Daggerfall:Daggerfall Preview

The Daggerfall Preview was the first of three demos released in the months before Daggerfall's release, and first appeared in late 1995. It was distributed on preview CDs included with Game Magazines, though it was soon replaced by a second demo, which was perceived to be less buggy and a superior experience. These releases were followed by the rarer Betony Demo.

Features include an animated bestiary, character generator, dungeon demo, and examples of the SpellMaker, Item Maker, and Potion Maker. The dungeon crawling demonstration takes place in a dungeon called The Pit of Jagadha, and provides a pregenerated 16th level Spellsword character to play.

In-Game Books

The Daggerfall Preview contains the first ever source of Elder Scrolls book texts, containing 19 book files in total (the final game featured 91 book files). There were very few edits from the book files presented in this demo, to the books included in later demos and the final release itself. The edits that were made, were almost entirely for spacing and spelling -- the major alterations are listed below.

• REDGUARD.TXT -- A special file containing early drafts of the Redguard lorebooks, including the unreleased The Song of Divad. Written by a Council of Wisdom member named Dave.
• The First Scroll of Bajdit -- An earlier draft wherein the god Baan Dar is named Bajdit instead.
• A Tale of Kieran
• Fragment: On Artaeum
• The Wild Elves
• Redguards, History and Hero
• Ark`ay The God
• The Faerie
• Oelander's Hammer
• The Pig Children
• The Old Ways
• King Edward, Part I
• King Edward, Part II -- An odd draft where King Corcyr of Daggerfall is named Cyrlic instead. This source also conflates Cyrlic taking the role of the Gerald character mentioned in the final draft, indicating that they were meant to all be the same character which makes much more sense.
• King Edward, Part III
• King Edward, Part IV
• King Edward, Part V
• King Edward, Part VI
• King Edward, Part VII
• King Edward, Part VIII
• King Edward, Part IX
• King Edward, Part X
• Ghraewaj
• A Scholar's Guide to Nymphs
• The MemoryStone

"History" excerpt

Viewed from the salty air above the dark spires of Castle Daggerfall, the city of jutting gables and forked alleys resembles a hive of bees. Daggerfall is one of the three royal city-states on the Iliac Bay, that irregular blue border that separates the Imperial Province of High Rock from the Imperial Province of Hammerfell. Few other locations in the Empire of Tamriel have a longer history of warfare and rebellion. Rare is a king of the Iliac Bay who is completely loyal to his overlord the Emperor, but such a king ruled Daggerfall. When King Lysandus of Daggerfall died during a senseless war of attrition with the city-state of Sentinel, the Emperor grieved for his friend and ally. Then, on a moonless night some months later, Lysandus returned. In his right hand he wielded a spectral blade and behind him followed a host of phantom soldiers who bellowed, like their lord, for revenge. The city and court trembled in fear as their finest warriors joined the infernal legion. Even tonight is Daggerfall so haunted by her former wise and merciful king. Far to the east of Daggerfall, where the Iliac Bay meets the mouth of the Bjoulsae River, lies the royal court of Wayrest. Beautiful and rich, Wayrest is a city of merchants. Flowers and gold and music fill her courtyards and bazaars. Wayrest remained neutral in the recent war between Daggerfall and Sentinel, concerned with numerous threats to its well-being from within and without. The orcs of the Wrothgarian Mountains have made home in the foothills to the north of the kingdom while the heirs of Wayrest squabble and plot to claim the land of their elderly parents. On the other side of the Iliac Bay from Daggerfall, a jutting peninsula is home to the city-state of Sentinel. Sentinel is an exotic land where the air is rich with spices and the ruins of ancient Redguard fortresses occasionally pierce the modern city's streets. From her jade-colored palace, Queen Akorithi rules the land and her dwindling household. Her husband was killed in the war with Daggerfall and her daughter has married the heir of Lysandus to ensure peace. These kings and queens do not control all the power. The guildmasters, mages, Dark Brothers, witches, fairies, temple orders, knights, nobles and thieves of the Iliac Bay vie for influence and control. Some of these groups are well-known, their motivations plain to all. Some are secret societies composed of inhuman creatures with alien intentions. Power is the only truth to the people of the Iliac Bay, and a few know that the balance will shortly be upset. An elusive primitive force hides somewhere in the Bay that will bring final victory to whomever finds it. And where do you fit into all this? Daggerfall the adventure begins even before you begin the game. Character Generation allows you to create your background story in its entirety: the reason for you venturing to the Iliac Bay, your childhood friends and enemies, special training you have received, your personal fears and your secret dreams. Your character's story is uniquely your own. Your goals likewise are your own. Even more than a game, Daggerfall is an experience that rewards curiousity, experimentation, and the idiosyncracies of the individual player.

