Subject: "Online Games"

Date: 10/15/97 3:07 AM Hello again people of Bethesda. I had written you guys about a year ago about making DaggerFall into a online RPG. It was & still is the Best rpg I have played to date since owning my PC. Now please tell me that BattleSpire is going to have TCP/IP support & how many adventures will be able to play at any given time? Please, please tell me that it will have the online playability because frankly if it does not you are going to miss a very large market. look at the success of Ultima Online (for which I was a Beta tester) they can barely keep copies on the shelf. None of the Ultima titles can even remotely compare to DaggerFall, so just imagine what this could mean to your company in sales alone. Not to mention the cost of the monthly service for playing? I see that it has a "Death Match" option but that has been done to death. Thank you

Dear Sir-- Glad to hear you're so interested in Battlespire, we're doing our best to make it as cool as humanly possible. The multi-player elements will include three different options: Deathmatch (with which you are obviously familiar), Cooperative, and Team vs. Team. Each of these has a max of eight players total. They can be played via IPX or the internet. We will be utilizing a system called MPlayer, for more information on that, visit their website at www.mplayer.com. There are "special" levels for Deathmatch, as deathmatch is not a mode that is particularly conducive to completing levels. There will be lots of different kinds of weapons, tons of monsters, and some kick ass graphics. We're also implementing many different options for selecting screen size and resolution, so that Battlespire is playable on any machine P133 or better, and on a P200 (which is what I've been playing it on) it pretty much flies. The multi-player interface is pretty cool, you can send messages to everyone, and they pop up at the top of the screen within the game (practically real-time, better than some chat servers!). Team vs. Team allows you to gang up on one another, as there are no restrictions on team size (you can play 6 on 2, for example), and the cooperative option is basically a lot like the single player game, only with more monsters to impair your ability to finish the game. I've heard a lot about Ultima, and from what I can gather it's a really neat idea, and everyone I know who has it thinks it pretty much rocks. I understand you pay a monthly or annual fee to play in a massive game with tons of other people, is that roughly correct? Anyway, we won't be able to implement that for Battlespire, as its a smaller game than Daggerfall. Happy Gaming!

Kate

Subject: "The Battlespire World"

Date: 10/17/97 I am planning on Battlespire and am wondering about one main aspect of the game. I have seen lots of screen shots of the game, but have seen no shots of a town or castle. Does it have a fully populated town in addition to the 8 levels/worlds? I think the game would not be very RPG like if it did not have atleast a town/castle with people to talk to, things to buy, and things to do. Thanks. PS-Are the screenshots shown of Battlespire the 3dfx enhanced ones?

Dear Sir- Thanks for your interest in Battlespire. The concern you expressed, having seen the few screen shots we posted, is understandable. Battlespire is not as huge and all-encompassing as The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall, and therefore does not have quite so many millions of nooks and crannies to explore. However, there are a few townships, complete with buildings to go into. If you look on the screenshots page, at the picture of the execution block, you can see a few buildings in the background. That's because this particular execution block is in the middle of a town called Trybador. These screen shots are taken in hi-res from the game, and they are NOT 3DFX enhanced. Check the webpage around the end of this week, we'll try to have some new ones up by then. And yes, they will include shots of towns and castles. Now, Battlespire does not have the same kind of interaction (ie, going into pubs, hanging out with people, and hearing rumors), because you must remember that this is a pocket universe inhabited almost entirely by daedra who have taken over. It's kind of like a ghost town in the old west, where you can see that it was once inhabited, and maybe find some treasure and dead bodies, but there aren't really many people around with whom you can interact (in fact, I think the "human being" count totals out to about three, and that's INCLUDING the PC). There is a castle or two also, but again their inhabitants are the invading daedra, and not the lords and ladies of Tamriel. With the miniscule number of human NPC's, and total lack of shops, you don't buy and barter. The setting for Battlespire is a celestial citadel--an academy for training battlemages-- so its not exactly like being in the huge kingdom of Tamriel. The Battlespire is self-contained, and you can FIND everything you will need by killing monsters, exploring, and searching the bodies of dead battlemages, but even if you COULD find a place to buy things, you don't have any money on you, because you thought you were going to a training school, and only took a few things with you, as money would only weigh you down. You CAN talk to the locals, they just may not be particularly friendly all the time. I assure you, however, the plot will intrigue you, the art will amaze you, and the game will suck you in from start to finish. I know, I've played it. Happy gaming!

