Cantousent

While I disagree with your overall assessment, act, I completely disagree with your position on influence. "(2) Drop the influence system. Drop it. Drop it. Drop it. There's nothing out there that screams RELOAD when you have a big negative number jump up on the screen." If you feel the need to reload, then reload. If you consider that one portion of the game so important that you must reload on a mistake, apparently even just one, then you probably reload often for other mistakes as well. I don't begrudge you your particular playing habits. However, I would rather you didn't assume all gamers share them. "I'm sorry if that makes us (your customer) shallow." Not all. Just some. The choice seems to be more opaque or more transparent. I wouldn't mind seeing Obsidz drop the numbers stating losses or gains in influence, but I think most players would probably be confused otherwise. The influence system is good and some feedback for the player is a necessary evil.

I think some folks don't understand the Arcane Scholars empower and maximize spell bonus feats. They're improved. That means that empower is only one spell slot higher and maximize is only two slots higher. THOSE are worth using. I would typically have most of my spells either empowered or maxed. Also, empowered should always use the new, higher max variables unless the spell states something like "up to a max of 20." That hurts some spells, but I've done over 240 damage with an empowered disintegrate. Spells coming soon, I promise. Now I'm here in Virginia Beach, I can take the time to get a spell list together. :D

Good Luck Ros. Remember to share your experiences when you get back.

I thought Safiya was better as a companion than a love interest. I'm shallow, but I want my in game love interest to have a sexy voice. However, I agree with Pop that it was tastefully done. There were opportunities to flirt with Safiya, and I think it would be great to have an added layer to the influence system where they could be your steadfast ally, your love interest, or both. You know, you can become companions and entrust each other with your lives. You can fall in love with her, even though you wouldn't necessarily be friends. ...Or you can become friends and also find love. I don't mind the fact that some of the more flirty moments depend on the PC dialogue choices throughout the game. ...But if the PC doesn't find or choose those options, then Safiya should not become a love interest. I didn't do much with the romances. I rarely do. I like playing female characters and, while I don't take offense at the idea, I'm just not into role-playing a romance with a male character. I mostly like playing females to look at female avatars. In NWN2, where the female avatars are not particularly appealing, especially elvish avatars, I've been playing male characters. Safiya makes a good Red Wizard but doesn't elicit much romantic feeling in me. Maybe because she is so detached in her mannerism. We don't choose love, of course. It chooses us. Love didn't choose Safiya for me and I'm not likely to choose her for myself. However, I'll probably pursue romance the next time just because it's a good perk. The two NPCs that I consider a must for devotion are Safiya and Okku. Safiya because I'm a mage and Okku because his perks fit in with my playing style the most.

Once again, there are different ways to approach a build. However, improved empower and maximize spells, which are free for the Arcane Scholar, come in quite handy. First of all, there is no other way to empower 8th level spells. I've used both to great effectiveness. I especially enjoy improved maximize for spells like disintegrate, which burns a lower slot than a regular maximized spell and does a significant amount of damage. While the comparison of a sorceror in PvP is debateable, the specialist wizard rules in PvE, where the ability to cast a wider variety of spells comes in quite handy. This true for the official campaign, but particularly true for NWN2 at large where different modules might challenge the players in different way. I really appreciate the give and take of the argument, however, so I'm glad to have folks disagree with me. On the other hand, I've been partying on Broadway in Nashville, so, apart from my complete brain drain from the hill billy music (I'm joking, the music was quite fun) I can't really respond most coherently right now. Rest assured, however, that, if you disagreed with my feat/skill selection, you'll raise an eyebrow or both at my spell selection. That will wait for greater sobriety and time, however. Another long day tomorrow, however, and possibly a WoT entry about the trip thus far, so the spell selection discussion will wait. (...And my disagreement with someone much smarter than me: Tigranes) :Cant's slapping Tigranes on the back with a hearty laugh icon:

There are very few reasons I use physical weapons in combat with my mage: 1. I hold the enemy in complete contempt and don't want to waste spells. 2. I know that my front liners don't need spell support but I'd like to hurry the process. 3. The enemy has absolute spell immunity. (Note, the much vaunted spell resistance doesn't worry me.) 4. I've used every spell I have and only bullets can stop them now. If that's the case, I'm recovering from some mistake already. I hope. Now, in all these scenarios, the truth is that you're better off putting every effort to make sure your spells succeed than wasting time worrying about contingencies. If you want a strong spellcaster who can stand toe to toe with the heavies, play a cleric. They're probably the most powerful class anyhow. Mages are a finesse class, at least more than some folks suggest, and you've got to stay focused on your plan. You have to know how you'll approach baddies. So, yes, spell focus, spell penetration to the furthest extent, and epic level spells are all part of the plan. Weapon finesse, weapon focus, toughness, and other such contingencies aren't part of my particular build, even though I know some folks can include them in a successful mage build. I prefer my method, but it's not the only one. On the other hand, this is a good reason why I used the example of Mind over Body as a "role-playing" build option. After all, toughness is just as effective at the levels we're playing. For my part, other than role-playing, I'd probably stick with meta-magic or spell-casting feats. Meanwhile, I'm in Oklahoma City right now. I'd really like to get to the spells, but tomorrow is an early day, so I'll have to try to get to that at the end of the week.

Pop, I can't say whether that's a bug or not, as it isn't my place. However, I can say that, if you wasd up to the blackened area, you should see a walkable area through which you can walk. The door is either there and you can't see it because it's blackened, or it's not there but it blocks your ability to walk into the small are behind it. Either way, whether it's a bug or not, it's a pain in the ass.

Of course, maybe I'm wrong and most folks scoff at MotB. I don't think so. I think you're the odd man out on this one. For myself, the packaged campaign was much easier for NWN2, but then again, MotB isn't a bragging rights game. I suppose the real question is, is it so easy that you don't enjoy it?

I typically, if I had the choice about what I was doing in the first place, I scoured every bit of exp before the big fight. Now, don't get me wrong, I knew this fight would be painful for some folks, but you can beat the big guy early if you're dedicated. On the other hand, I prefer front loading my pain early and can find worse fights before you take care of the "boss" battle. By the time I get to the fight, I'm generally over prepared and trying to ensure I've (pretend you didn't hear this) farmed a little experience from the other folks in the battle. :Cant's ****-eating grin icon: A little trivia. I could consistently kill this particular beastie before the cut scene finished to crash the game for a long, long time. I finally figured out the problem and finally managed to convince one of the designer that I was right. I can't say for sure which was was harder, but it was kind of funny. A little bit less so if it consistently stopped the game for some poor bloke. I think this is a good example of why I said that MotB would be more difficult for most folks than NWN2.

