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Helherron - a very addictive Nahlakh-like game

Vitriol

Educated
Joined
Sep 16, 2010
Messages
59
Party setup looks good. Make sure to set the right tactics for everyone ("t" key) Also, I found the priest's web spell to be a great way of disabling ranged attackers. The beginning is pretty difficult, but if you can't handle the goblins there's little point in going elsewhere.
 

FeelTheRads

Arcane
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
13,716
Stabwound said:
Does the game have music/sound? It's working well under Ubuntu/Virtualbox but I don't hear any sound whatsoever, although it is working in other applications.

update: Nevermind, it works now.

OK, so I'm a Linux retard... I installed Ubuntu in VirtualBox and got Helherron. Now, how do I run it? The readme files says it needs "X", how do I get that?
 

Stabwound

Arcane
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
3,240
newest Ubuntu is missing an older required package needed by Helheroon, install it like this:

System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager

search for and install "libstdc++5" without quotes.

Then just browse to the directory you extracted the game to and double click on the "helherron" binary, should just open up. If you can't figure it out let me know where you're getting stuck and I'll try to help.
 

FeelTheRads

Arcane
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
13,716
Hmm.. can't find libstdc++5, search only returns from 6 and above.

Edit: Figured it out, I needed to add another repository which had libstdc++5.

It works now, thanks!

Edit2: Why can't I close it with the x button? And can you make it fullscreen?
 

Stabwound

Arcane
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
3,240
I don't think you can exit that way, you have to do the quit command (shift-q or ctrl-q, can't remember which). I also couldn't get fullscreen working, either.

I don't know if this is an issue with running through VirtualBox or if it just doesn't work...
 

BranislavP

Novice
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Messages
1
Stabwound said:
Does the game have music/sound? It's working well under Ubuntu/Virtualbox but I don't hear any sound whatsoever, although it is working in other applications.

update: Nevermind, it works now.

I would like to know, what did you have to do to get sounds from the game.

I have it in Ubuntu 10.10 in VirtualBox 3.2.10 on Win7HomePremium, sounds from other apps are OK, and in Helherron the sound is ON - but still no sound.

Please, advise.

BranislavP
 

Strannik

Novice
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
9
Greetings to you all!

This is my first post here. (Although I've been lurking on this Codex website for more then a year :) )


I've been hearing about this "Helherron" game for a while now. Recently after reading about it once again in in several threads, including this one, I've decided to finally track it down and give it a try.

It turned out to be very intriguing game. I've only played with this game for few hours, but so far I love it. Thanks a lot to people who have posted in this thread and thread's author for bringing it to my attention.

However there is a big problem - the game's author is not around anymore. (as far as I was able to determine he went to Japan some time ago, where he is training to become a buddhist monk).

And the game *really* needs a guide, or FAQ or more detailed manual. It does have some built-in help but it only covers very basic stuff. Unfortunately more then an hour of searching the net I could not find anything like guide, or forum, or any other help source for this game. :( (Despite the fact that many people seem to love this game dearly) All links I was able to discover point to the same "excellent Helherron site" and "great John's Helherron Guide", that are not online anymore. :(

So I wonder if there anybody here who has played this game and perhaps has some guide/faq/extended manual in his possession that he would be willing to share? Or at least maybe there is someone here capable of answering some in-game questions? (mostly about game mechanics and various skills and stats at this point)

Thanks a lot!

Specifically I have the following questions:

1. How exactly is EXP rewarded in this game? It looks like it is given in battles for specific actions - like attack or casting of the spell. Not sure if additional amount is given to PC who actually kills the enemy. And not sure if it matters exp-wise what enemies you are fighting - trash mobs or deadly doe. Finally it looks like if your char is not active in battle, he is given zero exp. But then again two of my char who have done nothing were given small amount of EXP anyway. Can anyone clarify it please? Does different actions give different amount of exp to the same char? What does determine the amount of EXP given?

