Betrayal at Krondor.... FINISHED!!
Bill Sharp
I'd give a final review now that I've finished.
The first thing that struck me when I started was how un-midkemian
the game dynamics was (assuming you've read the books.) Things like a lack
naptha on swords, armor and swords I've never even seen, no rapiers in
Krondor, not a single longbow anywhere, Pug with white hair, Arutha with
a beard, etc.... And Fiest had a hand in this? This I found disappointing.
Of course, if you haven't read the books, then you probably won't notice.
The portraits also didn't look like anything like the chars. I imagined they
would, with possibly the exception of Jimmy. Ah well... Nothing's perfect.
That's probably the biggest gripe I have about the whole game. Slight
non-coherence with the books.
Other gripes include how the characters aren't actually yours (you're
playing someone else's character,) and how they keep changing thru the
chapters. Just when you could depend on a certain piece of equip, its gone
the next chapter coz your chars have changed. Annoying to say the least. I
also thought that the ending was really sad. Sad in terms of plot/story
(won't give too much away) and sad in how it was presented. Considering how
good the interludes were between chapters, the ending was positively sad.
A few pages of text.... *yawn*
Apart from that the actualy game itself is damn good. And almost
without bugs except for 2 non effectual ones, and one which could produce
loads of rations from corpses. The combat reminded me of a cross between
battle chess and those old stop-motion effects from the old sinbad movies.
Hella laugh to watch the swaggering about and gliding across the board
without moving their feet. (Anyone remember the chess scene on the Falcon
in Star Wars?)
The plot was damn good too, though (IMHO) it only really started
to pick up from chapter 6 onwards. Possibly one of the best novels I've
ever bought.. =) A RPG with a real plot... What a concept! Even better than
Wiz 7. However, I'm still not sure what I think about this sudden use of
UW style 1st person perspective. I'm the old sort who prefers them either
overhead or 1st person on a grid (Wizardry style.) So sue me.. =)
Personally, I think Dynamix/Fiest could have made it longer/harder.
The whole thing wasn't too difficult, and finishable in probably under 50
hours if you don't bother with all those miniquests which weren't important.
Overall, I think the game warrants a 9/10.
A final word. It helps if you read at least "A Darkness at Sethanon"
either before or after the game to fully enjoy/understand the intracacies
of the plot. Personally, I recomend you read the whole Riftwar Saga.
"Magician", "Silverthorn" and the above. Damn good reading.
==============================================================================
"Nothing is forever...Power, dominance, it's all an illusion"
-Tomas, A Darkness at Sethanon
HADOKEN!!! Ken
--
____
\ _/__ Bill Sharp You don't have to be pitilessly
\X / w...@doc.ic.ac.uk masochistic to study here ... but it helps
\/
Daniel Starr
> Just finished BAK in under a week... not too bad, eh? =) Just thought
>I'd give a final review now that I've finished.
> The first thing that struck me when I started was how un-midkemian
>the game dynamics was (assuming you've read the books.) Things like a lack
>naptha on swords, armor and swords I've never even seen, no rapiers in
>Krondor, not a single longbow anywhere, Pug with white hair, Arutha with
>a beard, etc.... And Fiest had a hand in this? This I found disappointing.
>Of course, if you haven't read the books, then you probably won't notice.
>The portraits also didn't look like anything like the chars. I imagined they
>would, with possibly the exception of Jimmy. Ah well... Nothing's perfect.
>That's probably the biggest gripe I have about the whole game. Slight
>non-coherence with the books.
1. The casting for the pictures was done by an art director who (for
unrelated reasons) is no longer at Dynamix. Not the fault of Ray Feist,
nor John Cutter (the designer) nor Neal Hallford (the scripter).
2. To me, the "game dynamics" are for fun-- e.g., everybody uses crossbows
because it makes inventory simpler. So what? The _plot_, _setting_ and
_script_ are extraordinarily close to the spirit of the books! C'mon,
you have to admit that in _content_ they did a much better job than one
had any expectation (well, I don't know what you expected, of course, but
I was quite anxious on this one...).
