Don't worry about balance, Sir Ravenblack... for every pro, there will be a con. There's another little thing coming down the pipe, oh let's just call it "antimagic." As well, I literally playetest the game every night. I can tell when the balance starts to swing one way or the other, and I make adjustments accordingly. Mainly what the game needs more of is *extremes*. So that is the main focus for the next big update. The purpose of having things like special enchantments and such is to help you manage these extremes... if you can.
Talk about new concepts: "pre-enchanted." I love this. Will have to think of some way of using the term in everyday life. Oh wait! I don't have an everyday life; this is it.
Nope, would have to be a wand of _psychological_ therapy. I'm a psychologist and we have some professional..um...issues.
Sir Ender's Legendary Log On this, the 3rd day since I learned NBC was cancelling Law & Order. Damn you, NBC! Damn you to hell! Entry I I spent a few moments in the vault to ponder my next moves, but then realized I didn't really have any practical means to determine what I should do next when I didn't know where anything was, really, so I just walked out -- and straight into an ogre. Fortunately he was relatively harmless and I was able to take care of him quickly. I am on the brink of levelling and that should help me deal just slightly better with the various fauna. Entry II Ran into a strong werebear. The encounter was ... unpleasant. Fortunately I was able to extricate myself from the proceedings and make it back to the temple. I shall have to find another route. Entry III I finished mapping out the first floor. Not much to see here. I found another chest, this one a locked steel sort, which contained a beacon spell that could come in handy. It also contained a sleep spell, but I was able to make it back to the temple before I passed out. While unconscious I had the strangest dream in which Roger Moore, Ian Ogilvie and Val Kilmer were all commenting on my astounding lack of suitability to play the next iteration of Simon Templar. I can't imagine why they'd say such a thing as it's patently ridiculous, but it doesn't really matter as Dougray Scott already got that part. Then they all merged into a single gestalt and started eating a whole chicken. And then I woke up. Now I want some chicken. What are the chances I'll run across a low-level chicken down here? Entry IV Before descending I wandered around a few possible areas for secret doors, but there were none. En route however I killed a couple more ogres, a lizardman, and a werebear, and leveled up. It was a tough run, but I'm feeling much better now - and not in that John Astin sort of way either. I'm going to see if there are any more creatures up here to defeat before descending -- it never hurts to make sure I've thoroughly experienced these early stage weasels before forging onward, wouldn't you say? Why am I asking you? You're not going to answer. I don't even know you. Entry V There are four sets of stairs leading down from this first level, and all four lead to a different section of floor 2. Splendid! That will leave me with much to explore before I need to descend again, and more to explore is more opportunity for swag. I think I will start with the emerald green section. Besides being rather pretty, I heard someone humming a Ke$ha song and I'd very much like to shut them up. Entry VI Oh for Bob's sake. The person humming the Ke$ha song was Ke$ha. Or a polymorph that took the shape of Ke$ha, which just goes to show the polymorph's utter lack of self-respect. Either way it's dead and good riddance. Nobody plays fluff pop in my dungeon. Entry VII There are a lot of rubble and gold piles down here. It's like this is the level underneath the dungeon's couch cushions, except I haven't found any stale Cheetos, old pens, or lint-covered peanuts yet. I did find a few random encounters, plus a nasty gargoyle. I also found a secret area that contained a single chest with a healing potion in it. Better than nothing I suppose, and can certainly come in handy. Entry VIII There are a curious number of wyverns down here, but precious little else. I'm going to explore a different section. Maybe there will be better stuff there. Entry IX I have found a sack. I am on my way to a sack barony. I also found an enchant weapon spell. Just try and stop me now! The blinding glow of my awesomeness will destroy you all! Or at least burn your retinas a little, and then if you try and look at me straight on you'll just see a dim spot, so you'll have to track me with your peripheral vision, at which point my SEP field will render me invisible to you. HA! I will be invincible! Entry X Except against trolls. Holy hell. Entry XI Last area of floor 2. This appears to be one of those castle type dungeons. I've found some nice swag -- another couple enchant spells, beacon, light, a healing potion, and some more pocket change. All things considered I think I'm doing fairly well so far. Except for a few skirmishes that simply refused to bend to my will, I have managed to overcome all adversity thus far. To say nothing of my ever-increasing awesomeness, of course, which modesty dictates I allow to speak for itself. But now it is time to spelunk further. We shall see how the third floor fares against my might.
