Play Arcanum the way it should be with my COOL patch.

http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/

Many pictures in the site.
Look and decide.
Easy installation.

Features.

1) It balances tech-magick-melee in combat .You should now have equally difficult times in advancing your character as a melee fighter mage or tech. This have happened by improving certain tech items as the charged ring , capping speed that you can achieve with spells like haste, putting new items that help tech chars more and see 4) you have to rely on many spells now if you are a mage not just in say harm , or fireball. This adds variety to the game.

2)It eliminates what are really exploits in the game mechanics' . For example you cannot now play a mage get fire flash and then go to the wilderness start killing things and become level 40 in just one hour. And agility of fire now increases speed instead of dexterity . No more i cast it then put points in melee that stay when spell is not cast.

3) Random encounters are now much more difficult are scaled by your level happen less frequently near the start area and stop happening from level 35 until 48.

4) Monsters now have elemental immunities . A lot are immune to fire and many are immune to harm .

5)The X-Files quest(2 skulls) now comes to a much more satisfactory conclusion.

6)A new limited form of Teleportation now available to every character in game. It requires items and is limited in destination and departure. You can teleport to Tarrant, Caladon, Qintara only from almost all the gods shrines and a few other locations.

7) A few areas like the starting area, Shrouded hills and 2 more have been changed completely.

8) More than 12 new areas compared to normal Arcanum. Most of those areas are extremely challenging.

9) New class of items. Charms of the gods here and more here that work like the charms in Diablo LOD . They give you benefits when they are equipped.

10) New class of items . Divine weapons that have a chance to cast new cool spells if you have the requirements.

11)A few quests have been added.

12) You can now change all your followers professions . Than means that you force them to spend their characters points the way you want not their way .For example you can force Virgil to level like Raven or Virgil to level like Sogg.

Pictures
http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/teleport1.htm
http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/random.htm
http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/immune.htm
http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/CrashSite.htm
http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/ShroudedHills.htm
http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/charm1.htm
http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/charm2.htm
http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/items.htm
http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/proffesioncheat.htm

 

I believe that the installer creates an uninstaller that you can access from your control panel.
It certainly does this on windows 2000 that i use and i believe that it should do it on all versions of windows.

But you would also have to go to

c:\sierra\arcanum\data\ and delete everything inside the data folder

and in

c:\sierra\arcanum\modules\arcanum\maps\ and delete everything inside the folder maps.

That should complete the uninstallation.

Adapt the directories to where you have installed arcanum.
(Do a search for arcanum.exe) if you do not remember.

http://community.vugames.com/WebX?233@@ ... e=.efde804

 

I just found out you can't have 2 arcanum directories, renaming doesn't work so you would have to mess with the registry to fix it

do you loose your saved games or start all over?

Parmanian

 

You can install it as a new module if you want to continue to play your old Arcanum games.

Install it as usual .

Do not delete any directories.
Go here

C:\Sierra\Arcanum\modules

Make a copy of Arcanum.dat and name it HARDArcanum.dat put it in the same directory as Arcanum.dat

Reaname the Arcanum.PATCH1 that the installer has installed to

HARDArcanum.PATCH0

Go here

C:\Sierra\Arcanum\modules\Arcanum

make a copy of Arcanum folder name it HARDArcanum and put it in the same folder.

But DELETE the
C:\Sierra\Arcanum\modules\HARDArcanum\maps
and
C:\Sierra\Arcanum\modules\HARDArcanum\Save

maps and Save folder.

Upper lower case is important here.


Now just select HARDArcanum module.

Your normal Arcanum game could suffer a few minor changes but it will still run if you do everything right.

 

chris

I was gonna send you a private message but others may want to know. I installed your patch and started to play. I new right off the bat I was gonna have to rethink how to play. Shrouded hill has really grown up!

So I used the uninstall feature and reinstalled the game. The uninstaller doesn't get rid of a lot of stuff that interferes with the regular game. If your gonna uninstall then use the uninstaller but delete EVERYTHING in the directory (except your save games) then reinstall a fresh copy.

I had to do this because when I went back into one of my original save games, I had 1/2 points in skills I never used (bow/dodge/firearms). My group was in slow motion (compared to what it was before) and if I played with it any longer, I might have found other stuff.

What I'm saying to people is that it looks good and will definitely make you think you got a new game. Like I steal the key from lukin all the time so in this one I get across the bridge kill the little runt then get killed with a land mine!

So I reloaded and avoided the mines and got shocked when the bell went off and I was told I done so well getting out of SH I gained experience-2 levels!......I mention this for people who have a bad heart and have started a lot of games like myself, It really caught me off guard!!!

If you decide to use the patch go ahead just be ready to play a basically new game with SOME old twists!

Parmanian

 

cool :thumbup:

 

"I had 1/2 points in skills I never used (bow/dodge/firearms)."


a) Let me guess . You were wearing a charged ring ?
Charged ring now instead of +2 dex gives
+2 speed 1/2 melee , 1/2 bow , 1/2 dodge 1/2 guns

b) Yes speed is capped to 18 for everybody except gnome and halflings . They can get up to 22.( No more dex 20 and haste and you got speed 50 basically the equivelant in D&D of gettiing unlimited time stops as a low level mage)

The game uses 2 cache areas . One saves map
C:\Sierra\Arcanum\Modules\Arcanum\maps
and the other
C:\Sierra\Arcanum\Data\Proto save all the prototypes.

That is why if you install uninstall you have to delete everything in those 2 folders too.

in shrouded hills you could do 3 more things .

a) Touch the famous well (ha ha ha !)R.I.P ( hi hi hi if you low lev)
b) Try to attact the foul smelling pig (that poos the statue)
c) You could use the 6 bear traps in a barrel close to a new building to deal with Lukan.

Cheers . Chris.




My group was in slow motion (compared to what it was before) and if I played with it any longer, I might have found other stuff.

 

woohoo
/downloads

http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/charm1.htm

uhm did I saw it right a shield with a weight of 500 a stone of 1 000 :/
skull of 3 000 and another helmet of 2 500 and a simple lantern of 4 000 stones

not every1 is arnold swarznegger keep that in mind

 

Good . These items are not for everyone !

The shield is a charm. When you have it in your inventory it gives you +1 to speed.

You do not need to equip it.You can have lots of these to bring you to the speed cap (--18--) without ever spending a single point in dex.

The stone gives you +3 % to DR. this is useful if your DR is already very high because it can take it from say 75 % to 78 % blocking a lot damage.
Plus you can equip 6 or 7 making yourself slow but becoming almost immune to normal damage.

The skull gives you +50 % to heal rate. It can make your healing rate go from 4 to 6 ideally. That would require 7 points in constitution normally.


The lantern gives you +30 to life if you are a technologist.
The other helmet increases your damage made in every hit by 5.


Those items are there to help a melee fighter or a technologist with a lot of strength. They are not there to help a mage with 8 or even 5 strength.

If those items were light they would make the game extremely unbalancing and easy.

 

Ok, its good.

But can you add new robes or staffs or something? My mage is now a very very weak character because of your 'balancing'. :???:

 

A lot of robes and staff have been added.
If i had to document everything i added i would need a lot of time.

As for your mage . No he is not nerfed.
However instead of now using just one spell like harm harm harm
or fireflash , fireflash , fireflash now he will have to use a variety of spells.
Hints. Summons are still extremely good. But you need a variety of them .
Get fire elemental spell and earth elemental spell and water elemental ( water elemental now does electricity damage) and you will be able to kill everything in game easily.

Of course to get these spells you have to be high level but this is the whole point isnt it ?

No more becoming uber in level 10 with fireflash , 100 magic aptitude and lots of blue potions.

Now you can become uber in level 30 with fire elemental,earth elemental and water elemental 100 magick aptitude and a lot of blue potions.

 

thx
yep its true about balancing to heavie weigth

so far it looks good
(started again with a new character :/ )

 

Just a question . Does Althea wears a grey robe that gives you +10 to life ?
And does Virgil wears a blue robe that gives him +10 to fatigue ?
Please check it out and answer.

 

Update . Because some people has asked about the strange spells that seem to be cast when you or your followers hit certain animals.
look at second and third pic

http://www.terra-arcanum.com/~chris/random3.htm

Oh the other spell. Many animals have it .
It does poison damage.
Damage increases according to the level of the animal that has it .

These animals have this shield because they carry some part of Moorindal the god of evil inside them.

You see long ago Moorindal the god of evilness organized huge giant corrupted ceremonies (orgies) with lots of people and animals.
In that orgies he interbreed with a lot of female animals and a lot of monstrosities were born from that process. Female pigs were corrupted in these satanic ceremonies by the satanic corrupted god of evil himself and as a result many animals now carry the blood of Moorindal inside them .
Some of these animals are pigs, shiver bit, some species of spiders, enraged boars and even some humans.

So when you attack those creatures from a melee range the evil blood of Moorindal that is inside them is dropped and Moorindal sensing that you attack part of him cast’s this spell that slowly fills you with poison.

Different animals have different graphic’s but this attack is always causing you Resistable Poison damage equal to the level of the creature that you damage.


