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Reducing rest frequency

baron_pampabaron_pampa Member Posts: 9
What are your ideas for reducing the number of rests per game?
Generally speaking, I find it very uncomfortable to see all those days on the counter. In my current playthrough(third, and first one finished) I've managed to end the game without expansions in ~60 days. It's certainly not the best I can get. What are your scores in that aspect?
Things I've found helpful...or haven't done for some reasons, but which would be helpful.
-Have a bard. As replenishing hitpoints is a major reason for resting, his 11-th level song is just impossible to replace.
-Before you get the song, spend a plenty of spell slots on healing spells. I think that having more than one divine casters would also be helpful.
-Scout! Preparing your party accordingly to the dangers that lie ahead is crucial. It's just sad when you have to rest because you have mostly ice spells before an area with only ice-resistant monsters.
-The more warriors you have, the easier it gets.
-Use your spells to the last one. If you can't find an use for one of them, than it means you have prepared yourself poorly.
-In the final area, I've discovered that I've amassed quite a fortune: Several hundreds of magic arrows of different kinds, few dozens of different potions, including many powerful(10 potions of heroism?!), many charged items. If I had used them earlier, it would definetly reduce the rest rate.
-For obvious reasons, haste is to be used with special caution, preferably only in difficult battles and as the last spell before resting.
-For reasons listed above, I guess that an ideal party would consist of a bard, 2 diviners(multi-class, I guess) and three warriors of some kind. Personally, I wouldn't like it to be too powergamy, so using single-class characters without minmaxing sense like a sensible limitation.
I guess there is a lot more. Anyone cares to share his thoughts and records: )?

P.S. I think I'll try a rest-minimal playthrough in the future.
sarevok57JuliusBorisov

Comments

  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    Instead of tactical resting, I challenge myself with "realistic rest" conditions. I don't know if it is feasible for IWD, but here's my definition for Baldur's Gate.


    No resting in "active dungeons", which are defined as those with an active and organised defence, which would likely respond decisively if you really set up camp to rest for 8 hours. These include Cloakwood Mines, Sendai's Enclave, Iron Throne HQ etc... but not Durlag's Tower and Watcher's Keep. Basically characters should think about resource management and properly preparing before attempting to storm a significant enemy stronghold.


    Apart from the above, I don't minimize rest for the sake of it. For example it is midnight, my party is not tired and have all their spells available, but I will just rest instead of setting off on another adventure so that they can set off fresh in the morning, because... well even heroes deserve a little time to relax occasionally and the road can be dangerous at night!

    As for tactics for coping with less rest... non-spell casters are obviously less effected, and I really try to conserve spells for easier battles. In addition stock up on plenty of wands, potions and scrolls... I used to hoard them like a jealous dragon until the endgame. Might as well use them cos a real adventurer wouldn't risk his life for "possibly needing this for the final boss".
    BelgarathMTHRedrakeJuliusBorisov
  • ameliabogginsameliaboggins Member Posts: 287
    edited December 2014
    I avoid resting, because the gfx with the 2 mice is bugged on my computer and all jerky.(very irritating)

    my combat strategy revolves around range attack and regen. 70% of my kills are from my archer.

    Try to tank with summoned mobs where i can. This get alot easier after you can summon elementals,

    REgen potions, items and songs for healing as much as i can. REally miss my ring of gaxx !!

    clickies are invaluable, but tend to be in finite supply. Very few wands drop :( think ive only looted 2 or 3?

    ALso my main dps melee char uses blood iron and carries malavons regen ring, which cuts down on heals pots clicked by about 50%.
  • WowoWowo Member Posts: 2,064
    A pure class cleric to provide animate dead should reduce the need to rest significantly. Maybe a totemic druid as the second divine caster for even more summons and the excellent call woodland being (for healing).

    Have everyone or almost everyone with a ranged weapon. Only let high AC characters into melee range. Invisibility to manage targeting of your squishies or to just bypass entire fights.
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    in the one playthrough I have, I was at 640 days the time I got to the last boss ( didn't have a cleric on my team until way into dragon's eye, had to gain 7 levels of fighter first :) )
    JuliusBorisov
  • ProteusProteus Member Posts: 40
    I just finished the regular game in 53 days with a 4 man party. Didn't have to skip a single fight. Like people have mentioned already, have no more than 2 front liners and the rest ranged. Have your cleric fill all the Level 1 and 2 slots with heals all the time. Scout ahead to have an idea of what you'll be facing before you rest, or read up a guide so you can prepare spells accordingly. You can also play guerrilla with your thief - hide, run off alone to singled out enemies, sneak attack, run back towards your party while firing a ranged weapon, repeat.
  • ameliabogginsameliaboggins Member Posts: 287
    edited December 2014
    yeah soften them up first.....

    `You can also play guerrilla with your thief - hide, run off alone to singled out enemies, sneak attack, run back towards your party while firing a ranged weapon, repeat.`

    either archer or fighter/thief....fighter/mage*, are good pullers, due to hide in shadows or invis

    IF there are multiple or tough mobs up ahead, then summon somemobs mid way between the pull target and the party; assumin you have a mage/thief or a summon item. YOu can then fire at will as the target comes in toward your party. A strong mob will take out the summoned beings fairly fast, but you can knock 20/30% off it by the time it hits your tanks. As your SB get low on hps you can send in aoe attcks from your casters.....OR if you want to be viscious, you can use tactical aoe spells, like web grease etc. Which will hold the mob at distance from your party and you can rain the dps on it.

