A place for FA questions and ideas for improvement

[Nick]

Does a monster which is resistant to cold (such as an ice elemental?) suffer an extra vulnerability to fire based attacks (such as fire bolts). I'm guessing from my limited experience the answer is "no". This would leave me to ask why not?

The answer is no (as it is for most if not all *bands) - with the exception of evil things being hit harder by holy attacks like Orb of Draining. Why is I guess mostly historical - the game is just balanced that way.

[buzzkill]

Upgrading FA 3.4 to 3.5… When switching from the old to the new, apparently just replacing the executable doesn’t work. I’d like to continue playing as seamlessly as possible, carrying forward my scores, saves, ghosts, and preferences. I copied the bone, save, and user folders which seems to be working OK. Am I missing anything?

Also, is there any device or particular attribute to prevent or minimize ‘confusion’? I recently lost my best character (so far) due to confusion. While fighting Ariel, Queen of Air I found myself confused after each and every round of attack. Although I CCW’ed to cure the confusion, like clockwork, her next attack simply confused me again. I was unable to teleport, run, or effectively fight. After about 6 rounds I was dead. (I’ll admit I was ill equipped on Narognonth 55 without any potions of healing).

And, is there any difference between confusion brought upon by attack vs. confusion from a spell or device? It seems that CON or STR should dictate your resistance to confusion from attacks, and WIS or INT from spell based confusion.

Here’s a tip for masses… Don’t screw around or half heartedly (ya know, let’s just see how this first attack goes) enter battle with any of the Elemental Masters. They are very powerful, fast, and able to deliver massive attacks. They may not have been the most powerful uniques I encountered (or destroyed), but they are the ones I feared the most.

[Nick]

Upgrading FA 3.4 to 3.5… When switching from the old to the new, apparently just replacing the executable doesn’t work. I’d like to continue playing as seamlessly as possible, carrying forward my scores, saves, ghosts, and preferences. I copied the bone, save, and user folders which seems to be working OK. Am I missing anything?

Also apex, which contains the scores file - but you may have got that already. You probably don't need to copy the pref folder, since any of your own .prf files will be put in the user folder.

Also, is there any device or particular attribute to prevent or minimize ‘confusion’?

20% or more confusion resistance will stop you getting confused.

And, is there any difference between confusion brought upon by attack vs. confusion from a spell or device?

Melee confusion (from things that 'hit to confuse') works whenever the monster hits you. Confusion by spell has to pass a saving throw, which is affected by your race, class, level and WIS.

Here’s a tip for masses… Don’t screw around or half heartedly (ya know, let’s just see how this first attack goes) enter battle with any of the Elemental Masters. They are very powerful, fast, and able to deliver massive attacks. They may not have been the most powerful uniques I encountered (or destroyed), but they are the ones I feared the most.

Indeed. In particular, never fight Ariel without RConf - !CCW will not help because she is too fast, and will get lots of hits in between your turns.

[buzzkill]

20% or more confusion resistance will stop you getting confused.

Can you clarify. Will 20% resistance grant you immunity to ALL confusion? If so, why would I ever want or need more than 20%?

[HallucinationMushroom]

I didn't realize 20% was the cut-off point for keeping Mr. At from becoming confused, that's good to know. Having more that 20% would reduce damage from confusion attacks, I assume. I wouldn't worry too much about it, but then again I play hit point healthy characters. ? I would imagine 50% would be a lot of confusion resistance without any sort of data to back that up.

[Nick]

Yes, a given percentage of confusion resistance will cut damage from confusion breaths by (roughly) that percentage. There are relatively few confusion breathers, so as a general rule it's the effect (being confused) that's more dangerous.

More generally, 20% is where the '+' in your resistance table on the 'C' screen turns green (it's yellow from 0-19%), and is the cutoff for effects from all the high elements - except poison, where it's 80%

[buzzkill]

When wielding a branded weapon, a particular brand, such as fire, grants additional damage per attack vs enemies which are not resistant to it, while also granting resistance to the character from the very same elemental attacks.
It seems to me that these provisions effectively cancel each other out. Any enemy with a elemental resistance is likely to also have that similarly branded elemental attack. So, when fighting a fire elemental (or any creature resistant to fire), one could either wield a ??? or burning and gain the resistance to fire (but do no additional damage), or wield a ??? of freezing (for example, or any other) and deliver the extra damage (but then have no resistance to fire based attacks you're likely to face).

I'm sure it just a matter of game balance once again, but having branded weapons that grant resistance to the opposite or a different brand would make for a more useful weapon. A Mace of Burning that grant resistance to cold, or a Dagger of Venom that grants resistance to water.

[darkdrone]

When wielding a branded weapon, a particular brand, such as fire, grants additional damage per attack vs enemies which are not resistant to it, while also granting resistance to the character from the very same elemental attacks.
It seems to me that these provisions effectively cancel each other out. Any enemy with a elemental resistance is likely to also have that similarly branded elemental attack. So, when fighting a fire elemental (or any creature resistant to fire), one could either wield a ??? or burning and gain the resistance to fire (but do no additional damage), or wield a ??? of freezing (for example, or any other) and deliver the extra damage (but then have no resistance to fire based attacks you're likely to face).

