The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
Please vote in the Forum Structure Poll. Polling will close at 2PM EST on January 21, 2025.
Let's Play Quest for Glory. Thanks to Piotyr for keeping this going!
And now so many wasted hours of my advanced old age
(dat ass)
Welcome to my Let's Play of the entire Quest for Glory series. The first game in this series came out in 1989 (Quest for Glory: So You Want to be a Hero?) and the final installment arrived in 1998 (Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire).
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
HOLY BALLS HERE ARE THE SETS!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Hamburglar, the Thief-Mage - played by joshofalltrades
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
FUCK, I CAN'T READ THIS!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The new forums completely changed the color scheme after we were already >70 sets into this thing. Unfortunately, going back and reformatting every single image and piece of text to fit with the new theme requires us to have less of a life than we do, believe it or not. So here's the deal.
To read this LP, you need to be using one of the browsers that support Stylish. Firefox is preferred, simply because that's what I use. Then you need to go and install this style mod. This will change your PA forums' style to a color scheme similar to what it used to be.
It's a pain in the ass, I know. You gotta go and click on two things! But that's just the way it is. On the bright side, your monitor won't be burning your retinas out of their sockets on the rest of the site as an added bonus!
Another disclaimer: I'm going back and fixing the old posts one at a time. Things may not be perfect until this is done. Just hang in there!
Special thanks to @Suriko for this awesome theme that allows us to view the LP the way it was meant to be viewed.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
WIKI CRAP!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The series consisted of five games, each of which followed directly upon the events of the last. New games frequently referred to previous entries in the series, often in the form of cameos from recurring characters. The objective of the series is to transform the player character from an average adventurer to a Hero by completing non-linear quests.
The game also was revolutionary in its character import system, which allowed you to import your individual character, including the skills and wealth he had acquired, from one game to the next.
Hybrids by their gameplay and themes, the games feature serious stories leavened by humor throughout. There are real dangers to face, and true heroic feats to perform, but silly details and overtones creep in (when the drama of adventuring does not force them out). Cheap word play is particularly frequent, to the point that the second game's ending refers to itself as the hero's "latest set of adventures and miserable puns."
The games also have some memorable easter eggs, including a number of allusions to other Sierra games. For example if one types "pick nose" in the first game, (or click the lockpick icon on the player in the new version), if his lock-picking skill was high enough, the game would respond "Success! You now have an open nose"; If the skill was too low, the player would insert the lock pick too far, killing himself. Another example is Dr. Cranium, an allusion to The Castle of Dr. Brain, in the fourth game.
Each game drew its inspiration from a different culture and mythology (in order, Germanic/fairy tale; Middle Eastern/Arabian Nights; Egyptian/African; Slavic folklore/Eastern European folklore; and finally Greco-Mediterranean) with the hero facing increasingly powerful opponents with help from characters who become increasingly familiar from game to game.
Each game varied somewhat from the tradition it is derived from; for example, Baba Yaga, a character borrowed from Slavic folklore, first appeared in the first game. The second game introduced several Arab and African-themed characters who reappeared in the third game, and characters from every game and genre in the series reappeared in the fourth and fifth games. In addition to deviating from the player's expectations of the culture represented in each game, the series also included a number of intentional anachronisms, such as the pizza-loving, mad scientists in the later games.
There was some criticism concerning the games as time-consuming. For example, while adding to realism, in order to build a certain skill or reach a certain point of time, the player has to repeat for countless times some certain action (such as 'climb tree', 'get rock'-'throw rock'), or walk aimlessly until the time passes.
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay standards established in earlier Sierra adventure games were enhanced by the player's ability to choose his character's career path from among the three traditional role-playing game backgrounds: fighter, magic-user/wizard and thief. Further variation was added by the ability to customize the Hero's abilities, including the option of selecting skills normally reserved for another character class, leading to unique combinations often referred to as "hybrid characters". During the second or third games, a character could be initiated as a Paladin by performing honorable actions, changing his class and abilities and receiving a unique sword. This would apply when the character is exported into later games. Any character that finished any game in the series (except Dragon Fire, the last in the series) could be exported to a more recent game (Shadows of Darkness has a glitch which allows one to import characters from the same game), keeping the stats and parts of the inventory. If the character received the paladin sword, he would keep the magic sword (Soulforge or Piotyr's sword) and special paladin magic abilities. A character imported into a later game in the series from any other game could be assigned any character class, including Paladin.
Each career path had its own strengths and weaknesses, scenarios unique to those that possess the skills associated with it. Each class also had its own distinct way to solve various in-game puzzles, which encouraged replay: some puzzles had up to four different solutions. For instance, if a door is closed, instead of lockpicking or casting an open spell, the fighter can simply knock down the door. The magic user and the thief are both non-confrontational characters, as they lack the close range ability of the fighter, but are better able to attack from a distance, using daggers or spells. An example of these separate paths can be seen early in the first game. A gold ring belonging to the healer rests in a nest on top of a tree; fighters might make it fall by hurling rocks, thieves may want to climb the tree, while a magic user can simply cast the fetch spell to retrieve the nest, and then, while the fighter and magic user return the ring for a reward, the thief can choose between returning or selling the same ring in the thieves' guild (which is not available for those not possessing the "thieving" skills). It is also possible to build (over the course of several games) a character that has points in every skill in the game and can therefore perform nearly every task.
