MagicalMaster wrote...
Perhaps even recommend that if you have, say, 4 skill points per level that you should only choose 3 skills to max out and spread the fourth point per level among other skills.
I don't want to over-state or be too heavy-handed about this, though. The module certainly can be played with the probably more common "max or nothing" approach that you describe. It's oriented toward rewarding a broader skill selection only in that there are benefits spread around the module for many different skills, the "entry point" for some of which (like Spellcraft and Open Locks) is only 1 or 2 ranks. The benefit of taking them is that certain things in the module may be easier, and you might miss out on a few of those benefits without them (which is how I think it ought to be).
At a minimum I would include what you said here: that dabbling in a bunch of skills can be useful.
Based on your feedback and for reasons I'll go into more below, I'm becoming convinced that the skills section of the README needs a re-write. Some of it is carried over from earlier versions of the module, and on examination may not always be quite as applicable any more to the current version.
The Open Locks skill is a good example. There are scattered locked doors and chests throughout the module, many of which have locks that are easily picked. There are also a few (more now in v4 than there were before) that are more difficult, along with several high-value lockpicks in stores, in the random treasure system, and in certain strategic locations. If the player has 1 rank in Open Locks, then he can easily deal with the minor locks, and also gets the ability to use, say, a +8 Lockpick to help handle the really difficult ones like the safe. That one rank is the player's "entry fee" to all of that convenience, and it definitely makes the module easier for him to play.
But how important is it,
really? Robin can open locks, and her four ranks since v4.0 (+2 for 14 Dex) will let her handle most of them. Her Dex and Open Locks skills can also be boosted, and since v3.4, I gave her the ability to use lockpicks as well. Prior to that, if you didn't take a rank or two in Open Locks, then you pretty much had to write off ever opening the safe. Now you can just walk Robin over to it, hand her the +8 Lockpick, and ask her to use it to open the nearest lock (under the "Use a Special Ability" option on her companion dialogue).
Is having that +1 in Open Locks helpful in playing the module? I think it is. Is it as important as it used to be? No, and I probably should revisit the writeup about it. Can you get by without it? Yes. Can you still get all the benefits you would if you don't take it? Pretty much, if you explore all your options, including (in this case) looking over all the choices available in Robin's companion dialogue. Will you miss out if you don't thoroughly explore all of the module's options, or think to use them if you did? Yes. Is that how it should be? I tend to think so.
I would also be clearer about the exact benefits of investing into skills in your world -- for example, Heal winds up being useful not for bandages but for making the potions. Of course, I skipped Heal entirely on Very Hard and did perfectly fine while you claimed it was the most important skill besides 4 points in Lore.
Bear in mind that players differ widely in their ability to handle difficult combat in NWN. The single most common complaint I've had about Sanctum is that the combat is too hard. I've also had some players say that it was just right, and some even that it was too easy. That's one reason why I invested so much into developing the difficulty options. Heal is actually quite useful for bandages (Heal Kits), including the Companion Heal Kit, as well as potion mixing; all of those are significantly more effective if you have a higher Heal skill. For players less adept at NWN combat than you or I might be, those extra HP on each Heal Kit use can be a big deal. And Heal Kits are in a strictly limited supply in the module until you make it to the Earthen Temple.
So how much of this do I put into the README? I'm open to suggestions, but I don't want to write a treatise. I do agree that the section on Heal needs a re-write, though. Maxing Heal isn't as important now as it was for previous versions of the module, especially before I implemented the combat difficulty options.
are you saying that the Charisma ones are random but the Wisdom/Int ones are not?
In the case of these particular checks, yes, that's right.
Regarding the Persuade checks, I often reloaded at least half a dozen times to verify that I apparently kept failing. Maybe I had awful rolls for all 20+ occasions but I'm doubtful.
No, that's definitely enough evidence for me to look for a problem in those scripts. I added a new system for handling those skill checks in v4, and it's possible that some of it is still bugged.
