General

What is « Divine Divinity » ?
« Divine Divinity » is a PC computer role-playing game. In it, you take control over either a male of female character whom you guide through a highly interactive fantasy world. The goal of the game is to unleash the Divinity in you. You do this by developing your character in a variety of ways, combating enemies and solving numerous quests.


When is it going to be released ?
Germany: Released on august 2nd
UK: September 13th
Benelux and France: September 20th
Rest of Europe: Late September
US: October
Asia: Q4 2002


How many CD-ROMs does Divine Divinity occupy ?
The game comes on three CD-ROMS. There are two install discs and one play disc.


What are the minimum system requirements for playing Divine Divinity ?
The minimum specs to be able to play the game well are a PII 450Mhz with 128Mb of RAM, 8MB of video memory, a 4X speed CDROM drive, a 100% Directsound compatible soundcard, and 1.7GB free HDD space.


What resolutions are available in Divine Divinity ?
Divine Divinity supports three resolutions: 640x480, 800x600 and 1024x768. Much depends on the quality of your graphics card and the configuration of your PC. Additionally, there is an “unofficial” way to run the game in resolutions of up to 1600x1200.


What graphic drivers does Divine Divinity support ?
Divine Divinity supports Direct3D, DirectDraw, Glide and Software rendering.


In what languages will I be able to play Divine Divinity ?
Currently Divine Divinity is being produced for release in English, German, French, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese and Japanese. More languages are likely.


Can I save at all times when playing Divine Divinity ?
Yes. Furthermore, you have a quick-save and quick-load key for rapid saving/loading.


Is Divine Divinity based on an existing universe ?
No. Divine Divinity introduces a brand new fantasy universe.


Will there be add-ons/sequels for Divine Divinity ?
Yes, but no official statements are available at this time.


Does the game support multiplayer ?
No. Divine Divinity is a single player game.


Is there a playable downloadable demo of Divine Divinity?
Yes. There is demo circulating which was released in February 2002, containing old code. We will be releasing a new demo shortly.


How large is the demo ?
The demo is around 400Mb.


What happens if I download Divinity from a warez site?
Your computer blows up.



Player Character


What types of player characters are available ?
There are three major ways in which the player can develop his character. These are: the way of the survivor, the way of the warrior and the way of the wizard. When starting the game the player needs to select the initial way in which he wants to specialize, as well as the gender of the character he’ll be playing with. These options decide what the in-game representation of the player will look like. There are six different representations for the player character, three male and three females. The appearance and the animations of the player character change depending on what he or she is wearing. Additionally, depending on the initial way the player selected, he gains an extra special move which he can also develop. On a sidenote, there are almost one million frames which have been rendered for the player characters alone. (the actual number is 6 times 165000)


Can I select a different portrait for my player character and can I include my own picture ?
Yes. Each player character representation has different portraits associated with it. We are looking at the possibility of allowing you to import your own player character picture.


How does the skill system work ?
The player is capable of developing his character by researching a number of skills. There are 96 skills available to the player. These are divided in three groups of 32 skills which correspond with the three ways. Each way is then subdivided in 4 paths. Paths group skills which are closely related to each other. To learn a skill, the player must research it. Each skill has a cost associated with it expressed in experience points. Some skills also have a number of prerequisites which are required if the player wants to research the skill. To research a skill the player must first select the skill, and then earn a number of experience points which equals the cost of the skill. If required, the player must also satisfy the prerequisites of the skill. The available skills are balanced in such a way that there are different ways of playing the game, going from pure hack and slash to the more traditional approach of pen & paper rpgs.


How does the player develop his character ?
The player can develop his character throughout the game by means of boosting his primary stats and researching skills. The primary stats consist of strength, intelligence, constitution and agility. In order to increase one of these stats, the player needs to increase his level. To do this, he needs to acquire experience points. In addition to the primary stats, there are several secondary stats which are either derived from the primary stats, or influenced by other aspects of the game (like the items he is wearing). The secondary stats include various resistances as well as offense/defense modifiers and hitpoints/mana levels.


How does conversation with other characters work ?
Whenever another character says something, the player can select from a list of answers. While talking to a character, the player can at all times interrupt the conversation or enter trade mode with that character. Additionally, the player can at all times review past conversations. A lot of conversations are also worked out in speech, but not all.


Why don’t all the characters have speech ?
The surprisingly simple answer is that there’s too much that they can say. The dialogs are very dynamic, and adapt to the circumstances. It would be impossible to fit all the variations on a few CD-ROMS.


