What happened to the cows?

[Walter]

Why do the people of Avernum no longer seem to have any cows? In previous games you could find cows in most towns, but now the only livestock you see in this game is giant lizards.

[*i]

Most likely cuts were made in the graphics department.

[Lilith]

Underworld cows were never very good anyway -- the constant diet of mushrooms made their milk undrinkable and their meat unpleasant. I guess the Avernites eventually just got used to dealing with giant lizards to the point that cows were no longer necessary.

[Casey Fulton]

Maybe everyone in Avernum who fled to Valorim after the floodgates were opened took a cow with them?

[madrigan]

They had an epidemic of Mage Cow Disease.

[Dikiyoba]

Originally by Thuryl:

 

Quote:

Underworld cows were never very good anyway -- the constant diet of mushrooms made their milk undrinkable and their meat unpleasant. I guess the Avernites eventually just got used to dealing with giant lizards to the point that cows were no longer necessary.

And since they can trade with the surface now, they can probably get some palatable (if expensive) beef and cheese from the surface. (The poor people obviously just have to eat lizard.)

 

Dikiyoba.

[Men are from Slars]

No, no. You've got it all wrong.

 

Obviously the people of Exile realized the sacred nature of Cave Cows and they now spirit them out of harm's way as soon as Rentar's plagues or Dorikas's assassins rear their heads. This enlightenment began with the birth of a two-headed Cave Cow in 836 IE, in central Chimney, as documented in Nephil's Gambit, thanks to the grace of Him and Her.

[Rent-an-Ihrno]

You sound like a pastafari, my friend. Drink some chamomile tea.

[Alorael at Large]

Cows are expensive and valuable. They obviously don't get taken to the dangerous frontier seen in A5.

 

—Alorael, who will remain deliberately silent on the subject of A4.

[Walter]

But surely Mother Alice in New Harston would want one nearby so she could get fresh milk?

[Toby-Linn]

Oh my god, I can't believe I didn't notice there wasn't any cows until reading this topic!

 

I can't explain it...maybe cow graphics were too hard? no, that can't be it. Maybe Jeff just forgot to put them in?

[Evnissyen]

Maybe it was just a matter of economy? I mean, who needs cows when you have rampant lizards? The first are not made for living in caves, the second are.

 

Leave the cows to the Empire, I say.

[Grimm]

Those rampant lizards probably ate the cows. Think about it. Once people learn to house-break their lizards, the lizards diet then did not include fresh tasty human/slith/nephil meat. So they ate the next best thing, fresh cave-cow meat.

[Tcheedchee]

Well, then it's really bad, that there are no cows there anymore.

Think! What will the lizards eat next?

Won't they return to their usual diet of human an slith meat?!

As if we didn't have enough trouble beating up all the bad guys and looting all the caves and tunnels.

[Spidweb]

In Avernum 4, we didn't have time.

 

In Avernum 5, I just forgot.

 

Hopefully, Avernum 6 will have cave cows. Beautiful, beautiful cows.

 

And, at the end, there will be cake.

 

- Jeff Vogel

[Toby-Linn]

ooohhh....chocolate cake?

[Men are from Slars]

I'm holding you to that "beautiful, beautiful" part Jeff!

[Student of Trinity]

I want to see an A6 quest where you have to get 600 head of cave-cattle to the railhead before the chitrachs come.

 

Move em' on, head em' up, head em' up, move em' on, move em' on, head em' up, Rawhide!

[Tyranicus]

The cake is a lie. How do we know the cows aren't a lie too?

[Andraste]

Will there be a cow level?

[Evnissyen]

Jeff: What about the deli sandwich? Does the deli sandwich return, too?

 

I hope so.

 

And I also miss cake.

 

I also hope the GIFTC returns, and brings some friends with him/her.

[-=microphage=-]

Quote:

Originally written by Clavicle:
Jeff: What about the deli sandwich? Does the deli sandwich return, too?

I hope so.

And I also miss cake.

I also hope the GIFTC returns, and brings some friends with him/her.

