1,000 Games (Collectors Edition)

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ 1,000 Games (Collectors Edition) - Disc 2 / 1000GamesDisc2.iso / solution / text / genie.pt1 < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1995-09-21 | 29.5 KB | 574 lines

GENIE Al Qadim: The Genie's Curse is the latest from SSI. It features a new and improved interface and game engine. Never before has an AD&D computer adaptation felt so fast paced and exciting. The graphics are stunning, arcade-like, smoothly scrolling, and colorful. The perspective is that of a slant-overhead view that allows you to guide your character through the adventure. In comparison the view and scrolling are much better than those of Ultima series. The sound card support is absolute in SSI tradition with a multitude of brands featured. Music and sound effects are appropriate. It must be noted, however, that they failed to render the true Arabian night tales atmosphere. But that doesn't overly hurt the game play. The RPG rules are those of AD&D's Al Qadim setting. In other words the game abides by the AD&D 2nd Edition rules and is enriched by exiting new concepts, spells, and creatures designed especially for this campaign setting. You play a single character, a corsair (fighter type). Swordplay is enhanced to a semi-arcade level with a special feature: the ability to learn up to three specific combat moves. Those combat moves become available as you increase in level and find a trainer willing to teach them to you. Limited spell-casting is allowed by the use moonstone shards paralleling rods and staffs (limited number of charges) which you must acquire in the adventure. The bestiary is close to standard but even the classic creatures are tainted with a touch of Arabian exoticism making each and every battle a new experience. Judging by the monsters, the game requires the skills of a 7th level character equipped with considerable amount of extra healing potions. The action is three dimensional: an outdoor phase with random encounters of wandering monsters, a dungeon/city phase involving interaction with predetermined numbers of NPC's and creatures, and the additional travel phase such as your travels aboard your ship which sometimes result in encounters with pirates, undead, or water elementals. The game includes several mind boggling puzzles and, on occasion, dexterity requiring arcade challenges. This game is excellent. Pure art in form and principle, it however does not present much of a challenge to the gifted gamer. Game play to solve the game at the Medium level of difficulty without cheats (I edited my save game later) is approximately 10 hours. Disappointing for a five disk game. It appears that the game was designed with novice players in mind. It is indeed excellent for people with no previous AD&D experience. A lot can be expected from future releases using this formidable engine, that is, if SSI does not rupture its contract with TSR, which seems to be the case... ┌────────────────────────────┐ │ STORY AND ACTION GUIDELINE │ └────────────────────────────┘ ───> Graduating From the Academy The game opens with a test. Your master who taught the ancient secrets of the corsairs sends you through a maze that requires agility, speed, and quick thinking, in order to determine your fitness to graduate. The basic principle behind the puzzle: move fast and stop as little as you can. You are being chased by a disintegrating field which makes you start over if it touches you. Slalom around spears and boulders, dash across springing pun gee sticks, fiery infernos, grasping pincers, sliding rotary blades, and dodge fiery missiles, rolling boulders, and aggressive fire elementals. You'll have very little time to think or pause. You must react quickly and take your chance whenever possible. Strategies: - Avoid wide open spaces and try to cling to the walls. Many traps are set where no hindrance is visible. - Keep your priorities straight. You have barely enough time to make it. - Your greed will have to wait. When you finish, you will see a big chest which contains enough reward to get you started. - The teleporter is located north of that chest and will send you outside the walls of your home city of Zaratan. - For this first phase, and all subsequent phases, make it a habit to crush the vases and pieces of furniture whenever you encounter them. Very often they contain treasures, sometimes they offer the only safe way through an area. Secret passages may be obscured by pieces of furniture. ───> The Home City of Zaratan The second phase involves unravelling the story line in your home city. As you enter, your sister greets you and takes you to your father, who will give you the family sword of honor which can only harm your enemies. After conversing with him, visit the other houses of your family compound: - Your home, where your mother awaits. - Your brother Tarik's house. - Your Aunt's, who has a present for you. Once you are done with the family, visit each and every other house: - The compound of the rival family, the Wassab's. - The trainer's home who can teach you new combat moves. - The Inn. - The Temple where you can donate some money (this will result in a gain in experience). - The Qadi's office which is discussed later on. - Your sister's house at the south west corner of town. The potion shop. - The Sorcerers' Guild. - The bazaar. - The barracks. - Various residents' homes. The main tasks: - Talk to each