I've very glad that you (Gerard) decided to work on version 1 of Abaddon some more, to fix the bugs and such that were plaguing us before. However, there are still some problems: *** Following were in email to Gerard, until next "***" Installation: - The Readme file is shown twice during installation. Once should be enough. - And you should have the choice to not view it all. - Please change the reference to "Cleave" to the current "PzrKst". - Experience table uses a mix of spaces and tabs, so it's messed up in the text viewer during installation. It looks fine in Notepad, but not in Wordpad or Word. - Typos "apocalylptic" to "apocalyptic", "Mhz" to "MHz", "doesnt" to "doesn't", "wont" to "won't" and "shes" to "she's" - Text needs to be rewrapped for printing. -> I've taken the liberty of changing my copy of README.TXT to incorporate these and other minor changes. That's the other attachment to the email message. Files: - The .bmp extension on the sprite files causes problems with the Windows Explorer when you select any of them, because it tries to create thumbnails for the files. If there's a way for you to rename the extension, please do so. Also, the MyDoom virus will zap files with the .bmp extension, among others. Uninstallation: - Please notify the user at the end of the uninstall process that the Abaddon folder with the config.ini and any game?.sav files has been left behind in case you're just upgrading. To completely uninstall the game, you have to delete the folder and all contents too. Game Startup: - Some video drivers (must be latest Nvidia one that did this) won't allow the 320*200 graphics for Abaddon to display on the monitor. You have to futz around with the keyboard to exit the game. - At first, it looked like I couldn't play Abaddon a second time without restarting the computer. Under Windows 2000 and XP, there was a black screen for a few seconds and then you're back at the desktop. - But after a while, I started getting error messages instead, of crashes in either abbadon.exe or the allegro DLL. Somehow, the only way around these is to play Abaddon from a ZIP disk instead of from the hard drive. Don't know why it works, but it does. - Assuming there's only one global game Options setting that applies to all saved games, can't those settings be loaded and implemented as soon as the game loads, or when a saved game is loaded? As it is now, you have to listen to the music at the default volume level until you can re-engage the Options. Character Generation: - Left Shift key isn't recognized, just the Right one. - "Sticky Keys" is turned on when you press the Shift key more than 5 times in Windows 2000 and XP (maybe others), unless and until you've disabled that "feature". - If there are any penalties for low attribute values, they're not shown in the character generation screen. You can get any attribute down to 8 by starting with an 11, then taking away 3 points, and not picking a Geneseed Type that raises that attribute. - Screen that lets you choose Class and initial powers should also mention that you need to press Space key to move on. Gameplay: - Abilities screen should show "Bonus HP/Level". - Display of PP when leveling up shows the total HP after leveling instead. - + to hit shown on Abilities screen doesn't match what you get in combat, still only 1/2 of what it should be, before any modifiers due to weapons or special equipment. - Effect of high Strength should raise minimum damage done by the weapon instead of just the maximum. It's possible this is actually being done in combat, but it's not what's shown on the Abilities screen. - Effective AC of character on Abilities screen isn't what's shown on Equipment screen; the effect of high Dexterity isn't included. - Range of HP and PP added on level-up is less than what it should be, e.g. for an Adeptus Medicus it should be 1-8 & 1-6 but in practice it's 2-7 and 2-5. - When you cast a LFaith, you can't "cancel" out of the character display showing the revised HP and PP values. You have to press Space or Enter. It would be nice if you could cancel out to the menu, and not risk accidentally using the skill again. Same thing goes for healing items. - The money penalty for fighting multiple monsters is really annoying, and contrary to how almost all other RPGs work. The fight is tougher against multiple enemies (Incendi against all isn't very useful), and you get less money than if you fought them one at a time. PLEASE FIX THIS! It slows down how I play the game, because I'll run away from any fights with more than 2 monsters if I can, when there's a good chance of them hurting the characters during the prolonged battle. - When both Gilead and Lenna die, the game says "Gilead has died" instead of "Everyone has died" or something similar. Especially since Gilead can die in battle, but if Lenna is still alive the game doesn't make you reload. - It would be nice if the "Options" menu item was moved above Load and Save. When I want to load or save the game, I always press Enter, then up arrow to get to the bottom of the list. Then, I have to skip past Options about 99% of the time. - It would be nice if there were hotkeys to save and load the game. - The Options values (for example, Game Speed) are correctly saved and reloaded with a saved game. However, the values aren't implemented until you invoke the Options entry, even if you "cancel" out of it. - Also, it's annoying to have to cancel out of Options to get out. It would be nice if you could press Space or Enter to leave Options as well. - This is still around from v0.9: Time value, if in hours & minutes, drops the minutes value on a save game. If time is significant, then you can slow it down a lot by save/load before it gets to the next "hour" time unit. - This is still around from v0.9: If you go all the way to the right on the north side of the moat in Antioch, you can see part of the inside of the lower floor of the house with the guy that doesn't want you to go upstairs. However, when you're inside the building, you don't see outside. - Wandering NPCs in Antioch can walk over a building door and move around on top of the building. - Time value rolls over at 67:59 to 08:00 and another day. Only Gerard knows why. ? The "Riot Gear" armor at Esdoc's is only 100 domars. It should probably be 1000 or higher for something this good! ? "Cyber Arm" and "Syntho Arm" seem to do nothing for STR or DEX on either Gilead or Lenna, at least on the Abilities screen. And why can't Gilead equip the Syntho Arm? Both items improve AC, but too bad they don't work as advertised. ? Similar thing for the "Cyber Legs" at Oisan's; they don't boost DEX for Gilead or Lenna above 18. ? One of the items at Blaine's has a blank name, cost 1500, description of "Defense". - It looks like the items that teach skills sometimes require a certain minimum level before the character can use them. For instance, I bought a Codex of Assail at Blaine's, and neither my 4th level Gilead or Lenna could use it. However, at level 6, Gilead could. Assuming this is true of other skill items that can't be used when you have the money but not the level, why isn't there a way to tell what level is required? - There are 2 items at Blaine's with the name "Revive" and a blank description, but different prices. What's the difference? - There's an error in the amount of experience needed for an Adeptus Medicus (definitely Lenna, Gilead too if he is one) to reach level 6. Instead of 20,000 the game uses 2,000. This means that the character gets 2 levels very quickly, and then nothing from about 10,050 to 40,000 experience. - After you defeat the "Psi-Lord" assassin in Antioch, the sprite still appears on the town map. ? The background for combats when you're on a bridge over water is the desert. ? One of the items at Thor's in Bartertown is a cloak with a blank name, cost 1700, and a description of "+". - All of the consumable items at Bard's or Thor's shops show both Gilead and Lenna "turned around" when you select the item. Normally this would indicate that they can't use the item, so what gives? ? The "Brain STEM WIRE" at Zaius in Bartertown has "MP" in the description instead of "PP". ? The ENC value of equipped items shown when you buy them seems to affect the "Encumbrance" value at a ratio apparently close to 10:1. Is that right? And how do ENC and Encumbrance affect the characters during play? ? This is still around since v0.9: Characters can "Dodge" beneficial skills used on them, like LArmour. These skills should be given a high bonus to affect the characters, or should automatically succeed, or they become useless. If wearing armor is the cause, then this should be mentioned somewhere in the README file, so players know they have to make a choice between physical and psychic protection. - From Antioch, go south, southwest and over the bridge, then west to the end of a passage. There are two "bones" tiles that the characters will walk "under" instead of above as normal. - The game still crashes when a Psi-Lord does something; Incendi and Pestil don't seem to be the problem, but whatever it is happens very rarely. Could it still be LBind? - The "Cerebral BOOST" item at Zaius' inn Bartertown has no apparent effect on Gilead's WIS attribute when Used. - After 9:59 on JAN 10, some time and date combinations may overlap on the menu display, particularly those with 2 digit hours and "wide" numbers. - The game also crashes when a PsykerBot does something very rarely. It's not PainofL, Fallout or LFaith. - I haven't noticed any significant effects if a character is Blind. At most it might give them a -1 modification to hit by raising the monster's AC, but it's definitely not larger than that. Does Blind do anything? *** Above was in file as it was sent to Gerard on 20 Mar 2004, *** following are additions or changes: Gameplay: - The Neural ENHANCE item sold by Zaius has no apparent effect on a character's Intelligence or anything else when used. - If a character's HP is over 99, then the HP display on any screen will have problems with digits overlapping the formatting ":" and/or "/". - The DOCSystems item sold by Oisan apparently has no ability to regenerate HP while walking around with it equipped, either in a town or outside, or even in multiple rounds of combat while otherwise not taking any damage. - A PsykerBot can cast an LFaith on itself for more HP than it has taken as damage in combat so far. Are the "extra" HP