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rjshae

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Everything posted by rjshae

  1. rjshae
    Animated skeletons are somewhat overused in CRPGs. I remember when I first saw them (in the form of stop-motion animation) in the original "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963); at the time it was a very cool and striking moment because they were created by tossing dragon's teeth onto the ground. I suppose they supply a need for a low-level undead monster in CRPGs, but they have long since lost any appeal as a terrifying foe. It may be more visually interesting (and creepy) if their structures contained a wispy green or scarlet glow that twisted and moved about, suggesting a source for their animation. Perhaps they could be given a special attack that takes effect on a critical hit, briefly sapping the life force (stamina) of the defender and causing disruptive pain?
  2. rjshae
    I'm not sure the emotional aspects of the berserker warrior should just be eliminated in that manner. But rather than "rage", they could rename it to "frenzied attack". I.e. they're not simply losing their temper, but are choosing to accept greater risk in an attempt to rapidly overwhelm their enemy. They're essentially thinking the best defense is a good offense, so why not go all-out on the attack and try to make the defender spend all of their energy trying to ward off blows. Ideally then, a frenzied attack by the barbarian would have a chance to put the overwhelmed defender at a penalty to attack.
  3. rjshae
    Yes I think the term 'guild' used in association with a class is completely lacking in cultural depth. It doesn't bespeak any history and lacks character. For example, why not call one city's thieves' guild the "Freeborn Society", name a fighter's guild the "Solemn Blades", and give the mage guild the label "Chantric Arcanum"?
  4. rjshae
    They could possibly implement a spell-writing mechanic for a sequel. I'm not sure it's needed for this release.
  5. rjshae
    Yeah. How about sleeping in the gutter, only to wake up as a pack of street urchins scatter to the four winds with all of your loot?
  6. rjshae
    Well, for one thing, drawing upon the point costs of the various powers for reasonable scaling of spells and charged items within the game. The philosophy that defense against a particular power should be easier to access than the offensive power it is defending against. Different way of kitting power (spell) groupings. Fringe effects on invisibility. The ability to push a power through extra exertion. &c. &c.
  7. rjshae
    Spell Mastery - many of the basic spells come with built-in limitations, but the game allow the character to find rare tomes that teach better methods of casting the spell. This is an accomplishment that allows the higher level wizard to cast an improved version of low level spells.
  8. rjshae
    Stirred dust would be a nice effect as well, particularly in very old structures or along a dry road or passage. Having some dust pouring off the sarcophagus when you slide it open would add a touch of realism. Animated statues should start off with a small cloud of dust representing how long they've been motionless. Dust can also appear when traps are triggered or when old secret doors are opened.
  9. rjshae
    I really like the flexible powers system from HERO/Champions, although I prefer the simple point-buy approach used in GURPS.
  10. rjshae
    I think ToEE did this right, by giving you an overlay that you could move around until you were happy with the placement. Of course, some might argue that you wouldn't have this in real life and would have to aim by eye, but I think that would be relying on your skill rather than the skill of the character. I didn't like the default way they did spell effects in NWN2: causing spells to only damage enemies, even if you targeted your own group. The NWN series did have some nice spell effects though; hopefully we'll see something comparable in P:E.
  11. rjshae
    I'd like it if the circles could show facing, without necessarily going overboard. Perhaps the forward part of the circle could be made slightly wider and the rear slightly narrower? Or possibly a crescent-shaped arc could be used to show the forward direction.
  12. rjshae
    It's kind of important to keep in mind that P:E will not be using any D&D systems. It also seems as though these developers have learned over the years not to make one single attribute the catch-all "combat improving attribute." After all, how would increasing dexterity make your warhammer hit harder? Dexterity represents, among other factors, your muscle memory. Thus, while it wouldn't necessarily represent striking harder with your warhammer, it may represent how adept you are at getting past your enemy's defenses. It would represent your increasing ability to block, parry, or dodge an attack. It also includes your increasing skill at athletic ability. I don't think your intelligence score necessarily represents improvement in these areas, other than perhaps tactical planning and leadership.
  13. rjshae
    Stopping a random person on the street and have them discourse on the vicissitudes of internecine warfare and the byzantine politics of nation-states.
  14. rjshae
    You'd be surprised how many people do that. I used to do the same thing. I can't be bothered doing that now, but some years ago? Loot it all, no matter how many trips it took. I usually only did that when I was short on cash and the loot consisted of pricy but heavy objects like plate mail or longbows. But you could rack up quite a bit that way in the old gold-box games, what with enemies all equipped with magic armor and weapons.
  15. rjshae
    At some point I think it was mentioned that level-up skill points would be divided between combat and non-combat skills. Assuming that the skills can be improved somewhat as in D&D, I wonder if that could be taken further and have the two skill point totals be modified based on different attributes? In D&D 3e, for example, the total skill points are determined by the class of the character and their Int score. What if, in PE, the non-combat skill points are based upon the Int modifier, while the combat-related skill points are based upon the Dex modifier (or perhaps the Str modifier)? Would that idea make sense?
  16. rjshae
    Today's solutions become tomorrow's problems...
  17. rjshae
    Mullet haircuts.
  18. rjshae
    Appropriately, the secret handshake starts with a kick...
  19. rjshae
    You approach a bend in the trail. Standing there are three veteran fighters, resting after slaying a group of monsters that lie in bloody piles on the ground. You talk to them and they let you know that they are professional monster hunters who frequent this trail as monsters often pass this way. Some time later you return to the scene, only to find the monster hunters dead and their corpses being torn apart by several beasts. You finish off the monsters, then shortly after you are approached by a group of adventurers. They ask what you are doing there. You tell them that you are professional monster hunters who frequent this trail as monsters often pass this way. They shake their heads and leave.
  20. rjshae
    I also found it moderately enjoyable; at least enough to reach the end game. All of the negative criticism seems overblown to me. If you don't go in expecting a realistic tactical combat simulator, then I think you can enjoy it.
  21. rjshae
    Well hopefully they can produce a solid feel without grabbing up too much of the screen real estate. The BG frame worked okay at the time because the screen resolution was much lower and most of the frame was taken up by useful tiles. If they did something similar with modern displays, I can only imagine that a lot of the frame would be unoccupied.
  22. rjshae
    I don't think you need to go overboard to produce a fair amount of variation. From my experience with the NWN2 Toolset, I know that you can get quite a bit of variation just by having two or three sets of prominent gear, along with tinting capabilities. Thus two helms and a bare head, two or three types of armor or clothing, and multiple weapons. Shields in particular are readily visible and identify the creature with a particular tribe or unit, so having a multitude of shield skins is good.
  23. rjshae
    I've wondered whether it isn't possible to build a game with companions that do have a behavior pattern. You could, say, construct the character, then select from a set of pre-generated personalities and backgrounds. For example, choose the persona based upon a list of brief impressions: "boisterous adventurer", "studious naturalist", "itinerant evangelist", "debonair chevalier", "cunning opportunist", and so forth. That would take a lot more work to assemble, of course, but it seems like it would be feasible.
  24. rjshae
    The issue with approach like this (subdual of the party through drugs) is that it can seem like railroading. Hence it should be done sparingly and with care.
  25. rjshae
    Why have three different flavors of the Wizard class? Why have barbarians, paladins, and fighters? Because they provide a sufficiently distinct gaming experience that they are worth forming separate classes. Yes, druids are a type of priest, but they can certainly be quite different during play.
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