Intergrate Hard Times mod as a optional enhancement

William_Imm

The mod link is here.

You know, it's kinda silly that, while the Sword Coast was in a iron crisis, you feel like it's not. Sure, it gets tossed around a lot, but you can still get metal items as cheap as ever. You could even get powerful magic items for nothing thanks to BG2's tab key highlighting. It breaks the atmosphere. That's why I suggest integrating Hard Times mod as a optional enhancement - while it makes the game harder, it really fixes the atmosphere of the game, and that's why I recommend it.

Ward

The only thing I don't like about this mod is that it removes magical items. I don't see how the troubles with iron will affect the appearence of easter eggs, people are going to go looking for them especially?

No I think that component should be taken out. But aside from that Hard Times is a solid mod. What needs to be done is gear needs to be expensive, shopkeepers need to discuss the iron crisis and how it damages their business more and armour needs to break. Among other things too.

@William_Imm

Can you tell me if Hard Times also makes various armour break, or is that another mod I'm thinking of?

Mornmagor

So, it will be much more expensive to get weapons and armor, and they're gonna break often?

If it's optional, fine, i guess you can give yourself a hard mode.

Flauschig

This is intended to slow your party's accumulation of wealth such that you too feel the pain of what is happening in the area, to some degree.

This mod is about pain (or feeling pain). Thus don't think this should be a priority, as one should to try to bring positive changes, like better UI or good pathfinding.

Ward

@Mornmagor

Bro you're a genius.

That's a good idea. Raise the game's difficulty, increase shop prices, increase the chance of breakings. They can do that without it being optional, but just a consequence of higher levels.

William_Imm

@Ward

No, BGT Tweaks has a optional component that makes armor and shields break.

And no, this does not affect the rate of item breakage. It is the same. To explain this mod more:

This mod's main goal is to make the player actually feel the effect of the Iron Crisis. To do this, the mod raises the prices of items and inn rates to correspond to the economic pinch, and adjusts the raises based on the place (eg: the Candlekeep in is one of the cheaper inns, while Feldepost''s charges exorbitant prices). The mod also removes or greatly reduces magic items in most stores, except in the stores specifically themed around magic, and Feldepost's (which deals in some magic items).

Also, many of the magical or exceptional items are replaced with less valuable items in order to slow down wealth gain, and magic items are moved to big loot drops, and are not just lying around. This does make the game harder, but it should be included as a optional option for BGEE for those who want a slightly tougher or more atmosperic game.

@Flauschig

This does not affect the difficulty of the game very greatly, only so that the Iron Crisis is not just a side thing - it actually affects the player. So that's why I mentioned it.

Also, on a related note - I would like to see someone implement what the mod other originally wanted to do - have store costs ease the further the player fixes the economic tension in the area. That's what I really would like to see.

scriver

I would love to have this sort of atmospheric enhancement. If it was an option separate from the other difficulty settings, even better.

cmorgan

To clarify, BG regular content (and BGT, and Tutu/EasyTutu) all have weapon and armor breakage chance for non-magical armors. there are some tweaks out there to stop that chance of breakage on Tutu.

Tanthalas

@cmorgan

Are you sure that vanilla BG had armor breakage too? I really thought that was only implemented with mods.

cmorgan

I am pretty darned sure, but I will go back and recheck... hold on...

cmorgan

@Tanthalas - yes, multiple confirmations. BGT by default extends the breakage past weapons, and BG2 Tweaks does the same:

reference - http://www.gibberlings3.net/bg2tweaks/content.php
[quote]
Breakable Nonmagical Armor, Helms, and Shields
Tutu Only
The iron crisis in the Sword Coast means that nonmagical iron weapons can break when used in combat. This component will extend the same vulnerability to nonmagical iron armor, helmets, and shields to close an oversight by the game.

This tweak is not available for Baldur's Gate Trilogy as it contains this functionality by default.
[/quote]

lansounet

What @Tanthalas was asking was about BG1 ToTSC vanilla, which didn't include > armor < breakage, only weapons. Armor breakage only comes from mods~

cmorgan

heh - I got it backwards Yep. What you said/He said. Armor/Shields/Helms is only modded in. weapons always broke.