After 25 long years waiting to play Trial by Fire, I'm crushed

[Patrick]

I grew up playing Hero's Quest on my IBM that didn't even have a mouse. I loaded the floppy discs into the machine and booted through command prompts. I learned to spell through playing this game, for Christ's sake! I've played through maybe 200 times in my life, always trying to find new tricks or techniques or ways to earn more points than the previous save.

I've yearned to play Trial By Fire since I was a child. We never could find Hero's Quest II and I wanted to introduce my badass character to the next chapter of this game so badly, I've combed through Ebay for years and tried torrents and I bought this QFG package the minute I heard about it-- literally.

And I'm so crushed. I've played the game for about 4 and a half hours now and I'm so disappointed with this jumbled, directionless ♥♥♥♥ pile. These tunnels are ridiculous, the desert is huge and deadly... and pointless. I finally just now found the money changer and changed all of my money to dinars... and... now what?

There's nothing. I didn't understand a single notice on the guild board, there's no point in fighting scorpions or dying to dinosaurs. I understand I expected too much out of this game but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, I've literally been waiting to play this for 25 years.

I've always held HQ in such high regard and knowing what it turned in to makes me feel like a fool.

Damn.

[CCamble]

Quest for glory 2 is way more puzzle-centric that the others. The desert has a few locations worth visiting, but getting directions is pretty vital. I also agree the tunnels are rediculous (iirc they were made needlessly complex partially for piracy protection as the game came with a printed map).

Btw, there is a fan made remake in VGA. It is pretty dang good and faithful to the original #2. Just google agdi and the devs should be the first link, and can find the game easily from there. One major perk of the remake is they have an option for simplified streets in Shapier.

[Rithm Fluffderg]

The game advances its plot automatically over the course of in-game days, unlike the first game.

Day 3 is when you start to get a hint of what you're about to do.
Day 4 is when the game *really* kicks off.

The days before Day 4 are to get used to the city, to buy stuff, ask questions, and get your initial training started in whatever your discipline is (and if you're a thief, to find the closest thing to a guild)

After that, you're given a few days to confront the immediate problem that arises - one whose hints are given from asking appropriate and knowledgable people (and you'll usually be directed to these people by other people who might also be knowledgable, though not as).

The desert is practically "infinite", for lack of a better term. On Day 2 onwards, you can buy a Riding Saurus which allows you to return to the gates of Shapeir in an instant. You're not intended to explore its entirety - if anything, this is inherently discouraged. There are precisely four locations you're expected to find, two of them are right next to Shapeir several "skareens" to the east and west from the skareen--err, screen south of its gates. The other two, you will be given directions at the appropriate time (or unless you ask the guard who is guarding the gate, but he only knows the location of one of them - and the one who knows the other location won't tell you until the appropriate day)

I know it's easy to be discouraged after hyping it up for yourself for 25 years. Be patient - the game is still there, and you can still enjoy it.

As for the streets, that's why the merchant at the beginning sells you a magic map which allows you to see where you are and teleport to various important locations - the plazas by default, and any other locations you have encountered.

You can also see street names by typing "Look" any time you are in a street.

Good luck, and I hope that you have a better time than your first time.

(Incidentally, fighting scorpions, brigands, jackalmen and ghouls will give you money in case you need it - scorpions and ghouls drop tails and claws, respectively, which the apothecary will pay a lot of money for, though he only needs a certain amount and will tell you when you've given him enough)

Don't worry, keep perservering and soon, you too will stand triumphant as the hero of two lands.

[Lady_Regret]

This is one of those games where you kind of needed the game manual as it had a map of the city that you could use to reach the money changers. After that you should immediately go back to the front gate and purchase a magic map from the gift shop type seller there which will allow you to instantly go anywhere you've been in the city before and allow you to see where you are when looking for new places. As already stated the game runs different then the first game because it is somewhat timed. Rather then waiting on you to advance plot it advances on it's own over time. You can pass time by resting in the Inn but it's always good to check around for new things before you do so. Talk to people.

