Packhorse member?
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Infiltrator
Member # 10578
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written Sunday, October 14 2007 11:10
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Forgive me if this has already been discussed, but is it a good idea to designate a party member as a packhorse, spending all their skill points on strength and such? Or the reduced fighting efficiency of your party a bit much relative to the amount of XP you are getting? I haven't done much in the Avernum games, but I always wondered who to give the heavy stuff to. Added: This is essentially the "Deadweight Shaper" idea from the Geneforge series. I didn't use it much in those games, but I thought it might be nice in a party. [ Sunday, October 14, 2007 11:12: Message edited by: Taliesin ] -------------------- "We were meant to live for so much more. Have we lost ourselves?" - Switchfoot ---- My poetry Posts: 432 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2007 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 6785
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written Sunday, October 14 2007 13:11
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The pack mule will suck of expierence so you will want it to do some fighting even if it wastes a round to dump everything. You will never get enough strength to carry everything without some encumberance. Geneforge 4 and Avernum 5 are changed so you no longer get encumbered by the pack items. In practice the best method is to clear an area and pick up items on the return trip. It's hard because you want to get them now and not have to remember where you found them. Posts: 4643 | Registered: Friday, February 10 2006 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Sunday, October 14 2007 14:14
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If you have a character, the character might as well be useful. Total encumberance doesn't matter anyway if the character is useless. If you really need a mule, just designate your least helpful member as one and don't worry about mule optimization. —Alorael, who generally found that his fighters had enough strength to carry anything important and that most other items could be safely stored in Fort Avernum (or elsewhere) most of the time. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 10578
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written Sunday, October 14 2007 15:04
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That's good to know about A5. Even though it's not terribly realistic, it's nice to be able to pick up twenty-five iron bars in a dungeon and not worry about running home right away. I guess my slith tank will have to carry most everything, since none of the others will ever have many points in strength. Still, encumbrance is nasty for characters that have to use several AP just to get withing striking distance of the enemy. I had considered the tactic of picking stuff up only after clearing the area, but in many areas that's just not practical. -------------------- "We were meant to live for so much more. Have we lost ourselves?" - Switchfoot ---- My poetry Posts: 432 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2007 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 10488
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written Sunday, October 14 2007 17:20
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quote:Actually, I think it is at least equally realistic. How many people keep their pack on their back while fighting? Most people would throw it on the ground until the battle is over. Of course, you have to wonder how they can reach their pack once they've moved a few spaces. But with the old system you had to wonder how they can find something in their pack and take it out in the middle of battle. Posts: 334 | Registered: Friday, September 14 2007 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 10374
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written Monday, October 15 2007 03:51
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I usually divide stuff betwen characters so none gets encumbeted. But if items are too heavy I put them all in one place and get back for them after battle. -------------------- You must show me respect becouse...never mind why but do respect me! All hail me, your...something. Don't contradict me or I'l...GUARDS! Posts: 263 | Registered: Sunday, September 9 2007 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 10578
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written Monday, October 15 2007 11:03
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quote:Well, obviously, but you often come across things (like piles of iron bars) that you can't divide up nicely, especially in the early game. -------------------- "We were meant to live for so much more. Have we lost ourselves?" - Switchfoot ---- My poetry Posts: 432 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2007 07:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, October 15 2007 11:18
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At some point you just have to decide that the inventory and encumbrance systems are merely symbolic representations of the game world's real mechanics — like turn-based combat, the replacement of anatomy with a health score, the simple graphics, etc. Your characters somehow carry a bunch of stuff and also find whatever they need in time to use it; the details of how this is represented are not to be taken seriously. The limits of their ability to carry stuff and accomplish things in battle are also represented symbolically, by the encumbrance and AP systems. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 10374
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written Tuesday, October 16 2007 03:03
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quote: _________________________________________________ Originally written by Taliesin: Well, obviously, but you often come across things (like piles of iron bars) that you can't divide up nicely, especially in the early game. _________________________________________________ As I already said if items are too heavy I put them all in one place and then come back for them after battle. -------------------- You must show me respect becouse...never mind why but do respect me! All hail me, your...something. Don't contradict me or I'l...GUARDS! Posts: 263 | Registered: Sunday, September 9 2007 07:00 |