The adventure is begun with modest armour and weapons for your
character class. You face several levels of challenges until you
are strong enough to meet one of the two final challenges, either
Stormhold's Warden Varus, or the battle for the city of Dawnstar.
You begin play in the center of camp or town, which are locations
that are safe for the moment. The game screen displays the dungeon
view. The mini-map in the upper left displays game squares close
to you; red dots on the map represent foes, blue dots represent
treasures or other items of interest. Other colored dots have other
effects which you will discover as you explore the game.
The three-colored bars represent your current health, magicka and
fatigue levels.
The rocker button controls movement. Press the button to move forward,
turn right or turn left, or to move backward. You can also you the
number pad on your phone: 2 to step forward, 4 to sidestep left,
6 to sidestep right, and 8 to move backward.
The menu bar below the dungeon view displays the buttons with a
number of actions you can take accompanied by icons to remind you
of their function. A '3' casts a spell, a '5' changes your spell
selection, '7' brings up the options menu for help, inventory and
other menu functions. At times, you will be given a manipulation
icon for the number '9' to open chests, work with oracular altars,
or interact with non-player characters. The '0' lets your character
camp to recover from combat damage or other ill effects from exploring
such dangerous regions.
Speaking of combat...
The combat menu replaces the adventure menu as soon as your character
is adjacent to a foe. Pressing the '1' button initiates an attack,
while '3' zaps your opponent with your currently active spell. The
name of the creature and special status information appears in the
info box. Combat ends when your character dies, chooses to retreat,
or defeats the opponent. Of course we are cheering for the latter,
but if you die…supernatural forces will intervene to return
you, minus some items looted from your corpse. When your character
wins, you get to do the looting.
Help & Hints
Combat
Combat begins when a monster is adjacent to your character. You
may attack the monster (press 1) or cast a spell (press 3). Sometimes
it is wiser to flee a battle. All movement options (the rocker button
or pressing 2, 4, 6, or 8) are allowed in combat.
Combat actions use up fatigue. Keep an eye on your fatigue level.
Tired fighters are less effective fighters.
Experience
You gain experience through successful use of skill. Status, updates
or progress of skills are available in the options menu, by selecting
skills and the specific skill you want to review. When you gain
enough experience your skill improves by a rank. When you gain 10
skill ranks your character goes up a level. When you gain a level
you get to permanently increase your stats.
Gift Items
Gift items can be given to trainers, who will give different amounts
of Aid based on how much they like the gift. Each dungeon contains
one gift item. Finding gift items will unlock new dungeons and thus
are the key to game progress. Search each dungeon well, and save
often. Note, gift items are found in the largest version of the
game, available on handsets such as the Nokia 3650 and 7650.
Items
Access items from the inventory menu (press 7 for options, then
select inventory). Four actions with items are available.
- You can drop any item.
- You can equip weapons and armor, which you must do to use them
in combat.
- You can learn a spell from a spell scroll, if you already have
the appropriate magic skill.
- You can activate all other items by using them.
Maps
The '*' button toggles the map display. Successive pressing of this
button will toggle between the in-play mini-map, the full dungeon
map, and no map during play.
Monsters
Monsters are always hostile. If you have an attack option on your
menu bar, then you are facing a monster. Pay attention to the name
of monsters as they appear; monsters which look alike can actually
have very different combat capabilities.
Monsters can follow you if you get close enough. If you are fleeing
a combat get several squares away before you stop.
Some monsters are difficult to see in their natural environment.
The better your perception skill the farther away you can see a
monster. If your perception is low, it is advisable to take some
time when peering into rooms. Perception and monster appearance
mechanics are found in the largest version of the game, available
on handsets such as the Nokia 3650 and 7650.
Movement
Movement is achieved through two methods:
Move by pressing 2 to move forward, 4 to step left, 6 to step right,
and 8 to step backward while still facing forward.
Use the rocker bottom to move forward, backward or turn to the left
and right.
