Unofficial Arcanum Patch (Original Thread)

[Lurkar]

Pre-emptively, I don't have the manual.

I'm not sure charisma/expert persuasion is adding up to follower count correctly. I've got 18 charisma with expert persuasion, and I should have 6 allowable followers, but I've only got five. Wherever I look, it's saying expert persuasion gives two extras, and charisma gives one follower per 4 points. I've got both the gypsy and necklace blessing, though I'm not sure that should effect it.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Pre-emptively, I don't have the manual.

I'm not sure charisma/expert persuasion is adding up to follower count correctly. I've got 18 charisma with expert persuasion, and I should have 6 allowable followers, but I've only got five. Wherever I look, it's saying expert persuasion gives two extras, and charisma gives one follower per 4 points. I've got both the gypsy and necklace blessing, though I'm not sure that should effect it.

The manual is wrong about that. Persuasion Expert adds only 1 extra follower in addition to CH bonus (2 followers at CH8, 3 at CH12, 4 at CH16, and 5 at CH20).

 

[Earth Nuggets]

Just curious about the Orc color adjustment, how will you deal with movement and combat animations?

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Just curious about the Orc color adjustment, how will you deal with movement and combat animations?

All animations use the same palettes.

 

[Sodomy]

Not a bug, per se (it works the way it's supposed to, I'm pretty sure) but kind of odd:

If you have CHA 20, Virgil doesn't leave when he normally goes and has his revelation, but rather stays in your party, cutting off that whole story arc. Maybe one for a "controversial" patch? I'm fine with the way it works now, but others may not be.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

If you have CHA 20, Virgil doesn't leave when he normally goes and has his revelation, but rather stays in your party, cutting off that whole story arc.

Are you sure?

Virgil doesn't leave if you have joined the Dark Elves, or if you just have negative alignment as well. He turns "surly" in these cases.

 

[Sodomy]

My alignment is a positive 100, and I didn't join the dark elves. I've been to Quintarra, found out about Min Gorath, Killed her, got the note, went back to Quintarra, heard the second vision from the silver lady, and had Raven tell me that I needed to talk to the person at the Panarii temple at Caladon. Left Quintarra, back at Caladon- Virgil never left, and isn't surly.

I think this is because the special bonus for 20+ CHA is that party members never leave of their own accord- that is, you have to tell them to wait or kick them out.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

My alignment is a positive 100, and I didn't join the dark elves. I've been to Quintarra, found out about Min Gorath, Killed her, got the note, went back to Quintarra, heard the second vision from the silver lady, and had Raven tell me that I needed to talk to the person at the Panarii temple at Caladon. Left Quintarra, back at Caladon- Virgil never left, and isn't surly.

I think this is because the special bonus for 20+ CHA is that party members never leave of their own accord- that is, you have to tell them to wait or kick them out.

This is impossible. Once you leave T'sen-Ang the script checks Virgil's alignment, and if it's positive, it launches the dialogue and teleports Virgil, and if it's negative the script just changes Virgil's dialogue to Surly Virgil. I just tested it with a character who has CH20 and, of course, it works just fine.

Virgil always checks your alignment and copies it, but if you give him the Scourge for example, he may have negative alignment even if you're good. Anyway, what dialogue does your Virgil use now? Normal/Surly/Zen?

 

[Sodomy]

Ok, I see what's happening. This is fucking weird.

Basically, I pissed off Tsen-Ang enough that as soon as I exit, the guards outside attack. This means that Virgil stays in my party (he can't trigger the convo in combat), until I try talking to him... at which point he triggers the dialog and leaves (I hadn't tried talking to him, since I hadn't needed healing).

Here's a save from just outside of Tsen-Ang with him still in my party. Talk to him, and he'll launch into the dialog and leave.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1G32PP8R

 

[Faceless]

This is probably one for the controversial patch, but I think it would be nice to have the option to tell Virgil to piss off in Shrouded Hills after finding the room full of dead people.
It could trigger his usual disbandment dialogue.