Each character class featured special abilities unique to that class, as well as a shared set of attributes which could be developed by performing tasks and completing quests. In general, for a particular game the maximum value which can be reached for an ability is 100*[the number of that game]. Quest for Glory V allows stat bonuses which can push an attribute over the maximum and lets certain classes raise certain attributes beyond the normal limits. Quest for Glory V also features special kinds of equipment which lower some stats while raising others. At the beginning of each game, the player may assign points to certain attributes, and certain classes only have specific attributes enabled, although skills can be added for an extra cost.
General attributes influence all characters classes and how they interact with objects and other people in the game; high values in strength allows to move heavier objects and communication helps with bargaining goods with sellers. These attributes are changed by performing actions related to the skill; climbing a tree eventually increases the skill value in climb, running increases vitality, and so on. There are also complementing skills which are only of associated with some classes; parry (the ability to block a blow with the sword), for instance, is mainly used by fighters and paladins, lock picking and sneaking thief's hobby, and the ability to cast magic spells is usually associated with magic user.
Vital statistics are depleted by performing some actions. Health (determined by strength and vitality) determines the hit points of the character, which decreases when the player is attacked or harms himself. Stamina (based on agility and vitality) limits the number of actions (exercise, fighting, running, etc.) the character is able to perform before needing rest or risking injury. Mana is only required by characters with skill in magic, and is calculated according to the character's intelligence and magic attributes.
Puzzle and Experience points only show the development of the player and his progress in the game, though in the first game also affected the kind of random encounters a player faces, as some monsters only appear after a certain level of experience is reached.
I'll be playing the VGA remakes where possible. There really isn't any reason to play the old EGA versions anymore, except for historical curiosity. A couple years back, AGDI released their VGA remake of QFGII, so we can basically play through the whole series without encountering EGA graphics of any kind.
This is a screenshot LP. Some of the grinding would be mind-shatteringly boring in a video LP, and so screenshots it is. Also, this way I don't have to do any acting, since providing actual dialog for the Hero will be done occasionally. Updates can be expected every 1-3 days, sooner if I feel like it and with the occasional 4-5 day break being totally possible. I have 19 hours this semester and if you don't like my update schedule then my feces is there for you to eat.
EDIT: Syphyre has been generous enough to volunteer to do a Fighter run and point out interesting things that I'm missing (for update size and my own damn sanity), as well as to show you the unique solutions to puzzles that Fighters have (usually to be an idiot and run headfirst into danger, but it's a lot more daring than skulking around in the shadows). Make sure and give his section a look-see if you want to see alternate solutions to these puzzles!
EDIT EDIT: And Piotyr has taken up the way of the Magic User, freeing me up to concentrate solely on being a Thief. Syphyre and Piotyr have both taken this LP at least as seriously as I have (possibly even more so) so don't miss their sections.
Okay, so the first thing we need to do is come up with a name for our Hero-wannabe and choose his class. There are 3 different character archetypes, and it's possible to hybridize between them. I don't like doing that; there are solutions to puzzles that only one type of character can solve, and making a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-all character not only makes things boring, it takes forever to max out stats and it's just blegh.
So pick one of these three, and I won't be adding any new skills to the dude.
#FIGHTER
Seen at the upper-left of the above picture. The fighter is just that; brute strength, raw swordsmanship and very occasionally using his head as a battering ram. To get a lot of game points as a Fighter, you need to kill a lot of monsters. Situations are usually tackled head-on whenever possible. Later on, a Fighter gets the opportunity to join an exclusive warrior club and, if he's honorable enough, become a Paladin. Other classes can also become Paladins, but it's more natural and easier for a Fighter to make the change. Fighters start with a sword and shield.
#MAGIC USER
The Magic User uses magic (herp derp). Seen in the middle of the picture above. At first he's only able to use some very simple spells; opening a locked door, fetching small objects, a little fire every now and then, making monsters calm the fuck down, and so on. Magic Users prefer to solve quandaries with their spells, and so will avoid direct encounters whenever possible. If it comes down to it, he can slash wildly with his dagger, but ehhhhhhh MAGIC. Later on in the series, he can become a bona fide wizard, gain a staff, and a metric assload of really groovy spells. The wizard starts with some basic knowledge of magic and a dagger.
#THIEF
The Thief class (upper-right) excels at lithe acrobatics, skilled lock manipulation, throwing things, climbing things, and, of course, stealing things. Actually, all told, the Thief is quite the dickmonger. While on your Quest for Glory, the Thief gets the opportunity to increase his own personal wealth while decreasing the wealth of others simultaneously. While Fighters and Magic Users are fairly direct in their approaches, the Thief has to improvise a lot of the time, since he is neither very strong nor very arcane. Still, there are ways of accomplishing things that only the Thief can pull off, and if you don't mind being a colonbag every now and then, the Thief can be quite fun. The Thief starts with a dagger, a lockpick and knowledge of the Thief's Sign, a series of hand gestures that let other Thieves know you're "one of the brethren".
Also, suggest some names! Otherwise I'll probably name him something either very lame or very ridiculous.
joshofalltrades on
0
MorninglordI'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered Userregular
edited March 2011
Thief sounds like the most interesting start class for someone knowledgeable about the whole series.
I nominate Picksalot.
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
The Thief is my favorite class, but I also start one every time I play these games. I guess he's a good choice if you want somebody who knows basically everywhere it's possible to steal from people in the whole series.