> Other gripes include how the characters aren't actually yours (you're
>playing someone else's character,) and how they keep changing thru the
>chapters. Just when you could depend on a certain piece of equip, its gone
>the next chapter coz your chars have changed. Annoying to say the least. I
>also thought that the ending was really sad. Sad in terms of plot/story
>(won't give too much away) and sad in how it was presented. Considering how
>good the interludes were between chapters, the ending was positively sad.
>A few pages of text.... *yawn*
Well, I liked it. But then I liked the Infocom games too, and I do
have to admit that they could have had some really cool graphics there...
> Apart from that the actualy game itself is damn good. And almost
>without bugs except for 2 non effectual ones, and one which could produce
>loads of rations from corpses. The combat reminded me of a cross between
>battle chess and those old stop-motion effects from the old sinbad movies.
>Hella laugh to watch the swaggering about and gliding across the board
>without moving their feet. (Anyone remember the chess scene on the Falcon
>in Star Wars?)
> The plot was damn good too, though (IMHO) it only really started
>to pick up from chapter 6 onwards. Possibly one of the best novels I've
>ever bought.. =) A RPG with a real plot... What a concept! Even better than
>Wiz 7. However, I'm still not sure what I think about this sudden use of
>UW style 1st person perspective. I'm the old sort who prefers them either
>overhead or 1st person on a grid (Wizardry style.) So sue me.. =)
> Personally, I think Dynamix/Fiest could have made it longer/harder.
>The whole thing wasn't too difficult, and finishable in probably under 50
>hours if you don't bother with all those miniquests which weren't important.
>Overall, I think the game warrants a 9/10.
>
> A final word. It helps if you read at least "A Darkness at Sethanon"
>either before or after the game to fully enjoy/understand the intracacies
>of the plot. Personally, I recomend you read the whole Riftwar Saga.
>"Magician", "Silverthorn" and the above. Damn good reading.
Lots of CIS people are telling Feist "Gee, having played the game I decided
to go and read your books..."
--
Daniel Starr | Game Bytes: PC and cartridge game reviews, previews,
Assistant Editor, | tips, screen shots, industry interviews and news --
Game Bytes Magazine | get it by anon ftp to ftp.uml.edu (129.63.32.1)
starr-...@yale.edu| in /msdos/Games/Game_Bytes or email me. Check it out!
Bob Tausworthe
> Just finished BAK in under a week... not too bad, eh? =) Just thought
>I'd give a final review now that I've finished.
Under a week?!? WHY? Often the road you travel is just as (if not more)
beautiful as the final destination.
> The first thing that struck me when I started was how un-midkemian
>the game dynamics was (assuming you've read the books.) Things like a lack
>naptha on swords, armor and swords I've never even seen, no rapiers in
>Krondor, not a single longbow anywhere, Pug with white hair, Arutha with
>a beard, etc.... And Fiest had a hand in this? This I found disappointing.
>Of course, if you haven't read the books, then you probably won't notice.
>The portraits also didn't look like anything like the chars. I imagined they
>would, with possibly the exception of Jimmy. Ah well... Nothing's perfect.
>That's probably the biggest gripe I have about the whole game. Slight
>non-coherence with the books.
Sure, but then again, How many movies have you seen that do the book they
are based upon justice (Ordinary People is one of the few. Jurassic Park of
course fails the book - effects are cool though)?
> Other gripes include how the characters aren't actually yours (you're
>playing someone else's character,) and how they keep changing thru the
>chapters. Just when you could depend on a certain piece of equip, its gone
>the next chapter coz your chars have changed. Annoying to say the least. I
>also thought that the ending was really sad. Sad in terms of plot/story
>(won't give too much away) and sad in how it was presented. Considering how
>good the interludes were between chapters, the ending was positively sad.
>A few pages of text.... *yawn*
I admit that I was wary of a game that makes you use existing characters,
but so far I am extremely happy with the way they have done it. I've seen
some games that are trying to be interactive books, and they fail miserably.
