(12-50,Gimlee) Mama, is the bar still open?
(mama) wide open
(12-50,Gimlee) Cheers!
(12-7,=Bandit= (tm)) Is Matilda on StandBy...
(mama) you betcha
(12-50,Gimlee) So where's the guest stars?
(mama) dunno
(12-53,Sean Smith) Maybe there stuck in bad weather in DC? ill
(12-3,Justin Houk) The game, not the help:)
(12-43,Rick Ralsten)
     OK, what level/staff piece is everyone on? My dark elf
     spellsword is level 14 & I've almost got piece#3.... 
(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     VJ: I got all 8 pieces and solved the game about a month
     ago... 

(mama) Hi VJ! Ready to start the con?

;;[21] Bethesda Softworks - VJ and JULIAN here...

(mama) EVERYONE...

(12-43,Rick Ralsten)
     Hi VJ! Thanks for all the quick & helpful responses over the
     last week or so! nor ar e here

(12-69,Charles Miles) 

User  User ID        Nod  Area      Name
----  -------------  ---  --------  -------------------
   1  71302,3657     FTY  Rm 12     W-GW
  12H 72673,2165     MCM  Rm 12 G   Alex  . Silvio
  13H 73002,1214     HEQ  Rm 12     Paladin of Mana
  14H 70550,3230     GDP  Rm 12     Baki
  20H 100237,2252    FAN  Rm 12     Keir Wells
  20H 70243,1110     GBH  Rm 12     Dan Corritore
  21H 71333,234      HYD  Rm 12     Bethesda Softworks
  22H 73363,3014     DEL  Rm 12     Tim Bookout
  24H 71520,1115     WRR  Rm 12     Flying Gerbil
  27H 71333,675      HOE  Rm 12     Khopesh
  28  75050,2137     SIE  Rm 12     Ondine
  29w 76526,2647     PGB  Rm 12     mama
   2H 71776,740      FJK  Rm 12     Jamie Avins
  30  73637,3051     WLS  Rm 12     =Bandit= (tm)
  31H 74147,160      DYP  Rm 12     Brent Edger
  36  71201,2200     SDD  Rm 12     Wendy Shaffer
  37H 76256,672      TOM  Rm 12     Raen
  38H 100237,2252    FAM  Rm 12     Keir Wells
  38H 76330,3007     PEJ  Rm 12     Ed Paquette
  38H 100237,2252    FAM  Rm 12     Keir Wells
   3H 71201,2553     MID  Rm 12     Justin Houk
  42H 71564,2266     WAY  Rm 12     J.M. Casale
  42w 75300,3472     SCZ  Rm 12     herc/Assoc SysOp
  43H 73654,3611     RIJ  Rm 12     Rick Ralsten
  47H 75260,1074     MCG  Rm 12     Brian G. Combs
  50H 71064,1173     LRB  Rm 12     Gimlee
  51H 73522,2172     KCM  Rm 12     Eric E. Benton
  53  70713,2303     AYQ  Rm 12     Sean Smith
  54H 100120,672     LXM  Rm 12     Tarique Naseem
  55H 71673,3110     CIW  Rm 12     Phil Albers
  56H 73511,2355     ETO  Rm 12 G   -Ace Hacker-
  57  71203,3053     TRP  Rm 12     alex m. vitek
  58w 74710,2036     NNI  Rm 12     Morgana/Ass't SysOp
   5H 72420,1772     CCH  Rm 12     Cliff Schommer
  61H 72673,2165     MCM  Rm 12     Alex  . Silvio
  64H 73363,3014     DEF  Rm 12     Tim Bookout
  67  73457,2334     LTY  Rm 12     The Waltz King
  68H 72762,113      CBM  Rm 12     Steven M. Schroeder
  69  71640,2270     SYU  Rm 12     Charles Miles
  75  71630,712      SPR  Rm 12     Duke
  76  76570,616      EZD  Rm 12     John
  79H 70712,346      DCJ  Rm 12     Tom Glidden
  82  72642,1131     ALB  Rm 12     Chandler
  83H 72060,2743     PNS  Rm 12     John J. McMillan       
   9H 70760,2061     BTI  Rm 12     Leo/ADV SL


BANG!!! BANG!!! BANG!!! The formal CO is now in session.

