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I. General II. Graphics and sound III. Combat engine IV. Player characters V. Non-Player characters VI. Magic VII. Gameplay VIII. Availability, Release Dates, etc....


I. General

What is Prelude to Darkness?

Prelude is the first in a series of turn-based dark fantasy RPG's called the "Pyrrhic Tales."

What sets it apart from other RPGs?

Hundreds of well-developed characters, a huge world, a turn based combat system and a complex, original dark fantasy setting unlike Tolkien and D&D inspired fantasy games of the past.


II. Graphics and Sound

What screen resolution will the game need?

Prelude's screen resolution is set at 800 x 600 (it requires DirectX 7.0a or higher).

What is the perspective? Is Prelude game 3D?

Prelude is a 3D game, with an isometric perspective and rotatable camera. See art on the web for more info.



III. Combat Engine

Is this real-time combat?

No. All combat is turn based, the players and the monsters moving one at a time in an order based on their speeds.

Will I have control over individual party members?

Yes, but only during combat. Outside combat they move as a group under the control of a selectable leader.

Will there be several types of attacks/defenses?

Yes. Characters will have a variety of attack and defense styles depending on their skills.

How will encumbrance and morale affect combat?

Encumbrance does not affect combat. Morale may affect actions in some cases.


IV. Player Characters

How many characters will I have in my party?

The player will create three party members. There is a maximum of six party members.

How will I create them?

Character creation will involve distributing points for each of the three members of the player's party in order to increase skills, bloodlines, and attributes.

What kind of classes and races are available?

Class is not appropriate for this system, the player may or may not choose a background for the character, but the character is defined by his skills and attributes, not a class.
There are three races available, all of which are human: Flame, River and Mixed. The racial composition of the player's party can have a huge affect on gameplay, influencing the magics available to a character, the items and skills he can learn and the people he can interact with. Gender will have an effect on NPC interactions as well.

How will characters develop in the course of play?

Character's will gain skills and abilities based on how they use them within the game. In addition, the party gains experience points by completing main plot and side quests. Experience points gained by completing quests are assigned to party members as the player sees fit.

What effects will their characteristics have on gameplay in and out of combat?

Huge. Both combat and non-combat skills play important roles and the characters may react differently to the player depending on the racial and sexual composition of the party.

Will I have to feed them? What about rest?

Food is not necessary, resting is.


V. Non-Player Characters

How will I interact with NPC's?

Conversations will be menu driven and topic based. The players skills and attributes and their previous actions within the game will determine the options available to them.

Will they be able to join my party?

Yes, there are a number of joinable NPCs with a wide range of skills and attributes. Up to three NPCs may join the party.

How many NPCs are there?

There are approximately 500 individual NPC's for the player to interact with.


VI. Magic

What kind of magic system will the game use?

There game has three distinct varieties of magic -- River Witchcraft, Power of Flame, and Thaumaturgy. Each works in a different way. There are no Magic Points per se within the game. Each type of magic require different abilities and bloodlines and draws on different items and aspects of the characters.

How will I learn new spells?

Spells are gained through quests and NPC interaction.


VII. Gameplay

How will I move around the world?

The mouse is used to control all of the party's movements. When the player clicks on a tile the party will move to the given area. The party's destination is marked by arrows.

Will I have to walk full distances between towns?

No. There is a map of the entire world which can be used to travel between towns. There are also minimaps for each town marking key locations.

How big is the world? Only one Valley????

The Valley is huge and incredibly detailed. It can take over an hour real-time to walk across it (days in game-time). And there is an underground cavern system almost as large.

What kind of inventory system will the game use?

The player has unlimited inventory.

Will there be keyboard shortcuts?

Yes, for all important commands.

Will there be a multiplayer aspect?

No.


VIII. Availability, Release Dates, etc.

When will the game be available?

It's available now!

How much does it cost?

The price for the full version is 25 US Dollars.

Where can I get it?

It is trial version (which contains the full game) is available for download from the Zero Sum website here. In order to play outside the area of Kellen you must register the game for $25, this may also be done via the Zero Sum website here. You will need a Customer ID in order to register

What is a "Customer ID?"

The Customer ID is a identifier created when Prelude is installed and run. It is needed to register and enable playing outside the area of Kellen. You can view it by running the trial version of Prelude. Customer ID's are unique to each computer the game is installed upon.

Will there be expansions/editors for the game?

Most likely yes, but time and money being what they are it remains to be seen. The development team does have at least two significant expansions they would like to produce and is working on polishing the editting system for general use.