BAK, however, has done it and done it well. Good work Dynamix!
Thanks for the warning. I'm only on chapter 3, so I'll make sure I enjoy the
ENTIRE GAME PLAY so that I don't feel so let down at the end.
> Apart from that the actualy game itself is damn good. And almost
>without bugs except for 2 non effectual ones, and one which could produce
>loads of rations from corpses. The combat reminded me of a cross between
>battle chess and those old stop-motion effects from the old sinbad movies.
>Hella laugh to watch the swaggering about and gliding across the board
>without moving their feet. (Anyone remember the chess scene on the Falcon
>in Star Wars?)
> The plot was damn good too, though (IMHO) it only really started
>to pick up from chapter 6 onwards. Possibly one of the best novels I've
>ever bought.. =) A RPG with a real plot... What a concept! Even better than
>Wiz 7. However, I'm still not sure what I think about this sudden use of
>UW style 1st person perspective. I'm the old sort who prefers them either
>overhead or 1st person on a grid (Wizardry style.) So sue me.. =)
> Personally, I think Dynamix/Fiest could have made it longer/harder.
>The whole thing wasn't too difficult, and finishable in probably under 50
>hours if you don't bother with all those miniquests which weren't important.
>Overall, I think the game warrants a 9/10.
Huh? Maybe It would have been harder, more challenging, more fun for you,
and took you longer if you HAD done the sidequests? Ever think of that?
I'd say you payed $40-odd dollars for a game which you played about $20 bucks
worth of.
>
> A final word. It helps if you read at least "A Darkness at Sethanon"
>either before or after the game to fully enjoy/understand the intracacies
>of the plot. Personally, I recomend you read the whole Riftwar Saga.
>"Magician", "Silverthorn" and the above. Damn good reading.
Thanks, I will.
Paul Close
I use it in combat like a staff, but I only get 10-15 damage, and the number
of uses (50) never changes. I try using it directly (double-click) and it
says something unhelpful, but no lightning. Help, please....
Bill Sharp <w...@doc.ic.ac.uk> writes:
> The first thing that struck me when I started was how un-midkemian
>the game dynamics was (assuming you've read the books.) Things like a lack
>naptha on swords, armor and swords I've never even seen, no rapiers in
>Krondor, not a single longbow anywhere, Pug with white hair, Arutha with
>a beard, etc.... And Fiest had a hand in this? This I found disappointing.
There are rapiers in the books and in the game. In the last half of
Magician, Arutha is teaching Jimmy the Hand how to use the rapier. Arutha's
quite handy with it, apparently.
As for longbows, they are very cumbersome to carry, and really only good for
long range shooting. The crossbows in the game are much more practical, and
featured in the book too. If they had a long-range portion to the combat,
then maybe you'd see longbows (Where's Martin when you need him? :-).
The point about the pictures of the characters is well taken. I don't care
what color Pug's hair is, but does he have too look so ... goofy? He's the
most "out of character" I think. James, Owyn, and Gorath are all well
drawn. I wasn't too impressed with Arutha, either, and they seem to have
written him as a lot more angrier and less wise than I imagine him.
>Of course, if you haven't read the books, then you probably won't notice.
>The portraits also didn't look like anything like the chars. I imagined they
>would, with possibly the exception of Jimmy. Ah well... Nothing's perfect.
I like Owyn the best. Is he in the later books?
>That's probably the biggest gripe I have about the whole game. Slight
>non-coherence with the books.
Or slight lapse of memory on the part of the readers :-)
> Other gripes include how the characters aren't actually yours (you're
>playing someone else's character,) and how they keep changing thru the
>chapters. Just when you could depend on a certain piece of equip, its gone
>the next chapter coz your chars have changed. Annoying to say the least.
Seconded! It helps to save before the end of the chapter, so you can restore
and regroup items :-) And I ended chapter 3 with 4,000 gold sovereigns. At
the beginning of Chapter 4? Zero!!! Sigh.... Easy come, easy go.