2. Could someone clarify some stats and non-weapon skills for me? For example - Learning, toughness, kicking, swimming, stealth, dodge, music. (I have some ideas about some of these but I would like to know the game mechanic behind it if possible)

3. Can attributes and skills be raised by using them in combat and outside it? Or by any other means, outside leveling?

4. Do shops change their inventory and/or restock?

5. How to hit & damage calculation work in this game?

6. How HPs and MPs are calculated?

7. What is the best way to run relatively bug-less Linux2.04 version of this game on Windows comp? "Ubuntu" app was mentioned earlier. I am downloading it now, but some people seem to be having difficulties with making Helherron run under it. (no sound? missing package?) Any thoughts or tips?

8. Does anybody have any guide, FAQ or any info material for this game that goes beyond basic built-in game help? Is there any website or forum where I could find more about this game?


Thanks a lot guys, your help is greatly appreciated!
 
Joined
Nov 1, 2008
Messages
7,953
Location
Cuntington Manor
Alas I cannot remember a great deal about this game. I prefer Tom Proudfoot's games to Helherron. If you like Helherron, you should look at Nahlak, Natuk and Pirates of the Western sea.

http://www.proudft.com/natuk.html

I tried searching for the old Helherron guides that existed many years ago, but they all seem to have turned turtle.

Any other takers?
 

mondblut

Arcane
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
22,205
Location
Ingrija
Never went further than character generation. When a game is known to be broken and unfinished, it doesn't help a motivation to invest time into it.

...Even though I did play POWS to the end, go figure. Proudfoot actually bothered to release that long overdue patch pretty much the same day I was about to hit that bug it was to fix. Just my 18 luck, I guess.
 

Strannik

Novice
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
9
mondblut said:
Never went further than character generation. When a game is known to be broken and unfinished, it doesn't help a motivation to invest time into it.

...Even though I did play POWS to the end, go figure. Proudfoot actually bothered to release that long overdue patch pretty much the same day I was about to hit that bug it was to fix. Just my 18 luck, I guess.

It is my understanding that only version 2.04 for Windows is partly broken. 2.04 for Linux supposed to be stable and major bugs-free. That's why I am planning to try to make it work under that Ubuntu system. Although I have zero experience working with Linux-based systems. :(
 

SkeleTony

Augur
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Messages
938
Strannik said:
Greetings to you all!


Specifically I have the following questions:

1. How exactly is EXP rewarded in this game? It looks like it is given in battles for specific actions - like attack or casting of the spell. Not sure if additional amount is given to PC who actually kills the enemy. And not sure if it matters exp-wise what enemies you are fighting - trash mobs or deadly doe. Finally it looks like if your char is not active in battle, he is given zero exp. But then again two of my char who have done nothing were given small amount of EXP anyway. Can anyone clarify it please? Does different actions give different amount of exp to the same char? What does determine the amount of EXP given?


Keep in mind that my memory can(and probably WILL) fail me at some point:

Experience is given out, seemingly to each PC for EACH round/turn s/he does SOMETHING. This is, I suspect, why bards advance so fast because they never have to wait around for, say an enemy to get within range. They can(and should) 'U'se an instrument to play songs each round. Casters can benefit from this to lesser extent(in the early going) limited only by their mana. I am not sure how much difference in EXP one gets depending on whether s/he SUCCESSFULLY performs an action or not(i.e. bards always get SOME experience whether their songs succeed or fail), such as attacking or casting a heal spell or what have you.
I am pretty sure that the experience the party members are awarded for actions against enemies does vary depending on how powerful those enemies are. i.e. if your PCs are 10th level+ on average then they will get little if ANY by killing kobolds but probably always get SOME though I believe the sheer number of EXP one needs to advance to the higher levels makes hunting low level creeps a cost-ineffective strategy.

2. Could someone clarify some stats and non-weapon skills for me? For example - Learning, toughness, kicking, swimming, stealth, dodge, music. (I have some ideas about some of these but I would like to know the game mechanic behind it if possible)

Learning represents, IIRC, how many 'character points' one gets when leveling up, to spend on skills. So fairies will probably always get a bunch while Golems will be lucky to get enough to raise 3 or 4 skills(or a single skill 3 times or what have you).

Toughness is a skill that, IIRC adds to hit points.

