from TrueSite
@ the Shadowvale CSR
by Author
- the game is aimed at character levels around 10-20. It may be tough
for a party of all 10th level characters... I have adjusted the monster stats
in the game to try and gear them to this level of play. Don't panic
when you meet a rakshasa - they are not as tough or deadly as you might
expect...
- Talking to people in this game will really help. Sometimes people
will respond to VERY unlikely things.
- If you cannot open a door after many many tries - it may that the door
cannot be opened. There might be another way around.
- Some puzzles can be solved through clues obtained by searching
bookcases, etc. Some puzzles only have "visual clues".
- The running joke on spots is just that - a running joke, you don't
have to do spots house to finish the game.
- remember two rules on moving: you can do diagonal moves, you can
sometimes walk over terrain types you would not expect to be allowed to walk on
- there are very few things you can do to which will preclude you from
finishing the game:
**A word to the wise - destroying
portals is dangerous business - Portals are very powerful magical
devices and releasing such energy may mean you may not survive (but it may be fun
to save the game first and then see what happens...) If you do survive,
and you have destroyed a portal you still need - you may get stuck
somewhere, possibly somewhere quite unpleasant and unable to finish the game.
** Likewise, making Caterine mad twice, without first getting the
monastery's location will prevent you from finishing the game.
- Note: One strange bug was reported - when you left the Inner Portal (a small "town")
to the north, you ended back up by the Gatehouse (another small "town").
But this only happened once, then the town exit worked correctly.
I think I have this problem licked, but should you suffer this bug -
use the teleporter again and you can exit the Inner Portal correctly.
I think this is a editor/game bug and not a bug programed by me....
- A note on Steel City - like the real city I live in...
- A note on Oakland - like the place I go to school, and in the game
this is a city which is full of strange strange things... very
much like real life
- Do I have a twisted sense of humor? It's for you to decide after
playing...
Big Spoiler Hints a bit below:
(provided in case you get stuck. This game is supposed to be fun, not
to simply frustrate you... keep it fun - use the hints if you get
stuck! Or, if something is not in the hints, drop me an e-mail!)
Spoiler Hints: (covering most of the major puzzles, issues, etc...)
- Murphy is cursed, so are you when you work for him. This means - lots
of cursed items! No big treasure hauls! (besides, too much treasure
always spoils a game) (No Monty Hauls! - I hope)
- all the disasters in the valley can be linked to Murphy's curse,
getting his luck charm back may help him and the valley overcome the
curse (but then again, it's only a charm...)
Steel City:
- A place to get some starting supplies and direction.
- Talk to Murphy, he will give you something to ask Terik, as well as
background on the plot.
- Buy a beer at the inn. This will let you get some tools from Spider
if you need them.
- go ahead, try to rob the town's treasury
- ask Ardek about the boat (later, after traveling south in the valley
you can get a clue about som ething else to buy from him.)
- Terik gives you a clue about a tower: This is Caterines tower, not the
trog/rakshasa lair. (if you talked with Terik, you will get messages to
this effect when you enter either the trog/rakshasa lair, or Caterine's
tower.)
Caterine's Summer Place
- To get past the teleporter traps:
Find the path to the portcullises - it weaves from side to side in
the corridor. When you get to the end - you will be teleported back
again - but notice: two potted plants have appeared. Look at them. One
will open the gates.
- To get farther in - talk to Ruff - he will give you a clue... or:
- look at paintings on the wall until a door appears
in the wall of the hallway. Through the next series of rooms - look for
buttons and such to make more doors appear.
- you can get to the boats (Think diagonal)
- Cereno (the newt) will ask you why you came - perhaps you might ask him about the
luck charm
- Telling Caterine certain words will make her do some interesting, but not
too damaging things. Just don't do it more than once (there are only two
boats...)
- what Caterine wants to eat is some catnip...
you need to find some and return to give it to her before she will
reveal the location of a monastery. You can find the catnip in the
trog/rakshasa lair.
- no, you cannot get at all those treasure chests - they are mostly
there as an illusion and trap. You can get at two chests, through a secret door.
If you want to try for all the loot - save the game first...
Trog/Rakshasa lair
- one door in the rakshasa part cannot be opened. look for another way
around.
- don't leave before you get the catnip.
- if you free the giant he will give you a hint about some treasure
Ursag den
- no major tricks, just watch out for a few nasty battles (crypt can be
one..)
- don't leave before getting the green key - it's in a section of the
mine in the northwest corner - a cave-in trapped the monk who was
carrying it.
- the raft will allow you to get to an area where there is a secret
passage to the crypt. Search a bit more in another area (using the
boat) and you will find a treasure chest.
- there is one place here where you can walk on water, near the entrance
to the mine...
Ralph's boots and burgers:
- nothing critical here, but get some burgers to eat!
- Ralph will give you a clue about some "tourists"
- later you may need to visit ralph again, so try not to kill his
cows...