I'm sure it just a matter of game balance once again, but having branded weapons that grant resistance to the opposite or a different brand would make for a more useful weapon. A Mace of Burning that grant resistance to cold, or a Dagger of Venom that grants resistance to water.

i second this query ...

in summation, wielding a Flame-branded weapon having flame resistance is pointless (and so on....for acid/elec/cold) ESPECIALLY for a melee character.

i do recall, however, reading in rgra or this forum, that the whole "Cold monster vulnerable to flame" thing is not true anymore even if it were in the older roguelikes ??

IMO , more knowledgable posters would have more to say on this previous point....

[Donald Jonker]

i second this query ...

i do recall, however, reading in rgra or this forum, that the whole "Cold monster vulnerable to flame" thing is not true anymore even if it were in the older roguelikes ??

IMO , more knowledgable posters would have more to say on this previous point....

In NPP, at least, there are such monster elemental weaknesses.

--J

[buzzkill]

[FA] 3.5 unarmed combat... How can you tell how much damage you are dealing when using unarmed combat. I am currently playing a druid and using unarmed combat w/power strike specialty. Not knowing my damage potential is driving me crazy!!! Having this info on the (C)haracter screen or visible in the (a) equipment slot, when unarmed, would be great.

Also, here's a bug. (FA 3.5 on Vista/laptop with no keypad). With 3 or more items in my quiver and (F)iring a bow, I cannot select the 3rd ammo by pressing the (2) key. FA says "fire which item (0-2)" but pressing 2 does nothing. In order to select the number 2 slot I must press (*) and then (2), and then it works.

Kudos on the shortened days, it actually seem like time is passing now. It takes about a half hour to walks across a large town. That seems about right to me.

Has anyone ever considered mandatory rest for the player. Monsters are often sleeping but the player never has to, and certainly wouldn't while healthy. Maybe a progressive 'fatigued'/'more fatigued'/'tired' feeling would overcome a player after days with no rest (with appropriate minuses to skills). It would be kind of like hunger, I guess. I'm just throwing this out there. I don't know if it's a practical or desirable feature. It just seems unfair that perfectly healthy monsters are often caught napping while the player never is.

[Nick]

[FA] 3.5 unarmed combat... How can you tell how much damage you are dealing when using unarmed combat. I am currently playing a druid and using unarmed combat w/power strike specialty. Not knowing my damage potential is driving me crazy!!! Having this info on the (C)haracter screen or visible in the (a) equipment slot, when unarmed, would be great.

On the 'C' screen, under (Fighting) on the left, there's average damage per blow (in fact, it's the average damage done by your last ten hitting blows).

Also, here's a bug. (FA 3.5 on Vista/laptop with no keypad). With 3 or more items in my quiver and (F)iring a bow, I cannot select the 3rd ammo by pressing the (2) key. FA says "fire which item (0-2)" but pressing 2 does nothing. In order to select the number 2 slot I must press (*) and then (2), and then it works.

Yeah, that's probably an issue with it thinking 2 is an arrow key, or something. That stuff still isn't quite sorted out yet.

Kudos on the shortened days, it actually seem like time is passing now. It takes about a half hour to walks across a large town. That seems about right to me.

Thanks for the feedback - I like it better, too.

Has anyone ever considered mandatory rest for the player. Monsters are often sleeping but the player never has to, and certainly wouldn't while healthy. Maybe a progressive 'fatigued'/'more fatigued'/'tired' feeling would overcome a player after days with no rest (with appropriate minuses to skills). It would be kind of like hunger, I guess. I'm just throwing this out there. I don't know if it's a practical or desirable feature. It just seems unfair that perfectly healthy monsters are often caught napping while the player never is.

I don't think this would add much - it would probably just increase recalls to rest in town.

[Psi]

[FA] 3.5 unarmed combat... How can you tell how much damage you are dealing when using unarmed combat. I am currently playing a druid and using unarmed combat w/power strike specialty. Not knowing my damage potential is driving me crazy!!! Having this info on the (C)haracter screen or visible in the (a) equipment slot, when unarmed, would be great.

See this thread.

Also, here's a bug. (FA 3.5 on Vista/laptop with no keypad). With 3 or more items in my quiver and (F)iring a bow, I cannot select the 3rd ammo by pressing the (2) key. FA says "fire which item (0-2)" but pressing 2 does nothing. In order to select the number 2 slot I must press (*) and then (2), and then it works.

Probably to do with [2] being a scrolling button. There are no end of funnies in that department at the moment.

[Edit]Beaten to it by someone who knows better...[/Edit]

[buzzkill]

Thanks for link to the full monty on Drudical damage. That's exactly what I was looking for. I checked my (C)haracter screen early in the game but it showed nothing in Av. Dam/Blow. Maybe it doesn't show a number until after 10 successful attacks cause it seems to be working now.

Occasionally my druids attempts to confuse a monster when attacking, and often succeeds. Are there any other special attacks I have to look forward to. I'm only level 10 right now.

[Nick]

Occasionally my druids attempts to confuse a monster when attacking, and often succeeds. Are there any other special attacks I have to look forward to.

No, just colourful names

[buzzkill]

An Improved Map?

It would be nice to be able to scroll the world (M)ap using the arrow keys, so that you can see where you're headed without viewing memap.txt. You could also view terrain type and distance, something memap.txt doesn't offer. This would be especially useful for new players (unless wandering aimlessly through the wilderness is part of the fun).

and maybe a bug... when recalling to a wilderness level on which I had previously fallen through a trap door the (M)ap incorrectly labels it as a dungeon (although no stairs exist). I've noticed this more than once.