Quiconque

The Teleport patch was for 6 AP, not 6 energy -- basically just so it ends your turn when you use it.

8 out of 8 Ukat: wow! I did exactly the same as Minion.

Bows were really useful in A4, and I don't think anyone loved Sharpshooter Spray in Avadon 1 more than you did Random If you count other missile weapons, slings were pretty great in Nethergate and Shadowwalker/Tinkermage razordisks were also very good.

Wands are terrible. You give up a significant speed bonus, and you do less damage than with a bow, which you are still going to have equipped anyway. Of course, bows also don't require smithies...

This may not be true. The game engine sometimes loads a particular creature def, then alters various things about it, including its name, for that instance. It doesn't happen with everything but there are cases where creature types get used in unexpected ways like this. This has happened with PC defs in some previous games. BTW, as far as the "games can be redownloaded" thing goes -- you'd think that would prevent the situation I described, but Spiderweb hasn't released games on physical media in just about a decade, and this has still come up with more recent games. Yes, people who can't figure that out probably shouldn't be editing game files, which is exactly why we normally put warning labels on this stuff, and tell people to make backups if they do try it.

Yes. It's the thing that shows up on your status screen as Physical/Magical Damage Bonus

The fact that the engine does not have problems with one instance of the method does not mean the method will never cause problems. And there are specific ways that is a very plausible outcome here. I don't know how I can state this any more clearly. I'm sorry you don't trust my assessment. I've spent a lot of time doing things with these defs files over the years. I've spent a lot of time watching random users take what sounded like a coherent explanation, screw up their files, fail to make a backup, and then complain to Spiderweb. That's all I have to say.

Yes, but it will come with big problems. These definitions get inherited and imported into other definitions in ways that are sometimes hardcoded and undocumented. So you can do this, but you'll also be affecting other things in the game; the exact impact will be difficult to foresee and may or may not be significant. Around player characters in particular, there is a lot of hardcoded stuff. (This has been true in every game that used any version of this system.) You can make these edits, but it doesn't always go the way you expect. This, for example, may or may not work. I'd give it 50-50 odds based on how this has been handled in past games.

Maybe that was your intention, but you didn't state that; to someone who hadn't touched the scripts previously, they'd have no reason not to conclude that the numbering began at 1. Additionally, if they happen to edit or import an item with no ability in the 0 slot, but they put abilities in later slots, handling can be inconsistent. (And respectfully, "I'm just going to assume it always makes sense to start the edit at 1" is maybe the least rational thing I've heard you say on here. Which is a low bar! You say smart stuff. But the most valuable ability is not always in slot 0.) In the past, there have been issues with customers reading topics here, making script edits without knowing what they're doing, and then sending frustrated support emails to Spiderweb, often without explaining what they've done. This is not a situation we want to replicate. While the scripts aren't super dangerous to fool around with as these things go, it is still very easy for someone to make an edit that will make the game reject the file -- or a portion of the file -- without realizing it. The "stat bleeding" that you thought of and added in an edit just now is another good example of things that can go wrong -- and why "quick edits" to the defs files are not actually as quick and easy as they seem. (Edits to a zone script are not as risky, for a lot of reasons.) For a savvy user, yes, script edits can be a great way to "get around" certain limits and rectify things a player accidentally missed, etc. But remember that there are tons of lurkers -- people reading these topics off a google search -- etc. You're not just talking to the person who posed the question, you're talking to google, too. This is why I almost never suggest script edits; but if you're going to, clarity is very important. These little details are not nitpicks.

Zorro, if you build everything you can, you come close to breaking even but don't quite -- there is a very small surplus of a few resources, and a small deficit of others that ends up being paid off with cash. Have you built all 7 forts? The cap of 50 is not applied until after you have both gained income, and spent it on upkeep.

Sorry, Ess, you are just wrong here. The numbers I'm talking about are the ones that appear in the parameter names. You began with it_stats_to_affect 1, not it_stats_to_affect 0. It's an array and the numeration begins with 0.

