Quest Digest 28/1/95 From: ">>-Josh->" <J.P.Gallagher@durham.ac.uk> Date: Sat, 28 Jan 1995 19:18:11 +0000 Here is the Quest digest again, as sent to all members the quest mailing list I maintain. If you wish to be on this list, please e-mail me at the above address. >>-Josh-> "...All I do is keep the beat, and bad company..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- JPG> Hello again, and welcome to today's edition of the digest. Sorry it has taken so long to come out, I've been rather busy of late. We have many new people today, so here is the explanation of the list: o This is a compilation of posts sent to me for inclusion in the digest. o The list is not automated (it is Joshomated). o All work for inclusion should be sent to me in a seperate post, preferably with paragraphs initialed. o Any material included here is the exclusive right of its author. o If you want taking off the list at any time, just ask. JPG> Okay, on with the posts... -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 15:42:32 +0100 From: Finn Theodorsen <theodor@diku.dk> FET>Re: Weapon skill for new fighters etc. >When you accept a fighter and *buy* it a weapon *on the same turn* it >immediately gains the same nummer of ability points with the weapon, as it >has skill points. Other characters also have "prior knowledge" of how to >use a weapon acquired in this way, but not to the same degree. This is one >very useful "headstart". FET>That is not entirely true! If they somehow get involved in a fight during their first round they might get a token skill (8-12%) in their weapon. When the end of the round comes up the program doesn't detect anyone with- out fighting skill, and thus you get cheated out of all that nice skill. I know ... it happened to me twice. So I have some poor (40 skill) fighters with weapons skills below 20%, even after intense self-training. ;( FET>If they got that skill immediately this of course wouldn't happen (hint to you programmers out there). This also would ensure that you could buy as well missile as melee weapon for a new character without fearing that they get skill in the wrong one (they would always get in their FIRST weapon) - I think now it looks at awareness to decide which to give skill in, but it might be random after all. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 19:07:55 GMT From: Paul Noble <editor@elbon.demon.co.uk> PN> With Reference to the extra round of melee for a victorious group against the hit'n'run style groups, this I have thought about at great length, I had come to the same conclusions but after rereading what I'd written it became utterly obvious that a group would turn even more to spell casting, but not self enhancing spells, just normal multiple hitting spells to reduce the opposition beyond their flee factor no matter what it was, thus the magic group would then get the magic, missile and a free melee round, thus increasing the chance of fatalities on the escaping side. New or weaker groups would also take a real hammering: magic, all down to under 10 hp, missile, 2 dead minimum, melee all dead. The Beserk spell would allow to much to happen in an unanswerable melee round. PN> The Pub meet in Leeds is on the 18th in the Wellesley Hotel north of Leeds station. If you want more info then you can contact Gerry Duffy, 101 Taunton Drive, Aintree, Liverpool, L10 8JN and George Brown, 16 Victoria Ave, Mytholmes, Haworth, West York, BD22 8HP. PN> I have found that my fighters get (not always) a base skill increase when they fight some new (tougher) monster. The Elemental fight I mentioned last digest saw me score no hits at all but my HF went up 1 point and my BF went up 2 points. PN> Priest P0's I have noticed in my groups that if they are devote followers (+15) to a certain god and I then suddenly change my P5 to a P8 then they stop increasing in skill. When I did this and quickly went back to being a Ythcalite the skill started going up again. What are peoples normal tithes? I have tried up to 50gp when my alignments where in the middle and it still didn't work but when I had a large novala bonus (20) and I tithed 9gp 7gp and 4gp for my three priests it worked, does having an extreme alignment decrease the gp needed or increase the chance of success? Since I stuck 2 P0 as standing orders as well as a P*god* then my priests haven't stopped. PN> When I said that town combat should be relaxed it was with the idea that aligned settlements would be in place, surely in the heart of an evil city you'd be allowed to mug and kill people? And in the heart of a decent city you most certainly would not be allowed any hostilities at all. PN> If you were to train