improvements for geneforge 3.... your thoughts

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AuthorTopic: improvements for geneforge 3.... your thoughts
Apprentice
Member # 3742
Profile Homepage #25
i like someone's earlier idea about having your own home to go to... certainly there would be essence and health pools there. and maybe a treasure chest to hold the items you want to keep instead of leaving them on the ground outside doors. if this chest only let you keep 30 items, then it would make you be more frugal about what to keep. Also, any item you drop could then disappear forever when you left a map.
Posts: 26 | Registered: Monday, December 1 2003 08:00
Warrior
Member # 2155
Profile #26
I would like the blasted "Make inactive" option to work. When in combat it just randomly shuts off, thus completely defeating -any- point of it whatsoever. I might actually use the outside creatures for pick up if they would listen when you tell them not to go running off to certain death. And why the AI always on? If they agree to serve you then why aren't they serving you? They just follow you around and more often then not get you into annoying situations. Sounds more like a sibling then a loyal servant to me.
The Gazers should be nerfed too. I understand they're powerful, but general law of RPGs show that a concentrated blast should always do more damage than a mass attack when on equal levels. Namely, switch the damage done by the Drakon and the Gazer. It would make the Gazer a world less of cheap and make the Drakon worth noticing.
Also, maybe in the next one make more use of the map revelation sequence? It was neat how the map was only limited to the tiny corner in the very beginning as to what you were able to see from that point.
And as always, I'd like to reaffirm the item placement complaint most people have had since the Avernum series. Haphazardly dropping your items randomly on the ground is sloppy plain and simple. Realistically, no slob is going to be able to save the world from- or induce upon it- certain destruction.

---Your $0.02 giving maniac, Necris Omega

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Razordisk Frisbee Golf
Posts: 168 | Registered: Saturday, October 26 2002 07:00
Warrior
Member # 3746
Profile #27
More colors would be nice. I'm finding the blue to be a bit boring, after awhile. Black would be kinda cool. Yellow, maybe. Or tie-dye. ;) Just kidding. :D

Personally, I like being able to travel 3 miles in about 5 seconds.. Exile got on my nerves that way.

(spoilers)
Iolanda: Eass is a drakon, the best made so far. He's exceedingly hard to kill, and being a drakon, he can shape. This poses a problem for the Shapers. To learn more, play the game and join the Takers.

(/spoilers)

I think the shops get money in GF2 when you sell them enough different items that they run out of space. One item replaces another and they gain money. I could, of course, be wrong there, though.

And lastly, try increasing Strength. If charms are sapping how much you can carry, then you really need to bulk up that stat.

I agree with Omega, too. Huest Blade got himself killed about 6 times by trying to go over hotpads to help me fight a pylon. I ended up giving up and letting him die. The inactive should be changed.

[ Thursday, December 04, 2003 16:45: Message edited by: Arcblade ]

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Chance Forums
Posts: 153 | Registered: Tuesday, December 2 2003 08:00
Infiltrator
Member # 1418
Profile Homepage #28
quote:
Originally written by Arcblade:

And lastly, try increasing Strength. If charms are sapping how much you can carry, then you really need to bulk up that stat.
There's a limit of 31 items in your inventory.

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Geneforge 2 Editor-Use it, or die by the hands of 7 Level 64 Eyebeasts.
Do NOT click here.
Posts: 406 | Registered: Tuesday, July 2 2002 07:00
Warrior
Member # 3746
Profile #29
Ah, so that's how many. Thanks.

Lenny: Yeah, a house would be great. You might end of having to purchase it, though. In the last two GFs, you've traveled somewhere. Maybe an abandoned Shaper house?

It'd be a interesting addition, anyway.

Has anyone else noticed that you simply can't put anything in dressers, cabinets, etc?

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Chance Forums
Posts: 153 | Registered: Tuesday, December 2 2003 08:00
Warrior
Member # 2156
Profile #30
My suggestions for #3:

Go back to the Geneforge forum, dig around for the heaps of threads on "What do you want to see in Geneforge 2?" and actually implement some of them.

