Work begun on v4

[Wisp]

Work has kind-of-sort-of begun on version 4. I don't have an ETA, but it'll be a while and it'll be long enough that if a request is made within a reasonable amount of time, it stands a good chance of being implemented in v4, rather than in some possibly unspecified future version.

 

What I've done thus far (preliminary):

• Missile Attraction +2 can not be worn together with other magical protection items.
  
• Balthazar replaced by Vongoethe in tier 6. Balthazar replaced by tethyrian general in tier 7.
  
• The Book of Infinite Spells can no longer be bought for 1 gp in the event it is randomised into a store.
  
• Revised traification for easier management.
  
• The glasses of identification are no longer given a lore value, as they can be used to identify items even while unidentified themselves.
  
• Gromnir's kit is changed from Kensai to Barbarian unless he's actually got the Kensai bonuses (this way he'll benefit when receiving items kensais can't use).
  
• Added new component "Make Gromnir a proper Barbarian".
  
• Something, something. Difficult to explain. Itemlist entries have unique identifiers, loclist and duplicates check for this identifier. In practice this means you'll be able to remove any item from the item list and you'll find it in its normal place without any additional random items (unless there should be more than one random item in that location).
  
• Marker files are no longer zero bytes.
  
• Implemented system for making sure location x gets an item of a specified set of items (e.g. Abazigal always gets at least one unique weapon).
  

 

What I plan on doing (even more preliminary):

• Add something (probably post-processing components) for user customisation of which sorts of creatures have what sorts of items equipped (e.g. if you think beholders and dragons shouldn't have any items equipped you will be able to do that - suggestions are appreciated).
  
• Remove replacement items if random item fills the same niche.
  
• Look over item rankings with regards to how the power of the items is changed by other mods.
  
• Make sure no other random items can be bought for 1 gp.
  
• Adjust price of some items to be more realistic (e.g. Rashad's Talon has almost the same price as a +1 scimitar).
  
• Introduce option to randomly not randomise items.
  
• Make the "items are lost" and "items are not randomised" chances variable (specified by the user).
  
• Change TRA files to only contain whole strings.
  
• Add Storm Star, Ice Star, Gram and more to randomisation list. I haven't quite decided what to add yet. Probably the larger part of the remaining unique items and the notable scrolls, but generic weapons and armour will probably have to wait until next version.
  

 

Feel free to ask or comment, or whatever.

[Guest Guest_Loz_*]

I like this mod, and i'm kind of waiting for v4 to come out before starting my next run. I had a few suggestions regarding the tier levels for some items. I think the readme is somewhat outdated but looking down the list I think reflection shield, azureedge, pale green ioun stone and helm of balduran should be higher tiers.

 

Azureedge(once fixpacked) makes almost all of the undead very easy, so not seeing it till the underdark or chapter 6 would mean that for example the temple ruins fight and the chapter 3 vampires wouldn't be quite so easy. Mace of disruption is tier 3 aswell and you could argue that that too should be a higher tier, though of course not being ranged makes it significantly less powerful(eg. you can't haste one guy and run around lobbing the axe and retreating, which slow undead like mummies zombies skeltons liches etc have no answer to). I'd suggest it be moved to tier 4 or 5.

 

Reflection shield similarly is a pretty hard counter to any archer opponents and i think tier 4 would be better.

 

Pale green ioun stone and helm of balduran are probably the two best helms in the game so it would be nice to see them a bit higher on the tier list. Maybe ioun stone to tier 2/3 and helm to tier 4.

 

I also wondered if in the next version(and also currently) any system exists for making sure NPCs have equivalent profciencies for their new items. For instance if gram is randomised away from abazigal, who i believe was 5 stars in two handed swords and he gets a generic halberd does he get 5 stars in halberds? Also what if an ai script, especially a mod script refers specifcally to items or weapons that the creature has?

 

Also I noticed Necaradan's Crossbow +3 is not on the randomisation list, which i guess is one of those items that comes too late usually to be any use.

 

Anyway as I said, I like what i've seen so far, and am hoping v4 comes out soon so i can do a whole playthrough with this mod!

[Wisp]

I think the readme is somewhat outdated

It should be up to date, but it is of course possible I've made some mistake somewhere. If you see anything that seems incorrect, please mention it.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I plan on looking over the balancing etc for v5. I'll bear your suggestions in mind for that. They seem very reasonable. (V5 could really be called v4, part 2 so hopefully it won't be as long between v4 and v5 and it has been between v3 and v4.)

 

I also wondered if in the next version(and also currently) any system exists for making sure NPCs have equivalent profciencies for their new items. For instance if gram is randomised away from abazigal, who i believe was 5 stars in two handed swords and he gets a generic halberd does he get 5 stars in halberds?

There's kind of a system for this. Anyway, Abazigal is no problem because he has 5 stars across the board.

If we take Tarnor the Hatchetman as an example I'll try to explain the current system. Tarnor has an axe, 5 stars in axes and no stars in other proficiencies. If we were to randomise his axe, he'd get a replacement axe (probably a regular Axe +1) to tide him over if he doesn't receive a random weapon. If you installed Mode 1 of the mod things would end here because Mode 1 can't do anything further. He'll fight you using his Axe +1 and Axe Grandmastery, same as if he doesn't receive any new weapons.

If you installed Mode 2 and he were to e.g. receive a mace as a random item, the mod would compare his current weapon, with proficiency, against his new weapon (the mace) and his proficiency in that weapon. The proficiency values are multiplied by 1.5 and all relevant vanilla magical items have been (somewhat arbitrarily) assigned a numerical "rank" by myself. The modified proficiency value and the item rank are added and compared and if the combined value of the new item is greater than the value of the old item, the new item is equipped in favour of the old item.

Since Tarnor has 0 stars in everything but Axe and 5 stars in Axe, he won't realistically be using anything but an axe, regardless of how good the mace was. But supposing it was a really super-duper mace, he'd be using it instead of the axe even though he's not proficient with maces. If he had stars in maces, the mace wouldn't have to be quite so super-duper good.

 

Version 4 doesn't do anything new here, except it gives Draug Fea 3 stars in spiked weapons, since he was previously using a spiked weapon but was not proficient with them. The mod doesn't take any general steps to ensure the creature is equally skilled with any new weapon he might receive as he was with his old one. But when weapons are randomised, the creature is (usually) given a replacement weapon of the same type, so things would play out like in the Tarnor example.

Obviously I'm open to suggestions etc.

 

Also what if an ai script, especially a mod script refers specifcally to items or weapons that the creature has?

Assuming you mean weapons the creature had (before Randomiser came along and carelessly started tossing things about) nothing should happen. The creature simply won't use the item (since it doesn't possess it any longer). If the creature not having the item causes problem (like with Tactics' Improved Fish City and the Cloak of Mirroring) I can make it so that the item isn't randomised if this other mod is installed (or another custom solution if it's warranted).

 

Also I noticed Necaradan's Crossbow +3 is not on the randomisation list, which i guess is one of those items that comes too late usually to be any use.

I had planned on randomising this item together with Blackmist (the item you can receive from the Lesser Demon Lord) and making the random item obtainable from either Adalon or Mr. Demon (since they are mutually exclusive and people probably wouldn't be too happy if you were to obtain a different items from them).

 

Anyway as I said, I like what i've seen so far, and am hoping v4 comes out soon so i can do a whole playthrough with this mod!

I'm glad you like the mod.

There should just be a little testing left. I'll try to be quick (less tardy, rather) about it.