First the boiler plate annoucement.
     **************************************************
     *                  ACME BOILERS                  *
     **************************************************


This is a formal con. If you wish to ask a question of the
guests you must type a

   ?

I will put your name in a list. When your turn comes, you can  ask
one question and one followup question. To avoid confusion,  please
use the following conventions:

   Put three dots at the end of a line that is to be 
(12-1,White-Gold Wielder) Hi Mama
   continued ...

   Put the letters GA (for Go Ahead) at the end of the line ...   
when you are done. ...


Before we start, I would like to formally welcome VJ and Julian...
and ask if they have any opening statements... 

are we ready VJ?
(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) 
     VJ: Yup... Hi everyone and welcome to this conference thing.
     I hope everyone is still having fun. We've will upload patch
     4 tomorrow.  

(12-69,Charles Miles) 

(mama) 
     ok...I want to thank all of you for joining us and thank VJ
     and Julian for being here. There are a lot of us so I will
     limit questions to one per person with one follow up. If you
     wish to be in the quesiton line, type ? now

(12-36,Wendy Shaffer) ?
(12-14,Baki) ?
(12-43,Rick Ralsten) ?
(12-69,Charles Miles) ?
(12-47,Brian G. Combs) ?
(12-51,Eric E. Benton) ?
(12-50,Gimlee) ?
(12-30,=Bandit= (tm)) ?
(12-37, Raen) ? 
;;[20] Keir Wells - ?
(12-1,W-GW) ?
(12-27,Khopesh) ?
(12-47,Brian G. Combs) ?
(12-43,Rick Ralsten) ?
(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp) ?
(12-50,Gimlee) ?
Phil
Eric
(12-27,Khopesh) ?
(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp) ?


OK Wendy is up first...Wendy

(12-36,Wendy Shaffer) 
     VJ, Julian, first I wanted to say...thanks for a game with
     more _atmosphere_ than anything I've seen... in a very long
     time...my question, I think (what, only one? :)... is:  how do
     you expect the presumed sequel... to differ in feel from the
     current game... which is a very openended hack&slash... with
     some neat stuff along the way GA VJ?

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) 
     VJ: Wendy, we expect Mournhold to much deeper than Arena.
     Arena established the world, now each subsequent sequel
     will...continue to 'flesh out' the provinces. The first
     province we want to pay attention to is Morrowind, (yeah dark
     elves...!)... If we get a chance we will try and make each
     sequel a very interactive story with cool NPC's and such. We
     want however to... maintain the openendedness... GA 

Follow up, Wendy?

(12-36,Wendy Shaffer)
     VJ, how much depth do you expect...to be able to give to the
     conversations and quests...while still keeping
     openendedness...are we looking at Ultima IV?  Ultima VII? in
     conversation depth? GA 

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) 
     We want to have a system in which... you can get into the
     personal biases and wants...of the NPC's who populate the
     area... Without a doubt it will be VERY interactive, more so
     than... anything I've seen up to date. The reason behind...
     this is that our star chief programmer and I are currently...
     working on a scripting system that has not been used
     before...by anyone else but will allow me to make some very...
     and I mean VERY detailed adventures... (like reading a book -
     BAK) Hope you guys like it... GA

(12-36,Wendy Shaffer)
     Sounds great... love that flaming mountain! :)

GA Baki...

(12-14,Baki)
     First, as you already have heard, GREAT GAME...my first
     question is mainly concerning char classses & balance...Why
     give the longsword-wielding classes such an advantage... as
     having almost all the magic weapons be longswords that are
     FOUND... and why are all magic armours PLATE... doesn't this
     give certain classes a HUGE advantage... especially
     considering the artifacts?  GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Baki, let me address your concerns one at a time...As far as
     longswords being the predominant weapon...it really wasn't
     meant that way. The treasure generator should be...
     (12-21,Bethesda Softworks) generating totally random weapon
     pieces based upon your level or the level of the dungeon...As
     far as plate armor being the only type that's enchantable...it
     was the easiest way in which to ensure that Warriors,
     Knights... and Rangers were not soon outstripped of power and
     couldn't...complete the game. I think if you ask around you'll
     find... while there is an advantage to playing a spellcaster
     early on, the...classes even out near the end, when its
     important...

