Progress through Maestro's Mod

[Big Daddy Jim]

The Barrow XV Surprise!



Time to Reload!!



Yah, these are some pretty nasty creatures for a 12th Level Party! And now they're "chuckin' Big Rocks".

Well, I did manage to survive the Barrows with only one Grave Stone, and limp back to Harmondale for some well-deserved I&I. For those of you about to enter the Barrows complex, you might find it a-bit more difficult than the original Rev4 mod. The Skeleton Mage is now a Lvl 18 creature with 124 HitPoint, summons Skeleton Warriors, and has both a Curse and a Fire attack (3D4). The other creatures in the Barrow complex have also been 'Beefed Up" in several ways. So take plenty of food (for resting) and lots of healing potents, Uncurse and Cure Disease Srolls. For a low-level party, it's rather 'challenging' !!!!

Oh, BTW .... Many of the creatures in Maestro's Mod have been given a Summon ability. However, most of the time, the summoned creatures actually end up assisting the Party by fighting against their 'parent' creature due to 'spawn vice summon' group assignments by the game engine. It can be 'fixed'` by 'pushing bits' in a HexEditor, but it's a real pain in the buttocks to do so.

Well, I'm now off to retrieve the Watchers Ring from the Sylphs. Wonder what surprises are in store for me there. Hmmmmm.

BDJ

[Variol]

..Barrows are a pain at the best of times.

Do the Behemoths still get stuck in places so you can pick 'em off at a distance? ..any rock blast wands...?

[Big Daddy Jim]

Variol,

Yes, these creatures still 'get stuck', but now they have a Ranged Attack of Rock Blast!!! The Rock Blast Ranged Attack is what produced the result in the second photo!

Gone are the days when you can stand back and shoot these puppies down!

Something tells me that this new ability might just 'break' the game later on. But I'll reserve judgement for now.

BDJ

[Deyja]

Nice Big Daddy Jim
I like a good challenge

[Storm-giant]

I'm right now at Tatalia, and I can only say that I hate mountain trolls
I didn't expect that...and two characters die...but a level 15 party can take them out for sure
By the way, nice pictures BDJ. Can't wait to go to the barrows downs and face those mighty behemonts

[Big Daddy Jim]

Just returned from Avlee, after defeating the Water Elementals and obtaining the Watcher's Ring. This was really a much easier task than the original Rev4 mod. The Water Elementals (now named "Whirl") summon Sylphs that actually fight all of the originally 'spawned' creatures. So all you do is 'stand back' and pick-off the creatures while they are fighting amounst themselves.

However .... The new Whirl now has a ranged Paralyze attack, so if your mage is paralyzed, the Party will drown in the sea. A word to the wise and all that ....

Now it's off to Tidewater and then the return to Emerald Island for some promotions and Quest completions.

Onward!!!!

BDJ ...

[vladimir-maestro]

Really confused!
Ghouls should summon Bats not a Monsters!

Should I fix it?

[Deyja]

Really confused!
Ghouls should summon Bats not a Monsters!

Should I fix it?

np suprise them

[vladimir-maestro]

It will be surprise for everyone who will face such weak monsters...

You might be surprised in Eofol...Titans summon some monsters too...didn't testd them couse can't get there so fast!

I knew that summons will abuse so much but not that way!
Imagine that they also posess INVISIBILITY spell - it was funny to get killed by someone and didn't saw it. (it was my first experiments to add some new spell in game)

[Deyja]

It will be surprise for everyone who will face such weak monsters...

You might be surprised in Eofol...Titans summon some monsters too...didn't testd them couse can't get there so fast!

I knew that summons will abuse so much but not that way!
Imagine that they also posess INVISIBILITY spell - it was funny to get killed by someone and didn't saw it. (it was my first experiments to add some new spell in game)

cool / i already tried a simular thing in my moddie on unreal engine / *spoiler* some can use all spells (excecpt the intant spell like armongaddon & soul drinker)so be carefull

but anyway that would be a real lame if a group of monsters cast armongaddon & are immune foe spells

[Big Daddy Jim]

Vladimir,

Your confusion is understandable. You are correct that you setup the Ghouls to summon bats. But, as I've told you before in private, some map areas do not behave properly when certain creatures are added. This is an anomaly between the game engine, the map area, and the interpreter. It really cannot be fixed other than to remove the Ghoul summon capability. At this point, I wouldn't bother.

On the off-chance that my MM7 installation has 'burped', I'd like to send you (or anyone else who is interested) a copy of one of my SAVED games. I am in Barrow XIV, just ready to enter Barrow XV. If you get the same Creature summons that I get when entering Barrow XV, it will prove the anomaly. Since neither of us can email the other, would it be possible for you to establish a temporary Yahoo email account so that I could send you the SAVED game?

Again, unless there are more ''anomolies' like this one with the Ghoul, I wouldn't worry about it. Although it was initially quite a surprise!

BDJ

[vladimir-maestro]

fixed ghouls!
http://mm7-maestro-mod.3dn.ru/load/1-1-0-13
This should replace monsters into zombies.
If there will be still troubles - I will delete summons of them but ghould will be little stronger instead.
Ok. I will create Yahoo mail.

