Opinion on the mod so far Options

[Patrick_hindman]

I have to say i'm finding this to be the best mod of baldurs gate 2 i've ever played, the battles to me always feel fresh having to switching tactics and not using the same one every time like in the vanilla game till it became a chore to even complete it (congrats on the ai, its the best i've experienced). I have to say after beating torgal i have not had such a adrenaline pumping battle since ascension (and i'm eager for more as i go through the mod). I like how its all balanced and nothing seems overpowered in the game. Though i would make a criticism in that the most frustrating part was probably starting out since most battles were too difficult for low level parties and finding doable battles was hard so i would suggest you mod in some extra content for lower level parties (such as the slavers encounter at the beginning which was pretty good).

Oh i know that you've been bugged alot about this already but i would like some more evil content in the game ie. items and quests. For starters why not allow evil characters to work for firkraag. As i have never modded before and this is too much of a demand just ignore it but keep up the good work you've done an excellent job so far.

[Sikret]

There are other reasons against adding such spells to the game. If I add spells which lower damage resistances, then I also should script enemy spellcasters to use the spell against you as well. Now, if both sides have access to such a spell, there will be two very unwelcome consequences. I'll try to elaborate these two possible consequences in two examples:

1- As an example, consider the battle with Improved Yagashura. At the point you reach that battle your party has siginificant damage resistances as do the enemies. The battle is currently one of the most exciting battles in the game and requires the player to think very well at every stage. Now, just assume that both sides (your mages and Yaga's lieutenants) have access to such a spell and use it. Both sides will lose their resistances; consequently, the result of the battle will depend on sheer chance (who hits whom first and faster)! The battle will turn to be too short and pointless. Either your protagonist will die fast or Yagashura will be killed quickly depending on who hits sooner and better. The battle will be far from a typical IA chess match.

2- Interestingly, there are also examples in which if both sides have access to such a hypothetical spell, the result will be considerably in enemy's favor. An example of this type is the battle against rune assassins in post-firkraag adventures. The numbers of enemies in that battle are many but they don't have very significant resistances. It is actually the party of players who rely on their resistances to survive in this battle. Now, if both sides can cast such a hypothetical spell, the chance that you will lose the battle will increase dramatically.

I remember that Raven had also made this point in one of his posts when he was arguing against adding such spells to the game (his point was that such spells will eventually work in enemies' favor in the long term, which was a correct consideration).

I still think that the main problem is that you have not played the mod long and far enough to be able to have a reliable perspective of what is going on. You are at early stages of the game and are currently frustrated by some damage resistances you see on some enemies. You have not yet reached those stages of the game at which you also have such resistances and find out that it is actualy *you* who rely on those resistances to survive more than the enemies do. When you reach that point, you will find your resistance far more precious than you want them to be easily lowered by some enemy spellcasters.


General note:

I strongly recommend that players who have not completed the entire mod for at least a couple of times, really refrain from making radical suggestions for changes or to make strict opinions about the mod. Play it for one or two times completely to have a better idea of everything.