Evnissyen

In G4 I only used an artila because it was given to me and so didn't cost me any essence. Otherwise, I hate artilas and in this case I was even glad when Shaila took it back.

But it might get lost, that way. I imagine it'd probably end up in somebody's closet somewhere in New Jersey.

Well, over here in New England it's currently 4:07am. I will not explain to anybody why my hours are so odd.

Yes, I'll willingly wait a whole year longer if it means the game will be that much better.

Well, I can say that I don't need my Kyshaak dying on me, but I suppose the health aspect is fair to add, so far as I think I can recall. Were they especially resistant to damage? My memory of Kyshaaks really fails me, except that they were a disappointment. I suppose that this was what my brain's cataloging system considered the most important thing: "Kyshaak creation annoying full stop don't use again full stop"

Umm... My best guess is something like "I can not (something) not of the dead, (something) I can (something) your words"? Well, I can make no more sense out of it, sorry. It looks more like Dutch than Finnish, actually. In fact, I think that it is Dutch.

I found that killing off all those towns became tedious, and the XP reward was close to nothing... and if you anger one town on, say, Dhonal's Isle, then anywhere you go you'll get attacked, if I remember correctly, and so with every town or village you'll end up having to go through the whole area and killing everyone, including all the innocent people who won't leave you alone even though they can't fight, but they put you in combat mode whenever you enter their presence so you can't just glide across the map. Killing my way through Lord Rahul's palace, though, was pretty fun.

Hmm... I remember trying the Kyshaak (sp?) for a little while and eventually deciding that the creature really wasn't very effective. I don't remember why. What I do remember is that at the beginning of the game: the Kyshaak that the party runs into seemed so powerful that when I finally gained the ability to create one I did so. I think maybe the problem was that the lightning attack was meeting too much resistance from too many enemies, or it just plain wasn't rendering enough damage. I'm trying to remember, but... I guess my memory's not working. I do seem to remember a lot of wasted turns where my Kyshaak was trying to inflict damage but wasn't able to do so. Oh, well. EDIT: I think that in my first run through the game, my roster ended up with a wingbolt and a gazer.

Or Japanese. Dragonlord has a good point about the story division thing, since the true Rebellion didn't start until #4... but I think most of us are eager to see what kind of new game Jeff comes up with.

Like Dragonlord says: you need the quest to leave the island, which comes from somebody's permission and direction(s)... in this case that of Akhari Blaze. After he uses the Geneforge, he should continue dialogue with you and then tell you to go find your boat. (If he doesn't continue the dialogue after using the Geneforge then click on him.) Otherwise: I'm not sure what you've missed. After he uses the Geneforge he's supposed to tell you to go get your boat. If you kill Akhari Blaze after he directs you to your boat - or for that matter if you kill anyone else on the islands, after that point - it should in no way keep you from leaving the islands. However... how it effects the epilogue I cannot tell you, because I haven't tried it (really it seems rather pointless, at that point, since you've already finished the game).

Now my whole head needs a massage. Ghaldring: The maturity level of your posts seem to be that of a bratty 14-year-old. If you truly are a post-graduate (which I'm doubtful of)... I would hope you're at least in therapy. If not: I think you should strongly consider it. Admittedly, there are a lot of lame therapists out there (yes, I'm speaking from experience, ahem), most of whom will be less intelligent than you, but there are some good ones out there. You just need to shop around a little, so to speak. With that, I hope to be able to take Nioca's advice and bow out of the convers(argument)ation.

If I remember right: If you let Akhari Blaze use the Geneforge he'll tell you where to find the boat. If you kill him first then I think you're going to need to have received the Shaper quest to destroy the Geneforge, or else no boat for you. If you have the Shaper quest to kill him, despite being on the Rebel side, then I suppose you have to return to Lord Rahul and he'll tell you where to find your boat. However, it's been a long time... I could be mistaken.

Well, well, well... it lasted an even shorter time than I expected. Ghaldring: If you're about to tell me you're in College (or on your way there), my eyes are going to need a massage.

Didn't you? If you like, you may borrow mine. Anything I can do to make Iffy feel more comfortable. (By the way, you missed a period.)

I'm surprised that for once I kind of agree with Ghaldring, in the sense of asking for entire character builds. I'm absolutely certain it won't last. I mean: give the boy a break, he actually has a point, for once....

It's only scary if you do it in real life.

Hmm... Maybe you're right; I didn't spend much time learning shaping in G1, and Fyoras were one of the creatures whose cannisters I skipped over, in that game. Maybe I shouldn't have. But in G1 my original intention was no shaping... and I only changed my mind much later. So... cyroas in all Geneforge games as soon as you can learn how to make them. Should that be a Rule? I've never liked Thahds, anyhow.

