16402 réponses à ce sujet

[Grond0]

ussnorway wrote...

I picked Diviner for rp reasons & partly because they have a bad rep... go the underdogs!

p.s.
Good luck Gate70... does he use a longbow?

Surely you can tell from the picture - only the best quality berserking sword will do.

[ussnorway]

Funny you should mention the picture… I see arrows & bolts but no bow or crossbow… I assume a preference for longbows because he is an elf.

[Gate70]

I chose that portrait because I liked it. F/M/T is elf or half-elf. Didn't really think too much more about it, just selected one. Happens to be the one with extra bow skill as well as dexterity bonus to stealth, AC and ranged attacks. Perhaps I should have chosen the half-elf to avoid these.

Ranged is ** longbow but he hasn't procured one yet.

Melee is ** quarterstaff, 2HS doesn't allow backstabs. If he lived long enough I'd add ** in two handed weapon style and then 2HS although halberd and spear also appeal. I'd probably die quickly but the familiar hit points seem excessive; too late to do much about it now.

[The Fred]

OK just had a rather harrowing encounter in the Cloakwood.

The Hamadryad was a nuisance because her protections made it very difficult to injure her, and though I'm not too hot on the BG2 spells, I think they were actually bouncing damage back (Spell Turning I think it was, certainly bounced back a Melf's Acid Arrow, but not most other things, and people seemed to be taking random damage which I think was Physical Mirror). I did Blind her, and determined that Chromatic Orb did damage, but whenever anyone was moving (which was always), the game lagged up. All my skeletons also got stuck in a big laggy Entangle.

The main issue was when we stumbled into the Druids from Jaheira's quest, who promptly attacked us. Luckily, the Hamadryad had wandered off, so we switched our attention almost completely to them. I hit them with Web, Horror and Glitterdust, but their saves seemed pretty good, and their Ironskins made it hard to interrupt their spells. Unfortunately a chain of Call Lightnings downed Imoen desipte her magical boots. We upped our game with a Stinking Cloud and some skeletons, but one of the druids got off a Call Woodland Beings. I responded by having Khalid cut the Nymph's throat whilst summoning one of my own. Unfortunately another druid did the same, and things got hectic - especially when a freak Call Lightning one-hitted Khalid too.

So, as you can imagine, things weren't looking too good, and I was pausing all the time just to get the screen to update. We'd used a lot of disabling magic to keep things under control, but I don't think we'd actually killed anyone at this point. Arzamraphel used a Call Lightning, and since he's L8 got a second bolt which killed one of the druids outright. However, the enemy Nymph got off a Confusion which sent him wandering madly off.

With only Jaheira, some Webbed skeletons and a Nymph operational, things didn't look too good, especially when a druid cast Animal Summoning II (I think it was II - it called two mountain bears and a wolf, anyway). Our saving grace was probably the casting of Mental Domination (thanks, Nymph!) on the toughest (purely by accident) druid. He mostly distracted the bears, but also got off a Summon Insects, a Hold Person and I think a Call Lightning, all in our favour, amongst other things.

Thankfully, just as things were reaching breaking point, the animals were unsummoned, and Jaheira was able to finish off the last couple of now nearly dead Shadow Druids. I also, thanks to the slightly cheesy fact that potions weigh nothing inside a case, managed to cram everything into our two inventories. All I need to do now is make it back to town without being killed by wyverns, ettercaps, or anything else.

On the upside, Jaheira got a 6th Stalker level, and an extra point in Sword and Shield style (shame Khalid was dead and didn't get his next Fighter level).

[ussnorway]

Are you playing in multi-player The Fred?

[Grond0]

Gate70 wrote...
I'd probably die quickly but the familiar hit points seem excessive; too late to do much about it now.

Why do the familiar HPs seem excessive?  The 21 on your portrait doesn't seem high.

[Grond0]

My previous installation was perfectly playable, but was a bit slower than it should have been and there were a couple of annoying glitches I noticed in playing BG2. Therefore I've done a reinstallation with the latest version of ToBex (looks like I missed that release by a couple of hours last time). I've just run a test character through a few areas - so far things are looking good.

