BMK BMK The Bitmap Kid and James Judge present The Fifth Edition of a Multi-Part Guide to... DDDDDD UU UU NNNNN GGGGGG EEEEEE OOOOO NNNNN DD DD UU UU NN NN GG EE OO OO NN NN DD DD UU UU NN NN GG GGG EEEEEE OO OO NN NN DD DD UU UU NN NN GG GG EE OO OO NN NN DDDDDD UUUUU NN NN GGGGG EEEEEE OOOOO NN NN MMMMMM AA SSSSSS TTTTTTTT EEEEEE RRRRRR MM MM MM AA AA SS TT EE RR RR MM MM MM AA AA AA SSSSS TT EEEEEE RRRRRR MM MM MM AA AA SS TT EE RR RR MM MM MM AA AA SSSSSS TT EEEEEE RR RR PART FIVE: D U N G E O N M A S T E R S T A R V A T I O N I D E A (so he calls it) and L O O K - T W O H A N D S 1 - Look - Two Hands! By now, you should be quite skilled at ol' Dungeon Master. For slightly more experienced players, a two handed control of the game can make it much easier, once you get used to it. How, pray, do you do it? Well, that's the easy bit! As I said in an earlier edition, the curser keys can be used to move your party, this can be put to much greater use than you may first think if used in conjunction with the mouse. In fast, furious situations, I use this system a lot as I find it extremely useful. Picture the situation - you're running from a foul beast (perhaps James Judge? - not that you would 'run'...) which is hot on your heels. You can't find a safe door anywhere and you've let loose all your spells and ammo. What do you do? Reload and cast spells while running - that's what! Once you get used to it it's great, and doesn't have to be used in panic situations either; you may just want to use it to save time or to avoid waiting around in the same area too long. If you haven't already worked it out by now, use the arrow keys to move and the mouse to sort your party out. It's a weird feeling at first, but I took to it very quickly! 2 - The Dungeon Master 'Starvation Idea'. Well, actually I (James) came up with the idea, (BMK: Stolen from someone else I expect.) did all the work (BMK: Pity you took so long.) and typed up this document (BMK: Oh why don't you just tell everyone you did it blindfolded?!). BMK only nagged, (BMK: I've never seen this man in my life, sir...) groaned (BMK: Could it not be that I nodded off at some point in the conversation and was snoring? You put everyone to.... !!) and told me he didn't have the time (BMK: Well, since I don't survive on flukes...). So please, disregard any mention of the BMK in the title, it's only there to make him feel big. BMK: Ehum!! What? Who was it that made you, MADE YOU I SAY, write the thing in the first place? Hmmm? May I tell the loyal readers that you were quite happy to let a good (but I bet stolen) idea go before I came along and made you what you are today? Was it not I who saved you from a stampede of wild animals all those years ago, Buffy? (James: Buffy? Errrm, no. Stay on the pills, will ya...) Alright. Just remember you're in MY - MY guide. So what's this starvation idea? (says James turning to BMK) Well, we all know (...continues James as BMK opens his mouth...) that when we're charging around dungeons, wielding swords (BMK: Isn't that toilet roll centres in your case?) and bows, chasing and being chased by nasty creatures that look like monsters (BMK: Not guilty.) we need people who don't start falling over with exhaustion or collapsing the first time they throw a stone (BMK: Like you on school sports day). How are we meant to get this perfect team that could tackle the Krypton Factor's (BMK: Shouldn't that be Krapton Factors'?) assault course without going red in the face and doubling over at the end? Read the following and thou shalt know. What I've done (BMK: And I made him do...) is taken 6 groups of champions through the dungeon to the beginning of the room with the six tasks (level three, methinks). I've gone as fast as I could (which is FAST (BMK: - NOT!!!)) and fought every enemy and solved every part of the dungeon so far, (BMK: Tough little you...) picking up all pieces of kit and playing it as normal (BMK: Which, believe me, is abnormal to you and I, dear reader). The only thing I've changed is I've disallowed the champs any sleep so I can only use spells once or twice and then it's just a matter of slogging it out fighting or whatnot. (BMK: You didn't feed them, did you? Otherwise, that's an even worse title for this thing than I first thought!) By the time they reach the room they should be thoroughly done in and how done in they are is a measure of how well they will perform down on level 14 where everything is needed for the nasty man himself. I've rated them with six categories: Excellent Good Quite Good Alright Bad Dead Excellent is the best and dead is the worst. BMK: Narrrr, really??! I chose the teams logically so I didn't have a team of wizards trying to fight their way through the level and so the characters were put under as much stress as they would have normally (ie - I'd have a party with Stamm and Azzizi at the front with Wuuf and Alex at the back). So, here are my results (in no order at all) with (if you're lucky) a few notations against certain characters. --- Gando - Quite Good Linflas - Good Sonja - Bad Leif - Bad Nabi - Alright Hissa - Dead [He copped out just before the last group of mummies was (BMK: Isn't that 'were' Mr Grammar?) killed. He was taking hits quite rapidly from them and his stamina disappeared the fight before that one] Gothmog - Alright Leyla - Good Wuuf - Alright/Good Stamm - Quite Bad Azzizi - Bad [not normally a position I'd put Azzizi in but she did quite well as a fighter, she just needs rest] Alex - Alright Boris - Alright Hawk - Excellent [He needs quite a bit of training as a warrior but after he becomes quite good at it, put him at the front and you've got an excellent warrior/priest who needs little rest and doesn't eat as much food as the others. Also makes a pretty decent wizard] Chani - Quite Bad Nabi - Bad Iado - Bad Zed - Dead [He did cop out due to excessive HP loss (BMK: HP loss? What game are you playing, mate?) three quarters of the way through but I should imagine he would have copped out at the end and scored either DEAD or BAD] Elija - Alright Syra - Good Halk - Bad Tiggy - Quite bad [DON'T EVER recruit her as after level five she gobbles so much food and water and needs so much rest she'll probably kill the rest of the party due to her insatiable hunger. She is the best wizard though] Wu Tse - Good Daroou - Alright [In my opinion the best character there is. A brilliant fighter after the first couple of levels and a totally excellent wizard after a few more levels. He's got high HPs to start with and can deal some pretty mean blows (BMK: With that deadly loo tube I s'pose?)] --- Well, that's it. Remember that each of the champions were put in their proper place (ie - Halk did a lot of fighting as he would in the actual dungeon) and so the Journeyman fighters did come off a bit on the bad side. Now, will anyone do the same for Chaos Strikes Back? BMK: James, my man, pal, mate.... Is that it? (screams Bitmap). Is that all you could muster? Well, I suppose it'll do. No, thanks James, that's a really great thing to go in my guide!! I'm sure it'll be loved by all DM adventurers. But I still think it's a shame that you didn't..... (!!) Will James Judge write the CSB version of this 'idea'? Will the Bitmap Kid ever be able to write anything again without putting 'BMK:' first? Will there be yet another edition to this guide??? YES TO ALL!!!! (Well, you could try sending hate, errm, encouragement mail to him since he's the only mug, errm, fella who would do it... he he he) Look out for the next (and possibly last? - boo hoo) exciting episode of this series entitled 'CSB Starvation Idea' I, of course, live in hope! Anyway, another big thanks to James (but be a little fast NEXT TIME) and I'll see you next time, unless you read something else of mine in this issue, in which case I'll see you later. I WILL see you later won't I? I hope so. I think you owe me. I do. I think...... BMK BMK