Location: News/Main » Archives
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April
29, 2001 - Site News
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Subsection
Updates -> Articles
I have
updated three articles I wrote some time ago so that they can be considered
reviews instead of previews now. The articles in question are Sorcerer's
Way Through Baldur's Gate II (Part II), Sorcerer's Way Through Baldur's
Gate II (Part III) and Adventure in the Heart of Winter (Part I).
All of these can be accessed from the Articles
subsection; the link to it can be found on the main link panel on
the front page.
Subsection
Updates -> Fantasy
Books
The Fantasy
Books part of the site has been updated a bit. One new book has been
added to the Miscellaneous
Books subsection (Bored of the Rings) and two to the Forgotten
Realms Books subsection (Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal and Neverwinter
Nights: An Anthology).
Subsection
Updates -> Games
The box
cover for Throne of Bhaal has been replaced with the official one, and
a link to pre-order it at Amazon.co.uk has been added as well. You can
notice these changes in the main Games
section.
By popular demand, I have added links through which you can purchase the
official strategy guides for all the games we cover. You will notice this
new addition in all Walkthroughs & Guides subsections for each game.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Planescape: Torment
The Planescape:
Torment NPC quotes list has been updated with two new quotes. Ok, it's
not much, but finding any good quotes we haven't posted yet is getting
increasingly difficult. ;)
The Hints for Playing Torment list has been updated with some stuff I
dug up from my archives. You can read both of these in the Tips,
Tricks & Hints subsection.
Two walkthroughs/guides
have been updated; namely Daniel Herfield's and The Complete Guide &
Walkthrough to PS: T. You can download the newest versions in the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection.
I have
also posted a chat log from 1999, before the release of the game. Better
late than never. :p
Anyway, some of you might find it interesting, if only for a nostalgia
trip. Thanks to Blackthorne for editing it. As you suspected, you can
get it from the Miscellanea
subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Icewind Dale
The Heart
of Winter walkthrough you can find in the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection has been updated substantially, so go grab
the latest version if you are still playing it.
On a side note, I have zipped the updates for the official Heart of Winter
guide from Sybex and posted it below the guide cover on the same page.
One new
and one updated store guide can be found in the Tips,
Tricks & Hints subsection. The previously posted Heart of Winter
store items guide has been updated, and the Icewind Dale one is brand
new.
While
I was looking for those official strategy guides I spotted that Sybex
posted a nice Icewind Dale wallpaper on their website. It shows the races
of the Realms and makes a nice background.
You can download it in two sizes from the Miscellanea
subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 2
The Complete
BGII FAQ & Walkthrough that can be found in the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection has been updated. Don't forget to check my
Throne of Bhaal features list found on the same page; it has been updated
too.
A small
addition has been made to our Cheats List. Now it also lists how you can
check the progress of your romance. I have changed the color scheme on
the page a bit so it will be easier to navigate now.
You can access the list from the Tips,
Tricks & Hints subsection.
Two new
player characters that have been submitted to us have been made available
for download in the Editors,
Hacks & Cap Removers subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Pool of Radiance: RoMD
I have
split the main Miscellanea
subsection in two parts and added a ton of goodies for you. Some game
music, a screensaver, two new trailers posted a few days ago etc.
From the
same section you can access an article called Magic in Pool of Radiance
II which surprisingly enough describes just that. It also comes with 5
cool-looking screenshots.
Finally,
I have put together an edited chat log of the chat the development team
had a few days ago. I spent an hour preparing it so I hope it has been
worth it and that some of you will actually bother reading it. ;)
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April
16, 2001 - Site News
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Subsection
Updates -> Fantasy Books
One new
Dragonlance book has
been added; namely Dragons of a Lost Star, the sequel to Dragons of a
Fallen Sun. There is also a sample chapter of it available for download.
Three
new Forgotten Realms books
were also added. First is The Summoning, the first novel taking into account
the 3rd edition D&D rules and happenings. We also have a sample chapter
of it available for download.
The next
two books are The Magehound and The Floodgate, both by Elaine Cunningham.
A sample chapter is available for The Floodgate.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Icewind Dale
The official
patch for Heart of Winter has been released recently. I have added it
to the Miscellanea
subsection along with a txt file describing all the bug fixes that
were made. There is quite a number of them, so be sure to download the
patch if you haven't already.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 2
A few
minor additions have been made to my extensive Throne of Bhaal features
list. You can find the list in the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection.
