Hi, new here, compelling game !
| Author | Topic: Hi, new here, compelling game ! |
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Apprentice
Member # 5557
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written Monday, February 28 2005 01:20
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Hi all, I don't know if it's common usage to introduce oneself here with a thread, but I don't think it could really be taken wrong ;) So I'm an old (40.. *cough*) RPGer who played AD&D in the early 80s, then went to computer games and played a host of RPG since. These last years I've been quite disappointed by the "mainstream commercial" games, at least since Baldur's Gate 2. Morrowind was beautiful but let me a feeling of "senselessness"... So well, I've found BoA by chance and d/led the demo : for once I really felt again the "dungeon adventures" feelings I had when playing those old "gold box" SSI D&D games ! The game system is quite neat, and the "Valley" demo dungeon cool and quite lengthy; I'm in since 8-10 hrs, with a now level 7-8 party, and I'm still trying to free the dragon. I'll buy the game as soon as I can find time to divert rather than playing (hint to the game designer : you could make a shorter demo to get faster sales :) . As for questions, I've had a read at the scenario descriptions and rankings, but could someone guide me through the various "beginner" scenarios ? Which ones are the best to do after the Valley ? -------------------- Posts: 18 | Registered: Monday, February 28 2005 08:00 |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Monday, February 28 2005 02:00
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Hey there. It's always nice to see a new member here. It's usually a good idea to keep a number of different saved parties at different levels so that you'll have an appropriate party for any scenario. Either that, or keep a beginner party and use Kelandon's very useful High Level Party Maker to raise it to appropriate levels. Anyway, A Small Rebellion is a good scenario to go into with a party that's just finished VoDT. Cave of No Return and Babysitting are appropriate for beginner (level 1) parties; both (especially Babysitting) are quite short, but entertaining enough. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 565
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written Monday, February 28 2005 02:02
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welcome, your never too old for this game :) i suggest that you try babysitting if you want a reasonably easy game and maybe roses of reconing -------------------- If there is no light at the end of the tunnel, stride down there and turn the damm thing on yourself! people often tell me i've lost my mind, but i tell them i have to have one to lose it! lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Posts: 289 | Registered: Monday, January 28 2002 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 5557
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written Monday, February 28 2005 02:28
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Thks guys. As for low-level scenarios I've seen one with a very high rating : "Perfect forest". Do I need to play it with a new party or will my 10-th or so level party from Valley be Ok ? And now for some game mechanisms questions : Is there really no way to see a summary of % to hit, damage done and armor values ? I mean, my fighter with sword and chain+shield has 65% to hit and deals 7d5 damage, and his armor stops 2-30 damage... I have to calculate that myself ? :eek: Skill balance : is that me, or are archers and mages really much more powerful than "meleers" and clerics ? In my group the archer kills 2 foes/round since his first fight (95% to hit and maybe 20d4 damage), and the mage freezes whole groups with Ice Lances. The fighter mostly get killed, and the priest heals him... Did I miss stg ? ;) -------------------- Posts: 18 | Registered: Monday, February 28 2005 08:00 |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Monday, February 28 2005 02:48
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A Perfect Forest's beatable with a beginner party, but the combat's on the tricky side. Most of it will be very easy with a level-10 party, but if you don't mind that, go ahead (there isn't a huge amount of combat anyway). No, there's no single place to see all your bonuses to hit, your damage and total armour, unfortunately. Which is a little strange, because Blades of Exile (the precursor to BoA) had the first two of those. Archers are pretty good all the way through. I find that it's best to give them a couple of levels of priest spells as well; you can never have too many healers. Don't bother giving them Strength or melee skills; it's too dangerous for a part-time fighter to mess around at melee range. It's good to have at least one fighter in your party for defensive reasons, to draw the attacks of melee-using opponents away from your vulnerable spellcasters. Fighters also do a lot of damage at higher levels, if you give them good weapons and build up skills like Assassination. Mages are powerful early on, but in high-level scenarios they start to lag behind and are mostly useful for summoning allies to protect you (which is still a pretty useful function, but not one that you need more than one part-time mage for). Priests are necessary all the time, because you're always going to need healing. Also, priests have a couple of excellent spells. Enduring Barrier is a great priest spell in the early stages of the game; it gives you a large amount of extra HP above your normal maximum. For higher-level parties, Radiant Shield is an awesome defence against enemy mages, and War Blessing can haste characters once you build its level up enough. And if you do need attack spells, Divine Fire and Divine Retribution dish out almost as much damage as Fireblast and Arcane Blow. [ Monday, February 28, 2005 03:04: Message edited by: Thuryl ] -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Monday, February 28 2005 02:59
