Avernum question

[Espionage]

Sorry this is my first post and hopefully this has not been asked too many times (i did look around but couldnt find any info so here goes).

 

I registered and played Exile 3 and absolutly loved it years ago and havnt heard much of it since.

 

The Avernum trilogy interests me greatly, what are the real differences between Avernum and Exile? and is there a pack where you can Avernum 1 2 and 3 togeather? and if so how much is the discount?

 

I cannot think of any other thing that i wasted so much time on that i have absolutly no regrets about doing. I would love to play the whole thing from start to finish in the newer format

 

Please, any comments would be greatly appreciated

[Lilith]

Quote:

Originally written by Espionage:
The Avernum trilogy interests me greatly, what are the real differences between Avernum and Exile?

Virtually identical plot (with the exception of a single side dungeon that's in Avernum 1 but absent from Exile 1), significantly different gameplay, fancy isometric graphics. Play one or two demos of the Avernum games and see how you like the engine.

Quote:

and is there a pack where you can Avernum 1 2 and 3 togeather? and if so how much is the discount?

Just like the order form says, you can get the entire Avernum trilogy on CD for $55, saving yourself a total of $20 compared to buying all three games separately.

[Micawber]

Partly owing to the graphics, partly owing to the engine, the games have a very different feel. I bought both the Exile trilogy and the Avernum trilogy; and I still play both.

 

The challenges are different - in Avernum you are less likely to be swamped by summoned monsters, your weapon skills are somewhat more effective, and you are given more detailed in-game information so there is a reduction in wasted effort. On the other side, in Exile you do have advantages the monsters don't have, the area-effect spells have no Avernum replacements, and there are some useful ways to use end-combat which Avernum doesn't allow. It's perfectly possible to enjoy both games in completely different ways.

[Espionage]

i already registered exile 3, does that mean that i get a discount? becuase i thought that you got a discount if you already purchased the exile version, or does that only count if you are buying the game separetly

[Micawber]

If you registered Exile 3 you get a discount on Avernum 3 (tell Jeff the name and address you registered from the first time). But you don't get a double discount, so if you purchase the whole trilogy you won't get both the trilogy discount and the Exile discount.

[Lilith]

By the way, consider trying some of Spiderweb Software's other games, such as Nethergate, Blades of Exile and Blades of Avernum. Nethergate is very different from anything else SW has made, with a historical setting and a quirky statistic system that you'll either love or hate. Blades of Exile and Blades of Avernum are campaign editors based on the Exile and Avernum engines; there are many excellent third-party scenarios available for Blades of Exile, and a few already available for Blades of Avernum.

 

Better still, you can get Nethergate, Blades of Exile or both for only $15 each with the purchase of any other game. And if you've bought Blades of Exile, you can get a $10 discount on Blades of Avernum.

[Espionage]

thanks all, i just decided that i am gonna get the Avernum box set, i am so exited.

 

If i order today does anyone know how long it takes to get to Australia.........

 

I urgently need something to do. Unfortunately 3 weeks ago i got siatica, which is a spinal nerve injury. So i cant stand or sit for longer then about 20 seconds without being in intense pain. So i spend all day lying on my back doing nothing. I thought that Avernum would hopefully cheer me up.

 

Hopefully i get better soon, but then i might have to start going to Uni again i would rather just stay in bed and play Avernum

[Espionage]

also will Spiderweb bring out Avernum 1 and 2 in OS X? becuase 3 works in OS X

 

(directed at MAC users)

[Rent-an-Ihrno]

i doubt it, espionage. they are known not to care much about their games once they are out. i would very much appreciate it, however.

[Espionage]

it might sound a bit crazy but i just purchased the box set of Avernum without playing the demo.......... thats how much confidence i have in Spiderweb

 

I played the demos of exile 1 and 2 and finished the whole of exile 3 several times.

 

I just downloaded Avernum 3 and the gameplay and spell system look awesome, i cant wait till the package comes!!!!!!!!!!

[Espionage]

I didnt want to make a new thread, because i am just a noob on this forum but i just wanted to know what people's general preferences are.

 

in the polls who wins

 

avernum vs exile

[Drakefyre]

Personally, I prefer Exile because of the better atmosphere, graphics, and gameplay.

[Archmagus Micael]

Quote:

Originally written by Drakefyre:
Personally, I prefer Exile because of the better atmosphere, graphics, and gameplay.

