Sierra and Troika Games today announced that they have posted a patch for
the recently released role-playing game, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick
Obscura. The patch adds several new features and addresses balance and
playability issues found in the retail release am the game. More details
about the patch can be found in the "readme" information below.
The patch will not invalidate previous saved games.
The patch can be found at the following FTP address:
ftp://ftp1.sierra.com/pub/patches/pc/arcanum/arcanum_en_1064_1069.exe
More information about Arcanum can be found at http://arcanum.sierra.com/
Readme for Arcanum patch to version 1.0.6.9
To install the patch, execute Arcanum_en_1064_1069.exe and follow the
prompts. The patch will start at the default install directory. If you did
not install to this path, please find the folder that your "Arcanum.exe"
resides in. Then continue on with the install to add the latest files.
This patch adds several new features.
First, a fullscreen view was added by popular demand. In order to use it,
you must begin the game with the switch "-fullscreen". The easiest way to do
this is to modify your desktop shortcut for Arcanum (right-click on the
short cut and select Properties, then edit the Target line to include the
-fullscreen option). When the game begins, you will have a regular game
interface, but pressing F10 will toggle the fullscreen interface on and off.
Note that fullscreen mode requires more memory and more processor time, so
this option is only recommended for faster machines. If you choose not to
use this mode, remove the -fullscreen option to return to optimum
preformance.
Uninstallation of Arcanum currently doesn't remove the Fullscreen icon from
your Start Menu. If you wish to get rid of this after uninstalling Arcanum,
follow these steps:
1) Open up My Computer and go to your C drive.
2) Open the Windows folder and click "Show Files".
3) Open the Start Menu folder and double click the Programs icon.
4) Double Click Sierra and then select the Arcanum icon.
5) Delete this icon.
Second, inventory interfaces had a right-click action added to them. During
bartering, right-clicking on one of your items will sell it, and
right-clicking on one of the merchant's items will buy it. During looting,
right-clicking on one of the container items will loot it, and
right-clicking on an item in your inventory will send it to the container.
During stealing, right-clicking on an item in the target's inventory will
make you try to steal it, and right-clicking on an item in your inventory
will make you try to plant it in the target's inventory. Finally,
right-clicking on an item in your personal inventory interface will attempt
to use that item on yourself (ie. right-clicking on a heal potion will make
your character drink it).
Third, we are now allowing followers to attempt to pick locks without having
to possess a set of lockpicks (but a set will improve his chances). This
feature allows the player to use the group's sole set of lockpicks to
attempt to pick a lock, and if the follower has a better chance to succeed,
he will take over the lockpicking attempt.
Finally, we changed the perceived values when examining items. If the player
examines a WIELDED item on another character, then the description of that
item uses the other character's Magick-Tech Aptitude, rather than the
player's Magick-Tech aptitude. This means any value affected by aptitude,
such as weight or speed, will appear with their value for the wielding
character. This change only affects wielded items; looking at the item in
the other character's inventory (such as during bartering or stealing) will
still examine the item with the player's aptitude.
Several new keyboard shortcuts were added:
-- ends your turn-based combat round
-- Skill UI toggle
-- Magic spell UI toggle
-- Centers the screen on your character
This patch also fixes several bugs:
- several crash bugs were fixed
- a slow-down was fixed on video cards with large amounts of memory
(greater than 32 Meg) that occurred when the art cache was full
- several dialogs were fixed to prevent endless loops, infinite money
supplies, or incorrect responses (like smart characters getting lines for
dumb ones)
- critical hits were being calculated incorrectly for characters with a
Melee skill of less than 3
- NPC alignment could fluctuate abruptly for no apparent reason (but
there was a reason, and we fixed it)
- some NPC's started with the wrong faction or alignment, and they have
been corrected