The idea of a personal home was suggested back then, a fair few times, really. I think someone even beat me to it by one thread or so. Alas. The ability to buy/place turrets and mines in your home was mentioned at the time. Pack beasts have been mentioned since the dawn of time as near as I can tell. Everyone always wants more creations, of course. Though I do think it a good point that more low and middle level creations would be nice. Some variety, and some things that would make more of them worth keeping around for a while.

My only real complaint with 2 is a lack of strategic advancement. Within the first few areas we've allready covered most of the tactical learning curve of the first game, and then...well, not much. Other than the patrol pathing and one assault on a fortified position encounter. Some truely unique and interesting fights would be good. As it is, none of them really gave me that warm fuzzy that assaulting the taker bridge in GF1 gave me. Though the patrol paths were kind of nice. Not in a "I like to sneak through areas" way, but in more of a "If I stand here they all come to die" kind of way. Basically, I'm a combat player. The stealth and mechanics routes seemed pretty well expanded in 2, but combat seemed to have stagnated for the most part. New spells and new critters don't replace new strategic and tactical challenges. And I *seriously* don't count strong dazing everything on the planet a serious tactical improvement.

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I am the power Sodom used on Lot...

Name the movie, win a prize.
Posts: 50 | Registered: Saturday, October 26 2002 07:00
Warrior
Member # 2128
Profile #31
quote:
Originally written by Arcblade:


(spoilers)
Iolanda: Eass is a drakon, the best made so far. He's exceedingly hard to kill, and being a drakon, he can shape. This poses a problem for the Shapers. To learn more, play the game and join the Takers.

(/spoilers)

I know, I killed him with my awakened agent Tonks. He wasn't hard at all, to get to him was much harder, when I finally got there my party was so strong that the fight was really lame. But Eass was not really a part of the story till I got the mission to kill him. I first thought that Barzahl would be the arch-enemy, but he was a joke as well, I killed him before I was able to kill this ghosts in the northern passage. Oh, and I wasn't able to kill this gazers and eyebeasts in the inner Benerii-Uss (?) at all.
Posts: 55 | Registered: Tuesday, October 22 2002 07:00
Warrior
Member # 3746
Profile #32
Maybe you mean Gazak-Uss?

Because there are indeed some seriously nasty eyebeasts there. (shudders) The Drakon master was pretty nasty, too, but he drops a sweet cloak.

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Chance Forums
Posts: 153 | Registered: Tuesday, December 2 2003 08:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 3683
Profile #33
I would like that my creations (joined or crated) are able to carry some weight too. Also, it would be nice if I can share some of my armors/tools on them.

I like many expanding ideas/spells/tools in GF2, but I think sometimes those are too overwhelming for new players. I don't think all of those battle magic spells are that necessary. So far, I have not had much use of spells like acid shower or others much energy cost spells.

I think the game should stick to basic firebolt, searer, orbs, and encourage the players to utilize more on crystals and wands weapons.

Somehow, I think the game makes those tools to become unnecessarily complicated and pointless.

Better description of item would also be nice.

I like to have fixing amount of XP for each quest (like in GF2) independent of level (like in GF1).

Lastly, I would like to have not so long-winded journey like GF2. I got tired and bored by the time I reach Syro.
Posts: 266 | Registered: Wednesday, November 12 2003 08:00
Agent
Member # 2210
Profile #34
I would like to have the option to play a rogue servile. It would be kind of fun.

1) Could we have a greater variety of weapons and armor. Including necklaces or helmets, dresses or kilts.

2) It would be neat if we could build our own creations have a shaper laboratory where we could design new creations. Give us a chance to play mix and match with monster pieces.

3) It would be nice to have some nonshapers in the late part of the game with some spells and beasts not available to shapers.

4) Have the ability to strengthen our factions by doing quests-- they become nastier when we have to fight the big baddy at the end. Creatures in town become stronger after quest is completed.

