IA v6 Final

Saros · October 27, 2010

In any case, if spell scrolls are now seriously hidden, I wonder how all the IA mages got to find them

I stopped asking myself such things a long time ago. This is no longer BG2. Almost all implementations which Sikret made are often irrational and unexplainable in the term of 'common sense'. However, everything can be explained to some point. For example, all enemy mages could've bought all available scrolls from all nearby merchants and thus they have the needed scrolls, while PC&party do not.

the bigg · October 27, 2010

Maybe the explanation is as simple as deliberately removing crucial scrolls from soloers and/or smaller parties.

geh4th · October 27, 2010

Hey. I've taken a look at BWL (from what is still available on its fora) and also what's readable on other fora about them. Honestly, they don't look as bad guys as all the bashing would dictate. Not only they've a free download site already mentioned on BioWare (Dragon's House, http://dh.blackwyrmlair.net), they publish some "modder" resource homepage as well (Community Asset), and most of their mods aren't charged (as far as I can see).

I did have - and continue to have - a serious problem with Baronius. He's a sleazy person and proved it. I consider him an enemy of the entire BG2 gaming community and will always oppose him. I'm not alone in that sentiment as you well know.

As far as I can see, he's still the Admin of a tiny modding portal, and declaring him Public Enemy #1 doesn't do any good to the Community. A tiny modding page called BWL, yet it's still the host of the mod IA that makes a lot of controversy. Where are you man? In the Moon?

As for Sikret, I feel mostly pity for him because he truly doesn't understand what kind of a person he is - that he's the source of literally all of his own problems.

Hey why do you think all this controversy means any problem to him? It looks like he's having fun in what he's doing, otherwise he wouldn't consider it Number #1 in his RL. As far as I can see, they're most happy there on BWL portal, and it's YOU who got obsessed with all the politics, IA, cheese blocking, Sikret, Baronious etc. Get a life.

I agree that profanity is generally bad manners; you should know that I try to avoid it in my everyday conversation. Many people in many countries don't bother with any such restraint. But you know what? If someone is provoked, it's more than justified as a response; it is used for emphasis. The real crime here wasn't my response, it was Baronius' provocations and Sikret's refusal to do anything about them. None of this would have happened if Sikret had done the right thing and put Baronius in his place.

Again, vigilantism! Is this site for vigilantes? OMG. Geh4th, as an American, you shouldn't only be fond of freedom of speech, but you should also refuse any type of vigilantism. "He provoked it, so I've slain him". Shame on you, George.

You know, the more someone talks - or in this case, types - the easier it is to figure out who he is. Any astute observer can identify phrases, words, and speech patterns and use that to figure out who the speaker/typer is. And between the posts here and that thread Saros started over at Bioware, you've now shown your hand more than enough for me to peg your identity without any questions.

JMason79 is Sikret, there's no doubt about it. There never really was any doubt, but it's really clear now.

Surely, Sikret, you haven't forgotten the thousands of posts we exchanged or all the dialogues of yours that I edited. I know how you write. So do others here - practically anyone that can read can tell. You're not nearly as smart as you think you are.

Of course, it's still pretty pathetic that you'll resort to a thinly veiled "secret identity", creating an alter-ego that defends BWL's policies and says EXACTLY what Sikret would say. Why don't you just man up and make posts in your own name, representing who you are? Chicken?

As for my name, you must have thought you'd offend me by using it openly. I have nothing to hide, but we both know that you do, don't you? And yet I won't stoop to the same level as you.

Please spare us any further lame attempts to deny who you are. Defend yourself and your mod openly if you have the guts to do so, but stop insulting our intelligence with these pseudonyms.

Nominar · October 27, 2010

A quick question: Has the gaining of XP from scribing spells into your spell book been disabled? I remember Sikret talking about that and unless he's come up with other ways to grant this XP then I don't like it. Plain and simple.

That and a lot of other attempts to thwart soloers' games to succeed has really come down on regular players. I still don't get it why the hell Sikret cares how anyone plays their games, and his blinding hate towards solo players is really unwarranted. I have nothing against Saros or his play style, but it's one that doesn't fit me so I stay away from it. He even admits to use exploits and (arguably) cheap tactics.

Still, IA (v5) doesn't cripple your play, it is a fact that with IA your characters gain more XP than in vanilla BG2 and much, much more money. The higher levels and more money is near mandatory to succeed in IA. The XP gained from scrolls isn't groundbreaking but it is just one of the ways to gather it and I found it rather nice. I never ever erase spells from my spell book just to learn them again for the XP, it breaks my immersion in the role play.

Saros · October 27, 2010

Yes, unfortunately scribed spell scrolls grant no xp whatsoever anymore.

As I recall from a BWL poll topic about a year ago concerning this particular issue, there was a discussion of simply eliminating the 'erase' button and leaving the xp gain from scrolls untouched. However, Sikret was against it, saying that sometimes erasing an old spell is needed in order to learn a new (and probably a more powerful and useful) one if the mage has 18 or lower intelligence. Besides, even without the 'erase' button, provided that a soloer assembles all arcane npc casters and teaches them as many spells as possible (according to their intelligence, Wish doesn't raise party Int to 25 anymore in IA 6.0), the xp gain is still very significant - enough for PC to gain at least 2 levels of experience.

The discussion also stated that a dualclassed Fighter-Mage will level up so much faster compared to other dualclasses, which was also an argument for removing the xp gained from scrolls.

Also, the xp gained from disarming traps and picking locks is also very low. Traps disarmed by a lvl 10-11 thief grant only 1000 xp, and locks picked by such a thief - only 250 xp.

In fact, this and lowering the xp values of certain vanilla and slightly improved monsters have made it so that even after completing all slightly modded quests and practically squeezing each and every xp point available (completing easier NPC quests like Jaheira's, Jan's and some other) will grant a soloer no more than 2 - 2.4 million xp, which is still far far away from first HLA. Probably, this was extensively tested.

Do not talk of role play. IA 6.0 has nothing to do with it. Here, everything is more like a quest-game (meaning, don't stray from the narrow path or lose) rather than a RPG-game. In IA 5.0 there were some RPG leftover elements, but in the new version there are none. So don't try to find the in-game reasoning of certain changes, since modifications are tactical only (quite a few) and counter-solo measures (a ton of those).

JMason79 · October 27, 2010

Seems I was right about you, geh4th. You aren't a true American, man.

About the name, um, maybe Shadan mentioned it publicly... So yes, you're free to stoop to whatever level you wish.

3. I knew geh4th as a good guy from IA testing team, but it seems I was wrong. These acts, posts and other things is pure vengeance from geh4th and as I wrote to him in private he wrote so rude posts on BWL what I wouldn't have tolerate also at all. So George, I am disappointed in you...

Hi, Shadan. Long time no speak.

...

Regards,

your "Sikret"

Guest! · October 27, 2010

Seems I was right about you, geh4th. You aren't a true American, man.

About the name, um, maybe Shadan mentioned it publicly... So yes, you're free to stoop to whatever level you wish.

3. I knew geh4th as a good guy from IA testing team, but it seems I was wrong. These acts, posts and other things is pure vengeance from geh4th and as I wrote to him in private he wrote so rude posts on BWL what I wouldn't have tolerate also at all. So George, I am disappointed in you...

Hi, Shadan. Long time no speak.

...

Regards,

your "Sikret"