Curse of the Azure Bonds version differences

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I just tried something when reminiscing about the Gold Box Games.
Could somebody check my memory on this?

In Curse of the Azure Bonds, I thought you could throw daggers and hammers using the AIM command, but they were not as useful because you could not stack them, so only got one attack per round (not that different than a sling, staff sling, or crossbow).
However, running the PC Version from the "Forgotten Realms Silver Edition", I found that my mage in the back rank could not target an enemy 2 squares away with a dagger equipped using the AIM command.

I'm mostly familiar with the Apple II version of the game, as while I just recently got them running with DOSBox, I haven't gotten around to playing the games, especially Secret of the Silver Blades and Pools of Darkness, which I never got to play because they were not released for the Apple II.

Am I remembering wrong or confusing CotAB with Pool of Radiance or Champions of Krynn, or is this a difference between the Apple II and PC versions?

I swear that one thing I used to like to do was not waste money buying mundane equipment (except usually a staff sling), but just use battlefield acquisitions, starting with shortswords and leather armor from those bar patrons (who are low enough in level to be susceptible to Sleep. In fact, most enemies from Tilvertown including the Thieves' Guild and the Sewers are suscpetable to Sleep, until you get to the Fire Knives' Hideout, there you can usually only put one enemy to sleep with them having a good save chance. However, those hordes of dogs or monkeys in the thieves' guild can be put to sleep, so can the crocodiles. The thieves can be put to sleep as well so you don't get backstabbed. Don't bother trying with the Fire Knives themselves or the mages, it will only target one of them, but it CAN work, although the mages almost always save).
Anyways, sorry for the divergence, but almost all guides say sleep is useless in CotAB, which it is once you escape Tilvertown, but in the Thieves' Guild it is the most useful mage spell followed by fireball, since you probably don't have mirror image.

Anyways, back on target, I swear I remember that I used to have my mage (destined to dual to Ranger at level 10 while the Ranger duels to Mage at the same level) throw daggers at enemies after that initial battle in the Thieves' Guild.

 

I have this from GOG and was thinking it needs a aurora engine remake.

 

You mean this?
https://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn1/module/curse-azure-bonds

Search the same site, all four of the series have been done.

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Anyways, I'm getting some time off work, I might just have to download disk images of CotAB and maybe PoR as well from ftp.apple.Asimov.net and an Apple II emulator (I can download an image of a ROM 1 Apple IIGS legally since I have one boxed up in mom's basement) just to figure out the answer if nobody else remembers.

I assume that this is a legit use of what is technically an Apple II warez site since I have the physical disks in mom's basement. It would just be too much work to get the IIGS out of mothballs and boot it up. Mostly unpacking it. Getting the minimum needed for CotAB would just require the keyboard, monitor, and 5.25" disk drives to be hooked up. No need for the hard drive (the Gold Box games used SSI's custom "RDOS" which was more like a DOS 3.3 variant and only supported 5.25" disks, unlike the PC and Macintosh versions. )

 

Well, I downloaded the files for CotAB from Asimov and AppleWin. I don't know if it is the same version as what I have the physical disks for. I never paid much attention to the version number even though it is displayed every time you boot the game.
I tried the nibbleized version rather than the .dsk version as I wasn't sure how the custom RDOS would work with .DSK. Setup was much easier than I expected, no configuration unlike XGS (now KEGS) on the Mac 20 years ago.
Well, it seems that on the .NIB version from Asimov (there are 3 copies, one in .NIB, one in .dsk, and one in a ZIP file) you can NOT throw daggers, but you can throw hammers.
Now I need to try Pool of Radiance and Champions of Krynn, since I'm positive you can throw daggers in one of those three. I only regret that Secret of the Silver Blades, Pools of Darkness, Death Knights of Krynn, and Dark Queen of Krnn were never released on the Apple II, nor was Savage Frontier.

Also, for the most part I like the interface better on the Apple II version, EXCEPT for the controls used for movement in combat. That never made sense since the game needed 128K and therefore probably was made with the Platinum IIe and IIGS available, why wouldn't they use the same direction scheme on the numeric keyboard as in the PC version? Why those weird number choices? Never made sense then or now.
I know the original enhanced IIe (rare, most without numeric were unenhanced) and older Apple II's did not have a numeric keyboard, but the Platinum IIe, the IIc, and the IIGS did.

 

Are you sure about a Mage being able to use Throwing Daggers?
As far as I remember Mages could only use Darts/"Wurfpfeile" as a distance weapon (german C-64 version of Curse of the Azure Bonds).

 

I could have sworn I could recall a mage throwing a generic "dagger" in one of the Gold Box games, either Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds or Champions of Krynn.
It would have been the Apple II version.
However, I just downloaded a disk image (the .NIB format, ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/games/strategy/SSI ) from Asimov and tried it and it did not work.

I'm going to have to experiment with Pool and Champions. It's also possible that I have a different version on floppy than is available on the site. However, I don't feel like doing so tonight, and I'm working all weekend, then I have to take my mother to the hospital on Monday.

I confirmed that Clerics can throw hammers. But Mages did not throw daggers.

 

I admit, I was wrong.
I am furloughed and I helped my mom clean out her house and go through old stuff.
One thing we found was a bunch of 3x1 mailing labels on pinfeed paper. We decided that since they have been in a box for at least 10 years, we might as well use them to make some generic mailing labels for paying bills and the like.
This had me unpack my Apple IIGS from storage, and after I used The Print Shop Companion for the first time in over a decade, I decided to boot up the Gold Box games and I ran some tests. I could not throw daggers in either Curse of the Azure Bonds version 1.0, Pool of Radiance, or Champions of Krynn. Funny, I could have sworn it was an option in one of those games, although being able to throw clubs or hammers is NOT documented either, and implemented poorly, since if you use all your movement points getting in melee range of an enemy and then use the AIM command to target him, you will throw away the club or hammer leaving you without a melee weapon (unless you have a spare).

Funny thing for nostalgia, we set up the Apple IIGS in the den, where it was placed initially for a few months in 1988 back when it was brand new before being moved to my then (now old) bedroom due to there not being enough room in the den. I couldn't help but think I'd come full circle with it.