That would make sense. I went looking through the manual trying to find out if I was missing a key-press(I actually tried 'Shift+attack) but failed to(my eyesight is not good though so...).

Thanks for the info'.

Alt + attack is the ticket, yeah. It took me forever to figure out how to target the control box of that steam engine I was supposed to destroy. A lot of things done with the interface are non-intuitive and just plain weird. I still think Planescape: Torment was my least-favorite interface ever, because even with Fallout there wasn't a stupid radial menu in the middle of the screen that always blocked me from viewing what I was actually trying to do.

To add my opinion: definitely try and stick with it. My opinion is somewhat based on nostalgia, but Arcanum is still one of my favorite games ever.

And yeah, I agree with Musashi1596 about the interface: I think Arcanum's is much better than Fallout 1's (Fallout 2 is better - though I am much more used to Arcanum, because I played it first). It definitely is clunky in terms of inventory management (though only on the player character I don't think it is too bad - it is more annoying for followers though).

When you left Shrouded Hills you should have been able to go to Dernholm if it is market on your map. I think the river bends in the way of a straight path there though and so you have to set a way point to get around the physical terrain obstacle because the map interface doesn't just automatically give you the fast route to somewhere, it makes you (or maybe "allows you" is a better thing to say) draw your own path with a series of straight lines, and those lines can't go through physical obstacles.

But yeah, don't worry that you are in Tarant (with "The Boil"), that is a good place to be, and where you need to be to continue the main quest (the ring from the crash site) anyway. And like was said already, Tarant has a huge number of quests (probably the most in the game in a single place) and so just explore around and find things to do and people to talk to and such.

I restarted the game with a new character(a half-orc melee guy with the "Army training" background). Game goes a lot smoother when you are more aware of what to look out for. My previous game I had botched the quest line with that Enchantments guy Dongle(?) and also the "Betty Toone's haunted mine" line of quests.

I am now finished with the 'Destroy the steam engine' quest as well as the 'deliver the package' quest for Dongle and need only to find a sprocket to fix the steam engine(which seems impossible so far. None were in the mine.) and head to Tarant I think...

Glad to hear you are enjoying it more now!

There should be the correct gear, or whatever part you need to fix the steam engine (which you broke) in the Shrouded Hills mine actually. It is in one of the barrels at the end of the tunnels where there are spiders. It is called "old large gear" or something like that.

[And be careful about finishing that quest, fixing the engine, before finishing the wizard's quest - he will get angry at you if you fix the steam engine]

Enjoy the rest of the game!

Things that irk:

1. Lack of good backgrounds, especially for tech characters.

In Fallout I could get GIFTED, or various other things that would make me a sniping god, but in Arcanum it seems especially hard to boost one parameter without screwing up three others. Even Piety (PE +1) is stupid because then you can't afford a boomerang in the beginning.

2. 1/2 and 1/4 point skill modifiers.

Seriously, whether it's caused by starting race, backgrounds, equipment; I just can't stand these. I got to have whole points, period, or my character build just isn't civilized. Plus it's confusing to have 2.5 pts in something when training for Expert...stupid half points...

Things that create joy:

1. Vorpal Bunnies
2. Molotovs

First off use F7 constantly before attempting to pick pockets and or pick locks as you can usually avoid jamming things. Also get a pair of lock picks which will give you a +5% to your lock picking crits as opposed the the 0% buff from the crude lock picks you start out with. I found mine inside bessie toones mine. Also, make sure to check everything in the mine because there is a box which has the "old sprocket" and this is what you give to the constable.

Also F8 will quick load your quick saves. So this is nice.

Other than this, you will find there are actually places that if not marked on your map automatically show up as you pass them while walking to your next world designation.

I am running the GoG version without any "fan patches" so far no game breaking glitches but certainly keep a stable finger on that F7 button as this is truly a game within the tradition of games from the 80's-90's where saving is a must and is not done for us...

Enjoy, hope this helps!

**SPOILER**
lol I've made a demo-expert character (LV15), attacked them with explosive and stun nades and still got whooped by the six. Kinda disappointing that they aren't guarding some massive loot since their levels and skills should indicate otherwise.
**SPOILER**

Irks so far:
** Virgil's auto-spell ... he kept casting cure poison while we're in middle of a fight with poisonous creatures, instead of just once at the end of combat, waste of Fatigue points. He also kept equipping a Lantern while he hasn't got strength to have that + a main weapon. Also, lack of any time compression in large dungeons = I am waiting forever for his FP to pick up after he wasted most of it on Cure Poisons.

