Like many of you who are playing (or should I say, attempting to play?)
Sierra's Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness, I have encountered
a multitude of bugs in the program.  This is even after applying two of
the three patches I know about (the third patch dealt with importing
characters from previous QFG games, which I didn't need to do).  The most
common bug I encountered was doing something simple (looking at an object,
for example) and being unceremoniously expelled to DOS.

Anyway, below is a response from Sierra I found on AOL addressing the
bugs.  This should help some of you avoid the frustrations associated with
this game.  I find it surprising (and unacceptable!) that Sierra's
solutions to these problems are "Don't do that!"  Unfortunately, major
bugs seem to be the norm rather than the exception with many computer
game manufacturers.

Regards,

Ed
[email protected]

---------------
Subj:  Re:QFG4 - People Problem
Date:  94-06-08 18:28:53 EDT
From:  Sierras

The following issues still occur in the patched version (QG4PAT) of Shadows
of Darkness:
SOLUTION (For all issues below): DDT! (Don't Do That).

1) In the Town Gate screen, clicking the eye icon on the tree on the right
side of the screen, or on the road produces a {messager} 290: 2,1,3,1 not
found error message.

2) A few customers have reported that Ego will do a flip after saying the
Magic Phrase to the bush outside of Bonehead's room.  The other items in the
conversation tree worked normally.  This problem is rare, but extremely
frustrating.

3) Some customers have complained that Bonehead never gives them the recipe
for the Elderberry pie.

4) It is possible to talk to the innkeeper when he is no longer in the room,
by clicking the talk icon on yourself.

5) Thieves get a "You're being watched" message when trying to get the doll
from the china cabinet, even if no one is in the room.  After one or more
nights, they can then get the doll.

6) When Toby slams the door on Ego, you can see Ego through the closed door.
Later, when Toby no longer slams the door, there is a long pause with the
sound of the door being slammed, but no animation.

7) Stepsize is sometimes off with a Thief after getting the bonsai tree with
the grapnel.  With a fighter or a thief, the stepsize is off after rescuing
Tanya. Adjusting the Speed control fixes this.

8) If you return to Tanya's room after rescuing her and click the hand icon
on anything, there is a {messager} error 65: 27, 4, 47, 1 not found.

9) A character with both fighter and magic skills will receive either a
{messager} 740:16,6,26,1 not found error or a not an object error if they use
both the frostbite spell and push the rock in the Blood room.

10) Restarting the game from the end credits does not clear all the variables
to their initial state.  The character may have some or all of the inventory
items, the torch may be lit in the Bone room, etc.  

11)  After getting the Borgov key, if a thief tries to pick the lock on the
relief in the crypt, he will end up in a hands-off state.

12) Casting Summon Staff and then Fetch on the Mana Fruit tree will yield a
Fatal - Not an Object.

13) Casting Summon Staff and then Fetch on the archway by the Dark Ones cave
will also yield a Fatal - Not an Object.

14) Casting Summon Staff when the imaginary staff is present causes a
lock-up.

15) If you click on the Leshy bush in the Leshy4 sequence, you get this fatal
error message.  
{Messager}
msgType set to 0 or

579: 13,4,67,1 not found

A mouse click drops to DOS with this error message:

An Internal Game Error has occured... Error Number: 126 ..\list.cpp: 420:
64999: 43e

16) Wizards (and maybe other characters) with no climbing abilities will get
a Fatal if they click the hand icon on the tree when trying to rescue Igor
from the open grave.

17) Paladins who leave the Burgomeister's office with Piotyr's shield before
rescuing Igor will get a Fatal.

18) In the Swamp room to the west of the first Swamp room you encounter (rm.
540?), if a Thief jumps on the log in the upper right corner of the screen,
and then jumps to the hummock on the immediate left, there will be a Fatal -
Not An Object message.

Regarding the castle at night, that is another "don't do that." You may need
to come back to the castle at another time.

Happy gaming!

SierraS/Janet