Incline Dark Heart of Uukrul Discussion Thread

[EldarEldrad]

Just when writing it I suddenly realised that possibly riddles referencing my party members. It is still a question what gargoyles want - class, names or specialties? Need some tries so question about oubliette is still actual

 

[EldarEldrad]

And finished! Adron's palace was fun, but I thought that this location contained one more puzzle, cuz code book was unneccessary to win it for me. Chaos is fun, spend some time navigating it, until I realized that quest item here is something I already used before and leave at distant sanctuary in stash. I wondering, is it be possible to finish Chaos if you'd drop your deck somehow?

Anyway, the game was sometimes fun, sometimes irritating, sometimes frustrating, but it never was boring. I'm not sure if I'll ever return to it, but overall I judge it positively.

 

[Infinitron]

65% off on GOG: https://af.gog.com/game/the_dark_heart_of_uukrul?as=1649904300

 

[Butter]

I just realize after many many hours that the "Map from there" function on the automap allows you to see beyond stairs and holes. Barring unmappable sections you could conceivably look at the entire game map like this.

 

[EldarEldrad]

Yes, this function helped me a lot when I navigate vast sections of game. There are some caveats (you need pass both way through some pits and unmappable areas can break map continuity) with it though.

 

[Un4givenOrc]

Started hacking Uukrul's save file, but then found these great posts by vanshilar!

Unknown word just after character's name is character's status (1 - weak, 8 - dead, critical, poisoned, plagued, stunned - probably saved as bit mask)
Item information consists of two bytes each: first one is item's ID (names are stored in ITEM.TBL), the second one is item type (weapon, armor, potion, quest item) and status (identified, equipped, broken/used etc.) also masked but in some irregular way

If it's in the same format as the save game file, that region of memory probably looks something like this:

(format is the number of bytes, then what that field does)
1 Number of letters in the character's name
11 Character's name
2 Unknown
2 Gender (0 = female, 1 = male)
2 Title (0 = Berserk, 1 = Warrior, 2 = Guard, etc.)
2 Current HP (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Max HP (in hexadecimal, little endian)
4 Experience (in ASCII decimal, little endian)
2 Skill level (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Virtue/Psychic points (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Dexterity (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Piety (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Intelligence (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Vitality (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Strength (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Number of items carried (in hexadecimal, little endian)
36 Item information for up to 18 items (2 bytes of data per item)
2 Current encumbrance (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Max encumbrance (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Current armor (in hexadecimal, little endian)
2 Shield armor bonus (in hexadecimal, little endian) (guessing on this one, it may store something else for the second byte)
2 Spells available (using format above)
2 Prayers available (using format above)
2 Unknown
3-4 How many times character has received level-ups; note this is what determines the XP needed for the next level

 

[Alariq]

Hello. Some years ago you interviewed the developers of DH of Uukrul. I'm a great fan of this game, dare to say, it is embedded in my existential views and creativity. Can you share with me the contacts of these developers? I have some questions to them about Eriosthe setting, the language(s) especially.

 

[Infinitron]

Hello. Some years ago you interviewed the developers of DH of Uukrul. I'm a great fan of this game, dare to say, it is embedded in my existential views and creativity. Can you share with me the contacts of these developers? I have some questions to them about Eriosthe setting, the language(s) especially.

Unfortunately our former editor Crooked Bee was the one who contacted them and she's retired from the forum.

 

[mindx2]

Unfortunately our former editor Crooked Bee was the one who contacted them and she's retired from the forum.

I miss Crooked Bee.

 

[Jack Dandy]

Hello. Some years ago you interviewed the developers of DH of Uukrul. I'm a great fan of this game, dare to say, it is embedded in my existential views and creativity. Can you share with me the contacts of these developers? I have some questions to them about Eriosthe setting, the language(s) especially.

Unfortunately our former editor Crooked Bee was the one who contacted them and she's retired from the forum.

Any way to get in contact with her perhaps?

 

[Infinitron]

She has a Codex email address, but I'm not sure she checks it anymore. I can send it to Alariq if he wants to try, I guess.

 

[Butter]

I've been playing this off and on for the past year and I'm this close to finishing it. I got my hands on 5 hearts pretty handily but the last 3 are elusive as hell. I hit the level cap and got all the rings ages ago and the most annoying thing now is the fixed encounters that reset when you leave the area. I finally figured out the last word of the crossword today, even though it was pointless and I'd already collected that heart.