     As far as artifacts...I went in today to Julian and asked to
     make artifacts... usable by ANY class. (I know, exactly what
     you want...) but to do so would mean rewriting... a large
     portion of code that was written by a programmer... who no
     longer works at Bethesda... Very dangerous grounds to be
     on.... GA 

Ok Rick R...your turn 

(12-43,Rick Ralsten) 
     Ok, thanks! First off, thanks for a great RPG experience... I
     guess I have more of a comment than a question....The way I
     understand the game, the artifact flag is tripped when you...
     buy a rumor (map piece) to an artifact...For the sequel...
     please consider setting this flag later. Let us be able to
     buy...rumors about all the artifacts & then decide which one
     we like best!... You could have a flag set so that once we
     actually pick up an... artifact out of a dungeon, all the
     other artifact dungeons would be...empty, or something like
     that...I guess I'm just upset because my spellsword bought a
     rumor about...the lord's mail, only to later find out he can't
     use it)... Now I've got to find it & drop it before I can get
     another artifact ...GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Rick, let me start by saying...that the way artifacts are now
     handled is not how we intended... The artifact quests were
     supposed to tie into your... charclass so that you wouldn't
     get... rumors for artifacts that you couldn't use... Needless
     to say that isn't working... The only thing I can tell you for
     sure... is that there is NO way Mournhold will... follow the
     same format...This time we'll have Julian program the
     whole...shebang and hopefully this will eliminate...much of
     the problems we've been experiencing...I hope that answers
     your question, and I'm sorry about your Spellsword. (Sorcerors
     rule anyway...) GA

(mama) booo hissss
(12-30,=Bandit= (tm)) !

Follow up Rick?
(12-43,Rick Ralsten)
     Okay, followup...I'm glad to hear that there will be more NPC
     interaction... in Mournhold, so please extend this interaction
     to... the DUNGEONS as well as the cities....One of the nicest
     things about Ultima Underworld 1&2 is...that you could
     actually talk to most of the baddies...before you killed them
     ...

(12-24,Raen) LOL
(mama)bloodthirsty thing you are

(12-43,Rick Ralsten)
     For instance, when I go into Selene's Web, I actually want
     to... MEET Selene...GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) 
     We wholeheartedly agree...In Mournhold it will be ONE system,
     ie you can look into a tower... from the outside, then climb
     in through a window... The system is much more flexible than
     this one... Don't worry, we'll be listening to your
     comments...even though I prefer to kill first, then ask
     questions...:) GA 

Ok Charles..

(12-69,Charles Miles)
     Is it *really* possible to walk from one town to another? 
     I've tried it with some towns that are two days travel apart. 
     After the first day I hit areas where the wilderness map just
     repeats over and over again. GA 

(12-69,Charles Miles) 
     (Sidenote to Baki: it may be that we only *think* all the
     enchanted weapons are longswords because we dont bother to
     pick up other weapons.  I know I don't bother picking up
     daggers.)  Sorcerors rule!  GA 

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) 
     Actually the way we've set up the wilderness, very highly
     improbable that you could ever walk from one place to another.
     The world is just too big... For all intents and purposes my
     answer would...have to be that there is NO way to walk from...
     one to another. I've never done it... I have however bought a
     really nice bow and stalked... citizens in town until I killed
     everyone in my vicinity... Very fun indeed...:) GA

(12-69,Charles Miles)
     Well, it *does* imply in the manual that you can (p. 55)...

