The Half Ogre Island continued?

papa_dog - Can't forget him!

Nolanoth - If you look at it from a real world perspective, Cynthia was given the revolver because it's a deadly, easy-to-use weapon that wouldn't require days or weeks of training. Just point and squeeze the trigger.

As for keeping Cynthia in your party like you suggested: I'm not sure I'd rescript her to that degree, but I was planning on adding an option of retaining her as a follower. I'm printing out your idea though, just in case....

 

Hmmmm retrieving you say? Like coming back to the island for her or after bringing her to Ashbury?

Btw think you could change her portrait? The current one has so little sex appeal. Any other human portrait would be so much better for her.

And you know I was thinking… where would those barbarians find her a gun? And they don’t use guns themselves do they…? It’s just so weird to see them giving her a gun instead of some blade of some sort. Anyway the game lacks a female gunslinger so it would be nice to have her split between necromantic white magic and firearms. Something like a female version of Virgil capable of healing with magic’s but instead of using melee she would be using guns to her advantage. Could you modify her like that?

 

Should be able to.

 

Thank you sir Rroyo. I started playing Arcanum not so long ago. Still raising that 100 000 gold for G.B's mansion. So I'm staying away from the main quest. I don't want to miss the chance of getting that extra companion since I'm not sure if I'll be able to recruit her after getting her to Ashbury.

Oh one more thing. Do you happen to know a mod that would decrease the amount of fatigue used by magic? Those ungodly amounts that are being consumed are too much to bare. Unless I'd do that Ancient God's Quest that completely overpowers the main character. I wish someone would just balance things out and replace that god mode effect with a ton of XP and instead raise the level cap.

 

I thought it was a set-up, just a gentle way to say, 'go fuck yourself, bitch'.

"Here's a worthless hunk of lead to go shake at people. Without ammo since we never use the damn thing. If you didn't have the nut to try an escape before, and this thing actually gives you courage, then you're more fucked than we imagined. Stupid bitch."

I've rescued her before and the Woman's Camp weren't happy. "Oh great, you brought us a burden on our community, how fantastic. She was better off in chains, but now that she's here -- hey bitch, get your ass to work! Stoke them fires and make those beds! Nice dress, by the way, we should get you a little maid's cap, you'll look so smashingly dainty. <whipcrack> I didn't tell you to stop dusting, bitch, get on it!"

So maybe she'd be more comfortable in Ashbury, not that I care.

 

I, personally, haven't heard of any and have no plans to reset the spells.

 

Well since I’m one of those nasty Death/Dark Knights I tend to use a heavy armor, shield and a one handed weapon (later a two handed one after getting enough strength) along with necromantic spells. So any staves are out of the question. And so is a low constitution.

Sir Rroyo – I’ve managed to find something that fixed my problem.

Lately a found a nice site that lead me to some mods that are stored on FileFront. Here’s the link:

http://arcanum.rpgplanet.gamespy.com/ti ... erer.shtml

The mod I’ve used is called Drake Magicks Modification. It provides a lot of nice changes and fixes. For example:

-Quench Life. Now kills the opposition outright instead of doing damage (as originally intended). Is resisted by Constitution -10 instead of -5.
-Summon Undead was replaced by Steal Life. This spell steals the life force from the target and uses it to heal the caster's wounds and poison.
- Polymorph now transforms the target into a mighty and terrifying werewolf for as long as it's maintained. In fact, the result is so very terrible that some of your followers may flee from your side upon seeing you in the beastial form.

You can say it’s all I wanted. But I cannot merge it with other mods that fix a lot of other things. Like the Machined Plate Modification and other mods that fix all that none working stuff. Is there any way to combine them all and then add the modification your working on?

 

I'll have to give this a tentative maybe.

Making yourself a pair of folders named Arcanum6.dat and Arcanum.patch2, then adding everything to them might work, but you'll have to go slowly and watch for conflicts.

Also - since my hack isn't finished, files like effect.mes and description.mes will be changing from time to time. You could find yourself boxed in rather quickly or having to reset a dozen different things with each new release.

 

Just figured I'd throw my two cents in on the whole Half-Ogre Island affair, seeing as its always been a topic worthy of lengthy discussion.

I think all of these ideas are awesome and the game would improve quite a bit if they are added.

Certainly I think that there should be some bits and pieces connected to other things in the game.