An edited
log of the Throne of Bhaal chat at IGN has been prepared just for you.
In case you couldn't attend the chat, download the chat log from the Miscellanea
subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Neverwinter Nights
This week
the NWN section is really booming. First, I have put together an edited
chat log of the last Neverwinter Nights chat at Stratics. It is a very
interesting read and I recommend it to anyone interested in the game.
Yet again, you can find it in the Miscellanea
subsection. (Sounds like a theme for today.)
Second,
I am proud to present you with the largest (to my knowledge) Neverwinter
Nights Screenshots Gallery available online. To date, there are 127
unique screenshots on display in it. I still have tons of other NWN stuff
like wallpapers, art and so on but that will have to wait till the next
update. Until then, feast you eyes on the beautiful screenshots.
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April
8, 2001 - Site News
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Subsection
Updates -> Community
There
has been some confusion regarding the Friendly
Arm Inn (our official chatroom), and the other one listed in the Chatrooms
subsection. Since we have completely abandoned the old EFnet channel
by now, I decided to remove it from the list. That should clear things
up a bit.
Subsection
Updates -> Fantasy Books
Two new
additions to the 3rd Edition
D&D Books subsection were made. First is a new guidebook to clerics
and paladins called Defenders of the Faith (pre-order), and the second
the Forgotten Realms Interactive Atlas, which is a very cool product and
a must for any serious FR player or DM.
The atlas is a computer program, but since I don't really have a separate
section for them (it's not like there are any others like that anyway),
I simply put it in the most fitting place on the site. Just in case you
were wondering. ;)
As always,
your support in the form of purchases through the links at Sorcerer's
Place is much appreciated.
Subsection
Updates -> Games
Our game
store store has been updated again. Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk now
both have a Icewind Dale & Heart of Winter double pack available for
purchasing.
In case you do not have these games yet, make sure to get this cool bundle,
it is definitely worth the money.
Subsection
Updates -> Fantasy Worlds
Thanks
to Erran, our AORTA
guildmaster we now have a nicely laid out section dedicated to "finding"
out where in the Forgotten Realms your character hails from. This will
undoubtedly be very helpful to anyone who is putting together an application
for any of the online Neverwinter Nights worlds like ALFA for example.
Two versions of the document are available. You can either view it online
in full, or download both tables as Excel spreadsheets. Check them out
in the Forgotten Realms
subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Icewind Dale
There
is a new version of the Heart of Winter walkthrough I have made available
for download in the last update. You can download it from the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Planescape: Torment
A while
ago one of the members of our message boards expressed frustration at
not being able to find more hankies required in one segment of the game
after he dumped them all. I don't quite remember if we found a better
solution to the problem than reloading, but I did a little digging and
found out that the items list for TormentHack has been updated with the
very same item codes - for hankies among others.
So if
you find yourself stuck with the same problem, make sure to download TormentHack
from the Editors,
Hacks & Cap Removers subsection. With it you can replace any of
the items in your inventory with a hankie for example.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 2
Deborah
Norris has let me know that there is an updated version of her Baldur's
Gate 2 desktop theme available. Several little things about it have been
fixed, such as: the code errors experienced by Windows 95 users, a My
Documents theme association, black background behind "Baldur's Gate
II" title in wallpaper has been filled, etc. Get the newest version
of the theme from the Miscellanea
subsection.
As usual,
I have made another huge update to my Throne of Bhaal features list. If
you are interested in the upcoming expansion, checking it out is a must.
You can find the list in the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection.
On a similar
note, Interplay has finally put together a Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) list for Throne of Bhaal. There is not much news there for anyone
who has read my ToB features list, but you might find it informative all
the same. The FAQ can be found in the Tips,
Tricks & Hints subsection.
A guy
named Moff has sent over a small collection of character portraits which
he names NeoUgly portraits. Don't ask me why, I haven't a clue. And no,
they are not THAT bad. ;)
Anyway, the portraits can be found in the Editors,
Hacks & Cap Removers subsection. Download them and see if they
fit your style.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Neverwinter Nights
We have
updated out AORTA guild roster with new members. In case you are wondering,
we are up to 12 members already. If you want to find out more, surf over
to the AORTA guild pages.
The latest
version of NWMap, a freeware
graphical tile-based mapping and module design utility has been added
to the Miscellanea
subsection. NWMap has been substantially improved over the previous
version, so be sure to get this latest installment.
