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Sacred 2 Enhanced Edition


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I'll review the Mist of Miasma for 2.3. I don't believe I changed him in the mod but CM 1.60 did see the reactivation of all his buffs/spells that never worked before, and I just left the values as they were set by the devs. It could be too much damage assigned to the spells or even stats too high on the creature itself, which never manifested before since it never did anything but float around aimlessly.

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The only thing I think it could possibly be is his twister-like attack ("boss_fog_spruehnebel"). I reduced the damage down considerably and also restricted this spell to being used only by the "real" boss at the end of the act. So the "easy" version that keeps popping up on the Light path doesn't have it.

I also got reports on the Nexus that the mutated giant spiders are one-shotting players so the damage is reduced quite a bit on them.

Enough reports have come in about Gahanka and Gar'Colossus soaking up way too much damage so their vitality and physical resistance is decreased. 

I also noticed that the Octogolamus and the Nameless Guardians have stun attacks with 100% chance; the chance to stun is now fixed at 50%.

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26 minutes ago, Flix said:

Enough reports have come in about Gahanka and Gar'Colossus soaking up way too much damage so their vitality and physical resistance is decreased. 

About the GarColossus, I believe its primarily the shield which is able to soak up too much damage. Without dedicated bypassing attacks I do zero damage on the first difficulty. Also without having access to arcane reliqs his ranged attacks are devastating.

I also believe the GarColossus to be too difficult in relation to the other bosses, making it a hard road block before you can access the rest of the game.

The lethality level for bosses ranked from most to least dangerous:

  1. Mist Fog
  2. Stone golem
  3. Dragon
  4. Crystal
  5. Scorpion
  6. Octopus
  7. Guardian
  8. Bionic Flyer
  9. Demon

For being the first boss to encounter he is the second most difficult to take on, as 90% of attacks are useless, and his melee damage is insane, giving he has a chance for doublehit. Double Hit paired with fast AS makes every 2 attacks have a chance for a full hp kill, which means premptively hammering your space is a prerequesite.

So the tankines of the stone golem boss has nothing to do with his physical stats, but with his shield, which might have a secret trick to work around ?

Edited by Charon117
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Alright I just started over from scratch with Gar'Colossus.  I believe the biggest problem was that I added a lot of raw physical melee damage to him.

The only differences between vanilla and EE 2.3 will now be: slight Physical Damage Mitigation (about half of 2.2 value; he had none in vanilla), a moderate Chance Opponents Cannot Evade Attacks (like every other boss and most elites have in the mod), and moderately increased movement speed.  He also he has double attack that was restored in CM 1.60 (uses standard melee damage), but the cooldown is increased from 2s to 4s.

His Energy Shield and Willpower bonuses were never touched, and I'm reluctant to reduce them below vanilla values since I can't ever recall having a hard time cutting through it.

The trump card could be the modifier Absorption Warding Energy: Opponent -X%.  In D2F I made this modifier capable of cutting through an energy shield in 1-2 hits. I can't recall if I did the same in EE. Will look into it.

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21 minutes ago, Flix said:

The trump card could be the modifier Absorption Warding Energy: Opponent -X%.  In D2F I made this modifier capable of cutting through an energy shield in 1-2 hits. I can't recall if I did the same in EE. Will look into it.

Hm, I also had problems with the shield in vanilla. Dont know if that is related. The developers also hinted at an alternative way to disable the golem shield in conjunction with the stone it is throwing, but I never figured out how.

For the latest EE,SS.C run I prepared an AWEO - 33% for the char, but it didnt make any difference.

Would a video help you ?

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34 minutes ago, Flix said:

In D2F I made this modifier capable of cutting through an energy shield in 1-2 hits

Is that a reference to Mana Burn property and mana drain by ghosts? What folks(except at Phrozenkeep) don't know is, those properties have been erroneously coded. They do 256 times more damage, than they should.

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3 hours ago, Charon117 said:

Hm, I also had problems with the shield in vanilla. Dont know if that is related. The developers also hinted at an alternative way to disable the golem shield in conjunction with the stone it is throwing, but I never figured out how.

For the latest EE,SS.C run I prepared an AWEO - 33% for the char, but it didnt make any difference.

Would a video help you ?

