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Archmage Alex

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About Archmage Alex

  • Birthday 09/04/1985

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  1. *sigh* I figured those were the most likely reasons, but it was worth asking.
  2. Quote: Originally written by Micawber: My point was really that a lot of the Exile trilogy spells are duplicative. Consider: Minor bless, strength, bless, bless party Now in Avernum this can all handled through a single spell by altering the number of targets and base spell strength. True, but very often I only need to hasten a single character for 3 rounds, and I'd rather use Minor Haste for 1 SP than hasten my entire party unnecessarily for 12 SP. It can make very large difference in a long dungeon crawl. Quote: In Avernum in addition, related spells are more often brought together, for example cure poison, cure disease, cure acid are all in a single spell. Exile had those spells as well, but again, sometimes all I need to do is cure 1 member of minor poison and I'd rather only use 1SP. Quote: Bind foe is another example of a composite spell (unfortunately, since this means you lose the ability to web foes if you allow this spell to improve). And, imperfect as it was, we don't even have that spell anymore. Quote: in the final analysis Exile and Avernum do have similar numbers of spell effects, it's just in Avernum you access them through fewer spells. Again, this is simply not true. If you include the wall spells, there about 30 effects we don't see at all (and that's including all the spells of all 5 Avernum games, individually they each miss even more). The simple fact is that there are drastically fewer spells, and very many fewer effects. The two are definitely not comparable.
  3. Quote: Originally written by Dikiyoba: That would certainly reduce the number of times a spell only gets half-cast in Geneforge because of entering combat/taking damage. Half-cast? The spells would still take as many AP. I meant there were a few more spells that worked like "Cloud of Blades" and summoning. Where one second there's nothing there, and the next second there is, no animation of it occuring.
  4. I guess I'll wait a bit longer to see if Jeff responds here before emailing him, but I suppose that only he can really answer. I just want to know if the reason the spells are the way they are is "because that's the way I like it", or if there is actually a reason X, Y, and/or Z that we don't have more spells. If it's the former, I will know that asking is pretty much futile, but if it's the latter, there may be something that I can do/suggest/whatever to help get more spells into the game. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Quote: Personally, I'd rather see 120 spells with 40 identical (not even palette swapped) graphics than 40 spells with 40 graphics. Exactly. In Exile 3 many of the spells didn't even have animations, the effect just happened. I don't see any problem with this at all. Quote: This one actually has an answer: because Jeff has apparently received numerous complaints over the years about the demon summoning spells in Exile, from concerned parents, I guess. Jeff concluded that demon summoning was not really an integral part of the game, and he might as well get rid of it. I guess I can see that particular case, but I was just giving an example of spells that could be brought back that would add to game enjoyment, but not alter the dynamics in any way.
  5. Quote: I seems that in order to reduce the amount of graphics for the spell page most of them are gone. In order to get a new spell something has to be removed. This is ridiculous. Unless Jeff actually received a large number complaints saying, "seeing more than 20 buttons totally confuses me, so I'm not going to buy your games anymore." There is no real reason there can't be more. The number of spell icons is totally arbitrary and likely stems from nothing more than Jeff liking the number 20 or something similar. If having those little button graphics actually is some sort of barrier, I will happily volunteer a couple hours of my time to make them myself. Quote: Partly it's balance (let's face it, plenty of Exile series spells were basically useless); partly it's probably lack of ability to think up new and different spells that are actually useful and do something besides "do damage of type X" or "inflict status effect Y". The only spell in E3/BoE I found totally useless was "Symbiosis". True I didn't use "Flame arrows" or "Goo" very often after I'd gained a few levels and could use better spells, but I did use them, and did like having them. Besides the fact that switching to mostly using higher level spells once you have them is still true of A4. My question is, why not? There already are summoning spells and, in Avernums past, they sometimes summon demons. Why not have a spell that specifically summons demons? If the spell is of a similar level to the summoning spells that can already summon demons, how is game balance affected in any way? And why not have the spells that "do damage type X" and "inflict status effect Y"? We consistently have the spell "Firebolt". If we add the spell "Icebolt" that is of a similar level and causes a similar amount of damage simply of a different