Unfortunately, he really got boned in QFG3. There's nothing for him to do in that one except for two very, very short theft sequences.
joshofalltrades on
0
MorninglordI'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered Userregular
edited March 2011
you are only affirming my thiefing choice here
joshofallthieving
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
no. thats why i want to see you thieve things.
you also made it sound like you have to think carefully in fighting scenes, which i am also interested in seeing.
im much more likely to watch a screenshot lp than a video lp so im really interested in this
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
You do have to think about how you're going to fight in the VGA remake of QFG2. It's not so much the case with the third game. The first one requires a little strategy because you start out pretty weak, and if you encounter certain monsters before you're ready you'll tire yourself to death even if you don't get hit once.
Combat in the fourth game is just nuts, and the fifth game is totally different from the first four.
You do have to think about how you're going to fight in the VGA remake of QFG2. It's not so much the case with the third game. The first one requires a little strategy because you start out pretty weak, and if you encounter certain monsters before you're ready you'll tire yourself to death even if you don't get hit once.
Combat in the fourth game is just nuts, and the fifth game is totally different from the first four.
i can put up with one less thievy game out of five so if you only dont want to be a thief because of 3 i wouldn't worry about that too much.
you cant do everything in a lp
i am learning this lesson well in prototype.
i could make so many videos. so many.
i am not, because it would be endless.
so basically i am trying my hardest to convince you to be a thief because i want to see you play what you are best at.
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
Yeah the fifth one is the only one I don't know a hell of a lot about, since I only played through it once. But we'll see how it goes. I anticipate making pretty big updates to this, since days go by pretty quick. I tend to practice my skills until I'm exhausted, rest for a couple hours, etc. Fortunately since this is a SS LP you won't have to watch all that garbage.
AHHHHhhhh okay well my vote included it's a tie between thief and mage. Flipping a coin. First person to call it heads or tails gets to decide. Scouts honor I'm not cheating on this.
I vote for Mage too.
How can you resist doing WIT?
I may actually do another update once I make it all the way through the main games for each of the other classes just so you guys can see the cool stuff about them.
Heads it is, Morninglord picked Thief so Thief it shall be.
Starting the game, update coming soon.
Also don't fret too much about class choices. I'll more than likely play through again as a Magic User just because I do that when I play these games. I'll get some screenshots of WIT and the other neato mage stuff later.
How about this... I can do a Thief/Mage hybrid, and only use magic when doing mage-exclusive things.
Best of both worlds?
I'm only suggesting this because there was a mad rush of Mage votes right after Thief was picked. But I'm not averse to doing a hybrid character, doing special things for the mage class but solving most problems as a Thief.
In the first game, I always pick Fighter but put all my starting points into Stealth, Lockpicking and Climbing. This essential dual classes the Fighter. You can do EVERYTHING the Thief can including the Thief sign. You start off a little weaker, but the trade off is more than worth it.
Only problem is that when you try to port you character into QFG3, it forces you to pick a class. No more multi-classing.
Okay. Doing Thief with magical abilities. This way, combat/puzzles will all be done as a Thief, and I can still do the Magic User-exclusive stuff on the way, just for fun.
Now I'm starting up the game. Update will be up shortly.
Maaan, I fucking love this series. This is one of the games that practically defined my childhood.
Thief/Mage was probably the right way to go. Fighter is fun to play, but pretty bland for an LP. Honestly, Mage would probably be much more entertaining, since Thief solutions to puzzles basically boil down to 1.Sneak 2.Climb 3.Lockpick.
And 5 isn't bad[/b], it's just not as good as 1-4. It's got plenty of good puzzles, the humor is still there, and it wraps up the loose plot points very nicely. Combat sucks though.
Yeah, but Thief/Mage means we know about the Sign, and we get lockpicks and everything, plus magic. We only miss out on a couple of dumb spells we'd never use anyway. So we get to do all of the sidequests except for the Eternal Order of Fighters in QFGII, which is all right, but not nearly as entertaining as the thievery or WIT.
I finished up the first day of QFGI and will be updating soon.
A curious Germanic villa in a valley, Spielburg is ruled by the Baron Stefan von Spielburg (huh huh huh get it?). Let's fire this mother up and oh god not this shit
A fucking lecture already, Jesus fuck I've bought this game like 18 times over the years in one form or another
sighhhhhh it's a D&D piracy thread before we even get started
Oh yeah your archaic copy protection schemes are pretty clever of you
Okay we finally get to do something. Christ Sierra was preachy about piracy back in the day. We're picking a Thief, while the Fighter sheathes his sword in utter disgust and the Magic User stands there in a huff. Hey dude, relax, there be magic coming.
This is the stat screen as it appears as soon as you select a character. Here's what the various stats do:
Strength: How hard you hit in melee, and how much brute strength you possess. Good for moving big ol' rocks or forcing doors open.
Intelligence: As far as I can tell, the only thing it's good for is increasing magic points, and also factors very slightly into how successful a dodge or parry attempt is.
Agility: How nimble you are. Used for things like walking tightropes or jumping around. Factors into dodging as well.
Vitality: How much of a beating you can take before you go down. Directly controls how much health and stamina you have. Health runs out, you dead. Stamina goes out and actions start taking health down. Unless stamina runs out in battle, and then you collapse and the monster you're fighting eats you right then and there. Important for all character types.
Luck: One of the hardest stats to reliably raise. Has a small effect on everything you do, kind of like in Fallout. The best way I've found to raise it is to successfully dodge an attack.