A connection to Cynthia Boggs could be done if you write in something into the dialogue of the Women in the WOmen's Camp about how they fled not only to escape captivity and torture by the inmates...but that they began to suspect something was wrong when female inmates were taken away during the night and never came back. Maybe one of them got a glance of this and saw several half-ogre brutes carry the women away under the orders of short man, perhaps a gnome.

You could then throw in that she got a look at a strange symbol on the boat, but did not recognize it.

This could lead to some hefty research in Tarant, leading the player to discover that the symbol is tied to a family of shipbuilders from Dernholm that went broke decades ago.

So you go to Dernholm, where there wrecked ships along teh docks are in fact remnants of said family and there you find a rambling family member babbling about how "they killed father...." "they killed father"...

Through some means you end up getting a key from this guy which is actually a key to secondary chest in the Shrouded Hills bank. Going tehre you find a journal belonging to the father, and last master shipbuilder, where he relates a tale of being paid to build ships with a specific design to carry people and some strange equipment. Initially he asked no questions thinking they were only prisoners but began to suspect something was wrong. He stowed secretly aboard a ship and off onto a strange island and investigated only to find horrors too grotesque to describe. He fled, not sure of whether he was seen or not and discovered or not. He escaped an attempt on his life on the ship and fell overboard, but managed to wash up on Ashbury. There he used his position and Name to barter for a train ticket to Blackroot. Arriving there he noticed he was being followed and instead of going home, he chose to make a side-trip to Shrouded HIlls to safeguard this journal...in the hopes that someone will disover it and put an end to all that suffering.

If you go back to the son and tell him what you know he tells you that his father was killed on the way from Shrouded Hills, his body was found, apparently poisoned.

Go back to the son and he then tells you the name of the man his father had been dealing with to have the ships built...and that person can be anyone else you guys want to hook into the story....

Whatta ya think?

 

That's not bad, FourHorsemen - Not bad at all.
Since I'm doing a couple other things that has the player going from one end of the world to the other and back again, this should fit right in.

I'm printing it out for possible use.

 

Coolness! Glad I could contribute something.

The way I see it you could have a lot of "mini or even micro-quests" somehow connected to this island. All more or less lending credence to the fact that the conspiracy is a lot bigger and runs a lot deeper than the original game presents.

A while back I gave you an idea about using the Monkey Trainer, who aparently is a full-blooded Ogre. IIRC I suggested that his story be that he escaped from a place where he was chained up the whole time and poked and proded.

Another possible storyline hook could be perhaps found in Drogs cave near Stillwater. Among the trinkets you find in the cave is something akin to a tag or bracelet (like Magnus) with some kind of Serial number on it. If you have a half-ogre in the party he could make a remark about having a similar number tattooed somewhere on his body. The conversation lead to the conclusion of having to seek someone who is familiar with antiquities and trinkets.

So we're off to Shrouded Hills to Ristezze who is visibly bothered by the bracelet and seems reluctant to have a look at it.

"Look...it's not like I couldn't use the money you're offering...its just that that kind of bracelet hasn't been seen in a while..."

"HOw so?"

"Well...many years ago, certain people came looking for items like that, they were 'very" persistant if you get my meaning..."

"I see...."

Anyway, Ristezze looks it over if you're convincing enough and reveals that the metal, although old is made up industrialized steel and the number seem to suggest some sort of identification tag. He also tells you that he's 99% sure there are traces of magic on it, although it faded a while back. He finally reveals that one person who might be able to shed some more light on the matter a blacksmith in Black Root.

So off to Black Root and again, he's pretty shaken at the sight of the bracelet. Telling you a similar story as Ristezze, only adding a few things like the fact that the bracelet is obviously ogre-sized and that that similar items were used in the past during the slave trade of half-orcs.

"Come on...you're hiding something...I know it."

"Look...I don't want to stir any trouble with those people..."

"What people....who are these people..."

"They're nobody...and everybody...best not to meddle with them..."

"Come on...you must help me get to the bottom of this."

If you're persuasive enough, he tells you the story about a mysterious doctor who once came through the village he once lived in and took an interest in his sister who was very big and strong. He seduced her into leaving with him and was not heard from till almost a year later when she arrived back home, beaten, weak and heavily scarred. She would not speak but showed her brother a massive and infected scar accross her abdomen. She died a few days later. She woudl not say what heppened or where she had come from but it was obvious she had come from afar and among her possessions were the mostly eaten remais of an ogre's arma which he assumed she must have cut off and used to sustain herselv. The arm had a bracelet just like the one the player has.

