Icewind Dale II Forum Update

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(Originally posted by Tiamat)

Doug Avery, Associate Producer

CD Number: We haven't put any of our builds on CD officially yet. I did burn a copy of it to take home and play and it was 2 full CDs and 1 half full. About 1.5 GB overall. We have not done all of our optimization yet, but we also don't have all of our sounds in either. I am guessing it will be 3 CDs, but we'll have to see later on when everything is in place.

Weapon Damage and 3E: We've already made most of these changes now and are planning on doing the rest. We're trying to be as close to 3E as possible.

3E Multiclassing: I believe what he was referring to was the fact that you gain XP independent of your classes. The 20 XP you gain goes toward your next level. Period. It is not split between your two or three different classes. If you are first level, currently you need 2000 XP to get to second. Then when you have 2000 XP you can decide you want to be a wizard. Now you are a 1st level Fighter, 1st level Wizard. When you achieve your next level (4000 XP), you may select what to level up in. Would you like another level of fighter, another level in wizard or maybe even a level in rogue? I really hope that clarifies things. If not, I'll try again.

Kevin Osburn, Line Producer

QA and Kit Cutting: The kits were not taken out of the game to just to make QA's job easier, in fact QA really didn't factor into the decision to cut the kits. The fact that QA's job would be a bit easier now is a bonus to the situation. Working in a Quality Assurance department isn't as easy as it sounds, but our QA teams are doing a great job on IWD2.

Windows XP: Yes, several testers are using XP. I am also using XP and I haven't had any problems at all.

3E and the Release Date: No, it shouldn't affect the release date.

Game Length: Well the reason I said that is there are a couple of types of gamers out there. You have the power-gamers, and the casual gamers. Depending on how the power-gamer plays he will probably finish the game much faster than the casual gamer. Another thing depends on what the player decides to do in the game. For example, do they try to complete every single quest in the game and explore every area, or do they simply do what they need to do to finish the game quickly.
The last time I talked to QA about this, they didn't expect anyone to beat the game in 25 hours, and currently it looks like it will take a minimum of 40-45 hours. But it could also take some people up to 60-70 hours.
The length of a game is the trickiest part of development due to what I talked about in the first paragraph. We as developers try to give our best estimation.
At this point I really don't think anyone can beat it in that amount of time the first time through. In the interview I was just being optimistic. I just talked to the QA guys today, and they feel overall that there should be more overall gameplay in IWD2 than the original IWD.

J.E. Sawyer, Lead Designer

3E feats: 3E feats like Power Attack and Expertise trade their stats at a 1:1 ratio. You can use those abilities in a tactical fashion, turning them off and on as your situation changes. I played a 3E fighter with Power Attack, Cleave, and Great Cleave. When fighting heavily armored bad*****, I wouldn't use my Power Attack feat. When fighting a throng of goblins in hide armor, I'd bust my Power Attack up to maximum and slaughter four of them in one shot. This essentially works because you can't opt-out of the penalties; you have to use your head, since you know you'll be rolling to-hit and damage consecutively. You can opt-out of a penalty to cold spells by never (or rarely) using them. It's the kensai mentality.

Mind Flayers: Mind Flayers in IWD2 are pretty tough, but not ridiculous. The most frustrating thing about them is their tendency to Plane Shift away when they get below 50% hit points.
However, if you have a fighter with a low or average Wisdom, he or she will get stunned and/or dominated and/or have his or her brain devoured.

No Prestige Classes: There will not be prestige classes in IWD2. Sorry.

Touch spells: Touch spells ignore the Armor Bonus portion of Armor Class. If a character had a 22 AC, 6 points of Armor Bonus, 2 points of Shield Bonus, 4 points of Dexterity Bonus, a touch spell would only need to overcome a 16 AC (22 - 6).