Magic: Affects total mana, and also how powerful your spells are in conjunction with spell expertise. Since each spell is basically its own skill, spell expertise is one of the most annoying things about playing a mage character if you're OCD. I will resist the urge to max out all of our spells.
Weapon Use: How often you hit the bad guys.
Parry: We won't be using this skill. Includes deflecting blows with a weapon or shield. Dodge basically makes this meaningless anyhow. The only thing this prevents us from doing is sparring with the Weapon Master in the castle, since we won't have the requisite skills to use the shield. It's not a huge loss.
Dodge: The ability to not be there when the jaws clamp shut.
Stealth: How sneaky you are. Effectively raised by looking fucking suspicious everywhere we go. Seriously, we're going to have our backs all hunched up and walking like we've got something to hide, but it'll be worth it when we don't skid our feet on smooth stone or make floorboards creak beneath us when trying to rob folk.
Pick Locks: Opening things you haven't been afforded the key to open. Pretty simple stuff.
Throwing & Climbing: These are pretty self-explanatory. Climbing is totally useless during the 2nd and 3rd game, for reasons that will become clear when we get there. Throwing is always fun; you can throw rocks or daggers at a baddie before he closes in, sometimes killing him outright. This is how you backstab in the VGA remake of the second game.
I barely added 5 points of our original 50 to magic (actually costing us 15 since it's a skill we weren't technically supposed to have), and threw the rest into Luck and Pick Locks. Luck is a bitch to max out over the course of the game, and if you don't start with a decent lockpicking stat it's impossible to use the "pick nose" exploit. Plus, practicing on doors around the city can get you caught in some instances if you take too many tries, and getting caught always equals death.
On to the actual game!
This is the town center where the sheriff and his Goon hang out. The game starts us off with 1 point. Awwwww, so sweet.
All right, so that's pretty much the extent of our interaction with the sheriff, except for when we rob him later. We'll need to be much more experienced before we do that, though. So, let's head to the left and see what we've got.
The building on the far left is the Adventurer's Guild. The little old lady's house is a place we can rob later on. The creepy place with the eyeball constantly staring at Hamburglar is the Magic Shop. For now, we'll just go into the Adventurer's Guild.
All right, this is the only time we'll ever come in here for the rest of the game. The guild master is old and sleeps all day long, but there's unfortunately nothing to steal.
First thing you do in a QFG game: sign your name in the Guild logbook. We'll also look at the bulletin board and see what sort of Hero work there is in Spielburg.
Wow, all of that is pretty big stuff. We need to start small. Let's go find the Healer's ring. First though, let's see what's on the other side of town.
This centaur girl sells fruit and vegetables. We will not be consuming either of them, but we do need to buy some apples for something later.
Actually, I bought 50 apples. We're haulin' all 50 of 'em around because that is what #WINNERS do! #TIGERBLOOD!
Back in the town center, it's high time we started sneaking everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. Until our Sneak skill is 100, we're going to look like the little boy who recently had his hand in the cookie jar.
This message always freaked me out when I played this as a kid (gimme a break, I was like 6 when this came out). I'd try and stay in town for as long as possible because I didn't want to have to deal with all the danger outside of town. Well here we go. DANGER.
Heading north from the front gate to town, we come upon the healer's shack. DANGER. There's a glint in the nest up in that tree. Doubtless it's the ring we are after.
hnnnnnnnNNNnNnNnnng
Well sunuva donkey sperm, we suck at climbing things. Nothing for it but to keep trying!
Oh, and we're also a complete and total wimp. We're all tuckered out from less than a minute of tree-climbing attempts. God we suck at hero-ing.
After an hour rest and some more climbing practice, we are IN A TREE MOTHERFUCKA
Got ourselves some bling-bling
And practiced climbing up and down the tree for a little while longer *huff puff*
So we went on inside the healer's shack. Those two little bottles on the counter there are steal-able if she turns her back on us (which she will frequently do), but she will notice them gone and since we are her only customer there's only one suspect. After leaving, she will never let you back in, and you need her to finish. So to complete the game, it's prudent to avoid kleptomaniac urges... for now.
Healthy? Yeah, I'd better fucking be after climbing up and down the tree in your front yard for the last couple hours like a squirrel on amphetamines. Hey, what the hell is wrong with your face? Can't you make up a jaundice cure or something?
All right so the healer yammers on for the rest of the day about what she can use in her potions. This is important because if we don't know she needs troll beard and cheetaur claws, we won't have the option to rip those things off of those monsters when we murder them later.
We give her ring back to her and she immediately goes into blow job mode.
Yeah, we don't want to hang around to see what she has in mind next. Heading west from the healer's hut.
God I hate this asshole. I'm just trying to make it past his screen and every time I have to click away the stupid message about him stopping his raking.
Hey buttmunch, I don't care about you or your raking. I got some apples from your thoroughbred daughter and I'm finished with your whole damn family now. Please, do not stop raking on my account anymore.
Okay, into the forest. This is where the real danger begins.
Hot damn, we're so stealthy already that we're hiding from monsters. If you are in sneak mode while walking around the forest areas and a random monster appears, you have a chance depending on how good you are of avoiding the encounter completely. You get this message if that happens.
Hey plants.
Hey! A seed came out of the flower. We need that thing. Think thiefy thoughts. Okay, we have been practicing our climbing all day. Let's try to climb up and catch it.
What? No! That looks like a terrible place to climb to me!
Uuuuugh
We scrabble against the wrong section of wall for a good while. We look like we're doing a Richard Simmons workout or something.