That's ok, I took a look at the golem's Energy Shield buff itself and found some parameters to adjust.  It sends 100% of incoming damage to the shield (+1% per level, so I wonder if it is overcapped somehow), and it furthermore grants 70% damage mitigation against all damage types, in addition to also using "Block Warding Energy" (flat damping) at 1.5 + 0.5 damage per level.

I'm going to set the Absorption Warding Energy to 100% and remove the scaling. At worst it won't do anything, at best it might make AWE:O -X% more useful.  I'm also going to lower the damage mitigation to 35%.

Oh, and the golem does have a spell that recharges his energy shield ("boss_golem_erdbeben") but I don't think there's any way to interrupt him.

3 hours ago, dimitrius154 said:

Is that a reference to Mana Burn property and mana drain by ghosts?

Only by coincidence.  It was Silver Fox's idea originally, for a single sword he made for CM 1.50. 

I'd say "et_debuff_CA_regen" and  "et_energy_anihilation" are probably the Sacred 2 equivalents of mana drain and mana burn, respectively.  But they're not much fun to work with, since they can only be used against the player, as NPC's don't honor the regeneration times on their own spells.

3 hours ago, dimitrius154 said:

What folks(except at Phrozenkeep) don't know is, those properties have been erroneously coded. They do 256 times more damage, than they should.

In Diablo 2?  I'm surprised no one ever fixed it with a mod.

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13 minutes ago, Flix said:

I'm surprised no one ever fixed it with a mod.

Oh, I had. It was done for v1.10, however. 

IMHO, the best patch, mod-wise. There was a framework compatible with it ,allowing to introduce events, quests, new voiced texts. Actually made a dark side campaign based on Median Omega.  That is all characters would receive a proposal of alliance from Kabraxis, and all Median Omega quests have been tailored into the storyline of assisting that demon.

Then v1.11 arrived, ruining things.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think EE 2.3 is ready,  This is the proposed change log.  I expect this will be the final "pure" release before I inevitably try to smash it together with Addendum, whenever it's released.

===================

The latest project that consumed my time was a tooltip overhaul project.  This required a deep dive into the tooltip text for each skill, combat art, and modification.  I wanted each tooltip to describe precisely what it did, with no uncertainty or vague terminology.  I also thought some of the "flavor" text in modifications was obfuscating that.  So, for example: "Some projectiles are burned up before they reach the High Elf" gets replaced with the slightly more bland (but more precise) "Adds a chance to block ranged weapon damage (20% +1% per level)."

That being said, I think there's a place for flavor text, and I preserved that in the combat art descriptions.  In many instances, I added some as well, where the descriptions were bare-bones and lacking any personality.

I also matched up the language used in the various weapon lore and aspect skills.  Some of it was too wordy and (again) vague and inconsistent.

I was only able to make these changes in the English version.  The other languages get only the essential changes, such as when a property is actually changed.  That being said, I still have to prepare all the translations, and the mod should be ready for release.

===================

Reviewing each and every combat art and modification also forced me to evaluate each one.  I did a lot of work balancing spells in 2.3.  Overall I did a lot to bring Enhanced Spells and Original Spells closer together.  Original Spells received some of more enhancements, particularly for the Dragon Mage and Temple Guardian.  Likewise I've scaled back some of the OP changes I made in Enhanced Spells that date back to my early days of just wanting to get all the most powerful combinations without making any sacrifices.  This means the occasional spell property is nerfed, as well as some modification pairings being switched up.  The new summons in Enhanced Spells will start a bit weaker and slower but will scale their speed and powers better as they level up.

One notable buff that applies to both versions is that many modifications that were once static can now scale with CA level.

===================

I'll have to add this to the final change log, but I also replaced the interface, as I've grown sick of looking at what I made for CM 1.60.  I never really liked the Black Glass UI, but it was a legacy part of the CM Patch. After hearing so many complaints about the transparency and how the UI was an unnecessary change from vanilla, I decided to split the baby in half in CM 1.60 and keep the interface but make it completely opaque.

No need to feel beholden to anything but my own preference for EE, so v2.3 and forward will have a custom interface, which is a desaturated, darker version of Ice and Blood's UI with slightly less transparency. 

cZ8jjEq.jpg

As always you can use the interface skins pack to slap on whatever GUI suits you.

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Hello there!

I sadly have not much time to read or write here... I mostly get informed that a new Version is out and I use it since I almost always like the changes or see new possibilities for playing. Since I mostly play Shadwor Warrior, I wouldn't even be able to comment properly on some changes.

