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The 4th Coming Player's Manual Welcome to T4C A Tale of the 4th Coming |
Welcome to the world of The 4th Coming.
You are now the proud owner of the client software to play a unique online
fantasy role-playing game (RPG for short). If you have played these types of
games before, you can skip this section and jump to the Installation of T4C. Otherwise, you may need
some background on these games and how you play them.
When you enter the world of The 4th
Coming, you become a character (sometimes called an "avatar") with
specific attributes and abilities. Those are described later in this document.
You can now wander the world in search of excitement and adventure. You can set
your own goals--such as accumulating wealth or finding the most powerful
weapons in the game--or you can follow one of the many storylines the game has
to offer. These storylines take you through a series of quests at the prompting
of certain NPCs, until you confront the great evil scheming in the background.
Unlike most other computer games,
The 4th Coming is not about winning. It's a simulation that allows you to
interact with dozens of other players whose goals may sometimes coincide with
yours, sometimes oppose them. As in real life, you have to deal with other
players on an individual basis. Some will be treacherous, some will be helpful.
With time, you will learn who can be trusted and who cannot.
There are dozens of Non-Player
Characters in the game, characters that are played by the server. They have
valuable information to offer, but you will often have to worm it out of them.
Be clever, think of important words to use and come back to them after you've
finished certain quests. They may have more information to give or sell you
once they get to know you better.
Remember that role-playing games
are about humans playing with humans, not humans being nice to each other. You
may encounter people you do not like in the course of your travels. It will be
up to you to ignore them or to fight them-just be ready to live with the
consequences of your actions.
"There are tales of an ancient
age, when Elves wandered the world in great numbers, when their achievements
outshone even the brightness of the sun, when human and dwarven civilizations
were still in their infancies. There was a time of legends and heroes, of
incredible accomplishments and great deeds, a time when the world knew true grandeur.
That time is long gone, however, crushed under the heel of fate and decay. The
Elves are gone, now, victims to their own delusions. They failed to heed the
warnings of the Harbinger, the one who came to warn them… He arrived on the
night the moons and the Centaur constellation were aligned, several millennia
ago, his appearance foul and nightmarish, and warned all who would listen of
the impending doom that lay ahead. He issued warnings and prophecies, but the
Elves had grown vain and arrogant, and heeded him not. The Harbinger left,
promising to return when the time would be right again.
"Several generations later-a
short time by Elven reckoning-the Harbinger returned, once more treading under
an alignment of the moons and constellations. The Elves had all but forgotten
his past warnings. As the Curse fell upon their race, they stood defenseless.
Despite their arcane lore and magical skills, they could not resist the godly
powers that crushed them. When the Harbinger left their lands, there was not a
single building standing. It is said that the winds carried the stench of death
even as far as the Dwarven villages in the north. The latter took this for a
sign that evil was coming, and prepared to defend themselves. When the
Harbinger came to their lands to warn them too that their turn would come, that
great danger lay ahead, they grew fearful of the visitor's appearance, and
shunned him. He left them, warning them that achievements alone were not the
measure of a worthy people.
"A millennia later, the skies
repeated their fateful alignment of moons and stars. The Dwarves had flourished
into a society of craftsmen and artisans. They had built great cities and were
dutifully worshipping their god. Prophecies from long ago warned them against a
fate similar to that of the Elves, so they had taken care to properly groom
themselves and prepare for the Third Coming. When the Harbinger came to them,
however, they could not stand the sight and smell of him, and, mistaking him
for some fiend from hell, immediately struck him down. This, historians say,
was the very act that caused the downfall of the Dwarves. They also say that
some humans witnessed the event, and that the Harbinger warned them as well,
that he told them they too would be judged, lest their worthiness was greater
than that of the Elves and the Dwarves.
"Now, it may be that none of
this tale is true, that we are but a worried people living under an unusual
alignment of stars, one which has not occurred in a thousand years, but maybe,
just maybe, there is some truth to this tale. Maybe there really is a Harbinger
that is walking the land even as we speak, walking towards us to judge us and
torment us if we fail him. So, little scoundrel, before I kill you for your
crimes, before I condemn your soul to everlasting fire, answer me this one
question.
"Do you feel worthy,
punk?"
This documentation and any related
software are sold "as-is," without any warranty either expressed or
implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and loss of profits or other
economic damages. Vircom Inc. does not warrant that the operation of this
software will be uninterrupted or error free. In no event and under no
circumstances will Vircom Inc. be liable for any damages in excess of the sum
paid by the customer for the product to which any claim for damages relates.
YOU MAY NOT USE, COPY, MODIFY,
MERGE, OR DISASSEMBLE OR TRANSFER THIS SOFTWARE, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, EXCEPT AS
EXPRESSLY PROVIDED FOR IN THIS LICENSE.
In no event will VIRCOM be liable
for special, incidental or consequential damage resulting from possession, use
or malfunction of this product, including damage to property and to the extent
permitted by law, damages for personal injury, even if VIRCOM has been advised
of the possibility for such damages.
VIRCOM does NOT guarantee the
performance of this software on non-standard hardware and system software.
Crashes and performance problems may result from inappropriate installation or
configuration of the user's computer. VIRCOM is NOT responsible for the
customer service or server performance of its licensees.
When you play The 4th Coming (T4C),
you must abide by these rules of conduct. Failure to follow any of these rules
can result in the immediate termination of your account and your right to play
the 4th Coming may be terminated. In the case of such an event, you will not be
entitled to any refund of any amounts paid by you to the service provider to
play The 4th Coming.
·
You
acknowledge that you agree to these rules and will abide by them.
·
You
further agree that you are responsible for the actions of anyone you allow to
use your T4C account or user ID, and that the rules cited above apply to anyone
using your account or user ID. You accept the consequences resulting from any
actions undertaken by someone else using your account or user ID.
·
You
acknowledge that if your account and right to use The 4th Coming is terminated
by X_Y_Z for any reason, you will not be
entitled to a refund of any fees paid by you for use of The 4th Coming.
·
These
rules are subject to changes at any time. You agree to visit your provider's
web site on a regular basis to stay abreast of any any rule changes that VIRCOM
or its licensees may have made.
Vircom Windows 95/98/ME/2K client
Official Release version. May 2002.
Copyright 2002, Vircom, Inc.
The 4th Coming Player's Manual
Quickstart Instructions
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If you want to start
playing right away, read this section. If you are looking for more detailed
information, go straight to the next section (Main Menu).
Zipping Through
Character Creation
The first screen that appears when you've
connected to the game is the Main Menu. Select Enter
the Realms, which will take you straight to the character creation process
(if you don't already have a character) and ask for a character name. Any
combination of alphanumeric characters will do; spaces are also allowed. You
are then asked to choose your character's gender (Male or
Female). Next, you will be asked four questions. Answer
with 1, 2, 3 or 4 for each question (you can either
type the number of your answer or move up and down with the arrow keys and
press Enter on your answer). Finally, you are given a series of stats
based on the answers you gave. You can either Accept or
Reroll the stats, or you can return to the Main
Menu if you want to start all over again. Once you are satisfied with your
character, you simply Enter the game.
