Strategic Simulations, Inc. Official Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) List Last Update: April 3rd, 1996 Version 1.0 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT This FAQ attempts to answer questions relating to SSI's new Dark Sun Online role-playing game. Obviously, it is a work in progress; should you have a question that isn't addressed in this FAQ, please send it to < avrignaud@mindscape.com >. While we won't be able to respond personally to all mail, we will attempt to incorporate your questions into this document. We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who have already sent us questions. This FAQ would be nowhere near as complete without your help! Thanks again, (especially for your patience) and we look forward to seeing you in Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands! -- Andre Vrignaud, Associate Producer, SSI LEGAL STUFF THEY MADE US SAY All information contained herein is Copyright 1996 by Strategic Simulations, Inc. You are allowed to distribute this FAQ freely, but not to make changes. Dark Sun and TSR are trademarks of TSR, Inc. Total Entertainment Network is a service mark of T E Network, Inc. All other trademarks are of the respective owners. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 1.1. What is Dark Sun Online? 1.2. When will Dark Sun Online be released? 1.3. What are the system requirements? 1.4. What network will Dark Sun Online be available on? 1.5. How can I play Dark Sun Online? 2. General Questions 2.1. Character Characteristics/Generation 2.1.1. Can I import my characters from other Dark Sun games? 2.1.2. Can I play an evil character? 2.1.3. How many different characters can I play? 2.1.4. What races can I play? 2.1.5. What is the maximum level my character can attain? 2.2. Can I download Dark Sun Online from the Online Service? 2.3. Is Dark Sun Online CD-only? 2.4. How many people can play Dark Sun Online? 2.5. What happens when you die? 2.6. Is my character still in play while I'm gone? 2.7. Are there any safe areas in the game? 2.7.1. What about using magic and psionics in these "safe areas"? 2.7.2. What exactly do you mean by "all magic is illegal in Tyr"? 2.7.3. Are there any exceptions to these city "safe areas"? 2.8. Do thieves have any use in Dark Sun Online? 2.9. Will Dark Sun Online be expanded in the future? 3. Engine-Specific Questions 3.1. How do I talk to other people? 3.2. Are there hotkeys for common game functions? 3.3. Can I save or load my game? 3.4. Does the game have "following" options? 3.5. What commercial game does the game/interface most closely resemble? 4. Getting Help or Information 4.1. How to get Dark Sun Online. 4.2. Where can I get the latest version of this FAQ? 4.3. Our Internet WWW and FTP sites. 5. Reference 5.1. Hotkey List -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ 1. Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ 1.1. What is Dark Sun Online? Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands is the latest in the Dark Sun series of games from Strategic Simulations, Inc. Based on TSR's Dark Sun world, Dark Sun Online (also known as DSO) allows you to adventure on the world of Athas. However, instead of playing alone you'll now be able to explore the barren wastes of this world with hundreds of other *real* people! As you play DSO, you'll discover new, never-before seen regions. You'll finally make it to the Silt Sea and visit the port city of Altaruk. From there you can take silt ships to visit other areas and islands. Be warned, however -- there are reasons few return from the isles. Closer to home, you'll be able to explore a newly-expanded Tyr like never before! Non-player characters (NPCs) inhabit the streets and buildings; they'll help or hinder you depending on their personalities or agendas. Some will ask you to help them with quests; others will give you tips and information on how to survive in this savage world. You'll even be able to go on quests with your friends; hopefully they'll help you survive in those tougher regions. You'll *want* friends at your side, too; some of the missions you'll be undertaking will bring you into conflict with other players! Ahh yes -- conflict . . . always a staple of role-playing games. Remember all those arguments you had with your friends as to who had the best character? Well, stop talking about it and find out! Engage in bloody hand-to-hand combat and beat your foe into submission. Hurl destructive spells and turn the peon who dared challenge you into a flaming pyre. The choice is yours! You'll also take on new roles in Dark Sun Online. Choose to be a Templar, and you'll work for the good of the Tyrian Council, undertaking quests and harassing innocent