I'm not sure at the moment what I want to play. Anyone got any suggestions for characters or challenges?

[Gate70]

Priest of Helm? Seeking sword is different.

HP went from 9-21, would have been less in SOA and while fine in TOB the BG insta-death risk is greatly reduced. Pity BGT doesn't scale familiar HP down for BG1, say to an extra 2hp in the game and another 1-2 if the expansion areas are started.

[Grond0]

I don't think it's too bad. I agree it gives a huge advantage to a level 1 character, but it's easy to get up to level 4 or 5 without any risk anyway.

[ussnorway]

PUKUD9;

Week 10; After spending two weeks as Scars little errand boy I decided the time was right to clear-out the iron throne. I noticed that SCS is still bugged here (they will follow you even though they can’t legally detect you… bad scripting) so I turned the tables & encouraged some of them to come down stairs with me. By luck of the draw Diyab & Naaman followed me down first… Then Zhalimar Cloudwulfe and Gardush had their shot at the title. Needless to say I’m still here but they did manage to deplete my spell book enough that a rest at the Blade & Stars was required before finishing up with Bouncing Betties… Next stop, Candlekeep.




I doubt that the duke (EVER) wants the events at Candlekeep to be made public knowledge… So lets just say the iron throne is in need of some new leaders.



p.s. I collected the remaining tomes before just skulking away.

Modifié par ussnorway, 20 novembre 2011 - 12:35 .

[Alesia_BH]

Grond0 wrote...
I'm not sure at the moment what I want to play. Anyone got any suggestions for characters or challenges?

I think it's fair to say that you have BG1 down but have a lot of BG2 left to explore. If you intend to solo once again, I'm inclined to suggest one of the classes that would give you an excellent chance of completing BG2 this time- F/M or F/T for example.

Put simply: it's time you finished. Go with a finisher.

Enjoy!

A.

Modifié par Alesia_BH, 20 novembre 2011 - 12:24 .

[ussnorway]

If you can't finish the game with an elf fighter/ mage/ thief then its time to take up golf!

[Alesia_BH]

ussnorway wrote...
 I noticed that SCS is still bugged here (they will follow you even though they can’t legally detect you… bad scripting) 

I'm pretty sure that's by design rather then a bug. It does irk me at times, but on balance I prefer it since it can help to rebalance Invisibility and Sanctuary in particular.

From a realism standpoint, it can be problematic, but I just imagine that they are using sound and or footprints to figure out where I am even if they can't attack. I can definitely see why someone might dislike it though.

Anyhoo. Best of luck with the rest of your run!

A.

[ussnorway]

That justification wouldn’t surprise me in the least but with a little bit of effort they could achieve the same result without the need to resort to buggy/ bad scripting, Eg. let’s see… just off the top of my head;

How about a critter or statuette stationed at the top of the stairs that can legally detect invisible targets and cast dispel/ sound alarms, it would certainly be in character for such an important place to invest in some basic security.

If they don’t like that idea then they could consider making the whole room an chaos-magic or nul-magic zone… ok it’s a little unpredictable for an office security system but the effect is simple to script & can be cancelled by flipping a lever to allow for game balance.

EDIT;

Feeling especially evil? Then place a ‘glitterdust’ trap at the entrance… the look of shock on his face will be priceless! 

Modifié par ussnorway, 20 novembre 2011 - 01:21 .

[Easymask]

I actually agree with ussnorway, concerning the fact that enemies follow you when you are invisible. Another thing that's annoying me is that some enemies wont follow you outside of their "homes". This doesn't really prove a more tactical challenge in my opinion, it just makes it harder to set up tactical ambushes on the other side.

And it's not particularly hard to counter the characters that use detect invisibility either - a mage with invis and non-detection/cloak of non detection just needs to go first into the room, have the character waste his detect then head into the room with all characters you want invis.

I don't know, I just don't find it more challenging at all - just more buggy and less tactical.

Modifié par Easymask, 20 novembre 2011 - 01:32 .

