Larian Studios Forums General Chat RPG Chat Zanzarah Forum hacked !

@Cleglaw: My english is not very good. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" /> Therefore I can write only short messages in a simple way (and with a little help from babelfish).

Therefore too, I can't explain (in english) what kind of game it is.
Perhaps someone else can do it....??

@all: Thank you for your sympathy and your good wishes. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

gina

Supplement: One of the reasons for that "hack" is the old software from the forum. The reasons for this I have explained in the german part from the Larian-Forum here.

http://www.larian.com/ubbthreads/sh...amp;amp;sb=5&o=&fpart=40

(I can't translate it.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" /> )

At this site you find lot of stuff around zanzarah.

The game: you have to train fairies and fight against various enemies. I found it very ...hmmm... lively, because the number of your fairies increases steady.

modgoopgina,
Thanks for the reply.
Perhaps someone else can explain what the gameplay is like.

In the game you play the role of an English girl called Amy. Amy has a strange visit in her home in England and she is transfered in a magic world in which she is teached on how to capture fairies and train them. The training is achived by doing battles in certain arenas with other fairies. Your fairies can be evolved up to three stages. Your mission is to save the world you are in which is in great danger. So there are some RPG elements in the game among with the adventure. Your weapons are the fairies. Everything in there is solved by fairies battles. So when you meet an enemy you do not face him/her but his fairies with your fairies have a fight in the arena. But it is not only that. There are certain types of fairies with elemental powers. You must find the right combination to win the battles so you must be careful which of your fairies you are going to choose to put in this battle.

The graphics are simply amazing. And the music too. I liked it very much. Hope it helps a bit.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" /> Now that I come to think of it... well this post is not well written but it is the best I could do.

The athmosphere / mood is what struck me most I've actually never see a game which was more ... "natural" and "fairy-like" at the same time ... it was lively like Gothic, but more "fairy-like", whereas in Gothic you have a totally different setting, the mood / athmosphere is also very ... "dense". Like in Zanzarah, for a different reason. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Oh Baltics!! just missed the game on e-bay, i bid £8 and it went for 50 pence more!!

Yes, lively is a good word. I nearly made a knot into fingers: clicking the left mouse all the time to rise and fly - keeping the right mouse pressed at the same time, so my spell has a max damage (too long and it backfires) - using key controls to dodge and run - all 3 at the same time.

Switching quickly to another fairy, if mine was low on health or poisoned... Gee, I learned cussing and slamming my fists at that time. It was highly addictive in my case.

And the best => if I had the orbs, I could capture hostile fairies if they were low on health to add them to my collection. One can't KILL them, you can capture or defeat - that's all. Wish I could remember how many different fairies I could have => 78? 98? Forgot.

You have a "card deck" of fairies and can return to London, into Amy's real world, to change your deck if you wish. And the graphics => wow. A beautiful game - and if Funatics (?) hadn't gone bankrupt, I would have begged for part 2. I never understood, why some reviews called it a pokemon clone, it isn't. It's just a game that can't be put into any genre fully.

Luc: I thought your description was very good <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

My husband is one of the grafik-artists of Zanzarah. Before the release of the game he asked me if I like to test the game. I thought: "O.k....only a small test"
Then I was completely inspired and addicted. I can't stop playing the game...

The athmosphere and the grafik is wonderful, also the music. And I had much much fun while fighting with my fairies and by leading Amy (the female hero) through the very nice and wonderful aerea.


(I appologize for my bad english <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> )

Kiya, you can have 77 Fairies. Die Number 78 is a Legend from Sacred. And you could level up each Fairie to Level 60 (with lots of carrots <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />), which added some Roleplayingspirit to it. And comparing it to pokemon explains only the rough idea 'cause i never liked Pokemon but got immediately hooked by zanzarah.

Being a graphic artist with rather high graphic standards myself I was really surprised to find such a marvelous piece of art made with a rather simple engine. Even after finishing Zanzarah I spend quite some time just with running around and watching all the details because the graphics are done with such an incredible love that a lot of newer 3D-Games have a hard time catching up with that atmosphere.
I only wished they would have putten more hard to find secrets in it which you can discouver only very late...

Please, give him my compliments and deep admiration for his work. I do not re-play a lot of games, but Zanzarah is on my old PC and will remain there, so I can re-play as much as I like. I'm not easily impressed either, as I'm a fast-food-gamer - but Zanzarah is a gem: in graphics, music, game play. I really loved and cherished Amy (she reminded me a bit of April in Longest Journey) - went for Tadana (my favourite fairy class) - and even trained my motoric abilities. Normally I'm very slow in reacting.

I hope, your husband will be able to develop his artistic talent in other games as well.

I only wish, I could get this game working on my new Athlon - always a black screen <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" /> - and even bought Zanzarah twice, because I thought, it could be the CD => nope. My old Athlon 800/850 is so slow. BTW, this game is seldom on our library shelves, members love it as well. Some bought it in a budget version - some make a reservation over and over again, can't part with it.

@Marian => remembering your German team story "Wahnwitziges Unternehmen" I detected Zanzarah story elements in there <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
Kiya

A) Marian, you expressed in words very good what I think about this game as well : LOve. It simply has the feeling as if a high amount of Love was put into the game. That's it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

B) Kiya : You are right. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

C) The Fairy number 78 is indeed a kind of Legend ... and since some members of the Funatics Team (the makers of Zanzarah) worked on Sacred as well, there is a hint towards the game in Form of stone with an inscription about the 78th Fairy ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Currently Funatics teamed up with Blue Byte, to make the new Settler's game (German: Siedler) , with a stark contrast in terms of graphics compared to the Settlers games 1-4. They also use the same engine like in Zanzarah for the new Settlers (Renderware, to be exact), that's why the team of Funatics was hired.

The Forum is online again.

Moderator Gina wrote in it that the Hacker hacked several boards, worldwide. Funatics has made what's called in German a "Strafanzeige" wich might result in a lawsuit (right term ?).

Yeahh!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

As Alrik wrote above....the forum is now online.
With a new update, and the "old" nice look. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

...we are back again.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

@ Kiya Always a nice word for me... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> And always in my mind <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Zarzarah reminded me The Longest Journey too! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Tandana was the water fairy right? It was my first fairy too <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

@ Marian I could never imagine that you would play Zanzarah <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />
I am so glad that there are so many people enjoyed it.

@ modgoopgina
Please give my thanks to your husband. I enjoyed so much the world of Zanzarah, so full of light and green grass, rivers and trees! Even the swamp was magic with all that mist and the misguiding lights!
I am glad that your forum is back in business!
Take care <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />
Luc *looking at the clock, waiting to finish work, get back home and play Zanzarah because she missed her fairies*

Thank you. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I show him (my husband) this thread.
It pleased him very much. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Many users are already back again and are happy that the forum is running again.

I will pay a visit to your forum then <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />