Avernum Escape 18: Done!

Well, I have done it. I have finished Avernum: Escape from the Pit. Wonderful effort from Jeff, as usual.


I chose to do the route to the surface as my last quest. Good thing too, because you get a choice of escaping or going back to Avernum to help your new friends. Of course I saved just before I stepped out onto the grass, so I got to try both endings. Actually, they're both pretty much the same.


Really nice artwork on these big screens. I'm not going to post the endgame shots here though. Work for 'em yourself! They're a nice reward.


I was unable to get all 36 level-three spells. The first time in a Spiderweb game that I haven't done that. In the earlier games, once you bought a spell, and then found the level-three spellbook, you were at level three! This time you have to buy 'em twice, then find the spellbook. Finding the spellbook with only one purchase only gets you to level two. If you buy the spell again later, you'll get level three, but I think that's seriously chintzy. We have to earn those hidden spellbooks. We ought to get our full reward from finding them, and that ought to include saving money. Anyway, there is far less money in this game than usual, and the damned spells are really expensive. I never even spent any money on training.


Also, I never got the negotiator skill, which may have had something to do with it. I guess it shows up sometimes, and sometimes not. I got not.


I chose to do the easiest great quest last, of course. Had I done it earlier I would have been stronger for the other fights, because you get some nifty spells, but I wanted that choice at the end. As it turned out I did go back and get the rewards for finding the surface, then went back up. On the second trip you have to fight all the endgame enemies again, but at least you don't have to do it in the dark, the way it is the first time. 


So that was fun! I'm glad I took the time to finish the game. After ten Kirkus books for two months straight (20 books) I decided that I had earned the time to at least finish. And indeed, it took me two days (mostly because I had to backtrack so much).


Stuff I liked:


The open area. My favorite scenario. You can wander wherever you want to go. Don't like the little restricted playing areas that Geneforge and Avadon have. The open area seems more realistic (if you want realism in a fantasy cartoon game).


My characters are still Avernum characters. I want them to be the same as before, and they are. Yay!


The script is essentially the same. Great great great script. Has humor! Put Spiderweb on the map in the first place, and this redesign makes it available for many more up-to-date platforms.


The fighting system is essentially the same. Good. I'm used to it.


Just the whole feel of playing Avernum!


Stuff I didn't like:


The new skills system. First, this will be easier for new players because it prevents you from making major mistakes. But it only gives you two points to spend on each level. Earlier we had five points, so we had more freedom. It seriously sucks to mostly stop at level 30. After that you get skill points only after gaining five more levels. But we don't get the ten points we've earned then, we only get two. I found ingredients for just enough wisdom crystals to get Mycroft to level 35, and still only got those two lousy skill points. If it had been ten I could have increased his priest skills enough to get Return Life. It was OK, though, because he wouldn't have needed the spell as it turned out--although only because I did the easiest quest last. Still. Damn. Chintzy.


The spells system (see above). This really sucked. Makes it very very tough to get all the level-three spells. I used to like to make whole shamans, with both spellcasters having full priest and mage spells by the endgame. Tough to do that here.


At first I liked the new buffs you found, such as Arcane Cloak. However, I've changed my mind about that. Because I found that buff early, I got away from the normal path of development in the game. I got strong too fast. I should have gone to Mertis and tackled the spiral pit, but by the time I got there all I had to do was breathe on the baddies and they fell before me. Jeff has always been good at steering the players on the right path so they develop more and more strength, then face stronger and stronger enemies. Also, you find spell books you can read along the way. This time I missed lots of stuff that I had to return for, because I didn't have the arcane lore skills necessary to read the books when I found them. I shouldn't have been able to get to those places that soon. The bonus buffs didn't make the game easier. It made it more difficult and more frustrating in the long run because it took you off the proper path through the game.


I will admit though, that the closed areas in Geneforge and Avadon really do force the player to level up before getting to the more difficult areas. Avernum's freedom lets you make that mistake (and I made it). But eliminating those free buffs would have pretty much kept players on the right path as has always been the case before.


HOWEVER! Indeed it was my Avernum! I love these games! They just give you a "feel" that you can't find many other places. I'll play it again, but I think I'll try it on the "hard" setting for once. And I'll follow the right path, and not use the free buffs. I'll wait till I've earned 'em.


But first, I've got Jonathan Boake's Director's Cut of Darkfall: Lights Out, so I want to see that!


I am just going to carve time out for myself to play these games. I don't need to surf the web as much as I've been doing. Timewaster, that. Gaming, however, is entertainment, and that is a much more positive activity.


Till Darkfall!


Major Update: Just because it was sitting here on my desktop, I decided to start a game on the "Hard" setting. I have found my level! This is super fun! That was my problem--although I'm really a lousy player, I have improved enough to play on Hard. Either that, or this game has been dumbed down quite a bit for players new to the series. But I'm having much more fun by having to think my way through battles. I'm finally using the items I collect. Normally they just go to waste and clutter up the inventory. I won't be concentrating on a replay, but golly, I have found my game again. This is Avernum! Yay!