Kabuto: Is it just me or did you really have to have a pc and grow up with these games to not just appreciate them but even understand some of these games. I could have grown up with these titles I suppose if I had a computer back then but I didn't. When I look at magic carpet and dunegon keeper on youtube I'm totally lost as to what's going on. And whenit was posted about Ultima IV being free and me checking it out, I have even less idea as to what's going on.
Dungeon Keeper is
very easy to learn, even my simple little head was able to grasp it. It's helpful to have somebody else who already understands the game teach you what you need to know (I learned the ins and outs of Starcraft [on the N64 when my friend rented it] and Dungeon Keeper in an hour). Trying to make heads or tails of a game from YouTube, however, is not a good idea. Even in the case of tutorials, trying to learn Dwarf Fortress and Total Annihilation from YouTube has lead more than one person to frustration.
Just get the game, download Keeper FX (it's not so much a "mod" as it is a native windows port with useful features like replaying levels), skim through the manual, play the first three levels, and then read the manual more in-depth. This is generally the kind of process I use to get into a game.
There's a lot of useful information to piece together from manuals, but at the same time, trying to read through it without any context of what the game is like probably won't help you, and you won't understand a damn thing without playing it a little. The first few levels are ridiculously simple, and it's not like it'll format your hard drive if you fail, so just fuck around and have fun with it and you'll get it in no time, I promise. ;)
You don't need to have grown up with some of these older games. You just need a little more patience and hands-on experience than you do with a lot of newer games (which, coincidentally, are predominantly FPS games with the usual controls and concepts). Glancing at a video or two, skimming the manual, playing the game a little bit, and either reading through the manual or, preferably, playing with the manual alongside (try printing, e-reader, laptop, other portable, or a second screen).
Dungeon Keeper, though, is a simple enough game that really, all you need to do is sit down and fool around for half an hour and you can probably pick up on everything the first time.
Some helpful hints for beginners would be to know that "Call to Arms" can order creatures within close range to the spot that you click to go there and fight any enemies and destroy any doors they see. Also, using it on your own territory uses no money, but using it anywhere else will consume funds over time. Don't be afraid to slap the lazy out of your creatures. Stop giving your imps orders for a while and let them train to level three so they can use the speed up ability.
Doors have to be in one-space wide halls, so mind how you build. Most hints you need to know will show up when you need them. Keeping your own creatures from hating each other is hard work, don't worry too much. Possess a strong creature and control it in first-person, especially with something that flies or doesn't have a fisheye view (god, I love the attention to detail...), it's great fun seeing your work in FPS mode, and getting your hands dirty (or at least doing so through a minion's body) is a great diversion.
If your not careful, imps will get themselves killed, so plan things out before digging somewhere potentially dangerous and building bridges. Having eight imps is easy to manage as you can pick them all up at once, and if you make a mistake and your imps keep trying to spread to dangerous territory, either bring forth some allies or lock your imps in a room until you can deal with the situation.
Try to get a library, which will lead to a workshop, quickly if you can. You'll be able to make doors, so you can lock imps away if you end up in a situation like that (and as a beginner, it'll probably happen until you get a better grasp of things), and more importantly, you can use them to cut off training rooms during harsh economic times. You can even seal imps in a locked training room, as they don't need anything and will happily stay and train. Slap a creature before you possess them to speed them up. Possess a creature and stand in lava to force them to die, it's hilarious!
Apparently, you don't need the game to run Keeper FX. Hopefully this doesn't result in Keeper FX running into trouble now, as it's much better than playing in DOSBox. Try the game out with Keeper FX, and if you enjoy it you can always buy it here.
