Severance/Blade of Darkness

[jaguars4ever]

I tried installing this on this P.O.S. OS known as Vista, and this was the result:

 

 

I even changed the comparability mode but to no avail. Now perusing the internets made me aware that people are playing this game (somehow) on Vista, but had to swap the buggy Direct 3D rendering engine for Open GL. http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=688

 

But that doesn't do a thing if the game doesn't even install. Your help would be appreciated people. These orcs aren't going to eviscerate themselves you know!

[jaguars4ever]

Okay! I managed to get it installed by tricking it (thanks to compatibility manager) into thinking it's XP SP2 rather than 98 or ME.

 

Now, I've downloaded the OpenGL raster as well. But when I fire it up, I can see the opening movie...but then a black screen and crash to desktop! And to add insult to injury, it spits out an out of memory message & c++ runtime error!

 

C'mon resident techies. Show a little severance for your fellow forumite.

[mkreku]

I am an orc lover and I refuse to help you.

[jaguars4ever]

Bastard.

 

I'm sure you'll change your tune once they have their way with your Elven girlfriend.

[Gorgon]

You think it would work on XP, cause I kinda feel like playing it now.

[jaguars4ever]

Yes! Both to Gorgon's question and to my genius!

 

I got it working!

 

*squeals and makes funky dance*

 

The installer has to be in XP compatibility mode, but the exe fires up in 98/ME mode. Who would have thunk it?

 

EDIT: Gorgon, if you're running it in XP/Vista or have a certain types of Radeon/GeForce cards, then the menus and water will be blacked out. Now although the rest of the game looks better in D3D rendering, you're going to have to install the OpenGL raster in the bin director of the game: http://rampage.bigtruck-canada.ca/blade/oth/raster.zip

 

Then select the raster at setup. Oh, and use the 2D Miles Audio as your audio setup, 'cause the others (esp Direct X) seems to cause messy crashes.

Edited October 8, 2009 by jaguars4ever

[HoonDing]

I remember this game asking me arcane questions about audio during installation... I'll probably be replaying it again soon. This games from around 2000 are tons better than all the snot that comes out nowadays. Severance combat should've been a standard in action RPGs, yet the game went by largely unnocited.

 

Oh, and the Amazon rules.

[jaguars4ever]

The Amazon take ass-kicking to a whole new level.

 

And speaking of level, the game rates your performance based on your numbers of saves.

[Pidesco]

Moved by request from the man Jags.

[mkreku]

All I remember from this game (I don't even know where I played it because I didn't have a PC at the time) was that it was very taxing for your system, it was extremely violent and I could never get a hang of the combat.

 

I wonder if I can pick up a copy of it somewhere..? And I don't mean the Bukkake version, I mean a legit copy.

[HoonDing]

The game is extremely rare today... maybe try eBay?

 

This game is like the Gothic of action games... even a single Orc & skeleton -- fodder in many a D&D game -- can whop your butt if you're going Kratos on them. Playing with the Amazon is pretty easy since she's so fast & agile and most suited to taking on groups of enemies since her "whirlwind" special attack was very easy to use with the keyboard.

 

I should definitely replay it since I seem to remember to have missed the "real" ending of the game... and perhaps to prepare myself to melee combat in Risen.

[jaguars4ever]

I downloaded it from Gamespot for 10 bucks.

 

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/bladeofdarkness/index.html

 

Edited October 8, 2009 by jaguars4ever

[mkreku]

Yeah, I tried GOG, but they didn't have it. Then I tried eBay.. But that Gamespot thingie sounds better, at least price wise. I'll have to think about this.

[Sannom]

Little hint : if it takes forever to uninstall, don't panic, it's perfectly normal! It must be the only game that was longer to unistall than to install!

[Musopticon?]

Note for everyone, if you manage to install the game, just copy the whole install folder into a flash drive or similar and the game will play on any platform or OS you attach it. It's only the installation where the game might fail. This way'll you'll never have to do it again. I played it on a uni computer straight from an old Kingston flashdrive.

 

Anyhow, the Amazon is for pussies and newbs. Granted, the starting level is kinda hard, but there's no challenge at all in spamming whirlwind attack. I think there's only one enemy in the whole game where it won't work and that's a boss with immunities.

 

So, go play a barbarian or a knight: at least you'll get a complete combo list and the largest amount of weapon variety in the game. Or play as a dwarf for real challenge, since that stunt has such a short range and starts with such small weapons it has a hard time keeping up with the starter orcs. Of course, standing still usually solves those problems, since they'll just bumrush you eventually and you do pack a punch as a compromise, but it was a big undertaking to actually learn to fight as the runt after finishing with a barbarian.

 

Three tips: One; you'll eventually run into a sword that sucks lifeforce, you'll know it's the one since it's one of the few(two, actually) weapons that have a cutscene for themselves. Keep it. Even if you are an amazon or a barbarian, who suck at using one-handed weapons, keep it. Everyone can do the health-replenishing combo and it's therefore a life-saver on so many further levels. Two; dodge and special attack, dodge and special attack. Three; throw stuff. Pick up some of the huge barbarian weapons in the first knight level and show that end boss who is the man. Hold q(IIRC) to charge the throw and attack to launch it. The bigger the object, the sharper the blade; the moar awsum the end result.

[HoonDing]

Imo the knight had the most interesting origin (heck, you fight a Death KNight at level 1) but I didn't really like the character & his fighting style. Too slow & ponderous (the Dwarf is even worse) for me... the Barbarian is almost as easy to play as the Amazon IIRC... very easy origin story too.

[Musopticon?]

The nice thing with the knight(Sargon?) was that you could use all the story weapons with your own combos. He was unique in that regard.

[jaguars4ever]

My Sargon is getting prawned! Teach me the bling-bling pwnage moves, guys!

 

Nb - awesome origin story btw. Are you listening Bioware?

 

EDIT: @virumor: Slow, ponderous and powerful has always been my preference, rather than quick and weak. That's probably why I loved White Demon (vs. Tiger Strike or whatever it was called) in Jade Empire.

Edited October 9, 2009 by jaguars4ever

[HoonDing]

With the knight you'll have to block a lot with your shield, he stinks at dodging. His "northern/southern cross" combos are easy to perform and powerful IIRC... and can be easily be used in a sequence. But it's true that the knight's origin is pretty difficult... but at least you get a good sword at the end.

 

Eventually when you get the game's "ub3r" sword he'll become unstoppable... its special attack does 14000 damage IIRC

Edited October 9, 2009 by virumor

[Musopticon?]

He's unstoppable way before that, in the second level(the Fortress one, not the mines) he gets an Elf Sword, which has ridiculously long-reaching three-hit special attack, called the Dream(shown here at 00:50). I saved that sword almost till the Shalatuwar fortress level, where every other weapon had almost triple the basic damage of that sword, but nowhere near as good a special.

 

Bloody hell, I should end that dwarf game sometime. And I would, if Gothic 2: Night of the Raven wasn't so good.

[jaguars4ever]

Awesome viru & muso. Keep 'em coming.

 

BTW, is there anywhere I can get a decent shield? The crappy ones I have keep breaking...

[HoonDing]

There's a few shields with very high durability near the end of the game, IIRC. I think you'll have to do with the ones you loot from enemy knights' corpses in the beginning.

 

Not really a problem for the knight anyway, since he can eviscerate most enemies in no time with his combos.

Edited October 9, 2009 by virumor

[jaguars4ever]

ZOMG, I luurve this game! I just spent the last hour and 20 re-loads trying to put a single dent in this huge monstrous Death Knight past the bridge on Sargon's origin story. I couldn't keep my distance, as he'd launch these scorching lightning balls at me. Nor could I close in properly as his fat, mother****ing sword would sever my head or limbs clean off like a Brazilian wax.

 

He'd reduced me to a smidgem of hit-points, so I did the only thing an honorable knight would do: I turned tail and ran!

 

And just as a enemy baddie tried to jump me and I thought it was all over, I severed his head clean off, and watched him stutter to the ground, blood spewing from his gaping neck wound! *nom nom*

 

But the best part was that xp had taken me to Level 4 (which restored my HP), and now I unlocked something called "Swing of Pride". On top of that I followed the stairs down and discovered a Power Potion, after dodging a pair of flaming pendulums!

 

With my pride & health restored, I returned to the Death Knight, chugged down the Power Potion, and flawlessly executed back-to-back Swings of Pride (nailing that combo to perfection) slaying the Death Knight in two hits!

 

Let the blood run!

Edited October 11, 2009 by jaguars4ever

[mkreku]

I just won a bid on eBay for a Blade of Darkness in good condition in the UK. I got it for

[HoonDing]

ZOMG, I luurve this game! I just spent the last hour and 20 re-loads trying to put a single dent in this huge monstrous Death Knight past the bridge on Sargon's origin story. I couldn't keep my distance, as he'd launch these scorching lightning balls at me. Nor could I close in properly as his fat, mother****ing sword would sever my head or limbs clean off like a Brazilian wax.

IIRC you can block those lightning balls with a shield. Best thing to do with the Death knight is collecting as many weapons from fallen knights and just throw them at him.