[AnonymousHero]

[quote]Alesia_BH wrote...

[quote]ussnorway wrote...
 I noticed that SCS is still bugged here (they will follow you even though they can’t legally detect you… bad scripting) 
[/quote]

I'm pretty sure that's by design rather then a bug. It does irk me at times, but on balance I prefer it since it can help to rebalance Invisibility and Sanctuary in particular.

[/quote]
Actually, there have been indications that it might actually be considered a bug by DavidW (who's back, btw!). Someone posted some hotfixes to the SCS 2 forums -- which among other things fixed this behavior (at least for some creatures), and I seem to remember DavidW indicating that these fixes would make it into the next version.

Unfortunately, I can't find the post because of the forum spam debacle.
[/quote]

[Alesia_BH]

AnonymousHero wrote...

Actually, there have been indications that it might actually be considered a bug by DavidW (who's back, btw!). Someone posted some hotfixes to the SCS 2 forums -- which among other things fixed this behavior (at least for some creatures), and I seem to remember DavidW indicating that these fixes would make it into the next version.

Understood. I can't comment on that battle specifically since I've never seen that behavoir out of those blokes- it doesn't appear in 15.

I was commenting on the ever present "I can't see you but I know where you are" script which I ultimately like (even if it does irk my characters). I don't find that it detracts from realism and, as mentioned, it can help rebalance Stealth. I'd prefer to keep that feature in my install personally.
Every other view above makes perfect sense to me as well though.  

Best,

A.

[Grond0]

AnonymousHero wrote...
Actually, there have been indications that it might actually be considered a bug by DavidW (who's back, btw!). Someone posted some hotfixes to the SCS 2 forums -- which among other things fixed this behavior (at least for some creatures), and I seem to remember DavidW indicating that these fixes would make it into the next version.

Unfortunately, I can't find the post because of the forum spam debacle.

The Cow King posted the SCS fixes on these forums recently - see http://social.biowar...index/8707977/1

[The Fred]

ussnorway wrote...

Are you playing in multi-player The Fred?

No, I'm playing with a (reduced) NPC party, but I have L1 NPCs installed which has given me some slightly illegal setups. Imoen is a perfectly legit Sorcerer (as is Xan) but Khalid is a Fighter/Invoker (probably a little overpowered) and Jaheira a Cleric/Stalker (less so, I think). These combinations aren't allowed in vanilla, and I think are at least a little more powerful than plain multi-class characters, but with full party creation you could have properly min/maxed powerbuilt players whereas Khalid has 15 Str and Jaheira 14 Wis.

[Grond0]

Alesia_BH wrote...
I think it's fair to say that you have BG1 down but have a lot of BG2 left to explore. If you intend to solo once again, I'm inclined to suggest one of the classes that would give you an excellent chance of completing BG2 this time- F/M or F/T for example.

Put simply: it's time you finished. Go with a finisher.

Go on then.  I've rolled up a fighter thief designed to slice through the game rather than suck up every last morsel.

Thus far he's quickly done some introductory tasks and just completed the Nashkel mines.  His tactics have been split roughly equally between backstabs, e.g.
Tarnesh, Neira and Nimbul (first triple damage attempt)

and run and shoot with his bow, e.g.
Meilum and Greywolf.

An honourable mention also for the necklace of missiles, which was used in the mines.  This blast left Mulahey unsupported and effectively dead (though he didn't do himself any favours by continuing to not put a helm on)

[The Fred]

Arzamraphel and Jaheira returned to the FAI and had Khalid and Imoen raised. After healing, resting, and identifying some items, we returned to the Cloakwood where we dealt with whatever-his-name-was outside the treehouse. This actually wasn't too hard, but he seemed somehow to get a triple Summon Insects off (maybe it was the 4th-level version of the spell? I think I read Summon Insects, but anyway). This sent Khalid, Arzamraphel and Imoen into a panic. Luckily, he was Near Death at this point, and standing in a Web and Stinking Cloud. Unfortunately, he drank a potion, and Jaheira's Commands didn't seem to have much effect. Eventually Imoen recovered and finished him off with a magic missile. We also had a couple of Dread Wolves to deal with, who had been keeping our skeletons occupied, but by this stage we were home and dry.