pedestrians with the best of them! Sound too slimy? Fine -- join the Veiled Alliance and fight the Templar scourge! No matter what side you choose, you'll often find that your quest or mission might come into conflict with the goals of the opposing group -- better be prepared! Dark Sun Online has been in development for over two years. The engine has been completely overhauled for online gaming, and is now a true 32-bit Windows 95 application. The interface has been streamlined for multiplayer gaming, including enhancements to party commands, easy chat commands, and special options to make multiplayer adventuring the experience you've been looking for. And for those of you who *really* want more of the same, here's some of the relevant text from the Dark Sun Online Web Page: So . . . you're back, eh? Another one of those die-hard gamers always looking for the next challenge -- the next plateau in gaming. No game is hard or intense enough for you. You see those claims of "40 to 60 hours of game play" and scoff. You've picked your teeth on the shattered remnants of "other" role-playing games, and now, casting about for the next hot thing, you've come across this promising web page. Well, you've waited a long time, but you *have* come to the right place. Because you see, SSI is proud to announce the newest member of the Dark Sun computer role-playing game family -- Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands. Welcome to a world sucked dry by vampiric defilers, torn and scarred by power- hungry mages, burnt and seared by a sun gone slightly nova; a world known simply as Athas. Athas is bad -- real bad. You've heard of Death Valley? You've heard of the Sahara? They've got nothing on Athas. You see, Death Valley and the Sahara end. They stop eventually. They run into jungles or forests or even oceans. But not Athas. Athas never stops. It has no oceans. And you're stuck in the middle of it. You may have played Dark Sun I and II, chewed them up, and spit out the little pieces. But you couldn't get enough. Maybe you finished the games in mere hours and wanted more of a challenge. Perhaps the regions we gave you to explore just whetted your appetite, but you *still* wanted to stretch your legs some more. And perhaps even the biggest battles weren't enough for you, and you went through them like a wood-chipper through sushi. Well, welcome to Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands. Give you a hint -- it's called "Crimson Sands" for a reason. . . . Dark Sun Online is the biggest Dark Sun game yet. All new regions guarantee hours and hours of exploration. Forty to sixty hours? Ha! There's enough here to play for months and months -- and we doubt you'll find everything we've put in here. You want tough? Some of these areas are *nasty*; you may want to recruit trusted companions for assistance, or make allies along the way. Although there's strength in numbers, watch your back; your strongest ally may become your most formidable foe. Ahh yes . . . the more clever of you may have noticed something intriguing here. You can now join your friends and play together in the Dark Sun universe! That's right -- instead of dealing with those piddly little monsters, you can deal with the meanest and most devious creatures of all -- *real people*. And this ain't no private party; in Dark Sun Online you'll be in a world inhabited by hundreds and hundreds of these fiends. Yep -- real, live, flesh-and-blood, conniving, backstabbing, (and occasionally friendly) people. What does that mean to you? Lots. Now you can test your might against your best friend and find out for sure who's got the killer character. You can join the ranks of the Templars and terrorize innocent citizens (including those aforementioned friends). And if that doesn't sound entertaining enough, you can join the Veiled Alliance and harass those Templars right back! Quests and treasures abound -- myriad non-player characters speak with you, and often are willing to help you out. Of course, others are just as happy to lie to you and cheat you out of your worldly possessions. Sometimes they'll ask you to help them, or visit strange, far-off lands. Be warned, though -- many of these regions are rarely visited for a reason. . . . What's that? Sounds hard? Pshaw! Not for you! However, we realize that some people don't have as many years of experience as some of the more advanced gamers out there. So, just because we're nice, fuzzy-feeling sorts of people, we start new players off in the city-state of Tyr. Why Tyr? Because it's protected from evil-doing (at least the physical kind) by the city guard. So don't fear -- you won't get whacked the second you start the game . . . and if you're smart, and listen to what people tell you, you'll do just fine. Dark Sun Online has been in development for over two years. The engine has been completely overhauled for online gaming, and is now a true 32-bit Windows 95 application. The interface has been streamlined for multiplayer gaming, including enhancements to party commands, easy chat commands, and special options to make multiplayer adventuring the experience you've been looking for. 1.2. When will Dark Sun Online be released? Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands is first slated for release in the second quarter of 1996 on the Total Entertainment Network, also known as TEN. 1.3. What are the system requirements? Almost any 486-based Windows machine should be able to run Dark Sun Online easily. Note that while we recommend the following, you may be able to get away with a slightly lesser system. However, it's more likely you'll be able to run the game on such a system if you have a local bus video card. Minimum system requirements: IBM Compatible (486/66+) 2X CD-ROM w/redbook cable enabled 8 Megabytes of RAM Mouse Windows 95 9600 Modem Recommended: Local Bus Video Card (VLB/PCI) 14.4 Modem 1.4. What network will Dark Sun Online be available on? Dark Sun Online will be first available on the Total Entertainment Network (TEN). You'll be able to connect using your own Internet connection or by calling one of TEN's nationwide access numbers. More information about TEN is available at < http://www.ten.net >. 1.5 How can I play Dark Sun Online? You can apply to be a beta tester for DSO by filling out the form located at < http://www.ten.net/beta/DSOSignUp.html >. If you are selected, TEN will send you a CD so you can connect and play for free. If you don't care to beta test, but want to play DSO as soon as it's commercial, just sign up for TEN on their Web page at < http://www.ten.net > and they'll ship you a CD when DSO is live. Within a few minutes after receiving your kit from TEN, you'll be off and running in the world of Athas! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ 2. General Questions -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ 2.1. Character Characteristics/Generation 2.1.1. Can I import my characters from other Dark Sun games? No. It is far too easy to hack or edit a character file from Dark Sun I or II. If we allowed character transfer, we'd have people importing Godlike characters into the game. This would totally destroy the game balance and be unfair to non- cheating players. On the plus side, the game does have anti-hacking checks in place which will help protect the game's balance. Note that should someone be found hacking the game, they will summarily removed and locked out from DSO. 2.1.2. Can I play an evil character? Of course! You can select any alignment from Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil. Depending on what you choose, you can then role-play your character as you wish. You may also change your alignment later in the game should you choose. 2.1.3. How many different characters can I play? You may create up to four different characters; however, you can only play *one* of them at a time. This allows you to play a Fighter during the times you feel overly aggressive and a Thief when you just feel like slipping through the dark corners of Tyr. Note, however, that your characters are completely separate; experience points and items gained by one do *not* carry over to any other one of your characters. 2.1.4. What races can I play? You may play either a Dwarf, Elf, Half-Elf, Half-Giant, Halfling, Human, Mul, or Thri-kreen. More information about these races, their racial ability adjustments, and their class restrictions can be found in the Dark Sun Online manual. 2.1.5. What is the maximum level my character can attain? The maximum level any character can attain in any one class is 15th. Once you reach 15th level you continue to collect experience points, but will no longer climb in levels. Although it is technically possible to continue past this level in the paper AD&D games, it is not feasible in a computer environment. Once you get to this level, you're already crushing everything with ease; it is very difficult to keep the game challenging at this point. Thus we do not support character levels above 15th. 2.2. Is Dark Sun Online CD-only? Yes. Although you will install the game itself (<50 Megs) to your hard drive, you'll need the CD-ROM in the drive for the redbook music. Note that even without the redbook music, the game is just too large to be distributed on floppies. 2.3. Can I download Dark Sun Online from the Online Service? No. See 2.2 for more information, but in short the game is too large, and you would not get the music tracks. 2.4. How many people can play Dark Sun Online? Many, many hundreds, and possibly thousands. A lot depends on server and engine limitations, which we won't encounter until we begin major stress testing. More information will be available later. 2.5. What happens when you die? If your character is reduced to zero hitpoints, he or she falls unconscious. Once awakened, you'll find yourself in the hospital in Tyr. You'll have a few hitpoints and may have lost some ceramic pieces or equipment. As a penalty for "dying," you will have also lost one experience level. If you're curious, you can ask the hospital medicine man to give you a brief explanation of how you were returned to Tyr. Essentially, no character ever dies in Crimson Sands. This allows you to resume your game with no loss of current quests. Of course, you will need to have your character healed, and you may have to wander around the city for a while to collect enough equipment and ceramic to continue your quests. In some cases, your character may not have a level high enough to continue a quest previously given. Such is the penalty of defeat. 2.6. Is my character still in play while I'm gone? No -- your character is removed from the game when you leave. If you aren't able to come back into the game for a long time (heaven forbid), your character would surely be slain before you returned. That, and a month-long sleeping period is uncommon for most races on Athas. 2.7. Are there any safe areas in the game? Yes, but only to a certain extent. In the city of Tyr and the coastal fortress of Altaruk, if one character assaults another he or she will be fined severely (and possibly thrown in jail) by the local guard force. This should deter characters from beating on each other in these locations, but it does not insure safety. If you have a low-level character and are attacked, you will most likely take a little damage before the guards arrive. Of course, the attacking character will be penalized (and possibly barred from the game), but you will have to deal with the loss of some hitpoints. Obviously, it is in your best interest to buy protective armor as soon as possible. 2.7.1. What about using magic and psionics in these "safe areas"? Magic and psionics are absolutely forbidden in Tyr. Even equipping magical armor (which activates the appropriate spell effect) will cause you to be arrested. These same limitations also apply in Altaruk -- regardless of the fact that the fortress is run by preservers. These rules are mainly to keep players in line within city limits. Elsewhere, anything goes. 2.7.2. What exactly do you mean by "all magic is illegal in Tyr"? As the Templar Council officially frowns upon all use of magic in Tyr, any spell you cast or psionic power you use will most likely get you arrested. For that matter, using or equipping any object which has some sort of magical power will also cause you to be arrested. Any successful mixing of magical ingredients, and anything else that causes some sort of magical effect, will *also* cause your confinement. Selling any magical items in the city (without a safe "contact") is another good way to get arrested, though in this case you may not always be caught (the guards can't watch *everyone* all the time, after all). It is best to avoid such things at all costs; the penalty is severe. 2.7.3. Are there any exceptions to these city "safe areas"? As a matter of fact, yes. If you are at one of the seedy taverns in Tyr's Shadow Square, fighting and magic are completely legal; for reasons of self- preservation the city guards will not intervene in these dives. Also, the Elite Headquarters (a club for high-level adventurers), the Templar Inner Sanctum, and the Veiled Alliance Headquarters are all okay to fight in, as the guards are either unable or not allowed to enter these locations. Naturally, the Arena also allows intra-city combat. As to Altaruk, combat is allowed when the pirates invade (this happens about four times a day). All attacks are legal, as the guards are supposedly "fending off the pirate hordes" at that time. 2.8. Do thieves have any use in Dark Sun Online? Of course! You'll be happy to know that there is, in fact, a thieves' guild hidden within the city. There are also special thief quests that have been designed for all levels of experience. One thing to keep in mind -- if your thief character fails a skill check on a given quest, he or she will most certainly be arrested. Prepare for this by having a partner hold your character's items and ceramic when you attempt a mission. (You *do* have a partner, right?) 