01-24-2005, 10:43 PM
[x-posted on the AB, but I figured the D2 scene is divided between this forum and theirs, so...]
The mod Bolty posted about on the front page many months ago is nearly finished. ^_^ It has been scaled down a lot since then, but there are 24 shared new skills including bow and melee skills (and in fact the mod encourages using different attack types, or the melee-ranger-mancer) plus 3 innate skills per character type.
Including such nice skills as the D1 classic Flash, the homing Doom Serpents, the melee attack Retaliate that stuns enemies if you use it immediately after being hit, the bow skill Phantom Shot which deals bonus damage at long range, Raven Strike which drains one third of your current life and converts it into enhanced damage, and of course Stone Curse. Each skill maxes at level 5, but continues to improve with character level or in the case of direct damage skills, energy.
There are also 24 shared passives that increase stats by a percentage, increase resistances, or boost gold find, which you will need because the ridiculously overselling items of CLoD are no more. There is no cap on them, but they have diminishing returns and are not affected by +skills items. Barbarians now swing faster when dual wielding, btw. :notme:
Most character classes have an innate skill to heal themselves, and potions are stronger, though there are no rejuvs, no life leech and all normal potions work over (a long) time.
The monster graphics are the same, but their location and AI has been changed majorly. Goat priests cast corpse explosion on their underlings, spear cat priestesses bear thorns or salvation auras to help out other monsters, burning dead skeletons explode into fireballs when killed and acid leapers spit a continuous barrage of corrosive venom. When was the last time you were killed by an act 5 ice demon?
The old 'balance' of hundreds of weak monsters and some overpowered bosses is no more. Heck, bosses in general are no more. This also means that normal critters are not as easy to kill anymore. ;)
Weapons and armor redone fron scratch. No more exceptional and elite items, but the normal items get better when dropped from higher level monsters. That cracked cap Hell Baal tends to drop may just have 600+ defense on it. Treasure classes have been reworked; said Hell Baal won't actually drop cracked caps anymore.
As expected these days, the mod has its new cube recipes and runewords, though there are no uniques due to the new item system (I'd need 1500+ of them).
To encourage the use of defense rating, walk speed is not all that much slower than run speed anymore, decent amounts of defense are now achievable for any character, and hit recovery time is much longer. Knowing what the R key does and using it in battle may well help your survival. ;)
Hirelings have been 'changed'. They are decent damage dealers, but you do have to support them. Some specialty mercs are also included, such as the act 2 Lycanthrope merc, whose Bloodlust spell doubles the physical and spell damage of everyone else on the team - but halves their hit points.
I will be offline due to university work until Feb 9, at which point I will begin balance testing and release the mod one or two weeks later.
......
:)
The mod Bolty posted about on the front page many months ago is nearly finished. ^_^ It has been scaled down a lot since then, but there are 24 shared new skills including bow and melee skills (and in fact the mod encourages using different attack types, or the melee-ranger-mancer) plus 3 innate skills per character type.
Including such nice skills as the D1 classic Flash, the homing Doom Serpents, the melee attack Retaliate that stuns enemies if you use it immediately after being hit, the bow skill Phantom Shot which deals bonus damage at long range, Raven Strike which drains one third of your current life and converts it into enhanced damage, and of course Stone Curse. Each skill maxes at level 5, but continues to improve with character level or in the case of direct damage skills, energy.
There are also 24 shared passives that increase stats by a percentage, increase resistances, or boost gold find, which you will need because the ridiculously overselling items of CLoD are no more. There is no cap on them, but they have diminishing returns and are not affected by +skills items. Barbarians now swing faster when dual wielding, btw. :notme:
Most character classes have an innate skill to heal themselves, and potions are stronger, though there are no rejuvs, no life leech and all normal potions work over (a long) time.
The monster graphics are the same, but their location and AI has been changed majorly. Goat priests cast corpse explosion on their underlings, spear cat priestesses bear thorns or salvation auras to help out other monsters, burning dead skeletons explode into fireballs when killed and acid leapers spit a continuous barrage of corrosive venom. When was the last time you were killed by an act 5 ice demon?
The old 'balance' of hundreds of weak monsters and some overpowered bosses is no more. Heck, bosses in general are no more. This also means that normal critters are not as easy to kill anymore. ;)
Weapons and armor redone fron scratch. No more exceptional and elite items, but the normal items get better when dropped from higher level monsters. That cracked cap Hell Baal tends to drop may just have 600+ defense on it. Treasure classes have been reworked; said Hell Baal won't actually drop cracked caps anymore.
As expected these days, the mod has its new cube recipes and runewords, though there are no uniques due to the new item system (I'd need 1500+ of them).
To encourage the use of defense rating, walk speed is not all that much slower than run speed anymore, decent amounts of defense are now achievable for any character, and hit recovery time is much longer. Knowing what the R key does and using it in battle may well help your survival. ;)
Hirelings have been 'changed'. They are decent damage dealers, but you do have to support them. Some specialty mercs are also included, such as the act 2 Lycanthrope merc, whose Bloodlust spell doubles the physical and spell damage of everyone else on the team - but halves their hit points.
I will be offline due to university work until Feb 9, at which point I will begin balance testing and release the mod one or two weeks later.
......
:)
Nothing is impossible if you believe in it enough.
Median 2008 mod for Diablo II
<span style="color:gray">New skills, new AIs, new items, new challenges...
06.dec.2006: Median 2008 1.44
Median 2008 mod for Diablo II
<span style="color:gray">New skills, new AIs, new items, new challenges...
06.dec.2006: Median 2008 1.44