Kicking is a skill for opening locked chests and possibly some doors when you do not have a lock-picker around. Doing so CAN(and often does) smash potions and other items inside the chest(but you can get around this by abusing save/re-load).

Swimming is your skill for being able to maintain oneself while in a pool of water without losing your turn(and some hit points) by drowning/flailing about. Fairies never need this skill because of their permanent flight/levitate and 'Water Breathing' or 'levitation/flying items will also prevent a PC from needing to swim.

Stealth has changed in the 2.04 version of the game. It now represents the skill to move through enemy 'zones of control'(squares adjacent to an enemy) without losing your MOVE points(so a skilled monk with 8 MV could walk up to an orc then move directly behind him(using 3 MOVE pts.) then use his backstab skill or whatever to attack the orc. Attacking in melee ALWAYS ends your turn. Attacking with ranged weapons uses 4 MV pts.(1 to attack and 3 to re-load?) so giving 'Quickness' items to an archer can be devastating(I once had a halfling thief archer who would fire 5 times every round!).

'Dodge' simply adds to a PC's "Defense Bonus" IIRC(whereas armor adds to his "Armor Bonus" or "Armor class"). DB is used to AVOID being hit while armor resists/prevents damage. You can bring up the 'Tactics' window for to do various things such as:

*Set your golems to the most "Aggressive" setting/stance because they will not be dodging anything anyway so they might as well get the 'To hit bonus' from the 'Aggressive' setting(might be called "Berserk" or something...don't remember)

*Set your fairy casters to maximum "Defensive" setting since they will not be attacking things well anyway and can benefit from the increased 'Dodge' bonus'

Etc.

Music is your bard's skill to successfully play an instrument(hit the 'U' key when highlighting the instrument in the inventory screen) for a magical benefit which can range from healing all party members to destroying all enemies.

3. Can attributes and skills be raised by using them in combat and outside it? Or by any other means, outside leveling?

Yes but it is expensive. In many towns/cities there will be 'skill trainers' that will charge you an unearthly sum to raise certain types of skills(usually they come in either 'Weapon skill trainers' or 'magic skill trainers') by a certain number of points(one point at a time).

There is no capacity for 'improving skills by using them' as there was in Nahlakh or JA2.

4. Do shops change their inventory and/or restock?

Yes but I do not remember the rate at which they do. maybe once a week or something like that. I have no idea if you can 'save/re-load' to change a shop's inventory or not as I never tried.

5. How to hit & damage calculation work in this game?


I cannot give you any math formula but in essence the higher your skill + the lower the target's "Defense bonus"(enhanced by dodge skill) = the higher your chance to hit(where 'You' being any 'attacker'). Melee weapons have damage ranges that are enhanced/modified by the attacker's STRENGTH attribute. Thrown items work the same way(but possibly to a lesser extent. I do not remember exactly). Fired-range weapons do not(to my knowledge) benefit from strength but instead do whatever the Bow/Crossbow's damage range plus magical bonuses(i.e. a +6 bow of fire will do an additional 6d6 fire damage) . I do not think there are any magic arrows or bolts in the game.

6. How HPs and MPs are calculated?

"Intelligence" adds to MPs for 'mage' type casters while "Wisdom" adds to MPs for "Prayer"/priest type casters. Fairies have the highest Intelligence and Wisdom by far(elves are not too far behind though) and never have to make 'Swimming' checks plus IIRC they get some sort of undocumented bonus to MPs or perhaps magic skills. IMO for mages and priests I never use any other race. Some people go with elves because they can take more damage from monsters who get behind you but the way I think about it your casters should NEVER be fighting anyway(always set to max "Defensive" tactics/stance).

A note though about the "Shaman" class. Shamans can use BOTH priestly/prayer magic AND Magic/Mage spells(starting with skill in both) and get a +25% bonus to "summoning" spells. The best race for shamans is the ORC. I am not sure whether any of the 'civilized' races can even be shamans(probably humans) but the reason for this is that orcs have the farthest capacity for seeing in darkness of all races. The primary role of a shaman in the early game is to tie up enemy casters and archers by summoning small animals and dropping them right next to the caster/archer in question. Other races can do this but will first need the benefit of a "greater Light" spell so they can see where those enemies are.

Also orcs get some sort of undocumented bonus to Magic and Prayer skills(like +20%?).

7. What is the best way to run relatively bug-less Linux2.04 version of this game on Windows comp? "Ubuntu" app was mentioned earlier. I am downloading it now, but some people seem to be having difficulties with making Helherron run under it. (no sound? missing package?) Any thoughts or tips?

This I cannot help with as I use windows. There WAS a guy at the old Helherron forums(before the site disappeared) who posted a detailed guide on running the Linux version of Helherron in Windows but that guide is long gone now.

8. Does anybody have any guide, FAQ or any info material for this game that goes beyond basic built-in game help? Is there any website or forum where I could find more about this game?


Thanks a lot guys, your help is greatly appreciated!

Does not appear to be any of the old guides like Josh's anymore. I have been meaning to put something up on my Helherron site but alas all I have there are custom graphic icons:

My Old Site

I have a newer, paid for site but I do not think I ever put my Helherron stuff on there.
 

SkeleTony

Augur
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Messages
938
Strannik said:
mondblut said:
Never went further than character generation. When a game is known to be broken and unfinished, it doesn't help a motivation to invest time into it.

...Even though I did play POWS to the end, go figure. Proudfoot actually bothered to release that long overdue patch pretty much the same day I was about to hit that bug it was to fix. Just my 18 luck, I guess.

It is my understanding that only version 2.04 for Windows is partly broken. 2.04 for Linux supposed to be stable and major bugs-free. That's why I am planning to try to make it work under that Ubuntu system. Although I have zero experience working with Linux-based systems. :(


This is correct as far as I know. The last Windows version was pretty horribly broken to be sure but it was finished and beatable. The Linux version does not seem to have many(if any) bugs.
 

Strannik

Novice
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
9
SkeleTony, thank you so much for your detailed answers! In the total lack of info for this very interesting game your help is invaluable.

Few more questions, if I may:

1. What is affected by stats Dexterity, Willpower, Charisma?

2. How exactly skills Blacksmith, Scribing, Alchemy work? Should I be buying all blank scrolls and empty potions?

3. Do Magic and Prayer skills affect only success chance of casting spells, or do they increase spell's power as well?

4. How does 2 weapon combat skill work? Is it affected by left/right/even - handedness of the character?

5. Is there any way to affect moves/turn your PCs get? (I think the default is 4 for everybody except golems that have 2)

6. Does PC's Alignment play any role in this game?

7. Say my Mage has scribed some damage spell on the blank scroll. Does it matter who will read this scroll? (both for damage purposes as well as for success chances)

8. What will happen if I give char a weapon (bow for example) that he has no skill for? Will he suck horribly with it or not? Is it a good idea to give ranged weapon to all chars, so they would always have something to do at any turn in battle and would learn exps each turn?

9. Does distance to target affect the chances to hit for missile weapons and spells?

10. How valuable Lockpicking skill in this game and how high should player train it? I only have elven bard capable of Lockpicking, and his skill in it is about 7. Is it going to be a problem?

11. It looks like mages are unaffected by wearing heavy armor in this game. Is it correct?

12. Status effects like "Wounded", "Bleeding" - how do they work and how dangerous are they in battle?

13. It looks like there are several degrees of visibility for each char depending on the distance to the target (represented by increasingly darkened tiles) and char's ability to see in the dark. Does this visibility affect chances to hit for missile attacks and/or spells?

14. "Tactics" settings only affect melee attacks of your characters, not their missile attacks and spells, correct? And also - does your DB (including points you get from "Defensive Tactics") only affect melee attacks against your characters, or does it also help to dodge incoming missiles and spells?

Thanks a lot!
 

Strannik

Novice
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
9
Helherron 2.04 for Linux

Update: Partial success. After spending some time messing with configuration I was able to successfully install Virtualbox, Ubuntu and Helherron on my computer. After installing stdlibc++5 package, as was suggested above, I am now able to run Helherron 2.04Linux on my machine.

However, just like the poster above I have the same problem - Helherron in my setup plays with no sound. :(


I have Ubuntu 10.10 in VirtualBox 4.0.4 on Win7HomePremium.

I am so close to having it successfully run on my machine it's tantalizing.

Any tips, advice or suggestions about what I could try to get Helherron 2.04 for Linux working on my machine? (with my current setup or if it will not work with some other Linux-setup if I have to). As I've mentioned earlier unfortunately I don't know anything about Linux systems being Windows guy. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

7hm

Scholar
Joined
Oct 29, 2010
Messages
644
Gotta say, installing unbuntu, even if its through virtualbox, just to play an indie RPG thats 6+ years old, is pretty wild.

Major :incline:

:thumbsup:
 

Strannik

Novice
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
9
7hm said:
Gotta say, installing unbuntu, even if its through virtualbox, just to play an indie RPG thats 6+ years old, is pretty wild.

Major :incline:


Thanks. :) Well, we are all hardcore RPG fans here, are we not? ;)

Like I said I really like this Helherron game, it seems to be as good as many people here said earlier. And it is unique. And the only way to play unbroken version was to somehow set up bloody Linux. So I've decided that I have to try...

As for unbutnu and virtualbox - once I've located info on the net (somewhat outdated but it was good enough for my purposes) how to do it, both virtualbox and unbutnu install only took about 15-20 minutes. 8GB footprint for virtual drive will not make much difference on 1TB harddrive, and virtualbox install shouldn't (hopefully) have any effect on my Windows system when I am not running virtualbox. Frankly being Linux virgin (I am windows software developer) I've expected more troubles but it went pretty smoothly.

<sigh> Now if only I'll be able to make it work propertly (with sound) I will be a happy camper...
 

Strannik

Novice
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
9
Serus said:
You aren't per chance the same Strannik who modded the map for Europa Universalis 3 ?

Nope, I am not. I've stayed away from the most recent Paradox's games (due to widely spread impression that they have stopped being semi-historical), although I've loved to death Europa Universalis 2, both SP and MP, as well as HOI2.

("Strannik" means "Vagabond" or "Wanderer" in translation, that's the most likely reason for the same name of EU3 modder you've mentioned)
 

SkeleTony

Augur
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Messages
938
Strannik said:
SkeleTony, thank you so much for your detailed answers! In the total lack of info for this very interesting game your help is invaluable.

Few more questions, if I may:

1. What is affected by stats Dexterity, Willpower, Charisma?


IIRC, Dex affects weapon skills, physical skills that rely on accuracy/hand-eye coordination(i.e. lockpicking, dodging, etc.). Willpower affects MPs(again IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY!) and is the primary factor in how resistant one is to mental/emotional attacks such as charm spells, confusion etc.

Charisma is primarily about prices you get from merchants IIRC(it either affects your 'trading'/merchant skill(whatever that skill is called) or that skill further influences the prices you get.). There MAY be some other minor effect on things like mental attack spells(charm etc.) but I cannot say this is definitely true and even if it IS true the effect is minor as far as I can tell.

2. How exactly skills Blacksmith, Scribing, Alchemy work? Should I be buying all blank scrolls and empty potions?

Yes, "empty potions" is a bit of 'engrish' in the game to describe potion vials that do not yet have any potion-ingredients within them. "Empty scrolls" are the same for the "Scribing" skill IIRC. To use Alchemy I think you, with the character who will use the skill active, hit 'SHIFT + 'A' '(if this is wrong then the actual keypress will be listed in the help file in game).

To use 'Blacksmithing', have the character with the highest blacksmith skill WITH the 'broken' item in his inventory and hit 'SHIFT + B '. The screen will then shift to that character's inventory and you can then select the item you want to repair.

I will look up the keypresses for these skills when I log off of here and then edit this post with any corrections/additions.



3. Do Magic and Prayer skills affect only success chance of casting spells, or do they increase spell's power as well?

In a sense BOTH. Because by pressing the '.' key from within the spellcasting menu you can increase the power of the spell being cast(i.e. a healing spell will heal 'X' x the 'power' of the spell(as per it's description. So if your particular heal spell heals for '1-8' HP but you increase it's power by one, it will then heal for 2-16 HP).
To decrease the power level of a spell(i.e. to get it back to it's base cost and effect) use the ',' key from within the spellcasting menu.

