moonear

Quote: Eugh I hated the timed events in Avernum. I want to be able to take as long as I want to explore everywhere. Notice that I addressed this idea in how the timed event would work. You had a set time to accomplish a task and given different timelines it would afffect the prestige you gain/difficulty of the battle. HOWEVER, after the timed event was copmpleted/failed you were free to return to the territory and explore. Personally, I liked the timed events Except for the fact that I had to play several times to explore everything.

How about you are hired as part of an exploration/settlement mission to new lands. So, you could have tasks such as saving a group of settlers under attack/subduing hostile enemies, exploring and charting new territory (including reporting back on mysterious events) perhaps making first contact and negotiating trade/property treaties. You could even incorporate some timed missions ala ZKR. But, here I would run the mission so that if you took time to explore an area you might find a powerful weapon or a different explore might uncover a new spell that would aid you on your timed mission. The consequence would be that negative events would be advanced by the time taken to explore (i.e. you must relieve an outpost, part of the outpost is decimated if you choose a sidequest). the side quest might make the mission easier but you would then suffer an experience loss (would not get as much as if you managed to save the whole outpost). After the mission you would be free to retrace your steps and do all the side explores/quests. You could be required to discover the source of herbs or other medicines. I think a lot of things could be done with this. Thoughts?

and when selling objects that stack it is best to sell when the number of stacked objects exactly yileds 4 coins (or multiples thereof) as this maximizes your potential wealth example, if you have six thread and sell you will get 4 coins, if you sell 5 thread you get four coins and have a thread left over (to start your next stack with

You can be trained in Silvar even if the shade is not yet dead, it merely has to be absent (it also spends time in Formello). If you portal around it seems to cause the shade to move (random event gets reset?)

I wonder if a simple graphic(S) could be made so that walls don't appear so vertical. Although I play the games to unravel the story, its always been disconcerting to me that the world appears so uniform/straight edged - in a place which spends most of its time being obviously out of whack.

I also hated the secret passages. Used to just power up the character editor to give me a powerful version of the revealing spell and go to town. If the game is to have "secrets" I prefer puzzles. You know of their existence but you have to figure out the solution. If you had time/energy to solve it could have a powerful prize but if you didn't well the game could still be won without it. The more I play these games the less I am into replay. I prefer new stories - gives me perspective on the authors. Quote: played boa for the xtra scenarios but soon found it boring because tm's scenarios gave you too much power after finishing so like a spoiler Use the HLPM to get yourself to an appropriate skill level and viola, keeps the challenge high. Noticed comments about pathfinding. Not so big a deal, I just click on the inset map to locate an area sufficiently far enough away and then on the screen. Pretty quick work I say.

Going back to an earlier comment, regarding character specific quests.... If a scenario was set up to require a specific type of character to do a task, a NPC could be provided that you could substitute into your party, allowing you to play through the game without a replay. Alternatively, a NPC could offer up a quest and be the guide, if you choose to accept the guide role then perhaps the NPC unlocks a secret door/finds a sneak to help solve the mission. Without the NPC the mission may be solved but would be much harder/require a different path.

How about some character specific quests? I am thinking that (due to prejudice/racial characteristic whatever) only a specific character could do a mission and receive a bonus. Say, one of your human characters does a mission, gets the flying orb and thus can visit all sorts of the game board. Not central to the main plot perhaps (or allows the main plot to be accomplished in a different manner). Or, perhaps a spell that is only available to a slith/nephilim (through their religion, history etc). This might increase replayability or cause one to choose party makeups that one would not otherwise do. Although, for me the replayability isn't huge as I think you get incredible value/amount of playtime ofr $25.00

Really has changed my opinion of TM scenarios. Used to hate them (various reasons), now I really appreciate the effort into creating alternative storylines, especially ones that differ from hack and slash. Going to go back and play them all (except RoR, sorry).

Newsflash: I may not be the brightest star in the universe. My question is this, what excactly does this editor do? If I use it I don't seem to be able to edit how much gold I have, or the number of skill points I have, or my items I am carrying. For the first two, does it just place a cap/remove a limit on how much I can accumulate while playing the game? What does the third tool do? When I place an item in designated slot does it change its value (when I later sell in gameplay? Does it duplicate objects, allowing me to create multiple things for sale? Or, for instance, to create multiple swamp pants? and why would I do these things?