> Apart from that the actualy game itself is damn good. And almost
>without bugs except for 2 non effectual ones, and one which could produce
>loads of rations from corpses.
I get hangs while playing sounds under OS/2 2.1. That's the only problem
I've run into. Fixed by running under DOS, which is a pain, but obvious.
>The combat reminded me of a cross between
>battle chess and those old stop-motion effects from the old sinbad movies.
I like the combat the best. It's always nice to have some strategy by moving
around the board. That's the weakest part of "first person" adventures like
Eye of the Beholder, Ultima Underworld, etc.
> The plot was damn good too, though (IMHO) it only really started
>to pick up from chapter 6 onwards. Possibly one of the best novels I've
>ever bought.. =) A RPG with a real plot... What a concept! Even better than
>Wiz 7. However, I'm still not sure what I think about this sudden use of
>UW style 1st person perspective. I'm the old sort who prefers them either
>overhead or 1st person on a grid (Wizardry style.) So sue me.. =)
> Personally, I think Dynamix/Fiest could have made it longer/harder.
>The whole thing wasn't too difficult, and finishable in probably under 50
>hours if you don't bother with all those miniquests which weren't important.
>Overall, I think the game warrants a 9/10.
I'm only on Chapter 4, and I'm already impressed! I want a sequel!!!!
You missed a lot by missing the mini-quests, but some people like to gulp
their food, while others like to savor every last morsel.
> A final word. It helps if you read at least "A Darkness at Sethanon"
>either before or after the game to fully enjoy/understand the intracacies
>of the plot. Personally, I recomend you read the whole Riftwar Saga.
>"Magician", "Silverthorn" and the above. Damn good reading.
Magician is my personal favorite. Anyone know what the "Magician: Author's
favorite edition" (or something like that) in the manual is all about? Is
there a "director's cut" version available?
This is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites!
--
Paul Close p...@sgi.com ...!{ames, decwrl, uunet}!sgi!pdc
No fate but what we make
--
Paul Close p...@sgi.com ...!{ames, decwrl, uunet}!sgi!pdc
No fate but what we make
Christopher Conley
single-volume edition, as opposed to the two orignial books, _Magician:
Apprentice_ and _Magician: Master_. I've yet to get my hands on the
"Author's Edition," but I've heard it's the uncut version; I don't
know what's in there but not in the paperbacks, though...
Chris
Bill Sharp
>First of all, how does one use the lightning staff obtained in chapter three?
>I use it in combat like a staff, but I only get 10-15 damage, and the number
>of uses (50) never changes. I try using it directly (double-click) and it
>says something unhelpful, but no lightning. Help, please....
Click on the portrait, then click on the staff in the inventory
screen, then use the thing. You can use other things too, like restoratives,
potions, etc. Using the staff kicks you back to combat, but you can keep
on using potions and stuff (like 15 restoratives after that nasty shock from
that damn moredhel spellcaster. When did moredhel's have spellcasters
anyways? Except for Murmandamus, and he wasn't real anyways.)
>Bill Sharp <w...@doc.ic.ac.uk> writes:
>> The first thing that struck me when I started was how un-midkemian
>>the game dynamics was (assuming you've read the books.) Things like a lack
>>naptha on swords, armor and swords I've never even seen, no rapiers in
>>Krondor, not a single longbow anywhere, Pug with white hair, Arutha with
>>a beard, etc.... And Fiest had a hand in this? This I found disappointing.
>
>There are rapiers in the books and in the game. In the last half of
>Magician, Arutha is teaching Jimmy the Hand how to use the rapier. Arutha's
>quite handy with it, apparently.
>
But rapiers are supposed to be _the_ weapon of choice (especially
in Krondor) and also items of fashion due to Arutha's vested interest in
em. Doesn't seem fasionable if the capital of the western realms doesn't
have em in stock.
