Jump to content

jimbob

Member
  • Posts

    103
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by jimbob

  1. Hello everyone. I am wondering if anyone would know what the maximum chance of critically hitting an enemy with a physical attack would be? I have a character with the Slith Bloodspear, 12 Lethal Blow, and the Farsight Longbow equipped for when I'm not using missile weapons. If I had to guess, I would say I critically hit about 60% of the time. In addition, does equipping a longbow increase the chance of critically hitting with a melee weapon? Thanks in advance for any responses.
  2. Hmmm, I've never tried that, Dikiyoba. Are you talking about A:EFTP? That is where I experienced the disappearing items issue. I never did run into a "Junk bag full" message, so maybe it wasn't actually full? I'm not entirely sure anymore. I know I've never run into that message in A2:CS, though, but haven't really filled the junk bag too much yet.
  3. Speaking of the junk bag, just how many items does it hold? I know I have gotten it up to 40 screens worth of things to scroll through, but I stop at about 40 just because I recall that in A:EFTP that I did actually fill the junk bag. However, it never said that the junk bag was full; I could keep adding items to it and they would just not appear in the junk bag (they would disappear entirely), which was a waste. At least, that's what I think was happening.
  4. Actually, Slartibus, I really didn't mean to say that you are causing people to have the "This sucks and is suboptimal" mindset (I don't really think you ever said anything "sucked", I am just referring to a thread that mentions asks "Is archery still useless" or something like that, but I do understand why you would think it was an attack against you). I understand that you are just analyzing the mechanics of the game and reporting your findings. It is just that other people are reading this analysis and prematurely coming to the conclusion that certain things suck. There are more than a couple of threads (like this one) that seem to think that something other than 3-4 spellcasters is not a very viable party. The analysis is coming from you, the mindset is coming from some players that actually abandon the way they initially started playing the game in favor of a more optimal party composition. I know that it is always the choice of the player how they want to play the game, but far too many people seem to be taking the optimal route and possibly compromising their enjoyment of the game. I can imagine that someone who is even a little decent at roleplaying games would be able to skate through the game with 3-4 spellcasters on normal difficulty and claim that the game is too easy and that it was boring, when I imagine that that is not how Jeff Vogel intended the games to be played (why would he give you the option of melee and archery if this was the case?). I apologize if you took my post as an attack, as I really do enjoy reading your analyses, and the information that you, Lilith, and Randomizer (and others that I probably forgot) compile is helpful for a completionist-type like me.
  5. It's so weird that you call that a "deliberately challenged party". That is pretty close to what I've played on torment, on every game from Avernum 1-6 and A:EFTP and now A2:CS (the only differences are that the first character is a pole/missile weapon user, which makes it even less optimal, the second one is an archer/melee weapon user, again less optimal, the third is a full priest, and the fourth is a full mage). I think the "Archery sucks and is useless, why bother with melee since magic is far superior" mindset is influencing a lot of people and how they play these games. I cannot imagine how ridiculously easy the game would be on torment with 3-4 mages/priests, let alone how easy it would be on normal! I'm all for min-maxing stats (to some extent, since I am currently trying to keep strength and dexterity somewhat even on my fighter and archer), and I really cannot see a point to giving a priest or mage anything other than intelligence, but playing the same tired "one tank, 3 mage/priests" just because you've been told that everything else sucks kind of....sucks. I mean, are people even trying to play with the party that they really want (before finding that the game is impossible with that group even on normal), or is the "one tank, three mage/priests" the hot party that everyone really wants to play? Because if the second scenario is the true one, then that's all good and dandy, but I doubt that that's the case. I just couldn't play a game a certain way just because the consensus is that that is the way to play it. I have to have my party the same every time, because I role-play to some extent. Hell, the only reason I come close to min-maxing is just because it seems to be the sensible way to do it, role-playing wise (why would a fighter train in intelligence if he/she never learns spells, and why would I dump a couple of points into strength for a spellcaster who sits at the back and casts spells all the time?). My group as it is would mop the floor with the game on normal and hard difficulty. It's coming close to mopping the floor even on torment, now that I have gotten past Dark Waters. It is in no way handicapped, not in my opinion. Just my 2 cents.
  6. Someone in the Tower of Magi wants a fire lizard egg. I don't think anyone needs drake eggs (I could be wrong). Black basalt is used for one quest (you need three, I believe), but after that they are not used for crafting (I was confused by that caption as well). You can sell the extras after the quest (someone in Fort Draco wants them for a job board quest, if I remember correctly).
  7. I know what you're talking about. I never really found archery to be lacking so much that I would even consider not having an archer/melee weapon user in the game. That is always one character in my setup of polearm/missile user, archer/melee weapon user, pure priest, and pure mage. That has been my party setup throughout the second iteration of Exile/Avernum, and in the most recent remakes. I always play on the hardest difficulty setting as well. Does insisting on having a suboptimal party make the game harder? Most likely. Would I be willing to do what hardcore min-maxers do and have 2 mages, a mage/priest, and a priest (and maybe a dual-wielder or a pure tank that does nothing but sit there and take hits)? Never.
  8. You really might as well just start over. However, I don't think hard difficulty would require you to have so many magic users. I don't even think torment difficulty does (I have always used a pole weapon user, a bow/melee weapon user, a priest, and a mage, and have beat Avernum 1-6 and A:EFTP on torment and am making progress on A2CS torment). I would just play how I want and ignore the min-max stuff that I don't want to do (although min-maxing stats is typical of my playstyle).
  9. How tough was the fight after getting Demonslayer? Is it doable for a melee weapon user? Thanks for confirming.
  10. Does anyone know the answer to this question? I'm trying to decide who is going to train in the extra points of tool use before I get to that point in the game.