3E clerics: Have you played a 3E cleric? With Spontaneous Conversion, they're among the most awesome characters in the game. Domains are like free feats -- in fact, their powers often replicate or grant free feats. So, not only do 3E clerics have two good saves, the 2nd best BAB, d8 hit points, the ability to wear heavy armor, turn undead, cast spells, and spontaneously convert them to healing, but they also get two domains at first level that grant feat-like abilities. Taking away domains hardly cripples them.
I'm also failing to understand how combat-oriented feats are "for fighters only". Do your clerics never enter combat? Maybe I'm just funny with how I play clerics, but mine are always at the front line. Personally, I wouldn't mine having my cleric take Power Attack, Lightning Reflexes, Combat Casting, Improved Critical, Dash, Dodge, or other combat-oriented feats.
Clerics in 3E do not have to pray for the various Cure X Wounds spells if they are good. Evil clerics do not have to pray for the various Inflict X Wounds spells. Neutral characters get a choice between the two at character creation.
Basically, a cleric can just memorize combat, buff, and miscellaneous spells. If he or she needs a healing spell, they can spontaneously convert that spell into a healing spell of the nearest level (go down if there is not one at the current level). So, for example, if a cleric converted Hold Person, it would become Cure Moderate Wounds. If a cleric converted Blade Barrier, it would become Cure Critical Wounds. If an evil cleric converted Neutralize Poison, it would become Inflict Serious Wounds.

Bard Spells: Bards will cast spells like sorcerers.

Spontaneous Healing for Clerics: We're working on it.

Bard Songs: I've talked to Darren about the possibility of making the basic bard song "free" and then giving special "bonus feats" at the time the bards would get additional songs. In addition to the regular HoW songs, the player could pick Riddlemaster riddles and/or Lingering Song. I'm not sure if we can do it, though.

Spell Sets: Bards and sorcerers cast spells differently than wizards, so they will have their own list of spells. This did cause much anguish, but Bernie is mostly better now.
However, bards, sorcerers and wizards all pick from the same spell set. Paladins and clerics pick from the same spell set. Druids and rangers pick from the same spell set.

Level drain: No; we aren't implementing full level drain, only the acquisition of negative levels, which operate as listed.

Shapeshifter Forms as Feats: It is quite possible that the shapeshifter's special forms will become feats.

Pausing While in Inventory: Yes. After all, you'll need the extra time to go through your six extra inventory slots.

Paladin Feats: I have suggested that a few of the paladin kit bonuses be turned into feats:
* Fiendslayer (Cavalier) - Character gains +3 to hit and damage against dragons and demonic creatures. Requires: +3 BAB, Weapon Focus: Large Swords or Weapon Focus: Great Swords, Ability to lay on hands.
* Heretic's Bane (Votary) - Character gains +3 to hit and damage against characters with cleric and druid levels. Requires: +3 BAB, 6 ranks of Spellcraft, ability to cast Divine Spells.

Vampires: No vampires, but there are other energy draining creatures that you can grow to hate.

Credit were credit is due: If you want to thank me for the design element of the changes being done, that's all well and good. However, I would like everyone to know that the only way these changes could be made is through the efforts of Bernie Weir, Danien Chee, Dave Boulanger, and Darren Monahan. They are the people who actually code all of these changes.

Wights: There were never wights outside of the mill in Icewind Dale. However, in Icewind Dale 2, there are a bunch of wights outside of that mill. Bitter orc-hating ranger Jermsy is quite annoyed by their presence.

Old Icewind Dale Areas: We announced that Dragon's Eye, Kuldahar, and one other location were being revisited in Icewind Dale 2, with redone area art and completely new area design. By your comments, I'll assume that you didn't play BG2 and see the various levels of Durlag's Tower randomly distributed in such fascinating locations as the Athkatla sewers.

3E Feats: Icewind Dale 2 will be using 3E feats. The feats are a number of passive and active abilities than can be employed by a wide variety of characters. Unlike skills, feats typically do not have "levels"; they usually give a single ability to the character that gives them additional options or bonuses. Fallout's "perks" are a good analogy.

All characters start with one feat. Human characters start with an additional feat. Fighters start with another additional feat. Characters gain an additional feat at 3rd, 6th, 9th, etc. level. Some classes, like fighters and rangers, also gain bonus feats as they advance. In fact, the fighter class' bread and butter is the use of feats in combat.