Eventually we make it up the correct chin-high wall section
And hold out our hands, waiting for our prize.
Caught it!
Do-de-do-de-do, wandering the forest some more
Hey! A white stag. Noice.
Let's follow it.
AHHHH A MONSTER FIGHT IT KILL IT
Uhhhh sure I guess
Oh hey you mean this thing?
Uh huh. Yeah, you "detected" that I had it. I just fucking told you I had it.
I guess you can have it. I dunno why I even picked the thing up.
*collective groan*
By the way, get used to the bad puns. It's part and parcel of the whole series.
Perverts nature, eh? Hmmm... maybe this brigand leader is on to something...
Hence why we need her to not be royally pissed at us.
We pick up the acorn as she melts back into the tree.
Wow, we're getting a lot done our first day. But there's still more to explore!
joshofalltrades on
0
MorninglordI'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered Userregular
edited March 2011
this is just as good as i hoped it would be
im loving the practiced thieving asides
also i would stop raking if i saw someone hunched over trying not to look suspicious
such things are suspicious
i love the hands on hips pose when you finally manage to climb something.
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
Posts
FUCK, I CAN'T READ THIS!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The new forums completely changed the color scheme after we were already >70 sets into this thing. Unfortunately, going back and reformatting every single image and piece of text to fit with the new theme requires us to have less of a life than we do, believe it or not. So here's the deal.
To read this LP, you need to be using one of the browsers that support Stylish. Firefox is preferred, simply because that's what I use. Then you need to go and install this style mod. This will change your PA forums' style to a color scheme similar to what it used to be.
It's a pain in the ass, I know. You gotta go and click on two things! But that's just the way it is. On the bright side, your monitor won't be burning your retinas out of their sockets on the rest of the site as an added bonus!
Another disclaimer: I'm going back and fixing the old posts one at a time. Things may not be perfect until this is done. Just hang in there!
Special thanks to @Suriko for this awesome theme that allows us to view the LP the way it was meant to be viewed.
WIKI CRAP!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The game also was revolutionary in its character import system, which allowed you to import your individual character, including the skills and wealth he had acquired, from one game to the next.
Hybrids by their gameplay and themes, the games feature serious stories leavened by humor throughout. There are real dangers to face, and true heroic feats to perform, but silly details and overtones creep in (when the drama of adventuring does not force them out). Cheap word play is particularly frequent, to the point that the second game's ending refers to itself as the hero's "latest set of adventures and miserable puns."
The games also have some memorable easter eggs, including a number of allusions to other Sierra games. For example if one types "pick nose" in the first game, (or click the lockpick icon on the player in the new version), if his lock-picking skill was high enough, the game would respond "Success! You now have an open nose"; If the skill was too low, the player would insert the lock pick too far, killing himself. Another example is Dr. Cranium, an allusion to The Castle of Dr. Brain, in the fourth game.
Each game drew its inspiration from a different culture and mythology (in order, Germanic/fairy tale; Middle Eastern/Arabian Nights; Egyptian/African; Slavic folklore/Eastern European folklore; and finally Greco-Mediterranean) with the hero facing increasingly powerful opponents with help from characters who become increasingly familiar from game to game.
Each game varied somewhat from the tradition it is derived from; for example, Baba Yaga, a character borrowed from Slavic folklore, first appeared in the first game. The second game introduced several Arab and African-themed characters who reappeared in the third game, and characters from every game and genre in the series reappeared in the fourth and fifth games. In addition to deviating from the player's expectations of the culture represented in each game, the series also included a number of intentional anachronisms, such as the pizza-loving, mad scientists in the later games.
There was some criticism concerning the games as time-consuming. For example, while adding to realism, in order to build a certain skill or reach a certain point of time, the player has to repeat for countless times some certain action (such as 'climb tree', 'get rock'-'throw rock'), or walk aimlessly until the time passes.
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay standards established in earlier Sierra adventure games were enhanced by the player's ability to choose his character's career path from among the three traditional role-playing game backgrounds: fighter, magic-user/wizard and thief. Further variation was added by the ability to customize the Hero's abilities, including the option of selecting skills normally reserved for another character class, leading to unique combinations often referred to as "hybrid characters". During the second or third games, a character could be initiated as a Paladin by performing honorable actions, changing his class and abilities and receiving a unique sword. This would apply when the character is exported into later games. Any character that finished any game in the series (except Dragon Fire, the last in the series) could be exported to a more recent game (Shadows of Darkness has a glitch which allows one to import characters from the same game), keeping the stats and parts of the inventory. If the character received the paladin sword, he would keep the magic sword (Soulforge or Piotyr's sword) and special paladin magic abilities. A character imported into a later game in the series from any other game could be assigned any character class, including Paladin.
Each career path had its own strengths and weaknesses, scenarios unique to those that possess the skills associated with it. Each class also had its own distinct way to solve various in-game puzzles, which encouraged replay: some puzzles had up to four different solutions. For instance, if a door is closed, instead of lockpicking or casting an open spell, the fighter can simply knock down the door. The magic user and the thief are both non-confrontational characters, as they lack the close range ability of the fighter, but are better able to attack from a distance, using daggers or spells. An example of these separate paths can be seen early in the first game. A gold ring belonging to the healer rests in a nest on top of a tree; fighters might make it fall by hurling rocks, thieves may want to climb the tree, while a magic user can simply cast the fetch spell to retrieve the nest, and then, while the fighter and magic user return the ring for a reward, the thief can choose between returning or selling the same ring in the thieves' guild (which is not available for those not possessing the "thieving" skills). It is also possible to build (over the course of several games) a character that has points in every skill in the game and can therefore perform nearly every task.
