Deliantra-Client/pod/faq.pod

=head1 FAQ, Tips and Tricks

Here are some questions you might asked yourself over time.
Also some nice Tips and Tricks are listed here, which you may find informative.

=head2 Meta - About the Game and the Client

=head3 What is the relation between Deliantra and Crossfire?

Deliantra was originally a Crossfire server, but by now most of the code
has been rewritten. Still most maps are very similar or identical to
Crossfire maps, so the games share a lot.

The major differences are a better client, better graphics, a stable
server (i.e. no crashes every few hours with players and maps getting
reset) and the ability to let more players play, by using less resources
and having a fully asynchronous design, and full support for sound effects
and background music.

=head3 The client is very sluggish and slow, what can I do about this?

Most likely, you don't have accelerated OpenGL support. Try to find a
newer driver, or a driver from your hardware vendor, that features OpenGL
support.

If this is not an option, the following Setup options reduce the load and
will likely make the client playable with software rendering (it will
still be slow, though):

=over 4

=item * B<Video Mode> should be set as low as possible (e.g. 640x480)

=item * Enable B<Fast & Ugly> mode

=item * Disable B<Fog of War> and C<Map Smoothing>

=item * Increase B<Map Scale>

=back

=head3 The client doesn't correctly react to keypresses or mouseclicks.

=over 4

=item Make sure Numlock is off.

Some Microsoft Windows versions/keyboard layouts do not report modifiers for the
numerical keypad keys while Numlock is active.

=item Make sure no other Modifier is "pressed".

Mircosoft Windows versions have some accessability features that could
interfere with games like Deliantra. You might want to switch these off in
the keyboard settings. Sometimes modifiers can be "unstuck" by pressing
them down once.

=item Fullscreen switches confuse the keyboard modifiers.

Fullscreen switches on Microsoft Windows sometimes confuse which keys are
pressed and which aren't. Doing another switch to/from fullscreen might
help.

=back

=head3 My client doesn't start anymore/graphics are corrupted!

Sometimes you hit a bug in the client. To reset the state of your client
you can delete your client database directory (your client will have to
re-download music and images and you will lose your minimap contents).

=over 4

To do that, on Unix:

   rm -rf ~/.deliantra/client-*

On windows:

Do C<< Start => Run >>, enter F<%APPDATA%>, press return, and in the
window that will open, first open F<deliantra>, then delete the directory
starting with F<client->.

=back

Alternatively you can delete the F<.deliantra> or F<deliantra> directory
itself, but this will also delete your settings and keybindings.


=head2 Game Mechanics

=head3 I lose health but can't see why!

Here are the typical reasons why you lose health:

=over 4

=item * You are being attacked.

Sounds obvious, but sometiems you can't see the monster attacking
you. Check the C<Log> tab, as you usually get a message when this happens.

=item * You are out of food.

When your food reaches C<0> you will start to lose health. Eating (good)
food will replenish your food level.

=item * You are poisoned.

Poison will reduce your health. When your body heals fast enough it will
eventually get over the poison, otherwise you should seek professional
help such as the House of Healing in Scorn, or a player with the C<cure
poison> spell.  It is rumored that neko san might sometimes cure poison.

=item * You have a disease.

Some diseases have such drastic effects on your organism that you can lose
health. Get help in the House of Healing in Scorn, or ask a player who can
cast C<cure disease> on your.

=item * Your stats change.

Switching items can affect your stats, which in turn can affect your
healthpoints. While this is not a regular effect (it only happens when you
change items), it can sometimes look as if you are losing health.

=back


=head2 Generic how do I...

=head3 How do I use range weapons such as bows?

First, you have to L<apply> the bow, then it will show up in the lower
right corner in the C<Range:> slot. If it is already shown as C<(applied)>
but not in the C<Range:> slot you have to unapply and reaply it.

When you have a bow (or similar weapons like guns or crossbows) applied,
you just shoot as with spells or other range attacks - C<Shift>+direction
key.

You need to have arrows (shells, bolts etc.) in your inventory or an
active container for this to work.

You can influence how you shoot via the L<Bow Mode|bowmode> in the C<<
Playerbook => Settings >> tab.

=head3 X<faq_igniteandthaw>How do I thaw icecubes? Or: How do I ignite a torch?

The right-click context menu in the playerbook inventory has an entry
B<ignite/thaw>, which will ignite something or thaw icecubes.  You will
need a B<flint & steel> L<$ARCH/flint_and_steel.x11> for
this to work!

