Just discovered this game, have questions

[AlexH]

Hi everyone,

I stumbled upon Eschalon today and am playing through the demo. I like it a lot. I'm thinking about buying it.

Today I started as a ranger and found a short sword and bow in one of the chests near the house you start in. I found the wine cellar underneath one of the houses in the village and was quickly killed by bats. I started a new game but this time, I didn't get a bow! Is that normal? Shouldn't a ranger start with a bow since it's one of their class skills?

[Randomizer]

Every class starts off with a different package of items in the barrel near the waking point. The idea is to follow the instructions and head to the nearby town to get the next letter and money to buy more items from the merchants.

Spellcasters start off better with a range attack spell that always hits while fighters have a great chance of missing. So when you first start to play it's better to avoid dungeons until you are equipped.

There are some tricks you can use like turning off torches and fighting in the dark using spells to let you see. Or just turn up the monitor brightness to see the monsters in the dark.

[Getharn]

If you read the note from the house you start in, it hints that there's a cache of items hidden very close to where you start. If you find this cache, I believe it should contain a bow if you've started as a ranger. If I remember correctly this equipement is not actually in the barrel, next to the starting house, but hidden somewhere else very close by - I'll leave you the fun of finding it!

Many of the chests and barrels, however, have randomly-generated treasure, I believe - if you reload from a saved game, there's no guarantee at all that they'll contain the same items. Some of them have pre-determined contents, but this seems to be the ones that are important for quests, or protected by more powerful traps and monsters.

As Randomizer says, playing as a Ranger I found the game very hard before I travelled to the nearby town and bought a bit of basic armour and a decent melee weapon. Don't worry too much about gold at first, you'll acquire some if you follow the instructions on the note with which you start.

Oh, and one other thing to warn you about - if you fire a bow while holding a torch, the torch is automatically extinguished (since you need two hands to use a bow). This took me rather by surprise the first time it happened (though it's pretty obvious when you think about it), and lead to me having to flee rather sheepishly.

"Haha, now you shall perish, vile beast! My arrows shall slay you before you even... Gah, damn torch. OK, let me just put it over my shoulder. Now then, where was I? Right, yes - my arrows shall fly true, and slay you where-"

"Uh, Getharn? Your hood's on fire..."

[AK_Marty]

Pay attention to things that sort of light up when your cursor passes over them, that means you can interact with them.
Like reading signs, looking in barrels or "other" things you come across.

[AlexH]

Thanks for the tips guys. When I went into the dungeon underneath the first town, I already had a set of leather armor, boots and long sword. The bats were still too tough. My character was still level 1 with about 800/1000 xp. Maybe if I level up I'll be able to finish the quest.

I was wondering since I'm a computer science major, how long did it take for BasiliskWrangler to make this game and what languages/programs did he use? I've made a few simple games myself and would like to learn new things.

[Kreador Freeaxe]

Thanks for the tips guys. When I went into the dungeon underneath the first town, I already had a set of leather armor, boots and long sword. The bats were still too tough. My character was still level 1 with about 800/1000 xp. Maybe if I level up I'll be able to finish the quest.

You need to go to Aridell first, where you can find the start of the quest that sends you back into the wine cellar. Really. And you want to be at least close to going up that first level. A neat trick is that when you gain a level, and go through the leveling up process, you come out of the screen with all of your health and mana topped off. Instant heal.

I was wondering since I'm a computer science major, how long did it take for BasiliskWrangler to make this game and what languages/programs did he use? I've made a few simple games myself and would like to learn new things.

This will answer at least part of that last question:
http://www.basiliskgames.com/forums/vie ... f=2&t=1930

[AlexH]

I already started that quest. I should have mentioned that earlier. Thanks for the tip about leveling up and the info on how the game was created.

[Turtle]

It's really important when playing as a ranger to focus on your Dexterity, pretty much to the exclusion of every other attribute at first. Concentration helps too, but Dex has more wide-ranging benefits. And use as many skill points as you can towards your bows skill--max out at 6 points to start and keep adding more until you have a 98% to hit just about anything. You can improve your survival odds by investing a few points in Hide in Shadows--they can't hit you if they can't see you.

