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Windwalking
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 05 Jul 2002
Posts: 227
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| I HATE Rapidly Respawning Rock Crabs... |
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My first time through, I am currently trying to make inroads in Bayjin, but am constantly getting into fights, which is slowing my progress a lot (as usual  ). However, the thing that bugs me is that when I rest in a hut with the door closed, the area outside the hut immediately fills up with groups of monsters, usually Rynjin Overseer + Scavengers, and those annoying Rock Crabs, which take FOREVER to kill. The problem is that I have to expend all of my mana to kill all of the baddies (and 30 min to an HOUR), and then I have to rest again. When I wake up, the @*&#%$^ crabs and Rynjin are outside again! Grrr...
Right now I've just resigned myself to returning to my portal at Crock's place whenever I need to rest, and then making the trek back to Bayjin. I've explored the spaceship and three huts (including the one with 2 prisoners), but there are a few more huts to go, plus what I expect to be an epic battle with the Rynjin chief (who ran away at an earlier encounter ?!)
BTW, does anyone know of a quicker way to dispatch of the Rock Crabs? My best fighters only do at BEST 7-8 damage per hit (whereas normally by Valkyrie can do 20-30+ with spear). Insanity, paralyze, and blind type spells are of limited worth. Direct damage spells: only fire works somewhat, and my mage goes through her 130 Fire mana like butter (3 fireballs), and the crabs still have 65% of HP left. Other realms do ridiculously little damage (level 7 magic missile does 10-15 damage, iceball is a joke). These monsters have 220 HP and I can only kill them by making them line up outside the hut to attack, but it is taking forever, costing me all of my mana for healing and attack. Oh yeah, my gadgeteer is Lightning Rod firing away, too... And we all have Missile Shield, Armorplate, Enchanted Blade, and Magic Screen on continuously... And we don't have the Armormelt spell (sigh, shoulda got it last level, but I didn't think I'd need it...)
I know I know I should stop whining, but these battles should not be taking 45 minutes to finish. And these creatures should not be laying siege to whatever hut I'm currently sleeping in...
RANT OFF
- Wind |
Mon Jul 22, 2002 12:54 pm |
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Rhea
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 17 Jul 2002
Posts: 40
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LOL!
The very first encounters you have in Bayjin are preset (same guys, same place). After that, it's random.
It also changes every time you go through the game.
In my newest game, the Lower Monastery was overrun with slimes. I couldn't go around a corner without running into a group of them. Then rabid and gnawer rats in the upper level.
OTOH, the Arnika Road was fairly tame.
But in Trynton, I had a huge run on sprites of all varieties. And that's ok, because by then I had Eye for an Eye, which makes the sprites a cakewalk.
Then in the swamp, I couldn't go two feet without getting into a fight with somebody or other - boy, am I sick of wasps!
It's totally different every game. Some games if you rest for two seconds, you get a fight. Others, you can take a nice long snooze without interruption. I kind of like it - it makes replay fun, because it's always changing. |
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Mon Jul 22, 2002 5:56 pm |
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Windwalking
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 05 Jul 2002
Posts: 227
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quote:
Originally posted by Rhea
LOL!
The very first encounters you have in Bayjin are preset (same guys, same place). After that, it's random.
It also changes every time you go through the game.
In my newest game, the Lower Monastery was overrun with slimes. I couldn't go around a corner without running into a group of them. Then rabid and gnawer rats in the upper level.
OTOH, the Arnika Road was fairly tame.
But in Trynton, I had a huge run on sprites of all varieties. And that's ok, because by then I had Eye for an Eye, which makes the sprites a cakewalk.
Then in the swamp, I couldn't go two feet without getting into a fight with somebody or other - boy, am I sick of wasps!
It's totally different every game. Some games if you rest for two seconds, you get a fight. Others, you can take a nice long snooze without interruption. I kind of like it - it makes replay fun, because it's always changing.
I'm not complaining about the fact that camping sometimes gets you monsters. What annoys me is that when I camp inside of a hut, there are ALWAYS a large group of monsters waiting outside (even when it was previously clear), and they usually are Rock Crabs, which take me 45 minutes per combat (which includes some rynjin usually as well). After I kill the monsters, I have to camp (inside the hut). When I wake up, more monsters. Camp. More monsters. Camp. More monsters... And note that I have to camp cuz basically ALL of my mana is depleted after each battle...
See the problem? I have to teleport out to Crock's place in order to get out of this endless cycle, which means endless trips and tedium...
