The patch made my options screens have no text, and a couple of other odd crashy behaviors...
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JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
Huh. Now that you mention it, I guess my text did go away after I installed the patch.
Still worth it, I think. I certainly haven't encountered anything as game-breaking as half the bugs it fixes. Hope they're still updating the thing, though.
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TrippyJingMoses supposes his toeses are roses.But Moses supposes erroneously.Registered Userregular
Man, given those patches, maybe I should try playing this again. I think I still have the discs floating around somewhere.
edit: my biggest problem with arcanum was the skills not mixing as much as I thought they should for a steampunk game. If my dude has magic and technology stuff I should be able to mix them somehow!
Eat it You Nasty Pig. on
it was the smallest on the list but
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Man, given those patches, maybe I should try playing this again. I think I still have the discs floating around somewhere.
edit: my biggest problem with arcanum was the skills not mixing as much as I thought they should for a steampunk game. If my dude has magic and technology stuff I should be able to mix them somehow!
Well, it's possible but the whole background with Arcanum is precisely that of Magic and Technology being two mutually exclusive forces that clash with each other. But as long as you keep yourself pretty neutral with the tech/magic aptitude you'll be able to use them both without anything bad happening, you just won't recieve the bonuses you'll get at a high aptitude.
So, I've heard people talk about how bad the multiplayer is for this, but having never tried it, I'm curious. Just how terrible is it? What is it exactly? I'm sure that getting it to work over long distances would be a real pain in the ass, but what about on the same lan?
So, I've heard people talk about how bad the multiplayer is for this, but having never tried it, I'm curious. Just how terrible is it? What is it exactly? I'm sure that getting it to work over long distances would be a real pain in the ass, but what about on the same lan?
No quick travel. (or anything that fast forwards time)
No turn based combat.
...and... probably something else I can't remember...
the first one is the real biggie, I think, since that meant you couldn't run any campaigns with maps as big as the SP campaign...
well, you could, but you would be spending 4-5 hours (or however long 2-3 days in game took) traveling from one place to another...
So, I've heard people talk about how bad the multiplayer is for this, but having never tried it, I'm curious. Just how terrible is it? What is it exactly? I'm sure that getting it to work over long distances would be a real pain in the ass, but what about on the same lan?
No quick travel. (or anything that fast forwards time)
No turn based combat.
...and... probably something else I can't remember...
the first one is the real biggie, I think, since that meant you couldn't run any campaigns with maps as big as the SP campaign...
well, you could, but you would be spending 4-5 hours (or however long 2-3 days in game took) traveling from one place to another...
I'd say that the bolded part pretty much set the grade to "fucking awful, don't even bother".
I played this briefly and couldn't get into it, but I never had fan patches or anything of the sort. Apparently, they make this game worth playing? Is that true? If so, maybe I will try it again.
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augustwhere you come from is goneRegistered Userregular
edited June 2009
If you didn't like vanilla this isn't going to change enough to get you into it.
I played this briefly and couldn't get into it, but I never had fan patches or anything of the sort. Apparently, they make this game worth playing? Is that true? If so, maybe I will try it again.
I was the same way when the game came out... I played the demo at least three times before I really figured out the appeal of the game.
You have to get a little ways into Arcanum before you realize the fact that is insanely deep and full of variety and can be played through a dozen times without ever overlapping.
Did Troika ever reveal any information regarding how Arcanum 2 was supposed to look like, besides using the HL2 engine?
Not that I am aware of. All I read was that it was supposed to be in the same vein as Bloodlines.
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ArchonexNo hard feelings, right?Registered Userregular
edited June 2009
Did any of the fan patches ever balance out the hilarious imbalance between technology and magic?
I remember scrounging through trash in the cities just to try and get myself some basic sellable items so I could afford to make some decent gear, playing as a technology based character. Where-as my magic character could blow through most enemies, with certain spells.