So, where was I? Oh, yes. You've already got your skills down. Many of your early feats are set in stone if only to earn your status as a scholar. I would only add that you needn't feel constrained to hit Arcane Scholar at the earliest possible level. If you want to take one of the background feats, I'd say go ahead. Also, I'd start out, in addition to being an illusion specialist, as either a ladies man or flirt. It's this simple: don't invest points in intimidate, and don't regret the decision. Intimidate is a perfectly reasonable skill, but it affords a young scholar nothing so vital that he cannot live without it. However, being a ladies man certainly gives more than enough bumps elevate the player past the meager penalty to intimidate, which this character build neither use nor need. Now for stat array. It's also simple. Play a sun elf. Pump up intelligence to 20. If I remember correctly, you should be able to have a strength of 8 and stats to fit your preferrence otherwise. Once again I'm testing my memory, but I believe I had my stats built to: 8 str 12 dex 12 con 10 wis 20 int 12 cha Why such a low strength score? Because strength, for my scholar, is going to be used for one thing, and I have pack animals to carry loot. If the game comes down to your strength stat bonus to save you, you're not playing a mage. If you consistently rely on strength, you're already screwed. Your scholar is not a brawler. Strength is essentially meaningless to your success in combat. Why the other stats? I don't like to be a complete min/maxer. I like being a smooth talker. I like having a decent dexterity and constitution, which are important to just about everybody, and I don't have points left over for a wisdom bonus. After your initial build, everything you get goes into intelligence. Why? First of all, we're taking advantage of a lot of skills. If you go for a wide skill array, like me, then you're going to either burn a feat in able learner. Don't do it! ...Or you're going to buy points at cross class prices. No matter where you are on your road to the end game, you'll be paying two points for one rank of some skills. By the mid game, if you've stayed the intelligent course, you'll have extra points to burn to push up some skills for no other reason than the cool factor. It's more than skills, however. Those are just a guilty pleasure. To satisfy our powergamer urges, we have to look at what intelligence means to a mage as opposed to strength for a fighter. a fighter with an extra strength bonus of one has an advantage to hit a foe as well as damage that foe for one extra point. A mage with an extra intelligence bonus increases the difficulty class for all saves against every spell. That means that four enemies caught in a fireball must each roll one point higher to save. That means that five folks caught within a Wail of the Banshee must each roll one point higher or die. Strength has long been lauded as the most important stat in the game. Why, for instance, should half-orcs be penalized in both intelligence and charisma for their strength bonus. However, strength is simply the least important attribute for a mage. Hands down. Intelligence isn't only the most important stat. It's the only stat worth conisdering after the initial build. I want to role-play a character with a wide variety of skills. I want to roll-play a wizard who can be assured of having the odds in his favor when casting offensive spells. Now, I'm not going to go crazy talking about feat selection for first level. Take Mind over Body if you'd like. You get a big boost to your hit points at first level for your intelligence. You still get plus one for each subsequent level for con. You also get a bonus point for every metamagic or spellcasting feat. I've already tested and can attest to the fact that the bonus Arcane Scholar feats work into to the mix. You'll have a lot of metamagic and spellcasting feats before the end, so it's not a bad choice. On the other hand, you don't want to dawdle or waste levels getting to Arcane Scholar, so make sure that you sue your standard feats selection for your level 3 and 5 feat selections and your metamagic and spellcasting feats with bonus feats to make sure that you don't fall behind. You'll still be able to take Arcane Scholar early. Finally, and I shouldn't need to say this, but don't take feats that you'll eventually receive as a bonus for the class. The bonus empower and maximize spell feats make the Arcane Scholar class powerful. Don't waste your feat selection on these feats early when you'll have them for free later. As for prerequisite skills, why complain about being forced to take ranks in Spellcraft? You're going to take every possible point in your prerequisite skills during the game anyhow. *shrug* Well, this seems pretty coherent to me, so I guess this will do for now. If I get a chance, I'll start on spell selection next. Also, when I finally get back home and can play the game, I'll give a step by step detail of my initial build and then my choices as I level. I'd do it now, but it's been long enough that I want to make sure I've remembered everything properly.

I haven't had much time for the whole message board thing of late. I'm in Vegas now and, being set to travel to Viriginia soon, I won't be home until late October, if not November. Still, I couldn't stop myself from starting my MotB guide to all things Scholarly. Now, let's get it straight from the start, this isn't the only way to play a scholar. It's just the way that consistenty worked for me. I'll save specific game decisions for some other time. For now, let me begin with my basic philosophy of what it means to be a traveling academe. I'll post other stuff later, but post is all about the build. First of all, I don't have any intention of crafting anything personally. For the stuff that really matters, I've got companions. In fact, I always figure if one mage is good, two is even better. For that reason, I plan on cultivating a relationship with a certain bald red wizard and her charming little creation. No, I don't find bald women particularly hot, and the Thayan culture is distasteful at best, but I recognize the possibilities for a close association with a fellow mage. Freeing up feats for other things, such as combat casting, spell penetration selections, and spell focus makes life much easier. likewise, I'm going to invest the most time honing my skills as a specialized illusionist. That's not because Illusion is the best school. It's not. However, Enchantment is the least valuable school, and specializing in illusion gives me extra access to spells and so forth. In fact, I'll use those extra feats for spell focus in evocation. Once epic feats are available, mundane feats just aren't worth taking. Skills are the scholar's biggest asset. I suggest pumping points into tumble, diplomacy, and search, even if they start at cross class. What I don't suggest doing, at all, is wasting points on crafting skills. You're not a mechanic, you're a scholar. Let your fine red wizard companion play the part of an artisan. After all, it's the red wizards who are entrapped by the trappings of power. You know ideas are the real power in this world or any other. Tumble is perfect for those pesky situations where you find yourself at the front of battle. You're place is trading spells, not sword blows. Damn, and real life rears it's ugly head. I'll try to update more of the basic build process later tonight.

It's a solid title, but it's not a classic. I had a lot of fun. I liked the story. I enjoyed the plasmids and various weapons. ...But, after my second run, I notice that I was once again drawn to American McGee's Alice. Again. Bioshock was fun and all, but Alice has staying power.

