exile Playing the Exile series for the first time... (back after two years)

[ladyonthemoon]

So...

 

On 8/2/2020 at 2:32 PM, ladyonthemoon said:

After Ivan [Redacted] created a thread about playing old software on 64bits machines (thank you for that!), I installed Exile. I'm curious about these older games and if there are many differences, apart from the obvious, with the Avernum series, since the Exile games are the first versions of the Avernum series.

 

... and Avernum are definitely my favourite of Jeff's games. @Spidweb  👋

 

I created a thread two years ago but I don't want to "necro" it so I asked for it to be locked.

 

This thread will not be a play through, I intend to post here observations, maybe some questions? In the meantime, if you play Exile too, please feel free to participate and post your experience(s) here! Images are welcome but I'll hardly post some myself.

 

My first party is composed of six characters: three men and three women:

 

• two fighters, one male specialised in pole weapons, one female archer talented at using poisons; both having limited skill at edged weapons,
• one "roguish" male character, specialised in lock picking, trap disarming, assassination and the like; this one has good skill at using edged weapons,
• one female "scholar" who can decipher runes, knowledgeable at items and so on; doesn't cast spells, good at bashing weapons,
• one male mage,
• one female shaman.

 

Here, they are, from the bottom and then left to right: Ian, Ariel the archer, Nathan the assassin,  Catherine the scholar, Edwin the mage and Rayna the shaman:

 

I look forward to hearing from you!

Edited September 16, 2022 by ladyonthemoon

[ladyonthemoon]

Not long after I started playing and it happens that a member of my party is already dead. Generally, I don't allow that to happen in any of my games but, this time, I decided to give it a go.

 

The character who died is the wizard; I remember that in Avernum we can revive any dead party member in Silvar or we can create a brand new one but I suspect that we cannot do that in Exile. So, does anybody know where I can hire a mage/wizard?

 

Thanks!

[Misc Staple]

The Priest Spells "Raise Dead" and "Resurrect" can bring back a dead party member. "Raise Dead" is in the Tower of Magi and "Resurrect" is in a monastery across the river from the Aranea City. You also need a Resurrection Balm. But since you just started, it'll probably be a long while before you can get these.

You can't recruit an NPC to join your party in Exile. That's something that started in Avernum.

I'd just go back to a previous save, but it's your game.

[Randomizer]

You can get characters raised by some healers in town, but it is expensive for a starting party.

[Mea Tulpa]

15 hours ago, ladyonthemoon said:

we can create a brand new one but I suspect that we cannot do that in Exile. So, does anybody know where I can hire a mage/wizard?

 

You can create a brand new one, I'm pretty sure.  Use that "X" button in the upper right to delete a party member, and then... there should be a menu item somewhere that reads something like "Create New PC..."  -- I don't remember if it had location requirements.

[ladyonthemoon]

Thanks for your help!

 

I ended up creating a new party... My choices were about the same, except that I gave levels in Item Lore to everyone except the mage (not enough points, he'll get some later).

1. Ian is best at poles,
2. Arielle is an archer,
3. Nathan is specialised in trap disarming, locks picking and using poisoned weapons and throwing weapons,
4. Catherine uses bashing weapons and is knowledgeable in Mage lore, Item lore and Alchemy,
5. Edwin is the wizard of the group, and is good at Mage lore,
6. Rayna is the shaman and is also good at Mage lore.

 

I also changed the graphics; I was using the old ones only, now I'm using the old terrains and Monsters1 sprites alongside all the other new ones. I had to edit Monsters1 because the "living" statues do not use the "not living" statues sprites.

 

Here is my new party, from the left to the right, Catherine, Edwin, Rayna, Arielle, Nathan and Ian.

 

[ladyonthemoon]

On 9/18/2022 at 2:42 PM, handle with air said:

 

You can create a brand new one, I'm pretty sure.  Use that "X" button in the upper right to delete a party member, and then... there should be a menu item somewhere that reads something like "Create New PC..."  -- I don't remember if it had location requirements.

I did this: no "Create new PC" option anywhere. Must be in Avernum.

[Mea Tulpa]

No, this was definitely a thing in Exile II.  (I even found another reference to it using the forum search command.)

 

It's possible Exile II added this -- or maybe it's a button and not a menu item in E1 -- or maybe it has location requirements.  (I have a memory of only being able to do it in Fort Exile, but maybe that's A1.)

 

Or maybe it's called "___ Party" instead?

 

Have you tried looking for it

- in Fort Exile

- on the world map

- in Silvar

 

Another option would be to just use the Editor and change the stats of the old PC to your "new" one.

[ladyonthemoon]

1 hour ago, handle with air said:

No, this was definitely a thing in Exile II.

In Exile II? I'm playing Exile I. I didn't insist since I've created a new party. I'll look further if one of my characters dies in the future.

 

The editor? I don't have an editor for Exile I....

[Mea Tulpa]

I know you're playing Exile I.  I was responding to your comment, immediately above mine, that it must have been added in Avernum 🙂

 

The editor should be included in the Exile folder.

[Misc Staple]

You can create a new character in Exile 1 by playing the game. You have to go to the beginning of the game (Fort Exile) and walk into the special encounter in front of the portal. You'll get the option of creating a new character from scratch, as long as you have an empty slot.

I can't find any menu option for creating a new character.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Misc Staple

[ladyonthemoon]

20 hours ago, handle with air said:

The editor should be included in the Exile folder.

Yes, I took a closer look and indeed it is in the install folder; it's called EXILEED.EXE. Thanks!

 

[ladyonthemoon]

8 hours ago, Misc Staple said:

You can create a new character in Exile 1 ... You have to go to the beginning of the game (Fort Exile) and walk into the special encounter in front of the portal. You'll get the option of creating a new character from scratch, as long as you have an empty slot.

I just tested this and... it works ! 

 

Excellent tip, thank you!

 

[ladyonthemoon]

I am at a loss. I think my party has taken care of the Nephilim fort to the North for Captain Johnson in Fort Duvno but I don't seem to be able to find the proper dialogue to tell him and get a reward of some kind. I couldn't find a way to tell the last prisoner that he could go either.

 

Anybody knows about that? Thanks!

 

Edit: now that I think of it, I couldn't find a way to actually get the mission to kill the Nephilim boss either...

Edited September 22, 2022 by ladyonthemoon

[Mea Tulpa]

Very few "quests" have a specific reward from a "quest-giver" in E1.  And for the most part there is no way to "get" a "quest."

 

This was normal in 1994.  See also, being expected to piece together what is going on in the world and how you can make things better by talking to many different people, as opposed to having a single Bob who explains everything and tells you exactly what to do.

[ladyonthemoon]

2 hours ago, handle with air said:

Very few "quests" have a specific reward from a "quest-giver" in E1.  And for the most part there is no way to "get" a "quest."

Ah, okay. I thought that taking care of the new Nephil fort was an important quest.

 

[Mea Tulpa]

Yeah, it's a bit confusing... there are at least 3 different Nephil forts in the eastern area, which doesn't help... there's the simpler one north of Duvno, the Nepharim fort near Cotra that has all the prisoners, and then the Nephil castle further northwest.  It's that last one that's "important" in the sense that you can get a token to get into the Castle by doing it.