First of all, thanks to all of you who answered my first post on DD. Anyway...

Just to familirize myself with the game mechanics I went ahead and played a Survivor and though I didn't get too far at least I gained a few gaming skills. Due to the fact that I played years of PnP D&D I easily picked up BG1, BG2, and IWD. To be honest, DD is the first non-D&D CRPG I have ever played and I am trying to figure out the interaction of PC to his world. Here are a few more questions, some for clarification.

1. If I have read correctly, even though I may choose a Survivor, if I wanted to I could place the skill points in magic or weapon expertise, correct? In other words, even though you choose a class in the beginning, the character can have a mix and match set of skills belonging to the other two classes. Correct?

2. I've heard the world is huge. How does one keep track where one is and where one is going considering I heard the game mapping is more of deteriment than a help?

3. :Spoiler Question:
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Jorum mentioned George to me in the beginning and I decided to check him out because I needed equipment. I came across the conversation of his need for a "fix." I came in and he wanted me to get something by thieving ways. Now though I am a Survivor I turned him down because it seemed that whoever this elf was whose property had this herb, it could mean big trouble later on if I am caught ransaking his property. Am I being way too cautious?

4. In BG1 if you killed either an innocent or a Flaming Fist, no matter that no one could be possibily around to see you, it was inevitable that either a) your rep would drop dramatically or b) even more FF would show up, or c) both would happen. So, let's say I do what George wants. I go get the herb, but I am caught and a fight ensues and I kill this elf. Are there game repercussions like BG1? What if no one saw me?

Thanks for being patient.

1. Correct, you can invest is any skill you want .

2. Later( outside the first village ) a wizard will give you a teleportation map, I use that map to find out where I want to go.

3. never turn down a quest, you'll need all the experience points you can get.

4. you don't need to steal the herb. go speak to the garden ( the place where the herb grow ) owner first.

Yeah, you can put your skill points wherever you like (level permitting); class doesn't mean much for most things.

I never had a problem with the outdoors. Or indoors, either. The auto-map is pretty decent, and the teleporter map is also a great help. You shouldn't get lost anywhere.

Yep, always accept quests. You have to take George's, else you won't be able to buy/sell with him. After you rescue the guy who's half-frozen, you can ask his permission to take herbs from the garden. Also (hot tip) while he's still "on ice", you can slip into his house and take what you want ;)

<center>Nightowl2</center>

There are a few game ending quests you can break. They are somewhere on larians forums.

One I recall is dealing with monsters or you killing some of the healers. Such as the lizard healer.
Two of the seven people youll need to complete the game are in the healer village so watch that no one dies.
George and the person hes talking to have a few quests involved that come up later. A major game ending quest bug was fixed by one of the patches dealing with the magic pyramids.
Other quests being broken dont matter.

I really liked the game map personally. As new quests come up a new flag tells you where you have to go. you can add your own flags like where you are dumping stuff.

The game is on 4 large areas and many little dungeons. Very large but nothing like morrowind sized.

Stop worrying about "the right" way and just enjoy playing the game!@!@!

I'll join the crowd. Take all quests, no matter how bizarre, and know that whatever happens, the world will be better for your actions.

About the only real impact from your actions is getting caught stealing. It's amazing how fast the cops show up when you grab someone else's orange...

For your first time through, just enjoy the game. You can't break anything that can't be fixed, so don't worry about the implications too much. Save that for your second game...

Thanks for all the help given so far. I have a need for some clarity concerning trading. I understand that the left column contains my items and the right contains a merchants items. Here are my questions (yes, I read the manual but to me it isn't very clear):

1. Can you trade an item for gold? What do you do with gems?

2. What are the balance scales for in the transactions?

3. Can you buy an item for gold or is this primarily set up as a barter system?

Thanks.

1. yes you can, in fact you can even do barter.eg, trade your loots for potions etc. gems? just sell them.

2. I don't know, but the more the merchant like you, the cheaper the item he will sell to you.

3. you can do the normal trading or you can do barter.

The scales are used to balance out the transactions with gold, if gold is available in sufficient amount. For instance, if your trading items are worth more than the merchant's, you can click the scales to make up the difference with gold. Also works the other way, if you're buying.

Of course, that's only for items you put in the trading window. Your actual inventory of stuff (or junk) is unaffected.

<center>Nightowl2</center>

Thanks for all the replys. I am really starting to like this game more and more. By the way, Nightowl2, you say you are from the Plateau of Leng. I may be totally off, but is that not from H.P. Lovecraft?

Good for you, Albromor. You're the first person to notice that.

Of course, now that you've noticed it, we'll have to, well...what were your favorite flowers? ;)

<center>Nightowl2</center>

The Divine Divinity society is very strange... The other day, I was in rivertown, and I talked to the smith outside, and asked him he he had anything to sell, so he unlocked the door to his shop, and we went inside, and there,I saw a nice magic sword for sell.

But since the shopkeeper was not inside at first, I told myself "Maybe I can find a way to sneak inside and steal the sword..." So I reloaded the game so that he would be outside again.

