[v278] Combat mechanics issue(s)

[mutonizer]

Ok..

I have no idea how to report this because it encompasses multiple major issues, some bugs but also some design concept flaws. I'll just post, try to explain, list what I think are issues and hopefully the video will help.

 

First, the setup:

- Playing on Hard

- Been playing for a while with this save, cleaning up beetles and whatnot, just now coming back to solve this quest.

- Killed the lady and her gang in the tavern

- Talked then attacked the group at the bridge

- Killed the rest of the team (took ages because of their insane DT and me trying to focus on their main healer, which was just un-hittable)

- I was then left with just the healer guy, couple spells left, which I used...to no effect (DT was just crazy, others were just misses)

 

Second, the video:

I tried to edit it a bit but not really my forte..should however demonstrate what just happened and immediately, problems will jump out.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe7gNBePfiM

 

Edit: no idea why it's linking and not embedding...

 

Third, the problems:

• With the current game mechanic, it is possible in theory to reach a completely invulnerable state if you get your DEF/FORT/REF/WILL defenses high enough. In usual IE games, you could "hope" for a natural 20 to at least land SOMETHING, even if very rarely.
• You cannot run or escape or do anything while in combat mode. This meant I HAD to kill that guy or be forced to reload and yet I had NO WAY to ever kill him. If you have an ironman mode in the game, this cannot, EVER, be allowed to happen, ever..(ever, ever, ever, ever).
• No idea how he reached that high DEF (or how my own char reached that high DEF). At first, I thought it was because of buffs but this fight lasted for a good long while and I only part of it. Even if this was a bug, the fact of the matter is: the mechanic is still there, therefore, it can happen. I mean, we're not talking about crazy numbers there. The DEF was 165 or something and my fighter unbuffed DEF at level 5 is 100 something.
• The DTs on that guy (and everyone from that group really) were crazy...
• Even thought everyone was missing constantly, you can see the enemy being "interrupted" quite often (look for a "hit" animation, you'll see his timer reset). Misses should not be causing interrupts in my opinion.
• The guy died....I have no idea why. The log clearly shows that no damage was dealt whatsoever at any point. Needs fixing...

 

Edit:

A possible solution would be to include a mechanic where any roll above 90 on the to hit d100 die is at least a graze/hit or something. That said, there are many, many issues in that example and not all because of just easy to fix bugs and game mechanics bandages...

 

 

 

There you go, take it as you will, but even looking past the obvious bugs, there is something problematic at the core of it...

Edited September 5, 2014 by mutonizer

[Sensuki]

Humanoid enemies have a bug atm where their defenses skyrocket, not sure why.

 

Also happens to party members too

Edited September 5, 2014 by Sensuki

[IndiraLightfoot]

Aha! This must have been what happened to me in that 20-min fight I had with a couple of guards (the cultist went down fast enough), but those two, as well as my two fighters in the front, just kept slapping each other, and nothing happened, no damage, or rather, so little, that it took ages and ages for anything to change. It got so bad that I opted to break out of combat in the midst of it, and that resulted in more bugs, even weirder, this time.

[mutonizer]

Humanoid enemies have a bug atm where their defenses skyrocket, not sure why.

 

Also happens to party members too

 

Sure and it'll most likely be fixed.

What concerns me however, as I pointed out, are the implications of that game mechanic which potentially allows prolonged complete invulnerability states. Should never happen.

[IndiraLightfoot]

 

Humanoid enemies have a bug atm where their defenses skyrocket, not sure why.

 

Also happens to party members too

 

Sure and it'll most likely be fixed.

What concerns me however, as I pointed out, are the implications of that game mechanic which potentially allows prolonged complete invulnerability states. Should never happen.

 

 

Agreed! Also, fun fact: As someone that played NWN2 to bits, I can tell you that certain cleric/fighter builds going up against a few enemies at epic levels, like 20+, could actually end up smacking each other for 10 minutes or more, and it all felt hopeless. Those were extreme cases, though.