But to sum it up, Book II has a new 1024x768 default resolution, gender selectable characters, changing weather that can affect gameplay, new skills, new challenges, new goals, larger game world, and much, much more.
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We have added a few options which increase the tactical aspect of combat. For starters, there is now a "Combat Mode" selector that switches between four styles: Normal, Power, Finesse, and Parry. For example, selecting Power mode allows your character to use extra force while attacking with a weapon to incur 20% more damage, but at a -20% ToHit penalty. The opposite is true when using Finesse mode, where you gain 20% more ToHit accuracy at a cost of 20% less damage. The third mode is Parry. While in Parry mode, all the skill points you possess in the weapon that you are holding are applied to your Armor Rating- so if you have a sword skill of 10, these 10 points are added to your Armor Rating. However, this defensive posturing has a penalizing effect on your ability to attack, as both your ToHit and your maximum damage are reduced by 20%.
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Our entire design process centers around listening to our fans, and Book II is a culmination of hundreds of suggestions gathered from fans of Book I. However, at the end of the day, we insist upon staying true to the design principals of the series- that Eschalon must remain an authentic old-school role-playing experience. As we've said a dozen times in the past, we are not trying to reinvent the genre and we are not trying to produce the ultimate gaming experience for the largest market demographic- we are making a classic old-school role-playing adventure, nothing more, nothing less.​