what they get. In fact, are there any incidents of canister users attacking innocent people on record at all?

No, they help you to see more clearly. The result is that you have less patience with those who deserve less patience. I wouldn't call it a problem, since you only ever freak out on people who deserve it, they practically ask for it, even.

Canisters are basically mini, disposable geneforges. They were probably originally a prototype for the final goal, but since they are easier to make they have become more common, despite the fact that they are somewhat incomplete and far inferior to a geneforge. They are created when the maker of the canister fills a crystal canister with essence and infuses a little bit of his own genetic make-up in there with it. Somehow, when activated, this gene-infused essence acts upon the user, replacing their own genes with the ones printed in the canister's essence. The process also requires puresteel, and I suppose we are supposed to assume the puresteel is destroyed in the process, since they don't seem to be big on recycling canisters. The side effect is delicious, delicious power. You have a new skill printed into your genetic make-up so that you don't have to learn it. In fact, unlike learned skills, canistered skills are a part of you, like you were born knowing it, which is far superior to a learned skill, which can be forgotten and or never really mastered. Another side effect is a pure mind. Canisters make you see the world for what it really is, and thus you have little patience for lesser being that will get in your way from time to time. Lets just say this speeds up natural selection a little bit. These angry feeling do not effect you when dealing with other skilled shapers.

Where's a mini-mod when you need one?

Come on Thuryl, this is your area of expertise. Where's your rebuttal?

Marcelo: What freeborn serviles are you talking about from Geneforge 4? Crazy cultists? Or the ones that serve the Drakon masters of the Rebellion? The real minds behind the Rebellion are the drakons, the only rebel serviles in the game that are doing well at all serve them, and owe them all of their success. Randomizer: Are you saying serviles aren't smart enough to figure out banditry on their own? No matter how you answer, I win. I am the emperor!

Quote: Originally written by Marcelo: Remember in G4 there's som serviles who say they were "born free", never under "command of superior beings whatsoever". I remember meeting the "born free" serviles in Geneforge 2, they jump me right off the bat, attacking me in open hostility. Sure, I was saved by an opposing group of serviles, but that was only because they wanted my help in annihilating their opponents. They are devious creatures, serviles, attacking innocent humans as well as their own kind. Never trust them. When serviles live on their own, they will usually resort to banditry, or worse. If they actually manage to form a society (usually under the guidance of stronger creations) it will always have a hostile agenda towards outsiders. Edit: Serviles wear hoods, Black Haze. You have seen them before, right?

My theory: serviles were made physically unattractive (hence the hoods) to discourage such abominations from happening. After all, why would a human pass up something willing to obey your every command otherwise? If they did mate, it would likely produce something ugly and infertile, similar to mules.

They are basically inferior humans. Serviles are smaller than the average human. Though sometimes they can be made more muscular, for the most part they are weaker than humans as well. They have small brains, and though they generally are not very intelligent, history has shown that given time, they have the potential to equal humans in intelligence. However, they rarely escape the inferiority complex shaped into them, as they are easily persuaded to submit to will of stronger beings. Also, aside from being able to evolve intelligence, serviles are just as likely to go completely insane when seperated from shaper masters, reverting to an agressive animal state, attacking at the drop of a hat. This shows that their mind is extremely unstable, and they are better of under the care of a superior being. Serviles can only learn magic by going insane, and can't learn shaping at all, unless of course they are shaped to be able to do these things by a superior being first. As for the nose, no explaination has ever been given, really. I suppose it would make sense if the shapers who created serviles gave it to them so that they could sense things humans could not, since they are often put work in dangerous places such as mines or swamps.

Quote: Originally written by Flume and Waive: —Alorael, who thinks that cheating still raises the question of whether the cap just prevents you from adding more points or whether sooner or later the points stop counting. Or maybe it'll just end up like Avernum and you'll do 1%# damage to everyone.

Everything caps at 30. However, wearing items makes it go higher, so theoretically you could edit an item script and it might give you otherwise impossibly high stats.

Yes, yes, it seems I have been taking many different engine upgrades for granted. I think the whole minimap/inventory interface might be my favorite improvement. Looking forward to it, all too willing to pay a mere $12 for it, too.

Could someone please remind me of the differences between the original Nethergate engine and the Blades of Avernum engine? I know conversation is different and gameplay is generally smoother, but wasn't that it? Quote: Tyran: iv. Makes the whole thing worthwhile. Fixed your typo.

BLAZK HAZE: Buy it already! It's awesome, damn it!

This could just be a cultural misunderstanding, but gazers seem a bit more crazy than drakons. Drakons are just power hungry and greedy, gazers seem almost sadistic. In Geneforge 4 as well as the others, there is always at least one gazer that claims a single zone and enslaves any nearby creations with its mind. They serve no faction; sometimes they claim they just want to be left alone, sometimes they claim it is their goal to conquor the world. One constant is that you always end up wanting to destroy them due to their hostility and insanity. If there were more of them and they worked together, they could become a greater threat than drakons.

Here's a couple things .

Whenever you even see Ghaldring it is always in a scripted cutscene. There is no way to kill him or even attack him that I know of. If you attack the drakons watching the duel (Ghalding is not even among them) you will auto-die.

Quote: Originally written by Randomizer: Once everything is back to normal this incident will be hidden away like a barred island even if it means massive executions of all neutral witnesses. Worst plan ever. If the Shapers are smart, they will want to keep the war fresh in everyone's minds for the rest of time. After all, why would they want to erase their greatest triumph ever from history? Especially the rebel attrocities, they will want people to remember those so that they will support the Shaper regime, lest such things ever happen again. The problem with the old Shaper regime was that there was not enough fear to keep the people from rebelling. This war, if they win it, will be a blessing in disguise. The Tullgolites would offer amnesty (and canisters) to any shaper that pledges allegiance to the empire. Trakovites will be given a chance to renounce their beliefs (and maybe wear a brand) else be executed for treason. Drakons will all have to die, however, their creation will not be barred, so I think we just barely escape being labeled as genocidal.