Grimrock

I bought grimrock last week from this side and started some games to find out how it works. It seems interesting and not too hard but I had two problems I could not solve.

1. I started my mage with "Ice", gave him 3 Points on this skill and tried out to find what runes I need for the first simple spell. The only message I got was "The spell fizzles". I tried fire, air and earth and all spells worked immediatly at the beginning (even without finding the scroll). What am I doing wrong?

2. The door of patience. I couldn't open it. Believe me : I stood several minutes on the platform without moving. I this forum I read somewhere I only need 15 seconds and that there are 3 Firebombs behind that door. I think I can use them somewhere on some level. Am I missing a second switch somewhere? I searched the area but couldn't find one.

I read the discussion about the food problem too. For me it seems there are two faces of Grimrock. In my first game I stopped at level 5 because there was no food anymore. Now I'm on level 3 and I'm drowning in food. Could it be the monster do not drop food every time they're killed? it seems a bit random to me.

I really hope the map that was delivered within the download is a hint that there are interesting plans behind this game. The programmers should proceed on their way even if they are only 4 people if I read all correctly.

Orthocone wrote:1. I started my mage with "Ice", gave him 3 Points on this skill and tried out to find what runes I need for the first simple spell. The only message I got was "The spell fizzles". I tried fire, air and earth and all spells worked immediatly at the beginning (even without finding the scroll). What am I doing wrong?

You are doing fine. The different spells have different requirements - like how many skillpoints you used on Elements as well as Spellcraft.
You do not need to own the scrolls; they only tell you how certain spells work, i.e. which symbols you need to hit. In fact: if you check the WWW or this forum for a list of the different spells, you are well prepared for casting spells with your mage; because many lists provide you all the information you need.

Orthocone wrote:2. The door of patience. I couldn't open it. Believe me : I stood several minutes on the platform without moving. I this forum I read somewhere I only need 15 seconds and that there are 3 Firebombs behind that door. I think I can use them somewhere on some level. Am I missing a second switch somewhere? I searched the area but couldn't find one.

Would you mind pointing me to what dungeon-level you refer to? It is a while when I played the game last; and I don't recollect which door ypu mean in particular ...

Orthocone wrote:I read the discussion about the food problem too. For me it seems there are two faces of Grimrock. In my first game I stopped at level 5 because there was no food anymore. Now I'm on level 3 and I'm drowning in food. Could it be the monster do not drop food every time they're killed? it seems a bit random to me.

It is. Monsters don't drop at a 100% quota. But with the help of level 6 you won't have much trouble with finding food if there is a lot of need.
Also it depends what characters you have and how heavily they are involved in fighting; minotaurs eat a lot more then others; certain items add a 25% on the consumerage-spell; the more you actively fight (swing weapons), the faster you need to eat as well. So there are different factors involved in this mechanic.

Orthocone wrote:I really hope the map that was delivered within the download is a hint that there are interesting plans behind this game. The programmers should proceed on their way even if they are only 4 people if I read all correctly.

+1 There really is nothing to add here.

Best wishes!
Liam

Thanks, Liam.

The door of patience is on level 2. It is close to the stairs down to level 3. The text close to the door reads something like "Only a man with patience can open this door." As mentioned, one of the earlier player wrote something about 15 seconds but I stood there for more than 5 minutes. I don't know what to do else.

Orthocone wrote:Thanks, Liam.

The door of patience is on level 2. It is close to the stairs down to level 3. The text close to the door reads something like "Only a man with patience can open this door." As mentioned, one of the earlier player wrote something about 15 seconds but I stood there for more than 5 minutes. I don't know what to do else.

You have to stand and stare into the eyes of the statue, if I had to guess you are looking at the door, or spinning on the spot or something? Just stand on the plate and stare at the face, without pressing any movement at all. (Be patient!)

Daniel.

Ah, yeah, right. THAT one. Thank you very much. Nothing to add from my side ...

I never tried to look into the stone face. Of course I looked to the door to see what's behind it without delay.

Unbelievable, I never had the idea to do so .

Thnky you for your help.

No problem, enjoy the game.

Daniel.

I can at least help with understanding this.

Orthocone wrote:1. I started my mage with "Ice", gave him 3 Points on this skill and tried out to find what runes I need for the first simple spell. The only message I got was "The spell fizzles". I tried fire, air and earth and all spells worked immediatly at the beginning (even without finding the scroll). What am I doing wrong?

If the game gave a hint, or even described what it did, you probably could have guessed it. But the first Ice spell is called Ice Shard, and it attacks by having Ice break up from the ground as spikes, it and does it in a straight direction about, 6-10 squares I think? I never really counted. Anyways, because of this, while all the other spells use only their 1 single rune, Ice Shard uses 2. Ice rune, because it is Ice Base, and the Earth Rune as well, because it shoots out of the ground. Sadly, they don't give any hints till you get the scroll and it tells you the name, and how to cast it too...

Ah. Now I understand why a single rune didn't work.

I'll start a new game with two mages, because mages rock!! My single mage in my current party kann kill every monster with a little patience and a door to open and close. BTW, do you really need a rogue only for bows? I think I should ask the programmers why fighters have no skills for extended or ranged weapons .

I found out that I could collect every burning torch in the backback. If the one I carry burned out I can simple replace it with a torch from the backpack,it burns like a new one again. I'll never run out of light in the future. Nice feature.

There was a map-editor mentioned somewhere. What is it for ? I know what a map editor basically does ( ) but it make no sense to me to edit or create my own maps.

Hmmm.... Maybe I should read the mod section of this forum.

Orthocone wrote:Ah. Now I understand why a single rune didn't work.
[...]
BTW, do you really need a rogue only for bows? I think I should ask the programmers why fighters have no skills for extended or ranged weapons .
[...]
There was a map-editor mentioned somewhere. What is it for ? I know what a map editor basically does ( ) but it make no sense to me to edit or create my own maps.
[...]

1. If you see it that way then you could also ask why fighters can't cast spells. Rogue is a class just like the mage and the fighter. Each class has advantages and disadvantages. Makes sense to me. If fighters could do everything you wouldn't need classes at all.

2. You can play dungeons made by other people. I can promise you once the editor is out there will be a near endless amount of custom dungeons available for download. Some will be crap, some will be ok, and some will be just as good or even better than the original game. Basically what you get is an endless amount of gameplay. Whether you want to create your own dungeons or not is a matter of taste. If you like to be creative and enjoy sharing your creations with other players it can be a lot of fun. But if you simply want to play skip the editor and download dungeons made by other people instead.