I have just bitten the bullet and bought Divine Divinity. I'm still playing more like an adventure gamer rather than an RPGer. I'm picking up everything that I can and that leads to my first of several questions:

1) I have reached the limit of my inventory. How do I choose what to unload? I'm still in the mindset that I will need everything.

2) I'm carrying stuff that I don't know how to use. How do I eat the food? How do I use the orbs? Some weapons can't be used because i am not strong enough. Will I get stronger, or am I stuck with this strength for the rest of the game. Should I ditch the weapons that are too heavy?

3) I have stolen so much stuff from people that they don't have anything to trade. I haven't used the trade function yet and wonder when I would be able to use it.

About quests:
4) My diary lists quests to fulfill, what I have been successful at, and what I failed in. Can I not undo a failed mission? Or is the failure permanent?

5) I met one monster in the catacombs and I have no idea how to kill him. This is level 3 and he is near a vase/urn that has something in it. He blasts me with something blue and I am dead. I don't even have time to think what to do and what to use against him.

Hope you can get me out of DD kindergarten class. I am playing Survivor easy mode.

Rowan --------

1. No, you will not need everything you see. Some things are just useless junk that aren't worth a thing. For instance, if you have plates in your inventory drop those items out. Some of the weapons you'll be able to use later in the game. So, I would at least save some of them. Potions are important. So keep those if you any. Food to keep would be chicken meat and boar meat. If you've killed any boar that is!

2. To eat the food, just left-click it on your inventory screen and your survivor will automatically eat it. He/she will tell when he is full from food. Then I would recommend that you use one of your health potions if needed.

3. Try sleeping the day away and then returning to those same people that you have stolen stuff from. They may have mysteriously obtained more items to sell to you.

Questions four and five, somebody else will have to answer. Good luck and have fun!

Hi Rowan,
You can unload some of your stuff in one of the empty houses, and get it later when you are in a bigger town with more people to trade with. You really don't need to carry much with you, except whatever weapons you want and are able to use at this point, lockpicks if you have the skill, potions, and food. Oh, and the orbs, since you'll need them to get into a different part of the dungeon, and your transporter thingees, of course. You can trade at any time, although not all people will have something to trade.

As far as quests, what have you failed? No, you can't redo them (unless you go back to a saved game of course). There's one quest in the next town that you automatically fail, just the way the story line goes.

If you've reached a point that the dungeon is too tough for your character, try killing Orcs outside the town gate first. You can always run back to the knight outside the gate if too many are after you, and he'll help you with them (although you don't get the points for the ones he kills). You'll level up and may not have as hard a time, once you return to the dungeon.Have you run into the friendly Orcs down there yet? South of where they are is a statue, which will provide you with some help in fighting the skeletons. If you want to keep the help, you can't go out of the dungeon or you'll lose the help. I used meteorstrike, and it was effective, and I also used skeleton wall, which helped out a lot having another helper.
Hope you're having fun, and don't hesitate to ask questions - lots of DD lovers on this board!

Rowan,
I really found it useful to go back and read the older strands on DD, it helped me so much.
Good luck and relax and have fun, and save a bunch
The game is funny and rewarding
Ingie
________________________________________________
Playing and learning Morrowind-love it
Playing GhostMaster-a really ghoul game

Chicken meat is also good. Bring up the stats screen before eating food and the see which ones get changed. I stored stuff in the abandonned building in the ne part of Aleroth. Has a hatch going down in the basement and some empty barrels. Key is either under a rock or in a barrel near the door.

Thanks all for your hints. I don't understand all that you've said, but I need to play a bit more.

Nickie, the quest that I failed was giving George the herb (starts with a D) that he wanted. What I did instead was steal his only herb by mistake. I had picke dit up before I realized what it was. He is now mad at me and I can't even give it back. I have found more but he doesn't give me any prompts for it in conversations. It also doesn't appear in my trade list. In my diary it says I failed this quest. I would like to undo my mistake if I could but don't know how.

