Item Randomizer, HardCore games and other configuration features.
kamuizin
Member Posts: 3,704
1° - A thing that i kinda of miss in BG would be an random item mod, if BG EE could make a random item option in the character creation (where we should select or not the option to have all BG non essencial items ramdomized), that would be truly awersome. The replayability would raise certainly 100%.
BG II need a item randomizer much more than BG, but i would like this feature to be implemented in BG also.
2° - Another thing that i see a lot, is that in reason of old engine limitations, are some roleplayed HardCore games, where if you die you just start from the begin.
What i would like to be implemented, is a HardCore option in character creation also, as item randomizer, you would need to mark the option before you start the game. I suggest the Hardcore to work as a no save game, the engine should disable the quicksave, manual save and the auto save. An save and exit option should implemented, where you can only save to leave the game (as people must eat, work, sleep...), and this save should be deleted in the moment you load it.
Ps: if this option is added, (or even if not), the limited Wishand (with a huge penality) and the Wish spells should become able to ressurrect blasted dead NPCs (with a proper penality as -1 to con, or -2 permanent max HP lost...etc...).
3° - ???... my dear forum member, bring your configuration suggestion inside the presented theme and we can discuss it
! I intent to work a large issue than the starting in the first post, i gave 2 species of a gender, feature configurations, let's see if we can discuss more than those 2.
My actual base reasons to want those features:
They're pretty common roleplay methods that are used due to the engine lack of options, if people do not agree with me (what is their right) as a reply i have to say that if i had to roleplay everything, i would read a book or play pen and paper rather than play a plataform game.
Also, if i'm paying for an enhanced edition, why should i have to be happy with an eventual, possible, future mod? Why we are paying for the enhancement of this game after all?
BG II need a item randomizer much more than BG, but i would like this feature to be implemented in BG also.
2° - Another thing that i see a lot, is that in reason of old engine limitations, are some roleplayed HardCore games, where if you die you just start from the begin.
What i would like to be implemented, is a HardCore option in character creation also, as item randomizer, you would need to mark the option before you start the game. I suggest the Hardcore to work as a no save game, the engine should disable the quicksave, manual save and the auto save. An save and exit option should implemented, where you can only save to leave the game (as people must eat, work, sleep...), and this save should be deleted in the moment you load it.
Ps: if this option is added, (or even if not), the limited Wishand (with a huge penality) and the Wish spells should become able to ressurrect blasted dead NPCs (with a proper penality as -1 to con, or -2 permanent max HP lost...etc...).
3° - ???... my dear forum member, bring your configuration suggestion inside the presented theme and we can discuss it
! I intent to work a large issue than the starting in the first post, i gave 2 species of a gender, feature configurations, let's see if we can discuss more than those 2.My actual base reasons to want those features:
They're pretty common roleplay methods that are used due to the engine lack of options, if people do not agree with me (what is their right) as a reply i have to say that if i had to roleplay everything, i would read a book or play pen and paper rather than play a plataform game.
Also, if i'm paying for an enhanced edition, why should i have to be happy with an eventual, possible, future mod? Why we are paying for the enhancement of this game after all?
2
Comments
My ideal would be a "hard" mode that implements aspects of SCS (smarter mages, no prebuffs, BG1 spells only) and an "insane" mode that has more monster variety, plus more SCS (smarter mages, prebuffs, BG1 & 2 spells).
Item randomization is great, but it can be wonky. Having shadow armor or the heavy crossbow of accuracy drop off low level oppoonents like Silke is kinda silly.
About the item randomizer, well exactly for that i wish it to be made by Team BG and not a modder, as an enhancement rather than a mod, balance and bugs will be much more observed and avoided. Those features to become truly optional would need an on/off option in character creation also, otherwise everytime we want to play the game random/normal or hardcore/normal we will have to install/unninstal the mods, what kill the point of BG EE. Exactly my thought @ginger_hammer, with so much block in the feature content inside the game, we should at least look for the oportunities of enforce and enhance the configuration content that has no lock to be worked.
Diablo is a gear progression game. BG isn't. Huge difference. If you don't understand the difference between an RPG and a gear progression game, you may want to shy from making these kind of suggestions.
BG1 is balanced around getting certain pieces of gear at set times. The game also uses shops and high prices to effectively gate how much good gear you can get and when. This is also why high powered items (eg: Gauntlets of Ogre Strength) are only available in the city of Baldur's Gate and not, say, Nashkel.
An item randomizer throws that balance off a bit. It can allow you to get powerful items very early (eg: Shadow Armor), or conversely keep you from getting key items that make the game smoother (eg: Girdle of Piercing, Gauntlets of Dexterity).
Given that the results of each play through are, well, random, this can shift the difficulty one way or the other for many, many hours. And yes, that can be fun, but I think it also drifts away from the spirit of the original game.
For experienced players, it can also feel a bit wonky, as I said -- Garrick sporting the heavy crossbow of accuracy and a 12 thac0 at level 2 is pretty stupid.
The game can be anything but item balanced, you get gaunlets of dexterity pretty soon in the game, the best long sword of the game (Varscona) is avaliable before naskhel mines, you can get the best warhammer in the game before even reach Naskhel mines (war hammer+2) with the mad priest basiluss, and you find yet in the same place where Basiluss is a short sword +2.
By the way do you know that you can get an ankheg armor in the middle of the ground on the farm at the left of naskhel city? Yes, the armor is in the ground just waiting to you for pick it. So do not tell me that this is an item balance cos it isn't.
An item randomizer made by a modder can upset more the fragility of item balance in Baldur's Gate, for that reason that i ask for it to be done as an enhancement rather than a mod, but you could just read my first post to know this fact, did you know?
By the way, it isn't mandatory, it is just an option. You can play with item randomizer or not, it's a choice.
In the end @Brude, i have nothing against people that disagree with me, but you can do it in a nice way, attempt to embarass me to not post my suggestions is utterly unnecessary.
Edit: by the way did i told you of the ring of protection+1 that you find in the 2° map at the begin of the game, or the ring of wizardry that you get before you even enter the friendly inn?
You could divide items into different categories and then only randomize the categories.
categories could be the capters or the level of the areas (merge all lower area items into pool and randomize them) as example.