Perhaps you could have some of the more hostile/disbelieving dialogue responses directly after the crash be triggers for the option to appear.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Basically, I pissed off Tsen-Ang enough that as soon as I exit, the guards outside attack. This means that Virgil stays in my party (he can't trigger the convo in combat), until I try talking to him... at which point he triggers the dialog and leaves (I hadn't tried talking to him, since I hadn't needed healing).

I see, it's not really a bug then.

Although, I tried using the world map and talking to him in the middle of nowhere. He didn't dissappear after the dialogue and didn't appear in Caladon. I may add an extra check for this kind of situation as well.

 

[Sodomy]

Also, if you make it to Caladon without talking to him, he doesn't go into the "leaving" dialogue; rather, he just talks like everything is normal.

 

[Lurkar]

Ok, I see what's happening. This is fucking weird.

Basically, I pissed off Tsen-Ang enough that as soon as I exit, the guards outside attack. This means that Virgil stays in my party (he can't trigger the convo in combat), until I try talking to him... at which point he triggers the dialog and leaves (I hadn't tried talking to him, since I hadn't needed healing).

Here's a save from just outside of Tsen-Ang with him still in my party. Talk to him, and he'll launch into the dialog and leave.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1G32PP8R

I believe that's been a part of the game since it first came out. Not an INTENTIONAL one, but one nonetheless.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

I believe that's been a part of the game since it first came out. Not an INTENTIONAL one, but one nonetheless.

In the original 1.0.6.4 version Virgil object was getting destroyed upon exiting T'sen-Ang and a new 25lvl Virgil was appearing in Caladon, with no items. Troika changed this in the patch due to a large number of complaints.

 

[Depressed Construct]

Description for one of the bank robbers says: "human villager" while others are ok.

Something is wrong with Doc Roberts' shedule, I think: he never sleeps and after preventing bank robbery he acts a bit strange, i.e. stands near his house, returns to meeting place near the bank at certain hours...

Hexed dagger once identified costs only 6 coins.

Maybe this point has been brought before but I just noticed that in some dialogues certain lines can be taken more than once which doesn't make sence and can be seen either as a bad design or as an error (poor beta-test?). I noticed that you fix such annoyances only if they lead to xp/money loopholes. What's your take on this issue, Drog? Sorry if it was already discussed - just point me the page where you answered then.

And a little suggestion for your next project: simple weapons like axes, bows, swords, etc. look greatly underpowered in comparrison with magick/tech analogs. I think zero aptitude fighters, archers and thieves should have some decent pieces of weaponry too.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Description for one of the bank robbers says: "human villager" while others are ok.

Fixed that yesterday.

Something is wrong with Doc Roberts' shedule, I think: he never sleeps and after preventing bank robbery he acts a bit strange, i.e. stands near his house, returns to meeting place near the bank at certain hours...

Hmm, yes, his standpoints are quite strange. I may change that, although many characters have weird standpoints in the game.

Hexed dagger once identified costs only 6 coins.

Unidentified items have fixed prices.

Maybe this point has been brought before but I just noticed that in some dialogues certain lines can be taken more than once which doesn't make sence and can be seen either as a bad design or as an error (poor beta-test?). I noticed that you fix such annoyances only if they lead to xp/money loopholes. What's your take on this issue, Drog? Sorry if it was already discussed - just point me the page where you answered then.

Yes, there lots of lines that can be taken more than once in lots of dialogues. On one hand the game was never properly beta tested (we're beta testing it now, almost 7 years after the release!), but on the other hand it may be intended so in some cases. At any rate, I prefer to judge it case by case. So, feel free to report any line that doesn't look right to you, and we'll see if it should be changed or not.

 

[Depressed Construct]

Hexed dagger once identified costs only 6 coins.

Unidentified items have fixed prices.

I meant after I identified it.

feel free to report any line that doesn't look right to you, and we'll see if it should be changed or not.

Ok, here's the thing: you can take line 302 with Constable Owens many times which is strange because you can report other breaches of order only once. Line 304 is repeatable too unless you talk to Jungle Dumb (Doone?).

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Hexed dagger once identified costs only 6 coins.

Unidentified items have fixed prices.

I meant after I identified it.

Yes, because it's a worthless item. But nobody knows that it's indeed a worthless item until you identify it, that's why the prices differ so much.

