Preserving adventure video game history one pixel at a time.
Playthroughs of classic adventure games with commentary. Sierra, Lucasarts and other classic games included.
Back in Raseir we mount a surprise attack on the palace Groo-style: by walking up to the gate and yelling 'SURPRISE!' as we attack. We make short work of the guards, then race through the palace to find Khaveen guarding a ritual chamber. Well it's time for the final boss fight.
Khaveen is one tough motherfucker, but we get a chance to show that we're better than he is - apart from the fact that he ends the fight in a bloody heap on the floor of course. Then we SURPRISE ATTACK the door to the ritual chamber and find Ad Avis inside doing something he shouldn't.
So we run, and we push, and we knock him over the parapet, and that Ladies and Gentlemen is the end of Quest for Glory II!
Almost.
The Sultan - who has been watching us the whole rhyme, err, time, makes us Hero of Shapeir and adopts us as his son. And Rakeesh tells us we've acted with honor and offers us Soulforge, his flaming Paladin sword.
Hells yeah!
We ended the game with 550/500 points and saved Marcus for his trip to Tarna in Quest for Glory III. If you're interested, here's a screenshot for Shadows of Darkness to add to your 'incorrect Quest for Glory end cinematics' screenshots, as SOD wasn't until Quest for Glory IV.
We start with Marcus entering the invitingly open home of Zayishah and her servant Mayzun. Zayishah is the scantily-clad princess of Raseir who wants to escape the male oppression of her homeland so she doesn't have to wear an uncomfortable veil - although considering her current outfit, she might want to consider fewer flossy thongs as well.
So we give her our spare clothes and our Visa, and then wander around the city for a while. Note: there is a good six minutes of aimless wandering after Zayishah in the first video, so if you want to skip it, don't worry - you'll miss nothing.
That night in the Blue Parrot it's off to bed before waking up to a strangely silent Inn. Even the normally jovial Ferrari is ignoring us. Why? Well, we step outside and get arrested. It's off to Raseir's dungeon, where we meet a skinny Katta insurgent, err, resistance fighter. The insurgency, err Underground, is strong it seems - they're planning to attack.
A few door bashes later and we're back on the streets but are stopped (literally) by this guy Ad Avis who says he's our bestest friend ever even if he is dressed like a beggar. Enthralling. He whisks us away to the 'Forbidden City,' either a ruin or a housing development in Dubai - take your pick. He's too stupid to figure out how to get in but it's pretty obvious to us.
Once we're inside it's time to pass some trials - water, air, fire and earth to be exact. And then a few scenes from Aladdin and we're staring at the statue of Iblis. And Ad Avis reveals his true nature.
How does it end? Well, we make our way out of the cave and video ends with us in front of the palace leading the Underground's assault. We get three wishes. Watch the videos and see the rest - and I'll see you next update as we complete Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire and head off to Fricana to stop a war.
Back at the old Katta's Tail we wipe the sleep from our eyes to find out that yet another elemental is raging around - this time the Water Elemental, Shapeir's final doom. So it's off to Aziza's to learn about how to defeat the Watery Tart, which isn't really much of a stretch - we've got the opposing element sitting in a bellows anyway.
For being a final doom it doesn't take long to put the Water Elemental away in a waterskin - although you can enjoy the fine death our Hero makes as he gets to close and receives the kiss of his life.
Back to the Katta's Tail again where we're still sleeping to pass time - until the next day, when we get our last 'note' with 'orders.' Time to find out what all this business is.
Turns out it was the EOF, who have been watching Marcus and think he's member material. Well, they're right: we are just that bad-assed. But we're better than that because we refuse to kill a helpless opponent, which earns us their ire but they still make us a Brother Saurus. Gotta take what you can get, I suppose.
Next morning, after getting hammered with our new friends, we roll out of bed and go practice with a new opponent in the guild - Rakeesh. He gives us some helpful pointers about how to fight with Honor. Then it's on to Aziza's, where we learn the truth behind an old loyal (if slightly cowardly) friend. It turns out the Emir of Raseir has been in Shapeir this entire time.
That night Omar raps one last time and gives us our last reward, and we're off to Raseir in a long and entertaining cut-scene which I step out of as narrator so you can enjoy it in all its various degrees of hilarity.
Raseir itself is a shithole. We meet Wilmer and Signor Ferrari, who seems to kind of be the de facto leader of the underworld - and a very dead parrot, who is leader of nothing in particular. We then spend way too much time wandering around Raseir getting a feel for the city
Next time: we're going to meet a very nice girl and make a very special new friend!
Our scene opens at the Katta's Tail Inn, where Marcus is sleeping away the days to pass time. Quite literally in fact - we've done everything there is to do at this point, and I don't see the need to grind up stats anymore, so we might as well just kill the time instead of monsters. Ah the life of a hero.
We come out of our stupor long enough to hear Omar give another poetry reading, which is:
Came a Hero drawing near to our land of fair Shapeir, The Katta called and carried that one here. I shell tell and allegory 'bout a Quest for Love and Glory Which I shall relate if you will lend an ear.
The Hero first faced fire which was making matters dire, For the flames he fought were flitting ever higher. With water first he fought it and into a lamp he caught it 'Ere our city of Shapeir became our pyre.
The next he faced was Air, which I'm sure that you're aware, Was blustering and blowing here and there. Before the Winds became our bane as a fearsome hurricane With a bellows then he caught it fair and square.
So let us raise a cheer for the Her of Shapeir And remember that our praise is quite sincere, For in the Quest for Glory as related by this story, Is a Hero who has saved us from our fear, Is a Hero who's a Hero without peer!
Inspiring stuff, eh?
Next morning Shameen tells us there's an Earth Elemental wreaking havoc in the city. It's off to do our normal elemental research - first to Harik, who knows something about Earth, and then to Aziza, who shows us yet another of her little movies.