Getting Dressed Up
When you enter the game, you are wearing only
minimal clothing (underwear). In order to get dressed, summon your inventory
box (ctrl-i). Right-click on all the items in the backpack until you
find weapons, armor and clothes. Using the left mouse button, drag these items
from the backpack onto the character puppet in the middle of the box. This will
automatically equip these items and alter your character's appearance
accordingly. If you wish to unequip these items, simply double-click on them in
the status box and they will return into your backpack.
Killing Monsters
When you want to fight a monster, move your mouse
cursor icon over the creature until it becomes a small sword. Then, simply hold
the left mouse button and your character will attack the enemy repeatedly. Make
sure to keep an eye over your Hit Points (HP) bar (top right of your screen).
If your HPs are becoming low and you have a healing potion in your backpack,
press F2 to quickly drink one during combat. This is faster than opening
your backpack and double-clicking on the potion to drink it. When the monster
dies, you will receive a certain number of experience points (XPs) and gold.
Some monsters drop items when they die. Make sure to look under their corpses
for these items.
Game Controls (Summary)
Keyboard Controls
Arrows (Up/Right/Down/Left): Moves your character in that direction.
ESC: (Escape button) Exits any window; also, displays game options.
F1: Online help summary.
F2: Temporary macro that automatically drinks a healing potion.
F3: Temporary macro that automatically drinks a mana potion.
F4: Temporary macro that automatically lights up a torch.
F9: Repeat last typed command.
Shift-Attack: Allows you to attack without moving in the direction of
the target.
Ctrl-C: Toggles the combat mode (explained later in this document).
Ctrl-G: Group play screen.
Ctrl-I: Opens your inventory.
Ctrl-K/Ctrl-S: Displays your character sheet (attributes and skills).
Ctrl-L: Chat center (includes listing of the users online).
Ctrl-O: Options screen
Ctrl-P: Displays your spellbook (explained later).
Alt-F4: Alternate way of quitting the game.
:<text>: Shout <text> for everyone to see.
;<text>: Shout <text> in current channel.
/"<name>" <text>: Page character <name> with
message <text>.
Mouse Controls
Left Button (movement): If the mouse cursor is not over a monster, move in the
direction of the arrow.
Left Button (combat): If the mouse cursor is over a monster (sword),
attacks that monster.
Left Button (targeting): If mouse cursor is a sword (combat),
double-click to target that enemy until it dies.
Left Button (items): Clicking on an item once will cause the character
to move closer to the item and pick it up..
Right Button (information): Displays the name of the item.
The 4th Coming Player's Manual
Main Menu
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When you enter the game,
you will first access the Main Menu where you will be offered the following
options:
(E)nter the Realms
This takes you into the character selection menu.
If you do not have a character in the game, it will automatically and
immediately ask you to enter the name for your first character then take you
through the character creation process (see Character Creation, below). If you already
have one or more characters, it will ask you to select one.
(I)ntroduction
This displays an introduction text to The 4th Coming.
This text is reproduced at the beginning of this manual (titled A Tale of the 4th Coming).
(V)iew Credits
You can view here a listing of the fine people who
have worked at making this game. This is their shot at fame and glory, so go
pay them a quick visit when you have a moment.
(Q)uit
T
The 4th Coming Player's Manual
Character Creation
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If you are creating your
first character for T4C, selecting Enter the Realms in the Main Menu
will automatically take you through the character creation process. You can
return to the Main Menu at any time. You can create up to three
characters in The 4th Coming. If you want more, you must purchase an additional
account with your T4C service provider.
Character Name
At the Enter your name prompt, type
the name of your character. You can use any alphanumeric combination, and
spaces are allowed. Type Enter when ready.
Character Gender
You have the option of playing a male or a female
character. You must enter your choice here. Type Next when
you are ready.
The Four Questions
T4C will then ask you four questions which will be
used to determine what kind of character you are going to play. Based on your
answers, the stats for your various attributes will have specific ranges that
make your character a better warrior, rogue, mage or priest. Keep in mind that T4C
has no character classes, and that attributes are often used as
pre-requisites to use certain items, or learn spells & skills.
You can select your answer using the Up and
Down arrows, then pressing Accept when you have
made your selection.
Attributes
Once you've answered the four questions, you will
see your stats appear. If they are not to your satisfaction, you can press Reroll.
If you want to accept the character, simply type Accept.
You will automatically enter the game at this point.
There are seven main attributes (also called
stats) in T4C. As you go up in levels, you will receive stat points which you
can use to increase one of these attributes. Before you spend your points,
however, you should know what each attribute does in the game.
STR: Strength;
this affects how much damage you do with your weapons and how much weight you
can carry in your backpack. Also, several weapons have strength minimums. Until
you have reached that minimum, you can own the weapon but cannot wield it in
combat. Primary attribute for fighters.
END: Endurance; this affects your hit points (a measure of how
much damage you can take in combat). Some weapons and armors require a minimum
of endurance before you can use them in combat. Useful attribute for everyone.
AGI: Agility; this measures your dexterity and general
nimbleness. It affects a number of thief-related skills. Primary attribute for
rogues; also useful for fighter-types.
WIS: Wisdom; this indicates how wise and "connected" with the
gods and how insightful your character is. Several priestly spells (sometimes
also called "miracles") have a minimum wisdom requirement. Primary
attribute for priests.
INT: Intellect; this measures your character's intellect. Many
spells have intelligence requirements; you cannot learn those spells until your
intelligence has reached at least the minimum value. Primary attribute for
wizards.
KARMA: This attribute starts at 0 (neutral) when you create your
character and goes up or down depending on your actions in the game and the
quests you undertake. You will never know what your exact Karma is at, but your
character sheet gives you a one-word description of what it roughly is. Your
Karma somewhat affects your reputation; NPCs sometimes hear about you and judge
you on what they hear. If you cumulate negative Karma, good folks in the towns
may not be friendly with you. Choose your quests carefully, or you might regret
it later when you change your mind and want to take a different path.
Experience and
Levels
As your character fights courageously--or
cowardly--treacherous foes, he or she will gain experience points (XPs). When
you will have acquired enough experience points, you will gain a level and you
will see a Level Up! sign on top of your character. When you have
achieved a level, you will gain 5 attribute points and 15 skill points that you
are free to spend or to keep for later use. You can distribute your attribute
points by summoning your character sheet (ctrl-s).
How can you spend your hard-earned skill points?
You will have to find a trainer willing to teach you a skill or to sharpen the
skills you already have knowledge of. Usually, the trainers will ask for a
small fee for a training session. Be ready to open your pouch for knowledge
does not come cheap in these harsh lands.