The fight with the thieves at the bridge -- I find it ridiculousloy hard.

As far as I know, I've done most quests that don't involve destroying public property, and can't leave because those half-ogres keep tearing me up again and again. Frustrating!

And I so want to like this game.

This is one of the tougher moments for new players. There are a few tricks you can use. If you've found any grenades, those can do a lot of damage, especially if you simply attack the thieves instead of talking to them first. Other long-range weapons work well too, provided you're using turn-based combat so you get a lot of shots off before they can close the distance. And you can try recruiting Sogg Mead-Mug to help you fight them. Keep Virgil around too for healing.

Alternatively, you can just pay the bribe to get past them, and then come back to kill them later. Or you can do the quest to join them.

I think that the fight is intended to be quite tough

The pair of stun grenades you acquire from the bandit's cave at the Zephyr crash site can make short work of them, with a little luck. But this fight can certainly be difficult if you're still level 2 or 3 and haven't been investing any CP into, for example, dexterity and melee/dodge. You should be level 5 or 6 by the time you leave Shrouded Hills, and if it's your first time playing through, consider frontending your character's combat abilities at the beginning to make your life easier.

First time I played the game I got stopped dead at that bridge. So I reloaded an earlier save and put points into persuasion instead, so I can talk my way through. Then when I got back to the bridge I figured "What the hell, one more go" and ended up killing them all anyway...

Looks like I am out of luck -- or grenades.

Watch out, wolves. Someone's got some grinding to do.

Whoever wrote the page below, has got the problem with Arcanum NPC (followers) down pat.

Quoted:
"
The NPCs in Arcanum are a very mixed blessing. They will make combat with anything of equal or lesser power to you extremely easy, for they will automatically run over and smite the enemies and deal with their own combat management. This is convenient. Even more convenient, those with healing magic (like Virgil) will automatically use it when people (like you) get wounded, and those with skills (like lockpicking) will automatically jump in and take over for you if their skill is higher than yours. Most convenient of all, they carry your stuff. I can't even imagine the annoying backpack management and constant running to the store soloing this game would entail; a friendly Sogg Mead Mug lugging your baggage around the realms is a godsend. Unfortunately, the NPCs also make combat with anything of greater power a nightmare. It is impossible to engage in tactics with them around. You can't sneak up on things; they will charge as soon as they sight an enemy. You can't draw a monster away from a group; they will charge the group. You can't get wimpier NPCs to stand behind stronger ones; they will charge to the front line. You can't get them to retreat when they're hurt; they will whine that they are about to die, but they won't flee and there's no way to tell them to. You can't coordinate an attack in any way. If you summon something, they will usually attack it and turn it hostile. (NEVER use that gem the halflings give you, for instance.) If you give them a weapon to carry or they pick one up off the ground (some NPCs are scripted to pick anything they can find up off the ground, even if it's much too heavy for them and completely worthless, so be careful breaking open chests and always dispose of rubbish in a container), they will often put away their own weapon and equip it even if it's cursed or their strength is too low to wield it. Basically, there is no way to use your superior intelligence and tactical skills against the game's AI, for your NPCs will drag you down to its level whether you like it or not. Consider it 'parity', and don't attack anything unless your guys have a clear advantage on paper.
Unfortunately, these NPCs don't have much to add to the game. Many of them have interesting backstories and quests to get them into your party, but once there, they don't do anything exhibiting a personality except occasionally comment on your critical hits and misses. Only some of them have voices, oddly enough, so some of the NPCs will speak their comments and others will only type. With the exception of Virgil, there are no special quests or quest options available if you have any of them in your party (to the best of my knowledge). Virgil, Magnus, and Raven are the only ones who ever even seem to get the occasional extra bit of dialogue. I haven't found that it matters at all to the plot which characters you take, so you can pretty much make your choices based on the kind of party type you prefer.
"

http://www.bigorrin.org/arc8.htm

I love Arcanum. One thing that irks me that really isn't game related is this... Arcanum in my opinion has a GORGEOUS soundtrack. The music is excellent, beautiful and much more... Why doesn't GOG have the soundtrack as an extra downloadable bonus? I know its something i could online and such but i just found it annoying. I mean BLOOD has a downloadable soundtrack but not Arcanum? I find it weird and annoying and I hope they do add it later. I would love to have it as a bonus item.

Just a little thing that irked me... That and random assassins.