So yes it is perfectly normal and it was intended to be this way.

I do not know why the evil god Moorindal chose female pigs as his companions on those evil ceremonies.
And I never want to meet him and ask him to find out .
But it may be beause pigs are dirty and corrupted animals . Oh mayby he liked the fact that they are fat as pigs . There is a certain quality of sin in it.

Also consider the charms of Moorindal .
Each gives you +10 to poison resistance but if you equip even one your maximum aligment can only by -10.

Moorindal created those charms in order to help; his evil followers.

Now these spells in animals can really kill your followers if they fight with melee weapons unless you increase their poison resistance and I have placed items in the game that allow you to do that .

A good idea is also to give your followers big and slow damaging weapons instead of fast and little damaging weapons .

Anyway this increases the complexity of combat and i think that in Arcanum this is a good thing.

What do you people think ?

 

Okay, now, how do you do all this? C++?

 

Isn't it a bit unfair to expect all mages to take multiple colleges? You don't expect technologists to take several disciplines do you? Also, it means that a successful mage will HAVE to take certain colleges in order to be successful. After all, you now can't use harm or fire very effectively in many cases so you need at least one other college in addition to that - either that or mages need to have lots of followers in order to do the damage for them.

If you want to take the summoning spells then you don't get the experience either and since you've made encounters much harder then your average mage is going to die A HORRIBLE, HORRBLE DEATH very easily.

Essentially you've had some very good ideas, but it seems to me that although you've made it slightly better for the technologists, you've also made the entire game stacked very unfairly against magick users.

Or at least, you've made it so that you have to take certain spells in order to be a successful pure mage. It's just limited your options rather severely for a pure mage and thus makes such a character much less fun. :cry:

 

Lets see. A mage has only to increase willpower up to 18 .

No a mage does not even have to do that . All he needs is 12 spells and a few items his magick aptitude is 100 he could kill everything and everyone with fireball.


So a mage became uber with 12 spells , elf , dark helmet and blue potions.

Now a mage has to have a willpower of 18 , and 15 points in spells that is
15+10 points to become uber.


Now lets see how many points a technologist needs.

10 points in intelligence to become 18 .
7 points in one disipline . But he also has to fight .

4 points in dexterity to increase dax to 12 , 3 points in melee , 3 points in dodge . Oh yea . He cannot use unlocking cantrip i forgot . So a few points in locksmith. Now if he wants to use guns another 10 points in perception.
And 5 points in guns .
But lets not forget that he has to be healed something that a mage can do with a first level spell !
Ok 3 points in healing . Oh and the technologist needs items !!!!
Oh a few points in haggle . Oh and he cannot teleport . Pity.


So it was 12 points needed for mage + blur potions VERSUS 41 .

WoA !!!!

Now it is 25 points versus 41 .

Hmmm. The mage is stiull more powerful . And if you actually play it both as a technologist and as a mage you will see this for yourshelf.

Lets see . Harm is not a FIRST level spell ? You want a mage to be uber with a FIRST level spell ?

Like in D&D a mage should be uber because he has magick missle ?

And fireball is a spell that you can get at level 5 . And after that you could kill almost everything in the game . Even the final boss !!!!!! ( + the device)

With a spell that you can get at level 5 when the max level is 50 !!!!!!!!!

And a spell that can be eternally refuelled because of the blue potions .

Why is this unfair ?

Does a technologist gets more expirience when his followers kill enemies ?

NO !

Does he gets more expierience when his automatons kill the enemy ?

NO !

So why do you think that it is unfair ?

Now lets see.