Often, feats have prerequisites. If a character does not have the prerequisites required for a feat, he or she cannot take it. Here is a preliminary list of SOME feats from the game:

Ambidexterity - Lowers penalties for two-weapon fighting.
Arterial Strike - Allows a rogue character to sacrifice 1d6 points of sneak attack damage to inflict a bleeding wound that causes damage over many rounds.
Combat Casting - Grants a bonus to concentration checks for spellcasters.
Dash - Increases movement by 1.
Death Blow - When a character with this feat strikes a paralyzed, unconscious, or sleeping character, the target must make a Fortitude save or die.
Deflect Arrows - Grants a bonus vs. missile attacks.
Dodge - Grants a +1 miscellaneous AC bonus.
Expertise - Allows a character to take a penalty to hit in order to raise his or her AC.
Great Fortitude - +2 bonus to Fortitude saves.
Hamstring - Allows a rogue character to sacrifice 2d6 points of sneak attack damage to reduce the target's movement by 50%.
Improved Critical - Grants a +1 bonus to critically hit.
Iron Will - +2 bonus to Will saves.
Lightning Reflexes - +2 bonus to Reflex saves.
Lingering Song - When a bard stops playing, the effects of his or her song last an additional 2 rounds.
Power Attack - This feat allows the character to take a penalty to hit in order to increase his or her damage with melee weapons.
Point Blank Shot - Reduces the penalty for firing in melee from -8 to -4.
Still Spell - Reduces the arcane spell failure chance for casting in armor (different from the metamagic feat of the same name).
Toughness - +3 hit points (can be taken multiple times)
Two-Weapon Fighting - Lowers penalties for two-weapon fighting.
Weapon Finesse - Allows a character to use his or her Dexterity bonus when making attack rolls with daggers and shortswords.
In addition to the feats listed above, there are also weapon and armor feats. The weapon types are divided into simple and martial categories:

SW: Crossbow
SW: Mace
SW: Missile
SW: Quarterstaff
SW: Small Blade
MW: Axe
MW: Bow
MW: Flail
MW: Great Sword
MW: Hammer
MW: Large Sword
MW: Polearm

Most non-warrior characters (wizards, sorcerers, rogues, clerics, etc.) start with proficiency (one star) in most or all simple weapons. Warrior characters (barbarians, paladins, rangers, fighters) start with proficiency in all weapon types.

Increasing an individual weapon proficiency is the equivalent of taking the feat Weapon Focus, which grants +1 to hit. Characters with 4 or more levels of fighter may also take Weapon Specialization (three stars), which grants an additional +2 to damage. Elf characters start with a free proficiency in either MW: Bow or MW: Large Sword.

Armor proficiencies reduce the inherent penalties for wearing armor. Although any character can wear armor, most will not want to wear armor. Wearing armor causes chances of arcane spellcasting failure, penalizes thief skills, and can even cause penalties to hit for those without the proper feats.

The following list breaks down armor types. The first column lists the types of armor. The second column lists the chance for arcane spell failure. The third column lists penalties to thief skills (which may be translated into 3E 5% into 1 values). The fourth column lists the maximum dexterity bonus to AC that a character may receive while wearing that armor type.
Leather (Light) 10% 0 +6

Studded Leather (Light) 15% -5% +5
Chain Mail (Medium) 30% -30% +2
Splint Mail (Medium) 40% -35% +0
Plate Mail (Heavy) 40% -35% +0
Full Plate (Heavy) 35% -30% +1
Buckler 5% -5% --
Small Shield 5% -5% --
Medium Shield 10% -10% --
Large Shield 15% -15% --

If a character does not have the appropriate armor feats (light, medium, heavy, and shield), he or she gains additional penalties for wearing that armor. Fighters, clerics, and paladins start out with all armor proficiencies. Rangers, druids, barbarians, and rogues start out with less. Wizards and sorcerers have no armor proficiency.

We are also translating some of the previously used kit powers into feats (Envenom Weapon, Trick Shot, etc.).

The idea with many of these "modal not modal" feats is that you turn them on and they stay on until you turn them off. We will be experimenting with that. For instance, you could turn on Arterial Strike and it would remain on until you chose to turn it off. However, we are still looking into that method of implementation.