"About the Game" excerpt

*** IMPORTANT NOTE ON DEMO *** In order to minimize the size of this demo copy of The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall, we had to make some tough decisions about what to include and what to leave out. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. The outside world in the actual game, the hills and valleys, swamplands and deserts, are roughly twice the size of Great Britain and therefore we had to exclude them from the demo. The world of Tamriel is not just a dungeon hack. In an attempt to placate those of us who complained just that, sample versions of the Character Generator, SpellMaker, ItemMaker, and PotionMaker were thrown into the demo. The Bestiary was added to appease the anxious artists, and the History section was added to spotlight the unsung brilliance of the project writers and designers. As for the sample dungeon, The Pit of Jagadha may look huge, but it is actually a lot smaller than many of the other thousands of dungeons and tens of thousands of unique locales in the complete Daggerfall game. It is not meant to represent more than just that. After all, nothing short of the game itself would do justice to the size, detail, and depth of the world. We hope you understand that in order to have a demo small enough to meet magazine and on-line service requirements, certain major cuts have to be made. That being said, if you enjoy the taste, you will love the meal. *** Welcome back to the world of Tamriel. The second chapter in the award-winning computer role playing series, The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall is both a sequel to The Elder Scrolls: Arena and a totally stand-alone product. Set in the unique world of Tamriel, TES: Daggerfall takes you on a special mission on behalf of the Emperor to quell a potential uprising in the royal court of Daggerfall. Your participation in this major quest is not required: as in TES: Arena, you may choose to follow any path or career in the vast, beautiful and dangerous world. If the player chooses to investigate the court of Daggerfall, stories of madness, unrequited love, dark sorcery, seduction, betrayal, and a plot to recreate a powerful force from thousands of years past will be revealed. It will be up to the player to help the side that should wield such a power, for the fate of Daggerfall and the Empire of Tamriel hang in the balance. Thanks to the new, full 3-D, texture-mapped engine, TES: Daggerfall brings a whole new look and style to The Elder Scrolls legend. Special new features allow players to: Explore a fully-contoured landscape! The world of Daggerfall has mountains to climb, rivers to swim, cliffs, sand dunes, rolling hills, swamps, underwater abysses, plateaus, most any kind of terrain you can imagine. Interact realistically with other characters, both in dialogue and action! In Daggerfall, what you say and do is reacted to and remembered by others. A kind word may prompt additional information from a friend; the son of a woman you saved might rescue you from prison; an enemy whose plans you have thwarted may plot to discredit you among the guilds and nobility. Involve yourself in a complex world of constantly evolving political intrigue! You may never see a tenth of the deals, wars, alliances treacheries, bribes, and manipulations between the known and unknown forces. Through spying, questing, or just being at the right place at the right time, you can push the balance of power. Act wisely, for the contenders are seldom only what they seem to be. Own property, ships and crafts, participate in the politics of guilds and other organizations, and trade goods and services -- even smuggle! Some organizations in Daggerfall are efficient dynamic hierarchies, some are fractious morasses of political in-fighting, most are a little of both, and all are open to persons of exceptional skill, talent, and reputation. As you advance through a guild, you will be awarded with honor, information, and power. How you choose to use your connections is up to you, and most anything is possible. Create even more unusual and