But it's ultimately Rakeesh who holds the key to us defeating the elemental - a giant flaming sword-like key called Soulforge, his paladin sword. You know that when weapons have names, they're badassed. And so it is.
Next video we head into the streets to look for trouble - in this instance Rocky, the giant Earth Elemental, who literally springs from the streets in one of the coolest 16-color EGA animations ever. We go a couple of rounds with him, tracking him all over the city, before finally reducing him to a pile of magical dirt.
But what can you do with magical dirt? I seem to recall that Aziza said Julanar, the tree woman, needed a gift of magic. Magic.. dirt... tree... yes!
So it's off to the desert, but not before the guard tells us the Dervish wants to see us. Well I happen to know he's going to blather on about the Beast, so we'll just go look for him after we help Julanar.
Which we do.
The beast proves more elusive than I thought, largely because I can't remember exactly where the hell he's supposed to be. So I orient myself with the dervish and get directions, and meet our next puzzle: what the hell is this thing in a cage and what are we supposed to do with it?
Which is addressed in the third video, where we quickly run to Harik and get the final ingredients for a dispel potion.
Back to the desert, where we feed the potion to the beast and learn a lot about what's coming for us - the name of our adversary, what he's up to, and some of his magical capabilities. Uh oh.
That's a good day's work for Marcus so we'll pick up there, after we receive a very mysterious note - they're watching us. Uh oh.
The first video has Marcus killing the last wandering monster we need to round off our points, and the explanation for getting to Raseir early - along with the fruits of our initial failed attempt and a video of the second, successful attempt. Aside from a silly pun and what I could right-click-look at for the few seconds we were inside the city, it's more of a curiosity than anything - but it can be done.
The second video picks up at the end of the first, with Marcus carrying around a huge amount of loot - both money and monster pieces. Of which we can only sell one, it turns out. Bummer.
Then we hit up the Astrologer, whom we kind of forgot about until now - who gives us an interesting fortune (that also happens to contain a very important clue about the final puzzle in the game.)
As if we didn't have enough money, Rakeesh has a reward for us from the Sultan himself - and the poet Omar is freestyling in the fountain plaza, after which we find his purse on the ground - we'll have to give that back to him the next time we see him.
The final video picks up right away, with word that the Air Elemental is wreaking havoc in the Palace Plaza. A little prep work is necessary before we take him on, so it's off to Aziza's for a quick Air Elemental lesson, then Keapon's for a necessary ingredient (and a little item for later.) Next on our list is Issur, who after some communications problems surrenders his bellows to us. After all, we did beat him in arm wrestling.
Mr. Air himself isn't too bad - the challenge is more in getting him to stay still, as you might expect from a tornado with sinister eyes. All in a day's work for a hero, eh?
We step out of the Inn to the crispy-looking stand of Alichica, who's babbling about some kind of fire elemental. You'd think he's been hitting the Djinn Sling a little hard, but Harik seems to confirm it when we sell our ingredients. Something hot is afoot in Shapeir.
Nothing we can do about it today, so it's off to the gym to get two more skills up to the 200 mark and then off to bed after we learn the last desert monster we need to fight probably spawns more often during the daytime.
The next morning there's a giant mass of living fire outside of the Inn, which proceeds to cook us well done, necessitating our first restore of QG2. The second time we get the hang of it, lure it north, catch it in the proton stream and trap it in a lamp. Not too shabby for a morning's work.
And we end as we're about to head off into the sandy wastes looking for that last elusive monster.
[Note: This is the first video compilation I've done. I think I've finally figured this out - there doesn't appear to be any major loss in quality. Sorry for the large gap without commentary when the poet is talking - I figured he should just speak for himself.]
After breaking our fasts, it's off to the apothecary to sell some of our loot from last night. And what loot it is - 100 dinars worth of dead monster. Not too shabby. Shapeir's homeless population is right outside so we'll take some time out of our day to make a few donations and get a little closer to becoming a Paladin in the process.
Practice makes perfect, and we'll end the day with at least one perfect stat: Dodge. Luckily for you, dear readers, this all happens offscreen.
Omar's rapping tonight at the Inn so we'll swing by and check him out before we head off into the desert where we collect a whole bunch more monster pieces and take down a Terrorsaurus (barely.) Those bastards are tough.
Upon the morrow, there's rumors of a strange fire outside the Inn. Uh oh...
It's off to the nighttime desert to look for some fights, and boy howdy do we find them! I realize this is largely a 'random encounter' video and I apologize, so I tried to throw as much research/fun facting in there as I could for the bits where he's just wandering through the desert. The monsters in Shapeir are pretty awesome though, and we beat up, in no particular order:
Scorpions. The giant variety, not the German hair band variety. Ghouls. Jackalmen More Ghouls. More Scorpions.
That actually takes care of our creature allotment for this game save two: the Terrorsaurus (!) and the desert brigand, who we will no doubt see a bit more of after we buff up a tad and get some experience.
Oh yeah, and the other one-off fights... but we'll get to those momentarily.
Now: there's still a couple of days before the next major 'event' so the next video will have some grinding gaps in it, but I'll let you know when and where they happen and the results of me fighting Uhura repeatedly.
We pick up exactly where we left off, in the relaxing and liquid sounds of Aziza's house where she explains just what the hell a Fire Elemental is, what it can do and how we can stop it. There's really no purpose into having Aziza give us those little demonstrations, but they are pretty cool.
Then it's off to Keapon's place where we sell our whirl, across the plaza to pick up some more Vigor pills, and then to Issur's place. That's right you big bald gay stereotype - it's rematch time.
