Balgin the Dwarf
Insider
First off let me begin this message with the obvious fact that I am aware the greatest danger in Exanima is the darkness. The darkness is a powerful threat for a number of reasons. Firstly it's dark. I can't see potential threats well enough to manage them. Secondly, and much more importantly, the darkness necessitates the use of a hand to wield a torch. In many situations this means that using a shield or double handed weapon is out of the question. Further into the adventure, once I have acquired some armour, that's less of an issue but to begin with using that heavy old barrel lid for protection can be a life saver. While I know I can drop the torch on the ground to free up that second hand I do not always have time to do so if caught unawares by some fearsome foe. Overall the darkness itself presents the largest threat because it increases the magnitude of most other threats.
My greatest enemy (as a tangible thing) would have to be the doors. While my first two sojourns into the darkened maze ended at the ahnds of a hatchet wielding lunatic my third ended rather differently. Passing the axe man's chamber I found a set of three doors. One in each wall of the corridor. Taking a pruely random choice I opted for the door on the right. Behind it was a rather aggressive creature wielding some sort of sword like implement in a very aggressive manner. We came to blows, him with his sword, me with my torch and shield. As I ducked and wove to avoid his blows I gained a sense of achievement. I wasn't dead yet. That meant I was winning, right? At least I hadn't "lost". As this thought flashed through my mind somehow the door of the chamber got between us. While you might think this a good thing - somehow I had ended up on the inside.
So there we stood. My opponent flailed away thrashing at the door in his attempts to strike me as I flailed back desperately trying to strike around the door at him. Once this seemed fruitless for both parties I pushed forwards in an attempt to force the door open and more easily strike at my foe. He adamantly pushed back, trying to close the door upon me. After a hilariously protracted stalemate I gave up and retreated into the room. The door slammed shut behind me. I made numerous attempts to open it but my opponent was leaning ehavily against it, eager for my blood but to dimwitted to open the door himself. Since the door only opened one way I was blocked in.
Resigning myself to my confinement I explored the room. Eventually I returned to open the door. My enemy had shambled off and I was free to roam the corridors once more. Not wishing to have a bloodthirsty blade wielding maniac at my back I sought him out rather than suffer an unexpected assault as I explored further. It didn't end well for me but at least the door was not an active participant in the remaining few moments of our battle.
......
That's a nice little story. One that is true and generally without embellishment. I have now played quite a bit of the game and am enjoying it. The doors remain a problem, however. Allow me to explain. Normally, when entering a room with only one door, I'll close it in order to prevent some inquisitive foe from shambling in to block my exit or even, worse still, assail me while I am about my work scavenging to survive. On the whole this is a good strategy. Unfortunately on rare occasions one of the many inhabitants of the warren will be standing directly outside the door when I attempt to open it. This has three effects. First it renders the door incapable of opening and often blocks my path. Secondly the door touches them. This causes them to become hostile. Thirdly their aggressive advance towards me blocks the door and we are once more at the same state of stalemate that I have described above.
Recently I've taken to sometimes leaving the doors slightly ajar. Narrow enough to prevent most inquisitive foes but wide enough that I can see if they're standing at the portal when I desire to leave. This doesn't always work. Once a potential foe even slammed the door shut foiling my cunning scheme altogether.
I trust that this has proved an entertaining read. Please feel free to comment or discuss similar issues if you so desire
.
My greatest enemy (as a tangible thing) would have to be the doors. While my first two sojourns into the darkened maze ended at the ahnds of a hatchet wielding lunatic my third ended rather differently. Passing the axe man's chamber I found a set of three doors. One in each wall of the corridor. Taking a pruely random choice I opted for the door on the right. Behind it was a rather aggressive creature wielding some sort of sword like implement in a very aggressive manner. We came to blows, him with his sword, me with my torch and shield. As I ducked and wove to avoid his blows I gained a sense of achievement. I wasn't dead yet. That meant I was winning, right? At least I hadn't "lost". As this thought flashed through my mind somehow the door of the chamber got between us. While you might think this a good thing - somehow I had ended up on the inside.
So there we stood. My opponent flailed away thrashing at the door in his attempts to strike me as I flailed back desperately trying to strike around the door at him. Once this seemed fruitless for both parties I pushed forwards in an attempt to force the door open and more easily strike at my foe. He adamantly pushed back, trying to close the door upon me. After a hilariously protracted stalemate I gave up and retreated into the room. The door slammed shut behind me. I made numerous attempts to open it but my opponent was leaning ehavily against it, eager for my blood but to dimwitted to open the door himself. Since the door only opened one way I was blocked in.
Resigning myself to my confinement I explored the room. Eventually I returned to open the door. My enemy had shambled off and I was free to roam the corridors once more. Not wishing to have a bloodthirsty blade wielding maniac at my back I sought him out rather than suffer an unexpected assault as I explored further. It didn't end well for me but at least the door was not an active participant in the remaining few moments of our battle.
......
That's a nice little story. One that is true and generally without embellishment. I have now played quite a bit of the game and am enjoying it. The doors remain a problem, however. Allow me to explain. Normally, when entering a room with only one door, I'll close it in order to prevent some inquisitive foe from shambling in to block my exit or even, worse still, assail me while I am about my work scavenging to survive. On the whole this is a good strategy. Unfortunately on rare occasions one of the many inhabitants of the warren will be standing directly outside the door when I attempt to open it. This has three effects. First it renders the door incapable of opening and often blocks my path. Secondly the door touches them. This causes them to become hostile. Thirdly their aggressive advance towards me blocks the door and we are once more at the same state of stalemate that I have described above.
Recently I've taken to sometimes leaving the doors slightly ajar. Narrow enough to prevent most inquisitive foes but wide enough that I can see if they're standing at the portal when I desire to leave. This doesn't always work. Once a potential foe even slammed the door shut foiling my cunning scheme altogether.
I trust that this has proved an entertaining read. Please feel free to comment or discuss similar issues if you so desire
.