An alternative would be to use the L<mark|command/mark> and
L<apply|command/apply> commands like this:

   mark icecube
   apply flint and steel

You can bind these commands to a key and invoke them repeatedly.

=head3 How do I cast a cone spell all around me (burning hands, holy word etc.)?

Use the C<5>-key on your keypad. This will cats spells "onto yourself"
which has the desired effect with cone spells.


=head2 Playing Together

=head3 How can I communicate with other players?

There are five commands you can use to talk to others. All of them can
be entered by just typing them in, followed by the message, followed by
C<Return>, e.g. C<chat hey guys, what's up?>. If you have a I<tab> open
in your message window you can also just type a text in there followed
by C<Return> (this is especially handy as C<Return> also activates the
current chat tab as well).

=over 4

=item chat <message> (short: C<c>)

The most-used communications command. Whatever you I<chat> will end up
in the I<Chat> tab of everybody else who is currently logged in.

Example:

   c uh, that anchovis almost killed me

=item shout <message>

This is like C<chat>, but "louder". Everybody will get your message in red
in their C<Chat> tabs.  You should not use C<shout> unless you are in an
emergency or there is something really important to be said, otherwise you
risk being ignored by people.

Example:

   sh I am stuck! can anybody let me out?

=item say <message> (short: C<s>)

This command can be used to talk to NPCs (without going through the NPC
dialogue window), but all players anywhere on the same map can hear you as
well.

Example:

   s good that schmorp cnanot hera us here!

=item tell <playername> <message> (short: C<te>)

This is your prototypical two-way, private, chat channel. You can talk to
any other player that is currently logged in, and only he can hear you.

=item gsay <message> (short: C<gs>)

The group say command sends a message to every member of the party/group
you are in. This is useful when playing in a team, to avoid cluttering the
chat channel.

=back

=head3 Can I form parties? Which benefits does party-play have?

You can form I<new> parties using the C<< party form <name> >> name
command, and you can join I<existing> parties using the C<< party join
<name> >> command. There are other party commands, use C<help party> to
find out more.

The main benefit of party-play is sharing experience: All experience you
gain is distributed to all party members accoridng to their level (people
with twice the level as you gain twice as much experience).

This is great for training skills you are bad in, but somebody else is
good in, and of course vice versa!


=head2 Magic

=head3 How can I summon a specific monster with C<summon pet monster>?

Higher levels of L<skill_description/summoning> give you access to higher
level monsters, but not all monsters have equal abilities. Instead of
summoning the highest level monster allowed by your level you can also
summon any other monster you had before by adding its I<archetype name>
after the command, i.e. to summon bees you would use the C<cast summon pet
monster bee> (short: C<cspm bee>) command.

   Level  Monster
       1  bat
       3  bird
       4  spider
       6  killer_bee
       7  pixie
       8  skeleton
       9  stalker
      11  devil
      13  beholder
      15  dark_elf
      17  skull
      20  angel
      25  vampire
      30  spectre
      35  lich
      40  demilich
      50  hellhound
      60  unusual_kobold
      70  chicken
      80  gr_hellhound
      90  dave
     100  laoch
     105  snitchangel

=head2 Praying, Gods and Cults

=head3 X<how_tp_pray>How do I pray?

First enter the "praying mode" by readying your L<skill_description/praying> skill
(by default bound to C<Alt-P>, or by typing C<rspraying>), then hold and keep holding
C<Shift> and a direction key (e.g. C<Shift-Up>).

You will now pray as long as you keep pressing the keys.

=head3 How can I summon a specific monster with C<summon cult monster>?

You can't, your god selects the monsters for you.

=head3 How do I join a cult/become a follower of a god?

That is simple, just find an altar of a god of your choice and start
L<skill_description/praying>. Eventually, the god will recognize
you.

=head3 How do I change gods?

That is far more difficult: gods really hate it when you defect
them. Expect to lose a lot of L<skill_description/praying> experience in
the process.

First you should pray long enough to your god, until you gain 95%
resistancy to god power. Then quickly go to the altar of your newly-chosen
god and pray on her/his altar. Your old god won't make it easy, but if you
are persistent your old god will let you go at one point.

=head2 Exploring

=head3 What areas are there to explore?

First, you should explore Scorn and find the port pass (and maybe also the
gate pass). Make sure you don't miss out the old city of scorn, many
a dangers, but also many treasures, cna be found there.

