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Game News Might & Magic X Update: Q&A #5

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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Tags: Limbic Entertainment; Might & Magic X: Legacy; Ubisoft

Things have been relatively quiet on the Might & Magic X Legacy front as the team works to meet their deadline early next year, but they've found the time to release a new Q&A that addresses some of the fans' concerns about the Early Access release. Here's an excerpt:

1. I strongly miss monster respawn in the outdoor areas and monster nests which can be destroyed!

Actually, having a general respawn was never considered an option whereas implementing the nests was something we wanted to integrate into the game for some time. However, we refrained from implementing both out of the same reasons. We don’t want players to farm for XP just because it is possible or because they feel too powerless at the moment. Instead we would like the player to keep trying to best a challenge by adapting their tactics or by exploring the world and go looking for moderate challenges on which they can grow stronger. We want players to explore the world and to provide him/her with a sense of accomplishment by gradually “clearing” the world and its dungeons.

11. I find it somehow annoying and frustrating to try out different doors in the city without knowing which one is actually usable to enter. Additionally, some barrels seem to be just decorative and some lootable. Why not make interactable objects stand out with a discreet color bordering for example? What do you guys think about this?

Doors should already have a highlight when you stand before them, plus they will be indicated as doors on the mini map, too. maybe we can implement a game option that enables permanent highlighting of interactive objects like barrels, that can be looted.

14. Why can’t I flee from battle?

Once you are engaged in melee combat you cannot flee anymore, because fleeing would be no fun with our turn-based system. We suggest to rather load a previously saved game in order to try again or to prepare for a tough encounter.

17. How about making it possible to use ranged attack in melee combat?

In general, we don’t think this is a good idea, since it would harm the balance. That’s because in combination with crowd control spells (i.e. Gust of Wind, Entangle) the window of opportunity can be prolonged, Also, even if you do not prolong the range attack phase, you would get up to four attacks that don’t cost Mana and are free of retaliation. However, you can level up a Ranger until he or she gets promoted to Warden and receives the ability “Point Blank Shot”. It allows the Warden to use the ranged attack in melee.

18. Weapons still break too quickly! How about a repair skill? I don’t want to carry around ten swords!

We will think about further decreasing the break chance for weapons. There also is a hireling which will repair the equipment of your party. Also, please note that a broken weapon can still be used, it’s just less effective.

19: I think it would be much more fun and “interactive” if you had much more mana, maybe twice or even more and make the mana potions more powerful. Or let the mana regenerate.

We won’t have automatically recharging Mana or Health. The effect would either be to subtle to experience it or to get actual benefit from it, or it would lead to players letting their parties jump back and forth in order to recover them.

20. Shopping could be more fun if there were more basic items, more enchantments, more trading options (“show me the basic/good/overpriced awesome stuff”)

There will be no special trading options. However, more item tiers are planned, because we also think that currently there’s not enough item variety to keep the item progress interesting. This includes literally all kind of items from armor pieces, jewelry, weapons, shields and the prefix/suffix probabilities and combinations of magic items. The design goal is to eliminate the “Oh, it´s the same dagger AGAIN”-feeling. Also, merchant offers will be a little more individual, fitting the merchant’s location and background. For instance, the chance to find fire based equipment will then be higher at dwarven merchants.
Mostly solid responses. I never asked for question #11, though.
 

undecaf

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11. I find it somehow annoying and frustrating to try out different doors in the city without knowing which one is actually usable to enter. Additionally, some barrels seem to be just decorative and some lootable. Why not make interactable objects stand out with a discreet color bordering for example? What do you guys think about this?

Doors should already have a highlight when you stand before them, plus they will be indicated as doors on the mini map, too. maybe we can implement a game option that enables permanent highlighting of interactive objects like barrels, that can be looted.

People cannot into exploration even in small spaces without a fucking seeing-eye dog. Next thing we know, there will be a loud foghorn sound because some things might be behind corners from where the highlight glow won't show.
 

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11. I find it somehow annoying and frustrating to try out different doors in the city without knowing which one is actually usable to enter. Additionally, some barrels seem to be just decorative and some lootable. Why not make interactable objects stand out with a discreet color bordering for example? What do you guys think about this?

Doors should already have a highlight when you stand before them, plus they will be indicated as doors on the mini map, too. maybe we can implement a game option that enables permanent highlighting of interactive objects like barrels, that can be looted.

People cannot into exploration even in small spaces without a fucking seeing-eye dog. Next thing we know, there will be a loud foghorn sound because some things might be behind corners from where the highlight glow won't show.


