Arcanium Fast Travel

[Cormac]

When travelling I try to reach my destination without using the fast travel option, but since it's rather boring and I never encounter anything I always end up using it. Am I missing anything by doing that, that is if I keep walking to my destination shall I encounter places, stuff, quests, etc., or is the world really a rather empty place and I should continue to use fast travel because the manual says so ?

[txa1265]

There are places you'll never discover by only fast-travel. What I tended to do was pseudo-fast travel to in-between places and explore some ...

[Cormac]

Thanks Mike, I'll keep that in mind. I suppose I was out of luck every time I ventured out.

[Maylander]

Is it Arcanum you mean? If so, you can discover all locations by fast travelling if you just walk near them - they'll pop up on the map. When searching for different locations you can create a zig-zag pattern that covers all locations, and it will find virtually all locations.

[Cormac]

Yes, it is Arcanum. I hadn't noticed the typo ! Thanks, Maylander.

[Loburian]

There are websites that have all the special locations, etc. listed for Arcanum.

http://www.gamebanshee.com/arcanum/theworld.php

Like there.

[txa1265]

There are websites that have all the special locations, etc. listed for Arcanum.

http://www.gamebanshee.com/arcanum/theworld.php

Like there.

That is really cool - thanks for that ... I'm itching to have another go at this game ...

[Loburian]

I love Arcanum!

[JDR13]

I heard about a lot of bugs and balance issues in this game. Did those things ever get cleared up? I actually have a boxed copy of this game but have never installed it.

[Maylander]

Certain things got fixed, such as the lower level summonable ogres being far better than the demons and such(now it's the other way around), but not all. Fun game though, very interesting RPG because it has a different take on a lot of things.

[Corwin]

Get the Co8 patches for the game and it's pure bliss!! I loved the entire concept of Arcanum and wished Troika had followed it up. Sadly, that was not to be and now neither are they!! :(

[Cormac]

Corwin, I didn't know that the Co8 folks also did patches for Arcanum -- of course I knew about the ones for ToEE. I'll definately check those out, I was planning to start over anyway as I wasnt much happy with the character I created. Frankly, I dont know what sort of character I want to play and I ended up with some sort of melee fighter with somewhat good diplomatic skills -- but not good enough -- and some magic healing hability. . . a paladin, in other words.
Thanks to all for replying.

[Corwin]

I think it was Co8, it was certainly one of the main fansites and that's the only one I know!! Do a google check.

[Maylander]

I find it odd that noone ever picked up some of the great ideas in Arcanum. The industrial fantasy setting worked well, the world was good, and the way you could affect it was amazing - you did something one day, and you could read about it in the newspaper the next. Also, an incredible amount of sidequests can be solved in many ways with different consequenses (i.e the halforcs rebelling at the factory).

[Corwin]

Yep, it was a game before its time and it tried to take the genre to new places and obviously not enough people wanted to go!! Strange that these are likely the same people criticising NWN2 for being generic!!

[JDR13]

I always wanted to play as a techno-melee or gunslinger type character, but the reason I never started a game was because of the balance issues I heard about. Everyone complained that the game was a breeze for magic users, but very difficult if you tried to go the tech route.

[Corwin]

Yep, the tech was much tougher. Not sure if they patched it to make the balance better, too long ago for me to remember!!

[txa1265]

Everyone complained that the game was a breeze for magic users, but very difficult if you tried to go the tech route.

I heard the same thing ... after I played through as a magic user and was wondering what the complaints were about ;)

[Maylander]

The biggest issue is the healing - high tech means you can't get healed by regular healing spells, as friendly magic won't affect you anymore, and that severly hampers you. The tech way of healing, various potions and such, just can't hold a candle to magic healing. Also, guns didn't have high enough damage to be any real competition to the most powerful magic.. still, being tech is a lot of fun though, creating all sorts of guns and other inventions - "Elephant Gun" anyone? :D

[CelesteGB]

Another game I bought a second copy of:) I re-installed it about 8 months ago. I really want to give it a go again. I played a star thrower...it was great.