[Big Daddy Jim]

Vladimir,

Changing the summon to Zombies does 'fix' the problem.

BDJ

[Big Daddy Jim]

Vladimir,

Good thing you changed the Ghouls Summon. Otherwise it would have been impossible to clear the Haunted Mansion.



I guess I'd better make your patch permanent. Ya think?

BDJ

[Herry Hardfoot]

Imagine that they also posess INVISIBILITY spell - it was funny to get killed by someone and didn't saw it. (it was my first experiments to add some new spell in game)

In BDJ's original mod, the manticores in the Kennel were invisible, though someone here showed us how to fix that by changing from hardware acceleration to software acceleration. That was my first quite nasty experience with invisible enemies, but it was fun in its own way too, because of the novelty. I haven't got to the Kennel yet in this mod, so I don't know what new terrors might await us there.

[vladimir-maestro]

No any problemn might be with manticores - they do not uses summons but...
They are strond as a dragons from original mm7!

So did patch worked? Are they summon zombies or still do monsters? I've started the MOD yesterday and now in the Harmondale only.

[Big Daddy Jim]

Game Progress


Completed Tidewater and returned to the EI, dispatched the 'flying invasion', delivered Scroll of Wonka to Blayze, got promoted to Priest, and recieved Warrior Mage Promo Quest from Zedd.

Returned to Mainland. Completed Barbarian Promo by clearing Haunted Mansion, delievered new Judge to Harmondale, and destryoed the Lift in Red Dwarf Mines. Protection from Magic is a must here.

Returned to EI for Warrior Mage promotion.

Now it's back to the mainland to collect the scrolls from the Saints of Selinas. Thought I'd start in Tatalia with a Level 25 Party. The results?



OMG! these trolls are 'casting' Rock Blast!

One hit, three down and there's another one on-the-way!

Death by Stoning!

Now let me serve up a little wine. No, not for your pallete, but for your reading pleasure or displeasure, depending upon your gaming preferences. In my opinion, the game has become too unbalanced with all of the creature enhancements. It's fine to 'beef up' creatures to make the game more difficult. But in doing so, the author must have regard to when these craetures will/should be encountered during 'normal', sequenced game play. Is this an early encounter? mid-game encounter? late game encounter? What level will the party be when this encounter takes place? Is this an 'dungeon' or overland encounter? Simple, common-sense considerations like that.

This is an early game encounter, while the party is attempting to retrieve one of the scrolls. The Party should be between Level 15 and 25 at this time. To have the entire Party dead after two 'hits' is a-bit excessive for an early-game encoiunter.

Now there are a few ways to avoid the 'death by stoning'; (1) come back when the Party is Level 40 or 50, (2) use Fly Scroll to 'pop up' to the mountain tops, get the scroll and be done with it, (3) run like hades and hope to avoid the Trolls all together, (4) see if ya can buy an invisibility scroll. One thing's for certain. You'd be unwise to attempt to face these Trolls in battle with a Level 25 Party.

Well, we've just run out of wine. Ready for the main course?

Have fun 'out there'!!

Big Daddy Jim

[Storm-giant]

@Big Daddy Jim: That's what I said ''I hate mountain trolls'', however with a level 15 party I manage to kill part of them(all in the swamp, in the south of the map). How?well, using the mind spell Beserker on the mountian trolls, so they begin to shoot rock blast on the rest of the trolls, and with the carnage bows you kill a lot of them. And I cleared the the Mercenary guild too[using the beserker spell again on the masters and the main stairs(they can hit me, but I can )]
But I'm agree that the trolls are just too much powerful, and they should get either another spell(like blades, for example) or reduce de damage of the rock blast(if possible).
I understand why maestro give them a spell(the trolls where very easy to take down with bows) but it's unbalanced.
By the way, the masters of the sword give some nice plate armor's
Edit: I forgot to say that in the snow, you can't aim as the trees covers the screen, and with that you can only run and pray for your life.......

[Big Daddy Jim]

Storm-Giant,

Yeah, I remember seeing your post about the Trolls. Should've paid closer attention to it!

I tried running from the Trolls in the 'snow', but never was successful. Too many Rock Blasts to avoid. I finally (and begrudgingly) used my only Fly Scroll to get the Scroll of the Saints. I normally like to reserve the Fly Scroll for exploring Deja.

Damn! Curses, foiled again!

BDJ

[vladimir-maestro]

Yes! Mountain Troll can really kick ass!
But there are everything right!

I have tested them and was pleased. The chance that they will cast their Rock Blast is not so high. Also they are still the same trolls.

I said that this MOD will require all you skills and tactics.

As the Storm-Gigant wrote:
Try to confuse them with Berserk Spell.

When I tested them I do this:
They are usualy are in small groups. I tried to move slow to not bother nearest troll groups - killed them 1 group by 1. When there was more than 1 Mountain Troll in group - I tried to Berserk him and uses Carnage Bow.

It was rather simple at 11 party level. I do not remember for sure but maybe Mountain Trolls possess Uncontios ability that works with treir Rock Blast.
-----------
I warn you again about Eofol - maybe some monsters will have another ways of killing?!
-----------
There are still more places to train weak party.