Dark Reign 1

[agarules]

Still progressing and the enemy is throwing everything at me. They are getting better (must be upgrades), but are no match for my 4 death-dealers.
Well, it took me long enough to train them from nothing to master level.
Arrived at the end of the level, where there are stairs going up as well as down. Also a cryptic wall notice. The way down is a dead-end. Looks like the skeleton key staircase. Yes it is. So, have to go up. Hope that I haven't missed anything. Examined and tapped just about every wall (when given the chance. Bloody monsters).
Wonder why I have to go back up? Soon to find out.

[agarules]

Finally finished Dark Reign 1. Had a job finding an emerald key not far from the end and nearly lost a party member at the end. So retreated and healed and played more carefully until I sussed the right way of doing it.
Many thanks Saumun for an entertaining DM mod.

[terkio]

So, you are ready to enter Dark Reign 2

[agarules]

I'll have a play with Dark Reign 2, though I expect to get stuck pretty soon.

[terkio]

I did not get stuck in Dark Reign 2.
Well..not much !
May be a bit harder, but with logic of the kind seen in DR1.
I had a couple of places difficult, but logic and willingness gave me the answer.
One, I remember, I was stuck a couple of days, but it was not that hard finally, once I found the simple trick I had overseen.
The logic, in these games is why I enjoyed it very much.
[Rant]
Conservely I hate games with weird logic, just made to be damn difficult, which is easy to design. Games that make no sense to me.
[/Rant].

[agarules]

Totally agree with what you say. Some games are made too hard, usually the puzzles, never going to do them unless you look on the forums or whatever. Anyway, I'm stuck already, right after the start. Shame on me. A room with a wall button (big red one) and an alcove with a key in it. As you approach either, they both disappear. Leave for now. Walk on and find "hazes" (man, I hate those things). Here goes. OK, teleporting. Have to find the right sequence, maybe dropping an item on the floor to show where I've been. Bit tough for near the start are my thoughts. Hardly got anything...armour, weapons, food. I know that I will crack it, eventually. Maybe Saumun's tiny switches that he is so fond of in the hazes. Too tired to do it now. To be continued.
No re-incarnation option, which is probably just as well going by the enemy near the start and having no magic skills would have meant a rapid dead party.
Will get back to playing this DM mod. Playing Dungeons Matter, which is very good, but always get stuck in the same place (the caverns with all them darn pits). Also stuck in Sins Of The Father in that room with 100,000,000 gems. Well, guess I've got to search everywhere.

[terkio]

Dark Reign 2.
I think I remember the starting maze with teleporter hazes.
A bit stiff for a start.
It asks for careful mapping and patience.
It is not too large, then next is easy going for a while.
Dungeon Matters.
Not sure, where you are with darn pits.
The canion ? The spiral path ?

Spoiler

There is a silent spinner at the center of the spiral path

[agarules]

The Canyon, where them tornado-like things keep annoying and trying to push you down pits. There is a chest in the middle with pits surrounding it. I have to find a way to get to it. Finding different coloured gems and coins. I should solve it eventually. 6th game and always get stuck here. I have the runes that are needed. Made sure to do every path in the preceding level. Even the "Avoid" one.
Gonna have another go at it just now.

[terkio]

Canyon is challenging.
Sure you need access to the chest.

Spoiler

Climb down the right pit

May be there is a prerequisite: Passing a door with a pit blocking the entrance. One must find the trick to close that pit.

[agarules]

Thanks terkio. Wasn't will/looking forward to trying them all, so stopped and looked at the big picture and it just came to me. Has to be that one and it was. What a relief to finally find it. Did what had to be done and got to Coliseum.
Six games it took me to get this far; six restarts and the solution was so simple, once found. On my first playthrough of Dungeon Master I was stuck for ages. That bit when you first see Beholders. One is in The Grave Of King Milius, the other in that room at the end of the corridor, where I got stuck. Killed the Beholder and couldn't figure out how to open the gate to get the key. Long, long time ago. Again, so simple, once you suss the answer.
On through Coliseum, where I will probably get stuck again. Think I'll go back to that training area, killing worms with arrows to get my party's dexterity higher.

[terkio]

I am glad you moved ahead.
I like the way you made it to the chest in the canyon level.

...so stopped and looked at the big picture and it just came to me.

[agarules]

Yeah, I must learn to look outside the box more often.
It's an excellent DM mod. Thanks Ouch and apologies to Saumun for hogging this thread with matters unrelated to Dark Reign.

[terkio]

Looking again at these games I completed many years ago, I am confused.
Do we have 3 games ?
_Dark Reign
_Dark Reign 1
_Dark Reign 2
How do they relate ?

[Saumun]

Only two.
DR2 starts in the same room that DR1 ends, and runs parallel to DR1 going up.

[terkio]

Great memories from these two highly enjoyable games.