 

[Butter]

Alright I found my sixth heart and defeated Uukrul. I'm at the last sanctuary and am pretty hyped for the Chaos.

 

[octavius]

Are you prepared for the most chaotic and unmappable dungeon level ever?

 

[Butter]

I finished. The Chaos was brilliant. I'm glad I never looked anything up. This is one of the best games I've ever played, RPG or otherwise.

 

[Un4givenOrc]

Conclusion: INT does not appear to be directly related to PP value maximums, as my results were all over the place. Indeed, it appears there IS no hard PP/VP maximum, given that my starting level 1 Priest with 2 Iron rings is now sitting at 122 Virtue points and this keeps increasing, albeit slowly.

Started the new game with default party. Magician started at 9 PP, walked to the first Sanctuary in zig-zags and circles. Mana increased to 10 PP before Sanctuary (after 45 steps, by the way turning seems doesn't count as 1 gaming turn). Activating the Sanctuary adds 4 PP/VP. I was not able to exceed 14PP after Sanctuary. Priest remained at 10PP (6 initially + 4 bonus from Sanctuary). I returned to Urtas Sanctuary - and got +4 more points! But the new cap was not exceeded after 100 steps. I spent 1 point on reading inscription with NGOS - made 160 steps - no mana gain. I lowered PP to 8 with NGOS. Got +1 after ~60 steps, +1 more after 60 steps. But then progress stopped at 10 mana. Returned to Sanctuary: +4 points, but exploiting it further with instant enter/exit doesn't work. However after ~20 steps Sanctuary gave +4. But 18 remained the maximum. Spending 1 point on NGOS again - entering Sanctuary gave +4 again (up to 21). Spent 2 points on NGOS on nearest inscriptions - exploit with Sanctuary do not work (no matter which direction I exit - East or West).
Priest raised from 6 VP to 26 VP, seems his mana regen is slower (or it was only bonuses from Sanctuary).

TL/DR: there is mana cap for Magician, but visiting Sanctuary may exceed it. Simple exploiting doesn't work, you must spend some actions in this area to make Sanctuary bonus work.

 

[Un4givenOrc]

it seems like the regen rate is higher in general in the higher-level areas

Level 5 Magician with 11 rings and Mage hat has roughly +1pt/20steps at Urlusam area
Teleported to Urtas area: mana regen remains the same. (1st lvl Magician had +1pt/60steps).
Tried unequip Mage Hat and give it to other character: mana regen remains the same
However my stats about 20 and 60 steps are not exact. Sometimes +1PP is gained after 10 steps, sometimes 30. It seems there is no mana regen rate, but a chance to regain a PP

 

[Un4givenOrc]

Intelligence affects mana limit of Magician a little.
Lvl. 1, Int. 11 (lowest possible) has 9PP limit
Lvl. 1, Int. 12 (default) has 10PP limit
Lvl. 1, Int. 14 (maximum possible at start) has 11PP limit
Mag with Lvl. 5, 14 Int, 11 rings has 39PP limit

Visiting the Circle of Magicians gives 4PP to Magician only.
Burned Incense 4 times at temples - it gave either +5VP or +8VP regardless of how many rings of that god my Priest had. Kinda too expensive for me, when you can just visit the Sanctuary.
Visiting the Sanctuary gives +4 to both Magician and Priest.

So, observations by fiordhraoi are under the question. There were little samples, he visited Sanctuaries and Circle Of Magician often, which exceed mana limit. It seems HEX-edited values are not applied immediately, proper leveling in Sanctuary is required (like modifying the strength do not increase Encumbrance immediately).

Not very useful stat, but...
Piety affects resistance to Hunger. Priest becomes hungry the last almost every time. However Vitality and Dexterity also affects it (but I'm unsure if their sum or the maximum value is taken into consideration). However damage taken during starving is affected by Vitality (and probably Dexterity too, but not Piety).

 

[Alariq]

She has a Codex email address, but I'm not sure she checks it anymore. I can send it to Alariq if he wants to try, I guess.

I do. Sorry for being late, I thought the case is unsolvable.

Indeed, I'm back to flush some Uukrul lore I dug down here. In order of remembrance.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Languages. The most "translatable" word in DHoU is QOLARIS. Being a "passphrase" to skip the Cube, it just means "CUBE CUT" in the mix of Eriosthe and Sindarin. The root QOL is known to us from the name of the local Sanctuary (URQOL = Sanctuary of the Cube), and RIS means "cut" in elven. It may be an homonym, but may well be an Easter egg ("cube-a-hack"? "cube shortcut"?).

Gods. Four gods the Priest prays to may take their roots in Warhammer 40000 gods of Chaos.

DRUTHO is hermaphrodite, seducer, youngest of the gods and cunning — let's write Them as SLAANESH
UFTHU easily corresponds with KHORNE. While most of war gods are boringly similar, these two unite in proud.
GOLTHUR is a god of biology, but strange one. Poison and plague are called "experience" and "knowlege" They give to the mortals (and may take back as an act of healing). Just like NURGLE.
The last deity is FSHOFTH, the most vague one in Their intentions, but the only candidate left for Them is TZEENCH, the god of magic and mystery ... may be called "spirituality" by someone, yes. And, guess what, They are titled as the Great Eagle! ... Claws descend.

 

[Alariq]

Geography.

When I was a youngster, I once wrote a melancholic poem entitled "Written by Suraqis under a falling kauri tree." Much later I laughed a lot learning that kairi is a pine. Well, almost. Now meet: the kauri tree!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agathis_australis

Grows only in the north of New Zealand, that is, not far from R'Lyeh, Cthulhu and one of the possible places of the mythical Atlantis (did it not sink from the explosion of the Beacon?). This fact inspires a mystical shiver! However, if you remember that the authors themselves are from New Zealand, then there is nothing suspicious or surprising. And now mystical awe is mixed with delight - 'cause they introduced their native flora into the game narration, making the environment of Eriosthe look like their motherland! )

One can, however, consider another option - the action of the Dark Heart of Uukrul takes place in distant paleontological times, when kauris (more precisely, their ancestors) were more widespread.

 

[Alariq]

Geography. Well then, everyone who wants to treat DHoU as a prophecy should know that Striy is a city and a river in Ukraine. No great power plants near, however.

 

[Alariq]

Dragon mind. I've re-read the solve of the dragon crossword and trembled.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/564811-the-dark-heart-of-uukrul/faqs/2011

Previously I thought there are many rubbish words in the "questions" of the crossword, to confuse the player. Now I understand that there are no rubbish words at all there. Every one makes sense. The thing that made me scream: dragons know about typography. "En" means two points... Wait, why? "Point" is the least measuring unit of the font, a pixel, and "n" isn't two points in size even in 320x200 modes. Are there any explanations why "en" means "two points"?

 

[Alariq]

"None of the Priests have managed to gain secrets of the Lairian Untranslatable Prayer"

OK, challenge accepted ('cause this gem of the holy magic looks especially useful)

What could the word "deln" mean?

All the words ending on "n" we have encountered before mean or mention something high-to-tremendous:

Kalurn is a mountain ridge under which Eriosthe lies
Uroqlamn is the Sanctuary under Pyramid (Pyramids are great)
Nuziln is a part of the city where the highest aristocracy live
Urtehln is the Sanctuary of the Adron's Palace

So, whatever "deln" could mean, it probably relates to highness and greatness.

When I learn how to spell this damned "q", I'll be totally ready. Fear me, the Dark One!

 

[Alariq]

I took the trouble to draw a composite map of the Urn maze and make the colored spots connected, as the four-page hint book implies. Unfortunately, I did not receive "a drawing of an ornamental urn" - just the code word "WORD" Uukrul hinted at the gate.

Yes, but... It's in English... We don't know English in game. Does the NGOS spell support it? Or did the priest decipher it? Cyqie? Do you know something about that?.. Cunning of Uukrul is over the top here, anyway.

Spoiler

 

[Butter]

I took the trouble to draw a composite map of the Urn maze and make the colored spots connected, as the four-page hint book implies. Unfortunately, I did not receive "a drawing of an ornamental urn" - just the code word "WORD" Uukrul hinted at the gate.

Yes, but... It's in English... We don't know English in game. Does the NGOS spell support it? Or did the priest decipher it? Cyqie? Do you know something about that?.. Cunning of Uukrul is over the top here, anyway.

Spoiler

Where is this in the game? I have no memory of this location at all.