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Go ahead and try it, if you have the patience...  I'd be
     really interested to hear that someone...has actually bothered
     enough to try...:) GA 

(12-69,Charles Miles)
     Walking around outside at night I've noticed all sorts of
     cool...planets, moons, and stars...do these follow any pattern
     (can you navigate by them) or are they just purty window
     dressing? GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Yes, Julian actually created a full orbital pattern for... the
     solar system that this planet is on... You could navigate by
     the stars... (pretty cool, huh?) GA 

(12-69,Charles Miles) 
     (P.s. you can travel a looong way by putting a heavy weight on
     the up arrow key and leaving the computer :) DONE 

Ok...Gimlee is next then Bandit
Gimlee...ga

(12-50,Gimlee) 
     Thanks.  I'm not up on Who's Who in the gaming world. Did you
     have anything to do with the Ultima's?  The dungeon music
     sounds awful familiar.  GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) Ultima?
     Dare thou ask me if I have ever laid mine hand upon...its bare
     face?!!! NEVER!!! Liked the music too though...:) GA 

(12-30,=Bandit= (tm)) :)

(12-50,Gimlee)
     Mine humblest appologies. I'm groveling in thine alabaster
     presence. No Follow up.  Great game.  great support. Keep it
     up.

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) thanks friend gimlee...GA

(12-30,=Bandit= (tm))
     Any chance of taking my current character into the sequel? GA 
     
(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Without a doubt our top concern is to make this sequel...
     relate to Arena. I'm not giving up my Sorc...I don't want
     to...The only thing we're concerned about right now... is
     gender... We want to make the game very interactive... but two
     genders could end up being...two different stories... Don't
     worry, we won't piss you off Wendy S!!! :) GA

;;[28] Ondine - oooohhh
(12-30,=Bandit= (tm)) Nice.
Follow up?

(12-30,=Bandit= (tm))
     I will be able to save my char at end of this one and IMPORT
     then? ga

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Most likely...We still aren't sure exactly how we'll let...
     you transfer over. It depends upon the...story and design,
     neither of which is... done yet. (Done? did I say started...?
     :) GA

(mama) smile

(12-24,Raen)
     VJ, first, thanks for a lovely game...close to paper and
     pencil RPG... which I mean as high praise...have you given any
     thought to Wynter's suggestion of interlocking Arena and
     Mournhold so that we can have both the "bigness" of Arena and
     the "littleness" of Mournhold? GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Well, actually we've talked about a... 'seamless'
     interface...The problem arises in that Mournhold's engine...is
     running in protected mode... while Arena isn't... Any
     suggestions from... of you would be welcome.... So far we
     can't think of a way to make it truly... seamless, aka Xeen...
     GA

(12-24,Raen)
     My compliments to the compuser too.  

(12-38,Keir Wells)
     When you set out to develop the game, what areas were you
     intending to contrate on that you felt other CRPG developers
     had missed out on?

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) 
     Well, geez, where'd you come up with this one?... I don't
     know, to tell the truth. Julian and I... were talking about
     doing a game based upon the... movie, Blood of Heroes, with
     Rutger Hauer... Needless to say Arena didn't exactly turn...
     out like that  but all we thought... about was doing the
     things we really liked... when we sat down to play D&D or
     other RPG's... We didn't specifically target anything or...
     anyone out there in particular... Except for the... stupid
     eating thing... :) GA

(mama)
     Looks more like Ladyhawk to me...

Follow up Keir?

(12-38,Keir Wells)
     No follow up. Thanks for a great game though. GA Ok

(mama) WGW...my hero...ga

(12-1,W-GW)
     Let me begin by saying this, KNIGHTS Rule ... Sorcerors DIE!
      ...

(12-58,Morgana/Ass't SysOp) 
(mama) humph

(12-1,W-GW)
     Thanks for a great GREAT Game! You have managed too ...Combine
     all the things I enjoy about CRPG's into one package! ...Keep
     em Coming!!!!

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     WGW, thank you Ur-Lord. Having spent many a wondorous hour in
     the land...I wish only to please.... GA

(12-27,Khopesh)
     I'd like to know anything you can offer about the 'Arena
     online' concept that has been floating around the forum GA,
     and by the way, THIEVES RULE... :))

(12-50,Gimlee) Hear hear.

