Jump to content

osnola

Member
  • Posts

    96
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by osnola

  1. For this, it would probably be better to use cboe, i.e. there is already an option to disable Instant Help in the preferences (although I don't check that it works). Just for information, I compiled my version of cboe (after quickly fixing many problems): https://github.com/fosnola/cboe/commits/master ; of course, everything is not perfect but under OSX, I was able to finish about ten scenarios without major problems...
  2. I just modified one of my program to extract the .pict contained in the file "Exile III Graphics", so now I have a list of files : 700.pct, 701.pct, ... ; if you send me an email in a private message, I can send your a .zip containing these files. Notes: - I can see them in the Finder. LibreOffice seems able to open them but ImageMagic seems to have problem with some of them, ... - concerning SheepShaver, I use it to emulate a MacOS9 system on some recent Mac, this works ( but at the beginning, it can be tricky to install MacOS9, ...) - I will try latter to extract the pictures in Exile I, ...
  3. Hello, concerning the MacOS graphics, it is still possible to use an emulator SheepShaver, MiniVMac, ... to install these old executables. In general, these executables install only a few files, one of which contains all the images. For example, installing Exile III creates 11 files: 3 executables (Exile, Editor, Docs/Order Form), 5 data files (Graphics, Outdoors, Sounds, Specials, Towns) and 3 text files (READMe, Version History, Software License). In this case, the file of interest "Exile III Graphics" contains ~85 .pict files (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PICT ), they are stored in its resource fork (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_fork ) ; they have no name, only a number: 700, 701, ..., 3001. Note: - I can try to create a small program to extract them automatically, ...
  4. The line "set_flag (3,0) == 1;" seems strange to me, ie. maybe, you can replace it by set_flag(3,0,1); ( at least, if http://spiderwebforums.ipbhost.com/topic/14167-stuff-done-help/?tab=comments#comment-176405 is correct).
  5. My style of play is particular: 4 archers who summon many skeletons (*). To humiliate the Ariel, my party is usually huddled by the river and a tree, I buff my party, I always keep a skeleton alive near Peadar and attack Peadar from a distance (except when spiders appear, I kill them first) ; when Peadar is dead, I run for the exit while summoning a few skeletons to occupy the remaining monsters: these trees have a lot of life points, they are slow, so no need to kill them. (*) Basically, I give each member of the group the best possible bow/wand, all have energy potions and can summon a skeleton or cast a healing spell ; one can cast a group blessing/hate spell, one can cast a group healing spell. Concerning this battle, it is nice to have a Ahriel member in your party with radiance abilities and some Radiance items.
  6. Under OSX (and on my mac), the biggest problem is the menu, i.e. you can use the file menu (open, save, save as), but if you use other menus and it opens a dialog, the application crashes when this dialog is closed (so you must avoid using the menus :-~). I guess this problem doesn't happen if you use other platforms. Otherwise, there are still a few bugs but most things seem to work (except the mini-map and the journal that don't work properly when you reload a saved game, ...). Currently, I'm playing the first scenario: The Valley of Dying Things, basically, I have seen few problems: - some out-of-bounds array readings, - I do not get some reward when I return some quest, the only big problem I've seen is when I leave Magic School: there remains a nasty bug which can crash the game :-~ So I guess if you make frequent backups, everything can be fine (or not). Edit: I just finished The Valley of Dying Things scenario on OsX. If anyone is interested, I can rebuild new executables for OsX (Intel 64), which solve the following problems: the mini-map is working again, the journal notes work again (but if you want to access them, you must first save your game, see the menu problem below), coming out of school of Magery doesn't crash the game anymore, some memory problems are also corrected. But it will not fix: the executables still won't be signed, the menus (except Open/Save/Save As) continue to crash the game if a dialog is displayed when you close it, so you must save your game before using them, no reward is given for the quest, the spell Dispell Fields isn't working properly or I don't know how to cast it, there are still some small display problems, the most spectacular is when using the Opening Stone which works well, but the display is very weird...