Cake is available in both the Geneforge and Avernum Series. Mainly by typing shift-D and typing giveasnack which gives your lead player cake. I do recall a quest for cake somewhere and recall only 2 pieces of cake available in entire game.

Cows? Cave Cows? I thought they were ornks. Must be GF4 brain bleed. I started Avernum at A4 so I just assumed the lizards were the primary meat source. Maybe I ought to dl a3demo so I can see a Cave Cow.

[Men are from Slars]

I've got it.

 

Cave Cow will be a fourth option for player race!

[Evnissyen]

Microphage: Yeah, there was a cake quest in G3; one of the serviles said she missed cake; but since I never found any cake for her, and I didn't use the GIVEASNACK cheat, I wasn't able to make her happy.

 

I don't remember if I've seen cakes outside of the cheat -- I think I have -- in any of the other games... I just vividly remember cake, and haven't seen any mention yet of cake in A5. I do remember the deli sandwich in Nethergate, which is why I want it back. Sylak's Talking Skull wouldn't eat it though, even though he kept asking me for it.

 

(I should probably mention, here, that I have not played any of the SW games before Nethergate, so I'm not too familiar with A1-A3. I haven't purchased G1 or G2 yet, either (I never liked the interface), but I'm probably going to buy G1 soon, since I have a desire to play that one through... G2 didn't seem as interesting. I didn't like being tethered to that woman's command. I probably will pay for that game, too, eventually.)

[Dikiyoba]

Originally by Microphage:

 

Quote:

Cows? Cave Cows? I thought they were ornks. Must be GF4 brain bleed. I started Avernum at A4 so I just assumed the lizards were the primary meat source. Maybe I ought to dl a3demo so I can see a Cave Cow.

You'll want A1 or A2, actually. A3 mostly takes place on the surface, and you want to see cave cows, not surface cows. A1 has cave cows right outside the starting town, even. But A2 lets you have a very mooving conversation with some cave cows near the beginning of the game, and it has the better plot, so Dikiyoba recommends you download that one.

[Walter]

Also, I remember some npc saying the mushroom diet turns the meat rancid, and they just use the cows for milk.

[Student of Trinity]

Don't worry about your teacher in G2. Shanti doesn't stay around for long after the demo, and even in the demo she doesn't really do anything except tell you to explore the area, which is the only thing you can do, anyway.

[Randomizer]

Quote:

Originally written by Student of Trinity:
Don't worry about your teacher in G2. Shanti doesn't stay around for long after the demo, and even in the demo she doesn't really do anything except tell you to explore the area, which is the only thing you can do, anyway.

?????

Worst case of topic drift, ever.

[Taliesin]

There was an implied quote:

 

Quote:

Originally by Clavicle:

G2 didn't seem as interesting. I didn't like being tethered to that woman's command.

Still quite a drift, now that I think about it.

[Tyranicus]

Quote:

Originally written by Dikiyoba:
You'll want A1 or A2, actually. A3 mostly takes place on the surface, and you want to see cave cows, not surface cows.

There are cave cows in Upper Avernum. There is even a quest to find some.

[Soul of Wit]

I just played the Secret Cow Level in Diablo II.

 

Moo-Ma-Moo, Ma-Moo-Moo-Moo

[Walter]

Quote:

Originally written by Clavicle:

(I should probably mention, here, that I have not played any of the SW games before Nethergate, so I'm not too familiar with A1-A3.

You do know, the original Nethergate, unlike the remake, was made before any of the Avernum games.

It introduced for the first time in Spiderweb games some of the game mechanics that were later used in Avernum, though in other respects it held over certain features from Exile (such as the conversation system and being able to have more than two traits). It also had some features unique to it (like no levels, just a skill point every few experience, the spell circle system, and having hp being the total of your combat skills.)

[Evnissyen]

My mistake: I thought Nethergate was made after A3.

 

Randomizer & Taliesin: Embrace the drift.

[Men are from Slars]

Nethergate also had cows.