Piece of cake to beat him when our stamina isn't in the single digits. Then we go a few rounds with Uhura before going to the pad for one of the true delights of this game: Shema's dance. Looking back on it, it's actually really sophisticated for 1991 and the art style especially is a harbinger of some of the good things to come from Sierra - note the use of perspective and multiple simultaneously animated elements. This isn't King's Quest 4.
Then it's down for a quick nap before we mount our noble steed and head into the desert at night.
Three movies this time! I realized I had uploaded all three without doing any subtitles for them, so I'll just put 'em all out there at once. I'm going to try to compile some of this stuff into smaller, edited segments because there's a LOT of just wandering aimlessly in the desert in the third video (with hilarious and insightful commentary of course) but that shit's not going to last long with you guys.
Anyway - we get pills. We get a lamp. We go to the magic shop. We meet the astrologer and the Enchantress, and buy a lizard, and meet a griffin, and meet and old man, and meet a tree.
There's a lot of exposition but some really cool stuff as well.
I have to apologize in advance - there is a lot of dialogue in Quest for Glory 2 and no small part of it happens at the beginning of the game. So bear with me as it really does set up the plot - and frankly this probably is the best-written game in the series.
So we bargain for a map and compass and set off across the city where we meet Rakeesh for the first time. He'll be a constant companion in at least two games and an important element of the third so keep him in mind.
After that there's a few rounds of practice and all the important things you do in an Adventurer's Guild including checking out the local moose-life. With Fez.
In the second video, we make a quick run back into the guild to grab some points we missed, then it's off to the weapon store where we buy a new sword and forget that we just worked out and are soundly beaten at arm wrestling as a result. On the way we pick up a couple of essentials.
Then it's off to the Fountain Plaza, where we're hot on the trail of more essentials and a conversation with the apothecary and some more easy points.
Sorry about the brief hiatus - we're back and badder than ever. We start in the Katta's Tail Inn with our friends Shameen, Shema and Tubby - err, Abdulla Doo. It's time to start questioning everyone because our Communications skill needs to go up.
Out of the Inn, we meet Ali Chica, the first of the Marx Brothers jokes - and wind our way through the streets until we find the money changer, so we can buy a damn map and not have to rely on my beat-up old paper copy from 1991.
And some puns.
And back to the map.
There will be more action in the next few updates, I promise.
So what do you do after you become Hero of a small Germanic mountain valley? Hop a magic carpet and go to a desert city, of course! It's time for Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire!
Unlike Hero's Quest, Quest for Glory II is colossal. There are two cities, Shapeir and Raseir (although Raseir is only accessible later in the game [editor's note: this is not true, you can get there after all!]) as well as a vast desert. There isn't quite as much to do outside of town but since Shapeir is a massive city compared to Spielburg's tiny town, that's OK.
When last we left off, our Hero and his Katta friends Shameen and Shema and Abdulla Doo the sad sack merchant were whizzing on a magic carpet out of Spielburg valley around a bunch of credits. As this game opens, they are whizzing on a magic carpet into Shapier around a bunch of credits. Nothing like continuity!
A couple of cool things to note in the intro: yes, you can right-click anywhere in this game to "look" at things. Yes, you can do it on the opening screen. You can also do it during video sequences, as you'll see later. A cool easter egg not many people know about.
Also - the Djinni clapping his hands and laughing is one of the first examples ever of digitally sampled sound effects in a game. True that Mean Streets and Martian Memorandum used RealSound but QFG2 used the Soundblaster's full-on digital synthesizer - in a game that came on 9 720k floppy disks. If you had a Tandy 1000 SL or RL computer, you could also hear the digital effects through the Tandy's built-in digital chip although you were slightly more limited in the Midi sounds you could hear than if you were using an AdLib or a Soundblaster (this is how I initially experienced Quest for Glory II.)
So what about this new land of Shapeir? As usual the Famous Adventurer gives us some advice:
ow that you've been on your own in the real world of high-powered adventuring, you have probably discovered that there is more to this hero business than was covered in your Famous Adventurers' Correspondence School Handbook. (After all, why should we tell you everything at once when we can make big bucks selling you additional manuals?)
In your everyday Quest for Glory, you are bound to encounter situations of such magnitude and unbelievable stress that you probably say to yourself, "Maybe I should have taken the Famous Accountants' Correspondence Course, instead." Relax. We here at the Famous Adventurers' Correspondence School have the information you need. For just 10 golds, plus 25 silvers shipping and handing, we will send your free copy of the Famous Adventurers' Correspondence School's "Advanced Adventuring Manual". This manual will help you survive the everyday stress and strain of marauding monsters, malicious magic, and corporate managers to archive the acme of your adventuring activities.
You, too, can become an "Advanced Adventurer". Guaranteed, or double your money back (minus shipping and handling charges).
Famous Adventurers' Correspondence School 12345 Aerris Way Silmaria
Silmaria, eh? Wonder if we'll ever visit there...
So what is an Advanced Adventurer?
When an adventurer becomes bored with bravery, fatigued with fighting, or ho-hummed about heroics, it's time to start thinking upward mobility. You're in the hero business now, and you can't just rest on your laurels. You must explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations. A hero must boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone before - and come back alive.
And the (ahem) unbiased description of the Paladin, our chosen career path?
The Paladin is the Goody-Two-Shoes of champions and the Dudley-Do-Right of defenders. This job is clearly not for everyone. If you are willing to be bold for no gold, risk your name without acclaim and campaign without gain, this could be the occupation for your emulation. A Paladin is a hero's hero (and he can have him). Frankly, Paladins constantly become involved in extremely dangerous quests like slaying Dragons, and rarely survive long enough (or earn enough) to purchase our all-important F.A.C.S. pamphlets.
And what can we learn about Shapeir, FACS?