Hi Row nice to see another newbie in the DD world

I lucked out and didn't touch George's dead herb. I did steal the herb before getting permission so Lanilor might be a bit miffed at me.

Anyway, nice to see I'm not the only one who doesn't have a clue what they're doing

Hi Syd, I'm not sure how I got a level 3 rating because I feel just as dumb as when I started.

I have questions about the number ratings of objects:

When looking at an object such as a weapon it gives 2 numbers separated by a slash. What do the 2 numbers mean? eg. 3/10

Also what do the 2 numbers separated by a hyphen for damage mean? eg 4-12?

Hi Rowan and Syd
Playing GhostMaster-a real ghoul game

Row, have no fear about having lots of rookie questions around here. We treat newbies with kid gloves.

Damage numbers refer to a range of damage a particular weapon may do at any particular time. The computer goes through its complicated algorithms and other such rocket science, and somehow decides that with one swing of a sword you'll do a "4" worth of damage (pretty pathetic, sissy flesh wound), and another time a "12" (major butt-kicking), or anywhere in between.

I can't say for sure what the slashed numbers mean for DD, but often such numbers refer to a weapon's structural integrity. As in 10/10 would be a new sword in perfect condition, 3/10 would be weakening fast. Once you hit 0, the sword will break, so you'll want to repair it before then. Armour will have similar numbers. If the numbers you're referring to mean something different in this particular case, I'm sure someone will correct me.

EDIT: Whoops - you beat me, Ingie.

Unlike adventure games, it's REALLY important to read through RPG manuals. I believe DD has a second manual on one of the CD's, as well as the little paper one, in case you weren't aware of it.

Good luck, and don't be shy with the questions!

Jack

Whoa Jack,
and your answer was so much shorter and made more sense.I just learned something new, didn't know the CD had a manual, duh, I had a mentor!!
Ingie
_________________________________________________
Learning and Playing Morrowind-love the game
Playing GhostMaster-a really ghoul game

Ingie, I can't remember for SURE that it's a manual - maybe it's just a background story, etc. But it struck me as being something well worth reading either way.

Jack

Hi rowan:

You're going to love DD! Like someone said earlier in this thread, just relax and enjoy the game.

I can't add much to what was said here. It always amazes me how much detail Boomers here remember. Ask as many questions as you need to -- there will always be someone with the answer.

Jean

Well done, Ingie! You are so right that you make DD your world, and there are so many choices how to do it. With all due respect to Singer, you would have to put me in the camp of "Don't read the manual until you play a while" school, so that the manual makes more sense, and can answer questions, rather than try and understand something without experiencing what they are talking about. I restarted the game myself after playing a bit, just to get a feel for what was going on.

Rowan, as far as the herb quest, it really will not make a lot of difference in the long run, unless it bothers you.There are an absolute ton of quests in the game, if you elect to do them.
The dungeon is not all that fun, but once you're out of there, there are so many things you can do, it is wonderful. I think it is great that you and Syd are trying it out - after all, if you like it, there are that many more games you can buy

Just remember, no question is too silly to ask, and besides, I love to talk about the game - just ask Syd <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="tongue.gif" />

Hi,

As far as how people feel about you goes...they will improve how they feel about you if you keep trading with them.
In one of my games George didn't like me at all because I stole his herb and he caught me at it.
All you have to do is keep trading with him and even give him some stuff for free.
When you click on the item to sell just don't click on his side to make him pay for it and it will be free to him.

Ok, I've restarted the game and am playing a lot "smarter" than before. This time I controlled my adventure game habit of just picking up things (which DD characters consider stealing). I didn't steal from George and he likes me now. I gave him more of that herb he wanted, so that quest is solved.

I'm down in the catacombs now, level 3, where I was before. I've met the "friendly" orcs, and got a dead man to help me. The only thing he did so far is kill one of the "friendly" orcs! I am at a door which I can't open, and there is no lever in sight. Does anyone know how I get into the next room, otherwise I am at a dead end in the catacombs? The place is near where the friendly orcs are and the dead man is given to me as my servant.