dropped, or is the monster raising its HP above the normal maximum? - The display box for a saving throw during combat isn't big enough to hold all the numbers if all are double digits, e.g. 16+12 vs. 15. - The Dermal Plating item sold by Zaius has no apparent effect on a character's Constitution or anything else when used. - The Wired Reflexes item sold by Zaius has no apparent effect on a character's Dexterity or anything else when used. - The Cyber Muscles item sold by Zaius has no apparent effect on a character's Dexterity or anything else when used. However, this is the only enhancement item that asks you to select a character when Used. - Battle rolls of 10 or higher with a bonus of +10 to hit or higher will have part of the "t" in "hit" outside the right edge of the display box. - The BaalBot and Mephistron show a "to hit" roll when they are doing an Inject Poison attack. The WalkerBot never does. - The ABADDON monster in the ruined city does several special attacks or psychic skills that cannot be completely read because the names appear under the giant monster figure. - Trying to use the MalotvCctal or FRAG Grenade or FUSION Grenade in combat will crash the game. - Besides having a blank name, the item with the description "Defense" at Blaine's probably has a bad level requirement in the code; all other items at this price (1200) or even up to 2000 can already be used by level 11, yet this one cannot. - The "MEGADoc Mk 5" item description is "heal unconcious". It should be "unconscious." - While abusing the game with Gilead cheated using the trainer, I noticed that even with +496 to hit (1001 Strength), monsters could "Dodge" based solely on the d20 roll. While it's possible that the game isn't handling +496 to hit properly, I wouldn't be surprised if the game is rigged so that below a certain monster-specific value for the d20, the character will always miss. Bogus! Especially bad with monsters in the ruined city, as Gilead was missing almost all the time. - Also while using Gilead with stats cheated by trainer, found that high Charisma values would turn store prices into negative values. The code that determines the store discount apparently doesn't cut off at a price of zero, so you can make millions by buying items! - In contrast, the amount you get for selling back to a store is always the same. The Charisma bonus should affect this too, but not as much. - Room that you can enter after HAL's first riddle, there is a wooden box sprite that the characters walk underneath, instead of it blocking movement. - In the game script, HAL claims to be less than 232 years old, but earlier says it has trouble remembering more than 1000 years ago. - The statement of the fourth riddle is a bit off. It should be afternoon instead of evening, and twilight instead of night. - The dialogue and fight with HAL is triggered only when Gilead walks through the center aisle, but you can go along the sides instead. This causes the strange sight where two graphics appear below the characters, then Lenna instantly moves several squares. The map should be revised so you can't walk along the sides, and have to approach HAL up the middle. - Gilead uses several skills automatically before fighting HAL. What are these? They don't seem to do anything but heal. - Well, one thing that using those skills did is zap Gilead's PP from 5918/5918 down to 24/5918. That may be because the game couldn't handle the trainer-made stats, though. If the automatic skill use is supposed to use up Gilead's PP, then it makes playing any kind of class other than "Adept of War" a disadvantage. - If you un-equip the Chain Axe from Azrael, it can't be re-equipped. - If you un-equip the SHOCKSword from Azrael's "shield" slot, it equips as a weapon and can't be put back where it started. - When Azrael goes up a level, there's a different arrangement of text and numbers than is used for Gilead or Lenna, implying that different code is being used. Why? - After defeating HAL, the Quest list shows #3. What happened to #2? Or did that appear for the short time while you're answering HAL's riddles? - There is no scroll or book sold that will teach a character LFaith. I can understand this for Lenna or Azrael, but if somebody wants to start Gilead not knowing LFaith, there should be a way to learn it just like all the other skills. Note that while both Lenna and Azrael start with Incendi, there is an item to learn that one. - The Mordechai camp is shown as being on the left/west side of a river. But when you enter it, the army is on the right/east side. - When you start in the Mordechai camp, Azrael is drawn on top of Gilead, so you don't know where Gilead is. - There is no requirement to use a LAW to defeat Abaddon. If this is an all-powerful being, it should be invulnerable to normal attacks. And there's no automatic skill use by Gilead before the battle, like there was with HAL - why not? Gérard's Abaddon & Design: (c) 2004 Gérard Prudhomme. All Rights Reserved. Abaddon and iGerard.com are trademarks of Gérard Prudhomme. All Rights Reserved. Pete (HGamer) Karsanow - bishoujo.helper[AT}sbcglobal{DOT)net http://www.geocities.com/hentaihelper/p_gmhelp.htm This document Copyright (c) 2004 Peter Karsanow.