another parties PC's then perhaps the trainee groups would be able to do a B order from the trainers, thus the computer would handle the transaction of money and training. Although you'd need some way of telling people that you could offer training. PN> Trail orders and TQ's when chasing monsters. When out on a TQ and you miss the monster but it's just in the next sector surely the group wouldn't then just sit there ignoring this monster beside them and start casting spells at thin air? When trailing a monster a group wouldn't just look straight ahead all the time and fail to take notice of the monster in question as they passed it by. I understand the present rules should stay in effect through the more rugged terrain but in open meadows I think even the most unaware party would spot a massive fire breathing lizard sitting just off the road. PN> I think an AL order in the special orders section gets you the alliance info. PN> I have a G14 quest to kill a life bringer for 1068 which was threatening local farmers livelihoods (erk!) guess where I got it? Temple of Baldor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 10:43:27 +0000 From: Bensey <9365040@mull.sms.ed.ac.uk> > RO> ALIGNED CITIES: Very good idea. But I would like to see more > difficulties for thieves in all towns. >NB I don't like the idea of aligned cities. Sorry. But there are just some cities on Kharne that I prefer to others: because of the range of services they offer, their location, the terrain, nearby dungeons, etc. I couldn't handle my favourite cities becoming no-go areas. If they had a character, fine; but not an alignment. DUNGEONS & QUESTS NB> Has anybody ever seen messages scrawled on the wall in a dungeon. I found one in game1. It told me that a certain shop somewhere sold something. I asked Steve & Kevin about this in Sheffield and they said it was part of the higher level Quests that were never introduced. You had to enter the dungeon, and find the message as the next clue in some complex quest. Cool! Can I have one of those please? SETTLEMENTS > CC> No. Settlements should be safe areas. It is possible to initiate combat > in towns, but they should be as safe as possible. You go into towns to > change armour and recuperrate - not to get attacked. NB> Why? Where is the logic here? THE RKM > NB> Does anyone remember these guys? > CC> Yes, I remember. Attacking new groups, doing the old "Join us or die" > routine. Being kicked off the G8 editorship because you would prefer to > print the messages/ads for your allies than your enemies. Your behaviour > was the perfect example of why newsletter editors shouldn't be members of > an alliance. The only thing bigger than your ego was other players' > distaste of you. But I'm not one to hold a grudge, you understand ... NB> Attacking new groups was never, ever policy. We had more than our fair share of accidents though. . . and "join or die" certainly wasn't our policy, what kind of loyalty does that achieve? But I'll admit that if you stood against us you did die, which is fair enough in my opinion. NB> I was never kicked off the G8 editorship either. I enjoyed the job and produced some OK newsletters (nothing brilliant mind you). I was only ever hassled by the SWC/ Librarian. A lot of other people enjoyed my work. I left the newsletter when I stopped playing Quest altogether. NB> However, all your other comments are great. I'll admit, my ego was inflated to gargantuan proportions, and plenty of players disliked the RKM. But what is Quest without a nemisis to fight? I just enjoyed myself, and tried to brighten up other peoples games. Thanks for the chance to reminisce. > PN> Oi JPG! you missed out my RKM query! Or is it policy not to > discuss the groups of others? Just in case you missed it I'll > reprint. What happened to the G1 RKM group named Crimson Death? > If this has already been printed then excuse my utter stupidity > in missing it. NB> I can't remember all the details. So why don't you ask Crimson Death yourself? Clive Brazil is currently at <c.j.brazil@dundee.ac.uk> Clive is a good friend and due to restart Quest shortly, I'm sure he'll be more than happy to provide his side of the events in G1. After all, he did wipe out the three most powerful groups there, who combined had been playing for about 400 turns compared to his 50 or so. I've forwarded him this digest, and I'll tell him you were asking about him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 09:32:43 GMT0BST From: Anghard Thomas AT>firstly roj littlefair please reply to the e-mail i sent. secondly although i think the official alliances are a good idea they are too expensive. But what the