Guides > Spoiler-Free Guide

Okay, so, this will basically just be a guide to the Mentor Islands and such, intended to let the player figure out as many things as they can /on their own/ without forcing them to go everywhere without hints. Written by Sedelyan, etc, etc.

Starting Out

So, you've decided to play A Tale In The Desert! You've come to the right place. This guide will help you figure out a path off the mentor island, and with any luck will allow you to get a fair start in the game.
The first thing you want to do is figure out how to use the client.

Client Controls

The client for the game is quite similar to any other MMORPG, with one or two major differences. First, you'll notice there's a very minimal "HUD", or "Heads-Up Display". On ATITD, there are only seven main stats and a large number of skills, which are all listed under "Skills". You won't need to worry about those yet, though. By moving your mouse to the edges of the screen, you can zoom and rotate the camera around yourself. Try that now.

• Press F5 through F8 to change your camera view. The newbie camera is horrid; these are significantly more useful, especially F5 and F7.
• To orient yourself, use F4 to view a compass arrow for a few seconds which always points north.
• F3 will toggle a map view, which will help you get your bearings straight later on.

Now that you've experimented with the camera a bit, try some basic controls.

• To move around, merely click anywhere on the ground. You're limited to the area inside (or outside) of water -- characters can't swim, and you're on an island anyway.
• To view an object's menu, move up to it and click on it. Try this with everything at first, until you can remember what items are which.
• To view your personal menu, either press 'esc' or click on yourself. Look around this menu, as there will be information on it you'll want to use later.
• To view another player's menu, click on them. This is necessary for interactions.
• To pin a menu, click on the thumbtack in it.

Now to get you off this island.

Getting off the Newbie Islands

• First, look around and orient yourself. What landmarks are there? What do those buildings mean? Reach them and determine their purpose.
• Determine which skills you can "Learn...". You can probably learn any skill available on the island, but what do you need for it? Is there a noticable 'tech tree'? Check both buildings for that.
• There are icons at the top right corner of the screen. Do you notice these changing? When do these change? What do they do when clicked? Do some of them seem to appear randomly?
  • Try moving around the water to find one of the more tricky icons.
• Look at the flora interspersed around the island. Can you do anything to them? Is there a pattern?
  • Remember that you're initially limited to 500 bulk and 500 weight. Experiment with items to determine how much of each one 'deben' of an item takes up.

Architecture

• What are the costs for the skills you need? Two can be acquired with basic materials. The third seems to be influenced by one of the others. The fourth needs something else entirely.
• Where do you think you can find wood? What about slate? Remember your experimentations with flora and icons.
• Take a look at your personal menu. Is there a new option after learning the skills? Is there a new option in 'Special' after learning one?
• Stone Blade Fabrication has seven levels. How do you think you can get better at it?
• Brick racks require something different. Boards are made of wood. You need something to cut them.
• To make bricks, you need straw. You can't just find it lying around, though. Remember what straw is.
• Remember that to dehydrate things, you can sometimes leave them in the open air.
• Don't pollute. If you leave something behind, normally it stays forever. How do you think you can prevent clutter? Perhaps by utilizing the menu? Remember that you won't get your stuff back normally.

• Have you:
  • Created bricks? Created a wood plane and brick rack? Figured out how to pick up and set down an individual brick rack?
  • Figured out how to tear down a wood plane down after you're done with it?
  • Learned all the skills except Large Project Management?

Art

• None of these skills seem to be initially learnable, with the possible exception of Ferry Construction.
• Have you found a tar pit yet? There's no icon, so you'll have to remember the other way of getting something.
• You can ask for "Supplies..." at the school.
• If you have seeds, there's a new submenu in your personal options. What is it?
  • Tip: Later on you'll find that pinning this submenu can help you plant faster. Try to figure out how. Use inertia if you must.
• Watch for weeds. How many times do they pop up? What happens if you leave them? Do you get your seed back if you harvest flax?
• One of the skills asks for Rotten Flax. How does one rot flax?
  • What are those bundles in the water? Would there be a special way to put your own in?
• Remember to check your projects and special menu after each skill is learned.
• Thorns are another harvestable object. Look at what they do to your weight and bulk.
• First you need to somehow refine the materials out of the rotten flax. How?
• What do you need to spin the flax materials into useable thread?
• What do you need to weave the thread into canvas?
  • You may find it necessary to choose whether you wish to spin or weave twine into.
• What are the ratios of rotten flax to tow or lint? How about to twine or thread? What about rope, canvas, and linen?
• You may notice that weaving canvas is wasteful. There has to be a better way, though you won't find it until later.

• Have you:
  • Figured out how to grow flax plants for seeds or useable flax?
  • Figured out how to rot the flax into useable material?
  • Figured out how to separate the flax into components and spin/weave them into canvas, linen, and rope?

By now you should be able to build a ferry and get off the island. Congratulations, and welcome to Egypt!

One You are off the Island

• A good thing to do would be to enter a Mentoring Guilds, or find a mentor.
  • You can find mentors easily, by clicking yourself > Utility > Chat Related, and enable all the show chat bubble options.
    

Normal Chat Bubbles look like this;

Mentors Look like this (Presence of Horus Chat bubble);