Magnum Opus

You need: 1. a Full install of both BG1 and BG2... on the same drive/partition. ie. you can't have BG1 on drive c: and BG2 on drive d:. There's a thread on the forums about what to do if you don't have TotSC for BG1. 2. BG Tutu, downloaded from "the site", and installed to your BG2 folder. Go with Version 4. version 6 is available, but they introduced some gamebreaking bugs trying to fix some o the the niggling ignorable ones that are still left in v 4. 3. I'd also strongly recommend the latest Tutu fixpack... I think they're up to 14 or 15 now with that. That's about it. From an aesthetic point of view, I'd personally recommend the TutuGUI mod... changes things around to the gold lettering and dark stone interface, instead of the Byzantine look that you get with BG2, but it's not necessary. I'd also go with One Pixel Production's paperdoll replacement mod, since the BG2 paperdolls are butt-ugly, even though there's a component of that mod that I don't particularly like -- easily fixed, though, so it's still part of my standard battery of mods. Again, though, that's optional; don't need that to get Tutu to work.

Like pretty much every other game, this one does things well, and it does things not-so-well. What it does well (ie. character development, NPC interaction, and presenting the weirdness of the setting), it does really well. Torment's got the best (by which I mean "developed"; whether you like them or not is a matter of preference, but they've all got a very unique personality) joinable NPCs of any IE game out there, and there are a couple non-joinable ones that I'd list as my personal favourite in any game I've yet played. What it does poorly (combat, and allowing the character to define their own character beyond the "basic personality level"), it does quite poorly. Some of the spell animations are a right pain in the arse to actually use, since they play an FMV each and every time you cast that spell. Impressive, sure, but completely impractical if you want to cast those spells on a regular basis, or are looking to maintain a certain "flow" to the combat. If I wanted, or had to, fight it up, I always had a book ready when I was playing a mage-heavy character. Whether it's a "good" game as a whole will depend on your personal preferences and how much weight you place on each of those things and how well you think they work together in the whole. Me, I think it's an incredible game in certain of its aspects, but taken as a whole I'd just call it a "good" game. I play cRPGs primarily for the imaginitive, and secondarily for the escapist, elements, and this game had that in spades for me -- conveyed mostly through dialogue, but I had no problem with that. *nods* All in all, I'd call it a "good" game. Deserving of the Worship status some people give it? Probably not, even insofar as it's a just computer game. Certainly not as a whole. But still good. Strange, though. I can't recall another game I've ever played that was like it, so you'll be in for an experience whether you end up liking it or not.

A few favourites: IWD2 -- Black raven monastary BG1 - Friendly Arm Inn, City (day) QfG Dragonfire - Silmaria (night), and the song that plays during your "special performance" at Gnome Ann's Inn, after you've got it all gussied up proper-like. Fits the scene to a tee. Morrowind Main Theme (I know it plays over and over again, but luckily I can listen to it over and over, so it doesn't get irritating for me ). Torment - Deionarra's Theme And from the Oldie But Goodie category... 'enry the 'ermit's music from Quest for Glory 1 (EGA) One of the bard songs from... I think it was Bard's Tale 2. I'd have to reinstall the game to be sure of which one I'm talking about, but my fingers are telling me that it's the third one in the list (and my fingers generally know what they're talking about. They can still find their way though the first level of Mangar's Tower if I just put them on autopilot. )

Did you remember to edit the configuration file they tell you to edit in the readme so that it knows where you've got the games installed? Are both games on the same drive/partition? Did you use a full install of both games? Do you have TotSC installed with BG1? Fully patched? And most importantly: Did you ask about this on the PPG web site? They'll be able to answer any real questions you've got. Edit: It's also possible that you may indeed suck. I wouldn't know about that, though. If that's the case, I don't what to suggest.

