Arcanum Arcanum Multiverse Edition

[Drog Black Tooth]

Here's a few examples of what I've fixed:
- Qintarra guards check for your race, comment on it, and let you inside. There were no checks for the 3 extra races, so you could never get inside. I had to add 3 new lines of dialog.
- Orc thugs in Tarant (at night, near docks). They again check for all races, comment on your race, and ask for money, unless you're a half-orc, in which case they let you go. Added 3 new lines for dark elves, ogres and orcs, orcs are free to go.
- Orc barbarians in random encounters. Pretty much the same as above, however, they sometimes have an ogre destroyer in their party (and the lore also says that ogres sometimes do join orcish tribes). Should they let ogres go?

 

[Brancaleone]

I can just make a search for the race check in dialog files and build a list of all files that need checking/fixing and then fix that all in an evening or two. Hmm, doesn't sound that bad when I put it like this, lol.

Then you can just clone yourself, only ten years younger, and let Alt Drog work on the Combat Overhaul mod, while you bask in the glory and enjoy your deserved rest, which doesn't sound that bad either.

 

[Tigranes]

If only Drog worked on this as long as Cleve did on Grimoire

 

[passerby]

Skip the race mod, release UAP2.0 lite.

You can always return to the race mod later, when you feel like it. Why torture yourself now ?

 

[hell bovine]

I would offer help, but if Goral is computer illiterate, then I am the equivalent of a technological amoeba.

 

[Sacibengala]

I got arcanum recently in the gog sale, never played before. I will now, because of your mod. Thanks!

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Oh, and by the way, guys, you can gift me games on steam (my top 50, see my sig) to show appreciation.

Just sayin'.

Fuck, I got drunk af again.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

 

[Poseidon]

Drog Black Tooth start a "Fundraiser" or shall we say Gameraiser while the Steam Summer Sale is on.

If certain % of your top 100 wishlist gets completed, you do some more work?

 

[Elhoim]

Oh, and by the way, guys, you can gift me games on steam (my top 50, see my sig) to show appreciation.

Just sayin'.

Fuck, I got drunk af again.

I wanted to send you a gift but purchases made in Argentina only work for South America

 

[gunman]

I love the drama in this thread :D

I have to say only one thing. Making old school games or modding them is like an art, you don't care for audience. Doing them makes you feel good, you don't care if anybody else enjoys your work as long as you are happy with your own creation. If this guy Drog was doing this stuff for himself, so he can play Arcanum again and again with his mod in the years to come, then he was genuine. As far I can see he is a drama queen, he expects to be praised for a work which does not fills his inner self, which is a shame because he looks like a very gifted gay whose talent is wasted. I have worked for more than 10 years on a game that probably is never going to be completed, and no one else is going to play, but I still go on because it gives me a sense of accomplishment.

So while I feel bad that Drog ceased working on this, I have to say he is a giant faggot

 

[gunman]

'sup Drog? Aren't you comfortable with the returning status of drama queen instead of being remembered for something creative?

 

[Poseidon]

Aren't you comfortable with the returning status of drama queen instead of being remembered for something creative?

I see what you did there...

 

[Love--]

Drog Black Tooth, you are a god. I hear that you are working on a combat mod. Is there a link to a thread for that? Regardless, I just wanted to throw in my two cents regarding Arcanum combat; I think balance could be DRASTICALLY improved with just a few small changes:

1. make will saves for disintegrate more frequent (they hardly ever happen)--this is actually the most game-breaking spell IMO.
2. remove the stacking effect of haste potions, haste spell, and tempus fugit player speed increase. The player should really only be able to use one of these effectively at a time; the player speed gains should not stack.
3. slightly increase balanced sword AP cost.
4. reduce harm damage by about 30%--once #2 is fixed this spell won't be quite so overpowered.

This list might sound arbitrary, but I think the consensus is that these are by far the most broken aspects of the combat system (now that grenades properly cost AP thanks to UAP). Aside from the balanced sword, which IMO is not SUPER imba without magic, magic is the real game-breaker in terms of balance. And the temporal spells I've listed in 2. are actually horrible offenders, though they're discussed far less than harm spam.

Personally I think these changes should go in the UAP but I'm just some guy.