Ok, here's the thing: you can take line 302 with Constable Owens many times which is strange because you can report other breaches of order only once. Line 304 is repeatable too unless you talk to Jungle Dumb (Doone?).

Those lines are not repeatable with a normal character, so they definitely must be fixed.

 

[Faceless]

After finishing the quest for Gildor Nighthawk and giving him the ruby, I was given the choice to stall the end of the conversation with one of the obligatory "could I ask you some further questions" (or something similar) options, and was then able to ask him if he had any work.

He then proceeded to tell me the tale about the ruby all over again, and tried to give me the book again but failed due to him no longer having it. Then when I spoke to him again he had the dialogue he should have if the quest is completed.

If it helps at all, I am playing as a female at the moment.

 

[Depressed Construct]

Thaddeus Mynor, "about working's a your brain". Sounds awkward. (But I'm not a native speaker) Also, havin'

Tarant's telegraph office. "I says", ogre has normal intellegence.


Underground agent near Pettibone's has empty dialoge. Can it be changed to just generic floating text?

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

After finishing the quest for Gildor Nighthawk and giving him the ruby, I was given the choice to stall the end of the conversation with one of the obligatory "could I ask you some further questions" (or something similar) options, and was then able to ask him if he had any work.

Fixed, thanks.

Thaddeus Mynor, "about working's a your brain". Sounds awkward. (But I'm not a native speaker) Also, havin'

Yes, let's hear a native speaker's opinion on this.

Tarant's telegraph office. "I says", ogre has normal intellegence.

This one is interesting. I checked the generic dialogues, and there are dozens of instances of "I says" in normal (not dumb) dialogues. Is it some slang or what?

Underground agent near Pettibone's has empty dialoge. Can it be changed to just generic floating text?

The dialogue's not really empty. You get lines when you complete Pettibone's quest.

 

[OSK]

Thaddeus Mynor, "about working's a your brain". Sounds awkward. (But I'm not a native speaker) Also, havin'

I think it's fine.

You can tell by the use of "havin" that they are trying to portray an accent for this character. In perfect English it would be "workings of your brain."

My own accent drops off the "g" sound in many -ing ending words.

This one is interesting. I checked the generic dialogues, and there are dozens of instances of "I says" in normal (not dumb) dialogues. Is it some slang or what?

That's fine as well. It's not textbook English, but a bit of local color.

A lot of this intentional slang and dialect is going to be difficult for non-native speakers to pick up.

 

[Depressed Construct]

Underground agent near Pettibone's has empty dialoge. Can it be changed to just generic floating text?

The dialogue's not really empty. You get lines when you complete Pettibone's quest.

Yes, I know, but until then it looks strange. Could he be given rumor line at least?

Another dialoge error: when taken Cassie's necklace from Laura and talk to her again, both lines 9 and 16 are available.

 

[Longshanks]

This "issue" is probably already settled, but anyway.

Mum is the British and Australian spelling for a person's mother.
It's only other meaning is to call for silence. So yes, it is an error.
Should be Ma'am.

I don't think it is an error.
Quite sure "mum" in place of ma'am or madam is a colloquialism, though possibly/probably an outdated one. See it used in many English novels and movies of the Victorian period. For me, it's a fine fit for the setting.

While Mr. Robert Audley contemplated his new quarters, Phoebe Marks
summoned a little village lad who was in the habit of running errands
for her, and taking him into the kitchen, gave him a tiny note,
carefully folded and sealed.

"You know Audley Court?"

"Yes, mum."

"If you'll run there with this letter to-night, and see that it's put
safely in Lady Audley's hands, I'll give you a shilling."

"Yes, mum."

"You understand? Ask to see my lady; you can say you've a message--not a
note, mind--but a message from Phoebe Marks; and when you see her, give
this into her own hand."

"Yes, mum."

There you are, someone who is not the addressee's mother, being addressed as mum.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Another dialoge error: when taken Cassie's necklace from Laura and talk to her again, both lines 9 and 16 are available.

And what's wrong with them? Once she gives you the necklaces you can only ask her about rumors, training and may thank her for giving you the necklace as well.