Darendor's BTI Map Set

[Darendor]

[Darendor]

[Darendor]

[Darendor]

[Horpner]

This thread is to showcase the maps I've made for the C64 version of The Bard's Tale: Tales Of The Unknown.

Please feel free to critique and of course point out any errors or such.

Errors? Perish the thought! Anything that's not 100% accurate is the fault of Mangar's evil minions.

This is a great time for me to have this discussion, since I just finished the game a week or so ago, and my new maps are fresh and shiny.

TRIVIA / MAD RAMBLINGS
* While mapping Skara Brae, I noticed the two Stone Giant statues near the end of Fargoer Street. They seem to be guarding the southeast corner, but there's nothing at all there. I suspect MC may have planned to put something else there but time constraints prevented him and he left the guardians in.

He put them there in order for me to farm them for XP.

* I didn't bother with putting the temple names in the legend for Skara Brae's map. Nor could I be bothered with putting in shrunken images for Kylearan's and Mangar's towers. Sue me.

Woo! I'm gonna take you for all you're worth!

I kick in the door of the courthouse!

Lagoth Zanta has Mind Bladed all the lawyers, and the courts are closed.

Dang!

* I also did not bother with noting the locations of traps in the dungeons. Why? Because they're trivial and minor and frankly the map would be nothing more than a red mass of "TR" lettering if I had.

And really, walking on them is the best way to be sure of their location, and it doesn't always work. In the Amiga version, SESI and SOSI erroneously don't even detect traps, and it doesn't even matter.

* Spinners, Anti-Magic zones, Hitpoint loss and basically everything except for "Darkness!" and traps appear as "Something special is near...". So if you see "Sp" on the map and your Sorcerer Sight says it's a special, be warned....

A spoiler-free version of the maps might come in handy.

* If anybody can tell me what's beyond the teleport that's guarding 5N, 18E on level 2 of Harkyn's Castle, speak. That is pretty much the ONLY unmappable area in the entire game!

What you can see is what you get. There's nothing at all in there.

* Speaking of the Castle, it is my personal (insane?) opinion that MC forgot to make level 3 APAR/PHDO proof. Otherwise why bother with the puzzles and obstacles when all you have to do from the entry stairs on level 1 is APAR to 1N, 21E to activate the warp to Kylearan's?...

He did remember to shut down Phase Door, didn't he?

Anyway, I think teleportation is shut down on level 2 to protect the silver square from those who can't solve the wizened man's riddle.

In my humble opinion, he didn't make it too tedious to get to the Mad God statue, because you have to do so to get to another dungeon.

* And since we're discussing level 3 of the Castle, what is up with 17N, 4E? A "special" zone that has no function whatsoever. Another code glitch by MC? A special that was later removed only 95%? Was it there to DRIVE ME INSANE MUHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA TACOS HERE I COM--- er sorry.

I think we'll have to check the original, Apple ][e version to be sure, since that's the one that Cranford originally programmed and tested. But I'm not gonna be the one, at least not for several years.

* Contrary to popular urban myth, it IS possible to escape these so-called "Stasis" squares where you get stuck without teleporting. Kick your way through a door 250 times and you're free. In case you get stuck in Ky's tower, face NORTH before doing this or you'll find yourself having to start over from near the entry stairs.

Woah! That's a sweet tip. I gotta try it out on the Amiga version.

* There are a grand total of two (2) magic-point regeneration squares: one is on level 1 of Harkyn's Castle (in the "royal bedroom"), and the other is on level 2 of Mangar's Tower.

I never found any, myself, so it's pretty cool to learn about even just two.

* Killing the keymaster will NOT give you the key.

How politically correct of Cranford!

* Mangar's Tower consists of SIX levels, not five. There are two level 4s - the "normal" one, and the one that has all the doors and walls reversed. The square you step on to trigger the change is actually a teleport square taking you to the 2nd version of level 4. If you compare maps 4A and 4B carefully, you'll notice a few walls/doors have vanished instead of switching (the door to the magic mouth that gives you the Thor figurine being one).

That's a good theory, but it doesn't hold water, at least not on the Amiga version. You can tell when you change levels, because the disk spins. There's no disk spinning when the doors change.