  7. Hello, if anyone is interested, I've compiled an intel 64 version of cboe for OSX, it can be found at http://pentalithia.ca///oboe/?C=M;O=D : BoE-Mac-Apr2020.zip. However, the executables are not signed, so you'll have to convince GateKeeper to run them. On my Mac running OSX 10.13, I had to run in the terminal: cd ~/Downloads/BoE-Mac-Apr2020 xattr -d com.apple.quarantine BoE\ Character\ Editor.app/ xattr -d com.apple.quarantine BoE\ Scenario\ Editor.app/ xattr -d com.apple.quarantine Blades\ of\ Exile.app/
  8. Hello, unsure, if this can help: I compiled a 64-bit version of cboe with XCode 10.1 and then tried to launch Blades Of Exile. At least on my MacBook Air (OSX 10.13), two problems were obvious: - the background of the main windows is random, - the dialogs and the mini_map are often displayed incorrectly. I tried to change the code a bit, now the dialogs and the mini_map look good (at least on my computer). So I forked the cboe code ( on https://github.com/fosnola/cboe ) and I commit a patch to fix (or not) this problem; feel free to use it, if you think it's good. Edit: - I commit a second patch to avoid destroying the texture before creating the sprites. The display is much better :-)
  9. Hello, they indicate the main buildings discovered in a city, a fort; normally, if you move your mouse over them, a small window should appear and give some indication.
  10. As far as "virgin" equipment is concerned, it's perfectly normal, otherwise you can create a new character indefinitely, sell his material, delete it (to become rich). However, he must have had as many skill points as the others ; so if he had no skill to put, this means that all his skill points have been pre-assigned (probably in the Combat's tree). But you could shift his skill points : from http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/ftp/documentation/QueensWishInstructions.pdf (Training a Character):
  11. This does not matter, ie. you can remove any points that you have put in a spell and assign them to another spell... In fact, the first thing I do is modify the Prince/Princess spells to put two points in Haven Might ( and when I play singleton, I often use the third point for heal).
  12. You can change the spells of your characters when you are in a fort and choose healing for certain characters, ... After the takeover of GreatPort, you will be able to build an apothecary and use potions, ...
  13. Normally, when an enemy levels up, he gains a few health points; when you level up, you usually gain some health points and 1 mana point and if you have a level below 20, 1 skill point. So if you do a battle with the same equipments, the battles will take longer. As I played a lot of singletons and tried to clean some difficult areas (for the singletons) early to prevent the enemies from levelling up, I finished the game by cleaning some basic dungeons at level 22 (instead of level 6), it was much easier than if I had done the same fight at level 6: no need for good positioning, for healing and I finished these dungeons with a lot of available mana, health points... . Notes: a good way to prevent the enemy from levelling up is not to return quests when you've done them because some quests only give skill points when you return them; basically, you'll get the same equipment as before, you'll fight some enemies with a lower level than before but you'll have less skill points to distribute, ... rebuilding the fort is a good way to get better equipments earlier, when I reach level 17/18, my equipment is almost optimal as I have not return many quests, ... ; probably, you will reach the same limit when you reach level ~20.
  14. You only get experience by returning quests, cleaning dungeons, solving puzzles, dreaming, which limits the amount of experience you can have. Indirectly, it also limits the level to a maximum of 23.
  15. It's not a big problem because usually, even if the monsters' level has increased, you've had time to acquire better equipments, so you'll do more damage per turn and have better protection, but the fights will take longer. However, I advise you: to open the passages to the new areas (Ukat, Vol, Ahriel) as soon as possible because it allows you to build a new fort, ... to try the difficult dungeons with the right level : final battle in Tower of Nisse at level 19 and Dragon's Lair at level 21.
  16. It is no so bad, if you know what it's feasible and when it's doable(*); ie. I just finished a game without trying to kill Shubael and avoiding the final battle in Tower of the Nisse(**), the only battles that were very, very hard (where I had to reload a lot of times) were the battles inside the three Nisse refuges(***). In fact, it felt more like banging my head against the wall with my first try in casual mode where I started to clean the Haven areas and then tried to get through the Ahriel/Ukat/Vol gates with a high level character and basic equipment, it was almost impossible. (*) of course, you will need to reload more often as more things can go wrong, (**) I accepted the 100-year deal, (***) maybe, because at that time, I was no longer updating my equipment thinking it was good enough to finish the game. So at the end, my singleton was clearly less optimised that my previous singleton in veteran, but still very optimised...
  17. To give you some little news, I just finished a game with a singleton in veteran mode ; it's much more difficult than playing a full party in torment, but cleaning most areas is still relatively feasible with a good strategy (sometimes unusual). There are two areas in which I have not found any good strategy: - Tower of the Nisse: the first battle is feasible but the final battle is almost impossible, i.e. I finished it, but I reloaded several times while waiting for an improbable event to occur. - the Dragon's Lair: I don't see how to kill Shubael without completely cheating, so I did not try to kill Shubael. Note: - Killing the Hidden Prince (Murkhala Mines) with a singleton at level 16 was also surprisingly difficult (but still doable), I am not sure it can be done in torment mode.