For the desert it's best to ask for directions and keep a piece of paper in front of you at your desk or where ever you're playing. Keep track of how many screens you've gone through and in what direction. Once you get the Saurus if you get lost just tell it to "go home" and you'll return to the city so you don't die of thirst. Before you get the Saurus if you want to explore the desert I recommend buying multiple water skins and filling them before you go and use the tactic stated above to keep track of where you are and how to return home.

I actually have always considered this game to be the best of the 5 so don't give up on it!

[WRuddick]

For the record, straight from the mouths of the coles themselves, the city was designed as complicated as it was for copyright protection since the game came with a map, and that is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Game doesn't live up to the amazing first one at all. It's a shame.

[Lady_Regret]

Originally posted by WRuddick:

For the record, straight from the mouths of the coles themselves, the city was designed as complicated as it was for copyright protection since the game came with a map, and that is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Game doesn't live up to the amazing first one at all. It's a shame.

You have to keep in mind how old the game is because it was back before they started putting registration codes on games so a lot of games had physical objects that made the hard to play without that you only got when you purchased the game. It's really no different then what we do now. This one is actually rather tame since you can still find the money changers without the actual map to look at. But if it's really that horribly game breaking here http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/questforglory/images/9/90/Shapeir_map.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100425092754 there's the map that came with the game.

[Rithm Fluffderg]

Originally posted by WRuddick:

For the record, straight from the mouths of the coles themselves, the city was designed as complicated as it was for copyright protection since the game came with a map, and that is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Game doesn't live up to the amazing first one at all. It's a shame.

I think it's actually better than the first game?

The only part I really dislike is how all plot events are restricted by a clock. If you don't know the game, then you feel pressured by how little time it feels you have. if you *do* know the game, you're going to be spending quite a bit of time waiting.

On a side note...

The digital download game should come with a PDF or other image file that is a map of the city.

[Lady_Regret]

Originally posted by Wizarkoopa:

Originally posted by WRuddick:

For the record, straight from the mouths of the coles themselves, the city was designed as complicated as it was for copyright protection since the game came with a map, and that is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Game doesn't live up to the amazing first one at all. It's a shame.

I think it's actually better than the first game?

The only part I really dislike is how all plot events are restricted by a clock. If you don't know the game, then you feel pressured by how little time it feels you have. if you *do* know the game, you're going to be spending quite a bit of time waiting.

I agree completely on that. I loved the design and story of the second one way more. I actually think the timed aspect of it gives it more urgency. It feels far more like there is something outside of your control going on. Like there is a legitimate threat and you really are needed to stop it.

Just in general though the story feels far more epic then the first game and the complicated layout of the city is only any kind of issue at the start of the game. Once you tackle that first hurdle of reaching the money changers and buying the in game map you're pretty much set.

[mistermiller]

This thread breaks my heart, because while I found QFG2 to be so utterly difficult and VAST compared to the first game, I later came to understand it and it is now my second favorite of the series (after QFG4). Getting the Map from the merchant outside of the Inn pretty much sucks all of the frustration out of the game, and makes it explorable without much difficulty.

Once you get ONE dinar, buy the Map, and you can skip the copy-protection mess that was in the game. The Coles, when I talked with them, did say they actually didn't mind pirated games because it got the word out about the game series, but Sierra more or less forced their hand.

I DO recommend the AGDI remake with their simplified layout. Also, when you get to Raseir later, the remake is superior for one big reason: resting.

[Lady_Regret]

Originally posted by rev.prmiller:

This thread breaks my heart, because while I found QFG2 to be so utterly difficult and VAST compared to the first game, I later came to understand it and it is now my second favorite of the series (after QFG4). Getting the Map from the merchant outside of the Inn pretty much sucks all of the frustration out of the game, and makes it explorable without much difficulty.