I did chose to finish the guy off rather than spare him, but then, I am a Neutral character, and anyway he was a pretty nasty piece of work. It got me 4k extra XP and some nice loot, but I didn't expect the -4 reputation hit. Ouch. Anyway, we headed back to Seniyad who gave us a club.

That 4k XP also got Khalid a 6th Fighter level - I put his point into Bows, since though he has two points in Small Swords, he's actually as good with the Long Bow of Marksmanship as he is with daggers, and I'd been planning to switch him to two-handed swords (e.g. Spider's Bane) soon anyway, since he can use spells for defence. However, I figured that putting that point in bows would be more useful than in Two-Handed Style since he'd have to lose the shield for either. At the moment he's still using a Bastard Sword +1 so not getting the benefit of the point he does have in THS, but never mind.

I then tracked back to Beregost, since Khalid and Jaheira's helms both broke, as did Arzamraphel's buckler, and the FAI had neither in stock. Taerom's prices had skyrocketed, so I also headed to the Temple to improve my public image (now 14 rep). I want to deal with that Hamadryad still, but I'm not sure I'm ready for the mines yet - that fight is surely more than doable with this party, but I'd rather be a bit surer, and I think I could use Dispel Magic too.
I'm actually thinking of doing the Secret of Bone Hill now - apparently it comes in two parts, and the first should be easy enough for a four-man, L6-8 party, right? This is a mod I've never played before, though.

[Grond0]

The Fred wrote...
we returned to the Cloakwood where we dealt with whatever-his-name-was outside the treehouse. This actually wasn't too hard, but he seemed somehow to get a triple Summon Insects off (maybe it was the 4th-level version of the spell? I think I read Summon Insects, but anyway).

Sounds like the 5th level insect plague - a great spell to use against casters.

I'm actually thinking of doing the Secret of Bone Hill now - apparently it comes in two parts, and the first should be easy enough for a four-man, L6-8 party, right? This is a mod I've never played before, though.

I think the mod difficulty is quite well balanced - it scales depending on your level, so you should be able to take it on when you want.

[Grond0]

Slider's done most of the reputation quests now and is up to rep 19 - he's currently sitting on the edge of the ankheg pit and should get up to 20 shortly.  The slime quest didn't go too well, but that was balanced at High Hedge.  There were a few other bits and pieces undertaken during journeys, e.g. lots of XP for sirenes and flesh golems on the way to pick up a tome.

Basillus forced the most expenditure of resources so far; a potion of freedom countered his initial hold person and several healing potions were needed in response to his 3 blights, though Slider was always comfortable.  When Basillus strayed near a small mound he opened himself up to a nasty backstab and died soon after - what is it with these clerics that none of them wear a helm!

Slider is currently level 6 / 6, though will get his 7th thief level shortly.

[Vaclavc]

Grond0 wrote...
Go on then.  I've rolled up a fighter thief designed to slice through the game rather than suck up every last morsel.

Thus far he's quickly done some introductory tasks and just completed the Nashkel mines.  His tactics have been split roughly equally between backstabs, e.g.
Tarnesh, Neira and Nimbul (first triple damage attempt)

and run and shoot with his bow, e.g.
Meilum and Greywolf.

An honourable mention also for the necklace of missiles, which was used in the mines.  This blast left Mulahey unsupported and effectively dead (though he didn't do himself any favours by continuing to not put a helm on)

Fighter/Thief is super multi class, enjoy!

ussnorway wrote...
If you can't finish the game with an elf fighter/ mage/ thief then its time to take up golf!

