FAQ - FADING KINGDOM

SYSTEM:

• What are the system specs to play this game?
  • Windows XP or beyond and a computer built after 1996 (min req: Windows XP/2000; 800mhz processor; 128mb Ram; at least 52 mb HD space).
  • Several sound and video options are available by pressing F1 when in game, which may improve performance on lower-end systems.
• How do I install the beta?
  • Download it, double click the file, choose a location to extract the game data to (it is recommended to change from the default). Open the file location double click the .exe file. You may get various warnings from antivirus software or windows, if so click "run anyways" to proceed.
• What are the game control options?
  • The game works with keyboard or gamepad. You may press F1 in game to open up control options (and remap them).
  • Default keyboard controls of note:
    • <Arrowpad> controls movement; <Enter> or <Space> interacts with objects/menus; <Esc> or <X> opens/closes menu and cancels options.
    • In Equipment Menu <Shift> optimizes all equipment (based on def/mdef); <A> will optimize a single equip slot; <Q> and <E> rotates through party.
    • On World Map <D> opens/closes a map.

GAME:

• How many hours of gameplay are there?
  • Currently, the main storyline is estimated at approximately 8 hours of play. Additional subquests and choices may add to that substantially.
• Do my choices have an effect? Are there multiple ways to progress in the story?
  • Yes and Yes. There are numerous choices throughout the game, which have effects as minor as dialogue changes and as major as determining the final boss of the game! The choices you make throughout the game are also reflected in the ending sequence, and not everyone you encounter may make it to the end. As for how to play through the game, there are a number of paths to advance the story. For instance, you might chose to put on a disguise and sneak through a fortress or you could just go in metaphorical guns-blazing and fight your way to your objective. Beware that such decisions might have effects far beyond the short term!
• That's all well and good, but is there romance in the game?
  • There are two (and an inadvertent third) major romantic potentials in the game, depending on your choices. Romance plays an important part in the story, but the options are intentionally limited to fit the story arch.
• What sort of combat does the game feature? What about Random Encounters? I hate random encounters!
  • The combat is group turn based style RPG combat. Most encounters are avoidable by deft movement (Lufia II style); random encounters are limited to the world map alone, and are sparse even there.

CRITICAL THEORY:

• How do questions of race influence Fading Kingdom?
  • Race in Fading Kingdoms does not contain the same connotations it does in modern america. While there is plenty of discrimination in the world of Fading Kingdom, this discrimination is between human and other demi-human species (e.g. orcs), rather than intrahuman. In this, in slight distinction from Omi and Winant's (1994) seminal work on racial formation (in the US) there is a real biological divide between species - which at the same time is reinforced by socially ascribed stereotypes (e.g. "orcs are violent"). These social-biological definitional tensions can be seen at a number of points in the game world, and point to an underlying racism posited by many humans.
• What is the status of women in Fading Kingdoms?
  • Women are involved in numerous ways in the various culture of Fading Kingdom. For instance, the Hull Tribe is organized around matriarchal authority, while the Gensi has distinctive biases against female participation in the public sphere.

For additional questions contact caleb@thewhalethesea.com