Difficulty

[Indalecio]

I remember a game called Breath Of Fire: Dragon Quarter. What I really liked about this game is how they handled difficulty. Instead of making the enemies especially difficult, they made resources scarce. Heal potions were scarce, and there were no spells that restored health. No inns either, and inventory space was limited. This made for more cautious play. You didn't just want to defeat the enemy, you wanted to defeat the enemy without getting hurt yourself.

 

How could this be implemented in KOTOR2? Some suggestions.

 

*Limited Med-packs. Perhaps difficulty could be decided at the beginning of game. Choosing 'Easy' could grant more med-packs during the course of the game.

 

*Putting a limit on Force Heal powers. Make them usuable only after a set duration in game, like say, 5 minutes per use.

 

*No auto-heal zones like the Ebon Hawk or the apartment. Or have them, but no auto-transport to them.

 

*Make blaster combat more deadly. This will make the Lightsaber Defense feats more useful.

 

*Make villains less cheesy. Have them conform to the D20 rule-sets. This doesn't mean they can't set traps, but this is a whole lot better than having a villain who is immune to most Force-powers just because, or having ridiculous BAB or Defense.

 

Thoughts?

[ShinIchiro]

Instead of having cooldown, maybe the FP should not grow as quickly.

 

 

Maybe the teleportation could have a cooldown (e.g. you can only transport to the hawk once per 5 min.).

 

I just remember that I hate cooldown in almost every game it is present.

 

Another idea, maybe force powers should grow more powerful as you level up, but should also grow far more expensive. Just a strange idea.

 

I also agree that blasters should be more deadly.

 

I think the option of changing the combat difficulty while partway through the game is excellent. I am thinking of switching to hard difficulty in the original KOTOR right after the game gets easy (after dantooine).

 

Never limit inventory.

[Indalecio]

Instead of having cooldown, maybe the FP should not grow as quickly.

 

 

Maybe the teleportation could have a cooldown (e.g. you can only transport to the hawk once per 5 min.).

 

I just remember that I hate cooldown in almost every game it is present.

 

Another idea, maybe force powers should grow more powerful as you level up, but should also grow far more expensive. Just a strange idea.

Instead of cooldown. How about tying Force Heal to the Treat Injury skill. If you have a lot of ranks in the skill, you'll heal more, otherwise less. Possibly have it usable on only one person at a time. Or only usuable on multiple persons with someone with the Force Mind Feat.

[nightcleaver]

Blah... when I got to the Leviathan on hard difficulty, I was fighting Master Sith unarmed - fists only. I used master speed, of course, but...

 

It's funny, they made Taris and Dantooine combat excruciating in a lot of ways (even on easy), and then as soon as it stops being tedious and boring it gets way too easy after those two planets (and thus, another type of tedium). Taris and Dantooine had just about the right amount of medpacks, I think - and the exploit (I would call it an exploit, even if the makers of the game condone it) where you can go into your inventory once every combat round and pop a medpack without stopping in combat to inject it is lame. By extension, though, running should be a viable option. Antidote packs were pretty useless, and not common enough on Taris. Later on, Force Heal does what the antidote could and so much more, even though antidote packs get to be really common.

The last man standing rule was kind of lame, but what else to do in a star wars game that's so dependent on characterization? Making it harder in other ways is the way to go. Maybe there should be something that enforces planning ahead instead of bludgeoning through and killing yourself for the next fight? That would get rid of any need for a Hawk teleportation gimmick, or lots of saving and reloading.

 

I agree about the Force power's being more costly at higher levels, but it should be balanced. Really, the Force Wave and Death Field spamming was pretty dumb. It totally destroys even the possibility of strategy. I do think, however, force power's should regenerate pretty quickly starting after combat ends. Making it too slow out of combat would just be tedious, (fight, stand around, fight, stand around...) but too fast in combat makes the force points idea useless. Maybe their shouldn't be any force regen when you're fighting, unless you have equipment that does that for you? Sounds good to me.

 

Also, this is sort off-topic: DS Force powers should taint a little. Maybe make the taint fractional, like Force Wound would have to be done ten times to take a DS hit of 1.

[Indalecio]

I don't know if they're able to do this or not. But how about making Force Powers like skills like in the D20. Apart from skill pts, you'd get Force skill pts. Each Jedi class would get them, and maybe you'd get a bonus for high Wisdom. The more Force Skill Pts you'd put in a skill, the stronger it got, and if you put enough points into one, it'd upgrade into a stronger power. Maybe have different powers have different associated costs?

[ShinIchiro]

It'd probably be better to put things in the Star Wars RPG D20 system. This has you getting more skill points per lvl but you have to split them between force skills and regular skills. Either way, I much prefer the idea. Maybe selecting the force power would give you the option of using the skill check in combat. I think the idea of force feats could be difficult to implement but cool. Force feats are also used in the pen-and-paper RPG. I'm to lazy to fully explain how you get them and stuff.

[GhostofAnakin]

Everytime I read this board, i feel more and more embarrassed.

 

Am I the only one that didn't think the game was THAT easy? Yes, I have defeated the game numerous times. Yes, I've played harder games. But I honestly thought Malak was tough at the end. I never was in danger of being beaten by him (maybe that's where this "easy" comes in), but at the same time, it wasn't like you could kill him with two swipes of the lightsaber. When I fought him, he'd connect three or four times and have my energy down to nothing, while I'd have his energy barely even touched.

 

If anything, I'd call Malak tedious, rather than easy. He was very beatable, but it took a while to do so. Of course, maybe I just suck at RPGs since this was my first one I've ever played and don't have a concept of what is tough and what isn't.

[Indalecio]

If anything, I'd call Malak tedious, rather than easy.  He was very beatable, but it took a while to do so.  Of course, maybe I just suck at RPGs since this was my first one I've ever played and don't have a concept of what is tough and what isn't. 

Well, thats the thing. Combat was tedious. You didn't have to put too much thought into it. Part of the reason I made this topic was suggestions to make combat more strategic and interesting.

[nightcleaver]

Agreed. Malak would be hard, except for the medpacks... and without those, he'd be pretty near impossible.

[GhostofAnakin]

Agreed. Malak would be hard, except for the medpacks... and without those, he'd be pretty near impossible.

Is that what people mean when they say Malak is too easy? Because if that's the case, then it's not really that MALAK is too easy, but rather the fact that it's too easy to use a medpac/stim during combat by going in to inventory.

 

I'm wondering how many people would still feel Malak was too easy if the option to go into inventory and use a medpac during combat wasn't available.

[Indalecio]

Agreed.  Malak would be hard, except for the medpacks... and without those, he'd be pretty near impossible.

Is that what people mean when they say Malak is too easy? Because if that's the case, then it's not really that MALAK is too easy, but rather the fact that it's too easy to use a medpac/stim during combat by going in to inventory.

 

I'm wondering how many people would still feel Malak was too easy if the option to go into inventory and use a medpac during combat wasn't available.

Right but then Malak would be too hard. But he is hard because you have so many med-packs, or other ways to heal. If the rest of the game had been better balanced, the designers wouldn't have feltl compelled to make Malak so tough

[GhostofAnakin]

I'm waiting for the game where it's literally impossible to beat the end boss. You get that far, and when you "beat" him (ie. his energy is down to zero) it breaks to a cutscene showing him defeating you and taunting you with "So close, but yet now you understand the full power of the Dark Side" :D

[ShinIchiro]

On my P.C. version, I found Malak hilariously easy. When playing with a scout/ sentinal (lvl 20 of course), I was able to easily match him in saber fighting even though I wasn't a soldier or guardian. I guess I just had the right equipment and stuff. I was using 2 single bladed. One stunned and the other did massive damage. In two rounds he was running to recharge from the dead jedi and I was barely hurt. I only healed a little. Now my scout (or scoundrel I don't remember which)/consular game it was a different story. I had to force speed to run away and constantly heal. It wasn't good for me. I could almost never hurt him with lightsaber or force.

 

If you correctly prepare for combat (equipment and forcepowers and being a guardian never hurts) he is really easy. Just use the mantle of force or heart of guardian or both if using two sabers and laugh as you butcher him and he never hits you. I also had an incredible dex and defense. Get the yavin station equipment and you're probably fine. Also have force speed and you can probably beat anyone in the game if you feel like it.

[EnderAndrew]

In the old Star Wars RPG put out by West End games, there weren't any magical cure powers. In the novels and what not, I don't see any magical healing Force powers.

 

You could affect someone's mind and effectively dim their pain, but you didn't perform sugery with the Force. Star Wars has always relied on surgery droids and bacta tanks.

 

When Jedi can be shot twenty times and cast "Cure/Heal" then difficulty is hard to develop.

[ShinIchiro]

Actually the force can heal, just not to the extent shown in the game. Force healing trances help. Clighal used the force to cure Mothma of the nannoviruses (i think that's what they were called). I always forget the name of the tandra-fan healer, but she usees the force to heal. Force healing accelerates the body's natural healing and can be very powerful. It, however, takes time. Someone can be healed from a "fatal" wound in months. Not seconds. The force can remove harmful objects (maybe bullets and some bacteria) from the body. THey can sorta do surgery with the force, it's just not a quick, easy, magically powerful and all purpose solution.

 

The new SW RPG books use this principal more than KOTOR. Also, using force powers drain the user's vitality in these rules.

[EnderAndrew]

I agree. The Force can help. I can see that. I just don't care for KOTOR's insta-cure power.

 

If you want to make the game more difficult, take away the insta-transport back to the Ebon Hawk, and take away Force healing.

[ShinIchiro]

Not take away...severely limit. The hawk should have healing facilities, not magical healing.

[EnderAndrew]

Sounds like a good compromise.

[ShinIchiro]

Also, the healing facilities should not be cure-alls. They could cure some stuff, but maybe only healing 1/3 health. Healing powers might do better to work over time as regeneration instead of instant. Maybe it should work like JA, where you click heal and it regenerates (don't know the speed) until your force runs out.

 

Also, there should be some sort of penalty for porting back to the hawk over and over again. Maybe you can only teleport back to areas you have completely explored.

[nightcleaver]

On my P.C. version, I found Malak hilariously easy.

[Indalecio]

Hmm..how about this. Keep Force Healing in the game, but early in the game, have med-packs be more efficient at healing damage. At the same time, keep the med-packs somewhat rare. Later, should the player invest heavily in the healing Force Powers, than that maybe becomes better. The downside might be that he has few powers, or fewer strong powers.

[EnderAndrew]

The insta-transport does cut down on walking time. I don't mind that. I mind that it instantly heals you.

 

I played a Guardian with plenty of "loot" and gear. I found Malak quite easy. I just started replaying the game and beat Bendak Starkiller with a level two character very early in the game. When you know what feats to focus on, combat becomes a joke.

[ShinIchiro]

I still say only teleport to places where you have explored, but you can choose to teleport to anywhere on the same planet you have explored even if that's not where you were earlier.

[EnderAndrew]

The problem with that idea is scripting. There may be an event when you pass through an area, and by teleporting around, you screw up the game's scripts.

[ShinIchiro]

Then you have a no teleport option. If they built that option than they would make a way to accommodate it.

 

Example of my prefered teleportation (I'm eliminating the port where you want idea)

 

I am hurt or need to fix something out on the hawk. I teleport their out of Planet A's plains. 1/3 of my maximum health is restored. I teleport back. Instead of porting to the same spot I came from, I go to the nearest place where I have explored everything within 50 feet. That or the entrance to the area, whichever's closer.

 

 

Also, maybe all the monsters I killed earlier have come back while I was in the hawk. When I return I find all the normal monsters have come back to life. A disadvantage to porting back to the hawk. The monsters I got myself low on health on in the first place respawn after I tediously had killed them.