Umm... since my only attempt with f/m/t failed some time ago, I am going to get some golf sticks



I have started another insane difficulty solo wizard run – meet Thazmudyn the Necromancer:


Contrary to my fears, he fared rather well so far. He practiced with his sling on monsters around High Hedge. In Beregost, he returned Perdue her sword, talked to Marl, fetched book for Elvenhair, letter for Mirianne and boots for Zhurlong and helped Silke to deal with Feldepost thugs.
Thazmudyn also managed to clear spider infestation in Landrin’s house:


In FAI, he ran away from Tarnesh and let the guards kill him, collected reward from Landrin and returned Joia her flamedance ring. Farther north near Wyrm Crossing, he helped priestess Tenya.
Next, Thazmudyn traveled south of High Hedge. He found Melicamp and took him to Thalantyr. Unfortunately, Melicamp did not survive the transformation.
In the area with Drizzt, Thazmudyn defeated Half-Ogres and collected reward from Bjornin in Beregost.
Fortunately, Thazmudyn survived travel south to Nashkel. Near Nashkel mines, he defeated Greywolf using Chromatic orbs and lots of bullets.
He also entered the mine itself to obtain Joseph’s greenstone ring, but wandering around dungeon full of kobold archers with 14 hp Wizard unable to cast Illusion spells is hairy experience.
After return from the mine area, Thazmudyn traveled to the area southeast of Durlag’s Tower to complete Revenant quest. Using Potion of Insulation, Protection scroll from electricity and Wand of Lightning, he killed three Ghasts in the other tomb and collected Wand of Monster Summoning.
The wand helped him to defeat Zordral - summoned monsters provided enough distraction so that Thazmudyn could perfom his necromantic attack:


Few moments later, Neira was defeated using Chromatic orb - Vampiric Touch combo:


During his travels, Thazmudyn accumulated three potions of invisibility – one of them already saved his life:


Thazmudyn currently stays in Beregost and wonders what to do next. He is level 5 Necromancer with 19 hp.
 
I have several notes on soloing a Necromancer:
Necromancers feel seriously underpowered, at least in BG1. Blindness, Mirror Image, (Improved) Invisibility and Blur always formed a backbone of my spell arsenal and suddenly all these spells are unavailable. This is partly alleviated by the possibility to cast Illusion spells from scrolls, but such scrolls are too few and far between. It also clearly shows how powerful the school of Illusions really is.
I imagine that availability of Stoneskin and powerful necromantic attack spells in SoA will improve things, but missing Simulacrum and Mislead will surely hurt a lot, too.
Due to their inability to use Illusions, Necromancers handle quite differently from other specialists and Mages. Shield, Sleep and Chromatic Orbs have been my best friends so far, accompanied with Larloch’s minor drain and recently Vampiric touch. Since there is no wizard version of Animate Dead in vanilla BG1, obtaining summoning spells is top priority. The fact that Thalantyr (Conjurer!!!) does not sell any summoning scrolls is very unpleasant. Wand of monster summoning helps a lot, but obtaining it is somewhat difficult for low level Necromancer and its recharging is too costly.
Nevertheless, playing Necromancer is great, because it forces me to use new tactics in battles I fought so many times before.
I will also appreciate any advice you can give me for this run.
V

Modifié par Vaclavc, 20 novembre 2011 - 11:45 .

[polytope]

AnonymousHero wrote...
Actually, there have been indications that it might actually be considered a bug by DavidW (who's back, btw!). Someone posted some hotfixes to the SCS 2 forums -- which among other things fixed this behavior (at least for some creatures), and I seem to remember DavidW indicating that these fixes would make it into the next version.

Unfortunately, I can't find the post because of the forum spam debacle.

My hotfix for chase_top.ssl is here. It replaces the file of the same name in SCS/SCSII genai folder (the same AI blocks are used for both versions of SCS). It needs re-installation however, which may not be worthwile just for this - DavidW has said a new version is in the works.

Alesia_BH wrote...
From a realism standpoint, it can be problematic, but I just imagine
that they are using sound and or footprints to figure out where I am
even if they can't attack. I can definitely see why someone might
dislike it though.

My main objection to the AI chasing invisible/sanctuaried characters is that they can track you well enough to surround you, but won't actually attack - you'd think that if they could pinpoint your location to within a few feet, they'd take a few suspicious swings even if they couldn't see you... And of course they can find you even if you're invisible and silenced, or have a high move silently score, which they should not.