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How fireballs work
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RPGDot Forums > Arx Fatalis

Author Thread
Red
Tempered Warlord
Tempered Warlord




Joined: 15 Dec 2002
Posts: 282
How fireballs work
   

Well, we've all seen how fireballs SHOULD work, however it seems they're not acting as advertized.

I'd like people to report their level, casting level and Intelligence score and the number of fireballs it takes to kill an Ylsid/Liche.

If it takes too many fireballs to kill then just mention something like "too many"

I'm level 7, with a ~45 in casting with 11 Int and I simply can't take out Liches (with just fireballs).

As you can guess I'm trying to see wether the Int is in fact the key factor in the fireball strenght - which would suck as I just invested my spare points for the last few levels in dexterity thinging only the casting level was important.
Post Fri Jan 24, 2003 5:12 pm
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sunshine
Head Merchant
Head Merchant




Joined: 06 Jan 2003
Posts: 51
Location: Texas
   

ok,,ok, i have a question

i made a mage with high casting and intellegence and could kill one with 2 fireballs.

but now i am making a thief, i have 101 stealth so now i need somthing to spend the other skill points on... my question is....

Will raising my CASTING skill allow me to cast more spells with the same amount of mana? will it lower the casting cost for spells?
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---Sunshine
Post Fri Jan 24, 2003 6:54 pm
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RAVENAL
Village Leader
Village Leader




Joined: 04 Jan 2003
Posts: 86
Location: NEW YORK
fireballs
   

Red...at level 7 my casting was 60 or 61...wearing 2 casting rings...intelligence was 12...dex...was 14...had enchanted all armour and weapons with garlic for dex bonus including Pox helmet...easy kills of Lichs and Ylsaids with 2 fireballs if I kept my nerve and let them get right up in my face or rushed at them...if I fired from a distance 2 or most times 3 necessary...each...now at level 9 casting 95 wearing 1 casting ring and 1 ring of heros...intelligence 14...dex...17 still wearing same enchanted armour...but new weapon...enchanted Inuts sword with garlic...(I gave dex numbers incase they mattered)...Lichs fall now to 1...sometimes 2 fireballs...using same strategy...Hope this is helpful...
_________________
The Seven of Wands fortells success...
achieved by courage and determination...
profit and gain...

THE TAROT
Post Sat Jan 25, 2003 7:45 am
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Kris
Eager Tradesman
Eager Tradesman




Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 25
Location: Mundaring, West Australia
   

Hi, here's my experience,

Mental 12
Casting 45 + 10% casting ring = 49
Level 7

I put most of my early points into fighter attributes so have strength 14 and 70 in close combat (I would put more into magic next time round as it seems a lot more effective).

However, Ylsides take only 2 fireballs (very occasionally 3) and pretty much the same for liches.

The trick seems to be a real "in your face" approach with head shots from point blank range. Most of my attacks blew the heads clean off the Ylsides.

The exception were 2 liches in King Poxy's tomb which for some reason were very tough to beat and took several attempts and around 5 fireballs and a hack or two to defeat. Not sure why.
Post Sat Jan 25, 2003 9:11 am
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Red
Tempered Warlord
Tempered Warlord




Joined: 15 Dec 2002
Posts: 282
   

OK, well from ravenal's post it seems the int beraly matters since you just have 1 more then I do and I can't seem to kill the liches...

Well unless it's a special liche (the one protecting poxelis' shield).

I found a clever way to kill it: lure it to the place where there's lava, it falls in and die sinstantly, but doesn't give any XP.
Post Sat Jan 25, 2003 2:09 pm
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Kris
Eager Tradesman
Eager Tradesman




Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 25
Location: Mundaring, West Australia
   

Hi Red, here's a possible explanation:

The power of a fireball is described in the tables as being 1d6 x level.

Now in RPGs this usually means 1 random computer generated throw of an imaginary six sided dice multiplied by your level.

So at level 7 you could be firing fireballs at a power anywhere between 1x7=7 and 6x7=42.

So far so good. But the key factor is WHEN the computer makes the roll decision - during the fight or at some time previously.

Most games used to just make the calculation during the fight. This allowed players to use the cheesey technique of simply reloading and fighting again until they got a favourable roll.

But I played one game a while back (I think it might have been Civ3??) where a "seed" technique was used for some of the calculations. In other words the "roll" was done earlier (perhaps when you enter the general area) to limit the effectiveness of just reloading "on the spot".

So my "tough" liches in the tomb where King Poxy's helmet (and also one Ylside who gave me a harder time than the others) may simply have been due to getting a cruddy "roll" as I got to the area.

It would certainly make combat less predictable and give an individual flavour to each fight if that's the case.

Anybody know if that is near the mark or am I barking up the wrong tree??
Post Sat Jan 25, 2003 11:11 pm
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RAVENAL
Village Leader
Village Leader




Joined: 04 Jan 2003
Posts: 86
Location: NEW YORK
fighting Ylsaids and Lichs
   

The toughest Lich I ever fought was the one in the level 2 rm 35...Temple of Akbaa...earlier in the game I couldn't kill it...after Pox Helm quest and higher stats I returned and it still was the most difficult Lich to kill...the second most difficult were the pair in Pox tomb...I've gotten to the point now where all other Lich's I encounter are easy...(the ones respawned in the crypt levels)...Ylsaids were always easy ...but I died many times perfecting my technique fighting Lich's so have some experience reloading... and what you say about the randomness of the replays is what I have noticed...how difficult they are to kill changes...the way they fight varies...they may or maynot call up assistance from the undead...even what I have found in their inventories has changed ...by reloading...what does it mean...???
_________________
The Seven of Wands fortells success...
achieved by courage and determination...
profit and gain...

THE TAROT
Post Sun Jan 26, 2003 5:26 am
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Red
Tempered Warlord
Tempered Warlord




Joined: 15 Dec 2002
Posts: 282
   

I'm very well aware of seeds being a programmer... They can sometimes be useful, sometimes irritating (a bad use of the see is the example of Jagged Aliance: A new seed would be determined after every action, however if you did the exact same actions you'd get the same result. So you end up with a game you reload and do a tiny thing different until; you get the desired result...)

Thing is the only Liches I've been able to kill easyly are the ones which "respawn". I'm guessing those were actually easyer liches then the others since all five were real easy.

But I'v enever been able to kill an Ylsid easyly (I took on about 7 of them for now), and everyone reports the respawned crypt liches as easy(er).

So well, I don't perticulaerly thing the seed is the cause of finding these fights easy - or I'm extremely unlucky...
Post Sun Jan 26, 2003 2:07 pm
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Kris
Eager Tradesman
Eager Tradesman




Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 25
Location: Mundaring, West Australia
   

So what do you think that your difficulties might be due to? Any theories yet?

Interesting that Ravenal also said that the 2 liches in Poxy's tomb were toughies. So I guess that some are just meaner than others.

The 1d6 x your level is definitely what's quoted in the manual (and on this site) so I don't think that there's much doubt that there will be random variations in the firepower of a fireball, but exactly when the roll is done is anyone's guess.

It could be when they first see you. I had a tough Ylside in Arx who could survive 3 fireballs unless they were very accurately targeted, whereas all his mates went down in 2. The save I was reloading to try different ways of refighting him was done when he was some distance away, but he had seen me and was starting his run at me.

Anyway, I just finished the game, and was knocking them all off with a single fireball by the end (got two Ylsides with one shot, coming through a doorway in the final bunker. )

Good luck to you all, and enjoy the rest of the game.
Post Sun Jan 26, 2003 4:19 pm
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