Dying can cause a loss in experience points; the
amount of XPs lost varies depending on whether you were killed by a monster or
another player. The percentage lost is determined by the system operator, so
please contact your provider to learn about these penalties. If your total
experience falls below the amount required for the level you're at, your XP bar
will become black and will remain so until you have regained sufficient
experience to start advancing towards the next level again. Dying many times
can give you a "black bar" for a long while, so don't let monsters
kill you just to be teleported back to the temple.
The 4th Coming Player's Manual
Game Interface (part 1)
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Things You Should
Know
Getting Online Context-Sensitive Help
You can get help on any and all features of the
interface simply by right-clicking on it. Some white-on-black text will pop up
and give you some instructions and/or explanations of what you're looking at.
Summoning Interface Menus
The following control keys allow you to summon one
of the many screens of the user interface:
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Ctrl-S/Ctrl-K:
Character sheet & skills
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Ctrl-I:
Equipment/inventory screen
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Ctrl-P: Spellbook
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Ctrl-W: World Map
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Ctrl-A:
Area Map (local map)
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Ctrl-G: Group Play
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Ctrl-L: Chat
center
·
Ctrl-M: Macros
·
Ctrl-O: Options
Menu
The Sidebar
Whenever you summon the game's interface through
one of the multiple control keys, the sidebar to the left will appear (unless
it was already there) and remain on the screen until it is dispelled. There are
seven icons on that sidebar, each of which can be used to summon one of the
interface's many useful screens.
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You can also use the Ctrl-W (World Map) and Ctrl-A
(Area Map) commands, although these don't have an interface per se; they only
display maps for your convenience.
The Backlog Box
This box keeps track of everything that has been
said by you, to you or around you during your current game session (shouts,
pages and online text). Check out the Options Menu if you want to configure what goes
into that box, and if you want to save its contents into a text file. If you
want to say, shout or page, toggle the 
button and
type your speech in the text field to the right.
Standard Buttons
On any screen where they appear, these buttons can
be used for a specific standard function:
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This Macro button means that on this
screen, you can program something into a macro. You should check out the Macros screen for detailed instructions. |
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The Minimize button indicates that you
can have a smaller version of this screen during regular gameplay. It will
usually contain summarized information found on the menu it's attached to. |
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This Close button is pretty
self-explanatory. Click here to dismiss this screen. |
The Character Sheet (Ctrl-S/Ctrl-K)
This sheet contains general information about your
character's attributes, skills and current status (HP, MP, XP, encumbrance,
etc.). Remember to right-click on all these icons to get a more detailed
description of what's what. Please note that the karma does not contain a value,
but rather a one-word approximation of what karma level you're at.
This screen is summoned using either the Ctrl-S or
the Ctrl-K keys.
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Click on any skill icon in your skills listing
(the top right box), then click on the Macro button to use it as a
macro. You can then go into the Macros menu to assign it a shortcut key. |
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Click here to dismiss this screen. |
The Equipment Sheet (Ctrl-I)
This sheet contains some of the data already
displayed in your character sheet (namely, the six attributes) along with the
equipment you are currently wearing and your inventory (properly sorted and
with all item positions saved!).
Inventory Grid &
Identification Box
The box at the bottom right of the equipment
screen is called the inventory grid. It displays a graphic representation of
all the items in your inventory. The black rectangle just above it is called
the identification box. Whenever your mouse cursor passes over an item in the
inventory grid, the identification box displays the item's name and quantity.
You don't need to click to activate it, it always displays that information.
Item Stacking
In order to make the inventory more compact and
convenient, only one of each item is ever displayed, even if you have dozens of
them in the backpack. If you right-click on the item in the inventory grid, you
will have the name of the item listed, accompanied by "x####," where
#### is the actual number of items in your inventory. For instance, if you have
25 Potions of Healing, right-clicking will show "Potion of Healing x25."
This is called item stacking; all items appear as one stack of #### items.
Equipping/Unequipping
Items
You can equip or unequip any item by dragging it
back and forth between the inventory grid and the character representation in
the middle. For instance, if you want to equip a leather armor, left-click on
it in your inventory, move it over the character puppet, and let go of the
mouse button. If you want to unequip it, click on the leather armor in the
equipment box where it is displayed, move it over the inventory grid, and let
go.
Dropping/Junking Items
You can drag an item on the drop button or click
on the item in the inventory grid, then click on the drop button. A pop-up
screen with a numeric field and a slider will ask you how many of of that item
you wish to drop, starting from 1 to as many items as you have in your stack.
Click on OK to confirm that you want to drop this many items of that type, or
on Cancel if you changed your mind.
Junking items (Junk button) works along the same
principles, but you get one more chance to confirm that you REALLY want to
destroy these items. Junking permanently deletes the item from your backpack
and from the game, so you should do this carefully. Once deleted, these items
are completely gone.
No confirmation is necessary to drop an item, but
it is mandatory before junking one. Don't be surprised if the game asks
you twice to make sure you know what you're doing.
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Drag any item from your inventory grid onto this
button to drop the item on the ground near your character. |
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Drag any item from your inventory grid onto this
button to permanently destroy (junk) this item. |
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Click on any item icon in your inventory grid
(middle right box), then click on the Macro button to use it as a
macro. You can then go into the Macros menu to assign it a shortcut key. |
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Click here to dismiss this screen. |
The Spell Book (Ctrl-P)
This menu contains your spells, along with some
vital data on them (icon, name, type, duration, mana cost, level, etc.). Click
on the top corner of the pages to go back or to the next page of your
spellbook. Double-click on the spell of your choice to cast it. Once you've
cast a spell that has a duration, an icon will appear on the top left of your
game screen. You can right-click on that icon to have the name of the spell and
its remaining duration.
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Click on any spell in your inventory grid, then
click on the Macro button to use it as a macro. You can then go into
the Macros menu to assign it a shortcut key. |
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Click here to dismiss this screen. |
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The six
elemental tabs at the bottom of the spellbook are shortcuts that take you
directly to the section of your spellbook that contains spells of that
element. |
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Fire spells |
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Water spells |
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Air spells |
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Earth spells |
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Light spells |
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Darkness spells |
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Non-elemental spells |
The Group Play Menu
(Ctrl-G)
This menu allows you to create a group of players
("party") who stay together to adventure. Gold and experience are
split accordingly to the levels of the various party members. A group can even
part ways (i.e. into sub-groups that are out of visual range) and still split
gold and XPs between the members of those sub-groups. You can see how each
party member is doing (health-wise) by looking at their respective health bars
in the menu.
In order for party members to benefit from group
play advantages, they must remain within a certain range from each other.
