Extra Pack for the Unofficial Arcanum Patch [Discontinued]

[Drog Black Tooth]

The project is discontinued. The Extra Pack has become a part of the Unofficial Arcanum Patch as an optional component (the Extra Content module).

[Drog Black Tooth]

-Charged Axe. There's art for it in the game, and the weapon itself is in the game as well, with correct stats. It was supposed to be a schematic, as there's a schematic art for it, perhaps Troika just forgot about it. I had to come up with a schematic description myself. The schematic can be bought from quality smiths (5% chance).



-Schreck's Multi Barreled Pistol. There's a schematic in the game, there's also art for schematic, a description, and the pistol itself with all graphics. The schematic was made unusable, so the weapon was disabled for whatever reason. The original prototype had wrong stats, it was D:1-6 FT:1-3 RNG:10 Speed:15 Bullet:1, I changed it to D:1-20 FT:1-5 RNG:10 Speed:15 Bullet:6. The schematic can be found in Bates' Factory.



-Clockwork Decoys. There are schematics in the game for the Clockwork Physician, the Illuminated Decoy and the Explosive decoy. There are items as well, but no actual creatures or any scripts. They most likely got cut out due to the time constraints. I restored them. I made decoys' creatures use other palettes that were in the game, so the Clockwork Physician is green, the Illuminated Decoy is yellow and the Explosive Decoy is red. I also made new art for decoys' items, that reflects these colors. Anyway, here's how they work. A Clockwork Physician follows you and heals you just like a Medical Arachnid, it can't attack anybody (and doesn't provoke anybody, like the original Clockwork Decoy does). An Illuminated Decoy follows you as well, it carries a large light, never attacks and never provokes combat as well. An Explosive Decoy acts just like the original Clockwork Decoy, but it explodes when it dies, hitting everybody D:5-30, FD:5-30 in radius of 2 tiles (just like the Explosive Grenade that is used to make it). I tried to follow the schematics' descriptions, so I believe these were the original intents. All three schematics can be bought from inventors (10% chance).




More shots of Clockwork Decoys:
In action (creatures, original palettes):

Turned off (items, my palettes):

I think the colors are pretty much spot on

[MetalCraze]

also make this patch include (as a separate install/file?) those magic +10, tech +20 area bonuses (or something) and it will be ok.

[ninja_felix]

Hope you enjoy the riddles - if you end up going with it I can make more.

I agree with you about balance changes re whole cities - I thought that + and -5% would make sufficiently small differences as to show off the basic nature of the city without destroying game play - but for a neutral char that could cause serious problems.

I've been thinking about balancing the game (which would be seriously controversial - definitely not for your excellent bug fixes.) I love the character building side, and reckon it's the way that experience is awarded that throws the system off. Entirely too much experience is awarded for the PC doing damage and not nearly enough for completing quests and follower kills. Playing as a multi staff wielding harm spammer or Azram's Star flinger means that anyone can get to Quintara at level 50 by abusing the sewers under Tarant and Liam's workshop. The experience for just dealing damage should be severely reduced and the experience gained from follower kills show be raised a little bit.
My gut feeling is that follower kills give about 5% of what you would get for damaging something to death on your own. I suspect a better balance would be that you get approx 20% of what you currently get for damaging something to death your self and a follower kill would net about 1/2 of that. I'd add far more for completing quests and also add exp for other matters like:
picking a lock
spotting a trap
repairing things
making an item
Charming rather than fighting in combat situations
disarming a trap
pickpocketing
gambling etc etc

Of course this is almost certainly hardcoded - but you seem to have worked wonders with what you have so far so I though I'd submit the ideas here for consideration.

p.s. not all the lights at K'na Tha are the obvious ones to shoot. I think the door might not appear open until you move if you're in turn-based combat, and you only have a little time to go through before it locks again. I'm pretty sure I've been through there without breaking any doors. I have to admit to playing a few times as a star flinger - with magic healing, teleportation, hasten and stat raising spells it's the easiest game in the world to beat. Followers are only used a pack mules by this char...

[Drog Black Tooth]

Here's a small mod that you can use to enhance the game experience. Due to it being custom content it won't be included in any of the patches, but I still thought that some people might find it interesting.

It adds 13 new riddles to Naked Halflings riddlers. You'll get only one random riddle from each of the halflings. 4 riddles are added to the first riddler, 4 to the second and rest 5 to the last halfling.

Credits:
http://www.rinkworks.com/brainfood/p/riddles4.shtml - the original riddles
ninja_felix - selecting the riddles and writing the wrong answers
Drog Black Tooth - scripting, writing some of the wrong answers

Download it here. Put the file into your Arcanum folder. Should be compatible with almost any version of the game.

Considering the second release of the Extra Pack, I'll include the restored Levered Machine Gun and I think I'll use one of the forgotten features of the engine to enhance the gameplay - Magic/Tech areas. Many people were disappointed that it wasn't really used in the final game. There are only 3 areas in the game that change the aptitude of all creatures that are currently there: Magicks shop in Tarant (+10Magic), Vermillion Station (+20Tech) and K'na Tha (+30Magic). I remember how surprised I was when I got to K'na Tha the first time. I was playing a neutral character and had a Power Axe for smashing stuff. Since you have to destroy a lot of doors there, I almost chopped myself to death because of critical misses, in spite of being a Melee Master. This feature really enhances the clash between Magick and Technology in Arcanum setting, I think.