The Land of Shapeir Shapeir is a small Sultanate in the South. It consists of two major mountain ranges surrounding a desert of sand dunes. Its climate is arid and extremely hot in the Summer. It has two major cities: the capital, Shapeir, in the north, and Raseir in the south. Shapeir's principal income is from imports and exports as it is along a major trade route. It is noted for its exotic scenery and fascinating bazaars.
Background and History The twin cities were built around Katta settlements (see Sentients of Shapeir) protected by mountain barriers. Magical springs which never run dry create the central fountains of the cities. Both Raseir and Shapeir were designed as mirrored cities, with the Sultan's Palace in Shapeir, and the Emir's in Raseir.
Some thousand years ago, a Marid called Iblis (see Djinn) attempted to rule the world and turn all men into slaves. He created a huge city in the desert and tried to summon the Djinn to his side. The Sultan Suleiman bin Daoud in turn summoned all the magical Djinn he could bind, and a great war occurred. Iblis was defeated and bound into the form of a statue. Ruins remain near Raseir of what is now called the 'Forbidden City.'
The Sultan is the absolute ruler of the realm. The current Sultan, Harun alRashid, is noted for his wisdom and judgment. The Emir is the governor of Raseir. During the past year, the Emir of Raseir is rumored to have disappeared, and there have been disquieting tales about the current political situation.
Desert Survival Water - Without it, you are just a heap of bones covered with sand. It is best to carry several waterskins when traveling in the desert. Water is available in the cities and at the occasional oasis.
Saurus - The friend you can depend upon for roaming the dunes. This creature makes an excellent mount. It is fearless, loyal, and quick to defend its master against monsters. It is obedient and willing to go wherever its master wishes. Most critically, it can always find its way back to the place where it is stabled, so it never gets lost. A properly trained Saurus will understand such simple commands as "go home," "Stay," and "Get off my foot." Your Saurus -- Don't leave town without it.
Caravans - For long distance travel of any sort, it is best to join a caravan.
Money The basic coin of the realm is the Dinar, a gold coin equal in value to the gold coin of Spielburg. The people of Shapeir also use centimes, which are small brass disks. The current rate of exchange is one silver to ten centimes, and ten silvers (or one gold) to one dinar.
When visiting the city of Shapeir, it is wisest to first seek out a Money Changer, who will exchange your coins. This person will usually retain a small percentage as an exchange fee.
Sentients of Shapeir There are several intelligent races associated with this region.
Humans Humans are a relatively new race to this area. They created the cities and towns which occasionally dot the landscape of Shapeir.
Gnomes Small humanoids with a frivolous outlook on life, Gnomes, as always, go anywhere they choose to go in order to have fun. Since mankind seems to be the butt of many of their jokes, wherever humans congest, Gnomes are pests, as they frequently know magic. If you become the victim of one of their practical jokes, it is best to grin and bear it.
Katta Katta are small, feline-like humanoids which have adapted well to dealing with human society. They resided for centuries in the region around where Raseir was built, but are now found throughout the Southern regions. They are gifted artisans and talented merchants.
Centaurs Half horse and half human, the Centaurs roam the deserts of Shapeir in nomadic herds. They make excellent guides for this region, since they take pride in knowing the desert like the tips of their tails. Centaurs are extremely honorable, but have no sense of humor. They do not get along well with Gnomes.
Liontaurs The Liontaur looks like a cross between a human and a lion. They reside primarily to the south of Shapeir in their great kingdom of Tarna. Occasionally a young male will wander into the Shapeir lands. Liontaurs are fierce fighters and very proud, so it is best not to annoy them.
The Land of Enchantment When Shapeir is called the 'land of enchantment', it is not simply a motto. There are many magical beings residing here.
Djinn Djinn and their relatives, the Djann, Shaitan, Ifreet, and Marid, are magical creatures of high intelligence found primarily around the lands of Shapeir. They are all shape-changers, but most frequently take man-like forms. They are occasionally found trapped in items such as bottles and rings. Releasing a Djinni from such an item can be very dangerous.
Djann take the shape of animals, live in the mountainous areas, and are seldom seen.
Djinn are commonly associated with air. Tales are told of wishes being granted to whomever releases a Djinni from an item. Tales are also told of the Djinni destroying the one who released him.
Shaitan prefer to live around streams and running water. As thi i an extremely arid region, Shaitan are extremely rare.
Ifreet are fiery creatures that prefer the remote dunes of the desert.
Marid are the most powerful of all the Djinn.
Enchanted Creatures Much of the magic in Shapeir has to do with shape-changing. It is not uncommon for humans to be turned into animals, animals into humans, and snakes into Trademark Lawyers. It is wise to be wary around Wizards and Djinn to avoid this occupational hazard.
Endemic Monsters of the Desert Regions Creatures endemic to the desert regions have one outstanding characteristic - they are tough to kill. The evolutionary reasons for this are rather obvious. A monster, as always, is defined as "that which attacks before asking questions".
Jackalman Jackalmen are jackal-like humanoids that travel in packs. They are cunning and prefer to attack things previously wounded.
Brigand Desert brigands roam the desert in search of unwary travelers to waylay. They are tough fighters and experts at desert survival. Tribes of brigands occasionally band together to attack caravans.
Griffin The griffin is a highly intelligent creature which seldom attacks humans. However, this cross between an eagle and a lion is a ferocious fighter, and is extremely tough. It is difficult to kill, and will retreat from battle if seriously injured. Once its anger has been aroused, however, it will not forget an enemy. Griffins can be found nesting on the rocky ledges of the mountains surrounding the desert regions.
Terrousaurus This is an extremely quick-footed creature well adapted for racing down and disemboweling prey with the deadly claws upon its hind feet. Like most species of sauruses, this one is not noted for its brains.