Did any of the fan patches ever balance out the hilarious imbalance between technology and magic?
I remember scrounging through trash in the cities just to try and get myself some basic sellable items so I could afford to make some decent gear, playing as a technology based character. Where-as my magic character could blow through most enemies, with certain spells.
I recall the only Tech character that I've ever played made a mint scrounging from wastebins in Tarant and making stuff to sell from it. I'm not sure what it was but I think it was some of the lower level grenades.
Ok, I've been craving an old school RPG for a while now and I've finally settled on this one. I've had the game for a while now but never played much of it (I really only bought for my collection's sake). I'm going to be playing with The Killer Inside module, all the Troika Modules, the latest unofficial patch, and the high resolution patch(I gots ta play in 1920x1080).
Man I love this game. My first run through was a gun bandit mechanic and I've heard magic is overpowered and I've tried starting a magic character but every time I simply have to go tech. This game demands it.
Ok, I've been craving an old school RPG for a while now and I've finally settled on this one. I've had the game for a while now but never played much of it (I really only bought for my collection's sake). I'm going to be playing with The Killer Inside module, all the Troika Modules, the latest unofficial patch, and the high resolution patch(I gots ta play in 1920x1080).
Am I missing anything?
I would like to know the anwser to this question as well, as all this Arcanum talk has made me find my CDs...
I always used to make a Melee/Magic based character. Pumping Dexterity and Strength to max to get the bonus speed and double damage for having them at 20 then using the (Temporal?) magic tree to get the Haste spell.
Balanced Sword or Featherweight Axe meant I could get somewhere in the order of 20 attacks in a single turn. You could easily have an unstopable character by level 15.
I remember defeating Kerghan in one turn.
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TrippyJingMoses supposes his toeses are roses.But Moses supposes erroneously.Registered Userregular
edited June 2009
I want to create a character based on the Marvel 1602 incarnation of Iron Man, Lord Iron. Marching across the continent in my powered armor, making bandits suck down lightning.
Either that or a Bruce Wayne that fights only hand-to-hand or with throwing weapons. Dressed in black.
Ok, I've been craving an old school RPG for a while now and I've finally settled on this one. I've had the game for a while now but never played much of it (I really only bought for my collection's sake). I'm going to be playing with The Killer Inside module, all the Troika Modules, the latest unofficial patch, and the high resolution patch(I gots ta play in 1920x1080).
Am I missing anything?
I would like to know the anwser to this question as well, as all this Arcanum talk has made me find my CDs...
Uh... yeah. Don't play a module? Play the actual game instead?
Ok, I've been craving an old school RPG for a while now and I've finally settled on this one. I've had the game for a while now but never played much of it (I really only bought for my collection's sake). I'm going to be playing with The Killer Inside module, all the Troika Modules, the latest unofficial patch, and the high resolution patch(I gots ta play in 1920x1080).
Am I missing anything?
I would like to know the anwser to this question as well, as all this Arcanum talk has made me find my CDs...
Uh... yeah. Don't play a module? Play the actual game instead?
Yeah, I'm not sure why you'd substitute some sort of fanmade thing for one of the best written games of the era. If you end up doing that, though, let us know if it's any good! Your sacrifice is our benefit I guess.
Ok, I've been craving an old school RPG for a while now and I've finally settled on this one. I've had the game for a while now but never played much of it (I really only bought for my collection's sake). I'm going to be playing with The Killer Inside module, all the Troika Modules, the latest unofficial patch, and the high resolution patch(I gots ta play in 1920x1080).
Am I missing anything?
I would like to know the anwser to this question as well, as all this Arcanum talk has made me find my CDs...
Uh... yeah. Don't play a module? Play the actual game instead?
Yeah, I'm not sure why you'd substitute some sort of fanmade thing for one of the best written games of the era. If you end up doing that, though, let us know if it's any good! Your sacrifice is our benefit I guess.
