Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura: Difference between revisions

[[File:arcanum_cover_copy.jpg|frame|''[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Exactly what it says in the subtitle...]]'']]

 

 

Much of ''Arcanum'' deals with [[Item Crafting]] and character building: almost everything the player finds can be customized, and [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything]]. It contains a very detailed setting and a well-designed scenario, as well as ''vast'' amounts of political backstory in the game's libraries, newspapers and legends. The game retains a cult following similar to its cousin ''[[Fallout]]'', and is additionally often very favorably compared to ''[[Baldurs Gate II]]'' and ''[[Planescape: Torment]]'', although ''Arcanum'''s detail focuses more on its setting's history and mechanisms than on its playable characters.

''Arcanum'' has a level cap of 50, which encourages players to specialize in very specific types of magic or technology (however, a no-CD-patch combined with a level cap remover patch can quickly fix that). Uniquely, knowledge of technology in ''Arcanum'' disables magical aptitude, and vice versa, so that the player will always have to choose between the two (or find a very, very careful balance) and (eventually) be shunned by the other branch.

 

 

A sequel—titled ''Journey to the Centre of Arcanum'' and using ''[[Half Life]]'''s Source engine -- [[What Could Have Been|was in its initial planning stages]], but Sierra and Valve had disagreements, and Troika's dissolution sealed the game's fate.

* [[Hidden Elf Village]]: Two of them. And four dwarf ones {{spoiler|(only one's left though)}}. Probably more, but they're just too well hidden to be in the game. And one for super-powerful [[Designated Hero|"good"]] wizards. And one for [[Lizard Folk]].

* [[Historical In-Joke]]: While the use of an engine muffler to make a silencer may look like just another example of [[Rule of Fun|the game's]] [[Bamboo Technology|approach to item crafting]], both items were invented by the same person (Hiram Maxim) on the same science.

* [[Hoist by His Own Petard]]: {{spoiler|The Vendigroth device}} exploits the unstable relationship between magick and technology to turn a mage's powers against them.

* [[Hollywood Silencer]]: Although, since semi-automatic pistols have yet to be invented and normal revolvers can't be silenced, [[Reality Ensues|it can only be used on a certain custom-built firearm]].

[[Category:Video Game]]

[[Category:Western RPG]]