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Arena - Online... Man o' man would that be cool or what?!!!...
     
(12-69,Charles Miles) 

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     All we need here is enough demand for it...and more info on
     pricing and such... and so that when I go to the Prez...and
     tell him this is a good idea...he doesn't look at me in that
     strange... way he does when I tell him we should...all hold
     ranks like in Star Trek TNG... at work.... :) GA

(mama) DEMAND DEMAND DEMAND
(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp) Ditto
(12-30,=Bandit= (tm)) Ditto DEMAND!
(12-28,Ondine) 
(mama)har
(12-69,Charles Miles) 

(12-27,Khopesh)
     I stumbled on a bug I don't think was previously
     mentioned...

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) you kill it?...
(mama) groan

(12-27,Khopesh)
     I was using a broadsword of strength, and when it broke, I
     didn't lose the strength bonus, one of them beneficial bugs...
     I was using v1.02 by the way GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Send us your game immediately!!! We will quickly make sure
     that... you never cheat again...:) GA

(12-30,=Bandit= (tm)) Ha!

(12-47,Brian G. Combs)
     I have a Q about artifacts...I know that I have to drop one to
     ask about another, but...can I then take the old artifact with
     me when I'm looking for the new on e?...Ga

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     I don't understand... How can you look for a new one if you
     can't get the rumor... while you have one in inventory...? GA

(12-30,=Bandit= (tm))
     Repair shop. Yes, you can.

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) To bandit - cheater!
(12-30,=Bandit= (tm)) ;]

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     to brian, i still don't understand... ga 

(12-47,Brian G. Combs)
     No, I dropped the artifact...at a store.. then got the rumor
     and then got the artifact back and THEN looked for the new
     one.. it didn't appear to be where it was suppose to be...ga 

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     I guess that if you... COULD get a second artifact quest
     while... you have one, there would be no reason why you can't
     have it during the quest... You however are going into the 
     unknown my you man, and as my father always said... Be good,
     if you can't be good, be safe... GA

(mama) good advice! Ondine is next, then Herc then John
O! go...

(12-28,Ondine)
     oh goody ok, first is there anyway that I can sell magic
     items? SA bracelets (also battlemages are definitely the
     BEST!!!!) ga

(mama) Bards is betta

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Yes, patch 4, which will be uploaded first thing tomorrow
     (well...maybe by lunch :) will let you sell items in the
     Blacksmith...stores for a reduced amount... GA 

(12-28,Ondine) oh great!

followup O?

(12-28,Ondine)
     ok, I'm going after the mail of regeneration, will I be able
     to wear it if I'm a Battlemage (the  BEST!!!) ga

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Not in a million years.... Sorry.... 

(12-28,Ondine) wahhhh!!!
(mama) heheheheheheheheh
(12-28,Ondine) so I'll sell it :)
(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     I think you mean the Lord's Mail? which is... made for
     Knights, Warriors, Rangers,... and other such rabble...

(12-28,Ondine) money makes the world go round.... ga

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Get the Ebony Blade... Then kill a lot...:) GA 

(12-83,Barry T. Boland) Rabble! Humph

(12-28,Ondine) love the game, I done , thanx

Care to jump in herc?

(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp) Sure. Wanna make sure O is really done. 
(12-28,Ondine) hahha
(mama) smile
(mama) my timing is exquisite
 
(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp)
     I'm just starting the game. Honest. I am a level 1
     Spellword...My question is are there secret walls, and if so,
     what's the method of finding them? Other than trying bumping
     into every wall? 

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     You're a level *1* 'Spellword'.... 

don't pick on herc 

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Wow! I'm glad...hear there are some ...

(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp) 
(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) mama I'm not picking on him...

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     new players out there that are getting into this conference.
     To find secret walls you need to keep an eye on your
     automap... ALL DOORS are marked as RED squares, secret or
     not... GA

followup herc? 

(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp)
     So secret walls are treated same as a door. I'll have to think
     of another question soon. Thanks. Done. 

