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Build me an Arcanum character because I'm a filthy casual and too stupid to do it myself.

youhomofo

Augur
Joined
Jul 13, 2005
Messages
142
The combat in this game is so bad. And there's so much of it. It's shit real-time and shit turn-based. I did not think it would be this bad. I just assumed a bunch of casuals were wining because it didn't hold their hand and guide them delicately along.

I don't know how anyone can play a game with shitty gameplay for the dozens of hours this RPG would take to beat.
 

marek

Educated
Joined
Jan 12, 2020
Messages
49
The combat in this game is so bad. And there's so much of it. It's shit real-time and shit turn-based. I did not think it would be this bad. I just assumed a bunch of casuals were wining because it didn't hold their hand and guide them delicately along.

Simple: many - including myself - just don't care that much about combat mechanics. Planescape:Torment had bad combat mechanics, Disco Elysium had (basically) no combat mechanics, both games are considered great despite this.
 

Serious_Business

Best Poster on the Codex
Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Messages
3,909
Location
Frown Town
The combat in this game is so bad. And there's so much of it. It's shit real-time and shit turn-based. I did not think it would be this bad. I just assumed a bunch of casuals were wining because it didn't hold their hand and guide them delicately along.

Simple: many - including myself - just don't care that much about combat mechanics. Planescape:Torment had bad combat mechanics, Disco Elysium had (basically) no combat mechanics, both games are considered great despite this.

Bunch of 'tards tho

As you will soon learn, combat is inevitable in life. It is even the essence of it
 
Unwanted

Sweeper

Unwanted
Zionist Agent
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Messages
2,394
Simple: many - including myself - just don't care that much about combat mechanics. Planescape:Torment had bad combat mechanics, Disco Elysium had (basically) no combat mechanics, both games are considered great despite this.
True.
Very true.
And only one of those games is an RPG.
An RPG can be good despite shit combat, but it does have to have combat.
Daily Reminder: Disco Elysium is not an RPG, regardless of how it's marketed or how much you like it.
 

marek

Educated
Joined
Jan 12, 2020
Messages
49
True.
An RPG can be good despite shit combat, but it does have to have combat.
Why exactly? Disco Elysium is not a text adventure: your actions, options and outcomes are derived from your skills and rolls. More of an RPG than many modern aRPGs - and non-combat P&P RPGs focusing on e.g. theft and intrigue also exist. Sadly not so much as crpgs & quite niche. But several good RPGs at least offer no combat as an option (e.g. AoD as Commercium).
 
Self-Ejected

Lilura

RPG Codex Dragon Lady
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Messages
5,274
Simple: many - including myself - just don't care that much about combat mechanics. Planescape:Torment had bad combat mechanics, Disco Elysium had (basically) no combat mechanics, both games are considered great despite this.

Only by storyfags. Weekly reminder:

sOebedh.jpg

The combat in this game is so bad. And there's so much of it. It's shit real-time and shit turn-based. I did not think it would be this bad. I just assumed a bunch of casuals were wining because it didn't hold their hand and guide them delicately along.

I don't know how anyone can play a game with shitty gameplay for the dozens of hours this RPG would take to beat.

The other problem is the amount of towns, the town-spam. After Tarant, it's one boring-ass town after another.
 

Bester

⚰️☠️⚱️
Patron
Vatnik
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
11,003
Location
USSR
Just started an Arcanum replay. Got scarred by the wolves. Thankfully I noticed the floating message, otherwise I wouldn't know why my Beauty is lower than usual. Is there no interface for afflictions like that?
 

Bester

⚰️☠️⚱️
Patron
Vatnik
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
11,003
Location
USSR
Why doesn't Virgil want to wear wool armor? I don't see what it has to do with magic/technology. It doesn't, does it?
 

whocares

Savant
Joined
Nov 8, 2016
Messages
450
I will not eat the bugs. I will not live in a pod. I will not use 2FA.
 
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Eastwood

Educated
Joined
Jun 21, 2020
Messages
78
Why doesn't Virgil want to wear wool armor? I don't see what it has to do with magic/technology. It doesn't, does it?
Followers are kind of stupid in deciding what to wear. I think they prioritize the items with the highest sale value, which obviously leads to a lot of suboptimal choices. Try to remove all other armor from him, if you want him to wear the wool armor.
Another possibility could be that the armor is not the right size category. Humans can only wear medium sized armors, while ogres wear large and the little races small sizes.
 
