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the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

achtungnight posted:

I think Level 6 is too low a cap for some of the shenanigans this game gives a party. 9 for all classes would be my personal pick, especially considering you get Level 9 or higher bosses here and there.

You can sort of cheat the cap with multiclassing; level 6 characters are a bit on the low side but level 6/6/6 (spooky) is a bit better. The problem is that completely fucks you over in the long run because you'll be hitting racial caps in future games. You might make it through Azure Bonds with a few multiclasses but they're complete nonstarters further on.

Does Pools of Radiance let you dual class? That could give you an edge here without completely screwing your advancement at high levels. I'm not an experting on AD&D minmaxing, though.

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the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

ManxomeBromide posted:

Cool, thanks. I guess I don't have a good sense of the degree to which good armor in these games results in actually not getting hit very often.

Googling for AD&D stats it looks like wights have a THAC0 of 15, which sounds about right. That translates into a 30-40% chance to hit Chokes' dudes depending on AC variations. That's before buffs, too--prayer would shave off 5%, protection from evil another 10%.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

Truthkeeper posted:

Radiance definitely scales up encounter sizes based some arcane formula that probably involves characters' levels and stats, but I've never heard of any of the later games doing it.


'Any well played party' my rear end, I tried an all magic-user run once, it was a loving disaster.

EDIT: At least one internet rando claims that the formula is:

code:
internal static void CMD_PartyStrength() /* sub_272A9 */
        {
            ovr008.vm_LoadCmdSets(1);
            byte power_value = 0;

            foreach (Player player in gbl.TeamList)
            {
                int hit_points = player.hit_point_current;
                int armor_class = player.ac;
                int hit_bonus = player.hitBonus;

                int magic_power = player.SkillLevel(SkillType.MagicUser);
                int cleric_power = player.SkillLevel(SkillType.Cleric);

                if (armor_class > 60)
                {
                    armor_class -= 60;
                }
                else
                {
                    armor_class = 0;
                }

                if (hit_bonus > 39)
                {
                    hit_bonus -= 39;
                }
                else
                {
                    hit_bonus = 0;
                }

                power_value += (byte)(((cleric_power * 4) + hit_points + (armor_class * 5) + (hit_bonus * 5) + (magic_power * 8)) / 10);
            }

            ushort loc = gbl.cmd_opps[1].Word;
            ovr008.vm_SetMemoryValue(power_value, loc);
        }
This still leaves a lot of unanswered questions but is also the most information on this subject I've ever seen.

I am amused but not particularly surprised that the game seems to track AC and THAC0 internally as basic positive modifiers (and also apparently on a much larger scale??)

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe
Is Curse really that bad? I remember it having some rough patches mid-lategame but I thought it was OK up until then. It's been... a while, though.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

PurpleXVI posted:

So what happens if you just choose to go to sleep? Everyone dies?

Hahah, wait, 1E Rangers got mage spells rather than druid spells?

Both, actually!

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

Truthkeeper posted:

It's kinda weird that the game placed him here since, as you stated, he shows up in the endgame, only appearing there in the module.

Probably just a reused asset. I'd be surprised if there aren't more cases where Gold Box engine games use a specific named monster as a stand-in for a generic one.

I'm amused by the implication that the whole diplomatic reception and fancy dinner was actually on the level until the commandant read the fine print and realized he was supposed to kill you.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

Tylana posted:

Yeah, Ultima 3 was faintly fair.

:lol:

Outside of Wiz IV I would take any Wizardry over U3.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

Chokes McGee posted:

I'm pretty sure it's the opposite: Gold Box is coded so poorly wearing elfin chain mail still blocks you from casting spells lmao

It won't matter much, I think this is the only elfin chain mail across the first three games and we'll see Bracers that are equal to or better than this.

I distinctly remember rolling around Pools of Radiance with multiclassed Fighter/Mages casting in plate mail with no problems. Not sure if dual classing works any differently.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

Morand posted:

While I am sad the LP is ending because I enjoyed it, if you aren't also having fun what's the loving point. Thanks for the cool content though!

It's done an excellent job covering the worthwhile half of the series. No sense in sacrificing Chokes' sanity on the altar of completionism for the sake of a couple more boring slogs.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe
Yeah, there are a range of options for fighting a small handful of dangerous enemies (including Fireball) but for clearing out chaff it's basically Fireball or bust. At higher levels Icestorm and Cone of Cold do in a pinch but it takes longer to get there and once you do you've got fewer slots at those levels competing with more powerful spells.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe
Huh. I'm surprised Squenix is only charging $20 for literal Game Boy ports. That's positively restrained pricing by their standards.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

Randalor posted:

I started reading that and... my god, the first few updates are just a meat grinder. Is the gsme actually that bad, or is it just because of a self imposed challenge that its such a grinder at the start?

It actually is that bad. There are lots of encounters around town that will wreck a starting party, and advancement is very slow.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

JustJeff88 posted:

What was wrong with Final Fantasy 1 on the NES? My personal favourite is Dragon Warrior 3, but FF1 seemed very sensible for the era. It was buggy as gently caress, but it wasn't a miserable meat grinder like the original Bard's Tale trilogy.

I feel compelled here to point out again that there is a remake of the BT trilogy that is prettier and much less punitive than the original.

FF1 had plenty of random instadeath bullshit with very limited on-the-fly resurrections.

Still, at least it did have some kind of difficulty curve that wasn't completely vertical, so it doesn't really belong in the same company as Bard's Tale.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

Chuu posted:

Did they tone it down for the GBA version? I don't remember FF1 being that unforgiving.

GBA version was massively toned down, IIRC they redid the mechanics from the ground up. There were some sort of classic/hardcore options available to turn some/all of them back to the original NES version though.

Some sections were more unforgiving than others. The first half of the game started out smoothly and steadily increased difficulty up to the Ice Cave which was murder hell no matter what you did, then the game got a lot easier once your options opened up and was pretty smooth sailing up until the final dungeon where the bullshit ramps up again.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

DGM_2 posted:

I wonder if the nomads and barbarians got accidentally switched around in the encounter tables? Even in the days when CRPG design was uncharted territory you'd think tabletop experience would have told the developers to not do that kind of thing on purpose.

Where do you think they learned it from? This was well within the Gygax era of D&D.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

Chokes McGee posted:

I once received someone else's hate mail as CSPAM IK

That could be anybody!

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

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Fun Shoe

FeyerbrandX posted:

Wait, in this game, this creation of the 80s... we're actively not saving the rec center?

Silver Blades was released in 1990, it is too cynical for that now.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

JustJeff88 posted:

I'm considered high risk both by health and profession, but why is Canada lagging?

I'm personally surprised that vaccines in the US don't cost $500 a shot. It would be fitting for the country.

Yeah, I was under the impression that Canada was going for a "shots in arms now" approach over worrying about a strict order. Or is that just province by province?

Over here there definitely does seem to be a trend towards conservative states trying to keep everything locked up. Our turbo-Republican governor wanted to slow walk everything by descending age all the way down and threw a full on hissy fit when the feds gave pharmacies the green light to just vaccinate whoever.

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the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe
IIRC Haste actually bumps up your age after it ends, if you go through enough Haste spells you could wind up old.

I think maybe ghosts having a magical aging effect? Not sure Gold Box implements it even if so.

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