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Arcanum: Backgrounder

This blog is all about Arcanum and updates...

Just another Game Review

Posted by arcanum-of-steamworks-and-magick-obscura at 10:49 AM on February 24, 2009


ARCANUM
PC

There's one problem with role playing games and it's one I've been waiting to see solved for ages. When playing historic or fantasy genre RPG, I always get into a situation that a sword or bow and arrow won't solve. A shotgun on the other hand, now that would work like a charm. Likewise with futuristic settings for these games sometimes your trusty laser gun just won't cut the mustard but a dirty great fireball cast from your fingertips has untold possibilities. It always seems that in these games you can only have one or the other, but never both. That's where Arcanum comes in. Set at a time when technology is just beginning to take off in an industrial revolution powered by the new steam engine, the society is similar to that of Victorian England with individual classes of people and a set sociological order. But there is more than one race thrown into this mix. Elves, Dwarfs, Gnomes, Orcs, Ogres and Halflings live alongside humans with a degree of cross breeding between races. Into this already crowded world now come the magickers, those who can use the arcane arts. From the outset it is more than apparent that this is an exceedingly rich world to play in and one that you can immerse yourself in completely. As with all role play games you get the opportunity right at the start of the game to create your character. The amount of options available are far too numerous to mention but with a very limited number of character points to spend at the start, your choice of how to spread the points is crucial. The choice of one skill over another or one spell instead of another will alter the way you approach even the earliest of encounters. The advancement system is very simple and based around the now familiar points system. Game play is very similar to many other games within the role play genre. Completely mouse-based, the game is controlled with a simple point and click system. The different screens displaying skills, weapons, tools and spells are all simple to navigate and require little time to get used to. The story line is complex with many sub plots and additional missions or quest available along the way. The NPC (non player characters) are greatly varied and well scripted, with a very real sense of depth apparent in every community you come across, from small villages to large cities. The graphics are well done with attention to little details only increasing the desire to see more. The effects of such things as the spells are great, each is unique and worth casting just to watch the fireworks! Explosions, animations and movies are all done with a real touch of class and always in keeping with the world in which they are set. Some of the NPC have scripted dialog that will be played as speech rather than text only and the voices always fit the characters, adding an extra level of realism and drawing you in a little deeper. Other sounds such as those of battle, general effects and environmental sounds are nothing to write home about but never bad or out of place and again aid in the immersion of the game. The combination of both old and new worlds to create Arcanum is nothing less than inspired especially with the depth that this game has. I love the fact that it is entirely possible to leap into battle against a group of no-good scumbags with a large and very sharp sword in one hand and an entire encyclopaedia's worth of spells to cast with the other. Then, having killed the majority of bad guys, you can sheath your sword and shoot the fleeing deviants in the back with something resembling an elephant gun. Add to this the rich and vibrant world populated with many interesting people and you're onto a real winner. This game will give the role play enthusiasts real entertainment and those new to the genre no better place to start. Even after many hours of playing I can find nothing so bad with the game as to make me want to write about it. Although the actual play of the game is nothing new and there are few surprises for those that have played many role play games, I feel that this game will last and holds much re-playability. I like Arcanum, it's an immersing RPG with excellent graphics, a large and detailed gaming world, satisfying game play and an ingenious mixture of magic, swords and guns. If you enjoyed playing such games as Balder's Gate or the Fallout Series then this is a must have title.

Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura: Getting Started

Posted by arcanum-of-steamworks-and-magick-obscura at 09:35 AM on February 15, 2009

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Arcanum Of Steamworks And Magick Obscur I would never pretend to tell you what type of character to create, especially in a game where you have as much free reign as this one. Choosing a male or female character doesn't make much difference, except female characters have less choices in the race category. You might as well choose a background to make your character a little more interesting, but be careful not to choose one that loads up a single stat at the expense of many others unless you really want your character to be unbalanced. Whether you choose to specialise in technology or magick, or even play the middle road, it matters not. You should be able to complete the game with all character types. Having said that, let it be noted that Melee or Magick specialists have it a lot easier than those who choose the way of Guns. Also, be sure to consider the likes of Persuasion as a favoured skill. It's good to have the option of being able to talk your way around combat every so often. One other thing to consider at character creation time: dwarves make lousy magicians because it costs them twice as much Fatigue as any other race to cast a spell!