When you finished most of the quests in Scorn you should investigate how
the pirates escape from the prison. This will lead to a number of nice
quests in and around Port Joseph.

Another nice series of quests, from low to medium level, can be found in
the King's Palace in Scorn. Who wouldn't want to meet the princess in
person?

The areas you can reach through the various transportation modes in Scorn
are Pupland (which has a lot of puzzles and quests from very low to very
high level), Stoneville and Santo Dominion (low and medium level quests,
also nice shops), and the Aldwulf Archipelago (which is more dangerous).

Through the gate you can reach Euthville and Santo Dominion to the north,
Brest (medium level) and Lake Country (medium to high leve) to the south,
and Navar (medium level quests) in the east (a long travel).

From Navar you can travel to Darcap in the far north (medium level
quests), near the mystical country of Azumauindo, to Wolfsburg somewhere
on the ocean, a rather dangerous area with many thieves and pirates
(medium level quests) and Valleynoy to the south, with medium and high
level quests (did you find the southpole yet?).

Also, it is said that Navar somehow has access to the mystical City
de Clouds, the biggest city ever seen (high level and very high level
quests). There are rumors about lands beyond (St. Bartholemew and other
cities) and other even more mystical places, but little is known about
that.

Revision:	1.14
Committed:	Thu Apr 10 14:35:50 2008 UTC (16 years, 3 months ago) by root
Branch:	MAIN
Changes since 1.13:	+80 -0 lines
Log Message:	* empty log message *
#	Content
1	=head1 FAQ, Tips and Tricks
2
3	Here are some questions you might asked yourself over time.
4	Also some nice Tips and Tricks are listed here, which you may find informative.
5
6	=head2 Meta - About the Game and the Client
7
8	=head3 What is the relation between Deliantra and Crossfire?
9
10	Deliantra was originally a Crossfire server, but by now most of the code
11	has been rewritten. Still most maps are very similar or identical to
12	Crossfire maps, so the games share a lot.
13
14	The major differences are a better client, better graphics, a stable
15	server (i.e. no crashes every few hours with players and maps getting
16	reset) and the ability to let more players play, by using less resources
17	and having a fully asynchronous design, and full support for sound effects
18	and background music.
19
20	=head3 The client is very sluggish and slow, what can I do about this?
21
22	Most likely, you don't have accelerated OpenGL support. Try to find a
23	newer driver, or a driver from your hardware vendor, that features OpenGL
24	support.
25
26	If this is not an option, the following Setup options reduce the load and
27	will likely make the client playable with software rendering (it will
28	still be slow, though):
29
30	=over 4
31
32	=item * B<Video Mode> should be set as low as possible (e.g. 640x480)
33
34	=item * Enable B<Fast & Ugly> mode
35
36	=item * Disable B<Fog of War> and C<Map Smoothing>
37
38	=item * Increase B<Map Scale>
39
40	=back
41
42	=head3 The client doesn't correctly react to keypresses or mouseclicks.
43
44	=over 4
45
46	=item Make sure Numlock is off.
47
48	Some Microsoft Windows versions/keyboard layouts do not report modifiers for the
49	numerical keypad keys while Numlock is active.
50
51	=item Make sure no other Modifier is "pressed".
52
53	Mircosoft Windows versions have some accessability features that could
54	interfere with games like Deliantra. You might want to switch these off in
55	the keyboard settings. Sometimes modifiers can be "unstuck" by pressing
56	them down once.
57
58	=item Fullscreen switches confuse the keyboard modifiers.
59
60	Fullscreen switches on Microsoft Windows sometimes confuse which keys are
61	pressed and which aren't. Doing another switch to/from fullscreen might
62	help.
63
64	=back
65
66	=head3 My client doesn't start anymore/graphics are corrupted!
67
68	Sometimes you hit a bug in the client. To reset the state of your client
69	you can delete your client database directory (your client will have to
70	re-download music and images and you will lose your minimap contents).
71
72	=over 4
73
74	To do that, on Unix:
75
76	rm -rf ~/.deliantra/client-*
77
78	On windows:
79
80	Do C<< Start => Run >>, enter F<%APPDATA%>, press return, and in the
81	window that will open, first open F<deliantra>, then delete the directory
82	starting with F<client->.
83
84	=back
85
86	Alternatively you can delete the F<.deliantra> or F<deliantra> directory
87	itself, but this will also delete your settings and keybindings.
88
89
90	=head2 Game Mechanics
