Cream of the Crop 21/Cream of the Crop 21 (Terry Blount) (October 1996).iso/doom/extra.zip/ISHAR3.ZIP/ISHAR3.TXT

Text File | 1996-07-14 | 20KB | 317 lines

  Here is the ISHAR 3 solution: Note that I played this game on an Amiga,
  but I don't think there are any major differences to the IBM PC version.
  Cheers, Russell Robinson

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  General Hints:

  0) Your task is to kill a dragon before the evil wizard Shandar can enter
     his body and take over the world.  This must be done before "the
     conjunction". When this is I don't know: I finsihed the game about day 87.
     You advance in this game by completing subtasks in a more-or-less fixed
     order.  While you can (usually) wander about anyplace you have already
     been, certain things must be done to open the next time portal, etc.
     Sometime when you do the right things somebody will tell you what to
     do next, sometimes you just have to find it out yourself.  The clues are
     mostly there, but often very obscure. Take careful note of everything and
     if stuck think hard about what people have said, etc. Remember: TIME is
     very important in this game!

  1) I suggest you start with a sucessful party from ISHAR II, else make or
     recruit a party with 3 fighters, at least one a Paladin (has healing
     spell).  Put these in the front row. Behind, you should have a magician
     and a cleric (called a clerk for some reason). Set the fighters' displays
     so you can see when they are getting weak, and the others so that
     spells can be cast quickly (including the paladin). During the course of
     the game some characters will have to be dismissed. If the party refuses
     to dismiss someone you will have to kill him outright (this is dangerous)
     or strip him of armour and put him in the front before a battle.

  2) After talking to the man you meet at the immediate start of the game,
     begin by exploring all of poor town so that the shops/inns become marked
     on the map.  The city is divided by a wall into poor (outer) and rich
     (inner) sections: there is only one way into rich town. Shops are open
     from 6 hours through 21 hours.  Inns are always open. You may need to buy
     some food/weapons to survive since theives will attack in some places.
     You will probably loose some or all characters, so save often.  Eat to
     rebuild strength (buy food from shops or eat in an inn); sleep (in an inn)
     to restore spell points and heal.  It is sometimes best to heal people
     with spells before sleeping since sleeping doesn't heal very much but
     always restores 50 spell points.  It seems that the thieves' power
     increases in proportion to your own so it is always possible for someone
     to die no matter how experienced you are.  Don't forget to keep an eye on
     your strengths during battles since if you becone too weak your blows are
     of no use. You can stop and eat (keep up your stocks of bread!) without
     being hit.

     Always "listen" in an inn and take careful notes of what anybody says
     and the name of the inn and who can be recruited there. It is also useful
     to note what items each shop sells so you don't waste time looking for
     something later. In shops you can sell unwanted items by giving them to
     the shop keeper.

     Killing theives gets you $$$ (don't forget to pick it up!) and experience
     points.  There are also some treasure chests but you have to kill thieves
     to get to them. You can get some $$$ for delivering a package from The
     Hearth Inn to The Noisy Lyra Inn.  Theives tend to reappear in the same
     places so you can learn when to expect them.  The more experience you have
     the more spells are available and the power of old ones goes up too.

     NOTE: DON'T HAVE MALTUS (AT THE SILVER WOLF INN, FAR SOUTHEAST PART OF
           TOWN) TAKE YOU TO SEE THE MAGICIAN IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE
           ASTRONOMER!!  THE MAGICIAN WON'T TALK TO YOU AND YOU WILL NEVER
           GET BACK IN AGAIN!!

  3) After exploring Poor Town, enter rich town: you will need $4000 for a
     pass which you should wear; it lasts forever.  Explore to find the shops
     and inns, bank, library, theatre, and palace.  Signs are opposite shops,
     not above the door as in poor town. There are no theives in rich town,
     probably because of all the guards (don't attack them!). You won't be
     allowed far into the palace yet; the theatre will be empty (and is open
     only at night).  The bank and library are only open during the day. The
     bank has a safe where you can deposite items.

     (I'm told there is one shop that gives away free magic shields early on,
     but charges later.  If so, you could get lots, store them in the bank
     safe, and sell them later??)


  Specific Hints in Order of Play:

     (Note: I don't give "turn right then left" details or maps of dungeons,
     etc. You have to make maps if you want to succeed. Also, it may take
     one or more trips back to town to get healed, etc, before you can complete
     some of the steps below: others must be done in one go. Generally it is
     best to just accept the fact that you are going to get killed and go on
     to explore as far as you can. Then reload a saved game and do it right.
     In some places monsters regenerate if you leave and then come back again.)

  1) Buy a jug of wine from a shop.

  2) Go see the astronomer (Typhus Mernith) in rich town (marked on the map by
     a green arrow). He is always open but ill tempered until you give him
     some wine.  He then gives you a deck of cards to take to the magician
     (Mather Fudius) in the far southeast of poor town.  Go there and pick up
     and read the scroll by his door.  You can't go in yet.

  3) Go to the Silver Wolf inn, listen, buy Maltus some food, then follow him
     into the magician's place.  Refuse to leave until the conversation comes
     to an end.  Then pull out your deck of cards (you can get at them even if
     the portraits are covered up) and give them to him.  He then points out
     the first time portal which you can use anytime from now on if you keep
     the key to his place.

  4) Your trip through portal 1 takes you to a large forest; the time
     is -73 years.  The forest is inhabited by wasps and dragon-flies which
     you must fight off.  Find the racoon in the far southeast part of the
     forest. This may take a while as the forest is a bit complex - three
     major areas connected by narrow bits (make a map).  Its not the ususal
     dungeon type thing with corridors but has large open areas instead. The
     racoon will tell you he is a magician whose spell has failed and he is
     stuck as a racoon. He gives you a scroll.

  5) Go back to portal 1 and exit. Show the scroll to the magician. He will
     tell you where to get a flask for mixing potions (it will be marked on
     the map) and what ingredients you need to buy. You will also need
     Keldonia Powder which no shop sells.  A man in the Big Troffer inn gives
     this to you if you "listen" (I think you may need the flash first).

  6) Go back to the racoon; mix the ingredients in the flask and give it to
     him to drink.  He turns into a man and gives you a medallion.  His name
     is Greem Dahilin (same surname as the theatre owner).

  7) Exit back to town again and go to the theatre in rich town. It opens at
     20 hours.  The owner will recognize you as the heros that helped his
     grandfather (the racoon) once you show him the medallion.  He will point
     out portal 2, open only from 2 to 4 am (from this side - all hours from
     the other).

  8) Do whatever you need re food, rest, arms, etc.  Then enter portal 2.  It
     takes you to a swamp, -4322 years.  Explore this and kill any tiger that
     attacks - keep the skins as you can sell them for $$$$ later.  You must
     find and kill an indian chief and also find a large jewel.  Then exit back
     to town.

  9) When you exit the theatre the man you met at