Starting Arcanum - What to Install and How to Play?

[Crenshinibon]

Well, during my last year of high school, I was lucky enough to buy Arcanum (and the manual) in great condition from a friend. When I tried it, I had some difficulty with it and it didn't captivate as much as the Fallout series did (which I got around then as well). Now, after a few years, I'd like to give Arcanum another go and was wondering what patches, official and unofficial should I have?

I'm looking for something along the lines of Wesp's patches for Bloodlines, where they add missing content to the game, effectively shaping it into what "it was meant to be", thus I do not want any player created quests and stuff like that. Just fixes to the game and stuff missing from the original release.

Also, flipping through the manual, I'm finding it to be interesting and flavorful, but not very helpful in terms of educating me on how to play the game. I understand the controls as well as the aptitudes, but am not sure about other things, so here are some questions that I have:

1. Is there a level cap? If so, what level?

2. Do party members of different aptitudes hinder each other?

3. How are additional schematics and spells obtained and learned?

4. I understand that some schematics are recipes to craft items and I believe that you can craft mechanical beings as well. How do they work?

5. Do they have a duration or do they last forever?

6. If they can be destroyed, can I repair one or do I need to remake the creation over?

7. Does the being (or summon for magick users) count as a party member and thus does it count towards the party limit?

8. Do these machines have any method of control or do they act on their own?

9. I recall being able to ron shops when the owner was asleep, is this a bug? If not, is there any consequence (assuming you don't get caught) of doing this?

10. Having played the game, what advice could you give me on my first playthrough?

I appreciate the help from whoever answers these questions.

Thanks in advance.

[Twista]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crenshinibon 1. Is there a level cap? If so, what level? 2. Do party members of different aptitudes hinder each other? 3. How are additional schematics and spells obtained and learned? 4. I understand that some schematics are recipes to craft items and I believe that you can craft mechanical beings as well. How do they work? 5. Do they have a duration or do they last forever? 6. If they can be destroyed, can I repair one or do I need to remake the creation over? 7. Does the being (or summon for magick users) count as a party member and thus does it count towards the party limit? 8. Do these machines have any method of control or do they act on their own? 9. I recall being able to ron shops when the owner was asleep, is this a bug? If not, is there any consequence (assuming you don't get caught) of doing this? 10. Having played the game, what advice could you give me on my first playthrough?

1 the level cap is at 50. there are mods that remove the level 50 cap though 50 is enough to overpower anybody and anything if you are playing a fighter or mage
2 tech and magic users are useless with each other as the magic users with heal ( raven and virgil) tend to heal all your party and most of the spells dont work and they loose fatigue
3 as far as i know there are no additional spells
as far as schematics go i think you learn them by using them and then they are added to your schematics menu where you can make things out of them. Some dont require any skills to be used but some require that you have some degree of skill in the disciplin that they are affiliated with. So to make a pistol/rifle from a schematic that you find you will need to have skill in gun smithy. The better the weapon the more skill you need to have.
4 mechanical beings are like companions or summoned creatures. Unfortunately i haven't played as a tech user so i can't offer much info here.
5 mechanical beings last forever or until they are destroyed. I think they are much like the dog you can have in your party and i also think they dont count as a follower
6 i think they can be repaired but they also can be recreated but the requirements to make one are so big that you will probably not be able to make more than 1-2. I know that the automaton requires a small steam engine which is pretty hard to find
7 it does not count towards follower limit but you have a maximum amount of spells that can be active at one time. i think 3 or 4, don't remember. So that's the maximum you can have.
8 as all followers they act on their own script and you can only issue small orders to them, but in combat i think they will do what the want
9 yes you can rob them while they sleep. I haven't encountered any consequence to this action. I encountered some problems that after breaking into their chests they have nothing to sale and if you sell stuff to them stuff goes into their inventory instead of chest. I think you won't need to break into people's chests as you will have loads of money later on. I would advise spending a few points in haggle and becoming an expert as then you will be able to sell anything to anybody, it's annoying selling good stuff to the junk dealer just because nobody else will buy them, or running around with a full inventory.
10 As i said invest in haggle. Also thieving skills like pickpocket and pick locks will give you a few more missions with the thieves guilds which are quite good and will also give you some good bounty. I was able to make a very good fighter/thief within the level50 cap. Invest in melee early on even if you want to be a archer, pistol or magic user. The easiest ways to finish the game is with a fighter or a magic user.

Sorry for my English but it's not my native language. And also i haven't played the game in the last 3-4 years so i don't remember everything perfectly. Also i would like to add that i have finished the game 3 times and i enjoyed it every time.

[TwoHandedSword]

There is a patch available, which fixes some game imbalances. Do a Google search on Arcanum Patch and follow the links until you find a live one.

1. As mentioned above, the maximum in-game level is 50. (This gives you a maximum of 64 build points, including the five you got when you created the character; you get an extra point every fifth level.) There does exist a 'Level 127' hack, but it's overkill unless you love to Godmode.

2. The basic conceit of the game is that magic works to hinder technology, and vice versa. And on top of that, certain followers don't get along, for alignment reasons: they either talk down to each other, or refuse to join your party if the other is already there.

2a. You have a maximum number of follower slots, based on your Charisma and your mastery of the Persuasion skill. Dog (the 'worthless mutt' that can be found in Ashbury, being kicked to death by its owner) is a free follower, as are any constructs you make or familiars you summon.

3. Spells and basic tech attributes are learned by spending points on them. Higher-level spells require more Willpower, while higher-level tech needs more Intelligence. Tech schematics can also be found in certain shops, in dungeons, and in a side-quest on an island you will visit. Learn them by dragging them into your hotkey bank (the row of boxes below your inventory) and then clicking on them.

3a. There are no spells or tech items available outside of the game, via patches or anything else. Keep in mind that the nature of the game makes it worthwhile to pursue one branch or the other, but not both.

4. To craft an item, you need the supplies (which might in turn need to be made using another tech skill), either the tech skill or schematic the game requires, and sufficient technical expertise in the given skill(s). Technical expertise is acquired in one of two ways: by taking rank in a tech college, or by purchasing tech manuals at a private shop in the University section of Tarant. (Those tech manuals need to be in your inventory when you attempt to craft the item; and they're heavy, so find a place to store them when you're not using them.)

5. Created items last forever; certain magic items have a fixed number of charges, but their base properties work indefinitely regardless.

6. Taking rank in the Repair skill allows you to fix your own stuff; Mastery of Repair allows you to fix it as good as new. (With any skill, you can purchase Apprenticeship if you have at least one point in the skill; Expertise with three points, and Mastery with five points. Also, every skill has a minimum attribute you must raise to add more points; for Repair, it's Intelligence.)

7. As I mentioned above, it does not. It is considered a 'free' follower.

8. All followers act in accordance with their AI, which often means attacking on their own, even if you were preparing to cast an area spell. You have a limited ability to tell them to 'spread out' or 'back off' for example, using the F2 thru F6 keys. You get a portion of your followers XP when they make the kill, but not as much as you would have on your own. (Which is one of the reasons I personally eschew followers in this game.)

9. If you rob or pickpocket someone successfully, the only negative consequence is a small tick toward 'evil' in your alignment. Your alignment affects which quests you're offered, which followers will join you, and the options available near and at the game's end. It allows for more playability; go through once as a good magic user, for example, then the next time as a thief or an evil scientician.

9a. Get into the habit of autosaving (F7) right before you attempt to rob; if you're caught, pressing F8 will restore the game and let you try again. Also be sure to save (using the Save function on the main menu) every time you've completed an important objective or are done for the day; it's important to have a backup save, just in case.

10. Decide what type of character you want to play first, and concentrate your build points there. A crappy fighter-mage-thief-scientist-salesman-blacksmith-etc. does nobody any good, and will quickly get you killed.

Above all, have fun.

[flix]

Terra Arcanum is your source for what you should install.

Suggested files: Official patch (1.0.7.4), Drog's unofficial patch, high resolution patch, high quality town maps.

[Crenshinibon]

Thanks to all that answered, your replies were very helpful, though I do have some followup questions:

1. So technically I can have a limitless army of automatons or the like? Does the mechanical creation that heals you have charges or resources it uses? If so, how do I recharge it (magical equipment included as well)

2. When an item or a mechanical being gets damaged, when I use the repair skill on it, does it use any resources?

3. What would you say is the best way to acquire the items you need for crafting items?

4. Is it possible to play the game as a talker, relying on your charisma and intellect rather than brute force?

Once again, thanks to all who replied.

[TwoHandedSword]

1. I believe there is some sort of limit to the number of automatons you can have at once; perhaps one (or one of each type) at a time. Beyond that, I'd be speculating, having never built the devices in question.

2. Repair itself doesn't use any resources; but repairing something above a certain number of hit points will permanently lower the maximum HP for that item, unless you have repair mastery.

3. Some components can be found; others must be built from even simpler components. In every city (including a hidden one that you find as part of the main quest) be sure to visit the inventor, herbalist, junk dealer, blacksmith, gunsmith, and tech armoury. (No one town has every single one of these.) If you don't like what you see, walk away at least one full screen and then advance game time by one day; they'll have a different selection available.

4. If you mean being a silver-tongued pacifist: sadly, not completely; there are areas (dungeons and such) that simply need to be cleared out. But if you mean having your followers do all the dirty work: then yes it is; in fact, a speed run of the game that I've seen involves using that very trick. And if you're going to go that route, be absolutely sure to recruit Dog (he's only available the first time you visit Ashbury, and for only an hour of game time, so don't dawdle); even though he can't carry anything, he is the absolute best fighter in the game -- and unlike some weapons you'll find, his teeth never break!