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March
26, 2001 - Site News
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Subsection
Updates -> Fantasy Books
Where
to start...
Our Fantasy Books section
has certainly grown substantially with today's update. By popular demand
I have added two brand new book sections, one for Terry
Pratchett's books, and one for Robert
Jordan's.
Currently their last novels are only available in hardcover editions,
but check back regularly as I will replace them with paperback versions
as soon as they become available.
Both Pratchett
and Jordan are excellent writers and I am sure you will enjoy their books.
So next time you plan on buying any of their books from Amazon, please
do so at Sorcerer's Place and support us!
Side note:
Two new manuals were added to the 3rd
Edition D&D Books subsection.
Subsection
Updates -> Community -> About Us
The About
Us section has been updated as well. It now reflects the fact that
the newest member of the Sorcerer's Place Team - Darien
- has earned herself the position of Daily News Editor.
Thanks to her, Sorcerer's Place is now the prime website to get daily
(a)d&d gaming news from, as well as the biggest resource for the games
we cover. Bravo Darien!
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Icewind
Dale
After
a short period of inactivity in this subsection of the site, the magic
man (heh) returns with a number of interesting new additions.
First
of all is the updated (and final) version of the Heart
of Winter features document I started putting together a couple of
months ago. It now contains everything that was actually implemented in
the game and no more rumours and guesses. Kudos to the guy on our message
boards who reminded me that this needed to be done.
Another addition in the same Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection is a sparkling new Heart of Winter walkthrough.
Also updated
were a bunch of cheat pages (one
for the original IWD and a new
one for HoW), plus I added another pdf file with cheats for Heart
of Winter. To top it all, there is a list of all the new merchants the
expansion adds, and what kind of things they sell. You can find all this
useful stuff in the Tips,
Tricks & Hints subsection.
The last
updated subsection is the Editors,
Hacks & Cap Removers. Here I have added a new Icewind Dale trainer.
If cheating your way through the game is what you prefer, then do so in
style!
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 2
Finally,
the reason for the delay of today's update. I would have had this whole
update up on Saturday, but making (and uploading) a 250
screenshots gallery of Baldur's Gate 2 is not exactly a small task.
But all that is behind us now, and the final product of hours of labour
is now online for you to enjoy.
The gallery details my entire path through the game, from beginning to
Irenicus' bitter end.
The second
important update here is the Throne
of Bhaal features list which can be found in the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection. I have added some more known info about it
and tweaked some of the wording from the last update.
Basics
of Armor, Armor Class and Shields in BG1 and BG2 is a quick guide
that was submitted to us and is available in the same subsection. After
an extensive spelling check, a bit of translation and some error fixing
on my part, it now makes a useful guide which will enlighten a casual
reader as to what AC is and how it is calculated.
The latest
new scriptwork from Kalthorine is "Happy Group", a hack that
completely disables the game's incompatibility between good/evil NPCs.
Well, not completely, but enough that they will not leave the group because
of it, or even worse, kill another NPC. Get this much sought-after hack
in the Editors,
Hacks & Cap Removers subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Pool of Radiance: RoMD
A small
update was made here. There is a new page about the Secret
Societies in Myth Drannor up for reading in the Miscellanea
subsection. Does the name "Cult of the Dragon" ring a bell?
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Neverwinter Nights
There
were no actual updates made in this section, I have merely fixed the broken
Screenshots
link on all pages. Not that it makes much difference, since there
aren't any there to see yet.
However, now that this big update is finished, I am pretty sure I will
be able to put together a big NWN screenshots gallery for the next update,
so stay tuned for more goodness, as usual.
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March
17, 2001 - Site News
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Subsection
Updates -> Fantasy Books
I have
added a short explanation of the book ordering process to the recommended
fantasy books section. Hopefully this will clarify things a bit since
some people have been asking me what the best way to order books from
Sorcerer's Place is.
A big
"thank you" to all who have shown their support by either buying
any books or games (or anything else) from Sorcerer's Place. Thanks to
people like you, we can continue to run this website you have all grown
to love. :)
Subsection
Updates -> Games
It has
been a while since I announced here that you can also buy all of the games
we cover from Sorcerer's Place, so here goes.