Weakness was superb early game. I had the same experience -- multiple stacks and it basically removes all threat. Early on it was definitely better than Time Warp. I didn't have to go too far outside of the central area before I found it less effective than Time Warp, though. (Also on Torment.) Here's why: 1) As you note, non-damage based abilities become more common -- and they are generally more dangerous than any damage-based abilities, besides certain AoEs. 2) Although Weakness's impact grows with the target's level, it grows more slowly with that than damage output does, especially if you compare early game monsters to mid or late game monsters. 1 or 2 casts will still certainly prevent a little damage, but you need more and more layers to get the same "no threat" impact. In fights where quick defense is essential, this makes a big difference. In short fights, it may flat out prevent more damage, period. Needing more layers also makes Time Warp potentially more energy efficient. 3) Additionally, damage prevention simply becomes less urgent in general, because you have more ways to avoid damage (Tower of Might, everyone will gradually get more evasion from Support bonuses if nothing else, and good armor's not very affordable on any level early on). 4) Because of the way speed works, the total impact of Time Warp actually increases as your party buffs their speed. This means passive speed boosts as well as having the energy reserves available to have Haste active more frequently in dungeons. Early on Time Warp means you'll go from 1.0x as many moves as the enemy, to 1.67x. Later, with other speed boosts, it means you go from 1.8x to 3.0x (!). 5) In combination with speed boosts and stunning abilities like Stunning Shot and Shockwave, Time Warp allows you to basically lock down any enemy that doesn't have high resistance to stun. 6) Because statuses only tick when the character has a turn, Time Warp actually lasts longer than Weakness if they are not cast together. And in very long fights, which admittedly there aren't toooo many of, Time Warp lets you get more turns in before you have to renew other debuffs, like Weakness.

No, everyone gets to do that. So you don't get more options for them. You get fewer options.

Importantly for the above code, the natural numbers start at 0, not 1. Just another example of why we really should not be encouraging people to casually mess with the scripts. The parser is very picky about some things that aren't obvious. Anyway, I think "get by this" is a pretty generous description of what you're doing here 😛

Nope, it does what it's programmed to do -- it does display, just only during certain portions of the primary quest line. I recommend not making bug declarations based on anything you see in the scripts unless you are very familiar with how they're set up.

And Barbed Lance, and Bull Rush.

It's just a parameter, not directly visible, which represents the weapon's quality, and which contributes to its damage output. In QW, it just adds directly to base damage. See Damage Formulas. (Not the same thing as tier.)

Not easily, no. The skill trees are effectively hardcoded.

The barriers in E/A 2 are, IMO, one of the best plot devices I've ever seen in a video game, motivating and mysterious and powerful but also full of nuance, affecting the world in organic, human-level ways. So while I can't disagree with the comparison, I think that's a high bar. I was initially surprised to see this commentary from you, Kel, but the more I remember your design sensibilities (in Blades scenarios, and also on the old Exile vs Avernum question), maybe it makes sense. (OTOH, I consider your stuff the pinnacle of BoA, and I am also loving QW, so I dunno.) It does seem to me that a lot of the reactions to this game (whether postiive or negative) are driven by personal preference about RPG design questions that do not have one correct answer. It feels a bit more like reactions to Blades scenarios where people get excited/angry because a scenario is perfectly/too rollicky or gritty for their tastes -- that sort of thing -- and then write a review that says "this is an amazing/terrible scenario."

Whirlwind's formula includes your bow level (just like the regular missile attack formula). It does not scale off your bow's damage formula. So it will do the same damage with Fool's Shot or with a Havenite Warbow. It's still great though. I disagree with a surprising amount of what's been said here. I would say: Rank S Tower of Might, Steelskin, Haste Battle Frenzy, Time Warp Whirlwind Attack Rank A Brutal Blow Shockwave Restoring Rain, Disruption Magery, Haven's Command Rank B Shield Shatter Knockback, Stunning Shot, Terrifying Scream Curing, Free Mind, Silence Haven's Might, Haven's Mercy Raw Power, Vicious Strikes Rank C Mindsteal, Bludgeon Senseless, Terror Weakness, Call Bones Healing, Speed, Inspiring Cry, Healing Wave Hardiness, Hide in Shadows, Radiance Rank D Blinding Blow, Bull Rush Poison Rain, Steel Darts, Fireball Teleport, Spellshield, Evasion Charm, Build Construct Rank E Fast Feint Shock, Icy Wave, Barbed Lance

That should not impact achievements. Also, if you think you have a problem... Jeff's comment about wanting the graphics to be "more like Exile" got me thinking, I'm afraid. Don't worry, after a few icon replacements I decided this was a bad idea. Too many differences of scale that won't translate well (as the bed especially demonstrates).

That's a little weird. Presumably armor doesn't reduce it, though, and unlike bleeding it's immediate and (maybe) can't be resisted?

Do not misgender the facepalming hecatombchire.

The manual says you can do it for 6 AP. So, bug.

No, that's not what I'm saying. You get 5 AP in combat. You can use any action as long as you have at least 1 AP remaining. Right? You can walk four spaces and then attack, for example. But if you attack right away, you can't subsequently walk four spaces, because attacking uses 6 AP.