General:Theelderscrollstravels.com Archive/Dawnstar & Stormhold How to Play

This is a developer diary for The Elder Scrolls Travels: Stormhold and The Elder Scrolls Travels: Dawnstar. The diary was originally posted to theelderscrollstravels.com some time in 2003, and was then given an introduction and separated into two separate posts on the old elderscrolls.com website on 29 September 2004.

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The adventure is begun with modest armour and weapons for your character class. You face several levels of challenges until you are strong enough to meet one of the two final challenges, either Stormhold's Warden Varus, or the battle for the city of Dawnstar.

You begin play in the center of camp or town, which are locations that are safe for the moment. The game screen displays the dungeon view. The mini-map in the upper left displays game squares close to you; red dots on the map represent foes, blue dots represent treasures or other items of interest. Other colored dots have other effects which you will discover as you explore the game.

The three-colored bars represent your current health, magicka and fatigue levels.

The rocker button controls movement. Press the button to move forward, turn right or turn left, or to move backward. You can also you the number pad on your phone: 2 to step forward, 4 to sidestep left, 6 to sidestep right, and 8 to move backward.

The menu bar below the dungeon view displays the buttons with a number of actions you can take accompanied by icons to remind you of their function. A '3' casts a spell, a '5' changes your spell selection, '7' brings up the options menu for help, inventory and other menu functions. At times, you will be given a manipulation icon for the number '9' to open chests, work with oracular altars, or interact with non-player characters. The '0' lets your character camp to recover from combat damage or other ill effects from exploring such dangerous regions.

Speaking of combat...

The combat menu replaces the adventure menu as soon as your character is adjacent to a foe. Pressing the '1' button initiates an attack, while '3' zaps your opponent with your currently active spell. The name of the creature and special status information appears in the info box. Combat ends when your character dies, chooses to retreat, or defeats the opponent. Of course we are cheering for the latter, but if you die…supernatural forces will intervene to return you, minus some items looted from your corpse. When your character wins, you get to do the looting.

Help & Hints

Combat
Combat begins when a monster is adjacent to your character. You may attack the monster (press 1) or cast a spell (press 3). Sometimes it is wiser to flee a battle. All movement options (the rocker button or pressing 2, 4, 6, or 8) are allowed in combat. Combat actions use up fatigue. Keep an eye on your fatigue level. Tired fighters are less effective fighters.

Experience
You gain experience through successful use of skill. Status, updates or progress of skills are available in the options menu, by selecting skills and the specific skill you want to review. When you gain enough experience your skill improves by a rank. When you gain 10 skill ranks your character goes up a level. When you gain a level you get to permanently increase your stats.

Gift Items
Gift items can be given to trainers, who will give different amounts of Aid based on how much they like the gift. Each dungeon contains one gift item. Finding gift items will unlock new dungeons and thus are the key to game progress. Search each dungeon well, and save often. Note, gift items are found in the largest version of the game, available on handsets such as the Nokia 3650 and 7650.

Items
Access items from the inventory menu (press 7 for options, then select inventory). Four actions with items are available.

You can drop any item. You can equip weapons and armor, which you must do to use them in combat. You can learn a spell from a spell scroll, if you already have the appropriate magic skill. You can activate all other items by using them.

Maps
The '*' button toggles the map display. Successive pressing of this button will toggle between the in-play mini-map, the full dungeon map, and no map during play.

Monsters
Monsters are always hostile. If you have an attack option on your menu bar, then you are facing a monster. Pay attention to the name of monsters as they appear; monsters which look alike can actually have very different combat capabilities.

Monsters can follow you if you get close enough. If you are fleeing a combat get several squares away before you stop.

Some monsters are difficult to see in their natural environment. The better your perception skill the farther away you can see a monster. If your perception is low, it is advisable to take some time when peering into rooms. Perception and monster appearance mechanics are found in the largest version of the game, available on handsets such as the Nokia 3650 and 7650.

