Subj : FidoNews 38:20 [03/09]: Adam'S Column - Adam Park To : All From : FidoNews Robot Date : Mon May 17 2021 02:28:28 ================================================================= ADAM'S COLUMN - ADAM PARK ================================================================= Land of Devastation Grind Guide Pt 1 Adam Park 1:134/302 Foreword by Kostie Muirhead: Many of you are likely at least familiar with the existence of the door game Land of Devastation (LOD). For those that aren't, it is probably one of if not the most in depth door games produced. It was a joy hosting Adam before his board went live, and his walkthrough is second to none (literally, I looked and couldn't find any others). - Kostie **** Watch this space over the next several weeks for an article series meant to chronicle the most effective builds and grind order for this epic old game. This week serves mostly as an introduction, and overview of what to expect out of this guide series. **** Coming sections/Table of Contents: 1) About 2) General Gameplay Guidelines 3) Shopping Recommendations 4) Stat Points 4a) Overview of Sources of Stat Points 4b) How to Distribute Stat Points for this Build 5) Combat Strategy 6) Tables 6a) Leveling Order 6b) Key Purchase Order 7) Grind Guide 7a) Zone 1 7b) Zone 2 7c) Drugs: Everything in Moderation 7d) Zone 3 7e) Zone 4 7f) Zone 5 7g) Shrine of Hercules 7h) Zone 6 7i) Endgame content 8) Supplemental Information 1) About This is meant to be an experience, money, build and equipment guide, not a full do-everything-for-you walkthrough; this guide also assumes a basic familiarity with the game and controls, which are reasonably easy to figure out, and there are instructions for them elsewhere online. I a believe that people should play through games mostly for themselves, however, this game is pretty harsh, and, other than some basic "Here's a list of the game's quests, enemies and items" there's very little information currently available on the mechanics of the game and how to build up a good character. Compared to a modern RPG, this game is fairly harsh on a couple of fronts. Stat point assignment is permanent (without suggestions or much explanation) and there are a couple of ways to permanently lose (or prevent yourself from gaining) stat points throughout the game. Furthermore, itemization is not entirely straightforward and, because a fair bit of money and experience grinding is necessary, a trial and error method can be very frustrating and time-consuming, especially if you end up messing your character up and wanting to start over. My aim here, then, is to make a guide that puts you on the right path of a good build while still maintaining the basic exploration and quest challenges of the game. I have structured this guide to be a way through the game "as it was intended to be played", so I have not included a couple of exploits that essentially break the game. These were likely oversights never updated out, rather than intended parts of gameplay. (Unlike regular released games, BBS games were commonly "works in progress" that were always being updated and tinkered with, that said, other than a couple of loose ends, this game feels complete). This is also a very "vanilla" guide without a lot of extra fancy tricks that you can employ. For instance, every day every SSSS store on the map gets a different 40% off a random item special; these specials can allow you to get some strong items you might not be able to afford yet, or items that are not normally purchasable at all. Though this is something you can do, and I recommend checking the SSSS stores regularly, I haven't included this point as part of the guide because my aim is to make more of a "consistent" guide that you can follow regardless of what happens to be on sale on particular day. Note: Other than the most minor hints as to the general progression of the game, this guide is essentially spoiler-free as far as quests and the storyline of the world goes. I'm one of those people who really doesn't like spoilers, so I've done my best to focus on the mechanics of gameplay, and generally don't talk about quests at all unless they pertain directly to your build. ***************************************************** Stay tuned next week for general gameplay guidelines! ***************************************************** ----------------------------------------------------------------- --- Azure/NewsPrep 3.0 * Origin: Home of the Fidonews (2:2/2.0) .