    Teleport field is a fun spell for this, it helps keep a grp of mobs out of reach, so you can throw stuff at them from distance. Throw a wyvern/cacodemon in there for added fun :)



    *f/m/thief has all the tricks )

    JuliusBorisov
  • RedrakeRedrake Member Posts: 426
    I only rest in inns. A rule I had for a long time. I also drink in taverns. Before resting in inns. Dwarves drink three times as much as any other party member.
    rufus_hobarthansolojackjack
  • MrGoodkatMrGoodkat Member Posts: 167
    edited December 2014
    Resting.... the bane of my existence. Never know how to deal with it properly since the game places no limitation on it.

    On the one hand I like the challenge of resting as little as possible and using every spell at my disposal. On the other hand it's pretty "unrealistic" to march for 3 days straight, fight hordes of monsters and then rest for only 8 hours.

    If you look at it from a role-playing perspective it would even be adequate to rest for several days after a tough fight to recuperate and replenish your strength.

    And yet I always feel bad when I rest more than absolutely necessary as if I'm somehow abusing a flawed game mechanic.
    JuliusBorisovhansolo
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    My number of rests per game depends on many factors.

    If I go a no-reload run with the SCS mod, I think that in order to complete it my party should always be ready for everything. Moreover, the SCS battles force me to constantly use everything I have to overcome enemies so very often after each major fights my characters have nearly no available spells and abilities. In this case, I rest frequently and don't think it's wrong.

    If I go a solo run + no-reload + the SCS, then the number of rests is even higher.

    If I play a game with the focus on the RP or just a normal leisure run, I try to rest only when half of my party is tired. It forces me to use all available tactics, all last tricks and items and I like it too.



    Also, as my runs are often very long ones, it takes probably 100 minimum of my own rests per game.
  • ZyzzogetonZyzzogeton Member Posts: 526
    If your only goal is minimal resting. Ranged weapons are the way to go.

    Enemy AI is pretty stupid, they'll chase whatever it is they've targetted (so long as you don't block them as that'll will usually make them switch targets)

    Just load up one heavily armored character with as much protections as you can (or the appropriate protections, requires you to know what spells an enemy spellcaster will use though, summons can also do this since enemy spellcasters are just as stupid), have it run around to reduce the number of times they get hit while the rest of your team shoots enemies.
  • the_spyderthe_spyder Member Posts: 5,018
    MrGoodkat said:


    On the one hand I like the challenge of resting as little as possible and using every spell at my disposal. On the other hand it's pretty "unrealistic" to march for 3 days straight, fight hordes of monsters and then rest for only 8 hours.

    This has always bothered me about these games. If it takes more than 12 hours to get somewhere, the game should automatically assume resting every 12 hours. If they need to (slightly) increase random encounters, so be it, but it makes no RP sense to march 3 days straight. This shouldn't guarantee that your party is fully rested and bright eyed and bushy tailed upon hitting any map, but at least they don't have 3 day march fatigue upon hitting the map.

    I'd think it would be pretty easy to program (without knowing the architecture and what is hard coded or not), but a simple increase of 8 hours every 12 (and commensurate increase in random encounter checks) and then resetting spells/abilities upon entering a new area seems pretty easy to this layman.
    HeindrichMrGoodkat
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    @the_spyder‌
    I agree, but I deal with this by always travelling one zone at a time, and resting somewhere along the way if necessary. For example if I wanted to travel from the Cloud Peak Mountains (southeast of Nashkel) to Baldur's Gate, I will travel one zone at a time, and probably rest in Beregost and the Friendly Arm Inn. It's a bit tedious, but feels much more realistic that way.
    the_spyder
  • MrGoodkatMrGoodkat Member Posts: 167
    @the_spyder: Yes, something like auto-resting under certain conditions would be a nice feature.
    the_spyder
  • WowoWowo Member Posts: 2,064
    I'd just prefer to think that it's a forced march so if it takes three days then the party hasn't walked three days non stop but has rather had minimal breaks just to keep enough energy to keep moving and so arrives at the destination in minimal time but understandably fatigued.

    I'd argue that it's less realistic to stop off in beregost or at another nice inn just for a soft bed when the fate of the sword coast is at stake, so to speak.
  • the_spyderthe_spyder Member Posts: 5,018
    @Wowo - yes, certainly there are any number of ways to handle the "problem" via role playing or game play style. I was merely expressing a desired "Perfect state". I don't expect that it would take priority over other enhancements. It would merely be a nice to have.
  • WowoWowo Member Posts: 2,064

    @Wowo - yes, certainly there are any number of ways to handle the "problem" via role playing or game play style. I was merely expressing a desired "Perfect state". I don't expect that it would take priority over other enhancements. It would merely be a nice to have.

    I think the "problem" that you're referring to is the rest mechanic in general but that can of worms is certainly too big to handle and band aids here or there aren't going to have a net positive outcome.
    baron_pampa
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