--- deliantra/Deliantra-Client/pod/faq.pod	2006/08/14 14:40:15	1.2
+++ deliantra/Deliantra-Client/pod/faq.pod	2008/09/29 15:23:31	1.23
@@ -1,20 +1,524 @@
-=head1 Game FAQ/Tips and Tricks
+=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.
+Also some nice tips and tricks are listed here, which you may find informative.
 
-=head2 X<faq_igniteandthaw>How do I thaw icecubes? Or: How do I ignite a torch?
+=head2 Meta - About the Game and the Client
 
-There are a few options:
-The right-click context menu in the L<Inventory|playerbook_inventory> reveals
-B<ignite/thaw>, which will ignite something or thaw icecubes.
-You will need a flint&steel (L<$ARCH/light/flint_and_steel.base.111.png>) for this
-to work!
+=head3 What is the relation between Deliantra and Crossfire?
 
-An alternative would be to use the L<mark|command/mark> and L<apply|command/apply>
-commands like this:
+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 I found a bug, how can I report it/what do I do?
+
+Mail us at support@deliantra.net , which is best, unless it is a small, temporary, or urgent issue. If it is, then tell schmorp, elmex, or Asarth.
+
+=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 I can't see why!
+
+Here are the typical reasons why you lose health:
+
+=over 4
+
+=item * You are being attacked.
+
+Sounds obvious, but sometimes 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 you.
+
+=item * Your stats change.
+
+Switching items or being restored from depletion 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 or are restored from depletion), it can sometimes look as if you are losing health.
+
+=back
+
+=head3 I lost an item! How?
+
+Well, we don't know. If you don't know, either, here is a partial list of ways people
+typically lose stuff:
+
+=over 4
+
+=item You accidentally dropped it in a shop (or elswehere).
+
+If in a shop, if it was money, you can just go there and pick it up again:
+shops do not "buy" money. For other items you will have to buy it back.
+
+=item Thieves or monsters stole your items.
+
+Yes, thieves and many other monsters (such as demons) can actually steal
+stuff. They can steal about anything that you don't currently wield, and
+if they are good, you don't even notice it. Your only chance of getting
+the item back is to kill the thief or steal the item back with the steal skill before the map he is in resets.
+
+Many adventurers find that the old road to Navar harbours a lot of thieves
+and is best avoided by the beginning adventurers.
+
+=back
+
+=head3 How do I uncurse/undamn items?
+
+You need a spell to uncurse or undamn items, but luckily, magic shops commonly have scrolls of remove curse or remove damnation. In addition, all of the gods except the Devourers can remove curses, and Gnarg, Lythander, Mostrai, Gaea, and Valriel can remove damnation. Gaea also grants the remove damnation spell at 300 grace.
+
+To actually remove the curse or damnation with a scroll, you need to L<mark> the item, and then L<apply> the scroll.
+
+=back
+
+=head3 When I log-in, I keep dying! Why is this?
+
+What happened is that you died of a cave-in. Cave-ins kill you when you unsafely log out. An unsafe log out is when you disconnect without using a bed to reality, or when you time out (after 10-20 seconds without reply, the server automatically kicks players). Safe log outs are when you log out using a bed to realtiy, or when you are disconnected when the server crashes or restarts.
+
+If the disconnection was safe, then you will appear where you were before you got logged out. If it was unsafe, and more than 1 hour has passed, you will die of a cave-in. If the map you were in reset, but 1 hour has not passed, then you will be recalled to your bed to reality.
+
+=head3 How does the I<identify> spell work?
+
+The I<identify> spell identifies your items, making it give it's full description. The spell goes through your inventory in a psuedo-random order, skipping past identified items. If it identifies all the items in your inventory, or they are already identified, it then checks for identified items on the ground, again in a psuedo-random order. If it identifies all the items on the ground, then the remaining power is wasted.
+
+The I<identify> spell counts stacks of items, such as arrows or gems, as one 'item'. It can only identify a certain amount of items. Therefore, the only way to choose what it identifies is by dropping what you don't want identified on the ground.
+
+=head3 How can I Prepare/Improve/Enchant Weapons?
+
+This is done in two steps: first you have to I<prepare> your weapon
+for the desired number of enchantments, then you apply the enchanments
+(weapons remember how many times they can be enchanted further).
+
+To prepare a weapon, wield it and L<mark> (e.g. using the popup menu in
+the inventory) some diamonds, as a sacrifice, then read the I<Prepare
+Weapon> scroll. The square root of the total number of diamonds sacrificed
+this way determines the number of enchantments the weapon accepts: one
+diamond for one enchanment, nine diamonds for three enchantments, 100
+diamonds for ten enchantments and so on. 
+
+Remember, once you prepare the weapon, it can only be wielded by you.
+
+After that, you can apply improvement and enchantnment scrolls:
+
+=over 4
+
+=item Improve Damage
+
+Each scroll read will increase the damage by five points, and likewise the
+weight by five kilograms.
+
+=item Lower Weight
+
+This "improves" the weight of your weapon: each scroll reduces the weight
+by one fifth (20%). It will not, however, create weightless weapons.
+
+=item Enchant Weapon
+
+Each scroll read increases the magic by one point.
+
+=item Improve Stat
+
+This scroll improves one of the basic stat improvements (Strength,
+Dexterity and so on). For this it needs a further sacrifice in form of
+stat potions. The stat potions must be of the same type and will determine
+which stat gets improved.
+
+The number of stat potions you need to improve it is twice the number of
+stat points the weapon currently gives, plus one (the minimum is two stat
+potions, however). That is, a weapon which gives no stat bonus needs two
+(C<0 × 2 + 1 = 1> which is less than two, so two) stat potion, one that
+already gives I<Str +2> and I<Int +1> will need seven (C<3 × 2 + 1>) stat
+potions. Negative stats are summed normally, so I<Str +4> and I<Int -2>
+will result in needing five stat potions only (C<2 × 2 + 1>).
+
+=back
+
+Keep in mind, however, that your character can only handle a limited
+number of weapon improvements, see the L<skills> command. Item power will
+also increase.
+
+=head3 How can I enchant Armour?
+
+Enchanting armour is easy: each time you read an I<Enchant Armour> scroll,
+the magic value will be increased by one, the speed, armour (physical
+resistance) and weight are increased by some amount, as well as the item
+power.
+
+=head3 What is this item power business?
+
+In general, the more interesting/powerful items have higher item power
+values. Your character can handle only handle only a limited amount of power - for each overall level
+you can handle C<1.25> item power points, so if you are level 16 you can handle a total of 20 item power points
+(see the L<skills> command for your current limit and remaining item power points).
+
+All the equipment you wear adds to this limit, so if you wield a weapon of
+item power 30 plus two rings of item power 14 each you will need 58 item
+power (and a level of 47).
+
+
+=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
 