It's the new clich

I'd have to say that my favourite villain was the Guardian as well. Yeah, he was essentially a giant red muppet, but he was an active muppet. He was there from the moment I loaded up U7 as the vaguely threatening voice in my head, giving me advice, taunting me, mocking me, snatching me out of the Void and dropping me into Waterworld... Where he really shone was in Ultima IX. The technical execution of that game aside, I like how he was always working against me. He wasn't revealed in a stunning display of melodrama right at the end of the game (although he himself would certainly classify as a drama queen... err, king.. ), nor was he content to let his minions always do the dirty work. He was right there, taking a hand in things (ha ha, small reference to the beginning of Ultima 8 there). I never got the sense that it was his apathy or ego that ended up being his downfall, like you see in so many villains (who normally wait until the Hero is good and powerful before taking note). He was just trying his best to destroy the world, and came up short. And he had a great sense of humour. He was just plain fun. The voice acting was good, too.

Heavens no, completely agree with you there. I'm not so sure that there's an Roleplaya' in every Twitchy, though. Let's face it, the whole culture is becoming one of fast turnover rates, instant gratification, and sound bites, right down to the six o'clock news; that doesn't lend people to long, slow adventures, drawn out combat (or longer tactical battles, if you're looking at it from the other end of the spectrum), and meandering gameplay... most of which I am looking for, given a good atmosphere. I even found the NWN OC to be too fast-paced and too combat-heavy (not to mention lacking in that necessary atmosphere), and that's considered pretty much core RPG material these days (maybe a little bit too stripped down to really be considered typical, but essentially that's what we're looking at when it comes to gameplay). Besides, I'm betting you're right when you say that it's only the elitism of the RPG crowd that's keeping this issue afloat. There's a pretty healthy dose of "twitch games" out there, because that's what sells. Those gamers, the casual ones who just want a quick distraction, I suspect are perfectly happy with the way the industry is, and they don't really need to go looking through other genres to find a game they'll like. People like me, though, who want something more leisurely, more detailed, and that offers a more varied experience, have never had all that many offerings to choose from... probably because to get them right, they have to do everything, from combat to story to world-presentation to economics reasonably well. Damnably difficult, that. And so, instead of trying to bring the mountain to Mohammed -- ie. changing the tastes of the majority of the gaming public -- the developers move closer to what they think that average gamer is looking for: faster gameplay, more frequent combat. The Twitchies have no real incentive to go looking for the hardcore cRPG -- although certain companies' reputations may be getting large enough that some will go looking just to see what all the fuss is about -- so even if there is a 'playa buried in there somewhere, I'm not sure many of them would even try and get in touch with it. Why bother? Plenty of games they already know they'll like. *shrugs* I suspect that what we're seeing with the current popularity in cRPGs isn't so much a fondness for the type of cRPG I'm looking for so much as it is a reflection of cRPGs becoming more what I'd term Action-RPG. The RPG market's growing because the genre's moving toward what "twitch" gamers want, not because anyone's preferences are changing. All my opinion, naturally, with absolutely no facts or figures to back it up, and probably based on cynicism more than anything else, but there you go.

I could be in the minority here regarding fans of cRPGs, but I don't think my preference for the more "hardcore" cRPGs has anything to do with elitism; I just like what those games offer. I don't play games for that quick fix or the adrenaline rush that others do. Nothing wrong with those types of games, but that's not what I'm looking for. I don't relax by winding myself up, wondering if there's a demon around the next corner that's going to make me wet myself and then proceed to rip my head off. The pace of the games I like is slow, and I can generally proceed how I wish and in a manner I wish; I play cRPGs for the same reason that people read fantasy literature: pure, unadulterated escapism. I prefer turn-based combat because it's slower and there generally isn't the same sort of immediacy that real time combat offers (incidentally, chopping up people and watching the blood fly is one area where I don't even want more realism in my games, and here as well, turn-based combat offers an abstraction, rather than an in-your-face, gross-you-out accuracy: shock value does absolutely nothing for me). I know my preferences are (apparently) off the mark when it comes to the mainstream gaming community, and that's fine. I like well-written dialogue, a detailed and fleshed-out game world that I can constantly consider myself a part of (and no, a well-written plot doesn't provide the same benefit; well-written characters come a little closer to the mark, but what I'm really after is some sort of depth and consistency and completeness to the game world), and enough variety in the gameplay that I can feel that my choice of direction matters... even if it doesn't really affect anything. That doesn't make me better in any way; it just makes me weird... and I've known that for years now ). I play games to relax, and to fire my imagination. So-called "twitch" games, while they may provide that sort of thing for others, don't do that for me. Those games wind me up and get the blood pumping. Not what I'm after from my gaming experience. Anyhoo, I don't really blame other genres for the state of current cRPG gaming, either. There's going to be some cross-pollination, as it were -- people see what works and they're going to try it out regardless of which genre it's traditionally worked in -- but even the hardcore DnD type games were moving to real time in the early 90's, all on their own. Menzoberranzan, Stone Prophet... first person realtime combat. The EoB series as well. Sometimes they try out things that I like, sometimes the things they try blow chunks; there are ideas coming from within the genre and without all the time. Eventually, someone's going to hit upon a combination that I really like, and when they do, hopefully I'll notice it. I freely admit that the type of game I like, however, is probably the most expensive and time-consuming game there is to make; that puts my preferences in a sort of niche right off the bat, and any company that constantly produces that type of game is likely going to go out of business pretty quickly. Ah well.