Moose The rare southern desert Moose, a benevolent and fraternal creature, is frequently found congregating in groups around a drinking hole. It is extremely dangerous to approach at such a time, since you will probably be forced to wear a silly hat and be dunked into the pool. It is also advised to avoid the stampede when the Moose discover that the only thing to drink is water.
Scorpion The giant black desert Scorpion is one of the deadliest creatures upon the sands. Its claws are capable of inflicting deep wounds. The tail has a stinger which contains a deadly poison. One sting brings death to the one stung. Anti-venom pills are available, but are of no avail against multiple stings. Unless a fighter has an extremely good defense against the tail, he or she should avoid this monster. Retreat from combat usually means a stab in the back.
Magical Creatures
Elementals Elementals are created by magical spells placed upon the primal elements of Earth, Air, Water, Pizza, and Fire (Some theoreticians suggest that there are only four real elements, but most modern scholars agree that fire is undoubtedly a basic element). The Elementals have the characteristics of their associated element.
Ghouls Supernatural creatures of the undead which prey upon the living. The very touch of one's claws has a chilling effect upon the victim similar to frostbite. The more wounds the ghoul makes, the more the victim's movements are slowed, until he finally collapses. It is best to avoid damage from Ghouls entirely.
Masikh This distant relative of the Djinn is frightening and dangerous to encounter. It is invisible, distinguished only by the movement in the sands and the fearful reactions of animals in their vicinity.
Got all that? There's some pretty important game bits in here, especially all this history stuff about Iblis and Suleiman, as well as a few hints about things we'll find in this strange desert land.
Coming up: our introduction to Shapier and changing our Spielburg gold for some funny money.
This is it - the end of Hero's Quest / Quest for Glory 1. It's off to the secret entrance to the Brigand Fortress and Fred the Troll, who we kill for his treasure. Then we face Toro the minotaur (and take a dive) before running through the brigand's funhouse and meeting Yorick, the Brigand Warlock.
In Part Two we take care of the last two orders of business - defeating the brigand leader and rescuing Elsa Von Spielburg - who by now you should recognize as the same person. A quick exit from the fortress and we're off to rid the valley of Baba Yaga (who we'll meet again in Quest for Glory 4). All we have to do is use that mirror we picked up to bounce her spell back to her and - that's it - game over!
Part Three is the endgame ceremony where the entire town turns out (except for Bruno who seems strangely absent - he's probably off looting the now-empty town) and where Toro the Minotaur makes his last appearance before Quest for Glory 5.
And that's it - 500/500 points, and it's time to import Marcus to Quest for Glory 2!
Here's an hour or so of gaming distilled into about three minutes. I fought stuff to pass the time, killed the troll, sold the beard and slept at the Inn. Of note: I also went ahead and popped the Antwerp here, and I managed to capture it right at the moment of popping. Pretty nifty.
I'll be wrapping the first game up this weekend - then it's on to the deserts of Shapier.
Also - can everyone see the last update video OK? It's showing up as live and fine in my video list, but I'm getting an error when I actually try to watch it.
Now that we're buffed beyond belief and an expert killing machine, it's time to start wrapping things up in this little valley. First stop: the weapons master, who isn't around so we'll work in the stables one last time. After that, we meet Mr. Master and give him a 'lesson' he won't soon forget, heh!
Oh right, remember all that crap about the Dispel Potion? We've been collecting most of the ingredients so we'll offload those on the healer and grab the last one as well. Then it's off to the woods where we make quick work of a Saurus Rex and finally kill a Cheetaur and sell some claws.
The only thing left to do before raiding the brigand fortress is find and kill a troll, which shouldn't be too hard. I also think I need to stay the night in the Inn for the point you get for doing that. Otherwise, this is it!
Note that Fred the Troll in the Antwerp Cave doesn't actually count as killing a troll if you go in and pick a fight with him. You have to kill a wandering troll to get those points. Crazy, huh.
Ok so it's all stills, but here's where we take ourselves up a notch or three. Thank God you guys didn't have to see me grinding the Dodge and Parry skills up. My finger still hurts.
Anyway - I intended to get through the training without getting any more points, but a Saurus Rex attacked and I couldn't get away so I did kill it for 4 points. The only other thing that happened exposition-wise (also in the video) is you telling the Healer about the Dispel potion.
Enjoy the video, the sound is a little off at times (I think GV messed it up a little) but you get the idea.
Next: we're going to do a little mop-up work killing the last few monsters, beating the Weapon Master and collecting the last few points before we raid the Brigand Fortress.
I have a little extra time so here's the last update before the training montage (and my weekend away.) First we're wandering around cruising for trouble, hoping to meet a cheetaur or a troll so we can get some good shit to sell to the healer for potions. No such luck. We do get to practice our dodge a little though as we up our Brigand and Goblin body counts pretty significantly.
As midnight rolls around it's off to the graveyard where we cover ourselves in foul-smelling, ghost-repelling goo and get Baba Yaga's mandrake root, which we promptly take to her. She's quite the gourmand that Baba Yaga.
We're released, and it's off to find some more trouble, which we don't exactly find. But we're getting really good at this fighting thing, so it's not going to take too much longer before we're wading through trolls and cheetaurs and everything else.
So this is the last update before the training montage, which I'll do in screencaps and set to music. The codec that DOSBox uses to capture video is some horrible piece of crap that doesn't work with any video editing software except for Windows movie Maker, which refuses to compile correctly on my laptop (yippie!) so for the time being I'm stuck with a screencap slideshow. Lame, I know.
So what you didn't see is me continuing to throw rocks, then wandering offscreen and tossing them at the air because it's much faster to grind your skill up that way (you don't have to wait for the plants), then coming back and nailing the seed. Take note: I ground that fucker up to 100 and STILL missed the seed the first throw.