I notice that I have different equipment from the previous game.

Do you see a pentagram (or was it circles, anyway a design) on the floor in one of the neighboring rooms? You need to place your orbs there, and another door will open to you.

Thanks, I managed to do that, and a blue portal opened up. However, my dead helper had disappeared after killing a second orc (who left me another orb). What happened to my servant? I never saw him killed. I left the screen he was in and he never caught back up, but now I can't find him or his body.

Hmm, you didn't go above ground did you? I don't think he can be killed, he's dead! but then so are the bone guys.

Thanks, Ingie. I did not go above ground, but lost him when he killed that second orc. Maybe they both killed each other? Anyway, I reached another level in the catacombs. I still have not found the 2nd teleporter. I have found lots of new weapons but I am overloaded. I've marked places on the map to remind me where I left stuff. I killed a real baddie in this level (4) and am proud of myself for that. I have found some unidentifired axes, so I don't know if one of them is Slasher.

I went above ground for a while for a breather. I bought new chain mail armour from George. But I don't know how to identify or repair stuff. Whenever I try that, George asks me if I really want to pay that much. But I don't know how to do it. I've looked in the manual, and I think I am doing it that way, but when I check it in my inventory, it is still either broken or unidentified.

Under the middle empty house at the top of the screen lives a very bad being. I have not been able to kill him. I die within seconds.

Anyway, at this point, I would appreciate some insights into how to repair and identify, and also where the second teleporter and Slasher might be.

Row put the teleporter you have down now and click on it - it will automatically take you to it's partner - but save right before you do it because unless you've already cleaned out that portion of the dungeon you'll be immediately attacked.

I did this part almost at the start and had no idea that I was being transported into the catacombs until I got there yesterday and recognized the place

As to Slasher - I didn't come across it so I have no idea where it is and I'm not too sure on how to get things repaired either - It seems to be hit or miss with me. I think I've gotten something repaired but not too sure.

You have to step on a floor tile to get to the place where Slasher is. A couple floor tiles will lead you to small places in the dungeon that you won't get to otherwise. The floor tiles light up when your cursor goes over them. And Slasher has a blue glow to it, and it will be harder to identify (level 4, I think).
As far as the repair skill, it depends on how many points you have in it, as to how much you can repair, and what you can repair. You'll only be able to repair a small percentage at the lower levels. You have to open up your view of the character, then click a lower box on the interface to activate your repair skill-the same box where you choose your spells, I think,the cursor will change to a hammer and anvil and then click on the item you want to repair. Sometimes it can't be on the person. It's a little tricky as I recall, as sometimes your clicking will just put things in your inventory, but you get the idea, I hope. Your identify skill is not too high in the beginning levels either, but you just click on the item in inventory. Or, if you're having someone else do it -it sounds like you were doing that with George, and you just have to agree to the fee, I think it was just marking accept. If you don't have enough gold, he won't do it. Oh, and I don't think you can be wearing the item to be repaired, it has to be in your inventory, so you can click on it and ask for George to repair it (but I'm hazy on this). If you don't have the skill to do it yourself, and the items are a level one or two, it may not be worth your while to spend the money to have them identified, but the higher levels will get you much more money in trade if they have been identified.If it still isn't clear, please ask again and I'll restart the game to see.

Hi All let me add to the confusion some
Nickie,
Did that ring any bells. I've just finished playing before Morrowind, so my notes are still legible in my brain-maybe
Ingie
________________________________________________
Learning and playing Morrowind-fantastic game
Playing GhostMaster a great howl of a game

Hi Ingie and nickie - I figured out the trading/repair thing - I wasn't clicking on the repair icon first - so nothing was happening.

How you doing Row? I'm in the Blue Boar Inn area running around bashing orcs and trolls and other low lifes <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="tongue.gif" /> I made it to Level 8 whimpy wizard after playing for about 8 hours

Yep Ingie, perfect! I'm hazy on some of those details - you'd think after doing them a thousand and one times I wouldn't be, but...