(12-9,Leo/ADV SL) >

(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp) 
(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) thanks herc... :) GA

John...ga
Then Gim, Phil, Baki and Bandit

(12-76,John) ( <--- Fingers the Burglar)
     I am interested in whether you have...any plans to create a
     more 3-D sequel...

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) we do...

(12-76,John)
     I appreciate texture mapping...but I like a mixture of complex
     polygonals....with overlayed texture maps. ga

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) 
     Mournhold will be a fully manipulatable environment...
     similiar to DOOM in speed and complexity... GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     We mean the engine when we...say complex.. (Sorry) GA 

(12-76,John)
     I have yet to see a RPG in which the player or baddie...do
     something more than stand toe to toe...never moving..rock
     solid in their fighting stance..I suggest a much more dramatic
     fight choreography..where people and monsters get knocked
     down..get back up....limp...lose limbs..etc GA and DONE

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Absolutely, already planned, (such as salutes,
     finishing...moves and different death flicks based upon the
     attack type... GA 

ok...Eric is next
ga Eric

(12-51,Eric E. Benton)
     Hi.  Again (this is getting redundant)  Great game!!!... First
     comment, Combat is awfully quiet...Will a sequel or update
     change this...

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     thanks, we didn't get a compliment for a while and got sad :(
     GA

(12-51,Eric E. Benton)
     Second question concerns balance...You state in the
     manual...that more powerful characters were offset... by
     raising in levels slower...However, after 10th level...you set
     the multiplier...so that a thief will always be just
     one...level higher than say a Battlemage (ewww)...This hardly
     makes up for the enormous...power differential. Comments
     please, GA 

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Well Eric,..first about sounds...Mournhold will incorporate
     multichannel, ambient and other neat sound fxs so that the
     atmosphere is enhanced by the music and sound. We are still
     limited by the sound cards however 

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     As far as the multiplier... From what I can tell if you
     mulitply an amount by a preset value, as the amount changes
     you'll get larger and larger values. For instance... If I have
     a thief with 100,000 exp and a Spellsword with 100,000 exp...
     their...levels will be different (ie the thief will be higher
     in level) Hold on a second guys...I know that the mulitplier
     is constant, but...the other number is different for each...
     class, henceforth creating an exponential growth curve for a
     different starting base for each character class...thereby
     generating a different curve equation for each char...!!!
     (Whew...) Anyway, simply put, a thief is going to be higher in
     level with the same amount of exp than a battle mage.
     And...since the multiplier is constant he will always be
     higher in level with the same exp Wow, I'm drained...  hope
     this helps... GA

Ok...Gimlee is next, then Phil, Khopesh, Herc and Rick
Gimlee..ga

(12-50,Gimlee) ME?
THEE!
and be polite

(12-50,Gimlee)
     OK, I'll try not to insult you VJ. This is my husband's
     question. Where are the rings tomake light?  GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     To tell you the truth, I have NO idea amongst the thousands of
     magical things in the game, where we put that ring of
     light...:) More info? GA

(12-50,Gimlee)
     Are they random generated? or Artifacts GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     All magical items are randomly generated based upon the
     different lists the item accesses which in turn is based upon
     where you are (4th level of a dungeon, wilderness, monster's
     lair, etc...)ok

Phil...you are next, then Khopesh
ga Phil

(12-55,Phil Albers)
     Any feel for what is the lowest effective AC? Am I wasting
     inventory carrying all this ebony for an AC of -29? GA 

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Definitely not, Phil. I know it seems that monster's get
     tougher as you go along, but to tell you the truth the only
     thing we do is to cap the lowest chance to hit you at 10% -
     15%. I know that it would make more sense to just throw more
     monsters at you, but because of the engine I was limited to 6
     - 8 monsters of one type at any one time I therefore had to
     give these poor little critters a fighting chance against you
     mean 17th+ level 'heroes'... :) GA 

(mama)thus...the rats from hell

(12-55,Phil Albers)
     With all the great stuff planned for Mournhold will it be out
     this century or will I just sit back and watch HAL play it for
     me? GA 

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Good question Phil. According to Julian, who's sitting next to
     me his head in denial of any promises we are going to try and
     hit this Christmas. We've learned a lot from making Arena...
     and hope to put that knowledge to use this year... (we hope...
     :)) GA

Ok Khopesh then herc then Rick then Barry then bye bye

(12-27,Khopesh)
     So when's this miracle game Mournhold gonna show it's a face
     :), and are some future upgrades going to incorporate new
     features in addition to bug fixes? 