And after that, it's back to the kobold cave (thank you Integral Catculus!) where we trip over the chest, open it the Marcus way (with our head), then run off to the healers to stock up a bit. It's going to be a long night.
Then it's onto the Dryad's Den so we can drop off this stupid seed and learn about the Dispel Potion, which we'll need to break the curse. A little rest later and it's nightfall. Time to go looking for some trouble.
And we find... psychedelic lights. Fairies. And what do they want to do? Dance. By the way, I apologize - the Pink on Pink fairy's text is impossible to read. There's no real exposition in it, but GV's dumb compression apparently thought it could blur it so badly as to be illegible. Sorry 'bout that!
So we dance with the fairies, then get some of their dust, then walk north where we're attacked by a flying manta ray. Which we handily dispatch. I think it's time we found some more difficult monsters to fight, eh?
Well now that we've been, erm, quested we have a little bit of time to kill before dark. We stop and beat up a few goblins, but notice our health is pretty low so it's off to the Healers, where we spend the rest of our money on potions. Actually an unguent and a potion.
Then there's a little bit of running back and forth trying to get things to sell for more potions, realizing we don't have enough money for said potions, and then wandering aimlessly looking for the spore-spitting plants, which we eventually find.
Following that it's Sierra Fun Fact time as we grind a bit to up our Throwing ability, and I finally cut this update short by almost five minutes because the grinding is extremely tedious.
Sorry this one is so short, but it took me about 10 minutes just to get the throwing skill up to the point where I could hit the damn seed, so that'll show up in the montage and we'll pick up next time as our Hero continues his adventures.
We've got some money burning a hole in our pocket, so it's off to the general store to spend it on some armor. Now we can tank around and take a lot less damage. Woohoo!
After that it's off to the bar but not for a pint - it's to find a note (which is very easy to miss if you're doing the home playthough, by the way) and read about a clandestine meeting between B and B. We know where the archery range is, so it's to the south of town where we can spy on the meeting.
Which is some boring exposition about how they're going to try to take over the Brigands and the Thieves Guild. Whatever. A little quick swordplay later and we've got a key to the special entrance, and some time to kill. We're getting very near to the end of our little adventure so let's start wrapping this shit up - let's go meet Baba Yaga.
First, we stop and pay for a couple of points from Bruno (I hate him in general and wish I could just take him out) and then it's off to Baba Yaga's hut, where we use our giant gem and a rhyme I pulled out of the ether of my youth to get inside, where we rap with Baba Yaga for a bit.
Actually, she turns us into a frog and gives us a quest. Which we have approximately an update and a half to finish.
After killing that last Brigand we face a rather heroic case of ennui - what are we going to do today? We've crossed many of the smaller questlike items off the list already, so maybe we should accomplish something big. Something that will put a lot of money in our purse and boost our ego a bit.
Let's rescue the Baronet!
North to the Ogre cave, where his massive corpse has somehow mysteriously disappeared. Inside the cave is a massive bear, which is easily placated by speaking the universal tongue: food. After that it's a fight with the kobold that damn near didn't end well for us (I was going to save/restore if I died for our first ACTUAL DEATH but turns out I didn't have to.)
Then we rescue the baronet and it's on to meet the big man himself, who we grill for information and fills us in on the back story behind the curse on the valley, his missing daughter and Baba Yaga. Then it's up and at 'em, a little honest work and another round with the weapons master.
We pick up in the inn where our Hero, having given away his dinner, buys a few healing potions and decides to go looking for trouble. After a brief journey west to visit the Meeps, some sort of Muppet-like creatures that thankfully do not appear in any other Quest for Glory game, we cut our way through a couple of goblins and end up at Erana's Peace where we eat one of her fruits instead of dinner.
Then it's east to the cave guarded by a big bad Ogre, who we kill in the best fight of the LP yet - but only after we run away and down some healing and vigor potions. This hero stuff is hard! His treasure chest requires a delicate touch to open which we don't have, so we settle for beating it with our rock-like head and then wander off in search of more trouble, which we find in the form of a really angry furry that almost kills us.
A night's slumber and a fight with a brigand later and this session is over.
Next time - we're going to become a real hero. Almost.
Without further ado, the next update! We start off wandering east of town and find Brauggi the Frost Giant who makes what amounts to a cameo appearance in the series - one of the few named characters to receive such a bit part. Remember those apples we bought in the first update? They're for him. Now we have a glowing gem. That will probably come in handy somewhere.
After dealing with Brauggi it's off to see Erasmus, whose house is a veritable museum of movie and Sierra game references. We also get our first (extended) Monty Python reference. When you're 12, that's pretty funny. It's still kind of funny I suppose.
Then it's off to go pick mushrooms and beat the bush - so to speak. Make a little money, kill a little time, take out our first brigand and head back to town to hear a sob story from Abdullah Doo, the merchant who will play a very big role in our life in Quest for Glory 2.
Hopefully I'll be able to crank a couple more of these out this weekend. 'Night all!
Sorry for the short delay - but it's back into the fray full-throttle now, complete with subtitles (I never realized it was so easy to do that. God bless Google.)
After our hero stares into space in Erana's Peace (while I set the game's timer), he's off to kill a goblin and then find a fox. The fox gives us some very sound advice, including a clue about how to break the curse Baba Yaga has placed on the valley.
Heading back to the Healer's Hut, we'll grind our throwing skill a bit, find the Healer's ring, make some money and get kissed. It's not what you think. Then it's off to the castle for some more grinding and a lesson with the weapon master, who we'll eventually defeat.
After that we'll visit a Hermit (possibly the most annoying character in any Quest for Glory game) for a couple of points and an important clue about the end game, and well try to fight a brigand and run away instead.
