IA v6.2 discussion, random questions and thoughts Options

[Azoth]

Some questions:

1. one of the new items caused a crash on ToB installations because of EE-only effects present in the item structure

   Which item is it exactly? I'm a bit afraid of reinstalling IA, spent already some hours playing and dont want to break my installation...(The Four and Level1NPC comp #0 + #4 are installed after IA)

2. a small tactical encounter is added to spice up the early stages of the game

   Any hint? Couldnt find that encounter...

3. a third craftsman is introduced to provide services for the player's party

   Early or late game?

Thanks in advance.

[critto]

Which item is it exactly? I'm a bit afraid of reinstalling IA, spent already some hours playing and dont want to break my installation...(The Four and Level1NPC comp #0 + #4 are installed after IA)

S!sw21

You won't break anything by reinstalling (if IA is installed on top).

2 & 3: both early.

SPOILER!

Did you do the tanner quest yet?

[bulian]

Thanks for the tip about Neera - I'll use her instead of a custom sorcerer.

Just got out of Irenicus dungeon. Interface in EE has some nice elements, particularly the loot button. Couple of questions/comments:

I really like the avenger (Jaheira) class so far.

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.

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.

Instead of Mazzy, the blackguard seems really strong
-aura seems really overpowered: -4 thaco/-4 damage/-4 AC on enemies for one turn. Does that aura work on most IA enemies? You may want to (nerf) add a save vs spell at a penalty or reduce duration from 1 turn to a few rounds, maybe 3-5 rounds.
-immunity to level drain
-evil so can't be turned by evil clerics?

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

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.

[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.

[Azoth]

Thanks critto.

SPOILER!

Found the new encounter. Finished the quest before but forgot to clear that specific level...
This new creature was doing something which looked like "Restoration". But i couldnt notice any effect and there was no message about it ?!?

[bulian]

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 downloaded Near Infinity; the axe looks to be magical FWIW.

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.

The reason for the above was I was thinking that the Holy Avenger may not have an alignment flag - indeed it doesn't, so our dear Blackguard friends can run around in Improved Human Flesh armor wielding that sword and have 70% magic resistance. Does that make sense? I don't know. Is it OP? Yes indeed.

That's not a nerf, rather a feature of EE.

Thanks, I found what you were talking about and fixed it - adding the line didn't help since there is already one present with the wrong flag in that file. Changing the value in that line did the trick. The new player section of the readme page suggests that R/C is the best tank because of the ability to cast iron skins, so it may be worth amending the installation instructions if you don't want to patch. Not sure whether there is an easy way to patch that file, which is now located in a My Documents folder.

I specifically didn't want to have more OP classes

Makes sense and is a good goal. I think there is a ton of variability now and many many really good choices. Looking forward to actually playing a bit more!

[bulian]

Double post

This post has been edited by bulian: Jun 1 2016, 12:37 AM

[critto]

Thanks, I found what you were talking about and fixed it - adding the line didn't help since there is already one present with the wrong flag in that file. Changing the value in that line did the trick. The new player section of the readme page suggests that R/C is the best tank because of the ability to cast iron skins, so it may be worth amending the installation instructions if you don't want to patch. Not sure whether there is an easy way to patch that file, which is now located in a My Documents folder.

Location of the configuration file differs from installation to installation and will never be patched during the mod installation. This is left for players to decide, I can only provide recommendations on what to do.

[critto]

2 Azoth:

replying to your message (sorry, my installation was corrupted so I couldn't install the mod properly and check the resources), there's no restoration. There are some effects that it applies on hit and all should be rendered and displayed properly if they occur. But definitely no restoration.

[Azoth]

I couldn't reproduce, but i'm pretty sure that something weird was going on...

[bulian]

Looks like Breach is bypassing Spell Turning using EE1.3 and IA 6.2 - forgot to buy Secret Word and was trying to drop the defenses on the Greater Yaun-Ti. I have a save available if needed.

[critto]

Interesting. Could you please send it for inspection?

[bulian]

Sent.

[critto]

Thanks, we'll investigate.

[critto]

There wasn't done anything to those spells for a long time. I strongly suspect that this has been present for ages. Stuff like Melf's Arrow, etc. has a secondary type that seem to be blocked by ST. Breach and Lower Resistance, however, are not. So it appears that while you can Breach the Lizard, you would still need to use Secret Word to bring ST down if you want to use offensive magic on him.

In case of wizards with SI:Abj+GoI+ST combo, you can't Breach or do anything else until you get SI down, and you need three RRRoRs for that.

So, my conclusion so far is that this bug/feature is something that's been there for a long time. There's just not that many cases where you get a wizard who uses ST without SI:Abj or SI:Div+Invisibility combo.

But I'll think about possible solutions.

[critto]

Yes, I did some research and can confirm that this has been present for a long time. The fix will be available in the next version, we need to test it thoroughly first.

[Hideous the W...]

Definitely enjoying 6.2! I've just come across my first problem though.

Once I grab the Dragonslayer sword and shield Samia shows up and talks to me but as soon as it's time for her party to spawn my game crashes.

Does that sound like I need to try to reinstall my game?

[critto]

Does that sound like I need to try to reinstall my game?

No, you need a patch. I've posted it here: http://forums.blackwyrmlair.net/index.php?showtopic=5327

Sorry about that, sometimes we miss compatibility issues between EE and ToB.

[SparrowJacek]

Hi Hideous!

Good to see that you're enjoying 6.2

As critto said, the patch will fix Samia problem. Can I ask what team did you choose for your 6.2 run? You're known for very interesting party compositions and I'm really curious whether it's something different this time!

[Hideous the W...]

Thanks critto! I actually saw the patch thread and didn't download it because I read it backwards thinking I didn't need for a ToB install. Oops!

Hi Sparrow (not to be confused with a certain character from Game of Thrones if you watch it. )

Nothing too interesting yet. I'm running...
Vagrant
Jaheira
Mazzy
Edwin
Berserker>Cleric
Fighter/Mage

I'm more so exploring the two new classes as well as new weapons and gear. Glad I chose Katanas for my F/M

Hi Hideous!

Good to see that you're enjoying 6.2

As critto said, the patch will fix Samia problem. Can I ask what team did you choose for your 6.2 run? You're known for very interesting party compositions and I'm really curious whether it's something different this time!

This post has been edited by Hideous the Wu Jen: Jun 8 2016, 05:46 AM