That list is not complete. Point Blank Shot is on the list. Rapid Shot may also be implemented.

Instead of adding multiclass class IDs, we aren't using multiclass class IDs at all. The class levels contain their own IDs. When the functions make their checks, they just check for the core class IDs after looking through all of the class level fields a character has. If any of them return true for that check, it makes calculations based on what is present.

At least, that's the basic idea.

Meta-magic: To be honest, meta-magic feats are unlikely. They would be quite difficult to implement, I am sorry to say. I don't want to get your hopes up about them. Spell Penetration is a possibility.

Multiclassing: Icewind Dale 2 will use 3E multiclassing rules. Unlike 2nd Edition, in which human characters dual-classed (start in one class, then stop in that class and start in a second, never to return) and demi-human characters split-classed (advance at an equal rate in two or more pre-selected classes), both humans and demi-humans have the same options available to them.

All characters start game play with one class. Every time the character advances, the player has the option of advancing in the character's current class, or adding a level in another class. The amount of experience required to advance is based off of total class levels (character level) rather than individual class levels. For example, it takes as much XP to advance a character from level 4 fighter to level 5 fighter as it does to advance a character from level 4 fighter to level 4 fighter/level 1 rogue.

Characters gain the full cumulative bonuses of all their levels instead of the "best of" between both classes. For instance, if a character has +4 BAB from his fighter levels and a +2 BAB from his wizard levels, he would have a +6 BAB, not +4. The same applies for saving throws.

Hit points are not divided between classes. A character gets the total hit dice for each set of class levels he or she has. E.g., a fighter 7 / rogue 4 / wizard 5 would have 7d10 + 4d6 + 5d4 hit points, modified by constitution.

Characters may multiclass to any class to which they do not have alignment conflicts, with the exception of the monk and paladin classes. Paladins and monks each have three orders that allow them to multiclass to one class and back again. For example, paladins of Ilmater, the god of suffering, may multiclass to cleric and back again. Dark Moon monks of Shar may multiclass to sorcerer and back again. No characters may multiclass into the paladin or monk classes after character creation.

In theory, a character can take as many classes as a player qualifies for. However, this typically makes the character much less effective than a single or double classed character. In addition, when class levels get out of synch with each other, the character can be penalized XP. Without going into the details of the formula, a character is penalized a small amount of XP whenever one or more of his or her classes is more than one level away from another. There is an exception to this rule: racial favored class. Each race has a favored class which is ignored for the purposes of calculating multiclass XP penalties. For elves, it is wizard. For dwarves, it is fighters. For halflings, it is thieves. For gnomes, it is wizard. For half-orcs, it is barbarian. Half-elves and humans always ignore the highest class level they have. This gives them a range of flexibility that the other classes lack.

Different avatars may have to be used for halfling wizards and demi-human monks, but all races should be able to select all classes.

Chad Nicholas, Scripter

Porting Icewind Dale into new Icewind Dale II IE engine: It's not always hard-coded, but unfortunately to get very special and specific events to happen, sometimes a bit of hackery is needed to get the IE to play nice.
Besides, all the scripts from IwD1 would not work in IwD2. We've changed the way the engine parses the scripts so that it's faster and more reliable, and we've changed a lot of the script functions to take more parameters. All of these improvements mean that IwD1 scripts (and creature files, and item files, etc., etc.) are not compatible with IwD2. Someone would have to rewrite/convert all those little data files so that they could be read by IwD2.

Hostile Adventuring Parties: There are a few battles in the game that - while you wouldn't call the opponents "an adventuring party" per se - the enemy group does end up working together and helping each other out (and they have Phat L00t, too).

Tex Yang, Quality Assurance

Testing and balancing: We're not going to just stop testing and balancing the game because 3E multiclassing is in. As I've mentioned before, balance and fun are some of our higher priorities in IWD2, and that is still the case now.
As a matter of fact, being here at 11:30pm (since 11:00am today) and still having one more area to go before I even contemplate sleep should reinforce that point for some of you out there that might be a little worried about it right now.

Monks Weapons: Monks can equip (some) weapons if their fists are not doing a sufficient enough job against some enemies.