Are there a lot of conversations in the game ?
Yes. There are currently more than 300 different npcs in the game with whom you can talk.


I don’t like to read. Do I have to go through all those conversations ?
No. Divinity features an “exit dialog” button that you can almost always use to get rid of conversations.


If I don’t read the conversations, how will I be able to go through the story ?
A large part of the main plot gets told through in-game scripted scenes. Additionally, when a conversation is crucial to the main plot, or if you have to make a choice, you will not be able to exit the conversation immediately.


Will I gain benefits from reading all the conversations ?
Yes. You will undoubtedly pick up more quests and information, but the game is perfectly playable without going through all of them. It’s really up to you.


How does trade mode work ?
Trade in Divinity is done through bartering. Both characters involved in a trade show the wares they are willing to trade. The player then selects what he wants, and shows what he is willing to offer in return. Characters will accept or reject a deal depending on a number of factors such as the player’s actions in the past, their relation with the player, current inflation etc...


Are there special items the player can use to boost his character ?
Yes, plenty of them. There are eleven slots in which the player can put items he wishes to wear. All items that fit in those slots can boost the stats and skills of the player. There are a lot of items that have been predefined, but the game engine also generates special and rare items so in theory the amount of special items the player can find is unlimited.


How does the player find special items ?
That depends. A lot of items can be found by searching the bodies of slain enemies (or allies !), by stealing it from someone’s house, or by just exploring. Additionally, some really special items can be found by performing quests.


Can I enchant weapons and armour ?
Yes, you can charm items with a variety of charms. Some items can contain more than one charm, making them rather powerful.


What’s this about a special move ?
Depending on the initial way the player selects, he gains access to a special move which fits to the way.


What are the special moves ?
The warrior’s special move is extending his weapon and rapidly rotating his body, doing significant damage to the enemies around him. The wizard’s special move is swapping places with his target. The survivor’s special move is sneaking.


How smooth are the animations of the player characters ?
Very smooth. Each player character has for every action at least 24 frames of animation per direction, and there are 20 directions per action.


What magic spells are available ?
The magic spells fall under the skill system. The way of the wizard contains 32 spells, split up in powers over matter, elemental powers, spiritual powers and powers of summoning.


In addition to what the player character can wear, does he have a backpack, and if so, is it limited in size ?
Yes to the backpack, no to the size limit. There’s no artificial limit to what the player can carry with him, the only restraint is his strength which decides on how much he can carry.


Can the player character run ?
Yes, he can.


Do the actions of the player character affect the way other characters react to him?
Yes. Each character has an opinion of the player, and that opinion plays an important role in the interaction between that character and the player.


Can you give some examples of this ?
Bartering with somebody who adores you is much cheaper than bartering with someone who’s grown to dislike you. If you managed to turn someone against you, it’s even possible that they refuse to speak with you. Luckily you can always bribe them if you really need them to do you a favor. Also, somebody having a good opinion about you can be helpful when you are caught stealing.


What happens if I steal something?
That depends on the situation. If nobody saw you doing the deed, you’ll probably get away with it, but don’t go around flaunting your stolen wares, or you might still get caught. If the opinion of the character who spots you stealing is high enough, you might get off with a warning, but if his opinion of you wasn’t that good to start with, he might attack you or call for help. If you are really unlucky, he might even call the guards.


What happens if the guards get called?
They’ll try to arrest you and throw you in jail. It’s up to you to deal with that situation.


What happens if I buy Divinity in a shop and then put it on a warez site?
The internet blows up and you’ll feel really guilty.



Interface

How do you control the player character ?
You either left click on a location or hold down your left mouse button to move the player character. If you hold down your left mouse button the player character will walk in the direction you are pointing, and automatically negotiate obstacles. Depending on how far the mouse cursor is from the player character, the player character will either run or walk.


How do you attack ?
You left click on the enemy once. There’s btw no need to keep on clicking like a madman once you clicked on your enemy, just once is enough.


Is there a combat mode and a non-combat mode ?
Yes. And it’s relatively important too. If you talk to someone holding your sword in front of his nose, that might cause a different reaction than when you keep your sword hidden.


Are there hotkeys and can I assign them myself ?
Yes. You can easily assign different keys to different actions.


How do I use a skill ?
You select your active skill from your skill menu, and then right click to use it.


Can I move objects ?
Yes you can. By holding your left mouse button over them and dragging them, you can move objects which lie in the world.


Can I move everything ?
If it doesn’t weigh too much, or if it’s not stuck to something, yes.


Can I use objects ?
Yes, you just left click on them. Depending on what the object is, something will happen. You can for instance extinguish torches, or open cupboards.