5) More options for allies to join you for a short amount of time like the guardian in the early game. One shot help.

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Wasting your time and mine looking for a good laugh.

Star Bright, Star Light, Oh I Wish I May, I Wish Might, Wish For One Star Tonight.
Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00
Infiltrator
Member # 1877
Profile #35
Yeah, I like the idea of a shaper lab, and monster pieces, and i would have liked it if Jeff puts much work into it, so that it became an important ellement.
Maby I like it if you was an more important character, like a shaper teacher,and not a mere aprentice.

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33111-CRUSADER-4849
Posts: 662 | Registered: Friday, September 13 2002 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 3758
Profile #36
I'd like to see some 3-d environments. It would be nice to climb walls, go up ramps, and have pits which you could fall into (and then be attacked from above).

I'd also like to leave my creations at home and dress up in non-shaper clothing so that I could ask the townspeople what they really think about life. I hate having to wear a "shaper" sign around my neck.

I'd also like more diplomatic options, and more ways to get around fights.

Also, I'd like an opertunity to create a new creation, one that no one has ever seen before.
Posts: 1 | Registered: Saturday, December 6 2003 08:00
Skip to My Lou
Member # 40
Profile Homepage #37
To you people whining about Eyebeast power: I thought it was more powerful because it a mental attack, not a physical one. If your Eyebeast is blasting out a mental disruption field there's no reason it shouldn't be just as powerful as it is.

The "talking to your creations" idea gave me an idea. If Gazers, Drakons, and Serviles can think and talk, why can't you be one? Why not in GF3 have you be a Gazer, Drakon, or Servile minion of the mystery monster behind the door? You could decide to aid it or betray it to the shapers. If you think about it, little would really would need to change. Drakons can shape, Gazers can control creations, Serviles can do magic.

Edit: Actually, It could be done like Nethergate. Choosing to be Shaper or Creation like you chose to be Roman or Britainian (or whatever they were). Besides, is being a Drakon that much different from being Slithzerikai?

[ Saturday, December 06, 2003 13:14: Message edited by: Archmage Alex ]

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Take the Personality Test! INTJ 100% 75% 100% 44%
Huzzah for the Masterminds!
www.Keirsey.com for personality information.
The Sloganizer! "Swing your Archmage Alex."
Deep down, you wish you were a stick figure.
Posts: 1629 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 1877
Profile #38
NoD (If its allright), after what i know, Jeff don't have the resources to do such a thing, but i would have been cool with "Real" 3d, i agree.

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33111-CRUSADER-4849
Posts: 662 | Registered: Friday, September 13 2002 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 2245
Profile Homepage #39
Although I enjoyed Geneforge 2, I could think of a ton of things which need improving.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it (I think), but the sounds were just a bit lame.
I would have appreciated some different sounds for each manoever. For example, things do not always sounds the same when you strike it with a sword. What about meaty sounds when you strike a servile, and stone against steel sound when you strike golems? And several different ones for each. A good example of this was back in Exile 2, where it sounded different when you struck with a dagger, halberd, long sword, mace, etc.
When my guardian gets hit for over 400 by a drakkon, I expect to hear a bit of crunching or tearing. No, I'm not a physcopath, it would just make the game a little more realistic.

Also, the death sounds are rather poor. When I kill a shaper, the sounds are just totally unrealistic. He sounds like he's stubbed his toe, not that he's about to become one with the earth. Once again, the screams out of Exile 2 when your party died would be a nice substitute (probably not that cheesy, but you get the idea).
Maybe a nice roaring noise for some of those nasty drayks and drakkons. I would love to be creeping through a dungeon and suddenly when a drayk rounds the corner it lets out a LOUD roar. I like the occassional heart attack...
Also the fact that their is NO music (in the Windows version, anyway). Just some lame background sounds that get on my nerves.
Music makes or breaks a game.

