News: Co8 ToEE modpack 5.0 released

[SanguinePenguin]

If I ever get around to installing it again I'll have to try that out and be more careful. Thanks.

 

[Niektory]

Disabling anti-aliasing helps with the slowdowns, but for some reason when I alt+tab the game always re-enables it.

 

[LlamaGod]

If you do Archery, keep picking Goblinoids as your chosen enemy. Theres a very signifigant amount of Goblinoid monsters in the game and you'll get bonuses when attacking them.

 

[Hazelnut]

I picked giants... like I'm gonna see a lot of those in the early game. I have to say that I love my rogue/ranger (now lvl3/2) dual wielding rapier and short sword and cats grace from my druid...much fun. I think I'm enjoying the sorcerer and wizard the least, because deciding on which spells is so tough on my first play through. I do love charm person and sleep though!

So what's a goblinoid then? Goblins, obviously. Gnolls? Bugbears? I'm not a D&D nerd, so I've not a clue. All the D&D experience I have comes from BG2 and Eye of the Beholder on the Amiga... :D

 

[Mefi]

Goblinoids are goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears. Gnolls are dogs.

Standard spells at low levels for arcane casters are mage armour (to increase your AC), magic missile, sleep, charm and that laughter spell. Once you get web and fireball you'll have the perfect way to clean out a room. Cheesy but effective.

Once you start bumping into creatures with spell resistance and resistance to fire, you need to start looking at magic feats (empower etc) and maybe switch back to using magic missile more often.

How far into the game are you Hazelnut? You must be just about entering the Temple itself at level 5.

 

[LlamaGod]

If you do all the quests in Hommlet you can get to level 4 or 5, I think, and with a shitload of money. It's just kinda boring.

My party I usually did on ToEE wuz:
Dwarf Warrior (multiclassed to barbarian for level 10)
Dwarf Warrior (multiclassed to barbarian for level 10)
Gnome Sorcerer (all offensive spells, focus purely on causing damage with magic)
Elf Ranger (Goblinoids, Stealth skills - mr. sneaky pants + ranged damage dealer)
Human Cleric (Sun+Healing domains, picked only healing spells. Also picked all Turning feats, so you can get like 2 uses out of Greater Turning. The zombie rooms are fun with this. He played support and kept everyone alive)

Then I got the drunk guy from Hommlet as an additional character. He makes a nice 3rd fighter.

I'd have the 3 fighters charge in and smack things while the archer fired from the back and the mage made things explode, the Cleric would run around keeping everyone alive and making undead explode.




The temptation of replaying ToEE is a bit strong, but I kinda dont feel like remembering all the D&D shit. Muchkinism is a deadly disease.

 

[Mefi]

Ah, ok. Just realised I always use a party of 8 and you guys are talking about small parties. I like my NPCs Depends as well on whether you know all the quests or are using a walkthrough.

If your cleric is good or neutral (with instant cast heal instead of inflict spells) then you don't need to memorise any healing spells. Just hold down shift in the radial menu of any spell and it will turn to the appropriate level of healing spell. Evil clerics (and neutrals who choose inflict option) cast inflict spells instead if you do this. Druids cast summon animals when using this method.

I'm currently using an elf wizzy, an elf ranger (2 weapons), human fighter, dwarf cleric ( Pelor with the turn feats is too cheesy even for me) and half-elf rogue. Got Elmo and Fruella (ranger and a fighter) and Meleny (druid) as the npcs. Humble npcs hack removes most of the issues with the NPCs so there really isn't any reason not to use them unless you want maximise XP early on in the game.

Never saw the point of doing the munchkin thing with ToEE as it's really not that difficult to 'beat' the game - the first time I completed the game I did it totally by accident.

 

[LlamaGod]

Do the hardkore way and like beat that one dudes ass at the bottom of the temple and then Zuggtmoy herself.

 

[Mefi]

Do the hardkore way and like beat that one dudes ass at the bottom of the temple and then Zuggtmoy herself.

Aye, and as I was saying the game is too easy to beat

(In vanilla, most of the monsters/NPCs were gimped but especially the high level ones. That said, Co8 hasn't put in the proper version of Zuggtmoy yet because she's too tough and makes munchkins cry.)

 

[HanoverF]

I can't even make it through the second level of the temple from all the CTDs, I thought the mod was to fix that, not add more bugs

 

[Mefi]

I can't even make it through the second level of the temple from all the CTDs, I thought the mod was to fix that, not add more bugs

CTDs are hardly a new feature of ToEE, and I'm not certain how Co8 is meant to rewrite the code for the game. If you can do it though, we'd welcome your help

Post over at Co8 with some proper details (where it happens, when it happens, error messages, your system specs) and I'll take a look. The chances of it being a 'new' CTD bug introduced by v5 from how you are describing it are tiny so post in General Discussion. Wouldn't happen to be 0x2112ddba memory reference error would it? Anyways, post over there and we'll see what we can do.