and every of your family members. - Go to the bazaar, the merchant's daughter is dying and she needs purple berries to survive. The purple berries are located in the monster- infested oasis west of town. - Go to the Qadi's office. He will give you a document that will hopefully bring and end to the feud between your family and the Wassab's. - Take the Qadi's treaty to the Wassab compound. When challenged by the young Wassab son, politely decline. The Wassab elder will require your father's signature first. - Head back home and get him to sign. - Return to the Wassab elder, he will then ask that you and your sister also sign publicly in front of the Qadi's office. - Fetch and convince your sister (upon meeting her again she will give you a present). - Return in company of your sister to the Qadi's office. There you both sign the non-aggression pact. - Throughout the city you will encounter private citizens in need of donations. Be generous. Every time you give you will be rewarded by some amount of experience. - With the little money you have you may want to buy some healing potions at the shop. - Before going any further you must have dealt with the oasis covered in the next section. ───> The Monster Infested Oasis The oasis is infested with monsters which include: - Hyenas - Air Elementals - Thorn shooting bushes - Giant wild boars - Swarms of hornets The basic idea is find the one unique purple berry bush located in the middle of the oasis next to the water. As you collect the berries you will meet a mermaid. Promise her to keep the knowledge of her existence secret and she will give you a message from her master to bring to the Qadi. Return to the city, give the berries to the bazaar keeper and honor your oath to the mermaid and do not reveal her existence when asked. Then go to the Qadi's office to deliver the message. Somewhere around this time your old master will appear before you warning you of omens of great dangers facing you. He will then give you a few magical presents including a scroll to read before your nemesis when you will finally meet them. Return to the oasis bearing the reply to the message, the mermaid will tell you of a healing pool in the oasis located on the other side of the water from where you are standing, next to two trees. As you reach it, step onto it and your wounds will be healed. When you are done here, return to the city and a new plot will unravel. Earlier during the day, about the time you signed the pact with the Wassab family, a ominous storm had started. The storm has now cleared up now and one of your trading ships brings bad news. While they were at sea they passed by a Wassab ship when suddenly the storm hit. The magical storm only affected the Wassab ship, sparing your own, and the attack was the doing of your family's genie. Such an attack is full of consequences considering your family had just signed a pact of non-aggression binding your genie. Only your father, sister, and brother have control of the genie. And when the Wassab's file a complaint with the Qadi, your family gets blamed. But there is more. Aboard the Wassab ship was Kara, your bride to be, the Caliph's daughter and the Caliph himself. They were coming to greet you before the wedding. The Qadi sends you back to the oasis to search the western shore for survivors. Go back to the oasis and you will find the Caliph, alive and well, but under the assault of hyenas. After saving his life, he will insist that you search the debris for his treasure which consists of a locket pendant with his daughter's picture. You can find lying next to a barrel near the north west corner of the shore. You can then return to the city. The Wassab will make formal accusations against your family before the Caliph. Your family is ordered to summon the family genie to explain his action. When Muliban, your genie, appears, he declares he was given a direct order by a member of your family and your brother Tarik is still nowhere to be found. Your family is imprisoned back in the Caliph's palace in the capital city on another island. Since you had no control over the genie you remain free but are banned from Zaratan and cannot re-enter the city gates. The adventure really begins now. Head back to the oasis to seek the council of the mermaid. She tells you that you must locate the magical ship on Deadman's Reef. In order to get to Deadman's Reef you must head to the south west shore of the oasis and speak the words "Jorgizra Jetzona". Once you secure the ship she tells you to head to the northern part of the oasis to the mage's tower and seek an audience by speaking the words "Azullah Batan". Head to the southwest shore and speaks the words: they will summon a giant turtle. Climb on its back and it will take you to Deadman's Reef. ───> Deadman's Reef Deadman's Reef is inhabited by: - Zombies - Skeletons - Thorn shooting bushes Find three keys on the shore, two of which are found in chests lying behind bushes. Beware of treasure lying around, for greed magically invokes zombies. Once you are done, climb the shipwreck. Move fast, for there is an archer taking shots at you. Go below deck. One of the keys will open the first door, and you'll have to face a couple of skeletons. The other two keys will open the next set of doors which lead into the quarters of a mage who will hurl potent magic at you. Once you defeat her, you will gain several treasures and access to the portal to the ship located on the