powerful spells than the much-praised, original TES: Arena SpellMaker could handle! There are dozens of new spells and spell effects available, from telekinesis to charm to item creation. Face a large, new menagerie of monsters and enemies! There are over forty new opponents to face, from giant scorpions and eels to monks and nightblades to the nightmarish dreughs and daedra. Created using Alias in Silicon Graphics machines (the same software and hardware used in the movie Jurassic Park), all are frighteningly real. Add in a sophisticated Artificial Intelligence engine and a capability to do more than fight you if you can speak their language. Customize a unique class of character! Daggerfall features the original eighteen character classes of Arena, plus an added optional feature allowing you to create the exact sort of character you want to play. You control everything from starting strength and agility, to finest skills, to health points and their rate of increase. You can even give your new class special advantages like weapon expertise and the ability to regenerate, special disadvantages like forbidden armor or sensitivity to fire, and reputational adjustments so your friends and enemies are defined by your new class, even before you begin the game. Character generation even creates a unique background story for your character, and you have the opportunity to control how the story develops -- what sort of friends and enemies you have from your childhood, what speical skills you have developed and which you have neglected, what sundry items you have picked up in your early career, and more! Listen to the advanced, multi-channel, digitilized sound effects and music! Imagine walking through the woods, hearing the crunch of autumn leaves under your feet, the trilling of insects and birds, and, off in the distance, the roar of a waterfall. As you near the waterfall, the roar becomes louder and now you can hear something else -- a growling coming from a copse of trees. The revolutionary realistic handling of sound adds much to the drama and believability of Daggerfall Participate in an infinite number of large-scale, complex quests! Daggerfall is not a simple place, do not expect the goals to be simple. You may be, for example, asked by a village mayor to stop the orcs from attacking his land. There are as many different ways of accomplishing this as you can imagine, from straightforward slaughter to tacit diplomacy. You may even uncover something about the mayor in your investigations that brings new light to his motivations, and opens new possibilities and additional quests based on the original one. Treachery can occasionally be quite profitable. Create potions and magic items, as an extension of TES: Arena's SpellMaker! The SpellMaker allowed you a revolutionary degree of control over the weaving of magic. In Daggerfall, you can create the exact potion and magic item you need, experiment with power combinations, bind spirits with blessings and curses, and invent something completely your own. Perhaps a blade bound with a fire spirit or a potion that lets you breathe underwater like a fish! 'Import' your TES: Arena character intact into TES: Daggerfall! If you have a saved game with your original Arena character, he or she can continue to adventure in Daggerfall with all or most of his or her original equipment, experience, treasure, spells, and power. If you character is beyond the challenges of Arena, let Daggerfall try its worst! Play the game any way you want, as many times as you want. The multiple beginnings and resolutions make for replayability far beyond any other RPG published! Daggerfall is a living, breathing world where anything can happen, and the most seemingly insignificant action can be the catalyst for something greater. No course of action will have identical results, no conflict will be identically resolved. And, as in Arena, 'winning' the game does not mean that it is over. You can continue to play the game indefinitely. Prepare yourself, for this is the world of limitless possibilities you always hoped an RPG would be.