>As for longbows, they are very cumbersome to carry, and really only good for
>long range shooting. The crossbows in the game are much more practical, and
>featured in the book too. If they had a long-range portion to the combat,
>then maybe you'd see longbows (Where's Martin when you need him? :-).
Well, these guys load the x-bows as fast as the can swing a sword.
What's this? Some kinda new fangled full-auto x-bow? As for the book, there
are about 4 references to crossbows (2 in Silverthorn, and 2 in Sethanon)
wereas there are 20 times more references to longbows, keshian recurved bows,
horse bows, etc.
>The point about the pictures of the characters is well taken. I don't care
>what color Pug's hair is, but does he have too look so ... goofy? He's the
>most "out of character" I think. James, Owyn, and Gorath are all well
>drawn. I wasn't too impressed with Arutha, either, and they seem to have
>written him as a lot more angrier and less wise than I imagine him.
Goofy is the word. And this guy is supposed to be the most powerfull
magician in the world? Gimme a break. Guy looks like he belongs in a mental
asylum. Those white robes fit pretty well with that image. I too, thought
Owyn and Gorath looked all right, as with James and Locklear. Except I
didn't envision Locky with a moustache or such dark hair.
>I like Owyn the best. Is he in the later books?
Nope, but he should. He's a good character to develop on. Already he
seems like a younger Pug. Perhaps Fiest should write another book and develop
him.
[...]
>I'm only on Chapter 4, and I'm already impressed! I want a sequel!!!!
>
>You missed a lot by missing the mini-quests, but some people like to gulp
>their food, while others like to savor every last morsel.
>
Actually, I _have_ done quite a few mini-quests (brak-nurr, Makala's
ruby, Rusalki's stone, Temple of Sung, etc.) What I meant was that it _is_
finishable in under 50 hours, compared with, say, wiz7, which by my
estimate takes 80-100 hours min.
Bill Sharp
[...]
>1. The casting for the pictures was done by an art director who (for
>unrelated reasons) is no longer at Dynamix. Not the fault of Ray Feist,
>nor John Cutter (the designer) nor Neal Hallford (the scripter).
Actually, the art and setting are all damn good. Almost like watching
one of those medevial type movies like Excalibur or something. It's just
those damn characters that annoy me. Specially Pug.
>2. To me, the "game dynamics" are for fun-- e.g., everybody uses crossbows
>because it makes inventory simpler. So what? The _plot_, _setting_ and
>_script_ are extraordinarily close to the spirit of the books! C'mon,
>you have to admit that in _content_ they did a much better job than one
>had any expectation (well, I don't know what you expected, of course, but
>I was quite anxious on this one...).
I suppose I was expecting too much and being a bit nit-picky. I
do whole-heartedly agree with you that the game is fun (very), game-play
is smooth, nice inventory system, etc. Its just that it doesn't quite
complete the picture of Midkemia that I had in mind. Like I said, if you
haven't read the books, it won't bother you a bit.
>Lots of CIS people are telling Feist "Gee, having played the game I decided
>to go and read your books..."
Hmmm.... Sounds like the game was partly a publicty stunt to
increase sales of his books. Guy must have made a bit for his "consultation"
and now has sudden increase in royalties from books. Neat. I wish I could
do that.... =)
Bill Sharp
Well, so far, I've seen 3 versions of Magician. First, theres the
original 1 volume edition (which I have. Think it was by Grafton Books
origianlly.) Then there's the 2 volume combo. Arrrgggghhh!!! A ruse to make
more money! Down with the capitalists!! =) Actually, it _was_ kinda big, so
I suppose having 2 volumes made sense. And then there's this new "2nd edition"
which I've seen floating around the bookshops here and there. This is
suppose to be the orignal draft that Ray wrote, but never got published
until recently (like when it became a hit) A few of the quotes in the manual
can be found in the normal edition, so I'm not sure what the heck "Author's
Preferred Edition" means. My guess is that it's the 2nd edition.