Ok, ok... I end up up killing him most times... not just some. Better? ) PS. What's a TOMBS point?

Sometimes, I kill the mutt myself.

As an (almost) aside, there was a neat little article in the business section of my local newspaper that told the story of a local guy cashing in on the apparent "revival in old-school gaming". Guy's selling the likes of Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc., and is apparently doing quite a brisk business. Mostly to university-types. People clueing in about the Hollywoodishness of the big-budget gaming industry, perhaps -- all glitter and no gold? -- and going back to the classics? Or something else? The audience that prizes gameplay over glitter may already be out there. Hell, I already know it's out there; I just don't know how large it is.

Yep. DOSBox is my friend. Prior to that I had to go through all sorts of contortions with MoSlo and/or GameWiz32 (old DOS memory editor that also had a very good implementation of a slow-down utility) to avoid those bloody runtime errors because my processor was running too fast for the game.... and that was after I went into my little-used Win98 partition. I'm not so much into seeing the progression of technology, though. What I like about the QFGs is the quirky sense of humour, the characters... they're just fun games. I'm always a sucker for a well-developed setting, too, and those games had some of the best. Real earth-like elements mixed with fantasy... edutainment at its finest. ) Incidentally, I find it a little dismaying that the game I'm most looking forward to is the ADG remake of QFG2.

Quest For Glory. Great games, those ones. There are other older ones that I've played recently, but that was more to see if I could make them run at all, rather than to actually play. QFG are about the oldest ones I've got that still regularly make it onto my hard drive.

Play That Funky Music -- Wild Cherry. Up next in the playlist: A Fifth of Beethoven -- Walter Murphy. Just finished: Ra Ra Rasputin -- Boney M. Am in 70's mode ATM. I should have it out of my system in 3... 2... 1...

Haunted House on dad's Radio Shack TRS-80 -- first game I ever played. Text only, naturally. Q-bert, on the IBM PC (they didn't bother attaching numbers to them in those days) -- because I had to type the code in myself, in BASIC. Got it from a magazine. I think I've still got the 5 1/4 inch floppy it's on, too... The Ancient Art of War -- first game I ever made a mod for. There was a schism in the Smurf Village, and Brainy Smurf had persuaded a faction of upstarts to join with him to try an annihilate Papa Smurf and his friends, all for the hand of the fair Smurfette. Hey, I was pretty young at the time, and the Smurfs was my favourite cartoon. ) Edit: Ooo! Almost forgot the game that got me into fantasy cRPGs in the first place... Zyll! Another text-only classic.

^You sure about that, W? I got that speech, certainly, with my *dead man* and *dead woman* and *dead cat* and all, but it wasn't with the main bad guy. It was with that whatchamathingy demon that you first meet in the Horde placey-thing in the first chapter. And it didn't affect the fight either way, IIRC; just a little bit of morbid humour and some bonus XP before the fight itself gets going.