"Bestiary" excerpts

Beast	Location	History	Graphic
Spriggan	Woodlands and rural areas are of the Imperial Province of High Rock.	These reclusive creatures are considered by some scholars to be in the genus Illyandi [sic] or part of the Sylphim or Faerie chain. They are all but immune to physical attack, in fact capable of gaining power from such offense.
Orcs	Everywhere, particularly the southern Wrothgarian mountains near Wayrest.	Universally reviled for their belligerence and savagery, orcs are particularly common in the Iliac Bay where they are rumored to be rebuilding their ancient capitol.
Centaur	Forests and patureland throughout the Bay.	Ancient and mysterious creatures, alternately worshipped and despised, centaurs are said to be followers of the Old Ways of Tamriel.
Scorpion	The Alik'r Desert and the blighted Dak'fron of Hammerfell.	The Giant Scorpions are aggressive, intelligent hunters that have fallen like a plague in the Alik'r Desert. They avoid human settlements, but have killed many a lone traveler.
Ice Daedra, or Frost Daedra	Oblivion	Little is commonly known about the ice or frost daedra and its brethren. They are emissaries and assassins of the Daedra Princes of Oblivion and are as cold in their murders as the infernal mist that surrounds them.
Fire Daedra	Oblivion	Little is commonly known about the fire daedra and its brethren. They seem to be most commonly used by their masters, the Daedra Princes of Oblivion, as agents of destruction in its least subtle form.
Vampire	Everywhere	Cruel, cunning, and immortal predators, vampires hunt the night, sometimes singly sometimes in packs. To what degree they have infiltrated human society, spreading death and the dread disease vampirism, is best lift unimagined.
Dreugh	The Abecean Sea, the Iliac Bay, lakes and rivers.	The grotesque Dreugh is primarily an aquatic scavenger, though it does seem to have amphibian capacities. According to legend, the Dreugh are the cursed remnants of a once proud civilization.
Daedroth	Oblivion	Little is commonly known about the Daedroth and its brethren. The Daedra Princes of Oblivion, who command the Daedroth, often employ them as guards or on simple assassinations when brute strength and fortitude is required.

Removed Entities & Related Text

The deities listed in character creation are Akatosh, Arkay, Mara, and Julianos from the final game, in the preview demos they are joined by "Notorgo, the Messenger God", "Ephen, God of the Wild", and "The Bandit God" (Bajdit, who eventually became Baan Dar).

According to Daggerfall's lead designer, Ted Peterson, the team had wanted to include a bunch more factions and gods in the final release, but were ultimately forced cut many due to time restrictions. Rather than being fully featured factions, many of these entities now had small stone igloo shaped shrines dedicated to them in the wilderness instead, however zero to no new worldbuilding was written for them beyond the original concepts featured in the demos, with only the name of the shrines themselves offering any actual lore on their existence.

FACTIONS.TXT

The beta version of FACTION.TXT has some entries have been removed or changed in the full game:

Title	Entity	Religion	Order
Raen	#20 type: 1 name: Raen rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 700 flags: 1 ally: 22 face: -1 race: -1 flat: -1 sgroup: -1 ggroup: -1 minf: 50 maxf: 95	#80 type: 2 name: The Conservatory of Raen rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 400 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 181 2 sgroup: 7 ggroup: 17 minf: 10 maxf: 60	#81 type: 3 name: The Knights of the Field rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 200 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 183 14 sgroup: -1 ggroup: 9 minf: 10 maxf: 70
Notorgo	#23 type: 1 name: Notorgo rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 900 flags: 1 face: -1 race: -1 flat: -1 sgroup: -1 ggroup: -1 minf: 50 maxf: 90	#86 type: 2 name: The Temple of Notorgo rep: 0 summon: 17 region: -1 power: 700 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 181 2 sgroup: 7 ggroup: 17 minf: 10 maxf: 60	#87 type: 3 name: The Order of the Wings rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 200 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 182 16 sgroup: -1 ggroup: 9 minf: 20 maxf: 50
Ebonarm	#25 type: 1 name: Ebonarm rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 45 flags: 1 face: -1 race: -1 flat: -1 sgroup: 6 ggroup: -1 minf: 70 maxf: 95	#90 type: 9 name: The Citadel of Ebonarm rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 25 ally: 41 enemy: 106 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 182 23 flat: 182 27 sgroup: 7 ggroup: 17 minf: 20 maxf: 80	#91 type: 3 name: The Battlelords rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 20 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 184 4 flat: 182 27 sgroup: 7 ggroup: 9 minf: 40 maxf: 90
The Bandit God	#28 type: 1 name: The Bandit God rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 700 flags: 1 ally: 9 enemy: 22 face: -1 race: -1 flat: -1 sgroup: -1 ggroup: -1 minf: 70 maxf: 90	#96 type: 2 name: The Brotherhood of Bandit rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 400 flags: 1 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 182 43 sgroup: 1 ggroup: 4 minf: 30 maxf: 90	#97 type: 3 name: The Wharf Rats rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 200 flags: 1 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 183 14 sgroup: -1 ggroup: 16 minf: 25 maxf: 80
Jeh Free	#30 type: 1 name: Jeh Free rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 700 flags: 1 enemy: 28 face: -1 race: -1 flat: -1 sgroup: -1 ggroup: -1 minf: 30 maxf: 90	#100 type: 2 name: The Society of Jeh rep: 0 summon: 17 region: -1 power: 600 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 181 2 sgroup: 7 ggroup: 17 minf: 10 maxf: 60	#101 type: 3 name: The Encyclics rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 50 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 183 14 sgroup: -1 ggroup: 9 minf: 20 maxf: 50
Vir Gyl	#31 type: 1 name: Vir Gyl rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 800 flags: 1 ally: 20 face: -1 race: -1 flat: -1 sgroup: -1 ggroup: -1 minf: 40 maxf: 90	#102 type: 2 name: The Communion of Vir rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 700 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 181 4 sgroup: 7 ggroup: 17 minf: 10 maxf: 70	#103 type: 3 name: The Tide rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 400 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 182 38 sgroup: -1 ggroup: 9 minf: 10 maxf: 50
Q'Olwen	#32 type: 1 name: Q'Olwen rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 900 flags: 1 ally: 1 enemy: 40 enemy: 27 face: -1 race: -1 flat: -1 sgroup: -1 ggroup: -1 minf: 60 maxf: 90	#104 type: 2 name: The Sodality of Q'Olwen rep: 0 summon: 17 region: -1 power: 600 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 182 16 sgroup: 7 ggroup: 17 minf: 10 maxf: 80	#105 type: 3 name: The Order of the Key rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 100 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 182 38 sgroup: -1 ggroup: 9 minf: 20 maxf: 60
Ephen	#34 type: 1 name: Ephen rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 500 flags: 1 enemy: 1 face: -1 race: -1 flat: -1 sgroup: -1 ggroup: -1 minf: 60 maxf: 90	#300 type: 2 name: The Fellowship of Ephen rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 500 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 181 2 sgroup: 7 ggroup: 17 minf: 5 maxf: 40	#109 type: 3 name: The Wildlords rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 200 flags: 0 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 183 16 sgroup: -1 ggroup: 9 minf: 10 maxf: 50
Xedoc of Oblivion	#977 type: 1 name: Secret of Oblivion rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 35 flags: 129 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 183 12 flat: 182 28 sgroup: 10 ggroup: -1 minf: 70 maxf: 95	#977 type: 1 name: Xedoc of Oblivion rep: 0 summon: -1 region: -1 power: 35 flags: 129 face: -1 race: -1 flat: 183 12 flat: 182 28 sgroup: 10 ggroup: -1 minf: 70 maxf: 95

FALL.EXE

The demo versions of the FALL.EXE game executable contained text strings referring to a number of factions and entities that did not feature in the final product. Items in the "Resource" category listed as "?" below are listed only in the demo version of FALL.EXE, which has yet to be decompiled. Items in the "Resource" category with digits accompanied featured in the final release version of FALL.EXE.

