Arcanum - worth a punt?

[Neanderthal]

Keep seeing Arcanum mentioned around here, I think I played demo back when it came out but I never played full thing, is it worth doing so? I know it's got pedigree, with Cain, Anderson and lads from Fallout but is it a must play as your top 50 seems to say? If so is there any good or needed mods, or should I go bareback first time? Gotta admit I watched Avellone playing and it seemed a bit so so, though fucking hilarious.

Cheers,

Neanderthal.

 

[Kem0sabe]

It's a great world with some interesting lore and characters, but the combat and the mediocre content midway through will end up dissapointing you.

 

[Jaesun]

 

[Neanderthal]

I've heard it's either rt or turn based, assume latter is better?

 

[Konjad]

Hey Drog, yes, Arcanum is a great game.

 

[Anthedon]

https://af.gog.com/forum/arcanum_of...tches_widescreen_and_more/page1?as=1649904300 for patch stuff. There's also a thread with maps etc. around here somewhere, not that I can find it right now.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

Pros: Great setting, writing, role system, crafting.

Cons: Shitty combat; a lot of bugs (most of which were fixed by you, Drog)

 

[Neanderthal]

That schematic one a few pages back? Had a look in there and it seemed a bit spoilery so I backed out.

Why am I a Drog, is this like a Droog from Clockwork Orange?

 

[Somberlain]

Nice try, Drog.

 

[Neanderthal]

Ooooookay, i'm off to GOG.

 

[Neanderthal]

Oh I get it now, this were bloke who did the unofficial patch, assume it's a running meme when Arcanum's mentioned.

Got to say i'm enjoying this, finally settled on an Elf, raised in circus and bit of a swordsman. Adding some spells now though, like the speak with dead thing, and harm's bloody useful. Think i'm going to go to this Durnholm place, got a couple of quests there by looks of it. The string quartet is really growing on me.

Is there any way to keep that Dwarf alive who looks after the steam engine in Shrouded Hills? Feel a right bastard offing the dumb fucker.

 

[Tigranes]

Magic is probably the way to guarantee you enjoy your first playthrough; after that, tech/guns/etc offer a much more complicated and unique experience. Teleportation (Conveyance 5) will eliminate the pain of trudging back and forth, Harm is an OP gamewinner which can help you not get frustrated with the combat when you don't know the ropes. You should wander round wherever you feel like - there's a number of gating mechanics (mostly, that huge unnatural mountain range) anyway.

Sans spoilers, just make sure you're prepared before the BMC mines. As a magic user you will have a relatively easy time, but I'd still recommend couple scrolls of exiting (sold in magic shops), and dozens of healing/fatigue potions, a couple backup swords/weapons.

The Dwarf is dead if you decided to sabotage the thing. Live with your consequences of feeling like a bastard. There will be plenty more such cases coming.

 

[Jick Magger]

 

[GuiltyofBeingTrite]

Everyone should play it simply because Tarant is pretty much the best RPG city ever, I can't think of something that comes close off the top of my head, Sigil I guess but that seems like an unfair comparison because of its size and all the different zones.

 

[MilesBeyond]

It's got the worst combat of any RPG I've ever played, but aside from that it's absolutely stellar (er, with the unofficial patch, that is). Even the combat doesn't seem so bad because the million and one different ways to build your character means that you'll often be excited to try out something new in battle - even if the execution of that leaves much to be desired.

Incredibly interesting gameworld, an excellent story (though it takes a while to get rolling...), a staggering amount of options for character creation and customization, a ton of different ways to complete your objectives, the best RPG soundtrack ever bar none, and the way every inch of the game just radiates charm all combine to make it one of the most enjoyable RPGs out there.

As an aside, has anyone managed to get it working on Windows 8.1? It's laggy as hell for me, and I couldn't find any solutions (though that was a few months back so it may have changed).

 

[Tigranes]

It's got the worst combat of any RPG I've ever played, but aside from that it's absolutely stellar (er, with the unofficial patch, that is). Even the combat doesn't seem so bad because the million and one different ways to build your character means that you'll often be excited to try out something new in battle - even if the execution of that leaves much to be desired.

Incredibly interesting gameworld, an excellent story (though it takes a while to get rolling...), a staggering amount of options for character creation and customization, a ton of different ways to complete your objectives, the best RPG soundtrack ever bar none, and the way every inch of the game just radiates charm all combine to make it one of the most enjoyable RPGs out there.

As an aside, has anyone managed to get it working on Windows 8.1? It's laggy as hell for me, and I couldn't find any solutions (though that was a few months back so it may have changed).

