What is King of Dragon Pass?
It’s a turn-based strategy game set in the world of Glorantha. (It was also known by the code name, “Opal.”) In the industry jargon, “turn-based” means you can stop and think about what you’re doing, and “strategy” means you’re managing resources.
Its emphasis on stories, characters, and background are unusual for a strategy game.
Is it multi-player?
No — it was too difficult to coordinate story lines of several players.
Several of our testers find it’s more fun when they play with a friend — the game is paced so that they’re able to discuss their moves.
Is the game the same each time?
No. You’ll start with different leaders, and different events will happen (they’re drawn from a pool of over 450 different situations). Even when you choose the same response more than once, the outcome may be different (it can depend on the skills of your leaders, your relationships with other clans, and simple chance).
Your answers in the opening questionnaire also affect several factors. And you can choose to play at either easy, normal, or hard level.
The long and short game have different interactive situations.
Do I need to know about Glorantha to play King of Dragon Pass?
Not at all. The game provides the background you need to know.
In addition, the game CD includes a web site that tells you more about Glorantha. In Windows, Open the CD (right-click the CD icon), then double-click Glorantha.lnk or drag it to an open window in your web browser. On Macintosh, double-click Glorantha or drag it to an open window in your web browser.
You can learn even more at the Glorantha web site.
Can I print my clan history?
When you save the game, the saga is saved as a text file (as for example mySavedGame.txt). You can open it with a word processor and print it.
How do I keep from running out of sheep?
There are no routine sheep markets in Dragon Pass, but your clan trader will make sure you don’t run out. Cattle raiders will also capture sheep, especially when you’re low. You might also want to consider reducing some of your temples and simply making annual sacrifices.
Can I buy art?
Yes! And you can proudly display it on your wall. You may not reproduce it in any form — those rights are reserved by A Sharp.
Visit the Etsy shop, or contact the artists Stefano Gaudiano (interactive illustrations, battle results) or Mike Raabe (myths and history) for more information.
Are all “Very Good” skills the same?
No. Although in most instances two leaders with a "Very Good" skill are equally good, there are finer grades. When you sort a list of leaders according to a skill, the better one will be listed first.
How come I keep failing my heroquest?
It’s always dangerous entering the Other Side, and even heroes who know the best paths will be sorely tested.
But there are a few things you can do to help them. Be sure that you know the complete myth (some have secret portions, learned by sacrificing for Mysteries). If there’s a Trickster in your clan, put him or her on the ring so that you can allocate an extra point of ritual in Sacred Time. And be sure someone on the ring has a high
Magic skill so that you can cross to the Other Side.
I completed 20 heroquests. Why do my advisors say I only did 9?
What’s important is not the total number, but the number of different quests you’ve succeeded at.
What computers does King of Dragon Pass run on?
Windows 95, Windows 98, and Power Macintosh. (Several of our players report that it also runs under Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista though we don’t officially support this. We got it running on Windows 7, which in turn was running on an iMac.) The installer doesn’t work on Windows 7, and the game will not run in 64-bit Windows 7. We’ve also heard that it runs fine using Wine under Ubuntu Feisty, though obviously we can’t support Linux either!) On Mac OS X it requires Classic (and thus won’t run on Intel Macintoshes unless you first install some way of running Windows — we’ve run it under Fusion, and had limited success with Classic under SheepShaver). See the system requirements page for details.
Is there a demo?
A one-year tour is available for either Windows or Macintosh. It’s also found on some magazine-cover CDs, such as MacAddict 44.
What’s in the box?
Besides the CD-ROM (which runs on either Windows or Macintosh), you got a 64 page manual and a reference card.
What is the latest version?
Version 1.7. If you have an older version, download an update.
How do I de-install?
Windows: Use the standard Windows uninstall: Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. Choose King of Dragon Pass in the scrolling list, then click Add/Remove.
Macintosh: Just drag all the files you copied to the trash. You can also trash the file King of Dragon Pass Preferences in the Preferences folder.
Why is the text all messed up?
Macintosh: In some cases, all the text will be impossible to read (starting with the tula screen). Open the Appearance control panel, and in the Fonts panel, turn off font smoothing (or enlarge the size at which it occurs).
Windows: Some text may not display correctly unless your display properties are set to Small Fonts (96 dpi). Use the Display control panel. One player also found that he had too many fonts installed; removing some made King of Dragon Pass display correctly.
Is there any way to speed it up?
Be sure you’ve installed the game on your hard disk (see the Read Me).
One of our players recommends CD-Quick Cache for Windows 95/98. They have a 30 day demo.
Why is my hero worse after a heroquest?
When someone travels to the Otherworld, they are likely to come back changed. They may be wiser and more skilled, they may suffer a wound that cannot heal, or they may forget some of the mysteries they had known.
I can’t find my saved game…
Some Windows users have had trouble with being able to save but not find their saved games. Apparently this can occur when the path to the saved game includes a space. Saving to
My Documents or anything under it doesn’t work. Saving to
C:\KoDP\Game1\ and the like is fine.
The tutorial crashes...
Macintosh: There seems to be a conflict with ATM in some systems. (We’ve had no trouble running ATM 4.6; a player reported a crash with ATM 4.5.) Disable ATM using the Extensions Manager control panel. Font smoothing (in the Appearance control panel) may also be an issue.
I have more questions...
If you can’t find an answer on our web site, e-mail us (see our Contact page). Or check out Bruce Hollebone’s excellent FAQ. There’s also a tips article.
|
