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Mr. Mechanical plays Daggerfall (NSF56k)

 
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Mr. Mechanical
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:14 pm    Post subject: Mr. Mechanical plays Daggerfall (NSF56k) Reply with quote

So if you've been following the "What games having you been playing lately?" thread then you recall that a few days ago I got Daggerfall to run on my computer via Doxbos. This is a first for me and I've wanted to check out this Daggerfall for a while now. I enjoyed Morrowind a good deal and was a bit disappointed by Oblivion and have totally fallen in love with Fallout 3 so I figure the time is right for me to take a good long look back and see just where Bethesda is coming from.

I've been playing the game off and on the past few days and taking screen captures all the while. What follows is the first post in what could potentially be many chronicling my adventures in the world of Daggerfall. Word of warning however, there are around 20+ images in this post so 56K internet connections will probably suffer a little. Sorry about that. Also this is my first time doing a "Chronicles of Play" type post where I actively try to take screen shots as I'm playing so this may seem a bit disjointed in spots as I kept having to remind myself to keep documenting the play experience.

Let's get started!


This is the overworld map of the game. Each region has its own towns, dungeons, etc. Since I've just made it out of the tutorial dungeon by this point I decide to head to the city of Daggerfall so I begin by clicking on the appropriate region.



From here I click the "Find" button and type in "Daggerfall", then choose the fast travel option. I forgot to take a capture of the menu telling me how much gold it would cost to travel and the method of travel I took. Oh well, another time I guess.



And poof! I arrive in Daggerfall and head outside to take a picture of the sign. Nothing is really happening at this point as I'm waiting around to receive a letter from an NPC.



It's snowing in Daggerfall so I feel a slight sense of melancholy and... ok no, it's just snowing. Soon after this I spot some people walking around so I decide to walk up to someone and initiate a dialogue.



Wow the dialogue menu is chock full of options! I navigate through my choice of topics and settle on asking where the Mages' Guild is located. Being mindful of my manners I check the "polite" box at the top since this woman doesn't seem particularly disposed to me interrupting her schedule and answering my questions. Just like in real life! Oh I kill me. She gives me a vague "north of here" type answer so I ask around a bit more until someone marks it on my map for me. However when I get there I have no way of entering the building so I assume I should go back to waiting around for the letter to arrive.



Eventually a courier arrives and without saying a word hands me the letter I've been waiting on. As you can see I named my character Zarathustra after the work by Nietzsche. I don't know why, exactly. I've had it on my computer for a couple years now and have never really read much past the first bit at the beginning there. I guess in this way now I can at least remind myself of the potentially more enriching options I have for entertainment at my fingertips while I trounce about and fritter away time in made up fantasy worlds.

I didn't take a capture of the second part of the letter because it's all pretty self explanatory. I'm to meet the NPC, a member of some royal family within the game it would appear, at a certain inn somewhere. I've only got a month of game time so I better be quick!

At this point I get confused and wander aimlessly around the city of Daggerfall for a while trying to find this inn and not being able to ask anybody as it doesn't show up in any of the lists of places to ask about in the dialogue menu. It finally occurs to me to open up my world map, click on that "Find" button, and just type in the name of the place I want to go and fast travel, which works.



Oh look there are horses in this part of town, that's something I haven't seen yet. Their tails flick about and such like real horses. I think I asked someone where to find the inn and they marked it on my map. It wasn't very far away.



This is the view of the inn from the outside. It's very clearly an inn or a tavern of sorts because it's got signage out front hanging over the door with a picture of a hearty mug of ale or whatever terminology seems appropriate. Let's head inside and see if we can't find this mysterious letter writer.



Ah, there she is. Classy type it seems like. Let's see what she has to say.



Oh the drama! A kingly ghost and the whispers of conspiracy, could there be anybody in the land who might be capable of unraveling the mystery? I tell Lady Brisienna that I'll take a look into the matter sometime and then quietly excuse myself.

Now I have the option of following the main quest by going to any of the locations Lady Brisienna mentioned and snooping around. I don't really feel like doing that right now. Instead I feel like finding a dungeon or something so I open up my world map, choose a region and a town at random, and hit the fast travel button.

Upon arrival I am greeted with this message:



Ha. This town is neat in that it looks different from Daggerfall and is in a different climate. I took a capture of me standing outside the entrance and looking in.



There are people walking around and I try talking to a few of them. I have a lot of armor and junk I got from fighting enemies in the opening tutorial dungeon so I think about looking around for a shop to sell it off, then decide to hold off on discovering the barter part of the game in favor of some more dungeon crawling.



The Crypts of Blarnka in the region of Lainlyn sounds enticing so I fast travel there.



Upon arrival I am greeted by a cemetery with a mausoleum. Could this be it?



I pull out my ebony dagger and begin to head on in. As you can see I set the game to full screen mode from within the game menu which made the HUD go all minimalistic. Now it's beginning to feel a LOT like Morrowind. I like minimal HUDs so I keep it this way from here on.



Once inside a I encounter a GIant Bat, much like the other Giant Bats I've fought up to this point. He goes down in a couple hits.