I have updated our game store
and it now has all titles listed, although you can currently pre-order
Throne of Bhaal and Neverwinter Nights only from Amazon.com. Since all
of these games are released a bit later in Europe, I will update the page
when Amazon.co.uk makes them available too.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Planescape: Torment
Thanks
to Rakanishu (a regular on our message
boards), we now have the full text of the Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon
available online. It makes for a fine read, especially for anyone who
likes the Planescape setting.
You will find this gem in the Tips,
Tricks & Hints subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Icewind Dale
There
are two new additions in this neck of the frozen tundra today. The first
is an updated version of Dan Simpson's Icewind Dale walkthrough. It now
also includes a complete Heart of Winter walkthrough, so if you are looking
for one you can download, this is it. Get it from the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection.
The second
is a collection of 6 pre-made Icewind Dale characters you can import into
your game and play with. Thanks to Piotyr for letting us have them. If
you want them too, get them from the Editors,
Hacks & Custom Characters subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 2
Rhys Hess
has sent us another edition of his Baldur's Gate 2 Story. This time we
present you with the counterpart to the previously posted Good Side story.
Anyone interested in the evil path through the game might find this an
interesting read.
Next we
have two more walkthroughs for the game. One is of the online sort and
still unfinished, but was added by request. The second is the updated
version of the most detailed downloadable walkthrough available.
And finally,
there is an updated version of the Throne of Bhaal Features I have started
putting together a while ago. Check it out, a lot more content has been
added.
As you
probably suspected, you can find all of the above in the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection.
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March
7, 2001 - Site News
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Subsection
Updates - Games -> Icewind Dale
I have
added the edited chat log from the recent HoW chat held at Gamespy Arcade.
It is a pretty interesting read and can be found in the Miscellanea
subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 2
There
are quite a number of new additions here.
Same as I did with the Icewind Dale expansion, I have compiled an interesting
list of features
the Baldur's Gate 2 expansion, Throne of Bhaal, will offer.
The list will be continuously updated, so check it regularly.
It occurred
to me that I did not have even one complete map of all areas you can travel
to in the game available online, so I quickly set about making one. It
took a while, but the end result turned out pretty nice. I have put it
in the Maps subsection
where it replaced the old scanned version of the map. As it turned out,
the paper map was actually missing half of the areas...
There
are also two new sound sets available in the Editors,
Hacks & Custom Characters subsection. Pete Wearne was kind enough
as to provide us with his excellent "Kalthorine
ut Wistan's Paladin Voice Pack", perfect for all paladins and holy
warriors out there. The authentic British accent is certainly convincing.
;)
Last but
not least, Balthazar has provided us with a soundset of the WWF champion
The Rock. You will also find a pre-made half-orc character going by the
same name in the zip.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Neverwinter Nights
Erran,
our AORTA guildmaster sent me a listing of all current members of the
guild, and I promptly inserted it into our AORTA guildpages. Check out
the AORTA guildpages
to see who you will be battling with.
It seems we are a bit short on warriors and rogues, so if you think you
meet out criteria, apply ASAP!
An interesting
Neverwinter Nights chat was held at IGN Vault a few days ago. Our resident
wizard Blackthorne logged it and sent me an edited log which is now available
in the Miscellanea
subsection. I have also corrected it a bit where spelling was the
worst.
The log
is chock full of interesting details so if you missed it originally, it
is imperative that you read it now. If you are interested in the game,
of course. Which you are, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this, right?
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February
28, 2001 - Site News
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Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 1
As I promised
at our Baldur's
Gate forum, I have compiled the Baldur's
Gate Encyclopaedia. It is an enormous information resource for locations
of weapons, NPCs, items, armour...
I am sure it will come in handy to a lot of people who are still (or again)
playing the game. You can access the guide from the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter
Heart
of Winter is out, and even though it hardly requires a walkthrough
to be solved (or better, hack 'n slashed through :), our ex Exclusive
Solutions Scribe Sylvus has prepared one at his site.
Check out our Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection for the link.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Neverwinter Nights
Our AORTA
Guildpages have been updated again. This time we have a new, fancier
version of the guild badge up, a new art on top of the page and a few
changes to the text on the page.
Of course, we are still accepting new members and if you are interested,
read the guild info and, if you meet our requirements, apply!
Subsection
Updates -> Community
Not much
new stuff around here. After a bit of link checking in the Related
Links subsection I have found out that all of the sites I link to
are still up & running, so no dead link removal this time.
The only change in this update is the inclusion of a site banner for home
of the ALFA Skullport Neverwinter Nights server.
