NearInfinity - Where are Heart of Fury changes defined?

iwdee_fmc_solo

I am in the process of writing a comprehensive guide for solo, no reload, from character creation, runs of Heart of Fury mode.

NearInfinity is an invaluable resource for this as it gives me accurate information on a monster's base attributes, but one thing I can't find is how HoF changes stats like AC and THAC0. Does anyone know where this data is stored?

I'd really like to know, because I'd rather not have to find it all by experiment. Thank you!

Yigor

AFAIK, these data are not stored, but directly modified by Infinity engine from normal data. 👈

iwdee_fmc_solo

I was afraid that was going to be the answer 😣

Yigor

IIRC, the formula for HP is

HoF HP = 3*HP + 80

while AC and THAC0 are lowered by 10 (‽). 😉

Yigor

Good luck with your project! 👍 Are U planning to cover only F/M/C ?

iwdee_fmc_solo

Those numbers sound right. I know the HP and XP changes, and I was studying the to-hit rolls in Easthaven last night and I pinned Goblins to have somewhere around -5 AC, just not sure if it's uniform. Is there an IE decomp somewhere where people have found the relevant code, or is it just experimentation?

My plan is actually to do a complete job, and discuss every class (+kits). Basically describe what this class needs to / can do to complete a solo Ironman HoF run starting from character creation, and how practical it is.

Some classes are wildly impractical. Obviously, everyone can in principle implement kiting, but in practice it's a different story. For example, who wants to watch / play a run that starts with hours of a Fighter running around the Orc Cave firing arrows into Orcs and Ogres? That's assuming you can even reliably get past the Wolves at the entrance, of course. In pursuit of answering questions like that, I'm writing a rudimentary combat simulator in Python.

For example, consider a strategy that takes a swing at the wolves, and then runs back to Easthaven for healing. It will only work so long as the character can afford the healing. It's important to have an understanding of what the expected outcome is. How many attacks will a Fighter need to kill these wolves? How many attacks do the wolves need to finish the Fighter off? How many Cure Light Wounds can the Fighter afford?

Even worse, who wants to watch a Fighter, or god forbid a Bard or Mage, spend hours running back and forth between Easthaven, and the Orc Cave all to get the opportunity for a 5 ~ 20% chance to hit a single unit out of the pack of three to over-a-dozen howling after you for less than a tenth of their HP? Granted, an arcane caster is going to be looking for space to squeeze off a Charm Person, and to dump all the aggro onto that target, but that's still a repetitive, and unfun run to watch, and play, for the majority of people.

Who wants to watch a cleric spend hours casting Sanctuary, Blade Barrier, and resting? The other aspect to the discussion that's going to shine through is a "lameness" factor to the run. No one wants to watch a Cleric beat the run this way, and who really wants to play that way beyond the early pioneers who did so as a proof that it could be done? It's reliable, but boring. What's a lot less lame is watching an F/M/C cast Black Blade of Disaster after Death Ward + Protections + Imp Haste + Stoneskin+ Mirror Image + Entropy Shield + Spell Immunity: Abjuration + Armor of Faith + Spell Shield + Draw Upon Holy Might, and then tear through the HoF hordes.

Yigor

Personally, I played a lot solo HoF from scratch and I can easily start with any kit.

Divine spellcasters have no problems at all, just summon some minions (after accumulating enough XP from quests). Arcane spellcasters can use Chromatic Orb (improving with levels). Thieves can put tons of traps (7 maximum in a zone), efficient but boring. Pure fighters should attract goblins and wolves 1 by 1.

Actually, you are not obliged to clear that Orc's cave. Just observe the caravan outside and report it to Hrothgar. Also, you can just go through the Kuldahar Pass and come back later.

Anyway, it's a good idea to write all that in detail and some players asked for it! 😎

Yigor

Here I described my start with a solo fighter in HoF mode:

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/88061/solo-hof-from-scratch-melee-fighter 👈

I'm planing to continue it. I have also a game with a solo Bounty Hunter (massive usage of traps). 😎

iwdee_fmc_solo

Thanks for letting me know about the Orc Cave! I actually didn't know that lol, I've just been summoning my way through it. Also playing with the extra quest XP because that's what the mode gives you

For pure fighter I like to first full clear Old Jed + Jhonen + Grisella + Apsel (using Composite Longbow to kite Wolf), then go pull Goblins. If you're a Barb, you can actually fight 1v3 outside of Snowdrift. Just run inside when you're low and use Rage to rest back to full. Here's a screenshot from a current run I'm doing showing that:



Stats for character in screenshot:
Grunselda Half-Orc Barbarian Level 6
19/18/19/10/10/18
Pips: 2 Flails / Morning-Stars, 2 Longbow 2 Two-Weapon Style
AC 0 THAC0 11

The Orc Cave option will definitely make the route different for the classes that can't. Classes that can full clear it, and the Pass, will go into Kuldahar with a lot more XP, and can probably head right to HoW (haven't done the math, but I'd be surprised if most of them couldn't) which will immensely accelerate their progression.

Classes that can't have to kite their way through Vale of Shadows, assuming they make it through the Goblin Pass.

Yigor

Hahaha such a brave Barbarian vs 3 HoF goblins! 😉

U inspired me to continue my pure melee fighter run:

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/88061/solo-hof-from-scratch-melee-fighter

It's a gnomish fighter of level 7 with high mastery in maces, currently in the Vale of Shadows (up to level 10). 👻

N.B. I play with reloads (I consider the whole no-reload idea counter-productive). 👈