Every once in a while I get a wild hair to replay this game -- it's like Nethack in that respect, I suppose. Unlike Nethack it's such a slog I've never actually finished it before! So get the Let's Play rolling while I still have some desire to play this, while I try out some new screencap methods that will hopefully keep my files in better shape.
But to make it less of a slog, I'm going to do the NES version, rather than the original PC version.
Mostly because it streamlines the dialog: in the PC version, you ask everyone you meet keywords by typing them in -- NAME and JOB and so on --
leaving you fumbling around to ask the right questions. In the NES version you just walk up to people and hit A to talk to them, and they tell you anything relevant they know.
That said, I'm going to play this game as though I didn't have foreknowledge about it -- I won't be collecting items until NPCs tell me where they are, and so on.
So here's the deal. The world of Sossaria was threatened by evil sorceror dude Mondain, so Lord British summoned a guy from a different realm -- IRL Earth --to beat him. He did.
Then his student/lover Minax tried to avenge him. She didn't.
Then it turns out Mondain and Minax had some sort of offspring/creation, later revealed to be a demonic computer sort of thing, named Exodus. It got closest to destroying Sossaria -- leveling about three-quarters of it -- but too was defeated.
So without any villains left to defeat, and with only Britannia remaining as the inhabitable section of the world, Lord British summons yet another person from Earth. This time it's not to fight against a threat, but to become a moral leader of the people -- the Avatar.
Upon arriving in Britannia, you're awarded a class! At least I assume that's what happens, since you're probably not a Mage or a Tinker on modern-day Earth but your character starts as one in the game. So let's pick a class! Vote in-thread, voting will continue until it doesn't anymore.
Representing the virtue of Compassion, Bards are generalists, although they lean more towards spellcasting than fighting. They're good with ranged weapons, though, and that's not to be understated.
Representing the virtue of Justice, the Druid is a second-string spellcaster. They're not as good at slinging spells as the Mage, but have a bit more staying power and better armor. They can use the Wand, which is the best ranged weapon in the game.
Representing the virtue of Valor, the Fighter is good at fighting. He has no magic capability at all, but can use the best not-Avatar-only melee weapon in the game.
Representing the virtue of Honesty, the Mage is the dedicated spellcaster. Their weapons and armor are sticks and clothes (until you find a Wand), but their MP growth is unmatched. Their main problem is running out of herbs to cast their spells, and running out of money to buy more.
Representing the virtue of Honor, Paladins are more or less like Fighters, but geared more toward defense than offense. Whereas Fighters get the best weapon in the game, Paladins get the best armor. Paladins also have a little spellcasting ability.
Representing the virtue of Spirituality, Rangers are... pretty much the same as Bards. They're geared slightly more towards physical might than spellcasting prowess, but they're not as good at fighting as Fighters or Paladins.
Representing the virtue of
Magikarp Humility, the Shepherd... kind of sucks. Her stats are crazy-low and her starting equipment is terrible, but she can equip and use some of the best stuff in the game. She cannot use magic.
Representing the virtue of Sacrifice, the Tinker sucks.
Multiple votes OK, I'll just pick whatever has the most votes overall.
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Topic: No bald kids or blue cat-people -- Let's Play Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar! (Read 9556 times)