Alternate Reality Dungeon Character editor program

[Gunstar]

I'm looking for The Dungeon character editor program, and I'm not refering to that crappy Turbo-basic one made by some Flanigan guy, but another one that actually used a graphic menu system like AR:D. I have it on floppy disk, right next to me, but my computer is not working right now, so I'm using an emulator and I can't find the original ATR. image that I used to make the disk I have on my computer anywhere, I think it was lost when my HD crashed last year. I have been playing AR:C and I have transfered my character to the Dungeon, but I want to use the editor to put back all the items and other things that AR:D takes away from you when you enter (a pet peeve of mine was always that Datasoft did this). Can anyone help me find the OTHER AR: Dungeon character editor program? Again NOT that TB one by that Flanigan guy, which is all I found so far. Thank you very much in advance!

[Gunstar]

Well, after waiting an entire day with no replies, I realized that this wasn't going to be easy. So, after searching the internet for the AR:D Character editor I wanted, and finding only the VERY LAME and practically useless character editor made by this Ben Flanagan guy, I dug out my 1050 drive and 10502PC adapter and re-installed A.P.E to use the Prosystem program. I took my own AR:D Character Editor floppy disk and created a new ATR out of the disk. since it seems this fine program is no longer on the net anywhere I can find, and I want to post it here, but I'm not being allowed to post it as an .ATR or .RAR archive file, so...what file types ARE accepted?!? It says "upload failed. You are not permitted to upload this type of file"

[Mathy]

Hello Gunstar

 

Have you tried .zip?

 

Greetings

 

Mathy

[Gunstar]

Hello Gunstar

 

Have you tried .zip?

 

Greetings

 

Mathy

 

I have Win.rar and I was just attempting to install Win.zip 11 but when I do, it won't install becuase it says "a device is not working" or something to that effect, I don't know what it is, becuase it doesn't specify what isn't working. So, all I can use is .rar for archiving and apparently that's not accepted on AA. So, I can't post the program. I think it's a farce that nothing can be attached other than .zip files and pictures...

Edited July 15, 2008 by Gunstar

[Gunstar]

Ok, I was able to find a classic version of winzip that installed properly, so, here is the AR: Dungeon Character editor attached below!

ARDCE.zip

[bfollett]

Ok, I was able to find a classic version of winzip that installed properly, so, here is the AR: Dungeon Character editor attached below!

 

The disk seems to be blank. Just 707 free sectors on a directory listing from atari800win.

 

Bob

[Gunstar]

Hmm...if that's the case, then it occured when I zipped it, becuase the original disk gave me a valid .ATR image that I've used successfully. I'm not experienced with zipping stuff, only extracting...I'll try again.

 

Well, I downloaded the zip file above and extracted it and it works fine in the emulator, so it isn't blank. So you are doing something wrong on your end. It's a valid archive with a valid .ATR image. It's an autorun program, just mount it in drive one and run the emulator. There's no reason to try and list a directory of the disk.

Edited July 18, 2008 by Gunstar

[spookt]

Just booted it in Atari800MacX and it works fine.

[bfollett]

Well, I downloaded the zip file above and extracted it and it works fine in the emulator, so it isn't blank. So you are doing something wrong on your end. It's a valid archive with a valid .ATR image.

 

Well I played around with the disk image some more and did get it to finally work in atari800win, but I had to do the strangest thing to get it to work. I had to change the memory size of the xl/xe machine. It didn't really matter to what, just that I changed it. In fact once the program booted at the new memory setting, I could change the memory size back to the value that previously didn't work and now it would work. Simply doing cold or warm restarts or 50/60mhz changes did nothing to get it to work, only the memory resizing worked.

 

Bob

[Velcro_SP]

Rockin', thanks. I vaguely remember this thing.

[Gunstar]

Well, I downloaded the zip file above and extracted it and it works fine in the emulator, so it isn't blank. So you are doing something wrong on your end. It's a valid archive with a valid .ATR image.

 

Well I played around with the disk image some more and did get it to finally work in atari800win, but I had to do the strangest thing to get it to work. I had to change the memory size of the xl/xe machine. It didn't really matter to what, just that I changed it. In fact once the program booted at the new memory setting, I could change the memory size back to the value that previously didn't work and now it would work. Simply doing cold or warm restarts or 50/60mhz changes did nothing to get it to work, only the memory resizing worked.

 

Bob

 

Well, that is strange, but it doesn't suprise me, these emulators always do strange things. That's why I'm fast-tracking repairs on my 1200XL so I can discard this lame emulator. Nothing but nothing beats the real hardware!

Edited July 16, 2008 by Gunstar

[bfollett]

I played around with the character editor a bit. Its too bad it doesn't allow you to change your characters moral alignment. I guess if you play with the emulator you can still just poke that value if you want to change it. I remember specifically starting a character in the City that I kept a saintly good so I could get into the church sanctuary and get that really good weapon and spell. Made that dungeon character quite powerful right from the start.

 

Bob

[Gunstar]

I played around with the character editor a bit. Its too bad it doesn't allow you to change your characters moral alignment. I guess if you play with the emulator you can still just poke that value if you want to change it. I remember specifically starting a character in the City that I kept a saintly good so I could get into the church sanctuary and get that really good weapon and spell. Made that dungeon character quite powerful right from the start.

 

Bob

 

That's the one thing I've never been able to do in The Dungeon, the only mystery to me left in the game. What is the weapon and spell you get? I seem to vaguely remember something called "the holy hand grenade" is that it or is that something different?

Edited July 16, 2008 by Gunstar

[zagnalopius]

That's the one thing I've never been able to do in The Dungeon, the only mystery to me left in the game. What is the weapon and spell you get? I seem to vaguely remember something called "the holy hand grenade" is that it or is that something different?