 

[Anomander Rake]

when you refer to the balanced sword, are you referring to the one in the isle of despair, or the one you can craft?

Beside, if one removed the stacking of haste and tempus fugit, what would a battlemage use when fighting certain encounters, considering maximum stats when it comes to physical attributes?

 

[Love--]

The one you can craft, Sergio.

To my mind high dex and tempus fugit provide plenty of speed buffs. Agility of fire is also excellent, as are rings of dexterity. Having haste potions and the haste spell on top of these is overkill. As a mage with clever use of AoE and so forth you should fare just fine. Some fights (Stringy Pete, etc.) might be difficult but they will still be doable.

 

[Love--]

I should stress that I would like these changes (in my ideal world) to become part of the UAP because I believe the game, if it were refined a bit more and not burdened with Sierra's request for RT mode, would actually have done away with these balance issues before launch. The will save issue with disintegrate is almost certainly an oversight (I think it takes something like 20 wil to have even a passable chance to save against disintegrate). The stacking of a potion and a spell wtih the same name, "haste," also seems to be an oversight. And so on with the balanced sword and the damage for harm, which was I'm sure not meant to be a machinegun.

I would also love to see revisions to the code that make NPCs--both the PC's followers and all other NPCs--more likely to cast spells. I believe Drog said years ago that they tend not to cast much because they are careful with their fatigue. So perhaps some combination of fatigue potion loadouts, higher base fatigue pools, and braver behavior in the code would help to alleviate this issue. I think the main thing I dislike about a mage playthrough, besides how OP I become if I even dabble in the wrong schools, is how little my fellow mages cast spells. Really, though, I think my 4 initial points are what I would stick to if I were Drog and could create a "combat patch" (and if it were I, I would actually integrate it into the UAP because I consider these failures bugs/oversights/what have you that really ruin balance).

 

[Scholar]

OK, guys and gals, I'm putting things on hold with UAP 2.0, Race Mod and everything else. Maybe I'll get back to it in another 10 years. Ha.

This is just too time consuming and not very rewarding at all. It's become a meme, very few people here actually play Arcanum, it's mostly just "look at this guy making Arcanum mods for 10 years". Yeah, I don't wanna be that guy. Guess I'll just go back to playing my Steam backlog.

But seriously, guys and gals, so many things have changed during the last decade, Arcanum is probably truly dead. I'm staying in touch with the Multiverse guys, and what do you know, the reason they stopped posting updates is because their project leader is feeling exactly the same, i.e. very few people care about Arcanum beyond "oh I remember that game" and "good job, maybe I'll play it again for 5 minutes with your patch". So seems like that project is up in the air too.

Oh, and I'm 30 and don't have as much energy for all this shit as back then, so this excuse to quit is as good as any.

Hello there, Drog Black Tooth.

While that isn't something nice to hear, I can understand why you've made this decision. But still, I wanted to let you know that there are Arcanum fans out there, which are very appreciative of your hard work and dedication. In fact, I just made my RPG Codex account (usually am a lurker) to let you know how I'm grateful for your work.

Yes, there aren't that many fans of Arcanum, let alone people playing it right now. It has a tiny fanbase and barely anybody bothers with it anymore. Still, your unofficial patches made me capable of enjoying this flawed gem that is Arcanum. If it wasn't for you, this would be yet another title being cramped in my massive backlog of to-be-played classics.

My point is, you might feel that you're wasting your time modding Arcanum since barely anyone is interested in it. While that holds a semblance of truth, you should know that there still are some fans out there, eager to hear more from you. We are few, but we care.

And personally, thank you for all your hard work.

Should you give up on modding Arcanum, that's a bummer, but completely understandable. While I dream of a day where Arcanum has a good combat system, I also hope for you to be at peace with yourself. We need more people like you in this world.

Sincerely yours,
random Arcanum fan.

 

[Nevill]

Oh, and by the way, guys, you can gift me games on steam (my top 50, see my sig) to show appreciation.

Friend me, I have a copy of VtM:B wasting away in inventory for 7 years. It'd be a better use for it.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

I don't think Arcanum's combat is really fixable. Not without massive overhauls of all the game's statistical and mechanical systems, as well as re-balancing every monster and encounter to compensate.

