Arcanum

[zenanarchist]

Ok. I'm in Australia.

I have searched and searched. Amazon for some reason won't deliver to my address. Ebay is screwy.

Does anyone know where I can get a copy of this insanely brilliant game in Australia?

How easy is it to/where can I download/how big is the game?

Really want it while I'm off work next week.

[Eldan]

Well, the game is nine years old now. I suspect the chance of finding it in an actual shop are slim.

Good old games has it, though, and fairly cheap.

[zenanarchist]

Well, the game is nine years old now. I suspect the chance of finding it in an actual shop are slim.

Good old games has it, though, and fairly cheap.

...VERY nice. You my friend are a legend.

[Eldan]

No problem. I'd buy it too, except I don't own a credit card and am too lazy to set up a pay pal account.

[zenanarchist]

No problem. I'd buy it too, except I don't own a credit card and am too lazy to set up a pay pal account.

It is a BRILLIANT game.

You're awesome, tis downloading now.

[Thanatos 51-50]

And...
Eldan beat me to it!
But, yes, GOG is pretty neat.
Arcanum is pretty neat.

[Eldan]

Which is funny, because, as I said, I've never actually used GOG.

[zenanarchist]

And...
Eldan beat me to it!
But, yes, GOG is pretty neat.
Arcanum is pretty neat.

Agreed....Gog seems awesome.

Has anyone downloaded the game from here before? Quality?

[Thanatos 51-50]

I did, in fact, download Arcanum from GOG.
Quality is rather good, and I've yet to experience any game-crashing bugs, and have downloaded exactly zero of the patches on the internet.
The one issue I'm having with it is Steam-related:

Spoiler

Show

I hooked Arcanum up to Steam, so I stop getting adamant invites to, say, play L4D2 every time I boot up some other game, because now they can see "Hey! Thanatos is already playing something!"
Unfortunately, this means I get pop-up notifications in my game and SHIFT+TAB will bring up the overlay, none of which quite work properly, graphically speaking.They muck about with the graphics in their little corner of the game screen, and the game constanly re-draws the box. So, if I get a notification that, say, Rutskarn is playing TF2, then when I pan the camera around, I'll get a little trail of grey and black boxes complete with the notification. I have yet to receive any actual messages whilst playing, but the one time I tried to bring up the Steam overlay was a hopeless mess.

[zenanarchist]

I did, in fact, download Arcanum from GOG.
Quality is rather good, and I've yet to experience any game-crashing bugs, and have downloaded exactly zero of the patches on the internet.
The one issue I'm having with it is Steam-related:

Spoiler

Show

I hooked Arcanum up to Steam, so I stop getting adamant invites to, say, play L4D2 every time I boot up some other game, because now they can see "Hey! Thanatos is already playing something!"
Unfortunately, this means I get pop-up notifications in my game and SHIFT+TAB will bring up the overlay, none of which quite work properly, graphically speaking.They muck about with the graphics in their little corner of the game screen, and the game constanly re-draws the box. So, if I get a notification that, say, Rutskarn is playing TF2, then when I pan the camera around, I'll get a little trail of grey and black boxes complete with the notification. I have yet to receive any actual messages whilst playing, but the one time I tried to bring up the Steam overlay was a hopeless mess.

Luckily I have no intention of using steam! Woot!

[zenanarchist]

Unknown error?

I have downloaded, clicked the set up exe...and absolutely nothing happens. It checks file integrity and then goes right back to windows main screen. Wtf?

Edit: Cancel that, now it bloody says:

ShellExecuteEx failed; code 2

The system cannot find the file specified. Awesome.

[Eldan]

What's your operating system, then? Might have to try compatibility mode.

[zenanarchist]

What's your operating system, then? Might have to try compatibility mode.

Windows Vista Home Premium...

Er....bare with me...Not computer technical savvy...Just good at the games...

Compatibility mode?

[Thanatos 51-50]

Windows Vista Home Premium...

Er....bare with me...Not computer technical savvy...Just good at the games...

Compatibility mode?

Huh.
I did not have this problem. Same OS, too.
Confusedface.

[Tavar]

Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. To get into comparability mode, left click on the icon(you can use the shortcut for this, or hunt and fine the actual exe file), and in the drop down menu select properties. Go to the tab labeled comparability, and select your current operating system.

[zenanarchist]

Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. To get into comparability mode, left click on the icon(you can use the shortcut for this, or hunt and fine the actual exe file), and in the drop down menu select properties. Go to the tab labeled comparability, and select your current operating system.

Oddly....it just started working....Not entirely sure why...I didn't get to change anything.

I am again, in love with this game lol.

[Toric]

Note that the GOG version is different from the hard copy in that you do not have to download the official patch. It comes standard. Which is a plus. Adding unofficial patches or mods that autoinstall might be tricky though since it's in the GOG directory.