--Kate

To help lessen any doubt about the existence of towns in Battlespire, here are a few screen shots of Trybador, a town on the fifth level of the game.

Subject: "Abject Praise-We like that!"

Date: 10/18/97 Did I mention to you that you rock? I mean, everyone at Bethesda rocks, I am somehow related to one of you. I liked your answers to the questions people were posing. I have been playing D&D; since I was five, and have since Game-Dungeon Mastered Dungeons & Dragons, GURPS-Conan, GURPS-Special Ops, Heroes Unlimited, Villians Unlimited, RECON, Rifts, and Star Wars. I think I need an "Official Game Master" certficate. I guess everyone likes the adventures I think of... anyway, as one roleplayer to another, You all rock, and I burst out loud with laughter after your exact specifications of D&D; alignments. That was cool.

Dear Sir- Thanks very much! It's always nice to hear that we rock, and from one role-player to another, I'm glad you found my diatribe about alignment entertaining. I'll be sure to pass the word to the guys in the back that we collectively rock. Thanks again for the response... you really made my morning! Happy Gaming,

Kate

Subject: "Dragons"

Date: 10/19/97 Dear Kate,

I have but one question: are there full grown dragons in Daggerfall? There are several references to them, both in the game and in the game's instruction booklet (stating them to most likely be living in the Alik'r Desert). But ultimately, are the big mommys and daddys of all the dragonlings around or not?

Dear Paul- To my knowledge, no, there are no full grown dragons to interact with in Daggerfall. They may very well exist, but no, you won't be able to find them. Sorry to dissappoint you. --Kate

Hello!! Yes, there will be a German version, which will be for release in January. -Kate

Subject: "System Requirements"

Date: 10/21/97 What will the system requirements be for Battlespire? I have a K5-10 with 16 MB RAM, and it's starting to die on me. I need to decide whether to prolong its life or move to a more powerful system. If Battlespire won't run with what I've got, I may have to consider the more powerful system. . . Thanks!

Dear Sir- The real deal about Battlespire is that we have managed a way to make it hard-core playable and pretty at the same time. You can shrink your screen, and put it in low-res, and the game will run on a P133 nice and smoothly. Then when you want to see the pretty scenery, you can pull up your options screen, turn on the high res, and look around for a while, all without every exiting the playing screen. The system requirements we're putting on the box are as follows: IBM and 100% Compatibles

DOS 5.0 or higher

P133 MHz or better

SVGA with VESA 2.0

4x CDROM, MPC Level 2 or better

16 MB of RAM

150 MB of Hard Drive Space

Sound Cards Supported: Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16, Awe32, Pro Audio Spectrum, Ensoniq Soundscape, Gravis Ultrasound and 100% compatibles.

The game runs in WIN95 in MSDOS mode with a 16-bit CDROM, in MSDOS box with sufficient free RAM. So, now if you want to get that new system, you know exactly what will work the best. Good luck shopping, and happy gaming! --Kate

Subject: "Ethical/Moral Alignments"

