Topic: General Gaming / Dark Ages TI-83
"You Missed"So you think you want to play DarkAges TI-83? Didn't think so, but if you are a fan of old style RPGs and have nostalgia for all those math classes you survived by secretly (or not so secretly) playing video games on your calculator you should give it a shot anyway.
Here is the link: http://www.kongregate.com/games/eatjason/darkages-ti-83Unfortunately, like many old style RPGs, this game is very punishing, especially early on, and it is a little unclear how the character classes play at first glance. Thankfully my time is less valuable than yours, so I was able to produce this guide. Included below is an outline of each class and their stats as well as my opinions on them.
KeyStat - Starting Amount (Amount Gained Per Level)
Special - Level Gained, Name (Energy Cost)
Dark KnightHit Points - 18 (6)
Energy - 0 (2)
Power - 4 (2)
Resistance - 3 (1.5)
Hit % - 45 (2.5)
Gear - Able to Equip All
Specials - None
Thoughts - The Dark Knight is the most durable and heavy hitting character in the late game, however his energy ends up being useless, as he never gains any special skills. In some cases being stuck with only normal attacks can be annoying, but the Dark Knight is a solid addition to any team.
PaladinHit Points - 18 (5)
Energy - 6 (3)
Power - 3 (1.5)
Resistance - 4 (2)
Hit % - 45 (2.5)
Gear - Able to Equip up to Magic
Specials - Level 6, Heal Touch (5)
Level 11, Bless (?)
Thoughts - The Paladin features the least expensive healing special in the game, but unfortunately not until level 6 where it isn't always useful. Also in the late game, under performs next to a Dark Knight, but is great at keeping people alive in a tough fight. Doesn't suit my play style but not a terrible class. Also, I can't for the life of me figure out what Bless does.
Lizard ManHit Points - 12 (8)
Energy - 8 (2)
Power - 3 (1.5)
Resistance - 3 (1.5)
Hit % - 45 (2)
Gear - Up to Broad Sword & Plate
Specials - Level 4, Pounce (10)
Level 7, Poison (15)
Thoughts - Lizard Men have the highest HP in the end game but suffer defensively compared to Dark Knights & Paladins due to the low max armor; however, they have the hardest hits in the end game with Pounce, which scales with Power. Pounce is good enough that even with the weapon setback and lower power than the Dark Knight it still allows them to hit harder. Unfortunately the poison comes a bit late to be very useful against anything except the tougher boss mobs.
NinjaHit Points - 8 (4)
Energy - 12 (4)
Power - 2 (1)
Resistance - 3 (1)
Hit % - 48 (3)
Gear - Up to Broad Sword & Plate
Specials - Level 4, Poison Stars (4)
Level 10, Flood (10)
Thoughts - Ninjas are the best character for the Character 1 slot due to their high hit percentage and as such can not be beat in early game situations if geared. The low level access to poison even allows some early takedowns of Wyverns for amazing exp and Flood, a multi-target high damage special, remains useful against world mobs the whole game. As great as that sounds their low survivability is a hindrance later on.
Black MageHit Points - 6 (2)
Energy - 15 (6)
Power - 2 (1)
Resistance - 1 (0.5)
Hit % - 40 (1)
Gear - Up to Staff & Leather
Specials - Level 1, Fire (8) ((Single Target Low Damage))
Level 4, Weakness (15) ((Makes target weaker?))
Level 7, Ice Storm (30) ((Multi-Target Moderate Damage))
Level 10, Lightning (30) ((Single-Target High Damage))
Level 13, Quake (45) ((Multi-Target High Damage))
Level 16, Plague (55) ((Multi-Target Damage over Time))
Thoughts - I don't like the mages, but in the middle game Ice Storm was kind of neat to have, and early on Fire can make the difference against scorpions.
