Hi all,
I just completed my second SoD playthrough at insane difficulty (normal damage). I find the combat system in SoD exceptionally satisfying since I've only played vanilla BG1 and SoA years ago. Many combats in the game was challenging enough to force me to make full use resources like potions, wands, and enchanted arrows while not being too overwhelming, with one or two being very stressful but extremely fun (I've got XP cap remover and Thalantyr item upgrade mods, so that might have affected the challenge level too),
Now that I plan to start BG2EE, I've been thinking about getting SCS (and possibly BP Ascension) to set up a more challenging game that emulates my SoD experience. On the other hand, although I've heard good things about SCS I'm still not sure just exactly what this mod offers.
So I guess my questions are:
1) how crazy is SCS AI improvement? (If you've played SoD before it would be appreciated if you compare it to insane SoD AI).
2) I'm especially concerned about mages in SCS (or even just spellcasters in general). I know that mages are generally smarter and much more well protected with their spells in SoD; however I'd like to know if the mages use different combat strategies at all. I'd find it very tedious if all the mages employ the same, albeit likely the most effective, tactic. It breaks my suspension of disbelief too. Sure mages are smart and all that but that doesn't mean they are perfectly rational human(oid)s that always make the most reasonable choice. Mages are just as prone to blind hubris as many normal people in Faerun, if not more so (I mean, just look at the Magisters of Mystra, all are powerful mages, many of whom died from their own hubris or plain stupidity). Personally I'd find it much more satisfying if mages use various tactics, some of which not necessarily optimal.
3)In the same vein as Q2, is there an option to install stronger AI for the archmages like Irenicus and weaker AI for regular pleb mages?
Finally if it makes any difference, I don't plan to use the spell tweak component of SCS - I'd like to keep them as is.
Thanks a lot!
I just completed my second SoD playthrough at insane difficulty (normal damage). I find the combat system in SoD exceptionally satisfying since I've only played vanilla BG1 and SoA years ago. Many combats in the game was challenging enough to force me to make full use resources like potions, wands, and enchanted arrows while not being too overwhelming, with one or two being very stressful but extremely fun (I've got XP cap remover and Thalantyr item upgrade mods, so that might have affected the challenge level too),
Now that I plan to start BG2EE, I've been thinking about getting SCS (and possibly BP Ascension) to set up a more challenging game that emulates my SoD experience. On the other hand, although I've heard good things about SCS I'm still not sure just exactly what this mod offers.
So I guess my questions are:
1) how crazy is SCS AI improvement? (If you've played SoD before it would be appreciated if you compare it to insane SoD AI).
2) I'm especially concerned about mages in SCS (or even just spellcasters in general). I know that mages are generally smarter and much more well protected with their spells in SoD; however I'd like to know if the mages use different combat strategies at all. I'd find it very tedious if all the mages employ the same, albeit likely the most effective, tactic. It breaks my suspension of disbelief too. Sure mages are smart and all that but that doesn't mean they are perfectly rational human(oid)s that always make the most reasonable choice. Mages are just as prone to blind hubris as many normal people in Faerun, if not more so (I mean, just look at the Magisters of Mystra, all are powerful mages, many of whom died from their own hubris or plain stupidity). Personally I'd find it much more satisfying if mages use various tactics, some of which not necessarily optimal.
3)In the same vein as Q2, is there an option to install stronger AI for the archmages like Irenicus and weaker AI for regular pleb mages?
Finally if it makes any difference, I don't plan to use the spell tweak component of SCS - I'd like to keep them as is.
Thanks a lot!