Arena Adventurings and Daggerfall Dealings, A Characters Update thread Options

[mirocu]

Sorry to hear the game´s acting up on you, Callidus

-If at first you don´t succeed, mr Kidd...

-Try and try again, mr Wint

[treydog]

Sorry to hear it is giving you difficulties, Callidus.

Here are some tips- not being insulting- just that I actually own the original game...

Use the "M" command when in the city to get an overhead view.

Stores are orange, inns green, guilds blue. Houses (and the palace for some reason) are gray. The layout of Daggerfall city is NOT random, so you may be able to find a map online to use as a reference (ALT-TAB is your friend). Here- in fact

While walking around, switch your mode to "Information (F3 in the default keyboard map). When you "activate" a building, it will give you the name and (if a guild or store) the hours it is open. If a locale is not open, you can "Loiter" for up to 3 hours at a time with no penalty.

Asking directions can be frustrating- "Just keep going southwest". However, someone will eventually say-"Let me mark it on your map."

That said, the only locations in Daggerfall city you HAVE to know are the Guilds, the Palace, and possibly a store or two. You may get "go exterminate the critters" quests directing you to specific houses or inns, at which point you do the "ask directions from lots of people" thing.

You SHOULD also locate The Odd Blades (most likely to have high-level weapons, even early in the game), a pawn shop (buys those high-value, strange items), and the Bank of Daggerfall (several locations).

Once a character has identified a building (either from information mode OR entering it), the label will always be on that character's map. Then you can take advantage of either running or riding your horse to get around the city faster.

Once you get a quest, it will show up in your log, including the name of the place and/or person involved.
Open up the world map (W key by default) and type in the quest location, then click on "Find". It will ask if you want to fast-travel there and offer options on how to do so.

A note on travel methods- you can chose "camp out" to save gold, but should always use "cautiously" when going to cities to ensure arrival when the gates are open. That matters mostly in Daggerfall, where Lysandus' ghost is a problem after dark. If you get "trapped" on the streets at night, just go to the nearest inn and either rent a room (if you are seriously roleplaying) or loiter the night away 3 hours at a time. Another option is to set your Teleport locus inside a guild and zap to it...

I have had one crash with this version running in DOSBox, which is MUCH fewer than the common Crash-to-Desktop issue that happened in the original game.

If you have questions, please ask- I will do my best to come up with a good (and possibly even CORRECT) answer.

ETA- Now playing "Trey the Reset." Because I picked the WRONG Temple to join! He has been lugging around a wagon-load of ingredients, waiting to get access to the Potion-maker- except Kynareth is one of the TWO Temples that does not HAVE one! So- Trey the Reset is now a worshipper of Stendarr. Which is cool, because you get a percentage chance per level of not being killed (except by drowning) whenever your character dies.

This post has been edited by treydog: Nov 23 2013, 11:28 PM

[Callidus Thorn]

Yeah, I know how to get the map, and the colours of the important buildings, but without any useful directions or markers I've no idea where anything I'm looking for is actually located.

Thanks for the link to the map, that should help a lot.

Managed to get a game to save after four or five restarts. It seems that any start that gives me duplicate items, for instance a pair of iron cuirasses and ebony blades, made it want to crash. Weird.


So, now on my seventh iteration of Callidus the Dunmer Sorcerer, custom class of course.

[treydog]

Something else that I do not know to be absolutely true- but testing may prove or disprove....

It appears that when you are asking directions to a locale of which there are a large number (taverns, stores, etc) the list is in descending order from closest to furthest from your current location.

So- if the Black Wolf Tavern is near the top of the list, it is probably fairly close by...

Maybe.

[mirocu]

Thor has been visiting every major town in Skyrim except Riften for stronger weapons and round shield and as always he found what he searched for in the last place he looked. He hasn´t found the ultimate round shield or belt though, but he has a couple Ebony longswords, a Dwarven saber and one Adamantium longsword so he´ll be able to deal some damage to foes resistant to mundane weapons He´s also got a round shield that fortifies his Strength by ten points!

Right now he´s back on his old training grounds; Markath Side. He´s about to go into the same house as before to fight off monsters and this time, he´s prepared!


Edit: Level 15 now and I still only get 4 bonus points! What am I supposed to do with that!??
Anyway, thanks to the spells getting stronger by the level, Thor can withstand much abuse now. Though he died once because lets face it, four Wraiths at the same time is a little much for someone with only +2 in Magic Defense.

This post has been edited by mirocu: Nov 25 2013, 09:34 AM

[mirocu]

Thor has reached lvl 20 and finally his Reflect and Absorb spells are getting useful being at 90% chance of casting success and lasting for 90 secs while also being cheaper to cast. Now it´s possible to save many Restore Power potions as well as Health potions. Not that it matters financially, he´s got about 120.000 gold pieces. But still, saves me the trouble of going to the Mages Guild and buy them all the time

It also makes the fights so much easier as one spell hit no longer drains 80% of his health and it doesn´t wear out the shield spell either.

