Fixing skills

[Shdy314]

I just read a preview in PC Gamer, which said that there would be more side quests that are only available if you have a certain skill. It also said that if you have a high treat injury skill this will affect the diolog when speaking to dotors/medics!!!

[Faqa]

A few things:

 

A) The DS for violence thing is not practical. Here's a better idea - just GIVE LS points for the stealthy way. If you've hacked in instead of going in with all guns blazing, you get LS points. If not, you stay on the grey scale, and are more suseptible to the Dark temptations(i.e - you need less DS points to fall).

 

 

B) Ranged weapons - arrgh, this is really a monkey wrench for the D&D system. We have two possibilities - drastically up distances or change the system. The former will NOT fit on a Crap- err... X-Box properly, so we need the latter, and here's what I propose - knockback.

 

When a blaster bolt hits you, you get knocked back, in accordance to it's power. You can then continue charging at the shooter, but if his gun is good enough, he'll just keep knocking you back. In balance of course - persisting SHOULD let you catch up. But if he's backing up, running, shooting and running back... well, then he SHOULD be hard to catch and kill. Similarly, shooting on the run should be penalized so only a good shooter could pull this off. You'd need to crunch numbers for this, but it allows shooters to be significant characters without making Morrowind-style maps. The main failing of shooters is that they're dead as soon as you get close, and getting close is FAR too easy. Therefore, knockback. This may require an action-points system to pull off, though it could work within the D&D constraints(say, you can end your 'turn' on a defensive stance or ready to run rather than by attacking). Hey, the masterminds of FO should know what I'm talking about!

 

*cherishes memories of Albert, the sharpshootin' diplomat with a .227 pistol, the Bloody Mess perk, a 95% accuracy rating on hitting anywhere and a definite attitude...*

 

C) Hacking - first off, DON'T just bring up a dialogue option of 'do this', 'do that' for spikes! Make it so you have to, say, hack into the Power Control, then turn stuff off individually, or see if the power conduits they're using are good for exploding(cheap plasma conduits are good, expensive dursteel is not, say). The droids, too, should have a panel for changing recognition of 'intruder type', or saying 'report to area X'(where they're out of your way....). A general shutdown is also an option.

HOWEVER, spikes should changed, somewhat. You need to skill-check your hacking rating. If it's high enough, you pass. If not, you don't, and if it's too low, you'll trip the alarm! Spikes should be used as a brute force option - they, in sufficient numbers, overwhelm the defenses(more powerful stuff protects more important functions), but too many spikes crosses the alarm threshold. So Ivan the Stupid, say, can maybe turn off the lights or grab a map with enough spikes, but he can't monkey around too much without raising the alarm, where a hacking specialist can elegantly avoid that. Really, hacking was far too simplistic in KOTOR 1.

 

D) Demolitions + Awareness - deadlier, stealthier mines. 'Nuff said.

 

My main points. Agree or disagree?

[Shdy314]

Damn talk about raising the dead. If I didn't know better I'd think I was shamelessly bumping this thing. But yeah I like your ideas. I think people forget though the lightsaber is obviously going to own any encounter with a single blaster wielding enemy. Can't be knocked back when they are deflecting the shot.

[EnderAndrew]

When playing KOTOR, I went with Soldier/Guardian because I didn't care for skill points. They seemed rather useless compared to feats.

[Shdy314]

When playing KOTOR, I went with Soldier/Guardian because I didn't care for skill points. They seemed rather useless compared to feats.

Unfortunately they were. Very dissapointing since I love playing scoundrels. Hence my starting this topic.

[EnderAndrew]

I don't know how limiting the engine is for rewritting skills, but using skill levels as a flag to open up sidequests, or alternate sidequest resolutions should be simple enough.

[Shdy314]

I don't know how limiting the engine is for rewritting skills, but using skill levels as a flag to open up sidequests, or alternate sidequest resolutions should be simple enough.

The engine isn't limiting at all in making skills useful. It was just poor design implementation. But the Devs have said they are working on fixing skills. And the little we've heard all seems to be the right steps to take.

[maia]

Well, IMHO removing bashing altogether will do a wonder for skill usefulness. As long as no silly circumvention items like "security spikes" are added. IIRC, I have seen somewhere that it would be possible to use demolition to open doors in KOTOR2. In most areas of the game, one can very easily swap party NPCs. It isn't like one has to backtrack or anything. So why not make some obstacles skill-critical? As long as at least two different skills would do to overcome them. I.e. both security and demolition can open doors. One can also add a computer control for good measure. Etc.

 

And even in the areas where NPCs can't be swapped, there is no reason why all party compositions should get all the loot. The choice between easier combat with Jedi/soldiers and better loot with Scoundrels/scouts is an obvious and interesting one.

[Darion]

then some jedi-only skills should be like Meditation( let's u control what u do with the force), Force Connection (let's u do strong force combined atacks with ur party members).