Celeste

[Arma]

Strange. I've played the game at least half a dozen times, did a lot of click around travel, and not discovered most of the locations on that map. Off to find the cds ...

[Lintra]

I never did finish Arcanum. Despite three starts ... and it was not because I wasn't enjoying it!! I *love* that game. I like the game system, the story line, the world. Just about everything. Bad things just seemed to happen each time I got just past what I believe to be the mid point. So I took that as a hint from the gods I shouldn't play it (no Corwin, I was *not* playing Arcanum earlier this year). How can a game with "Gar like tea" in it not be great? I ask you!

[Lucky Day]

I loved this game. I took the shooter based on fallout experience but I was disappointed on how much it was nerfed. The friend I recommended the game to I told him to take swordsman. He maxed out at level 50 really fast so he stopped playing. I tried to help him implement the level cap remover but he ended up being level 100 instead and got confused b the various patches.

Didn't Co8 start off doing Arcanum?

It was clearly a game the Troikas loved with a fascinating Steampunk theme and detail after detail. More even than Baldur's Gate.

Alas, non-rpg'ers found the graphics ugly (the demo was a poor example). And the game had to be released too early for proper balancing due to the European development build (a late one) getting released on the IRC. The non fantasy theme, like Planescape, was too unfamiliar and it didn't allow for Multiplayer in the main campaign.

Did anyone ever finish the Gnome conspiracy? That was the freakiest quest I'd ever seen.

[JDR13]

I still want to play this game someday. I plan on going the Techno route.
Is it possible to be a gunslinger and be good at melee also? I know there's not a lot of skill points to go around in that game.

[Maylander]

Yep, it's possible, but you wouldn't be the worlds greatest inventor, you'd have to focus your inventions to a few categories instead of developing explosives, robots, guns and healing remidies all at once, in order to be able to focus on both melee and shooting at the same time.

[JDR13]

So it would be better to focus on invention and melee OR ranged is what you're saying.
I heard that Melee is overpowered, is that true?

Also, how effective would it be to try to divide points equally between tech and magic?

[txa1265]

Also, how effective would it be to try to divide points equally between tech and magic?
It would be like saying 'I don't want to play the game'.

The two are part of the core conflict of the game. If you are a mage you are shut out of many things and vice versa.

[Arma]

Haven't tried it out, but in theory, you could still use it. However, neither techs nor magick would be very effective and would just be a waste of points.

[JDR13]

I see what you're saying. So it's definitely better to put 100% of your points in one or the other.

[txa1265]

I see what you're saying. So it's definitely better to put 100% of your points in one or the other.

Yep - you get significant bonuses that way.

[Corwin]

Definitely, I went as a pure mage type and couldn't use hardly any tech at all. I intended to replay it as a pure tech guy, but something else came along and I never did!! One day... :)

[Arma]

I see what you're saying. So it's definitely better to put 100% of your points in one or the other.

There is no better way around. It's up to you where you put your points - magic, techs, combat skills only, etc. You could beat the game anyway, as enemies are not that tough overall, and depending on your choise you'll have plenty of ways of disposing them.

[JDR13]

I'm definitely going to play this game someday. I've got the box sitting in a plastic bin with a bunch of other great games I've never played. I might even start playing it while I wait for Gothic 3 to get patched up a bit better.

Definitely going tech. Just don't know if I want to be a gunslinger or a techno melee fighter.

[txa1265]

There is no better way around. It's up to you where you put your points - magic, techs, combat skills only, etc. You could beat the game anyway, as enemies are not that tough overall, and depending on your choise you'll have plenty of ways of disposing them.

You *could*, but when you look at the backstory of the game, that magical rift and the fundamental mistrust between the factions, it just makes sense from a RP perspective to take a side very stongly and very early.

[Arma]

Oh, I meant that it is not necessary to dump them in magic or techs only, but he can combine things - like a mage or tech using warrior/thief, or go with a neutral warrior or thief for example. And so on.