Each character class featured special abilities unique to that class, as well as a shared set of attributes which could be developed by performing tasks and completing quests. In general, for a particular game the maximum value which can be reached for an ability is 100*[the number of that game]. Quest for Glory V allows stat bonuses which can push an attribute over the maximum and lets certain classes raise certain attributes beyond the normal limits. Quest for Glory V also features special kinds of equipment which lower some stats while raising others. At the beginning of each game, the player may assign points to certain attributes, and certain classes only have specific attributes enabled, although skills can be added for an extra cost.
General attributes influence all characters classes and how they interact with objects and other people in the game; high values in strength allows to move heavier objects and communication helps with bargaining goods with sellers. These attributes are changed by performing actions related to the skill; climbing a tree eventually increases the skill value in climb, running increases vitality, and so on. There are also complementing skills which are only of associated with some classes; parry (the ability to block a blow with the sword), for instance, is mainly used by fighters and paladins, lock picking and sneaking thief's hobby, and the ability to cast magic spells is usually associated with magic user.
Vital statistics are depleted by performing some actions. Health (determined by strength and vitality) determines the hit points of the character, which decreases when the player is attacked or harms himself. Stamina (based on agility and vitality) limits the number of actions (exercise, fighting, running, etc.) the character is able to perform before needing rest or risking injury. Mana is only required by characters with skill in magic, and is calculated according to the character's intelligence and magic attributes.
Puzzle and Experience points only show the development of the player and his progress in the game, though in the first game also affected the kind of random encounters a player faces, as some monsters only appear after a certain level of experience is reached.
LP SHIT!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I'll be playing the VGA remakes where possible. There really isn't any reason to play the old EGA versions anymore, except for historical curiosity. A couple years back, AGDI released their VGA remake of QFGII, so we can basically play through the whole series without encountering EGA graphics of any kind.
This is a screenshot LP. Some of the grinding would be mind-shatteringly boring in a video LP, and so screenshots it is. Also, this way I don't have to do any acting, since providing actual dialog for the Hero will be done occasionally. Updates can be expected every 1-3 days, sooner if I feel like it and with the occasional 4-5 day break being totally possible. I have 19 hours this semester and if you don't like my update schedule then my feces is there for you to eat.
EDIT: Syphyre has been generous enough to volunteer to do a Fighter run and point out interesting things that I'm missing (for update size and my own damn sanity), as well as to show you the unique solutions to puzzles that Fighters have (usually to be an idiot and run headfirst into danger, but it's a lot more daring than skulking around in the shadows). Make sure and give his section a look-see if you want to see alternate solutions to these puzzles!
EDIT EDIT: And Piotyr has taken up the way of the Magic User, freeing me up to concentrate solely on being a Thief. Syphyre and Piotyr have both taken this LP at least as seriously as I have (possibly even more so) so don't miss their sections.
Okay, so the first thing we need to do is come up with a name for our Hero-wannabe and choose his class. There are 3 different character archetypes, and it's possible to hybridize between them. I don't like doing that; there are solutions to puzzles that only one type of character can solve, and making a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-all character not only makes things boring, it takes forever to max out stats and it's just blegh.
So pick one of these three, and I won't be adding any new skills to the dude.
#FIGHTER
Seen at the upper-left of the above picture. The fighter is just that; brute strength, raw swordsmanship and very occasionally using his head as a battering ram. To get a lot of game points as a Fighter, you need to kill a lot of monsters. Situations are usually tackled head-on whenever possible. Later on, a Fighter gets the opportunity to join an exclusive warrior club and, if he's honorable enough, become a Paladin. Other classes can also become Paladins, but it's more natural and easier for a Fighter to make the change. Fighters start with a sword and shield.
#MAGIC USER
The Magic User uses magic (herp derp). Seen in the middle of the picture above. At first he's only able to use some very simple spells; opening a locked door, fetching small objects, a little fire every now and then, making monsters calm the fuck down, and so on. Magic Users prefer to solve quandaries with their spells, and so will avoid direct encounters whenever possible. If it comes down to it, he can slash wildly with his dagger, but ehhhhhhh MAGIC. Later on in the series, he can become a bona fide wizard, gain a staff, and a metric assload of really groovy spells. The wizard starts with some basic knowledge of magic and a dagger.
#THIEF
The Thief class (upper-right) excels at lithe acrobatics, skilled lock manipulation, throwing things, climbing things, and, of course, stealing things. Actually, all told, the Thief is quite the dickmonger. While on your Quest for Glory, the Thief gets the opportunity to increase his own personal wealth while decreasing the wealth of others simultaneously. While Fighters and Magic Users are fairly direct in their approaches, the Thief has to improvise a lot of the time, since he is neither very strong nor very arcane. Still, there are ways of accomplishing things that only the Thief can pull off, and if you don't mind being a colonbag every now and then, the Thief can be quite fun. The Thief starts with a dagger, a lockpick and knowledge of the Thief's Sign, a series of hand gestures that let other Thieves know you're "one of the brethren".
Also, suggest some names! Otherwise I'll probably name him something either very lame or very ridiculous.
I nominate Picksalot.