 

[HanoverF]

Part of the bugs I'm encountering stem from talking to people who send you to Verwhatever, or being in their general vacinity, that would seem to me to be a problem introduced by Co8

 

[Mefi]

Part of the bugs I'm encountering stem from talking to people who send you to Verwhatever, or being in their general vacinity, that would seem to me to be a problem introduced by Co8

HanoverF - could you zip or rar up your saved game closest to where you are crashing and send it to me


The folder with the saves will be found in Atari > ToEE > Modules > Co8_5.0.0 > Save

and then its the three files with identical names which correspond to the slot number of the save game.

I think I know what this is but it's quicker to get a save to me for testing that has the issue than for me to try and create the bug on my system.

 

[HanoverF]

Sent.
I should add that I was enjoying the changes, for the most part and appreciate all the hard work that went into this.

I should, but this is the codex, so fix it allready

 

[Mefi]

Sent.
I should add that I was enjoying the changes, for the most part and appreciate all the hard work that went into this.

I should, but this is the codex, so fix it allready

I think I know what this is. Will have a look at it properly tomorrow Thanks for sending it to me.

Edit: HanoverF - could you just check the version of Co8 you are running the game in? Is it the full Co8 v5 download (with or without 5.0.1 cumulative fix pack) or have you accidentally downloaded one of the beta builds?

The bug is very similar to one uncovered in beta testing and since fixed. So if we know that you have definitely got the right version, we (ok, so the clever modders who I associate myself with) can go on a proper bug hunt for this one and nail it. The crash is coming because the game isn't using the teleport script properly and we need to know whether it's the bug we've fixed or one which has snuck up on us

 

[HanoverF]

The mod (according to front end) is 5.0.0 final, gotten from the messageboard link the first post in this thread points to.

 

[Mefi]

The mod (according to front end) is 5.0.0 final, gotten from the messageboard link the first post in this thread points to.

Thanks HanoverF.

For the moment, I'd advise you not to use any dialogue which automatically teleports you - or at least save just before trying to use them. Your game seems incapable of actually doing it even via the console.

Usually something like this would be something which could be fixed by altering your PC configuration or it would be tied to a fuckup in some modded work.

In your game it isn't either of those as I can't even use the console to teleport to or from an area which has never been modded in any way shape or form but my system allows it in my own saved games for Co8v5. You have a unique bug - take a bow for breaking the game :D

My gut feeling is either your install or your save game/s are corrupted but some of the smart modders will play with it once they have fixed more widespread bugs and see if they can figure out what is going on.

Sorry it's messed up your enjoyment of the mod - I don't think it's the mod's fault but hopefully if it is a bug and not a corrupt something or other we can figure it out and fix it.

edit: sorry if that was far more info than you wanted to know.

 

[Hazelnut]

Goblinoids are goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears. Gnolls are dogs.

Standard spells at low levels for arcane casters are mage armour (to increase your AC), magic missile, sleep, charm and that laughter spell. Once you get web and fireball you'll have the perfect way to clean out a room. Cheesy but effective.

Once you start bumping into creatures with spell resistance and resistance to fire, you need to start looking at magic feats (empower etc) and maybe switch back to using magic missile more often.

How far into the game are you Hazelnut? You must be just about entering the Temple itself at level 5.

Thanks Mefi. I've not used mage armour or tasha's, but sleep was used a lot. I just hate it when I cast things on creatures that are immune. It'd be nice of the game to indicate this before casting, since the chars would know (after the first time at least) - I keep forgetting. I love MM's because ranged touch spells miss so often in melee.

I reached the temple last night. I can't bring myself to do the nulb quests (only did 70% of the hommlett ones) because I want to fight all the time. :D I did the Orb which was funny, first time I switched on the non-lethal damage option to beat a guy up, since party is good and this guy's just a prick rather than deserving of death. So, fighter hits, cleric hits, rogue/ranger hits and does sneak attack, where the bonus damage is not non-lethal and kills the dude! So many times in this game I find things happening that I didn't intend because I'm not knowledgable of the rules or I'm fighting the interface. Like a battle I had to restart twice because I targetted a spell on my own party due to not being able to hold the mouse pixel perfect for the click and slipping from monster to my front liners. Gah! I think that the graphics of the backgrounds make it rather difficult to manouver and see what the layout of the place is. Also the amount of obscuring the characters and enemies is ridiculous. Love the amimations, love the spell effects, love the TB combat mechanics.

