Strategic Simulations, Inc. Official Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Last Update: June 17th, 1996 Version 1.5 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT This FAQ attempts to answer questions relating to SSI's new Dark Sun Online role-playing game, available on the Total Entertainment Network. 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 are the classes/level-limits in Dark Sun Online? 2.1.6. What are multi-classed and dual-classed characters? 2.1.7. What are the multi-class options for demihumans in DSO? 2.1.8. Why are my stats rerolled when I choose another class? 2.2. Is Dark Sun Online CD-only? 2.3. Can I download Dark Sun Online from TEN? 2.4. How many people can play Dark Sun Online? 2.5. Player vs. Player (PvP) Combat 2.5.1. What is Player vs. Player (PvP) combat, anyway? 2.5.2. Is Player vs. Player (PvP) combat allowed in DSO? 2.5.3. Are there any checks and balances to PvP? 2.6. You and Mr. Death. 2.6.1. What happens when I die? 2.6.2. What happens to my hitpoints when I lose a level? 2.6.3. What happens to my spells when I lose a level? 2.6.4. How does losing a level affect multi-classed characters? 2.6.5. Is it possible to lose items due to death? 2.6.6. Just how deadly *is* death, anyway? 2.7. Is my character still in play while I'm gone? 2.8. Are there any safe areas in the game? 2.8.1. What about using magic and psionics in "safe areas"? 2.8.2. What exactly do you mean by "magic is forbidden in Tyr"? 2.8.3. Are there any exceptions to these city "safe areas"? 2.9. Do thieves have any use in Dark Sun Online? 2.10. Will Dark Sun Online be expanded in the future? 2.11. Why should I pay more for an inn? 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 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. Useful and Cool World Wide Web sites. 5. Strange and Useless Dark Sun Online Trivia Section 5.1. Title Candidates for Dark Sun Online 5.2. Just how large *is* the source code for DSO, anyway? 5.3. Who are the people in the "Humans" load screen? 6. Reference 6.1. 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 Windows 95 application. The interface has been streamlined for multi-player gaming, including enhancements to party commands, easy chat commands, and special options to make multi-player 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 Windows 95 application. The interface has been streamlined for multi-player gaming, including enhancements to party commands, easy chat commands, and special options to make multi-player 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 third quarter of 1996 on the Total Entertainment Network (also known as TEN). For more information on TEN please visit their web site at < http://www.ten.net >. 1.3. What are the system requirements? Almost any 486-based Windows 95 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 be a beta tester for DSO by going to the DSO/TEN beta page at < http://www.ten.net/betazone >. The beta of DSO is available for download from this page. Note that DSO is free of charge for the duration of the beta test. You *do* need to sign up as a TEN member to access the game but, again, will not be charged during the testing. 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 final. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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, although you can only select alignments appropriate to the class you are playing (i.e., no Chaotic Evil Rangers). Depending on what you choose, you can then role-play your character as you wish. Note that you can *not* change a character's alignment once you have started play with him or her. 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 are the classes/level-limits in Dark Sun Online? 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 a level this high, 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. For more specific information, refer to the following information (also available in the DSO rule book): CLASS RESTRICTION AND LEVEL LIMITS As per the traditional AD&D Game there are restrictions to the classes available to a character, and the level that character may advance to. Players and DMs familiar with the AD&D game will find that these restrictions are very different in the Dark Sun campaign setting however. This is due to the unusual nature of the demihuman races. Humans are always unrestricted in level advancement or class selection. This optional rule on exceeding level limits is used when playing Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands. Racial Class and Level Limits Table CLASS HUMAN DWARF ELF H-ELF H-GNT H-LING MUL THRI-KRN Cleric U 12 15 15 12 12 10 12 Druid U - - 14 - 12 12 15 Fighter U 15 14 U 15 12 U 15 Glad. U U 10 U 14 12 U 15 Presrvr. U - 15 12 - - - - Psion. U U U U U U U U Ranger U - 15 14 8 15 - 12 Thief U 12 12 12 - 15 12 - U: The character has unlimited advancement potential in the given class. Any #: A player character can advance to the maximum possible level in a given class. -: A player character cannot belong to the listed class. NOTE: In Dark Sun Online the maximum level advancement for any character is 15th level. This is a computer game restriction, not an AD&D restriction. EXCEEDING LEVEL LIMITS Demihuman characters with extremely high ability scores in their prime requisites can exceed the racial maximum levels. In cases where multiple prime requisites are used, all requisites must exceed those listed in the Prime Requisite Bonus Table below. The additional levels listed in this table are added to the normal maximum allowed, regardless of what class or race is involved. Prime Requisite Bonus Table Ability Score Additional Levels 14, 15 +1 16, 17 +2 18 +3 19 +4 2.1.6. What are multi-classed and dual-classed characters? (Please note that most of this material is quoted from the AD&D Second Edition Player's Handbook and the Dark Sun: The Age of Heroes source book, and should be considered copyright material of TSR, Inc. Also note that for completeness, some of this material is duplicated in section 2.1.7.) A multi-class character is a character that improves in two or more classes simultaneously. His experience is divided equally between each class. The available class combinations vary according to race. The character can use the abilities of both classes at any time, with only a few restrictions. Only demihumans can be multi-class characters. A dual-class character is one who starts with a single class, advances to moderate level, and then changes to a second character class and starts over again. The character retains the benefits and abilities of the first class but never again earns experience for using them. There are some limitations on combining the abilities of the two classes but, as long as minimum ability and alignment requirements are met, there are no restrictions on the possible character class combinations. Only humans can be dual- class characters. Multi-Class Benefits and Restrictions A multi-class character always uses the most favorable combat value and the best saving throw from his different classes. The character's hit points are determined as follows: for each class level, the class hit die is rolled (d10 for fighters, d8 for priests, etc.) and divided by the number of classes the character has, fractions are rounded down but never lower than one. The Constitution hit point bonus is calculated in a similar manner. Multi-class characters can combine abilities from their different classes with the following restrictions (the PC must follow the most restrictive class): WARRIOR: A multi-classed warrior can use all of his abilities without restriction. PRIEST: Regardless of his other classes, a multi-classed priest must abide by the weapon restrictions of his mythos. He retains all his normal priest abilities. WIZARD: A multi-classed wizard can freely combine the powers of the wizard with any other class allowed, although the wearing of armor is restricted. ROGUE: A multi-classed rogue can wear only leather armor or less. Multi-Class Options for Demihumans DWARF Cleric/Psionicist Thief/Psionicist Fighter/Cleric Fighter/Cleric/Psionicist Fighter/Psionicist Fighter/Thief/Psionicist Fighter/Thief ELF OR HALF-ELF Fighter/Mage Fighter/Mage/Cleric Fighter/Thief Fighter/Mage/Thief Fighter/Psionicist Cleric/Mage/Thief Fighter/Cleric Cleric/Fighter/Thief Cleric/Mage Fighter/Mage/Psionicist Cleric/Psionicist Fighter/Thief/Psionicist Cleric/Thief Fighter/Cleric/Psionicist Mage/Psionicist Cleric/Mage/Psionicist Mage/Thief Cleric/Thief/Psionicist Thief/Psionicist Mage/Thief/Psionicist HALF-GIANT Fighter/Cleric Cleric/Psionicist Fighter/Psionicist HALFLING Fighter/Thief Cleric/Psionicist Fighter/Cleric Fighter/Psionicist Thief/Psionicist Fighter/Thief/Psionicist Cleric/Thief MUL Fighter/Thief Cleric/Thief Fighter/Cleric Psionicist/Thief Fighter/Psionicist Fighter/Thief/Psionicist Cleric/Thief THRI-KREEN Fighter/Cleric Cleric/Psionicist Fighter/Psionicist Fighter/Cleric/Psionicist Notes: "Ranger" may be substituted for any "fighter" entry under elves, half-elves, half-giants, halflings, and thri-kreen. "Druid" may be substituted for any "cleric" entry under half- elves, halflings, muls, or thri-kreen. "Gladiator" may never be a part of a multi-class combination for demihumans. Dual-Class Benefits and Restrictions Only humans can be dual-classed characters. To be dual-classed, the character must have scores of 15 or more in the prime requisites of his first class and scores of 17 or more in the prime requisites of any classes he switches to. The character selects one class to begin his adventuring life. He can advance in this class as many levels as he desires before switching to another class; there is no cut-off point beyond which a character cannot switch. However, he must attain at least 2nd level in his current class before changing to another class. There is no limit to the number of classes a character can acquire, as long as he has the ability scores and wants to make the change. (Certain character classes have alignment restrictions that the character must meet, however.) After switching to a new class, the character no longer earns experience points in his previous character class and he can no longer advance in level in that class. Nor can he switch back to his first class at a later date, hoping to