Creature Skills & Balance

[HR-Trevor]

These two combat facets received major adjustments today.

First of all, all critters now train skills to 2.6 x level instead of 2.0. This is a compromise between double and triple trainers. This is fairly significant (consider: level 40 critter now has 104 in each skill instead of 80).

Secondly, balance had a major overhaul. I was brief in the news article, but I'll detail for you what has been done:

- You can only achieve balance as good as your agility will allow. You will need a LOT of agility to reach the highest level of balance. Low agility will prevent balance from reaching above the very mediocre levels.

- It's a bit easier to become imbalanced now. Not greatly, and you can easily avoid bad balance by having good agility and using a weapon with a strike bonus (such as any Eolaish weapon, and some others) if balance is problem for you.

- The role of balance has been watered down a bit. Your attack and defense will still benefit considerably from good balance, but not as much as before. You will not make yourself impervious by having good balance.

- The role of balance in damage has been removed completely. Previously balance could add a lot of damage to each hit, in fact, high balance could outdo the benefit of the agent AMBUSH ability in some cases. This entire aspect has been removed. This makes strength (or perception for ranged) more significant for actual damage as well as your weapon of choice.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Plato

-- Trevor Rage / Rich Mondy

[Tugor]

What about how well the the critters teach? Has that been altered along with the skill level?
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It is better to be pissed off than pissed on.

[HR-Trevor]

It is naturally adjusted, since the amount you learn is based on the skills of attacker vs. defender. Any time skills or stats on a critter are altered, the ideal hunter for experience purposes is altered some too.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Plato

-- Trevor Rage / Rich Mondy

[SolitaryTurnip]

[HR-Trevor]

Anyone can have balance as high as "fairly well balanced". Balance works on a scale of -10 to 10. Everyone can have up to 3. As you train agility you can have higher, with 10 requiring over 100 agility.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Plato

-- Trevor Rage / Rich Mondy

[Crayzbum]

critters that couldn't hit me before now can and critters I could hit before now can't. Is that the 2.6 raise or balance? Did droping the balance affect evasion?

[HR-Trevor]

Probably some of both and yes, balance affects both attack and defense.
_________________
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Plato

-- Trevor Rage / Rich Mondy

[Crayzbum]

Thank you info. Also wondering about rifle. Doesn't seem to be hit'n very good or hard. Balance affect'n it any?

[HR-Trevor]

Yeah balance affects your to-hit and to-defend rolls in any situation. But also there was a balance damage mod which was removed because it allowed weak attacks to hit very hard just by having awesome balance.
_________________
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Plato

-- Trevor Rage / Rich Mondy