I just reached lvl 6 last night - having cleared 50% of level 1 of the temple. Had one really fun battle when I stumbled into a room with a single visible ogre to find it full of Gnolls, inc. a tough leader with another ogre for good measure. I was not at 100%, having had 5-6 small battles since resting, but this is what I had saved my big guns for. Watching them all cluster around a spiritual weapon while my druid & cleric buffed the team, and the druid then called lighting down on the entire little group clustered round the weapon while the sorc & wiz took out the other ogre at range.. brilliant. I love battles like that, and that's the only good one in the temple so far, all the others have been too cramped and/or too easy. To get to level 6 I went off to the river and the king bullfrog. That was good fun too. Nice open space, nice challenge. Had to try it 4 times before doing it without a death. Checked the walkthrough on sorcerers.net after the 2nd and it says that the lizard men and sea hag should not be alerted to succeed. Well for me they were alerted the instant I arrived in the map, before anyone moved. I'm curious why this is - was it that my party has poor skills to avoid being seen by this secondry party, or is that a co8 change? I'm very glad, because it would have been a doddle to win doing the frogs, then the lizard men & hag. Doing them all at once was a nice little puzzle. I definitely prefer open battles, rather than the ones inside - purely down to being able to interpret the backgrounds and visualise the layout much easier. The number of times my plans are ruined inside because it looks like theres space there, but there's actually not.

Apparently thers's robes to avoid some battles in the temple - why on earth would I want to do that in this game? I'm Ramboing the temple!! I'll take it all on. (preparing to be humbled at some point) Now all I have to do is figure out feats & spells for 6th... yay, fireball at last. :D

EDIT: Oh, and I love the Druid's call lighting, especially when I accidentally realised that a single spell had a duration, and wasn't just a one-shot deal! I was smoking then, well the enemy corpses were!

 

[Mefi]

The temple robes are useful if you want to have a wander round and find some more quests from NPCs inside the temple without having to deal with rooms full of monsters. It accommodates different ways to complete the game mainly.

You need to keep your arcane casters' AC as high as you can which is where Mage Armour really helps. Tasha's Laughter is very useful for single opponents who do lots of damage - they fall to the ground and your party can then sort things out without worrying about moving through an attack of opportunity which will likely result in half the party dying (great cleave + giant sized creature is a horrid combination).

The backgrounds can be very iffy at times for seeing what is going in. They're beautifully drawn 2d backgrounds but not without problems at times. It can be very hard to see what's going on - especially if you are trying to get a spellcaster or archer into line of sight. 2d maps are also a real pain to actually create and mod in too without looking like someone from kindergarten has been playing with big brother's oil paints. I usually put the gamma up a bit to lighten things up a little - doesn't help that some maps are just very dark in themselves with little contrast in colours to help you spot what is happening.

There are a few excellent battles in the temple, although you're basically doing room clearance on the level you are currently on so it may be a while until you find the next big one in a decently sized space. Not going to give any spoilers

Make sure you download the cumulative update btw from Co8. There's a bugfix which went wrong which has been corrected for level 2 of the temple (not the one Hanoverf had) on the v5.0.1 thread. I'd say it's quite an important one for level 2. Better to apply it before you get onto the map.

Where precisely your party appears on the King frog map is not quite exact. It depends on party size mainly. I've only rarely avoided getting the lizardmen into the fight. I usually entangle them until I've dealt with the frogs - the Sea Hag is quite nasty for the level my party is at when I do this.

Call lightning is very good in combination with entangle. The area effect of the spell is also ideal for taking out bugbears blocking doors without wiping out asll your fighters.

 

[sheek]

Any tips for healing? Because having to rest every second fight for one week and only two +1 HP cleric spells is becoming a real pain. I'm level 2.5 right now, killed the enraged ogre in dungeon. I don't remember PnP being so stingy with heals...

 

[Frau Bishop]

Any tips for healing?...

Hazelnut made me play *g* the game recently, so I'm new as well (party level 5 right now). But I would suggest you increase your healing spells asap, two +1 HP seem to be pretty
masochistic, considering the cost of potions and the strength of enemies at the available locations.

 

[Hazelnut]

Any tips for healing? Because having to rest every second fight for one week and only two +1 HP cleric spells is becoming a real pain. I'm level 2.5 right now, killed the enraged ogre in dungeon. I don't remember PnP being so stingy with heals...

That's actually not an uncommon mistake, especially for those who haven't read the manual (either due to pirating or toddism)

Basically you need to got to the inventory screen, and click the blue button on the right at the top and choose some spells to memorise... 'Cure Light Wounds' may fit the bill for you... (you're using the level 0 cure spells at present)

Also, for people playing for the first time, can I point out that the game contains a very excellent help system which can be accessed via the ? button at the bottom right. Check it out. Also if you press h you can click on many things on the screen or roll history window to jump straight into the help. Some of the new higher level spells are not in the help as yet, but I'm working on that.

Lastly, www.d20srd.org is a great 3rd Ed D&D reference site for when you find Troika's manual lacking.

 

[Abraxas]

It's been some time since I played it, but did not TOEE have spontaneous casting for clerics and druids? That is, you can change any cleric spell you have memorized for the healing one of the same level (or Summon Animal for the druids).

 

[Hazelnut]

That is correct for good aligned clerics, but I was hoping sheek would maybe take a look at the manual..

 

[suibhne]

It's been some time since I played it, but did not TOEE have spontaneous casting for clerics and druids? That is, you can change any cleric spell you have memorized for the healing one of the same level (or Summon Animal for the druids).

Yes, but that still doesn't help if you didn't memorize any spells in the first place. :wink: