Evnissyen

Microphage: Yeah, there was a cake quest in G3; one of the serviles said she missed cake; but since I never found any cake for her, and I didn't use the GIVEASNACK cheat, I wasn't able to make her happy. I don't remember if I've seen cakes outside of the cheat -- I think I have -- in any of the other games... I just vividly remember cake, and haven't seen any mention yet of cake in A5. I do remember the deli sandwich in Nethergate, which is why I want it back. Sylak's Talking Skull wouldn't eat it though, even though he kept asking me for it. (I should probably mention, here, that I have not played any of the SW games before Nethergate, so I'm not too familiar with A1-A3. I haven't purchased G1 or G2 yet, either (I never liked the interface), but I'm probably going to buy G1 soon, since I have a desire to play that one through... G2 didn't seem as interesting. I didn't like being tethered to that woman's command. I probably will pay for that game, too, eventually.)

That's not true. My mage and priest, respectively, have a Magical Efficiency level of 11 & 15. They have not trained in that trait at all (since they haven't attained the (requirements): they've gained buying them, plus special-trait bonuses, plus equipment. They can both cast fireball without spending any spell points. Their spell points (especially my priest's) on all other spells are significantly reduced, so they can cast a lot of otherwise costly spells that do not reduce their spell energy much at all. Yes, I do love my Magical Efficiency. EDIT TO ADD: In fact, this combined with high Intelligence, in both characters, means that they've almost never needed to use any spell elixirs.

Hmm... I didn't think that First Aid was very useful, either, since I could just magic myself into health, so I didn't invest in it. It is, however, nice that it restores some of your spell points (though I rarely (close to never) use my spell elixirs anyhow, so... whatever)... . So I'd be interested, too, in knowing exactly just how helpful First Aid is.

Jeff: What about the deli sandwich? Does the deli sandwich return, too? I hope so. And I also miss cake. I also hope the GIFTC returns, and brings some friends with him/her.

So, I guess I can't do that are[n]a, since I took Gladwell's geas and chose to go through with his Vahnatai [re]quest rather than kill the s.o.b., o well. (I'll go kill him soon, after I finish Melanchion's quests I think... or maybe I'll do it now; Vesna's a pain and so is that undead Vahnatai, neither of whom I can seem damage: I'll keep them 'til later, I guess, and head on up to Gladwell first.) Still, this is just one of the reasons why A5 is better than A4: removing opportunities based on the choices you make adds to the replay value.

Also, this topic has also been discussed relatively recently, here: Entering chitrach tunnels by Anama?

Well, I do have to admit: after killing Nashazzar and equipping his Jade Halberd... even without the benefits of my shield, it does far more damage than my jinx blade... and the curse effect was nice, since it did seem to slow down my foes a little, but with something like 40%-70% more damage, it's worth it. Sure, I lose 2 points in Lethal Blow by unequipping my shield, and 10%-15% to-strike bonus (depending on which sword I'm no longer using) but my fighter almost always hits, anyhow, and can make up the LB points in a level and a few knowledge brews... . Yes, this halberd is definitely nice. And methinks the 10% hostile resistance (20% if you include the 10% weapons resistance) is more valuable than the acid damage. Yes... definitely a nice weapon. I'm keeping it. But what's the point in having all those imps there if they not only don't challenge me but don't even earn me any XP (well, 3 XP) per imp that I kill? What's the point, man? I mean: I came here to kill demons. Even if I don't earn more than 3 XP per imp: the least they can do is attack me? What sort of demons are they, anyway? They're acting like humans, here, just following orders, tending whole-mindedly to their mindnumbing duties. I would've thought, after all... I mean... you go to Hell, you manage to climb up in the ranks... you should have some privileges, some freedoms that common mortals do not have. I mean: isn't that what Hell is for? Isn't Hell supposed to be the land of total freedom? Isn't that what good ol' Satan stands for? Freedom? Sad... . It makes me sad. But only as much as Nashazzar's jadely halberd makes me grin and clap. It's a weird balance.

So, some people find preferences in A4 over A5... why are the rest of you berating them? Although I disagree that A4 had a stronger plot (I actually feel that A5's plot is a little stronger, or at least it's tended to more fervently)... I do think that you can make at least one valid point in favor of A4 over A5, which is that in A4 I felt a much greater sense of mission than I do in A5. Somebody on these boards mentioned that the npc's in A4 were just petty rich people, tourists and people who didn't know how to react to troublemakers, rather than a nation of strong, fierce people filled with hatred for the Empire... . If I can say one negative thing about A5 (and I do find the game an improvement over A4) it's that the I hate you, please do your business and move on attitude gets a little tiresome after a while. Whenever the game gets away from that, I tend to feel better and start to have more fun. So... I guess that means that I'm hoping that in A6 I get to be Avernum again. Or even Vahnatai: It would be nice to play a Vahnatai in Vahnatai lands if they do, in fact, end up in a war with Avernum & the Empire. I don't want to be an unwelcome stranger in a strange land, again.

What? You mean the townspeople in A5 have identities? I think A5 could accurately be subtitled: "Avernum and Empire: Identity Crisis meets Identity Crisis".

I have fun.

Racism! (sorry, I couldn't resist. I mean... it's the thread's title, for loyalty's sake!)

Maybe it was just a matter of economy? I mean, who needs cows when you have rampant lizards? The first are not made for living in caves, the second are. Leave the cows to the Empire, I say.