type, what has changed besides adding delightful variety? Does this require more than palette-swapping the spell effect graphics from red/yellow to white/blue and copy/pasting the code with "firedmg" switched to "icedmg"? If we have separate spells for less ice damage, but hits multiple targets, and more ice damage, but hits one target, does that drastically alter game dynamics? We have a spell for acid. If we have one for poison as well, what's the difference? If we can slow our foes, why not web them? Even if every single spell is not used with great frequency throughout the entire game with every playing style, it's already that way, so why not have the variety? Quote: I think the main reason the number of spells reduced so dramatically was the introduction in A1 of spell levels at 1, 2, 3. With the need to make each level of a spell different there were in effect 120 spells rather than 40. This is not entirely true and has gotten progressively less true as the Avernums have gone on. Only a handful of spells actually had their effect change significantly from level to level. Most spells simply increased in damage amount and/or number of targets in a way totally indistinguishable from the increase that already occurs by gaining PC levels and increasing your magic-related skills. At best, you could argue that there are maybe 50-55 spells rather than 40. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * There are any number of spells Jeff could add, taken from games he's already produced, that would not significantly affect gameplay in any way beyond adding variety, utility, and enjoyment to the use of magic in the game. So the question still remains, why not have more spells?
  6. I really, really like having a wide variety of spells, and think it adds a lot to the game. So, if I may ask, what did happen to the variety of spells from Exile 3 and BoE? Does adding more spells cause a prohibitively large amount of difficulty in balancing the game? Were there complaints it was too complex and fewer spells is an attempt to simplify? Does programming spells take a really long time? Why did we go from 124 spells to 40? Personally, I hope to see again the spells to create my own magical barriers, to scry monsters, to identify my own items, to summon demons, etc., etc., etc. Given the precedent, my hopes aren't terribly high, but if we aren't going to have more spells, can we at least know why?
  7. I just made a magically apt singleton, raised him to level 5, and gave him tons of knowledge brews to raise his intelligence and mage lore and he got through easily. Now I just kill him and use the editor to revive him when I need to get in somewhere. Apparently level, mage level, or mage lore effects the chances of a piercing crystal working.
  8. I can't unlock most doors, and have no hope of getting through magic barriers. I created another character specifically to knock down the the secret tunnel barrier to get me to Blackcrag, but the stupid barrier refuses to be dented by my piercing crystals. What increases the chances of a crystal working? Do I just need to keep reloading and trying again until that 1 in 12946 chance the dice will roll as I want them?
  9. Because I'm dying to play G4! Has anything been heard on a posible release month?
  10. For the sake of exploring every tiny bit of the game, at one point or another I kill absolutely everything to see what they give me or how it affects the game. I killed them once and saw all they have is crap, so I tend to leave them alone now.
  11. My first play-through I always have shaper in blue named Alex. For everything else I pick or make up the names at random until I find one I like the sound of or seems to fit.
  12. On playing as a servile: I think it would fun if you could be one of those serviles that gains magic by focusing until you drive yourself insane. On balance of the classes: I, personally, think they're balanced just fine. As some one said, it's a matter of how skilled and/or knowledgeable a player you are. Agents just seem to be the class most people are finding the secrets and strategies on the easiest. For example, as a Shaper in GF2, put a little in leadership, a little in magic shaping and from this point on ALL SP into Intelligence, enter combat mode, run through the areas challenging no one, join the awakened, train in Vlish, if you know where to look grab a Vlish canister, make a vlish, go back to easy areas and nothing will be able to stand in it's way even on Torment, gain a couple lvls and now you have enough essence to make a Terror Vlish which will frighten away the mid level enemies it can't kill, continue to grab a few easy lvls till you have 125 essence, learn to make a Gazer and grab a Gazer canister, lvl till you have 250 essence, make an eyebeast. Now every time you enter combat mode BAM! everything in sight is dead, or stunned long enough for to take your second turn and BAM! now it's dead. The only things you can't take on are the really higher lvl swarms of enemies, and you can take on even them if know the right strategies. By lvl 4 you can have a terror vlish, by 10 a Gazer, and by 16 an eyebeast. All of them less if you know where to sneak into to grab intelligence canisters and intelligence/shaping enhancing items.
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