what can I do with the books?

I'm sure that someone would have already asked these questions, but after searching for a long time I did not find iany answers. Anyway...

I've gained access to the Leraning tree and I want to get something out of the books. Do I just have to search for the exact right words? Will NPCs tell me what to look for? If NPCs will tell me what to look for is there anything else to be found in the books? How many books/levels are there to the Learning tree? Is the tree where I can learn spells? Are spells related to items? character levels? missions? or just books?

please, no spoilers unless it is necesary to answer a question which I will not obtain an obvious answer to in the game.

thanks a lot for your help, assuming I get some...

NPCs do tell you what to research in the Learning tree throughout the game. Emelius also tells you where to start your search after you prove your worth to him. You will meet people in the tree who have knowledge about other aspects of the game too. For instance, you can find out interesting things about almost all of the creatures which inhabit Garendall. There are three levels and each contains different knowledge. Yes, you do have to search for exact words. When an NPC says something which has (?) after a word or phrase, you can look that up in the tree to find out more about it. Copy those dialogues into your journal as they occur to remind yourself what to search for later.

There are no spells to be found in the Learning Tree unless you are playing with Stark Bledfast's Spells Expander. You can learn spells with level increases. Some spells can be purchased and some found in certain plugins. There are also valuable items to be found in the tree.

I hope that gives you what you need without spoiling anything. Good luck with your game. ~RD

thankyou thankyou thankyou. I guess no matter what you said it would have made me want the full version of the game even more, but now that I know, it helps keep me from sitting infront of the book, trying to guess what word I have to type to get the topic I want. Oh, and you mentioned the creatures. I was wondering if there is any place to go in the game or on the net to see pictures of the creatures with their names, all I can do is know what goblins and molespiders are, guess what kobolds are, and describe everything else. Sorry if this is off topic.

Actually, nevermind. I found what I was looking for at http://stark.evula.net.

Llythiumn, on Nov 16 2004, 01:52 AM, said:

Actually, nevermind. I found what I was looking for at http://stark.evula.net.

Ah, you've found the Walkthrough and Compendium. It is excellent, not 100% accurate, but still a monumental piece of work. I did not mention it in my last answer because it is a "spoiler" and you asked us to not spoil it for you. I think Stark has written it in such a way that it does not detract from the fun of playing the game. If you want to know how much you've covered and how much there is still to go, there is a 7 page map in my signature below. It, too, is a spoiler of sorts, but I did it because as I played the game at the start I kept getting lost as more and more squares were covered. The map you found in the learning tree is too small to be of real value and does not show any underground territory. It won't hurt to take a peek. ~RD

I don't really want spoilers, so I didn't read the missions parts of the walkthrough, I just looked at the creatures because I'm sick and tired of being told to do something related to a certain creature, finding out about that creature from the lady in the Learning tree, but still having no idea what I should look for. The site helped a lot. About your maps... do they print well in black and white? My problem isn't getting lost (I can follow roads and remember where I came from) but I just want to keep track of the places that I have been to but not explored, been to and explored, and not been to. This way I can explore everything, finding all of the treasures and creatures. Then I can download plug-ins like Trinity, DiD, that Utian village one, maybe spells expander, and any cool sounding others that are compatible with eachother... and BAAM, possible all new gameplay hours are quadrupled! I love plugins.

Llythiumn, on Nov 17 2004, 02:23 AM, said:

About your maps... do they print well in black and white? I just want to keep track of the places that I have been to but not explored, been to and explored, and not been to. This way I can explore everything, finding all of the treasures and creatures.

Do they print well in black and white? I just tried that and would have to say, "not really." Certainly well enough to check off where you have been but the intensity level of the colors is not great enough to distinguish roads from grass, cave floor from abyss, etc. If you just print the "Page Layout" page you have a handy way to check off squares you have completed without having the details of each square.

Quote

Then I can download plug-ins like Trinity, DiD, that Utian village one, maybe spells expander, and any cool sounding others that are compatible with eachother... I love plugins.

I, too, love plugins - - the ones that extend the game. I am not in favor of "cheat" plugins. You do have to have a registered copy of the game to play most plugins. For what it's worth, my list of recommended non-cheat plugins is as follows:
° Trinity
° Sapphire
° Spells Expander
° World of Cha0s
° Dernath Merchant
° The Mushroom Lady
° Damsels in Distress

Ok, I'll write these things down and check them out when I have time. You seem like someone who would look for the same things I look for, so I'll probably have the same ones, assuming that they are all cool, extending the game without cheats and such and are compatible with eachother. Do you know if the Utian village one is compatible with those? (or if it isn't out yet will it be?) I think it's by Mike Zeman (Stark Bledfast). Anyway, I'll check out that layout map too.

Utian Village has never been completed. I think Stark has put it on hold until an update for Coldstone is available. As one member of the test team, I know that it was compatible with all the other plugins I use. In fact, with all the plugins there is only one major conflict I know of and that's between UberGuardian and Damsels in Distress.

Now that I looked at the plugin pages I can see why there would only be one conflict, considering that there are only 2 pages of plugins. So I looked at them all and your suggestions seem pretty good. I was wondering though...
Is The Mushroom Lady a cheat plugin or are the mushrooms quite expensive and the mushrrom pies not to super amazing? Also, what about game continuer? I have not finished the game so I don't know if this would be a cheat, a pointless plugin, or a way to get everything done and discover everything. I'm assuming that only one of the mission strings is needed to complete the game, and that other missions could be completed after with this plugin, is this true? Or maybe I shouldn't be asking here...
Anyway, I decided to just slowly draw out my own Garendall map, which would allow me to recognize where I am, where I can't go, and where I have yet to go. I should start with Fantrima in the Center correct? With the map taller than it is wide?
Thanks for all the information and help etc.

The conflict that exists is because of the way PoG handles things in the Guardian's chamber and beyond. DiD avoids the Guardian's chamber and and takes you to an area beyond and then back to the game, but UberGuardian inserts another chamber which causes the game to lock, freeze, or crash if you try to finish DiD.

Conflicts could happen if two plugins tried to place something new at the same spot on a PoG map. So far this has not happened because plugin developers have taken into consideration the existing plugins and selected unique areas in which to expand.

Mushroom Lady adds one colorful character to the game with some nice items mainly designed for the Ranger in Trinity. The new items are priced well and there are no super weapons.

Game Continuer is a waste in my opinion because all it does is send you back to the game after you have defeated the Guardian (the last act in the game.) The problem is that with Game Continuer, you can never finish a game because you cannot enter the Guardian's chamber twice. The game locks up on the second entry. The author made no provisions for getting arround the chamber the second time, so the player never sees the final screens. My suggestion is to save a game just before entering the Guardian's chamber and go back to that save when you want to keep playing. DO NOT EVER save a game while IN the Guardian's chamber or you will be totally locked out of any further play with that character.

From north to south there are 19 squares. From east to west there are 13 squares. Fantrima is the 13th square down form the top and the 8th square over from the west. That puts Fantrima in the southeast quarter of the Kingdom of Garendall. You'll have a lot of blank space on that grid because 19 X 13 = 247 and there are only 111 above ground maps. Good luck with your game and with your map.

That sounds like a good way to end this topic, so thanks for all your help and information. I'm already started on that map and I'll try to remember your "end of game" saving advice. Talk to you later (possibly not until PoG is updated). Bye, and thanks again.