In the end, he also gives you an old letter from his sister where one can barely make out the heading on the paper. Dr. Something - Roseborough and an address.

Okay so you head to the address at Rosebrough but there is no doctor, only and old tailor. After some dialogue and if you have the proper intelligence, you realize that he has little coherent recollection of his life before two years ago. He complains of constant headaches for which he takes medicine prepared by a Syrius Cockleburr - Hedge Wizard of Black Root.

So you head there and talk to the Hedge Wizard (who's only barely used in a quest anyway) and after some dialogue he reveals that he simply supplies the medicine at the request of his late mentor. It turns out that Dr. Something sought his mentor to help him forget his past. The Hedge wizard tells you that heavy spells were used and he most certainly lacks the skill to undo them, but perhaps one of the masters at Tulla can help him.

At Tulla, you talk to the Mental master who asks that you bring the person to him, which you go ahead and do. After some incantion and powerful magic, the memory erase is undone and the Doctor's dialogue starts to reveal some things.

"Yes..I recall now...my work...my glorious work...new life...to create new life....from she shall spring forth a new race of......of...of...monsters....hideous monsters....they must be perfect...PEFRFECT...a new subject...a new subject......no...no...no....more...I need more....too weak..too weak to carry....muct be changed...changed....find them....find them...I've done it...I'VE DONE IT.....they are perfect...perfect...worth the price....the price...oh...they're dead...all dead.....the blood.....the stench...DEAD....DEAD....AT MY HANDS...AT MY HANDS....WHAT HAVE I DONE...WHAT HAVE I DONE......WILL!!!!.......ARGH!!!!!!

He dies on the spot. The Master explains that the memories came back like a flood and his feebled mind could not resist.

If you leave Tulla on foot, and perhaps only if you had said bracelets on you, you're stopped by a mysterious elf dressed in black who seems curious to see the bracelets, claiming he heard rumours that they still existed. You ask whe he knows about them and he tells you a reasonable story that sorta fits in with what you've learned.

When you try to leave he say's he's afraid he can't let you go...

"Who are you working for...you're a part of all of this mystery aren't you?"

"You have no idea who you are dealing with....you should simply have looked away a moved on with your life...now I must take it from you..."

After you kill him, you find a single not among his possessions.

"Find and kill this "Chosen One". And then seek the dwarf."

-----------------------
That's pretty much it for now..I'll get into the dwarf later on

 

I'm not sure if I want get into this much detail, but this is too good to ignore so I'm printing it out.
Thanks!

Edit: In filing this print-out I realized that between my notes, suggestion print-outs, and D&D modules, I have enough material to fill not only my hack, but Arcanum 2 and 3!
Holy cats.....

 

You realize you've just doomed yourself?

 

Yeah.... A lifetime of modding Arcanum!

Well, I have thought about it.....

Arcanum 2: Of Dark Forces and Machine Dreams

It is the year 885. The Age of Legends has passed into history. The Elven Council is no more. Arcanum is fractured into dozens of small nations and war is a constant fact of life. The Iron Clan has split into four factions and abandoned the Iron Clan Mine. Religious fanaticism against technology is on the rise.
In the east, the barren, uninhabitable wasteland caused by the destruction of Vendigroth is claiming more area every year. Most of the area's mines and surviving towns have had to be abandoned. Dwarrowdelf has been lost to the orc hordes.
Deprived of the mineral resources from the mines the last remnants of Vendigrothian industrialization will soon no longer be able to meet demand and magick will once again hold uncontested sway over the land.

Civilization is rapidly descending into barbarism.
And there are forces at work making sure that happens as rapidly as possible....

 

Awesome Intro rroyo!!!

Here another brain-spooge :

Yeah...I tend to overkill with a bad case of an overactive imagination.....it sounds very long because of the way I wrote it but the whole would probably play out in like 10 minutes or so

Anyway...about "the dwarf"....

Now assuming the player was learned enough about Arcanum he should know by know where to find dwarves...or should he?:

The player should be able to find tidbit hidden within some very small extra locations in both the Black MOuntain and Stonecutter Clans before eventually coming to his/her senses and going to the Dwarf Metropolis itself...The Wheel Clan.

INvestigation of the Dwarven Smith in the WC should reveal a trapdoor in his bedroom, which leads to a secret room containing a very large old forge that seems to have not been used for a quite a while. A locked chest holds yet another one of the numbered bracelets, some mithril ore and a note.

