How's the "Dead End" supposed to work?

Babe Bridou · Post by **Babe Bridou** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 8:20 pm

Well, here's the trick:

I've played CSB long ago with a friend on his Atari ST. We were playing a team of imported characters from DM (Tiggy, Stamm, Chani, Nabi), and as his characters were very strong wizards (Tiggy was archmaster), most of the gameplay was spent shooting fireballs and lightning bolts.

We arrive at the "Dead End" corridor, advance a bit, turn back, and here are 4 knights, very deadly opponents for this team. We advance backwards, shooting lotsa highlevel spells, and the way opens. No problem here, just a bit of stress.

Some years later, I dig up CSB and played it on my Amiga, with two reincarnated characters, Itza and Kazai. Both are heavy killing machines, lots of mana, lots of life, lots of damage. I arrive at the dead end, turn back, see the knights, and do the "hit and backstep" strategy. They're dead, the way is open, who's next?

Several years later, I discover this forum, download RTC, start DM with 2 reincarnated characters, Sonja and Leyla, finish DM in about 11 hours (levels are all adepts, with expert priest), import into CSB, start CSB, and melee the game... My two characters are brutal, because I decided to make extensive use of potions (str, dex, vit and wis are kept above 200 whenever possible). So I finish Ku, go up into the DDD, enter the "trust me" pit, kill the dragon, go up, and find myself into the Dead End alley, once again... I see the dead end, turn around, see the knights, charge them, and each knight falls in 2-3 chops... The Dead End never opened, apparently. I'm stuck.

Is it a design bug? is it related to RTC? Have I done something I shouldn't have done? Can I "free" my characters from now? Will I see the Dragon Den again some day?

(I might as well load a previous game)

Thanks in advance, and congrats for perpetually reviving a wonderful gaming passion!

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 8:29 pm

Hmm, this could well be a bug...or it might be a feature. You can't edit saved games, so if this isn't sorted, then..oops.
Good news is, editing the CSB dungeon itself is easy if there is soemthign wrong

Which version of RTC are you using (the latest is 0.28)?
Have you tried advancing to the dead end backwards? (sounds stupid, but i always thought this was how the thing opened?

You can look at the csb.txt file, the dead end is level 3 or 4 - check out the mechanics and see if anythign is wrong - i believe a pressure pad at the end of the dead end should go to a counter, and after a small delay boom, door opens
CSB was tested many times, so if it is a bug, its something annoying and new!

Babe Bridou · Post by **Babe Bridou** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 8:40 pm

RTC v0.28

Ok, I found the answer.

There is no counter, according to RTCEditor, only a trigger which works only on monsters, two steps away from the wall... but I never let them come this far, as I charged them.... also, I can't seem to be able to revive any other monster on my way to the dead end... to open the wall.

Was it supposed to work this way?

Now I have to kill that big dragon again... *sigh*

zoom · Post by **zoom** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 8:42 pm

should be no problem with your characters : )

Post by **Gambit37** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 8:42 pm

Yes, it's the monsters that trigger the wall opening -- it's always been like that. The whole point of the puzzle is that you have to be in the last open space for the "Dead End" bit to apply: you're at the end of the corridor and soon you will be dead because of the knights that have trapped you.

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 8:45 pm

ah, so if you kill the knights too quickly, nothing but dead end....

Agreed, it's like this in the original, but it's not a bad game design - there should be a monster generator there (it's at the start of the corridor, the triger is closer to the wall), just i think it has a hellishly long retrigger value. so you can retirgger the wall.
Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep for a while, or go do something else, then come back later

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 8:46 pm

holy crap do i type that slowly?

Babe Bridou · Post by **Babe Bridou** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 9:58 pm

Zoooom: well, the main problem will be to find the dragon again

I'm always lost in the DDD, too busy to fight!

Post by **linflas** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 9:15 am

beowuuf wrote:holy crap do i type that slowly?

http://www.play4traffic.com/game.php
i scored 45...

*going off-topic again*

3gg · Post by **3gg** » Thu Feb 03, 2005 2:29 pm

h3llo !
I restard -again- CSB and i'm just at this point !
First time, i try to wait near the wall -like the walkthrough- but few sec after, no Knight..
I go back, and i found them in the 2x2 room (with the rock golem and the emeral' key' gate).. so i kill them (turn around ehehe..)
But after, i come back near the fake wall and nothing happen !..
I restart my savegame and try one more. And at this time, they come to fight, and after 2 attacks, the wall fall down.
So, i think you must wait near the wall (1 or 2 steps) and wait 2 attacks to pass the 'Dead End'
(sorry for this, my english isn't it..hihi)

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Thu Feb 03, 2005 5:44 pm

the monsters are what trigger the wall - so you need to lure the creatures aaaaaaaaaaaall the way down the corridor where they are dancing around!

Inanity · Post by **Inanity** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 4:49 pm

3gg wrote: (sorry for this, my english isn't it..hihi)

Hihi!

Post by **Sophia** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 7:30 pm

The only thing worse than reviving a thread that's been dead for two years is doing it with a completely irrelevant and pointless post.

Lifepath · Post by **Lifepath** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:55 am

Well It's not that bad if you consider I didn't know how dead end worked and i was right there just today !

I killed the knights but they will spawn again if i go back there or do i have to lure other creatures ?

Thanks

Trantor · Post by **Trantor** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 3:15 pm

In theory, other creatures would work, too, but you will have a hard time luring something else there. Just wait until the Knights respawn. That will take quite some time now (I think about 20 minutes!), so it's probably a good idea to do some exploring somewhere else first and then come back later.

Lifepath · Post by **Lifepath** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:12 pm

Yes hehe

Anyway it is the first time i Play Csb, I really discover everything, it is a great feeling.

So I go through every area again and again and again and again