wall of that room. Enter the portal. Once in the next plane of existence, head to the center of the platform, there lies a large green orb. Shatter the orb. As a result the ship will be restored and be teleported to the sea. Whenever you come back into this room and touch the smaller orb, your wounds will be healed. Go back above deck and talk to the helmsman. Learn what he has to tell you, and ask it to take you back to Zaratan. In order to get off the boat, just climb onto the row-boat. It will take you to the south shore of the Oasis. Proceed north to the mage's tower and at the gate speak the words you were taught earlier. ───> The Mage's Tower As you enter the tower, you will be teleported to a challenge area. Here are the basic guidelines on how to easily make it across: - Where there are patterns of circles on the floor, step in succession on the blue highlighted patterns. This will open the doors or engage the mechanisms needed to proceed. - In one instance, you will be tested for mnemonic abilities (one of the two tests administered by the acid pool entity). In that instance you have a round pattern of those circles which alternately light up. Step on those which light up and when they do not light up anymore, step on the center face. Keep track of which circles light up and which ones light up more than once, as you will be quizzed on it afterwards. Also, when asked about the significance of the rune, tell the truth: you have no idea. - Stay away from the green puddles as much as you possible. Some acid slime elementals tend to originate from these if you stay around. - There are poisonous spiders. Beware, when poisoned, you will loose hit points steadily until the effect subsides after a couple minutes. - In order to cross a section of acid pool or open a locked door, you will often need to activate levers. When stuck, make sure you have activated all the levers you have encountered. - In one instance, you will need to push levers in order to lower spikes blocking your way. - In another, you will have to pull successions of levers in order to create a path of rock tiles through a lava pool. That is the only instance where the order in which you pull the levers matters. The initial order is: + Lever North + Lever South + New Lever North + New Lever Farther North + New Lever South And then you will have to figure out the rest for yourself. After a little trial and error you will get to more levers on the other walls of the pool and one single lever standing on a tile. Once all are activated, you will have access to a sliding plate which will take you from your last position to the exit on the opposite side of the entrance to the pool. - When addressing the stone faces, show humility, honor, and be absolutely honest. - For instance, when asked why you are in this area, reply that you came to restore your family's honor. - When asked if you attacked the master of the maze, say you would out of self defense. - When questioned by the jealous husband, reply that a wife's lover has no honor because marriage is sacred. - When talking to the wife, say that she should be trusted and that her love is beautiful and precious and should be shown for the world to see. - Later on, when asked again by the jealous husband, promise never to talk to the mermaid again. - When all else fails, and you are stuck in a corridor, pay attention to shifting patterns in the walls. There is, at one point, a secret passage. - In some situations in order to cross pools you will need to step on sliding stones, which have specific courses back and forth on the pools. Sometimes you need to hop from stone to stone until you manage to get your way across it. If you follow these guidelines, you will eventually succeed and get past every obstacle. You will be teleported back into the tower. Go upstairs, enter the quarters of the mage where you will meet him and his wife, none other than the mermaid you had previously met. After discussing with the mage for a while, he will tell you what your next course of action should be: you must regain control of Muliban, your family's genie and find who ordered the attack. In order to get to that point, you need to find the Genie's Lords. You can learn the name of their island on the Isle of Shibaz by asking the Hermit in the Library. The mage gives you an enchanted mirror to get what you seek from the Hermit if all else fails. As an additional request, the mermaid will address you. Make sure to mention that her husband made you promise never to address her again. After the oath is lifted, she will ask from you a gilded dove. You may leave the tower and head back to your ship. If you want to fulfill the mermaids request, you should set sail to the capital, enter the city, and locate the Supernatural Emporium where you can buy the gilded dove. Then return the dove to the mermaid in the tower, in exchange her husband gives you a scroll to speak before your true enemy. ───> The Capital City Before going to the island of Shibaz, you may want to go to the Capital city visit your parents in the jail of the Palace. The City's shops feature: - Barracks : Stay away. - Mess Hall : Stay away. - Ha-Kim's Heating : He sells the Hottest Coals in the World. When you need them later on in the game, come get them here. - Reptilian Desires: Here is sold the Wisest Snake in the World. When you need it later on, come get it here. - Desert Salvation : Local Healer. You can get your wounds