AGDInteractive - Sierra Adventure Game Remakes Forum

Okay, I can understand not still having the two pieces of paper from the Spielburg tavern, story wise my character probably chucked them(or gave them to the Chief Thief so he'd know who the spy was) before leaving the valley. I can understand not still having the Magic Mirror, it was most likely returned to Erasmus during the finale party. I can understand not having the brass key taken form the one brigand killed at the archery stand outside of town, probably gave it to the Baron so he could use to take out brigands via two sides. I can understand not having that last leftover empty flask as well, probably hocked off to the Healer before departure. I can even understand losing my small pile of vegetables and six of my eleven rations, probably ate them en route to Shapier.

But what the hell happened to all my potions?! I had two Mana Potions, five vigor potions, and SIXTEEN healing potions on my way out of QFG1VGA before entering the QFG2VGA remake, and now they're gone! Where'd they go, and why didn't I keep them!?!?!? This is very annoying, in case you can't tell.

Well, first of all because potions don't exist in Shapeir. Only healing pills and such are around. I guess the Coles didn't want the hero to carry around both pills and potions doing the exact same thing. (neither did we for that matter, having to add extra items and implement the correct code twice is redundant work) And magically transforming all your carefully hoarded potions into pills would be stretching logic a bit too.

Another thing is game balance. You already start the game with quite a bit of money. (more than enough to buy an ample amount of supplies) And importing already gives you a big statistics advantage. Also allowing you to keep a large amount of potions would make it too easy and way too unbalanced between new players and importing players.

I'd say get used to it. QFG4 and QFG5 also strip you of all your pills/potions when importing.

Erpy wrote:And magically transforming all your carefully hoarded potions into pills would be stretching logic a bit too.

Hey, if they could magically change your clothes...

But I'm with you though. As much as I thought it would have been fun to take over some items between the QfG games, I'm sure it would have been a coding and balancing nightmare.

I wondered about this too, both with EGA original and this VGA remake. All of the games do this to one degree or another and the only one which offers an explanation is QG3 to QG4--the narrator specifically says you've lost your luggage.

Aside from the benefits of importing higher and/or additional character stats some items do carry over:
QG1 to QG2: Money, I've never experimented around to see how much it is but I have noticed my imported characters generally have more than created ones do.
QG2 to QG3: Pills, Daggers, and the Katta Pin, it's easy to get money in QG2 use all your extra cash pile up on pills and daggers because they ALL carry over into the next game.
QG3 to QQ4: Nothing! Start fresh
QG4 to QG5: Nothing! Start fresh

I would imagine like Erpy pointed at, that this is done to avoid logistical headaches created within the game of how to convert this and that. Then again, it might also have something to do with keeping the .sav file simple or just how they were written. If EVERYTHING were on the file, it might have just been too difficult to work with. I remember when the QG4 to QG5 import files wouldn't work and we had to wait for Sierra to patch that problem and it specifically was a problem dealing with the size of the file.

The QFG1 export files do contain potion numbers. The Coles probably didn't really know yet what exactly they were gonna need for sequels, so those files contain some info that's not used. The export files also contain undead unguent, for example. (and in QFG2VGA, you retain them to make ghoul fights a laughingstock) Another thing the export files contained was whether you got rid of Baba Yaga or not. By QFG4, Sierra simply used the best outcome as canon with her (which is understandable), but in QFG2VGA, importing a hero who never changed her into a frog is still noticable here and there.

But yeah, the reason we didn't have both pills and potions for the very same thing was simply balancing issues. We already gave importers the benefit of 25 additional stat points. The potions would have been a bit much.

Erpy wrote:The QFG1 export files do contain potion numbers. The Coles probably didn't really know yet what exactly they were gonna need for sequels, so those files contain some info that's not used. The export files also contain undead unguent, for example. (and in QFG2VGA, you retain them to make ghoul fights a laughingstock) Another thing the export files contained was whether you got rid of Baba Yaga or not. By QFG4, Sierra simply used the best outcome as canon with her (which is understandable), but in QFG2VGA, importing a hero who never changed her into a frog is still noticable here and there.

But yeah, the reason we didn't have both pills and potions for the very same thing was simply balancing issues. We already gave importers the benefit of 25 additional stat points. The potions would have been a bit much.

Oh wow. All these years and I never would have thought, much less known, that the undead unguent potion(s) carried over with the import to QG2. Was that only for the VGA version? I have to admit, aside from the combat system being excellent and well-expanded, there can be a considerable amount of difficultly associated with fighting a couple of the monsters when the skill bar is set at mid-level or above (which is good).

Import files have always seemed tricky and perhaps even slightly unplanned. Items didn't carry over into 2, class types didn't distinguish themselves properly in 3, spells and their skill levels transferred strangely in 4 (I've had Paladins with 30,000+ skill level for open and was given juggling lights for some reason), and before it was patched "super" characters from 4 to 5 were not importable. It's easily forgivable though, I don't recall another game that did this when QfG had it as an option, importing skill levels alone offer an incredible advantage, and the fourth class of Paladin always struck me as a bonus for loyal fans.

Is the undead unguent the only addition item that carried over or are there other additional goodies carry over into the remake?

Only the unguent. It was always present in the QFG1 export files, QFG2EGA simply didn't use the data.

gamecreator wrote:

Erpy wrote:And magically transforming all your carefully hoarded potions into pills would be stretching logic a bit too.

Hey, if they could magically change your clothes...

Yeah, and like the hero chucking all his useful potions is logical

It still makes more sense than having the second game contain both potions and pills doing the exact same thing. Also, seeing that you're travelling a long distance on a cramped carpet, it makes sense to travel light.

For all we know, they got sidetracked on the way and had a whole other adventure we didn't get to play! After all, in QfG5 FA says you have enough stories to fill five books but you've only finished four games.... if that's true though, it's likely you used those potions!

...Anyways, that's what I have always told myself when I imported. :P

Here's a thought...

They had to drink all the potions on the trip through the desert because they were out of water