Unfortunately the shopkeeper doesn't sell adventurers, so we're leaving. Off to the ally, where we meet the local vagrant. Remember: Heroes with money give money to the less fortunate, even if they turn around and spend it on booze and already have food stamps. It's just good form.
So it's off to the boozer with us where we'll park our asses on the stool, look at the drunk and gambling townsfolk who won't play a major role in the game and try to ask the barkeeper questions. That big orange Goon sitting over there? We'll just leave him alone.
After a quick one, it's our first trip out of town. Like it says: we are on our own in a very dangerous place. Luckily the healer is one skreen north, so we pay her a quick visit and ask her about her wares and the things she's looking for. We'll buy a healing potion too, since it is a dangerous world.
Then it's north to the castle, an introduction to the Weapon's Master, a quick bit of work in the stables since we're now officially broke and then off to the farm north of town where the Centaur tells a very interesting story about the brigand leader.
Heading north from the farm, we encounter our first fight: a goblin who we pretty handily defeat, and take some silver from his corpse. There's one trophy for our wall. Further north, with sunset approaching, we find Erana's Peace, grab some flowers to sell and bed down for a quiet night.
There were a lot of good name suggestions, so I kind of took several and averaged them together to create something vaguely Paladin-y. Meet Marcus Warwick the Pure, plucky young fighter! He would have been Marcus Warwick the Valiant except Valiant wouldn't fit in the field.
Then we increase his stats a tad. He starts out dumb as a box of rocks, but boy howdy he'll be able to fight. Hopefully he'll live long enough to solve some complex puzzles and calculus and get that Intelligence score up a bit if the first goblin he meets doesn't turn him into chowder.
Then our brave Hero is welcomed into town by the Sheriff and his large orange Goon (goony goon goon goon.) We head west, into the lowest west side of Spielburg, hit the Inn for a quick nosh, hit the Magic shop only to find out that the goth chick running it has nothing for us, and on to the much more manly Adventurer's Guild where we sign the logbook, check out the cool stuffed heads and chat with the old Guildmaster. Especially of interest is what he has to say about his old buddy Stefan, the brigands and the Curse that Baba Yaga has placed on the Valley.
There's also a job board where we can check out all there is to do for an adventurer in these parts (and we'll do it all!)
Then it's on to the rougher North Spielburg, where a lovely lady with a horse's body sells us some apples and the dry goods storekeeper makes us envious about armor we can't afford - yet.
Next update: more North Spielburg, Spielburg Castle, and other points in between.
Background Hero's Quest (as I originally knew it) came out in 1989 and began what I like to refer to as the second Golden Age of Sierra gaming. It was a 16-color, parser (typing)-based adventure game with several completely new innovations. While there was a main plot, many of the quests could be solved in any order. The map was open except for a few rooms, so you could wander around exploring at will. There were stats, like an RPG, and you had to do a little grinding to raise them. It was possible to skip a good part of the game or screw it up and still "win," although you wouldn't get the total points or get a "good" ending.
The next games in the series were a little more linear - for example, most of them had scripted events that happened on certain days - but still managed to maintain the feel. Even better, you could import your character from previous games into the next one, giving you a great sense of continuity and progression. For the time, this was exceptionally innovative.
The Goals and the Rules of this LP: 1. To make it through all five Quest for Glory games, 2. With 500 points in each game (except for Q4G3 where a bug prevents it), 3. As a Fighter becoming a Paladin, 4. Which we'll get in Quest for Glory 2, 5. So we'll end up with 550/500 points in that game, 6. And record ourselves as we go. 7. Rule 6 may be overlooked if there's a whole lot of grinding going on. This will likely only be a concern in Q4G1. 7a. Instead we do grinding 'montages' with cool soundtracks.
And one other thing: for the first game, I'm using my original copy of Hero's Quest. Yes, I'm aware there is a VGA remake. Yes, I'm aware the combat in the remake is way better. I don't care. Here's my explanation why, from the SA thread announcing the beta of the Q4G2 remake, which got my off my kiester to do the LP:
[I'm not a fan of the remake because..] [t]he claymation faces, the redesign of some of the backgrounds. Mostly they seem to have re-used a lot of the color palettes from Quest for Glory 3, giving it a very brownish / washed out look. My memories of Quest for Glory and Spielburg valley are of a very bright place, with white snow, new and very green grass, and brightly colored flowers matching the springtime setting of the game....
Maybe it has something to do with memory and expectation for me. Hero's Quest is a game I played at a really formative stage in my life, when I was in the fifth or sixth grade and I realized that games could have a great narrative, logical puzzles, and incorporate other fun elements like RPGs all into one. I liked the optimism of the game, the focus on being a hero and doing good. In fact, I can point to Hero's Quest as one of the most formative elements of my choice of career and my writing, and the happy instances when those two things come together. All of that was reflected in the choice of colors and art style of the game. I realize that they were limited by 16-color graphics and they look more cartoony, while the remake is more realistic and that's fine. But the hyperrealism of the original is a very distinct part of my memories of the game as well.
I'm certainly not trying to convince anyone - just explain why I prefer the [EGA] to the [VGA] version.
For the others, I'll be using my Quest for Glory Anthology CD (vee kan play auf Deutsch!) and my copy of Quest for Glory 5. I've got the disc versions of I-III, but never bought IV. I'll see if I can get the talkie version of IV working; if not, we'll do the text one. I haven't fiddled around with DOSBox enough to confidently say I can run IV talkie, but I know I can do IV with text.
Also - I can play through most of I and II by memory (actually, all of I by memory) so I'll only be using FAQs for III and IV. Sadly the maps for I and II are probably permanently embedded in by brain. I'd like to think that's an indication of a youth well spent, but it's more likely an indication of a wasted adolescence.
