The HLPM is finished!
| Author | Topic: The HLPM is finished! |
|---|---|
|
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
|
written Tuesday, May 25 2004 11:21
Profile
Homepage
Have you ever wanted to play Diplomacy With the Dead with a singleton, but didn't want to beat the three preceding scenarios with that same singleton in order to get up to the right level? Do you find some scenarios (The Za-Khazi Run) too hard, and want to enter with a party that is slightly stronger than the one that you had coming out of the previous scenario (A Small Rebellion)? Or are you a designer making a scenario for a level 40 party, but are not sure that people have level 40 parties lying around? WORRY NO MORE! I have written a High Level Party Maker for BoA! For BoE-ers, it is similar to Tarl Kudrick's HLPM, except it uses the greater power of BoA to customize the level to which the party will rise. Thus, the player who enters it can CHOOSE whether s/he wants the party to rise to level 20, 25, 40, or even 75! With the HLPM, you can make a god party that will slay dragons with a single blow, or you can enter the Za-Khazi Run with a carefully crafted level 15 party. It's up to you! Designers, you need only explain in your readme that players should download this scenario and select a particular level (say, 40) before entering your scenario. It's that easy! Or, if you really want to have control, you can customize the HLPM to suit your scenario! Download the High Level Party Maker today! -------------------- So, um, seriously, I just finished it and sent it off to Spiderweb. It should be on the tables within a few days. I'm assuming that despite my best efforts, there will be balance issues with the items, so if you feel that certain items should be available at higher/lower levels than they are, discuss that here. I'm planning to do an update to v1.0.1 that will change some of the item balancing after I play through a few of Jeff's scenarios with parties developed using the HLPM. -------------------- 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 |
|
Guardian
Member # 2238
|
written Tuesday, May 25 2004 16:32
Profile
Homepage
Just what we need! ¡Gracious, amigo/a! Now I just need a Windows version of BoA! ¡Ay! -------------------- DEMON PLAY, DEMON OUT! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00 |
|
...b10010b...
Member # 869
|
written Tuesday, May 25 2004 22:51
Profile
Homepage
Woo! Go Kelandon! Of course, since I still haven't quite got the hang of party-building in Avernum, I think I'll experiment a little more with legitimate parties first. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
|
BANNED
Member # 4
|
written Wednesday, May 26 2004 03:23
Profile
Homepage
Alot of BoA- especially scenarios like Diplomacy- virtually require high-level parties. It's not that the combat is unique or challenging- I suppose it is on a comparative basis, but that says relatively little. What makes low parties impossible is that these guys will hit for 50-100 unblockable damage and have a bajillion HP and plenty more armor to boot- it mirrors the SNES FF games in this aspect. Sorry, Creator. -------------------- * Posts: 6936 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2001 07:00 |
|
...b10010b...
Member # 869
|
written Wednesday, May 26 2004 03:45
Profile
Homepage
The other problem is that it's literally impossible to get good spells and skills until very high levels. In BoE, level-1 fighters can have 20 strength and enough weapon skills for decent accuracy, and spellcasters can have level-7 spells and enough SP to cast almost anything. In BoA, you can't have the highest-level spells at any experience level before the mid-20s, and you have to pour fighters' skill points into Dexterity and weapon skills every so often just to keep your hit rate from falling against increasingly agile enemies. Mind you, making one character's top priority be getting enough potion-making skill to make Heroic Brew would probably still be a decent strategy for going through a high-level scenario with a medium-level party. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
|
Infiltrator
Member # 1886
|
written Wednesday, May 26 2004 09:34
Profile
Kelandon, I don't know if it's just me or what, but I can't find where to download the HLPM. Could you post a link for it? -------------------- The Home of 8-bit Theater! Some cool WoT art here Nono! Bad Surfer!! This is it, The Document That no Evil Overlord can do Without Posts: 505 | Registered: Saturday, September 14 2002 07:00 |
|
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
|
written Wednesday, May 26 2004 09:44
Profile
Homepage
It's not actually up yet. I sent it in to SW, but they haven't posted it on their site. Unlike just about every other designer here, I don't have a web site -- although I'm thinking about setting one up -- so I can't have my own independent download. I'll post something once it actually gets up on the SW tables. In the meantime, if you want it, I guess I could e-mail it to you. EDIT: News! I have a web site now! Um, there's nothing actually on it except for the HLPM, but I got tired of waiting for SW to put it up on their tables. The site is here. (Look for it to change and be much better as time goes on.) [ Wednesday, May 26, 2004 12:35: Message edited by: Kelandon ] -------------------- 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 |
|
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
|
written Saturday, May 29 2004 10:06
Profile
Homepage
Update on the HLPM: I have no idea what SW has decided to do with it, because it's still not up on their tables, but my guess is, for one reason or another, they decided not to host it, without even sending me a courtesy e-mail explaining their decision. It will still be available at my bare-bones web site, Spiderweb or no Spiderweb. -------------------- 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 |
|
BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Saturday, May 29 2004 15:51
Profile
It's only four days. Spiderweb usually takes a lot longer than that. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
|
Warrior
Member # 4186
|
written Monday, May 31 2004 17:40
Profile
