Also, having messed around a bit with the pre-release toolset you get when you pre-order, I have to say it is indeed more modern but quite alien compared to the old Aurora toolset. I amn't sure if it can do more or less but it isn't as user-friendly.

It kinda feels like proprietary designer software rather than an intuitive creation tool tailored toward the average person. Maybe I just need to get used to it. In fairness it is sleeker, more compact in its design and seems less clunky and resource-hogging on the CPU but looks and is as hard to intuit as the Morrowind/Oblivion toolsets that Bethesda release.

[ 10-05-2006, 02:58 AM: Message edited by: SpiritWarrior ]

Elminster got pretty much every classes, he's a chosen of mystra, he's got magefire or an equivalent of it, the list goes on. If there is any power that exist in the Forgotten Realms, he has it. I'm pretty sure he even has made up powers.

LOL at "made up powers". Yeah, he is commercialised alot in the FR franchise. I can't bring myself to read a Drizzt book ever again either since Atari use him any chance they get. At least they never lie about Elminster him being the most powerful wizard in the realms. Drizzt seems to be the most powerful drow ever yet he is relatively low level technically. And yet he takes on gods and stuff.

The Elminster series of novels were utter trash though, he was portrayed terribly. Like I said in the Azure Bonds series he was likable. I liked Elminster before he became popular then it kind took away from him. Drizzt I just can't even stand anymore.

That's because his writer is not that great a writer. Was he the one writing Azure Bonds? I'm not certain. What doesn't help is that if I remember right Elminster was his pen and paper character and they had a maunty haul campaign, he just gave his character pretty much everything.

No, Azure Bonds was written by Grubb, Drizzt was done by Salvatore. Salvatore is a good writer - not the best IMHO (some love him 'cuz of Drizzt) but his other works are very good like the Cleric Quintet series. The Azure Bonds series was great, some classic realms fun that departs from the cliches. I found Daughter of the Drow by Elaine Cunnimham far more easy to believe as far as drow departing the Underdark goes.