If you're looking for some quick cash, try making your way down to NCR. If you can make it there without getting yourself killed (shouldnt' be too hard, although it's probably about as far away a settlement as there is from Klamath, so expect some encounters along the way), there's a weapons merchant set up outside the city proper. He's got 3 (or maybe 4) guards dressed in green Combat Armour. These guys are remarkably easy to pickpocket, for some reason (I think I had 6 in dex, average luck, and put no skill points into pickpocket, or steal, or whatever it's called), and I was always able to rob those guys blind. You might have to reload a couple times, but they're pretty good. Careful, though; if they catch you stealing from them, you're going to die. Horribly. The upshot of the affair is that they're all carrying Bozars. Those little weapons (aside from being one of the best in the game) are worth thousands.

I go with a fairly wide variety of classes, depending on what the particular game in question offers and what looks interesting, but Jacques (Cleric) and Winthrop (Magic User) have been with me since I played The Bard's Tale for PC in... '88? '87? Somewhere around then, anyway. *wipes a tear from his eye* Ah, the adventures they've seen...

You do get the explorer in the demo. ) heh heh heh... And this Bard's Tale demo is my first exposure to this engine, so I'm not as jaded toward it as others might be.

Maybe it's a mistaken impression, but I get the feeling that there's a good amount of detail included with this Bard's Tale. You've got a character with an actual personality, you've got shopkeepers commenting about the items they sell, there's an undead viking longing to go to Valhalla (and who actually thumps his hand down on the arm of his throne at the appropriate points in his speeches instead of using a stock "angry" animation that has him flail around like a madman)... *is a fan of detail in games* Could be a very refreshing change of pace, this game. Not to my usual taste, but it could very well be worthwhile. And I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what CoN:RtA stand for. I've settled on Champions of Norrath: SomethingymabobSubtitle. I hear that's the engine this game uses. Haven't played it, though. Not even sure of the "Champions" part.... ... or, now that I think about it, the "Norrath" part, either... :D

How so? Money a bit tight? Or do you mean they show the money flying out of your possession in the same way that they show it flying in? If they provided an animation of the shopkeeper doing a little dance as this is taking place, I can very well see it being depressing.

Demo worked surprisingly well on my system, once I managed to download the thing (some of the download locations were subject to wierdness, but I found one that worked). Granted, I told the installer to put the thing somewhere else and it installed the game in it's default location anyway (took a while for me to find the thing ) ), but after that I didn't have any technical troubles at all. Nary a crash or graphical glitch to be seen. Shocking, really. Have to agree that the controls aren't my cup of tea, although I think I could get used to the system easily enough given enough exposure to it, and if I were looking at this game as a typical cRPG I'd agree that the inventory system's utter crud, too (walk over the shiny blue-glow loot on the ground and be treated to the jingling of coins filling your coin purse for the next 15 seconds or so as you're walking around). As it is, the action is very, very arcade-like, and the virtually top-down perspective took a little getting used to as well, but it still wasn't bad. Am still considering this as a potential purchase, now that I've determined that it's got a resonable chance of running on my system (game specs are getting perilously close to my system specs).

I can tell you from playing the full game thats not the case at all. If I recall the demo starts you off in the Viking Tomb which is one of the more combat heavy areas. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Do the monsters respawn in the retail version as well? Seemed like every time I turned a corner I was running up against a group of undead vikings that I'd just killed 5 seconds ago. That might just be something that they put into the demo to give it a little extra play length, though.

In the Ye Olde Favourites category.... in no particular order... The Bard's Tale I, II, and not no much III (PC port wasn't really up to snuff) Phantasie 1, 3 (buggers never ported 2) Gold Box games, excluding the Buck Rogers ones. Ultima 4, 5, 6, Savage Frontier A10 Tank Killer (yes, I was one of those unfortunates whom the tanks always managed to kill :D) A submarine game that I can't remember the name of... first time I saw diving into ocean trenches represented visually) Zyll ... and perennial favourites Quest for Glory. Classics, those ones. Incidentally, the first two King's Quests have been remade in the classic style, but with fancy innovations such as them new-fangled VGA grafix and sound, too! Clicky! for those interested. Me, I never played the originals, so I can't say how closely the remakes follow them, but it was still an interesting experience.

That little addition requires the Ascension mod, IIRC.