[Renee]

@Callidus - Then fire up Daggerfall again! I´m looking ridiculous here being the only one providing updates!

I will join you in your ridiculousness. I've got Arena now on disc, with ES Anthology. There's a chance I might not like it, but I think I will. Only question: can I use my wired controller to move my character around?

I might (try to) start Arena tonight. Playing Skyrim right now and played OB earlier today, so it'll be a culture shock going from one game to the other!

[mirocu]

@Callidus - Then fire up Daggerfall again! I´m looking ridiculous here being the only one providing updates!

I will join you in your ridiculousness. I've got Arena now on disc, with ES Anthology. There's a chance I might not like it, but I think I will. Only question: can I use my wired controller to move my character around?

Yay! Another Arena gamer!!

It´s good that you use the Anthology version, that way we can see if there´s any problem going on with it that´s not with the downloaded version. A cross reference, if you will

I have no idea about the controller, you just have to try. But I´d be surprised if it works with a game that old and my guess is that you still have to use the keyboard for hotkeying (instead of the Icons next to your character).

Keep us posted!

[Renee]

Keep us posted!

I will. I managed to find a webpage on Nexusmods where the dude talks about getting a controller working for Arena, and although I was too tired to game last night, I did notice the controller seems to be operational. I was watching the menu and noticed that if I press a button this makes the menu jump ahead. From what I understand, I'll still need to use my wireless keyboard to do certain things (like pull up a map) but I am fine with this. As long as the actual gameplay works, I'll be set.

Installing from disc was weird. Like, when playing a game on Xbox, or even when playing Sims 3 on PC all I have to do is click on an icon to get the game installed, and another icon to get it started. Well the way Beth did it on disc, there are no instructions! Even the 'online guide' or whatever it's called hasn't got any install instrux. Long story longer, I had to actually look at all the different files listed under Arena and finally found one which has the word 'install' on it. COOL! Right-clicked on that sucker, and finally (after ages went by) got the game installed.

That's weird. I have no idea why they did it that way, why there isn't a more obvious 'install' icon, or why I can't just right-click on the Arena disc itself and get an install option that way? Perhaps it's because PC gaming is for more 'advanced' thinkers or something; people who just already 'know' what to do.



Anyways, I'm supposed to do a bunch of stuff today; Xmas is almost here, but I'll hopefully get around to messing with Arena soon, and my next post will hopefully be an actual gaming update. I have already decided who my first character is. I'm going with the flow in this thread here, and it'll be Renee Gade I. I'm RPing that RG1 was the first Renee Gade, and that RG2 (who appeared when I was playing TES4) is the daughter of RG1.

RG1 will not be dead-is-dead. There's a learning curve here, so I'll have to learn it first.

[mirocu]

That's weird. I have no idea why they did it that way, why there isn't a more obvious 'install' icon, or why I can't just right-click on the Arena disc itself and get an install option that way?

Remember this is Beth you´re dealing with, and she is not an easy one to have around!

RG1 will not be dead-is-dead. There's a learning curve here, so I'll have to learn it first.

Very Extremely good idea. Otherwise I bet a thousand bucks we won´t hear much from her

[Renee]

I'm trying to start Renee Gade I's game as we speak. It's actually raining outside, too.

One question: why won't it let me start her from the Imperial Province? I was able to start her from Skyrim (by accident) but I want to make her an Imperial.

[mirocu]

One question: why won't it let me start her from the Imperial Province? I was able to start her from Skyrim (by accident) but I want to make her an Imperial.

You can´t be an Imperial in Arena. They´re not invented yet

[Renee]

I have done it! I have managed to configure my controller for Arena! I got it, man! Seriously, if anybody wants advice how to get this to work, I can definitely help. Now, time for some gaming.

Edit 1: man this game is hard. Stamina is what determines whether you die or not, and assuming I can find a spot to rest at, it barely regenerates? Damn.

Edit 2: Ridiculously hard. Every time it offers me a chance to rest, it's guaranteed an enemy will show up who will remove all the Stamina RG has gained, if not outright killing her. Getting rather frustrating. tbh.

This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Dec 22 2013, 08:27 PM

[mirocu]

Get yourself together, man woman, and persevere! It will become easier later on
What race is she, btw?

------

As for my Nord, he just slept away three months because the winter ended but we couldn´t accept that so he´s been practicing fighting in a house for a long time. But enough is enough and so he went to the closest inn and payed for several weeks at a time and just slept until winter was upon him again!

This post has been edited by mirocu: Dec 22 2013, 09:58 PM

[Renee]

Get yourself together, man woman, and persevere! It will become easier later on
What race is she, btw?

She's a Nord, which is fine. Renee Gade II was an Imperial, so there's some sort of cross-breeding between RG2 and her mother, perhaps.