Members that go astray lose those benefits. If several members of a group move
away from the main group but remain close to each other, they benefit from
group play advantages between themselves, but not from the main group. So if
Group A splits into two groups, Group B (which heads East) and Group C (which
goes West), then neither group will benefit from the other one's rewards, but
they will share the loot among themselves automatically. If they meet by chance
a while later, they will once again become Group A. Hence, physically splitting
up by moving away from the main group does not disband the group, it only
temporarily suspends group play advantages.
NOTE: A group cannot be made of more than 8 party
members.
Minimized Group Play
Listing
You can minimize the group play screen to have a
short listing on the side of your screen. It includes the name and health bar
of each group member. If the name is in white, then it means the party member
is within group play range and benefits from all group play advantages (gold/XP
splitting, healing, etc.). If the name is in gray, that means the party member
is out of range and does not benefit from group play advantages.
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If you are not already member or leader of a
party, you can click on this button to invite someone to join you in a new
party (you will be its leader). If you are already the leader of a party, you
can click on this butto to invite someone to join your group. If you are in a
party but are not its leader, clicking on this button will have no effect.
Once you've clicked on this button, you must click on the person in your game
screen you wish to invite. That person will be forwarded your invitation and
given the option to accept or decline it. |
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If you wish to leave a group, simply click on
this button and you will be removed from the group's listings. If you are the
leader of a group, doing this disbands the group. |
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If you are the leader of a group, you can expel
anyone with a click of this button. If you are not the leader of the group,
this button will have no effect. |
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If you are the leader of a group, you can opt to
have the gold split evenly between members of your party. Gold will otherwise
be given following the standard rules in T4C (he who delivers the final blow
gets all). |
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The Minimize button gives you a smaller
version of this screen during regular gameplay. It contains summarized data
on the members of your group. |
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Click here to dismiss this screen. |
The 4th Coming Player's Manual
Game Interface (part 2)
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The Chat Center (Ctrl-L)
This is probably one of the most community-oriented
features in T4C, which can now be used as a chat room as well as a game. Anyone
can now create a channel and give it a password (or not) so you can have
conversations with your friends. If a password is necessary, only people who
know it can access that channel. Traditional paging is still possible and done
with the click of a toggle button. It's also possible to have an online
"ignore list" where you can relegate users who bother you. Any
message or invitation to join a party from them will be automatically turned
down. (You can always "remember" them at a later time if they
apologize to you.)
Things You Should Know
About Channels
There are two types of channels, public
channels (or system channels) and player channels. Public
channels are either the "Main" channel or channels added by the
administrator. Public channels cannot be dismissed and display all players who
have joined them. Players can disable any public channel, but not remove them
from their list.
Player channels are private; they are listed only
on the clients of their subscribers. You may create an unlimited number of
player channels. Upon creating the channel, you can add a password to prevent
other players from subscribing to the channel without your permission. When a
player disconnects, s/he is removed from the channel; if the channel becomes
empty, it is removed from the game (but anyone can re-create it later on). When
you log back, your T4C client automatically re-creates all channels to which
you were subscribed before logging off. If a discarded channel was re-created
by someone else with another password, you will need to know the new password
or find another channel name.
Shouts/Pages/Speech
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In the text field next to this icon, you can
type anything you wish to say, shout or page. You can toggle the icon to
alternate between paging, channel-talking or just plain talking. |
If you are paging someone, you will need to enter
a valid player name (who is online) in the first field, and your text in the
second one. If that person is accepting pages, s/he will receive your message
privately. You can also double-click on someone's name in the player listing of
a channel. The page option will automatically be activated and you simply need
to type your text (followed by the Return key) to page that person. During the
normal gameplay screen, you can also use the traditional /<"user
name"> text syntax to send someone a message directly without
summoning the chat center interface.
If you are channel-talking, your message will be
sent to everyone who is subscribed on the channel you last clicked on. You can
also prefix ":" (colon character) before your text to send it to the
[CC Main] channel. If you prefix ";" (semi-colon character) before
your text, it will send your speech directly to the last channel you clicked on
(this works even if you are not currently channel-talking).
If you are just plain talking, your text will
appear above your character's head and anyone within line of sight will see it.
Creating a Channel
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It is possible for anyone to create a new
channel. Click on this icon to do so. |
You will be prompted for a channel name and
password (optional). Channel names are not displayed to everyone, except the
[CC Main] channel (and any public channel created by your T4C provider), which
is for everyone in the game. If you do not provide a password for your channel,
it is considered public. Anyone who knows your channel's name can join it
without permission. If you provided a password, it is considered private and
players who want to join must enter the password to do so.
Whenever messages are sent from any of the
channels you are on, they will appear in the backlog box with the channel's
name between brackets (ex.: "[CC Main]"). If you do not want to
receive messages from a specific channel, simply click on the green sphere
(it'll become red) to disable it; you will no longer receive messages from that
channel.
Leaving a Channel
|
|
As mentioned above, you can leave a player
channel by clicking on the channel you wish to leave, then on this icon. |
If you are the last person to leave a player
channel, this channel is discarded by the system. It will be automatically
re-created next time one of the channel's subscribers connects to the game,
unless someone else has borrowed the name and put a different password on it.
Ignoring a Player
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If you do not wish to receive messages from an
individual, click on that person's name in the listing, then on this icon. |
That player's name will be added to a list of
individuals you wish to ignore (we call this the Ignore List). This
person will not be notified s/he is being ignored and you will not receive any
of his/her messages (pages, shouts, normal speech).
Remembering a Player
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|
You can un-ignore someone (we call this
"remembering" a player) on your Ignore List by clicking on this
icon. You will be shown a list of player names (that's your Ignore List). You
can click on any name, then on this icon again. |
Ignoring Pages
|
|
Ignoring pages is done by clicking on this icon. |
This is not the same thing as ignoring shouts or
ignoring normal speech. If someone tries to page you, s/he will be told that
you are not receiving pages at this time, and asked to try again later. This is
not considered as rude as ignoring a player (which is the last resort) and is
generally well perceived by most players.
Ignore List
|
|
The Ignore List can be accessed by clicking on
this icon. |
As mentioned above, it will list the names of all
players you are ignoring. You can type a name in the field next to ADD to
(obviously) add new names to that list.
You can remove someone from the list by clicking
on his/her name, then on the remember icon.
Coloring a Channel
If you want all text coming from a channel to be
colored differently from the rest of your channels, double left-click on that
specific channel in your listing. It will rotate through seven potential colors
until returning to the first one. This can be neat if you want to spot messages
from a specific group among everyone else's messages.
|
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Click here to dismiss this screen. |
The Macro Menu (Ctrl-M)
Macros are keyboard functions that you can use
instead of wading through several menus to find a specific spell, item or
skill. You can program some macros on some of the keyboard's function keys and
up to six of them can be used in a minimized version of the macro screen for
mouse-supported usage.
