Versions compared

[rasiel]

I've now played on various versions and can say that the Amiga is hands down my favorite.

Amiga - using WinUAE on windows 8.1 emulating at 8x floppy speed (CPU and OS versions don't make any difference). Town statues respawn after going in/out of the guild.

Apple IIgs on Android and ipad - similar to Amiga as far as graphics go but no respawns unless you leave the game. Also you can't remove single characters. They did this to sort of make it harder to cheat but it makes it less fun if one of your low level characters dies and you can't afford to have him healed at the church.

DOS - awful, gaudy color graphics. To play this version it's easiest to get virtualbox and install windows XP on it. It starts right up. I hate DOS box but I guess a lot of players are using this method.

Mac version. Again, easy to set up a faux Mac on Windows with virtualbox or vmware but the app is too old to run on it. Not sure how one goes about running this version nowadays. And is it really in black and white?

C64 - I played this as a kid back in the 80's a lot but don't see any reason to try it over the Amiga or IIgs version.

Atari St - have no idea!

[Maven]

I brought up FS-UAE and tried the Amiga version.

There is no keyboard movement around town and in dungeons. I have to use the mouse. This is a deal breaker for me.

I did like the music much better, and the graphics. It was quite a bit slower. But I just can't get past using the mouse for simple forward/turn/back commands.

[Brian the Fist]

Not really sure but can't the separate keypad to the right be used for movement?

[Slooge]

arrow keys work for movement in winUAE. Forget exactly, but I think the portal up and down was A and D keys. Something on the left hand side of the keyboard at any rate

[ZeroZero]

Actually from the Bard's Tale I manual for C64 and Apple it is "E" to go up and "D" to go down a portal.

[WarrioirOfIce]

Actually from the Bard's Tale I manual for C64 and Apple it is "E" to go up and "D" to go down a portal.

currently playing on amiga emulator, i use A "ascend" and D "descend" 4 arrow keys go to move around, T to pause game, n for new order, c cast a spell, p for dissension in your rank, 1-6 to view party members, b to play a bard song, v to turn music on and off, and that's about it i think.

oh and ? to know where i am in Skara Brae.

[Brian the Fist]

COMBAT COMMANDS
You have two sets of options when under attack. You can F)ight, R)un or
A)dvance if the attackers are 20' or more away. You can only F)ight or R)un
if the attackers are closer. Remember that you can always try to run but
success isn't guaranteed. Your characters' actions and options will appear in
the white scroll during battle. Respond by clicking on the option you want or
press:
A to Attack monsters in the first two ranks. Your characters will attack
using whatever weapons they have been equipped with. (Available to first
four party members.)
D to Defend, lessening the chance of taking damage in that round.
B to sing one of the 7 Bard's tunes for a combat round. (Bards only.)
P to attack a Party member. (See the COMBAT SYSTEM section of your manual
for an explanation of why this option would be used.)
U to Use a magic item or missile weapon.
C to Cast a spell from the spell class and spell name lists that appear
(when using mouse only). Or type one of the four-letter spellcodes that
are listed in the manual. (Magic Users only.)
H to Hide in shadows. (Rogues only.)
> to speed up combat message scrolling rate.
< to slow down combat message scrolling rate.

OTHER ADVENTURING COMMANDS
The following commands are available throughout the game, whether you're
peacefully exploring the streets of the city or cautiously investigating
dungeons. Click the option you want or press:

C to Cast a spell. Click on a spellcaster's name, then select from the
spell class and spell name lists that appear (when using mouse only). You
can also type a spellcaster's character number or just press the function
key corresponding to their character number and then type one of the
four-letter spellcodes listed in the manual. (Magic Users only.)
P to start an intra-Party fight at any time.
B to sing one of the 7 Bard's tunes while travelling. You can type the
Bard's character number, click on a Bard's name or just press the
function key that corresponds to their character number. (Bards only.)
A to Ascend up a portal, only when a levitation spell is in effect, only in
dungeons.
D to go down a portal. Works only in dungeons.
? to learn the name of the street your party is on and the time of day.
R to Release a special character from the party.
N to establish a new marching order. Type the character's old number in the
new order, or click on their name and drag them to a new position. All
other characters will move to accommodate the new order.
S to Save your game from anywhere. You can exit to DOS by answering Yes
when prompted. (Does not work during combat or timed death sequences.)
Note: Contrary to what the clue book and manual say, it is not necessary
to return to Tangramayne to Save your game in the IBM version of The
Destiny Knight.
Q to Quit your game. Note: Using the Quit command outside the Adventurer's
Guild does not save your game status. You may want to use this command if
you find yourself in an untenable position in a city or dungeon and you
want to return to DOS and restart.
T to pause the game. Press any key to resume. (Does not work during combat
or timed death sequences.)
U to Use an item. Some items don't work unless you activate them with this
command, some must be equipped to be Used and some run out of power after
only one Use.
V to turn the sound on or off.
Spacebar You can speed up a message display by pressing the spacebar after the
first part of the message. The next message or window display will
promptly appear.

[Ether]

I played the C64 version as a kid. Playing the Kindle now, which I guess is the Apple IIgs.

It's funny, the IIgs graphics look better, obviously, and I generally like them better for the monsters. But I like the C64 dungeon designs much better. I also liked how there was a different color for for the lighting spells in the C64; the IIgs is the same.

Of course, no load times on the Kindle is a godsend. I'm surprised how I'm at Mangar's so soon.

I played the DOS version of the BT3 in 1998. Don't remember the graphics, but I do remember it actually naming the spells that the enemy was casting at you.

I'll find out if the fighters can hit anything in the IIgs version of the BT2 soon.

[jrodman]

[...]
I'll find out if the fighters can hit anything in the IIgs version of the BT2 soon.

SPOILER!
They can.

I resurrected the thread over here ( viewtopic.php?f=6&t=833) to report that I finally played through a game where my fighters were only pathetic compared to my archmages, instead of completely useless.

[Ether]

Yeah, I ended up seeing your post on that a few minutes after I posted here.

Thanks.

[Quantum Reality]

I personally am biased, but I always did like the 8-bit Apple versions. That said, the //gs version has some really brill colors and layout.

[Ronaldus]

I brought up FS-UAE and tried the Amiga version.

There is no keyboard movement around town and in dungeons. I have to use the mouse. This is a deal breaker for me.

I did like the music much better, and the graphics. It was quite a bit slower. But I just can't get past using the mouse for simple forward/turn/back commands.

Yes, you can use the arrow keys for movement in the Amiga version of Bard's Tale. It's not something that jumps right out at you though. In FS-UAE get rid of the joystick. If you have the joystick set to keyboard, the arrow keys lose functionality in Bard's Tale, because they are now acting as a joystick and there is no joystick use in Bard's Tale. I know your post is old, but if you still play Bard's Tale like I do, then hopefully that helps.