A few in game questions

[freespace2dotcom]

Glyndwr said: "If you're casting a spell on another person, do they have to be insight or does it depend on that particular spell? If sight isn't necessary, how else do you target a person?"

 

Legate of Mineta said: "Usually, you must have them in sight, but there are various magical links which can allow you to cast from a distance."

 

This is related to that Gates issue we discussed before with the "Pot summoning," right? Basically you need a way for the spell to find the object or person you want to cast on. Although if this is so, then such "preparation work" would be usually impractical as under normal circumstances you might as well cast the original spell when you see the person rather than do some roundabout way that would probably be detected.....

[Legate of Mineta]

Freespace;

 

You are right- preparation work is not quick, and would only normally be used in special circumstances as it can be quite a chore.

[freespace2dotcom]

Well, I've played a couple different characters now, and while they may have been slightly superior in a number of area I'd say that overall they were slightly lacking. (Gotta love the random number generator!)

 

Anyways, I finally played with a few different backgrounds, and have a few questions and comments.

 

1. Firstly regarding the secret heritage background, I loved the writing. I really felt connected to the underground Gates circles, and Euneycia at least, seems like a genuinely loving, ethical character for someone who has mastered a school of forbidden magic. I also noticed thanks to this background that the two proscribed schools of magic are, while not necessarily mutually exclusive, certainly not lumped together in the circles that practice them. I had previously assumed this based on the fact that "well you're gonna get the death penalty anyway, so..." though I suppose this may be the case where there are those who try to learn without the connections to such circles.

 

I also noticed that in the Schohanwicht school's special summoning, after doing so it did not increase my character's minimum stress level. Not that I'm complaining, but...

 

Finally, Gustavon Mirapos and his secret library. I just have to ask some questions about this. Firstly, what happened to the man himself? I see that he wasn't a Gates user himself, though simply allowing such a massive archive to propogate knowledge probably didn't earn him any favors.... I laughed at how it was discovered, having been just about on accident, though I would ask how it could be entered and especially rehidden without Gates?

 

2. Also I did Professor Sido's Adventure chain. Poor guy. You can scratch what I said about Professor Viada being the most suspicious regarding proscribed magics. Sixt. Von. Ruprecht. Teleporting in "to save the day" and conveniently casting a fainting and "memory loss" spell on a witness? Oh Orso Orsi, truely you need to keep a much closer eye on that man than you already do. I weep for my Aranaz student, who undoubtably has a VERY painfully hard decision to make sometime in the future. I've already known this, but this adventure makes it much more painfully so.

 

3. After redoing the Vernin Tower adventure, I have a question, which I know will be [redacted] but I would like to know if the answer will be addressed in Y2 and we will not have to wait until Y5. Will we confront this being that is behind the Time Slip spell? I know that it did not cast the spell itself but I FIRMLY believe that this being (who may or may not be a dragon) was the reason for why it was cast (which would explain why it would want to free itself by adding that extra pheme... As well as the explosion itself, which was probably only a side issue of the whole affair.

 

4. Apart from the rewards given at various points, will the Merit system have any effect on future years?

 

5. In the Fenris quest where you get his wand, I chose negation to go down the slope and I found a typo. I wasn't online at the time so I can't quote it because I can't remember it now that it's over, but the word was "their" when it should have been "there"

 

6. When learning skills in year 2 and beyond, do you think it would be possible to show the skill steps required to move to the next level? That would be a huge help as then I could focus on skills that require the least amount of effort to improve on.

[Legate of Mineta]

Freespace;

 

Finally, Gustavon Mirapos and his secret library. I just have to ask some questions about this. Firstly, what happened to the man himself? I see that he wasn't a Gates user himself, though simply allowing such a massive archive to propogate knowledge probably didn't earn him any favors.... I laughed at how it was discovered, having been just about on accident, though I would ask how it could be entered and especially rehidden without Gates?

 

No comment.

 

3. After redoing the Vernin Tower adventure, I have a question, which I know will be [redacted] but I would like to know if the answer will be addressed in Y2 and we will not have to wait until Y5. Will we confront this being that is behind the Time Slip spell? I know that it did not cast the spell itself but I FIRMLY believe that this being (who may or may not be a dragon) was the reason for why it was cast (which would explain why it would want to free itself by adding that extra pheme... As well as the explosion itself, which was probably only a side issue of the whole affair.

 

I do not believe the answer will come in Y2, just another piece of the puzzle...

 

4. Apart from the rewards given at various points, will the Merit system have any effect on future years?

 

Hmmmm. It's a part of each year, and fuels a little bit of rivalry, but I do not believe it's critical to any Stories, if that's what you are asking.

 

6. When learning skills in year 2 and beyond, do you think it would be possible to show the skill steps required to move to the next level? That would be a huge help as then I could focus on skills that require the least amount of effort to improve on.

 

Sure, there are a number of UI improvements, actually. I think you'll find it much better all around.

[freespace2dotcom]

Legate, I have to give it to you.

 

You are notoriously tight-lipped.

 

I give you props, but could we pretty please (with that cherry on top) get a few screenshots or something related to the game? It doesn't even have to be Y2, just some behind the scenes goodie on Y1. I've already read everything I could get my hands on and Y2 is just so far away.....

 

Please?

[Legate of Mineta]

Well, there are some behind the scenes screenshots of Year 1 on these forums. Beyond that...well, you'll have to wait, sorry!

[freespace2dotcom]

I was afraid you were going to say that.

 

[Legate of Mineta]

Here, this will make you feel better.

 

http://gizmodo.com/5942634/nasa-starts-development-of-real-life-star-trek-warp-drive

[freespace2dotcom]

Yes. Yes it did.