But because I like the Shadow Warrior most, I want to ask two things:

1. "Nether Allegiance: 'Elite Equipment' gold mod now gives 2x the previous armor bonus.
Nether Allegiance: Once again summons only 2 skeletons by default, but gold mod "Replenishment" is changed to "Legion"
which summons an additional skeleton."

Why? xD The skeletons... with support (Rousing Command, Augmenting Guidon, Reflective Emanation) they can take a lot of damage, but their own damage drops from level 100 on compared to the enemies. Now there are less skeletons (less damage) and they can take even more?

2. Is this compatible with the old save? Or do I have to start new Shadow Warriors?

All in all, thanks for keeping Sacred 2 alive and up to date.

Edited by Roderick
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40 minutes ago, Roderick said:

Hello there!

I sadly have not much time to read or write here... I mostly get informed that a new Version is out and I use it since I almost always like the changes or see new possibilities for playing. Since I mostly play Shadwor Warrior, I wouldn't even be able to comment properly on some changes.

But because I like the Shadow Warrior most, I want to ask two things:

1. "Nether Allegiance: 'Elite Equipment' gold mod now gives 2x the previous armor bonus.
Nether Allegiance: Once again summons only 2 skeletons by default, but gold mod "Replenishment" is changed to "Legion"
which summons an additional skeleton."

Why? xD The skeletons... with support (Rousing Command, Augmenting Guidon, Reflective Emanation) they can take a lot of damage, but their own damage drops from level 100 on compared to the enemies. Now there are less skeletons (less damage) and they can take even more?

2. Is this compatible with the old save? Or do I have to start new Shadow Warriors?

All in all, thanks for keeping Sacred 2 alive and up to date.

Thank for writing! 

1. I actually believe the "Elite Equipment" mod was bugged and only returned 1/2 of the armor bonus intended.  Basically I have corrected this, and the skeletons now receive armor comparable to other summoned minions.  As to the number of skeletons, I just reduced the default number back to vanilla. Don't worry because you can still get that extra skeleton through the new "Legion" modification.  And since it doesn't sound like you need or want "Elite Equipment," you should have no issues grabbing "Legion" instead.  :D

2. There should be no issues moving characters from 2.2 to 2.3.  The only thing that will happen is the randomized bonuses will be re-rolled on magic and rare jewelry, and also on some normal and magic armor.

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17 minutes ago, Flix said:

Thank for writing! 

1. I actually believe the "Elite Equipment" mod was bugged and only returned 1/2 of the armor bonus intended.  Basically I have corrected this, and the skeletons now receive armor comparable to other summoned minions.  As to the number of skeletons, I just reduced the default number back to vanilla. Don't worry because you can still get that extra skeleton through the new "Legion" modification.  And since it doesn't sound like you need or want "Elite Equipment," you should have no issues grabbing "Legion" instead.  :D

2. There should be no issues moving characters from 2.2 to 2.3.  The only thing that will happen is the randomized bonuses will be re-rolled on magic and rare jewelry, and also on some normal and magic armor.

You're very welcome. :) I am very happy to have found this place and the CM and the EE. I just can't contribute much to it. ^^

No idea of modding here... what makes you believe the Elite Equipment was bugged? Though I won't complain about better gear for my beloved skeletons.

Another point of not writing much... I can't seem to make myself clear in english. xD
I always take Elite Equipment. The first choice is between better swords or one skeleton more. If the wiki is still correct, better swords will provide 40% more damage. An additional skeleton is 50% more damage in vanilla (going from 2 to 3 skeletons) and 33% in EE. Since an additional skelet also blocks one enemy more, I always take that over the better swords. Next is the choice between better shields and another skeleton. If the wiki is correct, shield add dodge chance to the skeletons, which can't dodge at all by default. From zero dodge to having dodge is an invaluable upgrade. Same with Elite Equipment. Going from zero resistances to having resistances is also invaluable. So I will take it over an additional skeleton. What good do 5 skeletons if they all fall in one blow from an Area of Effect-attack?

Good to hear.... so... when will the download be ready? Seeing 2.2 on the download page and somehow am curious to test it out. :)
(For example, if resistance is doubled, maybe they don't need to dodge anymore? xD)

Edited by Roderick
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Most summoned minions that gain armor through modifications use "et_minion_armor_all".

Nether Allegiance's "Elite Equipment" uses "et_summon_armor" instead.