Things I would change just off the top of my head:

-Remove Real-time mode
-Combat starts when enemies become hostile (no free move to the player first)
-Lower Str damage boosts by 1/2 or more
-Lower the AP scale from 1-20 to 1-10 (half speed boosts from dex)
-Increase gun damage by 50-100% OR add a ranged damage buff from Perception OR add more ammo types
-Remove/consolidate/overhaul entire tech schematic system (too high point costs for too little benefit)
-Add more tech items that duplicate useful utility spells (teleport, unlock, identify, etc)
-Allow NPCs to gain apprentice/expert/master status without that one Player background
-Allow player NPC leveling by default OR change the auto-level schemes so NPCs don't waste points on health/fatigue, and everyone isn't specced for melee (more variety; throwing, guns, archers, etc)
-Complete AI overhaul, give player ability to keep allies back/spread-out/use actual tactics, OR give player direct control over all NPCs in battle
-Add a respec system so you can recover from a borked build.

As Drog said it's probably not worth it.

 

[Scholar]

I don't think Arcanum's combat is really fixable. Not without massive overhauls of all the game's statistical and mechanical systems, as well as re-balancing every monster and encounter to compensate.

Things I would change just off the top of my head:

-Remove Real-time mode
-Combat starts when enemies become hostile (no free move to the player first)
-Lower Str damage boosts by 1/2 or more
-Lower the AP scale from 1-20 to 1-10 (half speed boosts from dex)
-Increase gun damage by 50-100% OR add a ranged damage buff from Perception OR add more ammo types
-Remove/consolidate/overhaul entire tech schematic system (too high point costs for too little benefit)
-Add more tech items that duplicate useful utility spells (teleport, unlock, identify, etc)
-Allow NPCs to gain apprentice/expert/master status without that one Player background
-Allow player NPC leveling by default OR change the auto-level schemes so NPCs don't waste points on health/fatigue, and everyone isn't specced for melee (more variety; throwing, guns, archers, etc)
-Complete AI overhaul, give player ability to keep allies back/spread-out/use actual tactics, OR give player direct control over all NPCs in battle
-Add a respec system so you can recover from a borked build.

As Drog said it's probably not worth it.

Agreed, it's a tough quest. Still, I feel that only the following changes would already improve Arcanum's combat by miles:

- Increasing the cost of action points for movement during combat. This will prevent everyone bull rushing you at the first round, and gives more purpose to maneuvering spells such as Unseen Force and Spatial Distortion. Also, provides a purpose of using bows and firearms.
- Drastically increasing the stamina points of enemy casters. Most enemies barely never use a spell, as they're too afraid to run low on stamina. Boosting their stamina pools will allow for an additional challenge, and also gives more purpose to the Meta spell college.
- "Nerfing" Harm. The necromancy spell college clearly states that it is focused on damaging living creatures. Therefore, why does Harm is capable of damaging Mechanized Arachnids, Ore Golems, Zombies and the such? Harm should have a smaller overall damage range, and it should be worthless against constructs, tech creatures, and the undead.
- Improve Guns. Lorewise, Tarant won over Cumbria thanks to the power of guns. Gameplay-wise, however, Tarant would be stomped hard. Their damage should, in most cases, at least double (since you can't increase gun damage in any shape, other than obtaining a new gun).

I'm not sure how difficult it would be to implement the features above, but they would make combat far more enjoyable than its current state.

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

Nobody is Gonna do a Arcanum spiritual sucessor, so I would say it is

Enviado de meu SM-G3502T usando Tapatalk

 

[Daemongar]

I don't think Arcanum's combat is really fixable. Not without massive overhauls of all the game's statistical and mechanical systems, as well as re-balancing every monster and encounter to compensate.

Things I would change just off the top of my head:

-Remove Real-time mode

Well, I'll just throw this out. As someone who is playing Arcanum for the ... well, more than once, real-time mode comes in handy. Like when stopping the bank robbery and the game seems to wait for everyone in Broken Hills to move, tapping the space bar can end an excruciatingly long wait.

Don't agree with Respec. That would just encourage giving yourself a high int or whatever for key conversations. It would encourage "I want to see it all in one run" which would make this game no longer unique (I remember in the Black Hills Clan end, talking about Stone and Shape or whatever. Never saw that conversation again.)

