Dungeon Master Forum

Sophia, you have truly outdone yourself with Dark Portal. I'm having a lot of fun wandering around in it. I find myself remembering parts of Shadowgate & asking myself how you translated into DM style. I've yet to be let down.

Oh, and just so you know; there appears to be something wrong with the puzzle involving the wand & the poison blasts. I'm fairly certain that this is a puzzle of some sort, but all I did was just walk up & grab the wand; then turn & leave. The poison blast hit me but didn't do anything. Is this a fake-out or is something not going right? It just seemed really odd to me, given both Shadowgate and Dark Portal's sadistic penchant for killing me at any opportunity.

edit: Hahaha!!! Just figured out the Vi altar. I actually figured this out by looking at the apple. That's a clever hint you have there.

Thank you.

Anyway, yes, the wand/poison puzzle seems to be glitched. It doesn't really "count" unless you solve it right, of course.

In order to make myself feel better, I did solve the wand's puzzle; as I'm a completionist something awful. Also, that's pretty funny; the text it says when you eat things you normally would in DM but shouldn't in DP. I've found myself actually letting my character starve because I'm afraid to eat the food. Then I found the sneaky supply of herbs, and I'm a happier & healthier person now.

I'm very sure that I'm nearing the end due to my experience with the original Shadowgate, but that materializer is just wiping the floor with me. The Zo Lock has me stumped thus far too, but I don't want any assistance just yet. I had a few ideas I'm about to go try right now.

This game has done a fantastic job of emulating Shadowgate's eery "You're on your own and nobody can hear you scream" feel. I also wanted to thank you for including as many text hints into the game as you did. Especially with the troll when it told me that I could feel/hear the wind around me, which reminded me of what to do there. As I am deaf, this makes it possible for me to complete a dungeon without dependency on the audio. Maybe it was unintentional, but I really do appreciate it.

Alright, it's kinda irritating. The hallway with the 6 eyes. I'm pretty sure I get the puzzle, I think I'm just overlooking something horribly obvious. I've tried both placing an item representing the symbol in question on the ground in all 4 positions available in the space before each eye; & I've also tried using items themselves on the eyes. Nothing happens as far as I can tell.

Can anyone tell me if I'm on the right track with any of my previous courses of action, because I don't see anything happening. Oh, I also noticed the little etchings in the riddle room changed position. Is this somehow linked with the eye-hallway puzzle?

Edit: Nevermind. Whilst playing around in that room & clicking frantically like a flaming epileptic dolphin on land; the door opened. Dungeon complete! Very nicely done, & the behemoth was creepy looking. Wish I could've heard this famous roar of his, though. Oh well, still a fantastic dungeon. You planning on doing the same for Uninvited? Oh, please say yes!!! I'd stab someone completely at random to see how you do the cookie monster.

Im Playing this Dungeon as well Escape 2 , when got Stuck in one play the other; Dark Portal: dint played this dungeon untill I saw in a post that its based in Shadowgate (I totally forgot about Shadow Gate and Deja Vu in the ST till I saw the forum post) ShadowGate for me was both Intriguing and frustrating game and only was be able to advance in Dark Portal when Started to play it like ShadowGate (was totally stuck in the first level for a day!) the first puzzle to solve was the dragon and the shield (one of the first puzzles in shadowgate) and I was like "aaahhhh.... its played this way.."

Like in SG dark Portal could be frustrating, clicking in every corner of the screen with every kind of object you pick up trying to figure out the puzzles; right now I stucked in the hot door, I recall this was a puzzle in shadow gate but cant remember how to solve it, or if I was beable to solve it at Shadowgate since I played that game houndred of times and didnt finished it (I remember i said was a copy protection bug rather than the difficult puzzles that keep me stucked)

Congratulations Sophia, Dark Portal its a great adaptation and a different aproach to DM, thanks a lot for sharing it...

Hello dungeon masters !

After few years absence I've recently started playing custome dungeons again. I had a 6hours blast in Reactor, really nice one, Sophia. But now I am really struggling with Dark Portal, which is great btw.

I need some hints, please.

1) Chest behind the tree - I just don't get it - do I need to use some spell here or the object ? And what sounds ?
2) Fountain of acid - do I need some item (like gloves) or rather spell again ?
3) I managed to kill the Eye but I'm wondering if I need to do anything with those decorations around (or was it just a hint) ?
4) I have no idea what to do with some spells - "world of ether, world of plane" and "moving sun".

Welcome back!

I should know this liek the back of my hand, hmm.

1) You need to ressurect something in the VI altar...something that was alive in game and is now dead.

Spoiler

Worm round

2) It's probably DM thinking stopping you from completing this. You indeed need gloves, put them on your hands, and then touch the fountain with the hand mouse pointer!
3) Just decoration, though they are a good hint for the end (the six runes)
4) Both are for much further in the game - basically the end - from where you are now.

I have no idea where is Vi altar though - behind the gold key door ? Dunno how to open it. I also don't have items for last 2 puzzles in riddle room (one is mirror I think, other one I have no idea).

Damn, the decorations I was talking about were those gobelins in the gold key room. Ok, I got gold key and can proceed further.

EDIT1: Okay, stuck, I have no idea about Vi altar, though I solved the Crystal Blade riddle. Is this Vi altar in the same room with the chest and trees ? Or perhaps I should solve the riddle room first (also seems impossible for me, I put there literally every item possible). I am also not able to solve 'manhole' /wand riddle. I really think I am missing some room and some items.

