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[Squalid Blaze]

I hadn't seen this game before but agree with all the raves about it above. I got it several days ago and, thanks to a cold, have had the excuse to be obsessive about it. Unfortunatly there are some bugs, minor and liveable with, and missing files which are more annoying. As I'm not sure if these are due to the zipped file here being incomplete or the transit or something at my end ( like using the very useful game tools from the darklands site ) I'll tell you what happens here. On trying to buy from traveling caravans the game exits to dos with a no such file or directory message in dosbox for pics\xkntdemo.pic, the same happens when wining in the mines quest with the missing file being pics\xmobglad.pic. The last one was really irksome as due to the large map the game really slowed down and it had taken hours to crawl through even with the cycles up at over 2,000. But that's just technical errors, as someone who hates the corridor type dumbed down games which seem to be in fashion at the moment the game is a superb find. Oh I've found a rather silly way of pumping your reputation in this game with an utterly gratuitous miracle, call for a saint who gives the gift of flight to get in or out of town when it's crowded. Even if you don't need the reputation it's worth doing once each for each saint that does it as the text is amusing.

I've had a problem equal to that, only that was when i was trying to sneak out of a church at night. Is there any way to fix this?

[Japo]

I've done a search and got no matches for my problem. This is the first time I play this game, and during combat my archer can't use his bow for some reason, and the bow is equiped and appears in the character description picture. During combat the option "use missile (m)" is disabled. He can attack in melee all right just like the others. I presume it's not a bug, that I'm missing something?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Japofran @ Nov 5 2006, 06:04 AM) [snapback]265391[/snapback]</div>

I've done a search and got no matches for my problem. This is the first time I play this game, and during combat my archer can't use his bow for some reason, and the bow is equiped and appears in the character description picture. During combat the option "use missile (m)" is disabled. He can attack in melee all right just like the others. I presume it's not a bug, that I'm missing something?
[/b]

Are you still having trouble with this? Most likely your character has no ammo in its inventory - arrows for bows, quarrels for crossbows and arbalests, balls for handguns. Stock heaps, because you can recover some but not all the ammo after combat.

A related point which may be of use is, do not target enemies obstructed by party members or other enemies when a character's bow/missile skill is low.

[Japo]

Never mind, I figured it out. In fact lack of ammo was the first thing that came into my mind into the first place, but since one of my characters had started with a bow but without arrows, and still there was a full quiver depicted along with the character in the character description screen, I thought that maybe missiles were supposed to exist along with the weapon. Then I found some at a merchant's and I bought them and everything went fine. But thanks for answering.

This game is too cool for school, I've killed a dragon.

I think you can only recover ammo if it misses the target. For example: if my character shoots an arrow with his/her bow at a bandit, and the arrow misses, I'll get the arrow back after the battle. If the arrow hits the bandit (and does damage, I think) then the arrow is lost.

Also, thrown weapons can be tricky. If I don't have a thrown weapon equiped when the battle starts, and I select the character with the thrown weapon in inventory, equipt the weapon, then return to the battle, the character can't use the thrown weapon. However, if I select another character, then select the character with the thrown weapon, the character can use the thrown weapon. This may effect other weapons, but it thrown weapons leave the character's hand the most often. Also, thrown weapons are fired using the "use missle" attack.

Thrown weapons are great, since they have low usage requirements and are never lost in battle (from what I can tell).

[Borodin]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Squalid Blaze @ Oct 25 2006, 01:20 AM) [snapback]263427[/snapback]</div>

Oh I've found a rather silly way of pumping your reputation in this game with an utterly gratuitous miracle, call for a saint who gives the gift of flight to get in or out of town when it's crowded. Even if you don't need the reputation it's worth doing once each for each saint that does it as the text is amusing.
[/b]

There are a couple of saints whose miracles do boost your rep--one within a certain region, the other in your current city. I think of them as "quest getters," since grabbing quests from the three local banking/investment branches becomes extremely easy once your reputation goes through the roof. At such times I like to quest farm a series of marketplaces surrounding a known Raubritter. If I'm lucky, I can pick up 60 florins or more, and possibly secure the services of an extra party member from one of the Hansa stations.

[Sunlessdaysrise]

I don't know if anyone has posted this but there is alittle cheat that I figured out. Rather a glitch in the game. Create a character and do all that non-sense and when your done. Add that New Character to the party, Then add the first character on the list of Premade characters. Take his/her Plate Mail and Chainmail leggings. Delete the premade character from the party But don't kill the Premade character because that will make the Plate mail and leggings disappear. Then add the Premade character to the party as many times as you want to get unlimited plate mail and leggings to sell. It's a pretty premo glitch I found it out just today. Anyways this game is defintaly the best Pre-Arcanum/Lionheart Classical fiction/non-fiction RPG I have ever encountered. They should make a new version of it but more in-depth spanning across medieval Europe and The Middle East. Perhaps not so "fantastic" as Lionheart that was alittle more fantasy then need be. But the thought of a Non-fictional, Semi-fiction game is really a revolutionary idea all they need to do is actually make a modern day class game that has some decent features. Also Darklands could be quite the MMORPG if perfected. It has so much potential even for such a classic game. By far revolutionary for it's time.

[humorguy]

I love this game so much, and similar Microprose games, I just bought of ebay Darklands complete, Sword of the Samurai complete and Sea Rogue complete all for under £40/$75!!!! And that included shipping from USA to London, England!

If you love Darklands, you would love the earlier released (1989), but using the same engine, 'Sword of the Samurai' a Japanese Samurai sim of the same detail as Darklands and just as addictive!

Equally, if you love Darklands and you fancy some treasure hunting, then Sea Rogue would be your cup of tea! Lots of options for searching for wrecks and undersea treasure, nasty competitors after the same treasure, boat upgrades, bad weather, and more!

Three of the most original simulations ever released on any format any time! truly a sign of Microprose's greatness back in the late 80's and early 90's!

If you want to have enough fun gaming to last you 'til Spring, these three titles will do it for you! Needless to say, they are all HOTU Top Dogs, which in my book are the best way to say 'get this game and you won't be unhappy!'

(Sword of the Samurai is available on this site and Sea Rogue is available on HOTU.)

[thatmexicanguy]

Boy, talk about a hard RPG. Combat is insane!