Increasing a spell's power results in a penalty to the chance of successfully casting that spell so, for example if your prayer skill is such that you normally have a 98% chance to cast "summon minor animal", if you increase the power by one you may have like a 70% chance but you will summon TWO animals. You will of course lose the MPs by casting(and cost of MPs is multiplied by the power you cast the spell at) whether you succeed or not so increasing the power CAN be a risky proposal sometimes.

4. How does 2 weapon combat skill work? Is it affected by left/right/even - handedness of the character?

People have reported that handedness matters and I just assumed this to be true(I always put primary weapons in the 'Right' hand for right-handed PCs and left hand for left handed). Your skill in "Two Weapon Fighting"(or whatever that skill is called) determines your chance of getting a second strike/attack with the second weapon. So if you have two swords and your skill with 'two weapon fighting' is well over 100 then you will probably always get two swings. But your chance to hit the target is still dependent on the weapon skill in question(i.e. sword skill when using swords) and this chance is, IIRC decreased when using two weapons(not positive about this though).

I think the 'off hand' weapon has a slight decrease to the skill/chance to hit.


5. Is there any way to affect moves/turn your PCs get? (I think the default is 4 for everybody except golems that have 2)

Quickness items and 'Haste' spells. Most are always tempted to give their Quickness items(such as a +2 Ring of Quickness, which would grant +3 to the Move Value of the PC(Quickness = +1 while additional plusses increase this).) to their Golem PCs for obvious reasons.

I do not do this though and here is why:

One MELEE attack = ALL remaining Movement points. So if your golem has 9 MV, uses 3 to reach the target and then swings at him...his turn is still over with 5 MV wasted.

One ARCHERY attack = 4 Movement points(may be 6 or 8 for crossbows). So if your archer has 8 MV he can attack TWICE each turn.

Bard Songs = 4 Movement pts.(if I remember correctly).

So in my mind(and many others' minds who probably figured this stuff out before I did) giving your archers your Quickness items would be the priority, Bards(if you have one) secondary and melees tertiary.

I do not remember if or how casting may be affected by quickness/haste but I am thinking that casting a spell ends your turn just as melee attacks do.

6. Does PC's Alignment play any role in this game?

No. Never got implemented.

7. Say my Mage has scribed some damage spell on the blank scroll. Does it matter who will read this scroll? (both for damage purposes as well as for success chances)

I honestly do not remember if there is any skill associated with being able to read scrolls? I know that I always give scrolls to my 'smarter' PCs, just out of habit and I know that golems cannot read them at all but as far as I know trolls can. I believe scrolls are automatically successful but they are always of the 'basic' power level.

8. What will happen if I give char a weapon (bow for example) that he has no skill for? Will he suck horribly with it or not? Is it a good idea to give ranged weapon to all chars, so they would always have something to do at any turn in battle and would learn exps each turn?


Not really. Your casters, for example should only be carrying '+x (preferably eternium) weapons of Mana(for increased MPs) or resistances or what have you and only for the magical benefits. They should not be attacking anything except in desperate situations(usually in the early game) when they have few MPs and can literally do nothing else BUT firing a few arrows after MPs are gone.

I have never seen a character with NO SKILL ever hit anything with a weapon which he has no skill in.

9. Does distance to target affect the chances to hit for missile weapons and spells?

As far as I know, yes. Of course it is impossible to actually test this in any real way but I do remember Antti saying that penalties for range in ranged combat were implemented. However I do not think range affects chances to cast spells successfully. I.e. a fire bolt cast on an imp 20 tiles away has the same chance to hit as one cast at an imp two tiles away.

10. How valuable Lockpicking skill in this game and how high should player train it? I only have elven bard capable of Lockpicking, and his skill in it is about 7. Is it going to be a problem?

It depends on your POV. In reality you can get through the game with NO lockpicking skill by having your golem 'K'ick open all chests(saving before attempt and reloading save if items inside break). I remember one instance where I found a chest full of great potions and every single time I kicked it open, at least two of the potions were smashed, no matter how many re-loads I did. So from then on I always had someone put points into lockpicking, until it was at least over 150(because there are some tougher chests/doors later in the game IIRC).
Also note that the above episode with the chest full of potions may have been something random for all I know.

