First IA experience, Thoughts from a new player, and some (hopefully) constructive criticis Options

[Zarion]

I just found this mod a few weeks ago, and I've been playing this mod for about a week. In my current game I've just left the Underdark with my Evil Party (m/f, Korgan, Edwin, Viconia and Valen(without her lvldrain)) everyone have at least 4-5 high-level abilities and so far I've enjoyed the mod. The scripts are well done and make most battles more challenging. The upgrades are really cool, and the components from “harder” enemies makes them seem deserved.

But even though I like the mod I won't be using it after I'm done with this run-through. This is mainly due to the way you have made the enemies more challenging. You seem to have taken the use of resistances to the hearth, and that is ofcause one way of making the game harder, but I must admit I dislike it. At the moment the only spells Edwin and Viconia gets to cast are “pre-battle-buffs” and dispel effects since almost every (challenging) enemy I'm meeting are very resistant, not only to magic, but to most elemental and magical damage as well. For me that drastically cuts down on the “fun”, since it takes away the “group feel” where every class is needed to win a battle and have something to do during the battle... other then standing in a corner hiding so they won't die.

My suggestions to improve the feeling of the mod is to cut down on some of the 100% resistances this mod adds especially on “none-boss-fights” (ie insane dwarf, Firkraag-party ect.) and give them 75% resistances if you still want them to be “hard” or perhaps 50% with one or two 100% so the player have to try a bit before finding the right type of magic. Another way to do it could be to build up the resistances though the use of “forcecast” scripts on certain hp percentages. Ie; the opponent starts with 25% resistances to none melee damage, and then builds up to 50% at 75% hp and so forth.

The constant use of regeneration also bugs me a bit, especially in groupbattles where you it foceres you to focus on one target at a time, but it keeps the pressure on the player, since it means no more running out of combat to get healed, and that is a good thing .

Well, I think that is about all I have to say, unless I find anything to add at a later time , thanks for the mod, and all the hard work put into it.

[luan]

Where did you meet your first Amber Golem?

It was with Borinall's group. I thought things were going smoothly until I realized all my guys were getting electrocuted with the golem feedback shock. It was down to wire with everyone at >10 hp and the Amber golem at Near Death. As a last ditch effort I had my main character run in circles while everyone else played kamikaze... Then I realized I had a cloak of the sewers on Jan's corpse, which fortunately gave me enough HP back to finish off the golem.

Make sure that you have Black Spider Figurine with yourself when you go to the first level of WK to see a new encounter.

I use it extensively to bait enemy spell casters to waste a round casting death spells! Very handy!

BTW, haven't you dual-class to mage yet? If you delay too much, it will be difficult to reactivate the Swashbuckler abilities and it will take a long time.

I have a save game that I will play through to experience the new content as a dual class. Once i'm finished with that I'll just continue with my original character single-class.