As yet, I really don't need a larger drive. That will undoubtedly change, but as fast as I slap these systems together, it's really more of a concern for future builds. I'm about sick of rig rigging, so I'm probably not going to do one next year. I swear to goodness.

I'll email Miss Gage to see if we can still get a nomination anyways despite that we don't call our talented game designers just plain old writers. Just calling them writers is belittling their importance and role on the team. -Adam I hesitate to ask, but do you think that polite support for your point of view, given by the community, might help at all. ...Or will it just muddy the waters? I doubt if we could really muster much by way or suppoort, but even a handful of well reasoned letter from various community members probably won't hurt, either. Please keep us posted.

I don't know the nature of the arrangement between Bioware, Obsidian, and Atari, but I was wondering if we could have a MotB spoiler section here. Just in case some folks have a hard time with the game, I'd like to be able to offer some help, advice, or even just goofy comments. I post this here in the hopes, unlikely as they are, that the idea will get some popular support.

I've not had a lot of time to visit the boards lately either, but I did want to say that the Arcane Scholar was great for me because it allowed me to pursue the breadth of skills that I most enjoy in a computer game. I could, for instance, max out my diplomacy and spellcraft skills. Specific ASoC interaction, where the NPCs recognized my scholarly affiliation, did not reveal itself to me during my play. However, the class does a lot to enhance RP just in diversifying the player's skills. Conversation skills, and not just diplomacy, can play a vital role in the game. Taunt can help out in some spots, as can bluff and intimidate. In some cases, the PC may use a couple different skills to achieve the same goal, where in other areas it might look like the player has a choice between one skill and another to reach the same spot, but both don't lead to the same outcome. Moreover, having certain NPCs in the party will make a difference in some conversations. For example, using diplomacy might fail, whereas using diplomacy backed by an angelic voice will not. Hope that helps, Grom.

As some of you might have noticed, I neglected to order a power supply. Ergh. Anyhow, it all came. I ordered a power supply. It came the next day. I built my machine and it has been working perfectly. Let me share a couple of things regarding the system. First of all, the graphics card runs hot. I don't hink I could fry an egg on it, but it runs too damned hot. Still, it's not glitching and causing mayhem like the Asus video cards did. I'll see what happens. When you drop 500 for a video card, you want it to last and work for a while. Second of all, the abit board did have some problems, but I just tweaked the bios and, voila, no problemo. Much better than Cath's old system which, when I reinstalled the operating system, lacked a driver for the built in ethernet jack. I have pictures. Please be forgiving. The house was a mess while I was working on all these things.

Nevermind. It needed the realtek lan driver. Got it up and running. Cursed piece of excrement.

Okay, so I've got my system built and my old one is now over at my wife's desk. I've installed a fresh XP on the wife's old system, but it does not recognize the ethernet port. I've got a Gigabyte GA-8IPE-1000G. This is the number straight off the board. However, I can't even find the board at the Gigabyte website in order to install the driver. Hell, even using the GA-8IG1000MK doesn't work. I thought the actual port might be a Marvel Yukon, so I downloaded the latest there and no dice. This is really starting to piss me off. Any ideas of what I can do with this stinking pile of waste? So, I've tried installing a variety of things, from Intel PROset to Marvel Yukon and the ethernet controller is not doing a damned thing. Anyone know what I can do with this?

Forget all else and play an Arcane Scholar. Even though it's a munchkin's dream, I really did enjoy my arcane scholar for roleplaying reasons. :D Nice preview. The Spirit Eater aspect of the game is inextricably tied to morality.

I believe that's the case as well.

That's a great compliment, Hurl. Everything I've done has been on the Obsidz message board, so I don't what that would mean in terms of interesting a gaming publication. However, I'm still keen on getting my free copy of the MotB. :Cant's goofy grin icon: After all, that's one of my perks for working on the game. :haksthumbup:

That was pretty much what I was going for. That and I wanted to include folks who, mostly, had come from a QA background. Nathaniel Chapman and Rob McGinnis were the last two, and I'm not sure if I'll do Rob's. Of course, if the folks at Obsidz think these are silly or pointless, I'd be glad to forgo the final two.

So, I

If it weren't for my guild on WoW, I'd try LotRO with you, Hurl. Maybe I'll try the game anyhow. I'll have you meet me and you can show me the ropes. I've been thinking about it.