[atomicminds]

Thanks for replying DarthHelmet86 and Scatty.

I tried another game yesterday.

Same group of guys, same classes.

I started with the same guys. Went over to the brickroad. I didn't intend to win. I was kind of frustrated from my previous losses. So I went there at lvl 1 to see if the ratkins would swarm me. However, this time only 4 ambushed me. I lost the fight, but I gained some useful knowledge.

So I made a new game and re-rolled my characters.

I think one of them got 0 stats, the alchemist. Anyway.

I felt excited somewhat now that I knew the brick-road was something I might be able to cross. But I chose to take things easy and level up in the entrance areas first to ensure I can survive the brick-road ambush.

Only a few minutes after starting I got attacked by 4 ratkin bandit things. I lost 4 of my group members. But the important thing is I kept my ranger and priest. I worked the dungeon and the forest with them until I was lvl 5. I opened the chests too. I did not try that ghoul.

This is the point where I went back to the brickroad. 6 rat bandits approached from the trees and attacked. I used the cherry bomb potion on the priest to hit them all in one go. Since the ranger was out of arrows he had been using his sword for a while. He could hit twice by that time. The cherry bomb killed 3 or 4 of them. I won the fight and finally had a smile on my face.

I went to the end of the road and saw the New City sign. This didn't surprise me because I had a parchment referring to it. The imperial guard asked me what my business was. The first time I said I needed rest and provisions. That failed. The second time I told him I was going to Paluke's Armory. It was just a random idea. The guard said that the destination was confirmed and allowed me to pass. The whole thing felt strange to me. But aside from that I went into the city and saw some homes or shops. Wasn't sure if they were homes or shops. I saw one building and tried to enter. The door opened and I innocently went inside, not sure yet whether it was a business or not.

At this point 4 guards attacked me. I am not sure exactly how this happened. Maybe htey attack you when you enter a random home? But the door wasn't locked. Maybe I entered a guard house? Why didn't they at least allow me to explain myself and/or leave? All that aside, I did manage to kill them, but I did run several times. It was close. A few minutes after healing up I exited the crime scene and found Paluke's Armory just next door. Talked with him. Didn't buy anything.

I wandered a bit until I was in a grass filled place with a outhouse or something. I walked next to it to see it more clearly. It looked harmless to me. Just then 4 munks attacked me. I told my 2 guys to run, but it was no good. The munks outmatched me by a good margin. I died and wondered why they were so aggressive. What're they hiding? And wth did I do wrong?

So that's the end of that group.

You guys are right that this game requires you to save & load to play it unless you're a master of the game or have a walk-through. But even so, I don't remember Albion being this bad.

There was a time I played save & load games routinely. But I must have grown out of it. Too many online games. I just can't play that way anymore. It doesn't feel right to me.

I really feel that a evolution in single player RPGs is going to happen as a result of these online games. Save & Load (Save & Redo) as a mechanic is going to change to a more fluid gameplay where death is not necessarily the end of the game and a world wherein encounters are more flexible and anticipated. I don't think surprise will be eliminated from games, but I do think that mortal surprises (that result in death) will become much less frequent. IMHO.

I thank the advice. This is a learning experience for me and I value it a lot.

I may yet try another save game or even grab a walk-through for VII. Despite how I feel about this game and other old(er) games, I still think that the content in there shouldn't be forgotten. I'm humbled by the sum of stories and images and sounds in these games. It almost makes me cry it's so beautiful and at the same time tragic (that they slowly fade from popular use and memory).

PS: My constant references to Save & Load is better rephrased as Save & Redo.