91
92	=head3 I lose health but can't see why!
93
94	Here are the typical reasons why you lose health:
95
96	=over 4
97
98	=item * You are being attacked.
99
100	Sounds obvious, but sometiems you can't see the monster attacking
101	you. Check the C<Log> tab, as you usually get a message when this happens.
102
103	=item * You are out of food.
104
105	When your food reaches C<0> you will start to lose health. Eating (good)
106	food will replenish your food level.
107
108	=item * You are poisoned.
109
110	Poison will reduce your health. When your body heals fast enough it will
111	eventually get over the poison, otherwise you should seek professional
112	help such as the House of Healing in Scorn, or a player with the C<cure
113	poison> spell. It is rumored that neko san might sometimes cure poison.
114
115	=item * You have a disease.
116
117	Some diseases have such drastic effects on your organism that you can lose
118	health. Get help in the House of Healing in Scorn, or ask a player who can
119	cast C<cure disease> on your.
120
121	=item * Your stats change.
122
123	Switching items can affect your stats, which in turn can affect your
124	healthpoints. While this is not a regular effect (it only happens when you
125	change items), it can sometimes look as if you are losing health.
126
127	=back
128
129
130	=head2 Generic how do I...
131
132	=head3 How do I use range weapons such as bows?
133
134	First, you have to L<apply> the bow, then it will show up in the lower
135	right corner in the C<Range:> slot. If it is already shown as C<(applied)>
136	but not in the C<Range:> slot you have to unapply and reaply it.
137
138	When you have a bow (or similar weapons like guns or crossbows) applied,
139	you just shoot as with spells or other range attacks - C<Shift>+direction
140	key.
141
142	You need to have arrows (shells, bolts etc.) in your inventory or an
143	active container for this to work.
144
145	You can influence how you shoot via the L<Bow Mode\|bowmode> in the C<<
146	Playerbook => Settings >> tab.
147
148	=head3 X<faq_igniteandthaw>How do I thaw icecubes? Or: How do I ignite a torch?
149
150	The right-click context menu in the playerbook inventory has an entry
151	B<ignite/thaw>, which will ignite something or thaw icecubes. You will
152	need a B<flint & steel> L<$ARCH/flint_and_steel.x11> for
153	this to work!
154
155	An alternative would be to use the L<mark\|command/mark> and
156	L<apply\|command/apply> commands like this:
157
158	mark icecube
159	apply flint and steel
160
161	You can bind these commands to a key and invoke them repeatedly.
162
163	=head3 How do I cast a cone spell all around me (burning hands, holy word etc.)?
164
165	Use the C<5>-key on your keypad. This will cats spells "onto yourself"
166	which has the desired effect with cone spells.
167
168
169	=head2 Playing Together
170
171	=head3 How can I communicate with other players?
172
173	There are five commands you can use to talk to others. All of them can
174	be entered by just typing them in, followed by the message, followed by
175	C<Return>, e.g. C<chat hey guys, what's up?>. If you have a I<tab> open
176	in your message window you can also just type a text in there followed
177	by C<Return> (this is especially handy as C<Return> also activates the
178	current chat tab as well).
179
180	=over 4
181
182	=item chat <message> (short: C<c>)
183
184	The most-used communications command. Whatever you I<chat> will end up
185	in the I<Chat> tab of everybody else who is currently logged in.
186
187	Example:
188
189	c uh, that anchovis almost killed me
190
191	=item shout <message>
192
193	This is like C<chat>, but "louder". Everybody will get your message in red
194	in their C<Chat> tabs. You should not use C<shout> unless you are in an
195	emergency or there is something really important to be said, otherwise you
196	risk being ignored by people.
197
198	Example:
199
200	sh I am stuck! can anybody let me out?
201
202	=item say <message> (short: C<s>)
203
204	This command can be used to talk to NPCs (without going through the NPC
205	dialogue window), but all players anywhere on the same map can hear you as
206	well.
207
208	Example:
209
210	s good that schmorp cnanot hera us here!
211
212	=item tell <playername> <message> (short: C<te>)
213
214	This is your prototypical two-way, private, chat channel. You can talk to
215	any other player that is currently logged in, and only he can hear you.
216
217	=item gsay <message> (short: C<gs>)
218
219	The group say command sends a message to every member of the party/group
220	you are in. This is useful when playing in a team, to avoid cluttering the
221	chat channel.