Okay, I went back to the tunnels to see if I could find out anything... honestly it turned out just as easy for me as it was the first time: just wander around, walk over the patches until the secret doors open up one by one. Don't hate me if it doesn't work, but try this out: After you land your boat, go east and wander over the eastern patch, then head over to the west and wander over the western patch. That should open up the passage that your screen image shows your party standing just beside. Explore the new passage, then come back. Wander over the eastern patch, and the secret door at the south end of that new passage should open up, but the door to the passage you've just explored should now be closed. Now: Either wander over the north patch or wander toward the west patch. Walking over the west patch won't hurt; now the passage should be open again. Go down there, through the southern secret door, go down to the end and kill some rats. Come back up and you should find that another secret door in the eastern wall has opened up, which will lead you to the Lake of Trials. At any rate... just wander around. The secret doors should open up one by one as you explore the passages. I don't know why it hasn't worked for you yet? Just horribly bad luck?

Maybe we can have some sort of Being John Malkovich sort of scenario, where you get to place yourself inside of any npc you wish? Such as Khyryk, for example? Or... who was the woman who got hooked on the canisters in G3 and ended up being kidnapped? I wouldn't mind playing her -- post kidnapping -- even if I am a guy. Or Shaila, the one who went crazy. Yes... that's the one I'd want to play. ...Except that she's too paranoid to leave her caves. It would be kind of limiting to play her, madness or no madness. Actually, in the Geneforge games I always end up playing a woman anyway, since the agents (and, in G4, the Infiltrators) are the most powerful.

Like any good drug, you're not meant to keep track.

...besides which... I don't believe a rotghroth would understand how to use a baton in the first place. ...besides which... Rotghroths don't need batons! All they need is their powerful, powerful fists.

I suppose, in a Geneforge scenario, the guns would have to be shaped as living creatures.

You're all forgetting the Vahnatai. They want their caves back, which means destroying Avernum or the Empire or preferably both. More than likely they want war between the Empire and Avernum. Why else coerce an Empire warrior into questionable actions in relation to the Avernites? The Empire, now that they see monetary value in the caves, will not be satisfied until the entire underground -- including the Vahnatai's lands -- are theirs. That means war. Better for the Vahnatai if they provoke the Empire and Avernum to wear each other down, first. That will make it easier if the Vahnatai wish to invade the surface again -- or at least force a blockade against any further Empire infiltration -- which they must do if they hope to survive.

I ended up killing all the Vahnatai, starting with the gate. After the gate I went back to the village, killed my way in to the crystal soul, attacked him 'til I got my chip and then ran off. Then I headed through the undergound from Kherebass and killed my way through there. Now I'm out of the Vahnatai lands and happy. I like it here, much better. I could even settle down, here; forget about everything... . Muck is safe. I wouldn't do the Vahnatai's bloody work for them. They were good to me. The Vahnatai weren't. It's as simple as that, I think.

I don't know. Some people say things like that, so I guess I have to suppose there must be something to it.

Aha: that explains my lack of Haaki memory... so I haven't even gotten to him/it yet. Thanks for spoiling the game for me, Oskar!

To tell the truth, in the Avernum games: with some of the characters it's difficult to tell whether they're male or female. I sort of have to guess: Are those chest swells due to muscles or mammary glands? In regard to Geneforge: It makes me a feel kind of sexy to play as a woman. Especially that Infiltrator in G4. In fact, it sounds like somebody here is a little uncomfortable with his sexuality?

Nikki. has quite a point. My Venemous Blade (the acid-dripping waveblade) is a nice weapon too and does a good amount of damage, just not as much as the Fiery Sword. I'm not convinced that the acid damage is so helpful especially with creatures I can kill with two or three blows. I carry the Venom Blade around for whenever I encounter a creature who's fire-resistant... which in the Vahnatai Lands is annoyingly common. Perhaps the Jade Halberd matches the Fiery Sword in damage. But... had I equipped it (I think I came across it already? I don't remember who dropped it; the Slith beast had a nice pole weapon which earned me a decent number of coins), I would've lost my shield, costing me not only armor but valuable stat boosts... in the end: not worth it, I don't think. EDIT: Who's Haaki, by the way? I don't remember any Haaki.

That said, and sorry if I sound like I feel ignored or neglected here: Does anybody have any comments, in favor or against, on any of my proposals several messages up? ...That is, if we're no longer talking about ballistics and weapon speed and so forth. I mean, well . . . I thought they were good suggestions... . I'll actually modify one of them: Instead of adding a second row of spell and object slots: keep the one row except that when you hit the shift key (or control or, on the Mac, the option key), the slots on the screen change to the second series that you've selected. That, I think, would preserve that very 'clean' look that A5/A6 & especially Geneforge have.

Yeah, in fact I have to deal with them and all their opportunistic 'quests' that are too dangerous for their own people, because I need the XP. Also I might even end up being their tool and killing the mayor of Muck, despite the moral insupportability of such an action, besides which in real life it'd be possible that such an action could spur another war between Avernum & the Empire . . . not that that's actually likely to happen, of course; I guess what goes on in the Azure Gallery stays in the Azure Gallery. Personally I'd much rather kill the mayor of Highland. I liked Muck. They were nice to me. And the potion maker makes me knowledge brews. ...speaking of politics: if the Vahnatai are really so smart then there must be political reasoning behind their suggesting that Muck be destroyed. Perhaps they truly are trying to foment another war between Avernum & the Empire, hoping to weaken both and hopefully give them a chance to reclaim the lower caves? Of course, now that the Empire understands that there is value in colonizing the caves and exploiting its crystals, I don't see how the Vahnatai see this as much of an advantage unless they're willing to endure indefinite war, probably ending in their eradication (or subjugation as was the case w/ the nephilim & slithzerikai) as a species.