But this is a question that neither side will admit to defeat in. They both have very good points, and, as said earlier, you can play both without feeling that they're identical.

- Archmagus Micael

[Espionage]

perhaps changing the topic of the thread again, but do you have any advice on character generation, i played exile alot so i have som idea, but the "character types" area is a bit confusing, anything that i should stay away from?

[Archmagus Micael]

Quote:

Originally written by Espionage:
perhaps changing the topic of the thread again, but do you have any advice on character generation, i played exile alot so i have som idea, but the "character types" area is a bit confusing, anything that i should stay away from?

Well, personally, I find that a "Soldier", a "Cleric", a "Mage", and a "Mage/Cleric/Archer" is the best combination.

But that's just me.

All of their types are custom (They aren't actually those above types, just have insane training in them), as I normally give each character at least 1 level in Priest skill, so they can heal themselves.

But it's just how you like to play. You may want a singleton, or whatever. Most peopel who've polayed exile complain about the loss of two PC slots, but as I always played with 4 chars anyway...

Good Luck!

- Archmagus Micael

[Espionage]

Thanks, i was thinking about something along those lines, but i wasnt sure if it was necessary to have 2 fighters......

 

In exile i used to have

1 warrior that eventually got priest spells

2 ditto

3 ditto but also disarm traps

4 mage/priest

5 mage/priest

6 mage/priest

 

also i wanted to go Beserker because he sounds cool

 

i wasnt a big fan of archers in exile, are they any good in Avernum?

[Archmagus Micael]

Personally I find that even with the huge XP penalty, Divinely touched is a really helpful character trait.

 

Anyway! Good luck! I just won A1, know A3 off by heart, and am playing A2, so email me if you need any help.

 

- Archmagus Micael

[Alorael at Large]

I'm one of the Avernum fans, for the record.

 

My party is, in ratios similar to my Exile parties, a pair of fighters and a pair of casters, all custom. Both casters are, like yours, mages and priests. The fighters get the outdoorsy skill and tool use. I've played around with priest spell, but I've always thought that the skill points are best used elsewhere.

 

Anyone who casts spells, especially mages, benefits enormously from the Natural Mage trait. Warriors get good use out of Elite Warrior and Fast on Feet, but the former is significantly less useful to Slith characters and probably not worth the penalty. Other than that, you can play around and discover your own preferences.

 

—Alorael, who is more worried about the switch to Intel than whether or not the older Avernums, Nethergate, and the Exiles (particularly BoE) will be Carbonized. Since the new computers won't support Classic, those games may be completely inaccessible to anyone who buys a Mac in a few years. That leaves the best of the Spiderweb oeuvre to PCs only, which would be a shame.

[Drakefyre]

I would go with four custom character types. I like to have two fighters, at least one of which is a Slith and uses pole weapons, a mage, and a priest. The spellcasters will eventually get a few levels of each other's skills, and one should be a nephil who can pick locks/disarm traps.

[nikki.]

When I first played the games, I had a party setup like Drakey's. One Slith fighter, one Nephil Rogue/Fighter, and two spellcasters, both of which train a little bit in the opposite skill.

 

Now though, I use a duo of just one fighter/rogue (usually Slith) and a human caster. The slith is strong enough to bear most attacks well, and the human is there for pure role-playing reasons - I HAVE to have at least one human.

 

I have also completed Avernum 1 with a singleton. It wasn't easy - lots of spells were inaccesible, and having a lack of Rune Reading was always a problem. But, after getting through those problems, and liberally hasting, blessing and shielding for most fights, it isn't so bad. Playing through again, I'm around level 30 and just about to kill Sss-Thsss.

[Drakefyre]

Yes, my favorite party is always a fighter-priest singleton.

[Espionage]

singleton??? As in you play the whole game with only one character.

I also noticed that in Avernum that people ask if you want them to join you, is this worthwhile??

[nikki.]

Quote:

Originally written by Espionage:
singleton??? As in you play the whole game with only one character.
I also noticed that in Avernum that people ask if you want them to join you, is this worthwhile??

Sometimes. Personally, I don't use them, because they aren't *mine*. They're what Jeff thought would be helpful. But, I suppose that if you needed help, you could pick them up, and then drop them off in one of the Character Storage Rooms.

[Lilith]

NPCs are generally worthwhile only if they're at a significantly higher level than you are when you pick them up, and then only in Avernum 3. Avernum 1 and 2 have quirks in their experience system that can cause your other characters' experience gains to suffer if you pick up a high-level NPC.

[Lazarus.]

I personally use two fighters, a thief fighter, and a mage/priest combined in one. Mage is only useful in battle for hasting, and it seems like a waste of a warrior to make an entire character devoted to magery. I'll also use a divinely touched singleton from time to time.

[Espionage]

what exactly is divined touch, i read the disrciption and it was a bit ambigeous

[Lilith]

Divinely Touched increases your Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence by 1 point at level 1 plus 1 point every 8th level after that. It also gives you three special abilities, usable once per day. The most significant of these abilities is Divine Aid, which is a kind of super haste and bless (doubles your AP and greatly reduces the damage you take from enemy attacks).

[Alorael at Large]

For the countering view on Divinely Touched, I avoid it because its experience penalty is too harsh for the benefits it gives. You could buy those skill boosts yourself with the experience you'll lose by having the trait.

 

—Alorael, who has heard people claim that it is valuable for singletons. Since he doesn't play with a single character, he can't vouch for it or rant against it.

[nikki.]

Divinely touched is okay for singletons, but sometimes it just doesn't pay to have it.

 

For example, I always give my singleton Natural Mage, because I want him to have the best armour, whilst still being able to cast Dispell Barrier and Arcane Shield. That only leaves one other ability to choose.

 

Now, if you have a slith, you could avoid giving them toughness, but otherwise I tend to pick that or Strong Will. Strong Will is pretty much invaluable, since paralysis and sleep will kill you. Fast on Feet tends not to be so good with a singleton, since most of the time I don't enter combat mode to fight. That way, slow spells don't make any difference. (Very handy if you're fighting a big group with one or two magi). Although by doing this, you're limiting the amount of spells you can cast...

 

The alternative is to dump Natural Mage, and take off armour before casting. Thus you could give Divinely Touched, or another one of the above.

 

At the end of the day, the type of singleton you're playing will eventually make your choice for you. Drakey's fighter-priest probably won't have toughness, since it's a Slith, and won't use Natural Mage. It might have Fast on Feet and Strong Will, say.

 

A fighter-mage on the other hand will want Natural Mage, so they can use Fireblasts and Arcane Shields (due to not having Divine Warrior), and might be able to avoid Strong Will depending on their intelligence. That means they might get Fast on Feet or Divinely Touched.

 

Finally, a straight fighter, or a fighter/thief, will definately want Strong Will, since intelligence won't be a concern for him. He might want Fast on Feet so that he can act sooner in combat, or may go for Divinely Touched. Alternatively, he might want to go for Nimble Fingers, so that he doesn't have to spend so many skill points on Tool Use.

 

Edit: Examples.

[Drakefyre]

My fighters usually have Strong Will, but since the singleton has decent intelligence and priest spells, it has good magic effect resistance already. I like to go with Fast on Feet and Divinely Touched. Divine Aid is wonderful in providing that extra boost to kill a tough monster, and the Regeneration ability helps when I'm running low on SP.

[Espionage]

i am confused, do most people play singleton??

 

i made a party and this is what i had

 

1 - warrior - natural warrior and good rep

2 - theif/archer/warrior - fast on feet, strong will

3 - mage - natural made, good education

4 - priest - divine touch

 

is that a sensible choice?

[Alex]

There's nothing wrong with your choice.

Good education and reputation aren't really worth the XP hit, IMHO.

[Zeviz]

Quote:

Originally written by Espionage:
i am confused, do most people play singleton??
...

No, but the ones who do like to talk about it.

As for your skill selection, reputation is not very useful, because you can get it by doing quests. If you will be evolving your priest into priest/mage, consider giving him Natural Mage, instead of Divinely Touched. Other than that, I don't have anything to add.

[Drakefyre]

I like to give my fighters Strong Will to prevent adverse magical effects like paralysis, confusion, etc. from ruining them.

[Alorael at Large]

I've gotten much more utility out of Divinely Touched on fighters. The skill bonuses help everyone, but fighters get a bit more. Divine Aid is much more useful to the stabbers and meat shields than the back row characters.

 

—Alorael, who also likes to keep his characters' experience penalties balanced. Having characters all over the board in levels can be troublesome.