And is shortly followed up by a SECOND Giant Bat. I dispatch with him as easily as the first.

From this point I went down some stairs, took a turn, went down a hallway and into a circular room where I killed another bat. There were some coffins in the room which I presume had some remains in them. Thinking there was more to it than this I walk along the walls hitting the action key hoping to trigger a secret door but to no avail. I left that vault and fast traveled to another crypt in another region. It was largely the same experience with largely the same layout even although the second place was a little bigger. It had a circular room off to the side of regular path. I think there were just bats and maybe one thief in the second dungeon. When I went topside again it was nightfall and kind of pretty, in its own way.



Oh my god it's full of stars.

This is where I last stopped playing. I took a couple shots of my stat/inventory menus though so you all can see what my character looks like with all the random noobie armor I've found so far.



As you can tell I'm not trying to specialize too much with this character, instead preferring a more jack-of-all-trades approach (though I guess technically since he's a battlemage he's more suited to offensive magical attacks, though he's proficient enough in physical combat as well). He's got a magic attack that shocks enemies as well as spells that allow him to walk on water or slowly float down (for when he decides to jump off of buildings or something). He's also decent at short blades and archery. My only regret is that his armor options are a bit limited but I should be able to compensate with combat prowess. I'm still level 1 because I haven't checked into an inn and slept in a bed yet I guess.

My general impression so far is that this game is very ambitious and reminds me a lot of Morrowind. It actually makes me want to play Morrowind again but I'm not ready to do that because it would require me to hunt down all the worthwhile mods for the game to make it worth playing around with again. Until that day comes I have Daggerfall. Items on the future agenda include:
-Try to take more interesting screen shots, first of all.
-Find a Mages' Guild, join, and do some quests.
-Sleep in a bed so I can level.
-Sell all the loot and crap I've been carrying.
-Discover a dungeon that's bigger and more complex than the two I picked at random.
-Use magic more so I can build that skill up and make it worth having. What's the point of having a Battlemage if I'm not going to use his spells?
-And I guess if all else fails I can try following the main quest for a bit.

So this has been a pretty fun experience so far and the game still holds up pretty well if you're willing to be a little patient with it. So far it's shaping up to be one of those games where the more you put into it the more you get back, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. I don't know exactly where Daggerfall is on that scale for me just yet, but I'll find out by playing it some more. Till next time!
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dhex
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rock!

i still have my original disc and manual around here somewhere.
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Mr. Mechanical
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That link I posted in the other thread tells you how you can use your original game disc for playing the game via dosbox. Play Daggerfall with me dhex. Very Happy

I was playing earlier and I checked into a room at a tavern. Across the hall from my room was another room with a woman standing in it who looked quite a bit like a prostitute. Mostly because her boobage was very prominent and not covered up all that well. Sadly there were no "May I sleep with you for money?" dialogue options. Sad
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Free ride!
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

your link just runs to: http://www.gamersquarter.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=77873#77873
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dhex wrote:
your link just runs to: http://www.gamersquarter.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=77873#77873


So it does. Sorry about that.

http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=18778&highlight=&sid=65b341b90a185cead3a9686f5ab6b879

Should be the proper link.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've always heard that Daggerfall makes Morrowind look tiny. I'd like to play it, but old blocky first person games often make me sick. Don't suppose there are any graphics patches around?
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 7:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Swimmy wrote:
I've always heard that Daggerfall makes Morrowind look tiny. I'd like to play it, but old blocky first person games often make me sick. Don't suppose there are any graphics patches around?


Get the DaggerWind mod.
You need Morrowind installed to run it. (Along with Daggerfall)
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 06, 2009 7:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm so glad you decided to do this. This is fantastic; I could read an encyclopedia-sized collection of books that contained nothing but screenshots and people's game-journals.

So is the game running in 256 colours, then? It really has a unique look to it. I'm utterly fascinated how with such rudimentary technology, such a rich world was created. If I had played this at the time, it would have been an experience I likely wouldn't forget. Really impressive.
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Mr. Mechanical
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As far as I know yes, this is the game in 256 colors. It really is something to behold and at times it is even quite lovely. At times.

I have another batch of images I'm about to start uploading. My second report will be ready soon!
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So it's been a few days and I've been busy with real life stuff like school and being sick for a day there (very unpleasant business, that) but I have not forgotten my quest to delve into the world of Daggerfall until my curiosity has been fully sated. This playthrough proved slightly less productive than the last, which would have not been so true had I remembered to save my game more often. Anyway, onwards!



When I last started up again I decided to travel to the town of Aldway, picked at random.



It should be no surprise by now that Aldway is your typical Daggerfall town.



My first order of business is to sell off some of this armor I'm still carrying around. I inquire as to where I can do this and apparently there is only one shop in town. Aldway is a pretty small town then.



Yep, pretty small indeed. The yellow dot is me, looks like the store was right across the way.



When I get there I try to take a nice shot of the outside in keeping with my goal of taking better screenshots. The result is arguably debatable.



Upon entering I find a store not unlike others I have already been in. The old chap running the place however is different, despite standing in exactly the same spot as the guy in the other store.