Unfortunately, he really got boned in QFG3. There's nothing for him to do in that one except for two very, very short theft sequences.
joshofallthieving
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I only ever played through the game as a fighter, so my vote goes to Thief/Mage.
no. thats why i want to see you thieve things.
you also made it sound like you have to think carefully in fighting scenes, which i am also interested in seeing.
im much more likely to watch a screenshot lp than a video lp so im really interested in this
You know where this is headed.
Combat in the fourth game is just nuts, and the fifth game is totally different from the first four.
If you end up with a thief, I vote his name be Hamburglar.
i can put up with one less thievy game out of five so if you only dont want to be a thief because of 3 i wouldn't worry about that too much.
you cant do everything in a lp
i am learning this lesson well in prototype.
i could make so many videos. so many.
i am not, because it would be endless.
so basically i am trying my hardest to convince you to be a thief because i want to see you play what you are best at.
Yeah the fifth one is the only one I don't know a hell of a lot about, since I only played through it once. But we'll see how it goes. I anticipate making pretty big updates to this, since days go by pretty quick. I tend to practice my skills until I'm exhausted, rest for a couple hours, etc. Fortunately since this is a SS LP you won't have to watch all that garbage.
Thief is cool and all, but I almost always go thief in QfG.
Also, GoG.com needs to get this series up there, if only because I've never played the 5th game.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
How can you resist doing WIT?
I may actually do another update once I make it all the way through the main games for each of the other classes just so you guys can see the cool stuff about them.
i gotta head off now. if i got it right then you know what my choice will be. if not then damn.
Starting the game, update coming soon.
Also don't fret too much about class choices. I'll more than likely play through again as a Magic User just because I do that when I play these games. I'll get some screenshots of WIT and the other neato mage stuff later.
Edit: Awww booo
If you have flipped, then I call tails, and vote magic user.
d'oh!
Oh well. I guess I can watch a thief play through. If I have to... </whine>
aww the voting has ended
Handmade Jewelry by me on EtsyGames for sale
Me on Twitch!
Best of both worlds?
I'm only suggesting this because there was a mad rush of Mage votes right after Thief was picked. But I'm not averse to doing a hybrid character, doing special things for the mage class but solving most problems as a Thief.
Only problem is that when you try to port you character into QFG3, it forces you to pick a class. No more multi-classing.
Now I'm starting up the game. Update will be up shortly.
Handmade Jewelry by me on EtsyGames for sale
Me on Twitch!
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
Thief/Mage was probably the right way to go. Fighter is fun to play, but pretty bland for an LP. Honestly, Mage would probably be much more entertaining, since Thief solutions to puzzles basically boil down to 1.Sneak 2.Climb 3.Lockpick.
And 5 isn't bad[/b], it's just not as good as 1-4. It's got plenty of good puzzles, the humor is still there, and it wraps up the loose plot points very nicely. Combat sucks though.
I finished up the first day of QFGI and will be updating soon.
A fucking lecture already, Jesus fuck I've bought this game like 18 times over the years in one form or another
sighhhhhh it's a D&D piracy thread before we even get started
Oh yeah your archaic copy protection schemes are pretty clever of you
Okay we finally get to do something. Christ Sierra was preachy about piracy back in the day. We're picking a Thief, while the Fighter sheathes his sword in utter disgust and the Magic User stands there in a huff. Hey dude, relax, there be magic coming.
This is the stat screen as it appears as soon as you select a character. Here's what the various stats do:
Intelligence: As far as I can tell, the only thing it's good for is increasing magic points, and also factors very slightly into how successful a dodge or parry attempt is.
Agility: How nimble you are. Used for things like walking tightropes or jumping around. Factors into dodging as well.
Vitality: How much of a beating you can take before you go down. Directly controls how much health and stamina you have. Health runs out, you dead. Stamina goes out and actions start taking health down. Unless stamina runs out in battle, and then you collapse and the monster you're fighting eats you right then and there. Important for all character types.
Luck: One of the hardest stats to reliably raise. Has a small effect on everything you do, kind of like in Fallout. The best way I've found to raise it is to successfully dodge an attack.
Magic: Affects total mana, and also how powerful your spells are in conjunction with spell expertise. Since each spell is basically its own skill, spell expertise is one of the most annoying things about playing a mage character if you're OCD. I will resist the urge to max out all of our spells.
Weapon Use: How often you hit the bad guys.
Parry: We won't be using this skill. Includes deflecting blows with a weapon or shield. Dodge basically makes this meaningless anyhow. The only thing this prevents us from doing is sparring with the Weapon Master in the castle, since we won't have the requisite skills to use the shield. It's not a huge loss.
Dodge: The ability to not be there when the jaws clamp shut.
Stealth: How sneaky you are. Effectively raised by looking fucking suspicious everywhere we go. Seriously, we're going to have our backs all hunched up and walking like we've got something to hide, but it'll be worth it when we don't skid our feet on smooth stone or make floorboards creak beneath us when trying to rob folk.
Pick Locks: Opening things you haven't been afforded the key to open. Pretty simple stuff.
Throwing & Climbing: These are pretty self-explanatory. Climbing is totally useless during the 2nd and 3rd game, for reasons that will become clear when we get there. Throwing is always fun; you can throw rocks or daggers at a baddie before he closes in, sometimes killing him outright. This is how you backstab in the VGA remake of the second game.
