Frequently Asked Questions about Natuk:
Please feel free to email questions about Natuk. The bigger the FAQ, the
happier everyone will be.
When will it be ready?
Now! See the ordering page for more information.
What are the system requirements?
Any Pentium with DirectX 5 or higher.
Does it work on Windows NT?
Natuk was written for Windows 95, and therefore should theoretically
work on Windows NT. Some people have reported problems, others have
reported that it works fine. Fortunately, since you can download the first
part of the game you can try it for yourself and see if it works. If you
experience problems, please email me! As I don't have Windows NT, the only
way I will be able to fix bugs is if you tell me about them!
How long will it take to play?
Took me about 32 hours. It took Ian 64. Probably 70 or more for most
people. It depends how fast you are in combat.
Crashes
I made a custom icon, and put it in the /pcx directory, and now the
game crashes while loading. Help!
The .pcx file you made must be saved in 640x480x256 mode.
Attributes
Why is my character's WL decreasing?
Every time a character is struck in battle, whether or not any damage is
caused, WL is decreased. This represents battle fatigue.
What do I need to raise my Half-Trolls's IN to for normal
experience?
Each battle has a certain experience value associated with it. To find out
how much each (surviving) character actually gets, the following formula
is used:
experience received = (((IN + 50) / 2) * base experience) / 50
What do I need to do to raise my character's MV?
Maximum move is calculated as follows:
move = (max DX + max HT) / 20
Skills
What is the maximum skill level?
There is effectively no limit on skill levels. The actual limit is 32767,
but it is
unlikely anyone will exceed that. :)
What are the effects of raising skills above 100 (or 250, or higher)?
For some skills, this is obvious (like Prayer, Spell, and Alchemy, where
you see the minuses and total chance of success). A weapon skill of 100
does theoretically mean that you hit 100% of the time, but since opponents
dodge, block, and parry, you will still miss sometimes. However, high weapon skills
lower the chances of these defenses working. Most skills, however, act
like the previously mentioned Prayer & Magic -- the skill represents a
straight percentage, but there are penalties to the roll, so having a
skill over 100 will negate these penalties.
How does Haggling work?
Haggling affects the prices offered and charged by merchants. There is no
randomness involved, so don't bother trying over and over. :) Different
merchants have different buying and selling percentages, so there is no optimal
Haggling level... higher is better.
Spellcasting
How do I learn spells?
There are three main ways. The most common is to look in a spellbook. Spellcasting characters
begin with some spellbooks, so this is easy to practice. Right-click on the spellbook
in your inventory, and you see information about the spell. It has now been put on the menu,
and you will see it there next time you cast the spell. At this point, you can sell the
spellbook, since you've memorized all that info, right?
The second way is to make up the spells. Once you've learned a number of spells you
can deduce other spells by the syllables. To make up a spell, bring up the magic
menu, and type in three syllables. Hopefully you've guessed right, and your spellcaster
is of sufficient skill to actually cast the spell.
The third way is to pay attention during combat with other spellcasters and
scribble down what they're shouting to try later.
Now I know lots of spells, but they don't all fit on one screen! How do
I get to the bottom ones?
The magic menu can be scrolled by moving the mouse right off the bottom
of the screen under the menu. Ta-da!
Misc
Why would I ever want an ogre shaman?
OK, so they sometimes go berserk. However, a fellow party member with
a good Command skill can remedy that. And they start with much more ST,
therefore they can cast more spells. But if you are the type of person that
must have absolute control over your spellcasters at all times,
an ogre shaman is probably not a good idea.
One of my characters got an arm chopped off/eye popped/etc... and now he sucks! Is he stuck like this?
The spell "remove injury" will fix that up. In the early game, you probably can't cast it, so
your best bet is to find it on an item. It most often appears as a potion sold by
the witch-thing in the first outpost.
Do I get experience for monsters that run away?
Yes. Note, however, that you don't get whatever they're carrying.
Why is my demonic sword laughing at me?
Hitting a demon (or similar) creature with a demon weapon is not wise.
They like it.
Are there any penalties for playing slowly (taking lots of game
time)?
At the end of the game, you are rated in several categories: Game Time,
Real Time, and Power. If you are a slow player, shoot for a powerful
party. There are no in-game penalties (except for a few
time-sensitive quests).
How does Confusion work?
Confused creatures have a chance (based on their PE) each turn of fighting
for the other side.
Are there any secret doors?
Not in the shareware version. There are some secret doors in more "dungeon-like"
areas (see the picture of the dwarf fort on this page for what those areas look like)
, but not in the cave areas of the shareware version.
Do monsters "respawn"?
As you have probably noticed, there are random encounters. These eventually run out,
however, so a dungeon is eventually cleared of enemies. Each dungeon will have approximately 20 random encounters before they run out.
Skill Chart
The skills cost the following base amounts to improve. Multiply by 2 if the
skill is 50-99, by 3 if 100-149, by 4 if 150-199, and by 5 if 200 or higher.
Skill Warrior Scout Assass. Witch. Shaman
------------------------------------------------------
Axe 1 2 1 6 3
2h-Axe 1 2 6 6 6
Bow 1 1 3 6 3
Brawling 1 2 2 6 3
Crossbow 1 1 1 5 3
Fencing 2 1 2 6 3
Flail 1 4 6 6 1
Knife 1 1 1 1 3
Mace 1 2 2 3 1
Polearm 1 4 6 6 3
Sling 2 1 3 2 3
Spear 1 1 3 5 3
Sword 1 2 2 3 3
2h-Sword 1 4 6 6 6
Throwing 1 1 2 6 3
Shield 1 3 4 5 2
Stealth 3 1 1 5 6
Lockpick 6 1 3 6 6
Swimming 1 1 1 3 2
Skill Warrior Scout Assass. Witch. Shaman
-----------------------------------------------------
Magic 12 6 12 3 6
Prayer 12 12 6 6 3
Alchemy 6 6 6 1 6
Bribery 5 2 1 4 4
Bullying 1 5 2 6 3
Chanting 5 5 5 3 1
Command 1 3 4 6 4
Concentration 6 5 5 3 3
First Aid 2 2 2 4 1
Haggling 3 1 2 4 3
Literacy 4 3 3 1 2
Looting 3 1 1 5 5
Poisons 4 3 1 3 6
Repair 1 4 5 6 6
Scribing 6 6 6 1 6
Stealing 5 1 2 6 6
Traps 6 1 1 6 6
Tracking 4 1 2 5 6
Weaseling 4 2 1 3 6
Attributes cost their level / 4 to improve.
The contents of this page are copyrighted 1999 by Tom Proudfoot, all
rights reserved.