Then I tried lockpicking the door, but it won't work. So I decided to try pickpocketing him, to get a key, but I failed my attempt, and he called the guards abd they warned me not to do that again. So I decided that since I got cough, I might as well kill him and see if he do carry a key, so I atacked him.

Here's how it went: There are about 5 guards standing right next to me and the smith, I get my sword out, and tell the smith I'm about to kill him. He yell "GUARDS, HELP!!" but the guards just stand there while I attack him, so he start running trough the market square, but everyone ignore him. Even the other guards patroling the market. So he finally died, and I looted his stuff, and nobody said anythng...

Wow, that's really strange. Must be a bug or something. Could be they turned the flag off when you were warned and so no one attacked when you went for the smith.

I do hope you restored to before you killed him. There's no one else selling good weapons except over in the Dwarven stronghold in the forest.

<center>Nightowl2</center>

Luvian, did you patch your game? That is strange behavior indeed for guards, but I believe it is one of the major drawbacks with computer AI. I played NOX and throughly enjoyed it, but you could go into any house or inn and ransack it right in front of everyone's eyes and not get called out for it.

Okay, as for trading I *STILL* am having problems getting the hang of it (I feel soooo stupid!). I go to George, I turn on the trading Icon. I place a ruby in my side of of the traders screen, press the scales, and then I get a message that says something like, "Are you sure you want to trade these items for less than their value?" Anyway, that is a pretty close approximation. So I go ahead an click the check icon. My ruby disappears and I have absolutely NO increase in gold! I understand how to identify and repair, but how to trade and even more sell for gold is beyond me. What is my thick head missin??? Please, give me a step by step way in which, if you wanted to sell gems or other equipment, you would go about doing it. Obviously I am slow on the uptake. By the way NightOwl2, I'm spoken for. :D

[ 02-17-2003, 03:58 PM: Message edited by: Albromor ]

the "Are you sure you want to trade these items for less than their value?" happens because either you are actualy giving your item for free to the merchant or the balance of trade is not the same. ie, the total cost that you sell to mechant is more than the cost the merchant is giving to you.

next time click on the merchant's gold and select the amount the same as your item price that you sell to him.

Well I think I finally figured it out. When I pressed BOTH scales then I was able to sell my ruby for gold. DUH! - me.

Absolutely. In fact, it is a MUST. I'm playing a warrior, but I have lockpick 5, restoration 3, meteorstrike 2, and other non-warrior skills.

Don't know who told you that, the mapping in this game is excellent. Anyway, there are teleporter pads in key locations to help you once you get out in the world.

Do it anyway. Every little bit of XP helps. Talk to Lanilor first, he'll let you in. This leads to a LONG quest later on.

In this case, Otho will stop you. But as I said before, talk to Lanilor and he'll let you in. In the later game, particular around Rivertown and Verdistis, the guard will deal with you if you are caught stealing.
At one point you will join a thieve's guild and take a small hit to your rep. Near the endgame you will take a BIG hit to your rep after getting booted from the castle--but you have to get in there first. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Bottom line--don't sweat it. Have fun--but DO save often--this game doesn't have autosave.

Well, HolyWarrior, I'm playing a warrior also. Though I am percentage wise putting the points in strength I have been trying to even them out over agility, intelligence and constitution. I don't know how wise this is because it will take me forever to weild some of the good weapons I have picked up. I also hope I am wise in my skill point choices. I have even more questions for anyone not tired of me asking! (some contain spoilers)

1. I took the teleportation stone that Lanilor gave me in the beginning and placed it on the ground. I activated it and sure enough I was transported to the second one. The problem is that both are on the ground and when I go to try to pick up either one I am automatically transported to the other one. AM I SCREWED? Or is it simple and I can't see the obvious in front of me? I haven't been the brightest student in the Divine Divinty School of Games Play.

2. George and I are on great terms in Aroth. The only problem is that I got a boat load of weapons, etc. that George just can't buy due to limited funds. So, is the only recourse to carry all this loot to the next town?

1. Open your inventory screen (your pack), and drag and drop the pyramid into your pack, like you would with a windows icon. But you need to be very close to it, almost standing on it, even.

2. Just put yout stuff in one of the chests in the cellar below the healer house, where you started the game, and later, when you find a new merchant, come back for your loot.

Sorry to disappoint you, but yes.... you are going to have to transport the stuff, or u can sell them to the other 'Healers'.

Oh...... and to make your day worse.....

s
p
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(not a big one really)

George kicks the bucket very soon!.....

Actually, you don't have to drag stuff around with you. I put excess equipment in the two chests in the starting house (upstairs by the bed, then downstairs when upstairs got full). I left one pyramid in the house and of course had the other with me. Anytime I wanted to sell junk, I just used the pyramids to teleport to the house, grabbed all I could carry, and teleported back to whatever store.

This was also handy for resting up until I had the portable bed.

<center>Nightowl2</center>