Can I combine two objects together ?
Yes, you can. You just drag one object over another object, and if there’s an object combination possible, the two objects will combine to form a new one. And there are really a lot of object combinations in Divinity.


Can I break objects ?
While we do not promote vandalism, it’s possible, yes. You are responsible for the consequences however.


Is there an automap ?
Two actually. One in-game minimap for a quick overview of your current whereabouts, and one big fullscreen automap for planning your journeys on.


Can I put markers on the automap and enter my own notes?
Yes.


Are there teleporters for quick travelling ?
Yes – they exist in many forms.


Is there a quest log ?
Yes – it is located in your diary, a book which contains all kinds of information and which is automatically updated as you progress through the story.


What else is in this diary?
Besides the large automap and the questlog, you’ll find a history of all the conversation you’ve had, a detailed description of yourself and a log of all the creatures you’ve encountered together with notes about them.


So what happens if I buy Divinity, make a copy of it and give that copy to my friend ?
Your friend’s computer blows up, and you’ll have to explain it.



Various

How large is the world ?
The world is over 20000 screens large.


How long are the load times for traversing between levels ?
There are no real levels in Divine Divinity, and there are no real load times except at a few key points, but even those are very short. It’s one big world which connects seamlessly.


How much monsters are there ?
Loads of them. There over 100 different monster types, but expect to meet thousands instances of them.


Do monsters have their own behaviors ?
Yes – the intelligence level of the monster determines how they act and fight. Some monsters or enemies are intelligent enough to attack you as a group.


Is the only way of defeating monsters killing them ?
No, though it is usually quite an effective way. Depending on the skills you choose to acquire, there are many ways of dealing with your enemies.


What about non player characters, are there a lot of them ?
Yes – there are almost 300 characters with whom you can talk and communicate. In addition, there are a lot of extra non player characters who are just living their life in the world of Divinity.


Do the non player characters react to the actions of the player ?
Yes, most of them do. Of course, if one of them is hanging with his hands and feets chained, you can’t expect him to do a lot, can you ? They definitely don’t just stand there around staring at the wall.


Are there scripted scenes using the game engine ?
Yes. A lot of the plot movements get shown this way.


How about animals ?
Rats, birds, butterflies, cows, rabbits, cats etc… they’re all there.


I’ve seen reflections in the screenshots. Are they for real ?
Yes, they are. If you are using the direct3d driver, you will also see that the reflection
moves (for instance ripples in the water).


What about environmental effects ?
Fog, rain, day/night changes, thunderstorms, they’re all catered for. You’ll know when the sun is rising.


What’s the relation between time in the real world and time in the game ?
Three real minutes correspond with one hour in real life, so a full day takes half an hour in real time.


What about sound ?
There’s a lot of sound in Divine Divinity. Basically everything which you expect to make sound, makes sound.


What about music ?
The soundtrack of Divine Divinity is very extensive. Furthermore, it adapts to in-game circumstances, giving it a movie like quality.


Can I shapeshift ?
Yes you can. There are statues in the game which allow you to do so by rubbing over them. You can even necroshift, which means taking over the body of a dead character or monster, and walk around in it.


Can I necroshift into a dragon ?
No :) Your level in the necroshifting skill determines how powerful the creatures are in which you can necroshift, and dragons are way too powerful.


But there are dragons in Divine Divinity ?
Yes.


Do I need to identify objects ?
Yes, some objects need to be identified. However, if your identify skill level is high enough, they get automatically identified for you. The same goes for monsters. The better your monster identification skill, the more you learn about their attributes.


Are there cinematic movies in Divinity ?
Yes, three of them. One movie is the introduction movie, the second one is shown in the middle of the game and the third one is shown at the end.


Can I summon creatures ?
There’s an entire skill path in the way of the wizard which is devoted to summoning creatures who aid you in combat.


How do I heal the player character ?
There are many ways of healing the player character. There are healing spells, healing potions, herbs with which you can create healing potions, healers who can heal you, and there’s also a skill called survival, which automatically regenerates the player character’s health.


Can I steal objects ?
There’s a path of the thief in the way of the survivor which is dedicated to the art of stealing, and causing other forms of mischief, including setting up traps.


Can I recruit other people to aid me ?
Yes, there’s a skill in the way of the survivor called Leadership which allows you to recruit non-player characters.


Can I make my own potions ?
Yes, if you have the alchemy skill, you can make a wide variety of potions, each having their own effects.


Can I pause the game and give commands ?
Yes – there are a variety of options available to you when the game is paused.