Ravenblack, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Pretty sure Paul will work out the balance properly so that the player doesn't have undue advantages/power. At least he's done okay with this so far, dontcha think? Must be the hardest part of his job (other than listening to us rave on).
Thanks for the reassurance, Madgarden. The hints of what's coming is already stirring up impatient feelings, . Oh well, certainly an update worth waiting for. Edit: Aye, Doffie.
I figure the addition of enchantable armour, shields and helms would come at the cost of sightly less overall protection from any one item and possibly bolstering the creatures' damage potential and/or to-hit abilities. I'm sure Paul will work it out. I'm enjoying legendary mode so far -- not quite as beastly as I feared it might be, but then I'm also being extra cautious and not just barrelling down hallways and whacking everything I see. I find myself looking much more carefully for creatures and traps, and being extra sure that if I see one and want to attack it, I don't let it engage me lest I find myself unable to escape. It's a much more tactical experience so far. I have no doubt the difficulty is going to ramp up exponentially the deeper I go, so I'm making sure to hang around long enough to try and maintain some sort of edge. If that's even possible as I go deeper anyway. But so far so good. Sir Ender shall persevere.
Sir Ender's Legendary Log On this, the 9,159th day since the introduction of New Coke Entry I The first section of floor 3 has had little to write home about thus far, but it has further confirmed that this dungeon is chintzy on the swag. There was a closed chest with nothing in it. Nothing! I swear, this dungeon is trying to psych me out, getting me all hopeful for the good stuff and then letting me down with nothing but a breath of stale air. It's like voting conservative. Entry II Two! Two sacks! Ah ah ah! Entry III Into the second section of floor 3. I found a spiked shield in perfect condition, and it is coming in handy. There a lot of wolves here. Some of them are rather ... difficult. But as I have advanced to 5th level awesomeness, they still fall to my sword, those who don't impale themselves on my shield. Entry IV I stepped on a ceiling trap. It hurt. More importantly, it broke a potion in my backpack, though I'm not sure which. It gave off a puff of blue smoke though. Honestly, you'd think they'd make backpacks with a little padding, you know? Something to withstand a bunch of rocks falling on your head from a dozen feet up. Don't they test these things in a lab somewhere before they put them on the market? Although I suppose finding volunteers to have their head pounded with rocks might be difficult at best. Entry V Three! Three sacks! In your face, Jones! Entry VI I am done with 3. On to the 4th floor. Entry VII Ho. Lee. Chow. Not just cheap Chinese food, but also a nasty lizardman that waylaid me and proceeded to beat the cajones out of me. If I hadn't had a restoration potion I'd be dead right now. I shall have to be more careful. But I did defeat him, that's the important thing, isn't it? It's just further proof of my awesomeness, wouldn't you say? WHY AM I ASKING YOU? Entry VIII Timing. Just as my spiked shield was failing, I found a temple and got blessed. Wonderful. Even the Gods appreciate my awesomeness. And my gold. But mostly my awesomeness, I'm certain. Entry IX Sacktastic! Entry X Shadow dragon. Crap. Must make a tactical change in direction. Entry XI Struck at the dragon from afar using the wand of striking, and after I felt it was sufficiently tenderized I moved in for the killing blow. Sucka. Who's yo' daddy? WHO'S YO' DADDY?! That's right. I'm your daddy. Well, not in the literal sense, it isn't like I bumped uglies with a dragon at some point and you issued forth some months later, and damn you for even thinking that. But then you're dead, so screw you! The journey shall continue.