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February
25, 2001 - Site News
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Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 1
Best to
start at the beginning, so here we go...
There's a lot more new stuff in this section than usual. I have been going
through my old HD backups and found some nifty stuff. I made my old notes
about the NPCs into one cool Baldur's
Gate NPCs guide if I say so myself.
In it you will find detailed descriptions of all 25 NPCs available in
the game, complete with their portraits, stats and histories. The guide
is quite big, so give it time to load fully. ;)
Two new
additions were also made to the Editors,
Hacks & Cap Removers subsection. Look out for a new trainer and
a permanent experience cap remover.
Finally,
there are two new guides/walkthroughs in the main
Baldur's Gate subsection. One is for Baldur's Gate, and the other
for Tales of the Sword Coast expansion. My NPC guide mentioned above was
also added to this subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Icewind Dale
The amount
of new additions here is a bit smaller. I have added another game guide
to the main Icewind Dale
subsection, and a support page for Heart of Winter expansion to the
Tips, Tricks &
Hints subsection.
Coincidentally, if you have any questions or problems regarding the expansion,
feel free to use our Icewind
Dale & HoW forum.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Planescape: Torment
Only one
addition here, namely a new game guide in the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 2
I have
also put together something special for this section in today's update.
Remember my guide to
kits I posted ages ago, before the game was even released?
It is about time I replaced it with an updated version, so I've gathered
info about all the kits (and new classes) as they were actually implemented
in the game and made it into a new
guide to kits. The old version of the Sorcerer's Guide to Kits has
been left in tact, and you may still refer to it if you wish, since it
does have some additional info I left out in the new guide.
You can access both of them from the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection. You will also find another new game guide
there.
A spell
list (Excel spreadsheet) with all wizard & priest spells has been
submitted to us, and has been added to the Tips,
Tricks & Hints subsection.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Pool of Radiance: RoMD
It has
been a while since I made any updates in this section, so I've got a couple
of new things on display now.
The Miscellanea subsection
has been updated with 3 new additions. First is the History
of Myth Drannor which I compiled a while ago but totally forgot to
include there.
The other
two are Gods in Pool of
Radiance and Major
Adventure Sites in Pool of Radiance. Both are very interesting reads
(MAS also packs 3 screenshots) and should give you a bit more info about
the upcoming 3rd edition D&D CRPG.
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February
17, 2001 - Site News
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Changes,
Updates, Additions... Tons of Each
Well,
two months have passed since the last major update, so here we go again.
This baby took way too much of my time to put together but since I'm known
for being very sadistic when it comes to working on my site, I gave it
my finest. ;)
I hope you will enjoy it!
Subsection
Updates - Community
A small
update was made here, namely to the Related
links subsection. I have added another fansite, plus a news site with
an animated banner.
Some rather
important modifications were made to the About
Us subsection as well. I have added bios of Erran and Blackthorne,
latest members of the Sorcerer's Place Team and changed Syl's status to
retired, since he won't be working with us anymore.
Subsection
Updates - Fantasy Books
Thought
the Other Recommended
Books section was going to stay so poorly decorated forever? Wrong.
I spent a few hours looking for some great books and added a bunch of
new ones. A big thanks to the guy who recommended Gemmell's books to me.
By the way, those Harry Potter books aren't there for no reason. Just
out of curiosity, I decided to read one and I must say I have been impressed.
Rowling is an exceptional storyteller, and I highly recommend her books.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 1
I have
come up with a surprising amount of new additions to this part of the
site. For starters, four new walkthroughs and guides were added to the
main subsection.
A significant addition was also made to the Tips,
Tricks & Hints subsection. I have updated the list of tricks there,
added a huge list of all creatures from the game, plus an extensive guide
dealing with NPCs. All that's missing is a spray paint can so I could
make a colorful BG's NOT DEAD graffiti somewhere.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Planescape: Torment
Another
huge chunk of NPC quotes were submitted to me by Rasmus, so I added them
all to our Planescape:
Torment NPC quotes list.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Icewind Dale
I have
updated the Heart
of Winter features list, plus added updated versions of all downloadable
walkthroughs.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Baldur's Gate 2
As usual,
the biggest bunch of new additions was made to this game section. Starting
with the main Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection, there you will be able to find an excellent
new walkthrough, a very interesting class FAQ and an AD&D rules FAQ,
explaining the ins and outs of 2nd edition D&D.