And for deafs a little bit of electrical shock from mouse ...
 

cvv

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Enjoy the Revolution! Another revolution around the sun that is.
11. I find it somehow annoying and frustrating to try out different doors in the city without knowing which one is actually usable to enter. Additionally, some barrels seem to be just decorative and some lootable. Why not make interactable objects stand out with a discreet color bordering for example? What do you guys think about this?

Doors should already have a highlight when you stand before them, plus they will be indicated as doors on the mini map, too. maybe we can implement a game option that enables permanent highlighting of interactive objects like barrels, that can be looted.

People cannot into exploration even in small spaces without a fucking seeing-eye dog. Next thing we know, there will be a loud foghorn sound because some things might be behind corners from where the highlight glow won't show.
Eh, it's about balance. Yes the nowadays omnipresent "eagle eye" type of effect is a faggoty console-generation gimmick.

On the other hand a game without any such option can be annoying too. For example the constant pixel hunting in the crappy Divinity 2 engine without any way to highlight things - through a skill or spell maybe - is a genuine pain in the sphincter.
 

Zeriel

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The repair mechanic as it stands is just dumb. Everyone is going to run the repair hireling, at which point you might as well just remove repair/broken item mechanic from the game and have one less hireling slot, it's the exact same result.
 

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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Everyone is going to run the repair hireling

I've noticed that whenever there's some kind of durability or other "degrades over time" resource management-type mechanic in a game, there's a subset of players who instantly assume that every player will always do EVERYTHING they can to avoid it.

When they were talking about durability in Project Eternity, for instance, lots of people said it would make the Crafting skill "must have". Time limits in Fallout or Mask of the Betrayer? Mod that shit out, it limits my FREEDUM!!

WTF? Seriously, why do these types of mechanics make people so butthurt?
 

undecaf

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2
On the other hand a game without any such option can be annoying too. For example the constant pixel hunting in the crappy Divinity 2 engine without any way to highlight things - through a skill or spell maybe - is a genuine pain in the sphincter.

Sure, pixelhunting in larger, more crowded (with foliage and shit) areas can be a nuisance; but we are not talking about that level of pixel hunt, to my knowledge there are no small items hidden in the grass or piles of junk. In MMX, the minimap already covers all the doors and NPC's, and to my recollection the barrels that can be interacted with already look different from those that can't (and once looted, they're broken). Where will the line be drawn between removing a technical nuisance and catering to lazy people with tunnel vision?

--------------------------------------------------

As for the repair stuff... I would've preferred a skill and gradual repairs based on its level (with increased "broken" penalty, since it does not render the item useless; and no repairs during combat). But meh. Guess the hireling will have to do.
 
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Everyone is going to run the repair hireling

I've noticed that whenever there's some kind of durability or other "degrades over time" resource management-type mechanic in a game, there's a subset of players who instantly assume that every player will always do EVERYTHING they can to avoid it.

When they were talking about durability in Project Eternity, for instance, lots of people said it would make the Crafting skill "must have". Time limits in Fallout or Mask of the Betrayer? Mod that shit out, it limits my FREEDUM!!

WTF? Seriously, why do these types of mechanics make people so butthurt?

The item breaking mechanic as it is is shitty % age chance of breaking instead of a durability stat or something similar. And they removed all non-combat skills. The MMO-esaue durability proposed in PE was just shitty busywork.

I liked durability in Arcanum though. Fire elementals and those golems/constructs made your non arcane weapons break, also body armor with fire elemental attacks... it actually screwed you. Not reduced effectiveness and still usable, like it is in MMX...and that too random chance, your shiny new enchanted lewt might break on some trash mob and it is still reasonably effective from what I gather (sm1 with early acess on how severe penalties are for broken stuff should rectify this)

But FO1 time limit was very generous. And MotB spirit meter is p. easy to keep topped up. Worst case scenario is satiate if you cannot into urgency. Do codexers really get butthurt about this?
 

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I have no problem with such mechanics when they are done properly (Fallout and MotB are good examples for time managment)

But in MMX items breaking so many times in so little time when you are fighting against blocking enemies. Which is in pretty large numbers outside the city even at start. Even with the new patch my part s melee weapons were completely broken before I made it to the lighthouse. And it makes a big difference when your every melee fighters weapons are broken in game...

I'm ok for some normal durability on weapons and random item break on unconsciousness. But #randommelee guards normal blocks start to destroy your equipment, it is just too much.
I hate that thing on 6&7th game but at least we had someone in party that can repair.
 