Chuck Chuck Bo-Buck... McMath
Actually, I think it's something like the 'Author's Preferred
Edition' which is supposed to be the original Magician book (which was
split in two), PLUS stuff which was cut in order to get it down to two
books. So it does sound like the equivalent of a "director's cut" video.
chuck
|- chuck mcmath - mcm...@csb1.nlm.nih.gov - MSD, Inc. ---------------|
|- National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health -----|
|- Bethesda, MD 20894 --- Pursuing PhD in Recreational Activities ---|
|- "Hey batter, hey batter, hey batter, swing" - Anon. --------------|
|-- Message Inspected By Number 6 - "Sealed for your protection." ---|
Marc Goldman
> Well, so far, I've seen 3 versions of Magician. First, theres the
>original 1 volume edition (which I have. Think it was by Grafton Books
>origianlly.) Then there's the 2 volume combo. Arrrgggghhh!!! A ruse to make
>more money! Down with the capitalists!! =) Actually, it _was_ kinda big, so
>I suppose having 2 volumes made sense. And then there's this new "2nd edition"
>which I've seen floating around the bookshops here and there. This is
>suppose to be the orignal draft that Ray wrote, but never got published
>until recently (like when it became a hit) A few of the quotes in the manual
>can be found in the normal edition, so I'm not sure what the heck "Author's
>Preferred Edition" means. My guess is that it's the 2nd edition.
Actually the "2nd Edition" as you call it, is a new release of Magician,
written as Fiest said, 'How he would write it now with the skills he has
obtained from writing his previous work'
I'm tempted to read it, but it came out just after i'd read the original
for the first time, and i dont think i want to wade through the almost
same story again yet. Anyone know what is different in the new book, is
it worth reading again?? (hmm wrong newsgroup i feel)
Cheers
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
** ** * ****** *** * | On the net,
** * ** *** ** ** * * | no-one can hear you scream!
** * ** *** **** ** * * |------------------------------------
** * ** *** ** ** * * | email ma...@comp.lancs.ac.uk
** * ****** * ****** ** ** | ma...@computing.lancaster.ac.uk
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marc Avigliano
>>either before or after the game to fully enjoy/understand the intracacies
>>of the plot. Personally, I recomend you read the whole Riftwar Saga.
>>"Magician", "Silverthorn" and the above. Damn good reading.
>
>Thanks, I will.
I also recommend "Daughter of the Empire", "Servant of the Empire"
and the third one in this serie (Don't remember the title...)
They are also written by Feist and are located in the world "on the
other side of the Riftwar" (That's where the Tsurani come from.)
It's an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Tsurani.
In Betrayal at Krondor, they mentioned a few times a Lady Mara of
the Acoma. She's the main character in those novels.
There is also Princes of the Blood starring Arutha's twin sons.
They have to travel to Kesh on a diplomatic mission escorted by
James and Locklear.
>.
mat...@embl-heidelberg.de
> I also recommend "Daughter of the Empire", "Servant of the Empire"
> and the third one in this serie (Don't remember the title...)
> They are also written by Feist and are located in the world "on the
> other side of the Riftwar" (That's where the Tsurani come from.)
> It's an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Tsurani.
> In Betrayal at Krondor, they mentioned a few times a Lady Mara of
> the Acoma. She's the main character in those novels.
>
> There is also Princes of the Blood starring Arutha's twin sons.
> They have to travel to Kesh on a diplomatic mission escorted by
> James and Locklear.
>
Is "Daughter of the Empire" and so on similar to the "Magician" or to
"Princes of the Blood" ? That last book is ok and nice to read, but it is of
very medium quality when compared to the Magician serie (which is GREAT !).
I would like to know more about "Daughter of the Empire" before deciding to
buy that trilogy.
Thanks for any comments
Magali
Unknown
Feist came out with "The Kings Bucaneer" about six months ago. It's about
what's his name, Arutha's son (the one with the club foot). Since I could
not even remember the main characters name that should tell you that the
book was nothing special.