Not sure that a tech skill that lets you identify magic items really works for me. Seems at odds with the game premise. A tech fast travel would, though, but it's low priority because the game at least has trains.

Not sure about reducing benefit of Dex and Str. Coupled makes an overpowered build, but I suppose the developers expected players to spread points around a bit.

Actually, I'd prefer another way. I always thought having points alternate would maybe make the most sense. Even levels you get a point to put in stats, odd levels you get a point for skills/spells/abilities. At build time, you must put two points in combat skills. Trust me, the worst thing you can do in this game is start with no points in combat. I did it and it took me until a long, painful level 15 to dig myself out. I scarred myself, I critted myself, I dropped my weapon, I barely hit. And harm only goes so far.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

I don't think Arcanum's combat is really fixable. Not without massive overhauls of all the game's statistical and mechanical systems, as well as re-balancing every monster and encounter to compensate.

Things I would change just off the top of my head:

-Remove Real-time mode

Well, I'll just throw this out. As someone who is playing Arcanum for the ... well, more than once, real-time mode comes in handy. Like when stopping the bank robbery and the game seems to wait for everyone in Broken Hills to move, tapping the space bar can end an excruciatingly long wait.

Don't agree with Respec. That would just encourage giving yourself a high int or whatever for key conversations. It would encourage "I want to see it all in one run" which would make this game no longer unique (I remember in the Black Hills Clan end, talking about Stone and Shape or whatever. Never saw that conversation again.)

Not sure that a tech skill that lets you identify magic items really works for me. Seems at odds with the game premise. A tech fast travel would, though, but it's low priority because the game at least has trains.

Not sure about reducing benefit of Dex and Str. Coupled makes an overpowered build, but I suppose the developers expected players to spread points around a bit.

Actually, I'd prefer another way. I always thought having points alternate would maybe make the most sense. Even levels you get a point to put in stats, odd levels you get a point for skills/spells/abilities. At build time, you must put two points in combat skills. Trust me, the worst thing you can do in this game is start with no points in combat. I did it and it took me until a long, painful level 15 to dig myself out. I scarred myself, I critted myself, I dropped my weapon, I barely hit. And harm only goes so far.

Actually on my current gunslinger run I'm using real-time mode almost exclusively because you get a better rate of fire. Dropping one mode or the other however would pretty much be necessary if you were going to even begin balancing the mess of the game's systems.

Respec would need to be costly enough to prevent abuses, like have it cost a Fate point or whatever. The idea of alternating stat and skill points isn't bad either. But really any character progression system where you spend 20+ levels worth of points just to be able to get a gun--the same gun you can get for free from quests!--is hot trash anyway and doesn't deserve to be respected.

Trains don't remotely make up for lack of teleport, especially in the late game when you are backtracking across the world multiple times. Basically the whole idea of spending character points to buy items is pretty flawed if those items don't provide unique benefits that carry forward throughout the game (like spells do). Instead you just get a mid-tier piece of gear that is quickly replaced. No melee character ever feels they wasted points pumping Str and Dex, so why do so many Tech points feel like an utter waste?

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

See? That's why nobody really wants to do an Arcanum rebalance mod.

Anyway, I've also been considering the following things:
- Redo the calculation of the unarmed damage. Currently it doesn't matter if you're a short dwarf or a huge ogre, it caps out at 10-10. Hardened Hands spell gives it a flat +2, but the style becomes viable only with some high tier gauntlets (like Machined Gauntlets).
- Nerf the backstab. Sneak attacks are skill level *5 = +100 flat damage to any attack at max skill, ignoring all armor and resistances, which is just WTF. Thinking about scaling sneak attacks down to an x3 modifier instead of x5.
- Redo the damage modifiers of the Elemental forms.
- Replace a lot of shitty and useless spells with some interesting strategical spells, like e.g. Frost Blast (freezes everybody in 1 tile radius of the caster unless they pass the willpower check, maybe also add a "brittle" effect where the target's AC and DR would be halved), Fire Shield (do continuous fire damage to anyone attacking the caster, obviously fucking up their gear). I'd replace the stupid "Wall of..." spells with these.
- Make all AoE attacks (including spells and grenades) do damage to the party. Party members would NOT get angry at the player for any damage done to them if the party was under attack.

I have a lot of this already done, as well as player controlled NPC leveling.