Both of these spell tokens point to the bonus "bb_armor_any" in blueprint.txt in order to apply a flat armor bonus against each damage type, and use the same numerical values.  So by all accounts they should be identical.  It's actually fairly common in spells.txt for two different spell tokens to have identical effects.

For "et_minion_armor_all" the numerical values in the spell token have a 1:1 correspondence with the armor bonus.  So {"et_minion_armor_all", 75, 55, 1, 72 } from Rallied Souls grants 7.5 + 5.5 armor per level.  However, {"et_summon_armor", 75, 55, 6, 72 } on Nether Allegiance returns half the stated value.

So I think "et_summon_armor" is bugged in some way.  If the developers wanted to return half the stated values, why not just reduce the numbers?  So I've replaced "et_summon_armor" with "et_minion_armor_all".

Hope that makes sense.

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I am a developer, so that makes perfectly sense. :) There just was no time at all for me to ever mod a game myself or patch it, though I had some where I wanted to do so.

So... no idea what the diference between a summon and a minion is, since all player character minions are summoned in a way, although NPCs might have minions which aren't summoned. It sounds for me like Elite Equipment should have had "et_minion_armor_all" from the start, unless the devs decided they are to strong and would have halfed it  - which could be done by the numbers, as you have pointed out.
Well, I am looking forward to tougher skeletons. :)

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30 minutes ago, Roderick said:

It sounds for me like Elite Equipment should have had "et_minion_armor_all" from the start,

Yes I agree.  This is just speculation, but I bet that "et_summon_armor" may have originally been intended to actually summon additional armor equipment like chestplate/helm for the skeletons, because "et_summon_longsword" actually summons different (better) swords and "et_summon_towershield" actually summons better shields.  Maybe they had to scrap this idea because of rushed development, and changed it at the last minute to just apply Armor +%.

I am doing the final round of testing this weekend, and I also have to update the translations and final documentation.  I plan to have 2.3 released by tomorrow evening.

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12 minutes ago, dimitrius154 said:

Hmm, 6, not 1? Doesn't quite make sense.

It's the gold mod for Nether Allegiance.  It's "1" on Rallied Souls because it's a bronze mod.

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1 hour ago, Flix said:

It's the gold mod for Nether Allegiance.  It's "1" on Rallied Souls because it's a bronze mod.

Oh, sorry, got that mixed up with the bonus calculation convention.

Hmm, curious. And if the mods are exhanged, that is 6 with 1 for Nether Allegiance? I'm somewhat positive the armor bonus works correctly, but the description is bugged.

[EDIT] Nevermind, I think, I've got the picture. It's the cape and the helmet, the bonus split between the two. But one of the items is not spawning, or there's a description bug.

Edited by dimitrius154
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1 hour ago, dimitrius154 said:

[EDIT] Nevermind, I think, I've got the picture. It's the cape and the helmet, the bonus split between the two. But one of the items is not spawning, or there's a description bug.

Hmm, well now is an appropriate time for me to ask just how these three "summon" spell tokens are functioning:

mgr.addTokenBonus( {"et_summon_armor", 191 })  -- 191 = bb_armor_any
mgr.addTokenBonus( {"et_summon_longsword", 97 })  -- 97 = bb_weapondamage_phy
mgr.addTokenBonus( {"et_summon_towershield", 149 })  -- 149 = bb_addVW

You can see that each is tied to a blueprint bonus, however the longsword and tower shields tokens don't seem to actually use these bonuses, instead they literally place different swords and shields in the skeletons' hands, based on the item blueprint defined in the spell tokens (1770 for the swords, 1771 for the shields).  Or perhaps the tokens apply BOTH the new items and the bonuses?

Unlike the other two, the armor token seems to only grant the blueprint bonus.  You can see the tooltip update with armor resistances that were not previously present:

image.png.d2020a51533ffa1795f7078aaadee784.png

So are you saying that the displayed armor bonus is actually applied twice over?  In that case it would be functioning correctly, just displaying incorrectly.  Failing a correction of the tooltip, I think switching the token to  "et_minion_armor_all" would also serve as a fix, preserving the same total bonus but actually displaying the correct amount.

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42 minutes ago, Charon117 said:

@Flix In preparation for the modmerge system can you add

--//OVERWRITE

to the head of the quest.txt ? You will find an example in the Sacred 2 Modmerge Example folder.

Sure thing.  Any other such changes that need to be made?

 

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