*************************************************
* David Ingham * This space for rent *
*************************************************
ID...@asuacad.bitnet
have blond (or lighter color hair), and the idea or impression in the books
was that Pug was very powerful, but also very ordinary looking (definitely not
goofy looking), I think he should be wearing Kelewanian clothing (ala Great One
stuff instead of magicians robe type stuff). I think overall games are better
stay away from using digitize actors they never able to live up to idealize way
we picture them. I like the books and this game sounds cool but from the what
I've seen of the screen shots of the actors it turn me off already (maybe that
is why I didn't buy it yet). Hope they change that in the sequel
Brad Johanson
to
> have blond (or lighter color hair),
I just read 'Prince of the Blood' and noticed the same thing, Loclear has
blond
hair, not the dark black hair with mustache as in the game!!
When I got to the end of Chapter 1 where you meet James in the sewer,
however,
the first thing he says to Locklear is, "Locky, what happened to your
hair?"
Locklear responds that it is a long story.
From that interchange I would guess that Locklear died his hair as a
disguise,
similar to what Borric did in 'Prince of the Blood'.
(Of course, the interchange about hair in the game was probably to cover
up
the fact that Locklear was cast with the wrong color hair. It was too
late
to re-shoot the actor, but not too late to make an excuse for it in the
text.)
---->Brad<----
Arthur L Wilson
In article <1993Jul14.0...@embl-heidelberg.de>, mat...@embl-heidelberg.de writes:
|> In article <13JUL93.12...@music.mus.polymtl.ca>, FM...@music.mus.polymtl.ca (Marc Avigliano) writes:
|> > I also recommend "Daughter of the Empire", "Servant of the Empire"
|> > and the third one in this serie (Don't remember the title...)
|> > They are also written by Feist and are located in the world "on the
CO-Written by Feist. The other author is Janny Wurts.
|> > other side of the Riftwar" (That's where the Tsurani come from.)
|> > It's an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Tsurani.
|> > In Betrayal at Krondor, they mentioned a few times a Lady Mara of
|> > the Acoma. She's the main character in those novels.
|> >
|> > There is also Princes of the Blood starring Arutha's twin sons.
|> > They have to travel to Kesh on a diplomatic mission escorted by
|> > James and Locklear.
|> >
|>
|> Is "Daughter of the Empire" and so on similar to the "Magician" or to
|> "Princes of the Blood" ? That last book is ok and nice to read, but it is of
|> very medium quality when compared to the Magician serie (which is GREAT !).
|> I would like to know more about "Daughter of the Empire" before deciding to
|> buy that trilogy.
|>
|> Thanks for any comments
|> Magali
|>
Daughter of the Empire Trilogy has to be one of the best series I've
ever read. The characterization is wonderful and the plot REALLY draws you
into the world. All in all, I'd have to give this series "two thumbs up!" :-)
BTW, the third one in the series is "Mistress of the Empire."
--
/*****************************************************************************/
/* dkn...@jupiter.nmt.edu | Reality happens to be like a landscape */
/* OR | possessed of an infinite number of perspectives,*/
/* (summers only) | all equally voracious and authentic. The sole */
/* dkn...@c3.lanl.gov | false perspective is that which claims to be the*/
/* | only one there is. */
/* | -Jose Ortegay Gassett */
/*****************************************************************************/
--
/*****************************************************************************/
/* dkn...@jupiter.nmt.edu | Reality happens to be like a landscape */
/* OR | possessed of an infinite number of perspectives,*/
/* (summers only) | all equally voracious and authentic. The sole */
Matthew Amendt
>>what color Pug's hair is, but does he have too look so ... goofy? He's the
>>most "out of character" I think. James, Owyn, and Gorath are all well
>>drawn. I wasn't too impressed with Arutha, either, and they seem to have
>>written him as a lot more angrier and less wise than I imagine him.
>
> Goofy is the word. And this guy is supposed to be the most powerfull
>magician in the world? Gimme a break. Guy looks like he belongs in a mental
>asylum. Those white robes fit pretty well with that image. I too, thought
>Owyn and Gorath looked all right, as with James and Locklear. Except I
>didn't envision Locky with a moustache or such dark hair.