Viewing the backstory, the rift is shown to be of recent times. In ages past there was clearly a time where magick and technology co-existed quite peacefully, and probably there were magic using technologists (somehow I doubt that the other way around was such a popular idea, but that's just my view) in at least one place, Vendigroth.

[Maylander]

Most powerful build is probably the battlemage build, where you focus on having 1 tree of spelldamage, 1 tree of summoning and 1 of healing combined with maxed out melee skills. You can solo the game then.

As for tech builds - go with anything you like JDR, just make sure you have a bit of charisma and bring along a bunch of mountain sized half-ogre NPCs and such and it's all good. There is no safer way to get through the game than having enough charisma for a bunch of followers, you can experiment with loads of different builds then and still win.

[JDR13]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm definitely not going the Magic user route, I heard it was too easy. Besides, How many games give you a chance to go steam-tech in a world where magic exist?

[Lintra]

....Besides, How many games give you a chance to go steam-tech in a world where magic exist?

Worth playing? Uhhhh ... one? 8)

[Zaleukos]

I started playing this game last week as a gun-toting techie. It is a bit slow in the beginning and tricky for non-melee types. Unless you go the magic route it might be worth spending one point on explosives for the molotov cocktail, a very fast weapon that can be thrown without any skill (just pick it up if you drop it on the ground). My techie started with one point in melee, charisma, and dodge, then pumping up int with some points in perception and as many as possible into firearms. You can use potions and items like the eye gear to temporarily boost your perception when you level up, that allows you to increase your firearms skill so that you can seek out better trainers. NPCs did most of the fighting and I used a rapier until I got the repeater rifle. After that it was a breeze. I should have stopped focusing on int once I had reached the hand cannon schematic though.

Currently I alternate between hand cannon (for easy enemies while travelling), the mechanised gun (ultra fast gun that makes as much damage per shot as the hand cannon but uses 10 times the ammo), and the electrical Tesla gun (does as much damage as the elephant gun but is a bit faster). The latter two require found schematics and high firearms skills, and in the Tesla case high electrical skill too. When dealing with found schematics you can use the manuals from the university to get a temporary tech skill equal to your intelligence so there is not really much need to raise the skills to the max.

The hand cannon and the elephant gun can be found through quests.

Electrical lvl2 allows you to make charged rings that each increase your Dex by 2. This is beneficial in a lot of ways (more attacks per round, initiative, and allowing you to raise dex-based skills). Dex is a good thing to pump for all characters, but it seems like you cant go above your racial max even with extra equipment, so for a techie human with 2 charged rings there is no point to go above 16 in natural dex.

EDIT: Having Dog in the party as early and possible makes the game a lot easier. I'll try without him when I play a melee character...

[Maylander]

I pick up Dog in all games, as he can clear out those pesky stone golems you bump into from time to time without breaking weapons.

[JDR13]

Is it possible to to get good with guns and still have enough skill points to make and wield some good tech melee weapons?

[Zaleukos]

It might be if you plan it well, depending on your starting stats. I dont know why you'd want to master both though, once you get to the decent guns melee is superfluous. It is mainly helpful in the beginning while your guns have a poor death/bullet ratio.

I'm at level 48 and only expert in melee, and doctor in two tech disciplines (electrical and gunsmithing). By using manuals I could make electro-armour that seems to be the best one I've found due to its huge damage reduction. I can also create the Tesla rod and the Tesla Gun, two awesome weapons. In all I am quite happy with these two disciplines, the few desirable items I cant make would have required extensive study of things like therapeutics and herbology...

I dont really know where I should have skimped on points though. Some cha for an extra follower is useful in the beginning, and one level of explosives and throwing makes molotov cocktails (a true life saver) available. I guess I could have pumped dex instead of strength, but the gear I carry is quite heavy... Maybe I could have ignored gunsmithy as some of the good guns (repeater rifle, elephant gun, and if you choose the right side in a quest the hand cannon) can be found anyway. Mechanical plate or whatever it is called can be found when you train to master of firearms or through the main quest.