Moving on to the Tips,
Tricks & Hints subsection where two old item lists were removed
and replaced with a new, much better one. As per custom, I have also updated
my Humongous List of Cheats
and added a ton of monsters for your creating pleasure.
Next is
the Editors, Hacks
& Caps Removers subsection. I have added 5 new interesting custom
kits you can use in your game. I still don't know who the author is, so
if anyone has a clue, please drop me a note.
By popular demand (OK, in all this time, I got 1 request to put it up),
I have also added Jon Irenicus' portrait you will definitely want to use
in your game.
Yeah, right.
Valentine's
is already behind us, but that doesn't mean you can't have some more lovin'
fun in Baldur's Gate 2...
I have added another NPC romances hack similar to the old one, but this
one should work with the patched game as well. Polygamy at it's finest.
Last new
additions here are four new soundsets. I don't know when we started specializing
in those, but the fact is, altogether we now have 34 voice packs available
for download. It's nuts, especially since all of them are very good, so
deciding which one to pick is becoming increasingly difficult.
Anyway, the 4 new soundset are: 2 of Guybrush Threepwood (cool), one of
Murray, The Talking Demonic Skull (best soundset EVER), and a huge 19
MB file containing soundsets of all NPCs from Baldur's Gate 2, a highly
requested item.
These were all obtained from FilePlanet, but I'm doing everyone here a
big favor by offering them for download, since getting anything off FilePlanet
is a ni.phpare. Honestly, FilePlanet gives the words "seriously overloaded
servers" an entirely new meaning.
Subsection
Updates - Games -> Neverwinter Nights
Erran
has been busy working on our AORTA
Guildpages, and it shows. The entire section has been made anew and
I think it looks and feels much better than before.
Slowly, but surely, we're getting there.
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February
7, 2001 - Site News
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Subsection
Updates - Games
A slightly
smaller update today. Rasmus Wichmann has been busy hunting for
more Planescape: Torment
NPC quotes, so the list has been updated with some more fresh ones.
We have also received a submission to the Baldur's
Gate 1 - Editors, Hacks & Cap Removers section. Chris has sent
us Ajantis, who is normally an in-game NPC but in this case he has been
recreated to be playable as your main character. Ajantis also comes with
a soundset, so check him out.
And now
for the big one...
Rhys Hess, whom some of you will recognize from his excellent work on
the Planescape:
Torment stories, has been kind enough to provide us with his newest
piece of work - a Baldur's
Gate 2 (Good Side) Story.
This is
the first part of his work (he is also compiling a story based on the
dark side, i.e. evil path through the game). He thought
it would be worthwhile to recreate the game's story in written form, in
the game's own words. All of the dialogue was taken almost unchanged directly
from the game itself, as well as some of the other material. In order
to create a full story, he did have to invent a lead character, as well
as pick a particular path through the game.
He is assuming you have already played the game itself, but you might
want to read this to experience the story again, or to hear from characters
you chose not to include in your party.
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February
3, 2001 - Site News
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Subsection
Updates - Fantasy Books
I've been
working on this part of the site for a few hours and I managed to add
a pile of new books to our lists. As an added bonus there are now a couple
of sample chapters (pdf) for books in most subsections.
New books were added to the Forgotten
Realms, Planescape,
Dragonlance, Manuals
and Other book subsections.
Subsection
Updates - Community
The Related
Links list has been updated. A dead link was removed and a new customization
website was added to the Fansites part of the page.
Subsection
Updates - Games
Starting
with Baldur's Gate II: The
Big Cheats List has been updated with a couple of new items and The
Ultimate Cheater's Weapon. Only the most perverted cheater and powergamer
would use it, but hey, I bet there are some reading this just now. ;)
I've added
a cool little Icewind Dale: Heart of winter Flash game the folks at Interplay
have released to the Icewind
Dale - Miscellanea subsection.
Believe
it or not, there are few new additions to the Planescape:
Torment - Tips, Tricks & Hints subsection. Namely, a bunch of
new NPC quotes have been submitted to us, so check out the updated Quotes
list and send us some more, if you have them. We've got enough of
Morte for a while, so a couple more from other NPCs would be welcome.
Not to
forget the Neverwinter Nights
subsection, there is something new there as well. I've added the NWMap,
a mapping and module design utility which should help out all DMs-to-be
to plan ahead some of their NWN campaigns. Head over to Neverwinter
Nights - Miscellanea page to download it.
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January
26, 2001 - Site News
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Ancient
Order of Reasonably Trustworthy Adventurers - Neverwinter Nights Guild
at Sorcerer's Place
I am proud
to present yet another fine addition to our website, this one being of
significant value to many Neverwinter Nights adventurers-to-be.
We will be hosting a NWN
player guild run by Erran (whom some of you might recognize from our
message boards). He has been eager to run such a project for some time,
so having him on our team was a must. If you are interested in joining
us, make sure you check out the AORTA
pages in the Neverwinter
Nights game section.
The whole
NWN section has been updated, so from now on finding the AORTA guildpages
will not be a problem.
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January
25, 2001 - Site News
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Cleanup
Continues. Almost There...
This thing
seems to be taking forever. I've spent the entire last two days going
through the site pages, optimizing them and FINALLY I am beginning to
see the end of it. Here's a list of all the stuff fixed in this update:
The whole
thing is incredibly time consuming, but at least I feel better now, knowing
that everything I've fixed will load properly and fast now. The only thing
left to fix now are the 60 htmls in the Forgotten Realms History part
of the Fantasy Worlds section, which will be fixed with the next update.
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January
21, 2001 - Site News
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Cleanup
Continues. To Infinity And Beyond
Heh, after
a while I start forgetting what an enormous resource Sorcerer's Place
is. But then again, as soon as something needs to be changed manually
in all of the htmls that build the site, it all comes back with a vengeance.
*grin*
After a considerable amount of effort, the whole Icewind
Dale game section and Neverwinter
Nights game section have been fixed. All pages will load fast and
smooth now.
A bunch
of other pages have been fixed as well, namely all of the ones that can
be accessed through the central link panel below the title on the front
page. More will follow shortly.
Subsection
Updates - Miscellaneous
There
are two new books in the Fantasy
Books section. The first is Legacy of the Drow, a collection of 4
Salvatore's novels about Drizzt joined into one huge tome with over 1000
pages. You can find it in the Fantasy
Books - Forgotten Realms subsection. The other new literary addition
is J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator. A very interesting book chock
full of the master's own illustrations of the world he created. This one
can be found in the Tolkien
subsection.
Earlier
this week Amazon.com opened a page where you can order the official Icewind
Dale expansion, Heart of Winter. As you probably know, Amazon is our one
and only sponsor so if decide to (pre)order any of the games (or books)
here, you will be doing us a great favor and enabling us to bring you
even more content. If you are interested, head over to the Games
section and browse the selection of games available.
And for
the last newsbit before heading over the the gaming subsections, there
is a new FR history available at our Fantasy
Worlds - Forgotten Realms subsection. It has come to my attention
that the previous submitted history
of Myth Drannor has come from an external source, so it was removed
and replaced.
Instead, I have collected a description of the city (and it's sister cities)
and posted it along with a detailed chronological overview of the last
few decades before the city fell prey to the invading Army of Darkness.
The whole
thing took quite some time to make, so I hope you will enjoy reading it.
Subsection
Updates - Games
Starting
with the original Baldur's Gate, the link to the download site for Dark
Side of the Sword coast, the unofficial expansion from TeamBG has been
updated. Get it from the Baldur's
Gate - TeamBG Tools subsection.
Planescape:
Torment is next on the list. I have added the universal hint system file
for the game to the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection, and another new editor and a trainer were
added to the Editors,
Hacks & Custom Characters subsection.
The Icewind
Dale - Walkthroughs & Guides subsection has also been updated.
I have modified my Heart
of Winter features list extensively by adding some new information
regarding the expansion, removing some things that didn't make it into
the expansion and adding a complete list of all new clerical, druid &
mage spells available in HoW.
Baldur's
Gate II section has seen a bunch of new additions as well. Another cool
Planescape: Torment soundset has been added to the Baldur's
Gate II - Editors, Hacks & Custom Characters subsection. This
week we present Annah, everybody's favorite tiefling.
Two new FAQs/walkthroughs have also found their way to the Baldur's
Gate II - Walkthroughs & Guides subsection.
The last
two new BGII materials are an excellent items list and a reference listing
all weapon styles/proficiencies and their attributes. You can find both
of them in the Baldur's
Gate II - Tips, Tricks & Hints subsection.
To wrap
things up, I have posted the updated version of the Neverwinter
Nights Frequently Asked Questions. I compared it point by point to
the old one, and I can testify that it has been more or less written totally
anew, so give it a read for much has changed.
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January
15, 2001 - Site News
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Cleanup
Continues
As promised,
I fixed a bunch more htmls to load much faster. Most major files in the
Baldur's Gate II subsection
have been fixed, and our chatroom
as well. The entire Pool
of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor subsection is fixed too.
Subsection
Updates
I have
made another scour of the web looking for things I might have missed,
and guess what came up? A full list of all items, weapons, spells and
more for Planescape: Torment. I also added a list of all movies in Torment
which has been sitting on my HD for a while now.
You can find both new additions in the PS:T/Tips,
Tricks & Hints subsection.
The updated
version of the Pool of Radiance:
RoMD FAQ is now up.
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January
13, 2001 - Site News
|
Subsection
Updates
A few
more item codes were added to our extensive Baldur's
Gate II Cheat List. I've also fixed two codes which were wrong and
obsolete. Next new addition is the universal hint system file for Baldur's
Gate II, which I placed in the Walkthroughs
& Guides subsection. The UHS program is already included in the
zip file.
A list of Baldur's Gate II weapons, equipment and similar has been added
to the Tips, Tricks
& Hints subsection. It also contains item codes.
And now
to crown this update, a fan sent us two excellent sound sets for Baldur's
Gate II. The voice packs are of Dak'kon and Vhailor, both NPCs from Planescape:
Torment.
They are of great quality and a recommended download for everyone. The
author has promised us the rest of the Torment crew too, and I hope we
get our hands of them soon. Meanwhile, get these first two from our Editors,
Hacks & Custom Characters subsection.
Friendly
Arm Inn (Chatroom) Changes
As some of you might have noticed the old chatroom client wasn't very
stable, and now it has gone offline completely. I've set up an alternative
which functions in the same way as the old one, with a few exceptions.
I can't get rid of the picture it displays above the topic, nor can I
remove the scrolling line which now displays news, stock quotes and such.
Hehe, well it's totally useless really, but it'll have to do until the
old one gets back online. If ever.
Besides
the fact that this new client loads significantly faster (one good thing
about it) it supports avatar icons and small images, so I'm sure it will
prove to be amusing to all the regulars.
For all
of you who don't know yet, you can access the Friendly Arm Inn here.
Semi-official chat hours are around 8-12pm GMT, when most of the regulars
come by and (of course) I try to attend as often as possible too.
Site
Ads Odyssey
This has
been going on for a while and I must apologize to all who weren't able
to access some of our pages, but know that I'm FULLY (oh yes!) aware of
this problem. Thanks to everybody who mailed me about this and expressed
their frustration in so many imaginative ways that I never thought was
possible. Thank God the flames were down to the minimum, at least.
As I explained
on the front page before, some pages might not load for some people at
times, displaying only a black screen. Now, most people will only notice
this as a slight delay in the loading time of the page, while the page
will still show correctly (minus the ads), but for some people nothing
will show at all.
The ads running on the site that are causing all this havoc come from
our gracious host which would do well to update their ad servers and fix
the bloody scripts which have this amazing tendency to show as broken
3/4 of the times the site loads.
I have
noticed a slight improvement regarding all this fiasco, with some better
ads coming up and even some fantasy-related stuff showing, which is definitely
a good thing. However, it still happens (too often to my liking) that
the ad area only shows as blank or that you have to reload the page simply
because the ad script fails to load correctly.
Therefor
I started removing the offending ads from some of the most frequently
visited sections on the site (namely the Games section). There is also
a significant improvement on load times there, as you will notice. Currently
the whole original Baldur's
Gate section and some parts of the Baldur's
Gate II section have already been cleaned up. I'm also updating and
fixing some long-unnoticed errors in html there, so it might take me a
while to get them all fixed, but rest assured that I'm working on it as
fast as I can.
The old
ads are being replaced with my own, which I know load fast & correctly.
You will notice that most of them are for Amazon, which is the only actual
sponsor that pays us anything, provided you order something from them
by clicking on their banners on the site, of course.
So if
you would like to support us and enable us to bring you even more cool
stuff regularly, please order stuff from Amazon through any of the links
on pages here. We also have a Fantasy
Books section (also available from the main site menu buttons above)
where you can order Amazon's books (or anything else) directly, since
the links I've set up will take you right to the page about the book/manual
etc. you are interested in.
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