R@S,
Cool!
Just to be clear, I've
NEVER made adjustments to the
outsourced.ini file. So, if this mod does interfere with said file because a player has
changed its default settings, I
wouldn't know it.
SUGGESTIONS
Clarify
Once I opened up the Kill Book, it took me a bit of clicking to figure out what was going on in order to Level-Up. I honestly feel that with a few more words, such frustrations can be dramatically reduced and enhance the enjoyment of the mod. With that, here's my first suggestion...
(1) Offer the following options when Leveling-Up:
Class-Based Parameters and Skills
Class-Based Perks
(if implemented, see below for more)
All Other Parameters
All Other Skills
Avoid abbreviating Parameters and Skills whenever possible. If abbreviations have to be used due to display limitations, then I'd certainly
always supply an option entitled
"Key to Abbreviations."
(2) In the Read Me, I'd consider adding the following directions to clarify and ease things for those new to the mod:
Important Points Regarding the BSM Class-Based System
(1) The player must start a new game. Feel free to backup the old Saves.
(2) Select one’s desired avatar.
(3) Adjust the avatar’s beginning Skills.
(4) Start the game.
(5) After the very first and unavoidable dialogue interaction is over, one will need to access their avatar’s Inventory and then right-click on the black-covered “Kill Book” in the lower window of the Inventory screen. Select “Show kill statistics” and then select your desired class type.
(6) Every time a leveling-up has been earned the player will be notified by an in-game message.
(7) To spend one’s newly earned points, once again go to the Inventory screen to gain access to one’s “Kill Book.” Right-click on it and select the appropriate options...
(
Rinse, wash, and repeat. Oh, and HAVE FUN!
Perks
My feelings towards this are pretty mixed. It might be "easy" to generate some of these, but there are inherent risks of having them. Such as...
...will the AI have access and the capability to use them?
...will there be enough of them to create a "universe" where they comfortably fit? If there's
too few of them, then they'll seem
contrived, and if there's
enough of them, then they're going to be
compared to
Fallout's superb implementation of them. And, if that happens (and it
will), then it's highly likely that in spite of our best efforts, we're going to fall far short. Fallout is simply one of the best games ever made, and to be held to
such high expectations...!
If we go the perks route, then I'd say it's imperative to have enough to avoid feeling contrived. So, then we're stuck being compared to Fallout's system.
My advice? If a perks system is going to be created, we might as well draw as much as we can from The Master, and carefully consider what can be "ported over" from Fallout. They're not only extremely well designed, but are also usually quite humorous in a very dark and twisted way.
I have to wonder if development time would be far better spent by investing it in creating new equipment, and/or new missions/campaigns, and/or do both.
Perhaps the AI are free from having any perks
until the player decides to start purchasing them for his own/comrades' avatars?
Going the perks route is, I feel, going to
open up a whole can of worms.
That said, I do have
a few suggestions for perks:
(
1)
Berserk should be kept confined to its classic definition, which is for hand-to-hand combat. Traditionally it should temporarily elevate Strength, Reaction Time, Hit Points, grant High Pain Threshold (the ability to temporarily "shrug off" damage that's received), an increase in the number of melee attacks that one can make, and the ability to be "immune" to being shocked by the sudden appearance of enemies or by the number of enemies. All of these sound great, but there should be a severe penalty after the Berserker's Rage wears off, such as terrible fatigue, suddenly being shocked by the loss of the bonus Hit Points along with any Hit Point loss due to receiving damage, and being lethargic (one's movement is reduced AS WELL AS the number of normal attacks one can make), and one's ability to react are also penalized till the "exhaustion" wears off and one's Parameters return to normal.
(
2) There's a number of ways that one could explain the sudden ability to fire off extra rounds. Here's mine...
“Lucky” Misfire—whether Jerry-rigged or purely by happenstance, you have a knack at getting your weapons to fire off extra rounds at just the right moment.
There would be NO bonuses to hitting one's target. All that this perk would do is temporarily increase the firing rate of one's weapon. Firing a single-round would produce two rounds, burst fire would release 30% more rounds than before (rounded up), and automatic fire would be increased by 50%. The length of time that this perk would last is 1 min. The drawback (and I strongly feel that there should
always be drawbacks when designing perks so as to keep them interesting and balanced) would be that for the following minute, one's weapon would be overheated, and would have a lower rate of fire than normal. This would mean that during this minute that semi-automatic fire would be unavailable (this would also apply to bolt-action rifles), burst fire would be reduced by 30%, and automatic fire would be reduced by 50%. Also, overheating will increase the odds of jamming by 25% and misfiring by 25%. So, one would have to apply this perk wisely.
(
3)
Extra-Penetration would temporarily allow rounds to pass more easily through all types of materials, including bodies. I don't even know how feasible this is, because just like BE5 before it, it seems that 7.62 only allows for a tiny degree of round penetration around doorways and windows. I've yet to see a round penetrate through a body and inflict damage to another person who is behind that one. I'm not going to supply any particulars regarding this perk as I'm imagining it because if it's not even possible I don't want to waste the time detailing it.
If it
is possible, I'll throw some details out...
That's all for perks ideas from me for now. Again, perhaps it'd be more advantageous to lay a perks system aside, and instead see how equipment enhancements and missions/campaigns could alter the game for the better (especially if the Ecomod is tightly integrated)...
Equipment Enhancements
I really like a lot of the suggestions made by Archangel which can be found here:
http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showpos...87&postcount=5
I don't necessarily agree with all of the details, but the general direction for most of his ideas are well thought out. I also feel that a lot of these could be done with but a few cosmetic changes to already available equipment.
For example...
Darken an ordinary canteen, and maybe put a decal on either side of it an image of a bendable drinking straw (like the ones available at nearly any restaurant). This
specialized canteen allows its user to be able to drink from a connected rubber hose that can be clipped on fabric near the neckline of its wearer. When its wearer gets thirsty, a drink of water can be acquired by sucking on the end of the hose near the wearer’s mouth. Allows one to replenish 10% of one’s depleted stamina and keep one’s hands on one’s weapon.
I'd also consider reducing how quickly drinking from an ordinary canteen completely refreshes one's Stamina. In my opinion, it's way too fast. A swig from a normal canteen should, at most, restore 25% of one's Stamina, so several swigs would be needed to get back up to 100% if one was severely exhausted.
Mission/Campaign Ideas
I've got a campaign idea that I think would be very interesting to create for 7.62, but I'd like to avoid sharing it publicly, as it would do a lot to remove the element of surprise and story/character development.
If you're open to programming a Campaign whose storyline/events are plotted out by someone else (such as myself
), let me know and I'll PM you a very basic plot that I feel would be pretty interesting to experience.
Bugs
The game was quite unstable, especially for the first 45 minutes of the game. I encountered numerous CTD's, virtually all of them related to
my avatar being shot dead. Note that I did NOT have any comrades as part of my squad at the time. These CTD's were the first ones that I've ever had while playing 7.62.
Alright, I hope that you've found this report detailed enough to be truly helpful.
I
REALLY enjoyed the amount of control that I now have as a player in advancing my desired Parmeter and Skill levels. There weren't
any "immersion" issues because I was able to justify within my own mind why the skills I selected were advancing.
The next time that I'll play (probably tomorrow night) I'll use the cheat code to give myself extra points to see what might happen.
Good Night (or should I say "Gute Nacht" oder "Guten Morgen?"),
Kyle
July 1, 2010