Joined
May 1, 2013
Messages
4,499
Location
The border of the imaginary
Why doesn't Virgil want to wear wool armor? I don't see what it has to do with magic/technology. It doesn't, does it?
The wool armor is probably Large-sized for half-ogres and the like; Virgil requires medium sized stuff.
halfings, dwarfs and the small dipshits also known as gnomes wear small sized armor.
All others wear medium sized armor
This applies only to torso armor.
 

Zerth

Arbiter
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Messages
406
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
As a halfling, getting a critical failure with a backstab is the funniest shit. Since their CON is so low, they ended up disemboweling themselves with a failure backstab hit that doubles their HP.

I don't know how anyone can play a game with shitty gameplay for the dozens of hours this RPG would take to beat.

It's a good thing you can skip combat gameplay by safely navigate dungeons spamming Invincibility and charisma checks are plentiful.

IMO gameplay is shitty mostly due to execution. Regardless of TB or Real-Time mode, most enemies are just dumb ai with the behavior of either a freight train or a Gatling gun.
 

Volourn

Pretty Princess
Pretty Princess Glory to Ukraine
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
24,924
"For a game that's supposed to offer a high variety of builds, it's a disappointment that everyone goes with the same necromancy blast spell build."

Weird. I have never used necromancy in Arcanum.
 

Brancaleone

Liturgist
Joined
Apr 28, 2015
Messages
1,004
Location
Norcia
Regardless of TB or Real-Time mode, most enemies are just dumb ai with the behavior of either a freight train or a Gatling gun.

AI has always been by far my biggest gripe about the game. It is basically non existent, and whatever little there is of it is just random actions within certain parameters. The entire game's AI fits little more than one page:

// The numbers on each line have the following meaning:
// Given a line N with data D1 D2 D3 D4 D5...
// The values stand for:

// ---- the first five are fleeing params
// D1: percentage of NPC hit points below which NPC will flee
// D2: number of people besides PC beyond which NPC will flee
// D3: number of levels above NPC beyond which NPC will flee
// D4: percentage of PC hit points below which NPC will never flee
// D5: how far to flee, in tiles
// ---- the next five are follow params
// D6: the reaction level at which the NPC will not follow the PC
// D7: how far PC align is above NPC align before NPC wont follow
// D8: how far PC align is below NPC align before NPC wont follow
// D9: how many levels the NPC can be above the PC and still join
// D10: how much a non-accidental hit will lower a follower's reaction
// ---- the next two are kill-on-sight (KOS) params
// D11: NPC will attack if his reaction is below this
// D12: how different alignments can be before non-follower NPC attacks
// D13: alignment of target at (or above) which the good-aligned follower NPC will not attack
// ---- the next params control spell use
// D14: chance of throwing defensive spell (as opposed to offensive)
// D15: chance of throwing a healing spell in combat
// ---- the next params control combat
// D16: minimum distance in combat
// ---- the next params control door and window usage
// D17: the NPC can open portals if this is nonzero and cannot if it is zero