Extremly good job, thanks for this tool. 1 - First a little BoA bug At first try, I was in window mode and didn't care to turn sound off (computer sound is off). I choosed level up to 30, walked on the xp rune, got slow (because of sound) level up to 10 then the game never continue. I had force quit it. Then I tried again but set sound off. The level up to 30 was immediate and didn't cause any problem. I was using version BoA 1.0.1, OSX 10.2.8. If you want more testing or deeper report, just ask. Perhaps you could change a bit the message that advices turn off the sound? 2 - Nice polishing I enjoyed the polishing like: * The money message in the log. :) * Or like keeping the cursor on talk mode after to have talked to a merchant. * Or like the mage. :D * That kicked my ass to quote that merchant items are adapted to party level. With a good polishing that could be a great tool for players and authors in order to not get an over-equipped party to play or test a scenario or even design a scenario. It has basically anything you could want and in fact more. So, from this point of view apart perhaps the sound off message, I have no suggestion to do. 3 - Never satisfied ;) That said, it's just matter of taste, there are few points I would have prefer a bit different: * The Obelisks are very pratical but they require you step near them. So, I'd prefer them to be some guards you could talk with. * There are many merchants and that's a good choice in order to implement the pratical items sort used. But this make them less easy to remember. Perhaps you could use some visual hints for some of them like putting some items on the tables. * Another solution that I had prefer would have been to have all merchants spread on a smaller area, like to not use the tables and to have different set of rows of merchants near to each other. Less realistic but probably more pratical. * About the gold given, it's not very pratical to throw some when you have too much. You could buy some items and drop them but best of the best would be to also have a NPC that ask you how much gold to drop/get if that's possible with an input text dialog. If that's not possible then perhaps another system like through a special merchant, though a dialogue or something else. * I'd wish a system more clear for a party that isn't level 1. From few tests I did it seems to work nicely but you need choose in the first dialog the party level that your party already have, or more exactely you need choose the level of the items you want in shops. That case of use is standard, it's when you just want get some items. In fact it's just making the first dialog a bit more clear for this case like just changing a bit dialog text? * About the items available depending or party level as it is, it is already very nice. Perhaps some players could provide a rougher but more detailed scale still based on bundled scenario. 4 - More, more and even more :P The tool is so near to perfection that I doubt anybody will care to do another one similar. In that point of view, much later versions could include some other features like: * Dummies to test hitting percentadges or perhaps even to test some spells effects. * Damaging area to test protections. * Combat arena in order to test a bit the party/items used. * Perhaps even enemie mages that cast defined spells on defined area and/or at defined trigger. * Despite the unlock system is very clear for the player, perhaps some stuff around that could allow to test something useful but not that clear? Like using the spell unlock? * It's weird that BoA doesn't allow to lost xp levels otherwise that would have been a great addition in this tool. [ Monday, May 31, 2004 17:42: Message edited by: Vent ] Posts: 175 | Registered: Friday, April 2 2004 08:00 |
|
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
|
written Tuesday, June 1 2004 20:58
Profile
Homepage
Thanks for your comments. The readme says to send them by e-mail, but I guess this works too. I will change the message about the sound for v1.0.1. I tried to put the shops in a logical order, more magical to the northwest, less magical to the southeast, but I will put some sample items on their tables for the next version. I may rearrange the setup so that they are closer together, too. I'll examine how that would look. The obelisks, at least for the time being, stay. It didn't even occur to me to mention it, apparently, but the HLPM was designed to raise level 1 parties only, like the HLPMs of BoE. Now that I think about it, it wouldn't be very hard to make it raise the level of any party -- although why you would want to do this, I have no idea. Still, I'll do it for the next version. quote:I'm not entirely clear on what the problem is here. If you're saying what I think you're saying, try it with a level 50 party and check the numbers; see if it's really a problem, because it shouldn't be. And I suppose I could throw in some sample combats, in the style of Drakey's Alternate Party Maker. They will serve all of the testing functions that you describe. -------------------- 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 |
|
BANNED
Member # 4
|
written Tuesday, June 1 2004 21:20
Profile
Homepage
Problem with Drakey's is that it's actual combat that is damned difficult. My suggestion- just put up random dummies. -------------------- * Posts: 6936 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2001 07:00 |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Wednesday, June 2 2004 00:39
Profile
Homepage
I've never had a problem with it after running through my party maker. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
|
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
|
written Wednesday, June 2 2004 09:01
Profile
Homepage
The combat will be relatively easy, even for the greenest of newbies (because after all, that's one of the major categories the HLPM is supposed to help). Anyone else have other suggestions? I hate to go to a new version based solely on one person's input. EDIT: Has anyone tried the HLPM for its intended purpose (ie playing DWtD or ZKR with a party that hasn't run through the preceding scenarios)? If so, I'd like some feedback on how that went. I'm going to try it myself before I make a new version, to see if I need to rework at what levels I give some of the items. [ Wednesday, June 02, 2004 10:22: Message edited by: Kelandon ] -------------------- 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 |
|
Warrior
Member # 4202
|
written Thursday, June 24 2004 11:42
Profile
Homepage
It would be possible to have the player type in the level. Just get a text response and check separately whether it's "1", "2","3"..."99","100". -------------------- Creator of the 3D Blades of Avernum Editor for Mac. Get it at Ingenious Isaac's Illusion, my web page. Better yet, get Battle for Wesnoth, a wonderful free TBS game. Posts: 192 | Registered: Sunday, April 4 2004 08:00 |