I didn't mind all the chitrachs too much, and I liked A4 very much (though not nearly as much as Geneforge 3, and A5 and G4 I also liked better)... what really bugged me was 1. the Honeycomb (I hate mazes) and 2. the whole trek toward Rentar's fortress.... both unmapped and, yes, like Toby-Linn says, guarded by all those annoying pylons. If I might be forgiven, I want to try to clean up the mess that seems to have erupted with Ghaldring's posts and all the responses.... Thinking back, it seems a little confusing to me how this all this stuff can arise from a post that really is very similar to most of the posts on this thread... but it seems what happened was that Ghaldring took offense to some things that maybe he shouldn't have. I mean, first of all: my "Luddite" comment was not meant to be insulting. It was just a playful jab. It was a comment on your attitude, Ghaldring, not a personal attack. Ghaldring: I think what really ended up bothering me and others was the immaturity and seeming hysteria of your posts. All those scatological references really do not help. Also, honestly, your argumentation is just confusing. To explain: You still haven't made clear why A3's graphics are better than A4's (and Geneforge importation is not an excuse). If you're arguing that isometric projection itself is the definition of "pseudo-3d" then you're suggesting that A1-A3 is also "pseudo-3d". This is of course a valid statement, but if you condemn the games for this alone then you're suggesting that isometric projection is an incorrect approach to game-development, which would be delusional... therefore I'll assume you're not suggesting that. However... if the latter explanation is not the case, then I honestly cannot make sense of your argument. You'll need to be clearer. Sorry. And finally, here's why I don't see the Geneforge "crossover" accusation as valid criticism: When a writer devises a new style: it's only natural that he or she should stick to that style. Even if they write a sequel to a book that employed their earlier style: I do not expect that artist to copy the style of the previous books. That would be silly. Perhaps you're attaching too much importance to the 'game line' notion? Personally, I prefer to think of each game as having its own personality and standing, and not to think that they are all a part of a continuum that clings tenaciously to a single graphical interface and a look and feel that never changes. The way I see it: the only thing that should bind any game series -- like any book or film series -- should be the story. And if the artist has developed a different style that he or she prefers and so wishes to continue using, then by all means let him or her do so. Don't condemn the artist for moving on.

Plus, Rotghroths were great for bopping your enemies on the head. In GF4, Wingbolts are undoubtedly the deadliest and the coolest. Personally, I think it's just a matter of getting a feel of what works for you. I've never had more than two creations at a time because of the essence cost (and I stick with my creations (and build them up) until I get tired of them and/or get access to better ones... other players might prefer to use them as expendable tools). Anyhow, two creations, to me, usually feels about right, but it's up to you. Just experiment. But fyoras and then cryoas, I find, tend to be the best to start off with. (Well, that's G3 and onward... I'm not sure if cryoas are available in G2 or not.) Glaahks are cool as hell, too. Battle, Fire or Magic... they all have great creatures. But you can find robes and such that will help you in all these categories, and other ways of stat-boosting, so you shouldn't worry too much, I don't think, about which category to invest in. I've also played agents/lifecrafters with no creations. This helps you gain level more quickly. EDIT: To heck with G2, I think I want to replay G4. Except that there're so many other games I want to play but haven't gotten around to yet, and I have so little time, despite all the time I seem to waste on these forums (for some reason I can't seem to help it). I'll never get around to them all.

Kelandon: Although for reasons already stated I cannot speak for G2, I can say that one of the things I found more interesting about G3 over G1 is that that in G3 you were forced to take one of only two sides, both of which were clearly Wrong. Randomizer: You are right, though, that moving my stash from island to island was very annoying. On the plus side: The separate islands made strong delineations for the differing social and physical climates... on the negative side, yes, having to constantly move your stash and the chore of moving back two or three islands truly was annoying. Still, I thought it was a good game with a strong storyline. And I loved the Monastery of Tears. EDIT: Plus, in my opinion it had the best opening of all the SW games. I think I've mentioned that before.

No! Hey, wait a minute... they aren't even real....

Exactly: If I get 25 XP per kill trying to clear an area I should've cleared 4 levels prior, then it's better than getting 0 XP per kill which makes clearing the area a chore. Line up a whole bunch of those areas, and you've got a boring several hours. At least if you gained some XP for your trouble, then it might be not quite worthless, and a little less of a chore. So, yes: It'd make me feel better.

Isn't anyone going to inspire me to play Geneforge 2?

Argh! I'm so sick of the argument "it's what the audience wants". There are many, many different audiences for each artistic medium, and each audience is capable of responding only to what's made available (or, more often, known) to them. What you end up with is corporate-dictated taste for "most people". That said, I must refer back to my previous post agreeing with some of what Callsign has proposed, most specifically the recyclable characters. If you're just talking about replayability, though: I'm not certain that this increases replayability in a Geneforge or Avernum scenario. Geneforge & Avernum are quite replayable because they're not simple hack & loot games, or games with only a single narrative pathway. Diablo does not have that sort of flexibility in narrative (in fact there's really very little narrative to the games)... so perhaps recyclable characters help with that particular game.

Leaving AD&D out of it, because honestly, D&D rules ar irrelevant: It's important because if you're originally awarded 25 XP for a measly goblin at level 1 then you should get 25 XP for a measly goblin at level 20. As I said: It would be more important in scenarios like G1 & G2 and a A1-3 and Nethergate, where you were allowed to do more wandering around. I do not like going through an area and not getting any XP simply because I hadn't realized it was an area I should've hit at an earlier point. Going linear has its advantages.