- Wind |
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Mon Jul 22, 2002 11:00 pm |
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dteowner
Shoegazer
Joined: 21 Mar 2002
Posts: 7570
Location: Third Hero of Erathia |
Rock crabs are pretty slow, so you might consider that special command: RUN AWAY!! Rather than camping in a hut, go to a different part of the island. It won't be as safe, but you don't get caught in the cycle. A pretty good place to camp in Bayjin is the tunnel going to the swamp. There aren't many respawn points in that neck of the woods, and if you camp in the right place, you'll only have to defend one direction.
As for rock crabs, I don't remember them being able to hit me much, so I would just chip away at them. Makes for a long battle, but it doesn't cost much in the way of mana. You can even get away with moving your casters into melee range and let them practice swinging those staves...
_________________
=Proud Member of the Non-Flamers Guild=
=Benevolent Dictator, X2/X3 and Morrowind/Oblivion Forums=
Sorry. No pearls of wisdom in this oyster.
RIP Red Wings How 'Bout Dem Cowboys! |
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Tue Jul 23, 2002 12:28 am |
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Windwalking
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 05 Jul 2002
Posts: 227
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quote:
Originally posted by dteowner
Rock crabs are pretty slow, so you might consider that special command: RUN AWAY!! Rather than camping in a hut, go to a different part of the island. It won't be as safe, but you don't get caught in the cycle. A pretty good place to camp in Bayjin is the tunnel going to the swamp. There aren't many respawn points in that neck of the woods, and if you camp in the right place, you'll only have to defend one direction.
As for rock crabs, I don't remember them being able to hit me much, so I would just chip away at them. Makes for a long battle, but it doesn't cost much in the way of mana. You can even get away with moving your casters into melee range and let them practice swinging those staves...
Hmm, that's funny, cuz the Rock Crabs are mauling my Samurai with AC of 15 (with Armor Plate on). Even if only 1-2 are attacking at a time, we have to heal the samurai (and others too, for Rock Crab can swing at back row), and we've expended all of the mana for that battle. Yes I can run, but that takes a long time, plus the Rynjin who always seem to accompany the crabs can catch up, and they're getting spells in during the meantime 
This is not insurmountable; I just felt like complaining about this strange gameplay mechanic of all the enemy creatures hanging out outside of whatever hut I'm sleeping in
BTW, I've tried camping in other places (like the edge of beach) and have been successful, but everyone respawns, including those friggin rock crabs, who've mauled my rear-echelon guys dead in 2 hits in a single round in some cases...
It's not the difficulty I'm really harping about, it's just this respawning rate is so incredibly fast that playing often seems like a chore. I wouldn't mind it if battles were more difficult, but enemies don't respawn for, say, a week or two gametime... Sometimes I just want to get on with the exploration and the story! Combat is Wizardry 8's best feature, but the sheer amount (and length) of battles dulls its excitement and fun, in this gamer's opinion...
- Wind |
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Tue Jul 23, 2002 3:17 am |
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dteowner
Shoegazer
Joined: 21 Mar 2002
Posts: 7570
Location: Third Hero of Erathia |
Hmm...
Couple questions: Have you checked your encumberance recently? You want each character's load in the white if at all possible. Also, you didn't bump yourself up to the "hard" difficulty level by accident? I remember those crabs (even the rock variety) being a good source of easy XP... They take good damage from a well-placed fireball. It's entirely possible my memory is on the fritz, but I remember killing a crap-load of those guys in the Sea Caves and they just lined up to die. I'd toss a fireball or two into the middle of the pack to soften them up a bit and then have my samurai and monk dice them up. The first time thru, I think my fighter and monk did the same thing. Oh yeah, I think I had pretty good success with insanity, too, both as a spell and via my bard.
_________________
=Proud Member of the Non-Flamers Guild=
=Benevolent Dictator, X2/X3 and Morrowind/Oblivion Forums=
Sorry. No pearls of wisdom in this oyster.
RIP Red Wings How 'Bout Dem Cowboys! |
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Tue Jul 23, 2002 4:39 am |
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Windwalking
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 05 Jul 2002
Posts: 227
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quote:
Originally posted by dteowner
Hmm...
Couple questions: Have you checked your encumberance recently? You want each character's load in the white if at all possible. Also, you didn't bump yourself up to the "hard" difficulty level by accident? I remember those crabs (even the rock variety) being a good source of easy XP... They take good damage from a well-placed fireball. It's entirely possible my memory is on the fritz, but I remember killing a crap-load of those guys in the Sea Caves and they just lined up to die. I'd toss a fireball or two into the middle of the pack to soften them up a bit and then have my samurai and monk dice them up. The first time thru, I think my fighter and monk did the same thing. Oh yeah, I think I had pretty good success with insanity, too, both as a spell and via my bard.