[JabberwockySupafly]

*Looks at his shelf, where sits a copy of Arcanum, which he picked up at a local EB Games in Australia for the sum of $15 about all of a fortnight ago*


Well, I could have told you where to get it, but it looks like you've already grabbed it off of GOG. Anyways, if you can't get that one to work, bear in mind they've reissued Arcanum (Along with MoO 2! HOORAY!) on actual factual disc.

[deuxhero]

No problem. I'd buy it too, except I don't own a credit card and am too lazy to set up a pay pal account.

Walmarts in the US offer prepaid "debit" cards, see if there is something similar in Switzerland.

[Inhuman Bot]

Agreed....Gog seems awesome.

Has anyone downloaded the game from here before? Quality?

I've gotten several games, all of them work fine.

(Arcanum, FO 1/2/Tactics, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Sacrifice.)

Beneath a steel sky is free, too.

[zenanarchist]

Yeah the games working brilliant.

Observations so far:

Thief is just...pathetically bad at what he does.
Magick inclined individual is one shot killing most, if not two does it, can unlock anything and is just bad ass.
Fighter...Well yeah..."I hit things", what can you say?
Technologist....Hrmm...To be determined. But so far, averageish, the magick user attains power faster.

[Cogwheel]

Yeah the games working brilliant.

Observations so far:

Thief is just...pathetically bad at what he does.
Magick inclined individual is one shot killing most, if not two does it, can unlock anything and is just bad ass.
Fighter...Well yeah..."I hit things", what can you say?
Technologist....Hrmm...To be determined. But so far, averageish, the magick user attains power faster.

I keep hearing all this. What game is everyone else playing? I just... my brain... blarg.

[zenanarchist]

lol explain. I'll try and clear up what I'm experiencing...

You think techno user is more powerful or...?

First level took 2-3 shots to kill even with high Per, but magic user one shotted most foes.....

[MickJay]

Rant on magic vs technology

Spoiler

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Magic users do get more power overall, the spells can achieve pretty much anything in the game, beyond what technology can get you (instant teleportation, doubling - or more - your APs/speed, huge boosts to physical stats, "free" allies when you need them, no need to repair them etc. Schematics let you make things which you have permanently (unless they're consumables, or explosives, of course). With magic, you can get boosts much more powerful than those given by tech items, at the cost of Fatigue and for a limited time, but you choose when you want to activate and deactivate them anyway. First Force spell, with high magick aptitude and cheap, mundane armour will protect you better than state of the art Smithy items (also, no encumbrance!). Offensive spells deal more damage than the best gun in the game. You need a single spell for most of your healing needs (poisons don't come into play that often, and there are cheap antidotes around). Tech item for resurrecting people is ridiculously heavy and you need to find the schematic first anyway (not to mention, expertise).

As for techy items, you can make multiple items, so you can equip party members with custom gear as well; no drain on fatigue; consumables are quite powerful in their own right - molotovs, for one, and the therapeutics line. You may also sell the items for profit (if you can find a buyer), and, over time, create a whole army of mechanical beings that will follow you around (if you abuse Meta college, you can effectively do the same with magic, however).

On the whole, magic is more powerful, and easier to use (no need to look for that one component you need). I find playing both types of characters fun, in their own ways (tinkering has its appeal for me, and, of course, you get to use the guns ).

Going pure melee gives you just that - an efficient killing machine that can deal with anything, but is otherwise more boring to play, due to lack of other options (unless you also go for high charisma and persuasion - but then you're still likely missing out on more powerful tech or magic options).

Thieves are quite difficult to play - skills take a lot of points, and you should be at least decent in melee for backstabbing anyway. You can skip Haggle and Gamble completely, but you could still use high persuasion (another drain on points). And there are both spells and techy items which can help you a LOT in thieving, so that might be additional drain on your stats. Spotting and disarming traps are best avoided altogether, ask party members to make contraptions for dealing with those, or just trigger them and heal up. On the plus side, you only really need dex here, charisma/persuasion is not necessary, unless you're going for the "gentleman thief" archetype. I have never completed the game with a proper "thief" character. They're definitely the late bloomers, and beginnings can be difficult for them if you focus on thieving skills from the very start.

[Zen Monkey]

The unfortunate problem with technology is that you have a limited number of points and have to pay double for everything. With a swordsman, you only have to spend on weapon use (melee, etc), but not on weapon making. With a gunslinger, you have to spend points on both making the gun and then using the gun, with older gun schematics quickly becoming obsolete. You also become dependent upon multiple stats, because making the gun will require a certain level of intelligence and then using it will require good aim in addition to the firearms skill. It just isn't fair to the poor technologist. The gadgets are fun, but they just don't compete with a good wizard or warrior.

[zenanarchist]

One hundred percent agree with you both. lol.