"After this last shipment, seal this forge."

"RTS".

After some brain exercise you realize RTS stands for Randver THunder Stone so let's go heckle the guy.

After some tension, he finally breaks down, revealing that he carries the burden of shame, of never being able to live up to his father's glory. SInce his father's exile, he tried his best to sustain the Wheel Clan but ended up making deals with less then reputable folk to earn wealth for the clan. He reveals that without thinking, he accepted a job to build a device for which he could not comprehend the purpose...thinking his dwarven technologists could handle the job. He was wrong and they could only build part of the device and had no idea on how to proceed.

So RTS did the only thing he could do...he send the technologists assistant to Tarant with orders to seek the only other human who seemingly understood Dwarf Technology...Gilbert Bates.

So the heroes head over to Tarant but Bates gives absolutely no opening on the matter....but smart players should notice that there is an extra servant now working for Bates. (she shoudl stand out somehow).

Talking to her reveals that she knows quite a bit about the things you've been digging up and when asked who she is and what she wants she simply says she represents a party who is very interested in seeing this mystery brought to light.

After a little exchange of information she tells you that Bates keeps his most personal items in a locked closet in his room She then leaves so as not to draw any more attention. (She leaves the current area and is not seen again....at least not for this mini quest).

So after you sneak into Bates room somehow and pick the closet open, you find a series of shipment and delivery orders to a place only referred to as "The Pen"....you get Coordinates (yipee).

Going to the Pen you an old abandoned shack where you find a concealed trap door (boy these are getting popular aren't they?). Below you find a large laboratory area, not unlike the one you found on Half-Ogre Island. The place also features another level below, which looks very much like a prison, featuring many rows of empty cells. A message informs youthat oddly enough, none of the beds and fixtures are ogre sized...this bothers you.

Finding nothing else...you make your way back up to the next level and find that the the old lab equipment has mysteriously disappeared...and as you race for the exit you are confronted by two figures dressed in black, like the previous quest.

The conversation gets heated and when they make it clear that your investtigation will come to an end...you get the following phrase choices to say (you can use more than) based on whether or not you complete quests for the respective people:

"[Insert Name] will hear of this..." and you get an interesting reply depending on the name?

- Gilbert Bates: "Bates couldn't even protect himself if we chose to push the right buttons."

- The Mayor of Black Root: "Who?"

- The King of Dernholm: "You would be surprised at the things that happen in Dernholm fool!"

- The King of Caladon: "Have you ever been to the Caladon Zoo? That's where their king should be..." (hmmm...what could he mean "

- The Tarantian: "The Press is none of our concern..."

- Stringy Pete: "Now you've lost your mind completely"

- The Wheel Clan: "Now tell me...which Thunder Stone are you referring to?"

- Arronax: "*pause*....No....I don't think so..."

- Constable Owens: "To think he used to be....no...he's no threat!".

- Mr. Willoughsby: "*concerned pause*...he has nothing to fear from us....

- Etc.

Basically you pick the best one you can think of and then your last option is to fight. When you to that your last dialogue is: "What kind of device is that"...and then you get the KERGHAN TREATMENT and are drained of fatigue and wake up outisde. Along with you are the bodies of the two dead elves on which you find only the basic equipment.
However, nearby you also find a small note.

"you have come far stranger...be wary...for the path you now thread will be a dangerous one. The trail has gone cold from here but keep thyne eyes open."

THat's pretty much it for ideas from me at the moment....

I'm sure I'll come up with something else...possibly having to do with HT Parnell

 

Whew! You're burying me here, but I do like that cliff-hanger ending. It sets the stage rather nicely to start you on the path to Mr. Wells.

 

Nice ideas FourHorsemen ^^ I'm back to ressurect the thread after a long looong time. But then again I do tend to come back like some bad memory from the past hehe.

Anyway I'm not sure if the mod is finished but we could keep the story a little bit more simple. There's a lot of good idea but I'm no programmer so I don't know how long would it take to implement all that.

Oh well. What's the progress? Was some other thread about this started in another section?

 

Welcome back, Nolanoth.

To answer your first question, I haven't been able to do anything besides some light tinkering for just over a month now due to real world side-jobs and out of town assignments for the company I work for.
(I need the extra money more than I need the time in front of a computer. )

2nd: Not really. The idea was proposed for an Arcanum 2 discussion and that's as 'bout as far as it went.