Rock crabs have 220+ HP in my game, and Fireballs take off 30 HP (a level 7 fireball). My mage has exactly 3 of those, and they're down to 130 HP, which still takes forever to kill with fighter-types (7HP per hit). They're essentially immune to other types of magic; insanity usually has no effect or affects 1 of them, and my Bishop is usually healing anyway. And the Rock Crabs almost always seems to come with Rynjin squads, so...
They're not impossible to kill, they just take a long time, and then they always come back after resting (in huts or away from the whole Rynjin encampment).
I guess I'm just building up a ton of experience though...
- Wind |
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Tue Jul 23, 2002 8:21 pm |
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HiddenX
The Elder Spy
Joined: 20 Jul 2001
Posts: 749
Location: NRW / Germany |
7 point damage for the fighters is too low - what weapons do you have ?
maybe you are again too early (remember Trinton ?) in this area ?
you should have at least 2 *major* weapons in Bayjin, like Fang, Dread Spear, Excalibur, *LightSword*...
_________________
=Member of The Nonflamers' Guild= |
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Tue Jul 23, 2002 10:34 pm |
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Rhea
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 17 Jul 2002
Posts: 40
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Hmmm..are you sure you haven't gotten to Bayjin too soon?
My fighters are doing more than 7 damage per hit by the time I get to Arnika.
Also, it's easier to sleep or paralyze them and then hack away at them. Boiling blood is a great spell, because it does big HP damage to one critter, but peripheral damage to all the others. And I don't much find that spells like fireball are all that effective against big HP critters, except in the sense that dteowner mentioned above, strictly to knock some points off of them while your fighters hack away.
Something is really wrong, though, if your fighters are only averaging 7 pts. per hit.
What level are they? |
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Tue Jul 23, 2002 11:20 pm |
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Windwalking
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 05 Jul 2002
Posts: 227
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quote:
Originally posted by Rhea
Hmmm..are you sure you haven't gotten to Bayjin too soon?
My fighters are doing more than 7 damage per hit by the time I get to Arnika.
Also, it's easier to sleep or paralyze them and then hack away at them. Boiling blood is a great spell, because it does big HP damage to one critter, but peripheral damage to all the others. And I don't much find that spells like fireball are all that effective against big HP critters, except in the sense that dteowner mentioned above, strictly to knock some points off of them while your fighters hack away.
Something is really wrong, though, if your fighters are only averaging 7 pts. per hit.
What level are they?
OK, I mentioned this earlier (hehe thanks for reading ), but my fighters typically do 5-35 damage against NORMAL creatures, but against rock crabs, they do anywhere from 1-8 damage, usually around 4-6. We're all Level 11, and we have none of the major weapons you guys are talking about (unless Mystic Spear or that ranger-only bow qualifies).
My samurai is using the Enchanted Broadsword and his starting Wakaizashi. Valkyrie: Mystic Spear and Long Bow. Ranger: Diamond Epee and D_____ bow. Gadgeteer her Omnigun MK 6. By the way, I'm not using Bloodlust, cuz. I wanna develop my samurai's magic skills; if you use him only for fighting, then a figher would have been better, no?
For most enemies, even the big boy Rynjin types, these guys are enough, but Rock Crabs seem to have this resistance to physical damage as well as all magic damage except for fire. That wouldn't be a problem if I could avoid them, but they always seem to show up in my battles against the Rynjin, and, again, they respawn when I camp. I'm making inroads, and I'm not "stuck", I'm just taking a VERY long time to do things (sometimes on a trip to Bayjin, we have to retreat before getting anything done )
Oh well, I like to rant, and the subject of something making sense in a "game reality" is one of my favorite subjects
- Wind |
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Wed Jul 24, 2002 12:17 am |
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Bilbo
High Emperor
Joined: 12 Mar 2002
Posts: 1620
Location: New York |
Your problem is you're WAY ahead of yourself. I didn't have nearly the problems you're having, but my party was probably around level 18 when I got there. Bayjin is one of the tougher areas of the game. I'd recommend you back off until you're maybe level 15+, unless you're really enjoying the struggle.
_________________
The world itself shifts and changes and fades to mist like the strings of a minstrel's harp, and mayhap the dreams we forge are more enduring than the works of kings and gods.-Robert E. Howard
=Member of the RPGDot Shadows, The Nonflamers' Guild, and The Alliance of Middle Earth= |
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Wed Jul 24, 2002 1:19 am |
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Rhea
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 17 Jul 2002
Posts: 40
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quote:
Originally posted by Bilbo
Your problem is you're WAY ahead of yourself. I didn't have nearly the problems you're having, but my party was probably around level 18 when I got there. Bayjin is one of the tougher areas of the game. I'd recommend you back off until you're maybe level 15+, unless you're really enjoying the struggle.