Precisely what I was doing. With maxed spellcraft and 14 int I had two Crystals explode on me when I was trying to cut a gem from them (dialogue with the placeable object). I reloaded and succeeded after that but...
OK, then. That was definitely an example of an unlucky roll, but I'm not happy with it either. I did increase the DC on those checks in v4, and I guess there's still a small possibility of failing a cut check with a maxed Spellcraft. Holding the Adventurer's Guide (+2 Spellcraft) does help, but even so I agree that past a certain point those checks should be automatic. I'm going to revisit how they're done in v4.2 (which is already in the works and will be coming out with the Sanctum 2 remake).
Any thoughts on those spawn points I mentioned earlier? Particularly the beetles "in" the cabinet?
With regard to the cabinet, I agree. I'll tone it down in v4.2. The encounter is random, but it is a bit unfair if you manage to get ambushed in close quarters by a group of Stag Beetles.
The "Vermin Area" in the Upper Ruins is a different case, though. On the "hard" settings I intended it be extremely difficult and to require some strategic thinking. Even I can't clear it in a single go, not even going in fully rested and buffed. But the vermin appear in two different batches, one further south than the other, and the room is very large. You can take them in two or three waves, and you can also bypass the area entirely. The idea there is that you're supposed to exercise prudence, to know when to beat a strategic retreat if you need to, and to use the "draw a few away from the rest and kill them" tactic (which the Horn of Rallying can make even more effective). You're also not far from the door to the Beastman Village, so you can typically retreat to there if you need to. (I have had tests where I did that and some of the vermin followed me -- seeing the Beastman King bound into action to deal with them turned out to be quite entertaining.) Similar points apply to the oozes in Caverns Level 1. If you find yourself overmatched then you're supposed to take them in waves, retreating (or at least, not advancing too recklessly) so that you can deal with them in smaller groups that are more manageable. You can also turn on Robin's summoning if you need it; it's only level 1 and unlike Orion's it's off by default, but it is there.
One more observation to offer about the ooze area, though, is that at that early point in the module you're still a very low-level (3-4) character with a higher-level (6) companion with great weapons and armor. It's actually an intended part of the module experience in the early stages for you to feel a need to some extent to "hide behind Robin," especially when things get hairy. If you're closing with the oozes in Caverns level 1 enough for them to target you with multiple acid blasts instead of hanging back and supporting Robin from a distance with spells or missile fire, then you risk getting taken out. If you do, then the dying system is pretty forgiving and Robin can usually revive you. By the time you reach the ruins that dynamic should be shifting, and you're supposed to start feeling more like you're becoming her equal -- until by the end, she acknowledges that by referring to you as her partner against the Warlord.
It looks like you've adjusted stat buffs -- was this not mentioned for a reason?
I did that in one of the v3.x updates, and agree that it was an oversight for me not to have added it to the README. I'll do it for v4.2.
And why not always give +4?
My intent was for it to always yield a +2 to your stat bonus. I wanted to make it a little more consistent and to cut out the extremes of the 2-5 point stat increase. So it gives 3-4 points instead, depending on how much is needed to get you to a +2 bonus from where you started. The bonus is what typically counts, especially for mental stats in Sanctum. So if you start with an odd stat it gives +3, else it gives +4. I did consider just having it always give +4, but I wanted it to have more or less the same average behavior as the unmodified spell.
For example, say I have 15 Dex and a +1 dex ring that I swap with a +3 Appraise ring. If I do Cat's Grace without wearing the ring, I get boosted to 18 and then the ring brings me to 19. If I do Cat's Grace while wearing the ring, I'll get boosted to 20. So I'd need to make sure I had the ring equipped or get half the benefit from the spell.
Yes, that is one consequence of how it works. 15 going to 18 gives you 3 points of Dexterity for a +2 stat bonus over where you started. 16 going to 20 gives you 4 points over where you started, but again, for a +2 stat bonus. The spell will always boost you to the second highest even score above the one you had when you started, which gives an advantage to starting at an even stat vs. starting at an odd one.
Modifié par AndarianTD, 21 décembre 2013 - 05:50 .