alliances leaders that are saying they won't become official haven't thought about is that kjc may refuse to put unofficial alliances ads in the newspaper and in the grumbling ogre which would make getting new members almost impossible unless they are recruited by word of mouth. AT>the new order which means that people cannot attack or be attacked by teams means that spies will be safe from harm if they are discovered. Many of the alliances will realize this and will be suspicous of anyone who uses this order even if they are not a spy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 15:15:24 +0000 (GMT) From: Rogerio Fung <l41186@alfa.ist.utl.pt> RF> on RO idea of more powerful monsters, I too agree that they are *too* weak, especially the NPC ones. They should have the average skill and characteristisc as a PC character of the same type, and do the same actions one would do:thieves would steal, mages would cast spells..etc.. RF>Dungeons should also be changed in some way..although I am intending to enter one in BdS, thats purely because they are all virgin in that world, but in G14, I would do such a thing, spending several orders with I <object>. RF>NPC followers are an excellent idea!!I agree with RO! RF> FIGHTERS: one easy (but not complete)solution to the mages death spells would be a more importance of the toughness on the sucess of the spell. If the spell is more difficult to be succesful with tougher characters, then we all know that fighters will be less vulnerable to death spell , at least for the first stages, of course that in the end, there will not be much advantage, but this is just a suggestion to be developed...any ideas out there??? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Jan 1995 08:57:36 +0800 (WST) From: J HERRMANN <hannes@cs.uwa.oz.au> JH> Hi guys! Has anyone heard anything about Cyclopses turning people to stone. I have the blurb, which doesn't mention it, but when fighting some I was informed at the end of the battle (not during, mind) that my mage had been turned to stone. I'd just bought a heap of powder packs, too! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Jan 1995 11:47:18 +0000 (GMT) From: Allan Hooper <A.O.Hooper@herts.ac.uk> Just a few quick questions: How much difference is there between the different games of Quest ? For example in G3 powders cost 40 - 130 gp's and I am yet to see plate or scale or a Religious book after 85 turns . Are magic books , wands , rings , potions any good ? If so what do they do ? Temple Quests - alignment does not seem to effect this , unless +21 to a god is not enough . 100gp's for 8 rats is a bit sad . I'm convinced I've been 'gifted' by Fleyshur himself . Why are alliance Hq's not allowed it towns ? With only 20 cities its going to get very crowded . Does anyone have advice on Group V's Group fights ? One of my groups is going to a warzone and I'd rather not have them crucified . How good is Deflect Magic III ? Should I stay inside the city or out ? Any help would be much appreciated . On a similar note - shouldn't it be one of KJC's priorities to stop groups being wiped out in a couple of turns , after all it must cost them players new and old - as much as I like the game I wouldn't start again if a couple of years of time and money got wasted . -------------------------------------------------------------------------- JPG> A lot of talk about group vs group combat has come up, and yesterday I found out why when I eventually received my copy of the KJC news. The idea of groups bottling out :) of combat is quite a good one really, as it at least means that there is no chance your money will go down the drain due to another player. Of course, if you do allow yourself to be attacked, then at least you know it is only yourself to blame if you get slaughtered. I shall remain open to fights, but that is my personal opinion. JPG> I might get the hang of the paying in order soon; when I told one character to put all the group's money in the bank, the other party members didn't give their money to him. When I told them all to put 900 in the bank, they clubbed together to reach the sum. Hmph. JPG> I guess the race is now on to see who gets an official alliance set up first. It may have already happened, especially in that 3 day turnaround thing. Let me know what your experiences are of this. JPG> Please keep sending me your comments and opinions on the game. I would like to hear from everyone who has the time to write, as this list only remains in operation through continuous input by the people on it. JPG> Fare well for now, and happy Questing until next time! >>-Josh-> "...All I do is keep the beat, and bad company..." Up