Date: 9/25/97 Your (whoever wrote the descriptions of the alignments) assessment of some of the alignments misses the spirit of "law." While your example of a Chaotic Good person was apt (That being someone who is motivated entirely by fun), I disagree with what I presume must be your position on a "lawful" character. In role-playing games, or in real life, a law-breaker is not necessarily "chaotic", nor is a rule-follower "lawful." Your use of Tim Curry was good, although I hesitate to say he would not break the law to achieve his own ends.....Your using the example of Robin Hood as "Chaotic" is flat wrong. "Chaotic" is, in part, a characters Ethical predictability. Robin Hood would not go back on his word, nor were his acts of violence aimless. His motivations were not personal, but National. Are you saying that a revolt against an unjust government is a "chaotic" act by nature?! Were the ravaging hordes of Atilla the Hun or Genghis Khan "lawful?" An absurd concept, I would think. It is possible to act with Paladin-like purity against an existing system, and not be "chaotic," just as it is possible to work "correctly" within a system that legalizes atrocity, and not be "Lawful." Those poor women in Bosnia who were raped assembly-line fashion; do you view their rapists as "Lawful Evil" because their crimes were government sanctioned? The Mores/Ethics of Role-Playing games are about personal codes, not responses to existing ethical systems.

Dear Sir, Let me first say how much we appreciate you visiting our website, and taking the time to let us know what you think of it. Your response to the ALIGNMENTS section of the RPG primer is an interesting topic, yet, makes me wonder if you are A) a role-player, and if so, do you B) play AD&D.; I pose these two questions to you because, while your argument is valid in the generally accepted use of the WORDS "chaotic" and "lawful", if you reference the descriptions of alignment found in the AD&D; Players' Handbook, you would understand that they are given slightly different connotations. According to the Players', Lawful and chaotic are used to describe whether or not a character abides by laws. Though I may agree with you entirely that Robin Hood was not Chaotic as we know it, I would disagree with this same statement when set in terms of the definitions set forth by TSR, in which chaotic means one who does not abide by the law. Admittedly the Laws of the land surrounding Sherwood forest were cruel and unfair, but since the definition of chaotic is, in this case, used solely to describe LAW, and not ETHICS, then Robin Hood was, in fact, chaotic. TSR broke the alignments down into two sections: the first meaning whether or not the character abides by the local law, and the second a measure of the character's ethical standings. Thus, imposing ethics onto the first adjective is neither fair nor correct. And yes, the rapists WOULD be considered Lawful Evil, as would Hitler. The first describes ONLY abiding by the current system of government (regardless of how unfair it may be), and the second describes moral and ethical character. If you'd like more information regarding these definitions, feel free to check out a copy of the AD&D; Players' Handbook. I realize that these descriptions can not be made to cover all types of people, and one of the main debates between role-players is on this exact subject. Many players do not USE alignment types for this reason. They feel it is unfair to restrict the possible characteristics and morals of a person to a set number of "categories", as there are so many levels of moral and ethical beliefs. Many who DO use the alignments often use them loosely, as GUIDES to their character's possible reactions, rather than as Strict Gospel. In describing them for a role-playing primer, I was only trying to shed some light on the many different aspects of role-playing for those who are unfamiliar with it. Please feel free to respond with any further questions or comments, and thanks again for taking the time to give us your input. Sincerely,

Kate

Subject: A slight bit of misinformation

Date: 10/11/97 In your RPG primer, you refer to AD&D; as the original role playing game. As I was there at the beginning, I can safely say that is not the case, though few people will remember. RPG's began as a fantasy supplement to a midevil war miniatures game called Chainmail. The first D&D; books (which predated AD&D; for many years) were a trilogy of small fifty page pamphlets entitled; Men and Magic, Monsters and Treasure, Underworld and Wilderness adventures. There were only four character classes (fighter, magic-user, priest, and monk) and only six spell levels. Then came the supplements which I believe appeared in this order; Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry and finally Gods, Demigods and Heros. Only after those seven books did AD&D; come out. I was on a waiting list for the first players handbook, long before it was available. Even at the time, I had been playing for years, not just D&D; but also Chivalry and Sorcery, The Arduin Grimoire and especially Rune Quest. Not that I expect you to do anything about adjusting the primer's accuracy, but rather I am expressing my frustration at the fact that AD&D; had become such a monster than many other games are completely forgotten in its shadow. Without many of those forerunners of modern RPG's, even AD&D; might not be what it is today. Thanks for your time.