SCS difficulty slider advice: improved vs tactical
MWO
Member Posts: 214
Hello
So I realize this might be alittle strange topic, but I wonder what difficult slider you usually go with when you're playing with the SCS mod.
I usually go with the "tactical" mode, but I've been thinking alot about going down one step to improved.
I really like the mod and I think it makes enemies A LOT smarter which is awsome. However, lately, I think that some battles becomes frustratingly hard with tactical, hardcore or insane settings. For example, Planetars (who are already superbad-ass-kicking-butt-summons) become Godlike with their ability to cast spells instantly (tactical setting). It's not realistic for me. Same goes for enemy fighters, e.g. every one seem to be able to either rage (as in berserker rage) or do the kensai ability etc.
So I wonder, what type of setting would be the most RPG wise to use? The only downside with "improved" settings for me seem to be the fact that enemy mages don't use invisibility purge abilities, e.g. if I hide away in the Mislead spell or so - this should make illusion spells superpowerful.
Thanks and have a great day in these troublesome times
So I realize this might be alittle strange topic, but I wonder what difficult slider you usually go with when you're playing with the SCS mod.
I usually go with the "tactical" mode, but I've been thinking alot about going down one step to improved.
I really like the mod and I think it makes enemies A LOT smarter which is awsome. However, lately, I think that some battles becomes frustratingly hard with tactical, hardcore or insane settings. For example, Planetars (who are already superbad-ass-kicking-butt-summons) become Godlike with their ability to cast spells instantly (tactical setting). It's not realistic for me. Same goes for enemy fighters, e.g. every one seem to be able to either rage (as in berserker rage) or do the kensai ability etc.
So I wonder, what type of setting would be the most RPG wise to use? The only downside with "improved" settings for me seem to be the fact that enemy mages don't use invisibility purge abilities, e.g. if I hide away in the Mislead spell or so - this should make illusion spells superpowerful.
Thanks and have a great day in these troublesome times
2
Comments
Some parts of Chapter 2, for instance, are ungodly hard with SCS. The Planar Prison is the most infamous example, but there are other more subtle areas, e.g. the rakshasas in the Trademeet quest. All of these quests were originally designed to be doable before going to Spellhold, but with SCS they become impossible without an incredible level of meta knowledge, using cheese or deferring until high levels. Again, this is fine if you're happy playing this way, as many are. I usually play with a relatively light install: I use smarter mages, vampires, fiends, dragons, etc., but I don't use tactical components like 'improved' Watcher's Keep. But even without tactical components I still run into areas that are just brutal. Even random encounters and ambushes can be out of balance. The Tactical setting amplifies this.
You can't blame SCS for this. The mod does just what it says it will: it gives enemies their actual abilities more or less according to PnP or actual D&D lore. The root of the problem, I believe, lies in the original design of the games, and particularly with BG2, where there are way more epic-level enemies. The devs populated the game with dragons, arch-mages, liches, rakshasas, beholders, mind flayers, demons etc. - enemies that mid-level characters would have no business facing in a PnP game. Why did they do this? Probably because these monsters are a lot more fun and exciting and probably had a lot of commercial appeal as well. To make them beatable by new players - and those of chapter-appropriate levels - the abilities of these monsters were diminished (this is how I understand it, anyway - please correct me if I'm wrong about this). Add to this, the original AI isn't very strong, either. As we all know, SCS merely fixes these deficiencies. So, IMHO, the question: does SCS make enemies too hard? can just as easily be re-framed as: should the original devs have populated the game (and the earlier chapters in particular) with such brutal foes? In my Trademeet quest example, for instance, it's fair to ask: should the devs populated the grove with rakshasas - enemies who are immune to below 8th level spells?
All this is to say that in my mind it's reasonable to question the difficulty of SCS in the context of doing an RP play-through, or any run in which you don't want to completely optimize tactics and builds. And that's the beauty of v32. The Improved setting allows for a relatively intelligent AI but takes tones it down enough that getting through certain areas is more conceivable at story levels. Mind flayers will fuck you right up on Tactical, but with Improved they aren't teleporting all over the place and seeing through your invisibility. It's hard (and in some cases still brutal), but it's a more manageable difficulty curve for a story play-though. The Improved setting helps preserve certain play-styles, too. Backstabbing, as an example, is more viable when mages and priests aren't constantly casting True Sight, and when they aren't wrapped in layers of buffs.
Anyway, these are my thoughts. I think playing with Improved is great for an RP or flavour run where you want the realistic immersiveness that only an intelligent AI can provide, but don't want to bang your head against the wall in the Unseeing Eye quest or the Planar Prison. If you do want pure challenge, crank it up! I hope everyone is well and staying safe.
SCS is designed to "play fair", but that doesn't necessarily mean RP appropriate. It definitely has some over the top scaling in places if you slide it all the way.
That being said, where you draw the line is subjective, because RP is subjective. The solution is probably to use the slider as a general base, and then fine-tune as needed based on what you think is most appropriate to your interpretation. That's what modding is all about in the first place: to give you the gameplay experience YOU prefer, rather than some one-size-fits-all solution.
So I'd start with the slider on a level you generally feel comfortable with, and whenever you encounter something you feel goes against your preference, you can use the fine-tuning tool to adjust it accordingly. If you're more ambitious, you can even go beyond the tool and use something like NearInfinity to manually adjust things further. Never let the "vision" of mods and mod makers stand in the way of personal customization
I personally don't put too much stock in "the original vision", and think it's a flawed approach in games where your personal game only affects you and not other people (obviously it's different when it comes to competitive/multiplayer games). I respect the creators, and their interpretation of the game and the rules - but I don't hold them to be sacrosanct, or inviolate, or even anything more than one particular facet in a whole nexus of possibilities. Customization above all things! If you disagree with D&D lore, Baldur's Gate's developers, or SCS's creators - that's totally fine, in my book. As is adhering to their ideas even more closely, of course. Any which way you choose! Emphasis on YOU choose.
SCS is nice because it's not too contrived, but it does take liberties and its boundaries are fluid when it comes to RP adherence. That's fine. What's important is to find your own boundaries, and define where you want to intersect or overlap them with others, and where you don't. Have no fear! Do not let your imagination be unduly fettered. I see only too often how people can be 'afraid' to transcend the boundaries of RP and lore and "design intent". There's nothing wrong with deciding to stay within the lines, as long as it's an actual decision, and not just a reaction to some sort of perceived transgression you don't want to commit. Nonsense. Play what you enjoy!
Wonderful display - I've decided to run with Improved settings as this makes the game more RP/story. I also don't wanna abuse the "cheese" in the game, so I suppose this will suffice. Also, the enemy still seem reasonably smart, not superdumb as without SCS install.
Have a great day now!
Unfortunately, it seems that you'll always get full hp on level up (or character creation). However, if you move the difficulty slider up to "tactical" this is removed (back to ad&d rules).
In the options tab you've a possibility to check "Full hp on level up" but it seems to be disabled with the latest SCS installment.
Anybody else experienced this?
I've not come across this. The general game options (such as full hp on level up) have always remained in place for me. But like Lord_Tansheron says, SCS v32 can be tweaked beyond the general difficulty slider. Here's a link to a post I made about this in the SCS thread.
Edit: v32 can also be further customized by using the console, using override files, and by editing the .ini file before installation. The SCS readme is your best friend here. Forgive me if you're already aware of this, but I thought I'd mention it.