In order to have a macro in the listing, you must
first go to one of the three macro-supported screens (Spell Book, Inventory or
Character Sheet). There, you click on the spell, item or skill you want to
transform into a macro, and click on the MACRO button. Once you have
done that, you can return to the Macro screen and you will find that spell, item
or skill in the Macro listing. Double-click in the "Key" box next to
the entry of your choice and a pop-up menu will appear, asking you for a valid
shortcut key for your macro. Some default macros already exist in the game:
·
F1: General newbie help screens.
·
F2: Drink light healing potion
·
F3: Drink potion of mana
·
F4: Light Torch
·
F9: Repeat last command/text. (WARNING:
If you bind this key to a macro, you will lose the ability to repeat the
last text or command for this character, so you should avoid doing this.)
You can also create a minimized version of your
macros for mouse usage during regular game play. First, select one of your
macros, then click on the ">>" button. This will add the macro
to the six-pack of minimized macros. If you want to remove a macro from the
minimized menu, select one from the six-pack and click on the
"<<" button. While in the game, you can use your minimized
macros by double-clicking on the macro icon on your screen, then selecting a
target (if necessary).
NOTE: Macros
work even if an interface screen blocks your view. This means if you have a
shortcut key to your healing potions, you can still use them while browsing
through your spellbook.
|
|
Click here to go directly to your spellbook. |
|
|
Click here to go directly to your inventory. |
|
|
Click here to go directly to your character
sheet. |
|
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If you wish to remove a macro from your
list of macros, first select the macro using the mouse, then click on this
icon. The macro will be removed and any bound key will be released. |
|
|
The Minimize button gives you a smaller
version of this screen during regular gameplay. It contains a six-pack of
mouse-usable macros. |
|
|
Click here to dismiss this screen. |
The Options Menu (Ctrl-O)
These are various options in the game. One of the
most interesting ones is the Status Icon toggle, which allows you to see all
effects on your character that have a duration (this is documented in the Effects Icons below). In plain English, that
means if you have a spell on you, you have a little icon showing its type and a
little bar indicating how long it's got before expiring.
|
|
This slider allows you to set the volume of the
game's music to your preference. |
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This slider allows you to set the volume of the
game's special effects to your preference. |
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This slider allows you to set the brightness of
the game to your preference. |
|
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This option is not currently supported. Eventually, if T4C music is available on a special CD,
you can play the music from the CD through this option. |
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This checkbox allows you to decide whether you
want walls, trees and other terrain features to be transparent or opaque.
Check the box to choose transparency over opacity. |
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If you check this box, the game will display
status icons (spells or items that have a duration effect) in the top left
corner of your game screen. |
|
|
The Backscroll options allow you to
determine whether you want to log everything that is said to you and/or what
you say to people, and to save it in a file if you so desire. The file is
limited to 10,000 lines of text; as soon as that limit is reached, the 500
oldest lines are lost and 500 new ones can be captured (and so on, and on,
and on...) |
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Click here to exit the game. It will return you
to your computer desktop. |
|
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Click here to dismiss this screen. |
The "BUY" Menu
|
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Click on these arrows to increase or decrease
the number of items you wish to purchase. |
|
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Once you are finished purchasing all items,
click on this button to confirm the transaction. If you do not have enough
gold, you will receive an error message. |
|
|
Click here to dismiss this screen. |
The "SELL" Menu
|
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Click on these arrows to increase or decrease
the number of items you wish to sell. |
|
|
Once you are finished purchasing all items,
click on this button to confirm the transaction. |
|
|
Click here to dismiss this screen. |
The "TEACH" Menu
|
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Click on the up arrow learn the skill/spell or
on the down arrow if you change your mind. |
|
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Once you are finished spending your skill
points, click on this button to confirm you wish to learn the skill(s) you
have selected.. |
|
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Click here to dismiss this screen. |
The "TRAIN" Menu
|
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Click on these arrows to increase or decrease
the number of points you wish to invest into training a skill. |
|
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Once you are finished spending your skill
points, click on this button to confirm you wish to train the skill(s) you
have selected. |
|
|
Click here to dismiss this screen. |
World Map (Ctrl-W)
By summoning this map, you can have an overall
view of the world map.
Area Map (Ctrl-A)
If you summon this map, you will get either a map
of the town you're in (if you're in a town), of the island you're in (if you're
in the wilderness) or the world map (if you're in a cavern or a dungeon).
Effects Icons
A number of icons may appear at the top left of
your screen if you have checked the Status Icons box in the Options menu. These icons represent each effect
that has a duration and are aligned vertically, starting with the one that has
the least remaining time.
When the spell or effect is about to expire, its
icon starts blinking.
To re-cast a spell or reuse a related item from
your backpack, simply double-click on the spell effect icon and it will be done
automatically (you don't have to go through any of your screens or use a
macro).
|
The 4th Coming Player's Manual |
During the course of your
adventures, you will gather a good number of items. Some of them can be used
(potions, torches, magic scrolls, etc.), others can be equipped (weapons,
armors, rings, etc.).
Items that are used vanish from
your backpack when they are exhausted. Items that can be equipped vanish from
your backpack and show up in your status box when they are equipped, and return
to your backpack when they are unequipped.
Some items can be used more than
once. They have a number of charges which are used up every time the
item is double-clicked on. Some other items also have attribute or level
requirements. If you do not meet these requirements, you will not be able to use
or equip these items and they will remain in your backpack.
Items that are left on the ground
can be picked up. Simply move your mouse cursor until the item's outline shows
up, then click with your left mouse button. The item will disappear from sight
and reappear in your equipment window (Ctrl-I).
If you want to drop an item on the
ground, you must first open your backpack, move the mouse cursor over the item,
hold the left mouse button and drag the onto the drop button. Once you let go
of the mouse button, the item will remain on the ground. If you wish to destroy
an item permanently, drag it onto the junk button instead, and the item will be
permanently removed from the game.
To use a particular item, you must
double-click on it using the left mouse button. If the item has multiple
charges, it will remain in your backpack until all the charges are exhausted.
Every use of the item burns up one charge. Most items (potions, torches, etc.)
have only one charge and vanish as soon as they are used.
Equipping &
Un-Equipping Items
To equip an item, you will have to
open both your equipment (Ctrl-I) window. Left-click on the desired item
you wish to equip in your backpack and drag it on the black silhouette in the statistic
window (see image below). The item will automatically equip itself where it
should be (torso, hand, feet, head, etc.). If you do not have the proper
requirement(s) for wearing a particular piece of armor or to wield a weapon, it
will return into your backpack and an system message will appear at the bottom
of your screen.
If you wish to unequip a particular
item, open your equipment window (Ctrl-I), double-click on it and it
will automatically return into your backpack (unless it is a cursed item, in
which case it will remain equipped). Note that the Gem of Destiny cannot
be unequipped (anyway, why would you want to remove an item that saves your
life?).
