So I'll adress both points at once from those arguing for the current system:
1) The pint of AI not being smart enough to effectively use the system as well as a player is kind of something I addressed. It'll never happen and that detracts from difficulty and the game as a whole majority. The game is built around single player and thus AI plays a big part in that. The system used should be just as beneficial to the AI as the player. Not showing the clear disparity is does. PvP isn't a good argument in this case as it's the AI the player will fight against and there's no way I see the AI ever being as good as a player with things as they are.
2) Not everyone likes mechanics of combat playing out like chess. Also, the idea that chance D20 takes away from determinism is wrong since you have the option to build RNG in your favor or not. While building 90% chance to resist isn't the same as denying the chance for CC completely it's sufficiently powerful enough that your choice matters. Adding elements of surprise retain replay value and the ability to make each turn impactful and pressured since you're never 100% certain. Further, I'm arguing to keep the armor on top of this chance system. Thus your ability to prep plan and gear isn't hindered. Nor am I taking away from your determination to optimize your party a certain way at all. I'm just adding another element of depth on top of it for after the armor is gone.
Edit: Let me be clear, I'm not saying the D20systen was best (CC was god mode after all for much of the game) but I am saying that combining both systems so that you have too layer determinism and bottom layer chance adds much more depth to the game and would improve everything. It's also improve ability options and solve the shield sword debacle in part
AJ is saying things like
Adding elements of surprise retain replay value and the ability to make each turn impactful and pressured since you're never 100% certain.
This is something tangible. I can go into the game, load up a save in DOS, and play a a round of combat to experience this for myself. He is providing factual information to prove a point. Whether or not he is wrong is not even relevant (although, I think he's right) because he is at least trying to contribute to the discussion.
As to your points, AJ, I will take the determinism over surprise defeats and uncertain engagements any day. I agree that building resistances has an impact, I agree that the original game's system has merit. However, I much preferred to play EE on Tactician Mode, where enemy CC chances went well over 100%, and I had resistances well over 100% myself. Because everything was guaranteed. I could beat an encounter because I was good, and had a good build, not because I was lucky. But it still bothered me that I could have well over 100% chance to stun, and not stun something, and have to reload because I could not CC the biggest bad there with a maxed chance to do so. It added the tedium of saving, reloading, and doing things exactly the same way expecting a different result. It made me feel as though my strategies were failing, even though they were solid, and it was just the inherent chance to fail that was screwing me. I really hope that honour mode will be less of a crapshoot this time for that reason.
