Cantousent

Enough posturing, Spider. I concede, you're totally awesome. You're a master player while others are just hacks. However, Vampiric Feast was too powerful. ...And before I bugged it, it was even more powerful. The fact that you refer to the spell as a panic button is a bad sign. After all, if there's anything that you hold in abayance because it's "too easy," then there's an error in the build. Now, aside from your absolute total awesomeness to which you've attested multiple times, there should never be one singular thing you can use as the last resort. Difficult battles, which you've never faced because of your total awesomeness, should require variation in tactics and abilities. BTW: I played a lowly spellcaster in virtually all of my balance runs and the only battles that I found difficult are battle you never faced. Take from that what you will. There are battles that, at one point or another, were impossible. Bugs can make any battle impossible. The question really isn't whether you're just totally awesome. I'm giving you a hard time, but I really don't doubt your prowess. Hell, Sawyer could probably beat the game in his sleep. My point is that Vampiric Feast is overpowered. What I take from all this (remember that I'm giving you a hard time) is that you're taking the opportunity to brag whereas I'm actually reflecting on the design. If you think that you're unique in that you created a build that could defeat the game easily, you're wrong. There will always be powerful builds and particular styles that dominate any game. That's all well and good. What I'm talking about is a specific aspect that, in and of itself and by itself, is an easy pathway to victory in any battle. I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, Spider, but I don't know why you feel so determined to convince us of your total awesomeness. I believe you. That's fine. I've seen a lot of folks playing the game. Some of them could defeat it just as easily as you did and probably faster, of that you can be sure. That's not the issue. I'm making observations about the design, so I'll concede your total awesomeness and then hope that you can break away from that mantra to discuss the design issue or shut up long enough for others to do so.

Don't you guys remember the "A" team? One of the characters on that one was "Face."

That's funny. I used epic spells a lot during the game. Then again, I'm sure your uber character/party would kick sand in the face of my pathetic party. :Cant's tongue in cheek grin icon: Seriously, though, Vampiric Feast is broken. For folks who aren't jonsin for bragging rights, the spells is a win button for a lot of fights. It takes care of anything from Okku to Rammaq. If you want, you can have four Vampiric feasts to use before the end of Chapter 2. Even if you put the game on the hardest of the hardcore, you can win a lot of battles with the exact same spell. Yes, if you're completely awesome, you can beat the game with tremendous ease, but even if you don't have the best build in the world, or a character you've imported with great gear, you'll still have that that win button flashing to the side during every battle.

You don't have to use intimidate there. I convinced them to stay on the straight and narrow.

If the term "clone" is thrown around freely, then the term "original" has lost all meaning. What constitutes an "original" idea? Most of the folks determined to find something "different" get caught in the net of shared human existence, in which virtually all ideas have been explored. If that's the sole goal, then the end product is not original and certainly not good. I know that we're actually very close on the broader issue. It's the fine point that sticks. The reason it does is simple. I don't want to encourage folks who try "different" for its own sake. I don't want to encourage folks with such narrow tastes that anything that isn't abberant is too "mainstream" to warrant praise. Our core ideas aren't particularly different, as usual, but our approach is. I guess that's what makes the debate so engaging. Nevertheless, that slight variation on approach is enough to set us worlds apart. Regardless of our approach, however, it's been clear to me, over time, that we enjoy many of the same games, so maybe there is enough convergence that we can find common ground.

I disagree. I don't see a bad original idea (which is almost certainly not even original anyhow) as somehow better than a bad retelling. Originality, technique, setting, etc. are all part of a larger whole, which is the end result. The problem is that, even in the most original idea, there are shared elements drawn from human existence that allow critics to cite the "derivative" nature of the work. "Originality" is no better innoculation to failure than any other approach. I'm not saying that originality is bad. I'm saying that I have come to despise attempts the insipid attempts at originality that have nothing new to add to the measure of human ideas. A bad original idea is no better than a good clone. In fact, I'd say, it's worse. At least a good clone brings memories of a better work. A bad attempt at originality will likely taint further endeavors to explore similar ideas.

I agree with Gromnir. I lose patience when I get the impression the only thing the writer wants is to achieve "unique." Different is not an end. Handling things "differently" is a splendid goal. ...But trying to achieve "uniqueness" is a losing proposition because, in the end, humanity is not unique. Most of us go through our whole lives without reaching a single original thought. That's okay. If the story is good, and the writer tells it well, then that's all that matters. MotB is different, but that's not the strength of the story. The strength of the story, for me, lies in the presentation.

You could one-shot boss encounters with it. It was awesome. The source of another controversial bug report on my part. Of course, I love the spell, so I'm glad they didn't nerf it, but it's a one kill in areas that should not have a one kill option. By the way, I refered to it as the "win button" if I recall correctly.

Ha! I thought mine was a rave review. I didn't read all of VD's review just yet, as I was just checking out a wireless network, but I only really disagree with him on one point. I think MotB will be well received critically. I think it has the weight to invigorate the modding scene. It's also good to see that VD and I, from what I glanced, have such similar tastes. I should visit the Codex more often. I like abuse as much as the next guy, after all.

I don't really fixate on the length of the game. I prefer longer games most of the time, but I've played some excellent short games. I also think a completely open title always diminishes the impact of the story. I nearly said "almost always," but I can't think of a particular instance where it wouldn't be better. I like some open ended games, but TRUE sandbox games are good for things other than the story. As far as open ended vs guided or long vs short, I can find excellent examples of any combination, so none of them is a deal breaker for me personally. Oh, and the influence system adds significance to player choices and should definitely remain.

When I get home, I'll join. I haven't PvPed in an FPS for years, but I plan on killing every Obsdianite I can find. hehe

I hope you like humidity. Seriously, visit again sometime in July so that you know what you're getting into before you pack your things. I didn't spend much time in VB, but I did live in Williamsburg for 3 years. The summers are oppressive. Thanks for the heads up. I lived on Guam for three years, so I'm no stranger to humidity. I was stationed in Dam Neck 20 years agao. The winters are mild and the summers aren't particularly hot, even though the humidity can be a bear. The whole area is beautiful and the Atlantic in these parts is warm enough for swimming well into autumn. :D

Hey, I'm sure they'll charge into the breach. I'll be right behind them, backing them up. :Cant's brave face icon:

I think a much better idea is to create a team that whips up on the Obsidianites.

Don't feel bad, Di. Haha, I've already sent out a PM to one of the Obsidz folks. We'll look silly together.

I'm telling you, Di, I've been in the same boat. There is nothing worse than having some bug that only happens on your system. I'm going to PM Rob McGinnis and let him know about this. It's not like I know the Obsidz folks well or anything. Hell, someone told me that they deleted a link to my review over at the NWN2 boards. Still, once we've given them the info, it's their responsibility to look into it. EDIT: Although I think Cuthlan makes a reasonable statement. It makes more sense that it's your familiar than Kajis. If you've looked into that scenario and found it isn't true, then... well... that's what would make it a bug, right?

Well, that's a new one on me. I can't think of a logical reason for the rabbit, but that doesn't mean much. You should PM Rob and direct him to your screenshot and see if he can figure it out. That's the best bet. When one of the Obsidz folks starts looking for it, we might find an answer. haha One thing I notice right away is that Flopsy has buffs while Kaji doesn't. You're in the Furnace Area of the Death God's Vault? Was Flopsy present before? You said that he was in the Barrow area with you. Did he survive all the way to the Vault? Can he die? I mean, if you're in battle, does the enemy attack and kill him? If he does, then he must get back up again, disappear, or otherwise revive, because you wouldn't be able to area transition if he were still in the party but dead. (This was an early glitch that we found.) So, if he dies, then Kaji must resummon him, right? And Kaji summons him with only you and Safiya in the party, since you first witnessed it in the barrow.

Today, I drove to Norfolk to take care of some business and now I'm back in Virginia Beach. I'm actually thinking of moving here.

Good work, Di. Now, what leads you to say that Kaji summoned it? Did it show up as text in your log? Did Kaji display spell casting animations before Flopsy appeared? Did you get floating text over Kaji's head? What happened that leads you to believe that Kaji did it and then what were you and Kaji doing before hand. The reason I ask is simply because we can narrow down exactly what happened. You know, what exact steps did you take that lead to Flopsy? As for believing you, I had some of the the devs and friends not believe some of my bugs. I understand how irritating it is to see a bug and have folks blow it off. So, we want to make sure we can recreate this bug as consistently as possible, and that means trying to figure out how you did it. Now, I don't think you should feel beholden to do BIS' work for them, so don't feel guilty if you just want to post the picture and let them figure it out. However, if you do have some of these details, they'll be helpfull to the devs.

Okay just click "add reply" in this thread. Click on the browse button under the file. Select it for upload and then click the Upload button. Then you need to click on the "Manage current attachements" area to insert your picture.

I would probably just cut the image out of word and paste it into paint. Maybe one of the other folks around here has better aptitude with images than me. I wish I could help more, but I do hope you manage to show it because now I'm really curious.

Di, I have to admit I've never seen this and I didn't hear anyone else talking about a rabbit either. That one is really new. Familiars don't prevent summons, so that's another weird one. Kaji summoning something is just downright weird. I'm kind of joking, but I'm absolutely serious. Since I've known you a long time, I don't suspect you of making it up, but it SOUNDS like the sort of thing folks make up. haha. You remember the Italian Warlord always said he saw a Terrasque or whatever. Anyhow, Tale came through with the best advice so far. Stick him in puppet mode and make sure he can't summon anything else. Safiya shouldn't be able to summon anything in the conjuration school because of her area of specialization as a red wizard. Honest to goodness, I'm trying to figure out how it happened in the first place. If you can get a screenshot, shoot it back here and we'll tell one of the obsidz folks about it. They'll undoubtedly want to see it also. In the meantime, good luck. I know you play these games for the adventure and RPing, so I don't see why it would be bad to cheat up Kaji's stats if you had. After all, it just allows you to access more areas of the game. :Cant's wink and grin icon:

Well, I bought the Orange box one Friday, but I don't think my laptop can handle it. I'll have to wait until I get back home, which will hopefully be soon.

That's true, and my war chest is pretty much depleted. I can't see shelling out enough cash to buy an additional card, m'lord. :Cant's grin and wink icon:

What I really like about the game is that it rewards the player for role-playing. I'm talking in-game rewards. Sure, there are tons of rewards fashioned for evil or good, chaotic or lawful. That's all well and good. Nevertheless, the real rewards for me are the ones that transcend bonuses and items. When the PC Good and Evil are both rewarding for reasons other than in-game rewards. I think the good ending is more rewarding, but the evil options are truly awesome. I especially like the option where,