That's odd. I just discovered an unused code in my account. Probably got it to give it away and then forgot to do so. But Abe isn't supposed to sit around on a shelf, collecting virtual dust. He's supposed to be played with.

So, I'm giving away one code for <span class="bold">Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee</span>

Enter requirement:
1) Be nice (no rep limit, since rep is useless, but if I know you as not nice, you're out)
2) Intend to play the game
3) Write "I'm in" and tell me something odd. Can be an anecdote from your life or something from the internet. Just as long as it's odd or weird.

NOT IN since I already own the game, but I'll tell the weirdest thing I ever saw just the same. As a bonus it is game-related

Around 96 I had a Sega Mega Drive and my brothers and me played the hell out of it. One of the games we used to play was Sonic 2. One day I had been playing for some hours, but eventually got bored and turned off the console. The tv reverted to "antenna mode" (tuned to a frequency where there was no channel) and kept showing a broadcast of a playthrough of Sonic 2!

Even though the image was in a greyscale and heavily distorted by static there was no mistake: the tv was showing a stage I had been playing a mere 10 minutes before. And I think that was my playthrough (the stage had multiple paths to the exit, but I think I saw movements and choices that mimicked my own).

I was dumbfounded and even disconnected the console to try and determine if it was the source of this bizarre phenomenon, yet the tv kept showing Sonic and Tails happily jumping along as if it were being fed video from a VCR. No sound. Eventually the image distortion got worse until you couldn't see anything anymore, just pure static.

To this day I can't explain what happened. Maybe that old tube tv had some sort of capacitor and kept releasing energy at the same rate as it had been a few minutes before? Yeah I know it doesn't make sense. My best guess so far is that it was an extremely coincidental interference from some neighbor's tv and that person was playing Sonic 2 at almost the same time as me.

Edit: and thanks for the giveaway, even tho it's gonna be hard to find someone who doesn't have Abe's Oddyssey by now.

Not in because I fail requirement #2, but here is a minor Elminage Gothic exploit that takes advantage of some odd mechanics.

So, my mage just reached level 13, and I got lucky and she learns all 3 level 7 spells. Unfortunately, she only has one cast of them (between rests).

Anyway, I decide to use that one spell point on Miracle (which is powerful, but has the downside of costing the caster a level), and then I check her spells after the battle.

She is now level 12 (one level before you can learn level 7 spells), but I notice that she has 3 level 7 spell points. Yes, one level lost, but more level 7 spell points. (These spell points persist until she would normally have more, as long as she doesn't get level drained again and ends up at level 13 or 14 (exactly) after the level drain.)

Incidentally, in classic Wizardry, there are a few situations where level draining can actually result in an increase of XP, particularly if the character just used an item to class change from a fast leveling class to a slow one.

There are other games where you can take advantage of strange game mechanics; Morrowind is a good example, where I can get tons of current fatigue and magicka by exploiting the way the current value changes when the maximum does, and can get tons of current health by jumping at high fatigue and taking negative falling damage.

Also, in both Morrowind and Oblivion, if I somehow end up with negative magicka, I can't use greater powers even though they cost no magicka (because I don't have enough magicka; does that make sense?).

I love strange mechanics in these games, even if some of them might not lead to fun gameplay.

Edit: It seems that I did get this game when it was given away, so I don't need it anyway, even if I didn't fail rule 2.

Not sure if that's just setup for the giveaway or if you are not aware where it came from but it was a free game a few weeks ago:

https://www.gog.com/news/lets_celebrate_abes_20th_anniversary

Not in as I already have it but thank you.

I thought of another odd game mechanic in Elminage Gothic. Suppose that I leveled up that mage to level 13, but she *didn't* learn Miracle this time (but did learn at least one of the other 7th level spells). I then change her into another class.

* If I make her a Samurai, she can't learn Miracle until level 22 (the level at which a Samurai would normally get access to that spell level).

* If, instead, I make her a Fighter (who doesn't normally learn magic), she can learn Miracle as soon as she reaches level 13.

In other words, she can learn that one missing mage spell sooner if she changes to a class that *doesn't* normally get mage spells than if she changes into a class that *does*.

Isn't that strange?

(Still not in.)

OK. Then it probably came from there ... I forgot. How odd. :-) That probably means that everyone already has it.

Still you are welcome to share odd things here. Thanks to joppo and dtgreene for doing so. @joppo: that really is odd! The NSA must have screwed up something while watching you! ;-)

Another favorite odd thing to do in one of my favorite computer games.

Bard's Tale 3:

I would form a party containing only monsters, leave the refugee camp, then D)rop everyone from the party. This then leaves me with an empty party, yet I can still walk around, enter dungeons, and even save the game. The only two things I can't safely do are:

1. Fight a battle. If I get into a fight, I must run away, and if I fail, I get a game over after the first enemy's attack (but who does the enemy attack?)

2. Step on a damage square. More difficult, but I have managed to reach one, and the game does end after it checks to see if I get a game over.

Incidentally, in Final Fantasy 6, if (after the first Kefka fight not that far into the game) you form a party of Gau and Shadow, leave Gau at the Veldt, and then take Shadow back to Narshe...

... Shadow (your only party member) leaves your party! So, for those keeping track, could you tell me who is in your party at that point?

Final Fantasys 4 and 5 also have bugs that can result in you having strange parties; all-dead parties are possible in both 5 and 6 (and it's possible to save the game in that state).

Oh yes, I also had an all dead party in some game. I think it was one of the Might and Magic ones. I could trade and talk with people and I could also deal damage in fights - but as soon as I received damage, the game crashed.

Also make sure that the code hasn't already expired. According to GOG support, promotional codes such as these one are supposed to be redeemed only during the promo or just a few days after it finishes, so...

47.


Not in.

Yes. That's odd. :-)

But did you know that 2 is the oddest prime?

Another oddity:

Playing the second GBC Wizardry Empire game. My priest currently has a Staff of Healing and a Kite Shield equipped, and she's getting 15 attacks, far more than she should.

(The problem seems to be this combination; using a different weapon negates the effect, the effect only occurs with the shield equipped, and giving the weapon and shield to my Lord also reproduces the effect.)

Nice giveaway +1

Not in