Movement
Movement is achieved through two methods: Move by pressing 2 to move forward, 4 to step left, 6 to step right, and 8 to step backward while still facing forward. Use the rocker bottom to move forward, backward or turn to the left and right.

Movement results in fatigue. As combat also results in fatigue you are well advised to rest for a few seconds if your strength is getting low.

Oracle
The Oracular altar has powers that allow you to recover safely. It will also accept items in sacrifice. The more items you sacrifice the more aid the oracle will give you, removing ailments or even training you in new skills. The oracle appears in all games except the largest version (such as the Nokia 3650 and 7650).

Spells
You cast a spell from the adventure menu by pressing 3. You may only have one spell ready to cast at one time. You can change a spell by pressing 5. This toggles through your available spells. You can also push 7 and select the 'spells' option. This leads to your list of spells. Select the spell you now want active. View the information and then ready the spell.

Spells require magicka to cast. Camping or consumable items can restore your magicka. Spell casting can also affect fatigue, so stay rested.

Trainers
Trainers offer a key method to increase your current skills or teach you valuable new ones. Not all trainers offer all skills, but one of the game's four trainers will have the skill you need.

Trainers can be influenced by attempts to befriend them or threaten them. Befriending is the better approach long term. Offering gift items (found in the dungeon) increases chances of trainers working with you. Trainers have their own preferences, so pay attention when a trainer says he or she needs something.

Treasure Run
Certain squares trigger a timed challenge; find the corresponding square on the same dungeon level and be rewarded with treasures otherwise unavailable in the game. Making the treasure runs greatly increases the power of your character. The treasure run is a feature only available on the most compact version of the game, running at least on the Sharp GX10 and Samsung A500.

Dawnstar (Help Specific to Dawnstar Game Module)

Elemental Winter
The northern cold is not just bone chilling - it swirls with elemental magic. Time spent away from camp increases a character's exposure to the magic, while camping dispels the magic.

Elemental winter effects are simultaneously beneficial and harmful. The harmful effects usually fade once a character camps.

Living frost is an item which absorb element winter magic. Unlike characters, camping does not dispel the elemental magic in the frost. Living frost becomes a powerful item for use against marauding monsters when it has absorbed enough elemental winter magic.

Traitor
One of the four champions is a traitor, and you must uncover the traitor. This problem is complicated by a few factors; the champions and traitor are your source of training, and the traitor sometimes lies. As the champions and traitor are your trainers, some diplomacy is in order. Gift items go a long way to getting on their good side.

The traitor's lies can be overcome with careful questioning. Begin with the clues Eustacia gives you. She is always correct. Verify information with more than one champion. This will help distinguish lies that can quickly identify the traitor.

Do not be too quick about revealing the traitor, even if you are sure of his identity. Once unmasked, the traitor will make a desperate attack upon Dawnstar, and you must be powerful enough to help repel the attack.

Traitors are found in the largest version of the game, available on handsets such as the Nokia 3650 and 7650.

Status Ailment Hints

What is a status ailment?
Some monsters can inflict effects beyond normal damage. On an exceptional hit a monster might create a status ailment such as the following:

• Blind -- Your map disappears and your screen shifts to black.
• Delusions -- Your are magically infected and attacked by an improbably high number of monsters who, while the result of your own delusions, can still kill you.
• Vampirisim -- Background goes to red, and your health declines a little each second until you die or the ailment expires. On the plus side you gain health for every monster you kill. So go for blood.

There are other status ailments, but we will leave the, er, joy of discovery to you.

How do I know I have a status ailment?
Some, such as blind, create visible changes in the screen. To check to see whether or not you have a status ailment, press 7 and then select the 'stats' option. There is a line which lists any status ailments you might have.

How do I get rid of status ailments?
Ailment crystals will cure status ailments, one ailment per crystal. Camping also gives you a 25% chance of recovering from a status ailment, and Helga (on the 3650) or the Oracle (other phone models) can cure you.