Clicking through some menus I finally vendor all the stuff I can. Apparently he only buys the miscellaneous stuff from me and not all the armor I'm still carrying. I make a mental note to find an armorer sometime in the future. For now 195 gold isn't too bad a deal so I accept.



After hocking my wares I decide to stop by the nearby tavern and get a room since that's something I haven't done yet. I think I was trying to level up by sleeping a bed, however the act of actually sleeping in the bed did nothing for me so maybe I am just not ready to level.



In the other room I encounter this woman dressed in a rather racy outfit. This was back in the days before videogames had ratings so developers could get away with stuff like this and... oh who am I kidding they still get away with stuff like that and beyond (God of War, anyone?).

A busty female stereotype. The mark of a truly mature piece of entertainment. Er, let's move on.



Just another outdoor shot of Aldway. Nothing too spectacular. After taking this one I turned the game off and didn't touch it for a while (see: school, sickness, etc.). When I returned I found time in the game seemed to be passing at a rate somewhat similar to time in the real world.



See? It's a different holiday or whatever now. I like the bits of worldbuilding they do with these kinds of messages. Note the "annual tax raising" or however it's referred to. Funny.



Right about here I decide to travel to the town of Glenpoint in the region of Glenpoint. I figure if the town is named after the region then it'll be large to have various guilds. My goal of joining the mages' guild still fresh on my mind, I hit the travel button.



View from inside the gate. I like the tower right there and that's a lovely treeline off in the distance.



After speaking to some of the locals I find the mages' guild. My only problem is that it's not open at the moment. However I didn't figure this out until after I tried climbing the walls and finding an entrance from above.



Oops! Looks like climbing around on top of the guild was a bad idea as now I seem to have fallen through the ceiling. Technically I'm inside the building but not really.



Here's another shot from "inside". I tried climbing back out but that was a no go. I was forced to exit my game and restart.

Exiting allowed me to do a quick google search to find out what time the guild is actually open. Upon restarting I try waiting outside the guild and end up getting arrested for vagrancy. I plead guilty and was dropped off outside the city limits. I then walked back to the guild, but not before renting a room at the tavern across the street. Then I was able to wait until the guild was open.



I meet this guy on entering. I speak to him about joining and he tells me I'm qualified, so I join. Then I take a quest from him. He gives me a location and an objective: Go to X and bring back Y. Hooray. Time to open up the map and hit the fast travel button again.



Hey this place isn't just a simple crypt. Looks like I've finally found my first "real" dungeon. Also check that sweet rain effect.



I've got options this time. Do I go left or right? This is a shot of me looking at the entrance with my back to the left option. I decide to head right.



Pretty soon I hit another juncture. Do I keep going straight or do I head down? Choices, choices. I decide to head down.



I encounter a monk who isn't too friendly. I figure this is a good time to try taking him out with magic so I open up my spellbook to select my only combat spell.



That's what he looks like. I am out of magic after two or three casts and don't notice it until it's too late. He kills me as I'm trying to run away. I could have probably survived this fight had I also not been trying to take a screenie of me successfully casting a spell and him getting hit by it.

Also I realize I haven't saved my game since after arriving in Glenpoint. Whoops. Time to go back to waiting for the guild to open again. When it does I join again and take another quest. This one is different and seems much simpler. I go to the place and head inside, where I encounter another monk which I quickly kill with my ebony dagger.



Then I come to this locked door. Not having any lock pick skills my only option is to attack the door until it opens, which works.



After making my way through the door I come upon a hole in the floor. I end up dropping through it but apparently I am "snagged" on the side of the wall. From there the game glitches again and I'm am suddenly inside the walls/ceilings, able to look down into the other rooms in the dungeons. I move around a bit and manage to take the shot above of an interesting looking spot.



Then I fall/slide down, down, down into the black abyss below the level. At this point I decide to quit again.

So what have I learned this time? Well, first of all SAVE OFTEN. Yes, I probably could have saved myself a bit of trouble if I had just remembered to save every once in a while. I also learned that the mages' guild is only open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm, which was handy and something I will have to remember next time I play as I completely forgot to save my game after joining. Twice.

Let's see, what other impressions do I have? Well, getting stuck inside walls and such is amusing, that's for sure. Not so amusing when you're actually trying to play the game, however. Something I'll have to be more careful about in the future I guess.

So, yep. I guess that's about it for now. I hope this is an entertaining to others as it is to me.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

awesome. i'll try to get it running later this week.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice game log. It's almost as though I'm playing the game, but without having to put up with actually playing the game.

Daggerfall looks interesting, and I've heard good things about it, but some things would probably annoy me, such as the bleak wilderness when compared to more recent titles. Having a massive world is nice, but if it's mostly empty space, travelling through it might become tedious.

I've been installing some Oblivion mods recently, and will probably start up a new game soon. I haven't played it very much since the month or so following its release, partly due to a number of gameplay flaws. I decided to wait until the modding community had a chance to fix them, which they largely have. Now, there are a number of well established mods designed to remedy most issues I had with the game, and others that simply add to its realism.

Mr. Mechanical wrote:
Technically I'm inside the building but not really.

Bethesda releasing something with game-breaking bugs? Never!
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