Bilbo's right. You must be racing through the game like mad. 
The game has a sort of logical progression, meaning that most people are a certain level when they move through most parts of the game. I would guess that most people are Level 15-18 by the time they get to Bayjin.
It makes a huge difference in fighting ability, both for your fighters and your spellcasters. Doable, but much harder.
My favorite instance of this was my wandering toward the Northern Wilderness in my first game straight out of the Monastery. Oy! Between geomancers, elementals, and other 'mancers, my party died..and died...and died. I finally got the idea and reloaded and went on down the road to Arnika. |
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Wed Jul 24, 2002 3:49 pm |
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Windwalking
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 05 Jul 2002
Posts: 227
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quote:
Originally posted by Rhea
quote:
Originally posted by Bilbo
Your problem is you're WAY ahead of yourself. I didn't have nearly the problems you're having, but my party was probably around level 18 when I got there. Bayjin is one of the tougher areas of the game. I'd recommend you back off until you're maybe level 15+, unless you're really enjoying the struggle.
Bilbo's right. You must be racing through the game like mad.
The game has a sort of logical progression, meaning that most people are a certain level when they move through most parts of the game. I would guess that most people are Level 15-18 by the time they get to Bayjin.
It makes a huge difference in fighting ability, both for your fighters and your spellcasters. Doable, but much harder.
My favorite instance of this was my wandering toward the Northern Wilderness in my first game straight out of the Monastery. Oy! Between geomancers, elementals, and other 'mancers, my party died..and died...and died. I finally got the idea and reloaded and went on down the road to Arnika.
LoL! I thought that I WAS following the logical progression. I went to Trynton and they sent me to Marten's Bluff. I went to the Swamp and talked to Crock and he said that Marten went through Sea Caves and Bayjin. First I went down to Marten's Bluff, but the T'rang wanted me to spy north to see if the Umpani were making trouble. I said "Sure thing, Z'ant". And I couldn't find any way to proceed into the heart of Marten's bluff because everything was either locked or just blocked by these huge glass windows. So I decided to go north through the Swamp and then through the Sea Caves, because now TWO guys were sending me there (Crock and Z'ant). That makes logical sense, no?
I guess maybe I was supposed to find a way to get past all of those barred doors in Marten's Bluff? I'd just figured earlier that if I did the mission for Z'ant that HE'D let me in to the heart of the Bluff, which would allow me to get the idol that I need for Trynton.
Oh well, I'll keep hammering away at the Rynjin with my puny level 11 guys and see what happens
- Wind |
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Wed Jul 24, 2002 7:25 pm |
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Rhea
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 17 Jul 2002
Posts: 40
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^You missed an entire level of Marten's Bluff (Upper Marten's Bluff, to be exact), and that would have led you back to the swamp to Crock, then back to Trynton for unfinished business with the Shaman. A nice side trip to the Mountain Wilderness next, and..well, you get the idea.
But if you're surviving ok in Bayjin, it won't hurt anything. You're just having to work a lot harder for those points.  |
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Thu Jul 25, 2002 12:12 am |
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Windwalking
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 05 Jul 2002
Posts: 227
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quote:
Originally posted by Rhea
^You missed an entire level of Marten's Bluff (Upper Marten's Bluff, to be exact), and that would have led you back to the swamp to Crock, then back to Trynton for unfinished business with the Shaman. A nice side trip to the Mountain Wilderness next, and..well, you get the idea.
But if you're surviving ok in Bayjin, it won't hurt anything. You're just having to work a lot harder for those points.
Hmm.. about Marten's Bluff...This seemed strange to me at the time, but the first time I went to Marten's Bluff, I was able to open the main entrance, then the first sliding glass door (into the elevator room), and then take the elevator down to the T'Rang and Z'ant.
Now, when I go to Marten's Bluff, I can't even get through that sliding glass door into the elevator room; I can't visit the T'Rang anymore (or explore Marten's Bluff for that matter). Is this part of the game, or did I encounter another major bug?
Note that both times I've been to Marten's Bluff, none of the other doors opened for me except for the ones I've mentioned. But the 2nd time, I can't even get into elevator room.
BTW, on the faction rating, the T'Rang are still "Friendly"
- Wind |
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Thu Jul 25, 2002 3:24 am |
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