[Walter]

Nethergate also had a talking cow (I think the only other talking cow I've seen was in the first scenario for blades). However, there was no useful function for the talking cow, and it's situation was a little depressing.

[nikki.]

Quote:

Originally written by Tyranicus:
There are cave cows in Upper Avernum. There is even a quest to find some.

For the Nephil in New Cotra, right?

The best cave cow episode is in A1/2 (not sure which), when they follow you around the Great Cave. Part of me hoped they'd appear in town next to me.

Also, one of Smoo's BoA scenarios has an encounter with some cows, though I forget which. MoC?

[-=microphage=-]

Quote:

Originally written by Clavicle:
Microphage: Yeah, there was a cake quest in G3; one of the serviles said she missed cake; but since I never found any cake for her, and I didn't use the GIVEASNACK cheat, I wasn't able to make her happy.

I don't remember if I've seen cakes outside of the cheat -- I think I have -- in any of the other games... I just vividly remember cake, and haven't seen any mention yet of cake in A5. I do remember the deli sandwich in Nethergate, which is why I want it back. Sylak's Talking Skull wouldn't eat it though, even though he kept asking me for it.

>>> YES! I remember now. I got G3 through Real Arcade and it was my 1st experience with SW games. I'm going to have to get G3 again someday. (Burnt out on RA long ago.) I'm replaying A4 right now. According to the forums back then there were 2 pieces of cake in the game and none very close by the quest giver. I ate the cake before I found the quest so I cheated after finding out I ate both pieces because I actually did find them. That's about the time I started reading the forums, after A4 came out I registered for the forums.

Quote:

Originally written by Dikiyoba:
Originally by Microphage:

Quote:

Cows? Cave Cows? I thought they were ornks. Must be GF4 brain bleed. I started Avernum at A4 so I just assumed the lizards were the primary meat source. Maybe I ought to dl a3demo so I can see a Cave Cow.

You'll want A1 or A2, actually. A3 mostly takes place on the surface, and you want to see cave cows, not surface cows. A1 has cave cows right outside the starting town, even. But A2 lets you have a very mooving conversation with some cave cows near the beginning of the game, and it has the better plot, so Dikiyoba recommends you download that one.

>>> As usual, good info! I'll d/l A2. Thanks, yet again...

[Brock The Archmage]

Quote:

Originally written by Clavicle:
(I should probably mention, here, that I have not played any of the SW games before Nethergate, so I'm not too familiar with A1-A3. I haven't purchased G1 or G2 yet, either (I never liked the interface), but I'm probably going to buy G1 soon, since I have a desire to play that one through... G2 didn't seem as interesting. I didn't like being tethered to that woman's command. I probably will pay for that game, too, eventually.)

you won't have to deal with being commanded over much, she mostly lets you do her your thing and explore for her after the irst part.

cake should be the meal of choice in th games!

i wish mindduel was back...i loved it

[Reve]

Quote:

Originally written by Spidweb:
In Avernum 4, we didn't have time.

In Avernum 5, I just forgot.

Hopefully, Avernum 6 will have cave cows. Beautiful, beautiful cows.

And, at the end, there will be cake.

- Jeff Vogel

Cows! I'm making a note here, huge success!

[olop4444]

Quote:

Originally written by Reve:

Quote:

Originally written by Spidweb:
In Avernum 4, we didn't have time.

In Avernum 5, I just forgot.

Hopefully, Avernum 6 will have cave cows. Beautiful, beautiful cows.

And, at the end, there will be cake.

- Jeff Vogel

Cows! I'm making a note here, huge success!

It's hard to overstate my satisfaction as well.

[Phazer]

Cave Cows n Cake. Phaser

 

CCCP

[Barking Spider]

This place should be interesting.

[Evnissyen]

Let me know if it happens.

[Sleeping Dragon]

Remember back in Exile III, where there were actually two cow graphics? One for the cave cows and one for the surface cows. It is kind of a pity that Jeff's upgraded engine makes monster graphics so much more difficult (expensive?) to create. I like the new one and all, but I do miss all the pretty pictures.