Larian Studios Forums Beyond Divinity (English) Suggestions My suggestions for DD2

Ok i have made some sggestions before but i am going to make some more based on the ideas in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" />.

First of all i am going to presume that the folowing ideas in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> will be present in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> 2.

1.The same old races i.e elves, dwarves
2. The reputation thing..i.e each character can have a different rep towards you.
3. it wuldbe nice to see some old characters from <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" />
4. Every time your character invests in a skill...we hear him/her say" brilliant" and that sound accompying it.
5. Personal traits in the diary.
6. The character vioce acting whenever he reads a sign or a tombstone..

This may seem silly but i feel that is what makes <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> a great game.

Ok now on to my first idea and that is resistances.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> introduced us to 4 main resistances and as a consequence i was always looking for stats on my armour to boost them

In <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> we have a load more resistances and as a result the crsytal bag has proved invaluable and so do the crystals themselves.

I would suggest something a bit different thugh.
Lets say we have spiritual,posion and the 2 elemental resistances ok?

That makes 6 and plus we have etheral,bone and shadow..so its 9 types of resistances.

What if we dont have the last 3 mentioned above but instead we have chaotic and divine resistances/damage instead?

Since this is a battle between chaos and divine them im thinking that it might be better to have these and the difference between them and normal resistances are set out below.

Monsters who work strictly for the lord of choas(loc) will do and have choatic resistance/damage...monsters who dont work for loc just dont.
Similarly divine servants under an evil spell will do divine/choatic damage.
The point is that obtaining resistances for these 2 would be slightly difficult becuase few npcs would sell these.....

Instead you would have to do quests for some npcs who as a reward would increase permanantly a resitance of your choice...or you would be able to purchase goods which have these resisances.

Im a bit tired now...will post more suggestions later.

Tragic

I absolutly agree. I'm going to even put this in may expectation list. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

what does this mean?
those personal traits?

My suggestions for DD2:
--User-Friendly SDK/Toolkit Included
--Custom portraits are supported
--Multiple endings
--Unlocked camera a la NWN: Freedom to zoom in, zoom out move, spin, rotate, pitch, or place the camera anywhere you like.

Multiple endings
personality traits
ability to move the camera around like how you want like in Warhammer 40,000
ability to go everywhere
a horse
capes
dual weapons
Lots of weapons, spells
ability to own a castle/guild hall, buy, customize it, like a SIM.

information!

my suggestion: class upgrade

warrior class:

trainee
(dark)knight
paladin of the light , dark paladin

After every 5 upgrades you must decide your path. You get the choose between classes that suit you best.

example:

Your mage has skill points in healing and elemental damage
at level 5 you are faced with the choice to become a elemental mage or healer
If you choose elemental mage special spells that do elemental damage are added, with the healer special healing spells.

You still get to place points in healing if you want and more powerful healing spells become available but the extra spell is like class restricted spell.

Warrior could evolve in a sword master when he wears low armour (speed is high armour low) or a knight/ paladin (speed is lower armour is higher).

This is also a question about balancing. a char that is fast should be able to take on any enemy (since his evasion is high) and be able to kill it. Also a knight at the same level should be able to kill that enemy since his power is greater and can take a beating.

Now I know what you are thinking.

Morbo why should there be titles like paladin sword master etc.

1st: It's way cool
2nd: It give the player an idea where his character is evolving to and can adjust the skills accordingly.

example: If you choose to become a axe master you know it's is more profitable to invest in speed then in strength to wear heavy armour and most likly axes are preferred above swords. Now I am not sure on this does the player effectively choose the upgrade or that the game decides the upgrade according to you skill set.

(any one played fire emblem for GBA)Promotion chart

Also when you control multiple character they should be able to escape on there own. When I am fighting and controlling a char I believe I shouldn't have to check in on the other chars. So advanced AI. Also when a char you don't control he should transport em to the nearest village (with a gold fine) so you can pick em up after the battle. this is only for char you don't control when the char you control is death it's game over. Max number of controllable char should be 4-5. more is unmanageable. Also advanced tactics like:

healer heals chars that have less then 15% health. sword master defends mage. heavy knight attacks , mage supports knight for a distance together with an archer. A mage that defend uses magic to defend and runs when they get close. A mage does not use his body to defend. etc etc


@bean: those thing in the dairy that said: Lightning resistance 95. You can put on a copper helmet go stand in a bucket of water at the highest tower and scream ALL GODS ARE B$

Said by me, in the expectations thread.