healed for a fee. Don't bother, either use the orb in your ship or buy healing potions rather than waste your money here. - Sand Point Gambling Club: Gamble up to 500 coins at a time! If you win you gain twice as as much as you gambled (500 brings 1000 for a new total of 1500 coins). The game is "guess the number". you have 6 tries to guess a number between 1 and 100. Strategy: + 1st guess: 50 + 2nd Guess: if value is lower: 30 if value is higher: 70 + 3rd Guess: if you have bound the value between the two previous: if the value is between 30 and 50, select 40. + 4th Guess: if it's between 30 and 40 select 35 + 5th Guess: if it's between 30 and 35 select 32 or 33. + 6th Guess: depending wether its high or low, you have either the right answer automatically or you have to choose between two answers. + If you had too short on answer 2, then extend the bracket by 10 for the 3rd guess. If then you have a range do as above within the new bracket. Your odds will then be the same as above. + If you missed again on 3, then extend the guess by ten more, then your guess become more difficult. + And so on... With your earnings, invest in extra healing potions, and/or shards, at the Supernatural Emporium. - Shop with no sign: Trainer: Train here to learn new combat moves as you increase in levels. There are 3 combat moves: + Hack + Sweep + Twirling Sweep They are activated by holding the attack button until the gem symbol on top of the screen light up. - Private Homes: Stay away. - Ingrid shop of wonders: She will sell you Idrid's Veil for a large amount of gems. Come back here when you need it. - Traveler's rest: The Inn is closed, but enter it anyway. One of the two patrons will be of assistance in finding the location of the Bottle of Eternal Emptiness. - Supernatural Emporium: He will sell you the Gilded Dove. When you need it come and get it from here. In addition, he sells the following: + Potions: - Healing: Not very good - Extra Healing: Excellent! - Giant Strength: Raises it to 22, making your hits cause more damage. Temporary effect. - Invulnerability: Makes you much harder to hit. Temporary effect. - Oil of Elemental Invulnerability: + Fire + Air + Earth + Water Makes you impervious to the attacks of these elementals, and more resistant to spells based on these elements. Temporary effect. + Moonstone Shards: These are available in limited quantities only. They are listed from the most potent and limited to least powerful and relatively abundant. - Lightning (25 charges): Sends a bolts bouncing around causing great damage. - Cone of Cold (12): Has a broad, single directional area of effect. - Water Blast (15): Very effective against Fire Elementals - Sunfire (10): Fireball-like area effect upon impact. - Sun Scorch (15) - Fire Arrow ( 7) - Magic Missile (12) - For Rent: This is the house of a forger who was recently incarcerated. - Office Of Trade: He has the bone key. Come get it from him when you need it. He will exchange gem to gold and vice versa: + Get 10 gold for a gem. + Get 1 gem for 11 gold. NOTE: About money matters: If you do not use a cheat, use your money wisely. do not by any magical items except for Extra healing potions, until you have acquired all the special items mentioned in each stores listed above. If you need more, go gamble, the odds are actually quite good. If you're dead broke, travel a lot just to run into pirates and or undeads. You'll capture some amount of wealth after the battles, in chest near the helm of the captured ships. The last building in the city is the Palace. ───> The Caliph's Castle ( First Visit ) In the Castle Gardens, you will find some gold behind bushes and flower beds. help yourself to it. In addition, you may converse with a prisoner through the grate east of the entrance. As you enter the castle for the first time, you basic objective is to obtain the permission to visit your father in the dungeons below. Ask the Vizier that you would like to see your family. He will then ask you wether you wish to see the Caliph for that purpose. Reply positively. Once taken to see the caliph, ask to meet with your family. When refused to, insist that you give your word to not attempt to break the law in any way. The Caliph will have the Vizier use his telepathic powers to scan your mind for your true intentions. He'll ask you questions. Reply the truth. You have no new information concerning the case against your family. The caliph will authorize you to go see your father, but not the other members of your family (mother and sister). With the permission, head for the western living quarters, and find the stairs leading to the dungeons, guarded by the captain of the guard. Tell him you are allowed a visit, and proceed downstairs. Your father's cell is located in the northern part of the dungeon. You'll be taken straight to him, and instructed not to attempt finding your other relatives. Talk to him, and he'll ask you to go find your mother and sister and inquire about their health. You may wander about. Talk to the prisoners. One of them will tell an interesting story about the Vizier's Seal, which will make more sense later as the plot unravels. Beware not to talk to either your mother or sister in the presence of guards or robots. If you are caught talking to them, the game is over. The robots only see you when they are close by you, and cannot see behind them. The only guard to worry about is the one guarding the northern cells (where your father