Expert questions (game mechanics)

PicturesInTheDark · Post by **PicturesInTheDark** » Tue May 27, 2003 12:14 am

Hi all,

these questions are related to both DM and CSB but are posted in this forum as I am working on a documentation for CSBuild. I will also post them in the encyclopedia (Chaos strikes back for Windows & Linux forum) - please answer them there to avoid double posting!

Please let me know about anything you can add, even if it is only a part of a question. They are in random order.

1) What effects would "Des Potion", "Sar Potion", "Um Potion" and "Zo Potion" have? Neither appears in the original dungeons but is there a clearly intended use that can be assigned to one of them?

2) What effects would "Kath bomb", "Pew bomb" and "Ra bomb" have? Again, neither appears in the original dungeons but is there a clearly intended use that can be assigned to one of them?

3) What exactly is “The conduit”, in the code of which versions did it appear and are there any assigned functions or was it simply never used ?Furthermore, what is its numeric type ?

4) Who experienced problems with multiple chestings and who did not? Which were they? Are these problems reproducable ? Is there any known limit to chesting ?

5) Values of objects (i.e. apple with value 6 does mean what ? I think I recall something in the forums about nutrition values of different foods - am I right? If so, do you know where I can find the list ? And since this applies to all other objects as well like a blue gem, what do they mean in this case ?) and charges of a weapon/piece of clothing (any use if not a staff or storm ring for example ?) are pretty mysterious to me. What does a broken or even poisoned item entrail for the game itself (poisoned armet, for example) ? What does “torch type” have for consequences if selected when editing an item ? How many levels of strength are there for potions and what do they actually mean for use in the game?

6) This is not a question but a phenomenon. I'd be interested in comments.

There’s a funny effect if you have bones (party) in the dungeon – don’t know if you are familiar with that. I placed them in the topmost level of my test dungeon, right after the champion portraits. Now if you resurrect/reincarnate only one character and then go to those bones (party) they are named like the character you just took. If you then go to a “Vi Altair” and use those bones you get a new kind of “ghost” – a character symbol appears (same color as the original one), but no character sheet/tab is available. As far as I found out you can’t do anything with this double. Only tried in CSBwin though. Is that a known phenomenon? Should it be "allowed" as part of the game or not? What do you think ?

Thank you very much,

regards PitD

Post by **Gambit37** » Tue May 27, 2003 12:23 am

Can only answer (3). The Conduit is a fully functioning item that is definitely available in PC DM and Apple 2gs DM, plus I'm pretty sure it's also in Atari St and Amiga DM. It has options of WINDOW (Oh Ew Ra), LIGHTNING and SWING and +16 Mana. It's direct counterpart in CSB is the Serpent Staff.

As for all those unused potions, all I can tell you at the moment is that FTL created more objects than they needed and some were left without any special attributes or code to handle them. I might be able to get some more detail on this at a later date.

PicturesInTheDark · Post by **PicturesInTheDark** » Tue May 27, 2003 11:34 am

Thank you, Gambit. For all others wanting to contribute: Please use the Encyclopedia since I want to avaid double posting and put this here as well only to reach more readers!

Regards, PitD

Post by **Gambit37** » Tue May 27, 2003 11:50 am

Whoops, sorry, I only sped-read the post and didn't see that comment about double posting!

PicturesInTheDark · Post by **PicturesInTheDark** » Tue May 27, 2003 11:53 am

With 973 posts so far I can see that you must have some trick to it... So speed-reading, huh?

Regards, PitD

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Tue May 27, 2003 2:56 pm

I'll post in the encyclopaedia next week ifr these don't get answered better before then, but essentially there is no effects that i can see/that are implied by the manual for those bombs and potions (the fact that Zo and Sar are more fully coded graphically should show they were closer to being used for somethign though - maybe there is a an effect i nthe engine code not assosiated?)

The conduit, like elven boots, actually produces a range of mana boost - +12 - 16 i think, don't know what it depends on though

The ghost effect using bones, of cource, can only be produced by hacking, and its better than the engine crashing. I used that effect in an unreleased dungeon to give you an NPC that can become a PC (there are no ill effects in getting a second champion to use the ghost slot later)

Never had chesting problems, just heard about the monster side

An although it won't show up, Gambit only needs 75 or so more posts for Archmasterdom!b

Post by **Gambit37** » Tue May 27, 2003 3:24 pm

You will see it now! Reset my 'special' rank... and one closer now too!

Post by **Lunever** » Tue May 27, 2003 8:41 pm

Beowuuf: If you weren't so fuzzy, you'd be MonMaster roo by now.

Post by **Lunever** » Tue May 27, 2003 8:43 pm

Oops, sorry. I just noticed that you aren't fuzzy anymore and have become sweet instead now.

PicturesInTheDark · Post by **PicturesInTheDark** » Wed May 28, 2003 12:55 pm

Not to mention canadian

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Wed May 28, 2003 5:51 pm

not for much longer : (

soon i will be welsh!

Post by **cowsmanaut** » Wed May 28, 2003 7:20 pm

you're not in BC are you?

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 1:23 am

Nah, other side of canada! I was in Kinston, Ontario then i was veeery briefly in cardiff wales, was briefly in edinburgh scotland, down to derby, england, and now back in aberdeen for a day then will be off somewhere in the middle of the north sea for two weeks

which isn't as fun as it sounds if you just want to talk to your girlfriend again! : (

and i missed
metalica
play live
in donnington

Post by **Lunever** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 9:16 am

Area I like most in England is southwest. Last summer I've been to the Solstice in Stonehenge, then spent the following 10 days in Salisbury, Glastonbury, Lymouth/Linton, Tyntagel & Boscastle. I really recommend that route.

Beo: Although I really like Metallica, they don't give much of a show when playing live. I saw them once some years ago on the "Monsters of Rock" festival on the airfield in Mainz (Germany), they just stood there and mechanically played their songs, there was almost no difference to playing the sound from a record, no effects and nothing. I found them a bit boring then.

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 11:14 am

Lol, i'll take some comfort in that, though from what i heard they gave a good show in donnington....it was a smaller tented off second stage, so especially with the crowd reaction would have good

but i missed it

never mind

not bitter, nope, not me : )

PicturesInTheDark · Post by **PicturesInTheDark** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 11:22 am

If you see them put in a word for me to visit Austria again

Regards, PitD

Post by **Lunever** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 11:55 am

Friday I'll be off to the (annual) 12th Wave-Gothick-Festival in Leipzig, 4 days of Gothick live music, ranging from metall to electro...
It's fun there, you know, when you enter some train or bus and see only one or two "normal" persons surrounded everywhere by highly styled gothics...

BTW: Beo: Have you ever heard of Apocalyptica?

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 1:21 pm

Yeah, heard of them, heard them, and now saw them live on sunday (they played a sepultura cover, i think, and two metallica : ) )

have fun at the festival!

Post by **Lunever** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 2:09 pm

Saw them live too. Their Heavy-Cello Metallica covers are really great!