You haven't played Ultima 7 then?

I don't know why you'd use Windows 8, but check
http://af.gog.com/forum/arcanum_of_...obscura/windows_8_solved/post51?as=1649904300

 

[Ninjerk]

The forbidden fruit must be tasted

 

[Florian Gheorghe]

I started to play again but with unofficial patch and higher res. I reached Tarant and can't believe my eyes how beautiful the city is. It's 10 times more alive then Dyrewood. The sense of exploration is much better then any other RPG : you actually click on the post with the name of the store and the map remembers that.
I also prefer much more a world that is not prerendered and it's made of objects that you can actually interact with.
The way dialogue is implemented is much better then occupying half of the screen but it could use bigger fonts.
I don't think we will get a better RPG then this game any time soon. No one bother to create such an immersive experience any more. Now it's all about open world with minimal C&C.

 

[Jigawatt]

Why am I a Drog, is this like a Droog from Clockwork Orange?

Jolly good show, classic Drog

 

[Florian Gheorghe]

It's got the worst combat of any RPG I've ever played, but aside from that it's absolutely stellar (er, with the unofficial patch, that is). Even the combat doesn't seem so bad because the million and one different ways to build your character means that you'll often be excited to try out something new in battle - even if the execution of that leaves much to be desired.

Incredibly interesting gameworld, an excellent story (though it takes a while to get rolling...), a staggering amount of options for character creation and customization, a ton of different ways to complete your objectives, the best RPG soundtrack ever bar none, and the way every inch of the game just radiates charm all combine to make it one of the most enjoyable RPGs out there.

As an aside, has anyone managed to get it working on Windows 8.1? It's laggy as hell for me, and I couldn't find any solutions (though that was a few months back so it may have changed).

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/want-to-replay-arcanum-what-mods-shd-i-get.82492/ search for Shryke post.

 

[Tigranes]

I started to play again but with unofficial patch and higher res. I reached Tarant and can't believe my eyes how beautiful the city is. It's 10 times more alive then Dyrewood. The sense of exploration is much better then any other RPG : you actually click on the post with the name of the store and the map remembers that.
I also prefer much more a world that is not prerendered and it's made of objects that you can actually interact with.
The way dialogue is implemented is much better then occupying half of the screen but it could use bigger fonts.
I don't think we will get a better RPG then this game any time soon. No one bother to create such an immersive experience any more. Now it's all about open world with minimal C&C.

The only flaw with Tarant is that it looks like a copypasta of Shack #3 from Fallout 1... but then, in many ways, it's supposed to look that way, for good reason. And what a bitch it is to get around, especially once you become too magical. (for those playing with high res, you can change one line to turn off the scrolling limitations, which mitigates a lot of Arcanum's PITA pathfinding issues.)

I'm still amazed by how it handles having a gentleman's club, a brothel, two crystal ball madams, a press office, a university, a library, a hall of records, a factory warehouse, a night shelter style hovel... and manages to use all of them in some quest or other.

 

[Diggfinger]

Keep seeing Arcanum mentioned around here, I think I played demo back when it came out but I never played full thing, is it worth doing so? I know it's got pedigree, with Cain, Anderson and lads from Fallout but is it a must play as your top 50 seems to say? If so is there any good or needed mods, or should I go bareback first time? Gotta admit I watched Avellone playing and it seemed a bit so so, though fucking hilarious.

Cheers,

Neanderthal.

Arcanum is best game evaah alongside Fallout 3 1.
I think must of the bugs have been squashed out by various patches. Granted, the tech/magick system is still quite unbalanced, and I wager that you will need a guide/walkthrough to discover all the nooks and crannies of this huge game.

Just get the resolution patch and the graphics looks awesome too.

Enjoy this classic!

 

[Caconym]

I don't think we will get a better RPG then this game any time soon. No one bother to create such an immersive experience any more. Now it's all about open world with minimal C&C.

I don't know about this "better" thang, but still, in Styg and Vault Dweller we trust.

 

[hivemind]

arcanum is an okay to good game

the atmosphere, characters and setting make up for the terrible combat and simplistic plot

worth a play through or two but I don't think it belongs to the top RPG echelons

 

[Animal]

Combat is not that bad.

 

[Florian Gheorghe]

First thing I noticed using the latest patch is that I can no longer lockpick everything at night. Guards are moving very fast around buildings . Such a shame what happened to Troika. Imagine them lasting longer....imagine Arcanum 2