 

The best things about the AR series are the unanswered questions, the tantalizing hints, the wild rumors and misinformation one still finds circulating online. If you don't mind losing that last bit of magic, keep reading. I think it is much more satisfying to work up a character from scratch and earn an invitation from the monks the hard way, but if you really can't wait to see what happens when a saintly character joins The Order, give this a try.

 

1) Start a new City character.

2) Go immediately to the dungeon entrance.

3) Save the game.

4) Boot The Dungeon

5) Use the utilities to transfer your City character.

6) Start the game and walk your transfered character to The Chapel. As a Zero level character, you won't meet anything too nasty on the way.

6) Notice the new option at the bottom of the Chapel menu. Using this option will let you enter The Garden and hang out with the monks.

 

Although City characters are supposed to start the game with a "neutral" moral alignment, transfered characters seem to enter The Dungeon as saints. I've experimented with this a bit, and it would seem that your character needs to be REALLY nasty to transfer to the dungeon with an Evil alignment.

[Gunstar]

That's the one thing I've never been able to do in The Dungeon, the only mystery to me left in the game. What is the weapon and spell you get? I seem to vaguely remember something called "the holy hand grenade" is that it or is that something different?

 

The best things about the AR series are the unanswered questions, the tantalizing hints, the wild rumors and misinformation one still finds circulating online. If you don't mind losing that last bit of magic, keep reading. I think it is much more satisfying to work up a character from scratch and earn an invitation from the monks the hard way, but if you really can't wait to see what happens when a saintly character joins The Order, give this a try.

 

1) Start a new City character.

2) Go immediately to the dungeon entrance.

3) Save the game.

4) Boot The Dungeon

5) Use the utilities to transfer your City character.

6) Start the game and walk your transfered character to The Chapel. As a Zero level character, you won't meet anything too nasty on the way.

6) Notice the new option at the bottom of the Chapel menu. Using this option will let you enter The Garden and hang out with the monks.

 

Although City characters are supposed to start the game with a "neutral" moral alignment, transfered characters seem to enter The Dungeon as saints. I've experimented with this a bit, and it would seem that your character needs to be REALLY nasty to transfer to the dungeon with an Evil alignment.

 

Evrything you said above I agree with, but I've had the game since it first came out in 1986, have completed it at least several dozen times and as hard as I tried to be a saintly character on many, many, many occasions, for some reason I was never saintly enough, even if it was due to a simple mistake of pushing the wrong button and accidently doing something not-so-saintly. It's high time, as far as I'm concerned, to discover the last mysteries of this game. After all, I'm certainly not getting any younger and neither is my Atari hardware and software and I, as well as my Atari stuff, could die at any given moment, as a matter of fact, I'm using an emulator right now becuase my 1200XL suddenly, without warning, stop working and I'm still trouble-shooting it. It's not like this is a new game and I've gone and gotten all the cheats for it to cheat. It's an ancient game and it's time, IMHO, to be able to finally see it's last mysteries. Believe me, I have earned my right to see these last mysteries, just never achieved it. It won't stop me from playing the game anymore, I'd given up on the chapel secrets years ago and have been replaying the game ever since anyway. Thanks for the info.

Edited July 18, 2008 by Gunstar

[bfollett]

Well, I tried the suggestion, of just transfering a brand new city character to the dungeon, and sure enough you have a saintly morality right from the start and can get into the chapel sanctuary. I don't know if I'm more angry that I never thought to try that years ago or that there was such a glaring oversight in the dungeon transfer utilitly. I think the dungeon should have looked at your transfered characters experience level and if it was under some threshold (say 10) then you are given a neutral not saintly alignment. Well, I guess I have some pride in knowing that I had developed high level saintly characters in both the City and Dungeon that could enter the Chapel's santuary. By the way, I think the main way people were not keeping or developing saintly characters was because of something I had read. Apparently taking first strike at a human (even an evil one like a thief) would lower your morality. You alway have to give a human the benifit of the doubt and let them strike first.

[Gunstar]

I've always known about the first strike rule, it is only when dealing with good or nuetral aligned people/creatures, regardless if they are human or not, it's just that most creatures are evil, but there are some that are good or nuetral. Like Hobbits and Giants (they are in the city, I don't recall if they are in the dungeon at all) are good. And theives, cutthroughts, muggers and the like are actually considered nuetral aligned, not evil; this is true of Green Dragons as well. You cannot strike first at Good or nuetral humans/creatures. The AR: City survival guide (not included in the original package, it was an extra book, with maps too) lists all the evil creatures/humans, and gives examples of some nuetral as well. The guides states you can only strike evil first, so make sure it's evil; it's ok to fight fire with fire. This includes tricking and charming as an attack too. I don't recall if the Dungeon's extra guide includes this too, but I think it does(I've got it, just haven't read it in a while). None of this info was included in the original manuals for these games, only the mention of the first strike rule and, IIRC, tells you to pay attention to the music as it is unique for good, nuetral and evil encounters.

 

The reasons I never made it to saint-hood was usually one of several things; I had too, at some point strike first for survival under extreme circumstance, mistook a nuetral creature for an evil one under extreme circumstance, or simply press the wrong key during encounters, a simple error. And then I generally finished the game AR: The Dungeon (completed all quests and basically became all-powerful and quit playing the character) before I was ever able to make restitution for my evil act(s) to gain saint-hood in the mean-time(or just gave up trying after many trips back to the Chapel to check).

 

I do believe that new-comers to Atari AR should at least try being a saintly character before they use this "easter egg/cheat" of instant saintly status.

 

Added: I have been to the chapel and accepted into the garden. I won't be the one to spoil it for others though, find out for yourselves if you're as desperate as I to see a last secret.

Edited July 18, 2008 by Gunstar