"Vanished myself into the Pyramid"

[Qiote]

Hi folks.......Bungleau..you suggested a spot to "vanish" to the other 1/2 half of the map.....Anephes Shrine I think...do I have to go completely through the Pyramid to get to the shrine? I haven't found any place on the outside of the pyramid that allowed me to vanish to the other half.....thanks for the tips on what not to do if I get there ahead of time....not to worry....I don't "do" anything while snooping ahead of the planned game, just like to explore around between adventures...

NOW......you guys tell me if I'm on to something........I was "vanishing" all over the place, by the pyramid, trying for the other 1/2 of the map, when I suddenly found myself INSIDE the pyramid...........I threw the lever and killed a few creatures to see if I could "play".......I could, but had not completed the Skull place (no lich wand) so, not wanting to mess anything up, I loaded a previous save and finished the Skull place..............

THIS IS MY QUESTION......regarding making Zenmasters....since I was able to vanish in to the pyramid before I was supposed to..and...if we can "vanish" onto the 2nd 1/2 of the map.....vanish into the collasium,(if locked) grab the tome, and run, vanish into Cets place....grab the tome and run...(hopefully not messing up any quests)..do you think it would be possible to make your Zenmaster much earlier instead of waiting until almost the end of the game???? sounds too good to be true, but .... never know...???? Someone must have tried this already...so what's the word..........?

[Radek]

If I understand well then you are speaking about the Shrine and not about the Pyramid. The Pyramid is "in the 2nd half" of the map and it is the final dungeon.

1. Where is the place? Leave the Shrine through the front door and go to the left to the "forest" (if you come to the Shrine instead of leavig it, you will go to the right). Investigate the "forest" and search a place where you will see a "strip of sand" behind the forest on your minimap. That's the right place. Orient yourself in the direction to the strip and cast Vanish.
You will usually succeed with the first attempt. If you fail then change a bit your orientation and try again.

2. Vanishing into the Shrine. That's okay [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] You are losing nothing by this shorcut. You can do the Shrine and then you can do the Skull Castle if you want.

3. The shortcut to the Zenmaster. It's okay as well. You can bypass both the Skull Castle and the Shrine, go to Collasium (you can enter it even if you have bypassed the dungeons), take the 3rd tome and the tablets, and run to the Pyramid for the 4th tome. Become a Zenmaster and finish the bypassed dungeons [img]smile.gif[/img]

[bsftcs]

If you have not been through Collasium, the sunken city, you cannot get into the pyramid. So it definitely sounds like you are at the shrine. Looks much like a pyramid with statues in front and a guardian Sphynx.

[Qiote]

Yep...I guess it's the shrine...it has the four legged creature that asks the questions...everybody says to kill him cause he has mega hit points...but neither the tree nor this monster is bothering me..so I won't bother them.....

I've read many posts from folks being bummed cause they can't make Zenmaster till way at the end............why hasn't somebody told them about this.........I read this "late in the game Zen and Val" are done so you would be motivated to play to the end and possibly, again........the game is good, but even the 2nd time around, nothing would be different...quests, locations...and so on.........
even if you missed a few things the 1st time..what is the allure of playing the game again......even with/as a radically different character/party you know all the solutions to the quests/puzzles and so on........ many folks play again and seem to have a great time............what am I missing...I will admit to playing some of the early Ultima and M&M games more than once......and they didn't change....maybe this game just isn't "grabbing" me......thanks for suggestions.......later

[Radek]

If you want a Zenmaster then you need to do one dungeon completely (Collasium, because of the tablets), a bigger part of another dungeon (The Serpent Temple) and a small part of the remaining two dungeons (The Boogre Prison when you come through the "backdoor", and the Pyramid). Nothing more. The rest of your task consists of trickery. Now, you can return to Valeia and finish the rest of the game.

The problem is that this sort of playing the game is too far from CRPG ideas. If you want to play a CRPG then the Zenmaster comes too late.

[Bungleau]

Nothing ever replaces the thrill and excitement of the first time through a game. That sense of discovery just can't be repeated at that same level.

However, there are ways to make the game fun a second or third time through. Part of it is using the new classes (and we all agree that they come way too late for the current game). Part of it, though, can be trying things in a different way.

When I started playing a solo warrior, it was because of discussions here on the board that thought a solo warrior would be the hardest character to play. I documented the results in Missy Hissy's adventures (up in the Gael Serran Library thread), and at the start of the game, it was *very* challenging. She was almost dead before she got going!

Later on, though, she became a typical demi-god, and nothing could phase her.

I later tried the Den of Thieves (six rogues), which I thought would be even harder. No magic, and no guild until you get to Ishad N'ha-ha-ha... tricky, really. I didn't do any class changes until one rogue became an assassin. Lemmetellya, it's *really* hard to play without magic!

Others have tried other games, like the cursed game (only can equip and use cursed items) or the naked game (can't equip or use anything that's not required at the moment). I've tried out different characters (like the bard, who I never cared for before). Or different combinations (like an Oomphaz rogue... imagine that guy trying to pick pockets ).

There are also new areas you might find. If you haven't been to the Serpent Temple belfry, that's worth a trip. Likewise, there the Shurugeon Castle balcony, the area behind the city gates...

So... does it offer replay the way that BG does, with different dialogue options that shape the game? No. Does it offer replay with new ways to address old challenges? You betcha

And some people still play it once and they're done. That's a fine choice for them... it's just not mine [img]smile.gif[/img]

[So So]

Vampire Boogre!... those are some of the hardest games I've ever played.