Unfortunately, multi-faceted characters are hard to build, due to the scarcity of points; a gun-slinging gambler won't reach his full potential until too late into the game to fully enjoy either skill. The game rewards improving stats above all else, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does limit experimentation somewhat. Also, the numerous unfriendly encounters means points spent on combat usually pay off more than skills spent in role-playing categories, such as haggling or persuasion. You may need to build several characters before finding the perfect fit.

Do yourself an enormously big favour and make sure to purchase a set of Lockpicks from the virtual shopkeeper at character creation time. I couldn't find any merchants who would sell them, and without them you can't pick a lock on even the lowliest chest. Having said that, if you don't have a set of Lockpicks, you can usually bash open locked containers (and doors!) instead. To do this, first make sure you remove all valuable weapons from both your own and your followers' weapons slots (using weapons to bash damages them unnecessarily). Enter Combat Mode, then Alt+Click on the container or door. Your followers will join in the fun! You will find Lockpicks here and there eventually, but it's handy to have a set from the start.

I Play DOTA too.

Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura: Game Mechanics

Posted by arcanum-of-steamworks-and-magick-obscura at 09:32 AM on February 15, 2009

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Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Of all the stats, Dexterity (DX) is perhaps the most important. Firstly, it boosts your Armour Class (AC), making you more difficult to hit in combat. But even more importantly, it directly affects your Speed. The number of attacks you get per combat turn (assuming a high speed weapon) is roughly DX/2, so once you get your DX up to 20, you're getting in at least 10 attacks per turn, maybe even more if you're not encumbered at all (each level of encumberance deducts 2 from your Speed, so it's best to travel lightly yourself. Load up your followers with the heavy stuff). And finally, DX is the stat that governs how far you can advance in Bow, Dodge, Melee, and Throwing. These are the most important combat related skills.

In order to use an item in your inventory, just drag it over the 'hand' icon to the right of your inventory. If it's a usable item, the icon turns green and you can drop it on the hand icon (if it's not usable, the icon turns red). When you drop it on the hand icon, one of two things happens:

You'll wind up reading the item if it is a book, note, newspaper, etc.
Your cursor turns a different colour, and you are returned to the game world. The next object or creature that you click on will have that item applied to it. This is how you can use scrolls and potions on followers, creatures, and even yourself.

Getting out of town onto the World Map can sometimes be an anxiety-inducing affair. Usually, you just have to travel far enough out of town. You know you've reached the right spot when the map icon on the top left of your screen turns into a blue globe! Below, I've marked each important location with it's World Map coordinates, as you can find most places simply by wandering close to them. Sometimes people will tell you the location of an important place, and this puts it on your World Map. In a few cases, you can ONLY find a place if someone puts it on your World Map.

After dispatching all your foes in battle, just right-click to exit combat mode. Any followers you have along with healing skills will automatically begin the process of healing you. Speaking of which, if you get tired of waiting for someone's Fatigue to recharge, a handy trick is to just advance the time 1 hour using the Sleep menu.

Magical Chests and other such caches usually contain RANDOM magickal items. I've only bothered to document the items that are always at a particular location. Most often, these always-present items are 'hexed' (evil).

Combat is by far the easiest way to gain XP in this game. Just wandering around on the World Map for a while and beating up on whatever attacks you will often result in you going up a level before you even know it. Characters attempting to take a diplomatic route through will find it to be very hard going indeed, as the XP gained in solving quests pales in significance to that obtained by just killing things. Anyway, you need to be quite adept at either Melee or Magick to even complete most of the quests. You simply cannot talk your way around monsters no matter how high your Intelligence (IN) is, or how good your Persuasion skills are!

