I'm playing version 8.0.1 NC (having only recently played 7.6.0 NC), and I was simply AMAZED at the change with the harpy encounter! It was downright INCREDIBLE! The last time I was this flabbergasted with TOEE was the first time I ran into the Big 3 encounter. I can't compliment you guys enough on what a fine job you did on the harpies. I guess my question is have you tweaked any other encounters in the temple? Of course, I'm familiar with the Reactive Temple mod, and I've read through the 8.0.1 NC change log, and there seems to be some reinforcement-type changes on temple level 4. In my current game, I've only hit the harpies and a few more rooms on level 1, but I did notice in one of the rooms with ogres and gnolls that one of the gnolls appeared to try and leave the room to get reinforcements from across the hall (where the big Ogre Chief is, which would have been disastrous for me). I was able to kill the gnoll before he left the room, but I'm curious if this kind of AI is now the norm on all levels of the temple. If this is the case, I think that would be TOTALLY AWESOME!
Glad you liked it (was just following the P&P module, by the way) The closest thing to that treatment would be the Earth Temple after it goes reactive. It can be quite hard I think, depending on which mobs are left alive to regroup there. (the hardest fight would take place if you only kill the monsters on that level that aren't affiliated with the Earth Temple, e.g. harpies, ghouls, gelatinous cube, stirges, spiders, etc., once you cross a certain threshold they will regroup and will take the cream of the crop inside) That and couple other fights have received the flanking treatment, basically causing enemies to come up at you from the rear (whether nearby mobs who hear the sound of fighting or a detachment that can't reach you otherwise due to a traffic jam) - namely: (spoiler - highlight to read) Spoiler -The gnolls on the southeast corner (right by the stairs) who will be joined by the nearby ogre -The Earth Temple Guards (the Fighters inside the room were made to join them if attacked), -Romag (his troops will rush to his room if you attack him there) -The room full of bugbears on Temple Level 2 (if you set up a choke point, a detachment of bugbears will come around the other way and attack you from behind if they are unable to engage you from the front) Other than that and the ones you listed I don't recall any further modifications. I do have some more ideas for future Temple improvements... cross your fingers I guess
When I ran the P&P module back in the day, I armed the gnolls on level 1 with longbows and tactics. My players were so traumatized, they proceeded to clear the dungeon levels below and tip toe through level 1 coming and going.
I just had a fight with a few ghouls on the first level of the Temple and I went about it hap-hazardly treating it like the usual, (yawn) .... boy was I surprised when reinforcements showed up in the form of a ......... (Not gonna say) just a few steps from my squishies. Man, do I ever love what has has been done to the creature AI!!
I think the best thing that could happen to TOEE -- even better than new content -- would be INTELLIGENT monsters. I know there are all kind of engine limitations and whatnot, but a simple encounter with harpies and ghouls turns out to be an epic battle. I know Co8 has been doing all kinds of AI modifications to this very point, but that harpy encounter was just so cool, I can't say enough about it. Bravo, give the drummer some, be sure to tip your servers...Well DONE, gentlemen! I look forward to crawling through the rest of the temple, and I've been doing it for 10 years!
Ghouls??? I honestly don't remember modifying them (perhaps you meant Spoiler gnolls ? that would indeed make sense )
Hi All, played the new Harpy encounter over the weekend, with a few issues (unpatched 8.0.0NC, so I may be behind the times again): (Spoilers follow) Spoiler 1) after the portcullis falls, some of my characters are still able to pass through from the corridor into the harpy lair by using a green-icon move- seems to be random though once the battle was fully joined I had 2 who were consistently trapped in the corridor. 2) on the first occasion I played through this, I used my cleric (in the corridor) to turn the ghouls/ghasts in the room to the East (assuming top-right of screen North, Harpy room running East-West on longest side) accessed by going South from the Harpy room. Most were unaffected or stayed in that room, but one ran past the portcullis and into the other small room South off the Harpy hallway, this one to the West of the corridor entrance. After I had dealt with the Harpies and other undead, including those in the large room to the West of the hallway, I was unable to open the door to finish off the remaining ghoul, who remained in the room even after the turning wore off. Eventually I fled the combat and ended up in the upper level of the temple, but suffered a CTD on trying to come back down. On the potentially related note, I accessed the large grey undead chamber to the West of the hallway by passing through the closed double door, rather than by opening it (which was not possible). --> seems to be some sort of universal doorway behaviour effect being triggered? 3) having vanquished all foes on my second play through, none of the 4 options available after clicking on the green-highlighted portcullis seemed to do anything, and I couldn't initiate combat to bash it down. Eventually I had one PC go back upstairs, which bungee'd everyone else back with him. On the whole, though, cracking addition! My cleric was paralysed by a ghoul and slowly battered down to -8HP, with the last character standing on the battle side of the portcullis being my wizard, who killed the last ghoul while on her last few HP herself. Fortunately she had one potion of CLW to stop Father Cassian bleeding to death before they escaped....
Hmmmm, let me reach back into the analogs of my O so perfect memory. Bottom left corner of Temple level one ... appear to be guarding three barrels. So, nope, not gnolls but ghouls. While I had my party kind of stretched out, (squishies to the rear please) a great big ol Spoiler OGRE came running up behind us. Granted we were being kind of noisy, what with my Pally always wanting to yell out the name of his attack as he does it. I SMITE YOU IN THE NAME OF PALOR!! so, yeah, it kind of echoes in the temple. :roll:
The dialog was fixed in 8.0.1. Other than that, doors can act funky in ToEE, nothing much I can do about it... also, are you using the speedup cheat perchance? That tends to increase the odds of going right through doors. I'll see if I can bulletproof against undead running away...
Sirchet, I think you were traumatized by the encounter, because those are definitely gnolls. Either that or :drunk:
Well SA, I don't do the alcohol thing so I must just be traumatized. I went back to the location in the Temple and sure enough ... leather armor all over the place and we both know that ghouls ALWAYS wear leather .... OK, OK, I was wrong and it WAS gnolls. But, it was freaking cool when the Spoiler OGRE came up from behind and joined in. :thumbsup:
Thanks SA, I'll load up the patch and have another look. I'm not using any cheats AFAIK, but I've had doors act oddly before so not too worried.
The portcullis is a great idea, but it bugged out on me... By the time it fell, I hadn't brought a single character over to the other side (wasn't going on the offense due to a spike growth there), so I am now unable to exit combat. I would simply run away, but the animal companion which can't be given orders stays put in front of the portcullis and remains in combat mode.
use protection from evil to avoid the charm , move near the portcullis and engage with missiles and/or AoE spells, you can also draw the harpy's and ghouls near enough to melee
Problem is the ghouls from the side chamber wouldn't even come closer no matter what I did... And weren't in range for any spells or weapons. Had to reload.
