Revised Armors

[veyn]

I'd take +1 AC boots over boots of speed any day

 

I really dislike having different party members moving with different speeds, since the party then tends to spread over half a map. That's why I don't usually use boots of speed and don't install "armor movement speed penalties" component. The "default" movement speed never bothered me to be honest, and I never felt it slows down the game much. Besides, haste is abundant in BG - as soon as mages get 3rd level spells, you can have haste for every fight that matters.

 

OTOH I'm perfectly fine with balancing armors by physical resistance / dex penalties / attack speed modifiers.

[kreso]

I really dislike having different party members moving with different speeds, since the party then tends to spread over half a map. .

This is pretty much what bothers me as well. And Haste+Boots=Broken MS.

[onerous]

I've used the option for all three penalties (spellcasting, dexterity, and movement) for a BGT install. I also increase the speed of the game (forgot what the option is called in the configuration menu) from 30 to 40. It cuts off the end of dialogue in cutscenes, but you don't feel like you're crawling across the map. I also used SCS and SCSII along with tehbiggs 3rd edition attribute settings and gains every 4 or 5 levels (I like the idea of my characters getting more physically or mentally adept).

 

In my experience, the movement penalties don't hinder gameplay. It isn't like my mages and light armored counterparts are racing to the dungeon entrance while the heavily armored fighters are struggling to make it five feet from the edge of the map. They lag behind somewhat, however I tend to explore every corner of a map. I thought the movement was consistent to what wearing heavy plate armor is like when compared with lighter armors. I could be exaggerating about fighters lagging behind, but my point is that I never thought it was so unbearable that I wanted to uninstall the component.

 

The boots of speed are helpful in the sense that heavy armored characters can move to a companions aid more quickly in battle than without them. I generally don't use haste unless I'm facing dragons or the big bosses that were improved by SCS/II. By the time I find the boots of speed (thanks, item randomizer) I feel that my party has earned them through exploration and skill.

 

Overall, I didn't see any negative impact from gameplay where I wouldn't use the movement penalty component so I would recommend that players give it a try before automatically dismissing the change as unnecessary.

 

Happy Halloween!