Zeriel

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Everyone is going to run the repair hireling

I've noticed that whenever there's some kind of durability or other "degrades over time" resource management-type mechanic in a game, there's a subset of players who instantly assume that every player will always do EVERYTHING they can to avoid it.

When they were talking about durability in Project Eternity, for instance, lots of people said it would make the Crafting skill "must have". Time limits in Fallout or Mask of the Betrayer? Mod that shit out, it limits my FREEDUM!!

WTF? Seriously, why do these types of mechanics make people so butthurt?

Did you write the M&M X preview for the Codex? Have you played the early access? If not, you're really missing out on what I'm talking about. In most games, repair mechanics are trivial or merely economic in nature. In M&M X as it stands, the first minor battle once you leave town with 2 bandits has a better than even chance to break at least one character's weapon, especially if it's a blocking enemy (which are common), or you are using dual wield or daggers.

Hence why I said no one who plays the game for more than a few minutes is going to run anything but the repair hireling. And when your mechanics require such shenanigans, there's a good chance they're shit mechanics.

Hope that clears things up?

ETA: The penalty for a broken weapon is -75% damage. It isn't "play around it" level of disadvantage. It is "toss that magical greatsword of +50 annihilation into the inventory now because my starter dagger is better".

All that said, I will be utterly shocked if the current model of item durability makes it to the live game. It's just really sloppy and makes me think they haven't done a solid pass on gameplay balancing (remember, they haven't even done itemization yet).
 

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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Everyone is going to run the repair hireling

I've noticed that whenever there's some kind of durability or other "degrades over time" resource management-type mechanic in a game, there's a subset of players who instantly assume that every player will always do EVERYTHING they can to avoid it.

When they were talking about durability in Project Eternity, for instance, lots of people said it would make the Crafting skill "must have". Time limits in Fallout or Mask of the Betrayer? Mod that shit out, it limits my FREEDUM!!

WTF? Seriously, why do these types of mechanics make people so butthurt?

Did you write the M&M X preview for the Codex? Have you played the early access? If not, you're really missing out on what I'm talking about. In most games, repair mechanics are trivial or merely economic in nature. In M&M X as it stands, the first minorl battle once you leave town with 2 bandits has a better than even chance to break at least one character's weapon, especially if it's a blocking enemy (which are common), or you are using dual wield or daggers.

Hence why I said no one who plays the game for more than a few minutes is going to run anything but the repair hireling. And when your mechanics require such shenanigans, there's a good chance they're shit mechanics.

Hope that clears things up?

How would you feel if they renamed it from "Broken" to "Blunted", and instead of "Repairing" the weapon, you "Sharpened" it?

Also, please note that a broken blunted weapon can still be used, it’s just less effective.
 

Zeriel

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I edited in a thought regarding that, before you replied. I'd agree with you if M&M X was some bizarre universe in which razor-sharp swords become hunks of rock after being swung once or twice at someone with a shield. I don't think there's any need to find excuses for why the item mechanic is the way it is--clearly it's broken (trolololol) as it stands, and will either be changed before release, or be modded out into something more reasonable.
 

undecaf

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How would you feel if they renamed it from "Broken" to "Blunted", and instead of "Repairing" the weapon, you "Sharpened" it?

Also, please note that a broken blunted weapon can still be used, it’s just less effective.


A blunted hammer sounds just about as it should be. What would blunted bow look like I've no idea.

:troll:

(I do get your point, though)
 

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M&M 8 (or was it 9...?) had a mapping skill that highlighted more things on the map the better you were at it.
I'd like that again. You get a choice between more convenience and more powergaming.
But they chose not to implement non-combat skills.
Same with broken weapons. I don't mind the feature, but I'd like it better if there were a skill that reduces the chance of breaking/gives the posibility of repairing. (Of course breaking should really be a pain, not a just minimal inconvenience.) Again, a choice between convenience vs. power. (And certain weapons should be unbreakable, making the choice even harder. Do I invest in this convenient skill that makes 80% of the game less riddled with frustration, or do I put up with the frustration because it makes me more powerful and I know that I'll find unbreakable weapons at some stage. Those being again potentionally weaker than similar weapons without the unbreakable trait...)

*shrug*

(Haven't played the demo/alpha/beta. The comments are just general.)
 

warmonger3

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I did manage to see my entire party with broken main weapons.

Once the map is cleaned out and barren there isn't much of a concern for broken weapons but I imagine this will change in the final version at least with having more things to fight/interact with.
 

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