Partial Items
Listing & Requirements
You will find in the Goodies section of this site a partial listing
of the armor, weapons and magical items that you can use in T4C. Also,
many fan sites offer similar lists, often with added information such as where
you can get them.
|
The 4th Coming Player's Manuals Combat |
The ability to fight monsters and
other players is an important aspect of The 4th Coming. Combat is mostly
done using the left mouse button. With it, you can move and attack certain
targets.
IMPORTANT: In order to fight other players
(within PvP limits; see below) or peaceful NPCs, you must toggle your
combat mode on. You can do this by pressing the Combat Mode toggle (Ctrl-C).
When a small sword appears in the lower right corner of your screen, you are in
Combat Mode and can attack anyone (well, almost).
Attacking is done using the left
mouse button. Simply click over an enemy when your cursor icon is a sword, and
your character will immediately attack that victim. If you are too far,
however, your character may have to move in order to catch your opponent. If
you do not want your character to move in the direction of your target, hold Shift
while attacking to stay where you are while you swing.
When you hit an enemy, you will
hear a special sound effect indicating you have successfully hit. Your chances
to hit are determined by your Attack Skill and the defender's Dodge Skill (more
on this later). The higher your Attack Skill, the higher the odds of
successfully hitting someone (or something). The amount of damage varies based
on your weapon's base damage, your strength attribute and, in the case of
magical weapons, a variety of other factors (we're not telling).
Ranged weapons work almost exactly
like melee weapons, with a few differences. They require a new skill (Archery),
which is learned from various teachers throughout the game, just like the
Attack skill. The higher the Archery skill, the more accurate the attacks.
Archery is heavily based on the user's AGI, so it is important to spend points
into AGI if you wish to be a good archer.
To use a bow (or any ranged
weapon), you must equip the weapon in your right hand and the quiver in your
left hand. You will notice that some quivers are unlimited while some others
are not. Most "basic" arrow times come in unlimited quivers, so you
can shoot those arrows as much as you want and they'll never run out. Other
arrow types (such as magical arrows) come in limited quantities and should be
used sparingly. Once your quiver runs out of arrows, you get an error message
and you must equip a new quiver from your backpack.
This feature can help prevent death
due to lag. As soon as you start fighting someone, the server is notified of
your attempt and you automatically enter auto-combat mode. Auto-combat is
possible with melee combat and offensive spells (we call this melee auto-combat
and magic auto-combat). Once in auto-combat, if you do nothing, your character
will automatically attack at its earliest convenience and keep on attacking
every time it's his turn. This way, even if you get disconnected for one reason
or another, you will at least finish your current fight.
These are some of the events that
can affect your auto-combat status:
·
The
monster wanders too far from your character.
·
Moving
in any direction cancels your auto-combat.
·
Left-clicking
on a new opponent cancels your auto-combat with your first opponent and sets
you in auto-combat with the new target.
·
If
you are in melee auto-combat and cast a non-healing spell, melee auto-combat is
interrupted and magic auto-combat kicks in.
·
If
you are in magic auto-combat and cast an offensive spell other than the one in
auto-combat, your magic auto-combat will use the new spell you have cast.
·
If
you are in magic auto-combat and cast a healing spell, you drop out of
auto-combat and the healing spell is cancelled. You must wait for your mental
exhaustion to be over before casting your healing spell again. You will also
need to re-enter auto-combat after your healing spell is done.
·
In
ranged weapons, auto-combat is uninterrupted if you use an unlimited quiver. If
your quiver is limited, however, and there is blocking between you and your
target, auto-combat is interrupted after the first arrow hits the blocking.
You cannot "actively"
defend against an attack (i.e. you don't have a "defend" button to
click), but you can improve your chances of avoiding damage by raising
your Dodge Skill (more on this later). You can also equip heavy armor to absorb
damage. All armor has an Armor Class (AC) value which is subtracted from the
damage you receive when you're hit. (Note that some spells are not affected by
the armor you wear.)
Whenever someone takes damage, you
will notice his (or her) outline gradually changing color, going from green
(healthy) to red (near death). You should also pay close attention to your own
Hit Points (HPs) bar (top right of your screen). As you become increasingly
hurt, that bar will become shorter. When you have no more Hit Points (when your
HP bar vanishes), you die.
Fortunately, in the world of The
4th Coming, death is not the end of the game. You carry with you a Gem of
Destiny that teleports you to a safe haven (a "sanctuary") a fraction
of a second before you die. At the beginning of the game, it teleports you back
to the starting point (the temple in Lighthaven). Later on, NPCs allow you to
change the location of that "sanctuary."
Player Versus Player (PvP) Settings
In a game that allows players to
fight one another, there are necessary restrictions and rules to follow. T4C
can be configured so that some users can only fight some others. The two PvP
settings are: Minimum PvP Level and PvP Range.
Minimum PvP Level is the level at which PvP starts.
Below that level, you can neither kill other players, nor be killed by them.
This feature ensures that newcomers to the game (also called newbies) do
not get killed by veteran players as soon as they enter the game. Anyone below
the Minimum PvP Value in levels cannot attack other players. Be sure to
ask your service provider for the level at which PvP starts. For instance, if
the minimum level has been set to 5, then players from level 1 to 4 inclusively
cannot attack other players (they can still kill monsters, however).
PvP Range is a plus/minus value that
determines the range of levels that a player can attack. For instance, if a
player is level 13 and the PvP Range is set to 4, then that player can
attack anyone from level (13 - 4 =) 9 to (13 + 4 =) 17. This ensures that only
players who are of roughly similar power levels can attack each other.
These two settings vary for each T4C
service provider. Be sure to ask your ISP representative about it.
NOTE 1: PvP settings also affect
some skills (such as Rob) and all combat spells.
NOTE 2: All of Lighthaven, all
temples and teleportation rings are haven areas; in those areas, no PvP may
occur.
The 4th Coming Player's Manual
Skills
|
What Are Skills?
Skills represent non-magical abilities that you
can use in the game to improve your overall performance. Some of them are
usable in combat, some others not.
They can be learned from some NPCs and trained by
others. In order to learn skills, you must travel abroad and ask various NPCs
if you can learn from them or if they can train you.
Important:
When you go up in levels (see Experience), you receive Skill Points.
These points are necessary for you to learn not just skills, but spells as well,
so spend them wisely.
Learning &
Training Skills
Most skills have attribute and level requirements.
These vary depending on the skills and the NPC who teaches them. Since there
are no set values to these requirements, you must learn what they are by asking
NPCs about them.
Once you have found an NPC that is willing to
teach you a skill, a teaching screen will appear:
Click on the skill you want to learn (assuming you
are offered more than one), then click on the Learn button. If you do
not have enough skill points, an error message will appear at the bottom of
your screen. Otherwise, you have learned the skill and can now use it and/or train
it.
