Balance Thingies

[Acromatic Aria]

Issues with balance? Things to over/under powered? Let's use this post as a collection of opinions on the subject.

[NevrGivUp]

Barbarian Find Potion Skill

If what potions are dropped are hard coded what about making a new skill (with the same name) that creates an invisible creature that automatically dies and drops potions?

Thanks

[Heather]

Barbarian Find Potion Skill

If what potions are dropped are hard coded what about making a new skill (with the same name) that creates an invisible creature that automatically dies and drops potions?

Thanks

That would get rid of one of Find Potion's most useful attributes -- using up corpses that can otherwise be revived by shaman/mummy/etc types.

Personally I don't think find potion is that overpowered, given that all the ingredients necessary to make rejuv potions are shoppable at a fairly modest cost.

[NevrGivUp]

@Heather: The find potion skill I described would target corpses and destroy them. Also, the items you need may be at a good price (particularly now with Gold Bars) you can't use that money for anything else.

An example of the math:
A barbi with lvl 5 Find Potion has a 50% chance of finding any potion and 7% of the time its a rejuv, that means 3.5% of the time you use it (in reality it HAS been more than that) you get a 50% rejuv. Unless/Until you have a lot of price reducing gear/skills that would cost you about 12,000 gp for the three chipped gems. That puts the price of a full rejuv at 36,000. I know that is pretty cheap but for the price of 2 full rejuv's you can get, for example, a dex potion and have $$ left over.

The balance is probably what each of us considers the amount of work we are willing to do. I don't mind dealing with the overflow of mana and hp potions I get or taking the time to Find Potion every corpse I produce, I'm sure it would drive others mad. I'm just throwing out the idea in the unlikely chance that AA didn't think of it. I'm sure he did cause he's good like that and I doubt any change will come of me saying this.

Hey what's that? Its a demon calling my name! I guess I'll go kill him now...

[random_element76]

It would seem to me that the increase in level requirement caused by addition stones (nuggets, stones, etc.) is too steep for the benefit gained, considering that a typical stone will increase the level requirement of an item by 2 or 3 levels. E.g., to make a ring of resist all +20 would require adding 20 insulation nuggets, 20 shiver stones, 20 warmth stones, and 20 poison protection stones. Conservately, at +2 levels per stone used and 80 stones used, this item would end up with a level requirement of 160, if it started at level zero.

Although blank slates may be made and used on such an item, one blank slate, obtained through cubing rings and amulets, will only drop the level requirement of such an item by 1 level.

It would seem that to restore an appropriate benefit for adding stone effect to an item that the level requirement increase when a stone is added should be less, or the effect of blank slates should be more.

[Heather]

I think the level requirement increase is appropriate. The ingredients for the boosting stones are very easily attainable for the most part... you can shop, find or cube up most of them even in act 1 normal. The increase in level requirement balances this out quite nicely, so that yes, you can make yourself God charms etc, but it takes patience, and if you want to actually be able to equip them, you need to be careful and hoard every junk ring and amulet that drops to cube into blank slates.

EDIT: would it be possible to make experience bags usable on hirelings? Either that or make it like 1.11 where you hire them within a couple of levels of you? I traded in my prayer merc, regretted it, re-hired him, and now I'm stuck slumming in low level areas until he catches up enough to not die to every monster pack. Merc levelling is t3h suxxor.

[random_element76]

To remain with the example I introduced of creating a ring of resist all +20 using stones, which would require 80 stones and have a final level requirement of at least 160 (although more likely over 200), that to reduce this ring's level requirement back down to around 30, about what I would expect a standard prismatic ring to be, would require, at 3 rings and 3 amulets per level reducing blank slate made, cubing 780 rings and amulets. Consider also that it requires, in addition to 4 full rejuvs and a gem, another ring for each resistance nugget/stone made with the cube.

So, to make a prismatic ring of resist all +20 the player would need to gather 80 magic rings, 320 full rejuvs, and 80 of the various gems; then to equip this ring he would need to cube 390 more rings with 390 amulets so as reduce its level back down from 160+ to something lower. In total:

320 full rejuvenation potions,
471 magic rings,
390 magic amulets, and
80 gems

Now, if this seems reasonable, and by reasonable I mean something that you would wish to do, if a player finds an average of 50 rings and amulets each act (which seems high to me), at 5 acts per level and 3 difficulity levels in the game, doesn't it seem likely that before finding these 861 rings and amulets that he may finish the game first?

Consider also that adding 3 um runes to a white ring adds +15 resist all and raises the level requirement of the ring by a mere 3 levels. (I know that one should not mention white rings and amulets in the same sentence as balance, when, for example, one can buy ohm runes for a little gold and quickly cube a white ring that will his boost melee damage to any amount desired.)

[Heather]

The level requirements on some of the souls seem kind of strange. A whole lot of very nice souls (like normal Lucifer) are wearable at level 7 and that seems very young for something with those mods. I don't know if it's a bug or a balance issue but it might be worth taking a look at.

[Mullidulli]

I am now in normal, act 5 with a level 59 barbarian and I still can't beat Baal...
If I beat, IF I BEAT, the monsters before, then I die after the portal to Baal.
So many monsters and they hit me so hard and often that a have no chance...

[Rogue]

@Heather: This appears to be caused by items being limited to no greater than level 255 required for use. If an item is generated that is greater than 255, it seems to wrap round to 1 again. Thus the level 7 soul was probably supposed to be level 262 or so. The same thing seems to apply to perfect gems and Diversity Gems, which have very low level requirements for high level items. Perfect Diversity Gems have only a 94 level requirement.

@Mullidulli Make sure you are prepared before rushing into the Throne Room. As a Barb, you should have a high level Hireling with you, Preferably Act 2 or Act 5, plus the ability to summon an Ancient. Make sure you use all your War Cry buffs before entering, and immediately attack as you arrive, you should be able to WhirlWind out of the center of the attackers, leaving your helpers to distract them while you concentrate on one or two enemies first.

If you need further help, please create a new regular topic, as this (Sticky) topic is only for game balance/bug issues.

[silvrsrfer]

Warcry barbs could sure use a hand. It's awful inconvenient to have the Warcry skill not left clickable. You can't use auras and you constantly have to switch spells in order to use decay scream. Grim ward should also give some kind of player buff, or make it into a trap. A new curse for it would also work well. Howl isn't all that useful, not sure if it would be possible to make it also restore stamina or quick increase in run speed when cast. Seems appropriate being that it's an avoidance skill, or maybe a temp boost in def. Above all, please make Warcry left clickable!

[faker666]

Assasin's shadow is became more powerful. It's like a hurricane, she kills everyone. I feel myself very weak.

One shadow = horror. Two shadows = armageddon. Three shadows = ...

[Darkred]

got an orb for sorc's that gives 31 to all skills

aint that a bit overpowered ?

[gogodanny]

sry for my disbelieve *lol* could you possibly link a screenshot from this +31to allskills orb? it would really interest me a lot?!

ty

[Darkred]

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/2032 ... 001fn4.jpg

[gogodanny]

OMG holy sh*t ... how long have you been playing to create some incredible item like this one *lol*

the best item I've found so far was the all are one charm i created myself after dozens of hours ... (well indeed it was around 2 dozens :-P)

...and i thought i knew anything 'bout this mod *lol*

anyway thx 4 your upload

l8er

[Darkred]

i play online......


On that char, ive played for like 2 weeks max