Oh shit, I thought they all added onto the game like in Fallout 3. I've been playing a lot Fallout 3 lately, you see.
Are any of the premade characters any good, or will I be way better off making my own? Creation hints would be nice too, if so.
Make your own.
Dexterity is the most important all-purpose stat due to it affecting your "turns" in combat. It becomes even more important if you play as a rogue and/or melee charachter since it affects melee, dodge, lockpick, and a bunch of other stuff.
Intelligence (stat) and Persuasion (skill) are the 2 most important things for opening up dialogue. Beauty and Charisma affect your reactions and your followers, which isn't as important. Persuasion 1 is all you need early on
to get past the bridge in the first town
and I've heard Persuasion 3 is all you ever need - and that only a bare few times. Intelligence, however, plays a big part in playing a tech charachter as it unlocks the technology skills.
Dexterity and strength are the most important for melee combat.
Dexterity and perception are the most important for firearms combat.
Dexterity and intelligence are the most important for throwing combat (with explosives).
Dexterity and willpower are the most important for magic.
I'm playing a technology charachter with the technology rebalancing mod. Going for max dexterity and high perception and intelligence. I got perception to 15 and firearms to 4/5 as quickly as possible (pausing only to get persuasion 1). Later on, having persuasion at 2 and high intelligence will get me most dialogue options. High intelligence and technology skills will boost my tech level enough that I won't have any problems with firearms. High dexterity means I can pick a few miscellaneous skills that might help out like lockpick and dodge.
Only problem is I'm going to have to drop Vogrim. His heals are wasted on me due to my tech level. It's a shame because everyone says he has the best storyline.
Are any of the premade characters any good, or will I be way better off making my own? Creation hints would be nice too, if so.
In addition to what has been posted above, keep in mind that each stat confers an extra bonus once you hit 20 in it. This can include various buffs/modifiers. This can make some races and backgrounds particularly potent early/midgame.
In terms of character effectiveness, a rough order would be melee > spell slinging > guns. Well, spell slinging can be as effective as melee but it takes more stats and longer to get there.
You'll note that I did explicitly say magic or tech in that. While magic generally has the edge on technology, mages and gunslingers are not the only ways to do either and whether they're using magical equipment and buff spells or mechanical armor and a pyrotechnic sword, a character with high strength and melee is going to cleave things in half well before a spell slinging mage reaches that level of destruction. The damage bonus for 20 strength is REALLY powerful. To that end, an orc or ogre with the circus runaway background starts wrecking stuff really, really quickly.
Maybe I should see if it's possible to build a charismatic melee mage that uses mainly buffs and the Temporal tree? Has anyone in this thread tried something similar before?
Maybe I should see if it's possible to build a charismatic melee mage that uses mainly buffs and the Temporal tree? Has anyone in this thread tried something similar before?
If you get Dexterity and Strength to 20 you will be pretty much unstoppable.
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Still worth it, I think. I certainly haven't encountered anything as game-breaking as half the bugs it fixes. Hope they're still updating the thing, though.
Drog's Unofficial Patch and his Hi-Res patch are there. If you want to check on whether it's updating or not, I think he posts on RPGCodex.
Now, if you'd excuse me, I'm gonna start a new game, and go collect my man-eating dog as soon as possible.
edit: my biggest problem with arcanum was the skills not mixing as much as I thought they should for a steampunk game. If my dude has magic and technology stuff I should be able to mix them somehow!
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
No quick travel. (or anything that fast forwards time)
No turn based combat.
...and... probably something else I can't remember...
the first one is the real biggie, I think, since that meant you couldn't run any campaigns with maps as big as the SP campaign...
well, you could, but you would be spending 4-5 hours (or however long 2-3 days in game took) traveling from one place to another...
3DSFF: 5026-4429-6577
...I've got ten fingers.
They interfere with each other. MAGICALLY.
I was the same way when the game came out... I played the demo at least three times before I really figured out the appeal of the game.