222
223	=back
224
225	=head3 Can I form parties? Which benefits does party-play have?
226
227	You can form I<new> parties using the C<< party form <name> >> name
228	command, and you can join I<existing> parties using the C<< party join
229	<name> >> command. There are other party commands, use C<help party> to
230	find out more.
231
232	The main benefit of party-play is sharing experience: All experience you
233	gain is distributed to all party members accoridng to their level (people
234	with twice the level as you gain twice as much experience).
235
236	This is great for training skills you are bad in, but somebody else is
237	good in, and of course vice versa!
238
239
240	=head2 Magic
241
242	=head3 How can I summon a specific monster with C<summon pet monster>?
243
244	Higher levels of L<skill_description/summoning> give you access to higher
245	level monsters, but not all monsters have equal abilities. Instead of
246	summoning the highest level monster allowed by your level you can also
247	summon any other monster you had before by adding its I<archetype name>
248	after the command, i.e. to summon bees you would use the C<cast summon pet
249	monster bee> (short: C<cspm bee>) command.
250
251	Level Monster
252	1 bat
253	3 bird
254	4 spider
255	6 killer_bee
256	7 pixie
257	8 skeleton
258	9 stalker
259	11 devil
260	13 beholder
261	15 dark_elf
262	17 skull
263	20 angel
264	25 vampire
265	30 spectre
266	35 lich
267	40 demilich
268	50 hellhound
269	60 unusual_kobold
270	70 chicken
271	80 gr_hellhound
272	90 dave
273	100 laoch
274	105 snitchangel
275
276	=head2 Praying, Gods and Cults
277
278	=head3 X<how_tp_pray>How do I pray?
279
280	First enter the "praying mode" by readying your L<skill_description/praying> skill
281	(by default bound to C<Alt-P>, or by typing C<rspraying>), then hold and keep holding
282	C<Shift> and a direction key (e.g. C<Shift-Up>).
283
284	You will now pray as long as you keep pressing the keys.
285
286	=head3 How can I summon a specific monster with C<summon cult monster>?
287
288	You can't, your god selects the monsters for you.
289
290	=head3 How do I join a cult/become a follower of a god?
291
292	That is simple, just find an altar of a god of your choice and start
293	L<skill_description/praying>. Eventually, the god will recognize
294	you.
295
296	=head3 How do I change gods?
297
298	That is far more difficult: gods really hate it when you defect
299	them. Expect to lose a lot of L<skill_description/praying> experience in
300	the process.
301
302	First you should pray long enough to your god, until you gain 95%
303	resistancy to god power. Then quickly go to the altar of your newly-chosen
304	god and pray on her/his altar. Your old god won't make it easy, but if you
305	are persistent your old god will let you go at one point.
306
307	=head2 Exploring
308
309	=head3 What areas are there to explore?
310
311	First, you should explore Scorn and find the port pass (and maybe also the
312	gate pass). Make sure you don't miss out the old city of scorn, many
313	a dangers, but also many treasures, cna be found there.
314
315	When you finished most of the quests in Scorn you should investigate how
316	the pirates escape from the prison. This will lead to a number of nice
317	quests in and around Port Joseph.
318
319	Another nice series of quests, from low to medium level, can be found in
320	the King's Palace in Scorn. Who wouldn't want to meet the princess in
321	person?
322
323	The areas you can reach through the various transportation modes in Scorn
324	are Pupland (which has a lot of puzzles and quests from very low to very
325	high level), Stoneville and Santo Dominion (low and medium level quests,
326	also nice shops), and the Aldwulf Archipelago (which is more dangerous).
327
328	Through the gate you can reach Euthville and Santo Dominion to the north,
329	Brest (medium level) and Lake Country (medium to high leve) to the south,
330	and Navar (medium level quests) in the east (a long travel).
331
332	From Navar you can travel to Darcap in the far north (medium level
333	quests), near the mystical country of Azumauindo, to Wolfsburg somewhere
334	on the ocean, a rather dangerous area with many thieves and pirates
335	(medium level quests) and Valleynoy to the south, with medium and high
336	level quests (did you find the southpole yet?).
337
338	Also, it is said that Navar somehow has access to the mystical City
339	de Clouds, the biggest city ever seen (high level and very high level
340	quests). There are rumors about lands beyond (St. Bartholemew and other
341	cities) and other even more mystical places, but little is known about
342	that.
343