Once you have learned a skill, you can train it.
This costs you both skill points and gold pieces. Ask the NPC who taught you
the skill to train you in it, and a training screen will appear:
Click on the skill you want to train (if there is
more than one), then use the + or - buttons to the right of the
skill to increase or decrease the number of skill points you want to invest
into learning the skill. Note that you cannot spend less than 0 skill points.
If you do not have enough gold pieces to train, you will not be able to spend
all your skill points. When you are ready, click on the Train button.
Note:
Aside from the Attack and Dodge skills, no skill can be trained
above a rating of 100.
Using Skills
Skills can either be active or passive.
Active skills require you to voluntarily activate them. Passive skills are used
automatically whenever the conditions are right and require no intervention on
your part. Active skills include First Aid, Meditate, Peek and Rob. Some skills
also require a target (such as Rob). When a target is required, a system
message instructs you to select one (using your left mouse button).
To use an active skill, summon your Character
Sheet Box (Ctrl-S). The screen below will appear:
The list of your character's skill is in the top
right section of this box. Move your mouse cursor over the skill you want to
use (use the Up or Down arrow keys on the vertical slider to see
your other skills if you have more than four). Double left-click on the skill
you wish to use.
Skills Descriptions
Armor Penetration
(Passive)
The Armor Penetration technique allows a
character to pinpoint the weak spot in his opponent's armor, thus reducing its
effectiveness in absorbing damage. This skill works automatically during combat
(with both melee and ranged weapons). If it is successful, it reduces the
opponent's AC. The higher the skill, the more the defender's AC is reduced (up
to a point).
Attack (N/A)
This skill allows a character to fight more
effectively. The higher the value, the higher the odds of successfully hitting
someone (with or without a weapon).
Dodge (N/A)
This skill allows a character to avoid attacks.
The higher the value, the higher the odds of successfully evading attacks.
First Aid (Active/Self
Only)
The First Aid technique allows a character
to mend physical injuries suffered during combat. Note that the skill can fail,
worsening the wounds instead of healing them. Also, the character needs to have
at least one bandage in his backpack for the skill to work. The damage healed
tends to increase with the skill's rating and the user's level.
Meditate (Active/Self
Only)
The Meditate technique increases a
character's ability to regain lost mana. Once initiated, the skill is effective
until the character moves, attacks or casts a spell, or performs any other
action. Meditation is always successful and simply increases the recovery rate
of lost mana.
Parry (Passive)
The Parry technique allows a character to
deflect a physical attack with his weapon. If the parry attempt succeeds, the
damage received from a physical strike is reduced to zero (0). Note that there
are always odds that parrying will fail.
Peek (Active/Target)
The Peek technique allows a character to
glimpse into another character's inventory (backpack). It must be used within
close range of the target. Failure to peek successfully may be detected by the
target (not always).
Pick Lock (Active/Target)
The Pick Lock technique allows a character
to open a locked door or chest by forcing or otherwise bypassing the locking
mechanism. The odds of success increase with the skill's rating and go down
depending on the lock's complexity. Note that picking locks requires
concentration and you will not be able to attack anyone for a few seconds when
you use that skill.
Powerful Blow (Passive)
The Powerful Blow technique increases the
amount of damage done during physical combat (with both melee and ranged
weapons). If successful, damage is increased automatically.
Rapid Healing (Passive)
The Rapid Healing technique increases a
character's ability to regenerate lost hit points. The higher the skill, the
faster the character recovers lost hit points.
Rob (Active/Target)
The Rob technique allows a character to
steal an object from someone else's inventory. The character must have learned
the Peek skill at a minimum level before this skill can be learned.
Failure to rob successfully may be detected by the target (not always).
Stun Blow (Passive)
The Stun Blow technique allows a character
to temporarily disable his opponent (with both melee and ranged weapons). If
the blow is successful, the defender is stunned and cannot act for a short
period of time.
Skills Requirements
Listing
These are the various requirements for the skills
in the game (as of version 1.06).
|
The 4th Coming Player's Manual
Spells
|
What Are Spells?
Spells represent magical and/or miraculous
abilities which players can learn and use to their advantage in the game. In
the world of T4C, spells are divided into two main categories: mage spells and
priest spells. Mage spells are based on Intellect whereas priest spells
are based on Wisdom. Unlike skills, which can be used as often as you
want, spells require magic points (also called mana by some people).
Some potions (such as the Potion of Mana) and skills (such as Meditate)
allow you to restore your mana.
Learning Spells
Most spells have attribute and level requirements.
These vary depending on the spells and the NPC who teaches them. Since there
are no set values to these requirements, you must learn what they are by asking
NPCs about them. Also, spells require that you spend Skill Points to
learn them. If you do not have skill points left, you cannot learn spells.
Lastly, you should be aware that some spells have pre-requisite spells,
that is, spells that you must have already learned before you can learn this
new one. Most mentors will tell you about this when you ask to be taught a new
spell that you can't learn.
To learn a spell from a teacher, say
"Learn" to that NPC. A "Teach" box will appear. Click on
the spell you want to learn (assuming you are offered more than one), then
click on the Learn button (to the right, above the yellow +/- buttons).
If you do not have enough skill points or gold pieces, you will not be allowed
to learn the spell. Otherwise, you have learned the spell. Unlike skills,
spells cannot be improved.
Note: The Macro
button does not work on this screen, nor do the + or - buttons.
Using Spells
In order to use a spell, you must open your spellbook
(Ctrl-P), then double-click on the spell of your choice using your mouse
button. If you need instructions on how to navigate within the spellbook, visit
the Spellbook section of the Game Interface chapter.
Exhaustion
Spells also have additional limitations that
skills do not have: they cause exhaustion. There are three types of
exhaustion: mental, physical and movement. Mental Exhaustion prevents
your character from casting spells. Physical Exhaustion prevents you
from physically attacking an opponent. Movement Exhaustion prevents you
from moving. Exhaustion lasts for a variable period of time depending on the
spell and the exhaustion type.
Blocking
Some spells can go over blocking while some others
can't. If you start firing at a monster that is standing on the other side of a
wall or a rock, he will not take any damage from your attack (unless the spell
has an area of effect. of course). Bear in mind that if auto-combat kicks in
and your opponent is hiding behind blocking, your character will keep on firing
against the blocking item until it runs out of mana points. It's up to you to
realize that you're not hitting the target and to interrupt auto-combat to try
a different angle or another combat spell.
Spells
Descriptions
Spells are described using the elements below. We
list a few sample spells at the end of this section.
Name
This is pretty self-explanatory.
Type
Attacks can be physical or mana-based. If they are
physical, then physical protection (such as armor) applies against the damage
taken. If they are mana-based, then physical protection doesn't apply.
Duration
Spells last only for a limited amount of time.
