Goochman Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Ok, Im working my way through U2 on my Apple IIe - Im pretty much ready to fly to Father Antos, get the ring, and take down Minax - however, I cannot get the Clerk at the Hotel CA to up my strength.......Ive 'Alakazam'd about 30 times and not once did I get strength. In the Ultima Book it mentions that the stat can be controlled based on 'moves' made - just hit pass and try again it says. Well, again no matter what I do I cant get strength. It doesnt seem to even rotate in any order which is contrary to what the hint book says. Any suggestions? Im pretty much ready to go but can wear reflect armor with no strength - Im stuck at 25! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nukey Shay Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I'm pretty sure that it works (tho it's been forever since playing U2). Are you saving outside of the city, and then keeping track of your exact route to get to him...reloading and retracing those steps before passing a turn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I remember it being completely random, but it's also been decades since I played that one. I do remember the stat upping being one of the more frustrating aspects of the game, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 It's definitely based on the number of steps you've taken. I remember being able to manipulate it quite well the last time I played it. Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 So here is what I am experiencing - I am taking the fastest route possible (least amount of steps) each time. It seems Wisdom or Charisma stats are increased with this route. I hit 'Z' to check what is changed - offer - hit Z again. It seems Z does not 'PASS' since the same stat will increase. I hit PASS and then offer - Stamina is changed - pass - offer - Wisdom is then changed. I have tried this like 10 times and no matter what I do the only thing certain is everything but strength goes up! Ive even tried offer - pass - offer - pass - offer just to see if I can randomly get strength to hit with no luck Anyhow - Ill keep plugging away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Boy this is frustrating - I tried it 40 more times totally random and no strength. My character is a Thief but that shouldnt matter..............Im almost ready to find a hex editor and change the disk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 My last playthrough was with the PC version, not the Apple II, but I don't remember having this problem. Obviously, I remember having to vary the number of steps I took to reach the clerk each time I entered the city in order to change which stat was affected, but I don't recall any issues with being unable to raise a specific stat. It's sounds like a bug. *EDIT: I found some information online that this is indeed a bug for which a patch apparently exists. "... will fix the bug that prevents ever increasing the "Strength" stat once the character creation process is over..." Break out the Hex editor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 My last playthrough was with the PC version, not the Apple II, but I don't remember having this problem. Obviously, I remember having to vary the number of steps I took to reach the clerk each time I entered the city in order to change which stat was affected, but I don't recall any issues with being unable to raise a specific stat. It's sounds like a bug. *EDIT: I found some information online that this is indeed a bug for which a patch apparently exists. "... will fix the bug that prevents ever increasing the "Strength" stat once the character creation process is over..." Break out the Hex editor. AArrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh - wonder how to apply the patch - Im not Apple expert............even a better reason to just play the Atari version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Usotsuki Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Prolly using Copy ][+? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 Prolly using Copy ][+? I tried Copy II+ 7.2 and when I put the U2 player disk in it said 'Not a Dos 3.3 or ProDOS Disk' - would using an older version work better? Which function on Copy II provides a Hex Editor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Usotsuki Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 On 6.0 and later it can be found in the Bit Copier. It's called SECTOR EDITOR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Thank You Copy II Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Thank You Copy II Congrats! I've always thought that final battle with Minax and her minions was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 I always wondered what happened with U3 though - the ending to U2 mentions U3-P and U3-D (something like that) And yes, Minax's castle is cool - before I figured out how to win I went in to sneak a peak - def lives up to a castle of an Evil witch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I always wondered what happened with U3 though - the ending to U2 mentions U3-P and U3-D (something like that) "Seek now to conquer wicked Exodus, found in Ultima III-D IIII-P!" I've always wondered about that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Exodus has now fallen - Boy this one took more time than U2 with all the money grabbing whirlpool running I had to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Exodus has now fallen - Boy this one took more time than U2 with all the money grabbing whirlpool running I had to do! Love, Sol, Moon, and Death. Nice! Yeah, III really is a grind. You need a tremendous amount of gold to boost your stats to decent levels, and it's impossible to get enough gold in the overworld through "legitimate" means. My last playthrough, I ended up spamming one of the dungeons that has a large stash of treasure chests on one of its upper levels. I would gather several thousand pieces at a time to minimize the the constant back and forth between Sosaria and Ambrosia. 2 Paladins, a Fighter, and a Druid. Interesting. I went with 2 Paladins, a Cleric, and a Wizard on my last playthrough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 I used a walkthrough that suggested the mix I had - I wish I had used a wizard and cleric so I could cast all the spells - but in the end it didnt matter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Just to be clear, I wasn't suggesting that yours was a bad party or that my party was any better. I found the high level spells that the Wizard can cast to be overrated anyway. You only have enough MPs to cast one high level spell during any single encounter, and those spells often don't work as advertised on high-level monsters. Plus, Wizards don't end up earning much experience because you have to keep them out of melee combat early on, so it ends up being much harder to level them up than other classes. If I were to go through the game again, I'd probably go with 3 Paladins and a Cleric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 Just to be clear, I wasn't suggesting that yours was a bad party or that my party was any better. I found the high level spells that the Wizard can cast to be overrated anyway. You only have enough MPs to cast one high level spell during any single encounter, and those spells often don't work as advertised on high-level monsters. Plus, Wizards don't end up earning much experience because you have to keep them out of melee combat early on, so it ends up being much harder to level them up than other classes. If I were to go through the game again, I'd probably go with 3 Paladins and a Cleric. Totally understand - I followed the FAQ advice but should've just made the party I wanted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goochman Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 I am cleaning up in Sosaria on the Apple IIe I have to say Ultima I wasnt as bad as I remember. In fact there are alot of things worth carrying forward that got dropped. I read somewhere that Sierra pressured LB to get Ultima II out and there were alot of things left unfinished in the code (like quests for the dungeons and such). The story line is just crazy like it was some sort of school project, but it was a huge world to explore. Not sure if I have the strength to do U4 or U5 at this point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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