If you don't have the game, GoGamer just got some more copies in. They're going for 20 bucks---well worth it, if you ask me. It's party-based, isometric view, turn-based combat---a real good game, IMO. I'll be playing with the strategy guide, and there's a character editor for it, if you start finding the fights too tough, like I did. An interesting mix of magic and early technology, good music, good travel system across the world map, good recruitable characters . . . lotta good stuff in this one.

Tried this game and really did not understand it very well. Stopped playing it. Maybe I'll give it another try when I finish Space Hack.

Hi mary-jo,

How are you enjoying space hack?? What little I played I actually found addicting..I wanted to keep hearing those nice squishy sounds..

Ingie

Hi Popcorneater, Really enjoying Space Hack. :]]]I've made it to the 6th sphere and in some of those spheres are some explosive surprices! Oh the larva change into gross wiggeling maggots. But I shoot them anyway for the goodies. Then I walk over thier dead bodies so I can hear those squishy sounds and get the goodies!!! Having alot of fun playing this game. Mary Jo

good I am too..sorry Sig..didn't mean to hijack..don't remember playing Arcanum..have to dig in the vault and see if I can find it..hmm..does sound vaguly familar..but so does everything in my mind..I'll check out gogamer's and see what it looks like..have fun y'all

Ingie

I have it and haven't played yet. Maybe if I breeze through Return of the King and you're still playing I'll join in.

Jean

Hope you do give it another try, Maryjo. The game as a whole is really quite good. Not the best graphics out there, of course, or the hippest music, but, having played the whole thing before, it almost seems unfair to it to point that out. It's a true and different CRPG with a lot of good elements in it. Here's another one . . . this is the game that has, as one of its recruitable characters, a dog, whose name is just Dog, who you save from a beating by its master, and who is actually good in a fight. This relationship is so meaningful that, later in the game, after the need arose to cut him out of the party, I missed him and, whenever we were back in the town where he was, I'd have to go see him and feed him a loaf of bread. But it's not a game world you wanna stumble blindly through. The published strategy guide (which is a good one) has gotten hard to find---I found one, reasonably priced, but it's not here yet---but I could give you some guidance, or, if you want, you can download Prima's eGuide of it for 10 bucks. And the character editor that's freely downloadable for it, if you ever need it, assures that there won't be any combat you can't get past.

Jean, I just started it yesterday and it'll probably take me a couple months to play through it all again, so I could still be at it when you finish Return of the King. Oh, just thought of another good element in the game that I'm looking forward to . . . when you get to, and start doing deeds in, the biggest town in the game, they start writing articles about you in the newspaper, and you can buy these from a hawker and read them. See what I mean? This stuff is just cool.

Ingie, no prob. As hijackings go, that one wasn't bad at all.

Sig, hi,

Why bother with published strategy guides, when some of us have invested 3 or 4 months worth of evenings to write our own free guides that are just as detailed? Have a look at mine, for instance:

Steve\'s Guide to Arcanum

I've also got some of the most popular guides on the web for:

Planescape: Torment
Divine Divinity
Fallout
Fallout 2
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

They're all there in the Quandary Walkthroughs section

Cheers,
metzomagic

Well metz, thank you for the suggestion and link, had no idea...I'll look them over if in need, and I certainly go in and bookmark-got it!!!!

Sig...

Ingie

Steve, a thousand pardons, but you'll be happy when you read this. It just occurred to me that I forgot to mention what you did, so I left the game to come here and post that option, but you beat me to it. On top of that, your guide for this game is excellent---I've used it myself. In fact, I JUST used it to find out how to trigger the bank robbery attempt in Shrouded Hills, so I could help save the day. Thanks again. You walkthrough writers are great---I love you people. But my main point was just that it's a game one ought to have some guidance in. For example, if you don't pick up Dog your first time in that town where he is, you don't get a second chance, and I'd hate to see that happen to someone. Can you forgive me?

Thanks, Looking forward to giving it another try/
Mary Jo

Sig, hi again,

No need for apologies, and thanks

Surprisingly, the walkthroughs on Quandary get far more page views on average than any other article. That Arcanum guide is still pulling in 1300 page views per month. Not bad for a 4-year old game!

It's nice to know all the hard work is appreciated

Cheers,
metzomagic

Funny you should post this Sig because I was just thinking of taking Arcanum back out since I can't play the M&M series on my XP.
I played it with you the first time you went though. It was great fun! I'll see about starting again this weekend.

Hey, Steve, I think I average once a week on the Divine Divinity guide just now! Have to check that I haven't missed any major events.

Glad there's no hard feelings, Steve. That "page view" stat of yours is impressive, but the actual number is even higher because the Quandary page isn't the only place on the web that this guide of yours can be viewed, though it may be the nicest-looking. The one that I've been referring to is just the "plain text" version, linked to from Gamespot. Also, if memory serves, it's not as important to have paper maps to refer to while playing this game as it is for a lot of other games in this genre, so one could get by with just a good walkthrough.

