Newbie questions

[CurryMutton]

I play this gem all through the weekend and amazed by it. It is not any RPG (or more approipately an action RPG) I have beening playing. Of course, I paid the USD11

Questons:

1. I know mounted combat is the "heart" of this game (of course, you can always play as commander), but I find myself doing poorly mounted. Any tips and help?

2. I find the one-hand polearm very effective in the arena which I can score min 30+ points of warrider damange . However, outside arena, I find myself doing poorly. Even if I hit, I could only around 13 points of warrider damanges, even my poleharm skill is 80+. Is it about the horse, the weapon or my hanlding?

3. Side note, I could deal 30+ warrider damage with a one-hand blade (which deals usually 20 points of damage) when my one-hand weapon skill is just around 50. Odd.

4. How could I upgrade equipment other heroes joined without money issue? AFAIK, I could only barter with them so it is hard to give them costier equipment.

5. Will there be hoistle wild beast added later? I need to adjust myself a little for a RPG without any wild animals! That is what hunter is for.

6. Will there be any difference between combat in wooded area (in world map) than from plains? If no, will it be added?

7. How is hostiliy rating calculated? I join one army but the town of my opposition still opens for me to trade. Same I do not attack carvens of my opposite side automatically.

8. What is advantage of crossbow for shield? It mentions it has sepcial effect on shields but I dunno.

9. Wrt question 1, is buying a horse a must? I know it may not be but is it highly recommended?

10. Will there be a bank of something? I hate carrying so much cash around. Oh, if gold adds weight, it would be more preferrable!

11. Will there be weather effect added (on combat, food consumption, etc)?

12. I find myself unable to go through after around Day 50/ Level 9 where enemies become almost unwinnable and money keep losing. Any tips for survival?

Thank you for delivering us such a nice little gem and also reading my long-winded message.


Regards.

 

[Severian]

Is it about the horse, the weapon or my hanlding?

It's possible that the horse you're riding isn't fast enough to deal decent warrider damage. I recommend you get yourself to a merchant and buy a faster horse ASAP.

 

[Wanderer]

1 & 2) Mounted Combat:

Choose to become one of the following three as primary: Lance, archer, 1 handed weapon. Lance you couch and run people down, archer you stand off and assist your troops, 1 handed weapon you have a shield to deal with stray arrow and then warrider damage. Skill in weapon does not significantly, if at all, improve damage. It just means you connect.

Damage = skills (power draw and whatnot), + weapon.

3) warrider damage does not have a currently announced increase in damage, but does increase damage. You need to be at speed 6 or so to do it (just under couched lance speed). If anyone has any more detailed information, I'd be interested myself.

4) Choose the 'Just pay me what you can' option will let you give heros whatever they asked for.

5) Unknown.

6) Again, Unknown, Armagan ( the game's designer) hasn't stated to my knowledge.

7) Caravans are less inclined to attack. Each unit has a rating of relations with you. Caravans, as far as I can tell, always start positive towards ANY other unit.

8 ) It does more damage to a shield when the shield catches the blow. Exact percentages are unknown atm.

9) If for nothing else, buy a horse to increase travel speed. Dismount at the beginning of fights if you choose to fight on foot.

10) Probably in a limited form, but Armagan hasn't said as much. Right now this is dealt with by only losing a small portion of your cash flow when raiders kick yer butt.

11) Unknown.

12) What are you fighting that yer gettin' yer arse kicked?!?!? Stay away from Dark Hunters, for starters. Don't mess with enemy parties with knights in them, either.

Generally, If you're getting slaughtered, I recommend the following: Increase tactics so you have a numerical advantage.
Increase Leadership so you have enough troops to fight with.
Increase training (on all heros) so that your troops level up enough to deal with the enemy.
Fight only Forest and Mountain Bandits until you're used to large combat, and can win consistently.
Get better weapons/armor.
Get a horse/2 sided lance.

 

[CurryMutton]

Thansk for all your kind replies

Let me elaborate on the situation with my "usual" route. I start as a "warrior" or "hunter" class. Both comes with a free horse and "count lady" is better for she has her lover courier in her pocket!

Level 1 and 2 are spent on training at Zendar. Level 3 and early 4 are spent at the Arena -- it is a good way to brush up your weapon skills (sans crossbow!!!)

After that you start out into the real world of adventuring! (Wow). For one game, I gather a group of good, innocient townsman into my party and off we go!

Some of them advances fast and we hunt only river pirates. They are good for breakfast. Some of them advances really fast and one or two luckier ones are blades-for-hire. I would be around level 6 by then and start thinking about getting another hero, or switching to polearm or even joining an army for I have gathered by then quite an handsome amount (5000+).

This is when it gets downhill -- you lost better or overrun by difficult enemies like sea raiders or parties contianing knights. River pirates by then are running out -- either they get embedded into other pirates or just no show, it gets worse after you have completed the river pirate hunt quest.

I would sometime join battles where numbers of both sides are even (usually against mountian or forest bandits), but they are very rare. Or start investing into smoke fishes trading. I understand life gets harder when good opportunities are scares but after a few fatal failures which you lose your horse , men and money, this is a point I usually restart. I reached level 9 at best.

Thanks for reading.

 

[CubsRule]

I may be wrong, but don't the easy enemies always hang around Zendar? You could level up there before having to face the harder enemies further away from town.

 

[Wanderer]

I understand life gets harder when good opportunities are scares but after a few fatal failures which you lose your horse , men and money, this is a point I usually restart. I reached level 9 at best.

I don't consider 5k to be a lot of money, but to each their own.

First, I recommend you go get the two heros, Marnid and Borcha, they'll help out until you're on your feet.

Second, Get them fast horses, don't bother with troops yet, and run around towns looking for merchant quests of 'carry x to y'. They're good xp and they'll get you gold. Trade some stuff along the way and you'll get yourself a decent enough bankroll to start out with, as well as some reasonably quick levels.

Increase your tactics a few levels along the way, you apparently need the numerical advantage. Don't take it personally, you just need more practice.

Now, Go get yourself some peasants/townsmen and militia. Find some smaller sea raiders/forest bandits (hang around the Tihr/Praven area). This should keep you away from the unreasonably powerful units that prey on the west side of Vaegir territory. (Unreasonable for your level/ability). Abuse these people, refilling your peasants as you go until you get some higher ranked units (footmen/manatarms/knights).

Become good with *1* weapon, really good. Get a shield, or fill up with arrows, or whatever, but keep yourself alive and at the head of the fights. You're going to be better then your troops, use that to your advantage and tear into the enemy.

Past that, I don't know what to offer that could be helpful.

 

[OddjobXL]

All good advice. One thing I've noticed in my relatively short time playing this wonderful game is that no matter what you do, just about, you're improving your character. Followers can be replaced. Gold and items can be replaced. But all the while your main character, and the sidekicks, are getting tougher and tougher. There's no time limit. No race against the clock. They aren't going to give you a gold watch and tell you to retire.

Just stick with it and experiment. You really can't go wrong. I was very frustrated starting out but once I could hold my own in battle I found that I could keep my men alive better. Also buying up party skills for yourself and your men (they stack!) as noted above will be a huge help. Tactics, surgery, and so forth. It'll keep your men alive. Also I've found it very helpful to just hang around a Tavern to train recruits. No attrition and relatively little cost. Get them up to a point they've got a chance of survival and it'll make a world of difference.

 

[CurryMutton]

Thanks all for your kind and wise advice.

I may be wrong, but don't the easy enemies always hang around Zendar? You could level up there before having to face the harder enemies further away from town.

Not always, you can find mountain bandits wandering around near the source of river early, some time as early as Day 1.


CurryMutton.

 

[Wanderer]

Thanks all for your kind and wise advice.

I may be wrong, but don't the easy enemies always hang around Zendar? You could level up there before having to face the harder enemies further away from town.

Not always, you can find mountain bandits wandering around near the source of river early, some time as early as Day 1.


CurryMutton.

Hate to break this to you, but Mountain Bandits ARE one of the 'easier' enemies. Not as easy as caravans and river pirates, mind, but one of the lower echelon.

 

[CurryMutton]

Hate to break this to you, but Mountain Bandits ARE one of the 'easier' enemies. Not as easy as caravans and river pirates, mind, but one of the lower echelon.

It is okay But since they usually come into a pack of 15, with mounted units, it is, to me, much tougher than their river cousins. I would only touch them when they are busy deailing with other. *sigh*


CMutton.

 

[Zuwxiv]

Keep on working! The worst thing that can happen is you lose your gold and some stuff... Horses, maybe some armor. You may be left with little to no money or goods and have your entire group killed.

But you can go up from there!

I was there a while ago. Now that same character is level 29 and has 50 thosand denars + and two spirited chargers. Just work at it, no matter what happens you are getting better.

A lot of the game revolves around combat... Use the arena to your advantage. Learn to fight very well, nobody is perfect, but if you can hold your own in battle you have all you need.

So you have an idea, I use light armor and a fast horse in battle along with an axe and a shield. My general strategy is to run by enemies or thorugh them (as long as there aren't enough to stop you) while I am slashing with my axe. Remember, never stop if you are on a horse. If you stop you are now a target for infantry. And a large target at that.

 

[CurryMutton]

Pardon for the borken scentances...

Okay, but soon I find the miracles of one-hand weapons on horse. Last night, I borke my record by scoring 70 points of damage with a rusted blade (name forgotten but it is a 25c weapon) on a river pirate with my lvl4 count lady! Wow!

I guess I will keep this character and move up -- until it is no longer compatible with whatever newer version arrives.

Lastly, does throwing skills determined by "horse archery" skill. After facing those sea raider, I guess it is something I should invest in other than xbow.

Thank you again.


CMutton.

 

[Mechstra]

Spend points on charisma and the Leadership skill so that you can have more troops in your party. If 15 mountain bandits pose a threat to you at level 9, then you really need to have a bigger party. Don't underestimate the value of having a large amount of troops with you.

 

[Nairagorn]

Don't underestimate the value of having a large amount of troops with you.

Bears repeating. Cannon-fodder is cheap and useful. And it's pretty cool to see a crew of footmen chase down and beat the crud out of a pack of bandits.

 

[okiN]

Also buying up party skills for yourself and your men (they stack!) as noted above will be a huge help. Tactics, surgery, and so forth.

Actually, party skills don't stack. That's why they're called party skills: The highest skill among the heroes in the party, you included, is chosen as the skill for the entire party. Everyone else's skills are annulled. That's why it's useful to have each hero have his own specific party skills and develop them for the benefit of the entire group.

 

[CubsRule]

Also buying up party skills for yourself and your men (they stack!) as noted above will be a huge help. Tactics, surgery, and so forth.

Actually, party skills don't stack. That's why they're called party skills: The highest skill among the heroes in the party, you included, is chosen as the skill for the entire party. Everyone else's skills are annulled. That's why it's useful to have each hero have his own specific party skills and develop them for the benefit of the entire group.

Argh! That's so counter-intuitive; it should be given another name

 

[OddjobXL]

Ack. I agree. Now I'm confused completely about how skills work. That should be tweaked. Call 'em Specialist Skills and describe them in such a way that only the best Specialist's skills work for a party.

 

[CubsRule]

That clears up party skills I guess...can anyone describe leadership skills and personal skills please? I'm still confused on what exactly they do. Do they stack with other units, etc.?

 

[tsuken]

isn't it quite obvious actually? If all three have a skill of 1 in spotting, they can't suddenly see further because they look together.

In my game Borcha is the scout with tracking, spotting, pathfinding (now also started tactics).

Marnid is the priest with surgery, first aid and wound treatment.

 

[okiN]

Exactly, tsuken has the right idea.

CubsRule: Leadership allows you to have more troops with you and increases the number of troop slots for your party. Personal skills are all the skills that aren't party skills. Obviously weapon skills etc. don't stack, but for example training stacks, the exp. gained from each hero's training skill is added together. Not sure if any other skills stack.

Edit: That better?