Below are information about mapping , trading and other elements.
More Gameplay
While most of the changes above are superficial, there are
several other changes that have a much bigger impact on gameplay.
One of these is the new map system. The map is now a miniature
version of the level. The artists are actually resizing all the
objects and placing these mini-icons on the map. Shrines will
show up, as will caves, stones, towns, roads, and other
characters. NPCs and, in multiplay, other party members, will
show up as well. The new map means navigation will be much
easier.
Buying and selling is a little different. |
The upkeep of your character, via healing and mana potions, is now a little different. You no longer have to buy potions. Instead, you convert body parts from fallen creatures into special objects. Sounds suspect, but it works. Every character starts with the convert skill, which you use to turn horns into arrows, zombie eyes into mana potions, and creature hearts into health potions. This means you'll want to hunt down every last creature in the level so you can load up on healing and mana potions.
The new map. |
Your marketplace experience should be different as well. The goods you can buy are now split into four categories: weapons, armor, magic, and miscellaneous. When you go to an NPC, he or she might sell items from some or all of the categories. When you do engage in trade, your inventory screen opens up automatically, as does the merchant's inventory. To then buy or sell items, you simply drag and drop items between the two inventories. If you want to sell your bow, you pick it up and drag it to your inventory. When you drop it in the merchant's inventory, you get your money. If you want to buy that suit of armor, you drag it to your inventory, drop it, and pay the cost. This means you no longer have to switch back and forth between dialogue boxes to buy and then sell. All business is conducted via this screen.
The actual development of your character is also different. You now purchase skills via skill points each time you advance a level. In addition, the skill sets of each character are really differentiated, so that the abilities of the characters do not overlap. One other note about character development is that dying causes you to lose experience points. The designers wanted to make death something you would want to avoid even more , so they added experience loss in addition to equipment loss. However, you'll never lose enough experience to drop a level.