Would allso be nice to be able to say the same things in different ways (for roleplaying, that is). You could pick in the beginning how you might to talk, and then change in game if you don't like how you talk...

Change resistance to D2-styled % res. If you have 50 fireres, and you get a fireball which does 100 firedmg, then you take 50 firedmg. If you get lifeleech thrown at you, and it's supposed to leech 50 life, and you have 50% spirit resistance, you get leeched for 25 life. Maybe add some kind of roll so it's not this straight, and add some kind of chritical to resist it all. And add coldresistance/coldspells!

Übereil

I wonder how they are going to do char switching in DD². We can assume that the online function does not have a pause button. So if DD² has more then one controllable char. Each on-line player is part of a team. while in single player mode you can jump to other team members and use the pause button?

I don't see how you can pull multiple chars off without it being turned in a turn based RPG. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> was even turn based if you set your DK to do just what you ordered em to do since you had to press pause every 2 seconds to check in on him (is health ok, is his magic good...)

so 2 options

1. So if it's a single char: much more control much more (sneak) action and pause button (although it doesn't get used much more as a panic response).

2. So if if it's with multiple chars you basicly go for turnbased. (altough it evoles more into a turn based stratagy game (fire emblem, advance wars for example))promotion chart fire emblem

both have there advantages and I am not saying one is better then the other (altough option 1 is faaar better). Maybe the next project could be a turnbased rpg set in the divinity universe (à la fire emblem or advance wars.). But chose a path and don't choose a middle road because then both sides aren't happy.

Ok following on from my first suggesion...if we had crystal bags then crystals for chaotic and divine would not exist.
Thats why it would be slightly diefferent.

1.Ok going on to my next ideas...set items.

Im a going to say that they should be only 5-6 set items depening on which classes are most popular and based on a hero we tend to read about in the many books we can read. eg rothbarg the barbarian and so lets say he is a fighter...so a two handed axe a helemt and body armour would complete the set.

So a set would be avaible for a theif,ranger,wizard and necromancer...maybe another class.

2.Unique weapons:
IMO these mean weapons to either kill a particular monster or a particualr type of monster. e.g like the sword in the stone thas it...imo it doesnt mean they they are the best you can find out there.... indeed they sell for alot gold as they tend to be vaulable but usally not very good.

3.As helmets...why cant we have hoods for the mages???? esp a necromancer...i dont tend to play mages but i would love to have headgear which is like a hood...or a thief which has headgear which covers his haed and mouth(rather like the assassins in divinity.

Next time i am going to write something about the skill system...i think some parts of it needs to be changed.

Tragic

Probablly (about the skill system).

And let's add mage robes! Mages in full plate isn't optimal in rp view, but there isn't an alternative!

And set's are nice... And some kind of bonus for finding all the parts would be nice too...

Übereil

Ubereil:

The skill system was what i am coming to next.
Bear with me its really complex.

1. I like that in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> you can choose exactly what you want to level up...e.g critical damage etc.I think that is a good development from <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" />.

Now first things first back lets backtrack a bit.

When you level up you can choose between agility constition...etc....im thnking tha survival is a good enough attribute....but the speed one i feel should only increase initiative and sould be a skill which you can increase...i.e speed should be where the critical hit,accuracy and the rest of them are when you are investing a skill point.

To accomdate this i think that every 10 levels you get 3 skill points..therefore assuming <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> 2 goes to 40 levels you will have at least 4 points in the speed path.

Another thing...maybe this is just me but when i finished <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> i had used 6 skills only. and 3/4 of my skill points went in weapon usage..e.g damage...critical hits..et.c. The problem i felt was that you could invest a max of 12 skill points in any bootstables...

I feel that if <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> is the same then skill points will be used only for weapon usage and nothng else...i had wanted to invest in other skills but foind it hard to do so.

Therefore what i suggest is that 5 be the max amount you can invest in a bootstable.

Then you would spend around 15 skill points on weapons and have a good 25 left on anything else you fancy.

Now i said that i liked bootstables but i feel that only weapons...or magic should have them....the other skills should be "simple" like <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> and have a max of 5 levels of that skill.

e.g the different types of traps....the all fall under one skill and increasing the skill point increases the damage done by all....exactly like the trap skill in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" />

Ok then one last thing to mention.

I personally dont like the fact that you can pay someone to open skill paths.
E.g you have one player A who is level 2 but has no gold. Aother player B is level 1 and has loads of gold.

It cannot be that player B can open new skills paths becuase he has gold and player A cannot becuase player A is technically better than him. I feel that gold should only be able to buy you weapons/armourand bribe someone.

I also prefer the skill icons of <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> to <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" />...thats just me.

Visual interpreation:

Imagine the skill paths as shown in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" />. Every time you gain a level you are excited by the prospect of any new skill which has popped up.

You click the skill icon and if its a simple skill like <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> you click the yes button and hear "brilliant"

If its a complex skill then another small window pops up and then you choose exactly what part of the skill you want to increase... deathblow, damage,critcal hit.
Then click yes and hear "Fantastic".

Oh yes just to finish the effect of the magic in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> are great and very cool to see.

Tomorrow i am going to say a bit on customarising armour.

Tragic

Nice suggestions Tragic..... a little confusing but i get it now.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

especially.... "Imagine the skill paths as shown in . Every time you gain a level you are excited by the prospect of any new skill which has popped up."

that one i like that idea and hope it comes back for another go... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

I am working on a class sytem will be finished in a day or 2.

I don't like the trainer idea at all. You should be able to pick all the skills all the time... Maybe lvl restriction (the godlike skill on lvl 1 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />)...

I allso think a little different when it comes to weponds. There should be difference between weponds, but if you're a master with short handed swords, you CAN fight with a long sword too. And you could probablly handle a one-handed axe if you had to... Like this, if you invest into one wepond type, you should gain a bonus to other wepond types as well. You should have some kind of relation system though (the short sword skill doesn't give as much to two handed swords as to longswords, and not as much to maces as to long swords etc). And there should be more like DD1, you invest into a wepond class, and you improve everything! Not one thing but everything.

Loads of skillpoints would be fun (but not if you're able to boost it all into one skill. A lvl three char with 9 of ten points into sword mastery shouldn't b possible). Loads of skills would then automatically be another nice thing. Loads of varied spells (not just fire ball, you should be able to curse your enemies as well!).

Allso look at my other posts.

Übereil

Morbo: post it when your ready!!

Ubereil:

Yeah thanks for the thumbs up...where are you posts btw?

Ok this one involves object interactability and as i mentioned yesterday "custom made armour".

If and only if you want to have the ability to change the appearance of you armour then this is for you.

Initially i had hoped for it to be a skill thing then i thought why not make it a reward for a quest which is to be done.

Basically you complete this quest and you gain as a reward the aility to design/change appearance of your own armour....

NOTE: this does not mean you can make your own armour...with sats or whatever just that you can design it.

To make a cape(assuming that capes have no armour value) you soak "garbage " in a washing tub and then add the appropriate dye(which is in say in a cupboard and the you choose the appropriate colour from the pots avaible).

In this way all helemts/armour can have a different coulor.

To self -design your armour you need to melt broken bottles and then choose a specific mould from the list..e.g spikes (to add to shoulder of the breastplate) and then you click on where you want to place these spikes on the armour..in this case the shoulders.

You could make claws or something to add on the end of gloves.

Again there is no bonus damage or anythng its just a spot of fun.

You could add feathers/tusks on your armour as well to say headgears or necklaces respectively.

Thats it today tomorrow i am going to re-write my ideas on guilds....

Tragic

That would be fun indeed. More individually different characters <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />.

And my previous posts are in different kinds of topics, oled suggestion threads, but I think I was referring to my posts in this thread and in the My Wishes thread.

Übereil

Ubereil: i will keep my eyes peeled then.