  18. Just two comments: I'm not sure I agree with this part; of course, if you can't finish a dungeon and you level up, the enemies' level will almost always increase, so if you can't buy new weapons, new armor, yes the enemies will be fundamentally harder. But if you don't level up, the enemies keep exactly the same characteristics (*). So in my first game, I almost always took a first stage that consisted only of mapping most of the dungeon and killing the first groups of enemies; then I came back with some strategy to try to kill the boss. In the latest games, I still do a lot of dungeons (about ~50%) in several stages, simply because some enemies don't reappear when they are killed or because it is possible to avoid a group before killing the boss (and I want to check all the chests). The ennemies scaling is also interesting because it clearly changes my games, ie. as I want to at be level 19 when I do Tower of Nisse (to fight enemies at level 18), I skip some quests and a few easy dungeons just to avoid gaining too much experience. Of course, I complete these remaining dungeons before the end; for instance, in the last game, I completed Neil's Manse and Barb's Bastion only when I was at level 20 (as not to leave any pockets of resistance :-~). (*) I just checked with a saved game: I killed the first group of enemies, I left the dungeon, I came back, the respawn group (and the following group) have the same characteristics as before. With a full party, even in torment, except Tower of Nisse and Dragon's Lair (which are very tough), I save very often but I don't often need to recharge the last backup. With a singleton, I need to reload more often ( in normal, maybe on average one reload for two dungeons ; in veteran, much more, on average maybe one reload per dungeon)...
  19. Does this happen more often in the iOS version than in the desktop version ? If yes, this would probably annoy me a lot. If not, I have finished this game in normal without knowing how to right-click and it was quite feasible ; since then, I have finished the game with greater complexity, I sometimes use the right-click on enemies: either to look at their starting characteristics (to plan a battle) or to guess if a enemy which is bleeding, ... will die or not on his next turn, but hardly never because I do not see an enemies health status. I am not sure I understand this part, ie. if you have build enough apothecary shops, you can ask to convert the healing potions in energy potions which is really useful when you play a singleton (ie. in the last part of the game, my pack is almost full of energy potions)...
  20. Sorry, I remember seing this message in my first games (one time when I have already rebuild the first Vol's fort) and that my resources/golds were frozen but I have not done any screenshot. In my last games, this message no longer appears, probably because now, I rush the beginning:
  21. Oops, sorry, definitely this message is more accurate than my message :-~ ; yes, minimal resources are collected to cover forts' maintenance costs(*). I see that as a method to freeze the resources/golds situation and to avoid cheating by teleporting/... until you have enough resources/golds to build all shops/buy all equipments... (*) I do not know if this is still true if some of your resources are in deficit. For instance, if your shops use more woods than you can collect.
  22. The consequences of the uninspired messages are that the forts (in all lands) no longer collect any resources and any golds every two days. Note: - I have rarely seen this message, so I am not sure if it is related to some timeframe, the numbers of cleared zones compared to the number of rebuilt forts, or doing nothing in the last X days... In fact, I suspected that if you do not keep teleporting between far places just to collect resources, you will rarely see it:~
  23. When I wrote this message, I mostly wanted to explain why having two glitter-stones does not seem intended to me. The hint was here to help to reproduce the problem but I also mean it to be a little cryptic. However as I often play with a singleton, when I think of my pack, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is full, so it was probably too cryptic, sorry... I mentioned in this email that there is two glitter-stones in the initial chest of Haven, ... , probably because my pack was full when I bought them to Obro (as it was always full at these times of the game). So I suppose that this is sufficient... I imagined something similar: he has found a big source of glitter-stones and he was a prudent guy, so he only sell them one by one to trusted people (to avoid to be robbed, ...)
  24. In fact, I also thought of a flag's problem (due to a change in the code flow), ie. when I bought these stones, there appeared in the initial chest in Haven fort (because my pack was already full) so this triggered a warning message. But maybe this is already corrected in 1.0.3, ie. if this happened here, it is probable that this can happen in other places and that someone reported it.
  25. You can also change the difficulty settings for this battle and try to do it in normal or in casual. Ie. the first time, I try to play the game, it was in normal and I can not even finish this battle, so I finish it in casual. Since I have finished it in torment with a full party with better equipments and tactics (I used the behind the counter technic and it was not so difficult), and with a singleton in normal (it was almost impossible, ie. I need to reload the game a lot of times, ...).
×
×
  • Create New...