Hi, Debra. Oh, did I play it along with you my first time through? I'd forgotten that. Yeah, come on in, the water's fine, as they say. I'm really likin' it the second time around, and it plays just fine on my new Win XP system. And I haven't even got to Tarant yet (the game's biggest town), so you can catch up to me---I take my time. I'll probably leave it installed whenever I finish it this time---this game's just too good.

Sig, hi,

Yeah, I know. I'm also published on www.gamefaqs.com (which is probably where you found that text version), www.neoseeker.com, and on www.the-spoiler.com (Veikko Danilas, from Estonia by the way, is a web buddy of mine from way back, and you should check his site out because they have the greatest collection of adventure game walkthroughs on, like, the planet :-)

But Quandary is my spiritual home lately. I also do the *cough* site programming there.

Having said all that... there is no more single prolific walkthough writer than GameBoomers own MaG

Cheers,
metzomagic

PIB, Sig, hi,

Well... you've almost convinced me to undertake my 5th (I think) journey through the fabulous world of Arcanum. There are only 2 problems with this:

1. I've got the feeling that I've seen just about all there is to see.
2. I'm going away next Friday for 3 weeks.

Hmm,
metzomagic

Oh, MaG is a big-time walkthrough writer? To borrow from Johnny Carson, I did not know that. Another feather in her cap. Gotta love her. Which reminds me . . . how is Zanthia doing? Does anyone know?

Yeah, Steve, I know that feeling . . . when you've played the heck out of a game. For me, that would be Lands of Lore 3---7 playthroughs---thorough ones. But the computer games I've played that I actually want to replay---only a half-dozen or so---are something special. Some elements they share are apparent, while others are hard to put your finger on and put into words. It's probably best to speak in generalities, like . . . yeah, you know all about it, but not only does that not spoil the fun, it makes it more fun. It's like re-watching a movie you like, but even better, and a lot longer. And I'll still be playing it a few weeks from now, and way beyond that. And you haven't done The Pits of Dernholm, have you?

Debra,

Have you tried posting here about your Might and Magic/Windows XP problem? Some of these people seem to know just about everything when it comes to getting Might and Magic to cooperate. It would certainly be worth a try.

http://telp.org/mm8/tavern/mm8tavern.html

That patch I told you about has worked for just about everyone, but since you can't even get the game to install, I would definitely ask about it here.

They have separate forums for all the Might and Magic games, by the way.

And sorry, Sig, I didn't mean to hijack your thread.

Marian, I don't think I've ever seen that BBS, thank you so much for linking it, I have bookmarked it.


I am also guilty of hijacking the thread, sorry

Marian, thanks. I'll ask these folks. I've got it running on my old laptop with ME and no problems, but my husband uses that one so it's catch as catch can to play it.
Sig, I'm in Tarant and I have a catalog of quests already! I forgot that you had to get the wise women to identify your stuff or buy a very expensive spell so I'm making treks to the rural areas.
I've picked a half-elf character with "Debutante" scheme. I must admit I am always tempted to pick "Beat with an Ugly Stick"

Sig, hi,

Yup. She must have almost 100 games to her credit by now. She goes by the moniker of MaGtRo.

You almost have me persuaded to play again

Been there, done that. Play all the way through as an evil character, and you can hardly miss the Pits.

Cheers,
metzomagic

Debra, hi,

No prob. The beauty of it is, once you get one game up and running in DOSBox, you know how to do them all

metzomagic

Oh, I've seen some of her WTs, but I didn't know MaG was MaGtRo, probably cuz of how I pronounce them to myself---MaG as "maw gee" and MaGtRo as "mah GIT roh."

Debra, glad to have someone else along for this adventure. You're doin' good---you're where I'm at and I started days ahead of you. Yeah, I guess that's the only 2 ways to get items identified---well, you can also learn and cast the same spell that's on that super-expensive scroll (Divine Magick, I think it's called), but I think it's the highest level spell in that school, so your casting attempts will fizzle until you're good enough. But paying a wise woman 100 coins for this isn't too bad. You know there's one on the eastern outskirt of Tarant, right?

I'm doing good---enjoying it. I made a character, but just to get the portrait I wanted, I think. The same character I used the first time---a human male with the name I use here, who's mainly a technologist. I usually don't try different kinds of characters and paths when I replay games---it's ironic, I know, but the fact that you can do this means very little to me as far as replayability. Does your character lean more toward magic or technology? Did you do that side deal involving the spirit in that cave at the crash site? Cuz the blessing you get from the wizard he sends you to kill enhances NPCs' reactions towards you. Let's keep each other posted on our progress---it'll be fun.

Sounds like a good time..glad y'all are having fun

Debra,
The site Marian is referring to, works great.
Playing M&M VI on it now and not a problem.
Nickie also has it loaded on her new putie..and able to play very well...give that site a chance

Ingie