The lack of variety in weapons is EXTREMELY disappointing. The Shapers are supposed to be the most creative guys on the face of the planet, yet all they can think of is a SWORD (and dagger)? Honestly. What happened to halberds (the guards have one in the endings), pikes, maces, staffs (a shaper has one in one of the endings), and even some more 'exotic' weapons? One of the great things about the Exile series was deciding which type of weapon you should use.
Also, helmets, necklaces, and more types of body armour would be nice.

I also don't understand how ANY character (no matter how good they are) could parry a fireball... wouldn't their weapon melt? And I just can't visualise a thin sword being able to totally blocked a gigantic ball of flame.
It would also be awesome to see some sparks fly when you parry (not to hard to do, just an extra bit of animation).

Someone mentioned spell deflection earlier on. I think that it would be awesome if you could do that. Let's say you have a firebolt thrown at you. You catch it due to supreme reflexes, magick prevents you from suffering negative effects, and you throw it back at your opponent! (no need for throwing animations).

Weapon durability would be nice. When you're hacking at a golem for 2 hours, you'd expect your flimsy weapon to break.

As many have said, a choice of what gender you go would be nice. I fail to see why a female couldn't be a guardian, or an agent could be male.

New creations would be nice too :D
A hydra which can use multiple attacks could be an interesting variation of the Drakkon.

When you get hit with a searer, you continue to suffer damage from acid, correct?
They why, if you are hit with a fireball, why don't you continue to suffer damage? After all, you'd be burning, wouldn't you?

I miss anatomy from Geneforge 1. I don't see why Jeff scrapped it.

quote:

Gazers, Drakons, and Serviles can think and talk, why can't you be one? Why not in GF3 have you be a Gazer, Drakon, or Servile minion of the mystery monster behind the door? You could decide to aid it or betray it to the shapers. If you think about it, little would really would need to change. Drakons can shape, Gazers can control creations, Serviles can do magic.

BRILLIANT!
I think that would be an excellent idea, and would certainly make the game unique.
I would still like to keep the shaper-guardian-agent choice in there though. So you could choose from 6 characters. Drakkon, Gazer, Servile, Agent, Guardian, Shaper

quote:

3) It would be nice to have some nonshapers in the late part of the game with some spells and beasts not available to shapers.

NO!
Do you know about annoyed I was when the serviles in Geneforge 1 could cast Protection, and I couldn't?

quote:

4) Have the ability to strengthen our factions by doing quests-- they become nastier when we have to fight the big baddy at the end. Creatures in town become stronger after quest is completed.

Yes, that would certainly make the plot more engaging.

I was thinking of something along the lines that in the final battle, your sect helps you out. The more you've helped out that sect by doing quests, they stronger they are in the final battle.

For instance, if you've given them lots of iron to make weapons, more armed serviles/humans should arrive to help.

More sects would make for an interesting game. A rogue servile sect (as someone suggested), a human sect which wants to overthrow the shapers (they could use machinery, maybe gunpowder?), a drakkon/drayk sect who don't like serviles or humans, the Takers, the Awakened, the Shaper Council, eyebeasts who don't like drakkons and are intent on world domination, and maybe something along the lines of the Barzites.

I think that the humans overthrowing the shapers would be interesting. If anyone has played Blades of Exile, they would know the devastating effect that the discovery of gunpowder could have. You could be an agent and plant bombs :D

Oh well, enough of my ranting.
I might post more ideas later...
Posts: 522 | Registered: Friday, November 15 2002 08:00
Warrior
Member # 2607
Profile #40
I kind of feel obligated to point this out... Geneforge is not Exile. You like Exile, you play Exile. I don't like Exile, personally, I play Geneforge. I loved the simplicity of the first one, and the second one was cool, to a point. I want a simple game, to give my poor head a rest. Almost everything you seem to want to change is exactly what I want to stay the same, or change in a completely different way. Being nice, I'll focus on the parts I do agree with. :)

Playing something other than a shaper would be fun, but preferably something human, like a rogue servile perhaps. (I'm still of the belief that serviles are the modified losers of the ancient war mentioned in the first game)

Hmmm, actually, re-reading the post and that seems about all I agree with. The rest seems like more headache than it's worth. It's causing me a headache just reading about it, and I enjoy reading.