>
I think they used modified digitized pictures of people in costumes to do the
portraits. (The 'costume designer' credit gave me a clue :) I'm sure its
cheaper to do it this way than to actually hire a separate artist to draw the
characters but I think it takes a lot away from the atmosphere of the game.
When I look at Gorath (he's not the worst example either), I don't see a dark
elf, I see a friend of the game producer's (or the game producer) in a tacky
costume and fake beard.
I look for realism in a flight-sim but for an RPG I want fantasy.
It's a shame that this small detail takes away some of the effect of an
otherwise excellent game.
Matthew Amendt
Disc...@u.washington.edu
Neal Smith
The original series by Feist started with _Magician_, and has several
books in it. It had brief information about the lands of the Tsurani
(the "other side" of the Rift) from the point of view of the main
characters. Feist co-authored a series with Jenny Wurtz about
characters solely on the Tsurani side (at least, at first), starting
with _Daughter_of_the_Empire_ and continuing on for several books. I
won't post the names of all the books here because I don't remember
all of the titles and chronology correctly, and I don't wish to
mis-inform anyone; if you're interested, post on rec.arts.sf.written,
and someone there will know the right numbers.
The writing style of the _Empire_ books seems very different from the
ones that he solely authored, so it seems likely that most of the
writing is by Wurtz, with just the background and continuity from Feist's
stories; but that's just a guess, I have no idea, really. I did enjoy
_Daughter_ immensely; its sequels, less so.
Back on topic with this newsgroup: Until I saw this thread, I didn't
realize that "Betrayal at Krondor" was related to the Feist books.
Can someone (by post or e-mail) tell me what this game's about? Does it
follow the plot of one of the books, or is it merely set in the same
background? Also, how does it compare the the Ultima's, or Wizardry's?
___________________________________________
From Neal Smith (nsm...@sassy.micro.ti.com)
"You know you are safe... with ME." - Kerr Avon
Paul Close
>> I haven't play the game. But from the book I remember Locklear suppost to
>> have blond (or lighter color hair),
>
>I just read 'Prince of the Blood' and noticed the same thing, Loclear has
>blond hair, not the dark black hair with mustache as in the game!!
>
>When I got to the end of Chapter 1 where you meet James in the sewer,
>however, the first thing he says to Locklear is, "Locky, what happened to
>your hair?" Locklear responds that it is a long story.
>
>From that interchange I would guess that Locklear died his hair as a
>disguise, similar to what Borric did in 'Prince of the Blood'.
That would also explain why he's wearing that goofy stick-on mustache :-) :-)
And as for Pug, ummm, maybe in chapter 9 we find out it's an imposter! Yea,
that's the ticket. Or maybe that's what he *really* looks like, and he's
just cast a spell on everyone to make them think that he looks handsome.
But the spell doesn't work on a camera! Yea, that's it!
Sigh, I guess the real reason is the casting person never read the books :-(
Paul Close
>> Is "Daughter of the Empire" and so on similar to the "Magician" or to
>> "Princes of the Blood" ? That last book is ok and nice to read, but it is of
>> very medium quality when compared to the Magician serie (which is GREAT !).
>> I would like to know more about "Daughter of the Empire" before deciding to
>> buy that trilogy.
>
>what's his name, Arutha's son (the one with the club foot). Since I could
>not even remember the main characters name that should tell you that the
>book was nothing special.
IMHO, Prince of the Blood was the low point in the novels. I felt that The
King's Buccaneer was a return to the "good old" style of the earlier novels.
I do feel that the original Riftwar series was the best.
As for the Daughter of the Empire series, he co-wrote that with Jenny Wurts,
and I would recommend that also. A different feel than the Riftwar series,
but just as captivating. The "game of the council" on "the other side" of
the rift is the main theme.
I'd also recommend Faery Tale by Feist as well, which covers everything he's
ever written :-)