You have to get a little ways into Arcanum before you realize the fact that is insanely deep and full of variety and can be played through a dozen times without ever overlapping.
What about magical toe rings?
Or magical...uh...other rings?
Don't get me wrong, I think Fallout 3 is awesome, just not awesome for the same reasons Fallout 1 & 2 are.
Not that I am aware of. All I read was that it was supposed to be in the same vein as Bloodlines.
I remember scrounging through trash in the cities just to try and get myself some basic sellable items so I could afford to make some decent gear, playing as a technology based character. Where-as my magic character could blow through most enemies, with certain spells.
Eight pages.
And you haven't linked Let's Play Arcanum.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Am I missing anything?
I would like to know the anwser to this question as well, as all this Arcanum talk has made me find my CDs...
Balanced Sword or Featherweight Axe meant I could get somewhere in the order of 20 attacks in a single turn. You could easily have an unstopable character by level 15.
I remember defeating Kerghan in one turn.
Either that or a Bruce Wayne that fights only hand-to-hand or with throwing weapons. Dressed in black.
Once you hit Master melee, even with an average weapon, the game becomes excessively boring.
Plus being a master in anything really limits your options in other character areas.
Uh... yeah. Don't play a module? Play the actual game instead?
Just use all 3 of these: http://drog.terra-arcanum.com/index.html
Yeah, I'm not sure why you'd substitute some sort of fanmade thing for one of the best written games of the era. If you end up doing that, though, let us know if it's any good! Your sacrifice is our benefit I guess.
Oh shit, I thought they all added onto the game like in Fallout 3. I've been playing a lot Fallout 3 lately, you see.
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
kpop appreciation station i also like to tweet some
Make your own.
Dexterity is the most important all-purpose stat due to it affecting your "turns" in combat. It becomes even more important if you play as a rogue and/or melee charachter since it affects melee, dodge, lockpick, and a bunch of other stuff.
Intelligence (stat) and Persuasion (skill) are the 2 most important things for opening up dialogue. Beauty and Charisma affect your reactions and your followers, which isn't as important. Persuasion 1 is all you need early on
and I've heard Persuasion 3 is all you ever need - and that only a bare few times. Intelligence, however, plays a big part in playing a tech charachter as it unlocks the technology skills.
Dexterity and strength are the most important for melee combat.
Dexterity and perception are the most important for firearms combat.
Dexterity and intelligence are the most important for throwing combat (with explosives).
Dexterity and willpower are the most important for magic.
I'm playing a technology charachter with the technology rebalancing mod. Going for max dexterity and high perception and intelligence. I got perception to 15 and firearms to 4/5 as quickly as possible (pausing only to get persuasion 1). Later on, having persuasion at 2 and high intelligence will get me most dialogue options. High intelligence and technology skills will boost my tech level enough that I won't have any problems with firearms. High dexterity means I can pick a few miscellaneous skills that might help out like lockpick and dodge.
Only problem is I'm going to have to drop Vogrim. His heals are wasted on me due to my tech level. It's a shame because everyone says he has the best storyline.
In addition to what has been posted above, keep in mind that each stat confers an extra bonus once you hit 20 in it. This can include various buffs/modifiers. This can make some races and backgrounds particularly potent early/midgame.
In terms of character effectiveness, a rough order would be melee > spell slinging > guns. Well, spell slinging can be as effective as melee but it takes more stats and longer to get there.
You'll note that I did explicitly say magic or tech in that. While magic generally has the edge on technology, mages and gunslingers are not the only ways to do either and whether they're using magical equipment and buff spells or mechanical armor and a pyrotechnic sword, a character with high strength and melee is going to cleave things in half well before a spell slinging mage reaches that level of destruction. The damage bonus for 20 strength is REALLY powerful. To that end, an orc or ogre with the circus runaway background starts wrecking stuff really, really quickly.
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If you get Dexterity and Strength to 20 you will be pretty much unstoppable.