11. It looks like mages are unaffected by wearing heavy armor in this game. Is it correct?

They do not suffer penalties to casting based on armor or encumbrance as far as I remember(or if they do then it will show up on your 'Stats' screen as a '-xx' which will disappear when you remove the encumbering pieces). My mages and priests are always fairies so they never have anything heavier than leather but that is just me.

12. Status effects like "Wounded", "Bleeding" - how do they work and how dangerous are they in battle?

"Wounded" just means you have taken some damage.

"Bleeding" means that the PC is losing a few HPs per round and should be cured or bandaged ASAP.

13. It looks like there are several degrees of visibility for each char depending on the distance to the target (represented by increasingly darkened tiles) and char's ability to see in the dark. Does this visibility affect chances to hit for missile attacks and/or spells?

Only in that one cannot target what one cannot see(unless he memorizes the space that a monster is at and attacks that space 'blind' on his turn, which has the same penalties as attacking an invisible enemy AFAIR). This is what makes Orcs so valuable as Shamans in the game. They can summon and drop tons of little monsters into the laps of enemy casters/archers all day long and can target those annoying imps with firebolts and such.
I am not sure if there is a penalty to hit targets in partially obscure tiles.

14. "Tactics" settings only affect melee attacks of your characters, not their missile attacks and spells, correct? And also - does your DB (including points you get from "Defensive Tactics") only affect melee attacks against your characters, or does it also help to dodge incoming missiles and spells?

Thanks a lot!

I am not sure about this but I THINK that ALL attacks are affected by the tactics settings you choose and I know that DB bonuses/penalties apply normally, affecting all attacks.
 

Strannik

Novice
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
9
Great info SkeleTony, thanks a lot!


Between this and some info I got from another game forum, I got answers for pretty much all my game mechanics questions for now.


Now my only remaining problem is to get Helherron 2.04 for Linux to work properly on my machine (meaning - with sound). I've tried to play without sound in my current setup but I've found it to be quite a bit less convenient, considering very brief and limited combat feedback text (just 1-2 lines of text describing the most recent combat action) and inability to see combat log. (is it indeed impossible or am I missing something here?)


So the big question is - Has anybody here ever played Helherron 2.04 for Linux? And if so - does it indeed have sound, just like Helherron 2.04 for Windows has?
 

ecliptic

Liturgist
Joined
Feb 11, 2003
Messages
915
If anyone is still in contact with the original author, maybe he'd be okay with open sourcing the game? Better for it to live in some form...
 

SkeleTony

Augur
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Messages
938
He won't open source it for the simple reason that (he feels) the code is SO bad it will do more harm than good. He seems quite certain that it would be impossible for even experienced programmers to figure out what is going on and it is all undocumented 'spaghetti code' as far as I know.
 

ecliptic

Liturgist
Joined
Feb 11, 2003
Messages
915
SkeleTony said:
He won't open source it for the simple reason that (he feels) the code is SO bad it will do more harm than good. He seems quite certain that it would be impossible for even experienced programmers to figure out what is going on and it is all undocumented 'spaghetti code' as far as I know.

This makes me quite sad. I don't see how it could do any harm to have the possibility of life once again given to a game that is otherwise almost certainly at rest. The worst case scenario is that he's right, and nothing happens with the source. The best case is that the game is maintained, expanded, and bugs are fixed.

Oh well, it's obviously his call. Hard to fault a fella too much for putting out a nice free game. Wish the PTD guys hadn't left us hanging on the source.
 

Stabwound

Arcane
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
3,240
I've had a few people ask me about how to fix the sound when playing the game under a Virtualbox Ubuntu install, but the truth is I have no idea how. Sometimes the sound works, and other times it doesn't. It's probably something flaky between the game and having to run it virtualized.

I don't think I did anything specific to get it to work other than opening and closing the game. Even then, I think there are only very minimalistic sound effects, like doors opening, attack sounds, etc.
 

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