Resource	Text	Resource	Text	Resource	Text
?	Knights of the Field
?	Order of the Forge
?	Order of the Hourglass
?	Knights of the Mind
?	Order of the Fox
?	Knights of the Book
?	Order of the Heart
?	Knights of the Mind
529	Temple of Theodorus
530	Knights of Daggerfall
531	Order of Nyeraad
532	Gryphon Knights
533	Order of the Lance
534	Knights of the Isle
535	Border Knights
536	Crusaders
538	Dreadknights
538	Order of the Lamp
540	Raen	555	God of Agriculture
543	Notorgo	558	Messenger God	?	Order of the Wings
545	Shandar	560	God of War	?	Battlelords
548	The Bandit God	563	God of Thieves
550	Jephre	565	the Storyteller
551	Vigryl	566	God of the Sea	?	Knights of the Tide
552	Q'Olwen	567	(wisdom?)	?	Order of the Key
554	Ephen	569	God of the Wild	?	Wildlords

TEXT.RSC

String ID	October 1995 Demo	November 1995 Demo
705	You will find that for the next forty-eight hours, Raen has blessed your navigational skill.
707	You will find that for the next forty-eight hours, Notorgo has lessened your chance of having unwanted encounters.
709	You will find that for the next forty-eight hours, Shandar has blessed your best weaponry skill.
712	You will find that for the next forty-eight hours, the Bandit God has blessed your best thieving skill.
714	You will find that for the next forty-eight hours, Jeh Free has blessed all your language skills.
715	You will find that for the next forty-eight hours, Vir Jil has improved the weather on the Iliac Bay.
716	You will find that for the next forty-eight hours, Q'Olwen has blessed your lore skills.
740	You will find that for the next forty-eight hours, Ephen has blessed all your relations with animals, in combat or otherwise.
3708	"%pcn, by Stendarr's will, I charge thee to be a strong and mighty knight. By Shandar's will, I charge thee to be pure and merciful to thy enemies. Rise, %lev %pcf, thou art one of the %kno now."	"%pcn, by Ebonarm's will, I charge thee to be a strong and mighty knight. By Stendarr's will, I charge thee to be pure and merciful to thy enemies. Rise, %lev %pcf, thou art one of the %kno now."

Character Name Text Strings

The TEXT.RSC file of the October 1995 and November 1995 preview demos have some a set of nine rather odd text strings that do not appear in later iterations of the file. Each string lists five character names that are completely unique to this source, and while these names do follow the typical racial naming conventions of Arena and Daggerfall, they utilize unique lingual particles compared to those particles used in the regular name generator (as listed under NAMEGEN.DAT). The ninth text string listed below (String ID: 2000) breaks the pattern by listing nine names instead of five at what seems to be a rate of one name per race.

What these were intended for is unknown, however they are located directly above the in-game race description strings in the TEXT.RSC file, which may indicate that these were some sort of preset names for character creation.

String ID	Text	Commentary
1901	Forbryd Traeffesen Ygredor Vembriksen Eremit Klokkesen Afblad Maensen Tobak Rektorsen	Nord name container
1902	Janesseh Polassar Kalech Osiah Samuramat Naziah Khazar Shaddad Denderra Retu	Khajiit name container
1903	Khal Sajhu-ri Napameth Engdor Merikara	Redguard name container
1904	Gyrald Halebrook Leira Cliffe Angelica Bradstreet Fyrdock Wolfstad Charold Bentrild	Breton name container
1905	Alybrius Claudian Glyceria Jarus Tibericles Stantius Herseus Oepicles Livilla Decius	Argonian name container
1906	Melf Silverwind Carnil Greenthorn Taleth Riverwell Gingla Bluehollow Lorellan Lightwood	Wood Elf name container
1907	Delimyra Cyrithar OressonGraywatch [sic] Kelkemmen Dorith Garrangoin Klemons Asrailla Merikara	High Elf name container
1910	Nelanthah Ris Kirith J'yrmir Psythor Z'morag Boethyrs Ghur Cloethmys Ankhir	Dark Elf name container
2000	Lillendril Caernim Balrazad Vakh Lancaster Barr Palantra Knarssen Hargo'th Koptiki Turath Vir Jocasta Iconicles Avellir	? name container