Despite it's name it is not a spell, it is my plan to make DS1 gameplay somewhat more enjoyable, and to shake up the balance of the character classes which I stated in an other topic to be wanting.
The problems are the following:
-Warriors are too weak in early game when they don't get good armor, and the krug grunts appear making warriors die or cry.
-Rangers are OP. They don't need mana, they have armor, they just point to the enemy and things die. enemy things die, which makes them the single most powerful class in the game.
-Wizards (combat & nature magic) have many many useless spells, without real options like choosing a fast recharge short range damage spell or a long range weaker damage spell. Also some spells get useless after certain levels.
To address these issues I want to do the following:
-To prevent any issues with multiclassing, I remove it entirely, locking characters to pre-defined classes of Melee, Ranged, Combat magic and Nature magic.
-Add small spellbooks storing three "spells" for warriors and rangers.
-New(recycled really) spells which can't have targets and don't give experience, but buff the user or the party
-Rework the whole spell pool, spells' max_level set to 60 (I also ditch veteran or elite difficulties because they are boring) and make every spell somewhat viable. I also plan using spell_recast_delay as a limiting factor for wizards.
-Implement experience sharing, so monsters give their experience when they die to every party member in a good range (like 20 or 30 meters). From this I will rework the ENTIRE monster database.
-I also want to give monsters a little more chance with all these buffs and stuff around, so they will get some spells they can cast on themselves or spam away at you, for which I will make a small amount of spells specialized for monsters, then edit the monster database to include them.
-I will include a few caster mobs to kill, like the Krug Conjurers, which is the highest tier for a shaman, with the strongest spells amongst their kin.
Spells modification is mostly done, I only need to fine-tune their balance now.
project priority:
-Locked Classes
-Warrior and Ranger spellbooks and spells.
-Experience Sharing and monster/world revamp.
To accomplish that I need some help in making the spellbook, experience sharing and locked classes.
I also have a few questions: Should I have LoA included? New classes? Any requests?
Sounds like a lot of work to be done. Good luck and keep us posted. And welcome to SiegetheDay Boromonokli.
Ok. I'm a complete noob. I don't even know where to begin, because I have no idea where the code dealing with characters and uber levels resides. So if anyone knows where to begin then please be so kind and help me out with this one.
I practically tore apart the logic.dsres file('s copy) trying to find the relevant code but the best I managed was a fatal error. I changed the formulas.gas and the actor component but the game didn't tell me anything.
Note: some things are hard-coded. If what you're trying to change is embedded within the exe, then it's theoretically possible to change with a dsdll, but I have no idea of how to approach something like that.
Actually I can get around the problem without starting up c++ and hot-wiring the system, but it won't look as nice as it would otherwise look with the non-relevant class items (such as ranged skill for a mage: Who needs that?) removed from the GUI. The classes themselves can be simply components to slap to the actor (and using the HasComponent check to verify the class). For equip_requirements I will also add 4 skills into the fray which are essentially glorified bool variables. (a.k.a telling you whether the actor is warrior/ranger/wizard/druid)
I already reworked spells myself and made them all worth using and dropped the levels on some high level ones.
and what restrictions did you use to balance out the cost+restriction/effect in order not to have mages themselves overpowered or underpowered?
I wouldn't really use the word overpowered. They're micro-management and mana potion guzlers. As always mages will lag behind fighters and ranged characters in terms of experience, even more so now when buffers and status spells come into play. Spells like weaken and such are much more friendly. Of course this is all intended to be used on HARD.
I didn't tinker much with most typically used damaging spells(though I nerfed a few abused ones such as firering). I made spells like firerain and lightning storm worth using as they cost less mana and their cooldown timer is much less. You can pretty much use most spells now.