  11. I don't really remember clearly from Avernum and Exile 2 (or even if it is relevant since it could have changed in Crystal Souls), but would it be possible to have a character enter the portal to the Tomb of Demonslayer, use the spell needed to clear the barrier/broken wall, exit without claiming Demonslayer, and then have the character with 8 tool use go back and read the spellbook? Or is all that unnecessary because the cracked wall and barrier can be cleared with a scroll of move mountains and a piercing crystal? Also, just how tough is the fight after claiming Demonslayer? Would a single archer/swordsman character be able to do it with min-maxedish stats and lots of potions? Thanks in advance.
  12. As it turns out, the polearm user is probably the worst tank (none of the characters have much health because of no training in endurance, but she does have 4 parry and 2 hardiness). The bow user is better because of the high dexterity, but the larvae still have a pretty high chance of hitting her anyways. Remember, this is torment difficulty. Characters seem to need to reach a certain "breakpoint" level before they can reliably hit/not be hit by enemies.
  13. It's really the outdoor encounters that are killing me, because there are no terrain features to take advantage of. It's good that I have that save before going down the waterfall, because I sold all of my food since I only pick up food that is worth money and don't use it otherwise (I was wondering how you would be able to go through all the places you go through to get to the vahnatai lands without being able to rest wherever like in Exile 2/Avernum 2, and now I know it is through the use of rest points). Thanks.
  14. So are the party bonuses affected by the current stat value (do the stats have to be maxed already for the party bonus to push them above the max)?
  15. Hello everyone. I am a long-time Exile/Avernum series player, and have beaten all the Avernum games starting with 1 and up through Escape from the Pit on the hardest difficulty without too much trouble. However, I have just entered Chapter 2 with a group on level 10 and am getting my hiney handed to me by chitrach larvae. As is typical when playing on torment I essentially min-maxed the stats (16 strength for the pole fighter, 16 dexterity for the ranged fighter, and 16 intelligence for the priest and mage). This does mean that they all have low health, but I don't think a couple more points of endurance would do much if it meant that I would be missing the enemies far too often. I'm not really entirely sure where I messed up so bad that this would happen. Most skill points were also allocated to each character's primary weapon (pole/blademaster, bows/sharpshooter/sniper, mage, and priest skills). I do realize that bows (and melee weapons in general) are suboptimal, but I can only min-max so much without completely changing my style of play. What can I do short of changing the difficulty level? I do have a save before going down the waterfalls. Thanks in advance.
  16. So to clarify, you mean that you can only get the 11th and 12th points for skills like hardiness, dual-wielding, blademaster, etc. (everything but the weapon skills) if you use the trainers AFTER reaching 10 in those skills through training using skill points? And that you can use trainers for the weapon skills before reaching 10 and still reach 11 or 12 after putting enough skill points in? Thanks in advance.
  17. So what is black basalt used for? It is described as a crafting item. Also, does anyone have a list of what items you need for crafting all the items that you can craft in the game, and where the crafters for those items are? Thanks in advance.
  18. Actually, it almost seems like the non-humans are getting the short end of the stick this time around. I think it was Avernum 4-6 that really favored non-humans (namely nephilim), but maybe I am overestimating the power of traits in the remakes. Or maybe I am just underestimating the non-human racial bonuses.
  19. So to clarify, humans should get 16 traits (one at character creation, plus 15 for every other level up to 30), and then 8 more due to the human bonus (at levels 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, and 30)? The last trait is selectable at level 30? I don't remember much from Escape from the Pit (although humans don't get that bonus in Avernum).Thanks in advance.
  20. Do you mean that in version 1.0 (what is available for download at the time) is bugged such that you cannot get all level 3 spellbooks? If so, when it gets fixed in the next version, would you have to start a new game to get access to them, or be able to play from your current save? I am a completionist, and this would really bother me if it wasn't the case. Thanks in advance.
  21. I see that vahnatai still look the same as from A4. I was hoping they would get a facelift. I never liked how they looked after E3 (A3 was okay, I guess).
  22. I would like to see pole weapons made a more powerful option in comparison to dual-wielding. Sure, dual-wielding is cool and all, but it is far more powerful than pole weapons to the point that some people don't even use them (I always insist on having the warrior leader in a group be a pole weapon user anyways, but that's just me). The return of powerful pole weapons would be a start (in Escape from the Pit, the Jade Halberd was taken out for some reason), and some new ones would be nice as well. Another gripe I have is how magic far outstrips physical damage, especially later in the game. I know that it kind of makes sense, but my warriors really weren't doing much damage near the end of the game on Torment (they were lucky to do more than two digits most of the time until I got the Chaotic Halberd and two good swords for the dual-wielder) (bows were never very good, though, and she was the main bowman/dual-wielder). The spellcasters were doing the vast majority of the killing (although I guess this has always been the case?)
  23. Hello everyone. I have searched and searched, but could not find the answer to my question. I know that in Avernum 1 (and presumably in Exile 1, which is the only Exile/Avernum series game I have not won) there is a little series of ending pictures and text after you accomplish the three game-winning quests. I was just wondering this: If you find the exit, tell the Scimitar and Erika, then tell Thantria for the reward and immediately kill her after, does the ending get affected negatively (say, does it say "A true exit was discovered, but was blocked off due to the betrayal of.... blah blah blah)? I have a feeling that it doesn't actually change (since the exit does get sealed off at the beginning of Exile/Avernum 2 anyways), but I just wanted to make sure. I need that 5,000 gold since I also needed that Chaotic Halberd (meaning I never got the training at the Freehold dropped to average prices) [Yes, I realize that pole weapons are weak compared to dual-wielding, but all physical damage pales in comparison to magic anyways (especially on Torment?), so I at least wanted the best pole weapon for my frontline fighter]. Thanks in advance.
×
×
  • Create New...