Drakensang Questions about TDE rules

I don't see the fun in this. I'm happy they left it out. Unnecessary micromanagement.

It's not that it's fun or not. It's that the game is based on a ruleset that has been designed and tested based on certain things, everything balanced to that end. When you change something like this (regen time), you may unbalance some things, remove the need for some spells/skills, which in turn makes it so you have too many skill points to distribute, so you either reduce these, or let characters be much more powerful than they should. It's like a domino effect. Besides, camping to recover mana/health can actually add to the game in the form of ambushes, random encounters, some inter-character interactions, etc.
 
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
5,645
Location
Tardis
It's not that it's fun or not. It's that the game is based on a ruleset that has been designed and tested based on certain things, everything balanced to that end.
But a system made for one medium almost always needs to be adapted for another medium in order to work. That's why the LotR movies aren't 100% faithful to the books or why there are Oscars for best adapted screenplay, or why PC gamers are so afraid of things like consolitis.

I'm happy about the way they adapted the P&P ruleset to a PC game. Some things just wouldn't work otherwise.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
3,486
Well, the fun could be that you have to manage your ressources for a string of battles instead of only one battle. For instance, when you wouldn't auto-regenerate while you are trapped in a certain castle on a certain 3rd quest in Drakensang, that would add quite some tension and an additional strategic level to the affair.

I totally agree. This was something great in older games like the bg serie. NWN2 blew it entirely by permitting the characters to rest anywhere anytime except during a battle.

In a way, it even diminishes the micromanagement as you don't use all your spells all the time. For many of the minor fights, your mages would mostly use missile weapons and/or low levels spells... keeping the heavy artillery for major encounters where they are really needed. This gives a totally different dynamic to combats and make for a more "realistic" low magic world.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
1,271
Location
Quebec city
I totally agree. This was something great in older games like the bg serie. NWN2 blew it entirely by permitting the characters to rest anywhere anytime except during a battle.

You do mean NWN 1, right? Because NWN2 was a bit better in that regard, IIRC. Storm of Zehir, at least, had a decent resting mechanic.
 
Joined
Oct 23, 2006
Messages
585
Location
Serbia
You do mean NWN 1, right? Because NWN2 was a bit better in that regard, IIRC. Storm of Zehir, at least, had a decent resting mechanic.

I haven't played any expansion, and didn't play NWN1, but NWN2 OC is just as bad.
 
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
5,645
Location
Tardis
I played only NWN2 OC so I have no idea what it is in SOZ. I remember cleaning warehouse in NWN2 where I could rest after basically every rooms. And gosh, it was even more boring than clearing these rat tunnels in Drakensang.

Glad they improved it in SOZ. I might buy NWN2 gold or platinum or whatever edition with all the expansions once they release it.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
1,271
Location
Quebec city
One of the reasons I think of about why it was even more boring in NWN2 OC, it's because of the combat ai. The game expected you to control one character and let the ai deals with the rest. Managing your entire party was a chore while it is something fun in Drakensang and was even funnier in BG because you felt more in control. The horde of rats wouldnt step over your characters to attack your mage if your warrior stood in a strategic place. This might be one of my most important gripe about Drakensang combat.
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
1,271
Location
Quebec city
One of the reasons I think of about why it was even more boring in NWN2 OC, it's because of the combat ai. The game expected you to control one character and let the ai deals with the rest. Managing your entire party was a chore while it is something fun in Drakensang and was even funnier in BG because you felt more in control. The horde of rats wouldnt step over your characters to attack your mage if your warrior stood in a strategic place. This might be one of my most important gripe about Drakensang combat.

Also, the AI refuses to use "specials" unless you specifically tell it to. The exception to this is summoned creatures will use specials until they run out of energy.
 
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
49
Yes, I know there's the puppet mode. But the game was certainly not designed around it and made controlling the party a chore. I know they improved that in successive patches but still...
 
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
1,271
Location
Quebec city
Back
Top Bottom