Totally fed up at the moment!

[mage.merlyn]

Alright then, whats up you might say.

I bought this game just last week, (approx $90.00 AUD).

Based on my gaming experience and having read through this and other forums, have come to the conclusion that it is not value for money.

Don't get me wrong, there are many aspects of the game that I quite like, the combat, (except for my gripe below), the graphics, (more atmosphere in the buildings would be nice), and the gameplay is really smooth, (on my system anyway).

It's extremely apparent that a lot of thought and effort went into developing this game and that it could really rock. It just seems/is unfinished.

But for the love of . . .

Having to wait for features that are mentioned in the manual just because some bean counter at HP or DC, got impatient and put pressure on to release the game in an unfinished state, is not good enough .

Fair enough patches have/are being developed, (1.4 ?????).

Currently I have reached something of an impasse at the last stage of the trial of Elders, bumping off the wizard before I enter the room proper, using ranged weapons & magic.

Tell me something please, and I am getting to the main point of my gripe.

The targeting cone 'feature', does it actually aid with ranged combat. Or is it meant to aid ranged combat, and we have to wait for patch 1.8 or something ridiculous like that for this feature to be turned on.

Because if that was the intention, and it worked, I would be past this by now and getting on with the game. The portion/aspect of the game has really got under my skin.

[Lin]

I've never heard of the targeting cone. As for the elder, the walkthrough said he was too hard to kill and not worth as many exp points as others. My advice would be to just finish the trial and go on to Ulm. There are easier ways to gain exp later.

[mage.merlyn]

Fair enough . . .

. . . however,

I prefer not to rely on walkthroughs unless absolutely necessary. Having said that I checked it out for advice on this stage.

Every time I enter the room I get hammered by said wizards fireballs and hardly make it past the first wave of elven spirits.

As for the the targeting cone it is one of the game options, although switching it on and off appears to do absolutely nothing.

I guess that 'feature' whatever it does fits into the 'get the game out we might fix that later' category.

Sorry for the negative tone. Your advice is appreciated nevertheless.

[BadMutha]

Dont panic, patch 1.4 is on its way.

[Warbride]

Get a few fire wards before going in or just use potions to heal up when you get hit. You should be running around when there isn't anything to fight on the floor. That way, he can't really hit you with those fireballs until you stop to fight something. When you do stop to fight, the fireballs actually help beat up on the guys in melee with you.

Also, step onto one of the platforms when new guys are about to materialize. That prevents them from popping up. As Lin said, there are easier ways of getting exp so just get through it instead of trying to kill the elder or trying to get as many kills as possible in the area.

[fable]

[QUOTE=BadMutha]Dont panic, patch 1.4 is on its way. [/QUOTE]

I suppose Heuristic isn't making any sounds about when they'll get that out, are they?

[mage.merlyn]

Thanks folks,

I'm out of there well and truly now.

All the advice has been much appreciated, and I have adopted many of those tips in my continuing game play.

Cheers.

[Kel]

Do you have Arcane Magic?

mage.merlyn,

I am editing this because I almost forgot that I owed you a big thank
you for your post on the first 'Trial of the Ancient Elders' the 'The Pillar
Trial'. I was quite frustrated with those pillars but your post reminded
me of a trick I used mountain climbing before entering Fargrove. The
trick was to use the backflip as your momentum can't carry you off the
pillars and your character automatically balances himself.

Thank you 'mage-merlin'!!! Hopefuly this will help you!

I hope you have not left already!

Do you have Arcane magic and in this case 'Fire Burst'. I know it is not
one of the big spells but not only will it take him down but will keep him
from firing spells at you. I consider this spell the best kept secret in the
game even though I have tried to get members to notice it.

This is what it has to say in the gamebanshee database page:

Fire Burst: Level 3

Ready Fires dual minor fire projectiles at your current target that explode
upon impact, blasting any enemies within the radius of the explosion.

I have alot of copies of this spell and I mean alot as it is a low order Arcane
spell and it is not expensive. I originally had one so I saved my game an
then sold that one copy at one of the Apothecaries and then I bought thirty.
I went out and gave the spell a test and immediately turned around and
bought more and have been buying more as it is (imho) the best combat
spell in the game. The novas blast and fire I prefer when I am surrounded
by about 20-30 or more monsters.

I have used 'Fire Burst' to kill Fire Drakes with impunity simply by timing the
sweep of their fire and constantly moving as needed but still feeding the big
lug those two little minor balls of fire. The spell when constantly fired is like
a machine gun and is very accurate.

I hope you give it a try as I think you will like it as much as I do and still
get into plenty of melee fights. I just hope they don't neuter this spell in
patch 1.4. I am pretty sure that I can live without patch 1.4 and finish
the game.

Good Luck!


Kel

*