White MageHit Points - 6 (2)
Energy - 15 (6)
Power - 1 (0.5)
Resistance - 2 (1)
Hit % - 40 (1)
Gear - Up to Staff & Leather
Specials - Level 1, Heal (8) ((Single Target Pathetic HP Return))
Level 4, Sleep (12) ((Sometimes skips an enemy))
Level 7, Cure (15) ((Removes Status Effects))
Level 10, Power Boost (30) ((Makes Lizard Men 1 Shot Everyone))
Level 13, Mass Heal (55) ((Full Heal Everyone))
Level 16, Life (?) ((Broken for me))
Thoughts - Again, not a fan of mages, but late game Mass Heal can be great. If life worked it would be amazing but the resurrect item is inexpensive so there really isn't much need. A white mage is great to have if you have a Lizard Man because Power Boost with their Pounce will usually cause them to one shot even the Dragon. That said by the time you face a Dragon your team should be powerful enough that it doesn't matter.
Recommended teams (ORDER IMPORTANT):Ninja, Dark Knight, Dark Knight, Dark Knight. Buy the Ninja the best weapon you can afford and some leather so he can't be one shot killed and hope luck is with you.
Ninja, Dark Knight, White Mage, Lizard Man. Allows easy use of the Power Boost/Pounce combo. Get the Ninja that weapon and then put some cloth on the Ninja, White Mage, and Lizard Man to protect from one-shot kills.
Combat Explained:Either the Enemy 1 or Character 1 will always move first and then it proceeds in order. Because of this there is no reason to focus so much on lowering the number of enemies, just focus the ones whose attacks cause you the most trouble to get them out of the rotation.
Advanced Tip
Lets say you are facing Golem Golem Slime Scorpion and you go first. You know your first character is the only one who can one shot a Golem and that Number 2 & 3 are both capable of taking out a Scorpion. Even though the Scorpion is more annoying you should use that first character against a Golem and then the odds are usually in your favor that either 2 or 3 will be able to land that hit to KO the scorpion after him. This shortens the battle considerably. This strategy can be applied to other enemies as you learn the game.
Also keep in mind you go back to full hp/energy each time you level.
Walkthrough
Surviving The Early Game (Hardest Part)At the start of the game regardless of your team go to town and get a good weapon on your first character, the reason being that you want to save and load until you get a good first turn in an easier fight and you'll want that hit to be pretty hard/good. Cover your weakest 3 characters with cloth and you should be out of money.
SAVE
No matter what your team if your first fight includes 2 scorpions or more at above 10 hp each RUN then reload if you took any hits, scorpions can poison and hit pretty hard on top of it. The basic strategy is to save and load and stay at the inn until you are tough enough that the early fights no longer bother you.
If you have poison or are feeling good around level 4 or 5 you can go to the woods south east of town and try to fight some Wyverns for great exp, they self heal and cast sleep most of the time so you won't take many hits. Sometimes they have mages with them who you will want to take out first because their fire can do some irritatingly high damage.
Level 7+ / Mid GameOnce you hit this point gear up your people some more at the town and start fighting your way to the Cave along the east side of the map, in the north east. It looks like the mountains but is missing a pixel. Inside is a somewhat easy boss fight and an item you need to complete the game.
Level 14+ / Late GameAt this point you should actually be strong enough to complete the game for sure. Buy at least 1 revive and go south and through the cave along the southwest wall of mountains, a dragon will be in that cave. If you have a white mage & lizard man this is a great time for Power Boost / Pounce, but otherwise just take him out like he's a very high HP mage. Weakness if you have a Black Mage might be good but for me the Dragon goes down pretty quick at this point.
Once through the cave you should continue to level up over and over on your way to the castle.
Castle / End GameThe final boss's first move will be to 1 hit KO one of your characters randomly. Use that revive I told you to buy and then go to town on him. Hopefully you have that item from the first cave, once the boss is at 1 hp hit him with the item to see the end screen.
Closing CommentsHope you enjoyed the game. Feel free to try out weird teams. I've been trying games where I let monsters kill all but 1 character. So far beat it with Ninja, Dark Knight, and Paladin, trying Black Mage now. White Mage should be pretty tough.