Moreover, the reason the door to the Thor figurine disappears is because it's a secret door, which are very tedious to discover, since you have to turn off LERE, STSI, and GRRE. It seems that secret doors disappear when you step on the special square.

* Mangar's "treasure trove" doesn't actually yield any special treasure, despite it being in a 250sq ft room guarded by two black dragons...cheap Archmages...I tell ya...

I got 15 gold and a dork ring.

* The "possession" square at 1N, 20E on level 5 of Mangar's Tower will only possess the character in rank #1. So don't put your insanely high-levelled hunter or monk there...

This is probably version dependent. It doesn't behave like that on the Amiga.

* I will pay $25 to whoever can tell me what is up with 8N, 10E on level 5 of Mangar's Tower. It seems to be a poorly coded teleport that runs the hard drive for no apparent reason.

$25? Well, maybe I can find a hacked Apple ][e character disk, and go check it out.

Comments on individual maps sold separately.

[Horpner]

I almost never find that stupid spinner.

Note that, on my personal maps, spinners are always notated as "F" for "F*cker-upper." I didn't learn what they were supposed to be called until I played BT2.

[Horpner]

This map caused me a great deal of heartburn the first time I played. I had two big pieces of graph paper covered with writing before I realized that the map was wrapping around on me. I wish there had been a less complicated map between the cellars and this level. Noobz would appreciate it!

[Horpner]

The doors leading to 11N, 21E appear to be one-way, although it seems they are merely "secret" on the side with the portal, i.e, you can't see doors going south or west, but you can walk through them. This is on the Amiga version.

I thought there was a set encounter of 7 Sorcerers at 0N, 12E, but maybe not. Maybe it was a random encounter.

This is an extremely anti-climactic dungeon. I wonder if we weren't meant to bother with this level of the sewers until it was time to face Mangar.

[Horpner]

I think his name is spelled "Bashar Kalivor." And his treasure trove is just as crappy as Mangar's. :p

[Darendor]

Ah yes, "secret" doors. Those aren't noted on my maps as such either - such is the way of using GRRE to light my path.

I dunno, like I said these maps were crafted based on the C64 version. Since it's an identical port from the Apple II I imagine the Amiga version has a few items lost in translation.

And how can you be certain that there's nothing in that storage room on level 2 of Harkyn's? It could be darkness...or...yeah...7 darkness squares...with portals... yeah...

[Horpner]

This level is, I think, an example of Cranford's best level design work in the series. It really feels like exploring a dastardly castle full of tricks and dangers. The several sections in the beginning, which are nicely named and themed, pull everything together. The few nasty surprises that you encounter seem like they have a good reason to be there. In other words, it doesn't feel like "just" a nasty puzzle room. The nice feeling of place he creates on this level carries all the way through. I remember marveling at the strange, large room at the north end of the 3rd level, and trying to imagine what it was for!

[Horpner]

You're missing a tiny bit of intrigue on this level. The square at 0N, 15E has four one-way doors. The one in the north leads only out, and the other three lead only in.

One-way walls appear, for the only time in BT1, in the room containing the upward portal. They'll make a most non-triumphant return in BT2.

[Horpner]

Mapping the bottom left corner is a bitch. I think I spent more time in there than in the rest of the level combined.

I wonder if Cranford intended for the 256 Berserkers to be beatable? I suppose he must have known that they were, but for fun, let's assume that was a surprise.Berserkers don't show up again until the 3rd level of Mangar's Tower, and they ought to have posed a bigger problem than they do. If they'd had a special attack or a breath-weapon, players might have been forced to solve this puzzle rather than farm it for XP. 10 Evil Eyes would have done the trick, I bet.

[Horpner]

This dungeon made me think that Brian Fargo, it's designer, might be a fuck-head. And now he's gone and released his crappy console Bard's Tale game, removing all doubt.

Finally, what kind of a ninny wizard lives in a one-story tower?

[Darendor]

You're missing a tiny bit of intrigue on this level. The square at 0N, 15E has four one-way doors. The one in the north leads only out, and the other three lead only in.

One-way walls appear, for the only time in BT1, in the room containing the upward portal. They'll make a most non-triumphant return in BT2.

So far, this map is the only one containing errors then?