2.9. Will Dark Sun Online be expanded in the future? The best answer is "probably." It is difficult to answer this definitely, as there are several issues and questions that must be resolved first. The best I can do is touch on these issues and leave it at that. First off, SSI does have the rights to use TSR's Dark Sun world, which also includes all of the material released in the past year or two. Obviously, future expansions would take this material into account. Secondly, although it would take work, the tools do exist to expand the world, and in the long-term it is also *technically* possible to expand the world. Finally, the biggest issue is simply whether Dark Sun Online succeeds as an online game. While I have no doubt that it will, it certainly wouldn't make much business sense to expand a game that has all of 10 or 15 people playing in it. Obviously, this is something we'll see as time progresses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ 3. Engine-Specific Questions -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ 3.1. How do I talk to other people? Extremely easily -- you just type. Overlaying the upper quarter of the screen are two to seven (user-configurable) lines of text. Whatever you type appears right there. Only people within a certain range of your character can read the text -- beyond that, you'll need to send a specific message to them. Chat Commands: TEXT Sends text to all people nearby :TEXT Sends text to people in party NAME: sends a message that only NAME can read NAME1,NAME2: sends a message to only NAME1 & NAME2 @ smiles "YourName smiles." @=your name //muzzle NAME Muzzles (ignores chat from) Name //unmuzzle NAME Unmuzzles Name //muzzlelist Lists names of muzzled people Ctrl-PgUp Moves chat buffer up one line Ctrl-PgDn Moves chat buffer down one line Ctrl-Home Moves to top of chat buffer Ctrl-End Moves to bottom of chat buffer Ctrl- left/right Edits current chat line Ctrl- up/down Scrolls back/forward through command line history Ctrl-[/] Displays less/more lines of chat text on screen (Min. of 2, Max. of 7) //#TEXT Changes color of text for line to color 0-9 //#TEXT// Changes color of text between slashes to color 0-9 //#. Sets your chat text color to whatever color # you wish Colors: 1 Yellow, 2 Red, 3 Purple, 4 Blue, 5 Green, 6 White, 7 Color-cycling Purple, 8 Color-cycling Blue, 9 Color-cycling Green, 0 Clear KEYBOARD: SYMBOL/MEANING: ` Hitpoints (HP) $ Ceramic Pieces (CP) \ Experience Points (XP) | Psionic Points (PP) @ Your Name -- uses stick figure to represent "you" Ctrl-1 Sleeping (ZZ) Ctrl-2 Veiled Alliance (VA) Ctrl-3 Templar Council (TC) Ctrl-4 In My Humble Opinion (IMHO) Ctrl-5 Laughing Out Loud (LOL) Ctrl-6 Away From Keyboard (AFK) Ctrl-7 Be Right Back (BRB) Ctrl-8 Talk To You Later (TTYL) Ctrl-9 Bye (BYE) Ctrl-0 Okay (OK) Alt-1 Smiley Face Alt-2 Angry Face Alt-3 Weaponry Alt-4 Armor Alt-5 Treasure Alt-6 Magic/Lightning Alt-7 Key Alt-8 Mug Alt-9 White Flag Alt-0 Skull/Death 3.2. Are there hotkeys for common game functions? Yes. For the sake of completeness, the entire hotkey list is printed below in the Reference Section (5.1). Some will be duplicates of listings in other portions of this FAQ, but you'll always be able to refer to 5.1 for the complete list. 3.3. Can I save my game? Yes, although you may only save at specific points. Saving is done automatically when you leave the game. In order to log out safely you will need to have your character stay in an inn, or at the very least, sleep next to a campfire or in a poor bed somewhere. Don't worry -- the game will warn you if you are about to log out in an unsafe area. However, you should also note that it *is* possible to simply log out at any time, but you run the risk of being attacked or robbed, and possibly losing some items or ceramic. Generally, it's always a good idea to log out in the safest place you possibly can. Be prepared to lose the occasional item or ceramic pieces as it is impossible to avoid thievery in all cases (unless, of course, you're filthy rich and sleep in the finest inns regularly). As a habit, we suggest you keep in mind where the last safe place to log out safely was at. Before you adventure into an unexplored area, try to make sure you have plenty of time to explore and get back before you must leave the game. There are some areas where you may not see daylight or safety for quite a while. 