{0}{Disarm} Uber powerful
{1}{Unlocking Cantrip} Replaces 6-7 points of locksmith + dex
{2}{Unseen Force} Unique
{3}{Spatial Distortion} Unique . Your way out of a cobat
{4}{Teleportation} UBER.
{5}{Sense Alignment} sucks
{6}{See Contents} sucks
{7}{Read Aura} sucks
{8}{Sense Hidden} Replaces 5 points in sense traps + preq
{9}{Divine Magick} sucks
{10}{Vitality of Air} sucks
{11}{Poison Vapours} sucks
{12}{Call Winds} sucks
{13}{Body of Air} WOW !!!! Damage resistance 95 % + 10 speed UBER
{14}{Call Air Elemental} sucks
{15}{Strength of Earth} replaces lots of points in stretgh
{16}{Stone Throw} UBER ( normal damage unresistable)
{17}{Wall of Stone} sucks
{18}{Body of Stone} UBER
{19}{Call Earth Elemental} UBER
{20}{Agility of Fire} UBER
{21}{Wall of Fire} sucks
{22}{Fireflash} UBER UBER
{23}{Body of Fire} mediocre (too much fatigue)
{24}{Call Fire Elemental} WOW !!!!!! UBER !!!
{25}{Purity of Water} UBER !!!! Replaces 4 points in haggle +8 in intelligence.
{26}{Call Fog} Sucks.
{27}{Squall of Ice} sucks.
{28}{Body of Water} mediocre
{29}{Call Water Elemental} UBER.
{30}{Shield of Protection} UBER . At max aptitude 2 times better than any armor !!! Level 1 spell !!!
{31}{Jolt} Very good
{32}{Wall of Force} sucks
{33}{Bolt of Lightning} uber
{34}{Disintegrate} HA HA HA !!!!! UBER !!! UBER !!! kills 99.9999 % with 1 shot UNRESISTABLE
{35}{Charm} good
{36}{Stun} uber in high aptitude
{37}{Drain Will} sucks
{38}{Nightmare} uber in high aptitude. Everyone flees.
{39}{Dominate Will} UBER.
{40}{Resist Magick} sucks
{41}{Disperse Magick} sucks
{42}{Dweomer Shield} sucks
{43}{Bonds of Magick} sucks
{44}{Reflection Shield} sucks
{45}{Hardened Hands} sucks
{46}{Weaken} good
{47}{Shrink} good
{48}{Flesh to Stone} good
{49}{Polymorph} mediocre
{50}{Charm Beast} UBER !!!! At high apttude no more problem with wererats
{51}{Entangle} GOOD
{52}{Control Beast}
{53}{Succour Beast} UBER
{54}{Regenerate} sucks
{55}{Harm} UBER !!! UBER !!!!
{56}{Conjure Spirit} sucks
{57}{Summon Undead} good .
{58}{Create Undead} UBER
{59}{Quench Life} sucks
{60}{Minor Healing} Replaces 10 skill points of a technologist INt+HEALING + ITEMS !!!!!!!!
{61}{Halt Poison}
{62}{Major Healing} UBER !!!!!
{63}{Sanctuary} sucks
{64}{Resurrect} UBER
{65}{Illuminate}
{66}{Flash}
{67}{Blur Sight}
{68}{Phantasmal Fiend}
{69}{Invisibility} UBER !!!!
{70}{Plague of Insects}
{71}{Orcish Champion} good !
{72}{Guardian Ogre} UBER !
{73}{Hellgate} UBER !
{74}{Familiar} good
{75}{Magelock}
{76}{Congeal Time}
{77}{Hasten} The most unbalance spell of all time !!! Double you speed
With 20 dex and haste your speed was 50 while the speed of everything else is max 20 . YOU ARE NEO !!!!!!!!!
{78}{Stasis} Good !!
{79}{Tempus Fugit} UBER !!!! Mini-NEO for the whole party !!!!!!

While your average technologist is going to enjoy a FUNNY FUNNY and enjoyable death ?

No not really . It just makes the whole system much less horribly unbalanced.

 

I agree with the catman. It is unfair for a mage. Mind you tech can make... lets say a gun and bullets. Using that, he can kill at least 50 moderately powerful monsters(unless the fool makes a really dumb gun). At most 200.

With spells, you get hit, you faint and die a really HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE DEATH. And tech gets extra schematics to learn that mages can't. Mages can't ride trains and not all can teleport. So you need the nature spells to survive inthe wilderness, especially since they are weak at low levels.

Tech also gets to make expensive items from cheap ones and sell for BIG BUCKS. Can mages 'make' money? Noooooooooooo.......

Damage done with magic does not give XP, only kills. So you might as well do the fighting. And fireflash damages your own allies on the battlefield. It takes too much fatigue. The public gets angry at you. La,la, la...

Unbalanced totally! You should play mages and tech and see the diff.
And your joke about really horrible death is just a silly way to insult other's intelligence. So not funny. :roll:

 

Fireflash does not damage your allies. Have you ever played Arcanum ?
It only damaged them in the demo.
Damage done with magic does not give XP ?

Excuse me ? You are kidding right ? :-o

Takes too much fatigue ? Drink blue potions . You will find an unlimited supply of them in shop .

As for the rest of your comments :thumbdown:
I would appriciate it though if you buy and play Arcanum before coming here and make comments about playing balance.
Then your comments would have more basis.

 

Are you daft? :roll:

I have Arcanum so watch it!

If your fireflash does not damage allies then it must be Geoffrey's fireflash.

And magic does not give XP. Only kills do.

Of course mine is unpatched but that's not the point.

And I don't think you use WorldEd to do all this balancing. What do you use?