[Legate of Mineta]

I know, right? Exciting stuff.

[Leoshi]

Ah Freespace. Gates and Mastery fan #1. Or #2 if we counted CremePudding.

 

Anyway the libraries. Anything? Please? <Wobbly lips>

 

And is there anything like One Thousand and One Nights? You know. The stories told by Scheherazade? Scheherazade who offered herself as a bride to a ruthless King? Scheherazade who kept postponing her stories so that the king wouldn't kill her?

 

And shouldn't the Legate of Mineta be named Legate of the Black Chickens?

[Legate of Mineta]

Leo;

 

If there are such stories, it hasn't yet come westwards.

 

Nothing yet on the libraries!

[freespace2dotcom]

It's actually quite funny.

 

I'm not really as interested in the proscribed magics per se, as much as I am the lores about them... But in order to learn the lores you have to learn the magic, so I learn the magic, and that allows me to learn the lores, but then new magics and lores .... I blame the Legate for making me do illegal things in order to learn why they're bad.

 

To be fair though, I think I'm the #1 Gates fan here, and "maybe" #2 Mastery fan. (CremePudding, sure, but you forgot the eversilent, everwatching Nyaa)

 

Whereas I think with Cremepudding it's the other way around.

 

In all honesty I would probably rate my favorite pillars from most to least, in this order. Negation, Incantation, Gates, Revision, Mastery, Glammour, and Astrology. I don't learn them in that order in the game, because my build and play style doesn't allow it. In all of my plays save one, I have not learned Mastery,(and that was solely for learning about the spells, possible lores and reading any unique event exits I could find) although in virtually all I've learned Glammour. Although I do consider Mastery more interesting a concept, Glammour is by far more utilitarian, and LEGAL. My main character for Y2 has but 1 level in either of the proscribed magics and that is mostly for meta-gameplay reasons.

 

I do expect them to at some point either become unbanned, or alternatively, the punishment might become unenforcable or overlooked due to a massive dragon war. Possibly both, and the second that happens my character will have all the tools necessary to ensure a healthy head start on the whole school, while in the meantime keeping a low knowledge for lack of necessity and plausible deniability. Even if an event like that happens, My character's knowledge in those pillars will be less than the other magical arts. Precisely how much so depends on how the following years develop. If we get to see in game the beneficial side of Mastery, then it would be more tempting, but as it is it's just a way to be a large asshole, which is not how I would play my character. (who is an expy of me) And if in game it was possible to unlock the key to the "Chaos factor", then yes, I might consider that pillar to be my second favorite after Negation, given just how potent it is. (If in the lores Gates was recommended by ALL of King Durand's advisors to fend off the dragons, that should say something, just as much as the fact that he did not follow such advice)

 

 

Ultimately though, I would rather consider myself a universal character. (and admittedly a bit of a perfectionist.) I can't stand the thought of there being a tool of any sort that you are told you cannot use, even though later on I'll bet we'll see more and more Mastery and Gates wizards come out from under the woodwork, and not having access to those tools puts you at a disadvantage. Granted Negation is powerful, but... How do you negate a teleporting wizard's spell if he's no longer at that spot...?

 

Rant Over!

[Adrian]

You make him think that his gate failed through glamour, then turn his feet to stone through revision, then negate the portal, then enchant your strength/wrestling and beat him up. Easy

[Schwarzbart]

freespace I'm not sure if your #1 Gate fan here because some other players may have the secret background for nearly all of theyr chars

(I think only 2 of my chars I played after this background was released where without this but they didn't have the "Schwarzbart" surname and I played many year 1 games so far. )

[Legate of Mineta]

Yeah, *I* could be the #1 Gates fan.

[MadHatt]

I ...sort of make all of my characters learn Gates. And get Diavesque. And learn Mastery. And get the Mastery book.

 

I like the idea of forbidden magic. I'm also in favour of Blood Magic, Necromancy, Dark Side powers etc. I would not be the type of person to trust with magic, is what I'm saying.

[Legate of Mineta]

It's the Hat. It's mad, as you know.

[Schwarzbart]

Hmm OK keeping in mind that bevor the Background was released I didn't try for learning gates, then you probably have even played more games then me and also have much more backgroundinfos ... I give up Maybe I'm at place 3 or 4 then as there is surley a other Gate Fan in the Team of Black Chicken Studios.

[Legate of Mineta]

Hahaha! Nah, as it turns out, I am an Orthography fan.

[freespace2dotcom]

Oh, Legate! I've been busy trying very hard to get a better Y1 char. Anyway. Oan is a second year, yes? But on one step of the adventure (I believe it was the step where she teaches you about the effects of areas at the Great Gate) She said something along the lines of "The life of a third year is" etc etc. just so you know.

 

And I only assumed I was the first gates fan because 1 nobody had explicitly said they had and 2 a certain someone said I was. There. I said it.

[Legate of Mineta]

Hmm, sounds like that needs to be looked at.

 

Thanks!

[freespace2dotcom]

Well, If I find any other inconsistancies, I'll certainly let you know. What bugs me is that I've encountered several missing spaces between words before , yet when actually looking for them I can't find them. Hopefully they've since been fixed.

[Legate of Mineta]

Freespace;

 

Some of those are due to the way the text engine formats- we've seen them before, too. Unfortunately, that's not something we can correct in Year 1.

[starcrunch]

I believe Oan is a 3rd Year. When she introduces herself she explains due to a mix up they needed an extra mentor and Orsi asked her to do it again because she was the best mentor from the previous year. She then drew the character's name out of a hat.