IA v6.2 discussion, random questions and thoughts Options

[critto]

So, the v6.1 is out. Most notable change is a step towards new platform, internal re-design and full (I hope) support for BG2EE. That means that IA should now install and play with any distribution of BG2:EE on any platform. I personally developed and tested it on Mac OS X, with the Beamdog's official distribution. Nicoper, whom I want to thank for helping me with testing and pushing this version out, did tests on Windows, although I have no idea which version exactly did he use.

Anyhow, with BG2:EE come two new good-aligned NPCs who are tweaked to be serious choices for a party member. To facilitate that we did a nice overhaul of the Monk class. It's kind of a beta so keep in mind that your experiences may vary. But should be fun nonetheless.

There is no new tactical content added to the BG2EE content, but the potential is there and, hopefully, we can explore it in the future builds.

There's also some miscellaneous stuff done here and there but the major things are listed above.

I took a liberty of assuming a different approach towards development, with shorter but faster releases. Hopefully, this will bring us towards IAv7 quicker. Afterwards, we'll see.

Enjoy and let me know what you think.

EDIT: this was converted into primary discussion thread for 6.2

This post has been edited by critto: May 24 2016, 11:35 AM

[critto]

Vagrant gets "Bala's Axe, Wizard Slayer" from the Djinni in Irenicus's prison - I suspect the item is non-magical, which makes it really strong, particularly if it is in fact treated as unenchanted.

This is part of vanilla/Beamdog's feature that gives the protagonist a particular item from BG1. I haven't studied this in depth, people usually use DbG to skip the dungeon. I'll check it out.

I'm rethinking Mazzy - her kit still seems a little underpowered compared to many other options. Would be great if she could get GM in a blunt weapon as well.

You might be right, but I specifically didn't want to have more OP classes. The changes I've prepared seemed to be more consistent with whatever lore is available on the subject. This, of course, could be amended if needed. The class is a mix between fighter and paladin. Paladins generally don't go higher than specialization in weapons. This might be subject to change, of course, if we review paladins in the future.

Instead of Mazzy, the blackguard seems really strong

I have done no tests whatsoever on blackguards or Dorn. Not enough time. So you might be right on all subjects. This is listed among our plans whenever we get to it.

R->C dual no longer has access to ironskins in EE? That's a serious nerf!

That's not a nerf, rather a feature of EE. Check out the Fixes & Tweaks section of the readme, the bottom section ("Existing bugs and feature of the game"). You can get the druidic spells back, it's a matter of changing an option in the game's configuration file. You'll need to gain a level with your R->C, though, after changing it if you'd already started playing.

Do either "blessed watchfullness" or "mental equilibrium" spells cleanse/protect against greater/grave silence? I still think the biggest difference between vagrant/necro protagonists is the immunity to silence on a mage.

No, they don't. Avenger's ritual ability, on the other hand, provides immunity to greater versions of silence. Regarding the silence question in general, I have plans to address that in the future releases as well. Right now it is indeed somewhat unbalanced.