Methinks Sir Ender needs a few more ceiling rocks on the noggin... mayhap to rattle things back in to place.
Sir Ender resents that! He does not rattle. He is a smoothly operating, finely crafted Swiss timepiece, and he'll thank you for not making a sundial joke.
I think sir Ender caught that lower boulder and is going to throw it back up toward the ceiling for daring to fall on him.
Sir Ender's Legendary Log Supplemental Entry XII I have this unshakable, eerie feeling that I'm being spied on by some unknowable, unseeable entity. I think I will moon him. But first I have a boulder to scold.
Wow, he looks so awesome! Sorta a sh**- eating grin on his awesome face though, no? Got the name of his dentist?
Sir Ender's Legendary Log On this, the last damn time I trust a monkey to do anything right Entry I I slept in. Contrary to what you might have been told, a bed of corpses is actually pretty comfortable as long as you wait for rigor to break and get up before they start to smell. Except trolls and lizardmen, mind you. They're too bony, and they already smell. Entry II Goddamn lizardmen. I can't seem to catch a break with them, and they let off the most unholy stench. It's like they gorge themselves on nothing but teabagger propaganda. I've had to seek strategic concealment from one, but I am going back in to finish the stank beast off. Entry III Putrid, flatulent, shuffling piles of pustular assbaggery. I wish upon them all a slow and merciless death by enthusiastic horse buggery. Entry IV New section. Found a secret area already which contained an enchant weapon spell and some gold. Sweet. Entry V It is a spectacularly bad idea to pick a fight with a skilled warrior at this stage. Not that I was afraid of course, I merely recognize superior skill when I see and get knocked about the head with it. Plus, he had a fairly wicked-looking sword. It was long, sharp, and had a bunch of smaller swords branching out from the hilt, each of which had still smaller swords coming out of them, and the pommel was bust of Anne Ramsey. Or maybe it was Ramsey's actual head, I don't know (though I swear I heard it call, "Owen!"), but if you have a thing for her, you are not someone I want to be around just now. Entry VI I swear, the bartender watered down these healing potions. Cheap bastard. I am never doing his taxes again. Entry VII My shield is weakening significantly. I will have to redouble my efforts to scrape together enough awesomeness to appease the Gods that they may bless me with some restoration. And maybe a burger. God, I could murder some beef right now. Entry VIII Down another level. I seem to have entered a mausoleum. It's green and littered with ossuaries, as mausoleums are wont to be. But I know these places to be rife with locked metal chets harboring some lovely swag, so I shall explore this extensively. Entry IX Two such chests in the vicinity of the stairs makes for a handy smash 'n grab, especially when one of the chests was trapped with sleep. I scored another enchant weapon spell, a light spell, and those damn molasses halloween candies that are given out by the ton every year but nobody ever eats. Entry X Damn skeletons. Weak as hell but every time I dig in one of those ossuaries I lose all will to fight them. It's not fear -- IT'S NOT! -- I just ... you know. Don't wanna. I think I'll just go over there. Way over there.
Asking Again I believe I asked this before, but if there was an answer, I disremember it. What, if anything, does a hero gain if s/he is blessed at a temple but has no shield to be forged anew? I often avoid going to a temple if I do not have a shield and think I'm rich enough to be blessed. Hoping to find or steal a shield before the blessing occurs. Which is why I want to know.
You get full hit points and a pat on the back. If you have to shield, the blessing-bestowing deity just shrugs and says, "Meh, whatever, good health, long life, yadda yadda."
There is also a chance for an enchant weapon, I'm pretty sure that blessing isn't tied to having a shield equipped
Thanks, that's what I thought. Big freakin' deal. I shall continue with my same strategy then. Having won on Legend once, I'm no longer as cocky as I was when I was younger (last week, I mean). Managed to get blown away in 5 legendary games in a row. The more I play this stupid, wonderful, exasperating, thrilling game, the more certain I become that a shield is the most important item in the game, the major key to survival. Doffie, Shieldless in Storrs