I barely added 5 points of our original 50 to magic (actually costing us 15 since it's a skill we weren't technically supposed to have), and threw the rest into Luck and Pick Locks. Luck is a bitch to max out over the course of the game, and if you don't start with a decent lockpicking stat it's impossible to use the "pick nose" exploit. Plus, practicing on doors around the city can get you caught in some instances if you take too many tries, and getting caught always equals death.
On to the actual game!
This is the town center where the sheriff and his Goon hang out. The game starts us off with 1 point. Awwwww, so sweet.
All right, so that's pretty much the extent of our interaction with the sheriff, except for when we rob him later. We'll need to be much more experienced before we do that, though. So, let's head to the left and see what we've got.
The building on the far left is the Adventurer's Guild. The little old lady's house is a place we can rob later on. The creepy place with the eyeball constantly staring at Hamburglar is the Magic Shop. For now, we'll just go into the Adventurer's Guild.
All right, this is the only time we'll ever come in here for the rest of the game. The guild master is old and sleeps all day long, but there's unfortunately nothing to steal.
First thing you do in a QFG game: sign your name in the Guild logbook. We'll also look at the bulletin board and see what sort of Hero work there is in Spielburg.
Wow, all of that is pretty big stuff. We need to start small. Let's go find the Healer's ring. First though, let's see what's on the other side of town.
This centaur girl sells fruit and vegetables. We will not be consuming either of them, but we do need to buy some apples for something later.
Actually, I bought 50 apples. We're haulin' all 50 of 'em around because that is what #WINNERS do! #TIGERBLOOD!
Back in the town center, it's high time we started sneaking everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. Until our Sneak skill is 100, we're going to look like the little boy who recently had his hand in the cookie jar.
This message always freaked me out when I played this as a kid (gimme a break, I was like 6 when this came out). I'd try and stay in town for as long as possible because I didn't want to have to deal with all the danger outside of town. Well here we go. DANGER.
Handmade Jewelry by me on EtsyGames for sale
Me on Twitch!
Heading north from the front gate to town, we come upon the healer's shack. DANGER. There's a glint in the nest up in that tree. Doubtless it's the ring we are after.
hnnnnnnnNNNnNnNnnng
Well sunuva donkey sperm, we suck at climbing things. Nothing for it but to keep trying!
Oh, and we're also a complete and total wimp. We're all tuckered out from less than a minute of tree-climbing attempts. God we suck at hero-ing.
After an hour rest and some more climbing practice, we are IN A TREE MOTHERFUCKA
Got ourselves some bling-bling
And practiced climbing up and down the tree for a little while longer *huff puff*
So we went on inside the healer's shack. Those two little bottles on the counter there are steal-able if she turns her back on us (which she will frequently do), but she will notice them gone and since we are her only customer there's only one suspect. After leaving, she will never let you back in, and you need her to finish. So to complete the game, it's prudent to avoid kleptomaniac urges... for now.
Healthy? Yeah, I'd better fucking be after climbing up and down the tree in your front yard for the last couple hours like a squirrel on amphetamines. Hey, what the hell is wrong with your face? Can't you make up a jaundice cure or something?
All right so the healer yammers on for the rest of the day about what she can use in her potions. This is important because if we don't know she needs troll beard and cheetaur claws, we won't have the option to rip those things off of those monsters when we murder them later.
We give her ring back to her and she immediately goes into blow job mode.
Yeah, we don't want to hang around to see what she has in mind next. Heading west from the healer's hut.
God I hate this asshole. I'm just trying to make it past his screen and every time I have to click away the stupid message about him stopping his raking.
Hey buttmunch, I don't care about you or your raking. I got some apples from your thoroughbred daughter and I'm finished with your whole damn family now. Please, do not stop raking on my account anymore.
Okay, into the forest. This is where the real danger begins.
Hot damn, we're so stealthy already that we're hiding from monsters. If you are in sneak mode while walking around the forest areas and a random monster appears, you have a chance depending on how good you are of avoiding the encounter completely. You get this message if that happens.
Hey plants.
Hey! A seed came out of the flower. We need that thing. Think thiefy thoughts. Okay, we have been practicing our climbing all day. Let's try to climb up and catch it.
What? No! That looks like a terrible place to climb to me!
Uuuuugh
We scrabble against the wrong section of wall for a good while. We look like we're doing a Richard Simmons workout or something.
Eventually we make it up the correct chin-high wall section
And hold out our hands, waiting for our prize.
Caught it!
Do-de-do-de-do, wandering the forest some more
Hey! A white stag. Noice.
Let's follow it.
AHHHH A MONSTER FIGHT IT KILL IT
Uhhhh sure I guess
Oh hey you mean this thing?
Uh huh. Yeah, you "detected" that I had it. I just fucking told you I had it.
I guess you can have it. I dunno why I even picked the thing up.
*collective groan*
By the way, get used to the bad puns. It's part and parcel of the whole series.
Perverts nature, eh? Hmmm... maybe this brigand leader is on to something...
Hence why we need her to not be royally pissed at us.
We pick up the acorn as she melts back into the tree.
Wow, we're getting a lot done our first day. But there's still more to explore!
im loving the practiced thieving asides
also i would stop raking if i saw someone hunched over trying not to look suspicious
such things are suspicious
i love the hands on hips pose when you finally manage to climb something.
Haha, yeah that pose is actually one of the staples of this series, whenever you do something especially heroic. You'll be seeing it often.
It's probably just because the images are compressed and resized. If it takes up your whole monitor it's good and pixelly just like the good old days.