EDIT2: Heh, ok, I got the item needed to solve the wand riddle, I got the Druid Staff. Still no idea about location of Vi Altar, still can't get past the riddle room.

EDIT3: Yeah! Got the proper item to deal with acid fountain, found the Vi altar, got last needed items for the King and riddle room.

EDIT4: FINISHED ! After I got gauntlet rest was pretty easy (beside Neta Altar, I used a hint).

Overall - great dungeon, too bad so short. Thanks!

Just having another go at this after a couple of years. Stuck on a couple of things:

How do I kill the slime devil

How do I get to the key hole behind the flames.

Thanks

Slime devil - it stinks! Use something to get rid of that stinky little brat !

Spoiler

(use a spell)

About the key hole - you need to douse the flames with something cold

Spoiler

(I assume you used it once already at skeleton)

.

Sorry, was at work anbd forgot about the answers! Glad you managed to find everything in the end!

Fun fact - I believe the two monster noises (ressurected worm and behemoth) are courtesy of meeeeeeee


@master: the slime devil is not a slime devil (not DM), it's composed of stench. If only you knew a spell that would freshen the air...
To get passed the flames, you need some wayto reduce those flames. I feel that once you solve the above part, you'll be able to proceed with the key hole, and onwards!

Got rid of the flames - Thanks. But still can't work out the spell for the slimey thing as they are not the same as in DM. Used the few that I know from this game but not one seems to work.

Best not to think of DM most of the time. There was a scroll right at the start that told you the basic six runes all had effect, I beleive. Try one of those

Spoiler

Use the OH rune to summon a wind to blow the thing away

I have got to the scorpian and know that I need a potion of some sort, suspect that its the

Spoiler

slimey potion

. Problem is how do I make it.

The scorpion was one I totally failed to work out on playtest. If you've gotten as far as a the scorpion, then I assume you've got the two spell scrolls from the table back in the double cell room? There was one regarding poison.

Sophia was pretty good about not letting a player get themselves in an unwinnable state (unlike shadowgate itself!)

Progressing a bit further now but still stuck at the following points:

Chest behind pillar, 3 levers which obviously have to be switched in order to move the pillar.

Materializer blocking my way to a portal near pit in adjoining room.

Hound/Dog blocking way after picking lock with lockpicks.

Is there anything to do in the room with the flying eye. I can see some ruins on one of the walls.

Thanks

Chest behind pillar - there is a hint somewhere on the wall what to do about these levers

Spoiler

riddle room

Ghost - make him flesh first in order to kill

Spoiler

with correct spell - one of the scrolls

Dog - not sure which one. One is a werewolf. You can kill it with special weapon only

Spoiler

something shiny

. Second one is actually something like hellhound and you can kill it (AFAIR) with either

Spoiler

special spell (one of the scrolls again tells you which one, might be the one you need to translate with magnifier)

or

Spoiler

holy water

. Sorry, can't remember.
Flying eye room - hint for one of the last rooms.

Ghost - look for a wall switch for that second part, btw!

Yeah, the lockpick dog is the wearwolf. The previous graphic is one of my (bad) DM character mods! Another clue abotu the weapon - you needed to take the RIGHT sign much earlier...

Yeah, aside from taking note of the runes, and taking back your now cooler spinny star, there is nothing else in that area

Thanks for all the clues.

Now think I am nearly at the end. I am down a pit and there is a face on the far wall. Behind me is a hole with 3 rings above it. Also have magic box which I need to do something with. Think maybe something to unthaw it. Last problem has to be the altar that kills me when I touch it. I know there have been plenty of clues to this but I just don't understand one of them. Think I have all the objects I need so far.

All I'll say is 'recognise the three ring symbols' 'have you read the box description?' and 'are there any very simple spells you haven't used yet?'

And yes, you are very close to the end!

The altar is a little finickety. You are probably doing it correctly theory-wise, but you need to make sure you are doing it correctly mechanics wise. Just like the magifier and glove puzzles.

Alos, remember true faith has nothing to do with flashy and showing and material demonstrations!

Got through to the wall with the six spyglasses on. Think I need to put objects against them to open the door. Still stuck on the Neta Altar so think you are going to either have to PM me on this one or put up a spoiler cos I don't think even if I lived to 100 I would work it out. Thanks.

Spoiler

Press your empty hand, with no items in your character's hands, to the altar. And make sure you are NOT wearing the cross

You indeed need to put items against the eyes. You might have had six runic clues eealier?

Got all the objects placed and have got through the door. On the Altar doing exactly as you say but still getting blasted.

So just to confirm - no cross, nothing in your character's hands, you click on the altar of neta (trying ot pove faith)? Weird, what engine are you runnign it under?

I am carrying absolutely nothing. Not even clothing. I am sure that Sophia mentions to someone that they are not carrying the correct item in one of the threads. I was ujsing RTC 49 and have now re-done it on RTC43 but still same problem.

I don't know what to tell you. RTC 0.43 is supposedly the "correct" version.
I don't use RTC any more, and I haven't for quite a long time, so I have no idea what the problem could be.

Send me pm with your e-mail, I will send you my save game just before the altar. You don't need to undress, you just need to make sure you have empty hands and no cross on you/in inventory.

You can press the altar anywhere, for example a red cross. You just wait a second, the item (crystal blade) will appear in you hand and the sound will play. Maybe you have it already ? The altar will kill you every time you press it after you get the item.