Newsflash: I may not be the brightest star in the universe. My question is this, what excactly does this editor do? If I use it I don't seem to be able to edit how much gold I have, or the number of skill points I have, or my items I am carrying. For the first two, does it just place a cap/remove a limit on how much I can accumulate while playing the game? What does the third tool do? When I place an item in designated slot does it change its value (when I later sell in gameplay? Does it duplicate objects, allowing me to create multiple things for sale? Or, for instance, to create multiple swamp pants? and why would I do these things?

quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally written by Printemps: I would of like to of fought -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aye wuld lik uf tu fot mani monstres end bad boszes tu. Bring on dem gobilns, wulves end warges.

Here are more recent comments that did not merit warnings: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally written by Hawk King: if you meant I should have had the sense not to say I support bush because people who do not like him would rate me bad I knew perfectly well that would happen when I posted. And I really don't care -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No, I meant that people with sense don't support Bush, so in essence or a sense, I was supporting the other camp. Savvy? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, at least not all Americans are stupid then. "What crack are you smoking?!?!" I like your logic, Mr. Goebbels. So, in the first comment there is an implication the Bush supporters have no sense, the second comment advocates that some Americans are stupid, the third comment addresses lunacy in the form of mind-altering drugs and the fourth comment calls another person a Nazi of the worst sort (are there any good Nazi's). I would suggest that "half-wit" and "children" are mild admonishments campared to the above - OK, perhaps not the first comment, it seems on par with the tone of my two earlier statements.

So, I take that priviledged few are allowed to make sexual innuendo, denigrate others or call into question the character of another. Is it because of my relative few posts that I am being singled out for rudeness? Or, (heaven forbid) is there a movement to create a greater level of propriety on the boards - will I see others called to task for comments similar to the ones I cited in my earlier post?

Quotes from earlier posts: they're all philistines who want to live out their Conan the Barbarian wet dreams. I think we'd all appreciate it if you stayed away from Kel's privates. What privates? Then there is the always useful "go to hell" aimed directly at one individual and the ever descriptive graphic ^o^ None of these merit aeven a raised eyebrow yet "half-wit" does? Perhaps no-wit would be better? Or maybe I should of used a sexual slang (as from above it appears that is A-OK)? Really children, grow up. It was so obviously a slur against Kel that no credit should have been given to the comment. ALos, if you note from earlier posts, I actually have a high regard for the individual, at least as it extends to the type of scenarios created.

OK half-wit, read between the lines. Wait, you cannot do that, let me fill in what was implied. Quote: On that point, BoE is more engaging (to me) as one feels more "immersed" in the world of Avernum.

I think we play these games for technical merit over graphical pleasure (there are better 2D and 3D graphics in a myraid of other games). On that point, BoE is more engaging as one feels more "immersed" in the world of Avernum. This may be partly the maturity of scenarios out there for BoE vs BoA, partly the criper graphics and/or better dialogue interactivity. That being said, I played BoA first and still enjoy it as I am able to participate in its development (although not as a designer). I am curious to see what designers will do with the engine.

I think Jeff does well in designing scenarios. Given the large scope of his work he manages to give players the flexibility to play the game in different paths. the advantage of small scenarios as developed by the editor and independents is the ability to force players to follow a preconceived route and thereby reveal a story (ala Canopy). This is disatisfying from my standpoint in that the only real control as a player I have is how to fight the battle and whether or not I win. I can plan to win the battle but not the war. On the other side, Jeff's large scenarios do become generic, especially as you level up. Race attributes and character skills become relatively less important with time/experience. So, I would like to see: 1) a better plot/story line (perhaps several depending on choices you make during the game) 2) character attributes that become more individualized and not less as your character develops. Thus, choosing a slith/nephil/human for the long term becomes important (especially if you play singleton). 3) perhaps the side quests/missions would not all be playable depending on the choices you make. I.e. you choose to side with the empire, the rebels do not give you a mission, because of that you cannot get a special item/skilltraining/spell advancement. Then, there are real consequences to choosing sides. 4) there could also be time elements to some of the missions/side quests (ala ZKR), again forcing you to choose, with consequences) 5) perhas some elements of non-criticl play could be added, like designing and building a mansion, governing a farm, opening your own store/training center. This could fill in time between quests and allow the character to "develop"