But yeah, Arena's frickin' hard man. I mean, damn. If this is supposed to be the Tutorial dungeon, the learning curve involved is really steep. I didn't expect much hand-holding, that's not what I mean, what I mean is I can't even make it 50 feet without getting killed. Good thing I'm not playing this game DiD.

Stamina = health apparently, and it does not regenerate. When an enemy attacks Renee Gade I, it's the Stamina that's getting hacked, and when it gets to zero, Renee is dead. There are moments when the game will let my character rest, restoring Health and Stamina, but these moments guarantee some monsters will show up, hacking away any gained momentum, and possibly also killing her with just 2 swings or something.

There is no difficulty, either. I can't dumb the game down. Perhaps this is where my first training on the Console will begin; perhaps I'll have to cheat a bit, give RG1 boosted stats or remove certain enemies (if possible). I hate doing this, but I'm too frustrated by this game as-is to really enjoy it. I have noticed goblins and rats are good opponents, problem is a lizard man or some sort of soldier-looking dude will show up. Two hacks from one of these, and RG1 is dead.

Once I'm out in the world, perhaps it'll mellow out a bit (like you say), perhaps I'll be able to have Renee run around a lot or something. But it's interesting in an evolutionary sense, because this is how games used to be. No hand-holding! None! .... The game even seems to trick and fool the gamer too, because there will be a message like "this looks like a good place to rest!" so of course I try to rest. Assuming the game even lets this happen, that's where RG1 gets into the most trouble.

I think there must have also been a different climate of gamers back in the '90s, at least on PC: a hardcore following of people who like the fact that it's super-difficult from the get go.

This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Dec 23 2013, 12:07 AM

[mirocu]

Well, one thing right off the bat; the green bar is your Health and the red is your Fatigue (not Stamina! ) They switched it in later games.

I´m a little surprised you find the tutorial dungen that hard Yes it´s hard but you should be able to slay rats and goblins somewhat easy. I only died a couple of times in there.

About resting, do you rest on the elevated platforms? I never got attacked when I did that so the game doesn´t trick you there at least.

Also, what level is she now?

[Renee]

I´m a little surprised you find the tutorial dungen that hard Yes it´s hard but you should be able to slay rats and goblins somewhat easy. I only died a couple of times in there.

It's not the rats and goblins. I'm seeing lizard men and also these 'soldier' looking guys. Two or three strikes and I'm done. Perhaps it's because RG1 is already up to Level 3? That seems strange that she's leveled up to 3 so fast, but it's true, she has. *shrugs* Maybe at L3 they start putting some stronger enemies in there.

About resting, do you rest on the elevated platforms? I never got attacked when I did that so the game doesn´t trick you there at least.

Um, elevated platforms? Not sure I've seen any yet.

[mirocu]

It's not the rats and goblins. I'm seeing lizard men and also these 'soldier' looking guys. Two or three strikes and I'm done. Perhaps it's because RG1 is already up to Level 3? That seems strange that she's leveled up to 3 so fast, but it's true, she has. *shrugs* Maybe at L3 they start putting some stronger enemies in there.

It´s not strange, the game has a different leveling system which is based on experience points and some calculation and in the beginning that means fast leveling

Um, elevated platforms? Not sure I've seen any yet.

Haven´t you seen those raised squares in the wall every once in awhile, with a brazier? The game hints it´s safe to rest there since no animal can smell you when you´re up there. You just missed them and that´s why you get attacked when you rest

[Renee]

Haven´t you seen those raised squares in the wall every once in awhile, with a brazier? The game hints it´s safe to rest there since no animal can smell you when you´re up there. You just missed them and that´s why you get attacked when you rest

Ohhh you can CLIMB into those areas? Ahh, Okay, that helps a lot. Thanks. I thought when that message showed up that means it's okay to rest in the middle of the floor. Cool.

I might start all over again, from the very first save then. Thanks!

One thing I have noticed is that Arena seems to feature a very vague system of hitting and missing. I have heard about this in Morrowind: how sometimes you'll be able to view a weapon hitting an enemy, yet it will count as a 'miss'. Well Arena seems to have the same system going on, but the graphics are so bad, it's hard to actually see the weapon hit an enemy at all!

Graphics: I love this game's primitive graphics! Love 'em! I love going back in time to the 'way it was.' Jumping from Arena to OB or Sky is going to be interesting because of this.

I also like the fact that there are four different commands for swinging a weapon around, rather than 1 button that gets pressed over and over (as in OB and Skyrim). I'm able to use the right joystick in Arena to slash left, right, down, and RG1 can also poke her enemy. Yahh! She's a viking Nord!! Yaah!

This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Dec 23 2013, 02:55 PM

[mirocu]

I love your enthusiasm, Renee!



Since I don´t have a controller I just swing with the mouse from right to left and as my own Nord has high agility he hits almost all the time now. Pretty fun system actually

I agree on the graphics! It feels more "game real" ya know? Almost like how it´s supposed to be I could use a little more refined graphics maybe, but it´s ok enough.