Circle of Eight Modpack 5.9.x/5.9.xNC General Commentary & Discussion Thread

I think I speak for many who appreciate all the hard work that your doing Gaear and understand the delay. I think that all these improvements will make the game more fun and challanging. So do your work and we will await the new module when it is ready.

 

Gaear, could you use this batch.py for the next release?

It fixes an "issue" with the speedup() command, as used by t.py.

Also, an update for t.py. I'm working out scripts for better balance testing. Includes a script that gives characters reasonable stats (32 point buy) according to class.

 

I went thru protos and set all the drow CR/EXP to 1 and it worked fine. Now I know how Iuz got 800HP, I think. Have to test it.

 

Originally posted by General Ghoul:

Burne always starts off selling the exact same scrolls every new game, but I suspect that some of the scrolls that he sells are changed to different scrolls after either a certain period of time or a trigger due to the player's progress in the game.

You can buy 1 Lockslip Grease from Rannos Davl or Gremag in their trading post in Hommlet. Lockslip Grease reduces the DC of the lock by 1.

You can buy 2 Lockslip Greases in the Shop Map (i.e. the starting shop that you begin the game in).

You can buy Masterwork Thieves' Tools (which give +2 to Open Lock skill) from Skole (the bartender in the Boatmen's Tavern in Nulb) or Lodriss (the serving woman in the Boartmen's Tavern in Nulb).

I have the following observations while playing 5.8.1 NC:

T1. All of the Ogre Shamen that I have fought in the game so far are pathetic in combat. I would really like it if you applied your new A.I. to all of the Ogre Shamen in the Temple of Elemental Evil as well, because they need it!

T2. Noble Salamanders use the same portrait as Flamebrothers. It would be really useful if those 2 monsters use different portraits (for when the player is analysing the initiative order at the top of the screen during combat)

 

I know I am posting a lot of bugs, and complain like usual, but I must say that the work you do Gaear is superb. WotGS pales in comparison to the work you did with AoH and Verb. I am loving all of it and hold you in the highest esteem.

Thanks for the great contributions.

 

I just found the slavers. I died pretty easily... I love the fight! Cant wait to try it tonight after the Monday Night Football!

 

I too want to say that while I have been nit-picking with typos and some bugs, I have loved the new content and think that Gaear is doing an awesome job.

 

I have a few more things:

12) I went back to the catacombs below the gnome quarters. I went to the place where the 2 drow rogues are that consistently cause CTDs if you touch their stuff. I was able to very carefully pick up their items. In short I was able to pick everything up but the Hand Crossbows. (I was able to pick up a quarrel of Drow Sleep Bolts from them which sound interesting). As soon as I got the Hand Crossbows and tried to check my inventory, CTD. There was a magic dagger underneath the hand crossbows but I couldn't pick them up unless I got the crossbows first but I don't think they were the culprit.

13) Armario, the merchant at the northside of Hommlet who buys bows, crossbows, wooden shields, etc. at the best price has not reset his inventory for me. Nira Melubb, the gems merchant in Hommlet, is doing the same thing. Has anyone else encountered this? I went to the Welcome Wench and rested for a full week just to be sure. The other merchants inventories reset but not these two.

14) I have to admit that I did not find the slavers battle that difficult. By the time I finished going through the caves to fight the white dragon, I had leveled up considerably so this might change once this has been addressed. However, they start off in a nice semi-circle which is great for placing invisible characters behind them and using a fire ball to begin combat. As thoroughly evil as this group is, I can totally see them being mixed in among the kids they have to prevent AoE spells being used on them. This alone would make it more of a fight. There has also been the suggestion of buffing this group up. Could that be done as you simply get to the location that they are at? (Like Terjon, Calmert, and Berne do). I skipped the conversation that they wanted to have by just chucking that fireball. I'm not in a mood to give this party any advantages and if they would only buff up by the conversation, then they are not going to be that challenging. Sorry if this is asking a lot. However, if they are supposed to be amongst the most difficult battles in the game, they need a few tweeks like this. Especially since their real leader is a wizard (or sorceress - I forget which). She wasn't that impressive since she didn't get many spells off.

 

Just remembered two more things:

15) Is there a different line of conversation for the Scarlett Brotherhood's quest so that a good party could complete it? Right now, it looks like I have to run through some assassinations before I learn of Lerrick's involvement. I did the first one just to see how things would progress but I just can't kill a VB member of the guard and frame one of their captains - not even if it leads to revealing a greater evil. I'll try this with an evil party eventually but it is gnawing at me that I can't get to Lerrick otherwise.

16) There is a group of Hextor priests in VB. Is there anything I can do to get them to reveal themselves? I just don't want to kill them out of hand. Doing that doesn't seem very in line with a good aligned party.

 

(Sorry about all of the consecutive posts) After finishing my check up of the caves below the gnome quarters, I have a few more things:

17) In the cave area where the young white dragons are found, you can see a circle of stones on the floor if you use an AoE spell. Not really a big. This circle of stones also partially covers any characters who happen to stand amongst them.

18) In the cave area with the largest group of spiders (the one just before the young white dragons), the fiendish small monstrous spider, the fiendish large monstrous spider, and the fiendish huge monstrous spiders respawn - I believe with no limit. I think if you kill them close to where they come out of their spawning points, they prevent more from coming through. Would it be possible to have a finite limit imposed? I ask because it doesn't feel like I have really cleaned out the caves for the gnomes otherwise.

19) I found that I could get the quest to arrest Darlia from Wilfrick but it seemed more like a bug as I had not found the reason to reveal to the Viscount that I had been sent to kill him and that I suspected Darlia was behind it. I went and tried to arrest Darlia but ended up having to kill him. The two brothers on his floor joined the battle along with Lerrick. However, the brothers on the second and first floors were unresponsive when I went downstairs - I expected them to be KOS. When I went to tell Wilfrick what I did, I gave him a report that the traitor was dead. Wilfrick's response was the one for the white dragon. My quest - 'Catching the Cousin' - still completed but Wilfrick's response was definitely bugged.

 

Thanks for giving it another look and understood about the arbitrary thing.

Well, I figure an armed group that is hanging out where they are with a troop of children in rags is mostly likely up to no good - especially since I'm looking for child slavers. Plus there might be that outcome from the conversation you have with them. I suppose I could play along and do the conversation - would make the battle a bit closer.

1) I recognize them from 5.5.0.
2) The dialogue for their leader in the dlg folder is titled 'Hextor_Cleric'. :transform
3) (The outfits are a bit of a give away)

I was just being curious about this one. There is so much new content with VB 2.0 that I don't mean to complain.

 

This has been this way for a while, I am one of those players who picks up and sells every last pirate scarf, dagger, and small wooden shield, so having to sell wooden stuff to Smythe after Armario fills up bothers the appraisal skill in me.

 

LOL, I am the same way. I actually thought that this rang a bell and I went back through all the 5.9 posts and through the last couple pages in the 5.8 posts but couldn't find your post (but I do recall reading it). At the very least, I wanted to second your discovery of this issue.