Story about 4 insectoid mages

[Dr.Disaster]

I think playing with just Mages is quite a bit more challenging than other party build's especially for a first play through! (or past level 6 as you were saying)

Actually it's more challenging until level 6. By the time an all mages party reaches level 6 at least the Fire/Earth/Ice users have access to their long range attacks plus 25% faster cast. So it get's easier around that time but you STILL need to be on our toes when facing multiple or real strong enemies.

Evading monsters is a primary task. For example my mages always walk around with their caster interface open and a spell ready to be fired. When a monster shows up it usually goes "Ice"->"Poison"->"Fire"->"Lightning". This way all mages get their experience share. If that monster is really fast, i tend to spare "Poison" so i can side-step without running into my own poison cloud. If a monster can take all 4 spells and keeps on coming it's evasion and preparation time for the next round of spells. This means evade the monster while opening all 4 caster interfaces and preseting all spells again. Only when this is done i return to fighting the baddies.

[Orthocone]

Evading monsters is a primary task. For example my mages always walk around with their caster interface open and a spell ready to be fired. When a monster shows up it usually goes "Ice"->"Poison"->"Fire"->"Lightning". This way all mages get their experience share. If that monster is really fast, i tend to spare "Poison" so i can side-step without running into my own poison cloud. If a monster can take all 4 spells and keeps on coming it's evasion and preparation time for the second round of spells. This means evade the monster while opening all 4 caster interfaces and preseting all spells again. Only when this is done i return to fighting the baddies.

That's exact the way I play it.

The difference is I use Fire and Lightning first. It seems to me, the enemies are thrown back a little if these spells hit, followed by Poison and Ice. Evade is easy if there not to much groups. But if you fall through a pit into a room with 3 or 4 groups it's difficult. Mostly the groups are mixed (close and range combat) and you have very little room to navigate. You need luck too. I don't think those guys are every time you play at the same position. If you fell down close to two archers an two warriors ...

You've lost about half of the HP from the fall and you must immidiatly make the right decisions without any fault. That's why I prefer a PAUSE-Key over reloading. <Pause> gives you a chance to make the right decisions (it's not cheating IMO, because you are playing four characters with one player). You need time to give everyone the right orders.

I always walk with opened caster interface if possible.Sometimes it's the one and only way. But unfortunatly you don't see the damage you suffer from a fall or from poison then. You see a number flashing for a short time if there is damage, but that's not enough. Luckily the interface remembers the spells you programmed even if you close the interface then.


Edit:
I had a sudden inspiration. What if you use the warrior at level 4 (Beast and ????) to train? Maybe you need a week or two but you can get easy 3 levels I think. Not very motivating but it will make the party stronger.

[Dr.Disaster]

Once Ice Bolt is able to freeze monsters on a more regular basis you'll see why my mages go Ice->Poison first.

I had a sudden inspiration. What if you use the warrior at level 4 (Beast and ????) to train? Maybe you need a week or two but you can get easy 3 levels I think. Not very motivating but it will make the party stronger.

You can do that but it's not needed. Just make sure they all get a hit in so all mages get full instead of half experience .

Edit for a reference: my mages had
about 10k exp when reaching level 4
14..15k exp when reaching level 5
about 20k exp when reaching level 6

[Komag]

This story has prompted me to start my own 4 insectoid mage party, playing on hard! I'm training them in each of the four elements, we'll see how it goes.

[Orthocone]

IMO it''s impossible to solve the game without reloading. I made it to level 7 but felt into a pit with lots of pressure plates and two cells with spiders and crabs. I made it to a lever, pulled it because the was no telepoter and the cells open. 2 spiders and crab killed the party. I was not able to evade, not to step on the plates (poison damage) and fight simultaniously. I even couldn't solve some puzzles even If I know what to do. For me it's too fast.

That's not my kind of rpg.

Sorry for ending my story so abruptly. The game looked good at the beginning, even half of level 6 you had a chance. But now this rpg becomes more and more an arcade game. I wanted to know what lies before me. I read the Game-Banshee-Walkthru. My experience from level seven combined with the information of this page let me decide to stop the game.

It's only stress not fun now.

If there is a Part 2 with a little more RPG (handling and abilities) and less arcade features I'll be back.

[Komag]

I know that room well, that pit with all the pressure plates and poison bolts, it's one of the hardest sections of the game. Only after loading about 10 times did I find a way to navigate it unharmed, very tricky and fast. But like all pits, you can just skip it if you like. I think most of the game will be easier than that area.

[Dr.Disaster]

IMO it''s impossible to solve the game without reloading.

As long as you don't know what's ahead that's a bit much to ask of a real-time game.

I made it to level 7 but felt into a pit with lots of pressure plates and two cells with spiders and crabs. I made it to a lever, pulled it because the was no telepoter and the cells open. 2 spiders and crab killed the party. I was not able to evade, not to step on the plates (poison damage) and fight simultaniously. I even couldn't solve some puzzles even If I know what to do. For me it's too fast.

The pit you refer to is - like several others in the game - completely optional and it's neither the first nor last (or worst) with monsters inside. Granted, 2 spiders and 2 crabs in a room you can't manover safely is a bit rough. But the monsters were locked-up first and you had the chance to rest and heal completly before pulling that level. Since it's the only thing you can do there beside steping on all those pressure plates and picking up a special piece of loot mages can't use it wasn't hard to guess that that lever would open the doors and release the monsters. PLUS: you could have raised a Poison Shield right after observing what happens after steping on those plates.

Also by the time you get there an all mages party is able to deal with 2 spiders and 2 crabs. I just checked back with my mage party when they entered level 6 because when they entered level 7 they had trained quiet a bit. They trashed the 3 spiders at the entrance with 2 spells each plus the ogre who joined in the fight. No casualties, just minor damage and only my lightning mage exhausted his energy pool before the ogre died. A crab i got right after that died by eating 6 spells: 2 Frostbolt, 2 Poison Bolt, 1 Fireball, 1 Lightning Bolt.