resume his advancement where he left off. Once he leaves a class he has finished his studies in it. Instead, he starts over in a new class, at 1st level with 0 experience points, but he does retain his previous Hit Dice and hit points. He gains the abilities, and must abide by all of the restrictions, of the new class. He does not gain or lose any points on his ability scores. The character uses the combat and saving throw tables appropriate to his new class and level. The only values that can be carried over from the previous class without restriction are the character's Hit Dice and hit points. In addition, the character earns no additional Hit Dice or hit points while advancing in his new class. The restrictions of the previous two paragraphs last until the character reaches a *higher* level in his new class than his maximum level in any of his previous classes. At that point, all restrictions are dropped: the character gains the abilities of his previous classes, and he earns additional Hit Dice (those of his new class) and hit points for gaining experience levels in his new class. When a dual-class or multi-class character is struck by a level- draining creature, he first loses levels in the class in which he has advanced the highest. When his different classes are equal in level, the class level requiring the most experience points is lost first. 2.1.7. What are the multi-class options for demihumans in DSO? That's an easy one; simply refer to the handy chart below. Note that you can also refer to section 2.1.6 for a more complete discussion of multi-class options. DWARF Cleric/Psionicist Thief/Psionicist Fighter/Cleric Fighter/Cleric/Psionicist Fighter/Psionicist Fighter/Thief/Psionicist Fighter/Thief ELF OR HALF-ELF Fighter/Mage Fighter/Mage/Cleric Fighter/Thief Fighter/Mage/Thief Fighter/Psionicist Cleric/Mage/Thief Fighter/Cleric Cleric/Fighter/Thief Cleric/Mage Fighter/Mage/Psionicist Cleric/Psionicist Fighter/Thief/Psionicist Cleric/Thief Fighter/Cleric/Psionicist Mage/Psionicist Cleric/Mage/Psionicist Mage/Thief Cleric/Thief/Psionicist Thief/Psionicist Mage/Thief/Psionicist HALF-GIANT Fighter/Cleric Cleric/Psionicist Fighter/Psionicist HALFLING Fighter/Thief Cleric/Psionicist Fighter/Cleric Fighter/Psionicist Thief/Psionicist Fighter/Thief/Psionicist Cleric/Thief MUL Fighter/Thief Cleric/Thief Fighter/Cleric Psionicist/Thief Fighter/Psionicist Fighter/Thief/Psionicist Cleric/Thief THRI-KREEN Fighter/Cleric Cleric/Psionicist Fighter/Psionicist Fighter/Cleric/Psionicist Notes: "Ranger" may be substituted for any "fighter" entry under elves, half-elves, half-giants, halflings, and thri-kreen. "Druid" may be substituted for any "cleric" entry under half- elves, halflings, muls, or thri-kreen. "Gladiator" may never be a part of a multi-class combination for demihumans. 2.1.8. Why are my stats rerolled when I choose another class? All classes require certain minimum and maximum attributes; thus we reroll your attributes when you select a different class. We suggest choosing the class you wish to play first and then rolling your attributes. 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 TEN? No. See 2.2 for more information, but in short the game is too large, and you would not get the music tracks. ** Please note that for purposes of the beta only, you *can* download DSO (and its patches) from TEN at . (Note that you will not get any music with the downloaded version.) However, once we go final, DSO will not be available for download. ** 2.4. How many people can play Dark Sun Online? Many, many hundreds, and possibly thousands. Exactly how many 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. Player vs. Player (PvP) Combat 2.5.1. What is Player vs. Player (PvP) combat, anyway? Player vs. Player combat is a term which describes the violent and often unsolicited interaction between player characters. Some players will often (for reasons of alignment, class, rivalry, or just plain spite) attack another player and try to "kill" them. Sometimes, players agree to these battles . . . however, sometimes innocent players are also dragged into the fray. 2.5.2. Is Player vs. Player (PvP) combat allowed in DSO? PvP combat is possible within most regions of Athas -- but its acceptability depends on its context. We've broken PvP combat into three categories: In-character, Competitive, and Maniacal. The first two are acceptable, the last one is not. * IN-CHARACTER PvP combat include attacks that are justifiable within the context of the game. If a character has a rational reason for an attack, such as personal safety, monetary gain, a vendetta, etc., then the attack is in-character. (Although evil characters will need less justification to fight someone, attacking other players simply because of evil alignment does *not* qualify as in-character PvP.) In-character PvP will certainly lead to in-character consequences and enemies, but the attacker need not feel that they are doing something wrong as a DSO player. * COMPETITIVE PvP occurs when all participants have consented to the battle. As long as everyone agrees to the fight, no good reason is necessary. Although competitive PvP is acceptable, it is best to try to find some in-game reason for the combat, or to otherwise conduct the battle within the Arena in Shadow Square. * MANIACAL PvP is when a character initiates PvP against unwilling or unsuspecting opponents without a reasonable, in-character justification. Maniacal PvP is *not* approved. Because maniacal PvPers threaten the game itself, we encourage player characters to set up organizations which punish and deter its use. TEN may directly assist such organizations and, in extreme cases, may take direct action against problem players. More detailed policies on how TEN handles PvP will be made available as they evolve. 