How many of you played Prelude to Darkness?

[AdolfSatan]

What a pleb.

Beat the game twice in 1.8, haven’t gotten around to test the new build, mostly because, I think, it’s based on an earlier version of the game that lacks some updates that came with 1.7 and 1.8. Is that correct Tramboi asfasdf or did I get it wrong? I should play it sooner than later tho.

 

[Konjad]

What a pleb.

Beat the game twice in 1.8, haven’t gotten around to test the new build, mostly because, I think, it’s based on an earlier version of the game that lacks some updates that came with 1.7 and 1.8. Is that correct Tramboi asfasdf or did I get it wrong? I should play it sooner than later tho.

It's basically a patch over 1.8.

 

[Modron]

The devs only dropped the source for 1.5 yes but correct me if I am wrong but I believe Tramboi and alfalfa reproduced the quality of life improvements and the miniscule content the later patches added.

Edit: or as much of them as they could identify, not all the change notes were preserved for posterity.

 

[AdolfSatan]

That was the only gripe I had, and seems it was based on a misunderstanding. Awesome, can’t wait to have a free day to kill with this!

One comment in case anyone’s reading with the idea of modding out the Papyrus font with something better: don’t even try, that road leads through suffering to nowhere.

 

[KafkaBot]

Starded it a long time ago; thing crashed on me several times, so I just uninstalled it and moved on. I've known about the more stable versions for a while, though; maybe it is time for a reinstall.

 

[Litmanen]

This thread (and all the other I have now read) convinced me to play this game.

Do you know how long it is? In this period I'm more in a mood for "short" (30/40h, main + sidequests) games.

 

[Konjad]

This thread (and all the other I have now read) convinced me to play this game.

Do you know how long it is? In this period I'm more in a mood for "short" (30/40h, main + sidequests) games.

I'd say the game is more like 15-25h long?

Though it depends how many side quests you do. Main storyline isn't long. Anyway, if you feel later that you want to rush it you can refer to the walkthrough, but if you loved Arcanum or original Fallouts you will have a blast playing and wish it is longer. It just takes 2-3 hours to get accustomed to it (kinda like Arcanum or Fallout tbh, when you play them the first time).

 

[Litmanen]

This thread (and all the other I have now read) convinced me to play this game.

Do you know how long it is? In this period I'm more in a mood for "short" (30/40h, main + sidequests) games.

I'd say the game is more like 15-25h long?

Though it depends how many side quests you do. Main storyline isn't long. Anyway, if you feel later that you want to rush it you can refer to the walkthrough, but if you loved Arcanum or original Fallouts you will have a blast playing and wish it is longer. It just takes 2-3 hours to get accustomed to it (kinda like Arcanum or Fallout tbh, when you play them the first time).

Thank you for the answer.

Yes, I loved Arcanum, Fallout 1&2 and all their brothers, sisters and children. Prelude to Darkness is clunky, at best, in it's UI and controls in general, but it's not that hard to understand how it works. Yesterday I started (played 10 minutes at best) and I've already desire to go back.

I've also downloaded the source from github to give it a try (especially to fix the text overlapping box-borders and "not found" in answer to some entries), but I'm still too much a beginner to make something useful.

 

[Konjad]

This thread (and all the other I have now read) convinced me to play this game.

Do you know how long it is? In this period I'm more in a mood for "short" (30/40h, main + sidequests) games.

I'd say the game is more like 15-25h long?

Though it depends how many side quests you do. Main storyline isn't long. Anyway, if you feel later that you want to rush it you can refer to the walkthrough, but if you loved Arcanum or original Fallouts you will have a blast playing and wish it is longer. It just takes 2-3 hours to get accustomed to it (kinda like Arcanum or Fallout tbh, when you play them the first time).

Thank you for the answer.

Yes, I loved Arcanum, Fallout 1&2 and all their brothers, sisters and children. Prelude to Darkness is clunky, at best, in it's UI and controls in general, but it's not that hard to understand how it works. Yesterday I started (played 10 minutes at best) and I've already desire to go back.

I've also downloaded the source from github to give it a try (especially to fix the text overlapping box-borders and "not found" in answer to some entries), but I'm still too much a beginner to make something useful.

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/prelude-to-darkness-collection.143003/

Check "Installation instructions for Windows version 2.12 (with Fowyr's fix included):"
Just follow that instruction and you will have everything you need to run the game patched.

 

[Litmanen]

This thread (and all the other I have now read) convinced me to play this game.

Do you know how long it is? In this period I'm more in a mood for "short" (30/40h, main + sidequests) games.

I'd say the game is more like 15-25h long?

Though it depends how many side quests you do. Main storyline isn't long. Anyway, if you feel later that you want to rush it you can refer to the walkthrough, but if you loved Arcanum or original Fallouts you will have a blast playing and wish it is longer. It just takes 2-3 hours to get accustomed to it (kinda like Arcanum or Fallout tbh, when you play them the first time).

Thank you for the answer.

Yes, I loved Arcanum, Fallout 1&2 and all their brothers, sisters and children. Prelude to Darkness is clunky, at best, in it's UI and controls in general, but it's not that hard to understand how it works. Yesterday I started (played 10 minutes at best) and I've already desire to go back.

I've also downloaded the source from github to give it a try (especially to fix the text overlapping box-borders and "not found" in answer to some entries), but I'm still too much a beginner to make something useful.

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/prelude-to-darkness-collection.143003/

Check "Installation instructions for Windows version 2.12 (with Fowyr's fix included):"
Just follow that instruction and you will have everything you need to run the game patched.

Thank you! I did it already and it's very nice what you all have done. But there are still some bugs (you already know that) and textual glitches in the "dictionary". I was trying to tackle them, but It's too much for me now.

You were talking about a walkthrough (for quests and similar). Where do I find it? I've looked anywhere

 

[Konjad]

This thread (and all the other I have now read) convinced me to play this game.

Do you know how long it is? In this period I'm more in a mood for "short" (30/40h, main + sidequests) games.

I'd say the game is more like 15-25h long?

Though it depends how many side quests you do. Main storyline isn't long. Anyway, if you feel later that you want to rush it you can refer to the walkthrough, but if you loved Arcanum or original Fallouts you will have a blast playing and wish it is longer. It just takes 2-3 hours to get accustomed to it (kinda like Arcanum or Fallout tbh, when you play them the first time).

Thank you for the answer.

Yes, I loved Arcanum, Fallout 1&2 and all their brothers, sisters and children. Prelude to Darkness is clunky, at best, in it's UI and controls in general, but it's not that hard to understand how it works. Yesterday I started (played 10 minutes at best) and I've already desire to go back.

I've also downloaded the source from github to give it a try (especially to fix the text overlapping box-borders and "not found" in answer to some entries), but I'm still too much a beginner to make something useful.

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/prelude-to-darkness-collection.143003/

Check "Installation instructions for Windows version 2.12 (with Fowyr's fix included):"
Just follow that instruction and you will have everything you need to run the game patched.

Thank you! I did it already and it's very nice what you all have done. But there are still some bugs (you already know that) and textual glitches in the "dictionary". I was trying to tackle them, but It's too much for me now.

You were talking about a walkthrough (for quests and similar). Where do I find it? I've looked anywhere

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/prelude-to-darkness-collection.143003/

The "Official walkthrough:" part.

 

[Litmanen]

This thread (and all the other I have now read) convinced me to play this game.

Do you know how long it is? In this period I'm more in a mood for "short" (30/40h, main + sidequests) games.

I'd say the game is more like 15-25h long?

Though it depends how many side quests you do. Main storyline isn't long. Anyway, if you feel later that you want to rush it you can refer to the walkthrough, but if you loved Arcanum or original Fallouts you will have a blast playing and wish it is longer. It just takes 2-3 hours to get accustomed to it (kinda like Arcanum or Fallout tbh, when you play them the first time).

Thank you for the answer.

Yes, I loved Arcanum, Fallout 1&2 and all their brothers, sisters and children. Prelude to Darkness is clunky, at best, in it's UI and controls in general, but it's not that hard to understand how it works. Yesterday I started (played 10 minutes at best) and I've already desire to go back.

I've also downloaded the source from github to give it a try (especially to fix the text overlapping box-borders and "not found" in answer to some entries), but I'm still too much a beginner to make something useful.

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/prelude-to-darkness-collection.143003/

Check "Installation instructions for Windows version 2.12 (with Fowyr's fix included):"
Just follow that instruction and you will have everything you need to run the game patched.

Thank you! I did it already and it's very nice what you all have done. But there are still some bugs (you already know that) and textual glitches in the "dictionary". I was trying to tackle them, but It's too much for me now.

You were talking about a walkthrough (for quests and similar). Where do I find it? I've looked anywhere

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/prelude-to-darkness-collection.143003/

The "Official walkthrough:" part.

I'm dumb. I have seen (and also posted in) the thread and I forgot there was the walkthrough there. Thank you

 

[Litmanen]

I'm in Land's End.

So, the Inventory is a mess (and often leads to crashes).
The camera is shitty at best (and leads to crashes).
The UI is chaos (and leads to crashes)
The encounter system is funny but bugged: if you stay on a place for sometime (I was distributing things from a loot) the place can suddenly became "a place of an ancient battle". But for the previous 5 minutes there was nothing (so, it means that the encounter mechanics refresh every X minutes and can be funny/dumb at moments).
To loot after a battle is shitty (and maybe leads to crashes).
The journal is a mess (but doesn't lead to crashes).
The skill system is nice.
The music is very evocative and I love it.
The graphics are shitty also for 2002.

To call it "a rough gem" would be utterly underestimate the mess in it and the load of crashes you have (I set the autosave every 2 minutes to be safe) since it has been absolutely published with several months of work still to do.

It's half of a game. And, for those who love it anyway, I would suggest to never anymore complain about a buggy game nowadays.

But it holds together somehow.

I don't know why, it holds together. You can see there were wonderful ideas and mechanics. And you love it somehow. At least for now.

 

[AdolfSatan]

If you’re playing the latest version, document the bugs and post them so that the mod-devs can fix them.

 

[Litmanen]

If you’re playing the latest version, document the bugs and post them so that the mod-devs can fix them.

I am. I'll try to report them on the discussion when I understand the reason for them

 

[Litmanen]

If you’re playing the latest version, document the bugs and post them so that the mod-devs can fix them.

I was trying to report one, but I cannot find the savegames. Where is (normally) the folder? (In the other thread there is less activity, that's why I ask here. Then I will post the bug there)

Plus: is it normal that I have no intro movie or screen, nor nothing? It goes directly to the menu "Load, Option Quit"

 

[Konjad]

If you’re playing the latest version, document the bugs and post them so that the mod-devs can fix them.

I was trying to report one, but I cannot find the savegames. Where is (normally) the folder? (In the other thread there is less activity, that's why I ask here. Then I will post the bug there)

Plus: is it normal that I have no intro movie or screen, nor nothing? It goes directly to the menu "Load, Option Quit"

I don't have the game installed atm, but have you checked usual places for savegames?
- my documents
- C:\users\[name]\appdata
- C:\programdata

 

[Doc Sportello]

The saves are in the installation folder as far as I can see, they have the .gam file extension and are named save1, save2 and so on.

 

[Litmanen]

The saves are in the installation folder as far as I can see, they have the .gam file extension and are named save1, save2 and so on.

Perfect! Foun them!, thank you

 

[Litmanen]

Just finished (thank you again AdolfSatan). Amazing crashy game.

I loved how many way of ending a quest you have and also all the ramifications (sometimes with results well far ahead in the story) of the quest interaction with the story.

Great game, some very cool ideas ("Lore and Literature" skill and its consequences, for example. A lot of problems too.

Thank you for letting me know about and finish it.

 

[AdolfSatan]

Welcome to the ranks, now it’s your turn to hopelessly shill it to the unwashed masses.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Just finished

There's actually three branches to the story. One is fairly short, though.

 

[Litmanen]

Just finished

There's actually three branches to the story. One is fairly short, though.

Don't ask me to play it again! Not now. I did the Watcher + Charred path and I'm quite happy with it.

Then there is the Revolution path and....?

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Then there is the Revolution path and....?

To be honest, it's been a long time since I've played it. I remember three paths, with one being much shorter than the other two. I played it through four times, one for each path, then one final time through the path I liked the most.

 

[Vormulak]

I'm in Land's End.

So, the Inventory is a mess (and often leads to crashes).
The camera is shitty at best (and leads to crashes).
The UI is chaos (and leads to crashes)
The encounter system is funny but bugged: if you stay on a place for sometime (I was distributing things from a loot) the place can suddenly became "a place of an ancient battle". But for the previous 5 minutes there was nothing (so, it means that the encounter mechanics refresh every X minutes and can be funny/dumb at moments).
To loot after a battle is shitty (and maybe leads to crashes).
The journal is a mess (but doesn't lead to crashes).
The skill system is nice.
The music is very evocative and I love it.
The graphics are shitty also for 2002.

To call it "a rough gem" would be utterly underestimate the mess in it and the load of crashes you have (I set the autosave every 2 minutes to be safe) since it has been absolutely published with several months of work still to do.

It's half of a game. And, for those who love it anyway, I would suggest to never anymore complain about a buggy game nowadays.

But it holds together somehow.

I don't know why, it holds together. You can see there were wonderful ideas and mechanics. And you love it somehow. At least for now.

>the graphics are shitty
lmao, I thought that the game looked beautiful but ik you NIGGERS can't tolerate nice looking games, you want your xanax inspired washed out grey games.