I'm going to change the aptitude of these areas: Bates' Factory (+20tech), Tulla (+20magic), Iron Clan (+20tech), Vendigroth Ruins (+20 tech), Qintarra (+10magic). Any suggestions are welcome.

[Earth Nuggets]

I think the Vendigoth Ruins should have +30 tech, seeing as how it is the most advanced technological area in the game. Sure most of it is inactive, but considering some random scraps washing up on the shore of the Isle of Despair cut off the use of teleportation, it'd definitely make sense.

Oh and also, make T'sen A'ng +20 magick. If Qintarra gets +10, then the unregulated and abused use of magick by the Dark Elves should be taken into account.
_________________
It is She who commands me thus to remain upon this palace roof, watching, waiting...
That willful, calculating woman who plots and schemes...
Like a King!

[Drog Black Tooth]

The Levered Machine Gun:

It's clearly unfinished and the stats are placeholders. Suggest the new stats. I'm thinking D:1-40 FT:1-5 Speed:20 (25 with training) Bullet: 6. Somewhat like a powered up Mechanized Gun. What do you think? MSR is 12 btw.

[Earth Nuggets]

Your suggested stats sound fine to me.
_________________
It is She who commands me thus to remain upon this palace roof, watching, waiting...
That willful, calculating woman who plots and schemes...
Like a King!

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

They look pretty fine to me! In fact, I think the Mechanized Gun should be stronger, I once atacked three Ogres in the Boil and I used all my bullets just to kill all of them. And I had A LOT of bullets, so that's crazy weird.
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[Kz3r0]

For the area's aptitude I only suggest the highest values for Vendigroth and Tullal in their respective inclinations, seems fitting to me.
What do you think about make some high tech custom schematics and magical items, using mitrhil, like automaton, compound bow and some elven weaponry, so you can enhance area's aptitude whitout altering the balance of the game, going along with the general background, countering high magic with adequate high tech and viceversa.
Just a mithril counterpart of existig items, without the backdraw of magic/tech incompatibility.
So there's no need for new artwork and animation.
Keep it up the GREAT work.

[Fez]

It would be interesting to see workshops and tech areas all given points to their tech aptitude points along with the relevant magic-themed areas getting boosts to those. It'd make the aptitude ratings more important.
_________________
In Soviet Union, the role plays you! ~Major_Blackhart
Feeling depressed kids? Mom won't let you watch TV? Turning emo? Listen up kids!
"Everyone's a girl when they're face down."

[Drog Black Tooth]

[Earth Nuggets]

I actually had no problem with your color choice. The fact the items are usable is all that matters to me, but due to the complaints and since it was within my capability, I wanted to try my hand at modifying the ART file and maybe save you some work. The files are GIFs, as I'm not able to save to 8-bit BMP using Photoshop CS3. I was trying to capture a rustic feel, while still making them distinguishable from one another. The differences are subtle, except the one for the clockwork physician; green's a weird color to work with. If people like the new palettes, I hope you're able to make use of them.

For comparison, with unedited ART and Drog's palettes:



_________________
It is She who commands me thus to remain upon this palace roof, watching, waiting...
That willful, calculating woman who plots and schemes...
Like a King!

[MetalCraze]

I vote for unedited art. it looks more metallic.
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[Lumpy]

[Cthulhugoat]

Nice! Good work. It's compatible with an ongoing game, right?

[Drog Black Tooth]

[Earth Nuggets]

Is there any way I could attempt editing the creature ART, much like with what was suggested for fixing the Orcs' barbarian armors? I'm having trouble finding the files in the DAT file.
_________________
It is She who commands me thus to remain upon this palace roof, watching, waiting...
That willful, calculating woman who plots and schemes...
Like a King!

[Drog Black Tooth]

[Earth Nuggets]

I should have put this in the last post, but to address your criticisms: I really don't see the necessity in having the decoys feature wildly different color schemes. While in the inventory, I'm sure it will be relatively simple for attentive players to notice the differences. The same goes for the model art, especially in the instance of the Clockwork Physician and Illuminated Decoy (which you specifically mentioned), where the latter would have a circle of light around it. Furthermore, I was attempting to make the luminosity more fitting for metallic objects, rather than glossy, artificial ones. I think it was the hot rod paint-jobs that people took issue with, so that's mainly what I was addressing.

Then again, editing outdated graphic art certainly isn't my forte. I'm no expert on palettes and I'm unsure how it's done for character models. Are you grabbing palettes from monsters of similar color? Is it possible to suggest which ones you could use?
_________________
It is She who commands me thus to remain upon this palace roof, watching, waiting...
That willful, calculating woman who plots and schemes...
Like a King!

[Drog Black Tooth]

[Earth Nuggets]

Well, that explains quite a lot. I read you were "simulating" palettes, and I didn't exactly know where you were coming from. I thought you had custom made the in-game palettes as well. I'm pretty sure a lot of us thought the same. In that case, I guess Troika fucked up BIG TIME!!!

Sorry, Drog.
_________________
It is She who commands me thus to remain upon this palace roof, watching, waiting...
That willful, calculating woman who plots and schemes...
Like a King!

[Black]

Hey DBT, I have a problem.
I don't know where is my Arcanum CD.

FCUK!
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[Earth Nuggets]

Maybe we should just think of the extra decoys as easter eggs because that's what they fucking look like!

Black: Yo bro', perhaps that shit is in some form of compartment within your homestead!
_________________
It is She who commands me thus to remain upon this palace roof, watching, waiting...
That willful, calculating woman who plots and schemes...
Like a King!

[Drog Black Tooth]