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War Blessing is quite possibly the best spell in the game. Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 5557
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written Monday, February 28 2005 03:58
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[quote=Drakefyre] [b]War Blessing is quite possibly the best spell in the game. Posts: 18 | Registered: Monday, February 28 2005 08:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2476
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written Monday, February 28 2005 04:05
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At level 1 just blesses your fighter, so that he hits more often and does more damage. At level 2 also shields, at level 3 also hastens, at level 4 gives magic protection too. -------------------- Polaris Rache's A3 Site reformatted 2/3 done Rache's A3 Site, original version Posts: 1828 | Registered: Saturday, January 11 2003 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 5520
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written Monday, February 28 2005 04:08
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Hello! Enchante! Begitu! Nice seeing the apparition of your posts here! War blessing. . . doesn't it tend to make your fighters make more satisfactory sounds when they beat the baddies? I wonder if someone can give more percentage-oriented or numerically-calculated explanation for this. Edit: . . . which has already been given while me typin. :P Edit2 : You might want to download and play the demo. I am still exploring more of the BoE - which I registered some months ago - largely because of my old machine's memory shortage. I am quite fond of it, too. But I think BoA, though I just played the demo version, and that partly only, not only enhances the graphic and other effects but gives more possibilities for those good guys that would spend time developing scenarios and letting me download free of charge. [ Monday, February 28, 2005 04:16: Message edited by: whitenightever ] Posts: 53 | Registered: Saturday, February 19 2005 08:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2476
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written Monday, February 28 2005 04:24
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quote:Well, mainly a scenario editor that introduces a scripting system called 'Avernumscript'. Though not as easy to handle as the editor in BoE, it offers a broader range of designing options. -------------------- Polaris Rache's A3 Site reformatted 2/3 done Rache's A3 Site, original version Posts: 1828 | Registered: Saturday, January 11 2003 08:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 4637
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written Monday, February 28 2005 04:31
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Welcome, PDF. :) Generally the scenario's author gives us the recommended party levels. If your party isn't high enough for a certain scenario, it's not impossible, but maybe it would be better to play another scenario with a lower level parties required. If your party's level is too high, and you want the scenario to be challenging, then follow Thuryl's recommendation: the HLPM will help you create a party with the level you want. -------------------- Visit the Blades of Avernum Center and the Beta Testing Center -------------- "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:6-9 Posts: 483 | Registered: Tuesday, June 29 2004 07:00 |
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Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
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written Monday, February 28 2005 06:00
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If you're interested in endless hours of playing and like the way that Exile looks, you might want to get BoE also. As you observed, BoA is fairly new, so it only has a handful of scenarios made for it (four by Jeff, ten by others), while BoE is eight years old and has ~250 scenarios. BoA has a better (but harder to learn) scenario design capability, but if you're interested mostly in playing, that doesn't matter much, and even if you want to make scenarios, making one in BoE first might actually be a good way to get practice. Anyway, welcome! It's always good to see a new person interested in Blades. Hope you stick around. And since no one has provided it yet, here's a link you may want: the Lyceum, where most of the serious Blades activity gets done, particularly for BoE. -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00 |