Ok my guild ideas:

Ironically i got this idea on the basis of the general ideas for the battlefields in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" />.

I.e they are optional and they take place in another world.

I will explain in a minute.

First imo guilds in general do not need to have the same no of members or be as large as one another. i feel that personally that there should be 2 large guilds..the mages and fighters guild.

The others: theives,archers,merchants,assassins and any other guilds should be smaller.

Also in almost every other rgp game each guild is at war with each other...in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> however i dont think this should take place...indeed i think that each guild should have "outside " problems..i.e problems which do not involve stealing,questing against other guilds.

The only restriction i would have is that you cant be in more than three guilds.

Now for each guild you would need to be to have certain attributes...

Not anything big but say you wanted to join the fighters guild..you would need minimium strength of say 30.

Archers should have say a minimium of say 5 skill points in the bow/crossbow expertise e.t.c.

Now you will have merchants in the guilds but i dont think that they should necesserily carry better stuff than anybody else...id say that they are us like any other merchant.

The real advantage of joining a guild is that you get quests and exerpeinces/rewards from them.

Now for the larger guilds there would be factions....i.e specialised fighters..eg. barbarians,knights and paladins.

When you would speak to a knight he would say
" those paladins...if you wanted to pray to god so much they should go to a church!!!"
Or of the barabians
"They remind me of pigs,its all well to wander the world...but a real fighter needs to earn a living".

I.e they would be tensions between the groups.

Whenever you do a quest it will take place in another world...e.g you talk to the leader of the barbarians then he would say...i need a strong man to storm a outpost and get me a sacred helmet"

So when yu are ready he opens up a portal and says
" these men will help you" and 10 men come in and help you obtain the helment.

In the mages guild you would have the factions of necromency,wizardary and say druidary.

But in any case i think that the quests should greatly vary between guilds.

So in the assassin guild...you would need to aviod detecion...like in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> act 4 where you have to avoid the shadows of statutes or you are teleported back to the saring point.

The archery guild could ask you to take part in and archery contest when you have proven yourself to them.

Tragic

Three things come to mind, brought to the foreground by Divinity:

1. NO CLASSES! At least not in the conventional way. This is unrealistic and pigeon-holes your character too much-- espcially with class only sets. In things like Diablo and such crap, a character cannot use an item because of his class? A load of bunk. There should still exist prereqs for its use, but class should not be one of them. A more fluid system should be used that allows a character to forge his/her own path and decide how to proceed. True, this can lead to characters "screwing themselves over", but I feel that this lends itself to a far more interesting game.

2. It must be either all the way in 3D or back to good ol' beautiful 2D. The half-way of Beyond left alot to be desired. It felt awkward as the characters seemed out of place in their environments. I don't think that graphics are the most important thing, however so on to the next point.

3. Non-linear gameplay. Divine had it, Beyond lacked it sorely. I love going back to a location and continuing business there. That option should be left open, especially if you want replay value. Plot devices such as teleporting the character and stealing their means of leaving or going back ever are cheap ways of speeding along a story line (which waters down the experience and is such a tired approach). Even in Divine I was upset about being taken to a new place, or not being able to complete a quest because I did it "out of sequence". Dammit, I solved that murder you old [nocando]!

4. An unannounced fourth entry: I did love Divine, but have not been able to force myself to finish Beyond yet. It just didn't click and I realize that there is no desire, no intrigue to pull me along. No new and extraordinary developments either in skills or items, or even plot to take me in. It seems that this was rushed. I apologize, but that is what I believe, based on the previous release of Divine. So please, don't string the player around with sub-par tricks as I think that players feel cheated when they know that you are much more capable. This is my biggest complaint and it extends to all media (books, movies, games), so don't take it as a slight, but pay attention to it. It is the difference between excellent games that you play for years after buying again and again, or that one that you will beat "someday".

Edit: I will now, to be fair, attempt to finish Beyond. Wish me luck and patience.

I want to kill NPC as in DD.It makes the game a real world .Freedom is very important.

I want to kill no NPC as in DD. It makes the game a real world. Freedom is very important.

I want every quest be solvable without fight. It also makes a real world. Freedom is also very important.