You have 64 points to spend in total so you can do the maths if you have time to spare:)

It is a pain to find good melee weapons for your technological followers though... If you have neutral followers (as most fighters are) it is better to equip them with magical weapons and armour.

[JDR13]

The thing that stinks about going tech is that it seems that most of the weapons and armor can just be found. So why put points in those disciplines? Or am I misunderstanding you?

I would be mad if I spent a point to learn a certain schematic, and then found that schematic as part of a quest or sitting in some chest in a cave. Are the schematics you find unique?

[Arma]

Yes, they are. As far as I remember, all of the found/bought schematics are not available otherwise.

[JemyM]

There's a spell called Harm. The effect is instant with no duration between the attacks, so if you click really fast you can kill everything in seconds as long as you have the mana for it. After a few levels of that the game got too repetitive for me :(

[Arma]

You know, this is entirely you fault. One of the best things in the game is that you have countless ways to dispose of enemies.

[JDR13]

I do remember hearing that the game was very unbalanced in favor of magic.

Which is exactly why I'm going tech.

.........if I ever get around to playing it.

[Zaleukos]

The thing that stinks about going tech is that it seems that most of the weapons and armor can just be found. So why put points in those disciplines? Or am I misunderstanding you?

I would be mad if I spent a point to learn a certain schematic, and then found that schematic as part of a quest or sitting in some chest in a cave. Are the schematics you find unique?

Found schematics are unique. Basically you get a rating for each tech discipline based upon the learned schematic (from 10 for the first schematic to 100 for the "doctorate") and the found schematics usually require ratings in one or two tech disciplines. You can temporarily raise your rating (by your intelligence score) in a discipline by having a manual (bought at the university in Tarant) in your inventory.

To some extent you are right. A tech-user can find a lot of things, but some of the very best pieces of equipment have to be constructed from schematics. Some of the good finished tech stuff that can be found is quite hard to find though (the first suit of mechanized plate, the repeater rifle, and the hand cannon comes to mind), and some of it is only found very late (my second suit of mechanized plate). The superb ones that I made (the finished items MIGHT be available, I havent explored half of the games) are:

Learned:
lvl1 explosives Molotov cocktail. Incredibly useful. Cannot be bought.
lvl2 electrical: Charged ring. Gives 2 dex which helps your melee/dodge skill and increases the speed of attack, also saves points. The only tech ring?
lvl7 electrical: Tesla rod. Does a ton of damage.

Found/bought:
Mechanised gun (requires roughly level 6 gunsmithy). Does the same damage as the hand cannon but is about 3 times as fast (and eats ten times the ammo). Good mid-game weapon.
Tesla gun: Requires a tesla rod as ingredient and high level gunsmithing, so in practice high level in both gunsmithing and electrical..
Ancient gun (not sure about the name of this one) requires high level gunsmithy. Is essentially a better version of the hand cannon. Faster and more damaging than the elephant gun.
Electro-armour: High level electrical + low level mechanical (or was it smithing, the skill level you get from having a manual in your inventory is enough at any rate). This armour is lighter than mechanised plate, has worse AC but MUCH better damage reduction, which in my experience is superior to AC. Strong enemies will hit you anyway... Combine this with the electrical top-hat (or whatever it is called) and you will soak up much of what the enemy throws at you.

Poisoned/pyrotechnical axes, swords, and bows (didnt have enough smithing skill to make those, but they have good stats)...

Then there is some recipe for a drug that increases all your primary stats permanently, but it requires so many points in the otherwise weak therapeutics and herbology techs that I didnt find it worthwhile (and I didnt have enough points left to spend when I found the schematic anyway).

And I think technological aptitutde gives you magic resistance. This is however a mixed blessing, it means your mages wont heal you either:(

[JDR13]

So therapeutics basically just lets you make potions that give you temporary stat boost right? Not really worth it I take it?

Looking at the descriptions in the manual, it looks like Herbology lets you make some pretty powerful potions.