Well, that's all my feeble little brain can come up with, for now. I'll probably look at this later and wonder why on earth I wrote that. *shrug*

Disclaimer: The above is my personal opinion, and is not intended as a flame or otherwise less-than-polite post. :)

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1. Forge my Genes, will you!? (attack!)
2. That's all for now. Thanks.
Posts: 82 | Registered: Saturday, February 8 2003 08:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 3513
Profile Homepage #41
I wish there were more than 5 weapon types and 2 attack animations

1 Throwing: javellin
2 Thrusting: knife/sword/baton/wand

Also, it would be neat if you could shape turrets or mines before fighting a boss. Pop into the boss's room, get his attention, and retreat behind your mines and turrets.

[ Sunday, December 07, 2003 09:22: Message edited by: Ornk of Death ]

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Ignorwhat?
Posts: 301 | Registered: Thursday, October 2 2003 07:00
Warrior
Member # 3746
Profile #42
That would be fun. Three of my custom designed Reaper turrets (or spinecores?), my Drakon, and some nasty boss. Bring it on.

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Chance Forums
Posts: 153 | Registered: Tuesday, December 2 2003 08:00
Warrior
Member # 3343
Profile #43
I've said this before but i'll say it again:
In combat mode there should be a little number by the cursor that tells you how many action points it takes to get to a certain place. I can't stand running up to a guy and then not having enough action points to hit him! Or when I try to get within range of a guy and end up inching closer and closer to him, trying to squeeze the last bit out of an action point before it rolls over again.
Posts: 56 | Registered: Wednesday, August 13 2003 07:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 3683
Profile #44
One thing I KNOW I don't want GF to become - another Exile or Avernum game.

Sorry to say this, but I don't like their graphics and the 'kicking barrels around' never appeal me and so on.

I like GF b/c it is so different from Exile and Avernum. I like the lone character with clear graphic that enables me to identify my character (though inventory graphic could have been better).

If there is GF3, I would just like to see it returns to simplicity of GF1 with some additional nice spells from GF2 and idea of trainers.
Posts: 266 | Registered: Wednesday, November 12 2003 08:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 3022
Profile #45
Re: The various houses suggestions...

NO NO NO!

People probably complained in Exile to let you be able to drop stuff anywhere, and it's good for that. Setting houses doesn't add anything to the game but a lot of travelling back and forth, endless time watching loading screens, additional code to differentiate items and ultimate head aches.
Posts: 269 | Registered: Saturday, May 24 2003 07:00
Warrior
Member # 1016
Profile #46
The thing I want most is the ability to transfer my character from the previous geneforge games, Or at least an official character editor. Also how about the ability to create some of the other things you encounter? for example if you get a creature creation skill over 6 then you could make charged versions of that creation, ie charged thads, fyoras, glahks, etc. I also like the idea of being able to create mines, turrets, ornks, and other non standard critters. What about the ability to absorb some essence when you kill a rogue creation?
Posts: 141 | Registered: Saturday, April 20 2002 07:00
Warrior
Member # 3698
Profile Homepage #47
With the idea of serviles being created, see my poll and topic about creating serviles.
Posts: 179 | Registered: Tuesday, November 18 2003 08:00
Skip to My Lou
Member # 40
Profile Homepage #48
Unless you could give them equipment, serviles would have no advantages as creations.

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Take the Personality Test! INTJ 100% 75% 100% 44%
Huzzah for the Masterminds!
www.Keirsey.com for personality information.
The Sloganizer! "Swing your Archmage Alex."
Deep down, you wish you were a stick figure.
Posts: 1629 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 549
Profile #49
How about creations that require two different types of shaping, spells that require two different kinds of magics and special melee/missile attacks that use energy/essence that you can learn like stunning blow, piercing missile, or critical strike.
Posts: 227 | Registered: Thursday, January 24 2002 08:00

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