[thoon]

Just finished, and I wonder what other people think. I looked around
the board and some links, and find that I actually bought a game-
building kit and a potential on-line (ahem) experience. Neither look
very interesting so I'll stick to this game.

For what it's worth, I'm one who thinks w7/w8, W&W, PS:T are the best games of the last decade, with BG a little ways behind. I enjoyed ID, but lost interest towards the end and didn't finish. Couldn't get into
BG2. I like the kind of fighting where one has to figure out a strategy
and to win, and through the game explore all the aspects of one's character (or lose).

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

I played all the way through as a female elven bard with Daelen Red Tiger
(barbarian) as a sidekick. This worked very well ... at different stages
in the game, different abilities were the most important, but I always
had what I needed. She was a wicked fighter with the fey spear+2 and
the composite longbow+3 !


For the game as a whole, the graphics are the best yet with the zoom being very nice. The developers are to be congratulated on getting
naturalistic movement, usually the bane of 3d renderings. Nonetheless, I much prefer the first-person point of view. The sound (and visual) effects are excellent, the music good, and the voice acting really sucks.

The plot was sufficient; as for character development ... oh well.

My major playing criticisms may actually be criticisms of the bioware engine:
1. The fighting is too fast, and (with my video card) jerky.
2. You can't really control your henchman or familiar. Several places
I actually had to dismiss Daelen temporarily.
3. Darkness and thunderstorms (excellent thunderstorms) may add nice
realism, but you can't see.

My fighting experience thus was too often the sight of Daelan and my familiar rushing off the screen, and me reading about the fight on the
dialog section. Or me hearing the sound effects and seeing the writing, but unable to make out what was going on. Finger speed is too important
too ... nearly broke my space bar.

All this took out a lot of the fun.

I started out intending to walk through as a goody two-shoes and not
really exert myself too much. I just took the recommended selections when I leveled up ( a nice option). I also didn't pay much attention to
the various attributes etc., at least not at first. I played at the 'normal' difficulty setting.

As far as the actual game goes, the first two chapters ... actually
four I guess .. were ... well ... tepid. Go here and get this. Now go there and get that. And NOW go over THERE and get THAT. Yawn. Oh, don't forget to save the world. All the fights were easy ... maybe three or four I had to try more than once. One good one with the mind-monster
who could move to another body. I thought there was another when I was swarmed by dire spiders in the zoo, but no. You weren't even supposed to fight the construct in the mage's tower. I liked the village lost in time, the lost crypt of an ancient civilization, and the warrior who woke up to find himself forgotten ... had to take the right potion to get that one!

Even though the graphics were well-done (expertly, I would say), there
were few places where I stopped just to look. Nice work with mist above
wateralls, and some fog, but that's about it. And I just don't want to
see very many pseudo-medieval villages or cities however well done.

Chapter three was different and much better. Several very nice dungeons,
tough fights, interesting premises, and the closest to a puzzle the game
has. The Red dragon took several tries! But (typical) the big prize was a set of Red Dragon Armor ... which a Bard can't wear! I particularly liked the fact that you could get the word of power and skip the fight if it proved too tough. Should have been more of those. If the whole game had been like
Chapter 3, it would have exceeded ID as a fighting game, and with a better
plot, though still not much character development.

Chapter 4 was also good, but very linear, and short too. I had trouble with the two dragons, mainly because I tried to pop in and out of the portal, but got afflicted with a fear spell every time I came through.
Finally I juiced myself up with all the will I could find ... amulets, etc. so I could resist the spell, and after that they weren't so tough after all. The final fight with Morag took some thinking.

Finally, I have to say the game seems to have been 'dumbed down' for the
beginner or inexpert. The stone of recall, rest almost any time, everything you need is right there ... not very demanding. Not to mention immortal henchman, prescient automap, etc. I am no gameplaying Ace, and when I get through one of these without needing a
single hint and with no real trouble winning all the fights ... well,
it's not that difficult a game. Not nearly difficult enough.

I don't mean to be as negative as the above may sound. The game is
fun and worth playing. I might even try it again as a solo rogue or
something ... what's fun?

I also missed a number of quests especially at the first, mainly because
I didn't ask. Perhaps someone can tell me about these:

1. In chapter 1, Oleff asks to have three artifacts from a famous warrior found in a tomb. I found them, but he wouldn't recognise that I had them when I went back, and I never found the warriors tomb. What did I miss?

2. There was a crypt in the graveyard I could never open, as well as a door in the basement of a house (secret entrance behind a bookshelf) I couldn't open. What did I miss ?

3. In chapter 2 I must have missed a section somewhere. I only found one lever for the fantabulous confabulator, and never the device. Where is it? I also wonder if it could be used to make adamantite?

I also ended up with a number of items but no clue as to what they are for. Perhaps someone could help:

1. Prism tree seed
2. corpse hand
3. Masterson family Amulet
4. toy top
5 evil dagger

and some others.

Well, I just finished the game and want to talk about it. I would really like to know what other people think.

And also I would welcome a suggestion for the next game or one of these 'mods' that's worth playing.

Thoon the finished.