Movement results in fatigue. As combat also results in fatigue
you are well advised to rest for a few seconds if your strength
is getting low.
Oracle
The Oracular altar has powers that allow you to recover safely.
It will also accept items in sacrifice. The more items you sacrifice
the more aid the oracle will give you, removing ailments or even
training you in new skills. The oracle appears in all games except
the largest version (such as the Nokia 3650 and 7650).
Spells
You cast a spell from the adventure menu by pressing 3. You may
only have one spell ready to cast at one time. You can change a
spell by pressing 5. This toggles through your available spells.
You can also push 7 and select the 'spells' option. This leads to
your list of spells. Select the spell you now want active. View
the information and then ready the spell.
Spells require magicka to cast. Camping or consumable items can
restore your magicka. Spell casting can also affect fatigue, so
stay rested.
Trainers
Trainers offer a key method to increase your current skills or teach
you valuable new ones. Not all trainers offer all skills, but one
of the game's four trainers will have the skill you need.
Trainers can be influenced by attempts to befriend them or threaten
them. Befriending is the better approach long term. Offering gift
items (found in the dungeon) increases chances of trainers working
with you. Trainers have their own preferences, so pay attention
when a trainer says he or she needs something.
Treasure Run
Certain squares trigger a timed challenge; find the corresponding
square on the same dungeon level and be rewarded with treasures
otherwise unavailable in the game. Making the treasure runs greatly
increases the power of your character. The treasure run is a feature
only available on the most compact version of the game, running
at least on the Sharp GX10 and Samsung A500.
Dawnstar (Help Specific to Dawnstar Game
Module)
Elemental Winter
The northern cold is not just bone chilling - it swirls with elemental
magic. Time spent away from camp increases a character's exposure
to the magic, while camping dispels the magic.
Elemental winter effects are simultaneously beneficial and harmful.
The harmful effects usually fade once a character camps.
Living frost is an item which absorb element winter magic. Unlike
characters, camping does not dispel the elemental magic in the frost.
Living frost becomes a powerful item for use against marauding monsters
when it has absorbed enough elemental winter magic.
Traitor
One of the four champions is a traitor, and you must uncover the
traitor. This problem is complicated by a few factors; the champions
and traitor are your source of training, and the traitor sometimes
lies. As the champions and traitor are your trainers, some diplomacy
is in order. Gift items go a long way to getting on their good side.
The traitor's lies can be overcome with careful questioning. Begin
with the clues Eustacia gives you. She is always correct. Verify
information with more than one champion. This will help distinguish
lies that can quickly identify the traitor.
Do not be too quick about revealing the traitor, even if you are
sure of his identity. Once unmasked, the traitor will make a desperate
attack upon Dawnstar, and you must be powerful enough to help repel
the attack.
Traitors are found in the largest version of the game, available
on handsets such as the Nokia 3650 and 7650.
Status Ailment Hints
What is a status ailment?
Some monsters can inflict effects beyond normal damage. On an exceptional
hit a monster might create a status ailment such as the following:
- Blind -- Your map disappears and your screen shifts to
black.
- Delusions -- Your are magically infected and attacked
by an improbably high number of monsters who, while the result
of your own delusions, can still kill you.
- Vampirisim -- Background goes to red, and your health
declines a little each second until you die or the ailment expires.
On the plus side you gain health for every monster you kill. So
go for blood.
There are other status ailments, but we will leave the, er, joy
of discovery to you.
How do I know I have a status ailment?
Some, such as blind, create visible changes in the screen. To check
to see whether or not you have a status ailment, press 7 and then
select the 'stats' option. There is a line which lists any status
ailments you might have.
How do I get rid of status ailments?
Ailment crystals will cure status ailments, one ailment per crystal.
Camping also gives you a 25% chance of recovering from a status
ailment, and Helga (on the 3650) or the Oracle (other phone models)
can cure you. |
