Level 1 Survivability Ideas

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:30 pm

Spider Jones wrote:The morale scripts weren't perfect, especially when a creature is hidden/sneaking and strolls away slowly screaming in terror and then gets snagged on a cliff. Perhaps make the creatures fade out after some number of seconds with an assumed 'gave you the slip'.

Only if PCs get the same abililty.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:33 pm

Mayhem wrote:Only if PCs get the same abililty.

Lulz, why? Do mobs get XP for PC kills?

A time/distance factor ought to cope with bad pathfinding.

JaydeMoon · Post by **JaydeMoon** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:37 pm

PCs get the "determine more suitable course of action upon encountering obstacle" ability.

It rules.

Brokenbone · Post by **Brokenbone** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:41 pm

If you kill something hung up on terrain you deserve bonus loot & XP.

Either that or an IG strike if it's found to be an AI exploit.

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:41 pm

I'm talking about the magically fading away bit.

If I'm kicking orcish ass, and am quick enough to be able to prevent it outrunnign me, I don't want it to magically fade from sight unless I get to do the same when I run into a gang of ogres.

JaydeMoon · Post by **JaydeMoon** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:47 pm

Check perception? It has to be out of your perception range for X seconds before it 'gives you the slip'?

psycho_leo · Post by **psycho_leo** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:48 pm

Mayhem wrote: I don't want it to magically fade from sight unless I get to do the same when I run into a gang of ogres.

We currently call this going invisible.

Mulu · Post by **Mulu** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:06 pm

Well, magically fading from sight was exactly what they did in the old BG games, and it worked fine. Sure, sometimes it was frustrating to see those little globs of xp get away, but it will be more immersive than every last orc fighting your 13th level WM to the death.

Teric neDhalir · Post by **Teric neDhalir** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:28 pm

AcadiusLost wrote:I suspect the morale scripts still aren't quite right, I've had large groups of orcs fleeing from a single 1st level halfling rogue- the only things that I have seen attack instead of fleeing so far have been skeletons.

*puts on pedant hat* The largest group of orcs possible on the OAS is 2 (mwahaha the power of suggestion). Level, class, race, gender, hair colour of the PC are irrelevant. The script only counts numbers of PCs. *removes pedant hat and is a nice person again*

AcadiusLost · Post by **AcadiusLost** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:32 pm

Could have sworn I saw a group of 3 or more, but maybe that was the hostile fleeing cow herd.

Still, should 2 orcs be fleeing a single level one PC?

If time and other projects allow, maybe I can compare the OAS morale scripts with the old BG ones, and see if we can't get the best of both worlds.

Grand Fromage · Post by **Grand Fromage** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:32 pm

Don't you get XP for creatures that run away? I thought you still got half or something, since you still technically defeated them, even if you didn't kill 'em. I mean in PnP here, I know you don't get anything in NWN.

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:39 pm

psycho_leo wrote:
Mayhem wrote: I don't want it to magically fade from sight unless I get to do the same when I run into a gang of ogres.
We currently call this going invisible.

Ah, I didn't realise all PCs could do this at will. Where is the button?

***

Grand Fromage has a point though - if a monster flees from you, you have defeated it and should get the XP. But then, purely on PNP basis, if you avoid the encounter by cunning, stealth, or expert negotiating, you would also get teh XP since the XP is for overcoming the challenge, not killing the monster (and teh challenge is assumed to be the fact there is a monster in your way).

Mulu · Post by **Mulu** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 12:47 am

DO NOT TOUCH PANDORA'S BOX!

Seriously, this "get xp for overcoming obstacle" was two or three 10 page discussions regarding stealth and rogue xp a couple years back. Final analysis: It's simply too hard to implement.

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 3:24 pm

The simple way to do it is to strip away all XP for random killing sprees and make it all quest orientated, making sure we have plenty of static quests.

XP for randomly wandering in the forest and killing a spawn? None.

XP for collecting item X from location Y, which involves passing through territory guarded by spawn Z? Commensurate with the CR of said spawn.

And options should involve combat, stealth (magical or otherwise) and use of at least one or two CHA skills.

AcadiusLost · Post by **AcadiusLost** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:27 pm

One plus for level 1 survivability would be making healing potions useable on others again, like ALFA managed to do eventually.

Anyone familiar with the mechanics of that switch still around? Seems it was done in the Murky/Ronan transition days, and involved a 2da change or three. Would be nice if it was a simple fix for NWN2- but if it might mean making a new baseitemtype or something, might not be worth the effort.