3.4. Does the game have "following" options? Yes. In Dark Sun Online you'll be able to create parties of up to four people. When you "join" someone (by looking at someone and selecting "join"), you are automatically added to that person's party. When that person moves, your character follows him or her. Keep in mind that you can also follow someone while not actually being in the party. In this case, you would manually follow the person as they moved through the game. 3.5. What commercial game does the game/interface most closely resemble? Dark Sun Online very closely resembles both Dark Sun I and II. The view is top- down/overhead, *not* first-person. Your character is visible at all times, and you can graphically see other people as they maneuver through the world. Objects, buildings, and anything else you can think of are all art pieces in the engine. The interface is also extremely similar to the original Dark Sun games. Obviously, we have added chat and party functions. We've added a money button to give ceramic to people. Several toggles have been added to allow/disallow followers and accepting objects. Finally, some hot keys were added to give quick access to all these new functions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ 4. Getting Help or Information -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ 4.1. How to get Dark Sun Online. Dark Sun Online will be available from the online service. You'll simply have to request a copy, which will then be mailed to you. 4.2. Where can I get the latest version of this FAQ? The latest version of this FAQ is always available on our web site at < http://www.ssionline.com >. It will also occasionally be posted to the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg newsgroup. You can also find an HTML version of the FAQ (or download it) at < http://www.ten.net/someURLaddressgoeshere.html >. 4.3. Our Internet WWW and FTP sites. SSI's web site can be found at < http://www.ssionline.com >. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ 5. Reference -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ 5.1. Dark Sun Online Hotkey List Hotkeys: Alt-A Toggles animations on/off Alt-C Brings up Cast Spells/Use Psionics screen Alt-E Brings up Current Spell/Effects screen Alt-F Toggles Followers Allowed/not allowed; disengages followers if attached Alt-G Sets Character to Guard (in combat) Alt-H Centers screen on character Alt-I Brings up View Inventory screen Alt-N Targets next opponent if in combat Alt-O Toggles Accepting Items on/off Alt-P Preferences Menu; targets previous opponent in combat Alt-Q Ends character's turn (in combat) Alt-U Brings up Cast Spells/Use Psionics screen Alt-V Brings up View Character screen Alt-W Sets character to Wait (in combat) Alt-X Quits Dark Sun Online Tab Brings up Game Menu Esc Exits all menus; quits game if no menus on screen KEYBOARD: SYMBOL/MEANING: ` Hitpoints (HP) $ Ceramic Pieces (CP) \ Experience Points (XP) | Psionic Points (PP) @ Your Name -- uses stick figure to represent "you" Ctrl-1 Sleeping (ZZ) Ctrl-2 Veiled Alliance (VA) Ctrl-3 Templar Council (TC) Ctrl-4 In My Humble Opinion (IMHO) Ctrl-5 Laughing Out Loud (LOL) Ctrl-6 Away From Keyboard (AFK) Ctrl-7 Be Right Back (BRB) Ctrl-8 Talk To You Later (TTYL) Ctrl-9 Bye (BYE) Ctrl-0 Okay (OK) Alt-1 Smiley Face Alt-2 Angry Face Alt-3 Weaponry Alt-4 Armor Alt-5 Treasure Alt-6 Magic/Lightning Alt-7 Key Alt-8 Mug Alt-9 White Flag Alt-0 Skull/Death Function Keys: F1 Brings up Dark Sun Online Help screen/Sysop call button F2 Lists all players in region F3 Lists all players in Dark Sun Online F4 Toggles music on/off F5 Toggles sound effects on/off F6 Toggles animations on/off F7 Toggles chat area between 0, 2, or 7 line display F8 Quits Dark Sun Online F9 Changes color of chat text; Shift-F9 cycles backwards F10 Toggles computer control on/off (in combat) Chat Commands: TEXT Sends text to all people nearby :TEXT Sends text to people in party NAME: sends a message that only NAME can read NAME1,NAME2: sends a message to only NAME1 & NAME2 @ smiles "YourName smiles." @=your name //muzzle NAME Muzzles (ignores chat from) NAME //unmuzzle NAME Unmuzzles NAME //muzzlelist Lists names of muzzled people Ctrl-PgUp Moves chat buffer up one line Ctrl-PgDn Moves chat buffer down one line Ctrl-Home Moves to top of chat buffer Ctrl-End Moves to bottom of chat buffer Ctrl- left/right Edits current chat line Ctrl- up/down Scrolls back/forward through command line history Ctrl-[/] Displays less/more lines of chat text on screen (Min. of 2, Max. of 7) //#TEXT Changes color of text for line to color 0-9 //#TEXT// Changes color of text between slashes to color 0-9 //#. Sets your chat text color to whatever color # you wish Colors: 1 Yellow, 2 Red, 3 Purple, 4 Blue, 5 Green, 6 White, 7 Color-cycling Purple, 8 Color-cycling Blue, 9 Color-cycling Green, 0 Clear Sound Control Keys: //sound# Sends sound effect to people within range (0-9) //s# Sends sound effect to people within range (0-9) Sound Effect List: 1. "You! Stop!" 6. Laughter 2. "Come back here!" 7. Baby crying 3. "Move along there!" 8. Male scream 4. "Out of the way!" 9. Female scream 5. "Hey, sewer scum!" 0. "Die!"