Boathouse
- the only important thing here is to get the gatehouse key - you need
to enter the "reading room" and walk through the wall.
Gatehouse
- to turn the portal on - look at the potted plant near the storeroom.
- DO NOT self destruct the portal before you step in it (or make sure to
save the game before you do! You will not die, but you then cannot finish
the game - if you return to this portal you will eventually die a horrible
death in quickfire!
- Do NOT self destruct the portal before you have completed the rebel fort
and obtained the red key
- you have to turn the portal on every time before you use it.
Inner Portal
- you can only find the secret passage to the escape tunnels _after_ visiting
the rebel fort.
- once you have visited the rebel fort, come back and look in storeroom for the stairs
- you have to turn the portal on every time before you use it.
Rebel Fort
- you can get to the outside of the fort by walking through secret
passage in the mountain. (first visit...)
- you cannot get in the front doors (but you can leave through them if you get inside...)
- search around some - you cannot avoid getting a clue which will help you find the
escape tunnels (the clue is linked to a timer, not a location)
- when you are inside - you have to do two things: find the password to the storage area
(kill the fort's commander) and the secret passage to secure storage (a secret door on
a corner - go up some stairs to the outside walkway, search for the secret door)
- don't leave without the red key!
- save the game before trying the self destruct...!
- you can get to one of the paintings in the water cistern.
Escape tunnels
- you need to push THREE buttons and pull one specific lever. One
button you will have to push twice - its a bit tricky to figure this
out, the buttons are hidden, and you have to walk back a second time to
find the third button. The lever you must pull (the others are decoys
and don't do a thing) is under some quickfire. You can take a bit of
damage to get to the lever - or - release the quickfire and then
activate the fire suppression system (walk on water to find it.) note:
you cannot activate the fire suppression system until after you have
been up to at least visit the quickfire area!
- you can exit the rebel fort through the escape tunnels - the traps
will not reset, and a walkway should appear over the pit as you get near
where the walkway should be.
Forest Fire Watch Tower (2nd floor)
- talk to people until you get the location of a strange place (the spot
house)
- if you get the kids to fight, don't kill anyone! (or only do so if you
saved the game....) (how to get the kids to fight? look at a desk,
then ask about that word to one of the kids...)
- if you kill a forester or child in this tower (top floor) you can
never get back into Oakland
Oakland
- the empire liaison will ask for your help finding some foresters.
- Stripes will give you a hint where to find a potion, and ask for help
finding a person. He gives you a nice item if you find the person and
report back to him.
- stealing from the paper mill will make the town angry at you, at least
for awhile.
- killing someone in the forest fire watch tower will mean you can never
enter this town again.
- there is a lot of... well I think it's humor... in this town. But you
can also buy some alchemy, food (see Pop), training and such...
Spots House
- this is only a silly (hopefully) and twisted sideplot (side spot?).
you can skip it... but it's meant to be fun...
-I rigged it so that you cannot drop through the floor a second time
without having the spotted key - so find it...
- diagonal moves sometimes are helpful to find secret doors...
Monastery First Floor:
- look for some clues on pedestals, talk to the captured foresters (but
pay attenti on to what they say! when you let them escape, they
disappear!)
- Search the chairman's room for the iron rod
- use the iron rod to move the stone to get to the basement. The stone
is in the room with the cow (the foresters give you a hint about this)
- what's this animal loving bit? I dunno - the monks are twisted, who
can understand them?
- who got paid to design the monastery? If we find that person, they
will be shot, or tickled to death, or forced into a comfy chair, or
some other fate to horrible to contemplate.
- you cannot sanctify any altars - but looking at them may have
interesting results.
Monastery Basement
- the visible stairs (first floor) take you to the outside, nothing
but monsters to hack here - and some clues to cracking the
teleporter puzzle.
- what the heck are Empire Inquisitors doing here? - I guess nobody
expects the Empire Inquisition...
- the stairs under the boulder (first floor) take you to the inside
teleporter traps. You need to find an adobe wall (look at it when you
do) to redirect one of the portals to the treasure room. You will
suffer pain every portal trip you make - but most fire walls and the
like fade away... and the quickfire will go out when you jump in the
portal! One portal will not lead to pain - but rather an encounter with
Embleer Rah's pet basilisks
- Okay - to make it the least painful, jump in the teleporter on the
right end of the teleporter chain. Then (after killing some basilisks),
look at the adobe wall to reset a portal, then, when you return to the
starting teleporter room, use the center portal.
- Make sure to say hello to Skippy (read a tome on the treasure
room pedestal)
- don't leave without the good luck charm (also on a pedestal)
Ending of scenario:
- to end the scenario after getting the luck charm
return to Steel City to get your ... reward... and end the game.
You get a small bonus if Murphy spots a bag of spots in your
pocket.
- you can also bail out the scenario anytime by:
a) going as far west as possible on the river in your boat.