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Revision: 1.15
Committed: Fri Apr 11 01:01:53 2008 UTC (16 years, 2 months ago) by root
Branch: MAIN
Changes since 1.14: +70 -0 lines
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File Contents

# 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 =head3 How can I Prepare/Improve/Enchant Weapons?
130
131 This is done in two steps: first you have to I<prepare> your weapon
132 for the desired number of enchantments, then you apply the enchanments
133 (weapons remember how many times they can be enchanted further).
134
135 To prepare a weapon, wield it and L<mark< (e.g. using the popup menu in
136 the inventory) some diamonds, as a sacrifice, then read the I<Prepare
137 Weapon> scroll. The square root of the total number of diamonds sacrificed
138 this way determines the number of enchantments the weapon accepts: one
139 diamond for one enchanment, nine diamonds for three enchantments, 100
140 diamonds for ten enchantments and so on.
141
142 After that, you can apply improvement and enchantnment scrolls:
143
144 =over 4
145
146 =item Improve Damage
147
148 Each scroll read will increase the damage by five points, and likewise the
149 weight by five kilograms.
150
151 =item Lower Weight
152
153 This "improves" the weight of your weapon: each scroll reduces the weight
154 by one fifth (20%). It will not, however, create weightless weapons.
155
156 =item Enchant Weapon
157
158 Each scroll read increases the magic by one point.
159
160 =item Improve Stat
161
162 This scroll improves one of the basic stat improvements (Strength,
163 Dexterity and so on). For this it needs a further sacrifice in form of
164 stat potions. The stat potions must be of the same type and will determine
165 which stat gets improved.
166
167 The number of stat potions you need to improve it is twice the number of
168 stat points the weapon currently gives, plus one (the minimum is two stat
169 potions, however). That is, a weapon which gives no stat bonus needs two
170 (C<0 × 2 + 1 = 1> which is less than two, so two) stat potion, one that
171 already gives I<Str +2> and I<Int +1> will need seven (C<3 × 2 + 1>) stat
172 potions. Negative stats are summed normally, so I<Str +4> and I<Int -2>
173 will result in needing five stat potions only (C<2 × 2 + 1>).
174
175 =back
176
177 Keep in mind, however, that your character can only handle a limited
178 number of weapon improvements, see the L<skills> command. Item power will
179 also increase.
180
181 =head3 How can I enchant Armour?
182
183 Enchanting armour is easy: each time you read an I<Enchant Armour> scroll,
184 the magic value will be increased by one, the speed, armour (physical
185 resistance) and weight are increased by some amount, as well as the item
186 power.
187
188 =head3 What is this item power business?
189
190 In general, the more interesting/powerful items have higher item power
191 values. Your character can handle only handle only a limited amount of power - for each overall level
192 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
193 (see the L<skills> command for your current limit and remaining item power points).
194
195 All the equipment you wear adds to this limit, so if you wield a weapon of
196 item power 30 plus two rings of item power 14 each you will need 58 item
197 power (and a level of 47).
198
199
200 =head2 Generic how do I...
201
202 =head3 How do I use range weapons such as bows?
203
204 First, you have to L<apply> the bow, then it will show up in the lower
205 right corner in the C<Range:> slot. If it is already shown as C<(applied)>
206 but not in the C<Range:> slot you have to unapply and reaply it.
207
208 When you have a bow (or similar weapons like guns or crossbows) applied,
209 you just shoot as with spells or other range attacks - C<Shift>+direction
210 key.
211
212 You need to have arrows (shells, bolts etc.) in your inventory or an
213 active container for this to work.
214
215 You can influence how you shoot via the L<Bow Mode|bowmode> in the C<<
216 Playerbook => Settings >> tab.
217
218 =head3 X<faq_igniteandthaw>How do I thaw icecubes? Or: How do I ignite a torch?
219
220 The right-click context menu in the playerbook inventory has an entry
221 B<ignite/thaw>, which will ignite something or thaw icecubes. You will
222 need a B<flint & steel> L<$ARCH/flint_and_steel.x11> for
223 this to work!
224
225 An alternative would be to use the L<mark|command/mark> and
226 L<apply|command/apply> commands like this:
227
228 mark icecube
229 apply flint and steel
230
231 You can bind these commands to a key and invoke them repeatedly.
232
233 =head3 How do I cast a cone spell all around me (burning hands, holy word etc.)?
234
235 Use the C<5>-key on your keypad. This will cats spells "onto yourself"
236 which has the desired effect with cone spells.
237
238
239 =head2 Playing Together
240
241 =head3 How can I communicate with other players?
242
243 There are five commands you can use to talk to others. All of them can
244 be entered by just typing them in, followed by the message, followed by
245 C<Return>, e.g. C<chat hey guys, what's up?>. If you have a I<tab> open
246 in your message window you can also just type a text in there followed
247 by C<Return> (this is especially handy as C<Return> also activates the
248 current chat tab as well).
249
250 =over 4
251
252 =item chat <message> (short: C<c>)
253
254 The most-used communications command. Whatever you I<chat> will end up
255 in the I<Chat> tab of everybody else who is currently logged in.
256
257 Example:
258
259 c uh, that anchovis almost killed me
260
261 =item shout <message>
262
263 This is like C<chat>, but "louder". Everybody will get your message in red
264 in their C<Chat> tabs. You should not use C<shout> unless you are in an
265 emergency or there is something really important to be said, otherwise you
266 risk being ignored by people.
267
268 Example:
269
270 sh I am stuck! can anybody let me out?
271
272 =item say <message> (short: C<s>)
273
274 This command can be used to talk to NPCs (without going through the NPC
275 dialogue window), but all players anywhere on the same map can hear you as
276 well.
277
278 Example:
279
280 s good that schmorp cnanot hera us here!
281
282 =item tell <playername> <message> (short: C<te>)
283
284 This is your prototypical two-way, private, chat channel. You can talk to
285 any other player that is currently logged in, and only he can hear you.
286
287 =item gsay <message> (short: C<gs>)
288
289 The group say command sends a message to every member of the party/group
290 you are in. This is useful when playing in a team, to avoid cluttering the
291 chat channel.
292
293 =back
294
295 =head3 Can I form parties? Which benefits does party-play have?
296
297 You can form I<new> parties using the C<< party form <name> >> name
298 command, and you can join I<existing> parties using the C<< party join
299 <name> >> command. There are other party commands, use C<help party> to
300 find out more.
301
302 The main benefit of party-play is sharing experience: All experience you
303 gain is distributed to all party members accoridng to their level (people
304 with twice the level as you gain twice as much experience).
305
306 This is great for training skills you are bad in, but somebody else is
307 good in, and of course vice versa!
308
309
310 =head2 Magic
311
312 =head3 How can I summon a specific monster with C<summon pet monster>?
313
314 Higher levels of L<skill_description/summoning> give you access to higher
315 level monsters, but not all monsters have equal abilities. Instead of
316 summoning the highest level monster allowed by your level you can also
317 summon any other monster you had before by adding its I<archetype name>
318 after the command, i.e. to summon bees you would use the C<cast summon pet
319 monster bee> (short: C<cspm bee>) command.
320
321 Level Monster
322 1 bat
323 3 bird
324 4 spider
325 6 killer_bee
326 7 pixie
327 8 skeleton
328 9 stalker
329 11 devil
330 13 beholder
331 15 dark_elf
332 17 skull
333 20 angel
334 25 vampire
335 30 spectre
336 35 lich
337 40 demilich
338 50 hellhound
339 60 unusual_kobold
340 70 chicken
341 80 gr_hellhound
342 90 dave
343 100 laoch
344 105 snitchangel
345
346 =head2 Praying, Gods and Cults
347
348 =head3 X<how_tp_pray>How do I pray?
349
350 First enter the "praying mode" by readying your L<skill_description/praying> skill
351 (by default bound to C<Alt-P>, or by typing C<rspraying>), then hold and keep holding
352 C<Shift> and a direction key (e.g. C<Shift-Up>).
353
354 You will now pray as long as you keep pressing the keys.
355
356 =head3 How can I summon a specific monster with C<summon cult monster>?
357
358 You can't, your god selects the monsters for you.
359
360 =head3 How do I join a cult/become a follower of a god?
361
362 That is simple, just find an altar of a god of your choice and start
363 L<skill_description/praying>. Eventually, the god will recognize
364 you.
365
366 =head3 How do I change gods?
367
368 That is far more difficult: gods really hate it when you defect
369 them. Expect to lose a lot of L<skill_description/praying> experience in
370 the process.
371
372 First you should pray long enough to your god, until you gain 95%
373 resistancy to god power. Then quickly go to the altar of your newly-chosen
374 god and pray on her/his altar. Your old god won't make it easy, but if you
375 are persistent your old god will let you go at one point.
376
377 =head2 Exploring
378
379 =head3 What areas are there to explore?
380
381 First, you should explore Scorn and find the port pass (and maybe also the
382 gate pass). Make sure you don't miss out the old city of scorn, many
383 a dangers, but also many treasures, cna be found there.
384
385 When you finished most of the quests in Scorn you should investigate how
386 the pirates escape from the prison. This will lead to a number of nice
387 quests in and around Port Joseph.
388
389 Another nice series of quests, from low to medium level, can be found in
390 the King's Palace in Scorn. Who wouldn't want to meet the princess in
391 person?
392
393 The areas you can reach through the various transportation modes in Scorn
394 are Pupland (which has a lot of puzzles and quests from very low to very
395 high level), Stoneville and Santo Dominion (low and medium level quests,
396 also nice shops), and the Aldwulf Archipelago (which is more dangerous).
397
398 Through the gate you can reach Euthville and Santo Dominion to the north,
399 Brest (medium level) and Lake Country (medium to high leve) to the south,
400 and Navar (medium level quests) in the east (a long travel).
401
402 From Navar you can travel to Darcap in the far north (medium level
403 quests), near the mystical country of Azumauindo, to Wolfsburg somewhere
404 on the ocean, a rather dangerous area with many thieves and pirates
405 (medium level quests) and Valleynoy to the south, with medium and high
406 level quests (did you find the southpole yet?).
407
408 Also, it is said that Navar somehow has access to the mystical City
409 de Clouds, the biggest city ever seen (high level and very high level
410 quests). There are rumors about lands beyond (St. Bartholemew and other
411 cities) and other even more mystical places, but little is known about
412 that.
413