Re: Disease spells

[Kimmo Hoikka <Kimmo.Hoikka@Digia.com>]

Jeffrey Hantin wrote:

> On 5/29/00, 1:31:53 PM, Magnus Kronhamn <mak@solace.mh.se> wrote
> regarding Disease spells (fwd):
>
> > I just discovered the disease spells and can't help but wonder
> > if this idea was not very well thought through and/or not very
> > well tested.
> > example, my first try with plague, Iv just avatard my way up to lvl20:
> > I enter the dragonhangar second try, after it ofcoursed crashed the
> first,
> > cast my plague through the gates on the dragons behind it, leave the
> map,
> > sitt back a couple o seconds and watch my xp double!
> > Anyone else see a slight factor of bullshitness here?
>
> Possibly.  Maybe squares that block view should stop the targeting
> beam?  That would make it kinda dangerous to pull that stunt in the
> dragonhangar.  You'd at least have to quaff a couple immunities first.
>  But the key danger of disease spells is backfire infection... and
> perhaps, cure disease should have a BOUND(5, 50 + (5 * (disease->level
> - caster->level)), 95)% chance of success instead?  Although, that
> would make high-level diseases almost too dangerous to use (my Ebola
> can spread from 5+ spaces away!)

the diseases should never go through walls or fences as they do nowadays. that
would help in getting rid of that easy exp in hangar & jessy zoo. this leaves
the devourers still too powerfull since they are immune to diseases (undead).
all undead monsters should also be made immune for diseases. think about a
demonlord dying in a ebola? just how could a virus kill an monster who is
beyond the grave?

> > Second attempt I switchd skill to findtrap after I cast my plague, and
> > what do you know, all the xp from the monsters that got infected after
> > I switched ended up in the 'new' skill.
>
> The experience object pointer needs to be set in the diseases to fix
> this bug, it was in create bomb a while back as well.

That same cheat 'bug' is also with with parties. just make two chars. a
barbarian and someone you relly want to play. then form a party and change
skills with the other chars in safe place while chopping monsters with the
barbarian... that should be fixed somehow. but that disease bug is really more
annoying... 10 million exp to for example agility from hangar alone...

> > Atleast it doesnt always work to leave the map so sometimes you have
> to
> > stay in there and cure your disease every second or so, which is
> dangerous
> > as heck if you fail, but this is so friggin overpowered its insain!
>
> I think the whole game system kinda goes bouncing out of sanity bounds
> after about 22nd
> level anyway, there isn't really much that distinguishes high level
> play other than more
> quest items and higher effectiveness out of spells.

It is good that spells get powerfull since then the game would loose meaning
too soon with high level char. we should though make more goals for high level
chars than just more power to spells. perhaps guild leaderships, building a
mansion of his own, etc... (but that is a topic for another conversation).

I myself have played several chars to the maximum level of 110 and all stats
30 and I think that the diseases get boosted too fast. A 50 level ebola clears
the whole jessy zoo in 2 seconds (and it is really large room...). and that
includes also 5-6 restorations to keep myself alive. that is not in balance
with say 50 level fighters killing speed of 50 level wizards bombs or other
spells.

> > Clearing areas in a matter of seconds with almost no risk and being able
> > to put most of the xp in whatever skill you want might be grounds for
> > checking this up.
>
> The cure disease risk I mentioned earlier (50% chance of curing your
> own disease), the blocks_view check, and fixing the exp object bug
> should rebalance that nicely.

in the current the limit caused by cure disease comes in around 60-70 level
priest. then the diseases do so much damage you can't have time to cure
yourself even if you have how fast connection. I have had wizards with 60-70
level magic and they have nothing similar in destructive power. I really think
that some of the most powerfull monsters have to be made able to resist
diseases. and undead monsters completely immune...

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