Once you get ONE dinar, buy the Map, and you can skip the copy-protection mess that was in the game. The Coles, when I talked with them, did say they actually didn't mind pirated games because it got the word out about the game series, but Sierra more or less forced their hand.

I DO recommend the AGDI remake with their simplified layout. Also, when you get to Raseir later, the remake is superior for one big reason: resting.

Also you can actually ask the merchant for directions to the money changers...you just have to be really careful when reading it lol

But you can actually get there pretty easy just from reading road signs as well since it is located on Dinar Tarik just past Centime Tarik. If you go to the fountain plaza (straight up from the plaza you start in), go to the north side of the plaza and take the side exit onto Naufara Darb (the west exit). Follow Naufara Darb until you see a sign that reads Dinar Tarik and go that way (you can read signs any time you see a new entrance). Stay on Dinar Tarik until you reach the Money Changer at the end of the street. It's that easy.

lol resting? What? Then you don't become horrifyingly bored waiting for time to pass and discover such treasures as attempting to make out with the dead parrot.

...or was that just me...

anyway, yeah, that's my only real complaint about the second game was the lack of resting in Rasier.

[Rithm Fluffderg]

I understand they give you that time so you can explore Rasier a bit, but in all honesty, it's just not really that necessary.

Incidentally, I did actually go exploring Rasier, in almost every street, in the VGA remake. I was a li'l curious. Unfortunately, I think the road names I found weren't very interesting, and of course, no real unique bits.

I did like how Shapier's streets (which I explored in the same playthrough) were very well segregated into "rich streets", "trashy streets", and "merchant streets". Though normally it was just normal streets.

Very nice attention to detail from AGDI there.

[Mochan]

Originally posted by Lady_Regret:

This is one of those games where you kind of needed the game manual as it had a map of the city that you could use to reach the money changers. After that you should immediately go back to the front gate and purchase a magic map from the gift shop type seller there which will allow you to instantly go anywhere you've been in the city before and allow you to see where you are when looking for new places. As already stated the game runs different then the first game because it is somewhat timed. Rather then waiting on you to advance plot it advances on it's own over time. You can pass time by resting in the Inn but it's always good to check around for new things before you do so. Talk to people.

For the desert it's best to ask for directions and keep a piece of paper in front of you at your desk or where ever you're playing. Keep track of how many screens you've gone through and in what direction. Once you get the Saurus if you get lost just tell it to "go home" and you'll return to the city so you don't die of thirst. Before you get the Saurus if you want to explore the desert I recommend buying multiple water skins and filling them before you go and use the tactic stated above to keep track of where you are and how to return home.

I actually have always considered this game to be the best of the 5 so don't give up on it!

I played this without the map (cough cough). I did fine. I consider this the best game in the series by far.

[Tallowhand]

I recommend the VGA remake for completionists only -- I tried it out and...meh. It was a little TOO faithful to the real world, in that the desert & cities were all white or washed out pastels.

[grumpymoose]

The city layout is, essentially, copy protection. A map was shipped with the game, to navigate the streets. An in game map is purchased that lets you fast travel to points you've previously navigated to. Personally, I rather enjoy QfG II, but I can see how, without the map, things might annoy. The desert is fine though, and does what it's meant to do.

I go between II and III being my favorites in the series, with I and IV being my second to II and III, and V being my third place. I wouldn't trade a single entry in the series out though, I love them all.

[KeaponLaffin]

I lost braincells reading this thread. Yes - the maze streets is copy protection. And you can buy the map at the start of the game without trekking to the money changer anyway - just exit the city and fight some low level enemies and then buy the map straight away.

[LVRS95]

VGA remake is really great (and free), to play EGA games on 2025 is not easy at all and for the eyes. Thanks a lot to the fan-devs for their project done more than 10 years ago. On the 1990s, a QFG2 VGA remake (as for QFG1) was on the table, but Sierra has cancelled it.