Dark Disciples II, single player, fantasy based, puzzle orientated CRP game
Dark Disciples is a single character, single player, fantasy based, computer role playing game.
DD2 has a fairly user friendly interface and employs many standard CRPG conventions, so you shouldn’t have to much trouble starting playing without reading the manual. However there are a couple of things you should be aware off, before you begin. Therefore, here is a short list of ‘need to know’ points to get you started quickly:
Before creating a new character, you should select the ‘Objective’ main menu option. This option sets up the story line and main game objective. DD2 has a skill based character creation system. During character creation and when leveling up, you will gain Stat points and Skill points.
You have 6 primary statistics (Strength, Endurance, Agility, Dexterity, Willpower and Perception). There are 11 skills available. Every skill has a ‘Capstat’ which is the statistic the skill is associated with. For example, the Capstat for the Armsmaster skill is dexterity. When spending points on skills, you cannot raise a given skill higher than its associated Capstat. For example, if your dexterity is 4, you can raise your Armsmaster skill to a maximum of 4. If you later increase your strength, then you can, of course, raise your Armsmaster skill appropriately. You may want to consider reading the skill descriptions and planning ahead, for this reason.
Character statistics (statistics, skills etc) have an associated ‘Calc panel’. These panels provide a breakdown of all the current bonuses and penalties to a particular statistic. For example, your strength Calc panel might list bonuses due to equipped magic items, and temporary spell/power effects.
Features: Hold conversations with numerous characters; All quests are logged for future reference; A complete ‘world’ map providing names of important sites and places; A ‘Might & Magic VI’ style inventory management system; Fully featured thief skills – pick locks, remove traps, hide in shadows etc; Mostly non-linear gameplay; Multiple solutions to many obstacles – a locked door can be smashed open, picked, or opened via a key or ‘knock’ spell; An automap function maps all the levels for you; Some cool Midi tunes written by Bjorn Lynne; Monster AI – not amazing but it will do a few interesting tricks. For example, some monsters can open doors, others can’t.