// The default AI packet is zero.
{0}{0 1000 1000 20 6 20 1001 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 50 20 1 1} // generic AI
{1}{100 0 0 0 10 20 1001 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 75 100 0 1} // flees immediately
{2}{0 1000 1000 101 1 20 1001 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 50 100 0 1} // never flees
{3}{10 10 10 20 5 20 1001 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 50 100 0 1} // original generic AI (sometimes flees)
{4}{50 20 3 20 20 20 20 20 2 0 0 2001 100 15 100 0 1} // flees at 50
{5}{0 1000 1000 101 1 -1000 2001 2001 30 0 -1000 2001 2001 50 20 0 1} // Virgil AI
{6}{20 5 5 20 5 20 1001 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 50 100 0 1} // Hervor AI (flees at 20)
{7}{0 1000 1000 101 1 20 1001 1000 8 0 0 2001 100 50 100 0 1} // Chukka AI
{8}{0 1000 1000 101 1 -1001 1001 1001 20 0 0 2001 2001 0 0 5 1}// Arronax AI
{9}{0 1000 1000 101 1 20 1001 1000 2 0 -1000 2001 100 50 100 0 1}// Kerghan
{10}{0 16 1000 20 7 1000 1000 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 20 0 4 1} // bowman no flee
{11}{10 100 100 20 7 1000 1000 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 20 0 5 1} // ranged magic monster flee 10%
{12}{10 7 100 15 6 1000 1000 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 30 0 1 1} // close combat monster flee 10%
{13}{10 7 100 15 6 1000 1000 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 40 0 1 1} // close combat defense monster flee 10%
{14}{0 10 100 15 6 1000 1000 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 20 0 1 1} // close combat
{15}{0 100 100 20 7 1000 1000 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 20 0 5 1} // ranged magic monster no flee
{16}{0 10 100 15 6 1000 1000 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 30 0 5 1} // close combat invis will move back 5 tiles
{17}{0 1000 1000 20 6 20 1001 1000 25 0 0 2001 350 50 100 1 1} // Cynthia Boggs AI
{18}{30 20 100 20 5 20 1001 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 50 100 0 1} // Borag
{19}{0 1000 1000 101 1 20 1001 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 50 100 0 0}//General Monster
{20}{100 0 0 0 10 20 1001 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 75 2001 0 0}// clockwork decoy AI
{21}{0 1000 1000 20 6 20 1001 1000 7 0 0 2001 2001 50 20 1 1}// Priscilla Penn
{22}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 355 2 0 0 2001 100 0 20 1 1}//Magnus
{23}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 400 2001 2 0 0 2001 2001 0 20 1 1}//Torian
{24}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 510 2 0 0 2001 100 40 20 5 1}//Raven
{25}{0 1000 1000 101 1 -1000 2001 2001 5 0 -1000 2001 350 0 20 5 1}//Frank
{26}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 400 2001 2 0 0 2001 2001 30 20 5 1}//Zan
{27}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 355 2 0 0 2001 100 0 20 1 1}//Gar
{28}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 355 2 0 0 2001 100 0 20 1 1}//Loghaire
{29}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 250 2001 2 0 0 2001 2001 30 20 5 1}//Geoffrey
{30}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 200 2 0 0 2001 100 40 20 5 1}//Perriman
{31}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 2001 2 0 0 2001 2001 0 20 1 1}//Sogg
{32}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 2001 2 0 0 2001 2001 0 20 5 1}//Vollinger
{33}{0 1000 1000 20 6 25 150 2001 5 10 0 2001 2001 0 10 1 1}//Tollo
{34}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 355 2 0 0 2001 300 0 20 5 1}//Waromon
{35}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 410 2 0 0 2001 100 40 20 1 1}//Dante
{36}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 2001 2 5 0 2001 500 0 20 1 1}//Sebastian
{37}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 410 2 0 0 2001 100 0 50 1 1}//Jayna
{38}{0 1000 1000 20 6 15 2001 400 2 0 0 2001 100 25 25 5 1}//Joachim
{39}{5 10 0 20 20 20 1001 1000 2 0 0 2001 100 20 35 4 1} // Generic Bowman
{40}{0 1000 1000 101 1 20 1001 1000 100 0 0 2001 100 50 100 0 1}// Murgo

So that's it, AI for a single enemy/NPC/companion is exactly one line of random actions within some very rudimentary parameters.

Even a rudimentary AI would go a very long way in making combat better. Modders have spent quite some time rebalancing spells and items, but that in the end affects meaningfully only the player, and it means nothing if everyone else (enemies and companions) cannot make any good use of those rebalanced spells and items.
 

axedice

Cipher
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
465
Location
Mersin
The most fun I had with Arcanum was when I played a pure Tech character with Drog's mod. Finding and crafting new schematics, early game dumpster diving etc. all felt good. You don't steamroll the entire game like the magic / summoning or 20 str melee paths, but it definitely doesn't suck early game (unlike the release version).

My second advice would be a full cha / beauty persuasion character with minimal investment in blacksmithing. Recruit every companion, convince every npc and steamroll the obligatory dungeons with 6 characters swinging featherweight dwarven axes.
 

502

Learned
Joined
Mar 28, 2020
Messages
277
Location
Ankara
does magnus learn schematics higher than the fourth lvl?

Everyone is stuck at rank 4 of their respective disciplines in vanilla, but UAP 2.01 lets you swap follower leveling schemes to "no scheme" and allocate their points yourself.
 

the mole

Learned
Shitposter
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
833
build really doesn't matter in arcanum

you'll figure out why maybe 10 minutes in depending on your stats

could be a few hours otherwise
 

Zerth

Arbiter
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Messages
406
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Even a rudimentary AI would go a very long way in making combat better. Modders have spent quite some time rebalancing spells and items, but that in the end affects meaningfully only the player, and it means nothing if everyone else (enemies and companions) cannot make any good use of those rebalanced spells and items.
Those AI routines aren't even bare bones, just a random fest, wtf. Geoffrey's behavior practically is a showcase of the glaring issues of AI design, He goes melee most times. The same happens to Joachim when you face him during a true evil play through.
 
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