is located). Your sister is loosing her mind, but will talk to you and give you a present. Your mother is doing fine. Return to your father. He'll thank you profusely and even give you a present. You may now leave the castle at once only to return after you have accomplished several quests. ───> The Island of Shibaz, home of the Library Hermit Once back at the ship, head for the island of Shibaz and go on shore. Make your way through the abandoned buildings collecting treasures and scrolls as you go. Strategies: - In one of the rooms you will see two chests and two pieces of furniture. DO NOT ENTER THE ROOM!!! The furniture and chests will magically come to life and destroy you. - Besides the standard monsters, you will find, in a path lined with spears, new creatures. They are some kind of hags with the ability to become invisible. You must make sure to use your shards or sling on these. There are two of them (at medium level). Enter the path and fire straight ahead. The hags only reappear when they are attacking you, at close range. - In the halls beyond the hags, you will encounter three statues. Talk to them. Inspect the statues, and to the first, give a coin. To the second, give the scroll you found on this same island, earlier, called "Heart of Stone". - You will encounter a magical talking chest. Give it treasure, gems, and as many as you possibly can. As a reward you will get a moonstone shard that will magically empower your sword. - You will see a man on a flying carpet. Manage to reach him, and talk to him. Be courteous and request to have access to his library. He'll open the passage to the library, in a room in which you previously noticed a mysterious structure. - Go to the new set of stairs and climb down. ───> The Library Maze The Library can be reached only after defeating the maze. Here are the basic guidelines for doing that successfully: - Monsters: There are a lot of Fire Elementals. They roam the northern section of the maze. Some are hidden behind vases, waiting for you to break them. A way to handle them is to run and shoot at them with your sling. - Behind a vase, in the northern section, is a fighter of great skill. Be ready to spar against her. - At some points you will see the Hermit on his flying carpet. Talk to him and ask him about the location of the Genies Lords isle. Be very respectful of him, and do not lose your patience. Eventually he will tell you that in order to reach the library you need to get the magic carpet. - Statues: At some locations, you will be faced with moving statues that seem to be attracted to you. When they initially reach you, they will cause some damage. They presence around you greatly slows your movement. A way to get rid of them is to leave the area they protect, and in order to get past them, you need to move fast and plan your route carefully. - In one of the rooms, many statues will run toward you. The only way to get past them is to push a level in the same room, which will turn them off. In that same room are patterns lit and unlit in a purple light on the floor. Light all the patterns to trigger passage to the next room. - Bridges: there are levers next to each bridges. Whenever you reach one, pull the lever so the bridge allows passage to the other side of the chasm. - At one location, you need to switch levers to activate a bridge and then rush to cross before the bridge goes back to it's original position. Once you cross you'll be stranded on a small plateau. In order to leave that area, take to book laying around. Read it aloud across the chasm. Then, proceed to the northern bank of the plateau, and attempt to get off until a green energy path appears. Get on the magical path and force your way on it until its patterns lead you to the main bank. - Vases: break them all, several contain treasures. - In a path way, the northern wall is lined with vases. Break the vases and walk on the broken remnants because the path to the south is lined with deadly traps. - Whenever you encounter purple runes on the floor step on them. It causes them to become unlit in many places. There is a huge chest in the southern section of the maze, surrounded by impregnable spikes. When you have stepped on all the runes, a path of rune will enable you to cross around the wall of spikes and let you access the chest. - At another location, you have a series of flashing runes. Step on them in a row, as fast as you can. they will become all unlit at once for a very brief instant, and as a result, you will be able to cross the gate nearby, otherwise blocked by a wall of force. - In the room of the moving statues mentioned earlier, you need to step on all the runes to light them up and activate passage to the next room, a skeletal bridge that will lead you to the flying carpet. - In some areas, walking along a path triggers either flame paths or spikes to block the passage behind or ahead. Most of the time you have another way around. - In one area an annoying wall of spikes next to a single statue blocks the passage to the north. In order to go around, deactivate the wall by walking to the south ledge, then, instead of coming back up the same way, walk across the bridge that you need to previously extend across the chasm, and come to the same statue from the western path. Once you reach the flying carpet, fly to the adjacent northern platform, where a set of stairs await you. Land by flying overhead the purple rune, then climb down the stairs.