Before We Start From the Famous Adventurer's Correspondence School book (AKA the Hero's Quest manual):
So you want to be a Hero... Take this simple one minute test to see if you have the 'right stuff' to become a student of the Famous Adventurers' Correspondence School for Heroes: You are having dinner with a powerful and influential Wizard and he starts to make rude remarks about 'Muscle-brained adventurers'. Do you: A. Kill the Wizard and upset the magical balance of the entire universe by breaking his spell preventing the eruption of the volcano that then spews lava over the peaceful nearby town. B. Ignore his remarks and pass the salt You'd be surprised how many would be Heroes choose option A. But here at the Famous Adventurers' Correspondence School for Heroes, we know that the correct response, is of course, C. You, too, can become a useful and productive member of the Hero community by taking this simple course in 'How to be a Hero'.
What is a Hero? Hero is the title for which all adventurers strive. A hero must be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. Be he (or she) fighter or wizard thief or man (or woman) about town; he (or she) is the desire of all women and the envy of all men (or perhaps the other way around).
How do I become a Hero? To become a Hero, you must first become an adventurer. Adventurers are most often Fighters, Magic Users, and Thieves.
The Adventurer's Guild Meeting Hall and employment agency for all would-be heroes, the Adventurer's Guild will become your home away from home. This is where you go to have your exploits recorded in the log and to boast with your peers. You can obtain information about who's who in the local area.
The bulletin board is a good place to find out about jobs available and what rewards are posted. Be sure to check out the bulletin board in the Guild hall nearest you for announcements that could further your career.
There is an Adventurer's Guild in nearly every major town just waiting for you to sign in and be counted among the ranks as a 'real' adventurer.
And specifically relevant to our Let's Play:
How do I become a Fighter? To become a fighter, you must begin by developing your strength and skill with weapons. Your sword will become your right hand (assuming, of course, you are right-handed). Your shield is your lifeguard that plunges before you to interpose itself between you and the wave of horrible, slavering monsters. Physical labor becomes a pleasure, for every ache and pain will remind you of those hard-earned muscles. Encounter each enemy with exuberance, for the experience will be exhilarating as long as it doesn't exterminate you.
How do I fight? If one wishes to become a fighter, it is wise to obtain a sword and shield at the earliest opportunity. We do not recommend unarmed combat against a monster, as you can be 'dis'-armed rapidly.
Basic sword work consists of the thrust and swing. The thrust is the deft skewer of the opponent's mid-section, quick and to the point with a minimum of mess. The swing, on the other hand, is a slicing motion designed to release as much of the opponent's interior components as possible. While the swing inflicts more damage, the thrust is quicker. Preference is a matter of personal taste and whether or not you have a strong stomach.
Defense largely depends upon the use of the dodge, block, and parry. While there are those who believe that 'real' fighters do not need such wimpy defensive techniques, most surviving Heroes attest to their effectiveness. Trying to defeat a monster while ignoring the basic defenses usually results in ex-heroes.
Dodge, in theory, is moving out of range of the opponent's weapon. Your agility is a major factor in how well you manage this.
Block is placing the shield between you and the attack designed to lead you to an untimely demise.
Parry is using your sword to prevent the foe's weapon from similarly cleaving your skull. Quick reflexes and practice make block and parry into true lifesavers.
The Introduction
With much fanfare, our hero is introduced, the credits roll, and we need to decide a name for this hero:
Welcome to Classic Let's Play! I started this blog as a place to keep a (semi)-permanent record of the Let's Play threads I've been doing on Something Awful. Yup, LP is leaking once again.
Mission Statement So here's the deal, Neal: this blog exists as a repository for video Let's Play material I've created and its accompanying commentary. Specifically, I play the classics - PC games from the earliest eras of computer gaming (1979) until the end of the golden era of adventure gaming (approximately 1996 or 1997.)
My policies:
I only play games I own a legal copy of, or games that have been released into the public domain.
All of the material in the game is copyright of its respective owners and is being used for entertainment purposes only. If you're a legal type and don't like me taking videos of your company's IP and posting them online, no problem - just let me know. I'll probably think you're a humorless jerk but you're a lawyer so I'm sure you're used to it by now, and I'll comply with you anyway.
My focus is on adventure games, specifically Sierra and Lucasarts adventure games. Depending on how long I keep this up I may move into other genres. A LP of Bard's Tale would be kind of fun.
What's a Let's Play? Glad you asked. It's when someone (me) plays a video game and takes screenshots or videos of what he or she is doing and puts them online with commentary that explains what is going on, is witty, or is in some other way relevant.
Why would anyone want to watch me play video games? I don't know, but people do.
Why would I want to create LP videos? It's actually a lot of fun playing through these games again and it turns out I know a lot more about them than I thought - plus playing with people watching and offering advice has helped me discover things I never knew about these oldies.
Yes, I know I misspelled 'Classic' when I applied for that second email address. Think of it as some kind of ironic meta-joke.
The spirit of this blog is to introduce people to new (old) games they might not have heard of before, or written them off. I'll bury my own pretensions about preserving the memories of these games - instead, I'll say that I'm trying to capture the feeling of playing adventure games when story mattered as much as substance.
Most of the text you see here is verbatim copy-and-paste from the Something Awful Forums where this material first appeared. In a few instances I may alter the textual commentary to make sense outside of SA.
No, I will not send you copies of the games here. Seriously. Find your own. They're pretty easy to buy on eBay.
PR Policies I only wish to be contacted by PR professionals if you have something that would genuinely interest me the capacity of this particular hobby (playing classic games, making videos about them, and posting about it online.) If you want to contact me about something else - don't. I am a Digital PR professional in my 'real life' and I understand how hard your job is, but I also know how to make you instantly sorry if you don't abide by this policy. Consider this a fair warning.