2.5.3. Are there any checks and balances to PvP? Yes. For one, players are *not* allowed to attack other player characters in certain "safe" areas -- this includes large portions of Tyr. Secondly, we do *not* grant experience points for killing other player characters. Finally, keep in mind that it is completely legal for an oppressed player to join with some friends (or pay more mercenary types) and gang up on the oppressor. Should make for some interesting situations. 2.6. You and Mr. Death. 2.6.1. What happens when I 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. 2.6.2. What happens to my hitpoints when I lose a level? If you lose a level you also lose the hitpoints that were associated with that level. When you regain the level, the hitpoints are rerolled just as though it was the first time you had achieved that level. Keep in mind that you get run through the hose routine (as we like to call it) every time you die, so it would probably be an exercise in extreme masochism to try and get perfect hitpoint rolls for every level. You'd never actually get around to *playing* the game! 2.6.3. What happens to my spells when I lose a level? You do not lose the spell; however, regaining that lost level does not allow you to choose a new spell. 2.6.4. How does losing a level affect multi-classed characters? You lose an average amount of experience points to drop you at least one level in one of your classes. However, you may lose more levels depending on your class levels. If your class levels are close to each other, you could theoretically lose more than one level. Also note that you lose the abilities of the level/class were at previously until you regain it. As an example, if you were a 14th level preserver casting Delayed Blast Fireballs (a 7th level spell) and dropped a level to 13th, you wouldn't be able to cast 7th level spells like it until you regained 14th level. 2.6.5. Is it possible to lose items due to death? Yes -- but only unique items, quest items, and ceramic pieces. A unique item is one in which there is only a single instance in the game world. Some extremely valuable magic items, swords, etc. fall in this category. However, normal, everyday items are no longer lost when you die. 2.6.6. Just how deadly *is* death, anyway? Couple of distinctions here. First off, keep in mind that you *never* actually die in Dark Sun Online. You get knocked unconscious, beaten, looted, mangled, harassed, laughed at, and otherwise maligned . . . but you never die. That said, you may wish you *had* died. Once you've fallen to the point of "death", we do run you through our handy hose routine. (Details of which will *not* be forthcoming.) This happens no matter how you "die". You also lose any unique, one-of-a-kind items you may have had, and some ceramic pieces. Again, Player vs. Player combat *is* dangerous. If you choose to engage in PvP you are choosing to engage in a potentially deadly sport. Be prepared to accept the consequences if you fall in battle. A final note: If you want to fight against someone and not risk losing a level, you can always go and set up a match in the Arena (located in Tyr). 2.7. 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. 2.8. Are there any safe areas in the game? Yes. Combat and magic are forbidden in the city of Tyr, which includes Caravan Way, Shadow Square, and some of the taverns. However, since some of the taverns *are* notorious for their brawls, it is in your best interest to buy protective armor as soon as possible. 2.8.1. What about using magic and psionics in "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 rules are mainly to keep players in line within city limits. Elsewhere, anything goes. Please note that these restrictions also apply to defensive or healing magic. Again, all magic is forbidden in safe areas. 2.8.2. What exactly do you mean by "magic is forbidden 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 be blocked or get you arrested. (Yes, we are aware that psionics are not technically magic.) 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. 2.8.3. 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. 2.9. 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?) 2.10. 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. 2.11. Why should I pay more for an inn? It's pretty simple -- the more you pay, the less likely it is that you'll have ceramic pieces stolen from you as you sleep. Also note that you no longer lose items when you stay in an inn, with the exception of some arrows and darts. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 text, *not* names in chat line history Alt- Up/Down Scrolls back/forward through names, *not* text in chat line history Ctrl-Alt- Up/Down Scrolls back/forward through names *and* text in chat line history Ctrl-Delete Deletes current line of chat text Ctrl-Shift-Delete Clears entire chat buffer Ctrl-[/] Displays less/more lines of chat text on screen (Min. of 2, Max. of 7) //#TEXT Sets color of text for line to color 0-9 //#TEXT// Sets color of text between slashes to color 0-9 //#. Sets your chat text color to whatever color number you wish (0-9) 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 --stick figure represents "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 //macro# TEXT Sets TEXT for macro # //m# TEXT Sets TEXT for macro # Ctrl-Alt-# Prints TEXT for macro # 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 (6.1). Some will be duplicates of listings in other portions of this FAQ, but you'll always be able to refer to 6.1 for the complete list. 3.3. Can I save my game? Yes, although you may only save safely 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, losing some ceramic, or even being slain! 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 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 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/DSO >. 4.3. Useful and Cool World Wide Web sites. SSI's web site can be found at < http://www.ssionline.com >. Here you'll find the latest on all SSI games, including screen shots, demos, patches, and release schedules. TEN's web site can be found at < http://www.ten.net >. Check it out to see the future of online multi-player gaming on the net! (If you're really lucky, they'll even let you sign up for their beta program.) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. Strange and Useless Dark Sun Online Trivia Section ------------------------------------------------------------------ This section is in response to the many trivia-like questions we have received on DSO. We'll try to answer some of them here; however, *real* information seekers may want to save themselves some time and frustration and move right along. 5.1. Title Candidates for Dark Sun Online Yes, as some of you have guessed, Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands wasn't always the title for the game. There were many bandied about, most of which we have forgotten. However, here are the few we were able to resurrect from the clutches of time. Dark Sun Online: Desert Hunters Dark Sun Online: Athas Defiled Dark Sun Online: Sands of Twilight Dark Sun Online: Raging Sands Dark Sun Online: Of Heroes & Fools There were also less "official" titles that got posted to the walls; these are only ones I can remember right off: DSO: The Sandbox DSO: Ship it or we're all back in test DSO: We will have a Christmas! (We'll just be here.) 5.2. Just how large *is* the source code for DSO, anyway? This is always a tough one to answer. So when the going gets tough, the tough get cheesy and do a DIR /S. Survey says: Total files listed: 32,647 file(s) 1,789,507,548 bytes 1,373 dir(s) 786,694,144 bytes free O:\ONLINE> Yep -- that's approximately 1.8 gigs of art, cinematics, sound, redbook music, GPL code, rule book information and, of course, this humble FAQ. This directory size listing includes all the art we reused from previous games, all tools, and pretty much everything else you can think of *except* for the actual engine source which is about 15 megabytes of code. 5.3. Who are the people in the "Humans" load screen? Those people are all of the SSI employees working on Dark Sun Online. We couldn't resist; humans, you know! ------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Reference ------------------------------------------------------------------ 6.1. 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-L Toggles chat logging on/off 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 --stick figure represents "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 //macro# TEXT Sets TEXT for macro # //m# TEXT Sets TEXT for macro # Ctrl-Alt-# Prints TEXT for macro # Function Keys: F1 Brings up DSO Help screen/Sysop call 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 2 or 7 line display F8 Quits Dark Sun Online F9 Changes color of chat text; Shift-F9 cycles backwards F10 Toggles computer-controlled combat on/off 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 text, *not* names in chat line history Alt- Up/Down Scrolls back/forward through names, *not* text in chat line history Ctrl-Alt- Up/Down Scrolls back/forward through names *and* text in chat line history Ctrl-Delete Deletes current line of chat text Ctrl-Shift-Delete Clears entire chat buffer Ctrl-[/] Displays less/more lines of chat text on screen (Min. of 2, Max. of 7) //#TEXT Sets color of text for line to color 0-9 //#TEXT// Sets color of text between slashes to color 0-9 //#. Sets your chat text color to whatever color number you wish (0-9) 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 to people in range (0-9) //s# Sends sound to people in 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!"