Ok, question for you then. Could you please tell me how many spells there are (approximate is fine), and how many you:
1. Specialize in. You rock critters socks using these spells.
2. How many you can put just one or two skill points into and still have it be effective for a good portion of your characters life?
The only problem I would have is if my mage was super gimped. Unable but to say, specialize in a couple of damage spells, and a very small handful of additional spells that were rather ineffective after a short period of time. Is this a problem, or are you able to have a versatile arsenal? And if so, is there a few skill points left over for additional skills not related to mage-dom?
Thanx for any info.. this is the sort O stuff I would like to know.
As far as being an editor, I wouldn't bother looking for errors in my posts, they are bound to be so full of them you will go nuts trying to correct them all. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
FleabitFox
Good questions, Flea and I'll answer them to the best of my ability. Anyway, you want to know how many spells there are. See, it's not like in DD where there were a limited number of [specific] spells you could choose from and then increase in level as you went along. In BD you actually create your own spells (brewing them right in your own kitchen <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" /> ) according to how you want to customize your character. There are 4 elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth. The types of spells are: spread, focussed, instant, missile (there might be others, I'm still in Act 1).
So, it's not the pick and choose type of game where spells are concerned. There are 4 paths to choose from: Warrior, Wizard, Survivor and Summoning Dolls. Within each of those paths are other paths. I.e., under Wizard you can create a four faceted elemental spell of Fire, Water, Air, Earth which can either be in missile form, spread out over all the enemies or focussed (not sure I understand the differences between focussed and instant yet, but I'm working on it). You can start out as a warrior (which is probably not a bad idea for the first few levels) and then add wizard abilities. Or, you can begin as a Wizard, create a level 1 fire spell that will squish the skeletons and monsters you meet in the very first dungeon. You're not locked into one particular way of customizing or creating a character. So, from that point of view, it's a lot different from DD. As an avid gamer, I am giving myself time to get used to the new system before I make any passing judgments. Character creation is much more elaborate and frankly, I am having fun with it.
I save my level up games so I can create spells that I think would be good for the battles I will encounter and hope for the best. If the spell I created is too weak, I'm able to go back and change it without losing hours and hours of game play. So, it's like this when you gain a new level: You click on either create a new skill or click on one of the spells you already created. Every 5th level you are given 2 skillpoints - just like in DD.
So, that's your answer to how many spells there are. The answer is: Unlimited.
As for specializing, I'm not sure I understand what you want to know. There was no real 'specializing' in DD (if I remember correctly). I didn't become a "fire mage" or anything like that. The spell creation system is pretty fascile. Although I haven't found a way to make a sleeping spell - but please keep in mind -- I'm still in the beginning. Someone else may be able to answer this question for you better than I. But more to your concerns, the answer is I find this particular system more versatile than the one in DD. And frankly, there really is no comparing the two as they are vastly different. So, the lightning spell [or whatever kind of spell you create] you use in the beginning of the game can be easily increased in power to whack those monsters that pummel us into the ground later in the game.
As for Question #2: You can create as weak or as strong a spell as you want. I've stated a couple of places on this board that I like playing RPGs as a mage and the first thing I do in most cases is buy or create a good fire spell. So, I did that here in BD. It's at a level 2 right now, I can add points to it (and you can take them away, for a price) or leave it where it's at for however long I want. I can also make another fire spell at a level 3 and have both level 2 and level 3 in my arsenal which is much more versatile than the way it was set up in DD.
See, this whole character creation system is sooooooooo different from any other game I've played and trust me, I have just about every major RPG that's been on the market for over the past 10-15 years.
I hope this helps clarify some of the questions you've had about BD. Have you even tried the demo? And the demo doesn't even do the actual game justice. It's nowhere near on par or scale of what the actual game is like in terms of atmosphere, NPCs, music, items/weapons, etc. The demo only gives a tiny taste of what to expect, IMHO.
So there you have it! Hope this helped somewhat.
Faralas <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mage.gif" alt="" />
