jORDO

I honestly liked A4. I would say it takes some of the biggest steps forward of all the Avernums. A1-A3 were difficult for me to really get into. The graphics were kinda off. I kept losing my PCs in the background. It was almost like camo. With A4, the dudes stand out, the combat and items were balanced out and smoothed over. A5 took the feathers from A4 and eliminated the weight capacity for carrying inventory and eliminated the need to save 5 AP just to attack. The item crafters kicked major... they made it worthwhile to gather every last ingredient and reagent. I am going out on a limb, but it sounds like A6 will be the final polished gem, with maybe am origins game as the proverbial cherry on top. If I could have it my way, I would love to have A1-A3 redone using the newest game engine, but that seems a bit less than prudent for an indie game producer. Rock on Spiderweb. YOu caught me young, and I can't escape.

I always made sure to get the Mana and minor Mana spells. I don't remember where they were found, but I had at least one of them after I got through the Dark Waters. Made a HUGE difference.

I remember finding Scroith in Motrax's little treasure trove back in the mid nineties. I loved how it had the charges of the fire spell. I would like to see some weapons with usable spell effects. An active, rather than passive ability to use when weapons are placed in the quick-use item slots in A4. Also, I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised by all the item callbacks. Hoping to see old stuff like the amber short sword, or the Heartfinder. Maybe the Pants of Power.

Maybe the portals all become unstable like the "Destroy the Empire Portal" situation in E2. They are all going crazy and you have tho first take the Onyx Scepter to all of them as your first main mission. Bad things come through. Mayhem ensues. Any way one slices it, I am REALLY glad to know that duals are back. I was never sure if it would get another go round. I hope the selection of shields and the almost certain -to hit% makes the choice to double up a difficult one. Can't wait to sink my teeth into the demo.

I saw a thread somewhere about "the best boss battles" of As and Es. I have to say, I liked Exile II the best of them all. Something about having no idea what you are up against, the moment you step into Formello really hooked me the first time I played it. A good callback was in A4, where there were again barriers to hold us in the north eastern quadrant. But I am getting off topic. In E2, for each of the three main quests, the last battle was intense. I guess the crystal souls quest had a few large ones, but you know what I mean. Garzhad and his crazies were priceless. Elderann and Limoncelli. Even the not so main quests had big, and kinda slow, last battles. The quest to get the Orb of Thranli was a killer, as was the Ring of Will quest. I almost want to see every throwback possible in A6, but whatever Jeff does will astound.

Word. I must say this: In some ways, I am glad you can't dual-wield in Avernum. However, once you get all the sweet gear, I always end up with way more swords than I know what to do with. I must also state that I generally use a 3 person party (human, nephil, slith), sometimes 2 (though I hate myself until half way through the game), so spreading out the really good gear is really easy. The best part about the dual-wield in the Exiles was the ability to stack weapon effects with each attack. Poison+flame, etc. The introduction of a second swing instead of the duals makes for difficult choices in areas where weapon element may be great on some, no effect on others (I.E. flaming sword). Anyway you slice it, I am chewing my fingers to the bone in anticipation of VI.

I rarely post, and only in this thread; but a thought I had been toying around with was bringing back the one handed spears. In early Exiles, or Avernums, or both, there are some one handed spears. The specific one I remember is the Ghoulbane Spear. Also, I think one of them had the Smite as a one handed spear. Anyway, that would be interesting. An additional factor I pondered was the possibility of using ALL two handed weapons one handed, but with a reasonable negative to-hit percentage, and/or less damage dealt. I started thinking about this while playing Avernum 4, while having the Quicksilver Sandals, Mercuric Leather, Quicksilver Bulwark, and the Cryos Spear. An additional +4 AP, plus some other ups and downs. At first I was thinking in terms of getting more AP, but I started to see pole weapon/shield combos that would be stellar, even with penalties on the damage and to-hit. It would also allow pole weapon users to use a shield. In the same vein, kinda reversed, would be bonuses to damage for any longblade wielded without a shield. Add a little tweak to add a whole outlook on outfitting strategy.

Amen.

What does everyone think about being able to take sides? Avernum 5 opened up being on the side of the Empire. It would be cool if you could A. Choose which side you were on at the beginning (like Nethergate, though I have yet to really play it through). or B. Choices you make along the way build up to your final allegiance. Another idea I have been kicking around: What if you could own, or lease, production areas (i.e. fine steel mines, fine leather lizard plantations, etc.) for most, if not all, construction items. Demon bile would be one of the difficult ones to work in, but the rest could be worked in. Say you have to wait 500 turns (or a suitable amount of time) to re-up the supply at each respective "plant".

Maybe you could become king and command the armies of Avernum or the Empire in one, final battle. Epic closure, two different endings.

All this talk of God, god, gods, and what have ye is interesting; however, I live with a philosophy/religious studies grad student, so I am kinda' burnt out on the whole discussion of the origin of "God". I would say that it would be pretty sweet if A6 had at least one large area where our tireless adventurers must vanquish a seemingly endless horde of feisty demons. Bringing Demonslayer into A4 made my week, and the bonuses (not to mention needing only one hand to wield it) made the quest for acquisition worthwhile. One idea I have been kicking around for plot involves the Giant Friendly Talking Spiders. They have been the staple of the Spiderweb since E1. Why not bring them into the mix, on a grand scale? "Everything is dying. The glowing fungus dims. Only the Friendly Spiders do not seem affected." Kinda' ridiculous, but it could be fun. Or maybe start in the final stronghold from A5, and destroy the bridge. The only place to go is the Tower of Magi, through a portal. Open up the classic map from A1, A2, and A4; then toss in some surface areas. Sunlight would be cool. Maybe make Erika into a lich, and let her wreak havoc. The "history" of Avernum is expansive. If this is to be the final installment, I want all the stops pulled out. Bigger. Badder. More loot. More choices. I like A5, fundamentally speaking. I just want more.

The only benefit I could see in reverting to the old system would be the call-back easter eggs that could be planted. Reference to Bruce of Blosk gives you a bonus to security, or something. Identify would be more relevant, in Bruce's case; yet the theory is sound. An "ask about" option at the bottom of the dialogue box could add another subtle layer. This by no means I would advise returning to the original system. I merely think a simple addition could add content. Items, skills, status. All could be incorporated. How to link it, however, could prove difficult. Who would be "in the know" on each particular subject? I don't think it should be there, for the sake of being there; yet if there where some rhyme and reason, it could be an incredible... it would be viable content. To Ghaldring, play chess against a guy, if you want to test his learning curve and concentration. He doesn't have to win, but he should get better (or bored). You must like tactics, at some level, if you play (and enjoy) Exile and Avernum. Chess is tactics, against the living. You would be surprised how much you can learn about a person through a few games of chess, if they play to win. Random 5am side note.

Dialogue system aside, I do like being able to take a few more outside of combat steps than Avernum 5 allows. I would appreciate the option to just keep walking. I would also like to see two different... values representing how much you can carry. One for what you wear; and another, larger value for what you carry in your pack. Another option I feel would be nice is housing. Exile/Avernum 3 had a few options for places of semi-permanent residence. Starting with a hovel to store the near limitless bounty acquired, with the option to upgrade to a more respectable domicile, would be a welcome call back. The option to play through with alegiance (sp) to the Empire or Avernum would shake things up. I loved the Geas, as it made serious changes to how irritated people became. And, the rewards were not bad for my two person party. As for Star Wars, Empire is the dark chapter, where all hope seems lost. The prequels, flash and fame. I am a Star Wars super geek, and quite proud of it. Palpatine makes the prequels.

I was not aware Jeff Vogel dealt with all the meat of the game. I got the games off one of the old-school Win98/Mac shareware discs, back when the first 3 levels of Duke Nukem 3D were shareware. Internet is a rather new commodity at my disposal. Thanks for the heads up. As for a new plot, think back to Exile/Avernum 3. Numerous rampaging hoards, neatly lining up to be picked apart at your leisure. It was a change from the standard format (not to mention the introduction to sunlight). With Avernum 4, we are reintroduced to the Exile/Avernum 1-2 map overlay we all cut our teeth on. What nostalgia. 5 is an epic journey into the Heart of Darkness to stop an insane rogue officer, one of your own. Subject matter aside, I have faith I will not be disappointed. I am going to start Genoforge. I have high hopes. And in closing, I will never feel I have said it enough (until the moment of truth), bring back mass haste, if the god of the caves be watching over. :-,

After over 10 years of Exile, it was a welcome change to play through Avernum, 1-5. Many differences, i.e. no mass haste (much sadness), no dual wielding (not as bad as first diagnosed), and a rather abbreviated spell list. It was like they took away some of the frills, only to add new and unusual ones. Items with specific pros and cons? Never saw that coming. -1 strength to gain 1 AP, that alone makes for quite a quandry ( I always go for the extra AP, if ye be wondering). I am quite excited for the sixth installment. I wonder where our faithful band of adventurers will be stranded this time. One thing I must say is the in-game... skill "cheat" menu is handy, especially when recreating your party mid game. I change up the crew every chapter, so this particular menu is a must. This is my first time posting, but I have been playing the Exiles since my Macintosh Power PC was new (1996). Number 2 has always been my bread and butter. If ye be watching, developers and staff, keep up the great work, as I have yet to be disappointed. And bring back the mass haste, if you would be so kind. ;-)