Many are instantaneous (no duration), while some others can last for up to a
few minutes. Durations are noted instantaneous (0 seconds), short (1-30
seconds), medium (30 seconds-2 minutes) or long (2 minutes and up).
Mana
Casting a spell costs a certain number of magic
(or mana) points. When you have no more magic points (MPs), you need to wait
before you can cast again.
Level
Not all spells can be learned at the same level.
Usually, the higher the pre-requisite level, the more powerful the spell.
Looking at the level of a spell can give you an indication of which spell is
the more powerful within an element.
Element
Some spells are based on one of the Four Elements
(Earth, Air, Water and Fire), one of the Two Natures ("Light" and
"Dark") or are simply non-elemental. Some monsters are more or less
vulnerable to certain elements, so knowing which spell to use against which
monster is important.
Spells Listing
You will find in the Goodies section of this site a partial listing
of the spells
that you can use in T4C. Also, many fan sites offer similar lists, often with
added information such as where you can get them.
|
The 4th Coming Player's Manual Quests |
In the world of T4C, you can either
adventure on your own, killing monsters and accumulating treasure, or you can
partake in major and minor quests assigned to you by NPCs. Major quests form
the backbone of a large, epic storyline of good versus evil in which you can
become an important and heroic player. As you progress, you will find that
there is a "Good Quest" and an "Evil Quest." If you go too
far into one, you will find it hard to come back and change storylines. As
such, you should think carefully before getting involved with the
"wrong" kind of people. NPCs remember who you are and what you have
done, and may refuse to speak to you altogether if you have become what they
consider an unsavory individual.
Minor quests can be done by most
people, usually regardless of how "good" or "evil" they
are.
Quests can be difficult to find,
sometimes. You have to talk to NPCs and focus on their keywords, following
their train of thought and figuring out what might interest them. Sometimes,
vital keywords they respond to aren't highlighted, so you may want to try some
words even if they don't appear important at first. Often, you will also be
given choices. Make your decisions carefully. You cannot always come back and
change your mind after the fact.
If you want to try your hand at
questing, why don't you go visit the Lighthaven Samaritan and mention to him
that you'd like to do some errand for him. Upon mentioning that word,
he'll ask you to do the Rat Quest (a minor quest asking you to kill
plenty of rats).
Quests have a variety of
requirements and an even greater variety of rewards. Some of them will give you
gold and/or item(s), some others experience points, and some will just ask you
to fulfill additional quests. In addition to these rewards, some quests have an
"invisible" effect on how NPCs perceive you in general. For instance,
if you have performed several good deeds, it may open up some quests while
closing some others to you.
The Rat Quest (see just above), for
example, rewards you with a few thousand experience points for your trouble.
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The 4th Coming Player's Manual Trading |
There are several ways of obtaining
gold pieces. First, you automatically receive gold from killing monsters. These
rewards go straight into your backpack and require no action on your part.
Second, you can receive gold from other players. They simply drop the gold on
the ground, you left-click on the gold pile, and it is saved into your
backpack. Third, you can go to vendors in towns and sell them items that you've
collected in dungeons or traded with other players. Most vendors will give you
a small amount in return for your items, which will be transferred
automatically into your backpack once the transaction is done.
While it's not perfectly realistic,
there is no actual limit to the amount of gold you can carry.
If you wish to pick up a gold pile
on the ground, left-click on it. If you are close enough, it will vanish from
the ground and appear in your backpack. If there is something blocking your way
(wall, water, etc.), you will be unable to pick up the gold pile.
If you wish to drop some gold on
the ground, you must first open your backpack (Ctrl-I), then drag your
gold pile onto the drop button. A pop-up box will ask you how much you want to
drop. Type the amount or use the slider to choose how much you want to drop.
Press Enter or click on OK to confirm. A gold pile will appear near your
character with the specified amount of gold in it.
In T4C, it is possible to deposit
some of your gold in a bank, effectively "saving" your gold. This
way, even if you die, you do not risk losing any of your hard-earned cash. Most
towns have a banker (but not all). Visit all the NPCs to figure out who the
banker is. All banks are "international," that is, if you deposit
your money in one town, you can still withdraw it in another town, from another
banker. All banks are linked.
To deposit gold, type "DEPOSIT
<X> GOLD," where <X> is the number of gold pieces you wish to
deposit. Do not put a comma in the amount you are depositing! For
instance, if you wish to deposit ten thousand gold pieces, type DEPOSIT
10000 GOLD, not DEPOSIT 10,000 GOLD. If you do so, you will only deposit 10
gold pieces, not 10,000.
If you wish to know how much money
is left in your bank account, just type "BALANCE." The banker will
immediately tell you how much gold you can withdraw.
If you wish to withdraw some gold
from your account, type "WITHDRAW <X> GOLD," where <X> is
the number of gold pieces you wish to withdraw. Do not put a comma in the
amount you are withdrawing! For instance, if you wish to withdraw ten
thousand gold pieces, type WITHDRAW 10000 GOLD, not WITHDRAW 10,000
GOLD. If you do so, you will only withdraw 10 gold pieces, not 10,000.
It is highly recommended
that you do trading in a closed room, so that no one comes in to steal your
items or money. Before doing any transaction with anyone, make sure you
negotiate the right price and both agree on it. Drop your gold or item in a
corner far from the person you are trading with, and verify what the other
person dropped by right-clicking on it. If the amount or item are correct, go
fetch your part of the deal while the person you traded with does the same
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The 4th Coming Player's Manual Environment |
Time elapses faster in the game
than it does in real life. We call this measure "game time." In the
table below, we give an equivalent from game time to real time. Day and night
are split roughly equally.
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Night time is usually much darker
than day time, and it is best to bring a light source (such as a torch) to
better see at night. They are especially useful in dungeons, which have some
light sources but are otherwise very, very dark. Torches last approximately 10
minutes of real time (about a little over three hours in game time). They can
easily be purchased in the cities. Some monsters also drop them in dungeons.
When you start the game for the
first time, it's entirely possible that you will find it a bit dark. Open your
backpack. You will find there some starting equipment, including a torch or
two. Just double-click on that torch with your left mouse button and the screen
will brighten up for a while. You can also type F4 to quickly light a
torch without opening your backpack. Also, when you open up a menu (Options
menu, Backpack, Skills, Spellbook, etc.), the screen will light up temporarily
so you can see the menu clearly. When you close those menus, brightness returns
to normal.
Some NPCs do or say different
things depending on the time of day. Make sure to visit them at both times if
you are on a specific quest that may involve them.
There are a great number of
dungeons and caverns in the World of Althea. Both are usually located
underground and are infested with monsters and various nefarious creatures. The
main difference lies in the amount of light you have. Dungeons often contain
torches to light part of the way, allowing for a generally higher level of
lighting than caverns. The latter, being in uncivilized areas, are much darker.
It would be unwise to go adventuring in a cavern without any source of light.