[IJBall]

It's really important when playing as a ranger to focus on your Dexterity, pretty much to the exclusion of every other attribute at first. Concentration helps too, but Dex has more wide-ranging benefits. And use as many skill points as you can towards your bows skill--max out at 6 points to start and keep adding more until you have a 98% to hit just about anything. You can improve your survival odds by investing a few points in Hide in Shadows--they can't hit you if they can't see you.

Indeed, 'tis true of every character class.

Many of us had problems playing Eschalon the first few times in trying to spread skill points around. In this game, that's a mistake - you need to pour (almost) all of them into the skills and attributes you most need for your character class.

It depends on your class, but your best bet is to pour as many of your skill and attributes as you can into the following:

Fighter - Endurance (for HP) & Swords
Ranger - Dexterity (for bow ToHit) & Bow
Rogue - Dexterity & either Pick Locks or Hide in Shadows
Magic User - Perception (for Mana) & Arcane Elemental
Healer - Perception (for Mana) & Arcane Divination

Once you get up a few levels, you can consider putting points into other things. But you pretty much need to max out the above first.

[Randomizer]

For a Rogue I would consider perception to find traps and hide in shadows the better picks to increase. Since book 1 gives more experience the lower your skill is, it pays to save and reload for traps and locks.

[Getharn]

... it pays to save and reload for traps and locks.

Don't you find this sort of thing takes some of the fun out of it all?

[Turtle]

Randomizer wrote:
... it pays to save and reload for traps and locks.


Don't you find this sort of thing takes some of the fun out of it all?

Or you could just carry lots of lockpicks.

Rogue - Dexterity & either Pick Locks or Hide in Shadows

IJBall, I have to dispute that one. Yes, Dex, but you only need a few points in Lockpicking (see above), especially as burglary gloves are not hard to come by, and Hide in Shadows is about as effective as you're ever going to need it to be at 7 or 8 points. All the other classes require a much heavier investment in the main skill, up to about 30 or more. Maybe this is to compensate for the fact that rogues get the crappiest starting equipment!
The first few levels of rogue-hood are pretty tough (involving a lot of running away and hiding), but if you can survive long enough to buy some decent weapon skills and level up a bit, you can spend your remaining skill points on whatever you want.

[IJBall]

Rogue - Dexterity & either Pick Locks or Hide in Shadows

IJBall, I have to dispute that one. Yes, Dex, but you only need a few points in Lockpicking (see above), especially as burglary gloves are not hard to come by, and Hide in Shadows is about as effective as you're ever going to need it to be at 7 or 8 points. All the other classes require a much heavier investment in the main skill, up to about 30 or more. Maybe this is to compensate for the fact that rogues get the crappiest starting equipment!
The first few levels of rogue-hood are pretty tough (involving a lot of running away and hiding), but if you can survive long enough to buy some decent weapon skills and level up a bit, you can spend your remaining skill points on whatever you want.

You're right that with Rogues, you can spread your points around faster. (I'm playing Rogue for the first time now, and I think I've gotten him up only to about Lvl. 4 or 5 at this point...)

But, as you say, Hide in Shadow probably maximizes its usefulness at Lvl. 7 or 8 or so, so investing your points up front during the character creation process into Hide in Shadows gets you most of the way there.

After that, I think I got Pick Lock up to Lvl. 5-7 (with gloves that gets you Lvl. 7-10!), which is probably all you need in that.

After that I believe I then started with Skulduggery.

Anyway, you have a little more flexibility with Skills with Rogues (though not with Attributes - you still need to pour those into Dexterity), but I think putting initial points into Hide in Shadow and Pick Locks (along with, say, Bows and Light Armor) is the best place to start.

But, YMMV.

[Turtle]

I agree completely on maxing Hide in Shadows to start out, and on Dex.

I also start with a point or two in Move Silently, though I never take that very high, either.

Skulduggery is useful enough to invest in at the beginning, too.

Personally, I don't think Lockpicking needs to start above one or two, because you can get the book for two more levels and with gloves you can pick most anything. The hardest lock in the game (that I found) is the one to Gramuk's portal room and I was able to get a 33% shot at it with a 35 Dex and Pick Locks of 9+3 (augmented). Most players will not need to pick that lock because of course Gramuk drops the key.

Anyway, the great thing about this game is that there is always more than one way to achieve your goal.