Nope, BG was by Black Isle.

Just to let every know that indeed the Darklands Group at Yahoo is very much alive and astoundingly
considering the game dates back from 1992. They are dreaming for the day when some nerd be able to reverse-engine the game since the source code was apparently lost forever. So please if you are extremely talented in this matter or want to experiment, share you results at this site:


http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/darklands/





Regarding grades: I think people who don't understand why people can love Darklands so much don't understand that there is not much equivalent as far as an historically-bound game (no one does them nowadays as it costs money to pay the scholars to bring historical data, and most people into graphics and special effects have no clue at all about history).

But the intriguing aspect in Darklands is that it's not so much about history the way that we understand it (the Hussite War was sadly removed from latest version (found here) as it was too glitchy) than about how people perceived their world to be at the time. That aspect is truly fascinating, and it's what brings in all the fantasy part that is quite lovable. And if you hate a bunch of menus, there are actually plenty of places to explore once you start to understand how the maps work. There is indeed a lot of repetition in the game, you need to work around and figure the more distinctive spots.


By the way....About Intelligence:


Intelligence number is part of the calculation in your chances to create a potion (alchemy) and in the speed rates of your school or guild learning. Also, with poor intelligence you will likely be often refused any endeavour provided by city alchemists (unless you got the reputation to compensate? not sure). It is good in Darklands to switch leader every time you come in a situation when a certain character has more chance than another to succeed in interacting with an encounter.


Regarding getting Speak Latin: this provides access to University and understanding of written stuff on a couple rare occasions in the game. But this skill is better learned with Read And Write. They are the only skills that should be learn in duo, because you're much less successful when speaking latin but not able to read it.




Cheers,

Talkie

Baldur's Gate was Bioware. think the tactical battles in DArklands and moving around the world and having buildings etc like that all the time. Higher resolution, of course! :)

Man, I have to say this game impressed me a lot. Its mainly what Morrowind and Oblivion, and many other games, should´ve had been.

And, unfortunaly, I have to say that I started playing this not because of Abandonia, but because of the Home of the Underdogs. While browsing the game here, it didnt got my atention. The review is very bad, and the screenshots are horrible. Someone should do some work on this title, because, in my opinion, its one of the best shareware RPG games avaiable. More people should play it.

And I get money mainly from alchemy. Just buy a ton of ingredients, spend some time working at an in and sell everything. You just need some initial money to buy the first ingredients, and then its set.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Demeanor @ Nov 4 2007, 01:35 PM) [snapback]318178[/snapback]</div>It's not shareware, it's abandonware, but I agree, it is up there with any RPG you want to name from the last 20 years! It's easily in my Top 5 games of all time and is a game alone in that you can play it forever! If you love this I recommend the other two Microprose titles of the same type: Sword of the Samurai (Think Total War but more RPG with tactical strategy) and Sea Rogue, an ocean treasure hunting simulation/RPG. All three have superb manuals and great, no, fantastic gameplay, all have superb AI and great research has gone into them all! I love all 3 and play them all at least once a year for at least a dozen hours or more!!!!

Right now I´m out of time, but Ill definitaly see Sword of the Samurai and Sea Rogue once I´m free.

Also, I´m amazed how so few people know of this game; I had never heard of it until yesterday. Fortunaly the guys over Home of the Underdogs gave this title an award and that made me grab it.

Demeanor - you'd be surprised at the following of this game - try this forum to see what I mean - gets about 50 postings a week regarding every aspect of the game, and includes downloads of saves, editors and various documents too! :)

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/darklands

Thanks for the link, Ill take a look.

Btw, does anyone know where is the Freiberg Mines? I´ve searched everywhere, but I only managed to find one near another city that has nothing "wrong" going on. This mine in Freiberg is suposed to be having trouble with "Knockers" but I cant find it.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Demeanor @ Nov 4 2007, 07:03 PM) [snapback]318226[/snapback]</div>Are you sure the problems haven't "expired"? See if there are still rumours about it, they disappear if unattended for a long time.

PS: http://www.darklands.net/index.shtml

Every city I go its the same problem: the mines in Friedberg have problems.

And this mine I found isnt even near Friedberg: its near another city that had a dwarf with a relic in it.