I am growing increasingly wary of the direction the game is taking in terms of balance.
Smarter AI is great, but the more I play the more I hate the new armor system and the bonuses from ability points while they seem like they'd allow you to create fun synergies are so bland and boring that all they do is punish you for not pursuing the obvious ones.
There is zero elegance to character creation/stats system as a whole, which is both a step down from the simplicity of the original and years behind any similar games(anything D&D based, even the incredibly bland Pillars of Eternity).
+1 Exactly and totally my feeling.
How to fix it ?
Wearing down a saving trhrow value is nice idea but current system is plain without elegance.
- add a reflex saving throw based on dex.
- each saving throw need a base value driven by the atrribute (Int,Str,Dex)
- So each main stat will have saving throw.
- even naked character has some savings
- When a skill/spell is tested against the saving throw it use a % dice to know if it lands or not AND remove some small portion of saving throw value. Reduction should be small, so regular battle is not focused at tear down a saving throw, however Boss fight usually is about getting down saving throws.
That way you get a system where it is nearly impossible to get safe against all 3 saving throw and each archetype character has an advantage in certain way.
There is one issue wich current system tryied to solve.In DOS:EE First combat round everyone use the strongest spell. So since midgame combat is like chain-lightnin then mop-up the rest. Next battle repeat, then next battle repeat. Very funny rigth?
There should be some mechanics prevent using the strongest spell in the first round. This mechanic should be somehow flexible.
I was thinking about a "heat" value you need to build up to be able to call higher level skills. But cant get a formula which is not bold.
Adding saving throws doesn't really fix anything, it just adds more rng. The game just gets to throw up its hands and decide you wasted a turn because you had bad luck. Part of the appeal of the magic and physical armor system is that it minimizes randomness.
Source points and magic armor/physical armor already discourage using your strongest abilities first, because source points are a limited resource, and magic/physical armor prevents the nastier effects of skills from taking place.
I think buffing/tweaking perseverance to be more useful to players, and giving this skill to certain enemies would be alot more inline with keeping the current direction of limiting rng.
I would like to see more skills have a few more uses outside of combat.
Strength: its mostly fine as is. increase 4% physical armor instead of 2% (i feel both players and the a.i are both a little bit too squishy). I'd like to see it also increase vitality by about 1%. increase base weapon durability, increase carrying capacity more than it already does, and increase the amount of weight you can steal during pickpocket (if it doesn't already, I haven't tested it yet).
Intellect: increase to 4% magic armor instead of 2 make it increase the base distance you can move objects with telekinesis, improve base bartering, and increase magic aoe size slightly for every point (if aoe sizes are to remain in their current state, though I would suggest a max aoe size cap if you take this route).
Finese: increase carrying capacity (less effective than strength), 1% increase to physical and magical armor, increase the max value cap of items you can steal during pickpocket, increase the max weight you can steal during pickpocket (less than strength). Decrease enemy vision cones slightly during sneak, and slightly increase sneak speed.
Constitution: increase magical and physical armor values by 2%, and increase the vitality it increases to 10%.
Memory: can't improve on perfection.
Wits: Mostly fine much like strength. increase the max value of items you can steal during pickpocket, increase, bartering discount, and decrease enemy vision cones slightly while in sneak.
I think civil points should stay separate from combat, but I do like the idea of primary attributes giving slight buffs to civil skills.
