A few questions from a Newbie -- thanks for help

[Kristoffer O]

Originally posted by onomastikon:
Hello,

I have downloaded the demo and the B.G. walkthrough and played around with DII for a few hours now and am still confused about a lot of things (which I hope I will understand at some point) but would really like help with this:

- what is the deal with magic and spells? Since I cannot see any list of spells or the schools from within the game (in the demo), I dont know which spells my Pretender or other magic Users can cast. How do I control which spells are cast during combat? Who exactly gets to cast which spells, and which units beside the Pretender benefit from magic research? Some cost no gems, but some require gems to work -- how does this work with tactically-cast spells (I mean those used during a batlle)?

- How do you assign bodyguards?

- Are there other single-person guides out there?

- I am only planning on playing single player for a while -- are there any patches which update the AI? I havent been able to find the game in Germany yet, still looking....

ok thanks. Other tips, especially on magic, appreciated!

Hello.

1) The deal with magic and spells:
When you begin playing the game your mages know one or a few spells. All your mages know these spells.

When you researsh magic you research a school of magic. Conjuration is one such school. If you research 'conjuration' your mages will get access to spells that allows you to summon monsters. If you research 'evocations' your mages will get access to artillery like spells mainly used on the battlefield.

In each school there are spells of all paths (fire, water, death, etc) and your mages will learn them all, but only the ones skilled in fire may cast fire spells.

If you enter the laboratory and click on research you can find information on all spells in the game. Right-click on a school and you will find a list of all spells in that school. You will find hundreds of spells, so you will be at a loss at first.

I would recommend that you research either evocation, conjuration or construction. Evocation is mainly battle field spells. Conjuration is used to get magic monsters. Construction is used to make magic items.

If you want to understand how to tell your mages to cast spells in battle I would go for evocations (or perhaps alterations).

I'm not sure what nation you are playing, but Caelum can quickly get access to Lightning Bolt (research evocation lvl 2) so they might be useful as an example.

When choosing spells to cast:
- Enter Army Setup.
- 'Change orders' for the mage.
- 'Cast specific spell'. A list of all spells he can cast is now displayed. Right-click to get info on the spell. Mages may choose up to five spells to cast. After five turns the AI will choose what spells the mage uses. Generally the AI does a good job at this and you do not have to choose spells unless you have some special objective.

Some spells require gems to be cast. In order to cast these your mage must be equipped with magic gems. This can be done when your mage is in a province with a laboratory. Inspect a mage and click on the treasure chest besides his item slots. You can transfer between mages and the lab. All labs are connected (ie. there is one global lab and one gem pool, no bother with labs in different provinces).

If told to cast a spell that requires gems and equipped with the gems needed the mage will cast this spell, unless it is useless (casting undead destroying spells when there are no undead etc).

If you are still confused (you should be ) just ask some more. People here are friendly and helpful.

2) Regarding Bodyguards:
- Enter army setup screen.
- 'Change orders' to get a list of orders to choose from.
- 'Guard Commander'.
Bodyguards do not attack enemies. They just hang around their commander and attacks anyone that tries to attack their protegee. Avoid having too large a bodyguard your chances of victory will be reduced if all your men stand idel in the back off the battle field.

3) Regarding SP guides. There are some, but I'm not sure where. Some dedicated fans might give you a clue. This forum is very good though. Ask on

4) Patches:
No patches available today, but there is one on the way and plans for the next one is already in the works.