(12-27,Khopesh)
     Also... is there a level cap, and can the game still be played
     after it has been solved? Thx.. ga.

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     First, since Mournhold is being written in protected mode,
     trying to upgrade Arena to its capabilities is sort of
     tough... Still, anything we can do in Arena we... will so
     don't worry. As far as level limits...NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     Have fun.... :) Khopesh, it can be played and played and
     played..... GA

(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp)
     If someone prints out the automap and uses it to write a
     walkthru solution and uploads it here to our library... Would
     you folks object? GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Heck no! Have a ball and do it right. We are however,
     releasing a cluebook, that should give all of you the answers
     to the riddles, dungeon maps, etc...etc...character class vs
     race... etc... :) GA

follow up herc?

(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp)
     Yeah...a more down to earth one...I have a PAS 16 and I'm not
     sure if there's any digitized speech in the game. Is there
     any? GA

VJ?

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Nope, sorry... 'cept for 'Stop, thief!!!! or 'Halt!!!... GA 

(12-37,Rick Ralsten)
     Thanks...VJ, with all of the cool stuff that you have planned
     Mournhold, I was just wondering what level of PC you were
     targeting it for. The same as Arena (386/486 with 4 megs RAM)
     or something higher? With all that you want to do, CD-ROM
     seems like a good format to use. (And us people with CD-ROM
     drives would love) you for it but I guess the people without
     one might not be so happ)...GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Rick, same target (but we know how fast those speedy little
     386's are heh heh heh Anyway, the engine will be a lot faster
     so it should make up for the slower end machines As far as CD
     ROM Mournhold may well end up as a CD ROM only game it will
     depend upon how much the minimum amount of graphics are
     necessary to carry the story We'll know that later on this
     year. GA

(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp)
     

(12-83,Barry T. Boland)
     How does armor effect "incoming" spells - i.e. does it affect
     ALL spell effects, or only physical damage ones? Or is
     "willpower only" used for things like paralyze. (and when will
     ClueBook ship?). GA

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Willpower will affect all damage spells Armor has no effect on
     your chance of getting affected by a damage spell. The
     cluebook should be shipping sometime within the next month.
     You know how our shipping is... :) GA 

(12-83,Barry T. Boland)
     Armor should count for SOMETHING with stuff like fireballs,
     etc..ga

(mama) Well...I can't remember a better con than this
(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp) Fickle Mama.
(mama) Except for the con that herc ran on all of us 
(mama) VJ and Julian...thank you for everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) Thanx everyone for listening to us rave
and rant... :) :)  
(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp) Better than Dave and Dan.
(mama)Do you have some closing remarks?
(12-21,Bethesda Softworks) Julian, julian who???
(mama) smack
(mama) cut that out VJ...I see him there

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     Thanks again for putting up with the bugs and helping us make
     this a better game...GA

(12-47,Todd)
     When is the $%@# V4 going to be available? I can't wait to try
     a sepllcaster (12-47,Todd) with multiple attribute affecting
     spells!

(12-21,Bethesda Softworks)
     How about a simple, goodnight all!!!! Thanks for listening GA

(mama) Thank you for a grand game and a terrific con.
(12-42,herc/Assoc SysOp) Thank you for taking the time, VJ, Julian.
Enjoyed it very much! rules off....freeferall
(12-53,Charles Miles) 
(12-47,Todd) Short and sweet. Wish I could have been in at the
beginning. :) 
(12-53,Charles Miles) 
(mama) I'll post the transcript, todd
(12-37,Rick Ralsten) Yikes!! I've been online for 2:35!!
                     But it was worth it! Thanks, VJ!  
(12-47,Todd) Thanks mama!
(mama) Thank you all!

*end of transcript*


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