-If you need to something do this often, i recommend using the L<Bind Recorder|binding_recorder>.
+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
+
+In addition to these, there are a large number of emotes you can use, use
+the L<help> command to get a list.
+
+=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 (effective) casting 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
+
+=head3 How does being attuned/repelled/denied effect casting level?
+
+Some spells are attuned to one or more spell classes (such as wounding,
+summoning, fire and so on). The player can likewise be attuned to some of
+these classes, giving a bonus, or repelled to them, giving a malus, or
+denied to them, making her unable to cast the spell at all.
+
+The casting level is the level of the skill that the spell uses (e.g.
+summoning or sorcery).
+
+When attuned, the bonus is 16 levels, but never higher than the casting
+level itself, i.e. at level 2, the bonus is 4, at level 5, the bonus is
+10 and at level 50, the bonus is 16.
+
+When repelled, the malus is 16 levels always.
+
+These are added (or subtracted) to the skill level when checking whether
+the player can cast th spell and when calculating spell strength.
+
+The effect on strength is as if the minimum spell level is lower (when
+attuned) or higher (when repelled), and the strength will increase the
+same as without any attunement.
+
+=head3 What is the "effective" spell level?
+
+Effective spell levels start at 1 (lowest spell strength) and go up to
+100 (highest nominal spell strength). Higher levels are also possible and
+make the spell correspondingly stronger.
+
+The effective spell level is calculated from the casting level, after
+adding/subtracting any bonus from attunements.
+
+If the casting level is 100 or higher, then this is the effective spell
+level.
+
+If it is lower, then the minimum level comes into play: the minimum level
+is not only the minimum level a caster is required to have, it is also the
+level where the spell strength starts.
+
+When you cast a spell at level 90, which has a minimum level of 90, the
+effective strength will be 1 (lowest). Casting at level 91 gives effective
+strength 10, casting level 98 gives effective strength 80, up to casting
+level 100, which then gives effective level 100.
+
+
+=head2 Praying, Gods and Cults
+
+=head3 X<how_to_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%
+resistance 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 / Quests
+
+=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, can 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 level) 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.
+
+=head2 Where is that damn Goblin Chief?
+
+In his cave to the north-east of the Scorn Gate. It is the one that starts
+with a random maze (yes, there are multiple caves). Keep in mind that the
+Goblin Chief's Head is fastened to his body, so you have to find and kill
+him first.
+
+=head2 Where can I find the I<comet> spell?
+
+In the tower of stars, which is almost directly south of Scorn (but not
+too near to it). You have to talk to people to solve this quest, and it
+does not involve a random maze.
+
+