If you try to lug around all the interesting objects you find, even if you share the load with your followers, you'll soon find yourself running out of space and/or becoming encumbered. The best solution I found was to store spare items in the dressers of the inn rooms you stay at. No one seems to ever touch anything you store there! On a related note, you can store large items in your hotkey slots, without limit to the size of the item (but its weight still registers in your inventory).

A caution about schematics: just because you bought a schematic and you have the 2 ingredients necessary to make a new item doesn't mean you'll succeed! For instance, early on in the game I bought a Bullets schematic. But I soon found out that you need a lot more than Saltpetre and Charcoal to make Bullets. You also need to be quite a few rungs up the ladder in the Explosives technological discipline. So it is with a lot of schematics you find or buy. In a lot of cases you must have expertise in more than one discipline to be able to combine the items, so beware.

When you pickpocket someone for their Gold, you only get 100 coins per successful attempt no matter how much they have on them. I reckon this is fair, otherwise the game would be too unbalanced in the favour of thieves.

Wherever you go in your travels, always make sure to pump any bartender you find for info. They always know what's going on in the area, and their info is free. Bartenders can usually train you as an Expert in Gambling and Haggle.

Nearly all shopkeepers will train you as an Apprentice in Haggle.

Disclaimer: in order to train as an Apprentice or Expert in whatever skill, you need only fork out some cash. Usually, this is in the order of 100 Gold for Apprentice, and 500 for Expert. However, in order to train as a Master, you have to have spent 5 points on the skill, and be at Expert level. The Master will then give you a quest, which should you successfully complete, he/she will then grant you the rank of Master. Now... in bringing this guide to you, I was prepared to play all the way through Arcanum only so many times. Therefore, I couldn't spend enough points to attain Master level in every skill (and to be honest, I'm not even remotely interested in skills like Repair or Haggle), so I couldn't document the final quest to become Master in most cases; however, I usually can tell you at least who the Master trainer is for a particular skill.

You could enjoy the game while you are eatinghealthyfoodstuffs.

Eat healthy to avoid diseases.

Arcanum of Steamworks and Magic Obscura: Gameplay

Posted by arcanum-of-steamworks-and-magick-obscura at 09:30 AM on February 15, 2009

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Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Gameplay is a mixture of the familiar and the new. Fans of the Fallout series will recognize Tim Cain's touch as project lead for Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. Fights happen in conventional real-time or turn-based formats, although the later makes battles much more manageable. Travel across Arcanum takes place on a Fallout-styled map, standard fare that works well. The ability to combine found items into powerful weapons through the use of schematics is an example of the features that revolutionize gameplay. There are literally hundreds of magical, technical, and mundane items to aid you, almost to the point of sensory overload.

          With the familiar RPG format comes the usual shortfalls. Rather than a plot with entirely different paths to follow, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura provides different ways to accomplish the same goal. Granted, actions and alignment change the NPC responses, but eventually you still battle the same end boss, be it with magic, technology, or words. The many side quests available add a bit of variety, but distract from the main story. Computer AI is nominally better than similar games, but party members have a tendency to rush headlong into battle, requiring you to rescue them more than a hero should.

          It is worth noting that the Sierra On-Line website message boards are filled with a segment of players who have problems running the game despite meeting system requirements. One note of caution for those with space limitations on the hard drive: the game requires a whopping minimum of 1.2GB of install space. Regular upgrades, updates, designer notes and mod-builder (world editor) information is available at both the developer and publisher sites.

          While gameplay shines with a treasure trove of options and customization, the graphics vary in quality. The urban and sylvan areas are nicely designed locations filled with attractive architecture. Items on the ground, however, may require serious hunting and clicking, especially in the dark dungeons and sewers, but, as in Fallout, they highlight when the cursor finds them. The introductory movie sequence establishes the atmosphere, but later animations are missing. Showing the classic steam engine marvel, the locomotive, pulling away from station the first time would have been worth watching.

           Sounds are fully realized, masterfully combining effects and music. The soundtrack moves appropriately from soothing and haunting to frantic. Gun reports and resonating spells emphasize the battle lines drawn between technology and magic, and growling animals and death squeals seem realistic.

            Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura is reminiscent of Shadowrun, full of the adventure and intrigue. New features and a solid storyline should keep even the most veteran players busy for quite sometime. While the game isn't flawless, it surpasses most competitors in the genre, and holds up well in the field of fantasy adventuring.

Gameplay Screenshots

Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura: Storyline

Posted by arcanum-of-steamworks-and-magick-obscura at 09:23 AM on February 15, 2009

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Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

         Most RPG genres, such as fantasy and futuristic science fiction, are cloyed with clichéd storylines and boring action. Of the remaining few, the most underused is arguably the "steam-punk" style, an 1800's world fashioned after the industrialized British era where fantastic and complicated technology is powered by steam. Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura delves into the Victorian vault to posit a world where technology and magic vie for dominance in an archaic, yet sophisticated environment. Those wanting to take a break from the slew of fantasy games on the market will benefit by looking to the past and entering the world of Arcanum.

          After surviving a horrific zephyr crash, the main character is proclaimed as "The Living One," a holy reincarnate, by one of the first people he meets. Thus begins the epic tale of your passage from survivor to savior in the land of Arcanum. It is a long and arduous journey, fraught with many perils ranging from exotic animals and expert assassins. In time, your character develops in strength and knowledge before finally facing the otherworldly enemy threatening the entire population.

Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura: Introduction

Posted by arcanum-of-steamworks-and-magick-obscura at 09:15 AM on February 15, 2009

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Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Developer: Troika Games
Publisher: Sierra

The first release by developer Troika Games, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura follows many of the well-established conventions of third-person 2D role-playing games. Features like the isometric view and even the red and blue health and energy meters will be immediately familiar to veterans of games like Diablo. The real-time/turn-based combat system seems essentially similar to that of Baldur's Gate.

But Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura breaks away from the RPG crowd in its storyline and game world. Instead of a traditional fantasy or futuristic sci-fi setting, Arcanum of Steamworks and Magic obscura blends the two, creating a world in which flintlock pistols are as common as magical swords. Humans, Dwarves, Orcs and Elves must stay wary as technology and magic coexist and compete to unexpected, sometimes tumultuous consequences. The open character development structure in Arcanum should allow most role-players the freedom to explore this unique world as they please, through a comfortable, familiar interface.

Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura is one of the most innovative RPGs to have been released since Fallout, which is no surprise given that its creators were part of the original Fallout team. The quirky blend of technology, magick, and the 'steampunk' setting remeniscent of our own 1800's make for interesting fare indeed. If this is the first RPG you've ever attempted, then be warned: it is quite a difficult game. Figuring out what you have to do to complete a quest is one thing; being able to accomplish it is another thing altogether. However, with this guide at your disposal, hopefully your objectives may be made that little bit clearer, and you can kick back and enjoy this fantastic game.

By the way, it's best to ignore what a lot of the mainstream gaming sites said about Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. They were largely over-critical. Sure, the graphics are nothing to write home about, and the interface is a bit unwieldy until you get used to it... but once you get past these niggly bits you'll find an RPG of astonishing depth lurking behind there! It took me literally months to finish my first game, and then I found myself itching to start a new one the very next day.

Review: Enjoyment of Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Schematics are fun to use though some are more helpful than others. Spell effects are fun and useful. A solid storyline and fun action overcome minor flaws inherent in many RPG designs.

Review: Graphics of Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

The graphics vary in quality. Areas are nicely defined, but some items and characters look a bit flat. More cut scenes would help set the atmosphere.

Review: Sound of Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

The music, made up of haunting instrumentals, is right on the money. Sound effects are consistently solid.

Review: Replay Value of Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Even though the plot remains the same, how final goals are achieved will differ greatly based on specific character skills. Only through creation of multiple characters utilizing the mind-boggling mix of attributes and possible backgrounds is the game's full scope realized. Many side quests are available only to characters with specific proficiencies.

Review: Documentation of Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

A detailed manual provides a rundown of skills and statistics, a tutorial, and histories of the different races.